In a spin

#387
Erkenningsnummer P708816
july 1, 2015 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ read more at www.flanderstoday.eu
current affairs \ p2
Walk about
politics \ p4
BUSiNESS \ p6
Crazy stages
Brussels introduces its longawaited pedestrian zone, which
closes a huge swath of streets
around the Beurs to traffic
How a farmer’s son from
Haacht became the best
builder of concert and festival
stages in the world
\2
\7
innovation \ p7
education \ p9
art & living \ p10
Colourful
coils
Ghent-based artist Marthine
Tayou’s Bozar exhibition
starts surprising visitors as
soon as they walk in the door
\ 14
In a spin
© Courtesy ThromboGenics
Spin-offs are breathing new life into Flanders’ innovation scene
Senne Starckx
More articles by Senne \ flanderstoday.eu
For the past two years, Flanders’ innovation motor has
been sputtering. But both the government and industry
agree that the best way to revive it is to encourage the
creation of spin-offs and enhance their chances of success
via universities and research parks.
T
he EU member states often find a mirror held up to
their faces when it comes to economic performance.
One of the European Commission’s favourite ways
to do this is by using scoreboard statistics – comparisons
between countries and regions that tell them what position
they hold in the race to the top.
In the area of innovation, the Commission compiles a new
scoreboard every two years. In the latest, covering 2014, the
Innovation Union Scoreboard labelled Germany and Scandinavia the leading innovators in Europe. Flanders was in
the second group, made up of what the Commission calls
“innovation followers”.
Although Flanders’ score is still way above the EU average, the report has a clear message for policymakers: Get
to work.
Over the last two years, innovation has been slowing down
in Flanders. That’s in sharp contrast with the situation in
the first decade of the century, when innovation was rocketing; for years, Flanders was one of Europe’s leaders.
The remarks in the scoreboard report touch a sore point:
while Flanders scores very well in both the quantity and
quality of its international scientific publications, one of its
weakest points is still the commercialisation of new innovations.
One of the most visible symptoms of this lack of commercialisation is the decline of start-up SMEs and venture capital projects over the last two years. This conclusion is even
more painful knowing that Flanders has one of the strong-
est patent portfolios in Europe.
So what can help kick-start Flanders’ innovation motor?
“Although the number of start-up enterprises in Flanders
has decreased lately, the number of spin-offs from universities and other strategic research centres has increased,” says
Erik Tambuyzer, a member of the Royal Flemish Academy of
Belgium for Science and the Arts.
“Spin-offs are a key element in innovation for a knowledgebased region such as Flanders,” he continues. “It’s not easy,
however, to turn a spin-off company into a commercial
success.”
Tambuyzer organised a high-level conference on the topic
earlier this month in Brussels’ Palace of the Academies.
Participants and speakers discussed ways to stimulate
and increase the success rate of spin-offs from knowledge
centres – a collective term for universities, colleges and
research institutes.
continued on page 5
\ CURRENT AFFAIRS
Brussels pedestrian zone open
The capital’s new city-centre car-free zone is the largest in Europe
Alan Hope
Follow Alan on Twitter \ @AlanHopeFT
T
he face of Brussels’ city centre changed
radically this week – for pedestrians,
for users of public transport and,
above all, for drivers. The new pedestrian
zone made its debut on Monday. Said to be
the biggest in Europe, it covers an area of
about 50 hectares.
The biggest change will be for drivers in the
Beurs area. Here is some handy info for figuring it all out.
•
The car-free zone along Anspachlaan
extends from De Brouckèreplein to Fontainasplein, on the other side of the Beurs. Traffic
coming from the North Station direction
is diverted via Arteveldestraat and Zespenningenstraat, Cellebroersstraat, Keizerlaan
and Wolvengracht, all one-way, in a huge
counter-clockwise loop. Traffic entering the
circulatieplan.be
Beurs area coming from the South Station
end will join the loop at Bogaardenstraat
to exit at Adolphe Maxlaan (one way) or
Lakensestraat, which remains two-way.
• Traffic approaching the Beurs from the
east, from the direction of Wetstraat and the
European quarter, will come in on Kolonienstraat, while traffic from the west will enter
via Gentsesteenweg and Dansaertstraat, or
via Ninoofsesteenweg and the inner Ring
Road.
• New bus service 86 will tour the traf-
fic loop around the pedestrian zone to help
bring motorists back to their cars.
• The existing pedestrian zone around Grote
Markt remains as is. The new zone includes
the central Anspachlaan and side streets, as
well as the section of Zuidstraat between
Lombardstraat and Bogaardenstraat and
between Steenstraat and Kolenmarkt.
• Extra cycle paths are provided in side
streets adjoining the pedestrian zone,
including Vlaamsesteenweg, Dansaertstraat, Accolaystraat and Putterij.
• Buses 29, 47, 66, 71 and 88 continue to
terminate at De Brouckère but the stops
have been relocated slightly. Lines 48 and
95 now terminate at Grote Markt, but will
continue to serve Lombardstraat.
• People who live within the new pedestrian
areas can get special badges to be able to
drive and park in their streets.
Coast trams get free wi-fi
Police and psychiatrists found guilty
in cell death of Jonathan Jacob
A psychiatrist, the director of a psychiatric hospital
and seven members of Antwerp’s police intervention squad have been found guilty in the case of the
death of Jonathan Jacob in police custody in 2010.
The police were convicted of involuntary
manslaughter, and the psychiatrists of criminal
negligence. One police officer was acquitted, as was
the commissioner of the police zone concerned.
Jacob was brought to a psychiatric hospital in
Boechout, near Antwerp, in January 2010 in a
severely agitated state. He was denied admission by
the director and was taken to a police cell in Mortsel, where a doctor was called in to give him a sedative.
Jacob resisted and was set upon by several members
of a special intervention squad, who wrestled the
26-year-old body-builder under the influence of
amphetamines to the floor and knelt on him. He
died soon after as a result of internal injuries.
The case was made public in 2013 when the VRT
documentary series Koppen obtained an in-cell
video of the event.
The psychiatrist and director of the hospital were
each given six-month suspended sentences. The
police officers each received four months suspended
and a fine of €275. The eighth member of the squad
was found not guilty, as he had only appeared on the
scene after the assault had taken place.
None of the accused was present for the verdict, and
none was represented by counsel. All are likely to
appeal the sentences, which, as they were handed
down in absentia, will lead to a retrial. \ AH
Ten trams on the coast route have been fitted with wi-fi to allow passengers to go online while traveling, public transport authority De Lijn has
announced. Thirteen more will be added during the summer, so about one
in three coast trams will have the service.
The wi-fi provided is free, but sites considered illegal, extremist or pornographic will be filtered out. Users have to log in to the system, which gives
them a limit of 250 MB a month. De Lijn said it will look into providing
pass holders with more.
“With summer around the corner, we wanted to provide users of the coast
tram with an extra service,” said De Lijn CEO Roger Kesteloot. “It’s clear
that people also want to be online when they’re on the road: seven out of
10 mobile phones sold are now smartphones.”
At the same time, Bruges and Kortrijk will see the introduction of 10 wi-fi
buses between them. Later in the year, more wi-fi buses will come into
service in Ostend and Roeselare.
Kesteloot also announced the start of the 29th annual Coast Tram
Campaign. Visitors to one of 40 events or attractions this summer along
the coast can take the tram for a special fare. The attractions include Fort
Napoleon, Plopsaland, Sea Life and the Mercator sailing ship. \ AH
Jeanne Devos among first to receive Flemish Community Honour
The government of Flanders has announced
the names of the first recipients of the Flemish
Community Honours. The awards were introduced last year and are given to people from
all walks of life who have distinguished themselves in some way, or who “by their outstanding talents have contributed to a positive
image of Flanders,” the government said.
The intention is to award the honours every
year to a number of exceptional Flemings.
© Steven Fruitsmaak/Wikimedia Commons
This year’s honours go to retired journalist
and commentator Manu Ruys; Sister Jeanne
Devos (pictured), who has spent her life
working among the poor in Mumbai; Mieke
Van Hecke, former member of the Flemish
parliament and former head of the Catholic
schools network; Reinhilde Decleir, actor and
member of the political theatre group Tutti
Fratelli; Frank Cuyt, director of the Flemish Welfare Union; former Flemish minis-
€60 million
of children in Flanders spent time
in child-care facilities last year.
That’s 1.3% more than in 2013,
continuing the trend of parents
turning to professional day care
instead of informal arrangements
\2
cost of renovation work on the
Royal Conservatory in Brussels,
to begin in 2018. The costs will be
shared between the Flemish and
French-speaking communities and
the federal government
ter Wivina Demeester-De Meyer; Wilfried
Vancraen, founder and CEO of 3D printing
company Materialise; and Peter Van Eenoo,
chair of the World Association of Anti-Doping
Scientists.
The recipients will be given their awards
during a ceremony in the Errerahuis in Brussels, the official residence of the Flemish
minister-president, on 11 July, which is Flemish Community Day. \ AH
127
or one child in seven in Antwerp is
born into a disadvantaged family,
according to Kind & Gezin. Across
Flanders the figure is 11.4%, or
almost double the figure from 2001
foreign-based websites blocked by
the government in 2014, compared
to only 20 in 2013. Sites were
blocked for reasons such as breach
of copyright, illegal betting, extremist content or illegal pornography
of lorries inspected in Belgium
showed serious safety faults involving headlights, brakes, chassis or
tyres. Some of the 8,574 tested
were so serious the vehicles were
removed from the roads
july 1, 2015
WEEK in brief
Leuven bartender Jan Vanden
Plas has won the World Championship beer tapping competition, the third year in a row
that someone from Leuven has
won the title. Earlier this month,
Vanden Plas of the Louvain
Louvain cafe was crowned
champion of the Belgian beer
taps, allowing him to represent the country at the Stella
Artois World Draught Masters
in London last weekend. He
beat 21 other candidates with a
flawless execution of the Stella
Artois nine-step pouring and
serving ritual – from cleaning
the glass to serving the beer at
the table.
A member of Antwerp’s provincial council has filed a complaint
with the federal interior ministry claiming irregularities in
the construction of the One
World bridge by Flemish artist
Arne Quinze on the Tomorrowland festival site in Boom.
According to Kris Merckx, the
cost of the project was kept
artificially low so as to remain
under the €5 million threshold
at which, under European rules,
public contracts have to be put
out to tender. The actual cost
turned out to be €6.65 million,
Merckx said.
About half of the nearly 6,000
workers who were laid off
when Ford Genk closed last
December have still not found
another job, according to the
Flemish employment and training agency VDAB. Forty-three
percent of them are over the age
of 50. The former employees of
suppliers are having more luck,
partly because they are younger.
Only one in 10 of the over-50s
has found new employment,
and one in 20 of those over 55.
A crew of 300 is still working
in the plant, dismantling the
installations.
Federal police searched a farm
in Gooik, Flemish Brabant,
last week in connection with
face of flanders
the disappearance of Stephen
Shittu, a professional volleyball player who went missing
in the area three years ago. Last
month, the body of a 62-year-old
Ninove man, who disappeared
earlier this year, was found on
one of the farm’s fields. The new
search did not turn up any additional leads, police said.
The meat industry federation Febev has complained
about a new campaign video
by animal rights organisation Gaia that alleges gruesome mistreatment of horses
in Argentina, later sold as meat
in Belgium. The images in the
clip are old and taken out of
context, the federation said.
“Gaia demonstrates not the
slightest iota of interest in actually reducing animal suffering,” said a Febev spokesperson.
“Gaia is only interested in using
sensational images to solicit
donations.”
Residents of municipalities
in and just east of Brussels,
including Sint-Pieters-Woluwe,
Kraainem and WezembeekOppem, are taking air traffic control agency Belgocontrol to court claiming that the
agency has failed to implement
measures ordered by the state
following an appeal court ruling
on aircraft routes. They claim
the increase in take-offs and
landings has led to “a situation
of intolerable noise nuisance”.
