Molenbeek for Brussels 2030
Building on generosity in Europe
Join us in shaping our shared future
Molenbeek for Brussels 2030 is much more than a cultural programme. It is an adventure, a collective journey to strengthen connection, creativity, and care in Molenbeek – and to share that contagious energy across the European continent.
We are people from all backgrounds: neighbours, artists, families, teachers, shopkeepers, and students. We speak many languages. We come from many places. And yet, we share this place, this city, and now, this project.
Together, we are shaping Molenbeek’s bid to become the European Capital of Culture in 2030. But this is not about a title – it’s about what we can build together, right here, right now.
We are Molenbeek. We are the European Future.
Molenbeek has been much discussed, all over the world. But the people who live here are often overlooked or not part of the picture that has been drawn. MB2030 invites everyone, whether you’ve been here for generations or arrived just last year, to be part of telling a new and honest story. A story shaped by everyday life, full of challenges and change, but also full of creativity, solidarity, and possibility.
Instead of focusing on what divides us, we’re focusing on what we can do together. Our goal is to create a city – and contribute to a new European identity – where everyone feels welcome, supported, and heard.
What guides us: the power of ‘Sadaka’
One word helps guide all our work: Sadaka. It means generosity without expecting anything in return. It exists in many languages (Arabic, Swahili, Hebrew, Urdu,…), in many cultures, and in many hearts.
Sadaka is not a slogan. It’s a way of acting—with kindness, with respect, with the belief that we’re stronger when we support one another. It shows up when neighbours help each other through hard times. It shows up when artists share their work in a local square. It shows up when we make room for someone whose voice is often left out.
What we are working on
We’re creating projects that connect people through culture, care, and practical action. These are just some of the ideas already underway:
- Bringing nature back into our city by uncovering old waterways and turning forgotten spaces into green areas where people and animals can thrive together.
- Opening up public spaces so that everyone feels safe to gather, create, and be themselves—whether through neighbourhood parades, street performances, or shared meals.
- Supporting young people to lead and shape the future of their city through creativity, collaboration, and learning-by-doing.
- Making art and culture part of everyday life—not hidden in exclusive venues, but alive in markets, schools, living rooms, neighbourhoods, squares and street corners.
Everything we do is built together: with local groups, residents, artists, schools, care workers, organisations, … all of them being Europeans that live and work in Molenbeek and the wider Brussels Region. Everyone brings something to the table. Every voice/input is welcome and counts.
An open invitation to all Europeans
Molenbeek is not alone. Across Brussels and across Europe, many places share similar questions: How do we live together with our differences? How do we make space for everyone? How do we build cities that care, not just grow?
MB2030 is working with communities like Quartiers Nord in Marseille, Praga-Północ in Warsaw, Cova da Moura in Lisbon, Tottenham in London, Neukölln in Berlin, Rotterdam-Zuid, or Rosengård in Malmö, to share tools, stories, and ideas. Together, we are learning how cultural work can support a fairer, more open future for all Europeans.
How You Can Take Part
This project only works if it’s shaped by many voices. Whether you’re 8 or 80, whether you work in the arts or not at all, whether you live in Molenbeek or across our continent – there’s a way to take part.
Would you like to share your story? Join a workshop? Help spreading the word or guide visitors through our city? Or simply listen, learn, and be present?
MB2030 is for you. With you. By you. Because of you.
Help us make Molenbeek 2030 shine !
Stay tuned ↯
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