Colonial Justice and suburb's caravan project
03.Jul.02 - Since April, 'Festival permanent contre les lois racistes' and 'Collectif Noborder-Strasbourg' have organised a serie of video projections/debates in several 'quartiers de banlieues' (Elsau, Cronenbourg, Cité des Ecrivains...). This information's campaign has been called Noborder Action
The idea was to do some some activities around the issue of 'justice en banlieue': racist justice, double penalty, polices crimes, detention death (there's about 150 people who die in French prison for a year 'by suicide'; there are several cases where we know and have proof that that are not suicides...), colonial history, law-and-order ideology... But also promote the noborder camp, in order to reach out to collectives and individuals from strasbourg about the initiatives around the camp.
This objective has been quite a success. Many contacts have been taken, some people are interested and are already doing some work with us and some plans are arising.
'Festival Permanent contre les lois racistes' et 'Mouvement de l'Immigration et des Banlieues' (MIB) have had a meeting about the topic called 'Justice Coloniale' and propose for the camp:
1- To set up a permanent tent in order to inform people from the camp about the French suburbs situation. One person from Strasbourg will always be at this place. We also want to give visibility to our French network ('Resistons Ensemble', 'Collectif Les mots sont importants': www.ornitho.org/lmsi, 'Observatoire des Liberté Publiques') and to our support network (artists like ASSASSIN for example (www.assassin-productions.fr) There will be at the same time informations about suburbs situations and some books, CD, Videos, DVD, T-shirts...from the French network around this topic.
2- To organise from July 21st to July 25th a 'Caravane des Quartiers' that will visit a different 'quartier de banlieue' everyday. We want to meet residents, to inform them and discuss about topics which concern the life in the suburbs. Topics will be adapted according to events or problems that have happened in those quartiers. We want to create links that could last also after the camp. We want tohave exchange about our political practices, our daily life and others in order to enhance collective initiatives and show that there is more strength in collective organising.
The caravan will propose video-projections, information and debates, juridical workshop, hip-hop dance workshop (for children), samba band workshop (it would be great if some children from the camp go and participate to that sort of workshop; hip hop or samba, in the suburb. What interesting meetings!), a sound, some grilled meat and a non-alcohol bar... We will have also some graffiti artists who will paint something every day according to the topics. We will show all the art work during the day called Colonial Justice Day on the camp.
3- To have a 'Colonial Justice' day on the camp on July 26th. It will be an outcome from the 'caravan des quartiers' and from our noborder action campaign since April. The idea is to create a space where all the people we've met or will meet can come together at the camp for this day. Problems and rivalry between different quartiers are everyday life. The camp could be a neutral place where people can meet and debate. We think that we have to be a link between different quartiers which can create some proposals and collectives projects...
What is important, is to let people speak and give testimonies. There is an important deficit on that question in France. Everybody in France (journalists, TV, 'expert', etc...) have an opinions and give it about the 'banlieue'. But you never hear or see the residents opinions. That is for us another example of the post-colonial vision: Repression and assistantship are the only politics which are reserved to the 'banlieue'
The precise program is not built at the time. There will be some accounts about police crimes, double penalty, suspect prisoners' death, ... and also some historical and political analysis about colonialism, police in France, struggle for equality in France by migrants themselves, 'republican racism', ...
In short, a caravan in suburb will begin the 21st July and will be concluded by the 'Justice colonial' day, the 26th July in the camp.
The first week's Schedule for Justice Coloniale
Sunday the 21st July: Meinau
Video projection + debate about a recent case in that quartier which is about a child that died because of the bad maintenance of an elevator: the housing policy, and what it's called 'politique de la ville' (town policy) + graph + meal and non-alcohol bar
Monday the 22nd July: Quartier des Ecrivains
Prison, detention death + graph + meal and non alcohol bar
Tuesday the 23rd July: Cronenbourg
Video Projection + debate about Racist and unfair Justice + Samba workshop + juridical workshop + graph + meal and non alcohol bar
Wednesday the 24th July: Elsau
Big open air cinema projection: Ouesh Ouesh qu'est-ce qui se passe ?(have information about the film on : www.assassin-productions.fr) which is a recent movie about French suburb's situation. + discussion space about prison (ask by people from that quarter)+ Hip hop dance workshop for children by a local dance band +gaph + meal and non alcohol bar
Thursday the 25th July: Neuhof
Video projection + debate about double penalty + Samba workshop (?) + graph + meal and non alcohol bar
Friday the 26th July: on the camp
'Justice Coloniale' day: we will send a program for it. We already know that we will have a big barbecue!
This program is not fixed. If people wants to be involved by a event proposition for the caravan, take contact with us...
Some remarks:
- Lots of people will be on holiday at this period. In any cases, people who will stay are used to go to swimming pool or around a lake. So we've decided to begin our caravan event about 5 pm every days.
- Concerning questions of authorizations, we've asked to people who will negociate with the 'mairie' to put the fact that they have to be conciliatory in the negotiation. It's one of the compensation we will demand.
Festival permanent et MIB
