Committed to an ambitious policy of preventing illiteracy, the City of Nice has been inviting writers, actors, and performers to intervene in schools, hospitals, prisons, senior homes, nursing homes, and associative structures for over ten years. The Reading for All initiative was implemented by the city to combat illiteracy. In addition, the theater for all allows for meetings that are both enriching and surprising.
These encounters allow professional actors, stage artists, and playwrights to meet with all audiences to discuss their art.
This Friday, May 6, it was the actor Sami Bouajila, a famous French actor, and the director Daniel Benoin who spoke with students from the Lycée des Eucalyptus. The exchange took place with sophomore NTE classes and final-year tooling and electronic systems technicians.
The students had previously watched the film “Indigène” and could discuss it with the actor. Several moments from the actor’s life were mentioned, creating a friendly atmosphere in the room. Once the students felt at ease, they could ask all their questions, a list prepared with their French teacher Mrs. Géhin. This was followed by various pieces of advice from Sami Bouajila, who encouraged the high school students not to set barriers for themselves and to pursue the dreams they believe in. He also shared the methods he uses to feel comfortable when speaking.
“Go after your dreams! You must go towards the light without fear, and at worst, you have nothing to lose,”
he said with fervor.
At the end of the exchange, Salah Allali, a sophomore student who had the opportunity to perform on the TNN stage with the theater school, confided that this meeting helped him gain self-confidence and gave him the necessary motivation to continue his path because what he wants is to make the audience feel emotions when he performs.
Salah is in the process of learning French, and theater, along with reading, helps him improve his skills.
Mrs. Géhin stressed the importance of such meetings. According to her, we need to rethink school and bring theater or art more generally into school. Too often, young people get bored and find school monotonous, and the system needs to be revitalized with this type of intervention.
You can find Sami Bouajila performing until May 30, 2021, on the floor of the Anthéa in Antibes.
