Integration and solidarity: Cinemaximiliaan’s initiative helps Brussels refugee communities
Project: developing the ‘Cinemaximiliaan Network’ and activities to support refugees
The Purpose
Most refugees lived in makeshift tents and shelters in Maximiliaan Park in the Northern Quarter. At its height, the park became home to more than 1,000 people waiting to register with the Belgian Immigration Department. A project was needed to offer refugee communities support through culture.
The Challenge
Brussels is an international transit city, and when the European refugee crisis worsened in 2015, many refugees came to the city. Although the arrival of refugees has produced political tension across Europe, in Brussels it also led to support networks springing up for refugees. Many offered practical support like a place to sleep and advice about dealing with bureaucracy.
Cinemaximiliaan is a citizen’s solidarity movement, which offers spare rooms and political support to refugees, now has a Facebook group with 27,000 members.
The Solution
Cinemaximiliaan is a platform created in response to the increased number of refugees arriving in the city. The initiative started in an improvised camp at the Maximiliaan Park in Brussels with daily film screenings. Cinemaximiliaan quickly grew due to the commitment of a vast network of volunteers.
Cinemaximiliaan is coordinated by Gwendolyn Lootens, a visual artist and documentary maker, and Gawan Fagard, an art historian and film programmer. In 2015, with the help of volunteers, they offered film showings. The screenings became social occasions; citizens stayed in touch with refugees after they were moved to asylum centres around Belgium. Now the screenings have extended to asylum centres, where many new arrivals first encounter the work of Cinemaximiliaan.
The Impact
Screenings have also spread to homes around Brussels. A citizen’s solidarity movement, which offers spare rooms and political support to refugees, now has a Facebook group with 27,000 members. Offering home cinema evenings is an extension of this welcome, which also involves sharing meals and making social connections. The project has expanded to include other activities such as music performances, debates, lectures and workshops.
Source: World Cities Culture Report 2022
Images Courtesy @ City of Brussels
