Der hvor tilliden gror
Where trust grows
FOR FORTÆLLING
Da L flyttede ind i Mjølnerparken i 2011, fandt hun ikke bare en bolig, men et hjem – et sted med to fællesskaber, der flettede sig ind i hinanden. I gården kendte alle hinanden, og i seniorbofællesskabet delte de hverdagen, hjælpen og latteren. Hun husker julefesterne, hvor kulturer mødtes i dans omkring træet, og de små samtaler ved plantekasserne, hvor tillid voksede som krydderurter i solen.
Da hun måtte flytte i 2023, fulgte savnet med – ikke kun af menneskerne, men af den tryghed og varme, der sad i væggene. For hende var Mjølnerparken et sted, hvor man hilste på hinanden, tog del, og følte sig hjemme.
PREFACE
When L moved into Mjølnerparken in 2011, she didn’t just find a place to live – she found a home. A place with two communities woven into one another. In the courtyard, everyone knew each other, and in the senior housing community, they shared their everyday lives, helped each other, laughed together. She remembers the Christmas parties, where cultures met when ‘dancing around the tree’, and the small conversations by the planter boxes, where trust grew like herbs in the sun.
When she had to move out in 2023, the sense of loss followed – not only for the people, but for the warmth and safety that lived within the walls. For her, Mjølnerparken was a place where people greeted one another, took part, and felt at home.
Dansk
Ville du fortælle lidt om, hvad fællesskabet i det gamle Mjølnerparken har betydet for dig, i den tid du har boet der?
Når jeg tænker på Mjølnerparken, så havde jeg to fællesskaber. Dels så boede jeg i et seniorbofællesskab i to opgange, som lå i gård 3. Og det betød, at jeg kendte alle der.Vi havde fælles lokaler i stueetagen, og vi havde fælles ting sammen på mange måder. Så jeg boede sammen med folk, der var oppe i årene, og hvor vi kendte hinanden og kunne hjælpe hinanden, og vidste, hvem man kunne gå til, når der var noget, man havde brug for, eller hvem man havde det sjovest med. Og samtidig brugte vi også hinanden til at gå med i det store fællesskab og deltage i de forskellige arrangementer, der var på det tidspunkt. Det kunne fx være en julefest for børnene, som vi var hovedpersoner i at arrangere. Der var også fastelavnsfest. Og i mange år har man hædret de unge, der havde taget en afsluttende uddannelse af en eller anden art. Og der var vi også med til at arrangere det arrangement, sørge for fortæring og få stole sat op, og hvad der nu kan være til sådan noget. Så det, at vi var en gruppe sammen, gjorde, at det var let at gå ind i aktiviteter, der havde relation til det store fællesskab. Jeg synes, julefesten var sjov. Fordi det var sådan et kulturmøde, som var så godt. Den første gang, vi havde lavet det, det var med juletræ og hele molevitten. Og så to musikere der også kunne fortælle historier. Og så skulle vi danse om juletræet, men en pige sagde ‘Det må jeg ikke i min kultur’. De var klædt ud som nisser, de der to gøglere. Den ene, han satte det hen i en krog. Og så dansede vi bare. Så lavede vi forskellige kædedanse. Så vi dansede bare på en anden måde. Men senere blev det sådan, at til julefesten, da var det børnene over fra den bemandede legeplads, der lavede julepynt. I stor stil. Muslimske børn og kartoffeldanske børn, der kom med bunker af pynt. Så de pyntede træet, så det var overdådigt. Og så, da festen var slut, så tog de pynten med sig hjem.
Vi mødtes på tværs om alting. Det var lige meget, hvem man var. Om man havde tørklæde eller ikke. Det har været en stor fest hver gang.
Men ud over det, så oplevede jeg også med tiden, hvordan det store fællesskab, det at bo i en gård, hvor man kender folk på forskellig vis. Altså man nikker til nogen, man vinker til nogen. Det er ikke særlig mange, man kommer til at snakke med måske, men man ved, hvem hinanden er.
Så det synes jeg synes har været rigtig dejligt at opleve, at have to former for fællesskaber. Det lille og det store. Og i det store, så vidste de jo også, hvem man var. De vidste, når du bor over hos de gamle, så jeg vidste, at hvis der sker mig noget, hvis jeg falder om, eller et eller andet, så ved de, hvem jeg er. De ved, hvor de skal henvende sig, de ved, hvor de skal bringe mig hen. Nu har jeg selv været godt gående, så jeg har ikke haft behov for så meget hjælp, men jeg ved andre af mine bofæller, der er folk kommet og spurgt, ‘skal vi ikke bære det her op for dig?’ og sådan noget. Så jeg har også oplevet i det store fællesskab, at der var en omsorg for os. Samtidig med, at de også vidste, at vi var nogen, der var aktive på forskellige måder, og vi gerne ville forholde os til dem. I vores bofællesskab har vi også et par gange lavet en gårdfest, i vores gård, hvor folk kom og var med på forskellig vis med sang og underholdning, og hvad der nu kan være.
