With the slogan ‘Allemaal Antwerpenaar‘ (‘All Antwerpians‘), the City of Antwerp will be sending a clear message in the coming years: Antwerp residents are proud of their city and connected to each other in it. The slogan has been displayed on various buildings throughout the city and its districts since this week.
The slogan has or had been serving as diversity slogan since 2021.
‘Allemaal Antwerpenaar‘ was also the title of the government agreement for this term and will now become the new city slogan.
“The slogan is more than a tagline: it’s a philosophy. Antwerp is a city with iconic locations, a rich history, and a vibrant character. Antwerp is therefore more than just a city on the Scheldt: Antwerp residents are connected by a past, an atmosphere, and a feeling that unites and transcends them. This also means they have a responsibility to each other. They know what’s possible and do the right thing, even when no one is watching. In this way, they are good neighbors and keep the streets clean together.”, the press release says.
Mayor Els van Doesburg (N-VA): “With ‘All Antwerpians’, we deliberately chose a city slogan that makes it clear that living together isn’t a one-way street. Antwerp is a warm haven for everyone who wants to help care for our city. The city invests in safety, cleanliness, and opportunities for all Antwerp residents. We ask Antwerp residents to be civic-minded and responsible. This is reflected in small, daily choices: properly disposing of waste, not causing noise pollution, treating each other respectfully, and caring for the neighborhood. After all, we weren’t born just for ourselves, but all Antwerp residents.”
In the streets
The new city slogan will be visible everywhere in the coming years and will be launched with a street campaign. The radiant A will remain the city’s logo.
The message ‘All Antwerpians’ has been visible on approximately 20 libraries, cultural centers, and other buildings in the city and its various districts since this week. The Museum Aan de Stroom (Museum At the Stream, MAS) on Het Eilandje, the Old Bathhouse in Antwerp-North, and the Permeke Library on De Conickplein, among others, are decorated with window drawings until early February.
Furthermore, Antwerp residents can pick up a drawing kit at various locations to decorate their windows with the slogan and Antwerp symbols. You can find the various collection points where you can pick up a drawing kit at www.antwerpen.be/info/maak-een-raamtekening. The kits are available while supplies last.
‘The city belongs to everyone’
The City of Antwerp has been under N-VA leadership since 1 January 2013. First with Mayor Bart De Wever, now Prime Minister of Belgium, and currently with (Acting) Mayor Els van Doesburg.
Previously, social democrat Patrick Janssens was mayor, from 2001 to 2012. Under his two-term administration, the city slogan was ‘‘t Stad is van iedereen‘, ‘The city belongs to everyone‘.
Under Janssens, the City of Antwerp really launched city marketing with the slogan and a corporate identity. The radiant A replaced the traditional coat of arms and the official flag in city communication.
But with the regime change, that slogan was dropped. It was too much associated with the previous government. During the 2012 municipal elections campaign, De Wever expressed his dislike for that slogan. “The city does not belong to everyone”, he argued. “There are not only rights, but also obligations.”