Bordeaux. Nathalie Bois-Huyghe, new culture assistant: “Even if I have political thoughts, I am not a politician”

What is your background?

I have an atypical background, with the feeling of having had several lives. I am an anthropologist, which is not just a profession or a title: it is an approach, a gesture of otherness and a passion for the other as human, for difference. The research I conducted in Africa led me to become a traditional birth attendant in the depths of Mali. The question of humanism is at the heart of the actions that I want to carry out. My commitment to Darwin began more than ten years ago, with the co-founding – then the direction – of the Edgar-Morin high school, which welcomes young people from all social backgrounds, in order to support the construction of their critical spirit. Project work, in a transdisciplinary and transversal way, is inspired by the philosophy of Edgar Morin. Furthermore, I design the programming of the round tables and conferences of the Darwin festival and I am the co-founder of the Darwin Climax Coalition. This NGO is both a sounding board and a ground for engagement, particularly with the complaint filed before the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. deforestation of the Amazon.

What made you decide to get involved in politics?

Even though I obviously have political thoughts, I am not a politician. Like other elected officials in civil society, our field expertise enables us to work in complementarity for the common good and the general interest, without being locked into a label. I had not anticipated these issues, but when the discussion opened, I wanted to take the step.

“We will have to be inventive, take side steps and create different formatsâ€

What cultural policy do you plan to put in place?

Currently, I am traveling the field, meeting cultural actors and institutions. I need to establish this link, to listen and be in direct contact with the cultural ecosystem to establish a form of diagnosis and mapping. The city is changing enormously from a sociological and urban planning point of view. Culture, which is central to living together, will be at the heart of the city’s fabric. The question of citizenship and neighborhoods will be absolutely essential. As will artistic and cultural education, central for young people, in their sensitive relationship to the world and to beauty.

We are currently working on developing a methodology; this is the necessary prerequisite for designing our roadmap. We know the overall budgetary constraints that we will have to face, and I can see the concern. We will have to be inventive, take side steps and create different formats. The idea is not to be in a top-down approach where I impose my desires, but to make this emerge together, by creating new devices allowing the advent of a common story.

Will the cultural budget be protected or reduced?

It will not be presented independently of the other budgets, which the mayor will detail during meetings scheduled for the beginning of July. I want some breath, obviously. In a constrained global context, we will have to build a patronage policy and seek out new resources.

The electoral program mentioned an “Annual Banquet of Lights” and a new candidacy for Bordeaux for the title of European Capital of Culture. What about it?

The Banquet of Lights will obviously not be an elitist event or a gala evening, but a way of building the city together. In his philosophy, the idea is to rethink humanist thinking by involving residents. A starting point could be the portrait of Émilie du Châtelet (Émilie Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, Marquise du Châtelet), exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts. She is a daring woman of the Enlightenment who can shed light on contemporary issues. It is a way of recreating something common, with an aspect of joy and re-enchantment. As for the European Capital of Culture, it is above all a lever for bringing together the dynamics of the cultural ecosystem. Tools like the UNESCO Creative City label can allow us to foreshadow this approach.

In some large cities, permanent museum collections are free all year round. In Bordeaux, it’s only one Sunday a month…

Currently, 60% of museum visitors benefit from free admission: with the Youth Card, a family of four with children under 16 can enter for free, including adults, for example. We are considering the possibility of a second free Sunday, taking into account human resources issues for agents.

“Bordeaux is rich in its plural memories to which it is appropriate to give voice”

You are also an assistant to the briefs.

Bordeaux is rich in its plural memories to which it is appropriate to give voice. A fundamental reflection is underway with the Aquitaine Museum, and goes beyond the memory of the slave trade and slavery: there is also the recent laying of the Stolpersteine paving stones, the working memory of Bacalan, the Gascon and Occitan culture, or even the memory of Spanish Republicans… It’s an extremely rich mosaic. A pedagogy is necessary to make these memories readable and alive, so that they contribute to the feeling of belonging and the recognition of our diversity.

As an anthropologist, what is your view on the major events that mark local cultural life, such as the FAB, the Pulsations festival of the Ensemble Pygmalion, or the Pagaille festival scheduled for August at Quinconces?