Government authorities in
Brussels spend 35% more
than the average for the rest
of the country, according to
a study carried out by Belfius
bank. Authorities in the capital spend on average €3,895 per
resident per year, compared to
the national average of €2,882.
Belfius points to a high population density and high costs for
education, security and social
assistance as reasons. The cost
of policing is also much higher:
€303 per resident per year, twice
as much as the average for Flanders.
Ostend city council plans to
employ students during the
summer months to check up
on people who have a second
home in the city but fail to
declare it. The students will
compare the owners of properties against the city’s registers,
and anyone who is not domiciled in Ostend will be asked to
pay the tax.
Flemish mobility minister Ben
Weyts has “an open mind”
regarding opening up the
market in vehicle inspection
to competition. The proposal
was made by motoring organisation VAB, based on a study
that shows that Belgian motorists have mixed feelings about
the current situation, with a
majority finding inspections
too expensive, too slow and
sometimes even the cause of
damage to the vehicle. Weyts
had ordered a screening of
inspection centres after taking
office, which “showed there
is room for improvement,” he
said. “The value for money
could certainly be higher.”
A Brussels centre for the
support of sex offenders who
have been released from prison
could be on the brink of closure
because of a 20% cut in subsidies. “If we don’t get the budget
for this year that we are counting on – about €180,000 – we
will have to let our four staff
members go. That means that
sex offenders who might have
been released under strict
conditions will instead have
to remain in prison,” said the
organisation’s vice-chair Francis Martens. The Antwerp centre
UFC, which has the same role,
said cuts meant its operations
would be severely curtailed. A
spokesperson for justice minister Koen Geens said he was in
touch with the communities to
look for additional funds.
OFFSIDE
The plot thickens… again
You know we’ve reached what in Dutch
is called komkommertijd (in English: silly
season) when the first story comes out
about the missing panels from the brothers
Van Eyck masterpiece “The Adoration of the
Mystic Lamb”.
The story concerns the “Righteous Judges”
panel from the massive altarpiece. That
panel and another were stolen from Ghent’s
Sint-Baaf ’s cathedral on the night of 10 to 11
April 1934. One panel was soon recovered.
The “Righteous Judges” panel never was.
Last year historian Paul De Ridder claimed
the panel was in the possession of a powerful Ghent family. That trail went cold.
Now comes the allegation, from former
KBC board member Jan Bosselaers that
the bank was involved in the 1980s in an
attempt to negotiate the return of the
panel, on payment of a ransom of 20 million
Belgian francs, or €500,000. The attempt
was approved by the bank’s management
committee, but the negotiating partner,
who claimed to be in possession of the
panel, pulled out unexpectedly.
The theft itself, more than 80 years ago, can
no longer be prosecuted. “It’s not our aim to
point the finger of guilt,” said a spokesperson for the Ghent prosecutor’s office. “We
want to find the panel, an important part of
our art heritage, and return it to the altarpiece.”
The prosecutor hopes that assurance might
convince whoever is in possession of the
panel to give it up, now that repercussions
have been ruled out.
The fake online profile
The danger of digital theft is one
faced by all consumers, with
gangs of hackers breaking into
bank accounts and pilfering our
credit card details. But for those
in the public eye, there’s even
more peril lurking online.
Last week saw two instances of
social media identity theft with
regards to BVs – bekende Vlamingen (well-known Flemings). In
the case of federal health minister Maggie De Block, the motive
appears to have been pure profit.
Someone – the police are investigating who – set up a fan page on
Facebook and then proceeded to
try to raise money using the fake
endorsement of the fake minister.
The fraudster pretended to have
set up a fund for people in financial straits; anyone who made
contact was told they could
get aid of between €5,000 and
€30,000. All they had to do was
take out an insurance policy...
“I’m not even on Facebook,” De
Block said. “This is pure fraud.
I’d like to warn people not to be
taken in by this sort of offer on
Facebook. What’s especially bad
is that this con-artist is trying to
mistreat people who are already
having difficulties.” The police
were alerted, and Facebook has
taken down the page.
Flemish meteorologist Frank
Deboosere has also experienced
the problem of fake internet
profiles. On Facebook and on
Twitter, people pretending to
be him have come and gone; the
latest appeared last week and
managed to collect 609 friends
who think they’re dealing with
the real weathercaster.
“609 people who have been
cheated,” Deboosere said. In real
life, like De Block, he does not
maintain a Facebook account
but is active on Twitter. In this
case, nobody appears so far
to have been cheated out of
anything material. Nevertheless
Deboosere is furious.
“This is theft of my digital identity,” he wrote on his website.
“My name is being abused.”
He advised anyone else in his
situation to contact abuse@
facebook.com or abuse@twitter.
com. \ Alan Hope
Flanders Today, a weekly English-language newspaper, is an initiative of the Flemish
Region and is financially supported by the Flemish authorities.
The logo and the name Flanders Today belong to the Flemish Region (Benelux Beeldmerk nr
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of the newspaper and is responsible for all content, as stipulated in the agreement between
Corelio Publishing and the Flemish authorities.
Editor Lisa Bradshaw
DEPUTY Editor Sally Tipper
CONTRIBUTING Editor Alan Hope
sub Editor Linda A Thompson
Agenda Robyn Boyle, Georgio Valentino
Art director Paul Van Dooren
Prepress Mediahuis AdPro
Contributors Rebecca Benoot, Bartosz
Brzeziński, Derek Blyth, Leo Cendrowicz,
Katy Desmond, Andy Furniere, Diana
Goodwin, Julie Kavanagh, Catherine
Kosters, Toon Lambrechts, Katrien
Lindemans, Ian Mundell, Anja Otte, Tom
Peeters, Daniel Shamaun, Senne Starckx,
Christophe Verbiest, Débora Votquenne,
Denzil Walton
General manager Hans De Loore
Publisher Mediahuis NV
A copy of the missing panel
by restorer Jef Van der Veken
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Verantwoordelijke uitgever
Hans De Loore
\3
\ POLITICS
China to build stronger EU
connections via Antwerp
Contracts signed and Iron Rhine railway discussed at economic mission
Alan Hope
More articles by Alan \ flanderstoday.eu
A
ntwerp could be an important staging post in a new
Silk Road, according to Chinese president Xi Jinping,
speaking last week during a Belgian royal trade
mission to China. According to Flemish minister-president
Geert Bourgeois, who took part in the mission led by King
Filip and Queen Mathilde, China is prepared to build new
connections with Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The president’s remarks came during a state banquet and
concerned the One Belt, One Road programme of economic
expansion announced in 2013, which aims to create links
between China’s industrial cities and trading centres in other
parts of the world. Part of the network involves rail links
along the old Silk Road route, as well as sea links with southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean.
During the visit, Belgium submitted an application to join
the new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which will
finance the infrastructure works needed. Bourgeois described
the Chinese plans as “fascinating” and drew attention to the
importance of re-activating the Iron Rhine – the name given
to the old railway connection between Antwerp and the Ruhr
region of Germany.
© Yorick Jansens/BELGA
Flemish minister-president Geert Bourgeois pictured before a lunch with
Chinese Investors in Beijing last week
Discussions about reviving the line have been going on
between Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany for years
without result.
Meanwhile, the Port of Antwerp and Shanghai Maritime
University put the finishing touches to a co-operation agreement with the signing of the document by port CEO Eddy
Bruyninckx and university president Huang Youfang. Under
the agreement, four Master’s students from Shanghai will
receive the Port of Antwerp Maritime Award each year for
a thesis on the development of port activities in connection
with Antwerp.
“As a port, we invest not only in good commercial relations
but also find it equally worthwhile to support future generations,” Bruyninckx said.
In other news from the mission, Brussels-based chocolatier
Pierre Marcolini will open his first shop in China next year,
after an agreement signed with the Chinese investor EverYI
Capital. The products on sale will be made in Marcolini’s
workshops in Brussels, which employ 60 people.
The Belgian customs and excise authorities, meanwhile,
signed a declaration of intent with the Chinese investment
company Xuanshu International and the Port of Zeebrugge
to create the China Gateway: Zeebrugge Trade Zone, which
will see the West Flanders port become an important port of
entry to Europe for Chinese goods.
Flemish government “not yet informed” of stadium plans
The government of Flanders had not been officially
informed about the agreement announced last week by the
Brussels-City council and the developers BAM/Ghelamco
regarding the new national stadium, according to sports
minister Philippe Muyters.
Anderlecht football club has agreed to move into the new
stadium when it is completed in 2019, for a period of 20
years. During that time, Brussels-City will pay a contribution of €4 million a year to have a VIP lounge in the stadium,
which will be used for visiting groups and special guests.
Since that announcement, attention has turned to the
future of the Memorial Van Damme athletics meet, after
Brussels’ alderman for sport, Alain Courtois, said the existing Koning Boudewijn stadium (pictured) will be demolished in 2020.
That, according to organisers of the Memorial Van Damme,
is two years earlier than originally announced. “If a solu-
tion isn’t found, we’ll be obliged to organise the Memorial
in another country,” a spokesperson said.
The problem is that the new stadium does not include an
athletics track, which would have reduced the number of
seats available for spectators. The new stadium is designed
to seat 45,000. According to Muyters, the government of
Flanders stands behind its position in 2013, when it insisted
that the new stadium be equipped with an athletics track.
The government of Flanders has a voice in the matter
because, although the stadium is a project of Brussels-City,
which owns the land on Parking C of the Heizel complex,
the land actually lies within the municipality of Grimbergen, Flemish Brabant, outside of Brussels borders.
“As long as there is no solution, the Koning Boudewijn
stadium has to be kept open until 2022,” Muyters said in
parliament. “That was the position of the Flemish government before, and it’s our position still.” \ AH
© Courtesy Joni-Fuego/Wikimedia
MP wants hearing test in final year
of secondary school
Three regions to co-ordinate
road safety and driving tests
Flemish MP Freya Saeys has called for the introduction
of a hearing test in the sixth year of secondary education. Teenagers, she said, are insufficiently tested for
hearing damage, although they are an important target
group because of the prevalence of MP3 players and
attendance at concerts among the age group.
The timing of the request is not coincidental: Flanders’ huge number of summer festivals poses a risk of
hearing damage, said Saeys (Open VLD). She recognised that important steps have been made in the
past few years to prevent hearing damage at festivals
and concerts. Stricter noise standards have been set,
and venues and festivals are obliged to provide free
earplugs.
But Saeys said that not all earplugs are of good quality and don’t always sufficiently protect the hearing.
Audiologist Liesje De Wit confirmed this: “People often
don’t push them deep enough, so most of the sound is
still reaching the inner ear.” Most young people don’t
invest in custom-made ear plugs.
Saeys said that an extra hearing test in the sixth year of
The governments of Belgium’s
three regions will co-operate on
road safety issues, following the
signature last week of a co-ordination agreement.
In the last round of state reforms,
road safety policy became a
responsibility of the regions. But
the three mobility ministers said
that any coherent policy has to
recognise that road safety transcends borders. “If we want to
have an effective road safety
policy, we have to depend on
one another to some extent,”
Flemish mobility minister Ben
Weyts said. “Each of us runs our
own policy independently, but
co-operation is needed for us to
harmonise at least a few basic
principles.”
\4
secondary education would show students how much
their hearing has already been affected. Hearing tests
are already provided from pre-school until the fifth
year of primary education, but not in secondary school.
“Listening to loud music on wearable digital music
players has doubled in 20 years’ time,” said Saeys, “so
it’s about time we doubled our prevention efforts.”
\ Andy Furniere
Under the agreement, the ministers – Weyts, Bianca Debaets
for Brussels and Maxime Prévot
for Wallonia – will meet at least
once a year to establish broad
policy. The rest of the year, working groups will tackle issues such
as mutual recognition of certifications, so that driving instructors who qualify in one region
will have their qualifications
recognised by the other two
regions.
