Alexis Belliveau, in his quest for an Acadian flag emoji to showcase his band on National Acadian Day last year, discovered the absence of one. Emojis are symbolic icons commonly used in text and emails to convey emotions, ideas, and objects, with various flags among the thousands of available emojis.
Belliveau and his comrade Julien Robichaud from Moncton, N.B., are in the process of proposing the creation of an Acadian flag emoji to Unicode, a California-based non-profit organization that evaluates and sanctions emoji concepts. Belliveau emphasized the significance of the Acadian flag as a source of pride, expressing the desire for its representation through an emoji in the digital realm.
To bolster their application, Belliveau and Robichaud initiated an online campaign featuring a brief history of Acadians, the flag’s significance, and a petition with over 10,000 signatures. They believe that strong community support will enhance the chances of approval for the Acadian flag emoji proposal.
Despite the absence of an official Acadian flag emoji, people have been showcasing their Acadian pride using various emoji sequences. Belliveau highlighted a “loophole” in Unicode’s regulations, emphasizing that the proposed emoji combines existing symbols – the star and the flag of France.
Unicode’s criteria for emoji approval consider factors such as uniqueness, global relevance, versatility in usage, and compatibility within sentences. Belliveau aims to spread awareness among Acadians worldwide and intends to formally submit the proposal in the upcoming winter, reaching out to Acadian communities in regions like Louisiana, France, Quebec, and across Canada.
