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march 25, 2015 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ rEad morE at www.flandErstoday.Eu currEnt affairs \ P2

Builders for the national side

A consortium has been selected to build the new national football stadium

Politics \ P4

BusinEss \ P6

innovation \ P7

on the down-low

The amount of sugar hidden in food we eat may surprise you, but the industry says the sweet stuff is being unfairly vilified

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Education \ P9

art & living \ P10

Between life and death

A simple and poignant exhibition in Bruges couples portraits of those in hospice care with their feelings and advice \ 14

© Zumapress

members of protest group anonymous demonstrate against censorship outside Brussels’ Beurs

Policing the internet

the delicate balance between censorship and protection in a brave new digital world senne starckx more articles by senne \ flanderstoday.eu

From China’s hard-line stance on freedom of expression to Belgian service providers blocking Pirate Bay and Facebook’s lack of transparency, censorship is a real issue in our increasingly digital society.

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few years ago, a federal judge in Belgium ruled that internet service providers had to block Pirate Bay – a website famous for its peer-to-peer system that allows users to download movies, TV series, music and books without any permission from or payment to the rightful claimants.

Operators like Belgacom and Telenet did as they were told.

They made the website inaccessible by a simple technique called DNS blocking, meaning that the domain, thepirate-

bay.be, was no longer linked to the website’s IP address. But they didn’t have the authority to remove the content of the website. Soon after, the Swedish owners of the Pirate Bay registered a new domain, depiraatbaai.be, to get around the ban.

This is a textbook example of how difficult it is for governments to take action against online content in the “grey area” of cyber jurisdiction. “In the case of child pornography, for example, it’s clear: Whether you put material online or you only watch it, you’re guilty according to criminal law,” says Eva Lievens, researcher at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Law & ICT at the University of Leuven and guest professor at Ghent University.

“But in other cases, seemingly conflicting rights must be

balanced against each other when information is made inaccessible,” she continues. “This cannot happen arbitrarily. The right to freedom of expression, which is laid down in the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR), must be taken into account when making this decision.”

The ECHR has stipulated precise criteria for online censorship by governments. First, there must be a solid legal basis for blocking or filtering content. Second, there has to be a general interest in doing so: the fight against child abuse, for example, the protection of authors, or national security.

And third, the censorship has to be “necessary in a democratic society” and occur “proportionally”.

According to Lievens, that demand for proportionality can be sometimes be difficult, as it is open to interpretation. continued on page 5

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Parckfarm wins Public Space Prize Brussels canal district community praised for its ingenuity in method and design alan hope Follow alan on Twitter \ @alanhopeFT

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arckfarm, the urban farm in Brussels developed on a former dumping ground by local residents, has been awarded the Public Space Prize 2015. The annual award is presented by the Antwerp-based Public Space Infopoint to the best public space project in Brussels or Flanders.

Parckfarm is part of the Parckdesign project, which involved creating a park in the Molenbeek district from the NMBS line 28 by Pannenhuis metro to the canal, following what used to be the freight railway to Tour & Taxis. The first phase is complete, and the second phase – from the Jubelfeest bridge to the canal – is now under way.

Parckfarm is built around a glass farmhouse, which is the centre of local activities and a cafe as well as the administrative offices of the non-profit that runs the site. Parckfarm is also home to a communal kitchen garden, a series of beehives, an animal park with chickens and sheep, and a

© Parckdesign

communal wood-fired oven where locals can bake bread or pizzas.

The project was one of 50 considered for the prize. The

committee was looking for evidence of a new approach to initiatives involving spontaneous participation that forced organisers to let go of traditional design ideas. “In that respect, Parckfarm stood head and shoulders above the rest,” the committee said. “We have never seen something on such a scale in Belgium.”

Parckfarm was developed by local residents, who took it upon themselves to clean up the area and to start gardening on the former waste land. The public project was meant to end last autumn, but, thanks to its huge success, it was extended for a year. The new non-profit that runs the site is now seeking support to keep it running indefinitely. The Public Space Prize is expected to give a boost to the fundraising currently taking place.

Husband confesses to Aalst Investigation into mentally ill Antwerp teen left carnival murder at justice palace by hospital system The husband of a woman found dead during the Aalst carnival celebrations last month has confessed to her murder. Sofie D’Hondt, 38, from Erpe-Mere, East Flanders, was found by passers-by in a garage on the morning of 17 February.

D’Hondt had been attacked with a hammer and strangled two days before, on the main carnival Sunday, a police pathologist determined. Police were unable to trace the victim’s movements, including how she travelled to Aalst and whether she came alone.

A public appeal was made via the VTM documentary programme Faroek asking for members of the public to check photos or videos they may have had to see if any trace of her could be found.

The victim’s partner was questioned and later released. He was questioned again at the weekend, his lawyer Anthony Gallego said, and confessed to the murder. He is being detained and will appear before a court on Tuesday when his detention is likely to be prolonged. \ AH

The Antwerp prosecutor’s office is carrying out an investigation into the case of a mentally ill teenage girl who was refused treatment at Stuivenberg hospital and dropped off at the youth tribunal in the city’s justice palace.

