Anewstart - Thursday 7 July 2016

#379
Erkenningsnummer P708816
may 6, 2015 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ rEad morE at www.flandErstoday.Eu
currEnt affairs \ P2
Politics \ P4
In Flanders
FIelds
BusinEss \ P6
innovation \ P7
new buIldIng For
ghent Int'l sChool
Education \ P9
art & living \ P10
Cats on
parade
Ottawa honours First
World War soldier and poet
who made Flanders famous and
poppies a worldwide symbol
Ghent’s international school is attracting
so many students, it has outgrown
its premises and has plans for a new
building
Ypres’ Kattenstoet only
happens every three years,
so make plans now to see a
procession you’ll never forget
\2
\6
\ 11
A new start
© Jelle Vermeersch/Jongeren welzijn
flanders prepares new legislation for its young offenders and troubled youth
andy furniere
more articles by andy \ flanderstoday.eu
Fifty years ago, Belgium approved the youth protection
law, which regulated for the first time support for minors
in problematic situations, as well as the policy for minors
who commit a criminal offence. Flanders recently acquired
the political responsibility to deal with both situations and
is working on a new decree.
I
t was a little more than a century ago, in 1912, that
Belgium approved a law to treat young offenders
separately from their adult counterparts. Since 1965,
youth judges have also had the power to find a proper
solution for minors in problem situations: victims of abuse
or neglect and those with personality disorders or suffering
from psychiatric issues.
“Fifty years ago, youngsters were often taken from their
families and transferred to a more trustworthy family
member, foster home or specialised institution,” says Karel
Henderickx, the former head of the Flemish Community’s
youth support institutions dealing with such youth.
Many specialised institutions of that time were former
orphanages, where youngsters received basic care but not
the personal attention many of them needed to reintegrate
in society, he explains. The length of their stay at the institutions could be prolonged without much discussion and
without consulting the youngster in question.
“A person could spend their entire youth in an institution
without much evaluation of their condition,” says Henderickx, who retired from the post just last year.
In the 1980s, critics increasingly began to question the
value of taking young people away from their families and
placing them in institutions. Alternatives for long-term
residential stays were developed. “Young people could, for
example, receive guidance at a centre after school and then
go home in the evening,” explains Henderickx. “This way,
they retained a strong link with society.”
Support in the institutions improved, thanks to government subsidies for creating more modern institutions and
the increased professionalism of the youth support sector.
Trained social workers and teachers were better able to
prepare youngsters for life outside institution walls. Regulations were introduced to make sure youth judges couldn’t
take decisions without proper motivation, and young
people received help from specialist lawyers.
Currently, much attention is being devoted to keeping
the stay at institutions as short as possible. “Experts are
continued on page 5
\ CURRenT aFFaIRs
Statue of “In Flanders Fields”
poet unveiled in Ottawa
flemish officials in canada to honour soldier John mccrae, who penned famous poem
derek Blyth
more articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu
K
oen Verlaeckt, secretary-general of
the Flanders Department of Foreign
Affairs, travelled to the Canadian
capital of Ottawa at the weekend for the
unveiling of a statue in honour of the
Canadian doctor and soldier John McCrae.
McCrae served in the trenches near Ypres
during the First World War and composed
the famous poem “In Flanders Fields” while
tending soldiers at Essex Farm in May 1915.
McCrae dedicated the poem to his friend
Alex Helmer, who was killed by an exploding grenade during a German gas attack. The
poem refers to poppies, which led to the red
flower being adopted worldwide as a symbol
of remembrance.
“The horrors of the First World War on the
western front are forever linked to the landscape of Flanders Fields because of the poem
by John McCrae,” said Verlaeckt. “It is our
duty to keep this memory alive and pass it
on to future generations.”
The larger-than-life-size bronze memorial,
which shows a sitting McCrae, notebook in
hand, is supported by the government of
Flanders. “The world-famous poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ and the poppy remind us of all
the fallen,” said minister-president Geert
Bourgeois. “We are unveiling a statue of
John McCrae on the 100th anniversary of the
poem’s composition to commemorate him
and all the victims of war.”
The statue is located in front of the National
Artillery Memorial on Sussex Drive, just
east of downtown Ottawa. A duplicate of
the statue will be unveiled later this year
in McCrae’s hometown of Guelph, Ontario,
about 500 kilometres southwest of Ottawa.
McCrae died of pneumonia in Wimereux,
northern France, on 28 January 1918.
Union votes against strike on 12
May but pledges future action
Record number of tourists
visit Flanders in 2014
The federal committee of the socialist trade
union ABVV have voted not to strike again on 12
May. The committee’s vote means the decision
need no longer go to a vote of the membership.
The federal committee is made up of representatives of all sector organisations and regional
branches of the union. The vote went against
the proposal 65% to 34%, with the ayes mainly
from French-speaking Belgium.
The union last went on official strike on 22
April, in protest at the plans of the centre-right
Flemish and federal governments to cut spending, skip indexation of wages (but not rent
increases) and amend the rules on pension
ages. That strike was supported by members of
the Christian union ACV, although it was not
officially backed by ACV leadership.
While rejecting another strike later this month,
ABVV did say that it would intensify its actions
on raising awareness of the problems of unemployment, pensions and European-wide cuts
to public services. Protests will take place on
12 May to publicise youth employment, and 28
The number of tourists and business
visitors to Flanders was up 6% in 2014,
according to figures from Toerisme
Vlaanderen. The increase was spread
across the various tourist destinations:
the coast (overnight stays up 7.4%), the
art cities (up 6.3%) and the regions such
as the Flemish Ardennes, Kempen and
Haspengouw (up 6.5%).
The fine weather last spring and autumn
brought many tourists to the coast and
the regions, Toerisme Vlaanderen said,
but the biggest increase was seen in
the art cities – Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent,
Leuven and Mechelen (pictured) – with
720,000 more overnight stays. Antwerp
alone welcomed 1,052,369 visitors,
53,000 more than in 2013.
The growth was split between foreign
tourists and business visitors, accounting for 710,000 extra overnights. Visitors
from the US were up 12%; those from
India and Brazil were up 26% each.
© yves Herman/Reuters/Corbis
a protestor lights a flare in front of the prime minister’s office in
Brussels last wednesday
May has been designated Tax Justice Day. Other
actions will take place throughout June.
“We will continue to take a stand against this
government and use whatever resources are
available to do so,” said a federal committee
spokesperson. “Striking will be done whenever
necessary. As long as this government’s moneysaving policy is maintained, the workers have
no choice but to continue with social resistance.” \ Alan Hope
4,922
\2
The figures are good news for the Flemish economy, said tourism minister Ben
Weyts. “These 11.9 million arrivals and
26.6 million overnights, including over
14 million foreign visitors, represent a
huge economic added value. Tourists
support our hospitality and trade industries. I’d like to work in the coming years
with the tourist industry to being even
more visitors to Flanders.” \ AH
14,267
9/10
complaints last year to the Flemish
tenants’ union over rental deposits, one in 10 of all complaints. The
Flemish housing minister said she
wants to increase the deposit from
two months’ rent to three
© stijn swinnen/Tourism mechelen
chronically sick children who
follow their lessons online using
Bednet pass their exams, the
organisation said. Bednet has
schooled some 1,200 children in its
10 years of existence
19,000
35%
members of the Muntpunt library
in Brussels at the end of December, a decrease of 1,233 in the three
months from the library’s first
anniversary in September
increase in the amount of a traffic fine that has gone unpaid after
30 days, under a proposal from
federal mobility minister Jacqueline Galant
out of some 30,000 food and drinks
service establishments in Belgium
are equipped with the new smart
cash register, which became
mandatory on 30 April. The system
is meant to combat fraud
may 6, 2015
weeK In brIeF
Sporting Lokeren footballer
Gregory Mertens died last
week in hospital in Genk after
collapsing on the pitch during
a match against Racing Genk.
Mertens, 24, suffered a cardiac
arrest and underwent emergency surgery but did not regain
consciousness. Mertens had
been thoroughly screened at the
start of the season, the club said.
Professor Marc Gewillig of the
University of Leuven said even
state of the art screening was
only able to detect 75% of problems.
Mounted police officers will
patrol the coast this summer,
West Flanders governor Carl
Decaluwé has announced. The
decision follows a successful
pilot project last year. Mounted
officers will police the beaches
and the shoreline, while extra
units of the maritime police
patrol the waters from Het Zwin
and Knokke-Heist to De Panne.
Federal foreign minister Didier
Reynders will address parliament this week about Belgium’s
B-Fast rapid reaction unit,
which returned to Belgium
without being able to carry out
its mission in Nepal. The team
left on 26 April, the day after
the devastating earthquake
in the South Asian country,
to help find and rescue survivors. The B-Fast plane could not
land in Kathmandu, however,
until Tuesday, and by the time
the 43-strong team arrived, the
Nepalese government’s mission
had changed to providing shelter and care for the survivors –
a task for which B-Fast was not
equipped.
The future of Neo, the shopping and leisure development
planned by the City of Brussels at Heizel, could be in jeopardy after the auditor of the
Council of State issued an opinion that the amendment to the
regional zoning plan that makes
the complex possible did not go
FaCe oF Flanders
ahead according to regulations.
The case was brought by a group
of residents and businesses
currently operating at Heizel.
If the council follows the auditor’s reasoning, the complex
would not be allowed to include
a shopping centre – the biggest
draw of the project from the
point of view of investors.
Residents of Melle in East Flanders who last week refused to
evacuate their homes for the
decommisioning of a Second
World War bomb could face fines
of up to €250, police warned. The
250-kilogram bomb was discovered next to the railway line, and
police evacuated 2,900 people
from the area. Twelve residents
refused to leave, delaying the
operation.
A Delhaize store in Brussels’
Elsene commune has removed
panels meant to discourage
the homeless from sitting on
its windowsills, following public
outcry. The company said the
panels had been installed to
prevent begging, which it felt
was annoying to customers.
The panels will be replaced by
a removable system that will
only be used in cases of serious
nuisance, Delhaize said.
The Flemish agency for nature
and woodlands (ANB) has
announced plans to make the
535 hectares of the Hallerbos permanently car-free.
At present the wood, between
the Zenne river and the Sonien
Forest and world-famous for its
springtime carpet of bluebells,
is only free of traffic on Sundays
and public holidays. According to the ANB, the motor traffic is not only a noise nuisance,
it is also responsible for the
deaths every year of thousands
of animals, from deer to salamanders. The first phase begins
on 1 July with the closure of
Vlasmarktdreef and Eikendreef
between Achtdreven junction
and Hallerbosstraat.
Colruyt is no longer the
company with the best reputation in Belgium, after an unbroken run of five years. First place
has been taken over by sugar
refiner Tiense Suikerraffinaderij of Tienen in Flemish Brabant.
Fourteen thousand Belgians are
polled for the ratings by the local
reputation management bureau
Akkanto.
National rail authority NMBS
has contested the results of a
study by the Boston Consulting Group, which looked at
the performance of railway
companies in 25 European
countries. NMBS scored badly
in punctuality, speed and ticket
prices, and came in second-tolast place for service ahead of
Ireland. “The NMBS is surprised
at the lack of objectivity in the
methodology used,” the authority said in a statement, claiming
the figures used are outdated.
The national telecommunications regulator BIPT is carrying
out an investigation of so-called
“unlimited” formulas offered
by telecoms companies, which
often turn out to be subject
to more limits than the name
implies, minister for telecoms
Alexander De Croo said. Companies often offer unlimited downloads, telephone minutes or text
messaging, but the small print
in contracts also warns of possible sanctions against “excessive”
use.
The Scottish brewery BrewDog
plans to open a pub in Brussels. The brewery, known for
pushing the envelope with beers
made with extreme hopping and
alcohol levels of up to 41%, is
opening its outlet in the former
Sabena
building
opposite
Central Station some time this
year, the company announced.
