Bessem area

Bart Peeters: "The Bessem area is the site where the Sfinksfestival is now organized. In recent years, I have been able to regularly be top of the bill here with my group. About six years ago you had Youssou N' Dour, the Buena Vista Social Club, Kid Creole & The Coconuts and Bart Peeters with the Ideal Men. I live less than a mile from here, so I just came by bike with the rest of our household. Even to the stage, because that was still allowed at the time. What would I be looking for here? It couldn't be more home games. But what I had totally underestimated: organizers of world music festivals from other countries also visit here. That's how we ended up in Morocco at the Timitar festival. Those organizers had seen us at Sfinks and thought: if it succeeds here, it will also catch on with those Berbers in Agadir. And that was indeed the case. Since then, invitations from abroad have been received regularly. Recently again from Vilnius. We did not respond to the request to play in South Korea. All I knew at the time was that it was next to North Korea. That seemed a bit too risky. One push of a button and not only your festival stage explodes, but also the rest of the country."

Joe