After deliberation by our jury, we are pleased to share with you the projects selected following our 2024 call for proposals,celebrating our successes as part of the International Decade for People of African Descent, declared by the United Nations Assembly in 2013. Thank you to all the project leaders who submitted their proposals.
En Lettres Noires
En Lettres Noires will be the biggest-ever gathering of Afro-descendant women poets in French-speaking Belgium and a celebration of the talent that has won the most prestigious prizes in Belgian literature. This exceptional event will be accompanied by the publication of a poetry collection featuring the texts of the women poets who have made their mark this decade.
The project's desire to celebrate these women poets won over the jury, who have since paved the way for so many others.
Project sponsor: L-SLAM
Tendre Septembre
The aim of "Tendre Septembre - Nos enfants ces génies" is to encourage children to explore and express their positive emotions, such as joy and pride, and the feelings of courage they have experienced. The pandemic and studies have shown that even today, the burden of parenting still falls on mothers, which is why the second day of this first event will feature a performance based on interviews with Rita, the mother of young Mathis, a black 9-year-old who was the victim of a potentially lethal restraint technique in front of his mother in the grounds of his school in September 2023.
The two-day event won over the jury with its desire to celebrate and highlight the struggles of Afro-descendant mothers.
Project sponsor: Miss Pilipili
Afrique Lyrique
The "Afrique Lyrique" project aims to honour and raise the profile of female opera singers of African origin with free concerts in prestigious and emblematic venues in Brussels and Namur.
This project convinced the jury unanimously because it aimed to contribute to the artistic recognition of African artists and their long-term establishment on the Belgian art scene, a field where they are still underrepresented.
Project sponsor: Pizzicato
En attendant que tout soit possible
"En attendant que tout soit possible" is the name of the programme organised by the non-profit organisation Cassonade, in preparation for the opening of "Alwakan", a new cultural venue in Molenbeek. As part of the Decade of People of African Descent, Cassonade has chosen to honour Afro-descendant and emerging artists on the Brussels scene.
This project, which heralds the arrival of a new, innovative cultural hub on the Brussels scene, won over the jury.
Project sponsor: Brown sugar
BO Backstage
BO Backstage is a fictional short film that tells the story of BO, a successful comedian in an identity crisis, as she prepares to perform at the Comedy Marathon.
The jury was impressed by the film's ability to showcase the main character's success while highlighting the obstacles that stand in her way. It was also keen to support this young production company founded by two women of African origin.
Project sponsor: Winnie Production
Living Concert, Living Legend
As part of the "Living Concert, Living Legends" project, Rataplan, in collaboration with Junior Akwety and Aminata Barry, is organising a series of free monthly acoustic music concerts for emerging and established African artists at Rataplan's home venue (the café de rencontre). Rataplan sees this as an opportunity to share different sounds and musical stories with a wide audience and to offer an answer to the question, "What is jazz?"
The jury was convinced by the ambition to build a bridge between the usual jazz audience, local residents, young people and African communities.
Project sponsor: Rataplan
