They call themselves the invisibles. Impossible to be sure how many they are in Ostende and around, certainly more than we can imagine.
Coming from all around the planet they end here on the Belgium coast, where the railroad ends.One motivation: getting to England. Ostende is the perfect place for this, there is only one line: Ramsgate – Ostende.But they are also stuck in Ostende. No money, no shelter, impossible to go further or to go back. They wait here hoping to get a boat that will sail them to freedom and a better life. Small help is provided by a social center, harassed by the police, going from the mosque to the police cells, the squat to the harbour… It’s the daily life of a illegal migrant in Ostende.
PS : Since this reportage, the line Ostende-Ramsgate as been shut down for several years till march 2018.Meanwhile the main spot to try to get to England from Belgium slided from Ostende to Zeebruge up north. According to the authorities, around 100 migrants we’re arrested each week in 2017.
About Nicolas Landemard
Nicolas Landemard was born in France and raised in Africa. After completing a Masters degree in History and Politics at the Sorbonne in Paris, he decided to pursue his passion: photography. He gained experience working as an assistant with several photographers in France and quickly established himself in the corporate and media industries like SUEZ, AREVA, LeMonde.fr, Télérama…. Open to all types of photography, he’s particularly interested in photojournalism, documentary and portrait photography. Now established in Paris and Brussels, he continues to work on personal subjects. [Official Website]
