Interview with Tania de Montaigne ̶ "The archaic reflex is stigmatization"
This series of interviews is part of UNESCO's initiatives to respond to the major social issues raised by the pandemic.
Why has the COVID-19 pandemic fueled many acts and messages of hatred?
In very anxiety-provoking moments like wars, terrorist attacks and, today, the pandemic, fear drives us to seek simple and immediate answers to the misfortunes that strike us. The archaic reflex is the stigmatization of those who are not exactly themselves, discrimination. It is not for nothing, as in these painful periods, we always see a resurgence of words and racist, sexual, and homophobic acts ... The beauty of the human soul is to be able to oppose its irrational impulses of thought (which run through all of us). To help us realize how much bigger we are than what we thought we were, and that the most wonderful thing that we have is each other: of course, those who save our lives, who take care of us by allowing our daily lives to continue, and those who have written and thought before us. All these people are resources/supporters that allow us to stand up straight when everything seems to sway, and they remind us to lean instead of standing against the other.
In this context, how can initiatives such as this Master Class, promote tolerance and non-discrimination? And especially for young people?
By making them actors of the subject rather than spectators. In issues of racism or discrimination, the adopted posture is often a moral one, people are told “this is good”, “this is not good”, and if the subject was closed, then there is no need to think about it. However, it is a subject that affects all societies and human beings, despite the time and background.
This is proof that saying "it is good" or "it is not good" is not enough, otherwise, there would be no discrimination, racism or homophobia for centuries. The particularity of the “Master Class” is that it offers the participants the chance to seize tools and knowledge, reflect on them, bring their own experiences, confront them with others, and see what we thought to be certainties at the beginning, evolves by "being tested" by the "meeting" of the different point of views. To change things, rather than infantilizing, we have to treat others with thoughtfulness and that is exactly what the “Master Class” is set up to do.
© UNESCO
As an artist, what is the place of the topics discussed during the “Master Class” in your work?
I can't speak for all artists in general but, in my case, my work as a writer and, recently, as an actor, has always been around the confrontation between what the outside says about you and what you are in fact. My latest book (L’Assignation. Les Noirs n’existent pas) tries to lead the reader after me in an experience that shows how much we are shaped by the principle of discrimination, how language can lead us to prioritize things, and how we are caught up by others’ simplifications.
The fight against racism and discrimination is a very important topic for UNESCO. From a general point of view, what does this new “Master Class” initiative bring? And for you in particular?
The great richness of the Master Class is that it has created the conditions of meetings, and therefore the impossibility to believe that you hold a unique and unsurpassable truth. The key to tolerance is in observation, but it is always more meaningful when we live it. On the one hand, speakers came from very different disciplines who therefore have a unique expertise and way of approaching and clarifying the subject. On the other hand, participants are chosen from very different horizons, backgrounds and diverse courses that produce the conditions for immersion and real encounters. Each participant was able to make his/her own toolbox without being caught in a ready-made speech and, more importantly, without feeling judged, which is fundamental.
See also
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Tania de Montaigne is a journalist, actress, and author of novels and essays including Noire la vie méconnue de Claudette Colvin (Grasset), Prix Simone-Veil 2015, and L’Assignation. Les Noirs n’existent pas (Grasset), Prix de la laïcité 2018 (mention).
« Noire, la vie méconnue de Claudette Colvin » was adapted to the theater in a staging by Stéphane Foenkinos where Tania de Montaigne evolves alone on stage.
Tania de Montaigne also writes a monthly column in the newspaper « Liberation », alternating with three other writers.
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The ideas and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of UNESCO. The designations used in this publication and the presentation of the data contained therein do not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of countries, territories, cities or areas or their authorities, or concerning the layout of their borders or boundaries.
