‘Ceci n'est pas une valise’

Arab authors are devoting an entire evening to Belgium. What does West-Flanders look like to an Egyptian? How do Iraqis see Antwerp, Charleroi or Liege? A literary geography lesson, in which authors read their texts about Belgium and discuss their new fatherland.

The evening’s starting point is the book Ceci n’est pas une valise. Récits arabes sous un ciel belge, with 17 contributions by Belgium-based authors in Arabic, brought together by the Moroccan-Belgian writer Taha Adnan. “I want to speak about the chip dipped in the sauce of this lost paradise.” we read in his characterisation of Belgium as “this pleasant golden identity”. These are spirited yet noble words in the light of the metamorphoses which this country has undergone since the attacks of 22 March 2016. This book is dedicated to the victims of these attacks.

With: Hoshang Ossi, Abdallah Maksour, Hazim Kamaledin, Bissan Abou Khaled, Zuher al-Joboury, Hisham Adam, Taha Adnan, Xavier Luffin, Karim Abraheem and Rony De Maeseneer