The agreement aims to improve
the quality of driving instruction
in general, as well as in specific
areas such as “green” driving
– how to use a car to the least
possible detriment of the environment – and risk-perception,
or preventive driving. \ AH
\ COVER STORY
july 1, 2015
In a spin
Universities and research parks are the ideal setting for ambitious spin-offs
continued from page 1
“Flemish spin-offs are discussed
quite regularly in the general
media,” says Tambuyzer. “But very
often the reason is that they’ve
been acquired by foreign entities
or gained international success.
We have to focus on spin-offs in a
broader perspective.”
For Flanders, he continues, “it’s
crucial that we anchor the knowledge that these companies are
based on and that this is embedded in our physical and geographical region”.
According to the Academy, knowledge centres are the key to promoting knowledge-driven entrepreneurship in Flanders. One of the
biggest and largest is to be found
in Leuven.
Since 1972, the KU Leuven
Research & Development Department (LRD) has guided the creation of 105 spin-offs, of which
87 are still active. Today, these
companies employ more than
4,000 people.
Some are already world-famous,
like Materialise, a pioneer in
3D printing, and ThromboGenics, an innovative drug developer (pictured on cover). And who
knows: Maybe there’s a new Google
among these 87, or the new ones
being created?
“That we can only hope for,” says
Koen Debackere, general manager
of LRD. “Although I have to say that
the prospects for our most recent
spin-offs look very good.”
As well as 3D printers LayerWise,
there’s Cartagenia, which develops
software for medical diagnoses.
“Cartagenia has become a market
leader in a short period and is now
expanding its reach as part of a
large US group.”
So what’s LRD’s recipe for success?
“There’s no simple formula,” says
Debackere. “Every start-up is different, as every research and market
sector is different. The only thing
we can do is to provide the best
foundation so that spin-offs can
arm themselves against continuously changing circumstances. But
if you want a common denominator, here’s one: Every strong spinoff seems to have a strong multidisciplinary character.”
In the meantime, a working group
at the Academy has listed seven
recommendations in a position
paper aimed at policymakers who
want to give innovation in Flan-
KVAB.BE
© Rob Stevens/KU Leuven
Layerwise prints 3D implants for the medical sector, for both humans and animals
ders a boost. Some, just like the
concept of innovation itself, are
rather vague. Others are more
concrete: “Incubation periods
should be longer so that risk of failure is reduced”; “more investments
are needed to help penetrate the
global market”.
According to Tambuyzer, one of the
challenges is to free innovation in
Flanders from its “golden cage”. “In
recent years, along with increased
research funding, a large amount
of human resources potential has
been created in Flanders,” he says.
“But it sometimes seems that
these excellent researchers are
locked up in golden cages. Knowledge centres should actively scout
for entrepreneurial talent between
them, so that, with the right attitude and coaching, these individuals can actively engage in a spinoff and learn more about customer
focus.”
Successful commercialisation and
the innovative character of a product or service go hand in hand.
Or, in the words of Koen De Witte,
co-founder of reMYND, a successful KU Leuven biotech spin-off, it’s
all about creating “a flock of positive black swans”, or unexpected
events.
reMYND is at the forefront in the
development of treatments for
diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and diabetes. “When we
started in 2002,” De Witte says, “our
business plan consisted mainly
of performing contract research
using our in-vivo mouse model
for Alzheimer’s and extending the
offering with in-vitro models.”
Today, the Leuven-based spin-off
still does contract research for the
big pharmaceutical companies,
biotechs and academic institutes,
but the in-vitro model has also
grown into different, unique preclinical treatments (still in the preclinical phase) that go far beyond
treating Alzheimer’s: from restoring the function of the pancreas
in diabetes patients to restoring
diseased neurons in people with
Huntington’s disease.
“We owe the current resilience of
our company to the black swans in
our portfolio,” says De Witte.
The success of reMYND relies
heavily on the “good science”
provided by KU Leuven, the Flemish life sciences institute VIB and
academic institutions worldwide. De Witte: “On the scientific
and R&D side, the identification
of novel mechanisms and drug
targets requires excellent scientific collaborations, good advisors and a critical mass of trained
researchers.
“Apart from that, research and
innovation grants and financial incentives from the Flemish, federal and European governments were very welcome to
overcome the incubation phase. It
seems to be a common complaint
in the spin-off world that venture
capitalists are not keen on investing during this phase, because it’s
too risky.”
Last but not least, De Witte
mentions the importance of the
positive image biotech has in Flanders for his company’s success.
Another example of a successful
Flemish spin-off is ProDigest, a
company founded in 2008 at Ghent
University that performs contract
research for both the food and
pharmaceutical industry. ProDi-
gest was founded by Sam Possemiers, who did his PhD in the gastrointestinal research lab of professor
Willy Verstraete.
Today, the microbial inhabitants
of our intestines are in the spotlight because of their role in nutrition processes and several diseasecausing factors. With ProDigest,
Possemiers is offering a lab model
of the human intestine to interested companies.
After his PhD defence in the
summer of 2007, Possemiers had
to choose between an academic
future or one in industry. “I
decided to try both, by translating
academic knowledge into industrial application,” he says.
After the start-up in 2008, there
was a four-year incubation period.
“During this time, we turned our
company concept, based on the
model of the humane intestine,
into a professional entity.”
In June 2012, the next stage
began, with the growth phase
and the growing awareness that
the company was there to stay.
So what has Possemiers learned
about the connection with the
knowledge centre since his transformation into an entrepreneur?
“A knowledge centre is an
ideal atmosphere for starting a
company,” he says. “Also, we were
able to use the ‘spin-in structure’
of the university as a try-out. The
crucial incubation phase, therefore, is turned into an embedded
spin-off phase.”
Possemiers also says the reality of
entrepreneurship has transformed
him personally. “A world of difference can be made in the self-confidence, creativity and open-mindedness of young people, just by
getting them acquainted with the
reality of entrepreneurship.”
The Royal Flemish Academy
FOR Science and Arts
The Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science
and the Arts (KVAB) was founded in 1772, as an organisation along the lines of the British Royal Society.
Its main task is to nourish the societal debate, with
scientific and artistic input, in a neutral and interdisciplinary way, by publishing position papers and
organising thematic meetings for Flemish, Belgian
and European researchers and other stakeholders.
The symposium on innovative entrepreneurship via
spin-offs of knowledge centres is part of the Academy’s Thinker’s programme. Last year, there was a
Thinker’s programme on Flanders’ Future as a Knowledge Society, for which Portuguese scientist and politician José Mariano Gago was the Thinker-in-residence at the Academy.
\5
\ BUSINESS
week in
business
Gases – Air Liquide
The French industrial gas
producer inaugurated its new
€50 million carbon monoxide
production unit in Antwerp
last week. The plant’s additional capacity is earmarked
for the area’s many chemicals
producers that make extensive use of the gas.
Hotels KKR
The US-based investment
fund has acquired two hotels
in Antwerp, the 247-room
Radisson Blue Astrid and
the 59-room Park Inn, both
located opposite the city’s
Central Station
Logistics WDP
The Meise-based industrial
property group is investing
€115 million in the Netherlands to acquire a distribution centre in Tilburg and a
multimodal facility in Zwolle.
In addition, the company is
building a €24 million distribution centre in Willebroek,
Antwerp province.
Meal vouchers
Monizze
The Brussels-based electronic
meal vouchers management
company has been acquired
by the French Up group, which
handled up to €6 billion worth
of vouchers last year.
Payments Alibaba
The Chinese group plans
to open an outlet in Brussels early next year to test its
Alipay online payment platform on the European market.
Alipay has China’s biggest
market share in the sector,
with 300 million users.
Telecoms Huawei
The Free University of Brussels (VUB) and Proximus have
signed a partnership agreement with the Chinese telecommunications group to
set-up a joint ICT learning and
innovation centre to develop
and test 5G technology for the
European market.
Trucks Daf
The Dutch trucks manufacturer, which invested €100
million last year in a new
paint shop for truck cabs in
Westerlo, Antwerp province,
plans to hire an additional 200
workers for the site to meet
growing demand.
\6
Delhaize and Ahold merge
Albert Heijn and Delhaize are now one big supermarket group
Alan Hope
More articles by Alan \ flanderstoday.eu
T
he merger of supermarket giants Delhaize
and Ahold, owner of Albert Heijn, was
officially announced last week. Dick
Boer, COO of the Dutch Ahold group, has been
named CEO of the new Ahold Delhaize group.
The current CEO of Belgium’s Delhaize, Frans
Muller, will be deputy CEO.
The deal was announced during an extraordinary meeting of the works council, at which
unions were informed about details of the
merger. Ahold will acquire Delhaize shares at
the rate of one for 4.75 Ahold shares, which
values the Delhaize share at €90, putting a total
value on Delhaize of €9.31 billion. Ahold will
hold 61% of the new entity, and Delhaize 39%.
Delhaize shares gained 8% on Tuesday on news
of the impending announcement.
Belgian group Delhaize faced massive restructuring last year, said to be necessary to remain
competitive. Workers at stores across the country went on strike in protest at news that 14
stores would close and 2,500 staff made redundant. In the end, 10 stores closed and 1,800 staff
were laid off.
The new Ahold Delhaize group will comprise
an empire of more than 4,600 stores in Belgium,
the Netherlands and the US, employing 380,000
people. The combined Ahold Delhaize will serve
© Laurie Dieffembacq/BELGA
50 million customers a week. Last year the two
partners reported combined sales of €54 billion
and profits of €1 billion.
Supermarkets handed multimillion-euro fines for price fixing
Leuven’s Bondgenotenlaan
designated as “Face of the City”
The federal competition authorities have handed down fines totalling €174 million to seven supermarkets and 10 of their suppliers
for price fixing.
The supermarkets concerned
are Carrefour, Colruyt, Cora,
Delhaize, Intermarché, Makro
and Mestdagh. The highest fines
in this group go to Carrefour (€36.4
million), Colruyt (€31.6 million)
and Delhaize (€25 million).
The suppliers fined – both local
and international – are wideranging and include Beiersdorf,
Belgium Retail Trading, DE HBC
Belgium, Henkel and Reckitt
Benckiser. The highest fines have
gone to Procter & Gamble (€29
million), L’Oréal (€8 million) and
Unilever (€6.7 million).
The practice was brought to light
by Colgate-Palmolive during
an investigation; the company
agreed to co-operate and avoided
being fined. GlaxoSmithKline
also co-operated and was given a
reduced fine of €554,000.
The companies were found guilty
of having organised a co-ordinated
increase in the consumer prices
of household items, perfume and
Bondgenotenlaan in Leuven, the
city’s main shopping thoroughfare, has been designated “Face
of the City” and protected as a
site of historic, architectural and
social value. The announcement
was made by Flemish ministerpresident Geert Bourgeois, also
responsible for heritage, after the
successful conclusion of an agreement with the city.
Bondgenotenlaan (which translates as Avenue of the Allies)
is in many ways a monument
to the destruction suffered by
Leuven in the First World War
and the massive effort of reconstruction that followed. The
street is now a major commercial artery running between the
reconstructed university and the
Martyrs’ Square monument to the
war dead (pictured), located in
front of the train station.
“Thanks to the agreement
on thoughtfully constructed
management goals, we are able
hygiene products, such as shampoo and deodorant, between 2002
and 2007. The fines form part of
a new system that allows for a
transactional result: The companies have admitted their offence
and declined the right to appeal,
in return for a 10% reduction in
their fines.
Even so, the total fines package is
a record for Belgium: the previous
record was in 2013 with fines of
€15 million in the cement sector.
Véronique Thirion, the auditorgeneral of the competition tribunal, said the fines were elevated
in response to the gravity of the
case. “Price fixing is a very serious
offence,” she said.
