“It’s important at my small level, to relay these subjects to me,” said Gringe

Since the 2020 release ofTogether we bark in silence, his book on the schizophrenia from which his little brother suffers, the rapper Gringe takes advantage of every opportunity to free speech on mental illness. Long known for the Casseurs Flowters duo that he forms with Orelsan, the artist has just prefaced the collection of short stories A little, a lot… madly (HarpersCollins edition) whose profits will go to Unafam, the National Union of Families and Friends of Sick and/or Mentally Handicapped People.

20 minutes met the rapper on the occasion of the Pop & Psy Festival which was held from October 7 to 9 in Paris. Just before going on stage to talk about the role of loved ones in psychiatric disorders in front of a large audience, he spoke with us about his fight to destigmatize mental pathologies.

In 2020, you published a book with your brother to talk about his schizophrenia. Did this process of writing together help you better understand his illness?

Yes, the elements he gave me and the bits of text he agreed to share with me allowed me to understand his schizophrenia a little better. I’m still not an expert on the matter but it allowed me to better understand how he could live with it, to better understand his rhythm, how it could impact him and at what time of the day it was the most tiring for him. him to live with his symptoms. And it also allowed me to better situate myself and find the right distance when we are together.

What consequences did the release of this book have on your brother but also on you?

It gave my bro a boost of motivation. All of a sudden, people who were more interested in the literary object than in my brother’s testimony were telling him that he had good writing skills. And that, of course, was something rewarding and it boosted him enormously. It even gave him, at one point, the desire to take up the pen again. The more testimonials and messages sent to him, thanks, congratulations for his courage and involvement, the more he became aware of the fact that it went beyond the scope of our story. Once the book came out, he realized the importance of a testimony like his to free speech around this subject. It is a small stone brought to the building.

Unfortunately, the slightly more negative aspect is that people living with schizophrenia are always fluctuating. The moments of euphoria, of enthusiasm, can very quickly fall like soufflés. If we don’t install anything behind it, if we don’t try to make the work of de-stigmatization or the literary work sustainable, it can quickly fall.

Precisely, is that why after the release of the book, you wanted to take action, to do more to destigmatize mental illness?

Yes, it is super important. I would have found it a little selfish to stop at my book with my brother, to unpack some parts of our lives for the sake of a little personal repair. Because it’s very selfish, at first, the work of writing. It’s sticking bandages for yourself first and for us, my little brother and my family. But in the bosom of the book, it’s important to concretize that, otherwise it’s too selfish.

Today, for example, you do writing workshops with people who suffer from a mental disorder. Can you explain to us what exactly it consists of?

I did writing workshops as part of the release of the book. I went to meet lots of people and I was able to supervise groups of people who are victims of various and varied psychiatric disorders. There were autistic and bipolar people, for example. The goal is to listen, to exchange and then to try to make something from the moment, something that we can keep in memory. I didn’t want to arrive like a school teacher who is going to give a writing lesson. It makes no sense to me to do that. The idea is to be in the meeting and to adapt according to the sensitivity of each other.

I also want to find a place where my brother could talk, share his photos, come and discuss his artistic, literary and photographic work. And I would like to do even more concrete actions. Participate in talking circles, for example, and then speak in the media when I can. It is important, at my small level, to relay these subjects to me.

You also sponsor the association La Maison Perchée. Can you tell us a bit about it?

Yes, I had the chance to meet the people of La Maison Perchée even before writing the book. They offered me a somewhat symbolic role of godfather at first. La Maison Perchée is a structure that deserves to be known and which, I think, will grow in the years to come. It is a non-medicalized structure that offers therapeutic and practical support to people who are victims of psychological disorders. They are people trained in peer support [N.D.L.R. : des personnes s’investissant dans l’entraide après un parcours personnel qui leur a permis de se rétablir] and some of whom live with a psychiatric disorder. So they know exactly what they are talking about.

Because when the first psychiatric episode starts, it can be at home or at school, you can find yourself helpless at fifteen brooms and have no one to turn to. We will undergo these episodes which will be repeated and we can find ourselves completely in the shit. Between where the first episode triggers and the HP, there are now structures like La Maison Perchée or the Clubhouse. These are things that did not exist ten or fifteen years ago. It’s super important.

Initiatives are developing but mental illnesses are still very stigmatized today. Do you think a change is taking place?

I see things moving. A festival like today’s is an indicator of changing mentalities. Even though it’s very recent. It’s been two or three years since I’ve seen on social networks and through certain media that these subjects are increasingly put at the center of the debate. These are public health issues that affect everyone. We talk about it more and more, so it’s great. Afterwards, my view may be biased because I am much more involved than a few years ago, but I have the feeling that mentalities are changing a little. Now we must continue.

We also file much more than before speaking to people directly concerned. Before, it was mainly third parties and doctors who spoke, whereas there are people who are able to speak. Me, for example, when it comes to talking about schizophrenia, I let my little brother speak. No question of speaking to people who are suffering. That’s not the approach. The approach is to circulate the word, to democratize it as much as possible to make as many people as possible curious about these subjects.

A little, a lot… madly (HarpersCollins Publishing)5 euros, donated to Unafam