Be a black person in Switzerland
Echoing the week of actions against racism, let's take stock of the fighting of the Afro-descendant community in our country.Persons directly concerned testify to a situation where racism, prejudices and injustices remain alive.They also speak of hope.
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Safi Martin Yé, 34, actress, Geneva
In his Pâquis apartment, between the toys of his 1 year old son, you can see a series of works by Afro-descendants.The books of the Suisso-Cameroonnais Max Lobe or the French woman of Guadeloupe and Congolese origin Tania de Montaigne fill her shelf."It's a source of inspiration, you have to read it!"Smoked Safi Martin Yé.Nina Simone vinyls are placed next to the sofa.While preparing a herbal tea, the actress begins with sweetness: "I think more today before accepting an interview on the subject.According to the life phases and the people in front of whom we find ourselves, it is sometimes delicate to dialogue around the racial question.It is necessary to talk about it, but at times it is better to take time to refocus and spend precious time with the family.»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
On a wall, in pictures, her child looks at us with malice."We are going to do their best to offer him the tools and confidence necessary to approach these questions.But it is important that there are more models, inspirations and black personalities represented in all trades in the Romand landscape.That he understands that he can become what he wants to be.We have really advanced when being racialized will no longer be a subject.»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»"In response to the publication of an expert report at the UN last January on the recognition of racism and the profiling of black people on Swiss territory, the unmanageable nature of Safi Martin Yé resurgit."It made me smile, because we did not need this document to legitimize the discrimination that has been rampant in the territory has always been.»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
The artist takes a deep breath, hunts thought that in Geneva, cited eminently multicultural, his son could still undergo injustices linked to his skin color. Sa pierre à l’édifice pour une société plus inclusive, c’est avec son spectacle «Je brûle de Joséphine»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» que Safi Martin Yé l’a ajoutée."It is a piece created by an Afro-descendent for Afro-descendants.Culture remains a little elitist. J’ai donc été très touchée en voyant dans la salle que j’avais réussi à faire venir également un public racisé»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», se réjouit-elle encore, émue du succès de ce projet qui a tourné en 2020.And new dates are being studied.The actress and her team intend to adapt the play."Things evolve, the subject too. Je garde espoir pour le futur et j’espère que mon fils n’aura pas à débattre des mêmes sujets dans vingt ans»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», confie-t-elle en abordant la fatigue généralisée de la communauté noire devant les inégalités persistantes.
"There is a real work of education and awareness around the racial question to be made from early childhood.Since the crèche, including the school system, but also within the home.It is by planting seeds in our children that future generations will be able to emancipate themselves from these burdens.Because as Tania de Montaigne says very well: being black, contrary to what you imagine is not a question of skin, it is a question of look.»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
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Euloge Malonga, 37 years old chef, Bienne (Orpund)
In the house of chef Malonga, you will always be welcomed with tea, coffee and a snack.Whether you are a stranger or a family member.Her two daughters, aged 6 and 10, play in their room.At the age of his youngest, the cook had to leave the Democratic Republic of Congo for the village of Obersteckholz in Haute-Argovie.As he dives, as a child, in the culture of the Langenthal, he feeds on the Swiss heritage in his professional life."I worked and inhabited on both sides of the country. Je suis plus intégré que des Romands en Suisse alémanique ou des Alémaniques en Romandie»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», taquine le trentenaire au début de notre rencontre.He recounts some Neuchâtel anecdotes, memories of his visit to a restaurant in the region. On comprend que, pour cet adjoint des cuisines de l’Hirslanden Salem-Spital à Berne, c’est important de commencer par «rendre hommage»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» à sa terre d’accueil.In all sincerity.
But behind this rigorous man, the first Afro-descendant winner of the Swiss Culinary Cup in 2019-a competition organized for more than twenty years by the cooks-hide more buried scars."Racism exists everywhere. Je le réalise, je le vois, mais je ne veux pas le subir!»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» affirme Euloge Malonga.At 20, just after his apprenticeship, hired as a kitchen clerk in a ski resort, he remembers having been surrounded in a bar.That evening, he is jostled, insulted.Verbal and physical assaults which he still minimizes today, for fear of fueling a victim image in a country he considers "welcoming"»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»». «J’ai compris que je n’étais pas le bienvenu à cause de ma couleur de peau»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», déclare-t-il.
So, as if to compensate, he works harder than his colleagues.In 2021, this perfectionist was among the finalists of the gold cook."During my journey, I experienced certain professional failures such as discrimination.But I quickly swept them away.I motivated myself, pushing myself to do even better.It's a way of going forward without dwelling on the racism that pursues us.I prefer not to focus on these aspects.»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
What makes him proud today is to inspire a whole new generation.During his career, several young Afro-descendants clerk joined him behind the stoves, opting for this path after discovering his profile."I want us to see that a black man can go far in the kitchen in Switzerland. Pas uniquement en football, en musique ou en basket, mais aussi en gastronomie!»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» Objectif atteint.
"In 2022, there are still people who do not want to integrate and work.They give a bad image. C’est pourtant une minorité d’Africains et d’Africaines! Il ne faut pas toutes et tous nous mettre dans le même panier»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», insiste Euloge Malonga, priant pour que son témoignage touche autant la communauté noire que blanche.Because for him, it is together that we can consider a harmonious future.
