LCP – TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29 AT 8:30 P.M. – DOCUMENTARY
Twenty-five years ago, Bertrand Tavernier (1941-2021) and his son Nils were in Senegal to shoot a documentary on street children. There they met Nelly Robin, head of the association For a child’s smile.
Twenty-five years later, Nils Tavernier returned to Senegal. In Thiès, a town 70 kilometers from Dakar, he found Nelly Robin, whose work for children in trouble with the law has never ceased.
His association, in close partnership with the Senegalese prison administration, offers educational and artistic innovations in order to promote alternatives to the deprivation of liberty, prepare for release from prison and break with the cycle of recidivism.
In the company of educators, teachers and coordinators, Nelly Robin does a phenomenal job. And for ten years, his association has developed the method called “Fencing and restorative justice”. Sixty lessons painstakingly detailed in a booklet. An original method that has proven itself since, out of nearly five hundred young prisoners who have practiced fencing, none has reoffended.
” All equal “
Such a success that the French ambassador himself came to the Thiès prison to discover the merits of this method. “We had to try something to contain the anger of these young people. I had seen in France more than hyperactive children respecting the rules as soon as they arrived on the track of the fencing room.recalls Nelly Robin.
Fencing, a miracle weapon against recidivism? Mask on the face, chest protected by a white padded jacket, foil in hand, discipline calls for communication, open-mindedness, respect for the opponent, the referee and the rules. And for the children of Thiès in trouble with the law, its practice takes place outside the prison. Girls and boys mixed.
“Put on the mask allows them to wash their honor, to forget that they have committed nonsense. They are all equal”says Jacques Faye, fencing master and educator at the association for thirty years. “Learning fencing opens your eyes and your mind! », launches Ibrahima, 22, an excellent shooter and former detainee for more than two years for theft. And then, “Thanks to fencing, we talk to girls. In prison, it is forbidden”smiled another young fencer.
Over time, it has been found that the practice of this discipline has also improved children’s attention spans. This “Fencing and restorative justice” method is now internationally recognized. Countries such as Morocco, Rwanda and Côte d’Ivoire request it for their program for the reintegration of minors in conflict with the law. On guard, ready? Go on !
From fencing to esteem. A response to recidivism, de Nils Tavernier (Fr., 2022, 52 min). LCP