The Festival des Libertés is set to take place from Thursday, 9 October to Saturday, 18 October this year at the Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles.
The organisers revealed on Tuesday the first artists who will perform during the ten-day event. On the opening night at 21:00, Malian rapper Oxmo Puccino will take centre stage in the Grande Salle.
Actress Béatrice Dalle will join Bastien Burger and Youv Dee on Wednesday, 15 October, to pay tribute to Kurt Cobain, the Nirvana singer, through text readings and musical reinterpretations. French rapper Gringe will present his melancholic songs on mental health and society the following day.
The event will conclude on Saturday, 18 October at 20:30 with a double headline act featuring artists who have “made history in Jamaican music,” according to the organisers. Sister Nancy, a dancehall icon and the first female DJ to make her mark in this genre, will perform alongside The Congos, known as “pioneers of roots reggae with their deep and timeless harmonies.”
Music is not the only focus of the event. True to its philosophy, the Festival des Libertés will mobilise “all forms of expression to resist, testify, and unite.”
This year, the organiser, Bruxelles Laïque, will address the theme of dialogue in the face of political and democratic tensions. “The Festival des Libertés offers ten days to rethink democratic discussion collectively, move beyond simplistic divisions in public debate, promote critical thinking, and combat misinformation.”
