Alexis Belliveau, while searching for an Acadian flag emoji to use in a social media post promoting his band on National Acadian Day, discovered that such an emoji did not exist. Emojis, which symbolize emotions, ideas, and objects, are commonly used in text messages and emails, with hundreds of flags among the thousands of available emojis.
Belliveau and his associate, Julien Robichaud, both from Moncton, N.B., are currently preparing a proposal for the creation of an Acadian flag emoji to be submitted to Unicode, a California-based non-profit organization that reviews and approves emoji proposals. Belliveau emphasized the significance of the Acadian flag as a source of pride and the importance of being able to express that pride digitally.
To support their application, Belliveau and Robichaud recently launched an online campaign. Their website provides a brief overview of Acadian history, the symbolism of the flag, and a petition with over 10,000 signatures. Belliveau stressed the importance of community support to strengthen their proposal’s credibility.
Despite the absence of an official Acadian flag emoji, individuals have creatively expressed their Acadian heritage using sequences of emojis. Belliveau is seeking to introduce a specific emoji representing the Acadian flag, noting a potential workaround in combining existing emojis for the star and the flag of France.
Unicode’s criteria for approving an emoji include uniqueness, global utility, potential multiple interpretations, and practical usage in sentences. Belliveau aims to raise awareness among Acadians worldwide and intends to formally submit the proposal in the upcoming winter, reaching out to Acadian communities in various regions globally.