Revamping the French suburbs' image

By Henri Astier
BBC News, Paris

Arcelor does not regret moving to Saint-Denis

Saint-Denis, a bleak northern suburb of Paris, has been trying for years to advertise itself as a good place to do business.

On the face of it, the city faces an uphill battle. It lies in France's poorest district, the Seine-Saint-Denis - home to some of the worst sink estates in the country.

How many company heads in their right minds want to relocate to a region best known for its high crime rates and riot-prone, immigrant suburbs?

Well, quite a few actually.

Since 2000 more than 1,100 firms have bought premises in the Saint-Denis area - including such big names as Xerox, DHL and the insurance group Generali.

The riots that swept through the French suburbs a year ago did not stop the rush. In January the steel giant Arcelor Mittal moved its French administrative centre to Saint Denis.

What could have prompted the firm to leave the plush corporate district of La Defense, a stone's throw from the Champs Elysees, to a site overlooking graffiti-covered derelict land?

Arcelor spokeswoman Sandra Luneau points out that Saint Denis is ideally located next to a major motorway between Paris and Charles de Gaulle airport.

"The Gare du Nord train station is one stop away - with services to Belgium, eastern France and London. And you are in the heart of Paris in minutes."

Building frenzy

Saint-Denis, Ms Luneau concedes, offers little yet in terms of shopping and entertainment (apart from the nearby Stade de France beloved of football and rugby fans).

"But with so many businesses coming here, the area is developing fast - it is like La Defense 15 years ago," she says.

2005 UNREST IN FIGURES 9193 cars burnt 2,921 arrests 21 nights of riots Source: French police

Such faith may not be misplaced. While the media focus on violence and destruction in poor estates to the north and east, construction continues apace in Saint-Denis away from the glare of cameras.

"The place is bristling with cranes," Bernard Dubrou of Plaine Commune, a body charged with drawing businesses to the area, proudly notes.

The boom, he says, has led to a sharp drop in local unemployment.

"It is not just white collar jobs that are moving in. Companies also need cleaners and security guards, and they can find them here."

This, Mr Dubrou adds, helped reduce the local impact of the 2005 riots.

No cliches in Clichy

Saint-Denis is not alone in its effort to fight violent stereotypes linked with the suburbs.

Clichy-sous-Bois - a dismal ghetto further east where the unrest began a year ago - has nothing to offer in the way of economic inducements, but has chosen a cultural approach.

Clichy is trying to show a happier face to the world

To mark the anniversary of the riots, local authorities asked leading photographers to take pictures of the town and of residents going about their daily business.

The result is an exhibition - Clichy Without Cliches - which offers an alternative view that is truer to life than the images of street violence.

"We did not want to present a sanitised picture, but show what Clichy was really like," Deputy Mayor Olivier Klein says.

"After the riots the people of Clichy were surprised by the way the town was portrayed in the media.

"They saw burning cars on their TVs, but not on their streets."

Talent

Across France, local groups are trying to reclaim the image of the banlieues - as the suburbs are known in France.

Grignywood is connecting local heroes to the world

One of the more original initiatives is Grignywood, an alternative "studio" launched in 2003 in Grigny, south of Paris.

Its creators were three local young men outraged by the way their community was portrayed by journalists.

"They show what they want to show," Grignywood president Mourad Lakehal, 27, says.

"We are not saying there are no problems here, but it's not as bad as they say. They play up the violence to sell paper."

To counter this, Grignywood - with the backing of local government - helps youths make films about their lives and achievements.

The group then shows the work in community halls and uploads it onto its website.

"We showcase people who succeed," says Omar Dawson, another Grignywood founder. "There is a lot of talent in the suburbs."

The group is planning to start an internet television station, which will make similar material from around France available online.

Helping hand

Some champions of the suburbs use irony to get their message across.

"Produit de Banlieue", a clothing logo aimed at youths, playfully revels in the suburbs' explosive reputation.

Not so dangerous material after all

Its hooded jackets, T-shirts and other garments are stamped with the slogan "extremely dangerous matter".

P2B - as it calls itself - has grown steadily since 1999, when it was started by kids from Seine-Saint-Denis estates.

The company now sells 80,000 items every year in France and beyond - but its leaders insist commercial success is not their sole aim.

"We defend values," says one of them, Farouk Mellouk. "We want to show people that suburb youths are not just troublemakers."

P2B has used its visibility and contacts to initiate projects - such as a nationwide music competition and street football events - aimed at helping banlieue talent.

"We were fortunate enough to make it," says Mr Mellouk. "Now we want to help those who were like us and are still struggling."

To be sure, rebranding the suburbs as happy and vibrant will not be easy - especially as youths continue to torch vehicles.

But people are mobilising to give them more constructive things to do, and in time the violent image may change.