Our heroes have once again made a long journey to visit our cousins in Quebec. The Museum of Civilisation in Quebec currently offers an exhibition originally conceived at the end of the last century in Leiden in the Netherlands, and adapted and presented this autumn by the Museum of Civilisation.
"Asterix and the Romans" puts the heroes created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo into perspective with historical reality as reported to us today by our historian druids, much in the same vein as the exhibition "Asterix, a contemporary myth", which ran at the Musée des Arts et Traditions de Paris in 1996.
Scheduled to run until 31 January 2005, the exhibition tends to make one think that the rumours purporting that Asterix will soon be invited to join the Académie française are not completely wrong.
Scheduled to run until 31 January 2005, the exhibition tends to make one think that the rumours purporting that Asterix will soon be invited to join the Académie française are not completely wrong.
Not a word is spoken in the aeroplane. Albert Uderzo stares through the porthole at a point on the horizon… I use my recently acquired skills in telepathy to divine the anxious questions going through the mind of Asterix's author: "Will they cast stones at me? Or will they tie me to the Coliseum instead ? It's just me and Doubleclix (who is far from being built like Obelix), and the Romans will massacre us, for sure!"… I'm not too concerned, but I'm beginning to wonder if this trip to Rome was a good idea? Especially as Julius Caesar has assembled his friends from all over Europe: in fact, leaders of all the neighbouring tribes were to meet in Rome this weekend (4 and 5 October 2003 A.D.).
Gathered around Emperor Silvio, and just a stone's throw away (ouch! one of them is bound to hit me!), these heads of state got together to debate whether Europe was going give way to the pervasive boredom. All of Europe? No, let's not forget the part that upholds the delightful shenanigans which made happy men of the creators of Asterix, René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. So don't worry! The Romans are not completely crazy. Apart from a few senators and consuls who were too busy with the carabinieri in their "Demolition man" outfits, they all greeted Albert with the welcome he is due everywhere he goes, with immense respect, a great deal of thanks, affection and humour.
Followed by a few (!) requests for autographs. It must be said that Albert Uderzo was the perfect guest: heartened by the welcome, he reminded them that his Italian origins were without doubt the basis for his humour, as he could see that the Romans had it in plentiful supply!
All of the Italian press (and not just in Rome) reported on the visit, of course. Which just goes to show that a sense of humour and pride can go hand in hand.
Asterix came to Rome, did not hail Caesar, saw a future Augustus in the figure of the Mayor of Rome, a person of great quality and fine taste (being an avid reader of Asterix), and conquered hands down! 
