Municipality 101 X Jan Rothuizen

In March 2026, I attended the 43rd edition of the Festival des Migrations, des Cultures et de la Citoyenneté, Luxembourg's largest intercultural festival, held at LuxExpo The Box, a weekend described as a rendez-vous of encounters, discoveries and exchange for anyone wanting to experience Luxembourg's multicultural side. This festival contained more than 400 stands run by associations, institutions and cultural and political actors.

I was there with Mohammed Zanboa, a Syrian architect, researcher and photographer based in Luxembourg, and the founder of Municipality 101. Municipality 101 is a research-driven initiative that reimagines institutions for inclusive communities, introducing a symbolic "new municipality" in Luxembourg that gives refugees in reception centres a real voice in decisions affecting their lives. The name plays on the fact that Municipality 101 positions itself as a 101st entity alongside Luxembourg's existing 100 municipalities, calling on them to open their doors, free up housing, and let refugees take part in civic life.

Jan Rothuizen has been invited to run a workshop alongside Municipality 101, and I was there to see it happen. The stand invited festival visitors to discover the project, through talks and drawings. Visitors were invited into an intimate space to sit down, share tea and dessert, and to reflect on the meaning of 'Home'.

Participating in a project with this kind of social weight made it a memorable first visit to Luxembourg.