In his book Climate Propagandas: Stories of Extinction and Regeneration (The MIT Press, 2024), Jonas Staal examines various propaganda narratives about the climate crisis — from liberal stories that emphasise individual choices, to libertarian visions that see the situation as an opportunity for tech companies, from conspiracy theories that deny climate change, to eco-fascist tendencies that focus on who has the “right” to survive.  

At the same time, he ardently advocates for what he calls “transformative climate propaganda”: stories and images that do not predict death, but propose recovery, regeneration and collective life — with an intersectional perspective that takes colonialism, inequality and other powers into account.  

In this 3.5-hour workshop, Staal and the participants will first take a closer look at the different forms of propaganda. What exactly is propaganda, and how does it work, followed by a number of physical group exercises to understand the idea of propaganda and propagation in a sensory way. Participants then work in groups to practice and test emancipatory propaganda themselves. 

This workshop is intended for anyone who wants to build on a practice within the arts, civil society, associations, people connected to local climate resistance groups, etc. You bring the content/cause you want to promote.  

We expect you to participate in the entire training; you will get the most out of it if you also contribute. 

Since releasing her second novel in 2018, Kes Otter Lieffe has been holding spaces for marginalised writers to come together, to share challenges and solutions, and to deepen their craft. Are you a queer person looking to work on writing marginalised characters, land and setting the scene, writing utopias and world-building? Then click here and inscribe at a price – starting at 0 – you choose.

How can we continue to imagine a just world in times of war, ecological disruption, and growing inequality? In this panel discussion, we bring together four inspiring thinkers who each, in their own way, work toward a just and hopeful future. Together, they explore what ecological justice means in practice — and how active hope can serve as a force for resistance, imagination, and renewal.

Joyeeta Gupta, Jens Meijen, Jonas Staal and Kes Otter Lieffe reflect on how to keep hope alive in times of crisis — not as an escape, but as an active choice to keep building a just world.

Contribute your ideas for a Constitution for the Future 

The Global Constitution Workshop with Dr. Gupta offers you a unique opportunity to reflect together on the rights and responsibilities of people and the planet in the 21st century.  

In small groups, we will explore ideas, listen to minority groups’ perspectives and work together to build a global constitution that focuses on social justice, ecological sustainability and global solidarity. 

Jonas Staal’s early work focused heavily on the analysis and design of political imagination, power structures, and the question of how art can construct a new public sphere. A project such as New World Summit (2012–present)—a series of ‘parliaments’ for politically persecuted groups—explored how we can form alternative communities against the surveillance, repression, and state terror of the War on Terror.  

Steve Bannon: A Propaganda Retrospective (Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam, 2018) was an exhibition in which he analyzed the films, media productions, and performativity of the campaigns of the American alt-right strategist, in order to reveal how Bannon uses images and narratives to propagate and normalize nationalist and authoritarian politics.  

 As early as 2013, Staal worked with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines on a tribunal that focused on the “unnatural” Hurricane Haiyan, which had disastrous consequences for poor and working people and their ecosystems in the Philippines. Since 2021, he has been organizing the Court for Intergenerational Climate Crimes, or “CICC,” with lawyer Radha D’Souza, through which they prosecute states and corporations for climate crimes committed in the past, in the present, and against the possibility of a collective future. 

In this conversation, curator Laura Herman invites the artist to present and discuss some of these recent projects in detail. How important are form and design? Why resort to performative versions of hearings, parliaments, and tribunals? How do such works relate to existing political institutions, and can they also have an impact outside the art world? What role does imagination play in the struggle for climate justice, and how does Staal balance the abstract nature of global catastrophe with the concretization of responsibility? And finally: who, in his view, belongs to the “collective body” that his work focuses on, and how does he see the future of art that so explicitly engages with the political arena? 

For marginalised communities, creating collective forms of “home” has long been a way to survive in a hostile world. In times of crisis, and with future crises looming, these practices of resistance, care, collective grief and kinship feel more vital than ever. What might we all learn from queer resistance?

In her novel Home is a Verb, set against the backdrop of a profound future crisis, Kes Otter Lieffe explores these questions with tenderness and urgency. Her work reminds us that home is not only about chosen family among humans, but also about kinship with more-than-human worlds. In this interview with the author, we draw on readings from the book and journey through themes of Threat, Fight, Flight— from survival and the immediacy of danger, through organising and collective resistance, towards transformation and the possibility of new ways of being. 

AI seems to be moving too fast for society to keep up with it. Its impact on schools, jobs, the information ecosystem, and even our social lives is undeniable. Almost everyone has a reason to be concerned about AI, from parents, teachers and students to medical professionals, artists and civil servants. 

Are we becoming too dependent on these systems? Why is that a bad thing? The use of any technology is also a political issue: whose interests are served by the uncritical adoption of these technologies in society? And how can we resist this?  

Do you have doubts, concerns or questions about AI? Join Jens Meijen for an interactive fishbowl discussion where you can share your experiences and make your voice heard. 

Who really holds the power in Europe? This walk exposes the role that corporate lobby groups play in EU decision-making, now more than ever. Who are they, how do they get what they want, and how do they wield enormous influence over you and othenullrs in Europe — from the food on your plate to the rules for bankers and the chemicals allowed in everyday products.

