L'Humour à mort

'L'Humor A Mort' (Je Suis Charlie) is an homage to the Parisian journal CHARLIE HEBDO. Charlie Hebdo (Weekly Charlie), had published cartoons of Islam's Prophet Mohammad in what could be considered an irreverent form. The wrath of fanatical followers of the late Prophet resulted in the slaughter of eight employees including five cartoonists at the Hebdo offices and four people two days later at a Jewish supermarket. A total of seventeen innocent people died on the three day killing spree.

The satirical magazine treated all occurences and beliefs as opportunities for examination and criticism and over time had stepped on many toes. Thus it wasn't number one on the popularity scale in Paris. A member of Charlie Hebdoe said he believed all its members were atheists, so any religious activities could create a field day for its cartoonists.

When the massacres became known, many Parisians took to the streets with a rallying cry of 'Je Suis Charlie'. Charlie didn't directly refer to Charlie Hebdo, it referred to Free Speech. France's national motto "Libérte, Egalité, Fraternité" is taken seriously, and Charlie Hebdo's fangs were acceptable in that light.

The film presented many interviews with magazine staff, including victims of the slaughter. These interviews had been recorded earlier, and it was noticeable how humour was very much a part of their personalities. It stayed away from gory photos and did not encourage witch hunts for the perpetrators and their ilk. A very low key film, considering the enormity of the crime.

It was shown in an attractive screening room on-campus at the Alliance Francaise, a language and culture school at the University of Toronto. A discussion followed with two University professors and two cartoonists from the Globe & Mail newspaper. The topic, appropiately, was Free Speech.