Lhe hail storm was in full swing on Saturday April 27, when the performance played at the auditorium of the Alzheimer Village in Dax warmed hearts. “Sometimes the sky is a little heavy,” sang the eight residents who took part in the project launched by the Chantons sous les pins association. The traveling festival also offers cultural mediations, and for the first time, the Dacquoise structure benefited from it. An experience within the experience.
Samuel Bernos, host at the Village and saxophonist, could only be in favor of it despite the magnitude of the challenge: writing, composing, recording and restoring a song. “We were heading into the unknown. » But not without a guide. “Several groups were proposed but I stuck with Jota B. The accordionist, multi-instrumentalist profile spoke to me. I looked at what they were doing and I liked it, I knew it would go well with the villagers. »
Building a song
From November, and with a weekly session, Arnaud Estor and Jean-Baptiste Pène, members of the Landes quartet, piloted the realization of this ambitious project. “At each of our mediations, those for whom we intervene express a feeling and we put it into form,” explains the pair.
For his part, Samuel Bernos identified a group of interested parties among the villagers. “We lost some along the way, who could no longer hold on to the project. But it all started with the residents. From choice of theme to lyric ideas. »
“The main difficulty is confronting the illness. We took it in the face”
And methodically. “We had to mark everything, all the ideas, crossing them out as we went along without erasing them because sometimes we came back to them,” continues the host. It helped build the song and also for them to remember previous sessions. »
Shared benefits
“Thank you Henri”, that’s the title of the song, depicts daily life in the heart of the Alzheimer Village. The lyrics, serious and beautiful at the same time, evoke this “journey” between these “villagers” who draw their “strength” from “unity” despite the “fog”, “the sorrow”, “the unknown” or even “ignorance”.
“When the theme was chosen, I said to myself “wow”, it’s going to be something to tackle this,” recalls Samuel Bernos. I discovered many of their feelings throughout the initiative. The villagers and I went through a lot of emotions. »And the Jota B pair, used to mediations, too.
Arnaud Estor and Jean-Baptiste Pène then played several songs from the repertoire of their group Jota B.
Nathalie Guironnet
“The main difficulty, in reality, is confronting the illness,” says Jean-Baptiste Pène, singer and accordionist. We took it in the face. We were ignorant – it is stated in the text: “it is ignorance that hurts us” – and we discovered very complicated facets to manage. » We had to arm ourselves.
“It’s very hard because sometimes we managed to forget the illness and then it ended up coming back,” says Arnaud Estor, singer and guitarist. When we come every week since November, we end up getting attached. Seeing that in two weeks everything can deteriorate in a person, that disillusioned us a little. »
“So it was beautiful?” », told her audience one of the eight residents, authors and performers. The approval did indeed come, and the smiles with it. “The residents are very supported every day, but today, the participants were able to regain confidence in themselves, they expressed themselves, liberated. It’s not nothing,” the host savored.
“Thank you Henry”
It’s a somewhat secret village Well hidden on the map of France Which seems a little abandoned People, by their indifference Yes but all those who live here Welcome you full of tenderness Even if they suffer from an illness That of the ‘oblivion, distress
Chorus : It’s our story that we tell It allows us to escape We may be left behind Here our strength is unity
In these places, there is no asphalt, To avoid injury From time to time a little mist Comes to put a veil over our thoughts Me with my child’s gaze Who does not know the ages I can tell you that now it is with them that I travel
Chorus
Sometimes the sky is a little heavy It deprives us of yesterday, of tomorrow By this fog which, one day Brought immense sorrow With an outside opinion We could believe that it is banal It is the unknown which scares us And the ignorance that hurts us
Chorus
A hand on mine is enough To bring comfort To tell ourselves that we are not alone here And that together we are stronger For a little more gentleness A few caresses to the animals They who offer us so much happiness They who understand all our troubles
Chorus
It’s our story that we tell That of the Alzheimer village At home, no room for shame And we sing it with the heart
