This month, we’re taking you to the Zinneke Parade of Dreams. Because Dromen is nécessaire ! Dreams are so important in these turbulent, ever-changing, and threatening times. The "Joyeuse Entrée" on 28 May, followed by the parade on 30 May through the streets of central Brussels, starting and finishing at the Bourse, were beautiful and festive. Under a friendly sun, the zinnodes were as lively and colourful as ever, more musical than ever, often political, and friendly too.
We couldn’t help but come across the one in our neighbourhood, the Zinnode Nord, shaped like a basket of grotesque and surreal fruits. So, naturally, we interviewed their ‘head grape’. We bumped into Oumaima, whom you hear regularly on this station, volunteering at the event. An event where brass bands blared and joyful sounds mingled with a Zinnode made by undocumented migrants displaying, in angry letters, the slogan for this parade themed around dreams: “Your borders are our nightmares”.
It’s fair to say this was a successful parade, thanks to the enthusiasm of everyone involved: the Zinneke teams, the artists, the volunteers in their many and varied roles, the committed activists, and the public—whether they were there for the day or have been part of it from the very beginning. Once again, this Zinneke Parade has shown that it is much more than just a festival; it is also a promise of a different future and a necessary reminder that standing together for the dream of a fairer life is both celebratory and hopeful. Zinneke once, Zinneke always.
