We often speak of the first generation of migrants, of integration — whatever that term might truly encompass — and of the ancestral homeland left behind. Yet, what do we actually know of the generations that follow, or, more precisely, “the bridge generation”? The Age of Love seeks to give voice to this generation, to bring their stories forward. What does “home” mean for them? And can they ever truly feel at home in a place that remains partly foreign, yet familiar? Through listening and storytelling, The Age of Love delves into the layered, often unspoken experiences of those who live on the borders of identity, belonging, and heritage.
Throughout the decades leading up to the late 1970s, Belgium welcomed hundreds of thousands of labor migrants, and many more came of their own volition. The country’s thriving industries needed them. Most brought their families, rooted themselves here, and wove their lives into the fabric of Belgian society — laying the groundwork for the diverse communities we know today. Limburg, in particular, is a region deeply molded by this migration. And now, a new generation has emerged — a bridging generation, born and raised in Belgium, fully of this place, yet somehow never quite “Belgian” enough.
On a misty day in the heart of Limburg, I meet Nata Mandaria, Samuel Valor Reyes, and Marie Peeters — the multidisciplinary performance collective The Age of Love, founded in the summer of 2021. Though Hasselt feels chilly and cloaked in fog, Reyes’ home is warm, like a late summer in Andalusia. Outside, the sky is cast in muted gray; inside, terracotta furnishings color the space, and a sense of southern hospitality fills the air. Reyes doesn’t just embrace his Andalusian roots; he is those roots — grounded deeply in his being. A theater-maker and performance artist who graduated from the Toneelacademie Maastricht, Reyes belongs to a new generation of artists living between multiple cultures, with strong ties to Andalusia and multicultural Limburg.
In 2021, he met Nata Mandaria, a poet with Georgian roots who, after her theater training, completed a degree in social and cultural work at the Erasmushogeschool Brussel (EhB). She weaves these different facets into her practice as a poet and performer. Originally from Little Georgia (a.k.a Zonhoven) in Limburg, she found a home in Brussels at eighteen. Ironic, perhaps, for a writer, Mandaria’s voice captures and holds you with few words, leaving a lasting resonance. Though we’re in Reyes’ casa, she busies herself setting up coffee and tidying up here and there. This maternal instinct seems an inheritance from her Little Georgian roots. In her artistic work, she explores themes of femininity and motherhood, emphasizing that women are inherently connected to motherhood — not as a title earned after nine months of carrying a baby, but as a fundamental identity they’re born with.
Conversations with first- and second-generation migrants as groundwork
Moving Identities, supported by Creative Europe, is a program that connects venues and organizations from Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Germany, Spain, and Estonia. It offers a sustainable
European network for artists to explore contemporary identities across borders. These residencies serve as an exploratory space for the collective, leading toward a professional piece that Samuel Valor Reyes will create in 2027 for the youth theater fABULEUS in Leuven. Reyes believes that theater unfolds not only on stage but in the exchanges between people. “During the first week of our residency, we focused on conversations with first- and second-generation migrants in the form of interviews. These interactions laid the groundwork for the texts we presented during our showcase at Kunstplaats Vonk.”
While the two immerse themselves in conversations with the bridge generation, sharing similar thoughts and emotions, the third member of the collective assumes, in this phase of the residency, primarily the role of listener and observer. Marie Peeters is a dramaturg. She studied Art History, Musicology, and Theatre Studies at the University of Ghent (2018) and Film and Theatre Studies at UAntwerpen (2019). Since graduating, she has collaborated on performances as a dramaturg for various theater, circus and dance companies
At first glance, one might wonder what a native Flemish person has in common with the themes that Reyes and Mandaria not only explore but live. However, it quickly becomes apparent that Peeters possesses a remarkable capacity for absorption: a calm, critical “sponge” who seeks out nuanced perspectives and has gained substantial knowledge of these themes through extensive reading. “I could easily have sought a dramaturg who had experienced these sensitivities firsthand,” Samuel Valor Reyes explains, “but that’s precisely my point. I want to bring things, people and stories together, not divide. We’re already divided enough.”
