I HAVE A DRAGON IN MY HEART

In France, an estimated 220,000 women report domestic violence every year. A woman is killed every three days, most often by her current or former partner. Violence is a word that covers a whole range of stories and experiences. It can happen anywhere. In Perpignan, a city magnificently situated between the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean Sea, women's lives rarely resemble a paradisiacal fairy tale. No matter what their background or upbringing.

Delena is 18 and already has three children. Marta was beaten by her husband and family when she tried to leave a closed community. After many years of mental abuse, Aurèlie bought the land of her dreams, and Morgane fled the violence that was happening behind the walls of a comfortable villa. In the region, I met Roma and Muslim women, migrants of different origins who have had to fight to reunite their families, survivors of physical and psychological abuse, and women who strive for change despite difficulties.

 All of them are heroes. All prove that the light within does not fade away easily. This work aims to honor them and show that we are all more alike in our pains and dreams than we have been taught to believe and think.

All texts come from my meetings with people I encountered in the Pyrenees Orientals region. Some are quotes, some are dreams, and some are live stories I have written after hours of conversations. To protect the safety and intimacy of my subjects, I hide some of their identities and personal information at their request.

The work done with the support of FujiFilm France

"I think that because I couldn't save my father, I wanted to save him. I probably had a rescue syndrome. And I almost fell into a hole with him. When people don't want to be saved, you can't do anything for them. And it took me a long time to understand. He was taking my light, but he was fine as he was; it suited him. And little by little, he sucked my soul out."

"Here, women are always dependent on their families. I'm choking; it's physical. I want to get out of here. Here, what you see is a black hole and it is very deep. There's no ladder or rope to get out. If you stay, you are crushed; you don't exist for the world; if you get out, you feel lost. I feel at home nowhere; I belong nowhere. But l'm looking for the courage to leave, to come back stronger for my daughter."

Armenian lived in Russia for the last five years before fleeing to France. "I come from a middle-class background. I worked as a manager at events, mostly wedding receptions. My husband was noble and rich, but he turned out to be addicted to gambling and very violent. He once threatened me and my mum with a knife at my throat. He also lent me to other men. When he was losing at the casino, he was saying, that he had no money, but the winner could have his wife, me, as payment. So that I wouldn't leave, he stole all my jewelry and my birth certificate. But I left anyway. And we can't go back until he's alive. I know that if he finds me, he will kill me. He has told me so many times."

"We knew each other as children. Everybody knows everybody here. He was very handsome, and he was the first boy I ever liked. We got married quickly, and I had my daughter at 16. Now, we have two boys and a girl. It is a lot. I take care of the house and our children. I'm tired. But now, since my husband works and goes to church, he helps me more. And he is more gentle with me."