The project “Mémoire de la frontière franco-britannique” has been run on a voluntary basis for two years by researchers and associative actors. It aims to reconstruct a memory that is today scattered, fragmentary, and sometimes even absent, while for more than 30 years people mainly from the Middle East, Asia, the Horn of Africa and Sudan, as well as their supporters, have been fighting to claim their rights at this border (1). This work is intended for associations, displaced people, resident witnesses and sometimes local actors of this situation for decades, as well as anyone interested in this reality. The objective is to give them the opportunity to know the history of the struggles of displaced people and of different people acting in solidarity: so that this history can feed into all acts of solidarity, advocacy strategies, the struggles of the people concerned, and allow another narrative of what has been experienced at the Franco‑British border over the past 30 years.

In order to carry out this project, the Plateforme de Soutien aux Migrants et Migrantes, the PSM (2), is working to create a paid position to coordinate the “Mémoires de la frontière” project. This position would be based at the Maison d’Entraide et de Ressources (MER) in Calais. This place, opened by Secours Catholique a little over two years ago, is transitioning to inter-associative management. It is located in the centre of Calais and today hosts various associations, collectives and activists mobilised with displaced people as well as the many initiatives of people for whom many places remain closed. Various activities are organised there for displaced people considering or having decided to settle in France. Actions for reflection, training and experience-sharing are also organised for solidarity actors. There is therefore a real coherence between the “Mémoires de la frontière” project and the MER in terms of popular education and collective history that is not written solely by the authors and authorities of a national history.

Today, although we have already obtained part of the necessary funding, we still lack resources to open this coordinator position and that is why we are appealing to your individual and collective support. The position costs a total of €45,000 for one year and we have already raised €20,000 thanks to the help of foundations that we continue to approach. But we also want to more widely open the possibility to contribute. Because this project is also your history, our history — of everyone and each person.

Thank you for your support!

P.S.: If despite all our efforts we do not manage to create this position, the project will continue and the amount collected will be used to finance expenses: archiving, storage, travel, activities also run by displaced people.

(1) The Franco‑British border is the entire coastline from Cherbourg to Grande‑Synthe, via Ouistreham, Dieppe, Calais, but it is also inland in the Nord‑Pas‑de‑Calais, where there are also makeshift camps (Angres, the Béthunois, Steenvoorde).

(2) The Plateforme des Soutiens aux Migrant.e.s (PSM - https://psmigrants.org/) is a network bringing together today 30 associations, as well as volunteers and activists, who provide assistance to displaced people blocked at the Franco‑British border. It thus coordinates several inter-associative working spaces and offers training, conferences, as well as an annual “Forum”, to enable exchanges and sharing of experiences, to equip network members and thus promote reflection.