The 21st edition of the Festival des Libertés will take place from 13 to 22 October at the National Theatre in Brussels, the Bruxelles Laïque association, organisers of the event, announced on Tuesday.
The festival will focus on solidarity, in keeping with this year's theme, which is "Unleash the links."
Free sessions will be held throughout the event to discuss issues as varied as management and staff responsibilities, individual responsibility in the face of the climate crisis, and solidarity through the prism of civil disobedience.
The programme also includes an international competition in which about 20 documentaries will participate and "allow the public to immerse itself in multiple issues related to human rights and freedoms."
Not to be outdone, the theatre will be represented by original performances such as 'Warning' by Cirque Inextremiste, and 'We are everywhere,' by the Yan Duyvendak Company.
A mock trial combining theatre and lecture will be organised for the third time. Entitled 'Where is mom going?' it will "call on the public to put itself in the shoes of a juvenile judge and deliberate on the placing of children in foster care as well as the ethical, societal and institutional questions it raises. It is the public who will decide whether or not the child will have to be placed" in a foster home, Bruxelles Laïque explains.
On the music scene, the festival will welcome Belgian duo Juicy Orchestra and Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour, along with Odezenne, Aka Moon, Marcus Miller, Fire! Chatterton and Deluxe, along with a double concert with Max Romeo and Eek-A-Mouse.
