BRUXELLES

is a Jamaican-British acclaimed author, climate justice organiser, and speaker, recognised as one of the most influential women in the UK climate movement. Mikaela’s work is deeply rooted in community organising. Her activism includes organising with grassroots climate movements. Mikaela is the best-selling author of It’s Not That Radical: Climate Action To Transform Our World, a compelling call for climate justice published in April 2023.

‘There is no simple way to measure how strong a democracy is, or how weak.’

Democracy is a living, breathing thing and Erica Benner has spent a lifetime thinking about the role ordinary citizens play in keeping it alive. In her book Adventures in Democracy Benner reveals the inescapable vulnerabilities of people power, inviting us to consider why democracy is worth fighting for and the role each of us must play. At Ecopolis, she will give a talk about her book.

To me, you can’t deliver wellbeing unless you take a long-term view, and that has to be about future generations.

In 2016, Wales became the first country in the world to appoint a Future Generations Commissioner – in essence a ‘guardian’ of the interests of future generations – under its Well-being Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. The Act also defines five ‘ways of working’ or principles that public bodies must demonstrate in decision making: thinking for the long-term, prevention; integration; collaboration; and involvement. The inaugural Commissioner, Sophie Howe, who held the role for seven years, reflects on Ecopolis on the challenges and successes of leading transformational change to achieve a whole-of-government focus on wellbeing across policy and practice.

‘Wat mij interesseert is solidariteit met iemand die niet op jou lijkt, die niet hetzelfde belang heeft en die zich geen zorgen maakt om jouw belang. Dat vind ik, in een samenleving als de onze, een betere optie.’

In his latest book Verzet, Chris Keulemans writes about the strivers, thinkers, victims and leaders he meets. Everywhere he sees people in resistance. Injustice attacks them from all sides. Of a better future they dare not even dream. But they rise up. First themselves. Then all together. Grim, reckless protest. Doomed to fail. Impossible to resist.

Chris Keulemans (Tunis, 1960), travelling writer, journalist, moderator, teacher and experienced debate chairman. Keulemans grew up in Baghdad, Iraq, among other places. He has published several books, fiction and non-fiction, and has published numerous articles on art, engagement, migration, music, cinema and war.

‘The word that […] is most interesting is disobedience. Because actually, all these rights, even the simplest one as wearing trousers when you identify as a women, were not given by benevolent authorities because we asked them nicely. They were actually hard won by struggle and disobedience.’

Isabelle Fremeaux is a popular educator and action researcher. She was formerly Senior Lecturer in Media and Cultural Studies at Birkbeck College London. Along with Jay Jordan, she is a coordinator of The Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination.

‘L’alimentation est pourtant un outil de transformation sociale puissant, essentiel à la lutte des classes qui est aussi une lutte des casseroles.’

Nora Bouazzouni est une journaliste indépendante, écrivaine et traductrice, qui vit à Paris. Elle travaille principalement sur l’alimentation, le genre et les séries, à travers des articles, vidéos et podcasts. Elle a publié trois essais, « Mangez les riches – La lutte des classes passe par l’assiette » (2023), « Steaksisme – En finir avec le mythe de la végé et du viandard » (2021) et « Faiminisme – Quand le sexisme passe à table » (2017) aux éditions Nouriturfu.