Passeurs de frontières
Expo > 21 au 30 octobre
Université de Liège - Hall d'entrée palais du XX aôut.
In a time when citizenship and democratic values are losing their meaning, it is important to remind ourselves that no liberties or rights are possible without commitment. The exhibit "Border Smugglers" (Passeurs de frontières) might be an attractive tool to understand the universal and political meaning of democratic commitment and the necessary choices it implies. This exhibit is a concept highlighting the sense of our actions toward people, groups or communities. It examines our social commitment toward others, to facilitate dialogue, construct bridges, share preoccupations, act upon processes, understand the mechanisms, enable connections, collaborations, cooperation and solidarity among us all. It is colored by our identities as secular actors committed with others to construct social, democratic and cultural progress.
The borders mentioned here are not those the eye sees. They are not based on nature, but on cultural constructions. They create gaps, elevate walls of misunderstanding and prevent true social dialogue. However, like all barriers, they are obstacles with an appearance, a reality. They can be called fears, prejudices, clichés, cultural oppressions, ideological indoctrinations, hates, violence, extremism, racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. The persistence of these borders makes any project of communal life precarious . Thus, it is essential to allow everybody to cross them. Truth be told, anybody can be a border smuggler, in fact most of us are border smugglers within ourselves, our past, experiences, discoveries, knowledge and encounters. Now, it is time to erase the borders that prevent us from meeting one another. This is the first act of commitment, the one that creates a link, a shared humanity. "Border Smugglers" is a graphic exhibit that aims to bear witness to an activist memory, the sense of commitment and solidarity toward others, through an homage to the women and men, ordinary citizens, philosophers, journalists, writers, artists, cinema directors who, one day in their life, had the courage, or the recklessness to say no to injustice, to the arbitrary or to oppression and who, through various actions, have given to their contemporaries a dream of liberty, a cause, a horizon for a new life. They are the "Border Smugglers," those who have opened territories of freedom and the possibility of hard-won rights.
From October 21 to 30 at the University of Liège,
entrance hall, place du XX août
and from November 4 to 17, at the City Hall of Liège,
salle des Pas Perdus.
A Bruxelles Laïque asbl organisation | Tel: +32 2 289 69 00 | In collaboration with Unie Vrijzinnige Verenigingen, Théâtre National and KVS | info@festivaldeslibertes.be
