ManiFiesta is an annual two-day festival held in September on the Belgian coast since 2010, this year in Ostend. The organizers are Medicine for the People and Solidair , the members' magazine of the Labour Party (PVDA). The festival combines live performances with political debates, lectures, children's and youth activities, sports, culture, dance, a book market, and gastronomy.
As the organizers themselves put it : "ManiFiesta? That's two days of the world as it should be. Conceiving alternatives for the future, gathering together, taking action. At ManiFiesta, we speak the language of solidarity and diversity. Add your voice to our chorus of change and join the party. Because that's ManiFiesta above all: the Festival of Solidarity! What can you expect from us? Artists with a social impact, speakers who dare to stick their necks out, captivating authors, engaging films, moving debates, and personalities with opinions. Or are you more looking forward to our cultural program with stand-up comedy, slam poetry, and crazy performances?"
The 2024 edition featured musical performances by Helmut Lotti and Average Rob, as well as conversations with Shawn Fain and Jeremy Corbyn.
Amsab-ISG hosted a bookstand at the Boekenforum. There, we offered a first: the new book "Getuigenis Luk Vandenhoeck: Op de barricades bij VRT" (Testimony Luk Vandenhoeck: On the Barricades at VRT) was available for the first time. The book was available for purchase on-site, and signing sessions with Gert Verdonck and Luk Vandenhoeck were scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
The book sale was a resounding success: no fewer than 67 copies were personally signed by the authors, and nearly 200 copies were distributed and sold in total. Amsab-ISG's other publications, such as our magazine " Brood & Rozen" (Bread & Roses) and the recent publications about Lalla Vandervelde and the "Klein Verzet" (Little Resistance) , also generated considerable interest.
