EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Local residents rebuild cultural centre

Local residents rebuild cultural centre - Antwerp, Belgium

Introduction

Local residents and businesses lent a helping hand in the transformation of the old Roma cinema into a social and cultural centre in Antwerp, Belgium.

Problem

How do you convert an empty historic building into a cultural centre to the satisfaction of local residents?

Description

In 2003 the project won the Thuis in de Stad, At Home in the City, prize in the citizens' participation category. Thuis in de Stad is an initiative of the Flemish regional government. It embraces numerous projects designed to improve the quality of life in the towns and cities of Flanders: one of those projects is the Thuis in de Stad prize, which is awarded annually to innovative urban projects in the area of sustainability and participation. 'Roma is a little piece of city state', said the judges in their citation.

Approach

In the wake of rioting in 2002 in Borgerhout, a deprived area of Antwerp, neighbourhood theatre company Rataplan wanted to revive the old Roma cinema, which had been standing empty for twenty years. Rataplan wanted to remove cultural inequality in the neighbourhood with a theatre for all members of the community, and the Roma building was a suitable location. The old cinema is a reminder of the glory days of the Antwerp cinema of the nineteen-thirties and thus has nostalgia value.
Rataplan wanted to rent the empty and dilapidated building. The organization applied to the city of Antwerp for a subsidy, but the city is not financially well endowed. Rataplan decided to make a virtue of necessity. A start was made straight away, while the renovation was still in progress, with tackling the original goal of eliminating social inequality through theatre. Local residents were able to join in and work together on the reshaping of the building as their own cultural centre.
Over 1500 people attended the information day in the Roma building at the end of 2002. More than 150 signed up to help with the renovation; over forty-seven per cent of them residents of Borgerhout and Antwerpen-Noord.
Over a period of four months the volunteers worked hard under expert supervision to get Roma ready for use again.
Businesses came forward spontaneously to donate funds or materials, make specialized workers available or provide logistical support, and were united in a public-private partnership.

Results

The Roma building was reopened in May 2003, since when it has held a film festival, musical performances, theatrical performances, a monuments day, a senior citizens' day and a jumble sale.
Rataplan has been able to convince many local residents with its faith in the role of culture in reviving a deprived district.
The Roma project has brought people from the neighbourhood together and promotes engagement and cohesion.
For a long time Roma was on the city council's agenda without any concrete action being taken. This citizens' initiative is forcing the authorities to strengthen and adjust their policy in this arena.
The district of Borgerhout is now attracting favourable attention instead of appearing in the news as a result of riots and unrest. It has regained much more than a historic building.
The volunteers came up with a constant stream of suggestions for improving the renovation of the auditorium. The scale of the project offered plenty of opportunity for creativity on the part of volunteers. Young people from the art college, retired craftsmen, ICT specialists - in short, everyone could contribute some special skill or effort to Roma's rebirth.
Individual portraits of the volunteers now hang in the hall as a sort of 'Roma Hall of Fame'.

Contact info

Flemish Ministry, city projects
Phone: +32 25534028
info@thuisindestad.be

Project start date

18/05/2004

Links

Website Roma Antwerp (in Dutch)Thuis In De Stad (in Dutch)

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Community development

Keywords

Citizens' participation, Support for local groups