Looking back at love in the Calais Jungle
Mohammed,16, from Sudan, and Goya, 25, from Niger, met in the camp and have been friends for over a year now.
- Published
The Jungle migrant camp came into being in 2002 and became home to over 10,000 refugees.
I first visited the Jungle last year with Play4Calais, a grass roots charitable organisation that brings pop-up cinema and playtime to the children there.
At that time, the camp was a flourishing community: there was The Dome theatre and even restaurants made by the residents. The air was full of music, hope and solidarity.
On Monday 24 October, the French police begin evictions.
"Where are we supposed to go, the sky?” Osmand, from Sudan, asked me.
Some people will move to another camp. Those who are eligible will apply for asylum. Many others will be working it out day by day.
On my final trip to the camp, last week, I wanted to document some of the friendships that had developed in this unlikely place, to remind myself of the humanity and warmth of so many I had met there - and that it's love and community that people need for a home, not just bricks and mortar.
Sharing a tent in the northern quarter, these five young men from Afghanistan met in the camp and helped each other by sharing meals. They also translated for those new to the camp to help them communicate with volunteer distribution networks and legal assistance.
Daphne and Azadar, a couple living nearby, walked the camp daily to distribute letters for the refugees to hand over to the police when they're evicted. These stated the residents' rights and detailed their personal situations - the only piece of communication most have when the camp is demolished.
Mohammed,16, from Sudan, and Goya, 25, from Niger, met in the camp and have been friends for over a year now.
Tawakal, 28, from Afghanistan, and a toy bear given to him by a passing volunteer in the camp.
Friends Karim, Mismirwais and Daut from Afghanistan meet at the perimeter fence of the government-installed shipping containers.
Altayeb, 16, and Mohammed, 17, both lost family members in conflicts in Sudan. They are both unaccompanied minors, but they have each other.
Tom Radcliffe (right) is a Zen Buddhist Monk who lived in the Jungle offering support to residents of the camp.
Eva Fahle-Clouts (pictured with one of her favourite artists from the camp, Abdullah) set up a gallery space in the Calais Jungle called 'Art in a Suitcase' where residents could create paintings and pictures small enough to carry around.
Look at the history of the Jungle and how it's changed since 1999.