A walk organised and guided by Hans van Scharen of Corporate Europe Observatory.

Sonoreille joins the artists of Forsiti’A in exploring the sound waves of the city, where every sound tells a story. The artists, who live in the streets of Brussels, capture hidden sounds and, after interpreting them in their own way, bring them to life. Through various workshops, they learn – together with creators Max-Lena Vanden Eynde and Aisha Adepoju – the basics of translating their stories into an audio walk. Let yourself be carried away in this world full of sound, and see the city through the eyes of those who know it like no other. 

Forsiti’A initiates and supervises social-artistic projects with vulnerable Brussels residents. The initiative is a collaboration between De Markten, Link=Brussel and HOBO, and aims to create a participatory and community-building effect that showcases the beauty of Brussels. The artists are supported in developing their artistic talents through an annual production and explore the artistic field through cultural excursions. Whereas in recent years the focus has been on theatre productions, Forsiti’A now also introduces the artists to a wide range of different artistic disciplines. 

What does a socially correct climate policy mean? How do we determine the limits within which our planet remains livable and everyone on Earth can pursue a good life? In this conversation, Joyeeta Gupta, renowned climate scientist, and David Van Reybrouck, writer with a sharp eye for democracy and decolonization, engage in dialogue.  

Together, they explore what a practical climate justice means and how we can build a world in which we respect the limits of the earth while strengthen social equality. An inspiring encounter between science and literature, analysis and imagination.  

For decades, biologist and television producer David Attenborough gave nature a voice that touched millions of people. But that voice is not neutral. Which stories shape our view of the climate crisis? In Climate Propagandas. Video Study (2020), artist Jonas Staal shows how film not only depicts the climate crisis, but is itself a battleground of ideology and power: from campaigns that hold individuals responsible to conspiracy theories and eco-fascist fantasies. Even the familiar voice of nature documentaries turns out to be part of this propaganda landscape. 

At the same time, images that are not intended as propaganda also influence how we view climate and ecology. Two young filmmakers show how local, personal and imaginative perspectives can deepen our understanding of ecology. In underneath it flickers (2024, 19′), Brussels-based lau persijn turns their camera on the Josaphat site, a piece of wasteland that has become a refuge for flora and fauna. In the animated film Beef for Climate (2024, 3’55), Mona D’hertefelt interweaves humour and seriousness in a playful reflection on guilt, responsibility and collective action. 

The screenings will be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers and the audience. About the power of images, about ecology and justice, and about the question: what visual language can make the urgency of the climate crisis tangible today? 

Programme:

15:30 Short films 

• Climate Propagandas, Video Study – Jonas Staal, 2020, 16’03  

• underneath it flickers – lau persijn, 2024, 19’  

• Beef for Climate – Mona D’hertefelt, 2024, 3’55 

16:15-17:00 Discussion 

Sometimes reading and discussing a text can feel daunting so for this collective reading moment you don’t have to come prepared. We’ll come together around a long table with printed excerpts from selected texts spread out across its surface. You’ll pick a place to sit, read, and write. All that’s needed is a bit of willingness to dive into a text and to collectively explore thoughts around this topic. Prior knowledge of the subject isn’t needed. This moment is meant for us to try to understand the texts together and create questions and thoughts around queer and feminist ecologies. This reading moment is meant to be accessible and accommodating and the discussions will be in Dutch, English and French. All we need is your enthusiasm. 

Moderated by Deno Vogelaers (they/he), a facilitator and community organizer. His main interests involve queer/trans rights, political drag and climate justice. They’re a member of the collectives Critical Queer Solidarity and Creature Kin. Deno holds a Master’s in Gender Studies, where he graduated with a thesis on monstrosity as metaphor for trans rage. 

Since the publication of Amitav Ghosh’s The Great Derangement (2016), the climate crisis has become an undeniable theme in literature. Writers and poets are increasingly turning to poetry, prose, graphic novels and spoken word to make the urgency of climate change tangible. But how effective is fiction in this context? Can imagination really contribute to awareness and behavioural change, or does its impact remain mainly symbolic?  

In this panel discussion, we bring together three voices that each explore the intersections between literature, science and ecology in their own way. Gry Ulstein investigates how “the weird” and ecocriticism are shifting our view of climate and the environment. Jens Meijen, poet and novelist, writes about technology, nature and the future of humanity. Emma Zuiderveen combines her work as an environmental scientist with writing, connecting hard data with literary imagination in her poetry.  

Together with moderator Fiep van Bodegom, they will discuss how literature – in its many forms – can contribute to our understanding of the climate crisis, and what role art and fiction can play in evoking new ways of thinking and acting. 

Who really holds the power in Europe? This walk exposes the role that corporate lobby groups play in EU decision-making, now more than ever. Who are they, how do they get what they want, and how do they wield enormous influence over you and othenullrs in Europe — from the food on your plate to the rules for bankers and the chemicals allowed in everyday products.

A walk organised and guided by Hans van Scharen of Corporate Europe Observatory.

Join us for a reflective and often playful climate story from Cass Hebron as we bring the festival to a close. With a drink in hand, enjoy Cass’s storytelling drawn from her experiences as an activist navigating burnout, showing how creativity and comedy can transform the way we communicate climate science.