Chantal Maquet

The project

No one is born racist, rather it is our society that shows racist tendencies. No one is born anti-racist, it's a choice we willingly make to make a society more open, and one that attributes the same rights and opportunities to all its members.

My first work on the subject of racism took the form of an exhibition in Dudelange, and I soon realized that it was a very broad theme. Despite the fact that much has already been addressed, the problems remain far from solved.

Especially as it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the many different aspects of this extensive subject. But I try to focus on the essentials of the subject, as well as the target audience and the reason why I decided to make this graphic novel. And in the end, every discussion about the necessity of the subject has strengthened me in my work. What drives me most of all is my desire to communicate what I've learned, and books are an excellent way of passing on this knowledge.

The realization

For me, it's always a great moment to watch people reading my work and see how it touches them, even if it's just a first sketch.

When I see that my book speaks to people on an emotional level, and when they tell me that they've learned something and that reading it has helped them make a connection, it confirms me in my work.

This graphic novel provides an introduction to the subject for school classes, but also for those who want to explore the subject individually, and it encourages reflection and discussion.

In the course of writing, I spoke to a number of experts and incorporated the information that emerged from these interviews into the story. The book is currently being proofread.

Objective

“Each one teach one” – in an open and tolerant society, teaching anti-racism should not remain the sole responsibility of those involved. Everyone can learn to recognize and report abuse. It can be a very exhausting activity, and it's precisely for this reason that we should all contribute to this work.

Once you've sharpened your eyes, you'll recognize many abuses in your daily life. This work is my attempt to do something about it.

At the end of the day, a book is made up of individual pages that follow on from one another. In the same way, societal transformations don't happen overnight, but rather through many individual steps taken one after the other.