Faces Of The Jungle

Souls Of The Jungle Phil Le Gal

http://phillegal.org http://hanslucas.com/plegal/photo

Faces of the Jungle From The New Continent project

By Phil Le Gal – France & UK (London)

In 1985 the Schengen agreement was signed in the small town of Schengen, Luxembourg and instructed the removal of

The “Jungle” is one of Europe’s largest shanty towns, where about 4000 residents, including an increasing number of

the controls at the internal borders of five countries. Thirty years later twenty six countries have now joined the single

women and children, are living in conditions “far below any minimum standards for refugee camps”.[1]

Schengen space. Calais in Northern France is located on the edge of the Schengen space and is the gateway to the UK from the European continent. The city has seen migrants and refugees attempting to cross the English Channel for years. In

The series of portraits “Faces of the Jungle” shot during summer 2015 in Calais aims to offer an alternative to the visuals too

March 2015 local authorities allocated a plot of land for a camp and turned a youth holiday centre into a shelter for a small

often associated with refugees’ plights. A simple plain white backdrop is used to abstract the association with the squalid

proportion of the refugees.

conditions of the camps and put the focus back on refugees as individuals, each with their own unique story.

The land has now became “home” for thousands of refugees. It has been nicknamed The Jungle. In September 2015 an

Some of the names in this series have been modified.

estimated 4000 migrants[2] were “living” in or around the Jungle. Most of the refugees there are from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The situation is dire for refugees. After many failed attempts to cross some run out of money after paying huge sums to passers. With nowhere else to go they become stranded in the Jungle. After weeks or even months of surviving there some decide to go and seek asylum in France or in other European countries. Some are stuck in the jungle for very long period of time.

http://theNewContinent.eu #TheNewContinent http://hanslucas.com/plegal/photo https://instagram.com/thenewcontinent/ www.facebook.com/TheNewContinent https://twitter.com/Phil_Le_Gal +44 (0) 7 956 627 956 http://www.linkedin.com/pub/phil-le-gal/45/774/941 http://blink.la/u/elusivemoment#user-portfolio [1] http://thomdavies.com/wp-content/uploads/An-Environmental-Health-Assessment-of-the-New-Migrant-Camp-in-Calais.pdf [2] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/refugee-crisis-what-life-is-really-like-inside-the-jungle-in-calais-a6674256.html

Musa, from Darfur, had arrived in the Calais Jungle three weeks before I met him. He has been wearing the amulet around his neck since he left his home in Africa.

He says it has protected him so far and he hopes it will continue to protect him when trying to hide inside U.K.-bound lorries. When I met him he was willing to tell me his stories.

Sadik, from Sudan was studying medicine but had to leave his country because of the war. He left his home and crossed into Libya where he spent 7 months in jail for no committed crime. Upon release he had no choice but to leave Libya. Like many other thousands he crossed the Mediterranean sea to reach Italy.

His wish was to continue his studies in the UK but he was discouraged after several attempts to cross to the UK and decided to remain in France.

Mahmood, 28 is from Eritrea and had been living in the Jungle for one month when I met him. He had planned to go to the UK but changed his mind. He now wants to remain and live in France where he thinks he will get a better life. His fingerprints have been taken for his asylum claim.

Sabwoon, 10 (left) and Ulfat Khan, 13 (right) are two friends from Afghanistan. They are posing for a photograph in the Jungle of Calais, France. Sabwoon is from Jalabad the second-largest city in eastern Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan.

His dad decided to send him in search of a better life. Sabwoon couldn’t attend school in Afghanistan and said he wanted to become a doctor. Sabwoon traveled from Jalabad to Calais on his own. He had been living the in the Jungle of Calais for over a month when I met him. He wants to go London.

His friend Ulfat Khan is from the Laghman Province also in the North East of Afghanistan. He also traveled to Calais without his family. He wishes to go to school and study mathematics.

Amer, 24, is from the region of the Nuba mountains range in South Sudan. He left Sudan because of the ongoing war. When I met him he did not want to go to England. He said all he wanted was to be in a safe place.

He said that for him England was not a dream land. Before fleeing the war Amer was studying electrical engineering. He is learning French in the Jungle with local volunteers.

He says he would prefer living in the countryside as he doesn’t like big cities. When I asked him to tell me his story, Amer claimed “To tell you my story would take five hours.”

Aziz, 29 is from Eritrea. He says he does not wish to cross to England.

He is already started the procedure to claim asylum in France but the process can take many months.

In the meantime he will live in the Jungle of Calais.

Nilka is from Eritrea. She is three years old and was born in Eritrea. Her mum calls her “baby�.

Nilka and her mum undertook the perilous journey to reach the UK and have been living in the Jungle for over a month now.

Nilka is posing with her favourite toy.

Hana (left) and Baza (right) are two women from Eritrea. They have fled their country because of the war with Ethiopia.

They are religious and attend every service at the makeshift church built in the Jungle by the refugees.

Abdullah is from Sudan. He has been living in the Jungle for four months.

He says he likes England, demonstrated by his union-jack styled sunglasses. Despite this he would like to live and remain in France.

Hadialla is ten years old. He also came from Afghanistan’s Laghman Province.

He came with his brother Montaza, 12. With his brother they want to reach London as they have another brother living there.

All Photographs © Phil Le Gal / Hans Lucas / The New Continent

llustrations © ENSAPB- DSA Risques Majeurs 2014-2015- C.Hanappe et P.Chombart de Lauwe Enseignants avec L.Malone,

Souls Of The Jungle Phil Le Gal

http://phillegal.org http://hanslucas.com/plegal/photo