We often hear Brussels being described as ‘dangerous’, ‘dirty’ and ‘disconnected’. In 2021 the Belgian singer Angèle released the song Bruxelles je t’aime and it instantly became a hit. This ode to Brussels inspired 21-bis reporters Kiia Heikkilä and Rik Tuinstra to go on a quest to find out what’s to love about the Belgian capital for their piece in the Reporting the city series.

21bis spoke with three people living in the capital of Belgium: the 28-year-old Mehdi El Taghdouini who was born and bred in Brussels, the 48-year-old Aleksandra Rowicka who moved to Brussels in 1999 from Poland and the 20-year-old Faruk Olaniran who moved to Brussels from Nigeria in 2019.

Read the full article here: https://readymag.com/u578827575/3641106/

Text: Kiia Heikkila, Rik Tuinstra
Photo: Alex Vasey via Unsplash