The consumer suffered the results
of the price fixing over the course
of five years and should therefore
be compensated now, consumer
organisation Test-Aankoop said
in a statement. Federal consumer
affairs minister Kris Peeters
pointed out that the fines imposed
by the competition authority
are not intended to compensate
victims but to act as a sanction on
offenders. \ AH
Chinese buy Wijnegem and
Waasland shopping centres
The Waasland Shopping Center
in Sint-Niklaas and the Wijnegem
Shopping Center near Antwerp
have been acquired by the Chinese
Investment Company (CIC) in
conjunction with the property
fund manager AEW.
Majority stakes in the two retail
centres formed part of a package
along with eight centres in France
that were put up for auction by
CBRE Global Investors. CIC/AEW
came in with the highest bid at
€1.3 billion. The deal means that
CIC now owns 50% of Wijnegem,
worth €400 million, and 65%
of Waasland for a value of €360
million.
Wijnegem is the largest shopping
© Courtesy Wijnegem Shopping Center
centre in the Benelux. It opened
in 1993 with 250 outlets over
61,900 square metres. Waasland
is smaller at 45,000 square metres
and 140 shops and dates to 1972.
It was renovated and extended
beyond the original 40 shops in
2004. \ AH
© Courtesy FaceMePLS/Flickr Commons
to reconcile the heritage value of
the Bondgenotenlaan with its role
as central shopping street,” Bourgeois said. “I support the efforts
of the city to encourage residential use of the upper floors of the
shops: habitation is better for
listed buildings than standing
empty.”
Leuven mayor Louis Tobback
looked forward to an exhibition
in 2018 that would, he said, bring
Bondgenotenlaan the attention
it merits. “We are also delighted
that the avenue is to be protected
as a Face of the City, with guarantees for a lively business future,”
he said. \ AH
Plants must excel to compete
with sister companies, says Voka
If production facilities in Flanders want to play a role on the
world stage, they need to transform themselves into “lead plants”,
according to the Flemish chamber
of commerce (Voka). The conclusion arises out of a project where
top Flemish industrialists were
coached on how to improve the
ranking of their production facilities.
A “lead plant” in business jargon is
one that is of crucial importance to
the parent company. Ford Genk is
a major example of parent companies choosing between their plants:
The factory was closed, while
Ford’s production in Spain was not
only spared but given Genk’s work.
The Voka project, in co-operation
with the Flemish government’s
Enterprise Agency, sought to
examine how a production facility
can ensure that it is the leader in a
contest between subsidiaries. The
answers are collected in the book
Lead Plants published by Lannoo
and compiled by Nadia Werkers
of Voka Antwerp-Waasland and
Professor Rudy Martens, dean of
the faculty of applied economics
at Antwerp University.
Among the tips in the book: Use
the creation of an ambitious local
strategy to single the Flemish facility out from its sister facilities –
which are also competitors.
“Industrial facilities here are under
enormous pressure as a result of
the high salary and energy costs,”
Werkers told Trends magazine.
“There is also a tough competitive atmosphere within businesses. The goal is to make Flemish production facilities leaders in
the group, recognised for a speciality and indispensable to the
company.” \ AH
\ INNOVATION
july 1, 2015
All the world’s a stage
week in
innovation
Peerby and Rescoop
most radical
innovators
The rise and rise of Stageco, set designer to rock’n’roll royalty
Tom Peeters
More articles by Tom \ flanderstoday.eu
STAGECO.BE
For more than 30 years, Hedwig
De Meyer has been building
stages and dreams with Stageco,
the Tildonk-based company that
has set the scene for acts as
big as U2 and Pink Floyd, and is
about to build the main stage for
Tomorrowland.
T
he story of Stageco is that
of a handful of adventurers
becoming the world leader
in building stages for outdoor
concerts and festivals. With the
biggest names in pop, rock and
dance, they’re developing oncein-a-lifetime experiences, says
founder and CEO Hedwig De
Meyer.
De Meyer has just come back from
the US, where he went to the Electric Daisy Carnival dance festival tour in Las Vegas and saw The
Rolling Stones in Pittsburgh. Both
events were developed and built
with the steel and craftsmanship
of Stageco, the Tildonk-based
company he launched 30 years
ago.
De Meyer’s parents were farmers
who grew chicory in the Flemish
Brabant countryside, where from
time to time the young Hedwig
had to help out. That didn’t really
entertain him, so this child of the
’60s became a DJ and took a degree
in sound engineering at Brussels’
Narafi institute. More importantly,
a meeting with Herman Schueremans, the organiser of a nearby
local festival, would influence his
career.
Website maps risk
zones for tick bites
Hedwig De Meyer and The Claw, the stage set that put Stageco on its way
manager, charmed by our vision,
asked us to build one of their three
stage systems. We stood out, and
when he got a production job for
Pink Floyd, we were on board too.”
1994’s Division Bell tour was
Stageco’s first custom-designed
stage tour: a curved roof triggered
the audience to “come inside the
universe of the band” and was
another step forward in stage technology. Stages became an extra
When you’re a pioneer in your
business, you can write the rules
Back in 1979, it was on the very
lawn of last weekend’s Rock
Werchter festival that De Meyer
built his first outdoor stage. “We
wanted to hire a stage for the first
open-air edition of the festival,”
he says, “but we couldn’t find a
proper one, so we decided to build
one ourselves.” With a pole at the
front to support the roof and a
covered platform on both sides for
the loudspeakers, their first stage
wasn’t state-of-the-art, but it did
the job.
Over the next few years they
would improve as stage builders.
Six towers of the sturdiest steel, a
black box in the middle and scenery elements next to, behind and
above became the standard, and in
1985 Stageco appeared as a separate company.
“A Genesis tour opened the eyes
of the international scene,” recalls
De Meyer. “Their production
Trading platform Peerby and
renewable energy co-operative Rescoop have been named
the year’s most radical innovations in Flanders. Peerby
received the jury award and
Rescoop the public prize in a
competition organised by De
Standaard and the non-profit
Social Innovation Factory in
Brussels. The winners receive
guidance in the development
of their idea and an advert in
De Standaard. Peerby is an
online platform that makes it
easy to borrow items among
neighbours, and Rescoop is
a co-operative in which citizens collaborate on the development of renewable energy
production.
artistic outlet for selling rock’n’roll
dreams (and concert tickets), with
U2’s 360° tour (2009-2011), better
known as The Claw, a high point
for Stageco.
“We started to collaborate closely
with the architects of the bands,
without taking over their creative jobs. Their ideas drive our
development. Our XXL stage is
designed entirely from an architectural point of view,” explains De
Meyer, who’s wearing the company
slogan — If you can imagine it, we
can build it — on his sleeve.
The crisis in the recording industry in the first decade of the
millennium came as an unforeseen opportunity for live entertainment and for Stageco: to sell
concert tickets and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, you need stages.
“And no one can build them more
efficiently,” confirms Geert Vandenbon. The author has just published
30 Years of Stageco: From Werchter
to the World, an extensive chronicle of the company, containing
pictures and stories from the early
days up to the present. “It weighs
two kilos,” he says, smiling. “That’s
exactly what De Meyer liked about
it, as it perfectly symbolises the
heavy structures and the rock’n’roll
world the company deals with.”
During his research, Vandenbon was especially impressed by
the system behind the touring.
“There are companies who can
create stages, some can produce
them, others can transport them,
but no one combines these three
elements like Stageco does,” he
says, comparing the organisation
to a perpetual motion machine,
always respecting the tight time
schedules.
“It’s a wheel with three spokes,” De
Meyer says. “And we simply cannot
be late. One of my old slogans was:
Whatever the weather. You know,
we have this sense of urgency
which is totally lacking if you try to
build a normal house in Belgium.”
Stageco can run three or four
productions at the same time, with
several stage systems and with
their own staff, while still providing one-offs in between, anywhere
in the world. “As I speak, we’re at
the European Games in Baku,” De
Meyer says.
“Apart from our stages and teams
at the American dance festivals and with The Stones, we’ll
start building stages in the US for
Taylor Swift and Kenny Chesney.
In Germany we’re now with rock
group Böhse Onkelz at the Hockenheim race circuit. Next week
there’s Werchter Classic and AC/
DC, with whom we’ll do another
world tour, and we’ll start building
the main stage at Tomorrowland.”
This last assignment is proof that
the rockers have entered the dance
world. They have to, since many
of their big rock act friends are
getting old. “The challenging thing
in this business is that it changes
all the time and you have to adapt,”
De Meyer says.
“Our workers used to be called the
black steel men, since the black of
our steel towers and trusses is one
of our trademarks. We preferred
steel over lightweight aluminium because of its strength, and
we painted the steel in black
because we didn’t want the material to stand out in the dark. All the
emphasis had to be on the bands.”
Didn’t that change with tours like
The Claw? “True, that was a perfect
balance of stage, band and music,
all making each other stronger,” he
says. “The stage has become a part
of the show. Which for us, humble
people in nature as we are, was a
top experience.”
It was also an experience for which
U2 thanked the company in person
at their 2011 “homecoming” gig
in Brussels’ Koning Boudewijn
stadium. When Bono asked The
Edge who he thought was the
nicest Belgian, the answer was:
“Hedwig, of course”.
“I was surprised,” De Meyer admits.
“But it was a pleasing encouragement. Still, after all these years, the
most exciting thing is that when
you’re a pioneer in your business,
you can write the rules of the business.”
The federal Scientific Institute
of Public Health has launched
a website that maps risk zones
for tick bites in Belgium as
part of a prevention campaign
against Lyme disease. Lyme is
an infectious disease usually
transmitted through the bite
of a tick infected with the
bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. In Europe, it is largely the
castor bean tick (Ixodes ricinus) that is a carrier of the
bacteria. Ticks mostly live in
shadow-rich places covered
with a thick layer of plant litter,
fern or high grasses. Residents
are asked to report any tick
bites as quickly as possible on
TekenNet. The more people
take part, the better the
website can map risk zones.
The information will be especially useful for forest rangers,
farmers and gardeners.
\ tekennet.wiv-isp.be
UGent offers
platform to “smart
textile” researchers
The fourth edition of the
Smart Textiles Salon took
place last week at Ghent’s
Museum of Industry, Labour
and Textile. Every two years,
Ghent University (UGent)
provides a platform to international researchers working
with smart textiles. These use
integrated electronic technology, like sensors, which can be
used for a multitude of applications in clothing, such as
protecting firefighters, analysing the condition of patients
and determining athlete
fitness. The Smart Textiles
Salon gathers the latest innovations and prototypes in
the international field. The
department of textiles at
UGent and the university’s Centre for Microsystems
Technology also showed their
work. \ Andy Furniere
\7
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\ EDUCATION
july 1, 2015
Securing cyberspace
week in
education
New Bachelor’s course at HoWest trains students to battle cybercrime
Andy Furniere
More articles by Andy \ flanderstoday.eu
I
CT innovations offer endless
possibilities but also create
new dangers, as reports of
increasing cybersecurity breaches
attest. To prepare for the number
of technicians needed to protect
our personal interests as well
as the country’s security, the
Bruges campus of University
College West Flanders (HoWest)
is awarding about 50 Bachelor’s
degrees this month with a focus
on cybercriminality.
At the end of 2013, the public
became startlingly aware of the
scale of cybercrime when a routine
check-up at telecommunications
company Belgacom – now Proximus – revealed a security breach.
Experts determined that hackers
had infiltrated the ICT system and
intercepted data.
Documents made public by
American whistleblower Edward
Snowden soon indicated that the
British intelligence organisation
GCHQ was responsible for the
cyber-attack against Belgacom.
discipline as part of a Bachelor’s.
HoWest students could also for
the first time this year acquire the
internationally accepted Certified
Ethical Hacker (CEH) designation.