The girl, 17, was in psychiatric care at Stuivenberg, part of Antwerp’s Hospital Network (ZNA), which manages nine hospitals in the area. She had become unmanageable and was sent to the hospital’s emergency department, where she began to injure herself. The psychiatric department would not take

her back, possibly because of a lack of space, according to justice department spokesperson Ken Witpas.

ZNA eventually dropped the girl off at the youth tribunal. The tribunal could not find a space for her in psychiatric care in the area and was forced to place her in a cell for the night. She has since been transferred to a care facility in Mol. “It’s even more distressing when you discover that doctors just dumped a minor at the juvenile court with her teddy bear and medication in a bag, with instructions on how it

should be taken,” said Witpas.

KU Leuven professor and child psychiatrist Peter Adriaenssens described the circumstances as “irresponsible” and “unacceptable”. “This is shameful for all of us,” he said.

The hospital issued a statement saying it had followed procedure at all times. According to Flemish welfare minister Jo Vandeurzen, ZNA has promised to admit the girl within the network when her stay in Mol comes to an end on 1 April.

\ AH

Antwerp to host 60th anniversary edition of Tall Ships Races Antwerp will be the host city for the Tall Ships Races in 2016 for the sixth time, the Port Authority has announced. The city will be the starting point for the diamond anniversary of the races, which involve some of the world’s most spectacular vessels. Ships will pull out of Antwerp harbour on 7 July next year, amid much fanfare, as they head to Lisbon, followed by Cadiz and La Coruña in Spain.

Last weekend saw the official launch of the preparations by Antwerp city council, and

organisers will spend the next year recruiting suitable ships and crews. The event is also a chance for about 4,000 students from marine schools to gain experience in working on some of the world’s finest sailing ships. About 100 ships will be moored for four days at the quays in the centre of the city. The last time the races called at Antwerp, in 2010 (pictured), 750,000 people visited both from Belgium and abroad.

A celebration at the weekend saw mayor Bart De Wever, port alderman Marc Van Peel

and tourism alderman Koen Kennis cheer on the Polish training ship Dar Młodziezy. It was carrying a crew that included students from the Antwerp Maritime School, who will be learning sailing techniques and navigation as part of an international crew.

Next year marks the event’s diamond anniversary and takes place from 7 to 10 July; this year’s event is to be hosted by Belfast, and ships will head to Aalborg in Denmark.

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\ AH

© courtesy ad meskens/wikimedia

907,000

400 11,580

new inhabitants in Flanders by 2060, an increase of 14%, according to the federal planning bureau.

Brussels will see a 27% increase in population, with an additional 315,000 inhabitants

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in ticket income for De Munt opera house in 2014, an unprecedented success and enough to allow for an ambitious programme for 20152016, including an opera based on music by Björk

downloads for a new app produced for De Lijn, which warns passengers on buses and trams when their stop is approaching. The app has received a rating of 3.9 out of 5 on the Android platform

of the population of Flanders is of foreign origin, a total of 1,180,617 people. The highest concentration comes in Baarle-Hertog, where 67% of the residents are foreigners – mostly Dutch

deaths on Flemish roads in 2014, 16 more than in 2013 and the first increase in 14 years. There were only 17 fatalities in Brussels, a new record low

march 25, 2015

weeK in Brief Clocks get turned forward one hour this weekend, as Central European Summer Time comes into effect. On Sunday, 29 March, at 2.00 clocks go forward by one hour to 3.00.

The man accused of an acid attack on a cleaning woman at a Delhaize grocery store in Antwerp has admitted the crime, his lawyer said last week. Jelle F was arrested in France and extradited to Brussels, where he appeared in court last Friday.

The people of Bruges are the most proud of their city, with nine out of 10 responding positively, according to the latest City Barometer produced by the government of Flanders and covering the 13 cities. Turnhout came in last of the bunch, with less than five in 10 describing themselves as proud of their hometown.

This year’s Ark Prize for the Free Word has been awarded to Moroccan-Flemish writer Fikry El Azzouzi for his novel Drarrie in de nacht (Street Punk by Night) and his play Reizen Jihad (Jihad Travels). The prize citation praised his “courageous voice” and his “agile pen and trenchant humour” used to portray a generation of young people trying to make sense of their identities. The prize has been awarded annually since 1951 for works demonstrating freedom of thought.

face of flanders train timetable last December, according to a study carried out by the public transport users’ group TreinTramBus and consumer organisation Test-Aankoop. The average journey time has gone up from 60 to 62 minutes. The study blames lack of resources, which means extra trains cannot be deployed on busy routes.

The anti-Islamic group Pegida has been given permission to demonstrate in Ghent, after mayor Daniel Termont approved its application. The group was previously refused permission to demonstrate in Antwerp and Heist-op-den-Berg. “The mayor has no principled objection to such a demonstration,” a city spokesperson said. The group would have to agree to clear and concrete conditions, however.

The march is due to take place on 13 April.

Doctors at Leuven University Hospital have refused to carry out a transplant on a man who recruited eight possible kidney donors via Facebook. Roel Marien from Boortmeerbeek, Flemish Brabant, says he was assured that not only family and friends could volunteer to be a donor but also members of the public. The hospital said the use of candidates recruited via public call was “ethically irresponsible”.

