Living behind the cirque du soleil
Some 4,000 people live in poor conditions in shanty towns on the outskirts of Paris. But an integration programme plans to lift 30 Roma families out of misery.
Maria assures us that she doesn’t pay anything to live in her shack, but a volunteer explains that it’s a taboo subject. In each camp there is someone in charge who is the first to settle on the land. It’s he who makes the laws, resolves conflicts and receives a type of rent for each of the huts. In the neighbourhood of Saint-Denis, Cirque du Soleil has brought water to the camp and installed basins. But the camp has its own rules, and the associations are certain this owner is paid £1.35 (two Euros) a week by the families who want to use these.