The programme is gaining in popularity, says cybersecurity lecturer
Kurt Callewaert. “For many youngsters today, the internet is their
natural habitat.”
The programme teaches students
technical applications like forensic analysis and cryptography. But
they also acquire the skills to set
up and implement a cybersecurity
plan for a client organisation.
“They have to test the efficiency of
a cybersecurity system as well, by
trying to hack it,” explains Callewaert. Students are also brought
up to date with the latest privacy
and ICT legislation.
“When they graduate, they are
almost certain to get a job quickly,”
says Callewaert. “Consultancy
bureaus in particular are eager
to include them in their teams
because of the growing demand
When they graduate, they are almost
certain to get a job right away
The graduates of the HoWest
programme Computer and Cyber
Crime Professional – the only
cybercrime Bachelor programme
in the country – can now help
companies and other organisations to prevent such breaches of
their systems. HoWest launched
the programme, part of the Bachelor’s degree in applied informatics, in 2010.
Other higher education institutions offer Advanced Master’s
and Postgraduate programmes,
but no school was yet offering the
for advice on cybersecurity.”
HoWest co-operates with departments in the federal police and the
army, which send various experts
to the school as guest lectures. The
police and army also benefit from
the programme, as they need more
specialists in the field.
“There are only about 2,000 cybercrime specialists in Belgium,
compared to about 46,000 in the
Netherlands,” says Callewaert,
“while it’s Belgium that houses
the European capital, with all its
important institutions.”
www.tinyurl.com/howestcyber
HoWest students can now become globally recognised Certified Ethical Hackers
Statistics show that Belgium is
increasingly being targeted by
hackers. The number of registered
cyber-attacks increased from an
average of 116 a month in 2010
to 614 a month in the first half of
2014.
According to Callewaert, hackers mainly have economic and
political motives. “Because of the
increasing use of online banking,
the cybersecurity systems of banks
are constantly under attack,” says
Callewaert. The business world
in general is a major target, while
universities and hospitals, for
example, also possess information
that attracts attention.
Snowden’s leaked documents
brought political cyberwarfare
out into the open. That the Belgian
government has not been spared
was demonstrated last year by
the hacking of the federal foreign
affairs department’s server, probably by Russian intelligence
services. “There really is a war
going on,” declares Callewaert.
However, businesses and institutions still underestimate the
importance of cybersecurity, he
says. “Many SMEs still use passwords like 1-2-3-4.”
To raise more awareness around
the issue, about 50 organisations
in Belgium from the business,
academic and government sectors
have joined forces in the Cyber
Security Coalition. In November, the coalition will launch a
campaign on the importance of
secure passwords.
The coalition also promotes
the exchange of knowledge and
provides advice on policy. In
September, it will bring together
CEOs of major companies to
share experiences. In terms of the
government, the coalition said it
would like to see more ICT integration in education. “Secondary school students in general
education [ASO] graduate without coming into contact with
programming,” says Callewaert.
“That’s not right in this digital age.”
Much is also expected from the
Cyber Security Centre, to be established by the federal government.
The new centre will co-ordinate
the handling of cybersecurity
issues across the country.
Q&A
What kind of marketing advice
do you provide?
It helps to involve the local
community. Staff can, for example, ask schools to make toys for
the animals and invite the children over to bring their creations.
This way, children become aware
of the good work that shelters are
doing and are more likely to adopt
an animal from there later on.
Els Peeters is a lecturer in the Agro- and Biotechnology Department
of Odisee University College, which recently organised a course in
animal shelter training in three institutions across Flanders
Why was this kind of programme
needed?
Animal shelters are run by
people who love animals, but
they don’t always have the
necessary knowledge. Working in a shelter is not the same
as keeping pets. Even veterinarians, who have a medical background, benefit from the training because we explain how to
best organise a shelter and give
marketing tips. The main themes
of the training are animal health,
hygiene, accommodation, business management and marketing. We gave practical advice but
also covered legislative aspects.
What kind of animal welfare tips
do you offer?
We explained, for example, how to
recognise and reduce stress among
cats. Cats are clearly anxious when
their pupils are enlarged, their ears
and whiskers point backwards and
they’re cowering. A simple trick to
help them is to give them a cardboard box because they like to
hide.
It might sound ironic, but you also
shouldn’t clean the cages of cats
and dogs too often or too thoroughly because that stresses them
out, which makes them more
vulnerable to diseases. Having
their own smell around them gives
© XaMa Fotografie
them the safe feeling of being in
their own territory, so it’s better to
regularly clean just certain spots
that are very dirty.
Will the training programme be
organised again next year?
Yes, and perhaps we will expand
the scope a little. We focused on
cats and dogs this year, but should
maybe include more specific information for people working with
other animals – like rodents and
birds. \ Interview by AF
UAntwerp begins
non-binding entry test
Antwerp University (UAntwerp) is bringing in an introductory test for students in all
faculties. Not all programmes
will integrate the test, but 80%
of new first-year students will
sit it. The purpose is to give
students an idea about their
capabilities, and in particular in what areas they can
improve. “This aspect is of
major importance,” Ann De
Schepper, chair of the university’s education council,
told De Standaard. “We will
give students personal feedback with suggestions about
how they can improve themselves. We are convinced this
will increase the pass rates.”
The test is not an entrance
exam and the outcome will
not affect the student’s final
results.
Government launches
truancy action
The government of Flanders has presented its action
plan to battle truancy and
prevent youngsters leaving
secondary school without a
diploma. About 12% of children in Flanders finish their
education without a diploma,
with many of them having
regularly skipped school. In
secondary education, 2.3% of
students are absent for more
than 30 half-days in a year
– considered “problematic
absence”. Eight out of 10 of
these students don’t pass at
the end of the school year. “We
see a significant link between
youngsters who skip school
often and lose a year of school
and then leave school without
a diploma,” said education
minister Hilde Crevits.
Students to receive
cross-border diploma
In September, Vives University College, based in Kortrijk
and with campuses across
West Flanders, will launch a
bilingual Bachelor’s degree
in business management in
Dutch and French. Graduates
will get three diplomas that
are recognised in Flanders,
Wallonia and France – a first
in Flanders. In the first year,
students receive courses in
both Dutch and French. From
the second year on, they have
to go to one of the partner
schools in Wallonia, France
or Canada. The degree is part
of the EuroMetropool initiative – a collaboration between
Kortrijk, Tournai and Lille.
The three cities are working
to create an EU cross-border
district to improve co-operation between authorities.
\ AF
\9
\ LIVING
week in
activities
Damme Street
Music Festival
Traditional brass bands,
Cuban rhythms and a
bluegrass
band
playing on board the canal
boat between Bruges and
Damme – in short, something for everyone. 4 July
from 19.30, Damme (West
Flanders); free
\ straatmuziekfestivaldamme.com
Fly In Koksijde
Two-day
air
show
commemorating the First
World War with vintage
aircraft,
classic
cars,
re-enactors’ village, children’s activities, plus hotair balloons and fireworks.
4-5 July, Koksijde air force
base, Zeelaan 303; €10
\ flyinkoksijde.be
Scheldeland in Steam
Take a ride on one of
two vintage steam trains
between Baasrode in East
Flanders and Puurs in
Antwerp. Plus classic cars,
more steam engines, train
literature, entertainment
and more. 4-5 July 10.0018.00, old Baasrode-North
Station, Fabriekstraat 118,
Dendermonde; €12
\ stoomtrein.be
Bree kids summer
A free afternoon of games
and activities for kids,
including bouncy castles,
crazy bikes, archery, tugo-war, survival course and
more. 5 July 14.00-18.00,
Bree city centre (Limburg);
free
\ tourisme.bree.be
Laugh Festival
Five days of free street
theatre and comedy, culminating in the main festival and parade on Friday,
10 July, in the city centre.
Also: children’s activities,
international market, food
and drink. 6-10 July, across
Houthalen-Helchteren
(Limburg); free
\ lachfestival.be
Limburg Vierdaagse
Four days of cycling fun
celebrating 20 years of
the Limburg bike path
network. Every day, participants can choose from
three bike routes between
25 and 60 kilometres. Along
the way, see local highlights, plus entertainment,
food and drink. 7-10 July,
across Limburg; €10 (€4 for
one day)
\ limburgfietsvierdaagse.be
\ 10
“What’ll it be?”
Bar tenants victims of “strangulation contracts”, says federation
Alan Hope
More articles by Alan \ flanderstoday.eu
A
man walks into a bar,
and the bartender goes,
“What’ll it be?” and the
man says, “You already know what
it’ll be, because I only have the
illusion of choice”.
It’s not a joke, it’s the situation in a
large number of the bars in Belgium
because of what Horeca Vlaanderen (HV) refers to as “strangulation contracts”. HV, the industry
federation for the food and drinks
service sector, wants to put an end
to the practice; federal consumer
affairs minister Kris Peeters has
expressed a willingness to consider
their demands.
“According to estimates, 60 to 70%
of cafe proprietors don’t have the
freedom to buy what and as much
as they want,” explains HV director
Danny Van Assche. “Usually there’s
an agreement because the brewery is also the owner of the property. It’s understandable that they
require the beer to be supplied to
the tenants by them. But it goes
much further than that. Many
contracts require the cafe to order
a certain amount of their beer, on
pain of heavy fines.”
HV also found that many contracts
included clauses obliging licensees
to obtain other supplies either via
the brewery or from an approved
seller, often at up to 30% above
market prices. Those products
include soft drinks, coffee, wine,
cleaning supplies, even toilet paper.
“Price negotiation is impossible,”
Van Assche says. “That affects a
bar’s profits, with a great number
of bankruptcies as a result.”
The state of the market in Belgium
plays an important role, too, in
limiting consumer choice. Leuvenbased AB InBev – the largest
brewer in the world – controls
© M Vanhulst/Visit Flanders
Horeca Vlaanderen says as many as 70% of cafe proprietors don’t have the freedom to buy what they want
57% of the local market. Under
EU rules, AB InBev should not to
be able to impose any conditions
on its bar tenants by reason of its
overwhelming dominance of the
market.
But the brewer obtained a release
in 2010 when the rules came into
force, under which it may impose
its own draught beer on its bar
tenants.
Other factors also distort the
market. The next two largest brewers, Alken-Maes and Haacht, both
impose conditions on tenants:
Grimbergen and Affligem beers
must be served in an Alken-Maes
cafe, with kriek from Mort Subite,
while Keizer Karel, Tongerlo and
Ommegang must be served in a
Haacht pub. Smaller brewers are
often dominant in their local area –
De Koninck in Antwerp, Het Anker
in Mechelen, Roman in Oudenaarde.
“It’s not because brewery contracts
are bad for the cafe sector that they
ought to be completely banned,”
Van Assche said. “Our argument is
for different and fairer contracts.”
That would include, HV says, an
end to minimum sales quantities
and to designated suppliers for
non-brewery products; obligatory
beers would only apply to draught,
and one tap must remain open for
the tenant’s own choice.
“This is a problem that has existed
for more than 100 years,” says Van
Assche. “It’s not going to be solved
in one day.”
Jean-Louis Van de Perre, chair of
the Belgian Brewers Federation,
declared that his organisation was
open to discussion. “The problem
of brewery contracts has dragged
on for a long time,” he told Trends
magazine. “We are always open to
dialogue, in the event of excesses
or irregularities. We want to work
together for a structurally sound
sector.”
Minister Peeters, meanwhile, says
that he doesn’t “want the alarm
call of the sector to go by unheard”.
He has invited the brewers and HV
for talks and has passed the HV
dossier to the Arbitrage Commission, which includes jurists, economy experts and representatives
from the sector, who will determine whether the contracts in
force at the moment are legal.
BITE
Blogger promotes healthy lemonades in new recipe book
Juices and infused waters are all the
rage now both on the blogosphere
and in real life. Served in a cool glass,
preferably with a straw, these fruity
concoctions are every bit as tasty as
cocktails. Plus, they’re perfect for
the summer and fairly easy to make.
