She finally came. After a sleepless night, hours to go back, she decided to go through that door. But in the other direction, this time. On his chest, hung on his sweater, a badge, the same as all those who form the small group that accompanies him that day. With one difference: on his is written, Laureate.
Corinne, 45, is one of the winners of the "Au delà des lignes" writing contest, organized in penal institutions, by the M6 Foundation and the National Education, with the Inter-Regional Directorate of Lille and the prisoners of the Arras prison. The objective of this first edition is to promote the reintegration of detainees by combating illiteracy and recidivism.
The theme: "Youth memories". On June 30, Corinne picked up her prize, along with the other three winners, at Sequedin Prison in North, while she was released a few weeks earlier after two and a half months of detention. On her arrival, she sees all the faces she has crossed, watching, detained. She smiled at them, almost embarrassed to know that in a few hours she could leave free, as she arrived.
Credits Aurélien Faidy
Like Corinne, 130 detainees, men, women and minors, all over France, worked with teachers who organized writing workshops behind bars and delivered often poignant, sometimes funny or surprisingly light texts. Each of the laureates nominated by a jury, including writers, filmmakers and journalists (including MC), were awarded an accompaniment to prolong their learning of the French language upon their release.
At the origin of this adventure, an "instit" as she likes to define. After teaching school, Stéphanie Bonvoisin teaches and organizes writing workshops in the prison of Arras. "It was by seeing the pride of one of my students who had won a prize in a writing contest offered to a public in a situation of illiteracy, that I thought that it might be worth d to create one within the prison, "she says. Behind bars, 35% of people are in great difficulty reading, and 11% in situation of illiteracy.
Fighting against illiteracy is not only a struggle for autonomy, it is also a real stake for freedom.
On the day of the ceremony, in the Sequedin prison gymnasium, the prizewinners, intimidated by representatives of the prison administration and the Chairman of the Board of M6 Group and the M6 Nicolas de Tavernost Foundation, came one by one receive their diploma. A particularly moving moment when it was recalled that prison can also sometimes be the place of reconstruction. "In prison, there are often serious, hard moments but also successes and joys. Reading keeps our minds alive, "recalls Marion Zatti, from the Department of Integration, Probation and Repeat Prevention Policies. "In prison, writing is everywhere, if only to fill out a form," adds Hervé Fernandez, director of the National Agency for the Fight against Illiteracy. Fighting against illiteracy is not only a struggle for autonomy, it is also a real stake for freedom. "
At the back of the room, a small group of women and men listen attentively. Each of them was extracted from his cell during the ceremony. At the end of the speeches, they all curiously go to the 130 texts that have been posted in the room. Among all these words, they find theirs, those which they have thrown on a piece of paper, as a relief.
This is also the purpose of these workshops of writing, to formulate sentences that they would not have uttered otherwise. Corinne approaches, finds her friends, those women with whom she has woven probably ineffaceable ties. She takes news, worries that everything is going pretty well. She also remembers those moments when she was confronted with difficulties sometimes in prison to get a simple pen. But it's time to leave, her husband is waiting outside, behind the barbed wire. She can finally turn the page.
Credits Aurélien Faidy
About the M6 Foundation
The M6 Group Foundation was launched in January 2010, with the objective of making a concrete contribution to the rehabilitation of prisoners. Through the development and financing of education and training projects (subtitling workshops), cultural and sports activities, the provision of collaborators who wish to transmit and share their know-how, the time spent in detention so that it is a time for reflection, reconstruction and preparation for reintegration. "At first, we were interested in this world through our magazines," explains Nicolas de Tavernost, Chairman of the Executive Board of the M6 Group and the M6 Foundation. But also because we wanted to help a sector where few people were interested. "
Credits Aurélien Faidy
About the Jury
It is composed of 16 members from the National Education, Penitentiary Administration, the National Agency for the Fight against Illiteracy (ANLCI) as well as 13 people from civil society: Isabelle Monnin (writer), Maxime Chattam (novelist ), Jean-Pierre Delteforte (actor), Rachid Santaki (novelist and screenwriter), Jonathan Curiel (novelist - Managing Director of Paris Première), Pierre Notte (playwright - director), Eric Naulleau Patellière (screenwriters - directors), Nathalie Renoux (journalist M6 - sponsor of the Foundation), Vincent Mongaillard (journalist Le Parisien), Elsa Guiol (journalist Marie-Claire), Laure Saget and Alix Penent D'Izarn (Editions Flammarion).
The 4 awarded letters
Funny Fate
In the city we were many young people.
Willy lived in the house in front of me, only my garden separated us. Willy played the piano and I often went to watch him and listen to his melodies. David, his big brother is even more perfectionist than him.
