Music and aperitifs between neighbours, on every floor

Province | Third Belgian edition of the "Immeubles en fête" operation Music and aperitifs between neighbours, on every floor JOËL MATRICHE Skip the cinema, put your book down on the bedside table, for once neglect the one-to-one with the television and try something exceptional: offer your neighbours a drink. The "Immeubles en fête" operation, whose third edition will take place on Tuesday 31 May, offers nothing other than this thumbing of the nose at the anonymity of large urban centres. One evening a year, neighbours are invited to talk to each other, to share a barbecue and a glass of red and, why not, to part on a "see you again". The idea, born some fifteen years ago in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, is very simple: you may live in the same building, hold the same stair rail and wear out your soles on the same landing, yet you see each other without looking at each other, you say hello, but you don't talk. Generously funded by the public authorities, "Immeubles en fête" therefore aims to break this isolation. The involvement of new partners, the TV and radio spots, the hundreds of thousands of leaflets left in bookshops point to a great success, enthuses Carl De Moncharline, founder of the Belgian edition. Bernard Ribourdouille, director of the Résidence du Béguinage in Xhendremael (Ans), needs no convincing: he will take part on 31 May, inviting the care home's neighbours to join the 70 residents in the institution's garden. We were invited to take part by the minister for Social Action, Christiane Vienne. A barbecue will be organised in the late afternoon. In Verviers, the events department and the neighbourhood boards will play matchmakers. Several districts (Hodimont, Les Linaigrettes, rue Lucien Defays, place de l'Abattoir…) have already expressed interest. Anyone wishing to invite their neighbours around the same table is welcome, we lend them all the necessary equipment, explains Sophie Denis of the events department. We also have requests from private individuals wishing to organise an aperitif or a barbecue. In Droixhe, the neighbourhood council will set the tempo for the third consecutive year: Leaflets and posters are available to those who want to invite their neighbours for an aperitif in the hall, in a courtyard or in a garden, says Patrice Lempereur. In Seraing, the information was relayed directly by the municipal administration, which last year even opened the festivities by inviting its own neighbours to gather on the square. This time, the public social welfare centre and four neighbourhood committees have already promised to take part: at the Cinq Ccolines, at La Bergerie, around the bois de l'Abbaye and at the Biez du Moulin. But, more and more often, everything is organised and staged by private individuals. Like Ahmed Rassili who, in Loncin, obtained from the police that rue Defize be closed to all traffic on 26 June: Neighbours but also their families and friends are invited to gather around one table, he says. Everything worked well last year, people were happy to talk to each other. This year we hope for around a hundred participants. And still other gatherings, notably rue Thier de la Fontaine in Liège (this Sunday 29 May), in Cheratte, in Dison, in Dolhain. • Further information at www.immeublesenfete.be. KEY DATES 1999. In France, Atanase Périfan and the "Paris d'amis" association launch the Immeubles en fête operation. Their slogan: "No quarter for indifference!" And their aim: to strengthen local ties, develop a sense of belonging to the same neighbourhood, create solidarity between neighbours, mobilise against isolation and exclusion… 2003. The first edition of Immeubles en fête is launched in the Brussels Region, as part of the European Neighbours' Day. Success is immediate, with more than 10,000 people in Brussels taking part. 2004. Thanks to the support of numerous sponsors, the second edition extends nationwide, mobilising more than 3 million people in Belgium and in Europe. 2005. The date is set for 31 May, with the hope of bringing together 200,000 participants in Belgium. The initiative is carried by the PS's Carl De Moncharline with the support of minister Christian Dupont for Big Cities Policy, of Françoise Dupuis at the Brussels Region, of the National Lottery… a total budget of around 423,000 euros.