An Antwerp couple were among the victims of the terrorist attack last week on the National Museum in Tunis, in which 23 people died, most of them foreign tourists. Hilda Van Nerum, 61, died, making her the first fatal Flemish victim of IS. Her husband, Gabriel Verfaillie, was shot in both legs but survived the attack.

Haberdashery chain Veritas has withdrawn an ad campaign after a request by the Jury for Ethical Practices, which regulates the advertising industry.

The jury had received complaints about the radio spot, in which a woman says: “When I say no, I don’t always mean no”. The company said it was sorry that “some people found the ad hurtful and damaging. The company wants to stress this was never the intention”.

Six out of 10 trains take longer to reach their destinations than before the reorganisation of the

One in five pedestrians crosses the road against the light, according to a poll carried out

by the Belgian Institute for Road Safety (BIVV). Despite a fall in the number of road traffic casualties across the country, the number of pedestrians killed or injured is rising, from 10.5% of all road deaths in 2008 to 13% in 2014.

Performing rights society Sabam has lost a case against the Belgian state and internet service providers Belgacom, Telenet and Voo. The ISPs had refused to pay a levy of 3.4% of the cost of an internet subscription to Sabam to compensate owners’ rights for the download of music and films. The court found that ISPs are intermediaries providing access to the internet, not communications organs and so need not pay performing rights. Sabam said the ruling went against previous rulings of the European Court of Justice and is considering an appeal.

Police investigating the so-called castle murder have announced the arrest of a new suspect – the nephew of the prime suspect, now deceased. In January 2012, Stijn Saelens was shot dead at his castle home in Wingene, West Flanders. His wife’s father and brother were suspected of ordering the killing. The shooter was later identified as Dutchman Ronny Van Bommel. He has since died, but now his nephew has been linked to a DNA sample found at the scene. The man refuses to co-operate and will fight extradition from the Netherlands.

The annual BOB anti-drink driving campaign will continue, Flemish mobility minister Ben Weyts has confirmed. The future of the 20-year-old campaign seemed in doubt last week after reports revealed that Weyts had invited tenders for a new campaign. He has since assured the Flemish parliament that BOB – the name for the designated drivers who get their friends home safely – would continue to be the mainstay of any campaign.

acting pesticides, carbofuran and aldicarb. Jagger must have ingested the poisons 30 minutes to three hours before they took effect. Jagger left Crufts on 5 March and died late at night on 6 March.

“Regardless of the fact that the poison was not ingested at Crufts a dog has very sadly died,” a statement from the Kennel Club concludes.

The case against a disgruntled fellow dog-breeder at Crufts may be dismissed, but the mystery remains.

Who killed Jagger, and why?

“Hopefully, Jagger was just the wrong dog at the wrong place at the wrong time,” said his owner, Willem

Girl group K3 is no more. Or to be more accurate, the existing members of the group – Karen Damen, Kristel Verbeke and Josje Huisman – are stopping. The group itself, a brand developed by children’s production company Studio 100, will remain, their replacements recruited via a talent show on TV. The group was formed in 1998 as a sort of Flemish Spice Girls. The name refers to the initials of the first names of Damen, Verbeke and the original third member, Kathleen Aerts. The Spice Girls concept never took off, but Studio 100 saw the opportunity to create a super group for a preteen audience – the company’s target market, in any case.

The group was stripped of any suggestion of adulthood, dressed in Crayola colours, pink ribbons and short lacy socks and made to sing happyclappy nonsense songs, with titles such as Blub, ik ben een vis (Blub, I’m a Fish), Hokus Pokus Dikke Dokus, etc.

Needless to say, it was a huge success among little Flemish girls. The hits followed one upon the other, and so did the products: books, comics, musicals, a TV series, three feature films, too

much merchandise to count and an endless rounds of concerts in Flanders and the Netherlands.

Even adults occasionally fell for the snappy, sappy numbers: K3’s entry for consideration to represent Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1999, Heyah Mama, was mercilessly hammered by Flemish commentator Marcel Vanthilt, but it went on to reach number two in the Ultratop and stayed in the charts for 25 weeks.

Aerts left the group in 2009 to become a singer for grownups. A TV competition saw Huisman (pictured centre) take her place. According to reports last week, Huisman’s salary demands may have been part of the trigger for the final break-up. Although other commentators find it more likely that the women, one 39 and one 40, have simply outgrown the roles.

Whatever the case, the decision marks the end of an era in Flemish music history. There’s no denying the recipe was perfect for whom it was intended, but it’s unlikely ever to be repeated.

It’s hard to imagine any newbies being as overwhelmingly successful. \ Alan Hope

flanders today, a weekly English-language newspaper, is an initiative of the flemish region and is financially supported by the flemish authorities.

offside Jagger: Just a random poisoning?

The mystery of Jagger continues. We now know who didn’t kill him, but the question remains … who did?

Last week we reported the death of Jagger, a prize-winning Irish setter owned by a couple in Limburg.

