As part of the implementation of the government action plan “Towards the decolonisation of public space in the Brussels-Capital Region”, Urban has asked Traumnovelle to design an installation in front of the Monument to the Belgian Pioneers in Congo in the Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark. The ephemeral artwork “The Grand Opening” saw the light. A plaque placed in front of the artwork invites people to look “with other eyes” at the scenes and quotations on the Congo Monument, highlighting the racial stereotypes conveyed.
This installation will remain in place for a year and will offer several artists the opportunity to express themselves on a regular basis.
The programme consists of performances, literary and active events to collectively reflect on the Belgian colonial heritage, as well as on the repercussions it has had on our experiences and identities.
START OF THE PROGRAMME
Welcome to the first event in this series, on Saturday 17 August 2024 :
- 2 p.m. – 2.15 p.m.
Presentation of the programme by Laurent Mbaah, curator, and by Romain Landmeters, coordinator of the public space decolonisation at Urban.
- 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
The Chaos Village audiovisual collective will be presenting an audiovisual installation based on the colonial monument, retracing the post-colonial extractions and ultimately making a bridge to the notion of utopia.
Chaos Village is an emerging multidisciplinary collective based in Brussels, composed of transdisciplinary digital artists, researchers, DJs and music producers. Mixing the individual artistic practices of these members and their artistic work on the tensions between utopia, dystopia and technology, the collective is inspired by the notion of glitch, mixing counter-narratives through live audiovisual performances, original visuals, and chaotic scenography.
- 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Brussels-based slam artists Badi, Avery Bertrand Iradukunda and Kavena Gomos will perform and declaim their poignant writing.
Facetious dandy, Badi questions the world and shakes up trends. The kind who sings what others whisper. Over lush melodies, his lyrics underline the deficiencies of a failing society. Between ultimate disenchantment and absolute hedonism, cry of resistance and song of heart, Badi captures the mood of the times.
- Bai, (Bertrand Avery Iradukunda) is 30 years old and is a poet, author and performer. When he was young, he stuttered, and writing was where he came home. Poetry gave him the strength to perform and to tell stories. Today, he shares his stories, his many questions and his vulnerability without fear. Sometimes, it will feel uncomfortable, sometimes heartwarming.
- According to mythology, dolphins have a peaceful nature and jovial spirit. Kavena Gomos / Le Dauphin has a similar character, and is also a true enthusiast. He is a black poet, more specifically a rapper and a slammer, and defines himself as such because his art is above all POETRY. Kavena was born in 1996, in the middle of August, and had no musical predisposition. Today, he is perfecting his skills in this discipline. He is a former member of the slam collective SLAMEKE and of the artistic collective QUE DU LOVE, and his main objective as an artist is to find, create and recreate the beauty of all things, the very essence of poetry.