Så nu hvor jeg har været nødt til at flytte, har vist mig, at det er et stort savn, at jeg ikke længere dels har mit bofællesskab med folk, jeg kender, tættere og samtidig heller ikke har det store fællesskab. Fordi, det kan jeg se, efter at jeg er flyttet, hvor lang tid det tager at komme på hils med folk. Og man skal selv ligesom tage teten. Set kan godt være svært.
I Mjølnerparken var det ligesom at bo et sted, hvor man kender folk mere eller mindre. Dem man hilser på. Nogen man veksler ord med. I opgangen ved siden af, hvor jeg boede, der var der en, der boede i stuen, og hun – jeg ved ikke om det var sit køkken eller soveværelse, hun sad i – men hun boede i stuen, og hun havde tit sit vindue åbent, og så stod folk og snakkede med hende gennem vinduet. Man vidste, hvem hun var. Hun var en central person. Og sådan var der forskellige personer i gården, man efterhånden kom til at kende. Vi havde nogle plantekasser (De blev faktisk plantet til lige inden jeg flyttede ind. Jeg var med derovre den dag.) hvor man kom krydderurter i alle plantekasser i hele Mjølnerparken. Men de planter skulle jo vedligeholdes, og hver gang man stod dernede og prøvede at få lidt skik på et eller andet, så kom folk og stoppede op og snakkede. Og det var både voksne og børn. Børnene var nysgerrige, men voksne kom også og snakkede med en, også selvom det ikke var nogen jeg havde talt med forinden. Og når man står og laver noget, er det let at indbyde til en snak, fordi man er i gang. De forstyrrer ikke, de snakker bare med en. Så det er en lidt uforpligtende måde, og samtidig var det også meget tillidsfuldt. Jeg synes, jeg har oplevet meget tillid fra de mennesker, jeg var omgivet af i Mjølnerparken, helt fra begyndelsen. Også folk, der sagde velkommen, når man var et nyt ansigt og spurgte, om man kunne lide at bo der.
Jeg oplevede også, at den kritik – det var inden ghetto-loven, men der har jo hele tiden været kritik af Mjølnerparken, den har hele tiden været stemplet. Og det gjorde, at folk nogle gange spurgte, hvordan man havde det med at være der. Altså beboere, der gerne ville have, at jeg skulle have det godt der. At jeg skulle føle mig tryg. Det kom frem på forskellig vis. Der var for eksempel en mand, mens jeg stod og ordnede i plantekasserne, så kom han og snakkede med mig om, hvordan jeg havde det med at bo der. Og jeg sagde, at jeg syntes, det var et rart sted. Han fortalte, at han havde sønner, og at han var meget påpasselig omkring dem, men også bekymret for, at der var noget i miljøet omkring Mjølnerparken, som kunne gøre, at hans sønner måske kom ind i noget, han ikke ville have. Så han betroede mig faktisk en stor bekymring, han havde, samtidig med, at han gerne ville have, at jeg skulle have det godt der. Han sagde, at det gik godt med hans sønner, men han havde den bekymring. Og jeg synes, det var meget smukt at stå der og få sådan en fortælling. At han havde tillid, og ville fortælle det. Så han var en af dem, som havde et dobbelt forhold til Mjølnerparken. At han både kunne se, at der var store vanskeligheder for nogle grupper. Og det har der jo været. Og så samtidig kunne han også se, at vi jo skulle have det godt med hinanden.
Et andet sted jeg har brugt meget tid, er i fælleshuset. Lige fra jeg flyttede ind, så kom jeg med i en forening, der hedder Aktiv Ældre på Nørrebro, hvor der var gymnastik. Og på et tidspunkt lå det ovre i en anden gade, men så fik vi lavet det sådan, at fælleshuset blev rammen om mange af de aktiviteter. Og det vil sige, at man kom jo meget i fælleshuset. Og det, at vores forening flyttede ind i det område… Der var enkelte, der så holdt op med at være medlem af foreningen. Men de allerfleste, de havde jo troet, at Mjølnerparken var frygtelig farlig. Men vænnede sig til at komme der og kunne se, at det var meget blandet.