If you’re looking for inspiration,
food blogger Marta Majewska –
better known as Princess Misia –
has just released Limonade, a book
with recipes for homemade lemonades, iced teas and infused water.
Majewska, who lives in Halle, Flemish Brabant, but grew up in Poland
with a garden she describes as a
mini farmers’ market, has been
cooking with fruit and vegetables
for as long as she can remember.
Her first book, Fourplay (2014), was
all about seasonal cooking.
In Limonade, Majewska bundles 50
recipes for fruity summer drinks,
each of them illustrated with a
beautiful photograph. Determined
to make the drinks as healthy as
possible, she ruled out white sugar
and opted for alternatives like cane
sugar, agave syrup, stevia, honey
and other sweeteners.
Majewska (pictured) is not the only
one determined to make healthier
drinks for both kids and adults: Last
week, Swedish furniture giant Ikea
decided to scrap fizzy and full-sugar
lemonades from the drinks menu in
its in-store restaurants and instead
serve water, infused with natural
fruit flavours and sweeteners. These
drinks contain up to 50% less sugar
than traditional lemonades – something to keep in mind when planning your next BBQ.
If you still don’t know what to make
of sugar-free drinks, give Marta’s
recipe book a go. Here’s a free
princessmisia.com
sample you can whip up now.
Fig lemonade ( for six)
Ingredients:
8 ripe figs
700ml water
100ml fresh lemon juice
100ml basic agave syrup*
Wash the figs and peel them. Blend
them and 300ml of the water in
a food processor until smooth.
Strain the mixture through a sieve.
Add the rest of the water, the syrup
and lemon juice and mix. Pour the
lemonade into a jug and refrigerate for at least one hour, or add ice
cubes. Stir just before serving.
*Basic agave-based syrup (makes
300ml): Simmer 175g of agave syrup
and 200ml water in a small sauce-
pan for three or four minutes. Stir so
that the sugar completely dissolves,
remove from heat and let cool. \
Katrien Lindemans
Limonade is published in Dutch by
Davidsfonds
july 1, 2015
An unusual proposition
Limburg architectural firm sways buyers by opening up old factory to summer events
Diana Goodwin
More articles by Diana \ flanderstoday.eu
dechocoladefabriek.be
O
n the outskirts of Tongeren,
in the little district of
Nerem, a surprising sight
appears along a quiet back street.
A large, rectangular brick building
rises above the neighbouring
houses and fields in this sleepy
suburb of 900 people. Above
the coloured glass panes of a
five-metre tall round window
crowning the front entrance, a
cheeky squirrel in glazed clay
looks down at visitors.
Although I live just 30 kilometres from here, I’d never heard of
this place until recently. I’ve come
today, on a chilly Saturday morning, to take a tour and meet the
architects who are planning to
turn this former Limburg industrial site into modern lofts.
The parking lot is overgrown with
weeds, and the buildings are in an
obvious state of disrepair. But I’m
instantly enchanted by the site,
by the art nouveau details on the
facade, and by that squirrel.
The factory, built in 1909 to
produce chocolate bars and
peperkoek (gingerbread), was in
operation until 1934, when the
company went bankrupt. During
the Second World War, it was
occupied by the Belgian military,
then the Germans and finally by
American troops.
Starting in the 1970s, it housed a
tin foundry, but the building has
been sitting empty since 2012. A
group of local investors started
looking into developing the site
last year. They were familiar with
the old factory and couldn’t bear
to see it fall into ruin.
They contacted staff at Hasselt
architectural firm a2o, who
jumped at the chance to work
on the project, now dubbed De
Chocoladefabriek (The Chocolate
Factory). “It’s a dream for an architect to make something of a building like this,” says Bart Hoylaert
Anyone with an idea can contact the organisers and ask to use the Chocoladefabriek
of a2o. “And it’s nice to be a part
of the history of Limburg as well.
We don’t have that many buildings
like this.”
His colleague Killian Nekeman explains that the factory is
unique in Limburg. It was one of
the first poured-concrete buildings in Belgium. Built next to old
railroad tracks, it has an unusual
cantilevered roof, also made from
concrete, covering the former
loading area along the length of
the building.
The architects have been careful to integrate the existing structure and to maintain as much of
its original appearance as possible. For instance, existing window
openings will be extended to
ground level to create doorways
for each ground-floor unit. This
means that every unit has its own
entrance and garden. Upper units
will be accessible via a broad glass
gallery built on top of the roof.
The most spectacular lofts will be
located in the tower, where each
floor will become a separate dwelling. From the upper levels of the
tower, there are spectacular views
of every side of the surrounding
countryside.
A range of units will be offered,
each one designed to make the
best use of the 100-year old industrial architecture. Sizes will range
from 75 to 200 square metres and
even the smallest units have the
option of increasing the total floor
space by adding a raised loft.
But what’s really innovative is
that each unit is available with a
choice of four levels of interior
finish – from a “bare box” with just
walls, floor and utility hookups, to
a move-in ready home with toilet
and bedroom fixtures and kitchen
appliances.
Another feature of the architects’
design is the inclusion of common
areas that will be used by all residents, such as the green area
surrounding the buildings, which
will be a community garden. The
former factory workshop, with
its two-storey-high ceilings, will
be a common room available for
parties and events.
It will be a challenge, the architects admit, to convince people
here to buy into such a non-traditional living concept. And yet,
Nekeman says: “The building sells
itself. Everyone who enters the
building falls in love with it.”
The Hasselt firm realised that they
needed to get people to come see
it in person if they were going to
convince them to live here. So they
came up with a crazy idea: to let
people use the empty building for
free.
Between now and the start of
construction, the site will host
an impressive variety of events
and activities. The first “guest” to
take residence in the old factory
is a pop-up bar run by Tongeren
restaurateur Peter Muziek. Until
the end of the summer, it’s open
to the public every Saturday and
Sunday from noon to 20.00 and
can also be booked for private
parties.
There are creative workshops for
children scheduled as well as laser
tag games for groups. On the first
Friday of every month, the site
hosts an afterwork party, and
more workshops and exhibitions
are in the works.
Anyone with an idea can contact
the organisers and ask to use the
site. This way, the architects and
developers hope to lure more
visitors to this hidden gem of
Limburg’s architectural heritage
and promote their vision for its
future.
New series: 50 weekends in Flanders
Because you can’t keep every single
issue of Flanders Today, we are
working on an e-book with ideas
for how to spend a whole year’s
worth of weekends. 50 Weekends
in Flanders will soon be available
on our website, but we’ll be printing one of our suggestions every
week here, too. So if you’re more
of a “clip-and-save” type, you won’t
be left out.
A weekend at the beach:
DE PANNE
The beaches in Flanders can get
crowded, especially in the summer,
but there are hidden places along
the 67-kilometre coastline where
you can eat excellent seafood, visit
quirky museums, hike in windswept dunes and sleep in fabulous
B&Bs.
De Panne is a lively seaside town
close to the French border where
King Albert was based during
the First World War. The centre
is dominated by high-rise apartments (as is most of the coast),
but you can set off on a hike along
the beach and quickly leave the
crowds behind.
\ toerisme.depanne.be
Explore the DUMONT QUARTER
A cluster of old beach houses lies
hidden in the dunes to the south
of De Panne. They were built by the
Brussels architects Albert Dumont
and Georges Hobé in a distinctive
rustic style inspired by English
cottages. Hobé built his own beach
house on Hoge Duinenlaan on top
of the highest dune.
Eat at BISTRO MERLOT
Here is an elegant restaurant with a
warm, bustling interior. It is decorated with mirrors, soft lights and
photographs of French film stars,
which makes it feel more like Paris
than De Panne. This is somewhere
to taste fresh homemade shrimp
croquettes along with chunky
golden hand-cut fries. You also
get very good steaks here. Nieuwpoortlaan 70B
Stay at VILLA SELECT
This beautiful old hotel is one
of the last on the Flemish coast
where you can sleep in a room
with a sea view. The guest rooms
are spacious and bright, with
sweeping views of the silvergrey North Sea. The hotel
is run by a friendly young
couple who lay out a
generous breakfast in
a bright room overlooking the beach.
You can also swim
in an indoor pool or
sweat in the sauna.
\ Derek Blyth
\ hotelvillaselect.be
© Courtesy Visit Flanders
\ 11
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2015
38 i best
of belgium
16:32
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\ LIVING
week in arts
& CULTURE
Tim Burton film crew
to shoot in Brasschaat
A Hollywood film crew led by
acclaimed film director Tim
Burton are due to start filming next month at Torenhof
Castle in Brasschaat, north
of Antwerp, producer 20th
Century Fox has confirmed.
Burton, creator of imaginative classics like Edward Scissorhands, Mars Attacks! and
Beetlejuice, was searching for
a suitable setting to shoot his
latest movie, based on the children’s book Miss Peregrine’s
Home for Peculiar Children.
The story by American author
Ransom Riggs is set in a spooky
orphanage. Torenhof is a late
19th-century castle in eclectic style. Riggs in fact based his
description of the orphanage in
Miss Peregrine’s in part on the
abandoned Villa Nottebohm in
Brecht, near Brasschaat. While
the film features famous actors
such as Samuel L Jackson and
Judi Dench, who will actually
be present in Antwerp is not
being publicised.
All Flemish music on
new Vivavlaanderen
The VRT’s Radio 2 has
launched a new website dedicated to Flemish music of
all genres. Vivavlaanderen.
be is a reference site for the
history of Flemish music but
also aims to be a supporter of
music for the future by featuring upcoming talent and new
work. Each artist – about 55 at
the moment – is given a timeline and a biography, as well
as audio and video samples.
“With this new site the VRT is
opening up a treasure trove of
fantastic music,” commented
singer Will Tura, who not only
features on the site but is the
project’s patron.
Summertime picnic
tables set up
across Brussels
In an effort to improve quality
of life in public spaces, Brussels association eQuama has
launched European Canteen,
an experiment that sees rings
of long picnic tables in public
spaces across the city where
people are invited to meet
with friends and colleagues
for coffee, lunch or a meeting.
The modular tables, with seating for up to 150 people, can be
set up in different places and
in different formations, such
as around a statue or overlooking a pond. The summer
pilot project provides tables
at seven locations across the
city: Frère-Orbansquare, de
Meeussquare, the esplanade
of the European Parliament,
Leopoldpark, Jean Reyplein,
the Schuman roundabout and
Jubelpark.
\ europeancanteen.be
july 1, 2015
Grave diggers
Wielsbeke excavation turns up unprecedented Bronze Age burial site
Toon Lambrechts
More articles by Toon \ flanderstoday.eu
A
n unexpected archaeological
site has been found during
construction of a business
park in Wielsbeke, West Flanders.
Archaeologists dug up the remains
of three Bronze Age burial mounds
and smaller graves from a later
period. The whole site spans a
period of 2,000 years.
Local councillor Magda Depree
was stunned. For years, she and
her husband have worked this land
as farmers, with no idea that there
was an archaeological site under
their feet.
Sam De Decker is an archaeologist
at the Flemish government’s heritage agency. “In the 15 years I’ve been
working as an archaeologist, I’ve
never seen a find of such value. It’s
not just the size; the fact that people
were buried here over a 2,000-year
period is unprecedented.”
It requires imagination to visualise it, but three mounds once stood
here, two circles and an oval. The
largest measured 35 x 17 metres.
The mounds date from the Bronze
Age, about 1,500 BC and served as a
tomb for a single person.
At a later stage, at the beginning of
the Iron Age, small square graves
were dug around the manmade
hills. A few tombs from this period
were filled with gifts such as ceram-
the pollen... It will give us a better
picture of how people lived here and
how the region looked.” That work is
expected to take more than a year.
