The French border town of Calais has been in the news a fair bit of late, the number of refugees flocking to the city putting it under the spotlight.
This was a fact that didn’t escape mystery mural man Banksy, who used the oft-touted story of Steve Jobs being the son of a Syrian migrant to make his point. Painted on a wall next to one of the many makeshift camping areas was this gem below:
There were also a second and third mural in the area, with CNN describing them as follows:
[One] show struggling refugees on a boat, trying to flag down a luxury yacht. The image is based on the French painter Theodore Gericault’s, “The Raft of the Medusa.”
The photo caption for that work reads, “We’re not all in the same boat.”
A third work, that appears on a beach in Calais, shows the silhouette of a child, looking through a telescope, out towards the direction of England. A vulture is perched on the top of the child’s telescope.
Here’s the artist’s official statement:
“We’re often led to believe migration is a drain on the country’s resources but Steve Jobs was the son of a Syrian migrant. Apple is the world’s most profitable company, it pays over $7bn a year in taxes – and it only exists because they allowed in a young man from Homs.”
At the very least his murals tend to drum up conversation. Keep ’em coming mystery man.
[source:cnn]
