Hundreds of people gathered in front of the Flemish Parliament on Thursday to stage a singing protest against the government's decision to slash the cultural budget.
The ad-hoc "mega choir" took their demonstration to the foot of the Flemish parliament's building, in a protest organise by the artist-run collective State of the Arts.
By performing a song titled "Hear Our Voice," the choir was aiming to send a message to MPs, and drown out their discussions on the budget ongoing in the parliament's chambers.
https://www.facebook.com/stateofthearts.net/videos/458597984850681/
"Today is D-Day for Flanders. Savings will be discussed and probably voted in the Flemish Parliament. Our State of the Arts deserves a future," the artist group wrote on Facebook.
The demonstration comes after the Flemish government announced that it was cutting the budget allocated to the cultural and artistic sector by 60%, a decision which significantly impacts smaller and independent initiatives.
The decision sent the prolific cultural sector in uproar, with several protests organised both offline and online, including a social media campaign consisting of covering up 60% of all artistic images, promoted under the hashtag #thisisourculture.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
