The Guardian visits “vibrant Matonge”
In its weekend edition, the British broadsheet ‘The Guardian’ paid a visit to Brussels’ African district Matonge. Situated in the north of the municipality of Elsene, Matogne attracts visitors from home and abroad. They are attracted by the wide range of bars, restaurants and specialist shops in an area that is well-served by public transport.
Matonge derives its name from an equally lively area of the Congolese capital Kinshasa. Although originally home to Brussels’ Congolese community, the population of Matonge is now much more diverse with Rwandans, Burundians, Angolans and people from numerous other African countries as well as ex-pats and native Belgians now living in the area.
The Guardian was very upbeat about the area, having visited a number of shops and cultural initiatives including the Flemish-African House Kuumba on the Vredestraat.