Goossens and Zibouh were previously appointed by the Brussels government to prepare Brussels 2030 – the Brussels candidacy for European Capital of Culture. They want to nominate Molenbeek. “The Brussels region is not allowed to formally nominate itself, a municipality must submit the file,” says Goossens to Knack. “But Brussels-city was already a cultural capital in 2000. There is also a tendency not to choose capitals anymore. We believe that there are very good positive reasons to choose Molenbeek, in collaboration of course with the entire Brussels Region.”
They refer to the social mobility and vibrant cultural life in Molenbeek. “You can consider it as an urban laboratory for the whole of Europe, centrally located, in the middle of Brussels, but on the other side of the canal. From Molenbeek we want to collaborate with the other Brussels municipalities and build bridges across the canal – for For many Brussels residents, this is not only a physical but also a mental boundary in the city.”
Zibouh points out that when the concept of Capitals of Culture was created in 1985, it was expressly intended to highlight diversity and urban transformation processes. “In that sense, Molenbeek is a logical and ideal candidate”.