Climate dancing in Belgian-Bollywood style and positive green energy

I found myself lying on the beach that day, imitating a 'sand angel' drawing my wings by cautious waving in the itching sand. Along with me, over 12 000 human bodies executed the same movement, again and again, under the guarding eyes of several giant cameras. “We are doing this for the climate,” I mumbled to my boyfriend who was lying half a meter away from me, in the same uncomfortable position, performing his ‘fallen butterfly’ in a fashion that looked more aggravated with every sand grain that entered his shirt. This is the kind of action we, Belgians, take against climate change. We roll in the sand, move our bodies in curving shapes and dance to manipulate the climate Gods… and – even though it itches sometimes- the Big Ask Again might work.

It was late summer in Belgium, 29th of August. I just came back from an Interrail summer trip around Europe and was glad to be ‘home’ again. Some days before, my mom sent me an enthusiastic email all the way to Budapest. After the success video The Big Ask, produced in the summer of 2008, with the help of 6000 people forming human protest slogans on the beach, the Climate Coalition (environmental organizations like Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, etc. joining forces) and the Belgian film director Nic Balthazar decided to organize an even more impressive event: The Big Ask Again. My mother had it from the television. The commercial channel, can you imagine? If even they promote it, it should be something huge. At least it was reason enough for my mom to let the message cross borders.