New Europeans

A Test Site For Everyday Life

Deeply Emotional Super Diversity Feb23 2016, Calais

Hans Aarsman on the Calais Jungle

Poetry
The Sudanese neighbourhood in the Calais Jungle, France, 14 January 2016, Photo: Maximilian Clarke / Demotix

Out of all the things you see here, only the lamppost remains, the only fixed asset in the near surroundings. The migrants have moved into containers, the land of boys has been destroyed. Unharmed the lamppost stands, without even so much as a screw hole in it. The basket has been attached to it with ropes. Smart thinking, because there are quite a lot of cables in a pole like that.

But why is there a lamppost at all in the jungle of Calais? Didn’t the migrants use a piece of no mans land for their camp? It seems unlikely that it has been erected in haste for the camp, it’s not brand new. And how about the statue of empty cans, how long has that been standing there? It could be left over from Christmas. A Christmas tree made out of cans, with a real crooked peak on top.

Not everyone was happy with the Christmas tree, the red and white marking tape must have been put there for a reason. Perhaps some were offended by the Christian symbolism. Others wanted to try and see if there was still some beer left in the cans. Looking at what is written on the wooden plateau, there were also those who just don’t like art. ‘Respect Art’ it says. And right beside it: ‘Pls don’t break it. It’s art.’

On the aerial photo it’s easy to pick out the Sudanese pointed roof, there’s only one in the camp. Maybe it was a school? It was on the northern edge of the camp, on the ‘Chemin de Dunes’, the Dune path. Along that path are lampposts, which explains our post. On this path, people walk by who have nothing to do with the camp. Which is to say, it didn’t necessarily have to be people from inside the camp that the inhabitants feared might destroy the art.

The barrier with the beaded curtain is very playful. It’s too low to really stop someone, but it’s still a barrier. Just as the letters ‘HOME’ form a gate. On the right, behind the Christmas tree, is a black sign with a text about poverty, pauvereté. What it says is essentially that poverty, just like slavery, is caused by men. On the left is a sign about god in heaven, who never forgets his children. And then there’s the chair on top of the pointed roof. You live in terrible circumstances, but still you try to make something poetic with rubbish you find in garbage cans and on the side of the road. And on top of that, you even speak English.

Every week Hans Aarsman applies his detective-like analyses to a press photo for the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant. During the Dutch Presidency of the European Union (taking place in the first half of 2016), he will inspect European press photos and kindly share his observations with the New Europeans.