{"id":18588,"date":"2022-02-08T11:01:41","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T21:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fifotahiti.com\/?p=14458"},"modified":"2022-02-08T11:01:41","modified_gmt":"2022-02-08T21:01:41","slug":"sana-le-cristal-qui-consume-temoigner-pour-mieux-prevenir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fifotahiti.com\/en\/sana-le-cristal-qui-consume-temoigner-pour-mieux-prevenir\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00abSana, the crystal that consumes\u00bb: testifying to better prevent"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arrived in French Polynesia in the 1990s, the ice has become a veritable scourge in just a few decades. Today, authorities estimate that the number of consumers is more than 10,000, a figure unfortunately far below reality. In a heartbreaking documentary, filmmaker and journalist Lucile Guichet-Tirao decided to give voice to former addicts caught in the grip of this devastating drug. Sana, the crystal that consumes, the out-of-competition film, was screened on Monday, February 7, for the students of Tahiti during the school day.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seizures, trials, detention\u2026 The first images from the documentaries plunge the audience of the Grand Th\u00e9\u00e2tre into the heart of the subject. They reveal the scope of this drug called ice, which has been circulating in the Polynesian territory for more than twenty years. The students from the high schools and colleges of Tahiti, who came to this screening as part of the school day organized by the festival, are silent, absorbed by these stories. The director took the initiative to put the microphone in the hands of (ex-)users, to make their voices and stories heard, both very personal and yet very common. Today, authorities estimate that there are slightly more than 10,000 users, but the reality is quite different. In every family, there is at least one member who has already smoked ice. This shows how this drug has become commonplace within Polynesian society. It also shows the importance of showing such a documentary to the younger generations. Because while a documentary tells stories, it also has another role: that of prevention and awareness-raising. Through three characters, Andr\u00e9, Vanina and the one called M., Lucile Guichet-Tirao, a renowned journalist, reveals aspects of life destroyed by this drug. An absent social life, a disintegrated family, an absent professional life and a health that takes a hit.<\/p>\n

A public health problem<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00ab What happens to these addicted people? \u00bb, asks a fourth-grade student to the director at the end of the screening. \u00ab Some manage to get out of it, others don\u2019t. It takes a lot of personal willpower and support. But since we don\u2019t have a detox center or hospitalization for treatment here, it\u2019s difficult for them \u00bb, answers the director, who faces the assembly, standing on the large stage. In her documentary, through the words of the characters, she points out this lack of support and follow-up for people addicted to this drug, nicknamed \u00ab sana \u00bb in French Polynesia. \u00ab Your film is therefore a way of denouncing this lack of support? \u00bb, asks another student from the Paul Gauguin high school. \u00ab Yes, because the only project that exists today is a center with eight hospitalization beds for drug addicts. While this is a real public health problem\u00bb. Despite the exorbitant prices for obtaining this methamphetamine, which was sold for 200,000 CFPF per gram before the COVID crisis but now costs 600,000 CFPF, the number of consumers is not decreasing. \u00abThe higher the prices rise, the more crime and violence increase. Because even if you have a salary, it is impossible to afford it,\u00bb the journalist analyzes very rightly.<\/p>\n

Showing to talk to the youngest<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The screening ended with the students applauding. The documentary left a mark on this young generation, the first public confronted with ice addiction. \u00abIt\u2019s a very good film. I had an idea about this drug and its effects, but now I know more about it. It shows that we really need to be careful,\u00bb admits this 1st-year high school student at Paul Gauguin. His colleague, Teuiarii, 16 years old, was touched by the story of the protagonists. Prisons, addiction\u2026 The characters tell their story unfiltered, they also tell how they struggle to get out of it and how difficult it is to detach from it. \u00abIt was mega because we\u2019re talking about something that we often hear about. They say it\u2019s hard, but we don\u2019t know how hard it is. But here, we really felt with the characters how difficult it is psychologically and emotionally.\u00bb Although the young high school students entered the screening with a light mind, they left the theater with this thought: to avoid falling into this cycle that only brings destruction. \u00abWe know about the ice cream but this film doesn\u2019t make us want to consume it,\u00bb confides this young third-year high school student at Maco Tevane. The documentary has therefore fully fulfilled its role, that of conveying the message\u2026<\/p>\n