[Narration: KHÉMAÏS: LIVES IN A COMPANY COMPOUND , A MASSIVE GRAY CONCRETE BUILDING OF ABOUT FIFTEEN STORIES JUST ACROSS FROM THE ÎLE SEGUIN , WHERE THE RENAULT CORPORATION ARRAYED ITS ACTIVITIES LIKE AN ENORMOUS BEEHIVE . KHÉMAÏS'S APARTMENT IS ON THE EIGHTH FLOOR .]
KHÉMAÏS: IF YOU DIDN'T WORK ON SEGUIN ÎSLE , THEN YOU DON'T KNOW RENAULT !
KHÉMAÏS: WHEN I STARTED I WAS 22 , AND I STAYED THERE FOR ALMOST 40 YEARS !
KHÉMAÏS: SO I CAN SAY I KNOW ALL ABOUT THE MANAGEMENT ON SEGUIN .
KHÉMAÏS: MORE THAN THEY KNOW ABOUT ME , THAT'S FOR SURE !
KHÉMAÏS: I'M DIVORCED , SO I TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING AROUND THE HOUSE .
KHÉMAÏS: : I STARTED OUT AT RENAULT AS AN UNSKILLED WORKER , LIKE EVERYONE ELSE , LIKE ALL THE MOHAMMEDS .
KHÉMAÏS: MY NAME IS KHÉMAÏS . KHÉMAÏS , MOHAMMED , SAME DIFFERENCE !
KHÉMAÏS: THE RECRUITER MADE ME GET A PHYSICAL , AND WHEN I PASSED , HE GAVE ME A TEST .
[Narration: TO TEST MY REFLEXES , I HAD TO CATCH A SMALL SLIDE RULE .]
RECRUITER: HERE , CATCH .
[Narration: AND THAT WAS HOW I GOT HIRED AS AN ASSEMBLY LINE WORKER .]
RECRUITER: GOOD !
KHÉMAÏS: THE SAME MOTION , HOUR AFTER HOUR . WE FELT AS MASS - PRODUCED AS THE THINGS WE MADE !
[Narration: BACK THEN , WE HAD TO PUT OUT 50 CARS AN HOUR . NO TIME TO CHAT , JUST ENOUGH TO TAKE A CALL OF NATURE IF YOU COULD FIND SOMEONE TO SUB IN , AND ALL THAT EARSPLITTING NOISE , THE SMELL OF PAINT AND TAR THAT GOT IN YOUR MOUTH AND YOUR LUNCHBOX , ALL THAT FOR HOURS , DAYS , MONTHS , YEARS ! ON THE LINE , IT WAS MOSTLY MAGHREBS , LOTS OF AFRICANS , SOME PORTUGUESE , A FEW YUGOSLAVS , BUT NEVER FRENCHMEN .]
Worker on the line: FOR YEARS , WE WENT THROUGH THE SAME MOTIONS
Worker on the line: OUR ONLY PROSPECT WAS GOING FROM UNSKILLED TO SEMISKILLED .
{BING}
{BAM}
{POW}
{KRIK}
{KRAK}
{BANG}
{BONG}
KHÉMAÏS: THERE WAS NO CHANCE OF A MAGHREBI BECOMING A MACHINIST OR A FOREMAN .
KHÉMAÏS: LUCKILY , THERE WERE UNIONS . THEY FOUGHT THE MANAGEMENT FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION AND LITERACY CLASSES .
[Narration: THERE WERE LOTS OF ILLITERATES . MOST WORKERS COULDN'T READ OR WRITE . THEY'D COME OVER DIRECTLY FROM THE COUNTRYSIDE , FOLLOWING THE RECRUITERS , BELIEVING THEY'D FOUND EL DORADO .]
[Worker holding sign: 8258]
[Worker holding sign: 8320]
[Worker holding sign: 8253]
[Worker holding sign: 8257]
[Worker holding sign: 8258]
KHÉMAÏS: I WAS 21 AND AN ORPHAN WHEN I LEFT TUNISIA . VICTOR HUGO WROTE TWO LINES I'VE NEVER FORGOTTEN .
KHÉMAÏS: THE FIRST SAID , " LORD , OPEN THE DOORS OF DARKNESS FOR ME , THAT I MIGHT SEE THE LIGHT , " AND THAT WAS HOW IT WAS FOR ME WHEN I FIRST SAW FRANCE .
[Narration: THE SECOND HAS THIS TO SAY ABOUT A FISHERMAN : " ALONE , BEATEN BY WAVES E'ER RENEWED , HE HEADS INTO THE ABYSS , HE HEADS INTO THE NIGHT " ONLY WHEN I REACHED FRANCE DID I UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT REALLY MEANT ! I REMEMBER THE SOUND OF FOGHORNS ON BOATS LEAVING FOR FRANCE . THEY ECHOED THROUGH THE NIGHT ALL OVER TUNIS .]
{TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO}
[Narration: I KNEW MOTHERS AND FATHERS WERE WEEPING OPENLY , AND THAT WARMED MY HEART .]
[Narration: THEY MOVED ME JUST LIKE THE LITTLE MEATBALLS I'D BEEN GIVEN FOR THE JOURNEY , ALONG WITH A HANDSOME RED TAQIYAH I'D PROUDLY SET ATOP MY HEAD .]
