Ahhh Paris… its wine, baguette and cafés. Its Eiffel Tower and people getting shot for drawings. Its cheese and people taken as hostages because they were jewish.
On the 7th of January, Paris became a little less fun and beautiful than usual, a little bit darker. 12 people were shot at the editorial office of Charlie Hebdo (a satirical newspaper): 1 policeman, 4 illustrators and journalists. The killers are two radical islamists. They call them « The Brothers Kouachi ».
My friends were calling to cancel our lunch and cafés. Something was changing. Everyone was on their phone, listening to the radio or watching TV. « The killers are still out there » « The President advise you to be careful and stay home if possible ». It felt like we were living the french 9/11. Except this time it wasn’t people dying thousands of kilometers away: It was home.
On facebook, everyone was pouring out his emotions. « Je suis Charlie » was everywhere.In a few hours thousands of people were on the streets to share their pain and compassion.We cried a bit and went to bed our heads filled with images of the killers, videos of the shooting and testimonies.
On thursday a policemen got shot in the streets by another killer (a certain Amedy Coulibaly) and on friday our daily life had become a 24hours episode.
Around 1pm a casher supermarket was under attack, 15 people were taken as hostages. Tv had stopped every program, the assault was the only thing they were talking about. Medias showed the assault on live. It wasn’t real! So much violence !? in France ?! But we are not in a movie ! We are not in Syria ! All day long, we’ve waited for our Jack Bower ,for our Batman, for our James Bond.. Anyone that could save us from this unfair violence was welcomed…
Finally Special Forces had managed to free the hostages and kill the terrorists by the end of the day.
Yet even if it was over, It felt like something had been taken from us: Was it our safety ? Our proud ? What was it that made us feel so sad? What those attacks have accomplished is more than killing.. they’ve put a shadow over our future.. What was going to happen ?
I could already see people giving their thoughts on facebook, mixing everything, creating amalgams and nourishing hate. Whereas the day before we were all Charlie. Now, people were jewish and muslim, against this and for that, believing in plot and accusing everyone.
And then, on sunday something EXTRAORDINARY happened.
LIBERTY HAD SPOKEN.
3 million peoples walked in the streets of Paris. We weren’t complaining about taxes, politics or rights anymore. We were here to show our unity. Actually we were just here. Singing « la Marseillaise » and waving flags and posters.
For the first time I had the feeling I was participating in History. On that day, Present wasn’t about my personal life and interests, it was about being one. We had to be together despite our religions and differences.
This week taught me interesting things: First, how we are unable as humans to feel compassion for things that doesn’t concerns us. In the same week, Boko Haram destroyed 14 villages and killed thousands of people in Niger. Yet, I am writing about 17 peoples killed in my area. Also, words that I used to think I knew sound different: What was democracy about? Liberty? Freedom of Speach? What about the medias ? What are their part in what had happened? What were our role as citizen? As a person what could we do to change things ?
The fact that religion was the cause of all of this violence, I will leave you with this picture.
palomababou 