A special Culture pass mention for La Bibliomule de Cordoue » PACA’s economic and political newsletter
On the occasion of the 50th edition of the Angoulême Comic Strip Festival, the Culture pass gives a special mention for the first time to a comic strip, in collaboration with the national network of independent bookstores Canal BD.
Six young people from Culture pass voted for the book of their choice from the official 2023 selection of booksellers.
La Bibliomule de Cordoue, first winner of Culture passes the special mention, a tribute to reading and transmission of knowledge
Wilfrid Lupano, Léonard Chemineau and Christophe Bouchard – respectively, the author, the illustrator and the colorist – are the three winners of the competition. The ceremony was held Thursday evening in the presence of Wilfrid Lupano and two young Culture pass users, members of the jury. The special Culture pass features people expressing their love for books and the transmission of ancient knowledge, from generation to generation. Conceived as a kind of “road movie”, the comic strip published in 2021 by Dargaud editions is both a story, an epic and a historical narrative. Its starting point is a true story: in the 10th century, the vizier Amir Al-Mansour seized the opportunity to seize power and used the support of the clerics, the ulemas, to establish his legitimacy. They wanted to see the 400,000 books of the Cordoba library burned… and the vizier ordered this destruction. The comic tells how Tarid, a slave eunuch in charge of the library, flees into the hills with a mule loaded with books that he can save. He was accompanied by Lubna, the chief copyist, and Marwan, his former apprentice.
Culture passed the special mention, a prize intended to last to encourage reading among young people
This special mention was created with the aim of inviting young people to diversify their reading by discovering works they are not familiar with. By calling a jury composed of young pass users, it is both an opportunity to promote the development of their critical thinking and their ability to argue to defend their choices, but also to give voice of these young citizens. ! Culture pass will also be present throughout the festival with a stand to answer questions from young people and professionals about the system.
A special mention that is part of the process of promoting reading initiated by the pass
Culture pass’s “BookClub” aims to create a community of avid readers to allow young people to become prescribers to their peers. Each month, publishing pass partners are asked to send books on a new theme. Participants’ opinions and favorites are shared in the application, on the Culture pass Youtube channel and through a dedicated affinity newsletter that has more than 400,000 subscribers.
The winners and the jury tell us about the work
Wilfrid Lupano, author, said he wanted to pay tribute to those who are trying to save books and knowledge “The Bibliomule de Cordoue speaks of the instrumentalization of religion by power. […] We want to show the fragility of this transmission and testify to the tremendous work done by all those who did it, the heroes in the shadows”.
“We have very few documents at our disposal, and the collective imagination has not explored this period, be it cinema or comics” added Léonard Chemineau, illustrator: “Thanks to the competition of historians, we were able to consult the some works that came down to us. From there, I created the universe by interpreting it […] We want the story to be enjoyable to read and accessible to all audiences.” The young juror also testified: “I fell in love […] the way in which we maintain a certain lightness despite the seriousness of the themes addressed. I think this comic will help us understand the importance of books in our lives” confides Héloïse, joined by Hugo: “It is a funny book, but above all strong, because there is an underlying historical aspect. Soraya added: “I also noticed the importance of books, which is the main theme. This comic is wonderful, mixing reflection and entertainment. Émeline finally indicated: “He deals with a serious topic, the destruction of books and knowledge, behind a rather light and funny story, but does not hide the seriousness of the situation. The designs are also very beautiful. »
About the Culture Pass
Culture pass is a free and geolocated application, intended to promote the access of young people to art and culture, to intensify and diversify their cultural and artistic skills. This system is divided into an individual part and a complementary collective part. Thus, every young person aged 15 to 17 benefits from an envelope of 20 then 30 euros, which he can use freely to cultivate himself in full autonomy. At the same time, a joint part, part of the Artistic and Cultural Education (EAC) policy and the result of close collaboration between the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sports, is assigned directly to the school. Each class, from 4ème to Terminale, is allocated a credit of 20, 25 or 30 euros per student, intended to finance artistic and cultural education activities carried out in groups and supervised by teachers. And from the age of 18, each young person has an additional 300 euros valid for two years to deepen or learn about an artistic practice, enjoy cultural places (cinema, theater, performance halls , museums, etc.), cultural goods (books, comics, vinyl, musical instruments, etc.), living new experiences, or even inviting friends to share a cultural discovery (” duo” offers)
