Each member of the crew takes the floor to talk about an aspect of diversity.
Benoît G, a young man from the Parisian suburbs
« To many people, being a young person from the poorer parts of the city can mean that you’re from a separate society, where survival of the fittest has replaced the rule of law, and where violence is often the answer to fear. This prejudice is spreading increasingly, outside the city as well as within it, and I see its effects every day. It builds up walls of mistrust, where people are as much victims as perpetrators. The challenge is to find a way to get yourself and other people involved in society, to show that it is not your differences that determine your identity or potential, but being true to yourself, which is much more complex ».
Pénélope, woman
« I grew up in a very progressive family. Our family atmosphere made me consider my womanhood, and the role I want to play in society, early on in life, as well as the roles that society would allow me to play without being discredited or intimidated. I very often feel that for relationships between men and women not to be based on power, we are obliged to minimize our personal needs in order to give way to culturally acceptable requirements. It is precisely these personal needs that I try to defend every day, without wanting to call myself a « feminist ».
Joël, analyste financier
« Hi, I’m the villain of International Finance everyone loves to hate. Don’t push it though — I might make a decent living, but I don’t drive a Porsche or a Ferrari. Actually I don’t even like cars without a driver, but that’s another story. Anyway, I’m neither a trader nor a speculator, I’m simply the guy who looks at the companies in my area and decides whether or not to lend money to them. You can’t imagine the number of clichés that my work brings on me. I’m the one who makes widows and orphans destitute — to the extent that when I meet people I don’t know I usually say I’m a florist, just to avoid getting the same old accusations. My specialty is the carnation, preferably red !
But if you’re curious, I’ll gladly take the time to explain what I do, it may even make some sense… what do you think ? »
Gaël, senior
« Would I ever have hoped to join a crew recruited on conventional criteria of sporting skill, muscle strength and dynamism, when I have been paraplegic for 30 years and am well over half a century old? On the other hand, what could I have learned in a team consististing of people with the same experiences as me, all with the same profile as my own ?
With Team Jolokia, I find myself in the middle of a group where I can share my sailing experience, and with team mates who have taught me all their new techniques. The mix of people aboard requires us to be calm and to place great importance on mutual respect. Above all, diversity makes us curious, as well as altruistic, which facilitates the symbiosis necessary to the efficiency of a team ».
