Manneken Pis will be dressed as a blind schoolboy on Saturday to mark World Braille Day, the Braille League announced on Thursday.
This year also celebrates the bicentenary of the invention of braille by Frenchman Louis Braille in 1825.
Braille is not universally known among visually impaired individuals. A survey conducted by the Braille League at the end of 2024 revealed that only 27% of blind and partially sighted people know braille.
Of those, more than half (57%) use it regularly, and 45% use it daily.
The Braille League is also seeking recognition of braille as part of Belgian heritage, which could lead to its recognition by UNESCO.
The application for recognition will be submitted to the Wallonia-Brussels Federation in February and to Flanders in April.
This recognition is a crucial step to highlight the importance of braille as an essential tool for education and independence for blind and partially sighted people, according to the Braille League.
France is currently leading an international project involving Germany, Portugal, and Spain for UNESCO recognition of braille as world heritage, which Belgium could join once it has secured national registration.