Eventually, the site will become part
business park, part sports centre,
though construction is delayed
while archaeologists do their work.
© Toon Lambrechts
ics and glassware, indicating trade
links with the rest of Europe. Later,
ashes would be buried in urns.
“A community has probably been
burying its dead here for two
millennia,” says De Decker. “There
may be gaps in their presence, but
the mounds must have been visible
to the people of later ages. Nowhere
else in Flanders have we found such
a long continuation.”
Every major construction project
in Flanders requires a routine
archaeological sweep before it can
begin. But the discovery came as a
complete surprise.
“We never suspected that there was
something in the ground here,” says
De Decker. “We couldn’t see the
circles on aerial photos. But given
the proximity of the river Leie –
important for trade in that period
– and the fertile farmland, it was
likely that there would be something. The trial excavations were
promising enough for us to examine the whole area.”
The fieldwork is finished, but
the actual work starts now, says
Maarten Brakke, archaeologist at
Group M, the company that carried
out the excavations. “Now we will
analyse everything,” he says. “The
skeletal remains, the offerings,
The fact that
people were
buried here
over a 2,000year period is
unprecedented
Because of potential delays, these
mandatory archaeological surveys
are not always appreciated or
understood. Which is a pity, according to De Decker.
“The results here show that there
are still very valuable things to be
found in the ground. Archaeology is
not a burden but tells a story about
our ancestors and, ultimately, about
our own identity.”
Belgian Beer & Food magazine now in US bookshops
belgianbeerandfood.com
The English-language magazine
Belgian Beer & Food, published
by expats in Brussels, has been
launched in the US bookstore
chain Books-A-Million. The launch
earlier this month took place at
beer cafe Nomad in New York City,
where guests nibbled on a range of
Belgian appetizers and, naturally,
beers.
“The US has always been a major
customer for our magazine,” said
publisher Paul Walsh. “About
3,000 copies of each edition are
sent to the US. But the agreement with Books-A-Million, the
second-biggest bookstore chain
in the country, now also gives us a
place in the magazine racks. That
visibility can really help us move
forward.”
Walsh is Irish and startead publish-
ing the quarterly magazine with
fellow expats from the UK in 2013.
“We wanted the world to get to
know the variety of Belgian beer,”
he said. “What better way than
with an English-language magazine available worldwide?”
Belgian Beer & Food is sold in local
shops, online and is also available
in Brussels Airlines’ business class.
\ Lisa Bradshaw
Dummy trees offer comfort to Flanders’ toddlers
As I set out a picnic at the Brilschanspark in the
Berchem district of Antwerp, my four-year-old
sets off towards a tree without saying a word.
I watch him wondering, as he tries to find an
explanation for what’s caught his eye: The yellow
ribbons hanging from the branches contain
something familiar, and he asks: “Mommy, why
is this tree growing dummies?”
I’d heard about tutjesbomen, or dummy trees,
but hadn’t ever seen one. A sign planted nearby
explains what this decorated tree is all about:
to “ease the pain” for toddlers when they have
to give up their dummies.
Many children are strongly attached to their
dummies and find them comforting, but using
one for too long can cause dental problems as
it pushes the upper teeth forward. So parents
have to be creative and find a way to get their
kids to give up the dummy without them crying
themselves to sleep for the first couple of nights.
One tradition is to give it over to Sinterklaas, but
of course, that limits your options to one day a
year. The dummy tree is a more flexible option.
The idea is that a child ties his or her dummy to
one of the ribbons hanging from the tree. When
they see that lots of other children have done
the same before them, it makes it easier to leave
their own dummy.
The custom is common in Sweden and Denmark,
where hanging your dummy on the tree is a rite
of passage, and it’s now gaining in popularity in
Flanders.
The tree in Berchem is an initiative of local
city councillor Evi Van der Planken. Non-profit
Junior Chamber International has put together
a map of all the tutjesbomen in the region
and even organises tutjesboom days. Nature
museum De Wereld van Kina in Ghent has one,
TUTTENBOOM.BE
A tutjesboom for children in Aalst
and the council in Haaltert, East Flanders, has
just installed one in its Warandepark.
Even schools are joining in, with trees set up
on school grounds in Ghent and Aartselaar,
Antwerp province. \ Débora Votquenne
\ 13
\ ARTS
Ready to strike
Pascale Marthine Tayou balances deeply personal with political in new show
Ian Mundell
More articles by Ian \ flanderstoday.eu
Adopted Gentenaar Pascale Marthine Tayou
confronts small and big themes head-on
in his new exhibition at Bozar in Brussels
– from his childhood fears of the empty
blackboard to the long shadow of slavery in
the US.
P
ascale Marthine Tayou’s Boomerang
cuts a colourful swathe through
Bozar in Brussels, the exhibition
spilling out of the usual gallery spaces
to fill the halls and foyer of the building.
Bright and boisterous on the surface,
Tayou’s art also raises deeper and darker
questions about the state of the world.
“The exhibition is more or less a self-portrait
of the human race,” he says, in a typically
sweeping statement. “That’s to say, I position myself as the representative of the
human race, a race that is turning progressively against itself.”
The result is art that is personal, particularly
when it comes to his African roots, while
addressing big themes such as the environment, religion, power and identity.
Tayou was born and raised in the central
African country of Cameroon, studying law
to please his parents before becoming a selftaught artist. His international career began
in the mid-1990s, taking off in 2002 when he
participated in the Documenta 11 exhibition in Kassel, Germany. Subsequent appearances at the Venice Biennale cemented his
reputation.
Instead of gravitating to one of art’s international capitals, like Berlin, Paris or New York,
he settled in Ghent. He first got to know the
city in 1997, when he was invited to participate in a group show at SMAK, the museum
for contemporary art.
He liked the atmosphere and returned to the
city several times in subsequent years. It was
also in Ghent that he met his wife, the future
fashion designer Jo De Visscher. After living
in Bonn and Brussels, they set up home in
Ghent in 2009.
Suggestions that Ghent is an odd choice for a
French-speaking artist with an international
reputation are briskly dismissed. “I think it’s
the centre of the world,” Tayou says. “It’s from
here that I see the world, that I admire it, that
I can put some distance between myself and
the events that take place around me.”
I must look sceptical, since he goes on to
explain that Ghent may need a little time to
rise to this ambition. “All centres of the world
bozar.be
start out on the periphery.
They turn themselves
into centres of the
world, and I want
to participate in
the fabrication of
a Ghent that is
also a centre of
the world.”
Fabrication is
the right word.
His studio,
where
we
are sitting,
occupies a
former metal
works in the
Sint-Amandsberg district. Its
rooms are stacked
with the found
objects that go into
Tayou’s work, from African drums and carved
figures, to cooking pots and
gourds. Elsewhere there is work
in progress, while completed pieces
stand in open packing cases or hang
from the roof.
© Philippe De Gobert
Africa is like a
serpent someone
has invented that is
very pretty but that
bites its own tail
The current exhibition, Boomerang, is an
expanded version of a show that had its
debut earlier this year at London’s highprofile Serpentine Sackler Gallery. Transferring from this compact space to the
roomier halls of Bozar means more work
could be included and, although some of
the intensity is lost, the range of media
and materials is dizzying.
There are photographs and videos, framed
fabrics and graffiti re-imagined in neon light.
Pipes
snake
along
the walls, accompanied by hand-written comments on pollution black spots around the world. There
are piles of painted cobblestones, cracked
mirrors, stacks of cooking pots, figurines
and fetishes.
Tayou’s large constructions are the most
impressive, particularly “Africonda”,
which greets visitors as they step through
Bozar’s front door. A brightly coloured
knitted snake sits in a vast coil on top of
a pedestal of wooden stakes (pictured).
Embroidered masks are caught in its
embrace. A bale of hay concealed within
releases a powerful scent.
This is a commentary on the way outsiders have cast Africa as a romantic, highly
colourful place. “Some Africans are
surprised when they discover this reading, while others live with it and even
come to believe that they are really
colourful and romantic,” Tayou explains.
“Africa is like a serpent that someone has
invented that is very pretty, but that bites
its own tail. It is caught in its own trap.”
Equally bold statements can be found
in “Coton tiges”, a vast cloud of cotton
suspended from the ceiling, pierced
through with wooden stakes. This
refers back to US slavery and the
cotton fields. “Our Traditions” also
hangs from the ceiling, a dense
mass of palm brooms, horsetails
with beaded handles, gourds
and glass heads suspended
from an iron grid.
Glass figures are a Tayou
trademark. Modelled on
traditional wooden figures,
the change in material
makes them transparent,
ghostly and fragile. Yet they
still carry a burden, laden
down with merchandise in “Les
Sauveteurs”, or caked in chocolate in the “Poupées Pascale”.
You will also see a lot of “colonists”,
thin stick-like figures initially carved
as souvenirs for Africa’s occupiers but
since reappropriated and turned out for
tourists. This bright cast of characters
appears in many of Tayou’s assemblages,
while giant versions of them stand guard
over Bozar’s Horta Hall.
The impact of these large pieces is immediate, but there is also a power in Tayou’s
more understated work, such as the “Chalk”
and “Charcoal” series. These fill frames with
pieces of coloured chalk or charcoal to give
a textured, abstract surface, broken occasionally with small embedded objects or
numbers written black-on-black.
The idea harks back to Tayou’s school days
and the terror of the empty blackboard. In
contrast to the discipline of white chalk,
coloured chalk was a joyful release: not just
to write and draw with, but also to play with,
since ends of coloured chalk were used in
games like marbles.
Replacing the blackboard entirely with
coloured chalk, or the paper with charcoal,
takes back the power. “For me it’s an act of
revenge on a certain kind of education, but
it’s also a way of showing the origin of what I
have become today,” Tayou says. “Chalk and
charcoal are also universal. It’s not a case of
north or south; who doesn’t know chalk?”
Until 20 September
Bozar
Ravensteinstraat 23, Brussels
More visual arts this week
Plein Air
Mijn Vlakke Land
(My Flat Country)
Mijn Vlakke Land examines ideas of the
Flemish landscape through the eyes of 50
photographers from Belgium and abroad,
with work dating from 1856 to the present
(pictured). FoMu, Antwerp’s museum of
photography, describes the result as “more
a hymn to the romantic landscapes of our
hearts and imaginations than to the actual
Flemish countryside”. Until 4 October,
FoMu, Waalsekaai 47, Antwerp
\ fotomuseum.be
\ 14
M Museum in Leuven is devoting its latest
show to the Tervuren School, a group of
artists that gathered around Hippolyte
Boulenger in the 1870s to explore painting in the open air. Pitched as the missing
link between romanticism and impressionism, the museum says they redefined Belgian landscape forever. Until 13
September, M Museum, L Vanderkelenstraat 28, Leuven
\ mleuven.be
Henri-Victor Wolvens:
From Darkness to Light
Henri-Victor Wolvens stars at Elsene
Museum, in particular his bright paintings
inspired by the North Sea. Close to James
Ensor and Constant Permeke, there are
traces of inspiration from both painters in
Wolvens’ work. Until 20 September, Elsene
Museum, Jean Van Volsemstraat 71, Brussels
\ museumvanelsene.irisnet.be
\ AGENDA
july 1, 2015
Rites of passage
Giant Masks from the Congo
Until 8 November
T
Belvue Museum, Brussels
belvue.be
he vast Royal Museum for Central Africa
in Tervuren is daunting at the best
of times, which makes this compact
exhibition of Congolese masks an excellent
introduction to its collection. The masks are on
show at the Belvue Museum in Brussels while
their home is being renovated.
The exhibition centres on masks used in the
mukanda, an initiation ritual for boys of the
Yaka and Suku peoples in the south-west of
the present Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Current in the early 20th century, when the
masks were collected, it is not clear from the
exhibition whether the tradition persists.