Jagger had died suddenly after winning a silver medal at Crufts dog show in England, and a vet had found traces of poison in his stomach. His owners suggested sabotage.

The Kennel Club, which organises Crufts, reported last week that it was impossible for Jagger to have been poisoned during the show.

Independent toxicology reports had revealed the presence of two fast-

K3

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.

© Dee milligan-Bott

Lauwers. There has been a suggestion that meets those criteria.

Lauw, a district of Tongeren, where the Lauwers live, has seen 10 cases of cat poisonings over the last two months. Pet owners are afraid to let their animals go outside.

Could this explain poor Jagger’s demise?

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 Gossetlaan 30 - 1702 Groot-Bijgaarden tel 02 373 99 09 editorial@flanderstoday.eu suBscriPtions tel 03 560 17 49 subscriptions@flanderstoday.eu or order online at www.flanderstoday.eu advErtising 02 373 83 57 advertising@flanderstoday.eu vErantwoordEliJKE uitgEvEr Hans De Loore

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\ POlITIcs

5th coluMn One man, one plan

“We have aimed our arrow high, let’s hope it does not come down too much.” That was how federal justice minister Koen Geens (CD&V) announced his plans for a reform. Geens wants to remedy a number of problems that the justice system has been grappling with for decades. The population’s trust in justice is at a low because of slow proceedings and carrying out of punishments.

Justice should concentrate on its core tasks, Geens says. He has proposed a plan to cut the number of procedures, limit the possibilities for appeal and exclude complex cases from trial by jury. The Christian-democrat also plans to reduce the number of courts, as well as the number of prisoners, by introducing alternative punishments and new rules for early release.

Geens is not the first politician to want to reform the country’s justice system, but the scale of his ambition is unprecedented. Reforming justice is a particularly daunting undertaking. One of the reasons is that the federal parliament is filled with lawyers, who all have their own opinions. The debate often gets dragged down by matters that seem important only to them. This has led some observers to say that justice can only be reformed by someone who lacks legal training.

Besides a parliament full of lawyers, there are also the magistrates, who are commonly believed to be averse to change.

As Geens presented his plan last week, there were some remarks about the seemingly soft treatment of white collar crimes such as fraud. Also, his plans for shorter prison terms were called ineffective against international gangs of thieves.

But, all in all, the minister’s plans were relatively well received. So is the longawaited justice reform finally within reach? Maybe, but last Friday Geens was confronted with an unpleasant reality check.

Hundreds of magistrates, court clerks and lawyers gathered in Brussels’ justice palace for a black-robed protest against the failing justice system. Their bone of contention is not Geens’ plan, but stretches back for years and has mostly to do with a lack of resources. Courts being unable to afford toilet paper is just one issue they cite.

How Geens will remedy this at a time when the federal government’s budget has a €1.2 billion gap remains to be seen. \ Anja Otte

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Ghent first city to launch plan to expose discrimination “mystery shoppers” to test local businesses and landlords in city derek Blyth more articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu

G

hent is the first Flemish city to adopt a comprehensive action plan to combat discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, religion, age or disability. The city plans to use undercover researchers – known as mystery shoppers – to expose discrimination by companies, landlords and employment agencies. The tests will initially be carried out by staff at Ghent University as research projects.

The university has already carried out research in the rented property market, which revealed that one in three potential tenants is turned down because they sound or appear foreign, while half of candidate tenants receiving social benefits are rejected.

The city has turned to the university to ensure that its methods for detecting discrimination

are rigorous. “The key problem with discrimination is ensuring that complaints are legitimate,” said equal opportunities councillor Resul Tapmaz (pictured). “By employing scientific methods, we can build up a picture of discrim-

ination.”

The city already has a policy that allows it to cancel contracts with contractors who have been exposed for discrimination. It now plans to meet offending organisations and individuals to persuade them to change their recruitment policies. The city also wants to encourage organisations in the cultural sector to serve as models by recruiting staff from all segments of society.

But Tapmaz admits that the city has limited powers to impose sanctions on the grounds of discrimination. He hopes that the government of Flanders will take up the city’s ideas and change policy at the regional level. “It’s not enough to raise awareness; we have to go further,” he told De Morgen.

Minister wants young families Russia carries out observation to move back to coast flights over Belgium Flanders’ mobility minister, Ben Weyts, wants to persuade young families to move to the coast if they have a link with the region. The minister proposed new measures during a recent meeting of the Kustforum (Coast Forum) in De Haan, a body set up to involve citizens in the development of the coast.

Weyts (N-VA) said that the government wanted more young families to live in their own region but that this was almost impossible at the coast because of the inflated price of apartments. Young families can only live at the coast, he said, if their families provided financial support.

Otherwise they were forced to move inland.

Taking part in the debate, state secretary Bart Tommelein (OpenVLD) said that the problem was most acute in Ostend, the Flemish coast’s largest city. “A lot of people who live inland dream of living at the coast,” he said. “The towns at the coast now have the highest percentage of old people, leading to competition between young and old for housing.”

Tommelein argued that the

© courtesy veranderingvoorvooruitgang.be

answer was to build more affordable homes. Some municipalities, including Ostend and Blankenberge, have already started discussing the construction of tall apartment blocks.

