The Culture Plum Award, first presented in 2014, is an official recognition of an achievement by a natural person or association that adds value to the cultural life of our municipality, or a remarkable cultural achievement by a resident or association from Bonheiden-Rijmenam for another municipality or city.
Driven by strong social commitment, Marlies van Bouwel traveled the world in her journalistic career seeking stories about emancipation and development. Her stories appeared in publications such as Knack, De Morgen, Het Belang van Limburg, and Marie-Claire.
For twenty years, she was the editor-in-chief of the VVSG magazine 'Lokaal', where she interviewed local politicians, as well as ministers and top civil servants. These conversations formed the basis of her debut novel, 'Voor het zeggen', published in 2018.
With the podcast project 'Kunstmanen', Marlies delivered acclaimed analyses and interviews about arts festivals like Watou and Venice. In 2024, the book 'Spreken of breken' was published, focusing on love, resistance, and betrayal during World War II. She is currently working on the life story of the Mechelen painter Mayken Verhulst, the woman behind Pieter Breugel & Zonen.
