Displaces – starting out A pilot participatory photo project conducted in January 2016 by Gideon Mendel and residents of the ‘Jungle’ refugee camp, Calais, in collaboration with the University of East London ‘University for all’ project. All images reproduced with permission. www.gideonmendel.com www.wordpress/educatingwithoutborders/universityforall.com

Ali (from Iran): In all this bad situation, with bad problems, there are many different people here. They think, ‘If we go to England, we can earn powerful money and we can come back to our country. We can live with that money’. But they have the problem inside themselves. They can’t find the problem.

Ali (from Iran): It’s a beautiful day; with all this praying, they have hope in God; these people are very religious.

Arash (from Iran): This is from my tent; the door is at the back Arash (from Iran): This is from my tent; the door is at the back. When my tent is open, I see this here. I like this picture; the composition is good, very good. Life is different at different times - life goes up, life goes down. That’s fine. This is a different life.

Arash (from Iran): This is my tent Arash (from Iran): This is my tent. I sleep with my friends, with my teddies. It gives me a good feeling, to be with company.

Babak (from Iran): There are good things about here, and a lot of bad things here. Everything is so close. I think most of the people have an England dream. They’re living in this bad situation; but I think everywhere we are free. You know, it’s a very horrible place but they are living. I think there is no difference between England, France or another country like this. I think they are wasting their time here.

Gele (from Sudan): We are living like animals.

Gele (from Sudan): This is our ‘stadium’.

Habibi (from Afghanistan): Nobody can pass, because it’s too muddy in the street. My parents are in Afghanistan. I didn’t tell them, ‘I’m living in the Jungle’. When my mum is calling, I say, ‘Actually yeah, they gave me a very nice house here’.

Habibi (from Afghanistan): All over is full of water; it’s like a river in here.

Maiwand (from Afghanistan):This is the way we live in the Jungle; we drink chai together every day like this.

Majid (from Iran): It is an alley in the jungle Majid (from Iran): It is an alley in the jungle. I saw some Afghans around the fire. Another one is my neighbour: the Sudanese man with the phone. He’s maybe watching some television. At these times, we haven’t got anything to do. A lot of people in the Jungle make a fire. Sitting around the fire, it is great to tell something together. We all speak different languages, we can’t understand each other. It is amazing some people make connections together, maybe with English.

Majid (from Iran):This was beautiful for me Majid (from Iran):This was beautiful for me. The main street in the Jungle. I pass this way a lot a lot, some thousand times. This area for us has not a very good feeling, not good memories. We all have dreams and wishes. 99% of us don’t want to be here. But sometimes in a place you hate you can find something interesting and beautiful. I find a beauty in this place.

Morteza (from Iran): I come to the library every day, to read, to talk to people, to learn English. Some things are good. But this picture is not beautiful.

No-name (from Sudan): This is my house No-name (from Sudan): This is my house. You can see my drawings and paintings here. We want to go to England.

Saeed (from Afghanistan): This is our shopkeeper Saeed (from Afghanistan): This is our shopkeeper. He sells everything like juice and food, biscuits and electrical things, fence cutters. He is so happy. He doesn’t care about the future and the past, he just wants to live. It’s not important for him where he is living. But I’m in Calais, and it’s so dangerous for me.

Saeed (from Afghanistan): These are Afghani refugees Saeed (from Afghanistan): These are Afghani refugees. They don’t like people to take photos of them because they are thinking, ‘Living here is so shameful for us. We don’t want people In other countries to see our situation in this Calais’. Afghanistan and other countries’ refugees – they hate this. ‘Don’t take my picture because I also don’t want to see my situation in this life, because this situation feels so bad, the road is so dirty, and it make me so tired, and there is water and mud…’

Saeed (from Afghanistan): That’s a secure fence Saeed (from Afghanistan): That’s a secure fence. We have to cut the fence, or we can’t get out from here. It’s the biggest problem for us. Sometimes there’s a train, and we catch it. We cut the fence and we go enter.

Saeed (from Afghanistan): “That’s another fence. Complete fences are 14. It’s so difficult, so hard. On top of all the fences are cameras; to the left, right, beside, behind, all around, are cameras. If the police arrest us, they may send us to the deportation centre. Maybe we will be deported to Afghanistan or other countries. It’s so dangerous for us.

Shikeb (from Afghanistan): This is a picture I made for the wall of the library, where I work. I try to keep as busy as possible. When I stop, I might start to think.