Brussels will host its free Festival of International Solidarity from 30 September to 8 October, with this year’s programme focusing on fair trade and female entrepreneurship.
The event will feature conferences, workshops, concerts, screenings and exhibitions across the city.
Ahead of the official opening, a day dedicated to fast fashion and the challenges facing the textile sector will be held on 26 September. It will include workshops on sorting, reusing and transforming clothing.
The festival will be officially opened on 30 September at Brussels Town Hall with a conference debate on the role of women in entrepreneurship and fair trade.
“Giving women the means to start businesses, create and earn a dignified living from their work allows them to play a full part in shaping their future,” said federal socialist legislator Lydia Mutyebele Ngoi, who also chairs Brussels Solidarité Internationale (BRISSI).
From 1 October, the JUST exhibition at the Bourse will highlight the realities faced by communities in Africa and Latin America, as well as their initiatives on social rights, health and food.
On 4 October, the Congolese Cultural Centre will host tastings, meetings with associations and live music.
Several screenings and debates will also examine working conditions, including through 'The Chocolate War,' a documentary that looks at child labour in the cocoa sector.
“Our consumer choices have consequences far beyond our borders,” said Khalid Zian, the Brussels alderman for international solidarity, He aims to place fair trade back at the centre of public debate.
A day devoted to decent work will bring together associations, NGOs, mutual insurance organisations and trade unions on 7 October.
The festival will close the following day with the forum theatre performance 'Who Stole the Orange?
