What’s on this week: 28 February to 6 March

The Brussels International Animation Film Festival Anima is in party mode for its 44th edition. World premieres, exclusive episodes of the Japanese animation Lazarus, a colourful Queer Party, a focus on Dreams and its legendary Animated Night are all highlights. At the heart of the programme are films for children and adults, including a shorts themed section and a focus on Belgian films. Opening the festival is Australian clay animation Memoir of a snail by Oscar-winning director Adam Elliot. At Flagey, Cinematek and Marni, plus some cinemas in Wallonia and Flanders. 28 Feb to 9 March, cinemas across Brussels

"Joy is a song anywhere," says aja monet (pictured) in one of her songs. This phrase captures the essence of the Afropolitan Festival, the multidisciplinary event at Bozar that pays tribute to black communities. It is inspired by the arts centre’s current flagship exhibition When We See Us that traces one century of figurative black painting. Artists, thinkers and performers, including American blues poet monet fill the programme. Until 2 March, Rue Ravenstein 23

Perfect for the school holidays, Kidzik is a children’s music festival for one to 10-year-olds. The month-long spring edition of the French-language event is packed with concerts, performances, films and workshops. It introduces kids to a variety of musical styles and will encourage them to sing and dance. Accompanying adults also require tickets for each concert/show. 1-31 March, locations across the city

“All my works have an underlying feminist message and use suggestive titles to give the whole topic a humorous spin,” says artist Natalie Arsenow of her current exhibition Sorry that I am not sorry at the Brussels Parliament. The Brussels-based artist and teacher describes her contemporary drawings as “geometric hatching”. Drawing inspiration from old masters and photos of well-known actresses, she deliberately showcases strong independent women. Free entrance. Until 2 April, Monday to Friday 10.00-17.00, Rue du Lombard 77

Book tickets Full Circle: On the New Face of Fascism. Brussels’ professional ideas club invites journalist and filmmaker Paul Mason to reflect on the rise of the far-right around the world. An expert on the subject, he offers “a radical, hopeful blueprint for resisting and defeating the new face of fascism,” says the organiser. 11 March 18.30-20.30 Chaussée de Vleurgat 89

OUTSIDE BRUSSELS

Discover the world of puppetry at the Mikmak Festival spread across venues in the west of the Walloon Brabant province. Aimed at showing how the medium is a living art, for adults as well as children, shows are staged in cultural centres as well as other performance venues to reach the heart of communities. There’s also workshops for schools and associations. 3-30 March, venues across Walloon Brabant

Under a big top hoisted in front of the Centre Culturel de Namur, circus show Reclaim offers an intense experience centred on classical music. In the courtyard of the former Abattoirs de Bomel – five minutes walk from Namur station – the company "Théâtre d’Un Jour" fuses acrobatics with lyrical singing and cello performances. Age 14+.  4-8 March, Traverse des Muses 18, Namur

Belgium’s enigmatic, ever-interesting James Ensor, inextricably linked to his hometown Ostend, was also sought out by art critics such as the internationally renowned poet Émile Verhaeren (1855-1916). Verhaeren/Ensor – an exceptional dialogue details their relationship in paintings, writings and in the press, such as avant-garde magazine L’Art Moderne. Do not miss the 1891 portrait Ensor painted of Verhaeren at his Ostend home that sealed their friendship; extracts from Verhaeren’s 1908 study on the painter, or just the chance to re/visit one of Ostend’s flagship museums, an interactive experience that is now five years old. Until 18 May, Vlaanderenstraat 29, Ostend

What did people eat in the two world wars – more specifically in the Hasselt region? That is the question tackled in Food in times of war scarcity. Full of insight into how families coped with a sudden lack of staples, ration cards and the need to get creative in the kitchen, this free exhibition showcases old cookbooks, advertisements and hand-written recipes from the Academy for Regional Gastronomy and Hasselt City Archives. A must for people interested in how wars affected food and supply, or simply anyone wondering how to make a cake without eggs. Until 18 May, Guido Gezellestraat 2, Hasselt

Carnival celebrations at the seaside resort Knokke-Heist begin with a mass to fishermen lost at seas and continue with the selection of the carnival prince(ess) followed by a children’s ball in Sfeerplein De Bolle. The highlights are a big parade on Sunday and an illuminated evening parade on Tuesday. On Monday it’s the Merfolk Ball and an opportunity to sample a variety of fish snacks and sprats. Meanwhile, a masked football match on Tuesday draws the crowds before the traditional burning of effigies, an illuminated procession and partying throughout the town. 1-4 March, across Knokke-Heist

Aalst Carnival  boasts Unesco heritage recognition while also courting controversy for its infamous bad taste: satirical depictions of politicians and other public figures, along with lewd and raunchy humour. The carnival stages the biggest parade of floats in the country on the Sunday. It starts in Statieplein and travels through the town centre to the Grote Markt. Festivities continue on Monday with an abbreviated version of Sunday’s parade and the appearance of the Gilles of Aalst – men in distinctive historical costumes who perform age-old rituals to ward off evil and welcome spring. On Tuesday, the voil jeanetten, or dirty Jeannettes – men in weirdly accessorised women’s dress – take to the streets. 2-4 March, Aalst town centre (Flemish Brabant)

Vilvoorde boasts a famous light parade on Shrove Tuesday, which kicks off at 19.30 with no fewer than 23 floats. The procession concludes at the Virgo Plus school where each group takes to the stage. The school also hosts a free facepainting session for children from 17.00-19.00, while fairground attractions are set up in Rooseveltlaan from 1 to 9 March. 4 March 19.30, centre of Vilvoorde (Flemish Brabant)

Known as the Cwarmê in local Walloon dialect, the four-day party at Malmedy is replete with cross-dressing and satiric antics. One of the oldest carnival traditions in Belgium, it kicks off on Saturday with the arrival of the Grosse Police, some 1,500 transvestites representing the 15 traditional masks of the Cwarmê who perform the dance of the Haguete and the Harlequins. On Shrove Tuesday all the carnival societies take to the streets and the event comes to a close with the burning of the Haguète. 1-4 March, Malmedy town centre (Liège province)

Binche is Belgium’s most illustrious carnival tradition also enjoys Unesco recognition. The pinnacle of the three-day party in the walled medieval town is Tuesday’s parade of more than 900 Gilles, a select brotherhood of men dressed in distinctive heralded costumes and painted wax masks. These are later swapped for rare ostrich-plumed headgear when they pelt onlookers with oranges. This is preceded by a firework display on Monday evening, while Sunday’s activities centre on the Gilles, who show off their elaborate costumes in a noisy parade around town. 2-4 March, Binche town centre (Hainaut)

Discover more upcoming events at The Bulletin's events page.

Photos: (main image)  Anima Best of Shorts ©Flatastic Miyu Distribution; aju money ©Fanny Chu; Pas de trois ©DR; Reclaim © Théâtre d’un Jour  © Photo Danny Willem; Verhaeren ©Nick Decombel fotografie