BrewDog has more than 20
bars across the UK as well as in
Barcelona, Stockholm, Helsinki
and Sao Paolo.
oFFsIde
Power to the people
The first of May is just behind us,
the day when we mark the struggle
of workers to obtain the rights we
now enjoy. The working man and
woman were constant sources of
inspiration to 19th-century Brussels sculptor Constantin Meunier
as he worked during the last 10
years of his life on his magnificent Monument to Labour, which
stands in a small park in the Laken
commune of Brussels.
It’s not possible to study Meunier’s
masterpiece (pictured) up close
because the park was enclosed
several years ago by an iron fence,
a reaction to an incident of vandalism. Now some local people have
started a protest action aimed at
having the fence removed and the
park opened up to the public.
Last week they took the matter
into their own hands and temporarily removed a section of the
fence, brought in deck chairs and
a barbecue and had themselves a
party.
Lotte Stoops is one of the members
of the neighbourhood committee
AYAY, which headed up the picnic.
People manage to climb over or
through the fence, she pointed out
to TV Brussel, and if they were of
a mind to vandalise the statues,
nothing was stopping them. So
why not get rid of the fence?
Jommeke
He doesn’t look as if he’s about
to turn 60 years old, until you
realise he has a bowl-cut hairstyle and goes around in short
trousers (not shorts) and proper
shoes (not trainers). His name
is Jommeke, and he’s only 60 in
real life: In his own world, he’s
10 years and four months old
forever, according to his creator
Jef Nys.
The Jommeke cartoon strip first
saw the light of day in October 1955 in the monthly publication Kerkelijk leven (Church
Life). Later it appeared in Het
Volk newspaper, which also
published the first 75 comic
albums of what would eventually become a series of 250.
It was one of the best-selling
of all Flemish comic series, but
virtually no-one outside of Flanders knows about Jommeke;
Nys, who died in 2009, never
achieved the stature enjoyed
by fellow cartoonists, like Marc
Sleen (Nero), Willy Vandersteen
(Suske en Wiske) and, above all,
Hergé (Tintin).
Part of the reason is that
Jommeke was always aimed at
children. Like Tintin (known
as Kuifje in Dutch), Jommeke
is rather a goody-two-shoes
without much character; but
whereas Tintin has Haddock
and gets into some seriously
© Courtesy Ballon media
dangerous situations, Jommeke
keeps the company of children,
like his loopy friend Filiberke
and identical twins Rosemieke
and Annemieke.
Even as a child hero, Jommeke is
tame and remains so by explicit
order of Nys, who stopped being
the sole author in 1972 but who
made it a condition of his will
that Jommeke should never
come in contact with violence,
weapons, sex, drugs or other
such influences.
The closest he ever came was
in the 1992 comic book Dertig
varkensstreken (Thirty Pig Jokes),
part of the Urbanus comic series
by the comedian of the same
name and artist Willy Linthout. Jommeke makes a cameo
appearance, and the other
characters swear like troopers to prevent the story being
swamped by his impeccable
morality.
There’ll be none of that, obviously, in the celebrations
planned for this anniversary
year by publisher Ballon Media.
Alongside a project with the
Make-a-Wish Foundation, there
will be a Jommeke presence at
the Pennenzakkenrock festival
and 50 summer camps. In October, expect a special birthday
collection at the Boekenbeurs in
Antwerp. \ Alan Hope
flanders today, a weekly English-language newspaper, is an initiative of the flemish
region and is financially supported by the flemish authorities.
www.ayay.org
© Ben2/wikimedia
“We’re sitting here on a real Brussels treasure,” she said. “The land
belongs to the region, the monument belongs to the city; the region
owns the fence but it’s maintained
by the city. Those barriers and the
wall belong to the port. So it could
be some time before we … get
everyone around the table.” \ AH
The logo and the name Flanders Today belong to the Flemish Region (Benelux Beeldmerk nr
815.088). The editorial team of Flanders Today has full editorial autonomy regarding the content
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 Corelio AdPro
contriButors Daan Bauwens, Rebecca
Benoot, 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 Corelio Publishing NV
Editorial addrEss
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vErantwoordEliJkE uitgEvEr
Hans De Loore
\3
\ POlITICs
5th ColuMn
Party in paralysis
1 May, Labour Day, is traditionally a time for speeches
by socialist leaders, on the
benefits of the welfare state
and potential threats to it.
Last week, it was also an occasion to look at the state of the
socialist party SP.A itself.
The recent death of former
SP.A leader Steve Stevaert
only highlights the fact that
the socialists have seen
better times. While in 2003,
under Stevaert’s leadership,
the party received 24% of the
vote, it stood at merely 14%
last year. It was forced into
opposition by a centre-right
majority, which, in spite of
all its squabbling, still enjoys
broad popular support.
Finding an opposition voice
after decades in power is
never easy, as the weight of
past decisions still looms. But
there is more to SP.A’s problems than that. It is paralysed
by the election of its new
leader.
The outcome, many believe, is
certain, as incumbent Bruno
Tobback seems isolated and
challenger John Crombez is
mostly described as “sympathetic”. Still, the impact of
the election is far-reaching,
as the strong leadership the
party is accustomed to is
absent.
In Antwerp, one of SP.A’s
strongholds, the crisis runs
even deeper. Yasmine Kherbache, destined to be former
mayor Patrick Janssens’
successor, resigned from
most of her local offices,
leaving the party in an even
greater state of confusion.
So what were the speeches
about on 1 May? What
stood out was the call for “a
left-wing front”. That is the
term commonly used for a
co-operation between SP.A
and Groen. One of the advocates is, not surprisingly,
Ghent mayor Daniël Termont,
whose city reflects a successful co-operation between the
two parties.
In Antwerp, too, there were
pleas for a left-wing front. In
Flanders’ largest city, a front
between SP.A and Groen
would be a force to be reckoned with, a veritable counterweight to the popularity of
N-VA’s Bart De Wever. It does,
however, take two to tango,
as even the socialists pointed
out last week. The greens find
it hard to warm to the idea,
fearing the dominance of the
larger socialists.
And last week again, the
old scenario repeated itself.
Groen party leader Meyrem
Almaci turned down SP.A’s
“courting”, as did Kristof
Calvo, Groen’s speaker in the
federal parliament. “If cartels
are the main subject on 1
May, there is a problem,” he
tweeted. \ Anja Otte
\4
Klimaatzaak sues governments
thousands join to subpoena four governments over climate policy
alan hope
more articles by alan \ flanderstoday.eu
Almost 9,000 members of the public have joined
an initiative launched by a group of 11 prominent Flemings to take legal action to force the
federal and regional governments to improve
their climate policies.
Klimaatzaak (Climate Business) was formed at
the end of last year, with the statement that the
four governments – federal, Flemish, Walloon
and Brussels – were in breach of their obligations regarding climate change. The group is
demanding a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 87.5% based on 1990 levels, with a deadline of 2050.
The four governments issued a response to the
demands earlier this year and met with Klimaatzaak. “Despite this interesting and constructive
discussion, it soon became clear that the vari-
Flemish parliament
shortens summer
recess
The six parties in the Flemish parliament have
voted in favour of new parliamentary rules
tabled by speaker Jan Peumans (N-VA). The
revised regulations include a shorter summer
recess to allow MPs more time to approve
government decisions during the summer
months.
MPs will no longer be able to head off on holiday around the Flemish national holiday on 11
July. They will instead work two more weeks in
July so that they “follow the same rhythm as the
Flemish government,” said Peumans.
But the parties rejected a proposal to return to
work two weeks earlier, on 1 September. They
will return to parliament in mid-September as
usual.
Meanwhile, the Brussels parliament has voted to
return to work on the third Monday of September, a full month earlier than usual.
\ Derek Blyth
© Courtesy klimaatzaak
The founding members of klimaatzaak
ous parties could not come to a consensus that
would see the necessary commitments translated into a climate policy,” said Klimaatzaak in
a statement. “All parties were in agreement that
a global temperature increase of more than two
degrees Celsius must be avoided.”
The group includes artists, scientists and conservationists, including film director Nic Balthazar,
Ignace Schops of the Regionaal Landschap
Kempen and musician Stijn Meuris. They are
now joined by 9,000 members of the public who
added their names to a subpoena bringing the
four governments to court and asking them to
provide a timetable for their compliance with the
CO2 demand and a division of responsibilities.
The subpoena has gone out, and the group
expects a preliminary hearing within two weeks.
If the governments fail to meet the group’s
demands, and those are upheld by the court, the
group is asking for an exemplary fine of €10,000
a day to be levied.
Experts meet to discuss future of public transport
The first of two hearings was held last week
in the Flemish parliament in a bid to cut the
region’s traffic and pollution by attracting more
people to public transport.
The Committee for Mobility and Public Works
brought together representatives from transport companies and passenger lobby groups to
discuss the government’s proposed changes to
the public transport network based on a shift
in policy from “basic mobility” to “basic accessibility”.
The government of Flanders’ goal is to address
the region’s chronic traffic and pollution problems by persuading people to abandon their
cars and adopt public transport, despite cuts to
services announced this year and an end to free
public transport for people over 65. The government aims to make public transport more accessible and competitive and to focus on providing
efficient transport for daily commuters, including students and workers.
Among the participants were two experts
from Scandinavia who described new forms
of sustainable public transport developed in
Denmark and Sweden. Representatives from
© Courtesy TaRs631/wikimedia Commons
unions, transport operators and lobby groups
Supporters van het Openbaar Vervoer and
TreinTramBus were also present.
A second meeting this week will bring together
experts from other organisations, including
the Anti-Poverty Network, the Taxi Federation
and the cycle hire organisation Blue-bike/Blue
Mobility. The talks are aimed at shaping a new
operating contract for the Flemish public transport company De Lijn, which is due to come
into force on 1 January next year. \ DB
Mixed reactions to surrogate mother conference in Brussels
Belgium has an urgent need for a legal framework for surrogate motherhood that protects
the interests of the child, the surrogate and the
prospective parents, according to Kind & Gezin,
the Flemish agency for the family and children.
“Kind & Gezin is concerned that people with
a desire to have children may find themselves
caught up in a commercial arrangement,”
said spokesperson Leen Du Bois. “That would
involve risks which do nothing to protect the
interests of all of those involved.”
Du Bois was speaking as protesters gathered
outside a building on Koningsplein in Brussels
where the Men Having Babies fair was taking
place at the weekend. The event was organised
by a group of private clinics and agencies from
the US to introduce the idea of surrogacy to gay
couples from across Europe.
The agencies offer clients a list of surrogate
mother candidates. The surrogate would be
impregnated with the sperm of one of the men,
in return for financial compensation, and would
carry the baby to term. The process costs the
couple a minimum of €90,000.
The event logged 140 requests for surrogate
mothers from Belgium and abroad, includ-
© Corbis
ing the Netherlands, France, Bulgaria and
Israel. “What the Americans are doing is not
the model I would recommend,” said Petra De
Sutter, a senator for Groen who is also head of
gynaecology at the University Hospital of Ghent
(UZGent).
“Our people can use their services, however,
because commercial surrogacy is well regulated there. The Americans also have the right
to come here and hand out information. But if
they’re here to recruit clients and make money
out of it, that would trouble me. This motivates
me to work harder for a law on surrogacy, so
that people are not obliged to go abroad to find
what they’re looking for.”
UZGent organises surrogacies, but not for
payment. There have only been about 20 cases
in recent years, according to Veronique Van
Asch, a lawyer who specialises in the area.
“Since demand is far greater, people obviously
have to turn to other countries,” she told De
Standaard. “Last year I even had a heterosexual
couple who went to the US for a surrogacy. They
were allowed to put both their names on the
birth certificate and come home with their own
child, without any problems. For gay couples, of
course, things are more difficult.”
Belgian organisations were not present at the
fair. Gay rights organisation Cavaria received
an invitation but declined to attend. “We prefer
to stay away,” said spokesperson Jeroen Borghs.
