TORONTO – This Wednesday, late morning, the Toronto Book Fair and its partners, including the Université de l’Ontario français where the event will be held, unveiled the program for the 32nd edition. This will take place from February 28 to March 2 and will have inclusion as its main theme.
The chairman of the board of directors, Valéry Vlad, spoke about the selection process for this theme, chosen a year and a half ago, and which particularly resonates with recent news, particularly south of the Canadian border with election of Donald Trump.
“At the time of the choice, we did not imagine that we would be where we are today with the threat from the South and elsewhere. But we chose inclusion as a word that embodies an essential value. »
According to Mr. Vlad, “We couldn’t have chosen a better theme, given what is happening in the world. It is no longer just a value that we can talk about, but a necessity: how must we cling to inclusion, this primordial value, especially in Canada, to survive as Francophones, as Canadians? It became a fight. And without winning this fight, I don’t know if we will still exist in a few years. »
Include young people and seniors
The organizers’ first intention is to include youth, a vital issue, as Mr. Vlad emphasized. “When we talk about inclusion, we also think about the excluded. Young people have their games, their concerns, their social networks and they don’t read: 2% read. So the remaining 98%, personally, I consider them excluded. »
We could just produce books for the 2%. But should we therefore abandon others? Leave them to TikTok and their concerns? No, because these 98% will vote in a few years. If we want to avoid finding ourselves in situations like those we are experiencing today, we must attract these young people to books. It’s not indoctrination, it’s giving them the ability to choose. »
To do this, the show will offer workshops for young people and will award a Young Literary Talent prize to students from UOF, Glendon and Collège Boréal, who will be in competition.
At the other end of the spectrum, seniors will not be forgotten: a poetry creation workshop will be dedicated to them on the second day.
“It is important, when we talk about inclusion, to give a place to our elders,” said Eunice Boué, general director of the show. “We have worked with different partners who are delighted to send us groups of seniors. They are already ready and eagerly waiting to board the shuttles to go to the show. »
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The poetic creation workshop will be followed by a visit to the exhibition stands.
Include indigenous people and the LGBTQ+ community
On Saturday March 1, the third day of the show, several themes will be discussed, including the inclusion of indigenous communities and their place in the Francophonie, through a round table.
“Indigenous communities must have their say,” says Mr. Vlad. We will invite them and give them the floor so that they can define their role in the Francophonie and in inclusion in general. »
This round table will be preceded by another entitled “New and inclusive voices”, dedicated to queer French-speaking literature in Canada.
“Highlighting the LGBTQIA+ community, and the values it has imposed, is essential. Otherwise, we risk following the example of our neighbors to the South, where we prefer to sweep these issues under the carpet,” said Mr. Vlad.
The closing day, Sunday March 2, will highlight authors with disabilities, through another round table, this time on literature and disability.
The 32nd edition of the Toronto Book Fair will be held from February 28 to March 2, 2025 at the Université de l’Ontario français. Entrance is free.
