“The Poulidor of Eurovision! Who did you represent? Turkey ? The sequence takes place in an itinerant butcher truck criss-crossing the villages of Niolu (Haute-Corse). Barbara Pravi, behind the refrigerated bank, does not let herself be destabilized by the rudeness of the customer who did not know her. “Your name is sir, what is it? Leon? I love ! I’m Barbara. ” Raphaël, the butcher who invited her to follow him on one of his rounds, plays the teaser: “And yes, poor thing, nobody asks him [comment elle s’appelle]…. The singer then burst into infectious laughter, the contagiousness of which intensified after the discussion drifted onto the meaning of Saint Barbara. Irresistible.
These few images, taken from Our unknown lands broadcast this Tuesday evening on France 2, are a concentrate of the personality of Barbara Pravi: her spontaneity, her humor, her empathy, her sense of human contact. “There is no calculation on his part. She takes everything with a lot of joy and wonder without wondering what people will think of her,” says Raphaël de Casabianca, praising her “freshness” and her “willpower”. The globe-trotting presenter had the idea of inviting the artist to the show after meeting her on the set of the 20 hours by Laurent Delahousse, in May, the day after Eurovision: “She was overflowing with energy. I thought it would be great for us to discover it a little more. »
“She took this trip as a parenthesis”
Barbara Pravi did not hesitate for a second. Even if that meant leaving his cell phone turned off for several days. “It did me a lot of good! The shooting took place right after the release of my disc [fin août]. Normally, these are times when we are hyperconnected, when we are afraid, and I think the constant connection amplifies the stress,” she says. “She was in a whirlwind, so she took this trip as a parenthesis. She considered it an opportunity from the start, with great joy, ”says Raphaël de Casabianca.
The journalist remembers the first night of filming, under the tent, in the middle of the Corsican maquis. “We had discussions about marveling at the beauty of the world, of considering that each event or thing that we encounter can be, if not a miracle, something very powerful. She shares this vision with the team, suddenly it shines, it filled us, it gave energy, a rhythm to this journey which was brilliant. “Through this part of Our unknown lands, the one whose father is from the Isle of Beauty wanted to show “a different, interior Corsica, where you take your time, where you are not in the postcard”. He assures her: “Barbara, with her permanent wonder, manages to sublimate” all that.
The author, composer and performer thus crossed paths with Casimir and Jean, two shepherd brothers, with Colin, a beekeeper attentive to biodiversity, with Mélodie, who came “from the continent” and fell in love with the area, with Paul-André and Laurent , mountain rescuers or Magali guide on the GR20.
“An Italian comedy-drama”
“I have kept great ties with them. We write to each other regularly,” says Barbara Pravi, rejoicing that the final cut of the program highlights the links created with these people, who, while talking to her about the love of their land, spoke with her their difficulties, but also the strong values such as mutual aid, essential in these remote regions.
Catherine Alvaresse, the director of the documentary unit of France Télévisions, compares this episode to “an Italian dramatic comedy”: “I had the impression that we went from laughter to tears. There are real encounters that moved me. »
“I’ve always been very curious about others,” says the singer. “There are a lot of social codes, like the questions you ask people when you meet them. Me, it’s been a long time since I ignored it, she continues. I ask questions when they come into my head, as I think them. It disconcerts at first. In Corsica, I don’t think they were used to that. But it works because when you really care about people, they feel it. I see that it breaks a lot of barriers in my life in general. And besides, it’s very telegenic.