What's more?!

What's more?! ;)

Now you have reached the end of our virtual tour, we would like to leave you with some alternative themes that came up during our fieldwork. Unfortunately, due to lack of time and resources, we could not further investigate them. As we say goodbye to Globe Aroma, we are left with more questions than we began with. Below are the major thematic questions that, in our opinion, need to be explored further:

• How is Globe Aroma connected to its wider network?

There is much more to say about Globe Aroma and its wider networks in Brussels, from the perspective of the artists as well as the organization. From the perspective of the organization, we already outlined how the connections of Globe Aroma extend to other organizations in Brussels. How and when do these networks come together, and what does this say about dissent and social change? What are the common objectives, and what are the differences? How are they to be seen in relation to the themes of super-diversity and migration? With regards to the artists, obviously they are not 24 hours a day at Globe Aroma. They move through the city as well, meet other people outside Globe Aroma, or meet people from Globe Aroma at other places. How do they move through the city? What does their social life look like? What can their social life tell us about themes surrounding urbanization, migration, artistic expression and civic engagement? Notions of space, dissent and resilience do not cease to exist at the physical limits of Globe Aroma, and it would be interesting to see how they move and change throughout Brussels.

• How do external persons perceive Globe Aroma? (Giving a voice to the aggressors)

When studying the implications of the changing attitudes towards migration and diversity in Brussels, it would be worthwhile to take into account as many viewpoints as possible. One thing that came up again and again during our research was the aggressive approach of the police towards the artists at Globe Aroma. It would then be fruitful to explore this other side of the spectrum. What are the implications of the Canal Plan for the local authorities and police officers of Brussels that interact with socio-cultural organizations regularly? What kinds of structures and influences are at play that positions them vis-a-vis migrants? How do they perceive Globe Aroma as a space and how are they formed, maintained and changed? These are just some of the questions that would be interesting to take into account in further understanding what Globe Aroma means as a space for creation, dissent or resilience.

• What does the number of women at Globe Aroma say about the organization?

During our visits to Globe Aroma, the space always seemed to be male-dominated. Globe Aroma has attempted to narrow this gender gap by hosting the TXT workshop and exhibition, in which women exclusively participated. However, there is a whole thematic area still left undiscovered with regards to female participation within the space of Globe Aroma. How has the space been used since it was established? How has gender and its representation been acknowledged in the space? We know that TXT was a huge success, and it was solely joined by women. Further investigation into the ‘gender gap’ could be initiated by asking relevant questions regarding the origin of this project. It is clear that Globe Aroma is currently a male-dominated space, but there is no indication that it should continue to be this way.

• How are themes of globalization, transnationalism and belonging represented in the artworks of the participants of Globe Aroma?

In many of the artworks, it came to the fore that many of the themes related to those that were connected to the personal history of the newcomer-artists in Brussels. Baminla sings and paints about protests in Togo, Paapa Shangoo paints about a village in Ghana, and Saidou writes in his poem about a pretty village with banana trees. Topics of home, personal history and rootedness seem to play an important role in the creative expressions that can be seen in Globe Aroma. Thematic areas like globalization, transnationalism and belonging are then necessary concepts to dive deeper into during a further research concerning artistic expressions of the artists in Globe Aroma.

• What is the importance of hanging out and socializing for Globe Aroma as a space?

In the last couple of years, there has been an increased focus upon hanging out or doing nothing, in particular in the field of anthropology. This was something that regularly recurred in our findings. Next to Globe Aroma as a space for dissent or artistic expression, our interviewees often mentioned to come to Globe Aroma to ‘hang out’, to drink a cup of coffee or to meet people. It would be interesting to delve deeper into this particular theme, as it was not something that gained primary attention among ourselves during the initial months of research planning. How does hanging out or doing nothing create or maintain new ways of being in Brussels, and what does it say about, for instance, identity or agency? And what does it mean for the visitors when a space where one thinks to be safe to be oneself is raided by the police?