But Weyts would like to bring in a measure that would allow authorities to allocate housing to young families who are already living at the coast or have a link with the region. They have “a right to live in their own region,” he insisted.

In related news, Flemish housing minister Liesbeth Homans said that she wants to stop young families from being forced to move out of Flemish cities because of unaffordable house prices and a shortage of school places. She said that families with children were crucial for the social mix in cities. \ DB

Watchers of the skies be warned: If you thought you spotted a Russian air force Antonov An-30 flying overhead in the last few days, your eyes do not deceive you.

The aircraft and crew have been carrying out observation flights in Belgian and Dutch airspace under the Treaty on Open Skies.

The treaty was signed in 1992, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, intended to herald a new era of mutual transparency in terms of military operations of participants. Belgium is one of 35 states to sign the Treaty on Open Skies, which mostly consists of European countries but also the US. More than 1,000 observation flights have taken place under the treaty since the first one in 2002.

The Antonov was scheduled to arrive at the military airport in Melsbroek outside Brussels on Monday, as Flanders Today went to press. The flights were to carry a number of disarmament specialists from Belgium and the Netherlands on Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Thursday, the Russian aircraft will move into German airspace

before returning to Melsbroek on Friday for the return flight to Moscow on Saturday.

The Antonov An-30 was designed for observation flights for the purposes of cartography. It is a descendant of the An-24FK, which first flew in 1967. Its distinctive appearance includes a nose section that is entirely glazed and that contains navigational equipment as well as an optical sight for accuracy of aerial photographs. The aircraft’s flight path is controlled by computer to allow it to repeat previous flights precisely.

Another strange sight in the skies these days is Brussels Airlines’ Airbus A320, decorated with artwork from the Tintin album Red Rackham’s Treasure. The new Rackham plane was inaugurated last week by airline chair Etienne Davignon. The aircraft, which looks like a mechanical shark being piloted by Tintin, is also decorated inside with scenes from the comic album. \ Alan Hope

Alexander De Croo chosen as Young Global Leader Alexander De Croo, the federal minister of development co-operation and communications, has been chosen by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as a Young Global Leader for 2015.

The Forum of Young Global Leaders was created in 2004 by the Swiss-based WEF to establish an exclusive network of people under the age of 40 with expert knowledge in areas such as economics, technology and international

co-operation.

De Croo (pictured), 39, joins 187 professionals who have been chosen this year as Young Global Leaders. He is expected to focus on international development, human rights, inclusive economic growth and digital strategies in development policy.

The Flemish liberal politician had previously played a role in the WEF as vice-chair of the Global Agenda Council on Ageing, a think tank

© Pan yulong/Xinhua Press/corbis

devoted to the challenges of an ageing population.

Other Belgians who have previously served as Young Global Leaders include De Croo’s fellow

Open-VLD party member Vincent Van Quickenborne, Dries Buytaert (who founded the open source content management system Drupal) and Queen Mathilde.

Other Young Global Leaders this year include Naomi Koshi, Japan’s youngest female mayor, Smriti Irani, the youngest member of India’s cabinet, and cutting-edge South African architect Mokena Makeka. \ DB

\ cOVer sTOry

march 25, 2015

Policing the internet

various developments are threatening our online freedom continued from page 1

“An example, slightly exaggerated, would be if an entire news website were blocked because it showed one article that incited hatred.”

So if Pirate Bay enriched its websites with other, legal, content? Would it be harder for European governments to block it? Lievens: “If there is still illegal content to be found on the Pirate Bay, it could still be blocked from a legal point of view. But it will be harder to implement this in a proportional manner because the blocking technology that exists today is not fine-tuned enough.”

Indeed, the problem with governments’ blocking and filtering attempts is that they’re always running behind current practice. “Current filter systems are not very efficient,” confirms Lievens. “Every day, extremely large amounts of content are put online. There are more and more contentproducers, more and more audiovisual content. We have aggregators, peer-to-peer, web 2.0… Governments are just banging their heads against a brick wall.”

© courtesy wikipedia

Federal minister for the digital agenda alexander De croo

false positives

Another problem is that the current filters are not very sophisticated. They generate too many false positives, which create a false feeling of security. The blacklists used by the filters need to be adapted constantly, and they may be leaked. The biggest problem with automatic filtering is that there’s no room for interpretation. “It doesn’t take into account contextual elements,” says Lievens. “It’s really all or nothing.”

If there’s one world where private companies are much more skilful than the government, it’s cyberspace. Filtering of online content by the industry is a much more common practice than filtering by the government – and it’s much more hidden from our view.

Social media like Twitter and Facebook and search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing act as gatekeepers of information. They decide what we can have access to, without telling us what we can’t have access to.

“In general, these companies lack transparency when it comes to their censorship policies,” explains Lievens. “Ok, they mention ‘the right to delete your content’ clearly in their general conditions, but you know as well as I do that few people read those.

If you don’t agree, you can’t use their platforms, and you’re putting yourself in virtual isolation.”

