Last November: urban violence in all the media, in all the debates. Curfew was imposed in many departments including the Alpes-Maritimes. What remains of these events? A vague memory… Dominique de Villepin, Prime Minister, nevertheless adopted a Gaullist posture by understanding these acts of violence between the lines and making suburban issues a government priority. He introduced apprenticeships at age 14 and freed up funds to help associations as well as the Education Ministry. “Small measures” or genuine solutions? Opinions are divided depending on whether you are powerful or miserable. The future will tell whether or not the government is right.
Three months later everything seems forgotten… collective amnesia or willingness to ease tensions to avoid new violence? First certainty: there is a malaise in the housing projects where discomfort is at the origin of all the drifts. Second certainty: nothing has changed in three months. Third certainty: young people in the housing projects need to express themselves but do not have the means to do so. It is based on these three findings that Zohra Bitan decided to create www.ma6tvachanger.fr.
This site is a web weekly (posted online every Monday) where young people living in housing projects have a voice. “It is a family business of eight volunteers, designed in an apartment in Thiais in the Paris region. Our objective is simple: to show that youth is alive, that it expresses itself on all subjects and not just by burning cars,” explains Zohra Bitan. This Monday, February 13, ma6tvachanger posted its fourth issue with a boycott of overpriced cinemas as the main story. Other topics are addressed such as access to culture and in previous issues youth unemployment, reality TV, … In short, real current affairs topics. A real webzine.
The choice of the internet to express oneself is not insignificant: “young people use instant messaging a lot… The internet is their communication tool. They can circulate ma6tvachanger during their conversations,” confirms Zohra Bitan. The Web allows to be read by everyone, by all citizens. Through this initiative, Zohra Bitan hopes to change perspectives and show that young people from housing projects know how to express themselves. “To speak is to act” is the motto of this association. The volunteers are there to correct articles written by these new journalists. They demonstrate to them that the better they express themselves, the better their message will be heard and respected.
www.ma6tvachanger.fr is spreading. “We would like it not to be only young people from the Ile-de-France region who express themselves. We are going to try to create local pages throughout France and therefore in Nice,” announces Zohra Bitan.
This initiative is to be commended and encouraged. Tensions always ease when we communicate with calm and the wisdom of words.
NicePremium is a free, independent local news outlet.
Help us keep going by supporting our work from €5 per month.