“People with a migration background are often more deeply engaged with questions of identity and culture. It seemed compelling, then, to ask the native Flemish youth the same questions.”
In an effort to transcend this division, the three also engage in dialogue with the native Flemish youth. This dialogue becomes a way to confront the often unspoken tensions and contradictions that shape both migrant and native experiences in contemporary Belgium. Through these conversations, they seek to explore the complexities that lie beneath the surface of seemingly simple questions about culture, community, and place.
As Marie Peeters reflects, “Migration is a relationship between two countries, and the experience of a dual identity is often felt only by this particular bridge generation. For this reason, people with a migration background are often more deeply engaged with questions of identity and culture. It seemed compelling, then, to ask the native Flemish youth the same questions.” While members of the Spanish, Turkish, and Italian diasporas for example described their homeland vividly and with rich detail, native Belgians largely conveyed a more pessimistic view, emphasizing Belgium’s bleak weather and its insular character.
The constant state between two worlds
Mandaria describes the village where she grew up, Zonhoven in Limburg, as Little Georgia— four families, seven grandchildren, and two grandparents, that was Little Georgia. Despite the overwhelming loneliness of a foreign land, her family had each other. This sense of connection is
what makes one of the stories that they heard during these interviews resonate so deeply with her: “She told us that her father didn’t exist here. He had a life back in their homeland, but in terms of identity, he didn’t exist in Belgium. In their homeland, he had friends, habits, familiar café́s, a rich and textured life. But in Belgium, he had only his children, and no one really knew him. That story stayed with me.”
From the many conversations the collective had with the bridge generation, one theme consistently emerged: they find themselves in a constant state between two worlds. They never feel fully of one, nor entirely of the other. They belong nowhere completely, while simultaneously being deeply immersed in the bicultural experience and the reality of holding a dual identity.
“We carry the soil with us and lay down a new ground”
The presentation moment at Kunstplaats Vonk remains abstract for now. Two performers, Mandaria and Reyes, enter a white space through two doors — together, yet still alone. The origin of their arrival remains unclear, and perhaps that is not important. The moment itself serves as a grand abstract metaphor for the themes this collective explores. “Dare To Ask” and the introduction text (no title) are two texts used in the presentation moment that not only connect language, pronunciation and meaning but also intentionally question them. Mandaria takes on the writing, and Reyes places his full trust in her: “Nata and I are artistically in such harmony. Her strength lies in the imagery she weaves into her texts, which is essential for what we aim to convey. Describing scents, landscapes, andsoon.”
The piece is built around a few essential elements: blood, earth, and the body. These symbols intertwine throughout the work, serving as carriers of both personal and collective stories. The piece culminates with the two performers scattering the earth they brought with them when they entered the space, then covering themselves with blood. “We carry the soil with us and lay down a new ground”, Reyes says. They explain that the ritual of earth and blood speaks not only to the physical, but also to a deeper, symbolic transformation. It presents a rethinking of the concepts of origin and identity, an attempt to redefine the fundamental connections between the body, the land, and history. The act embodies both rupture and rebirth, a liberation from what was and a reaffirmation of what might be.
The presentation moment at Kunstplaats Vonk serves merely as an initial exploration, which the collective will continue to deepen during their upcoming residencies in Hellerau (Germany) and Davvi (Norway). For their coaching trajectory in Belgium, they have chosen the guidance of Rashif El Kaoui — writer, actor, and theatermaker — for the textual development, as well as Jaouad Alloul, multi-disciplinary artist, whose expertise on intersectionality and identity brings invaluable insight to their work. Through more extensive research, further conversations, and focused coaching, The Age of Love aims to gain a clearer understanding of the movements and true identity of the bridge generation.
Article written by: Aïcha Mouhamou
Aïcha Mouhamou (b. 1999) is a writer and theater critic based in Brussels, navigating the spaces between language and storytelling. Her writings reflect a profound curiosity about the power of
narrative and the art of expression. Additionally, she manages press and communications for Moussem Nomadic Arts Center.
