the inhabitants of Saint-Éloi weave the wicker for the carnival

Wicker or belote? On Thursday, the match is over, the wicker bends against the belote. The cards win hands down.

Not a retiree on the horizon to immerse the strands in water, wait for them to soften before shaping them and then tying them to the steel wire on the structure.

Slowly, patiently, methodically, Stéphane Abrioux gets to work in the atrium of the Saint-Éloi neighborhood center transformed into an open-air workshop.

“Invite all people who wish to imagine and create carnival”

“It mostly comes on Saturday and Sunday. We have teenagers who come by in the evening too. We'll see “, comments the wicker folder, following the plan of the giant masks imagined by the residents of the neighborhood.

Since October 2024, wicker has forged a strange bond in the Saint-Éloi district. It builds new relationships, brings together communities that often only cross paths.

Ideas on the fly

It makes Benoît Mousserion smile. “We settled in the neighborhood for two years to prepare for two different editions of the Saint-Eloi carnival, in 2025 then 2026,” explains the artistic director of the company L'Homme Debout, known for the wanderings of its giants in the streets of Poitiers.

“The principle is to invite all the people who wish to come and build with us the elements that will wander and come alive during the carnival but also imagine what recipes we could make, what music we will listen to, what dance we're going to do. It’s the factory of carnival. We will build it together. »

On the walls, the panels fix the ideas launched on the fly. A singer from Saint-Éloi slipped in her “06”, just in case… A resident from the Balkans imagines mixing Serbian, Macedonian, Roma and Kosovar music.

The carnival is built like this, by walking. Everyone brings their own touch. “There, on this bird’s head, we have different families who worked to decorate it”remarks Stéphane Abrioux, grabbing a large head with a long beak.

Giant masks

“Everyone does what they want. With the children, we make them three wicker circles, it forms a structure on which they add what they want. »

The mayonnaise sets little by little. Giant masks are already well advanced. The West Indians and Guyanese of the neighborhood, familiar with the carnival, are well present at the workshops. Schoolchildren and retirees too.

“Cultural rights, that’s it. Everyone has a culture that just needs to be expressed. summarizes Benoît Mousserion. The carnival will serve as a catalyst to unify around a project that “dormitory area”.

The launch of the project falls to the City of Poitiers via the neighborhood initiative fund. She gave carte blanche to the company, which lets residents express themselves. The circle is closed. See you in March for this parade!