1

00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:11,640

My story is tough.

 

2

00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:14,240

I was forced to

leave my country.

 

3

00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:18,000

I didn't leave

because I wanted to.

 

4

00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:21,760

I didn't even know

we were in Belgium.

 

5

00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:25,040

That's not what was

on my mind then.

 

6

00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:30,640

It was my first time on

a plane, I was scared.

 

7

00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:34,960

I was scared, I didn't know

anything about where I was going.

 

8

00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:37,960

And I arrived here in

the middle of winter.

 

9

00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:40,720

It was a disaster for me.

 

10

00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:44,680

I did not know anyone.

 

11

00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:49,880

I felt lonely,

I missed my family.

 

12

00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:53,200

When I greeted people,

they didn't even respond.

 

13

00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:55,960

I had no idea how to interact.

 

14

00:00:56,120 --> 00:00:59,240

I met a lady, and I asked

her where to go.

 

15

00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:03,000

She told me: 'You take this tram.

You get on, you get off, that tram.'

 

16

00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:08,480

I just asked myself:

what is a tram?

 

17

00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:15,000

Finally, I found the office.

 

18

00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:28,240

After a while, I received

a 'Removal Order'.

 

19

00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:31,840

I was told to leave the country.

 

20

00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:35,280

I thought it was over for me.

 

SVO

 

21

00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:39,000

Moussa Bah

 

DIALOGUE

 

22

00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:41,320

I was scared, I was scared

that I would be arrested.

 

23

00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:46,440

That they would send me to the

detention center, and then back home.

 

24

00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:49,720

I know what awaits me at home.

 

25

00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:53,760

I had no place to sleep.

 

26

00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:58,520

That's the way it is.

 

27

00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:21,120

The house had been open

for only three weeks when I arrived.

 

28

00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:24,000

I was a little relieved.

 

29

00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:34,080

It's a place to stay for

undocumented migrants.

 

 

TEXT ON SCREEN

 

30

00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:46,880

This squat is shared by nearly 100

West-African migrants,

 

31

00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:48,400

divided over seven bedrooms.

 

32

00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:51,440

They moved in in 2015. It is the

longest-running occupation in Brussels.

 

33

00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:57,400

Almost all inhabitants received an

official order to leave the territory

 

34

00:02:57,480 --> 00:02:59,520

after their asylum

application was refused.

 

35

00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:01,920

Most of them then

submitted a new request.

 

36

00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:05,800

Their chances of being

recognized are minimal.

 

37

00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:08,360

In the meantime, they are

not entitled to aid or shelter

 

38

00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:10,480

and are not allowed to work.

 

DIALOGUE

 

39

00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:13,920

Room four.  Room six.

 

40

00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:16,080

Your food.

 

41

00:03:17,640 --> 00:03:19,200

Bedroom two.

 

42

00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:24,680

Bedroom three.

 

43

00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:26,600

There are people of good will

 

44

00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:29,720

who send food that

we always share.

 

45

00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:35,360

Our group here

 

46

00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:38,840

lives in 100% harmony.

 

47

00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:42,760

That is our strength here.

 

48

00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:45,800

Who is going to help me?

We need to take this up to the women.

 

49

00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:48,280

Aziz?

 

50

00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:52,200

Help me take this upstairs.

 

51

00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:56,880

It takes a lot of work

and a lot of patience.

 

52

00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:00,040

We have to know

how to live together first.

 

53

00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:05,640

The government has kicked

us out. They have cast us aside.

 

54

00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:11,560

If we also argue amongst ourselves,

it's not going to work.

 

55

00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:15,160

It's heavy.

 

56

00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:18,920

It's for the women,

we have to do the best we can.

 

57

00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:20,400

Yes.

 

TEXT ON SCREEN

 

58

00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:31,720

The women share the upper floor.

 

59

00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:35,440

They too are

dependent on each other.

 

DIALGOUE

 

60

00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:44,760

Here, it's a little

tight for me to work.

 

61

00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:50,200

But we have no choice.

 

SVO

 

62

00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:54,200

Souleymata Condé

 

DIALOGUE

 

63

00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:53,920

I'll manage.

 

64

00:04:57,840 --> 00:05:02,640

The cohabitants

give me clothes

 

65

00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:08,760

to repair, we are all

in the same boat

 

66

00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:12,200

We have no papers,

we have no income.

 

67

00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:15,240

So it's to help them too.

 

68

00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:24,120

I learned to sew in Guinea.

 

69

00:05:24,280 --> 00:05:28,440

I wanted to study, but

my parents didn't want that.

 

70

00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:35,720

Sometimes I have bad

memories that come back to me

 

71

00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:40,840

but when I work with

my machine I feel better.

 

72

00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:50,000

That's how it goes here.

 

73

00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:53,360

Sometimes we sleep

like this, without light.

 

74

00:06:01,840 --> 00:06:05,400

This is the checklist for November.

 

75

00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:07,760

That way we can see

 

76

00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:11,320

where the empty places are.

 

77

00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:14,400

For people who ask for a place.

 

78

00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:18,840

There are a lot of people

who don't have a place to sleep.

 

79

00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:24,720

We're doing our best,

we can't take everyone.

 

80

00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:27,440

Especially with the coronavirus.

 

81

00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:33,560

We have been here for six

years because we are organized.

 

82

00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:35,240

There are rules to follow.

 

83

00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:37,880

There is no society

without rules.

