We invite you to read an article by our founder, the renowned Quebec author and social worker Raymond Viger, about the famous rapper Samian and allied good works on behalf of Quebec’s Indigenous community:
For the Café Graffiti — an organization that uses art as a tool for connection, expression, and inclusion while supporting young people from diverse backgrounds — Samian represents far more than just a renowned Indigenous artist. He is part of our history. Over the years, he has led workshops for groups of Indigenous youth at the Café Graffiti, and has also appeared on the cover of our magazine.
This story, which takes us back to our roots, is closely linked to several artists and figures from the Indigenous cultural scene. After spending years documenting life at Café Graffiti, Manon Barbeau and the Wapikoni Mobile chose to dedicate their work to Indigenous communities. During that same period, Raymond Viger also met the musical group Kashtin while they were still performing in local bars, before they hit it big in Canada.
Samian also crossed paths with our cultural community through the Quebec rap group Loco Locass. We created a massive mural for Loco Locass member Biz for the launch of his first book and produced a DVD with him focused on the prevention of compulsive gambling.
Beyond these collaborations, First Nations and Inuit peoples hold a special place in the history of the Café Graffiti and our French sister publication, Reflet de Société magazine. Initiatives carried out in the Far North with Inuit communities — at a time when federal residential schools were still in operation — have left a profound mark on our organization.
For us, Indigenous peoples are therefore not merely a chapter in Quebec’s history. They are part of our roots, our journey, and our commitment to young people.
Samian, Biz, Florent Vollant, and so many other artists help keep a culture, a memory, and a language alive. In this time dedicated to truth and reconciliation, their voices remind us of the importance of knowing our history in order to better understand the present and build the future…
Back to 2004
In 2004, Wapikoni,a mobile creative project initiated by Manon Barbeau, arrived in the Pikogan community in Abitibi. This project gave Samian, an Algonquin rapper from the Anishinabe Nation, his start. He champions his people’s cause with respect and gratitude as he travels across Canada.
In 2007, Samian met the Quebec rap group group Loco Locass and launched « La Paix des braves, » (Peace of the Braves), a song depicting the arrival of white people in Canada. It was produced to mark a 2001 agreement between the Quebec government and the Grand Council of the Crees, granting the Cree people a voice in the development of their territory. This agreement put an end to decades of legal battles following the 1975 signing of Quebec’s first land claim treaty: the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement.
Roméo Saganash, the lawyer representing the Cree people, says, “This is the first time a government in North America has allowed Indigenous people to benefit from their natural resources.”
In 2010, Samian performed Florent Vollant’s hit song “Tshinanu” with Vollant, adding French lyrics. In Innu-aimun (the Innu language), the word means “us,” “together,” or “you and I together” — a powerful rallying cry for First Nations and a cornerstone of Indigenous music in Quebec.
In 2012, Samian returned with the song “Le Plan Nord,” (The Northen Plan) featured on his album “Enfant de la terre” (Child of the Earth). It was a socially conscious manifesto and a critique — both social and environmental — in which Samian took aim at the economic development megaproject launched by the Quebec government (led at the time by Jean Charest), which sought to exploit natural resources north of the 49th parallel over a 25-year period.
This was followed in 2020 by the song “Génocide,” describing what his people endured at the hands of our governments — the same year the Cree Nation signed a new agreement, “The Grand Alliance.”
In a Radio-Canada article, Samian presents himself as a modern-day warrior.
However, we must not limit ourselves to chanting slogans during Saint-Jean-Baptiste festivities, nor to a single day or week of advocacy.
Defending our culture and our language is an everyday battle. We must ensure that young people remember and take up the torch — 365 and a quarter days a year, year after year.
Leave a Reply