FACT OF THE DAY Marzok Mohamed, the nice memory of a great figure of the Mas de Mingue
Marzok Mohamed succumbed to lung cancer on February 22, 2022. He was 67 years old. He had lived and worked for forty years for the Mas de Mingue district. A whole district – and even more – which, today, salutes his memory.
Sitting on a chair in one of the rooms of the socio-cultural and sports center Jean-Paulhan in Nîmes, Rheda keeps her eyes riveted on her cup emptied of her coffee. He raises them from time to time to stare at the ceiling, searching his memory for specific memories that can illustrate the laudatory proposals regarding his father Marzok Mohamed. This man, we unfortunately did not know him, he was nevertheless one of the emblematic figures of the Mas de Mingue in Nîmes. Was and remained through the memories of residents of the neighborhood and beyond, as Marzok passed away on Tuesday, February 22, 2022.” Last week, it’s like someone pressed pause. There was no one left in the streets“says Sabrina Guellaen, director of the Jean-Paulhan center. The Mas de Mingue was in mourning.
This Tuesday, a lady walks along a hallway in the center, sees Rheda, sticks her head out and offers her condolences. ” And Zakia?“, she asks modestly. He replies that his mother is just making it ” to rest a bit“. The 45-year-old turns his gaze towards us: As soon as the death was announced, we received a lot of support, from Nîmes but not only. People came from Marseilles, Montpellier, Paris to watch over him. “A support that continued until the funeral of Marzok last Thursday, “ there were people of all ages“, reports the son. Proof of this is that this man, swept away by illness after two years of fighting, was unanimous beyond the borders of the district.
The Jean-Paulhan socio-cultural and sports center was his stronghold. He was its guardian for many years, since his arrival in Nîmes in the 1980s after having been a postman in the Paris region. Reception agent then concierge, he was one of the pillars of this structure that he had to endure, despite sick leaves, holidays and even well-deserved retirement. ” It was he who, every morning, opened the center and prepared coffee for everyone.“, specifies Fabienne Asnar, child-youth coordinator, who can still smell the aromas that perfume the different rooms.
His colleagues, his second family, already feel the lack of this man ” smiling, joking, talkative“. ” With him, we didn’t need to read the press, he loved to tell us about the news“, laughs Sabrina Guellaen. The latter rubbed shoulders with the municipal agent for ten years. ” If the center is so respected, it’s because he was there. There is no question of mistreating the furniture, nor of being impolite, there is no debate on this and it is thanks to Marzok and Zakiashe insists. His official position was “only” a guard, but he mediated, he helped people out, he made phone calls to help people who were in difficulty. “And even during the illness, while he was leading his own fight, the sexagenarian continued to support the poorest.
“It is the memory of the neighborhood that has left us”
” an altruism“, underlines a friend of the deceased, Hamed Benabdelmounen, who commands respect. Rheda remembers a father who ” wanted to make people happy, ready to do anything to help them leave to find himself in trouble. And far be it from him to shine, Marzok never failed in his legendary discretion. Only those to whom he held out his hand and the witnesses of this gesture, knew what this man was capable of, he who was the first to launch marauders in the neighborhood. As a thank you, he was offered crates of fruit, vegetables, etc. He could have opened a businessRheda laughs loose. But he only took what he needed and redistributed the rest. »
” Did we tell you about his paella?“, we question Sandrine Gorge, family referent at the Jean-Paulhan socio-cultural center. Yes, its paella, its couscous and also its various tajines. Marzok Mohamed loved to cook, a passion he gladly shared. As well as fishing, an activity to which he introduced his children. The transmission was a leitmotif for the Nîmes. ” From our father, we learned generosity, solidarity“, says Rheda. Everyone testifies to their benevolence, like Stella, a police officer: ” Because of his position as caretaker at the Jean-Paulhan center, we had to meet often. From the beginning, our relationship became friendly. He was a benevolent man towards others, simple, always available to help. It’s the memory of the neighborhood that has left us. But through these different testimonies, there is no doubt that the memory of this great figure from Mas de Mingue remains anchored in the heads and hearts of those who crossed paths.
Stephanie Marin