How a Brittany commune hopes to get strangers talking
A conversation bench is one of many initiatives being trialled to develop a spirit of friendship
The blablabanc: ‘ Taking time to chat makes life agreeable’
Mairie de Orvault
There is a blabla caisse to promote chit-chat in supermarkets, and BlaBlaCar for convivial ride-sharing – and now public benches have been given a conversational prefix to encourage social interaction.
The blablabanc is the brainchild of civic-minded Nantes suburb Orvault (Loire-Atlantique), with the first installed outside a youth centre there.
It is just one initiative being trialled to develop a spirit of fraternité in the commune, alongside ‘bonjour zones’.
“To say hello, to smile and to take the time to have a chat occasionally makes life more agreeable,” a statement explaining the move on the commune’s website said.
“We want to make it easier for people to do so.”
The idea came from a meeting to discuss fraternité earlier this year, which was attended by people from 60 associations, businesses and other groups from the commune.
Other initiatives in the pipeline include allowing pensioners to eat in school canteens.
“Of course people still say bonjour in the commune, but there is a general feeling that in the past few years people have turned more inwards,” Orvault’s mayor, Jean-Sébastian Guitton, told The Connexion.
“During the meetings we held, people were concerned at the strong showing of the far right in the last European elections.
“There was a feeling that this turning in on ourselves instead – of being more outgoing and friendly as a community – might be one of the reasons, and the idea of the blablabanc came about to counter that.”
Mr Guitton, formerly a member of the Europe Écologie les Verts party, stood as an independent candidate.
“Most of the municipal council thought it was a very good idea, just to get people talking to each other and being open to sharing a smile. These things are important.”
Ourvault has a population of 28,000 with sizable contrasts between social housing estates, affluent suburban areas, and a largely rural fringe.
“It is highly diverse, and we hope that getting people to mix so there is a sense of community will be beneficial for all,” said Mr Guitton.
