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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| May 20-21, 2004 |
Marseille – Study Tour – The Reality of Immigration in France |
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| The faces of modern Marseille |
A "city of immigrants" since the Ancient Greeks first established Marseille as a port, the population grew most dramatically during the last century, from 80,000 to over 500,000 between 1900 and the 2000. The industrial revolution of the 1800s had already seen a huge influx of migrant labour from Italy, but it was the conflicts of the 20th century that brought refugees from all over the world to France, and particularly Marseille. Armenian refugees from World War I, German and Polish Jews fleeing Nazism before World War II, republicans escaping the civil war in Spain, Vietnamese loyal to France after the loss of its colony in 1954, Algerians, Moroccans and Tunisians seeking safety from their countries' wars of independence in the 1950s and 1960s, Vietnamese "boat people" from the US invasion during the 1970s and 1980s, and most recently an increasing number of Russians and Chechens, have all sought out a better life in France. |
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| An introduction to France through the work of MRAP |
Protecting immigrants from discrimination, and helping them integrate into French society, is the "Mouvement contre le Racisme et pour l'Amitie entre les Peuples" (MRAP). Established to combat Nazism before the start of World War II, it was founded by refugees who had fled countries occupied or threatened by Germany in Europe. In the years after the war, the movement published newspapers to spread the message of the holocaust to the wider public, and also led campaigns against French colonization and the apartheid regime in South Africa. Despite Marseille's reputation as a multi-ethnic city, part of the MRAP center's work is to help people know how to properly respond to discrimination, educating immigrants on their basic rights and offering legal support if needed. |
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Between MRAP and the radio, enjoying Tunisian sweets and hospitality for lunch |
Closely connected to the community outreach work of MRAP, is the local radio station "La Garre," with its mission to "recognize the ethnic diversity of its listeners." As well as its mix of news and music, the station also broadcasts information bulletins to inform the local immigrant community, and in 1996 played a vital role in ensuring immigrants registered for residency visas to gain legal status. |
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| Peace Boat staff Masaki Takahashi and participants explain Peace Boat to the people of Marseille |
After a short introduction to the station's workings, participants were invited on air to share their experiences of life onboard with La Garre's listeners. Peace Boat staff member and lecturer of the Global University programme, Masaki Takahashi, spoke in more detail of Peace Boat and its efforts to raise awareness for victims of French nuclear testing in the Pacific. Impressed by the station and its work to spread the immigrant's message, as well as the fact that the organization is almost entirely funded by the weekly donations of its 400 members, Peace Boat participants met and talked with volunteer workers before returning to the MRAP center to meet with the immigrant families who would be hosting them for the night. |
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| On a walking tour of what surely is one of the most beautiful cities on the itinerary |
After an evening of hospitality and conversation in Arabic, English, and French, participants and their homestay hosts took a walking tour of Marseille, learning about the history of the different immigrant districts, before visiting the CIERES center. |
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| At CIERES, the word for 'Welcome' comes in many languages |
Not only teaching new immigrants French and assisting their search for work and accommodation, the CIERES center also provides a place for peer groups to form and a sense of community to develop - often much needed when feeling alienated in a new and foreign society.
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| After a lesson in Japanese 'origami', hearing about life as an immigrant from Algeria |
Introducing Peace Boat participants to CIERES and its work was Bernard Vialla, a lecturer on immigrant issues at Marseille University who has also been a guest educator onboard the ship prior to the visit, talking about the rich and cosmopolitan culture of Marseille, but also the challenges immigrants face when arriving in France. Peace Boat participants discussed issues of immigration, discrimination and racism with members of the center, learning of their struggles to find jobs and housing just because they are not French. Thanks to the work of CIERES and MRAP, the immigrants are not alone in their efforts to be accepted and contribute to French society without fear of discrimination or racism. |
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Links (French only)
Mouvement contre le Racisme et pour l'Amitie entre les Peuples (MRAP) – www.mrap.asso.fr/
The CIERES center – www.pole13.com/cieres/
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