Cities that never leave us

Valérie Cachard is an author and artist who writes plays, short stories, and texts accompanying artistic projects. A recipient of the RFI Théâtre prize and the Etel Adnan Award for Women Playwrights, and co-president of the Commission Internationale du Théâtre Francophone (CITF) between 2019 and 2023, her work has been read or performed in Lebanon, the United States, France, the Czech Republic and Haiti. She is currently working on a theatre project, Des mots sur un mur, and Rouge Ibis, an account of a voyage to French Guiana in November 2022. This journey revolves around encounters with the Lebanese population, who settled in this fascinating territory from the end of the 19^th century.

A Lebanese artist born in Beirut, Lamia Ziadé has published several graphic novels exploring yesterday’s and today’s Middle East, between collective memories and intimate obsessions: Ô Nuit Ô mes Yeux, P.O.L 2015, Ma Très Grande Mélancolie Arabe, P.O.L 2017, Bye Bye Babylone, P.O.L 2010, Mon port de Beyrouth, P.O.L 2021. Her artistic oeuvre – paintings, sculptures, ceramics, scale models, and tapestries – has regularly been shown at various fairs, galleries, foundations, and museums since 2003, when she held her first exhibition at Paris’ Kamel Mennour gallery.

Iranian-born artist and poet Haleh Chinikar has lived in Brussels since 2007. Her artistic practice revolves around installation and performance, which she uses to create experiences involving the public. Her work explores the role of the body and language in the human experience, shaped by inter-generational memories. She is the partner artist for the Midis Poésie programme for the 2023-24 season.

The Midis de la poésie festival provides a fascinating opportunity to tackle the themes underpinning contemporary literature from a fresh angle, with lunchtime talks, conversations, and readings/performances. Les Midis de la poésie also organise a wide range of events, such as aperitifs, tea parties and evening events, as well as publications, writing workshops, and a collection of poetry books that can be viewed upon request. In September 2022, Les Midis de la poésie and FrancoFaune became partners and took over the Théâtre Poème, which is now known as the Maison poème.

Image homepage: Lamia Ziadé, Ma très grande mélancolie arabe, P.O.L 2017.