The more days I spent, the more I spent time with them. Their fingers moved lightly on the keys to clear the notes that accumulated, made me travel. It was wonderful and magical. Then came the desire to learn in my turn.
David volunteered to be my teacher. Obviously, I agreed. I thought everything was going to be simple. But he began to speak to me of music theory, of partition. All these words were unknown to my vocabulary. The first sessions were very complicated. Hours of memorization for me and a lot of explanations and patience for him. All these notes drawn on lines, representing a touch, a pause, notes more or less long were a foreign language for me, an enigma ...
My first contact with the piano that I had been waiting for so long, tetanized me.
I found myself facing a monster that I needed to tame. It was necessary to press on its pedals so that it releases certain parts of its body and to caress its keys with delicacy, so that it gives me in thanks a nice sound.
I was tiny in front of him but with great perseverance, I tamed him. We then became very great friends. Our complicity was intense. Me, I slipped my fingers on him and he sang to me his music. It released more wonderful sounds when David and I played with four hands.
When he offered me to play with him, I accepted with the fear of the stomach and the anguish of not being at his height. But with tenderness, he whispered to me that the pupil had passed the master and that everything was going to be okay. We settled down and nodded we accompanied. We have become three friends. We enjoyed together three to four times a week.
Then the years passed, David and I took the same road but not on the same side. He has become a penitentiary supervisor, and I am imprisoned.
NT
Remember my neighborhood
There are no more flowers around my house,
But from the top of my eighth, I see only roofs.
As roofs of HLM and modern factories,
Who block the horizon,
And give me chills.
But when every morning I go down into my street,
I see only old men, unknown faces,
The bottle in hand, every morning,
They wait in vain
Let the train of forgetfulness take them with him.
They were like us,
Immigrants living in an old city,
Surrounded by flowers and partitions,
For us it was a prison.
Corrugated iron roofs,
Old carcasses of rugged cars
Which are used to play children,
Waiting for spring.
Do not close your eyes when you are pointed at,
Look at them in the eyes!
Do not close your eyes when you are pointed at,
Look at them in the eyes!
Afternoon tea
It was 5 pm, I was returning from school, 25 minutes walk from the school to my mining town, it was digging.
For my afternoon tea, I was preparing bread toasts and you dad waiting for me pretending nothing, walking in the kitchen, waiting for me to finish buttering them to be able to take them and eat them.
I loved this little ritual both of us, we were so greedy especially on Saturdays when, secretly, we used the warm flan that Maman had prepared, set to cool in the cellar of our house.
Our technique was to gently lift a corner of the crust which was formed with a spoon while the other filled the bowls of this flan, and we lay the crust, neither seen nor known, until the fatal moment when Maman surprised us, they accused each other, and laughed at his anger.
It was so funny when she said you'd be sick of having eaten it lukewarm but it was so good!
What a joy these two moments, a joy that I would like so much to find with you my beloved papa adored.
MDC
From A to Z, brother, 6 liters 3 amg.
At Action Man, my first toy, we were inseparable.
B Bagarre, at school I was punished all the time.
C As usual, 6:15 pm, Dragon Ball on TV. My mother cnv because I did not want to listen to her when she told me to go wash. . .
D In the hall, posed with my buddy Teddy, we had too the silver slab so we put on the gloves
E Finally my 1st joint, I screwed up that day because it broke my skull.
F Francois le Français, that's how they called me when I was little. François c my blaze!
G Gray and yellow, the tricycle of my youth. Oh la la, what would I give to see him again. . .
H Hip-hop, the first workshop dance at CM1
J I love to eat hamburgers, I armed the belly like a fat bacon.
K Kamikaze, the nickname of the girl with whom I stayed the longest (8 months).
L Laura, 5, the first girl I kissed in the small wooden cottage.
Mr. Mac-Do, I went there all the time because I was kissing.
N Christmas, the party I was always waiting for. I made my daronne believe that I still believed
Santa Claus. . .but I knew it was beautiful mamounette!
O Olympique de Marseille, I support this club since very small even if at the moment, they are cans.
P Police, gendarmes, I made them run well when I grew up.
Q When I was 14 years old, I was in custody for the first time. . It was a disgusting arch.
R Raclette in winter, beautiful family dish
S Shamon is the girl I slept with the first time. I was 12, she 17, I
believe that I had 14. What was it good!
T Too late, I realized that my life was a bit of a pacifier. . .mdr.
U Uhu, the first effective glue.
V8 V8, big engine, I had plenty of porters in my room.
W Wesh, the word that marked my childhood.
X Xena the Warrior, a series I was watching before going to mehess.
Y YZ the bike I dreamed of having.
Z Zoo is how I will describe my neighborhood of youth: a real zoo, go, salvation the Terrans ?.
