In late April, we initiated a participatory and joyful event with activist undertones, entitled "Le défilé de la Butte de la Croix" (Procession of the Butte de la Croix), to mark the acquisition of this important site in Havre-Aubert, in the Magdalen Islands, by the Société de conservation des Îles-de-la-Madeleine (SCÎM).
The event took the form of a walk, interspersed with moments of music, singing and talks. Linking the three mounts of the Buttes des Demoiselles, the route allowed people of all generations to experience the material, spatial and collective dimension of this taking possession of the territory.
The procession was a festive gathering and an opportunity for exchange, but also as a moment of collective political imagination and its application to territorial struggles.
It was a celebration of the work being done on the Islands to create and maintain environments for harmonious relationships between humans and more-than-human, against the land grabbing by the few and the devastating consequences on fragile ecosystems.
The procession also came full circle by referencing a landmark in local history. In the early 1980s, a march was organized by citizens to oppose the excavation of the Buttes des Demoiselles. This collective procession in defense of the Buttes not only stopped the excavation, but also gave impetus to the creation of the SCÎM, which would acquire the first part of the Demoiselles in 2001. Today, with the bequest of the Butte de la Croix by the Fabrique to the SCÎM, the geological complex is reunited and acts as a testament to a community's ability to make one world happen rather than another.
Our thanks:
To those who were present
To the musicians: Sonia Painchaud and Les Gaillards: Martin Claveau, Luc Longuépée, François Miousse and Bruno Savary
To Josianne Poirier, curator
To Véronique Déraspe and the SCÎM team
To Laurène Janowsky and the AdMare team
To Alphiya Joncas and Antonin Monmart
And to those who shared their knowledge and helped us in our research: Carole Leblanc, Berthe Vigneau, Marie Aubin, Raymond Gauthier, Serge Bourgeois, Damien Turbide.
Thursday, April 27th, 2023
Havre-Aubert, Magdalen Islands
Le défilé de la Butte de la Croix (2023)
