Besides the excitement, what impact has the movie had?
With so many citizens having seen Demain, it is now easier for us to present Transition, referring to the movie. “Oh yeah, right, I know Transition” is a sentence we hear more often. We have also seen a significant increase in the number of initiatives created during the last months, in part related to the movie. Additionally, existing initiatives has seen many new citizens coming to offer their contribution.
At a larger scale, it is important to state that Belgium has recently experienced many situations managed poorly by the politics (terrible handling of the migrants issue, revolting acts of terrorism, severe issues with mobility, etc.). Some citizens sense that this situation is not (only) due to incompetent politicians, but also because of a deeper flaw in the system. This understanding, combined with a positive energy of togetherness, is a great opportunity for Transition, active in this reflexion since many years.
Once the buzz created by the movie had passed, deeper analysis have started to appear in the media. What is the political message of the movie ? Does it claim for more or less politics ? Does the movie illustrate a temporary contestation movement, or invite for long term alternatives? It is also interesting to watch the politician answers, who of course officially love the movie, but informally don’t have enough hindsight to define their next step. Should they increase their support to the movement? Will they benefit from such a move?
We also heard some frustrations around the fact that the positive message of the movie might overshadow the initial statement around a system collapse that seems more and more obvious. This is of course a topic often discussed in Transition Initiatives, and in Rob’s Transition Culture blog. I am personally more and more convinced by the fact that experimenting and realizing that another tomorrow is possible enables you to analyze the current system more objectively and question it more frontally.
New perspectives for “après-demain”
What are the new opportunities that we are facing today, in our initiatives and hub, given the positive context for Transition? We are increasing our collaboration with universities and research centers to benefit from their analyses and inspire them with real world cases. A new project called Voies de Transition (Transition Paths), a web space to reflect on Transition, aims at inspiring local initiatives and improving the visibility of the movement.
The Inner Transition sphere of our activities is also developing quickly through rich interactions with other partners outside Transition. We are also working on the development of a “Transition Collective” (official name still under construction) which will gather many organizations striving for improving the resilience of our communities in Belgium.
Finally, we are developing Trainings on new topics and under new formats. As you can see, we have many reasons to celebrate the dissemination of Transition principles in Belgium, with the help of ‘Tomorrow‘, and welcome the exciting opportunities sprouting with spring season. Long live tomorrow!
Transition Hub Wallonie-Bruxelles (reseautransition.be)