A Christian festival committed to social justice, ecology and inclusion

“Look first of all the kingdom of God and his justice”. It is this biblical verse (Mt 6, 33) which constitutes the theme of the Dust Festival this year. The third edition of this meeting of social and militant Christianity begins on August 21, until 24, at the Chaux de la Bussière-sur-Ouche farm (Côte d’Or): “It is the year of consolidation, after a first” crash-test “edition and many changes last year”, explains Camille, 30-year-old Parisian official and engaged in the organization of the festival, with forty other volunteers.

Four days devoted to political, feminist, social, ecological reflection, around conferences and workshops. “The identity recovery of the Christians of the East”, “the instrumentalized secularism against the Muslim”, “to build the Christian struggle against the extreme right” are thus some of the title of the programming. Among the speakers, figures as diverse as Gabriel Hagaï, Rabbi and member of Tsedek! (a decolonial Jewish collective), the philosopher Benoît Sibille, the cultivator Sylvie Perrin-Amstutz or the nun of the Assumption Cécile Renouard.

Find your place

“Many participants are the only Christians in the struggles in which they are engaged, others feel alone in their church because of the political positions they wear, others are far from the church or in research,” explains Camille. Faced with these heavy issues, sometimes difficult, was born the desire to meet to be able to think together, but also to share festive moments. ”

The Chaux Ferme, a Christian eco-seam, is the mission of bringing together very politically committed militants and in search of spirituality, and Christians less aware of political issues. “The festival is open to everyone, families, young people, the elderly. The generation of left -wing Cathos of the 1970s comes to see what the next generation looks like. But the majority is between 20 and 35 years old, ”explains Camille, who also specifies that special attention is paid to the inclusion of queer people (belonging to a sex or gender minority).

Among the devices promoting this inclusion, the campsite where festival-goers sleep offers, for example, a non-mixing space, reserved for gender women and minorities that would feel more comfortable: “This can strike those who have a traditional vision of man and woman, but they have many church places to live their faith. This is not the case for queer people. “

Spiritual encounters

Prayer occupies an important place within the festival. Times of biblical meditation, Ignatian prayer, the prayer of hours and an interreligious prayer time – grouping Jews, Muslims and Christians – are offered during the event.

The Eucharistic celebration of Sunday will allow non-Catholic Christians to commune, the bishop having authorized the Eucharistic hospitality (that is to say the possibility for Christians from another confession to receive the body of Christ). Part of the organizers are close to the Jesuit community, several members of which will intervene during the various proposals of the festival. And Camille to conclude: “These times of prayer, and in particular times combining the different confessions, are extremely significant.”