Canadian schools in southwestern Ontario destroyed nearly 5,000 copies of children’s books considered racist. The books made references to the country’s indigenous people and were removed from the libraries of 30 schools run by the Providence Catholic School Board, Radio Canada reported this week. Among the titles are stories about Tintin, Asterix and Pocahontas.

According to the publication, a “flame purification” ceremony was carried out to burn around 30 works, and the ashes were used as fertilizer to plant a tree. The affair happened in 2019, but it only became public now.

Similar ceremonies were supposed to take place at each of the schools, but the events were ultimately postponed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. “These books have been or are in the process of being recycled,” explained School Board spokesperson Lyne Cossette. According to her, the books removed from libraries had “outdated and inappropriate content”.

“We bury the ashes of racism, discrimination and stereotypes in the hope of growing into an inclusive country, where everyone can live in prosperity and security,” says a recording explaining the process to students.

The Providence Catholic School Board is responsible for approximately 10,000 students who attend 30 French-speaking schools, located primarily in the Windsor, London and Sarnia regions, in the state of Ontario, Canada.

According to a document to which Radio-Canada had access, 155 different works were considered prohibited, while 193 others are being evaluated. 152 titles were authorized to be kept in the library. Thus, a total of 4,716 copies were withdrawn from the libraries of the 30 schools, or an average of 157 units per establishment. The list includes comics, novels and encyclopedias.

The evaluation is carried out by a committee made up of members of the school council and indigenous guides. The Ontario Ministry of Education was involved in the design of the cremation ceremony, but not in the selection of the books, according to the radio.

Among the best-known works is the comic strip “Tintin in America,” which the school board said contained “unacceptable language,” “incorrect information,” “negative depiction of indigenous peoples” and “violations of representation of indigenous people in America. the drawings”.

In “Asterix and the Indians”, Suzi Kies, an independent researcher and representative of indigenous peoples who followed the process, criticizes the sexualization of the native who fell in love with Obélix. “We have developed what we call sexual savagery, an image of indigenous women as easy women,” he said.

“Pocahontas, she is very sexual and sensual, for us native women it is dangerous.”

Authors criticize decision

Comic strip artist Marcel Levasseur said he was devastated to learn that his character Laflèche had been removed from libraries. In 2011, the book was a finalist for the Tamarac Prize, awarded by the Ontario Library Association. The school board accuses him of “unacceptable language” and an “incorrect representation of indigenous people in the drawings”.

“This is not a history book. We use history as a backdrop and we have fun with it, a bit like Asterix,” said Levasseur. “The objective of our comic book is above all to entertain, it is not to give a theoretical lesson.”

Sylvie Brien, whose children’s novel The Indian College Affair was also withdrawn, was also upset. “It’s unbelievable. What right do they have to do such a thing? It’s completely ridiculous,” he said. The School Board did not specify the reason for removing the book.

The book tells a story set in 1920 with fictional characters and locations. Sylvie rejects all prejudice. “On the contrary, I reported things that were not said.”

No author would have been informed of the withdrawal of their books from libraries.

The Ontario Ministry of Education has explained that the selection of books in libraries is the responsibility of each school board. “They must ensure that there is an effective process for selecting and approving resources for use in schools and that the resources selected are free from any bias and any form of discrimination and promote inclusion “, explained the ministry spokesperson. Ingrid Anderson.