Bibliosphères is an initiative that combines a multilingual intercultural library with participatory activities to promote dialogue between cultures. This program is designed to enhance the linguistic and cultural skills of migrants while strengthening their social inclusion. By emphasizing diversity and interculturalism, Bibliosphères goes beyond traditional socio-economic issues to promote a broader vision of inclusion.
The library section offers a varied collection of books in several languages, selected with the help of the beneficiaries. This multilingual collection includes novels, essays, children’s books, and books on topics such as gender, migration, and diversity. The lending system, accessible to all, allows participants to borrow books in French or in their native languages, thereby strengthening the link between their native culture and their host society.
At the same time, Bibliosphères regularly organizes intercultural activities open to all: art workshops, participatory cooking, poetry readings, and parent-child activities. These festive and educational events highlight the participants’ cultures of origin and help forge strong social bonds. These exchanges also offer an opportunity to discover other languages and traditions, while promoting greater mutual understanding.
With Bibliosphères, Le Monde des Possibles is committed to transforming perceptions of inclusion by promoting languages and cultures as assets that enrich society.
The objectives of Bibliosphères are structured around two main areas:
- Establishment of the intercultural library:
- Develop a multilingual collection tailored to users needs, in collaboration with beneficiaries.
- Highlight works dealing with the themes of diversity, migration, and gender.
- Promote access to reading for all, particularly through a free lending system.
- Organization of participatory activities:
- Offer workshops that promote participants cultures and languages of origin.
- Create opportunities for intercultural exchange through cooking, storytelling, or creative activities.
- Strengthen social ties by providing an inclusive and supportive environment for participants from all backgrounds.
By combining access to reading and intercultural activities, Bibliosphères aims to promote a more inclusive society, where languages and cultures are seen as sources of richness and dialogue.
SOME ACTIVITIES IN 2022
- 3 ateliers artistiques as part of the Caravane des dix mots.
Using a few words related to surprise, participants were invited to share a memory or anecdote that had surprised them and to present it in the form of a box containing the situation to be represented. Intercultural workshops in which people from various Le Monde des Possibles (MDP) groups, as well as a Belgian person from outside the non-profit organization, met, exchanged ideas, shared elements of their native languages, and expressed themselves through artistic means.
- Animation “L’amour au fil des cultures” : Activity led in various groups at Le Monde des Possibles questioning representations of love for one another. At the end of the activity, collective poems were created and compiled in an exhibition displayed in the corridors of Le Monde des Possibles.
The activity sheet for this sequence is disponible ici
- One soirée apéro-poème « L’amour au fil des cultures »
On the same theme of love, a public event was organized: participants shared a text, song, or poem about love in their native language.
- Participation in the Langue Française en Fête organized by the City of Liège.
Exhibition of surprise boxes created with artist Emilia Bellon and screening of a film presenting the process and testimonials from participants.
- Watching the theater performance Kosmos and intercultural debate co-managed with the events department of the Théâtre de Liège.
What lies behind mythology? What philosophy, what way of interpreting reality? What influences shape the history we know? Why are some better known than others? What causes one ideology, theory, or philosophy to be passed on while another is lost?
- Participation in a focus group on the role of art and culture in the integration of migrants, in collaboration with Diesis network.
As part of the project InCreateThe focus group was organized into three main parts: presentation of the discussion group’s objectives, notes on the use of information provided during the focus group, and a roundtable presentation by participants; discussion on the role of art in integration in Belgium; conclusions, presentation of the survey, and next steps. The discussion focused on the following aspects: the difficulties associated with integration in Belgium; the obstacles faced by TCN in accessing and expressing artistic and cultural activities; the presence of artistic and cultural activities in the training courses offered to them or that they have taken; and the needs they lack in order to access and express culture more fully.
- One atelier multilingue to discover Farsi, Russian, Bambara, Tigrinya, and Spanish.
A public evening event where stands and activities invited attendees to discover words, proverbs, recipes, objects, etc. Interpreters in training at Univerbal presented some of the work they had done.
- Painting workshop for children.
Workshop on self-expression using the palette table painting tool, focusing on the theme of trees.
Event including a presentation, photos, a writing workshop, an introduction to the Bangla language, discovering people who symbolize Bangladesh, etc., proposed and organized by a beneficiary of Le Monde des Possibles, on May 6, 2022.
A Bengali participant invited the audience to discover her country through its history, geography, demographics, economy, art, dance, cuisine, and language. It was a culturally rich moment of conviviality and intercultural dialogue aimed at bringing people closer to Bengali culture.
- One atelier danse of monde.
Sharing and learning dances from Africa (RDC, Burkina Faso), Romania, Italy, and Bangladesh. Dances performed again at the public event celebrating the 20th anniversary of Le Monde des Possibles (MDP).
- Three “français à travers les livres” workshops for children during the summer of 2022.
Animations based on three books from the repertoire Bibliosphères (Michaël Escoffier, Kris Di Giacomo, Sans le A, Kaléidoscope, 2012 ; Bernadette Gervais, En 4 temps, Trapèze, 2020 ; Zoom, Un Livre, ABC nature, …). Animated reading of books and fun, creative activities (painting, crafts, cooking) inspired by the story discovered together.
SOME ACTIVITIES IN 2023
Tales and nursery rhymes from around the world, parent-child workshop, March 11 and 18, 2023, in collaboration with artist Jackson Muhindo. Sharing nursery rhymes and lullabies from around the world.
