Atlantica - 01.03.2001, Page 40

A T L A N T I C A
CHRISTIANIA
did, and their thoughts and considerations mainly concern
what is private and local. They live there because they were
born and grew up there. This is what they are used to. But
growing up in a place about which everyone – from taxi
drivers to farmers – voices an opinion, has left its mark.
However, three native Christianites agreed to challenge
some of the prejudices surrounding life in the community.
Siri Juul was born
in Christiania and
has spent the major-
ity of her 20 years
there. Her most re-
cent home was a
communal house in
the Factory Grounds.
That didn’t work out
satisfactorily, so now
she’s looking for her
own place. Quite ironically it’s difficult to find somewhere to
live in Christiania – despite the fact that originally
Christiania was established by young people in order to
meet their housing needs.
“It’s not like “in the city” [the name for the rest of
Copenhagen] where you can put yourself down for a flat.
The old Christianites want us to find and occupy a place of
our own and live out the spirit of Christiania. But I don’t
intend to gather a crowd and start shouting ‘We want a
place to live!’,” says Siri, who works in a crèche “in the
city”.
For the time being she’s back at her mother’s house in an
area called The Dandelion. The house is small and yellow,
with an entry which is in the process of being demolished.
Christiania has always been like a building site: people are
constantly rebuilding and enlarging their brightly coloured
and crooked houses.
The lime green plastic chairs in Siri’s room are in vogue, as
is her clothing. She owns a tiny metallic mobile phone and
it’s obvious that she doesn’t take advantage of Christiania’s
offer of second-hand clothing – from a communal cardboard
box where you can leave your worn clothes and perhaps
even find something “new”.
Siri isn’t eager to reveal herself as a Christianite when she’s
out and about. “I don’t want to be labelled,” she says. Siri
has experienced other people’s prejudices and preconceived
ideas about life in Christiania.
“Some of my classmates used to ask me: ‘Have you got a
toothbrush? Do you butter your bread at home?’ And some
of them weren’t allowed to visit me because we lived in
Christiania. Others wouldn’t let me into their homes,” says
Siri. “Their parents had only ever heard about the hash, the
police and the violence.”
RAIDS AND TEAR GAS
But this didn’t disturb Siri’s daily life. She felt safe because
everyone looked after each other, although she has also
experienced insecurity, police raids and the threat of eviction.
“I remember, as I child, I would watch from the windows of
my school across the way from Christiania as tear gas was
thrown over the fence. I used to think it was really exciting. I
have also been stopped by the police several times. The first
time I was only nine years old and on my way home from
school. A police officer looked through my school bag. I also
Siri Juul
IT’S A FREE “CITY”, BASED ON SIMPLE RULES AND REGULATIONS. IT HAS ITS OWN SOCIAL
STRUCTURE, AND EVERYONE HAS A SAY.
38
36-40 ATL 2/01 Christianiacmx 22/2/01 2:29 pm Page 38