The Humanities Festival takes off in Uccle
The cycle of life starts. On April 28th, The Humanities Festival will debut in what will hopefully be the first of its many editions.
A project long in the works, it will take place online between p1 and p7 on Wednesday, with presentations of projects all inspired by the same theme, “Cycle of Life”. Although its form has changed since its conception due to the realities of the pandemic, the event still aims to spark interest in the arts and humanities, two much needed but often domains especially during these bleak times.
When the world seemed to come to a screeching halt in the first months of 2020, it became clear that to many, art offered an escape from the confusing and often harsh reality. From balcony concerts to language teachers obsessively recommending “The Plague” by Albert Camus, works old and new attempted to fill the void and break through the monotony of lockdown.
Even before the Covid-19 pandemic flipped our world upside down in March last year, students felt the need to bring humanities into the spotlight. The concept of an event started to develop, aiming to not only showcase skills and performance, as might have already been the case with the Talent Show, but to also bring more attention to the creative process itself and offer students more possibilities to express themselves. Despite the chaos and confusion of 2020, the concept managed to evolve into The Humanities Festival, a one-day event focusing on a set theme and allowing participants to present their projects to an online audience.
The Humanities Festival takes shape as an opportunity both younger and older students have been waiting for. Scheduled for April 28th , it will be the first of its kind here in Uccle, having gathered 17 submissions from all Secondary School levels and spanning multiple categories, from sculpture, through film and poetry to philosophy. The event continues to attract attention among the potential audience who will see participants present their projects either live or in pre-recorded videos. This year’s theme “The Cycle of Life”, opens up numerous possibilities for poems, songs, short films or even philosophical presentations. Each submission approaches the topic from a different angle, guaranteeing a variety of interesting interpretations.
Starting as a vague idea on the eve of a global pandemic, The Humanities Festival endured, adapting to the new reality. After careful preparations, the organisers aim to offer both the participants and the audience a chance to look at life from a different angle and begin again.
Stanislaw Domanski (S7PL) / EEB1 Uccle
