Of icons and immigrants in Athens (18 images)
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colin
300 migrants a day makes Greece a very dull boy. It's an important gateway to the European union for asylum seekers as well as migrants, a situation in a country exacerbated by its 'economic crisis', total reliance on tourism and the third sector (71% GDP) and its painful memories of Ottoman occupation. Belgian photojournalist Colin Delfosse meet the illegal foreigners who try to work invisibly and visibly by the city's magnificent tourist sites, whose daily bread comes at the whim of a visitor to Athens. Like the ancient statues of this country, they're part of the decoration but have lost all identity
This image gallery is part of the fifth edition in cafebabel.com’s 2012 feature focus series on multiculturalism in Europe. Many thanks to the team at cafebabel.com Athens, aka Elina Makri and Giorgos Kokkolis
At the end of the day, Mohammed leaves the Acropolis, which is a short walk from the central Montsirakis square, where he sells trinkets. After a first failed attempt to cross the Greek border that ended up in jail, he wishes to go back to Morocco. The lack of legalisation perspectives on Greek territory has shattered his dreams (Image: © Colin Delfosse for ‘Multikulti on the ground Athens by cafebabel.com/ Out Of Focus)
Statue of a Roman centurion (Image: © Colin Delfosse for ‘Multikulti on the ground Athens by cafebabel.com/ Out Of Focus)
Khaled came to Greece from Morocco via Turkey. He would like to reach France or Belgium, where he has relatives. Like most migrants, Khaled left his poor village for economic reasons, deciding to try his luck in Europe (Image: © Colin Delfosse for ‘Multikulti on the ground Athens by cafebabel.com/ Out Of Focus)
Statue of a Roman centurion (Image: © Colin Delfosse for ‘Multikulti on the ground Athens by cafebabel.com/ Out Of Focus)
Tourist train passes by a pedestrian street near the Acropolis lined by illegal vendors (Image: © Colin Delfosse for ‘Multikulti on the ground Athens by cafebabel.com/ Out Of Focus)
Statue of Themis, goddess of order, social control and justice (Image: © Colin Delfosse for ‘Multikulti on the ground Athens by cafebabel.com/ Out Of Focus)
An Amnesty International activist tries to help asylum seekers by collecting their stories and testimonies. To apply for the right of asylum in Greece, you need to show up very specifically between five and six on Saturday morning in front of the asylum office. Hundred of applicants are already queuing before it even opens. Only twenty will be allowed to enter the building. The others will go back home with the first bus on duty (Image: © Colin Delfosse for ‘Multikulti on the ground Athens by cafebabel.com/ Out Of Focus)
Statue of an ancient Greek goddess (Image: © Colin Delfosse for ‘Multikulti on the ground Athens by cafebabel.com/ Out Of Focus)
A group of young Senegalese who arrived in Athens more than a year ago. As other migrants do, they try to make money by selling imitations of luxury bags and watches to the tourists on their way to the Acropolis. There is a serious tension between them and the Athenians (Image: © Colin Delfosse for ‘Multikulti on the ground Athens by cafebabel.com/ Out Of Focus)
Statue of a goddess, perhaps Aphrodite (love and beauty), early 4th century BC (Image: © Colin Delfosse for ‘Multikulti on the ground Athens by cafebabel.com/ Out Of Focus)
A group of migrants at the Piraeus port, in western Athens (Image: © Colin Delfosse for ‘Multikulti on the ground Athens by cafebabel.com/ Out Of Focus)
Statue of an ancient Greek goddess (Image: © Colin Delfosse for ‘Multikulti on the ground Athens by cafebabel.com/ Out Of Focus)
Syntagma Square is a short high street walk away from Monastiraki and the Acropolis area. Here, there are signs of a more positive immigrant wave, with a trio of Bulgarian, Albanian and Greek dancers who meet up outdoors every day to dance 'popping' on the streets (Image: © Colin Delfosse for ‘Multikulti on the ground Athens by cafebabel.com/ Out Of Focus)
The ancient dance poppers...? (Image: © Colin Delfosse for ‘Multikulti on the ground Athens by cafebabel.com/ Out Of Focus)
A pro-Syria protest at Syntagma Square (Image: © Colin Delfosse for ‘Multikulti on the ground Athens by cafebabel.com/ Out Of Focus)
Over 90% of Greece is orthodox (Image: © Colin Delfosse for ‘Multikulti on the ground Athens by cafebabel.com/ Out Of Focus)
In February 2012, some fifty Syrian protesters had attacked the Syrian embassy in Athens. Since then there are frequent protests in the streets, like this today, pinning Syntagma to its contemporary meaning just as the illegal immigrants of Montsirakis do (Image: © Colin Delfosse for ‘Multikulti on the ground Athens by cafebabel.com/ Out Of Focus)
(Image: © Colin Delfosse for ‘Multikulti on the ground Athens by cafebabel.com/ Out Of Focus)
This image gallery is part of the fifth edition in cafebabel.com’s 2012 feature focus series on multiculturalism in Europe. Many thanks to the team at cafebabel.com Athens, aka Elina Makri and Giorgos Kokkolis
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Translated from Athènes : immigration sans visages