Belonging is an interfaith photography and audio exhibition that presents the personal experiences of people from Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, and Christian faith communities in European cities, including Geneva, Liverpool, Prague, Vienna, and Bonn, and rural areas in Greece and Italy. Through photographic portraits and personal audio testimonies, participants share moments from their religious lives, revealing the diversity of their experiences. The collection of testimonies is guided by two fundamental questions:
What does it look like when I experience belonging?
What does it look like when I do not?
Their thoughts are presented through images and voices that invite us not only to observe, but also to listen. Through QR codes, photographs are linked to audio testimonies, allowing participants to speak about their experiences in their own voice. The combination of image and sound creates an immersive experience that transforms the exhibition into a space for sharing and encounter.
Their stories are not presented as parallel narratives of different religions, but as expressions of a human search for visibility, dignity, safety and participation. Religious identity is approached as one of the many dimensions that shape personal and social life. Through this interfaith perspective, the exhibition highlights the uniqueness of each faith community and individual perspective, as well as the human experiences that connect people regardless of their faith.
The exhibition is closely connected to the vision of the Lighthouse Cities Forum, which promotes cities capable of strengthening social cohesion, trust and safety through collaboration and the active participation of all citizens. The personal stories presented in the exhibition serve as a starting point for a broader reflection on the role of local authorities, educational institutions and civil society in creating cities and countries where religious diversity is not merely tolerated but recognised as a valuable element of public life. Access to places of worship, education that promotes interfaith understanding, the visibility of faith communities in the public sphere, and equal opportunities for participation without discrimination are essential conditions for building genuinely safe and inclusive societies.
Belonging is an invitation to rethink what it means to live together in contemporary European cities. It argues that social cohesion is far from uniformity. At a time when polarisation, hate speech and discrimination continue to be instrumentalised in political discourse, threatening social cohesion, the images and voices presented in the exhibition remind us that the sense of belonging is a fundamental human right and an essential condition for peaceful, democratic and resilient European cities.
Belonging is a collaborative project co-created by the 2025–2026 international KAICIID Fellows. It reflects a shared vision shaped by the Fellows’ work in the cities where they live and serve, representing diverse international organisations including Arigatou International, the Bonn Academy for International Affairs, the Bruno Kreisky Forum, the Muslim-Jewish Council, the Rose Castle Foundation, the Quaker Community of Liverpool, and the World Council of Churches. These organizations have committed decades of work to interreligious dialogue, peacebuilding, and social cohesion. The project was co-created by Basya Gartenstein (Muslim Jewish Council and Bruno Kreisky Foundation, Hannah Larn from the Rose Castle Foundation and the Quaker Community in Liverpool, Mariia Levchenko from the Bonn Academy for International Affairs, Eleonora Mura from Arigatou International, and Angeliki Ziaka from the World Council of Churches.
