Six students from Mayotte representing their 3rd grade classes at the Tsimkoura and Kwale colleges have been awarded the prize for Artistic and Cultural Audacity for a series of documentary short films. The result of three years of work and collaboration with Angoulême, over 8,000 km from their island.
“Did you bring your suit for the occasion!” joked Malik to Edem, one of his students who made the trip to Paris to receive the prize for Artistic and Cultural Audacity at the Ministry of National Education and Youth. Students from two colleges in Mayotte, Tsimkoura and Kwale, collaborated for three school years with two colleges in priority neighborhoods in Grand Angoulême in Charente. The result is a series of 36 documentary short films on the history and current affairs of their territory.
The project was born in Angoulême, where there is a large Mahoran community. Isabelle Fougère, author and director, has been accompanying the teenagers since the beginning of the project: “We were asked to think about a project to bring the territory of Angoulême closer to that of Mayotte. Often, young people do not know Mayotte, they were born in Angoulême or came at a very young age.” So, with Lisa Patin, based in Angoulême and now director of the cultural center in Chirongui, and Miquel Dewever-Plana, a photo-reporter and director, they imagined this crazy and ambitious project: an exchange of short films, for three years, produced and directed by students as part of their school curriculum. “What interested us was to make them think about their territory,” added Miquel Dewever-Plana. “Tell their story to better make it known to their classmates 8,000 km away. But to tell it, you have to know it. And we quickly realised that they knew very little about it.”
From the choice of themes, to the interviews, filming and editing, the young directors saw it all. “In 5th grade, they first explained to us how we should do it, then they let us do the editing, camera or sound,” proudly explains Nael, 15. “It is especially the filming that is a stressful moment,” adds Andrian. “You have to anticipate the unexpected, like bad weather.”
“I learned to rediscover Mayotte with this project, even though I live in Mayotte,” says young Charmilla. Rediscover Mayotte and above all, be an actor in the image of their island. “It’s good to say, ‘they talk badly about Mayotte, it’s not fair’,” reports Isabelle Fougère. “But you take the camera, you tell your reality. You just need to learn, work a bit, but you are also responsible for the image you project. There is no fate.”
The young Mahorais also wanted to give a positive image of their island with an episode, for example, on “The Gold of Mayotte, Ylang-Ylang.” “When we asked them what they wanted to talk about, they immediately mentioned negative points: violence, isolated children, delinquency,” recalls Malik, project coordinator at Kwale college. “But as they went along, they wanted to talk positively about their home, because it is normal to want to value yourself and it was a good accessory to get there.” The result of this project was shown at the cultural center of Chirongui in front of the students and their families.
The project appealed to the Culture and Diversity Foundation, which awarded the prize for Audacity for the 11th time in collaboration with the Ministry of National Education and Youth. Moved during the ceremony, Lisa Patin had to hold back her tears “I am terribly proud of what they accomplished for three years. It is fantastic to see them today in front of the minister and to be proud of them and what they are,” she said from the Cour d’honneur of the ministry a few minutes later.
Pride is the feeling that unites everyone. “I didn’t think I was capable of doing all this,” explains young Hicham. “I was shy at first, but now it’s better.” “It’s really an enriching experience for them at the moment, but also for their entire journey,” envisages more broadly Fatima, a literature teacher at Tsimkoura college. Moreover, some students already want to go further in learning audiovisuals. “Why not continue in high school and even in my studies later,” dreams Edem.
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