freedom lies in being able to move freely across town with the herd. it is also a kind of statement. to me, freedom is a utopia, it is poetic too and in a way a bit of a transgression as well. raising goats in the parisian suburb or even within paris is also a form of utopia, so it gives way to a possibility. the possibility for a random guy to wander with his herd in the streets of bagnolet, paris or anywhere.
so i like to think that if this is possible, then other things become possible too. right, you see it is like a graffiti that would say 'the town is ours'. it is our place, we feel comfortable, we like being here and that's it… drawing on walls, squatting somewhere, wandering with a herd of goats... these are ways of saying this is our home.
actually, here, anything would be possible, you see. wait, wait, wait, heidi. look, go. thanksâ ! i'll have to admit that most of what is here has been built without using a spirit level. we try to learn the building trade a bit. this is a place where people are used to coming. what is interesting is that each person will come for different reasons. when andrã© comes, it is really cool to work with him
because we get to learn a lot. besides, most people come here to enjoy and have a good time. the organization is here because we are in an area surrounded by buildings and social housing, so this is where i wanted to settle down and do things. and we get on well with the people because we share the same codes that’s why it is meaningful to be here. there was a real need in this area for a bit of poetry, an open space, a meeting place. so it worked well because there was nothing before.
before the organization, the place didn’treally have much to offer. i'll take the rams away there, then i'll put the ewes closer and over there, where the ewes are now, for the time being i'll use it for the mating. this way, we’ve already got the basics. when we took the animals we thought 'we’re buying animals' we never saidthat we were going to create the place it has now become.
the one that now exists.' we only said: 'ok, right, let’s buy two ewes and a goat.' and we ended up with two ewes and a goat that we had to feed and take out to graze in the area. and then in winter we had to build a shelter for them and we got stoked again and we thought 'ok, we are not just goingto make a small shed, no, let's make a big one'and it got called the sheepfold. 'yes, you can compost this, it is manure, it's normal'
'can we take someâ ?' 'cool, he is going to milk the goat!' what i like is that my grandfather, my father and i have helped to make the sheepfold, together with many other people. i was still young, i would only remove the nails from planks. while my father and my grandfather were building the sheepfold with gilles. it was good fun being here, that's why i often come here, i like it here.
without this, i'd be likemy sister, i'd be on the internet. this afternoon we didwhat we have been doing for the past 2 years, 4 times a month. it is a paris-habitat housing estate that pays us to go there. there is a meadow, and we built the fence as a community project together with the inhabitants. we organise meet-ups there, wood-building workshops, we make mixed vegetables boxes, we milk the goats, we have fun... yes, i've understood the joke,
i'm roaring with laughter inside but you just can't tell. there, you see, we have made boxes,we have planted vegetables inside. we are making a veggie garden patch. today, with lucas, we have to make a decision about a new thing we are going to build but that thing will be built in several steps. there is a thing in life that really surprised me: when you are in high school andpeople tell you about future careers you get the impression that youneed to do this, or that, or that
but then, if you happen to do other things, then you realize thatt here are so many possibilities in life but you were never told as a teenager. so here, it is alsotrying to show these kids and teenagers that at the moment they live in a very small environment that is quite limited but that this will open up later. but it will open up only if they take initiatives.
ok, there, look, you need to focus and try to be more precise. you can do it with him. and look if this suits you or not, we've got time. - is it ok like thisâ ? - like that. we have just designed the future deck around this cherry tree. i think it is going to be nice, this will add a little extra to this place don't run, don't shout because it scares them if you do.
they are not mean, they won't hurt you with their horns. six of them have had kids this year. they have had babies, so they have go milk. milking means taking the milk out. you see there, these are the udders. in the udders, there's milk. 'uh, no...' this is no educational farm, no landscaping business, no local charity nor a cultural i don't know what.
this is everything at the same time. and in the end it is the sum of all these things that makes, in my opinion, the heart of our project as an organisation. it would really crown the project if we managed to provide jobs to people from the neighborhood. for now we just try to pay ourselvesand now we manage, but it would be great if young people who have known the organization since they were kids could earn a living too thanks to this thanks to what we have put in place over time.
and... and that's it. translations : elise sanvoisin and joane elleouet directed by hã©lã¨ne and benoit for more information about the shepfold, discover the multimedia article on www.side-ways.net/episode9_en free and independent work !you can contribute by a donation or by helping with your competences.www.side-ways.net/en/participez