Since the Covid-19 outbreak in Belgium, several anti-racist and decolonial movements were born or gaining traction. These movements were experiencing a momentum: an increased mobilisation and collective awareness thanks to uprisings driven in part by the interconnectivity of social networks and hashtags – one of their most efficient tools. The movements were reaching the global stage as well as in the local context of Belgium and Brussels: from #BlackLivesMatter to #FreePalestine, and #HijabisFightBack to #StopAsianHate.

Now, as the outside world strives to regain some kind of (new) normalcy, Beyond The Momentum aims to continue the conversations and actions of these social justice movements through a series of talks and gatherings; to learn from their past and reflect on their future, beyond the momentum.

We’ll explore how the #StopAsianHate movement came about, and how it received (too) little attention in Brussels and Belgium. Together with artists and socio-cultural workers, we reflect on what the movement has meant and can mean, particularly in the cultural sector.

Moderator: Mélanie Cao
https://www.instagram.com/mela_cao/ 
https://www.labatarde.be/author/melanie/

Panelists:
Cathy Min Jung - https://www.instagram.com/cmjk2000/
Hoàng Anh Duchatelet - https://www.instagram.com/saturneah/
Hyun Lories - https://www.instagram.com/hyunesco/

18:30 doors
19:00 talk

WHO?

Trained in film studies and gender studies, Mélanie Cao writes articles and produces podcasts related to feminist and anti-racist issues. After working for several years with D'Une Certaine Gaieté (wild investigations & counter-cultures), she co-founded the feminist writing collective La Bâtarde. In 2020, she completed a research project on Asian-American feminist activism during Covid-19 and participated in the creation of the collective Féministes Asiodescendantes de Belgique. The following year, she produced a sound map on Asian feminism in Belgium. She is also a member of the support committee of the 3rd edition of the Journées du Matrimoine in Brussels.

Cathy Min Jung was born in Seoul and grew up in Belgium, in the Walloon countryside. After her training at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, she performed on many Belgian stages before working more regularly in Paris and London. Her first return to South Korea, her native land, marked a turning point in her career. On her return, she finally settled in Brussels, where she currently resides. She then embarked on another journey, that of writing. First a documentary, which she directed, and then a first play: "Les Bonnes Intentions", which directly won awards from the critics for its text and scenography. At the same time, she was setting up her company, Billie On Stage, and continued to defend a committed artistic approach. Throughout encounters and projects, she is in turn author, actress or director, sometimes all three. Since September 2021, she has been at the helm of Le Rideau de Bruxelles, where she has been entrusted with the general and artistic direction. 

Hoàng Anh Duchatelet (they/he/she) is a photographer/visual artist born and based in Brussels, BE. Growing up constantly going back and forth between Vietnam and Belgium, Hoàng Anh Duchatelet centers their practice around the exploration of the idea of a multidimensional "Home" and its links to notions of community, identity, family, time/space and other discoveries made during an artistic process. She likes the feeling of being complete while working with topics affecting her. They currently study at ERG (École de Recherche Graphique), in Brussels. 

Hyun Lories is a Brussels-based, emerging filmmaker with South Korean roots. He completed his Master’s degree at the Royal Institute for Theatre, Cinema and Sound (RITCS). His work is often inspired by the city and by his job as a youth worker. Although he started film school to become a documentary filmmaker, he ended up writing and directing fiction films. He graduated with the short film ‘Versailles’, which premiered at the 2020 International Film Festival Gent and received different awards. Besides short films, his portfolio includes music videos and brand films.