“We find it too commercial. Admittedly, our
membership is split. Some consider surrogacy to be exploitation of the woman. Others
consider it their only chance of having a child of
their own. As an organisation, we were unable
to agree on a standpoint.” \ AH
\ COVeR sTORy
may 6, 2015
A new start
children’s rights commissioner among those trying to improve youth detention
continued from page 1
also increasingly trying to help youngsters
in co-operation with their relatives and
friends,” explains Henderickx.
Young offenders are increasingly obliged
to do community work, like helping out at
retirement homes, so they don’t become
marginalised from society. Mediators bring
some of them into contact with their victims
to talk about what has happened – with the
goal of helping both parties deal with the
situation.
Since 2014, organisations like family agency
Kind & Gezin and pupil support agencies
have been working together intensively to
provide more personalised support, as part
of the new Integral Youth Support system.
There are still a lot of things that can
be improved, however, children’s rights
commissioner
Bruno
Vanobbergen
concluded after spending three days at De
Zande in Ruiselede, West Flanders – one of
the Flemish Community’s four specialised
youth support institutions. Vanobbergen
immersed himself in the “closed” section
of the institution that houses only young
offenders. Security measures are more strict
in these closed sections than in the open
sections.
Youth in both the open and closed department of each institution are divided into
groups of about eight people each, living
together as small communities. Ruiselede
houses only boys, as does a centre in Everberg. The facility in Mol houses both boys
and girls, while the fourth institution in
Beernem houses only girls. In total, the four
institutions provide about 300 places.
Vanobbergen participated in daily activities at the institution and talked to youngsters and staff about their concerns. He then
shared his findings via a blog and op-eds in
the media. The action was meant to highlight
50 years of youth protection and the development of a new plan for youth support in
Flanders.
“One of the purposes was to shift the perception that all youngsters in these institutions
are typical ‘bad boys’ who will always be a
danger to society,” explains Vanobbergen.
“Several boys talked very calmly and sensibly to me, making me wonder how they
could have ended up there.”
Only about one in 10 of the boys in these
institutions has actually committed a criminal offence; the rest come from problematic
backgrounds.
What struck Vanobbergen was how life
at the institution is strictly regulated and
monitored. There are detailed schedules,
and the residents have to ask permission to
go to the toilet, for example. “Some of them
appreciate the structure because the lack
of it caused them trouble outside,” he says.
“But for others, the restrictions are difficult
to handle.”
Vanobbergen took part in recreational activities like mountain biking and joined in
lessons. Teachers give six hours of lessons
each weekday to the youngsters, three hours
of theory and three with practical goals. On
Wednesdays, they finish early, just like regular schools in Flanders.
“A big problem is that they cannot attain a
diploma or certificate through the lessons
in the institution,” Vanobbergen points out.
“This is very frustrating for those who are
staying there for a long time, as they have
to start again almost from zero when they
www.JongErEnwElZiJn.BE
© JelleVermeersch/Jongeren welzijn
youngsters in Flanders’ youth support system attend class in their residential institution but cannot earn a diploma, a source of frustration
get out.”
He has called on the government to adjust
this regulation as quickly as possible.
One controversial aspect of the institutions
is the way residents are brought in by the
police. “Many of the young people and staff
felt that in certain cases it was unnecessary
to handcuff youngsters because they were
not aggressive,” explains Vanobbergen. “The
handcuffs made them feel like serious criminals when they are not.”
Several boys talked
very sensibly to
me, making me
wonder how they
ended up there
Before youngsters can go on to a “reception
living group”, where they’re prepared for a
stay in the regular living groups, they have
to undergo a safety check in an isolation cell.
They spend at least half an hour in the cell
to calm down and swap their clothes for the
institution’s uniform. In Ruiselede, all residents have to undergo this check, but that is
not the case in all institutions.
“The procedure may work for certain youngsters, but for others it’s an unnecessary traumatising experience,” says Vanobbergen.
“They feel they’re being treated like criminals, while they may be the victim of their
parents, for example.” He has called for a
more personalised approach.
According to Henderickx, the sector is
aware that this is a sensitive issue. “Efforts
are made to keep the procedure as short as
possible,” he says. If youngsters need to stay
longer in the cell – for a maximum of five
days and after thorough assessment from
staff – they are let out for activities and
lessons during that time.
“It may seem harsh, but I have seen new
arrivals who had hidden guns, lead pipes
and insulin syringes in their clothes,” says
Henderickx.
Talks with the youths also showed that they
are not always satisfied with their lawyer.
“There are already specific study courses
for this, but universities should establish a
separate study discipline in youth law,” says
Vanobbergen.
Other priorities for Vanobbergen are to
work more with families, retain the link with
the outside world and shorten the stay of
youngsters in closed departments – meaning security facilities. “I heard from staff
members that, after a stay of six months,
most youth don’t really benefit anymore
from the care there,” he says. “Other solutions should be sought, like letting them live
independently but with extensive guidance,
or moving them to an open department.”
Vanobbergen was happy to see that youngsters were involved in the regulation of daily
life at the institution through meetings
with staff. “They have a say in the practical
arrangements, but not on the actual content
of their care,” he says. “They should be able
to discuss the content of their education
programmes, for example.”
He hopes that former residents of institutions will be involved in negotiations for a
new Flemish government decree on youth
© Titus simoens
Children’s rights commissioner Bruno Vanobbergen spent
several days in an institution to see the day-to-day
activities and listen to the young residents’ concerns
support law. This decree, set to be introduced in 2018, will cover the support for
both youth from problem situations and
offenders. Following recent state reforms,
Flanders now has the authority to deal with
the latter, which used to be a federal responsibility.
“Because of their experiences in institutions, former residents could provide a valuable contribution to the development of the
new decree,” says a spokesperson for the
cabinet of welfare minister Jo Vandeurzen.
The welfare ministry is developing the
exact strategy for this development. What’s
certain is that working groups will focus
on thematic topics, joining academics and
representatives from stakeholder organisations in the youth support sector. The
working groups will work on the basis of a
concept note already approved by the Flemish government.
“The new decree is a good opportunity to
further personalise the guidance for the
youngsters and to update the legislation
according to the newest insights in the
sector,” says the spokesperson.
An important topic on the agenda is the
regulation of mediation between perpetrators and victims. The working groups will
also concentrate on programmes that take
into account the youngsters’ personal situation and provide more extensive psychological assistance. Another issue is what
happens to youngsters when they reach the
age of 21 and can no longer be helped by the
youth support sector.
One recent decision by the government of
Flanders is the extension of the infrastructure at the Flemish Community’s specialist
youth support institutions in Beernem and
Ruiselede – resulting in 36 extra places in
the short term.
“The need for more space has been growing
throughout the decades,” says the welfare
ministry spokesperson. “We are taking
action to increase the capacity but always in
combination with the development of alternative methods.”
\5
\ BUsIness
weeK In
busIness
Brewing lindemans
The beer brewer, based in
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Flemish
Brabant, and known for its
kriek and gueuze, has inaugurated a €15 million production
unit, doubling capacity to meet
demand. The company exports
to 45 countries worldwide with
exports representing 55% of
production.
Construction Besix
The country’s largest building
group has earmarked Australia
as its development area for the
next five years. Besix, which
derives up to 50% of its turnover from projects in the Middle
East, is seeking to diversify
its activities and has some €3
billion worth of orders on its
books.
energy eDF luminus
The local affiliate of the French
EDF group has acquired the
energy automation services
company Advice, based in
Merelbeke, East Flanders,
which claims a 20% share in
the market, for an undisclosed
amount.
media
Outside Broadcast
The Leuven-based TV broadcaster and producer has been
sold to the US NEP media
group, headquartered in Pittsburgh, for an undisclosed
amount. Outside Broadcast
produces The Voice van Vlaanderen programme and broadcasts Jupiler League football
matches.
Packaging VPk
The Aalst-based packaging material and cardboard
producer is investing €6.5
million in a new production
unit in Courcelles, Wallonia.
The move is part of the company’s €60 million investment
programme to increase capacity in Europe. VPK is one of
Amazon’s leading suppliers for
packaging products.
Ports antwerp
The port of Antwerp is seeking to build a second large
container dock on the Scheldt’s
left bank. Port authorities
believe that container traffic will grow significantly over
the next few years, mirroring the increase in size of the
ships. Meanwhile, the recently
completed Deurganck dock,
the world’s largest, has been
flooded.
Textiles sioen
The technical textiles company,
based in Bierbeek, Flemish Brabant, has acquired the
Belgian tarpaulin reinforcements producer Dynatex to
strengthen its position on the
transport coverings market.
\6
Bourgeois to promote “Flanders
Port Area” internationally
minister-president visits ghent port and historic ship pilots’ house
derek Blyth
more articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu
F
lemish
minister-president
Geert
Bourgeois said he wanted to promote
Flanders ports internationally during a
visit to Ghent last week. The minister, whose
portfolio also includes foreign affairs and
heritage, began with a tour of the Huis van de
Vrije Schippers, the historic headquarters of
Ghent’s ship pilots.
The 16th-century Gothic-style building on
Graslei in the centre of Ghent, once used by the
guild of inland shippers, is about to undergo
restoration to create an exhibition area devoted
to the port on the ground floor. Other floors will
be used for office space and reception areas. The
building, due to reopen in 2018, will host events
Geert Bourgeois (third from right) visits Ghent’s Pilots’ House
last week
linked to the port, including visits by foreign
investors, ministers and ambassadors.
Bourgeois then visited the city’s port area with
business leaders and representatives of Flanders Investment and Trade. Among the CEOs
were several representing international companies based in the port of Ghent, including steel
multinational ArcelorMittal, vehicle manufacturer Volvo and paper manufacturer Stora Enso.
“I want to capitalise on our know-how in
harbour management,” Bourgeois said. “When
we take part in trade missions abroad, we will
make a point of promoting the port of Ghent as
well as the other Flemish ports under the brand
Flanders Port Area.”
Jules Destrooper taken
over by cigar company
Temp work back in vogue across
Belgium after two hard years
The West Flanders bakery company Jules Destrooper,
famous for its butter waffles, has been taken over by
GT&CO, the holding company of the Vandermarliere
family best known as a cigar manufacturer.
Vandermarliere was previously owner of Gryson, one of
the last independent tobacco companies in Flanders,
before selling to Japan Tobacco Company in 2012. The
family still owns the J Cortès cigar company. Since the
Gryson sale, which raised a reported €475 million, “the
family has patiently and professionally waited for new
market opportunities”, GT&CO said in a statement.
Jules Destrooper first brought his waffles to market in
1890 and the company has since grown into one of the
country’s most recognisable brands with sales in 75
countries. The company has facilities in Lo-Reninge and
Ypres, employing 160 people, and last year had sales of
€36 million.
“We are entrepreneurs,” said Guido Vandermarliere.
“Money sitting in the bank is of no interest to us. Belgium
is a village, but we have the world at our feet. We’re buying
Destrooper not to hold on to what it is, but for its expansion potential.”
The value of the takeover has not been revealed.
In related news, another West Flanders entrepreneur,
Philip Cracco, has taken over Montebi, the parent
company of watchmaker Rodania, a brand that now
returns into Flemish hands. The brand was sold eight
years ago to investment fund BV Capital Partners.
Cracco is the investor behind temporary employment agency Accent, and his plans for Rodania include
doubling sales (€15 million in 2014) over the next six
years. “The company may well have potential, but it
needs to be managed better,” he said. Here, too, the takeover price was not revealed. \ Alan Hope
The call for temporary workers picked up again in 2014 after two difficult years, allowing
the industry to look forward this year to a return to levels similar to 2007, before the global
economic crisis, according to industry federation Federgon.
Last year saw an increase of 9% in requests for temp staff in Belgium, for a total of just over
177 million hours billed. The increase is attributed to economic growth and the employment
of more than 200,000 job-students and more people over 55 than ever before.