>> Lire aussi: Des couples mixtes face au racisme ordinaire
Licia Chery, 36 years old animator, author and artist, Geneva
Son visage vous dit quelque chose car vous l’avez certainement déjà vu dans l’émission «C’est ma question»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», qu’elle anime sur la RTS, ou lors d’un de ses concerts, comme lors de ses passages au Montreux Jazz Festival.Licia Chery is a multiple woman who cannot be reduced to a single side.Today, this 3 and a half year old mother is also author. Elle a d’abord publié «Tichéri a les cheveux crépus»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», un livre jeunesse, avant de signer en 2021 «Noir en couleurs»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», un ouvrage sur les traces de ces ancêtres. «Après l’avoir lu, plusieurs personnes m’ont écrit et m’ont confié: «Vous m’avez ouvert les yeux alors que je ne me percevais pas comme raciste!»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» raconte la Genevoise.
Grande observatrice des comportements qui l’entourent, elle concède que souvent, «quelqu’un de bien»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» peut avoir des paroles discriminantes."And when you decide to approach him head -on, this person sometimes has the impression that you demonize it.You then find yourself reassuring it.An act that completely erases the initial purpose. Sa fragilité prend tout d’un coup plus de place que la tienne»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», explique l’écrivaine.In sociology, we are talking about the phenomenon of white fragility, a defense or denial mechanism, sometimes unconscious, to divert the discussion."It’s a bit like people feared losing their respectable bases by facing it.But we are in a society where white domination over racialized populations exists.You have to point it to the finger knowing that it will not change everything at once. Je pense juste que, sans attendre un coup de baguette magique, il est important de poser le sujet sur la table, au même titre que les questions sur le climat»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», résume calmement Licia Chery.
Since it became a daily animator on RTS in 2020, talking about an omnipresent racism in her country, the Swiss actively does it."In any private or public company, white employees will not think of the issues of black people because they are not part of their daily life. C’est un peu comme demander à des hommes de réfléchir spontanément aux conséquences des douleurs de l’endométriose sur le lieu de travail et de penser à des solutions alors que c’est un mal réservé et compris uniquement par certaines femmes»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», image-t-elle.For her, inclusion is done by diversity within the whole economic fabric.While realizing that a certain teaching weight can weigh on the shoulders of racialized colleagues."It really has to evolve!"You know, my parents learned not to make waves upon arrival here.But I was born in Geneva.I feel legitimate to advance mentalities in my country.»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
>> Lire aussi: La fétichisation des personnes racisées et l'exotisation du corps des femmes
Tidiane Diouwara, 55 years old Cipina director, Lausanne
When Tidiane Diouwara arrives for the interview, he carries on him the wisdom of a man who has thought a lot of the world, as a whole. «La société actuelle construit un village globalisé et multiculturel»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», lance-t-il comme une prophétie.Journalist, he co -founded the Cipina in Lausanne in 2012, the Center for Information and Promotion of the Image of a new Africa, which he heads today."The media are responsible for the messages they convey. Il faut arrêter de parler de l’Afrique de manière négative, car ensuite le lecteur qui n’a pas beaucoup côtoyé des gens de couleur peut faire des amalgames»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», explique celui qui a longtemps travaillé dans la presse.He is working today to transmit another information."The overwhelming majority of black people do not want in the street and are well integrated.We must at all costs deconstruct these received ideas.And that's what we've been doing for ten years. Cela commence à payer, c’est palpable»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», observe avec optimisme ce père de deux jeunes adolescents.
It gives as concrete image the events around the Black Lives Matter movement in Switzerland, which brought together tens of thousands of people in the streets of several cities last summer. «Ce qui m’a surpris, c’est de voir autant de Suisses pure souche manifester aux côtés des afro-descendants»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», avoue-t-il, heureux de constater ce métissage."Things are moving, even if it is not as fast as desired.The way is still long. Il n’y a pas beaucoup de Noirs à la tête de grandes entreprises suisses ou de groupes de médias»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», précise-t-il.
Arrived from Mauritania at the age of 28, he has been Vaudois for almost twenty-eight years. «Je porte les deux cultures et je refuse de choisir car elles composent mon identité»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»», affirme Tidiane Diouwara, qui admet répéter ce discours depuis de nombreuses années."When you wage a fight, you shouldn't be afraid of rabling the same things to be heard a thousand times to be heard.We all have undergone treatment inequalities.Some of my work colleagues did not kiss me, when they did it to others in my presence.Ignorance is the cause of racist behavior.»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»On the train, this director is still sometimes checked when he does not wear his suit and tie, unlike other passengers.
"We must respect the differences, treat everyone in the same way.That the competent authorities work in social cohesion.»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»And for the man of letters, it would start at school, by teaching Swiss students the colonial history of their country."We must not hide the past.»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»He adds that specific training to deconstruct racist behavior is also necessary with the police.Nevertheless, seeing the sparks of the new Afro-descendent Helvetian generation, Tidiane Diouwara is nourished by hope.For him, the children of his sons will live in a peaceful Swiss.
>> Lire aussi: Vaincre le racisme, une nécessité inconfortable
Par Jade Albasini publié le 23 mars 2022 - 08:23
