Sophie Fouron brings all her energy and good humor to her show “La vie est un carnaval” which bridges the culture gap of all Quebec society.
The friendly hostess surrounds herself with three collaborators in each episode. For the first time, receiving Boucar Diouf, an always enthusiastic and talkative guest, Sophie surrounds herself with Elkahna Talbi, who talks about the different ways of greeting around the world, and Tatiana Polevoy, who discovers the inside of a soukka through the Meeting a Jewish family in Montreal on the occasion of Sukkot and Kevin Raphaël reflecting on the meaning of the plaster lions so loved by Italians.
The energy and good humor mentioned above are evident on set, both from the staff and from the guest of the week. And if we’re lucky enough to greet someone of Boucar Diouf caliber who shares their great personal culture by entertaining us and making us feel smarter in contact with them, the magic sure works.
The humorist and oceanographer, who has a PhD in biology from the University of Quebec at Rimouski (UQAR), describes himself as a “storyteller”. Arriving in Quebec in 1991 at the age of 24, the Senegalese native, who likes to quote his grandfather, likes to say that he likes both “to expand the spleen, to touch the heart and to stimulate the minds of people. Married to a Gaspé woman, he “let Québec in [lui]and doesn’t like it when politicians talk about “our immigrants” as if they belong to the province of La Belle.
The poet Léopold Sédar Senghor had a good formula to describe the integration of immigrants, according to Boucard, whom he quotes as saying that one can “assimilate without being assimilated, because for me integration happens both ways”.
“I felt welcome and enveloped, I felt like I was letting Quebec flow inside me, but I wouldn’t have had the same taste if [à mon arrivée]I heard what I heard during the last election campaign,” explained the 57-year-old, recalling that the responsibility for welcoming immigrants, to give them a boost, also lies with the host society and not with the authors.
Life is a carnival seeks to broaden horizons and encourage openness to others, among all the cultures that make Montreal and Quebec an increasingly important welcoming country. It’s a dynamic, lively set and of course we like the host’s personality, her curiosity, her sensitivity and her infectious smile. We remember her entire journey, from Lionesses to Radio-Canada to Ports d’attache, Chacun son île and Tenir salon (which she is hosting for a third season on TV5) to Retour magazine vers la culture”, which she moderates together with Benoît McGinnis on the ICI ARTV website.
The red carpet will also be rolled out for guests like Schelby Jean-Baptiste, Fabien Cloutier, Gildor Roy and Rebecca Makonnen in the first season.
Produced by URBANIA, Life is a carnival also counts Corneille, Neev, Isabelle Picard and Manuel Tadros among its collaborators. The show will air every Friday at 9pm on TV5 from January 20th. It will also be available online [tv5unis.ca/la-vie-est-un-carnaval/saisons/1].