Culture in Agen takes on a new face with the arrival of Nasser Menni. The elected official wants to unite sport, art and education around the same ambition: to make culture accessible and vibrant for all.
“For me, Agen is a large village. There is a human dimension in this town, with this connection between people which is sometimes lacking in certain large towns.” This is how Nasser Menni sums up the city of which he is now deputy for culture.
If his three sons were born at the Saint-Esprit hospital, he was born in the North 59 years ago, and grew up in the Corons, these groups of workers’ dwellings. “My dad was an Algerian immigrant who became a minor when he arrived in France.” A few years later, Nasser Menni left to study in Poitiers. It will be a science school. Then, at the end of the journey, a career as a professional high school teacher.
Thanks to a transfer, he finally arrived in Agen in 2000. “A year before knowing that I was going to land there, I attended a rugby tournament in Buzet”, he remembers, with a smile on his lips. Like a wink of chance, which sometimes does things well. A first sign linked to sport, which Nasser Menni believes is fully part of culture.
“Sport, cooking, these are cultures in themselves. My goal as an elected official is to bring together all types of cultures. I even want to add agricultural culture. It requires time, work, self-sacrifice.”
“We need action behind it”
Nasser Menni always integrated sport into his daily life. For fifteen years, he was responsible for the Foulayronnes football school.
Education and work with young people also occupy an important place in his commitment. “Like culture, education takes time. These are similar areas, two themes that touch me, and that I want to bring together.”
And in his eyes, unity requires democratization. “We often hear public authorities talk about making it accessible to as many people as possible. These are fine words, but there still needs to be action behind it.” To do this, he wants to start by meeting all the cultural actors in the city. “I’ve already seen a few of them, and they are fascinating people. They are demanding, and rightly so.”
As an example, he cites the upcoming holding of a festival around photography, led by gallery owner Catherine de Luca. He also plans to get involved as closely as possible with the Music Festival. “Exceptionally, it will be held on June 20 instead of the 21st. The 21st falls on a Sunday, we said to ourselves that Saturday would be more unifying. We want a unifying vision of culture, conducive to living together.”
In future projects, he mentions the creation of an internal house for associations and solidarity. “We are left-wing, we believe in culture!” he maintains. “During the campaign, we had thematic meetings on Thursdays, and we dedicated one to culture. That shows you our attachment! Culture must be able to integrate into all periods. This is what characterizes us, which defines our humanity.”