Jeg kunne meget godt lide fælleshuset. Jeg kunne meget godt lide det på mange måder. Men det var da også skide irriterende nogle gange. Så skulle man til at have gymnastik, og så pludselig kom der nogle damer med store gryder, fordi de skulle have komsammen dagen efter. Så havde de ikke forstået, at de først kunne komme efter klokken dit og dat. Og undervisningen blev forstyrret. Det var også lidt sjovt. Men jeg tror, det har været mit yndlingssted. Og jeg vil sige, at da alt ravagen skete, og det endte med, at de brutalt rev huset ned. Der fik jeg så ondt i nakken. Jeg kendte det, og plejede at kunne arbejde væk. Men jeg var nødt til at gå til kinesiolog, fordi det gjorde simpelthen så ondt… Jeg tror, min sorg og min vrede var så stor, at den havde sat sig i min krop. For det var så brutalt. På en måde så slagtede det hjertet i Mjølnerparken. Og jeg har senere hørt en fortælling fra dem, der er vokset op derude, hvordan det hus har betydet noget for dem i forhold til de store fester, de har været med til i familien. Det var jo også sådan, at ved et dødsfald, så lånte man huset gratis. Ellers så skulle man leje det. Og betale leje for det. Men ikke i tilfælde af et dødsfald. Det er jo også en smuk gestus.
Er der en historie eller noget du synes folk udefra burde kende til omkring, hvordan det har været at bo i Mjølnerparken. Altså dengang tilbage.
Det ved jeg ikke. Altså jeg har altid følt mig tryg, når jeg kom hjem. Også når det var mørkt. Jeg har aldrig følt mig utryg ved at gå hjem. Jeg har boet i Aarhus. Og der var der et kvarter, der blev det betegnet som pænere end Mjølnerparken. Men der kunne jeg godt føle… Altså det var sådan, at jeg skulle forbi et sted, hvor der ikke var så meget at belysning. Der kunne jeg godt føle mig lidt utryg, så jeg skyndte mig forbi stedet. Det har jeg aldrig gjort i Mjølnerparken. Og jeg kan huske den første vinter, jeg boede der. Det var mørkt nogle gange. Tit, når jeg kom hjem eller havde været til et eller andet. Så stod der en masse unge mænd nede på hjørnet, hvor jeg boede. Jeg skulle igennem der. Og jeg tror de pushede, handlede med et eller andet. Men det ved jeg ikke noget om. Men de sagde bare, ‘god aften den dame’. Og så sagde jeg ‘god aften’. Og så gik jeg ind.
L flyttede ind i Mjølnerparken i slutningen af 2011. Og blev tvangsflyttet i 2023.
English
Would you tell me a bit about what the community in the old Mjølnerparken meant to you during the time you lived there?
When I think of Mjølnerparken, I had two communities. Partly, I lived in a senior housing community across two stairwells, which were in courtyard 3. And that meant that I knew everyone there. We had shared rooms on the ground floor, and we had things in common in many ways. So I lived together with people who were older, and where we knew each other and could help each other, and knew who to go to when there was something you needed, or who you had the most fun with. And at the same time, we also used each other to join the larger community and participate in the different events that existed at the time. That could, for example, be a Christmas party for the children, which we were the main organizers of. There was also Fastelavn. And for many years, the young people who had completed an education of some sort were honored. And we also helped organize that event, made sure there was food, and that chairs were set up, and whatever else might be needed for something like that. So the fact that we were a group together made it easy to take part in activities related to the larger community. I think the Christmas party was fun. Because it was such a meeting of cultures, and it was so good. The first time we held it, it was with a Christmas tree and the whole shebang. And then two musicians who could also tell stories. And then we were supposed to dance around the tree, but a girl said, “I’m not allowed to in my culture.” They were dressed up as elves, those two performers. One of them put the tree over in a corner. And then we danced anyway. Then we made different chain dances. So we just danced in another way. But later it became like this, that at the Christmas party, it was the children from the staffed playground who made the Christmas decorations. On a big scale. Muslim children and ethnic Danish children who came with piles of decorations. So they decorated the tree until it was overflowing. And then, when the party was over, they took the decorations home with them.
We regardless of who we were. It didn’t matter- Whether you wore a headscarf or not. It was a big celebration every time.
But apart from that, I also experienced, over time, the larger community; How living in a courtyard, you get know people in different ways. Like you nod to some, you wave to some. There aren’t that many you might actually talk to, but you know who each other are.
So I think it’s been really lovely to experience, to have two forms of community. The small and the large. And in the large one, they also knew who you were. They knew that I lived ‘with the old ones,’ so I knew that if something happened to me – if I collapsed, or something like that – then they knew who I was. They knew where to turn, they knew where to take me. Now, I’ve been doing well myself, so I haven’t needed much help, but I know that others in my community have. People have still come and asked, “should we carry this upstairs for you?” and things like that. So I also experienced, in the larger community, that there was a care for us. At the same time, they also knew that we were people who were active in different ways, and that we wanted to engage with them. A couple of times us seniors also hosted a courtyard party, in our courtyard, where people came and joined in, in different ways, with song and entertainment and whatever there might be.
