At a time when borders and migration couldn’t be more contested issues, we bring together three exceptional voices to reflect on the essence of borders and the future of migration. Award-winning writer Kapka Kassabova, correspondent & documentarist Bram Vermeulen, and historian & curator Bram Beelaert are all remarkable listeners to the many stories of migrants, refugees, escapees, returnees and even smugglers and xenophobes. Looking back and forward, they will engage in a gripping discussion on the powerful realities of our times that ultimately speak of the human condition.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Kapka Kassabova is an award-winning poet and writer of travel, history and fiction. Raised in Bulgaria and New Zealand, she now lives in the Highlands of Scotland, where she writes in a cottage by a river. Her preoccupation with people’s relationship to place and displacement informs all her work, including poetry collections and novels. Border, A Journey to the Edge of Europe (2017) explores not just the borderlands of Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece in a region shaped by forces of history, but also meditates on what exists between countries, cultures, others and ourselves. Kapka is also keenly interested in literary translation, cultural hybridism and eastern Europe during and post-Cold War. She contributes reviews, travel and feature articles to the Guardian, the Scottish Review of Books and Intelligent Life.

Bram Vermeulen is a Dutch journalist, correspondent and documentary maker obsessed with borders and migration. His relentless work as correspondent in Southern Africa and then Turkey has often led him to investigate risky realities in troubled borderlands. He has produced and presented the award-winning TV series In Turkey (2011), Along the borders of Turkey (2012), Straight through Africa (2014), and De Trek (2016) about migration in and out of Africa. He was voted Journalist of the Year in 2008, won the Dick Scherpenzeelprijs and the Lira Correspondentenprijs for best foreign reporting (2013) and the Herman Wekkerprijs (2014) for best reporting from English speaking countries.

Bram Beelaert is a historian, curator and Head of Research at the Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp, which displays an eventful journey in the footsteps of European emigrants. Its collection and exhibitions are all about the stories of the passengers who travelled to North America with the Red Start Line, in search of happiness and a better future. Bram is an expert on interpreting migration at museums and historic sites, and on illuminating the relation between migration and memory, cultural heritage and global identity.

Good to know:

• When: 20/11/2018 at 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM
• Location: Full Circle House – Chaussée de Vleurgat 89, Ixelles 1050

Join the discussion by registering here.

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The event was first created in 1992 in San Francisco, but has been organized in Brussels for several years. The starting point is always Porte de Namur, by the metro station’s entrance.

Join Critical Mass this Friday July 27th.

Meeting time is 18h. Leaving at 18h30.

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Politics, especially the French elections, have been being at the top of the agenda over the last weeks. It will still be there, as the second round will take place in two weeks. Should you be fed up with that, and you need to escape, you are pretty lucky! The festivals are indeed still ongoing in Belgium, and you will have the chance to watch many short films to go from the real World to fiction!

During the BSFF, as every year, many new films will be released. Getting 20 years is however something special, and this is why the festival has set up special events and activities this year.

It is first of all of course about movies. More than 300 movies will be on race in different contests: the international competition, the national competition and next generation. It then provides dozens of authors with the opportunity to show their movies to a large audience. The BSFF will also host best of nights, with the best movies over the last 20 years, as well as some open air films will be released for free in Mont des Arts.

Besides movies, the Brussels Short Film Festival will also allow you to have a significant insight into cinema and especially into the short films. Claude Barras, who got The César Award for Best Animated Film in 2017, will host a conference on 5 May to talk about his job. A workshop on dubbing will offer you the chance to know more about the programmes and how to make good dubbings.

From Bozar to Flagey, from Cinéma Vendôme to Chapiteaux (Fernand Cocq), several key places in Brussels will host events. The BSFF will even not be over after 7 May, as it will be on tour in Wallonia (Charleroi, Namur, Mons, Tournai etc.) later.

Should you need information on the movies, the schedule and the price,  have a look at the BSFF website.

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Now there’s good news, and then there’s great news. The good news is that it’s all true, the better news is that every 2 years the artisanal Geuzerijen/Geuzeries that make Lambic beers open their doors to the public, thereby creating a scavenger hunt of Belgian craft beers, and the great news is that this biennial celebration of Geuze is taking place on May 6th and 7th of this year.

Lambic is an ale that ferments spontaneously due to the yeast in the air in the Pajottenland, the region around Brussels on the Senne. This Sour base ale is then mixed with other beers to make some of Belgium’s most famous beers. If you’ve ever ordered a Kriek you can rest assured that it was made in the Senne valley. Other Lambic beers include Faro, and Geuze.

Geuze is a non-carbonated sour ale. Its rich and complex flavor profile can be off-putting to some, but it has lead many to covet Geuze beers. Simply put, the flavor of Geuze is like nothing else in the world.

The Toer De Gueze

The Toer takes place the weekend of May 6th. People from all over the world descend on this little region, and brewery hop in the Pajottenland. You can navigate the breweries yourself, or opt to take a guided bus tour. I personally like to bike to each location. The breweries offer tours, little tasting cups and sell fresh food. Two years ago some of the breweries roasted a whole pig on a spit, and that really steps up the feeling of being a pirate in the 17th century, which is why I primarily do anything really.

It may be hard to choose which breweries to visit so I’ll give you the four I visited two years ago.

Oud Beersel

This Geuzerij is in… Beersel. Their beers tend to the traditional but they also experiment with some fruits you don’t see so often. The location is Prachtig as they say in Flemish, and the room with the barrels feels like a scene from a Disney movie. The journey began with a tinge of nervousness that disappeared within seconds of entering their cave and sipping on a sour ale.

Hanssens Artisanaal

Hanssens is as traditional as they come, in the sense that they make very little effort to cater to the more mainstream flavors. A Hanssens Geuze is complex, and leaves an almost sulfuric mineral aftertaste. The brewery is housed in an old wood lodge. There are two large rooms and a dirt courtyard with a decent handful of food options. It was raining pretty hard at this point, and the rooms smelled like crowds of wet people… but I was okay with it, it really added to the atmosphere.

Drie Fonteinen

Drie Fonteinen is generally regarded as the best tasting geuze. I can’t say I remember that much about the brewery, but that is very likely due to the fact that I had been drinking since 10 in the morning by the time I got there. I will say that Drie Fonteinen does, in my opinion, perfect the geuze. I bought some bottles and drank them later, so I can say with confidence that it was delicious. They also have a nice restaurant, or so I’m told.

Boon

Boon makes excellent Kriek. It’s my favorite because their new Kriek is not too sweet like a Bellevue or a Lindemans. I’ll be completely honest, by the time we got here I was just happy to be standing upright. I drink Kriek Boon if I see it on a menu. As for the brewery, I have no opinion either way. I remember having a great time, but I probably couldn’t have tied my shoes by that point.

Honorable Mention: Lindemans

For those less adventurous among us there is always Lindemans. Where other Geuze beers challenge the palate, Lindemans gives you what you want. The tour at Lindemans was amazing. They are a major brewery and they have the resources to put on a show. They get the machines going and show you the process step by step. You can literally stick your head in a 100,000 litre vat of yeast and water. Lindemans is big, there is a lot of really good food, activities for the whole family and everybody gets a free beer at the end.

The Toer de geuze is a quintessential Belgian experience. It gives you the opportunity to experience Belgian quality and craft in that typically unassuming manner. I don’t doubt that wherever you end up, and however you choose to get there you’ll have a good time, just make sure you get back safe. Lastly, The big Geuzerijen get together and mix their unique yeasts every two years and make a “Mega Blend” to mark the occasion of the Tour De geuze. Last editions megablend received a 99 out of 100.

Info about the bus tour.

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