A park, a museum, neighbours, a neighbourhood… this is the recipe for the intergenerational festival “Raconte-moi tes histoires” which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. A festival that has not aged a bit thanks to the dynamism and creativity of the Children’s Museum team, which is determined to reinvent itself following the covid crisis.

Every year, the Children’s Museum hosts a fair based on tales and stories, encouraging exchanges and meetings between generations. Carole Lepers, the project’s driving force, explains: “The festival is held in the museum and in the Jadot Park with faithful partners: the public libraries, the ludotheque, Le Maître mot, tLabolobo, Samedis du Ciné and Make a Wish. We also collaborate with two local seniors’ homes: the residence Les Heures Douces and the Audrey Hepburn day centre.

During the Covid crisis, the museum team reflected on the values of the day and refocused on the link between young and old. The 2022 edition highlights games, songs and graffiti through five intergenerational video clips. “We interviewed residents of retirement homes and children from the neighbourhood. Some of them told us about songs from their childhood in Portuguese, Italian or Polish. The youngest shared their favourite songs, such as Orelsan or Grand corps malade. While some evoked the Carnation Revolt, others showed their interest in the feminist tags that appeared in the neighbourhood. It’s a good opportunity to create a bond. Xavier, a local resident, offered to help make the videos. A real social cohesion project…

On Sunday 24 April, the public will discover the results of these encounters and extend the experience through writing and graffiti workshops or by discovering old games. Musicians, jugglers, acrobats and food trucks will make this festival an unforgettable moment. There are even rumours that Christian Merveille will read extracts from his latest book.

Carole concludes: “The last two years have not been easy for the museum, but they have allowed us to refocus on the values of this day: enriching each other with our experience, our dreams and our… stories.”

Raconte-moi tes histoires

Sunday 24 April 2022

Children’s museum & Parc Jadot

Rue du Bourgmestre 15

1050 Ixelles