30/04/2026
Take a look back at the REPAIR > WE PLAY festival, which took place at Usquare, Brussels, on Saturday 25 April 2026!
☀️Music Fund couldn’t have asked for a better way to mark its 20th anniversary: glistening sunshine, the incredible venue of the former Ixelles barracks (now Usquare), a warm and curious audience, dedicated team and volunteers, exceptional speakers and musicians, inspiring encounters and exchanges – all in a festive and joyful atmosphere! It was simply wonderful.
🧡 We would like to extend our warmest thanks to everyone who helped make this event a success, starting with the instrument makers and repairers who agreed to share their daily lives and exhibit their instruments at the festival: Herold Jean-Pierre, Ozias Macoo, Didier Mpigirwa Bulonza, Shehada Shalaldah and Zacar Tabaro.
🎻 A huge thank you to the Maison des Jeunes des Récollets in Verviers for lending us the ‘Léa’ bas-relief, to the inmates of the Marche-en-Famenne prison and to the Maison de la Pataphonie (Centre Culturel de Dinant) for the ‘Murs du son’, and to the Espace Masolo center and the Jeunes Talents brass band in Kinshasa for their superb giant puppets. The festival would not have had the same flavor without these creations, which show that discarded musical instruments, too, can find a new lease of life.
✨ We would like to thank the panelists at the round-table discussions, who shared inspiring and essential insights on cultural rights and the durability of instrument making with the audience: Guillaume Bisimwa (Amani Festival), Peter de Caluwe (LOV2030), Sébastien Laviolette (Marche-en-Famenne Prison), Perrine Jamar (Fedasil), Jacques Carbonneaux (Initiative Arbres et Musique - IAM), Catherine Janssens (Sound Fabriek Club) and Fany Reyre-Ménard (Chambre Syndicale de la Facture Instrumentale - CSFI). A special mention goes to Shehada Shalalda (Al Kamandjâti), who travelled all the way from Ramallah to talk about his experience as a violin maker.
🪛 Thanks also to the instrument makers and repairers who repaired the instruments for the Music Fund projects and led the participatory workshops throughout the day: An Baeten, Nicolas Dechêne, Déborah Di Fransceco, Valérie-Anne Lahaye and Osvaldo Cavele, a Mozambican instrument maker currently studying at the Istituto d'Istruzione Superiore "A. Stradivari" in Cremona, who came especially for the occasion!
🔥 Our gratitude goes to the musicians: Matchume Zango, who had the whole audience singing and dancing during the afternoon’s concert, as well as Rodriguez Vangama, the Salop’arts and Renette Desir, who literally set the Officers’ Mess alight in the evening! Their energy and generosity thrilled us and gave the event its full festive atmosphere.
🙏Our thanks would not be complete without mentioning UR square, who kindly welcomed us into their premises; ATS Sonorisation et Eclairage, who provided flawless sound and lighting management; umengo, who coordinated all the volunteers; So Creative - Production, who immortalized the festival; the MCFA - Maison de la Culture Famenne-Ardenne, who provided logistical support; and Ralliement des Fourchettes, who served delicious dishes throughout the day.
🥹 We would also like to acknowledge the work of the volunteers who supported us throughout the various stages of the festival: Camille Bertram, Mélissa Boneté, Lydie De Backer, Gaia Esposito, Maxime Fouache, Nicholas Gelhay, Leonardo di Gennaro, Emilien Hofman, Catherine Janssens, Viacheslav Kartavyi, Jo Lobel, Margaux Melchior, Camille Tissier, as well as the youngsters from the Maison de jeunes Face B - Basenvol. They are proof that solidarity still has a bright future ahead of it.
🌈 Finally, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Nationale Loterij / Loterie Nationale and its players, as well as the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles/Officiel, the Vlaamse overheid, the Ville de Marche-en-Famenne, Lhoist and the Alakazam Foundation for their support. Without them, this event would not have been possible.
🌍 As we embark on a new chapter in our history, our thoughts go out to all our partners, who do such remarkable work on the ground, and to our beneficiaries, who are the very reason for Music Fund’s existence. They give us the motivation to continue supporting young musicians around the world.
🌟For another 20 years!🌟