And because most internet companies are based in the US, they contest the application of the European law. “It’s a legitimate question whether European courts can claim jurisdiction,” says Lievens. “However,

researcher eva lievens of kU leuven’s Interdisciplinary centre for law & IcT

© Image source/corbis

in recent months, the European Court of Justice, for instance, has ordered Google to remove certain links from its index to protect the privacy and reputation of individuals.”

Censorship can become nasty when governments and private companies start joining forces to maintain an online censorship system. Luckily, the countries where this is

entire internet for unwanted websites, the system uses a very subtle form of internet censorship, namely keyword filtering. By putting certain words on a blacklist, every webpage that contains these words is automatically blocked on the internet in China – Chinese as well as foreign websites.

These keywords include Tiananmen protests, Tibetan independence movement,

Seemingly conflicting rights must be balanced when information is made inaccessible the case are a minority.

The most advanced system is undoubtedly the Golden Shield project, the surveillance system used by the People’s Republic of China to keep an eye on domestic internet traffic. The system, sometimes dubbed the Great Firewall of China, uses a mix of very traditional censorship techniques, such as DNS blocking or redirection, and advanced strategies.

Because the Chinese censor can’t scan the

Falun Gong, pornography, the right to strike, dissident, dictatorship and Adolf Hitler. If you sign up for an account on Sina Weibo, the Chinese variant of Twitter, and search for the spiritual practice Falun Gong, for example, you’ll receive a message in Chinese saying that, due to relevant laws, not all the results can be displayed.

Companies like Google and Yahoo don’t want to leave the giant Chinese market to their competitors, so they tend to yield to

the wishes of the Communist Party and impose a form of self-censorship. Google has recently moved its Chinese search engine (google.cn) to Hong Kong, where more liberal laws apply, but in mainland China, internet users are still censored, and it remains to be seen if Hong Kong can keep out of sight of the Chinese censor.

The French non-profit organisation Reporters Without Borders maintains a list of “enemies of the internet”, featuring countries like Bahrain, China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria and Vietnam. In the last year, the UK and the US have been added to the list, as a result of their worldwide eavesdropping of phone calls and interception of emails.

Belgium has never been criticised by Reporters Without Borders, but France has: Some years ago, a French court demanded that Yahoo ensure that French citizens would not have access to websites containing Nazirelated content.

While internet censorship may not be a big concern today in Europe, other developments may be threatening our online freedom. Internet providers have been lobbying for some time for the establishment of a “two-speed” internet: a slow lane for regular users and a fast lane for companies or people who are willing to pay for it.

Since the birth of the internet, “net neutrality” has been a guiding principle. Until today, internet providers have had no say about the bits and bytes that run through their network cables. According to Alexander De Croo, the federal minister for the digital agenda, the internet in Belgium has to function as smoothly as the water from our taps.

“There should be no distinction about what we use the net for,” says De Croo spokesperson Tom Meulenberghs. “We have to guard the open and neutral character of the internet and apply innovations to keep it neutral.”

On a European level, net neutrality is about to be embedded in legislation. “We hope that by June a proposition for a bill written by the European Council is approved,” says Meulenberghs. “Of course, we prefer European regulation of net neutrality, as the internet doesn’t stop at our borders.”

\5

\ BUsIness

weeK in Business air ryanair The Irish low-cost carrier plans to launch a three-flightsa day service between Brussels Airport and Berlin from October.

coffee miko

The Turnhout-based coffeemaker and products supplier has acquired a 66% stake in the Norwegian Kaffeautomater company. The move strengthens Miko’s position in Scandinavia, where it acquired coffee servicing companies in Sweden and Denmark in 2013.

Diamonds monstrey

The trial of one of the largest fraud and money laundering affairs involving the Antwerp diamond trade has begun.

More than 100 traders who did business with the Monstrey Worldwide Services transport group are accused of defrauding the state of €570 million in taxes.

Industrial tools atlas copco

The Swedish producer of compressors and air management systems has invested €8 million to increase capacity of its Hoeselt distribution centre in Limburg province.

media Politico

The Brussels-based EU affairs media group will launch its operations on 21 April after its acquisition last year of the European Voice. The company has plans to become the leader in political news in Europe. Politico is a joint venture between the US-based media group and Germany’s Axel Springer group.

nappies Ontex

The Aalst-based manufacturer of diapers and incontinence products is investing €45 million in a state-of-theart production unit in the north of France to concentrate capacity of two of its other facilities nearby. The new unit is expected to come on stream in 2016. Meanwhile, the Brussels-based GBL investment group has acquired a 7.4% stake in the company for some €129 million.

Payments Verifone

The French global leader in secure electronic point-of-sale payments has opened an affiliate in Brussels to develop its activities on the local market.

Plastics resilux

The Wetteren-based manufacturer of PET bottles is investing €20 million in an additional production unit next to its existing facility in the US state of Georgia.

\6

Stadium contract announced

consortium of ghelamco and Bam will construct new home for red devils alan hope more articles by alan \ flanderstoday.eu

A

consortium of the Flemish Ghelamco construction company and the Dutch BAM group has been selected to go forward in negotiations to build the new national football stadium on what is now Parking C of the Heizel complex, located just outside of the Brussels border in Flemish Brabant.

