At 228 route de Turin, the Paje association, which aims to revitalize the Bon-Voyage district, east of Nice, has been making its inhabitants smile again since it established itself there last year. “Before, other than bullshit, there was nothing. And besides, it was ugly ”, loose Killian, 14 years old who has lived there for three years. What has changed in particular is the wall they share with the neighboring building, the fire station. In four sessions, residents and firefighters created a graffiti of several meters together to “beautify the place” and “create a link”.
“We have a party wall so we often see young people coming to get the ball but otherwise, we do not share much when we are next to them, says Vincent Manuel, captain. If we hang out in life, we don’t necessarily have time to talk. With this initiative, we raised awareness of the profession of firefighter, called emergency numbers and introduced ourselves. Above all, we reweave a bond by sharing and creating something together. We are less likely to attack if we know the person. “
Bringing a touch to the neighborhood
The head of the center says that they have already had to deal with projectile jets when arriving for an intervention. He adds: “It’s also a way of making people understand that when we come to put out a garbage can fire or for a fire extinguisher problem, it mobilizes a lot of resources and we are not on something else, maybe more. serious ”.
Mehdi, Killian and Aimen, who are 14 and 15, admit it. It is partly for this reason that they wanted to participate in the project and paint with them. “We add our touch while showing our gratitude and that we were kind. They also wanted to try their hand at this art which they saw “only on the trains or in the reports”.
An artistic style “that speaks to everyone”
To create the fresco, the association called on the street artist from Nice. Cesar Malfi. He confides: “It made perfect sense since art is a vector of cohesion. From my point of view, it was super interesting to see that a dialogue was created thanks to the graffiti. “He explains that he lent himself to the demands of the project leaders to imagine the design so that this” wall no longer represents a border but an open door. “
An artistic style therefore that Aurélie finds “playful and which speaks to everyone”. As to Sylvie, 54 years old and resident for thirteen years of the residence, who also painted part of the work. “I owe my life to the firefighters, it was obvious for me to be part of the project. And then between neighbors, it allowed us to open up, to get to know each other. Since the association began, there has been a real link that has been created at Bon-Voyage ”. The next step ? “Make the other side of the wall,” smiles Paje’s member. Firefighters and residents alike seem “more than ready to go”!
–
