Charleroi: Life on the Slag Heaps

In Charleroi, the slag heaps of old coal mines shape the horizon. Seeking refuge from the violence of the city centre, a group of homeless people settled on one of these black hills. Fresh out of prison, struggling with addiction, newly divorced, or simply unlucky, they set up tents, plastic chairs, and mattresses, creating a small village in the middle of the forest. They built a kitchen, a henhouse, and even started a vegetable garden.

There was just one rule: no alcohol or drugs in the camp.

But the city was never far away. Soon, violence, alcohol, and drugs encroached, breaking the fragile order. Within two days, the camp was deserted, abandoned to the hens. The inhabitants returned to the roads, carrying their stories with them.