Atlantica - 01.03.2001, Síða 42

A T L A N T I C A
CHRISTIANIA
40
ANOTHER DIFFERENCE
But there is another difference between the older
Christianites and their children. Alfa uses the following
example to illustrate her point: “My parents have always
been very easy-going. They didn’t always feel the need to
have a lavatory and a sink. But I need my base, and demand
more of myself and my immediate surroundings. There’s no
point in not bothering, and going on the dole. I want to stay
focused, get my degree, and a job I can enjoy.”
However, Alfa really feels she benefits from living in
Christiania: “I don’t like the thought of living outside “in the
city” and not knowing my neighbours. We need each
other.”
As a child, Alfa visited the Danish parliament whenever a
debate concerned Christiania, and she remembers demon-
strating as well. But she has never worried about being
evicted. “In order to live here one has to believe. It’s no use
worrying.” Alfa imagines she’ll stay in Christiania, and
thinks she may be able to make use of her degree there. She
doesn’t mind the fact that her daughter, Yasmin, will grow
up right next door to Pusher Street: “She’ll just have to
learn where she’s allowed to go.” Alfa hopes that Yasmin
will inherit her outlook on life because she herself has seen
everything: the hippy scene and the fierceness of the fight
against hard drugs.
“It’s absolutely necessary to be tolerant if you live here.
I‘ve learned how to discuss and how to behave. It can be
complicated living in such a small democracy where every
one has to agree. It can be awfully time-consuming.”
Eigil Hurtigkarl, who is 19 years old, has come to realise
that things in Christiania can take time. He has just attended
his first communal meeting.
“It takes a long time to get things done and to reach an
agreement. It can take up to five or six communal meetings
to agree on whether or not some bloke should be kicked
out. Of course they discuss what’s actually at stake but they
also just argue.”
Eigil has spent most of his life in small alternative com-
munities. He lived in Christiania until he was 11 years old
and then moved to a tiny village in the North of Sweden
“... an old hippy commune and the nearest shop was 20
miles away”.
He left home and moved back to Christiania and settled in
a communal house called Autogena. “It worked pretty well
at first. Two of us shared 50 m2, but they had some old rule
about not eating meat so I had to go without as well.”
THREATENED COMMUNITY
In the past, the border between Christiania and the rest of
Copenhagen has always been clearly defined. Now things
are changing.
“Christiania is becoming like the rest of the city. We get an
awful lot of tourists as well as people from the city. It’s good
and bad. The good thing is that we have become much
more modern. Otherwise we would probably
still have wooden water pipes and ceramic
drains. The bad part is that it affects the
unity,” says Eigil.
Christiania is used as a recreational area
by people from “in the city”, and it’s no
longer unacceptable to be a Christiania child.
It was different in the 1980s. The threat from
outside strengthened the community. Now,
because it’s no longer necessary to stick
together in order to stay in Christiania, some
Christianites feel that the solidarity has been
diluted. Eigil agrees: “Discipline is lacking
and many don’t show up to meetings and
don’t work actively for the free city.”
Without its real leadership, the lack of
commitment may change the basic social
structure. “This is what’s unique about
Christiania, and the danger is that those with
good houses and influence will get more,
whether they deal in drugs or not. Everyone
else will be driven off the beaten track and
the young especially will suffer,” argues
Eigil. “It’s hard for the young to gain influence. It takes a lot
of work, many meetings and a good reputation.”
TOO MUCH DOPE
According to Eigil, another problem among the young in
Christiania – both permanent residents and visitors – is the
amount of dope. This is also the reason why he now lives
“in the city”. “When I lived in Christiania I smoked too
much. It slows you down and it’s easy to end up doing
nothing. I don’t think I’ll ever go back. I want to try some-
thing different.”
Eigil still visits Christiania daily, and is trying to set up a
drug-free alternative for the young. He wants to start work-
shops where they can do other things but he knows it may
be a while before it actually happens.
“Everything in Christiania takes more time. I call it the
Christiania time zone. Everyone is always late here.”
In spite of Christiania’s flaws, Eigil feels that the social
experiment should continue. Especially so because the
neighbouring society can learn a lot from it.
“The free city reveals another way of life. It gives people
a chance to try out other ways of working together. And
then it is a real oasis in Copenhagen.”
Laura Engstrøm is a freelance writer living in Copenhagen.
Eigil Hurtigkarl
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