Atlantica - 01.03.2001, Page 41

A T L A N T I C A
CHRISTIANIA
remember asking my mother where we’d move to if they
raided Christiania.”
And Siri has faced other prejudices: people say “Christian-
ites are always stoned”. Siri never thought it strange that her
parents would smoke a joint in the same way that others
drink beer when they come home from work. “My parents
have always smoked hash. Never massive pipes, just spliffs.
They’ve never tried to hide it. They don’t drink, though.
When I was younger it embarrassed me but I don’t mind
now.”
As opposed to others her age she has only smoked hash
five times. She doesn’t like it and sometimes she wishes that
Pusher Street, where hash is sold openly, didn’t exist. “I’ve
seen what hash does,” she says. This is also why she didn’t
change her mind when suddenly her classmates changed
theirs about Christiania.
“In the 9th and 10th grades they started smoking hash and
suddenly it was acceptable to come from Christiania. Fifty
per cent of Copenhagen youth hang out here,” says Siri,
who, by the way, thinks she’ll stay as long as she “feels like
it”.
THE POPULAR OPINION
The sale of hash has made Christiania famous across the
world and, according to 25-year-old Alfa Botvel, the com-
mune receives too much negative attention because of this.
“That said, though, I have to admit that the sale of hash is
probably the reason we’re still here.”
Alfa is studying to become a social worker in order to give
qualified help and advice to physically, mentally, and social-
ly disabled persons. She lives in a flat in The Blue House
with her husband and their one-year-old daughter. Their flat
is fairly average and looks like most of the other flats outside
Christiania. The kitchen is brand new, the furniture in leather,
and the sound of a massive television tuned to MTV accom-
panies our chat.
A short time before the interview, a plumber arrived to
mend the washing machine.
“He was really amazed to see how
we lived. He didn’t believe we paid
our basic taxes and was offended by
the fact that we were allowed to live
here. People’s prejudices make me
angry. I pay for water and electricity.”
She quickly acknowledges, though,
that by living in Christiania they can
live out their dream. Like her parents,
who helped to build Christiania, Alfa
hopes to stay, and also hopes that her
daughter will want to. “It’s a huge
privilege to live here. We have trees
right outside our window, and my
friends and family are all close by. Those of us who were
born here don’t take any of this for granted. We know we
have to work hard to keep this place going.”
Alfa subscribes to Christiania’s rules and regulations from
the 1970s. She believes in local democracy and feels strong-
ly that they must remember to look after each other. “We’re
starting to have some elderly people here and are making a
sort of home service to accommodate them. We’ll make sure
they eat and that their homes are clean. In that way the
ideology of taking responsibility for the group is still alive
and well.”
Alfa Botvel
“IT’S A HUGE PRIVILEGE TO LIVE HERE. WE HAVE TREES RIGHT OUTSIDE OUR WINDOW
AND MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE ALL CLOSE BY.“
39
36-40 ATL 2/01 Christianiacmx 22/2/01 2:35 pm Page 39