Three people, Franck, Amel and Diawara, working on the open food markets in Paris told RFI what they make of the Olympic Games and how it may change their life while it lasts.
Open markets are endemic to the Parisian landscape. They last half a day and starts early in the morning. Each neighbourhood has its own, which is open twice a week.
RFI’s met three people who work on the open food markets in Paris. They told us what the Paris 2024 Olympic Games mean to them, how it will impact their work.
Paris 2024 starts on 26 July and ends on 11 August. The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be held from 28 August to 8 September.
Franck Salmon, fishmonger
I’m Franck. I work as a fishmonger on the various open markets in Paris. I live in Provins and have been a fishmonger for 30 years.
The Olympic Games is going to cut short our work and we will lose one month’s worth of profits.
We are expecting massive traffic jams, it will be difficult to drive the city because there will be several no entry zones and locals are fleeing Paris during the Games
So, we are closing shop and forced to take holidays.
I do not have time for the Olympics. In our trade, it’s impossible to watch specific shows at specific time.
We have decided to go to the beach, enjoy good food at restaurants and certainly not watch TV.
Amel, North African food
I’m Amel. I am from Morocco and have been selling traditional food from Morocco and Algeria on the open markets in Paris.
The Olympic Games is great news for us. To attract clients, we will decorate our stalls with Paris 2024 merchandise. We will also hang posters of North African athletes competing.
There will be a lot of people from all parts of the world coming to Paris for the Olympics. We will be proud to share our food, our culture with them.
Khaoussou Diawara, African fuits and vegetables
I’m Khaoussou Diawara. I am from Senegal and sell African fruits and vegetables on the open markets in Paris.
It is going to be hard on us during the Olympic Games. There will be a lot of security checkpoints on the road. We need to have all the proper passes to be able to access the markets.
The municipality made sure that the open markets are not closed down, because we sell food and people need it.
We intend to follow the sports at the Olympics but it depends on the time. We start work at four in the morning and we’re back home at around four or five in the afternoon. So, we’re often very tired.
The Olympic Games is interesting because we will see new things and meet people we have never met before in Paris.
