Photos That Show There’s Obviously More to the Banlieues Than Crime

This article originally appeared on VICE France.

Ask most people in France to describe Saint Denis, and their description of the northern Paris suburb will almost certainly be negative. The region is infamous for being one of the toughest neighbourhoods in the country – a reality the far-right blames on Saint Denis’ diverse population. That’s why photographer Patrick Bona wants to project a different picture of his community.

On a recent sunny afternoon, the 25-year-old was sat at home when a friend suggested they head out to pick up some heatwave essentials – an inflatable pool and some water pistols.

Bona took his camera along for their journey around Saint Denis – capturing colourful images of everyday life in the suburb that offers an ideal counter-balance to the media’s only depiction of Saint Denis as a crime-ridden, desolate region.

Scroll down to see Patrick Bona’s photos of Saint Denis.