Wave for climate in Brussels

Approximately 15,000 persons joined the European district to participate in a ‘Climate Change Wave’ demonstration aimed at reminding the world of the importance of political success at the forthcoming Copenhagen Conference. Brussels, Belgium. 05/12/2009.

Among the protesters include several TV personalities and scientific worlds. The Climate Coalition unites more than 70 organizations active in Belgium in the areas of environment, North-South relations, organized labor, etc.

Here’s the gallery on my website and on my Demotix page.

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The Nuit Blanche concept

Nuit Blanche (which means “sleepless night” or “white night” in French), is a cultural event that is both artistic and popular. This eighth edition of the event aims at (re)discovering or (re)conquering this urban environment from a new perspective. It is a night to get together, to share unusual (…)

Nuit Blanche throughout the world…

Other cities worldwide are organising their own Nuit Blanche or White Night, and the list keeps getting longer… Istanbul, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, Lisbon, New York, Toronto, Naples, Montreal.

…in Europe

The concept was born in Paris in 2002, with an intention to open up the City to the world of the night, and the idea quickly spread. Today, Rome, Madrid, Riga, Paris, Bucharest and Brussels have set up a Nuit Blanche Europe network. Six capitals work together to promote the influence and development of this initiative via artistic exchanges, and they have defined a joint vision of the event by drafting…

So, everything is said, isn’t it?! If you want to know more about this interesting concept, here is the official belgian website!
Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t so great, it was windy, rainy and chilly… but stop complain; it’s not everyday that one can have an art display for free

Oh, and here are my two –photographic– cents gallery.

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The opening of Brussels Square at the Mont des Arts was scheduled on September 20 at 20:09.
There was a display of music band, contemporary dance, philarmonic orchestra, kind of Ghostubster gang and of course fireworks!
Check out the gallery!

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Another pic in the streets of Brussels, I don’t think this needs a comment… Somehow reminds me Uma Thurman’s joke in Pulp Fiction…

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At the corner of rue Terres Neuves downtown Brussels, near to my dealer’s shop, I mean photographic dealer, Photo Ali.

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Costumed guys on stilts were circling around...

And well, there was a good ambiance at the Mont des Arts, just below the Place Royale, so I mainly stayed there…
I also stayed a while with the skaters, and I was happy to have a strobe and a 20mm 2,8 with me, which permitted to stay close to the action!

Skating party

Here is the Fête de l’Iris gallery and the skaters party gallery.

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Last Sunday (28/03/09), the Socialist party organised a meeting which was followed by an afternoon of concerts and animations just by the Place Flagey in Brussels. I’m really not in politics but I have to say they’re good to organize events! And with luck, the weather was sunny, which helped to gather people…

Elio Di Rupo, the Socialist party president, opened the meeting, and other political celebrities such as Nyrup Rasmussen, Martine Aubry, Jean-Claude Marcourt… (didn’t memorized them all) made short appearences between the performances.

I had the pleasure to see my former capoeira instructor, Bras, who was there with his Bloco Sampoeira, a mix of capoeira and samba music, with all the drums. I also came to know the Don Fiasko, a Balkans electro brass-band… Not sure they came for the Balkans, but their music definitely ! Both made people jump and laugh! I unfortunately couldn’t stay to see Marka and Laurence Bigot’s “Monsieur et Madame” performance… Next time!

So, if you want to see the pictures in larger size, just go on my homepage!

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A demonstration for freedom in Tibet and against Chinese “Serf Emancipation Day” took place this afternoon in front of the Chinese ambassy in Brussels. About 100 Tibetans and Belgians gathered to protest.
Tibetans in exile denounce China’s newly-created public holiday on March 28th nammed “Serf Emancipation Day”, saying the event is aggravating problems in Tibet and it’s “offensive and provocative”.

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Brussels First Balloon Day Parade

Yesterday, on Saturday 28th of February 2009, took place the first Balloon Day Parade in Brussels! According to Wikipedia, the first Balloon Parade took place in New York in 1924, an initiative from Macy’s Department Store employees, who were first generation immigrants. They wanted to celebrate US holiday of Thanksgiving with the kind of festival their parents had in Europe.
Live animals borrowed at Central Park Zoo were replaced with large anima-shaped balloons in 1927’s edition, and this was also the first apparition of Felix the Cat. That’s for history…
Here in Brussels, it was the first edition with about 16 balloons, from crocodile or dinosaur to Spirou, Smurfs or Agent 212, a typical belgian policeman from a comic strip… The parade was also followed by fanfare, as it should be. It went from South train station to North train station, the usual parcours for parades and demonstrations. Unfortunately for us photographers, the sun in front of us, which is never easy to shoot, even with a flash (which I urgently need to master by the way!).
(Click on the image to go to the gallery)

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