A lighthouse dominates the land and sea, it has to be seen from a long way away and the light has to shine over a wide area. Lighthouses can also be relevant in a terrestrial context, in the case of social and cultural matters in and outside Brussels, for example, where approaches and perspectives are often too parochial. Mars Moriau, the former head of Zinnema (Centre for Amateur Arts in Anderlecht), has to take the credit for being the first to use the expression lighthouse in this sense. A lighthouse may be an arts centre, or a community centre, or maybe a children's service, or other similar establishments offering outstanding services over a very wide area that may no longer be regarded as merely local initiatives, or street lamps, to stay with the comparison to light. This has to be thought of in terms of the municipal, in Brussels and the Vlaamse Rand, and between Brussels and the Flemish Rand. Lighthouses shine across borders. (RK sep 2013)