A Story of Courage
Although his is the only
standing building in what used to be an old neighborhood of Roubaix, in
Northern France, Salah Oudjani refuses to sell the coffee
house he has worked in for the last 46 years.
The title doesn’t sound
like anything special, after all, many people refuse to have their property
demolished, at least in the beginning, until they get a good price or they
notice everyone else is selling except them. But for the 71-year-old business
owner neither of the above reasons were good enough. The two-story triangular
building once located at the intersection of two streets appears to be the only
survivor of a serious air raid. Everything around it has been turned to rubble
and taken to local landfills, brick by brick, and Oudjani’s place looks like
it’s the only sign of life in a wasteland. Like all the other residents, the
café owner has received numerous proposals for his property, but he never even
considered selling it. “I will not sell! I worked for it, this coffee
house. They will not make me go, I’m used to pressure” Oudjani says, and
everyone knows he means it.
Photo by M. Libert/20 Minutes
Originally from Algeria,
Salah Oudjani came to France in 1949, and worked hard for many years before he
and his wife Ginette bought the “Café Chez Salah” building, in 1965, and
claimed their financial and social independence. All through the 70s, the streets
of Roubaix were teaming with all kinds of people, from doctors to miners and
shoemakers, and the inside of his cafe is a reminder of those days;
faded curtains, an old jukebox playing timeless classics, yellowed photos
and postcards on the walls, they all tell stories of a time when everyone had a
workplace and life was easier. And Salah doesn’t want to part with his memories
and life’s work: “I told them I will die here” he says, “I don’t need money, it
goes too quikly. I will never move, this is my life, here. And this will be my
life. Why go elsewhere when it’s better here?”
Photo by Blsaze
Since 2000, every piece of
land in Salah Oudjani’s neighborhood was bought from the community, and in 2003
and 2004 the last two factories closed. The new Union eco-district was supposed
to be built on the empty lot, but Chez Salah is located right at the junction
of two axes the city is trying to rehabilitate. The project is spread over
80 hectares and will provide homes for 240,000 people. 174 million euros are to
be invested in the process, and it’s scheduled for completion in 2022.
Developers hoped Salah could be swayed until they reached his coffee house, but
he is determined to live in the same place he has for the last 46 years. His
telephone, gas, and power are occasionally cut off, and garbage
trucks don’t even stop by his place anymore, but he keeps serving pints of beer
and cups of coffee as if nothing happened. He hasn’t got too many customers
apart from some old regulars, but that doesn’t seem to scare him at all.
Photo by Laurent Ghesquiere
Although construction would
go a lot smoother without a relic right in the middle of their project,
developers have come to the conclusion that the man to convince Salah Oudjani
to move hasn’t been born yet, and have recently decided to alter their plans in
order to include the old 60′s café. It’s the only viable solution right
now, considering they can’t force him to give up his property, but they hope
his descendants will be more easily convinced…
If you admire Salah’s
courage in the face of change, or simply want to follow how his story develops,
you can check his page on Facebook.
Sources: France Soir, Direct
Lille
French Coffee House Owner
Refuses to Sell His House was originally posted at OddityCentral.com
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