Society

Promoting dialogue between cultures
A unifying Marseillais identity
A Mediterranean tradition of hospitality

Marseille was not affected by the wave of urban rioting that rocked several cities of France in No-vember 2005. "Can we see a sign in this?" wondered architect Christian de Portzamparc at the time. "Marseille is no better off than other cities in terms of rundown housing estates. But I do pick up a very strong sense of identity throughout the city and a culture of mixed populations. What is most important is undoubtedly a certain feeling of belonging" [1].

With nearly a million inhabitants now, Marseille is the port of arrival, and sometimes adopted home, of migrants from all over the world - Mediterranean, Middle East, Maghreb, Africa, Indian Ocean, Asia... It is this exceptional mix that has made the city so unusual and is what the Marseille-Espérance organisation sets out to support, at a time when national and international events threaten social cohesion in France and elsewhere.

Set up at the initiative of the mayor of the time, Robert-Paul Vigouroux, following the desecration of the Carpentras Jewish cemetery in 1990, Marseille-Espérance, which is not a voluntary but an informal body provided with logistical support by the city council, brings together representatives of the city’s principal religious communities in order to promote dialogue between cultures and mutual tolerance. Marseille has - the figures are inevitably approximate since censuses in France do not include figures on religious affiliation - about 600,000 Catholics; 150 to 200,000 Muslims; 80,000 Armenians; 80,000 Jews; 20,000 Protestants; 10,000 Orthodox Christians; and 3,000 Buddhists.

This is not about proselytising or theological debate - the aim is to "promote dialogue and openness between the different communities" through campaigns targeted at the public: the publication of information at the time of events that might cause divisions, such as the Gulf War, the 11 September attacks, or the murder of teenagers in the suburbs; the organisation of public debates; educational activities in schools - public and faith-based - in which representatives of several religions come together to debate with pupils.

A calendar is also distributed which shows the religious festivals of all these communities: from Jewish Hanukkah to Christian Christmas, from Muslim Eid to Armenian Red Sunday, from Buddhist Vesak to the Orthodox Dormition of the Theotokus. A multi-faith place of prayer has even been established in one of the city’s hospitals. The Marseillais approve of the initiative: over 350,000 of them - i.e. a third of the city’s inhabitants! - have written their name at the base of a stone fountain symbolically shaped like a "Tree of Hope" (Arbre de l’Espérance), with many branches emerging from a common trunk.

What is behind this phenomenon? "In Marseille, people feel they are Marseillais first and then from their community," explains Marie-Thérèse Blanc, one of the active members of Marseille-Espérance. This is confirmed by those who are Marseillais by adoption: "When I am in Mali, after three weeks I miss Marseille, the smell of the sea, and the Marseille way of speaking," confides Abou Diarra, who came from Mali as a student, has been Marseillais for twenty-six years, and is now a chartered accountant and the representative of sub-Saharan African Muslims at Marseille-Espérance.

"I’m Marseillaise and proud of it," Nadia Amri tells us - in a typical Marseillais accent. This young woman of Algerian parents, who wears the veil, runs the Muslim women’s association "L’Ouverture". "I love my city. When I’m away, I miss it. Even when I went on the Pilgrimage to Mecca, I missed my city!".

With its Mediterranean tradition of peaceful co-existence of different cultures, the city allows people to become Marseillais whilst holding on to their ancestral roots. Every Sunday in the Armenian Apostolic church, the choir sings Armenian hymns and children who have never set foot in Armenia, whose grandparents came to France decades ago, learn their mother tongue in Marseille.

In the Belzunce district, you can find the pepper and harissa needed for making a good couscous, luxurious polished cotton "bazin" for making magnificent bubus, or colourful silks for the most flamboyant Comorian weddings.

"In Marseille, OM is s strong unifying factor" [Olympique Marseille football club, ed.], explains Marie-Thérèse Blanc. "In the stadium, everyone is mixed together: the company boss and the kid from the northern suburbs, Jews and Arabs...". Abou Diarra puts it another way, "In Marseille, OM is our religion!". Above all, Marseille is the South, with its warmth and friendliness. "In Marseille, there is sunshine, people talk to one another, I rediscovered my biological rhythm here! Marseille is an extension of Africa!" Abou Diarra says with a laugh.

The following community leaders work together and with mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin through Marseille Espérance: Reverend Father Zadik Avedikian (Armenian community), Mr Thich-Tâm Truong (Buddhist community), Cardinal Bernard Panafieu (Catholic community), Chief Rabby of Marseille, Reouven Ohana (Jewish community), Imam Bachir Dahmani (Muslim community), Father Joachim Tsopanoglou (Orthodox community), Pastor James Woody (Protestant community).

Nadia Khouri-Dagher
journalist