Grieving together, healing together 17-05-26

zo 17 mei '26

Please note: this event is taking place at NTGent – address: Minnemeers 8, Ghent. Welcome!

For Iran

Iranian-Flemish artists are coming together to create a collective space for mourning, beauty and healing. An afternoon in which we move together towards greater humanity in impossible times.

This gathering aims to create a space where grief no longer needs to be borne in silence, but is allowed to be heard, to resonate and to soothe. It is centred on recent events in Iran. By looking to the past and seeing how our ancestors were able to withstand dark times, through the light of poetry and music, we can keep hope and light alive in our hearts.

Much is happening in Iran, but darkness also seems to be spreading further afield. Through love and solidarity, we can get through this period together. Literature and art are important cornerstones of Persian culture. We find each other in poetry, in sound and in the beauty of art. Connection arises from being together. Healing can grow through the sharing of emotions.

On stage

Artists & speakers Ava Darvishi, Christophe Busch, Nele De Gussem, Kourosh Ghazvineh, Sarshar Ghozat, Farnoosh Khodadadeh, Armin Mola, Fulco Ottervanger, Barbara Raes, Golnesa Rezanezhad, Ariyan Sadrayi, Mona Shahi & Ehsan Yadollahie

Presentor Inneke Plasschaert

Music and poetry form the central theme of this gathering: artistic expressions of collective mourning, remembrance and peaceful resistance. Here, art becomes a voice where words fall short – a space where pain may be visible and shared.

This gathering also echoes the warm Iranian hospitality, deeply rooted in Persian culture: an invitation to stand side by side in times of loss and injustice. For in solidarity, collective suffering becomes more bearable. It becomes a moment of reflection, love, music and poetry. To mourn together. To remember together. To keep hope alive together. Hope for humanity – sustained by the healing power of art.