The sector employed 34,245 over-55s, who together accounted for 9.3% of total temp employment. Another 55,294 over-45s accounted for 15% of the total.
Sectors that saw the most growth include construction, despite falling levels of employment
overall in the sector. Requests for temp services in management functions were up by 8.6%.
The use of services cheques continued its downward trend, with a fall of 0.9%, although
the number of clients using the medium was up 2.6% and the number of people employed
was up by 0.9%. The explanation, according to Federgon, is that more people are employing
home help but for fewer hours. \ AH
City invests €750,000 in
International School of Ghent
The City of Ghent is investing €750,000 in a new building for the International School
of Ghent (ISG). The school was established in 2012 for the children of foreign staff in
academic institutions and technology companies from West and East Flanders.
The school, currently located at the Leopold Barracks near Citadelpark, first opened its
doors to 10 children between the ages of 2.5 and 12. This school year, ISG has 50 students.
The new building, on De Pintelaan in the south of the city near the university hospital, will
accommodate 150 students and be ready by September of 2016.
ISG was founded to ensure that foreign workers and firms would not discount East and
West Flanders because of a lack of an English-speaking primary and secondary school.
“Ghent is one of the world’s top locations for biotechnology,” said Ghent’s alderwoman of
civil affairs, Sofie Bracke. “International education is certainly one of the elements that
play a role for companies or research centres considering setting up shop here.”
\ Andy Furniere
AB InBev to meet board of directors quota early, says CEO
Leuven-based AB InBev, the largest brewer in the world, has
announced a target of one-third
of all boardroom posts to be filled
by women before 2019, when the
target becomes a legal quota in
Belgium. Company chair Kees
Storm made the announcement at
the annual general meeting (AGM)
last week.
For most companies, the quota
comes into force in 2017; for
companies with a controlling shareholder – AB InBev is
controlled by Belgian and Brazil-
ian families – the quota becomes
law two years later. “We will meet
that deadline, and most likely will
achieve that figure even sooner,”
Storm said in answer to a question
from the floor. “Above all, what we
want is a balanced board with the
right people, irrespective of gender
or nationality.”
At present, AB InBev has 14 directors, two of whom are women:
Maria Asunción Aramburuzabala
of Mexico was the reference shareholder of Mexican market leader
Grupo Modelo, which was taken
over by AB InBev in 2012, and M
Michele Burns of the US, former
CEO of human resources multinational Mercer. Burns (pictured),
who has sat on several boards,
including Wal-Mart and Goldman
Sachs, was appointed at the AGM.
InBev could find additional women
directors within the ranks of its
shareholders, Trends magazine
suggested. Eugénie Patri Sébastien
is a director of the Luxembourgbased holding company of InBev’s
Belgian shareholders. Viscountess
Diane de Spoelberch, the wife of
former Interbrew director Charles
Adriaenssen, became a director of
the holding in 2013.
“I cannot rule out that women
might be nominated to the board
by controlling shareholders,”
Storm said. \ AH
\ InnOVaTIOn
may 6, 2015
Home-grown shrooms
weeK In
InnovatIon
Permafungi has found a sustainable answer to a plentiful by-product
Julie kavanagh
more articles by Julie \ flanderstoday.eu
www.PErmafungi.BE
I
n Belgium, we like our coffee:
Consumption averages over
seven kilograms a year per
person. This love affair makes for
a large amount of coffee grounds,
but a new Brussels business has
developed a project that gives this
plentiful by-product a second life.
Two Martins – Martin François
and Martin Germeau – are the
brains behind Permafungi, an
innovative agricultural project
that grows oyster mushrooms in
a mixture of coffee grounds and
straw.
Permafungi combines fungi, the
Latin term for mushrooms, with
perma, a contraction of permaculture. For those of us whose school
science has receded into the
distance, permaculture is about
developing agricultural systems
that are sustainable and self-sufficient.
Permafungi traces its origins to
early 2013 when Germeau, a bioengineer by training, and at the
time volunteering at a permaculture project in Thailand, started
considering ways to make permaculture a reality in his native Brussels.
François, also far from home in
Montreal, was searching for a
project with a social aspect. By
chance, the two met online and
subsequently developed the business.
Another home-grown success,
organic eatery chain Exki, seemed
a natural place to source the raw
material. A cargo bike makes a
round of 10 Exki outlets to collect
the coffee grounds. “Oyster mushrooms and coffee are the perfect
marriage,” says Germeau.
Walking down into the cool,
cavernous
cellars
of
the
Tour&Taxis near the canal,
Germeau explains why Brussels is
the perfect location for a project
like Permafungi. “Mushroom
cultivation needs dark, temperate conditions, and so lends itself
very well to an urban environment
– a warehouse or a basement, for
example,” he explains. “We are
very fortunate that Tour&Taxis
agreed to rent us some of their
underground space.”
With similar ventures in the US,
Berlin, Portugal and the Netherlands, there is a small but committed global community with which
to tease out teething problems.
“There is healthy competition
but also a lot of co-operation,”
Germeau says.
“We were in contact with a similar start-up in Rotterdam that
was attempting to use a combination of straw and coffee grounds
with little success. Permafungi at
the time was making no progress
using a mix of coffee bean husks
and grounds. So we did a sort of
swap and found that the straw
Researchers measure
stress in fish
Researchers from the Flemish Institute for Agriculture and Fisheries Research
(Ilvo) and Ghent University
(UGent) have found a way
to determine chronic stress
in fish. The researchers, led
by Johan Aerts of Ilvo and
UGent, found that measuring the amount of glucocorticoids in a fish’s scales can
reveal the stress that fish
experienced during its life. It
opens a range of possibilities,
such as exploring the relationship between continuous
stress in fish and the effects
on their health, development and reproduction. That
is important for the aquaculture sector and faor the care
of fish in public aquariums,
and can play an important
role in monitoring the health
of fish in their natural environment.
study reveals why we
pee when it’s cold
© Photos courtesy Permafungi
martin Germeau (left) is one of the founders of Permafungi, hidden in the cellars of Tour&Taxis
technique was ideal for the conditions in Brussels, while in Rotterdam their breakthrough came
when they tried the coffee husks.”
The final piece in the Brussels
production puzzle fell into place
when the two founders borrowed
the process of sterilising the straw
from a US operation.
Oyster
mushrooms
and coffee are
the perfect
marriage
Co-creation has been a watchword
from the outset, and, in two years,
Permafungi has matured into
an urban permaculture success
story, with five staff, a multitude
of volunteers and a healthy dose
of goodwill.
But production is just one pillar;
Permafungi is also committed
to educating the public through
workshops and tours, as well as
promoting domestic cultivation of
oyster mushrooms through their
“ready-to-sprout kits”.
“There are no secrets here, as can
often be the case with mushroom
cultivation,” Germeau says. “We
are happy to share our knowhow.”
After a walk along dark, flagstone
corridors, we arrive at the hub
of production, where Germeau
explains the three-step process
involved in oyster mushroom
cultivation. Over the mechanical hum of the ventilation system
supplying purified air, he breaks
down the science behind the
planting, incubation and, finally,
sprouting of the mushrooms.
Because of the highly sterile conditions, the closest we get to the
planting stage – where the mushroom seed is mixed with coffee
and straw – is a wave to the lab
technician in white overalls and
mask. Incubation, equally inaccessible, is the three-week period
during which the mixture matures
in complete darkness.
The final stage, the “fruiting”, or
sprouting of the mushrooms, is
more impressive to the casual
eye. In a light, humid room, large
sausage-shaped plastic bags are
suspended from the ceiling in
rows. Sprouting out from the plastic at haphazard angles are florets
of oyster mushrooms. The young
sprouts are dark, but as they grow,
they fade to an off-white – let’s just
say it – mushroomy colour.
Permafungi’s mushrooms are
harvested seven days a week.
They work with a local distributor specialised in permaculture
and also sell direct to the Terrabio
organic shop on Huidvettersstraat
and the two Brussels branches
of the co-operative supermarket
Färm.
You'll also find their shrooms at
the Tour&Taxis restaurant and
at Brussels raw food eatery YAG.
As the team have refined their
technique, mushroom production tripled between January and
March of this year.
Eachpackofmushroomsproduces
Pick up a kit to grow your own at home
two or three yields, and the used
mix is then passed on to the nearby
urban farm in Maximiliaanpark,
where it becomes fertiliser. Thus,
production and sustainability are
largely in harmony at Permafungi.
“Our one problem is the amount
of plastic we use. Any biodegradable plastic would be destroyed by
the fungus, so we have no option
but to use traditional plastic,” says
Germeau. “Developing a longerlasting compostable plastic would
be interesting research, but, even
if it were viable, it would take
some years to develop.”
Germeau acknowledges that
establishing their start-up came
with some administrative challenges. “As we’re unusual in carrying out agricultural production in
an urban environment, it’s often a
case of interpreting existing legislation that doesn’t correspond
exactly and finding the best fit.”
As a parting gift, Germeau twists a
stem of oyster mushrooms off and
proffers it with the advice “chop
roughly and sauté in a little oil”.
Ion channels in cell walls
are responsible for the
sudden need to urinate when
confronted by cold temperatures, according to a team of
scientists at the laboratory
for ion channels research
and experimental urology
at the University of Leuven,
led by researcher Thomas
Voets. They say the finding
opens new perspectives for
the treatment of overactive
bladders or incontinence.
The channels allow charged
particles to stream in and out,
a process that creates electric
signals, which are an important form of information
exchange in our bodies. Using
animals under anaesthetic,
the researchers showed that
the channel called TRPM8 is
responsible for the urination
reflex. By disabling the channel, researchers managed to
block the cold-induced reflex.
new treatment for
muscular dystrophy
An international team of
researchers led by professor
Gunnar Buyse of the University of Leuven has developed
the drug Raxone/Catena,
which stops the loss of respiratory function in people with
Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Duchenne is an incurable, inherited neuromuscular
disorder that affects one in
3,500 youngsters worldwide.
Until now, a steroid treatment was used to slow the
weakening of muscles, but
side effects meant patients
could not use it over the long
term. Raxone/Catena does
not have such side effects.
\ Andy Furniere
\7
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\ eDUCaTIOn
may 6, 2015
The right to play
weeK In
eduCatIon
youth workers and vgc dispute future of flanders’ playgrounds
Bartosz Brzezinski
more articles by Bartosz \ flanderstoday.eu
I
t’s July, and the kids are at the
playground. But instead of
running around or playing on
the swings, they’re working on an
assignment given to them by their
teacher. There are no summer
breaks here, no holidays: only an
endless cycle of study for all 12
months of the year.
“That’s what we’re afraid will
happen under the new regime,”
says Bert Breugelmans from
Vlaamse Dienst Speelpleinwerk
(VDS), an organisation that trains
and advises playground workers in
Flanders.
The issue revolves around eight
playgrounds in Brussels. Until
recently, they were managed by the
Flemish Community Commission
(VGC), the local representative of
the government of Flanders. Since
2005, youth workers trained by
the VDS have facilitated summer
programmes on these playgrounds,
including games and activities, and
ensured the children’s safety.
From June, however, the VGC has
decided to hand control over playgrounds to their adjoining schools
and the role of facilitators to teachers. The change is part of an effort
to improve the educational record
in the capital.
By tying the playgrounds to
schools, their focus will be on
“practising the Dutch language
in a playful but challenging environment”, according to the plan’s
framework. The imitative also aims
to “create opportunities to develop
non-academic skills, counter loss
of knowledge during holiday periods and reduce inequality, particularly among children from lower
socio-economic and non-Flemish
language backgrounds.”
For months, VDS has voiced its
concerns over the plan, with a
protest march through Brussels
and a petition with 1,500 signatures. The basis of its criticism is
Article 31 of the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the
Child, which recognises every
child’s right to play time.
