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, commonly used in text messages and emails to convey emotions and ideas, encompass a wide variety, including numerous flag representations.
Hailing from Moncton, N.B., Belliveau and his companion Julien Robichaud are in the process of proposing the creation of an Acadian flag emoji to Unicode, a California-based non-profit organization responsible for reviewing and approving emoji suggestions. Belliveau emphasized the significance of expressing Acadian pride digitally through an emoji, noting the potential for increased engagement of younger generations in Acadian heritage.
To bolster their submission, Belliveau and Robichaud initiated an online campaign, detailing the history and symbolism of the Acadian flag on their website, which also hosts a petition boasting over 10,000 signatures. Belliveau stressed the importance of community support in strengthening their application for the new emoji.
Despite the absence of an official Acadian flag emoji, individuals have creatively used sequences of emojis to exhibit Acadian pride. Unicode’s guidelines stipulate that a request may be declined if the emoji concept is already represented by existing sequences. Belliveau identified a potential workaround by proposing a combination of two existing emojis, the star and the flag of France, for the Acadian flag emoji.
Emphasizing the criteria for emoji approval set by Unicode, Belliveau expressed his commitment to spreading awareness among Acadians worldwide and intends to formally submit the proposal in the upcoming winter season. He highlighted the global presence of Acadian communities, aiming to engage individuals from Louisiana, France, Quebec, and throughout Canada in supporting the initiative.