[Narration: I STOOD THERE FOR A LONG TIME , CLINGING TO THE RAILING , AND I THOUGHT I'D NEVER GO BACK TO TUNISIA . THEN I THREW THE TAQIYAH INTO THE SEA AND WATCHED IT FLOAT ON THE WAVES UNTIL I COULD NO LONGER SEE THE RED SPOT IT MADE .]
[Narration: AND WHEN I REACHED MARSEILLE , i THREW WHAT WAS LEFT OF MY LITTLE MEATBALLS INTO THE SEA .]
[Narration: IT WAS EARLY IN THE MORNING COLD , DARK , AND WET - AND I HAD TO MAKE IT TO THE STATION FOR THE PARIS TRAIN .]
[Narration: I LOOKED AROUND AT EVERYONE ELSE , HOLDING ON TIGHT TO MY SUITCASE LIKE IT WAS A LIFELINE .]
[Narration: I WAS NONEXISTENT , TRANSPARENT ; PEOPLE JOSTLED ME ALMOST WITHOUT SEEING ME , WITHOUT A WORD .]
[Narration: AND VICTOR HUGO'S LINE ECHOED IN MY HEAD :]
KHÉMAÏS: " HE HEADS INTO THE ABYSS , HE HEADS INTO THE NIGHT . "
[Narration: I HAD ARRIVED IN FRANCE . I FOUND INDIFFERENCE , AND I THOUGHT : " THIS IS GOING TO BE HARD "
" VERY HARD . "]
KHÉMAÏS: I'VE NEVER SPOKEN ABOUT ALL THIS TO ANYONE , ESPECIALLY NOT MY KIDS . YES , IT WAS VERY HARD BUT ME , I WAS IN LOVE WITH FRENCH CULTURE AND THE LANGUAGE , I CAME TO FRANCE AND I LOVED RENAULT LIKE YOU'D LOVE A MISTRESS . SHE WAS THE REASON I ATTENDED CONTINUING EDUCATION , AND FOR A MOHAMMED , I DIDN'T STAY CHAINED TO MY PLACE ON THE LINE , I EVOLVED .
[Narration: MOST LABORERS WERE IN A HURRY TO GO HOME : EITHER TO FAMILY , OR WITH ROOMMATES , PILED 5 OR 6 TO A ROOM LIKE IN THE ARMY ! AND THE NEXT DAY , IT STARTED ALL OVER AGAIN .]
[Narration: LUCKILY , THERE WAS A KABYLE JANITOR WHO'D TURNED HIS CLOSET INTO A CORNER CAFÉ . REALLY ! IT WAS THE ARAB BISTRO OF THE ÎLE SEGUIN COMPOUND . YOU COULD EVEN HAVE SOME MERGUEZ , FEEL LIKE YOU WERE BACK IN YOUR HOMELAND , AND ABOVE ALL , QUENCH YOUR THIRST , SINCE SOMETIMES IT GOT UP TO 90 OR 100 DEGREES ON THE LINE .]
Crowd: HA HA HA HA HA HA HA bla bla bla blablabla Ho Ho Ho Но HO
[Narration: THE AWFUL PART WAS THE DAY I BECAME UNFIT FOR WORK . WHAT I MEAN IS , WHEN THE HOUR OF RETIREMENT TOLLED I COULDN'T GET USED TO THE IDEA . I'D ALWAYS WORKED TWICE AS HARD AS EVERYONE ELSE : FIRST TO EVOLVE , AND THEN TO BE CONSIDERED FRENCH .
[Sign: RENAULT]
[Narration: AND LASTLY , SO MY CHILDREN WOULD BE PROUD OF THEIR FATHER . I'VE ALWAYS TOLD THEM THAT SO LONG AS YOU LIVE AND WORK LIKE THE FRENCH , THERE WON'T BE A PROBLEM .]
[Narration: WHEN I GO TO A RESTAURANT , I DON'T EAT WITH MY HANDS , AND IT STILL TASTES GOOD .]
[Narration: ME , I'VE NEVER WANTED TO GO BACK TO THE HOMELAND , EVEN WHEN THEY WERE PAYING PEOPLE TO GO BACK , NO MATTER HOW MUCH !]
[Narration: ANYWAY , EVERY DECADE THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH SOME COMMUNITY . FIRST THE ITALIANS , THEN THE ARMENIANS , THE JEWS AND EVEN THE BRETONS !]
[Narration: IT'S JUST THE ARABS ' TURN NOW , THAT'S ALL .]
[Narration: WHAT PEOPLE OFTEN FORGET IS THAT UNTIL 1962 , ALGERIANS WHO CAME TO FRANCE WERE FRENCH !]
[Narration: AND ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO GOT KILLED IN THE WAR , THEIR CHILDREN - DON'T THEY DESERVE TO BE CALLED FRENCH ?]
[Narration: AND MY CHILDREN , WHO WERE BORN IN FRANCE , WHO DON'T SPEAK ARABIC , WHO SPEAK FRENCH - WHY FORCE THEIR FATHER'S NATIVE NATIONALITY UPON THEM ?]
[Narration: IT JUST COMPLICATES THINGS , AND GIVES RACISTS EASY EXCUSES .]
KHÉMAÏS: THE LAST DAY , IN MARCH '92 , ALL THE WORKERS WERE LAID OFF AND GOT A BOOK ON THE LIFE AND CORPORATION OF LOUIS RENAULT , WATCHES , AND T - SHIRTS WITH A DRAWING OF THE ÎLE SEGUIN PRINTED ON THEM . I KNOW THAT MANY OF US HAVE KEPT THAT DRAWING PRINTED ON OUR HEARTS .