“The government has now made
education the primary goal of
these playgrounds,” Breugelmans
says. “But you can’t solve the city’s
educational problems by taking
from children what little relaxation time they have. Playgrounds
should be about having fun, not
about forcing children to learn new
things. Otherwise, it’s like having a
school year that’s 12 months long.”
Like many of the youth workers,
Roxanne Abels, who has worked at
the playgrounds since she was 16,
is unhappy with the government’s
decision.
www.sPEElPlEin.nEt
© VDs
“I do believe VGC has good intentions and wants to tackle some
pressing needs in Brussels’ education system,” she says. “But I don’t
think it’s handling it the right way.
Children need places where they
can just be themselves without
having to answer to the expectations schools might have of them.”
VDS has told the government
and the schools that it wants
to continue working with them
on playground initiatives. “We
might not agree on certain issues,”
Breugelmans says, “but we can still
try to give the children the best
chance to play.”
Eighty or so youth workers now
face the prospect of having no job
this summer. Despite their experi-
ence and commitment, Abels says,
they feel left out of the decisionmaking process.
With some fellow youth workers,
she is trying to contact schools to
see if they would be interested in
employing them as volunteers.
“We’re looking for a school with a
vision of playing and free time that
matches ours,” she says. “We’ve
strived to improve our playgrounds
for years and were pretty much free
to make our own decisions. This
freedom has allowed us to create
the best possible holiday for the
children and volunteers.”
If it does not find a suitable school,
Abels says, the group has discussed
starting its own playground next
summer.
KU Leuven makes list of world’s top 100 universities
Eleven courses from Flemish
universities have been included in
the top 50 for each discipline, part
of this year’s QS World University
Rankings. The university of Ghent
provides three of the courses, and
the university of Leuven the remaining eight. Leuven, meanwhile, is
once again the only Belgian university in the top 100 universities list.
The rankings looked at 36 disci-
© layla aerts/Visit Flanders
leuven’s university library
plines in 894 universities in 60
countries and rated them on
academic reputation, the impact of
their research and their reputation
as an employer. A top 50 was drawn
up for each discipline and each
university given an overall rating.
Dentistry at Leuven won fifth place
in the discipline, unprecedented for
a Belgian university and Belgium’s
only top-10 rating. The university’s
Q&a
railsgirls.com/BrussEls
edness that girls have after the
workshop. There are girls who went
further into tech and are even helping out in the tech community now.
There are other women who will
not necessarily do something with
this now but later on, in the sense
they will encourage the women
around them to try this path.
This weekend, three dozen women and girls will learn to build their
first web application in just eight hours. This one-day workshop is
organised by Rails Girls Brussels, which is helmed by Leuven-based
software developer Oana Sipos
What is Rails Girls?
It’s a workshop targeted at girls that
doesn’t require any previous experience and aims to introduce girls
with very different backgrounds to
the world of technology. We have
mentors who train the girls step by
step. The intent is to create an environment where they can feel confident and safe.
How is it different from other
local coding initiatives?
There’s nothing else I know of that
is targeted at girls in particular.
There are general programming
courses, but they’re not necessar-
other top 50 ratings went to philosophy (24), law (30), geography (34),
statistics (38), cultural and development studies (39), materials
science (40) and pharmacy (43).
Leuven took 82nd place overall.
The University of Ghent, at 129th
place overall, scored with veterinary science (27), psychology (30)
and land and forestry management
(48). \ Alan Hope
ily web-oriented and there’s not
necessarily anything where you
can learn to code from zero to hero,
or let’s say, from zero to something.
I think the format is unique among
meet-ups in Belgium and Brussels.
What do you hope to achieve
with this one-day event?
A lot of girls have a lot of ideas, but
they just don’t know how to use the
tech tools out there to realise them.
So what we try to do is teach them
a bit of prototyping and sketching, and some technical terms. It’s
like an introductory course in very
basic programming terms, but one
that can already open some doors.
We also give them resources and
inspirational talks to keep them
going.
Are you meeting your ambitions?
It’s difficult to measure the impact
because it’s more over the long
term, but there is this open-mind-
What’s the biggest obstacle to
getting women into tech?
I think it’s this stereotype that
technology is for men only and
that women should stay aside. This
translates into a lack of confidence,
so then it’s so much easier to choose
other fields like social sciences
or languages than to try to tackle
technology and, for instance, go for
a computer science degree.
start compulsory
school sooner,
say liberals
The Flemish liberal party,
Open Vld, and its Frenchspeaking counterpart, MR,
have submitted a proposal
to lower the age at which
compulsory education begins
to five. The measure should
prevent children from starting school with a lack of
knowledge that hinders them
later on. Current legislation
states that education must
start by six, the age at which
children begin the first year
of primary school. The liberal
parties want to make it obligatory to start in the third
year of pre-school. They say
the earlier underprivileged
children get to know school,
the better their chances of a
good future. Although education is the responsibility of
the communities, determining the compulsory education
age is a federal matter.
more first aid
courses in schools
Every student in Flanders
should receive at least two
hours of first aid training in
secondary school, according
to education minister Hilde
Crevits. First aid knowledge
is already part of the final
requirements for secondary school graduates, but
half of Flemish schools do
not offer the courses, allowing students to earn their
diplomas without fulfilling
the requirements. Schools
cited an overloaded schedule and a lack of expertise as
reasons. Crevits is setting up
a collaboration between the
education networks, the Red
Cross, municipalities and fire
brigades, with the intention of
providing a first aid course to
all students in the fifth year of
secondary education.
Thesis prize
for gender and
diversity research
Ghent University will award
the new DiverGent thesis
prize for the most innovative
Master’s thesis on the topics
of gender or diversity during
the next academic year. The
City of Ghent is collaborating
on the initiative. The prize will
challenge students to develop
“divergent” opinions, which
are necessary to contribute to current debates and
to propose solutions for policymakers. “Looking from a
perspective that puts gender
and diversity central requires
you to think beyond the status
quo,” the university said.
\ Andy Furniere
\ Interview by Linda A Thompson
\9
\ lIVInG
weeK In
aCtIvItIes
amazing Thai
weekend
Colourful outdoor festival of Thai culture in the
centre of Antwerp with Thai
food, traditional dance, Thai
massage, kickboxing demos
and the chance to win a free
trip to Thailand. 9-10 May
10.00-18.00,
Groenplaats,
Antwerp; free
\ www.tinyurl.com/
antwerp-thai-weekend
Beervelde
Garden Days
The theme this year is Tea
in the Garden, with a table
set for 120 and decorated
with floral displays. Also
flower and plant market,
contests, workshops and
activities for kids, all in
the beautiful setting of the
historic Beervelde estate.
8-10 May 10.00-18.00, Dorp
75, Beervelde (East Flanders); €10
\ www.parkvanbeervelde.be
arts & crafts festival
An outdoor arts fair in a
unique location: a former
clay pit and brick factory
that’s been turned into a
recreational park. Artists’
stands will be set up near
the old ring kiln and in
the gardens. Bike rentals,
paddle boats, a brasserie
and playground will also
be available. 10 May 12.0017.00, De Schorre Provincial
Park, Schommelei 1, Boom
(Antwerp province); free
\ www.deschorre.be
Brussels Food
Truck Festival
More than 80 food trucks
from Belgium and abroad
will gather in the centre of
Brussels. New this year: an
Airstream corner featuring
iconic American trailers.
8-10 May, Keizerinlaan and
Kunstberg, Brussels; free
\ www.brusselsfoodtruckfestival.be
europe Day
European
institutions
across Brussels open their
doors to the public on 9
May to celebrate European
peace and unity. There are
also guided walking tours
in English of the EU quarter, including Berlaymont,
parliament, Leopoldpark,
Ariadne’s Bridge, plus the
Jourdanplein neighbourhood. On 10 May, a festival
village will be located on the
pedestrian plaza in front of
Central Station. 9-10 May;
free
\ www.tinyurl.com/
Europe-day-15
\ 10
“A bit rebellious”
nationa(a)l pop-up shop pushes creative talent into the spotlight
katrien lindemans
more articles by katrien \ flanderstoday.eu
www.nationalstorE.BE
F
or 10 days in May, the former
building of the Vivaqua
water authority in Brussels
will be transformed into one big
showcase for Belgian creativity. The
Nationa(a)l pop-up store and event
venue will spotlight emerging
talent from across the country in
nine disciplines. These 90 creative
minds were handpicked by a dozen
Nationa(a)l ambassadors and
creators in their own right.
The impetus for the first edition
of Nationa(a)l in 2012 was a study
about the challenges facing the
local creative industry. “There’s no
lack of creativity in Belgium,” the
researchers concluded, “but the
sector needs a boost in communication and promotion.”
Linda Van Waesberge, a Brusselsbased stylist and fashion ambassador for this year’s edition of
Nationa(al), couldn’t agree more.
“The quality of the clothes and
accessories by Belgian designers is outstanding,” she says. “But
somehow most people don’t know
anything about them.”
She gives the example of Ghentborn handbag designer Marie
Martens. “Although she makes
great bags at a reasonable price,
not many women have heard of her,
and they tend to choose a design by
an international label. Putting her
designs in the spotlight will hopefully change this.”
Van Waesberge chose eight designers for Nationa(a)l – all of them
women. “Pure coincidence,” she
says with a laugh. “I wanted to
group new designers with tons
of creativity and ambition, who
weren’t being sold anywhere at the
moment. They all have authenticity
and quality; all they need now is a
© Courtesy nationa(a)l
nationa(a)l combines a 10-day pop-up shop with concerts, a fashion show and workshops
good dose of publicity.”
In addition to Van Waesberge, 15
other ambassadors chose up-andcoming talent in their respective
industries. They include Brusselsbased directors Adil El Arbi and
Bilal Fallah for cinema, artist Pieter
Vermeersch for visual arts and
cartoonist Herr Seele for publishing.
Herr Seele, whose given name is
Peter van Heirseele and who is
most famous for his irreverent
Cowboy Henk cartoons in Humo
magazine, says an entire new
wave of Belgian illustrators has
emerged. “We’re famous for traditional comic books such as Tintin
and Guust Flater – what we call the
Franco-Belgian school,” van Heirseele explains. “But there are quite
a few new, young illustrators in our
country. Their work is different and
very open towards other cultures
and influences. Humour plays an
important role, and it often gets
trashy. I love that. Art has to be a
8-17 may
bit rebellious.”
For Nationa(a)l, van Heirseele
selected four young illustrators –
Olivier Schrauwen, Brecht Vandenbroucke, Steve Michiels and Goele
Dewanckel. “Whenever I’m abroad
for exhibitions, I notice how strong
our Flemish illustrators are,” he
says. “Our pen is sharp, but we also
convey emotion. I feel there’s more
poetry in our drawings than in the
work of our writers. As you can see,
I’m quite proud of what we do.”
Last year, Nationa(a)l drew 6,000
visitors. Its atypical approach of
mixing multiple disciplines in
events, a shop and an exhibition
recently earned the organisers the
award for Best New Concept from
the city tourism agency Visit Brussels.
“We’re hoping 10,000 people
will show up this year,” says
Nationa(a)l
artistic
director
Leopoldo Profili. “We’ve worked
hard on our communication
programme and developed posters with trilingual quotes such as
‘Do you aime music’ and ‘Eat goei
bouffe’. We want to go even more
interdisciplinary than last year.”
With a fashion show with dance
performances, a special light
choreography and an album release
by the Brussels-Parisian pop rock
band Applause, the opening show
on 8 May should set the tone.
Both ambassadors and their
selected talents will be on hand for
concerts, movies, signing sessions,
a rooftop bar and workshops. Some
events are free; others require tickets and reservations.
8-17 may
Wolstraat 68, Brussels
bIte
an apple a day
Flanders is in the midst of an apple
crisis, and it’s calling for your help.
Last year, readers will recall, the
Russian government imposed a ban
on certain agricultural exports from
the EU. The measure hit Flemish
exports hard, and pork, apple and
pear producers in particular.
