Present at the founding of the Passa Porta literature centre, Ilke Froyen transitioned to Cultuurconnect after twenty years, making the move from Brussels to Ghent and from print to digital.

Hailing from Mexico, Barbara Mora Valera was only four when she arrived in Belgium. Her father’s advice, keep on going, even when things get tough, had a formative influence on this Overijse resident’s life.

At the age of 12, Aneta Jakoniuk from Mollem arrived in Brussels with her newly divorced mother, and despite the initial solitude, she is now enjoying life to the full, some 20 years later.

Historian and political thinker Anton Jäger.

Brigitte Raskin’s insights into the world around her inspire a fierce commitment to making it a better place.

A quick quiz. What do you know about Jos Donvil? He is the CEO of bpost, a former CEO of the football club RSC Anderlecht, the chairman of the Royal Football Club Wambeek-Ternat, studied economics at KULeuven, and is a highly motivated volunteer. Well, not bad at all.

Nadja Van Sever has been teaching at Tervuren municipal primary school for more than 30 years now. She is one of those teachers whose pupils will remember years later how well she could tell stories.

It has now been three years since Maria and Oleg Bujac decided to start a new life in Belgium. ‘We fell in love with this country during one autumn holiday.’

The past few years have been quite hard-going for top doctor Elisabeth De Waele. The impact of Covid was really devastating and as an emergency doctor in intensive care at Brussels University Hospital, she was right there on the front line.

She did not hesitate for a second when the head of a primary school in Asse asked Mariia Toma if she would be willing to help provide assistance to the young Ukrainian refugees.

She may no longer live in the Rand but that is where it all started for the leading Belgian violinist Jolente De Maeyer (38).

How does a priest become a brewer?

Wouter Dehairs from Hoeilaart won the Knack magazine’s Hercule Poirot prize last year for the best thriller with Nachtstad, a detective story set in Brussels and the Rand.

The VRT journalist Stefaan Meerbergen grew up in Kraainem but has been living in Brussels for many years now.

Larisa Uzum from Zellik was born and raised in Moldova. One thing she misses about her homeland is the exuberantly lavish wedding parties. But that loss does not outweigh all the benefits Belgium has to offer in exchange.

When he was a young boy, Bernard Bosch (58) used to dream about making radio broadcasts. Later on he became involved in Flemish cultural activities in Brussels and the Rand. All of these interests combined led to the creation of Radio Rand, ‘the sound of the Pajottenland’.

She was 22 when she first got to know Brussels.

Pia Sjogren arrived in Belgium 25 years ago. She returns to Sweden about four times a year. Then she is able to experience the intense pleasure of being by the sea, which is never far away, and the friendly chats in her mother tongue.

An absolutely breath-taking list of pop stars have been captured by Filip Wouters’ camera! And yet he might just as well have become a philosopher. How did a boy from Dworp end up becoming a celebrity photographer?

Willem Bongers-Dek, head of deBuren, the Flemish-Dutch culture and debate centre: ‘We took the opportunity of the closure decision to reinvent ourselves. We clearly announced an end to the physical…

That is what Rocio Macal and Alexander Lopez must have thought when they decided to leave El Salvador six years ago.

Are Flemish and French-speaking Belgians so very different from each other? ‘Not really. It is the people of Brussels who really stand out.’

‘Meditation is less complicated than you might think. You don’t have to be an expert, take expensive courses or sit on a mat for hours in a lotus position. Meditation…

A bronze medal at the Athletics World Championship in October and a gold medal in February at the European Indoor Championship: the achievements of the Belgian Tornados, the 4x400 relay team, which includes Kevin, Jonathan and Dylan Borlée, three members of one family, are downright impressive.

'Belgium is our home.' Sonia Plecita and her family are in no doubt about this. And she is just as certain about the bond she still has with her homeland Slovakia.