Page 40 - DIVA_2_2015

Interview with

Muriel Scibilia

Head of Communications at UNClAD
and the author of

C6t6i nuff,
CQtQ nu t
cote soled
cot6i soleil* .
0
des jeunes racontent
leur troversée du cancer
Muriel Scibilia is a former Q: You have just writ-
journalist, Head of Communi- ten a book of evidence Slolk in.
cation at the United Nations on youth and can-
Conference on Trade and cer. Could you tell us
Development (UNCTAD). Des- something about it?
pite a busy and hectic profes- insecure. Most people do not want
sional life, she has spent more Actually, what I did was write a to be confronted with this issue.
than a year dedicating her journalistic book entitled "Côté nuit, So they escape, simply because it's
free time to writing a book en- côté soleil ..." The concept was based scary, because it affects children
titled Côté twit, cdté soled on the idea of letting ten adoles- and you do not want to see them
which discusses the very sensi- cents tell their own stories. All of suffer. This is a legitimate reaction.
tive subject of adolescent can- them had had cancer and had sur- However, not everything is comple-
cer. Nobody talks much about vived. It is the story of these young tely negative, because nice things
how young people and child- adolescents. do happen, also incredible things,
ren handle such a difficult ill- beautiful things. These can be mo-
ness and Ms Scibilia's book is I asked them: "What was the most ments or gestures of solidarity, quite
a very poignant account that
horrible thing that you had to go unexpected gifts, travel experiences.
leaves nobody indifferent.
through?" They had to make an This is why I
asked them to tell me
Her main objective is to give
effort to try to relive what they had the most exceptional thing that
us all some ideas on what to
experienced and to remind them- had happened to them. The third
do and what not to do, ideas
selves what the most terrible aspects question I asked was: "How did the
about how you should talk to
were. Sometimes the answers are fact that you have been seriously ill
young people going through
quite surprising. For instance, for a affect you and your vision of life?"
this terrible experience. Here
young girl the most terrible thing was
is Muriel Scibilia...
losing her hair. This is something What interested me in particular
that you would not or could not ima- was to understand how ten years
gine when you're an outsider. You later this experience had affected
would think perhaps that the opera- their lives. I wanted to know if they
tions, the chemotherapy must be the had a goal, or something that made
most awful thing to endure, but no-- them move ahead. I asked them:
in this case it was the loss of her hair. "You have been so close to death
what has this done to you? Does life
The other question was: "What was have a different sense? Does it para-
the most amazing thing, the most lyze you?" The answers I received
magical thing you experienced?" are very different from one person
As an outsider thinking about can- to another. For some, this expe-
cer and teenagers, everyone is rience had ruined their future. For
afraid or feels awkward about it, instance, there was the young girl

38 Culture