This blog post contains a growing list of French Black Lives Matter resources for Core French & French Immersion. The purpose of this blog post is to ensure that we have a variety of resources that put Black francophone voices, experiences and perspectives at the front and center. I frequently hear from teachers that French resources on racial injustices do not exist. That is false!
I have seen a flood of books, resources, Instagram accounts for English teachers and students on Instagram. As French teachers, we must remember that anti-black racism and police brutality are also widespread in Canada and in France. Despite the fact that the French boast about never being a part of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Black French populations continue to be marginalized and oppressed by French institutions.
Please do your due diligence by thoroughly watching and reading the resources before showing them to your own students.
This is not a complete and final list of resources. As I stumble upon and/or am made aware of other documents, I will be adding them to this blog post.
Finally, if you are interested in learning more about how to teach about Indigenous perspectives, anti-Asian hate, la francophonie, or the French Antilles, I have tons of content on these topics.
Table of contents
- French documentaries & films about racial injustices
- Short videos & films on Black Lives Matter in the French Language
- YouTube videos
- Printable French resources on racial injustices and inequalities
- Other
- Podcasts
- Where to find books written by Black authors
- 4. Le multiculturalisme : tous pareils; tous différents
- Children’s Books
- Books for teens & adults
- Alternative News Sources
- Songs
- Art & Posters
French documentaries & films about racial injustices
1. Banlieusards (Netflix)
This film is an absolute must-watch if you have access to Netflix at your school.
The movie explores the lives of three brothers living in a Parisian banlieue. Despite being siblings, the three could not be more different.
Themes of poverty, race, incarceration, criminal activity, ambition, and marginalization all intersect to produce a moving storyline.
Banlieusards is a must-watch if you are looking to explore systemic racial injustices in France
L’ascension is a charming romantic-comedy film.
The storyline explores the life of a young Black man who climbs Mount Everest to prove to a woman that he would do anything for her. You will definitely be laughing alongside the characters throughout the whole movie.
3. Bienvenue à Marly-Gomont (Netflix)
Bienvenue à Marly-Gomont is a poignant film about a Black family that moves to a rural French village from The Congo.
Seyolo Zantoko, the main character, accepts a position as the village’s sole doctor, a position that has remained vacant for some time.
Zantoko and his family are treated as second-class citizens by the villagers, and as a result, they struggle to settle into their new lives.
Warning : this movie is heart wrenching and charismatic. But there’s also a bare butt, so it may not be suitable for children of all ages.
4. Il a déjà tes yeux (Netflix)
The main characters in Il a déjà tes yeux are a French couple of West African and West Indies origin who are struggling to conceive. When the couple finally receives the green light to adopt, they discover, to their immense surprise, that their son is white.
Paul and Sali love their son unconditionally from the beginning. However, they find that their families and French society do not accept them as a family. Over the course of the film, the family encounters many obstacles that prevent their family from being happy.
This is a great film to teach your students about how racism is deeply ingrained in our minds and in our institutions.
Despite being thematically serious, Il a déjà tes yeux also happens to be highly comical. You will be laugh-crying the whole time!
5. National Film Board of Canada – 19 free films and documentaries
The National Film Board of Canada has a selection of 19 films and documentaries on the lived experiences of Black Canadians. The majority are in English and have French subtitles. Here are four of my favourites :
In this documentary, musician Oscar Peterson recounts stories about his life, career and his love of music.
2. Une mémoire oubliée… une génération sacrifiée
This is a documentary that recites the lived experiences of Haitian immigrants in the 1960s.
This documentary recounts a controversial event that occurred in Montreal in the late 1960s where a number of Black students of Caribbean descent accused a professor of racism. Students will hear first-hand the experiences of the former students at the heart of the event.
This is a short, but powerful film for all History & Social Studies students. A grandmother recounts to her grandson a series of events in the form of tableaux that their ancestors experienced.
Short videos & films on Black Lives Matter in the French Language
2. Fary – Faciès | A COLORS SHOW
3. Couleurs Coeurs – Idello (série)
YouTube videos
1. TV5 Afrique – YouTube Channel
Pourquoi y a-t-il esclavage dans le monde?
Minutes du Patrimoine – Viola Desmond
Printable French resources on racial injustices and inequalities
1. Les origines du verlan et des banlieues
This resource is one I created myself. The resource introduces students to the history of French banlieues and the origins of verlan. Students will learn verlan and other French slang, complete a jigsaw activity, and take part in a number of reading and listening comprehension activities. I also have an entire blog post dedicated to how I structure this unit with my own students.
2. La Ligue des droits de l’Homme : comprendre pour combattre
This is a dense text geared towards French Immersion students, most likely for a Social Studies or Social Justice class. This rich document educates students on the origins of race, racism, and anti-Semitism. This document also contains definitions of vocabulary such as discrimination, culture, human rights, colonialism, etc.
3. L’histoire de l’esclavage au Canada – livre PDF (Commission Canadienne pour UNESCO)
4. Le racisme expliqué aux enfants : guide par tranches d’âge
5. La compréhension écrite – être africain ou français – l’identité hybride en France – GRATUITÉ
6. UNESCO – Les femmes dans l’histoire de l’Afrique
7. Histoire Canada Jeunesse (37 PAGES) PDF
Other
1. Canadian Encyclopaedia – quiz (en français) – connaissez-vous l’histoire des Noirs au Canada?
Podcasts
2. Les enfants du bruit et de l’odeur
Where to find books written by Black authors
I really quickly want to shout the Indigo français team on Instagram. I reached out to them about books written by francophone authors for elementary and high school students.
They got back to me a few days later with a huge list, including names and ISBNs of books they don’t even sell themselves! Thank you to Rachel & Patrick!
Here are the links to books written by Black francophones divided by age range :
3. Librairies Racines Montréal
4. Le multiculturalisme : tous pareils; tous différents
Children’s Books
1. Bienvenue! : Un livre sur l’inclusion (ages 2-7)
3. La détermination de Viola Desmond
4. Le chemin de Jada (Laura Nsafou , Barbara Brun)
5. Nos boucles au naturel (Matthew A. Cherry , Vashti Harrison)
6. Huit jours: un Enfant à Haïti (Edwidge Danticat)
Books for teens & adults
1. Lettre à Adama (Assa Traoré)
2. Le racisme expliqué à ma fille (Tahar Ben Jelloun)
Alternative News Sources
The following are news sources that are NOT mainstream media. Mainstream media, especially French mainstream media, has an ugly history of propagating stereotypes of Black people and downplaying (or completely ignoring) issues affecting Black communities.
The Bondy Blog was formed after the murders of Zyed Benna and Bouna Traoré at the hands of police. The Bondy Blog’s goal is to provide a platform for the voices of minorities whose voices are otherwise suppressed and marginalized. My favourite part about the Bondy Blog is that you do not have to be a renowned journalist to write an article for the Bondy Blog.
Street Press is another alternative media source. They strive to recount and analyze news stories affecting residents of urban centres and banlieues. Read their about page for more info.
Join our FaceBook group for French Teachers sharing their favourite French resources on racial injustices
Songs
1. Africain by Sexion d’Assaut
4. Parce qu’on vient de loin (Corneille)
5. Je crois que ça va pas être possible (Zebda)
Art & Posters
Affiche par Elise Gravel “la diversité me permet…”
Affiche par Elise Gravel “la discrimination”
Affiches gratuites : La vie des Noirs compte
Infographie – qu’est-ce que la discrimination?
Would you like to contribute to this blog post? Please feel free to share ideas and resources in the comments. You can also reach out to me on Instagram.
