In the heart of Brussels, just steps from Central Station, a unique social enterprise is redefining what it means to create community spaces. Commons Hub Brussels, a hybrid coworking and events venue, recently played host to the inaugural Asian Literary Festival Brussels—a partnership that exemplifies the venue’s mission to foster cross-cultural dialogue and support grassroots cultural initiatives, beyond Brussels, probally into a global expansion. 

In this interview with The Asian Review, Cédric Sounard, the venue’s one of the stewards and cofounders, shares insights into this groundbreaking collaboration and its lasting impact on Brussels’ cultural landscape.

At the helm of this collaboration is Cédric, whose background in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics reflects his commitment to understanding how knowledge is created and shared across the social ecosystem. “I’ve always been fascinated by epistemology—how we know things and how we transmit that knowledge,” he explains. Today, beyond his role at Commons Hub, he volunteers with North Star AGI, organising hackathons that make coding fun and accessible for children across six cities.

A Social Enterprise with Purpose

Commons Hub Brussels emerged from a simple yet powerful vision: to create lasting community infrastructure that values contributions often overlooked in traditional economic models. Founded by Xavier Damman and Leen Schelfhout, the space evolved from a two-and-a-half-year temporary occupation in Schaarbeek into a professional venue with a radical approach to sustainability.

The genesis of the project traces back to a chance meeting at Crypto Wednesday, a monthly event exploring blockchain technology and alternative economic systems. “It wasn’t just about cryptocurrency,” Cédric recalls. “It was about finding new incentive systems for people to participate in economic tasks that aren’t usually well-perceived or valued—like doing dishes after an event, vacuuming floors, or welcoming visitors.”

This thought became the foundation of Commons Hub’s innovative model. The ground floor hosts events and serves as an incubator for emerging associations and communities, many without employees or substantial budgets. The first floor operates as a coworking space—at half the price of typical Brussels venues. The ingenious arrangement? Coworkers contribute a few hours helping facilitate events, welcoming guests, and managing logistics. It’s a self driven modality, a real-time experience of running a startup. 

“We’re tackling two problems at once,” Cédric explains. “Who deals with the events? We have coworkers who help facilitate them. And we’re addressing the expensive coworking culture that excludes many starting entrepreneurs. When people step away from their screens for 20 or 30 minutes to help with an event, loneliness disappears. They connect with others and often discover fellow social entrepreneurs working on inspiring projects.”

The model, Cédric argues or rather stands for, represents a necessary corrective to Western Europe’s over-reliance on government solutions. “Societies that depend too heavily on government typically have less social entrepreneurship. People think, ‘Why would I do this? I pay taxes for that.’ But we’re realising government is slow and can’t fix everything. Even in a small country like Belgium, it’s too big and lacks the personal, human contact with people.”

The Asian Literary Festival Partnership

When the Asian Literary Festival approached Commons Hub, Cédric immediately recognised kindred spirits. Three elements proved particularly compelling: the team’s energy and founder’s vision, the festival’s hyperlocal approach—partnering with the historic Galerie Bortier just two doors away—and its global ambition to showcase both established and underrepresented voices in literature.

“This wasn’t about mainstream anime culture,” Cédric notes. “It was about poets, science fiction writers, authors exploring diverse paths of writing and borders—voices less known in Europe despite significant global readership. The gallery brought historical prestige and literary tradition, whilst we provided the practical infrastructure like meeting rooms. It was a partnership that made complete sense.” 

‘The festival in truth helped the reincarnation of the Galerie,’ added Cédric.

What struck Cédric most during the festival was the team’s spirit. “Most of the volunteers were just happily helping—’What can I do? Where’s the vacuum? Let me handle this.’ They took initiative, which made everything lighter.

The festival brought together editors, authors, librarians, and, traditional and independent publishers in what Cédric describes as a beautiful collision of counterculture and traditional publishing. Moderating the panel on getting published proved particularly illuminating. “We had such diversity on stage—one editor, one author, one librarian, and one independent printing press.

A Festival That Reflects Brussels’ DNA

The Asian Literary Festival’s impact on Brussels extends far beyond a successful weekend of panels and readings. In a city where 192 nationalities coexist, the festival addressed a crucial gap in the cultural landscape. “Brussels is one of the most diverse cities in the world, yet literary spaces often don’t reflect that richness,” Cédric observes. “The Asian Literary Festival didn’t just bring Asian voices to Brussels—it created a platform where the city’s incredible diversity could see itself represented in literature.”

The festival’s contribution to Brussels’ cultural and literary roadmap is already tangible. By partnering with established institutions like Galerie Bortier whilst creating accessible spaces for emerging voices, it demonstrated a new model for cultural programming—one that’s both internationally ambitious and deeply rooted in neighbourhood life. “What inspired me most was seeing how this could become an annual anchor event for Brussels,” Cédric reflects. “The energy when you get people from different cultures and languages together—that’s when literature becomes truly alive. And in a city with 192 nationalities, that conversation is essential.”

The festival also highlighted Brussels’ potential as a European hub for literature and cross-cultural literary exchange. “We’re not Paris or London in terms of literary infrastructure,” Cédric admits, “but that’s actually an opportunity. We can build something fresh, something that better reflects contemporary reality—where writers move between continents, where translation is central, and where literary communities are transnational by default.”

Legacy Beyond the Festival

The collaboration’s impact extends beyond those October days. Inspired by the energy of international writers gathering in Brussels, Cédric is now establishing a permanent consortium at Commons Hub for international writers and artists, in partnership with The Brussels Review and seeking further collaboation with The Asian Group.

“Brussels has lots of people coming and going—travelling through or working as expats for a few years. What we need is a regular meeting place where international writers can connect monthly or even weekly, work on projects together, exchange feedback, find translators, share contacts, and prepare for events like the festival.”

The space will initially serve as an embassy within Commons Hub, with ambitions to eventually secure its own dedicated venue complete with restaurants and libraries. “Paris has its literary cafés,” Cédric observes. “Brussels deserves the same.”

The Asian Literary Festival plans to return in 2026, expanding to five languages including indigenous Asian languages. Commons Hub will again provide crucial infrastructure, whilst festival participants may join satellite events Commons Hub members organise across Asia—creating genuine reciprocal cultural exchange.

“Cultural heritage is a commons—something we share and must care for together,” Cédric reflects. “When you get people from different cultures and languages together to discuss their craft, that energy, that exchange—it’s what the commons is fundamentally about. We want to be an embassy for these common projects, where people pool resources and take responsibility for shared endeavours.”

Learn more at commonshub. Brussels, where budgets, projects, and event calendars are open source. Public events are listed on the calendar.commonshub.brussels.

Emanuells Cohen