On the very soil where migrants literally slog through muck and are treated like filth by the French government, an English theater troupe crossed the Channel, entered the jungle, set up a makeshift stage and performed Hamlet for them. It was only for a day, but it’s the gesture that counts.
Shakespeare’s Globe stages a performance of Hamlet in the so called Calais ‘jungle’ on Wednesday. The London-based theatre company took its world touring production for a one-off performance at the refugee camp in northern France. A synopsis translated into languages including Arabic and Farsi was handed out for the crowds before the play, along with bags of popcorn. (videoclip below)
“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Bible: Hebrews 13:2
The Calais refugee camp is, quite simply, a national disgrace. The message of the French government, via this camp, is clear: we don’t want you here. Not only we don’t want you here, but we’re not going to provide even the most basic shelter for you. But at the same time, and I’ve actually heard the subject being discussed on the radio and in the press, the French are puzzled as to why these migrants/asylum seekers have only one objective in mind: to get to England. “Why don’t they want to settle in France?” the French ask. In 2015, only 447 Syrian and Iraqi migrants settled here.
The reasons are manifold. First and foremost, the majority of migrants speak English and quite rightly believe that they have a better chance of integrating and finding employment in Britain. Second, many have relatives or friends already living in the U.K. Third, long-established ethnic networks exist in the U.K. that help new immigrants. Fourth, the high rate of unemployment in France, especially for people with no connections, is a big deterrent. Fifth, a large segment of the French population is inherently racist and, as a result, unwelcoming. (EXAMPLE – all over the city, you see large signs stuck to the façade of churches and town halls with the following message NOUS SOUTENONS LES CHRETIENS D’ORIENT (We support Christians from the East). To add to that, the police force has a nasty reputation and migrants are badly mistreated by the French authorities. Sixth, in France you need to carry an identity card with you at all times, so it’s more difficult to live “undercover” as an illegal immigrant here. And lastly, access to the NHS (the British national health service) is free and I’m guessing that most migrants have serious health problems DUE TO THE NIGHTMARISH CONDITIONS THEY’VE BEEN SUBJECT TO while forced to flee their homes and countries with nothing but a knapsack and their children on their backs.
As I’ve always said, right from the beginning when the Sangatte refugee camp existed before Sarkozy closed it down – “What is their crime?”
Here’s an interesting piece in today’s The Guardian entitled “France’s official blindness to religion only masks religious hatred”.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2016/feb/04/frances-official-blindness-to-religion-only-masks-religious-hatred
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/video/2016/feb/03/shakespeares-globe-actors-perform-hamlet-in-calais-refugee-camp-video
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/05/heavy-rains-bring-disease-and-disaster-to-frances-forgotten-refugee-camp
CAREFUL? Politics can be dangerous and your blog is so lovely
I live and breathe politics, Fred. It’s a major component of French life.
Calais is not the problem of France…it is the problem of the UK..which refuses the entry of these people,doesn’t give a single penny for them and,as you do in your comments,gives lessons of morality to the all world…France:lets these poor people go to England…Here,it is the solution…
This is no excuse for the deplorable and subhuman living conditions of the Calais refugee camp. Lessons of morality. Moi?
Oh my. That shows such a complete lack of awareness.
This is such an interesting post — and the comments too. What an amazing thing to do, though: to offer a play, in such a sad and deplorable situation as the Calais jungle (as though anyone would choose that if they truly had other choices — the safety of a warm home, a stable government, a welcoming host nation. It reminds me a little of a book from the late 1970s, the one called (I think) Conference of the Birds, about Peter Brook’s adventure, with his theatre group, in Africa, performing not just Shakespeare but other stuff as well.
There are hundreds of large and small French theater troupes in France of course. But I’ve never heard of one going to the Calais jungle to perform. Having said that, the Red Cross and a couple of other French humanitarian agencies and associations are doling out hot soup, donating warm clothes and blankets and trying to do what they can to alleviate the suffering of the Calais refugees.