Written by the participants of the “J’EXISTE” cultural project

The right to culture

When you live with high levels of social and economic hardship, access to culture comes with its own hurdles.

The success of cultural projects designed with people experiencing poverty has reinforced the conviction that recognising cultural rights serves as a driving force for the most vulnerable members of society to assert and achieve their other rights. Culture serves as a path to self-discovery and connection with others. By actively participating in a society’s cultural life, people at the margins of society can become genuine partners.

When the Maison Culturelle Quart Monde (ATD Fourth World Cultural Centre) opened in Luxembourg City in 1991, the struggle for access to culture became the central action of ATD Fourth World Luxembourg. The Cultural Centre serves as a meeting place, an education hub, a forum for action, and a documentation centre. There, people with experience of poverty join together with allies and team members to consider, plan, and carry out the activities of ATD Fourth World Luxembourg.

“J’EXISTE”

For several years, people facing extreme hardship and supporters working with ATD Fourth World have dreamt of creating a “public cultural event” to showcase the abilities and talents of everyone involved. In the past, various workshops, including introductions to storytelling and theatre, as well as a partnership with a Dutch theatre company, have inspired participants to dream of doing more.

Drawing on these past experiences, “J’EXISTE” was launched in 2023 in collaboration with the professionals of the MASKÉNADA asbl collective with the aim of presenting the fruits of this labour to the public in autumn 2024.

The project started with ten diverse workshops led by two contributors from MASKÉNADA asbl. Approximately 30 ATD Fourth World activists and supporters regularly attended these workshops.

Workshops resumed immediately after the Christmas holidays and were eagerly anticipated.

We love meeting at the Cultural Centre for “J’EXISTE” and doing the activities together. We missed our meet-ups. Working on a project of such magnitude is important to us, and we are putting our heart and soul into it.

“J’EXISTE” participants

Below are descriptions of phase two workshops that ran from January to May 2024:

“Carousel of Ideas” with Creative Writer Mandy Thiery

In the second phase of“J’EXISTE”, we formed four groups to compile words we associated with the phrase “I EXIST” and wrote them on big pieces of paper. We were then to write stories with them.

The rules were the same for each group, but it wasn’t easy to get started. Mirka Costanzi, the project manager from MASKÉNADA asbl came to our aid, moving around the tables and providing inspiration. One of the instructions was to choose keywords that made sense to us, write them on the paper, and use them to write a text together. The stories had to be constructed as dialogue, with questions and responses.

Once we had chosen the words, we started the discussion. Together, we explored ideas to create beautiful, coherent sentences with the words that we had all chosen. Four beautiful stories were written: Le cour de la vie (The way life goes), Tenir ensemble (Stick together), Viens allons au soleil (Come on, let’s enjoy the sunshine), and Patience.

In the weeks that followed, we worked on two other “carousels of ideas”: “How to get ‘from I to you’?” and “The interview”, in which participants through interviews, were challenged to reflect and articulate their thoughts.“ Topics included: self-expression, helping others communicate their ideas, listening to others, and challenges with effective communication

At the “Kamellebuttek”

While researching “how to leave a mark and highlight the message we would like to communicate to society”, Mirka called on one of the best-known graffiti artists in Luxembourg, Raphaël Gindt. Raphaël, together with his friend Daniel Mac Lloyd, created the “Kamellebuttek”, which is Luxembourgish for “candy store”.

Two graffiti workshops were held at “Kamellebuttek”. The house looked like it belonged to one of the street artists, and we were in awe. There was art everywhere, and everything was very colourful. If you looked at the art carefully, some pictures could express two images. In the more secluded corners of Kamellebuttek, small sculptures made from recycled tins of every colour decorated the rooms.

For most of us, it was our first time trying our hand at this type of art. Everyone has seen walls covered with graffiti while passing by on the train or on the front of buildings; now, it was time for us to discover the secret.

Raphaël invited us up to his studio in the attic. Sitting around a big table, we pondered the subjects that could take shape on our canvas. Before starting to paint, we needed at least a vague idea of what we hoped to create. We put our heads together and were free to express our dreams and more. Each of us received a different-coloured paint canister for our first attempt.

Some themes were recurring. Raphaël told us not to worry: “With all your ideas, we will create a unique picture.”

He reminded us to go gently as we painted; the pressure had to be felt on our fingertips. The afternoon went well, with each of us getting lost in our imagination. Each of us painted a 40x40cm piece. After the session, our pieces were joined together to form a single large canvas; we did not see the results until the next session.

Two weeks later, we were eager to see our graffiti again with Raphaël, and we were joined by some other people who wanted to participate in the project.

Comments from participants:

Seba said, “You really feel a sense of art there. I felt that I mattered and couldn’t wait to express myself with the colours. It’s my type of thing; I dive straight in.”

Sheila added, “I didn’t know anything about all that — I was just happy to do nice things with ATD, and at the same time, I discovered that I could paint. I never imagined I would be able to do it.”

Mona said, “I wanted to join in too. I wanted to learn, and I’m so glad I came. I’ve never had the opportunity to participate in such a lovely activity. I really learned a lot.”

We were keen to learn more and asked Raphaël many questions regarding his discovery of this art form. He explained that it required a great deal of sacrifice and dedication.

Access to culture and the ATD Fourth World Cultural Centre

The workshops during “J’EXISTE” highlighted the importance of access to culture. Through the “Carousel of Ideas” workshop, attendees explored aspects of identity and voice. At Kamellebuttek, they were exposed to unfamiliar forms of cultural expression, utilising graffiti to convey key messages to society.

The ATD Fourth World Cultural Centre is at the heart of these explorations. It is instrumental to the actions of ATD Fourth World Luxembourg, providing a space for all ATD members to connect, share, and document their lived experiences.

Following a comprehensive review, it was announced in May 2024 that the project would move continue. On 16 November 2024, the entire “J’EXISTE” project was presented at the Banannefabrik in Luxembourg-Bonnevoie.

Photos of the performance