The City of Brussels had received two other competing bids from consortia led by Besix and Denys. The choice was made on the basis of a number of criteria, mayor Yvan Mayeur said, including the ability to complete the project, the means to run the stadium, the details of the lease, financial and contractual guarantees and architectural quality.

To ensure that the design of the building (pictured) fits in well with the surrounding landscape, the city consulted an advisory committee including the council and residents of Grimbergen, the municipality where the stadium will actually be located.

One of the two residents’ groups, the Verregatwijk committee, which represents people who live between the old Heizel stadium and the new one, spoke against the Ghelamco bid on grounds of increased traffic and noise. The other group, Comité Parking C, supported the bid, but reluctantly.

“We’d rather have no stadium at all, but if we have to choose between a stadium with a park and a stadium with parking, then we go for the former option,” said Philippe Fierens, chair of the group. The Ghelamco plan involves traffic from the Ring being directed into underground

parking facilities, covered over by a park.

The winning bid was designed by architects Jaspers-Eyers, with offices in Leuven, Hasselt and Brussels, which is also responsible for the Belgian embassy in Tokyo, the Toison d’Or complex in Brussels and the landmark MG Tower in Ghent.

Ghelamco, based in Ypres, recently completed the construction of the new stadium for AA Gent, while BAM was in line for the contract to renovate the Kuip stadium in Rotterdam until plans were abandoned for reasons of cost.

“The BAM-Ghelamco project was the best of the three in the areas of mobility, integration and environment,” commented Grimbergen mayor Marleen Mertens. “But now the real work begins: seeing that the project is realised in the way it was presented to us.”

Club Anderlecht will be resident in the new stadium when it is not being used for national and international football matches.

Women often avoid promotion opportunities, study shows

New platform to help Brussels civil servants speak Dutch

Highly educated women in Flanders often don’t take advantage of promotion opportunities because they think they will not be taken seriously in an executive position.

That is the main finding of a study by researchers at Ghent University (UGent), the University of Leuven and the IESEG School of Management in France.

In a previous study, this same research team examined the attitude of employers concerning employing women for highlevel jobs. That study showed that women had much less chance of being promoted than their male counterparts, even if they had the same qualifications and experience.

For the new study, researchers surveyed more than 630 educated men and women between 19 and 26 years old. They examined their opinions on two kinds of promotions: taking on a more complex and demanding job and taking on a job that required management of a team.

They discovered that there was

A new online learning platform has been launched to help civil servants at the 19 town halls in Brussels become more bilingual.

The platform, available to workers via an intra-net system, was developed by Huis van het Nederlands with the support of the BrusselsCapital Region.

The language laws oblige Brussels’ communes to employ staff able to speak both French and Dutch. In practice, most municipalities have some Dutch-speaking civil servants, but the majority who deal with the public speak only French.

The new platform provides vocabulary, grammar and hundreds of conversational exercises at three skill levels to allow staff to practice for common situations. There are also pronunciation exercises and written tests.

The app is “a passive form of language teaching that is most useful in combination with language lessons,” Michiel Renier of Huis van het Nederlands explained to brusselnieuws.be. “But even if those are not available, the

no significant difference between men and women in their eagerness to take on a job with more management responsibility.

“Many women have skills in co-operative working and developing social relationships,” Stijn Baert of UGent’s social economy department told Radio 1.

However, young women refused promotions that meant taking on a more complex job in much greater numbers than men. The women surveyed gave two main reasons for this: fear of not being able to perform the job adequately, despite their qualifications, and concerns about not being taken seriously by their colleagues. A surprise to researchers was how little a work-life balance and child care factored into the women’s responses.

According to Baert, discrimination at work then has a doublenegative consequence. “Women have less access to top jobs, which leads to them being afraid of not being treated as equals,” he said. \ Andy Furniere

course can be helpful. A learner can, for example, print off a list of typical sentences frequently used in the job and keep them beside the counter.”

The advantage of the online platform is that, unlike traditional lessons, it can be turned to at any moment of the day for short practice sessions. It also comes as an application for digital devices.

“Municipal staff often associate language learning with obtaining a Selor diploma,” said Brussels alderman for personnel Philippe Close, referring to the federal government’s job recruitment agency, which administers language tests.

“So they think of Dutch lessons as a burden. The platform makes it more enjoyable.”

Huis van het Nederlands also provides classic language lessons for Brussels-City staff who deal with the public, including counter staff at the city’s administration. Four other communes – SintGillis, Elsene, Jette and Schaarbeek – have also started language training for staff. \ AH

Ban ads for pharmaceuticals, say KU Leuven researchers A ban on advertisements for pharmaceuticals is one of the main measures proposed by a dozen researchers at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven), united in the Metaforum association to improve communication of health-care topics. Their report, “Health and Health Care: Everyone an Expert?”, was presented on Monday.

The researchers, active in a variety of disciplines and led by health economist Erik Schokkaert, said that there is a major gap between

scientific knowledge and the public’s perception of health-care issues. According to the report, three out of four people with health-related questions look for information themselves but don’t know which sources are reliable and are confronted with contradictory advice.

