With white hair and a balding head save for a rebellious lock at the top of his forehead, Richard Caïraschi proudly claims his Niçois – or rather Nissart – flair. A boisterous artist with a denim shirt loosely unbuttoned at the collar, he approaches his readers with the utmost ease. A renowned actor on the local scene, he became particularly famous with his comedy *Les chaises de la promenade*. Not to mention his latest creation, *3 z’en 1*, performed in a duo with Martine Pujol. The guiding thread of his work? The culture, accent, and dialect of Nice, which sprinkle the dialogue in his plays. It was, in fact, from hearing spectators elbow each other and ask “What did he say?” during his performances that he got the idea to write his latest book, *Le parler à Nice*. In it, he compiles all his favorite Niçois expressions. He sees it as “a collection, not a glossary or a dictionary, because you won’t find all the Niçois words, just the ones I occasionally use.”
Niçois culture is his passion. Richard Caïraschi wants to support it, and above all, defend it. “It has become difficult to promote Niçois today,” he assures. “But our city is also an accent, a language, traditions, and values to defend. All of this belongs to the people of Nice.” He particularly regrets that these values and traditions are currently being co-opted for political purposes by far-right groups. “I want to show that Niçois is still a living language,” he assures. Even if that means earning the label of the “last of the Mohicans.” “At the University of Nice, Niçois is taught in classes of 80. We lack space and teachers. The high school students who learn it to gain a few extra points for their baccalaureate give me more reasons to hope. Provided that they continue to practice it after high school.”
### “Taking the Time to Live Life”
It was right at the beginning of his stage career, when he was just 30 years old, that Richard Caïraschi realized this potential. “I saw an artist perform their show in a local language.” It was a true revelation for him. “I thought to myself: so, we can do that? Well, yes, we can!” he confides with visible emotion. Since then, he has steered his ship his way and has shaped his own idea of the path to success. “One must not be influenced by Parisian ethnocentrism. Even if Niçois are sometimes called pizza makers when they go to the capital.” Even if he doesn’t fear the stereotypes about Mediterraneans: he claims above all to take the time to live life, to wander. “Those politicians who work 16 hours a day, well they are crazy! To succeed, one must walk around with their head held high, see how people live. And then one can use that to invent dialogues.” This is what he has been doing for over thirty years in his one-man shows, and in small touches, in *Le parler à Nice*.
