On Thursday, November 6th, the Diversity Happy Hours hosted Africalia for a Creativity Happy Hour! To celebrate Africalia's 25th anniversary, talented creators of African descent came to present their cultural projects. The networking session afterward allowed for a more in-depth discussion.

Highlighting Afro-descendant creativity

The Apéros de la Diversité are regular networking and exchange opportunities for professionals from diverse backgrounds, where they can discover the immense variety of talent present in Belgium. On November 6, 2025, as part of Africalia's 25th anniversary, a special edition of the Happy Hours took place at the Hotel Juliana in Brussels. During this "Apéro de la créativité", we focused on the cultural expressions of artists from the African diaspora and on how and why to amplify their creative voices within the Belgian cultural network. Because the only way to truly mark Africalia's 25th anniversary is to highlight this creative force.

So who was there?

We were able to discover, among other things, the work of:

Marie Umuhoza , who explained how her annual multidisciplinary festival Africa Is/In the Future has been highlighting contemporary African (artistic) issues since 2016. The tenth edition of the festival, supported by Africalia, took place from November 5 to 8.

Roger Dushime , advocate for African cuisine. He spoke about his documentary film "Roots and Plates" , produced with the support of Africalia in 2024, and revealed that he is currently working on a book on the subject.

Céline Kayogera , also a winner of an Africalia call for projects. Her podcast "Generational Riches" collects stories from previous generations in order to strengthen cultural identities.

Anthony Nti, award-winning screenwriter and director, who recounted how, as a teenager, he chose the profession of filmmaker and shared some of the artistic challenges of his current project.

Sergine André , a painter, discussed how she incorporates her Haitian roots into her work . She spoke in particular about her artist residency at Atelier Graphoui this summer, supported by Africalia, and her monograph "Dialogue à une voix" (Dialogue in One Voice).

David Katshiunga , also a painter , stated in a powerful text that the works of Afro-descendant artists should not only be considered through the prism of the past, but that they have their place in today's artistic landscape as such.

The conversation continues

During the networking reception, speakers and the public continued the dialogue on these themes. Those interested could also obtain more information about our currentcall for projects for creators in Belgium.

And of course, Africalia's 25th anniversary celebrations aren't over yet! Discover the activities planned for December here !