Thanks to superhuman marketing efforts, including a campaign
to eat more pears, the pear growers of Flanders are quite satisfied.
“Sales of pears went up 30%; prices
today are back at the level of April
last year, and our pear fridges are
empty,” reports Philippe Appeltans of the local VBT union of fruit
auctioneers. Pears also found new
markets in Canada, China and the
countries bordering Russia.
Now the same sort of effort is
needed for apples, which are suffering not only from the loss of a
© wikimedia
Russian market that normally takes
10% of production, but which have
also seen prices plunge as Poland –
also a major client of Russia – has
dumped its surpluses on the EU
market.
So below are our suggestions on
how to consume more apples
during this difficult time. And with
prices hovering around €1 per kilo,
these preparations have never been
so economical.
Apple juice: The stuff that comes in
boxes is a pale imitation of the real
thing. Make your own and filter it as
much or as little as you like to keep
that pure apple goodness.
Apple cider: Cider is fermented
apple juice: just add a pack of champagne yeast and let those microorganisms do their job. Much easier
than beer to make at home.
Apple cider syrup: Spicy and sweet,
great over pancakes, soaked into
cake or as a basis for warm cider
when the cold months roll around
again (ie next week).
Liège-type apple syrup: Keep boiling
the above syrup and it gets thicker
and thicker until you have a dark,
heavy paste that’s sweet on bread
but also gives great depth to soups
and stews.
Apple cider vinegar: A different
sort of fermentation, allowing your
cider to turn to vinegar. Bottled and
labelled, give this out as gifts. How
domesticated is that?
Fermented apples: Lacto-fermentation is not for the faint of heart,
but the results are to die for. A
little whey, water and salt are all it
takes, together with some rigorous
hygiene, and you get apple slices
to accompany ham and other cold
cuts, with probacteria as a bonus.
Apple chutney: An old favourite,
either fiery hot or take as you like it.
Recycle your empty spaghetti sauce
jars instead of carting them to the
kerb. \ Alan Hope
may 6, 2015
The ultimate catwalk
cats Parade in ypres takes family-friendly approach to gruesome medieval tradition
denzil walton
more articles by Denzil \ flanderstoday.eu
www.kattEnstoEt.BE
never be known, but there are four theories that have been suggested.
The Too Many Cats in Ypres theory. Ypres
owed its prosperity to the cloth industry.
Wool was imported from England and
stored in the local cloth halls. These were
warm, dry homes for rats and mice, which
bred profusely. To control them, a few cats
were released into the cloth halls.
The plan worked fine, and rodent numbers
decreased. Unfortunately, the cloth halls
were now overrun by cats. How could these
be controlled? Catch them and hurl them
from the tower, of course.
The Cats Are the Devil’s Minions theory.
We have 13th-century Pope Gregory IX to
thank for this one. He claimed that a sect in
southern France had been caught worshipping the devil in the form of a black cat.
Cats became the official symbol of heresy,
and anyone showing affection for a cat
came under the church’s suspicion.
The Cats Are Witches’ Pets theory. Older
peasant women living alone often kept cats
as pets for companions. Bad idea! If cats are
incarnations of the devil, then this means
that their owners must be … witches.
Suspected witches were frequently burnt
at the stake along with their cats. (It’s
easy to imagine that any cat jumping from
the flames could be caught and hurled
from a high tower instead.) Incidentally,
this theory is believed to account for the
shortage of cats in 14th-century Europe, a
corresponding plague of black rats and the
resulting plague.
The If The Queen of England Can Do It,
So Can We theory. Queen Elizabeth I had
a cat burned alive during her coronation
celebration in 1558 to symbolise the releasing of demons. Five years later, England’s
Witchcraft Act associated the keeping of
cats with “wickedness”, which led to the
executions of many more cats and their
owners.
In other words, the people and authorities
of Ypres had plenty of reasons to participate in and enjoy the barbaric entertainment of cat throwing. Thankfully, the last
live cat met its fate this way in 1817, and
when the idea of the first Ypres Kattenstoet was proposed in 1938, real cats were
replaced by the plush variety.
During the Second World War the fun
stopped, but by the 1950s it had become a
regular part of the town’s spring festivities.
Indeed, until the 1980s, Ypres was better
known for its Kattenstoet than for its war
tourism.
Festivities start on Saturday, with town
criers, fire-eaters, witches, soldiers, archers, stilt-walkers, drummers, dancers and
musicians streaming through the streets
of Ypres announcing the 44th Kattenstoet.
The parade itself takes place the following day at 15.00. It culminates with the
cat throwing from the belfry tower in the
Grote Markt at 18.00, followed by the burning of the witches at 19.00. Everything is
free, unless you want a seat in the covered
stands.
Just when you thought you had
experienced all the wackiness that
Flanders could throw at you, along comes
an event that raises the wacky bar a
notch. It’s the Kattenstoet, or Cats Parade,
in West Flanders, and as far as parades go,
it’s truly one of a kind.
I
n spite of its innocuous name, the
Kattenstoet, or Cats Parade, organised
every three years in the West Flemish
town of Ypres is no Crufts-style catwalk
of feline’s finest. Instead, it’s a procession
of local marching bands, carnival floats
representing Ypres through the ages,
singers, street theatre and dance troupes.
Interspersed among them are those
indispensable components of every
Flemish parade: giants.
Weighing up to 225 kilograms and standing
five, six or even seven metres high, these
constructions are extremely colourful and
highly imposing. The Kattenstoet giants
include Kattenkoning Cieper (Cieper, King
of the Cats); his wife Minneke Poes; soldier
Godfried de Tempelier; the smoke-breathing Ypres devil Pietje Pek; and even a giant
called … Goliath.
Both onlookers and parade marchers also
dress up as cats, from ad-hoc make-up and
fuzzy ears to full-on cat costumes.
As if that isn’t enough excitement for a
Sunday afternoon, the parade culminates
with the town jester hurling plush toy cats
from the Ypres belfry tower into the crowd
below and some ritual witch-burning for
good measure.
Cat-throwing, really?
Yes, you read that correctly. Cuddly toy cats
are thrown from the 70-metre-high belfry
in the middle of Ypres. It’s perhaps worth
assuring younger children that they are
toys before the whole things starts. (You
may also want to think about keeping their
favourite cuddly toy chained to the buggy.)
If you catch a plush cat, you are of course
its rightful owner and can take it on home.
If throwing plush cats from a high tower
seems a little politically incorrect, the
origins of this custom are even more
disturbing. The Kattenstoet replicates
events during the middle ages when
live cats were tortured and killed during
Kattenfoors (Cat Fairs) in towns and cities
throughout Europe.
For example, take the visit of the Prince of
Orange and the Duke of Anjou to Bruges in
the summer of 1582. They were greeted by
the sight of a giant structure in the shape
of a ship in the market square. Strapped to
the mast were more than three dozen cats,
along with cases of fireworks. This sounds
bad, doesn’t it?
Indeed, the ship was set alight, and the cats
became, well, history.
According to a text from 1871, one onlooker
reported: “The screams of the hapless
creatures on the ignition of each firework
produced further cheers and merriment
among the happy throng.”
what’s wrong with cats?
Why should cats be singled out for such
harsh treatment? The true reason might
9-10 may
© Photos courtesy City of ypres
after the parade featuring cat giants, you can catch your own cuddly cat toy as the rain down from the city’s belfry
across ypres
\ 11
WE TAKE YOUR FAMILY
AND YOUR BUDGET
UNDER OUR WING.
Enjoy special discounts and free services for your whole family.
Your family boards first and sits together on board.
Kids under the age of 12 receive discounts* and everyone
is entitled to 12kg of hand baggage.
brusselsairlines.com/family
* Conditions: see website.
or your travel agency.
\ aRTs
may 6, 2015
The Hitchcock opera
Private view combines unlikely sources of inspiration, from digital voyeurism to murder
ian mundell
more articles by Ian \ flanderstoday.eu
www.oPEraXXi.BE
W
hen someone says you are
going to see a Hitchcock opera,
what does that mean exactly?
Even in late April, just three weeks before
Private View has its world premiere in the
biennial Opera XXI festival in Antwerp,
those closely involved in the project were
still waiting to find out.
“We’ve never heard it played,” explains writer
Gaea Schoeters, who has been working on
the opera’s structure and narrative. “The first
rehearsal with the musicians is scheduled for
the week after next, so that will be the first
time we’ll actually hear what it sounds like.”
The reason for this suspense is that almost
everyone involved in Private View is based
in a different country. Schoeters and
composer Annelies Van Parys are from
Flanders, librettist Jen Hadfield lives in
the Shetland Islands, off the north coast
of Scotland, and director Tom Creed is
from Ireland.
The apartment block
is used to show how
people have retreated
into separate worlds
The singers are Die Neue Vocalsolisten
of Stuttgart, in Germany, while the music
will be played by the Asko-Schönberg
Ensemble of Amsterdam. Then there are
found-footage interventions by the Dutch
video group Collective 33⅓, from Zwolle.
The whole production is coordinated by
Muziektheater Transparant in Antwerp.
Getting everyone together for a sustained
period of work was impossible, so they
worked in parallel, putting all the elements
together bit by bit. “That was a fascinating working process,” says Schoeters. “Even
for the composer – although she can imagine most of the music – the point where it
becomes real is actually very late in the
process.”
Van Parys has composed vocal work before,
but this will be her first full opera. She had
been looking for inspiration in classical
a multinational and multimedia opera, Private View is a highlight of the Opera XXI festival
Greek drama, but when nothing caught her
imagination she turned to the work of film
director Alfred Hitchcock. Here there was
suspense and a quirky sense of humour, along
with themes that she wanted to explore such
as voyeurism and social isolation.
“Rear Window is Annelies’ favourite
Hitchcock movie, so I think that triggered
her to do a Hitchcock opera,” says Schoeters. The 1954 film tells the story of a man
confined to a wheelchair who obsessively
watches his neighbours from the back of
his New York apartment building. Slowly
he becomes convinced that he has seen
a murder.
“The task that we set ourselves from the
very beginning was absolutely not to
remake Rear Window,” Schoeters goes on.
“But we have borrowed the apartment
block idea to tell a story about the present
reality and how people have retreated
into separate worlds within society.”
Part of that contemporary reality involves
the influence of social media, which tend
to separate people from the communities
around them and encourage a kind of digital
voyeurism. “We didn’t want to actually show
Facebook or internet relationships, but to
take these ideas and put them back into an
analogue world of an apartment block full of
people who are neighbours but hardly know
each other.”
Another aspect of Rear Window that has
been retained is the notion of a murder
that may or may not have taken place.
Schoeters was interested in exploring
whether something as negative and as
frightening as a killing might actually
break through this social isolation and
bring people together.
“The murder sets them into action to
re-establish contact with each other and
with the world, in order to find out what
really happened. The question is: When this
threat disappears, have they really changed?”
Van Parys has avoided the music usually
associated with Hitchcock, whether
Franz Waxman’s score for Rear Window
or the work of his great musical collaborator, Bernard Herrmann. She has also
changed her own approach to composition.
“She deliberately stepped away from the
kind of music that she usually makes, which
is based on colours and atmospheres,” says
Schoeters. “Here she set herself the task of
putting more narrative and more dialogue
into the music.”
Each of the characters has a theme and
particular instrumentation. For example,
one couple who think of themselves as rather
13-24 may
racy have an electric guitar motif, while a
little old lady who stays in her apartment
with her clocks is associated with prepared
piano and a set of music boxes. Alongside
this are more conventional classical instruments such as strings, brass, woodwind and
percussion.
Meanwhile, in place of classical opera’s habit
of having people sing about how they feel,
Hadfield’s libretto brings out action and
humour. “It’s very witty and tongue in cheek,
with a lot of layers,” says Schoeters. “And the
boys in Collective 33⅓ have done the same
kind of thing with their visual language.
There are a lot of visual jokes.”
