In his quest to find an Acadian flag emoji for a social media post promoting his band on National Acadian Day, Alexis Belliveau discovered the absence of such an emoji. Emojis are small pictorial symbols commonly used in text messages and emails to convey emotions, ideas, and objects. With thousands of emojis available, including numerous flags, Belliveau, alongside his friend Julien Robichaud from Moncton, N.B., is in the process of submitting a proposal to Unicode. Unicode, a nonprofit organization headquartered in California, reviews and approves emoji ideas.
Belliveau emphasized the significance of having an Acadian flag emoji, stating, “There’s a lot of pride in the Acadian flag. In a digital era, it would be valuable to express that pride through an emoji.” He added, “I think it also engages the younger generation more with Acadian culture.”
To bolster their proposal, Belliveau and Robichaud initiated an online campaign featuring a historical overview of the Acadians, the symbolism of the flag, and a petition with over 10,000 signatures. Belliveau stressed the importance of garnering support to strengthen their application, emphasizing that widespread endorsement would demonstrate the emoji’s relevance within the culture.
Despite the absence of an official Acadian flag emoji, Belliveau highlighted that individuals have been showcasing their Acadian pride through various emoji sequences. One workaround Belliveau mentioned is that the proposed emoji is a combination of two existing emojis: the star and the flag of France.
Unicode’s criteria for approving an emoji include uniqueness, global usage frequency, potential multiple interpretations, and applicability in sentences. Belliveau aims to spread awareness among Acadians worldwide and intends to formally submit the proposal in the upcoming winter. He expressed, “We’ll strive to reach Acadians in various regions globally – in Louisiana, France, Quebec, and across Canada. Acadians are present worldwide.”
