As part of the “Heart of Opera” operation, the Nice Opera House opened its doors to 550 disabled people. Organized by the city of Nice and the Lions Club association, this initiative is taking place for the second year.
<img src= »IMG/jpg/opera-2.jpg » alt= »opera-2.jpg » data-description= »The Nice Opera House welcomed 550 people with physical and mental disabilities as part of the “Heart of Opera” operation.
©Justine Peltier – Nice Premium » align= »left » />
“‘Heart of Opera’ is a wonderful initiative!” Lauriano Azinheirinha, the first deputy mayor in charge of youth, is delighted with the organization of this afternoon event. “It always touches me when I see all these people with sparkling eyes,” he confides. The idea of organizing these festivities is credited to three people. Jacques Dejeandile, municipal councilor in charge of disabilities, is one of them. “We came up with this idea with my colleague, Maty Diouf (municipal councilor in charge of integration and anti-discrimination) and Franck Ferrari, the baritone,” he explains. This year, no fewer than 550 people with physical or mental disabilities were able to attend this concert. “Last year, only the lower part of the hall was open; today, the entire Opera has been made available,” adds Jacques Dejeandile.
An initiative supported by the Lions Club Nice Doyen
“The Lions Club association made all of this possible,” enriches the municipal councilor. Indeed, Raoul Caruba, a member of the Lions Club Nice Doyen, indicates that “organizing this kind of event is necessary. It gives hope to people often in difficulty, and that is the success of this operation!” The association had already enabled numerous disabled children to spend a day at Luna Park last December. “The Lions Club is an association aiming to serve others, and these operations are a necessity,” he adds. Maty Diouf, municipal councilor in charge of integration and anti-discrimination, concludes with these words: “We had to do something for people with disabilities. In this case, it’s not them going to culture, but culture coming to them!” The smiles plastered on faces as they left the opera are proof of the operation’s success.