This should give Private View a broad
appeal. “A lot of people have the idea
that opera is old-fashioned or a difficult medium,” Schoeters admits. “But
by bringing suspense, humour and this
lighter tone to it, I think it can be very
appealing to a wide range of people.”
It’s fitting then that Private View should
premiere at Opera XXI, a forward-thinking contemporary opera and musical
theatre festival organised every two years
that has made experimenting its watchword.
Other highlights of Opera XXI include
There is no why here, a project by Italian composer Andrea Molino, directed
by Wouter van Looy, also for Muziektheater Transparant. Taking its title
from the writer and holocaust survivor
Primo Levi, it explores questions of good
and evil, presenting different and sometimes contradictory points of view. The
performance includes images recorded
by cameras on stage and from external
webcams, played like musical instruments.
Then there is L’autre hiver (The Other
Winter) by composer Dominique
Pauwels and librettist Normand Chaurette, which deals with the turbulent relationship between 19th-century French
poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine.
Through their story, this “phantasmagorical opera” explores the tension between
everyday reality and the world of words.
Opera XXI
Across Antwerp and Ghent
More perForManCe thIs Month
ganesh versus the
third reich
spirit
Back to Back
sidi larbi cherkaoui &
saburo teshigawara
Ganesh,theHindugodwithanelephant’s
head, travels to Nazi Germany to reclaim
the swastika, an ancient Indian symbol,
from Hitler. Or at least that’s the story we
are meant to see, if only the actors can
overcome their objections to the roles
they have to play and get to grips with
the material. Rule-bending, thoughtprovoking drama from Australian theatre group Back to Back, which specialises in work with disabled actors. (In
English) 7-8 May, Vooruit, Ghent
Spirit brings together work by Antwerp
choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and
Japanese choreographer Saburo Teshigawara, performed by the GöteborgsOperans Danskompani. Cherkaoui’s
Noetic explores the struggle between a
desire for structure in our lives and the
need to break free from rules (pictured).
Meanwhile, Teshigawara’s Metamorphosis takes its lead from Kafka, exploring bodily renewal and the desire for
control. 7-10 May, deSingel, Antwerp
\ www.vooruit.be
\ www.desingel.be
revue ravage: death
of a Politician
tom lanoye
Sold out in Brussels, Ghent and Turnhout, the Kortrijk leg is your only
chance to see Tom Lanoye’s play about
an ageing politician who is too fearful
and too vain to give up power. Josse de
Pauw directs and leads a stellar cast,
including Els Dottermans, An Miller and
Nico Sturm. The music is composed by
Peter Vermeersch and performed live
by Flat Earth Society. (In Dutch) Until 12
May, across Flanders
\ www.kvs.be
© Bengt wanselius
\ 13
\ aRTs
weeK In arts
& Culture
Rits arts school
to change name
The Brussels film and theatre
school Rits has been awarded
the right to the use of the word
“Royal” in its name, the palace
informed the institution’s
director, Dieter Lesage. The
school will now be known by
the English name Royal Institute for Theatre, Cinema and
Sound (RITCS). The school
on Dansaertstraat has 700
students following Bachelor’s
and Master’s courses in audiovisual and performance arts.
\ www.rits.be
Plopsaland is best
amusement park
Plopsaland in De Panne has
won Best Amusement Park
in Belgium in the fifth edition
of the Diamond Theme Park
Awards, which awards prizes
in multiple categories covering theme parks in Belgium
and the Netherlands. Plopsaland De Panne also won Most
Kid Friendly Park and was
home to the Best Attraction,
which went to its Anubis ride.
Antwerp Zoo, meanwhile,
had the Most Beautiful Birth
with its baby Hamlyn monkey,
while Best Event went to
Bobbejaanland in Antwerp
province for its Halloween
bash.
\ www.diamondthemeparkawards.com
De munt wins Best
world Premiere at
Opera awards
Brussels opera house De Munt
has picked up the prize for
Best World Premiere from the
International Opera Awards
in London for its production
of Au Monde by Philippe Boesmans. “De Munt goes to great
trouble every year to invest
in new creations, and no-one
has made a greater contribution in recent decades than
Philippe Boesmans,” De Munt
said in a statement. The opera
house was nominated in five
categories, including Best
DVD, Best Opera House and
Best Richard Strauss Anniversary Programme. Royal Opera
Flanders, meanwhile, was
nominated for Best Company
and Best Chorus. “We were
very proud to be nominated
alongside the most renowned
choruses in the world,” the
company said.
\ www.demunt.be
\ 14
A fresh perspective
after 20 years, Brussels’ kunstenfestivaldesarts reflects on time
georgio valentino
more articles by Georgio \ flanderstoday.eu
A
s the hybrid name suggests,
Kunstenfestivaldesarts (KFDA) is a
bridge between Belgium’s two largest
linguistic communities, who tend – even in
officially bilingual Brussels – to explore their
respective art worlds in splendid isolation.
But it’s much more than a gesture of national
amity. Artists from around the world are also
invited to participate in what has become one
of the capital’s biggest celebrations of contemporary performance. More than anything, KFDA
is a testament to Brussels’ standing in the international arts scene.
Indeed, the city owes some of its current clout
to this very festival. KFDA has been staking its
claim for a full two decades now, and this 20th
anniversary edition is bigger than ever, with 32
projects spread out over 22 venues and three
weeks. Some 330 artists from 16 countries,
participate in 134 performances and one exhibition. And thousands of visitors will enjoy them.
KFDA marks this milestone with a general
reflection on time – the way it structures artistic creation and the way art structures time in
www.kfda.BE
its turn. The centrepiece of this meditation is
a comprehensive catalogue of the festival’s 20
years, The Time We Share.
In the process of documenting KFDA’s history,
the editors and contributors (often the artists
themselves) link the performances of yesteryear
to contemporaneous artistic and social developments.
This kind of work is normally the reserve of art
historians theorising centuries after the fact,
but the defining feature of contemporary art is
its self-consciousness. Today’s artists and their
public demand the right to define themselves.
So three evenings of discussions accompany
the publication and are spaced throughout the
festival.
The theme also resonates in this year’s performances, which address the full spectrum of flux
from the ever-changing codes of performance
to the evolution of identity to the transformation of public space (with a focus, of course, on
Brussels).
KFDA invites its audience to look into the future
if only to look back on the present from a fresh
maria Tarantino’s new film Our City explores the many sides
of Brussels
perspective, to recognise the changes that
escape notice in real time. It’s a tall order, and
some artists will undoubtedly miss that particular mark. Luckily, contemporary art allows for
such shortcomings as long as one comes short
in style.
8-30 may
across Brussels
don’t MIss at KFda
My Breathing is my Dancing • Anne Teresa
De Keersmaeker
While Kunstenfestivaldesarts trumpets its
dedication to up-and-coming artists (and it’s
true that the programme is full of rising stars),
the name at the top of its marquee is that of
Belgium’s pre-eminent contemporary choreographer. Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s emotive
minimalism helped put Flanders on the dance
map in the 1980s. She continues to deconstruct the medium in her recent performancecum-exhibition Work/Travail/Arbeid, which
was launched at Wiels in March in the context
of another festival and yields midway through
KFDA to the world premiere of her latest
creation, My Breathing is My Dancing. 8-14
May, Wiels, Van Volxemlaan 354
Les Marches de la Bourse • Anna Rispoli
Anna Rispoli has been tapped to turn in a KFDAopening performance in the heart of the city.
The Italian-born, Brussels-based artist, whose
work exists in the sweet spot between public
space and private experience, chose a venue of
obvious significance: the Beurs. This relic from
the 19th century is a monument to that period’s
imperial ambitions and so, naturally, it’s also
one of Brussels’ go-to sites for protesters (and
the occasional reveller). Rispoli invites several
of these back to the steps where they once made
their statement. Entry is free. 8 May, 18.00,
Beursplein
Umbelina’s Cave • Leandro Nerefuh
Although contemporary art is all about “thinking outside the box”, sometimes it feels like
formal experiment has reached the point of
diminishing returns. So the truly transversal work of Brazilian artist and social theorist
Leandro Nerefuh is a breath of fresh air. Returning to the avant-garde’s roots in criticism, Nerefuh first astounds by having something to say.
He astounds once more in the way he delivers
the message. His work is truly transdisciplinary,
fusing not just artistic media but also academic
disciplines. Umbelina’s Cave explores postcolonial identity via lecture and performance.
(In English) 10-12 May, Beursschouwburg,
Auguste Ortsstraat 20-28
Our City • Maria Tarantino
Since its host city is so central to KFDA, it’s no
surprise that the festival has invited director
Maria Tarantino to screen her documentary Our
City. The 2014 film is a report on the changing
identity of Brussels. Tarantino isn’t interested in
the city’s role as capital of Europe (or of Belgium
or of Flanders) but rather plunges into everyday
Brussels. She interviews natives and newcomers from around the world and, in the process,
discovers that Brussels is a true crossroads. (In
Dutch and French with English subtitles) 20-24
May, Galeries Cinema, Koninginnegalerij 26
Vanitas Extended: a haunting art route through Ypres
www.vanitasEXtEndEd.BE
The group exhibition Vanitas Extended connects
the war-time past of Ypres to present-day talent
and timeless views. Curator Nathalie Vanheule,
born in the city, came up with the idea for the
exhibition after three family members died in
the space of two weeks, just before she gave
birth to her daughter. “Death overtakes us,” she
says. “We can never be prepared for it.”
The multimedia art parcours, which takes the
visitor to indoor and outdoor locations across
the city, tries to shed new light on the classical vanitas theme in art – depictions of objects
symbolic of the inevitability of death. You’ll
find local and international artists, including
German sculptor Madeleine Boschan, Brussels
painter Stephan Balleux and Dutch artist Oscar
Peters, who contributes one of his unique moveable sculptures.
“We venture off the path of fading flowers, skulls
and fruit,” says Vanheule, referring to the vanitas tradition. “We go far beyond it in an attempt
to hold on to life.”
In the city’s Sint-Maartens cathedral, you can
admire the work of Flemish painter Cindy
Wright, whose impressive “Endless Road” is
based on the list of lost First World War soldiers
engraved on the Menin Gate.
Wright’s work contrasts heavily with the playful installations of Flemish artist Tinka Pittoors,
who organises “little explosions of confetti out of
everyday life”, according to the exhibition catalogue. But the vibrance hides a seed of vanitas.
Ghent artist Marie Cloquet, meanwhile, has
made a striking series of manipulated photo-
graphic prints, referring to the “scorched-earth”
military strategy. It results in haunting landscapes of monumental damage.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is a video
by Flemish artist Ruben Bellinkx, in an ice cellar,
not far from the Menin Gate. Slowly, the camera
reveals 33 men in suits, solemnly holding four
tables above the ground with their mouths
(pictured). Humans become a fragment of a
larger whole. We lose our vanity, in Bellinkx’s
view; we’re condemned to become part of each
other.
Walking through the small city and the sometimes unusual locations, you can’t help but
think of the words of artist Liesbet Waegemans
in the catalogue, as she describes death intensifying life: “We cannot bring life back, and I think
life does not ask for it. It wants to be released.”
\ Dirk Leyman
until 6 June
across ypres
\ aGenDa
may 6, 2015
Brussels, circa 1549
ConCert
Carolus V Festival
until 30 august
Brussels
across Brussels
www.carolusfEstival.BE
E
very summer, Brussels celebrates the
16th-century figure who ruled over most
of Western Europe and made this Brabant
city the capital of the Low Countries. Cleverly
circumventing language differences, they call it
the Carolus V Festival, evoking the Latin name of
Charles V.
Besides the Ommegang, a recreation of the
procession and pageant that was staged in 1549
on the occasion of Charles V’s visit to Brussels,
there are also exhibitions, guided walks, conferences, concerts and a Family Day at Coudenberg
Museum.
There are four guided tours offered in English,
all of them focused on Vesalius, the anatomist
who was also personal physician to the emperor.
