Not your ordinary newspaper vendor, Ali Akbar is a local celebrity in the affluent boulevard Saint Germain of Paris. In search of a better life, Ali left Pakistan at a tender age and has now lived for 40 years in France. Initially an illegal immigrant, Ali finally gained the right to stay in France when François Mittérand’s government pursued retroactive regularisation of illegal migrants in the 1980′s. His humorous headlines (“Sarkozy assassiné! Sarkozy assassinated!”) and emblematic personality has won him much popularity in the quarter, an asset which has helped him build a life in France. He is now father of five sons and the author of two autobiographies which have been translated into more than 10 languages. Ali’s first book and the one he is best known for – Je fais rire le monde… mais le monde me fait pleurer! – traces his journey from Pakistan to France. In 2011, the district council of the 6th arrondissement held a poll asking residents to nominate the “Loved Ones” of the quarter. The only foreign nominee, Ali emerged with the most votes. His portrait has been immortalized on the wall of a building on rue du Four (location). He is the success story every debate on illegal immigrants has difficulty imagining. I spend an afternoon with Ali on his daily route to document his life as a newspaper vendor and his longstanding popularity in the quarter.
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