Contents
- Mika: a singer with a big heart
- On the occasion of International Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Imagine for Margo is launching its new campaign, of which you are the sponsor. What made you want to get involved with sick children?
- During the first meeting, were you worried about being carried away by emotion?
- Like children who have grown up too quickly?
- Among all these meetings, was there one that marked you more than the others?
- Moreover, in the new campaign entitled “The little warriors”, children speak of their ills with their words. And it’s overwhelming …
- Have these meetings with these sick children changed your way of seeing life?
- If you had one message for parents and sick children, what would it be?
- Precisely, do you sometimes fall “into this trap”?
Mika: a singer with a big heart
On the occasion of International Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Imagine for Margo is launching its new campaign, of which you are the sponsor. What made you want to get involved with sick children?
In fact, this is the second time that I have participated in the association’s campaign. But, I took two and a half years to accept that my participation was public. I am fortunate not to be personally affected by this disease. At first, I just wanted to visit these children for an exceptional weekend, under the eye of photographer Peter Lindbergh, and he suggested that I do so. When I got the invitation, I thought to myself: why would I say no. I can do it, it’s 24 hours of my life. Accepting was also a way of respecting life. So I surprised these children. Then, on the strength of this experience, I spoke with Peter and we decided to collaborate again this year, this time doing something more publicized, now that I knew the cause. I wanted to take pictures that were going to exist. It was important to do it the right way, in a responsible way, without being too voyeuristic.
During the first meeting, were you worried about being carried away by emotion?
No, I was not afraid of this contact. I said to myself: if my visit makes people happy, even if only one child among the 6-7s, I wouldn’t have done this for nothing. I didn’t know what awaited me the first time, what I was going to see with these little ones. And I was pleasantly surprised by their way of communicating, their frankness, their candor, their lively mind, but also their reflection.
Like children who have grown up too quickly?
I would say that they are more like adults who have kept their childlike qualities. They instill sincerity in everyone around them. The positive effect they have on people is impressive. All of a sudden, we drop our shell, our defenses …
Among all these meetings, was there one that marked you more than the others?
They all marked me. But, I have to say that Clément, the 11-year-old young man I’m in the campaign photo with, has a way of saying things that touches me. He really wants to communicate, to explain what’s on his mind. He constructs his sentences in an almost journalistic way. He reads so much, he has a great culture. He wants to fight and also fights with his intellect. I would be really proud to have a child like this.
Moreover, in the new campaign entitled “The little warriors”, children speak of their ills with their words. And it’s overwhelming …
The campaign is overwhelming in its frankness, in its transparency. Lindbergh is a transparent photographer. He loves flaws, he fights against alterations even in fashion. He is well known for that. On TV, I wear makeup, but there I was completely natural. And it was important.
Have these meetings with these sick children changed your way of seeing life?
We realize that we should not be ashamed. We have to dismantle this feeling, our defenses, our armor. These children are not ashamed and it is wonderful. It was also sad to learn of the death of some. It became real to me. I was now confronted with this disease. I have seen how parents manage to turn their grief and frustration into something positive and constructive for people who are in the same situation as their child. This transformation is truly something extraordinary.
If you had one message for parents and sick children, what would it be?
I think first of all of the teenagers who get sick at the time of their life when they start to have relationships, boyfriends and girlfriends. Such an ordeal turns their lives upside down. I would like to tell them to find something to develop to fight. Tell yourself that you can do a lot of good. And then, there is no need to be ashamed. This also applies to those who are not sick. Shame and fear provoke loneliness, reinforce it. We must not fall into this trap, that of melancholy.
Precisely, do you sometimes fall “into this trap”?
Yes, often. So I get angry and wonder how I could have fallen into this hole that such and such a person could have placed in front of me. It happens to everyone. But, it is even harder when you feel weak. We must then transform this discomfort into a feeling of urgency, into energy, into fire. We manage to burn a lot of negative things around us, and that’s cool!