Yanick Bazile: “enn fou” (a madman) who is breaking barriers

Yanick Bazile: “enn fou” (a madman) who is breaking barriers

Yanick is a young man who describes himself as “enn fou”, that is, madman or a crazy person in English because he is continuously trying to break barriers and change perceptions. As a young journalist of 24 who works for the weekly magazine, La Vie Catholique, his motivation in life lies in his wife and his son, whom he believes are the pillars on which his success rests.

He has been working as a journalist for La Vie Catholique since two years. He started as an intern at La Vie Catholique and eventually went to work for other newspapers. However, he returned to where he started because La Vie Catholique offered him a space where he could voice out his unconventional ideas and be the “fou” that he is proud to be. La Vie Catholique made him discover his love for writing and helped him channel his inner chaos into something beautiful which he delivers by writing.

When he joined La Vie Catholique, he, along with his devoted team, decided to create a Facebook page to share articles and make videos on sensitive yet important issues. They started with the little that they had: a mobile phone, and eventually started using more equipment.

Their most recent article is an emotional testimony of a mother whose son is a homosexual, a rather sensitive topic for readers who are mostly around 40 to 60 years old. In the beginning, it was difficult to bring forth such sensitive content to his readers who would respond negatively but he has learnt to say things differently without making the reader lose his or her anchor. His journey working at La Vie Catholique has taught him that the things that you say are important but the way you approach your readers and say those things are also important in ensuring that the message is heard and is well-received. Yanick can talk about Article 250 on sodomy but he does not because he knows that he first has to draw his audience in through emotional testimonies before exposing them to such bold content.

He is grateful for constant support of his strong team at La Vie Catholique who do not let him bury his voice and his family. His son is the catalyst, the person who motivates him to pursue his dream of becoming a journalist, a dream which he is now living, and to forge a better society. Through his work, he tries to send a strong message to his son to do better and to do more for the world. His wife remains his biggest support who constantly makes him think and rethink his ideas. Her touch is present in all his works.