Les Zapartistes
Encyclopedia
Les Zapartistes are a group of Quebec
ois comedian
s in Canada
, founded in 2001 and specialising in political humour. The group works live and for television, generally in the context of special events such as the annual Fête nationale du Québec
as well as in various comedy programmes.
It won a Prix Gémeaux in 2004 (the francophone equivalent of Canada's Gemini award
s) for best comedy, variety or talk-show performance.
The group's name comes from the Zapatista Army of National Liberation
, a Mexican political movement that defends the Chiapas
Indians, and from l'Aparté, a small Montreal
café where the group was founded. Despite a generally careful use of language, the group's slogan is "against corruption, cultural uniformity, soundbites and sloganeering, the privatisation of our natural resources, military incompetence and loads of other stuff." («[...] s'opposer à la corruption, à la culture du consensus, à la langue de bois, à la privatisation de nos ressources, à la débilité militaire pis à ben d’autres affaires») This slogan is in their manifesto, whose style harkens back to the roots of Quebec's Quiet Revolution
.
The humour of Les Zapartistes targets what they take to be immorality and illegality in Canadian
politics. The group advertises itself as supportive of Quebec independence with respect to the Canadian federal government, which has been undermined by the recent Sponsorship scandal
, but does not necessarily promote Quebec sovereignty.
The group often performs parodies
of popular music to make its point. For example, its song Les Fonds publics (Public finance) is a parody of Les Amoureux des bancs publics by George Brassens, through which it attacks financial abuses in the production of television programmes.
The members of Les Zapartistes are:
All members participate in writing and development, but Vincent does not perform. Denis Trudel, Geneviève Rochette and Frédéric Savard are past members of the group.
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
ois comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
s in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, founded in 2001 and specialising in political humour. The group works live and for television, generally in the context of special events such as the annual Fête nationale du Québec
Fête nationale du Québec
Quebec's National Holiday is celebrated annually on June 24, St. John the Baptist DayIn Quebec, the national holiday is a paid statutory public holiday covered under the Act Respecting Labour Standards...
as well as in various comedy programmes.
It won a Prix Gémeaux in 2004 (the francophone equivalent of Canada's Gemini award
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
s) for best comedy, variety or talk-show performance.
The group's name comes from the Zapatista Army of National Liberation
Zapatista Army of National Liberation
The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is a revolutionary leftist group based in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico....
, a Mexican political movement that defends the Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
Indians, and from l'Aparté, a small Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
café where the group was founded. Despite a generally careful use of language, the group's slogan is "against corruption, cultural uniformity, soundbites and sloganeering, the privatisation of our natural resources, military incompetence and loads of other stuff." («[...] s'opposer à la corruption, à la culture du consensus, à la langue de bois, à la privatisation de nos ressources, à la débilité militaire pis à ben d’autres affaires») This slogan is in their manifesto, whose style harkens back to the roots of Quebec's Quiet Revolution
Quiet Revolution
The Quiet Revolution was the 1960s period of intense change in Quebec, Canada, characterized by the rapid and effective secularization of society, the creation of a welfare state and a re-alignment of politics into federalist and separatist factions...
.
The humour of Les Zapartistes targets what they take to be immorality and illegality in Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politics. The group advertises itself as supportive of Quebec independence with respect to the Canadian federal government, which has been undermined by the recent Sponsorship scandal
Sponsorship scandal
The sponsorship scandal, "AdScam", "Sponsorship" or Sponsorgate, is a scandal that came as a result of a Canadian federal government "sponsorship program" in the province of Quebec and involving the Liberal Party of Canada, which was in power from 1993 to 2006...
, but does not necessarily promote Quebec sovereignty.
The group often performs parodies
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of popular music to make its point. For example, its song Les Fonds publics (Public finance) is a parody of Les Amoureux des bancs publics by George Brassens, through which it attacks financial abuses in the production of television programmes.
The members of Les Zapartistes are:
- François Parenteau
- François Patenaude
- Gaétan Troutet (the group's music specialist);
- Christian Vanasse
- Nadine Vincent (the group's editing specialist).
All members participate in writing and development, but Vincent does not perform. Denis Trudel, Geneviève Rochette and Frédéric Savard are past members of the group.
External links
- Official website (in French)