And now, the world

Conferences, exhibitions, and concerts: Montreal is vibrating in its first colours as the drum resounds throughout the city.

The festival is a place for first cultures to make their voices heard. Artists from First Nations of the whole planet will come to meet their North American counterparts and showcase their works. It is an opportunity here on Native land to reaffirm messages of welcome and peace they left as sovereign peoples to all the world's peoples.

Outdoor site: tradition, encounters, experiments. At Place des Festivals, in the Quartier des spectacles, where the giant teepee stands amidst animal effigies, the Makushan awaits us for the Boréades de la danse , live outdoor shows and showcases for traditional arts and crafts.

At the Grande Bibliothèque, Canadian Guild of Crafts, Maison de la culture NDG and Rotiwennakhete School (Kanehsatake): visual arts have pride of place.

Internationally recognized awards will recompense cinematographic works that stood out among the film and video 2011selection, including the Rigoberta Menchu prize for the social significance of the winning film.

Living first cultures are in the news as a driving force in the world. In 1987, the UN adopted a Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples. In 2011, this declaration truly has attained a universal scope because the last holdouts (including Canada) have ratified it. This is an indisputable victory well worth saluting. Our nations are now part of the concert: we are in the world.