Now that I’ve had to move, it has shown me that there’s a big loss. I no longer have my housing community with people I know closely, and at the same time, I also no longer have the larger community. Because, I can see now, after I’ve moved, how long it takes to even get to the point of greeting people. And you have to kind of take the initiative yourself. That can be hard.
In Mjølnerparken, it was like living somewhere where you know people, more or less. Those you greet. Some you exchange words with. In the building next to the one I lived in, there was a woman who lived on the ground floor, and she – I don’t know if it was her kitchen or her bedroom she sat in – but she lived on the ground floor, and she often had her window open, and then people would stand and talked to her through the window. You knew who she was. She was a central person. And there were different people like that in the courtyard that you gradually came to know. We had some planter boxes (they were actually planted just before I moved in. I was there that day.) where we planted herbs – In all the planter boxes throughout Mjølnerparken. But the plants had to be maintained, and every time you stood down there trying to tidy something up, people would come and stop and talk. Both adults and children. The children were curious, but adults also came up and wanted to talk to you, even if they weren’t people I had spoken to before. And when you’re standing there doing something, it’s easy to invite a conversation, because you’re already preoccupied. They’re not disturbing you. They’re just chatting to you. So it’s a slightly informal way, and at the same time, it showed and created a lot of trust. I think I’ve experienced a lot of trust from the people I was surrounded by in Mjølnerparken – right from the beginning. Also people who welcomed you, when you were a new face, and asked if you liked living there.
I also experienced the criticism. This was before the ghetto law, but there had always been criticism of Mjølnerparken, it had always been labeled. And that meant that people sometimes asked how you felt about being there. That is, residents who wanted to make sure that I was doing well there. That I felt safe. It came up in different ways. For example, there was a man, while I was standing and working in the planter boxes, who came and talked to me about how I felt about living there. And I said that I thought it was a nice place. He told me that he had sons, and that he was very careful about them, but also worried that there was something in the environment around Mjølnerparken that could make his sons get involved in something he didn’t want. So he actually confided in me a big worry he had, while at the same time, he wanted me to feel good there. He said that things were going well with his sons, but he had that worry. And I think it was very beautiful to stand there and receive such a story. That he had trust, and wanted to share it. So he was one of those who had a double relationship with Mjølnerparken. That he could both see that there were big difficulties for some groups. And there have been. And at the same time, he could also see that we should get along with each other.
Another place I spent a lot of time was in the community house. From the moment I moved in, I joined an association called Active Seniors on Nørrebro, where there was gymnastics. And at one point, it was located on another street, but then we arranged for the community house to be the setting for many of those activities. And that meant that people came to the community house a lot. And the fact that our association moved into that area… There were a few who then stopped being members of the association. But most of them had thought that Mjølnerparken was terribly dangerous. But they got used to coming there and could see that it was very mixed.
I really liked the community house. I liked it in many ways. But it was also damn annoying sometimes. You’d be about to have gymnastics, and then suddenly some ladies came with big pots, because they were going to have a gathering the next day. Then they hadn’t understood that they couldn’t come until after such and such a time. And the class was disturbed. That was also kind of funny. But I think it has been my favorite place. And I would say, when all the chaos happened, and it ended with them brutally tearing the house down. Then I got such pain in my neck. I recognized it, and I usually could work it off. But I had to go to a kinesiologist, because it hurt so much… I think my sorrow and my anger were so great that they had settled in my body. Because it was so brutal. In a way, it slaughtered the heart of Mjølnerparken. And I’ve later heard stories from those who grew up there, how that house meant something to them in relation to the big family celebrations they had been part of. It was also like this: when someone died, you could borrow the house for free. Otherwise, you had to rent it. And pay rent for it. But not in the case of a death. That’s also a beautiful gesture.
Is there a story or something you think people from outside should know about what it’s been like to live in Mjølnerparken. Back then.
I don’t know. I’ve always felt safe when I came home. Even when it was dark. I’ve never felt unsafe walking home. I’ve lived in Aarhus. And there was a neighborhood that was considered nicer than Mjølnerparken. But there, I could feel… Like, there was a stretch I had to walk through, where there wasn’t much lighting. Sometimes I could feel a bit unsafe, so I hurried past the spot. I’ve never done that in Mjølnerparken. And I remember my first winter I lived there. It was dark sometimes. Often, when I came home or had been somewhere. Then there was a bunch of young men standing on the corner where I lived. I had to go through there. And I think they were pushing – dealing something. But I don’t know anything about that. But they’d just say, ‘Good evening, ma’am.’ And then I said, ‘Good evening.’ And then I went inside.
L moved into Mjølnerparken at the end of 2011. And was forcibly relocated in 2023.