Participatory cooking workshop, April 21, 2023. As part of the Nourrir Liège Festival, organization of a participatory workshop with sharing of Salvadoran, Palestinian, Tunisian, Italian, Georgian, Vietnamese, and Pakistani recipes.
Chess tournament on June 10 and 17, 2023, with a magnificent intercultural Brazilian-Tunisian-Georgian meal to celebrate the end of the tournament.
Exhibition “Quand les frontières deviennent des ponts” June 23, 2023, as part of Refugee Day. Results of activities in collaboration with PAC Liège.
International board game night, October 6, 2023. A fun evening where various board games were presented, tested, and learned by the audience (chess, backgammon, rummy, awale, pick-up sticks, dominoes, etc.). A Congolese-Brazilian meal provided the backdrop for a successful evening where around thirty people were able to get to know each other and chat.
SOME ACTIVITIES IN 2024
Fragments, April 10 and 12, 2024: as part of the festival Rêve Général, creation and facilitation of the exhibition “ Fragments d’une humanité en mouvement”: migration journeys that differ from one another, with as many reasons for leaving one’s country, a journey that is often difficult, and an aftermath in the host country where life continues, changes, surprises…
A guided tour through the three major moments of before, during, and after, based on the testimonies of exiled people. Texts, drawings, videos, paintings, recordings, and various creative works fuel the exhibition: visitors are invited to follow a sensory journey to immerse themselves in the stories expressed through artistic means.
La plume au bout de la langue (The pen at the tip of the tongue), June 20, 2024: series of writing workshops, creation of a booklet with participants’ texts, staging with recitation of several texts on Refugee Day, celebrated on June 20, 2024, at Le Monde des Possibles (MDP).
Book “Dis moi dix mots” – The pen at the tip of the tongue (PDF)
Les Rencontres Interculturelles Liégeoises, August 24, 2024: reading of texts (poetry and prose) in the participants’ native languages as part of the event Les Rencontres Interculturelles Liégeoises organized by the CRIPEL.
Pars…Cours ! EVENRAST , Activity with children from an after-school program, on October 9, 2024, as part of an art project with the Fantastic Collectif, the Maison de la Création, and Artista.
Diversity and talents of exiled people, October 11, 2024. Evening with songs, parades, and banquets from around the world as part of the Nuit blanche contre listes noires.
Event communication materials Bibliosphères
Given the intrinsic diversity of our audience, we do not believe that a standard activity can easily be replicated like a recipe. The activity sheets that will be made available will always serve as templates to be adapted to the group for which the activity is intended. To this end, the sheets will include notes to assist in adapting the activity.
Above all, we want to highlight an approach with courses of action and points to watch out for. Here are a few elements that can be formalized and used as a basis for activities.
Actions to take:
- Building on participants knowledge: in the spirit of cultural democracy, Bibliosphères promotes the expression of minority cultures and subcultures present at Le Monde des Possibles. The aim is to consider the cultural capital of the participants, all their knowledge and expertise, and to recognize it as being of equal importance to the cultural capital of the host country (or even Francophone and European culture).
- Contextualizing cultural contributions: What type of resource is it? What meanings does it convey? Who contributes to it? Where and when did it develop or has it developed? How might it have evolved? If so, what is the relationship between people? with this one?
- Questioning individual and collective representations: an initial reflection on what culture means to participants allows for the launch of a collective process of reflection, encouraging people to step back and take a broader view of their cultural codes, and to explain to others the elements of their cultural heritage that they consider important.
- Develop a reflection on the role of culture and art in the lives of participants: it is interesting to explore the question of the place of culture in the lives of participants and recognize that it can take different forms. Not to mention the cultures that are formed through participation in a collective, co-constructed action, a new result of a previously non-existent dynamic.
- Promoting the resources brought by participants: once cultural resources that are significant to participants in relation to their culture of origin or reference have been identified, it is essential to work together to find ways to make them known and experienced. While it is important for individuals to be able to express themselves within the group, it is also valuable for them to be able to share their cultural background with a mixed audience (other groups from Le Monde des Possibles as well as people outside the non-profit organization).
- Collectively decide how to organize the meeting around the identified resources: This is a genuine intercultural encounter in which the identities present open up to each other. In our experience, this encounter can take place in many different ways: shared readings, a party, a more formal presentation, a participatory workshop, an exhibition, etc. It is up to the person organizing the encounter to choose the format that suits them best.
Points to watch out for:
- An atmosphere of listening and trust: It is essential to establish a framework with the group you are working with so that people understand the importance of non-judgment. It is advisable to consult cultural resources for a better understanding of the context and its origins. If listening breaks down, exchanges may not be authentic, and a lack of trust will lead to a loss of spontaneity in exchanges between participants.
- Promoting equal opportunities for self-expression: Speaking time should be divided equally among the group to convey a sense of democracy that can inspire the group’s functioning. Personal expression can be manifested through channels other than just spoken language, which is why a variety of artistic activities are recommended and promoted.
- Offering support in working on resources: the trainer demonstrates responsiveness in carrying out participants micro-projects by acting as a point of contact for a range of aspects to be taken into consideration (searching for content, partners, logistics). Being a point of contact means providing support while allowing the group to take responsibility for dividing up tasks.
- Trust the group in preparing for the meeting and evaluating the process.The process of preparing for the meeting can vary greatly from one group to another, as there are many variables (number of participants, level of interpersonal knowledge, experiences, knowledge and skills, mental and time availability, etc.). It is important to return to the group regularly so that it can self-evaluate not only at the end of the meeting but also throughout the preparation process. We find that qualitative forms of evaluation are relevant to Bibliosphères objective of developing intercultural dialogue.