 

TEXT ON SCREEN

 

84

00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:52,520

Packed with 100 fellow-sufferers,

 

85

00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:55,080

without privacy and without

perspective, life weighs heavy.

 

86

00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:58,840

But it is still better than the

street and so the waiting list grows.

 

87

00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:02,040

Moussa organizes and

coordinates, to keep things going.

 

DIALOGUE

 

88

00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:05,120

I am the person who is most involved

 

89

00:07:05,280 --> 00:07:08,160

in the activities here, I

coordinate everything.

 

90

00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:10,480

I was given this task.

 

91

00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:15,640

At first I would only clean

the house and observe.

 

92

00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:21,360

I wrote down what I saw,

the flaws and the positives.

 

93

00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:25,360

As things progressed,

they told me:

 

94

00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:27,920

'Moussa, you have to find a way

to clean the house together.'

 

95

00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:34,160

I divided the

people into groups.

 

96

00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:37,080

Little by little, things improve.

 

97

00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:41,960

Then we said, why don’t we appoint

a chief for each room.

 

98

00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:46,440

And have meetings.

 

99

00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:51,400

In the team,

everyone contributes.

 

100

00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:55,040

It's a team, we can't

do this work alone.

 

101

00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:57,560

<i>We'll see about that later.</i>

 

102

00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:02,040

<i>So the measures that will be decided

could come into effect this weekend.</i>

 

103

00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:04,880

<i>But for how long?

That’s impossible to say.</i>

 

104

00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:09,120

<i>For Federal Health minister

Vandenbroucke, this will last for weeks.</i>

 

105

00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:15,280

<i>One thing is certain, four weeks

is not enough. That’s clear.</i>

 

106

00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:20,120

Will there be a new

lockdown tomorrow?

 

107

00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:22,680

I think so.

 

108

00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:24,240

The signs are bad.

 

109

00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:26,040

Like in France?

- Yes.

 

110

00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:31,720

We are already confined.

 

111

00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:35,680

We've been confined

here for six years.

 

112

00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:43,960

Time is like water.

 

113

00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:46,680

If the water is spilt on the

ground, you can no longer pick it up.

 

114

00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:50,040

Lost time is never made up for.

 

115

00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:53,720

We're not going to escape.

 

116

00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:58,200

We do our best, we think

we're out of the woods

 

117

00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:01,920

but it's like starting

all over again.

 

118

00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:14,640

Until now, if I live,

it is with the hope

 

119

00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:18,280

that the next day will

be better than today.

 

120

00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:21,400

The future is blurry.

 

SVO

 

121

00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:25,200

Appolinaire

 

DIALOGUE

 

122

00:09:21,560 --> 00:09:26,600

That's why I said

it hurts all over.

 

123

00:09:40,680 --> 00:09:45,800

I asked God to put

me out of my misery.

 

124

00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:49,600

May God give me happiness.

 

125

00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:55,000

May God drive out the disease

that is spreading over the whole world.

 

126

00:09:55,160 --> 00:10:02,040

May God allow me

to see my children again.

 

127

00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:06,320

And may God give me papers too.

 

128

00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:11,520

So that I too can

live like the others.

 

129

00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:15,840

Every time I pray

 

SVO

 

130

00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:17,800

Mariame Kourouma

 

DIALOGUE

 

131

00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:18,480

it gives me hope.

 

132

00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:33,360

This house means a lot to me.

 

133

00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:35,600

It gave me many things.

 

134

00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:39,280

With suffering, you get

a lot of wisdom.

 

135

00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:05,560

<i>They talk about immigrants. They talk

about undocumented migrants.</i>

 

136

00:11:05,720 --> 00:11:09,960

<i>It's the law that needs to change.</i>

 

137

00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:18,400

<i>Solidarity with undocumented migrants.</i>

 

138

00:11:18,560 --> 00:11:20,880

<i>They talk about undocumented migrants.</i>

 

139

00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:24,440

<i>It's the law that needs to change.</i>

 

140

00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:28,640

The repression, the

forced return must stop.

 

141

00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:31,080

We are here to ask

for regularization...

 

142

00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:35,840

I really enjoy watching

people who fight.

 

143

00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:39,160

Martin Luther King,

Patrice Lumumba.

 

144

00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:43,520

I listen to them. Like Mandela.

 

145

00:11:43,680 --> 00:11:46,840

<i>The only solution.

- Regularization.</i>

 

146

00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:51,560

They said, after the suffering,

positivity will come, I think.

 

147

00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:01,080

We're not going to let go.

 

148

00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:04,360

We are there, it's

catastrophic to live here

 

149

00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:06,120

but we have no choice.

 

150

00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:09,960

We have no other place to go.

 

151

00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:12,720

We only have this.

 

152

00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:15,040

It is our fight too.

 

153

00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:19,120

We're not here just to sleep.

 

154

00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:23,160

This is the base

for our struggle.

 

155

00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:26,360

What is the struggle:

the demonstrations.

 

156

00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:31,440

If we're together, we

can decide together

 

157

00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:33,160

and act together.

 

158

00:12:33,320 --> 00:12:36,160

But the way we live now,

 

159

00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:38,120

nobody wants to stay like that.

 

160

00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:41,360

Everyone will tell

you, even the children,

 

161

00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:43,640

that this doesn't work.

 

162

00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:45,360

We don't have a choice.

 

163

00:12:45,560 --> 00:12:50,160

This is our hope, because

we have the right to live, I think.

 

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