Mulhouse (AFP)

A "declaration of love" to a city bruised by the coronavirus: rapper Abd Al Malik moved the audience of La Filature de Mulhouse on Tuesday and Wednesday with his readings of letters on confinement sent by Mulhousians to their city.

"I am Alsatian and the region, Mulhouse in particular, has been particularly affected by the pandemic. For me, doing this show was the least of things", like an "act of solidarity", confides the singer to AFP. Strasbourg.

The project, called "Letters to my city", was launched by the Spinning mill after confinement, while Mulhouse was barely recovering from the coronavirus crisis.

The idea: invite the Mulhousians to put their experience of confinement into words by writing a letter to their city.

In the end, 150 people - all of them were invited to attend the show - sent a text.

A reading committee selected about fifty of them, which they sent to Abd Al Malik to make them the subject of a show.

- "Incredible power" -

As he confided on Tuesday evening on the stage of La Filature, the rapper chose to keep them all and to distribute their reading over these two opening evenings of the season of the Mulhouse scene, the first venue in France to have closed its doors due to Covid, March 6.

"I said to myself: + this is not possible, we cannot sort it out, it is absolute nonsense," explains Abd Al Malik, who considers "natural and normal that the maximum number of letters and words are read and heard ".

On the scenography side, the rapper has opted for the counting: seated behind a desk, he is accompanied by his bassist Izo Diop.

During the show, they are joined by two young Mulhouse actors, Hameza El Omari and Anysia Mabe, each come to read a letter.

As a backdrop, a screen shows a video and pictures of Mulhouse taken by its inhabitants.

"Because of the Covid, your reputation will suffer even more", "through this letter, I cry out to you my love!", "I love you, but you're not easy": the letters, of various lengths, address without false modesty the image sometimes attached to the city, even more clouded by the coronavirus crisis of which it was one of the main foci in France.

The evocation of the noise of helicopters and ambulances transporting coronavirus patients, omnipresent for long weeks in Mulhouse, comes back in several letters.

Abd Al Malik gives them his phrasing, changes their rhythm, supports certain words or syllables, lengthens others ... The texts "are great (...) All, without exception, have an incredible power", enthuses the singer.

- "Heart balm" -

Visibly won over, the 500 spectators - the room has a capacity of 1,200 seats - reserved a final standing ovation of several minutes for the four artists, not really cooled by the health measures that the virus, still present, continues to impose (compulsory masks , seats away for spectators wishing to keep their distance ...)

"Very moved", Azucena Ott confides having fully savored this "extremely moving" spectacle.

"I found these letters absolutely wonderful of truth and declaration of love in Mulhouse", enthuses this retiree from the neighboring town of Lutterbach, whose husband, as well as several relatives, were affected by the virus.

"It feels good to meet again, after the time we have spent, and to hear positive things. It's a real happiness, we feel good after a moment like that", says Thibaut Weiss, a civil servant 35 years old.

The adaptation of Abd Al Malik "is a breath of fresh air in our confined lives", estimates Flora Pourcelot, a 49-year-old teacher, author of a text which apostrophes Mulhouse with great blows of "hey fat" and enjoins him not to "give up".

Abd Al Malik nods: "It is important to show resilience and move forward", like "to put balm in the heart and restore hope and courage".

© 2020 AFP