Boys to be initiated into adult life were taken to
a camp in the bush, circumcised and instructed
over several months in the responsibilities of
manhood. Masks played an important part in
this process, indicating the roles of the elders
and key moments in the ritual.
The most important were the giant Kakuungu
masks, their wooden faces stained red and
wreathed in raffia hair. Despite his menacing
appearance, Kakuungu’s role was primarily to
protect the camp. One room is devoted to these
imposing masks and those of Kazeba, Kakuungu’s female counterpart.
A second room contains smaller masks worn by
elders in other roles and by the boys themselves
for the dances that marked their return to the
village. The range of faces and shapes is fascinating. Some masks have animals perched (or
slumped) on their crowns, while others feature
human figures or more abstract shapes. All
sport thick raffia manes.
You'll need to consult the catalogue to get a full
account of the ritual, or as much of it as ethnographers have pieced together. This work, and the
collection of masks, was aided by Jesuit missionaries in the Congo. A third room describes their
role and includes further artefacts from the
region. \ Ian Mundell
MUSIC FESTIVAL
FESTIVAL
Paradise City
Until 13 September
4-5 July
Flanders welcomes its newest
summer music festival. This
open-air weekender isn’t just
about seeing international electro bands like headliners Gus Gus
from Iceland, Flight Facilities from
Australia and some 40 others.
It’s also about sustainability and
citizenship. Organisers have
published a “Green Charter” that
Ribaucourt Castle, Steenokkerzeel
paradisecity.be
reads like an ecological manifesto.
They also invite ticket-holders to
become community members.
Admission to this inaugural
edition on the grounds of the stunning Ribaucourt Castle (pictured),
just a few minutes outside of Brussels, includes a “Green Card” that
will unlock rewards in the years to
come. \ Georgio Valentino
Until 13 September
The mighty river Maas snakes its way
from headwaters in north-eastern
France to Belgium, where it forms
the boundary between Flanders and
the Netherlands. Thence the river
partners with the Scheldt and the
Rhine to flow via one giant delta into
the North Sea. The inaugural edition
of the arts biennale Mater Mosa celebrates cultural exchange down the
CONCERT
Brussels
Siobhan Owe: The IrishWelsh singer and harpist
performs heavenly harp and
voice renditions of traditional
Celtic songs. 6 July 20.00,
Zandstraat 29
\ art-base.be
CLASSICAL
Brussels
Miniemen Festival 2015:
300th anniversary edition
of the festival inside an
18th-century baroque church,
featuring Brussels’ oldest
organ and midday concerts
by wind instrument quintets,
choirs and spiritual ensembles. 1 July to 30 August,
Miniemenkerk, Miniemenstraat 62
\ festivaldesminimes.be
VISUAL ARTS
Brussels
Up and down the Maas river
matermosa.eu
1,000-kilometre length of the waterway, including a photo exhibition
by French-born, Netherlands-based
artist Jean-Michel Crapanzano,
who has installed his photo lab on
Mater Mosa’s flagship, the temporary Parthenon on the Maas. Halfpuppet/half-people performance
The Greeks (pictured) officially opens
the venue on 2 July. \ GV
Kosmopolite Art Tour: The
Brussels leg of the international street art festival takes
place along the canal and
features more than 30 Belgian
artists and their freshly
painted murals, plus workshops, exhibitions and performances. 2-10 July, canal
district
\ kosmopolite.com
FESTIVAL
Antwerp
Dansen & Feesten in het
Stadspark: Free dance and
music festival, featuring
concerts by De Mens, Guido
Belcanto, children’s show De
Piepkes and Radio Minerva
Soundsystem, as well as DJs
and a skateboard contest.
4-5 July, Stadspark, Quinten
Matsyslei
\ petrolclub.be/agenda/
dansen-in-het-park
FAMILY
PERFORMANCE
Chillen & Grillen
Het Theaterfestival
4 July to 29 August
Ever since Ghent’s old docks
were repurposed as a community
centre in 2011, the site has been
thriving with culture, leisure and
sport – especially during summertime, when DOK installs its postindustrial beach. Every Saturday during the season (except for
a two-week pause for the Gentse
Feesten) DOKstrand hosts the
deluxe neighbourhood barbecue Chillen & Grillen. Resident
grill guru Slammy serves up the
edibles, while Flanders’ finest DJs
and musicians provide the atmosphere. The cocktail bar is open
until midnight. Early birds can also
catch the Copa DOK beach football tournament on selected afternoons. \ GV
DOK, Ghent
dokgent.be
3-13 September
Think of this annual festival as a
theatrical greatest-hits compilation. Every year a jury of professionals invites a selection of the previous
season’s best loved Dutch-language
productions for one final bow. The
festival is hosted this year by Brussels’ Kaaitheater but also works
its way into Bronks, KVS, Wiels
and CC Strombeek Grimbergen.
Brussels
get tic
kets n
ow
Across Brussels
theaterfestival.be
This edition’s stand-outs include
Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s
dance-as-exhibition Work/Travail/
Arbeid and Antwerp-based theatre
company Olympique Dramatique’s
adaptation of American playwright
Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer Prize-winning
August: Osage County (pictured).
Het Theaterfestival performances
tend to sell out, so book early. \ GV
Brussel Bad: A beach in the
canal area of Brussels featuring heaps of sand and the
atmosphere of a beach party,
with sports, lounge chairs,
cocktails, activities for kids
and a free music festival. 3
July to 9 August, Sainctelettesquare, Akenkaai
\ brusselbad.be
TALK
Brussels
Robert Phillips: Change,
The Only Agency We Need:
The British author and authority on communication talks
about the death of public relations and outdated, hierarchical ways of working, with an
aim to put radical honesty at
the heart of business and politics (in English). 8 July 18.3023.00, Full Circle, venue to be
announced
\ fullcircle.eu
\ 15
\ BACKPAGE
july 1, 2015
Talking Dutch
Last but not least
Brianna Mahon @bmahon56
Grabbed the bull by the horns and walked him across the
floor for the wheelie contest win in Brussels! @MonsterJam
Derek Blyth
More articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu
Y
ou might have thought Belgium was a sporty
nation, what with Kim Clijsters and judo, and
all those cyclists whizzing around the country
on a Sunday morning.
But not according to a report that looked at sports in
15 countries, in which Belgium comes near the bottom.
België is een barslecht sportland – Belgium is rubbish
at sport, reported De Standaard. Vlaamse en Waalse
sporters halen veel minder medailles dan je eigenlijk van
een land als het onze zou mogen verwachten – Flemish
and Walloon sportspeople win far fewer medals than
we would expect from a country like ours.
Veerle De Bosscher, professor of sports policy and
management at the Free University of Brussels (VUB),
explained how the report came up with its findings.
Op basis van onder meer de welvaart in een land en het
bevolkingsaantal – On the basis of factors such as the
standard of living in a country and its population, kun
je een cijfer bepalen aan medaillepunten dat dat land
zou moeten halen op Olympische Spelen, WK’s en EK’s
– you can come up with a figure for the number of
medals that such a country should win in the Olympic
Games, World Cups and European Cups, De Bosscher
told De Standaard.
Een gouden medaille telt dan voor drie punten – A gold
medal counts for three points, een zilveren voor twee –
a silver for two, en een bronzen voor één – and a bronze
one. België haalt voor de periode 2009-2012 18 punten
– Belgium scored 18 points in the period 2009-2012.
Eigenlijk hadden dat er 29 moeten zijn – But it should
have been 29.
With its miserable tally, Belgium came third from last,
ahead of Portugal and Estonia. How could this happen
CONNECT WITH US
Anita Kelly @LiminoLady
#RW15 stage drinks: @Hozier: tea with tea bag still in. @royalblooduk: bourbon from the bottle
© Erik Drost/Wikimedia Commons
in a country famous for its cycling and tennis talent?
De Bosscher offered an answer. Het ligt aan ons sportbeleid en aan onze mentaliteit: te snel content – It’s down
to our sports policy and our mentality: We’re too easily
pleased.
The best-performing country was France, with 284
points, followed by Australia on 280. The Netherlands
also scored well, with 118 points, while even little
Denmark totted up 48 points.
Now Belgian officials are starting to panic. Behaalt
België volgend jaar op de Olympische Spelen in Brazilië
helemaal geen medailles? – Could Belgium win no
medals at all at the Olympic Games in Brazil next
year? Het valt niet uit te sluiten, vreest zelfs het BOIC –
Even the Belgian Olympics Committee admits it’s not
impossible.
Flemish sport minister Philippe Muyters pointed out
that Flanders is still in the early stages of implementing a programme to train top athletes. Je praat over
generaties van atleten die ondersteund moeten worden
– You’re talking about generations of athletes that have
to be supported, he said. Het is een werk van lange adem
– It’s a long-term project.
So we might win more medals one day. But don’t hold
your breath.
Tweet us your thoughts @FlandersToday
Poll
a. No, defence lawyers often drag a case out in order to eventually obtain an acquittal
18%
b. Yes, otherwise time after charges are made could be used to gather more evidence. A limit is needed
9%
c. For some crimes, sure. But some cases are more serious than others and should never run out of time
to convict
73%
tion: Should there be a statute of
limitations?
A clear majority of you support the
idea of imposing a time limit on
most court cases, but not the more
serious ones. The question facing
jurists and legislators is to work
out whether complex fraud is serious enough to extend its statute of
limitations. It’s one of the easiest
types of case for defence lawyers
to drag out, and the latest case is a
good example.
Maybe what’s needed, you think,
is a sliding scale, so that the more
serious the fraud, the more time
the prosecution gets to bring it to
court. Perhaps also some kind of
tightening up of the rules on frivolous motions and adjournments
would encourage lawyers to get on
with it.
\ Next week's question:
Brussels city centre now has the largest pedestrian zone in Europe. Will you be more encouraged to visit the area
now?
Log in to the Flanders Today website at www.flanderstoday.eu and click on VOTE!
\ 16
In response to: Antwerp to measure crowds through mobile
phone data
Jack Cross
But this is a leader in the surveillance of people. The article
positions it as a happy innovation going forward.
In response to: Talking Dutch: Last but not least
Trent McGiffert
I was really disappointed in Belgium at the last Olympics.
In response to: Delhaize and Albert Heijn announce merger
agreement
Melanie Breuer Vasco
Youpiee! I love A.H.’s salads!
In response to: Citizens of Aalst, let your lawns run wild and free
Joyce Gill
My lawns are fully in tune with nature, so is my nettle patch.
LIKE US
facebook.com/flanderstoday
the last word
Do you think time on major court cases should be allowed to expire, leaving noone culpable in the end?
Earlier this month, a court in
Leuven dropped a massive corruption case. The case against 55 staff
of Belgium’s buildings agency
dated back to 2007 and alleged that
property developers and building
contractors paid bribes to agency
officials – extremely serious allegations.
But the case was dropped because
time ran out. So we asked the ques-
VoiceS of
flanders today
Back in the saddle
Service with a smile
“I had to promise I would stop
if I got tired, but I feel good. I’m
allowed to work, and that’s when
I feel my best.”
“Customers come for the first
time because they think people
with Down’s are cheerful and fun.
But they keep on coming because
the food is delicious.”
Ghent mayor Daniël Termont is
back at work after surgery for colon
cancer, several weeks earlier than
anticipated
Field trials
“After only two minutes my first
match comes in. Fifteen minutes
later, there are six men on my list.
An hour later, the number is 25.”
Flemish journalist Marlies Madden
tested the Tinder smartphone dating
app at Rock Werchter, with some
success
Thijs Swinkels, founder of the Brownies & Downies restaurant chain in
the Netherlands, where customers
are served by workers with Down’s
syndrome, plans an outlet in Flanders
Balance of power
“This is the first day of a test
phase. We’ll see how it turns out.”
Nicolas Liekendael is one of two
Brussels police officers patrolling
the new pedestrian zone on a Segway
electric scooter
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