No huge walls of sound and images, no dizzying special effects, no deafening decibels, no screaming crowds in a stadium. It is quite simply that the leader of the Indochine group, Nicola Sirkis, came this Monday afternoon to the Lycée Marceau in Chartres to meet the students of the institution and nearby colleges, thanks to the initiative of a student, Lana, ambassador to Marceau against harassment.
Arriving by car right on time, accompanied simply by a member of his staff, he was first greeted by principal Yann Massina. He went to the high school amphitheater where the students were waiting for him. Though he is more successful with his parents, Nicola Sirkis was met with thunderous applause from the teenagers. He is one of the rare French stars to have known how to spend the decades maintaining success among the first fans and winning throughout the generations.
The prize against harassment won by the students of the Lycée Marceau in Chartres
But it wasn’t about this, but about a much heavier issue: that of school bullying. Nicolas Sirkis has been working on this issue for some time, but has only intervened a few times in schools.
“What I experienced in my youth influenced my life”
“We asked for testimonials on our social networks from people who were bullied at school,” explains Nicola Sirkis. “The goal was to show them on giant screens during our stadium tour. We have received many that have shocked us. He adds: “Lana sent us a very touching video. We contacted her via Instagram and she explained to us what she was doing to her. She invited me to come to her school and I accepted. »
Nicola Sirkis and her twin brother Stéphane, a former guitarist from Indochina who died in 1999, were themselves harassed during school, as she described to students. “My brother and I arrived from Belgium in a Jesuit institute in the north of France. My parents were separating. We were already in fragility. We were in boarding school. We have been pushed aside, stigmatized and harassed by others. Sunday nights at home were synonymous with stomach aches, apprehension about going back to school, melancholy… At the time we didn’t talk about it and we couldn’t tell anyone about it. I have a painful memory of it. »
We have received videos of adult victims, in their 60s, impacted for their entire lives by what they went through in their childhood.
Nicola Sirkis believes things are moving forward, although nothing is entirely certain. “The fact that we are received by the principals, that there are educational teams and students who are mobilizing, etc. A step forward has been made. The harasser will find himself in the minority. »
The testimonials that the Indochine group received for the stadium tour didn’t just come from the students. “We have received videos of adult victims, in their 60s, affected for their entire lives by what they suffered in their childhood,” says Nicola Sirkis. “Yes, what I also experienced in my youth influenced my life. The rebellious, ugly duckling side of not being in the mold of French music definitely comes from there as well. It’s like people who have been raped, assaulted, etc. Even a small morale attack at work can have major consequences for people. »
The students presented the singer with films made last year relating to school bullying for which they were awarded an award.
Some presented a dance choreography on the same theme, while three other students presented a cover of the song College kid, from the album Black Parade, which tells the story of a student in a boarding school who is harassed by his classmates because of his homosexuality. Nicolas Sirkis encouraged students to take responsibility, whoever they are: “Be proud of yourself. Go to school with your head held high. »
Practice. Emergency numbers 3020 (for families and victims) and 3018 (cyberbullying).
Francois Feuilleux