The first is a tour of an exhibition about Vesalius
and 16th-century medicine in the Coudenberg
Museum. On Sundays, the guide will be clad in
either the uniform of a crossbowman or the robes
of a plague doctor.
Another walk explores the Royal Quarter, starting at Coudenberg and ending in the Marollen
district. Along the way, the guide brings Renaissance medicine to life through the physicians,
barber-surgeons, botanists and artists of Brussels.
The third tour takes visitors through the Royal
Museums of Fine Arts, where a selection of Dutch
and Flemish Renaissance works are discussed in
the context of medical, scientific, social and religious developments of the time.
The fourth walk takes place in the Kleine Zavel
and Egmont Park, using the statues as well as
plants and trees to tell the story of scientific
progress, great physicians and botanic discoveries of the 16th century. There are special editions
of this tour offered for the visually impaired.
Tours are organised by the heritage group CAP,
which collaborates with cultural institutions in
Brussels on educational projects. According to
Bernard Slachmuylder of CAP, “the tours are not
only about medicine but offer insights into daily
life, politics, religion and the culture of the time.”
Reservations are recommended but not required.
perForManCe
Queen Elisabeth competition
Passions humaines
Flagey & Bozar, Brussels
www.QEimc.BE
until 9 may
One of the world’s most prestigious classical music contests takes
place every spring in Brussels. The
Queen Elisabeth Competition has
been discovering promising young
performers since 1937. Rotating
betweenpiano,violin,voice,composition and – from 2017 – cello, this
year it’s violin. Hundreds entered,
but the field is now narrowed down
to 62 candidates, who go headto-head this week in the competition’s first round. By the end of the
month, a winner will be crowned.
Flanders is rallying behind Ghent’s
25-year-old Fien Van den Fonteyne
(pictured), who studied at the Royal
Conservatory of Brussels and regularly performs with the Flemish
Opera. \ Georgio Valentino
Nineteenth-century
Belgian
sculptor Jef Lambeaux caused a
stir when he unveiled his monumental and, some say, pornographic marble relief “Passions
Humaines” (“Human Passions”).
Flemish playwright Erwin Mortier and stage director Guy Cassiers
use this controversy as the point
of departure for their contempo-
FestIval
ConCert
9-10 may
Brussels’ annual Iris Festival
includes open-air concerts, street
theatre, arts and crafts and a smorgasbord of street food. The event
coincides with and encompasses
Saturday’s Europe Day celebrations in the European quarter,
where EU institutions invite us
citizens into their offices. Iris Festival also includes Welkom Brussel, a unique open-house during
which secret and private spaces
are opened to the public for one
day only. The auction house Berg
van Barmhartigheid, the observation deck at the top of the spaceage Reyers Tower and the Belgian
Senate are among the 30 destinations. \ GV
www.irisfEEst.BrussEls
\ www.boottenace.wordpress.com
antwerp
Théâtre national, Brussels
www.thEatrEnational.BE
rary production of the same name.
Co-produced by Antwerp’s Toneelhuis, Brussels’ Théâtre National
and Walloon theatre Le Manege
in the context of Mons 2015 (one
of this year’s European Capitals
of Culture), the piece emphasises
the universality of the themes
by featuring a bilingual cast and
script. \ GV
8 may, 20.00
Purists beware. LA-based duo
The Swords of Fatima offer their
own idiosyncratic take on tradition, Western and otherwise.
Comprised of Filipino-American
guitarist Buko Pan Guerra and
drummer Nick Scott, the Swords
formed in 2007 and pioneered a
genre they describe as “Southeast
Asian disco surf punk”. You have
Remote Antwerp: A multimedia walking tour of Antwerp,
guided by artists from contemporary German theatre collective Rimini Protokoll. Groups
of 50 spectators/participants depart from deSingel
to discover the city’s hidden
corners. (In Dutch and English)
Until 16 May, De Singel,
Desguinlei 25
\ www.desingel.be
vIsual arts
Ghent
Factories of Free Time:
Micro Museum: Russian arts
outfit Gorod Ustinov inaugurate their summertime residency in Flanders, in which
they present their miniature
works and organise workshops for anyone interested
in creating their own modern
folk art. 11 May to 31 August,
Museum of Fine Arts, Fernand
Scribedreef 1
\ www.mskgent.be
the swords of fatima
across Brussels
Poly-Fannies:
Brussels
gonzo-free-jazz
percussion
duo perform on the culture
vessel Tenace, whose home
port is Antwerp but which
wanders throughout the country spreading the gospel of leftfield music. 9 May 20.30, Akenkaai
perForManCe
a detail from Passions Humaines
iris festival
\ www.abconcerts.be
\ Diana Goodwin
ClassICal
until 30 may
EuropeDayConcert:Following an afternoon of discussion
and debate about European
culture, Ancienne Belgique
partners with LiveEurope to
put on an international concert
with Belgian band BRNS, Polish
group Bokka and French outfit
Forever Pavot. 9 May 19.00,
Ancienne Belgique, Anspachlaan 110
CinéPalace, kortrijk
www.cinEPalacE.BE
every right to be sceptical; “fusion”
is too often an abomination –
the worst of both worlds. But the
Swords’ blend of world music and
DIY culture is a breath of fresh air.
From the former, they borrow folk
mythologies and exotic musical
motifs; from the latter, a restless
energy and an appreciation of the
absurd. \ GV
Food&drInK
Ghent
Gent Smaakt!: Ghent city hall
hosts the fifth edition of the
city’s foodie festival. Dozens
of chefs from across Flanders convene to show off their
culinary skills. 13-17 May,
Stadshal, Emile Braunplein
\ www.gentsmaakt.be
aCtIvItY
Brussels
Clean-Up Days: Several Brussels districts and NGOs participate in this European initiative
to involve citizens in environmental action. Activities range
from tidying city streets to
raising awareness about waste
management. 8-10 May
\ www.letscleanupeurope.eu
\ 15
\ BaCkPaGe
may 6, 2015
Talking Dutch
my beautiful bee B&B
www.30dagEn.BE/mEEr-groEn
Jamie @dodgeronfire
On the train to Groezrock! Yeo. Brussels, here we come!!
derek Blyth
more articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu
I
’ve done silence. I’ve survived without a car. Now
I’m spending 30 days trying to nurse a dying
tomato plant. It’s all part of a Flemish government
campaign to persuade us to change the way we live.
After long, silent walks and a car-free month, it’s now
time for #30dagenmeergroen – 30 days of more green.
Going green will help to make the world a better place,
insists the government office for the environment,
nature and energy. Planten, bloemen en bomen in het
zicht doen een mens goed – You live a healthier life
with plants, flowers and trees around you. Je wordt er
blijer, rustiger en gelukkiger van – It makes you more
cheerful, relaxed and happy.
You don’t even have to have a garden. Heb je geen tuin
of koertje? – No garden or courtyard? Dan heb je zeker
wel een vensterbank of balkon waar je wat bloemen
of kruiden kan plaatsen. – Then you must at least
have a window ledge or balcony where you can put
some flowers or herbs. Zelfs de stoep voor je deur kan
omgetoverd worden tot een eiland van groen – You
can even turn your front doorstep into a little island
of green.
The website includes a list of dos and don’ts to guide
the uncertain gardeners among us. Met deze 10
geboden wordt jouw tuin een waar paradijs – By
following these 10 commandments you can turn your
garden into a genuine paradise.
Some are easy to follow. Gij zult voor inheemse
planten kiezen – Thou shalt only buy native species.
So no more of those exotic pink orchids. Some require
a bit more skill. Gij zult een egelhuisje bouwen – Thou
shalt build a hedgehog house.
Some may lead the neighbours to wonder if you’re start-
CONNECT WITH US
Katie Owens @ktowens
Am hearing tonight’s speech by @JunckerEU on future of
Europe at @ku_leuven will be a must hear/read #EPP
Laureen Harper @LaureenHarper
Touching to visit the bunker where John McCrae wrote the
ever powerful “In Flanders Fields” 100 yrs ago #LestWeForget
ing a zoo. Gij zult amfibieën in uw midden opnemen
– Thou shalt introduce amphibians in your garden.
Creëer een thuis voor padden, kikkers en salamanders in je tuin – Make a home for toads, frogs and salamanders in your garden.
Some may require you to take a workshop. Gij zult een
bijenhotel maken – Thou shalt build a bee hotel. (Or
maybe a more modest bee B&B.)
And some are too good to believe. Gij zult een nootjesbar voor eekhoorns maken – Thou shalt build a nut
bar for squirrels. Met een paar plankjes, wat spijkers,
een glazen bokaal en een oude fietsband maak je zelf
een nootjesbar voor onze rosse compagnons – You
can build a nut bar for our little red friends with just
a few planks, some nails, a glass jar and an old bicycle tyre.
But there’s one commandment they forgot to mention.
Thou shalt not kill a tomato plant by forgetting to
water it for three weeks.
Tweet us your thoughts @FlandersToday
Poll
a. Absolutely, and the idea should be extended to other Flemish cities so the kids can keep going wherever they are
92%
b. Absolutely not. Why should taxpayer money go to education for travellers when no one knows where
they will go next?
0%
c. No, the right to education is guaranteed by EU law, so the children should enrol in regular school, not
be treated differently
8%
heading off to another caravan site,
often within Flanders.
The system would work better,
say the teachers, if it were implemented in other Flemish cities so
the kids could pick up where they
left off. Our readers seems to agree
– to an extent never before seen in
one of our polls.
That’s also the drawback of conven-
\ next week's question:
tional schools. These are traveller
families; they will not stay in one
place long enough for children to
benefit from the school system.
If we’re not to abandon them to
their lot – and nobody at all voted
for that option – we need to think
creatively: If the children can’t
come to the schools, we should
take the schools to them.
Local politicians and activities have called for laws to regulate surrogate motherhood. Do you think it should be
allowed?
Log on to the Flanders Today website at www.flanderstoday.eu and click on VOTE!
\ 16
John Chapman @BelgoFoot
Genk and KV Mechelen both winning at HT – their Playoff 02
group could be decided on goal difference.
In response to: Ghent project eases Roma children into classroom
learning
Ion Valentin
Well done !!!
In response to: Who wants to be a Belgian citizen?
Nicholas Clifford
15 years here but will never give up being British. Too patriotic
to my home country.
LIKE US
facebook.com/flanderstoday
the last word
should the city of ghent be backing a project to educate roma children on their
caravan site?
Ghent started a programme last
autumn that saw a container classroom arrive on the city’s designated
caravan site for travelling communities such as Roma. In the months
since, the project has proven
successful, with children returning
day after day to learn educational
basics, like reading, counting and
writing their own names, before
voICes oF
Flanders todaY
it’s the moves
that matter
“I’m always really happy when
I watch So You Think You Can
Dance on VTM, where it doesn’t
matter where a dancer comes
from. As long as they can dance,
that’s all that matters.”
Alona Lyubayeva, Flemish diversity
official, sees examples of good practice in the most unlikely places
modest ambitions
“Life is so short, I want to be able
to feel that I built something with
mine.”
Rudi Pauwels is a pioneer in HIV
research and the founder of four
thriving biotech companies, including Biocartis
sometime soon…
“Until I was in my 40s, my parents
would always ask me, ‘Son when
are you going to get an ordinary
job?’”
Flemish artist Jan Fabre, interviewed
in Het Nieuwsblad
the incredible hulk
“I remember watching Rust and
Bone and thinking that I’d never
seen such a huge, hulking, handsome real man on the screen. [The
character] Gabriel Oak is someone who tells you exactly what he
thinks, and that’s the connection to
Matthias. He’s got a fantastic ability to show what he’s thinking just
through the way he looks at you.”
British actor Carey Mulligan on her
co-star, Flemish actor Matthias Schoenaerts, in the new adaptation of
Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding
Crowd, in Entertainment Weekly
[L\T