“We’re all dogs”, Camilo Collao

Summary

A black dog discovers the difficult working conditions faced by migrants without papers in Paris.

Biography

I was born in France in 1981, and grew up in Les Ulis, in the suburbs of Paris. I’m a comic-strip author and graphic artist, and have had some books published in French. I have also made various short animation films. I live and work in Paris.

Page 1

1. Go away!  Please leave me alone!

2. Suddenly your heart is as hard as a stone! / Tell me what the problem is; you love me, that’s enough, forget about him! / Your blood will be wasted, he’s a wacko, you’ll be busted.

3. How busted? Don’t make me laugh I survived so many street pathes! / You’re too proud, I told you, let’s escape to another city!

4. Courageous I am not, I won’t fight,  he will marry me to a white.

Page 2

1. Forgive me, forget me, love is forbidden to me.

2. Don’t want to fight for my love? Then go to hell!

3. I won’t escape from this city, change your mind quickly.

4. Hah, I’m not feeling so well.

5. I’ve seen it all, what did you expect ?

Page 3

1. Calm down, please take a cigarette. / Thanks, I feel as down as a carpet.

2. The girl loves you, that’s for sure, don’t mistake her feelings, they are so pure.

3. I don’t understand, I’m afraid of her father, she doesn’t want me around. / New neighbour you don’t know the guy, she doesn’t want you weighed down.

4. I was once an unofficial worker for the man, he left me, as a souvenir, a nice scar. / I don’t have an ID card.

5. Papers are crucial in this country, without them, you can’t be very sure of your security. / I told you lots of black jobs are controlled by unscrupulous white-collar workers.

Page 4

1.Tell me the story behind your scar, I’ll take care of myself later. / Do you see that tram over there? Years ago I worked for this scam.

2. Your girl’s dad was my boss, he enjoyed insulting us every day at work, what a tosser

3. The payment was low, for the employees too, the work increased without any time limits. Step by step we became slaves like during the age of the pyramids.

4. Profits made out of fear, made out of us, that was too much!

5. I went to the office to express my disgust.

Page 5

1. A scar is born.

2. Every time I see the tram now I feel bored. My colleagues, touched by my fate, decided to rebel. Later they reached out to the media.

3. For 100 days they stayed on the construction site fighting for their papers and their rights. Journalists revealed that the modern-ish tram was built by means of ancient slavery. That was the idea.

4. Paris is full of black workers. Bosses take the life out of them directly. Mountains of cash are made off their backs, totally illegally.

5. Listen to your girl and run away from her dad. He has all the cards in his hand to make you sad.

Page 6

1. Guys like him take rights over their brothers’ lives, migrant workers with no papers are restricted to dangerous sites.

2. By themselves, others sell items in the subway, escaping police patrols.

3. While some are running in dark tunnels, like endless black holes.

4. We should go, they’ll soon be after us! Should we take the bus?

5. Listen to my advice lad, and please think twice.

6.  All those stories are not fictional, remember that when you take the tram in Paris.