Sweep it Under the Rug

If only it were that simple. No, I'm not talking about cleaning house but cleaning a city. And the city I live in, Marseille, can be classified as dirty. But "dirty" has various meanings. It could be, quite literally, a filthy, neglected city where piles of trash gather on every corner (Naples comes to mind) or it could be a edgy city, like Marseille, where the dirt almost seems to have a purposefulness; if not to keep people away then to reinforce a certain mentality or shared identity. Things are changing here; in just a year I've noticed a difference that I thought, at times, was wishful thinking until a friend's mother returned after a year's absence and also noticed a marked difference. Unfortunately it's not the mentality that's changing. Marseille is simply becoming more of a tourist destination and so the motive is economic. Along with the TGV that now connects the city to Paris in just 3 hours, there is a new tram service, sleek and quiet, the renovation of Gare St. Charles and various derelict portions of the city, as well as a series of advertising campaigns aimed at the populace. All of it is long overdue. Perhaps, in part, because the majority of Marseillais are defensive about their city's salete, or dirtiness. It's amazing, really. They either deny it completely, adopt an expression of surprise, or say, Ouais mais on a des calanques, la mer...what they don't realize they're saying is, yes, without the calanques -- beautiful limestone inlets with rocky beaches and aquamarine waters -- or the sea, their city would then be what it is: in need of a major makeover. In a way, it's true. If Marseille was not an ancient port city surrounded by such natural beauty I would tolerate its dirtiness much less. On the other hand, it's exactly the dirt (and by dirt I mean all that is ugly) that gives Marseille its rough, edgy reputation; its character; its unpredictability; and its charm. Perhaps the Marseillais sense this and fear that a drastic change in the city's appearance would mean a drastic change in the Marseillais spirit, itself rather stubborn. But I believe the city is much too unique to have its advantages compromised simply because it's becoming cleaner. There's a long way to go. I'm still dodging piles of dog feces and witnessing people blatantly drop bags and cans to the ground. But at least I can escape it all, if only for a while...