The Lilananda collective was able to approach a new stage in its major Mythologies project – The voices of a city with the recording of sixteen songs, Wednesday June 24 and Thursday June 25, 2020 in Montluçon.
Discover the human and cultural diversity of Montluçon
This artistic project, polymorphic in the diversity of its approach and its socio-historical dimension, started a year ago. Its objective is to speak of the historical and cultural richness of Montluçon through the destinies of inhabitants of various ages and horizons.
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The goal is to work with people to create an artistic material and put them in contact with other people with whom we also work in order to create a network. We wanted to give everyone a voice. Each person’s journey is articulated with that of all the others.
Fabien Granier (member of the Lilananda collective)
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“Montluçon is a city with an incredible history. It developed rapidly with the industrial era. People arrived from diverse horizons creating a dense and strong human community. This current city has nothing more to do with this Montluçon. We met people from communities who arrived a long time ago, others who recently arrived, old people who knew this old Montluçon, young people … By crossing these testimonies, we got the story of a city that is all that at the same time, ”he adds.
The students of the French as a foreign language group wrote songs on their journey, under the leadership of Sarah Patier (3rd from the left). Photo Florian Salesse
Mythologies Project: when “ordinary heroes” tell the story of Montluçon of yesteryear
Traditional Montluçonnaise songs and personal productions
After meetings and writing workshops, the collective recorded the album with the people who participated in the project. Traditional Montluçonnaise songs rearranged by Claire Vaillant, the spearhead of Lilananda, and the personal productions of the participants will rub shoulders and enhance each other.
Residents of Domitys, participants in the French as a foreign language group (FLE) of the MJC, students of the Jean-Racine school, the Jean-Jacques-Soulier college and the Paul-Constans and Albert-Einstein high schools sang their lives and their journeys. Post-war balls or the intertwined journeys of migrants of various origins offer a unique and rich vision of Montluçon.
Motivated and happy participants of this project
Most have invested heavily in the Mythologies project, like Maria, daughter of Spaniards who fled Francoism. Before the recording of the disc, the Montluçonnaise had met at the beginning of the year a class of 5th at the college Jean-Jacques Soulier. She had told them about her childhood in the barracks of Villars (between Montluçon and Domérat). A story she shares with pleasure.
Maria (right) spoke of her childhood in the barracks of Villars. Photo Florian Salesse.
It is an important and significant period. I made lasting friendships there. There were not only Spaniards in Villars. There were all nationalities. Contrary to what one might think, I had a very happy childhood.
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An example of the diversity found in the Mythologies project – and which makes it so rich – Amir has a whole different story. Originally from Iraq, he left his country in 2015 for Finland where he lived three years. Arrived in France in 2018, he joined the project of the Lilananda collective by the group of French as a foreign language of the MJC. Which he is very proud of.
Amir (on the left with Masouma, originally from Ivory Coast) was already singing in Iraq. Photo Florian Salesse
I like the songs. I was already singing in Iraq. For me, it’s easy to write songs. I am happy to participate in this project. It is something very positive. It changes morale.
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A concert planned for October
The recording of this album was supposed to take place in April but was delayed by confinement. The Lilananda collective also had to postpone the concert from May 16 at Mupop to October 9.
Internet. Texts, videos, photos and sounds are available on the mythologies.fr website. Four sound documentaries made in immersion in the FLE group are also to be discovered
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Florence Farina
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