Mention Spéciale

He came here, to the 2740km platform, in the winter of 2007 by rail and asked for an overnight stay at a farm along the way. He had no documents, no money, and no plans for the future. The offer to stay and work part-time became at that moment for him a salvation from hunger and the prospect of freezing somewhere. The payment for the work is food and a small room separated from the cowshed by a plywood partition. Sasha stayed. He lives surrounded by livestock, poultry, cats and dogs. They love him and take him for their own.… He considers them his family. His most devoted friend is the turkey Kesha, who never leaves his side. Sasha limited his communication with people to exchanging mushrooms and berries for beer, cigarettes or moonshine. He rubs cannabis in the summer. Sometimes he collects scrap metal around the area, hands it over somewhere on the highway and disappears for three days.… But it always comes back.He let me into his room only after drinking a bottle of moonshine.… He has a shame about his existence. And I have a dream – to call a friend who is not there and go home to a family that has long forgotten about him.

This is his story of survival.