On the first city stop in our Afropean journey, Johny visits Brussels. Home to the administrative centre of the European Union, a vibrant African presence here shapes local and national culture through food, fashion, art and music.

Johny meets with Marie Daulne aka Zap Mama, whose life and pygmy-inspired polyrhythmic musical style connects to a deeply personal encounter with the brutality of Belgian colonial rule in the now Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). She carries a determination to position her African roots at the forefront of her identity as a European, as an Afropean. Journeying through to Matonge, the bustling centre of African cultural and social life in the capital, Johny stops by the eclectic L'Horloge du Sud restaurant to dine with Ken Ndiaye. After a real-time taste of the African influence on the culture, we explore the complexities and contradictions of Belgian racial dynamics with esteemed academic Sibo Kanobana.

Written and hosted by Johny Pitts, the producer and composer is Femi Oriogun-Williams.

A Reduced Listening and Afropean co-production.