Advertising plays a big role in confusing the public, according to the report. “Existing regulations that limit health claims in advertising of food products and supple-

ments must be strictly applied,” said the Metaforum report.

“Public advertising of pharmaceutical drugs is best prohibited altogether.”

Researchers also called on universities and hospitals to avoid releasing medical research results until an actual treatment is developed.

Communication should emphasise scientific processes and methods rather than spectacular results, they said. Furthermore, experts who publicly interpret

research results should be required to mention possible conflicting interests.

The report also states that the government should distribute reliable and understandable health information and create a quality label for websites with healthrelated information. When media report on research results, said the researchers, they should always mention the original source of the information. \ AF

\ InnOVaTIOn

march 25, 2015

Fusion of energy

weeK in innovation “store active nuclear waste in clay”

itEr is giving flanders’ technology industry a serious leg-up senne starckx more articles by senne \ flanderstoday.eu

www.itErBElgium.BE

O

n a huge building site amid the lavender fields of Provence, a technical masterpiece is taking shape. The ITER project is unique in more ways than one. It’s the only experiment in the world big enough to demonstrate that nuclear fusion – producing energy by merging atomic nuclei instead of splitting them – is a feasible source of energy.

In the meantime, it’s giving Flanders’ technology and engineering industry a serious leg-up.

Its scale means it’s one of the few “megaprojects” where technical and economical issues trump politics.

The construction of the giant complex, in a remote area of the French region of Provence, started in 2007. The cost is estimated at around €15 billion, a sum that’s shared among seven partners: the EU (which accounts for 40%), the US, Russia, India, China, Japan and South Korea (10% each). If everything goes according to plan, the first atoms will be fused in 2020 – though many experts don’t expect this to happen before 2023.

The central component of the fusion reactor is the tokamak, a doughnut-shaped reactor vessel in which the plasma (ionised deuterium and tritium atoms) is trapped and heated up to 150 million° Celsius – 10 times hotter than the centre of the sun.

ITER’s scientists hope to achieve a net energy gain of 500 megawatts – 10 times the input energy required for heating and controlling the plasma. If they succeed, it’s proof that nuclear fusion is no longer a distant dream, and that it warrants a place in the energy mix of the future.

But what if ITER fails to fulfil the main expectations? Have all these billions of euros gone to waste? Not if we look at the industrial return of the investment. “I often compare ITER with the race to the moon in the 1960s,” says Christian Dierick, ITER industry liaison officer at Agoria, the umbrella organisation of Belgium’s technology industry. “That gave an enormous boost to the American technology and engineering industry.”

The moon landing, he continues, “was nice, of course, but none of the companies that were involved believed that it would actually pave the way for more lucrative activities”.

So, maybe it’s right to say that the means justify

© courtesy ITer

The ITer site in the south of France is putting Flemish tech concerns to work

the end? “There’s no point of course in building castles in the air,” says Dierick. “What the ITER project and all the companies involved in the construction of the reactor share is ambition.

These companies want to push their boundaries.

For them, ITER is first and foremost a strong accelerator of innovation and a major source of all types of technological challenges.”

Innovation is also boosted by the merely minor role politics is playing in the tender procedure used to construct the fusion reactor. Every component or service is allocated to one of the seven domestic agencies, which represent the seven partner governments that fund the entire project. But politics stops there. After all, each domestic agency puts out a call for tenders.

“The ‘best value for money’ principle reigns everywhere,” says Dierick, “and this makes the competition very tough.”

For the EU, the organisation Fusion for Energy (F4E), based in Barcelona, controls the tender procedure. For example, seven of the nine sections of the tokamak are made by European companies (the remaining two are made in Korea).

“F4E usually sends out its tenders in the form of package deals,” says Dierick. “And yes, very often these big packages go to large industrial consortia or sometimes to individual big companies.

But the consortia often engage smaller compa-

nies in turn for particular jobs that require real technical ingenuity. So there’s a chance for everyone to get a piece of the pie.”

To facilitate contact between those smaller companies and the larger industries, Agoria maintains a network of more than 50 Belgian firms that are willing to work on the fusion reactor and its infrastructures.

One of the members of this ITERBelgium network is the European branch of Mayekawa, a Japanese multinational that specialises in cooling compressors. The company, based in Zaventem, provides compressors to cool the superconducting magnets of the reactor down to minus 269°.

Another firm is Magyics, a spin-off from the University of Leuven that specialises in radiation-proof electronics, to be used inside the reactor vessel. A third is Sarens, best known for its supersized cranes found on construction sites all over the world. Sarens, based in Meise, will be responsible for putting some of the extremely heavy components of the fusion reactor into place.

Others companies involved include AIB Vinçotte of Vilvoorde and HTMS of Mechelen. “These are all examples of companies that provide solutions for extreme situations,” says Dierick. “The lowest temperatures, the heaviest weight, the most intensive radiation… You could say that we are the champions of the extremes.”

Q&a Professor Cedric Vuye is leading a project in Antwerp that is testing the best type of “quiet asphalt” to use in an urban environment What is quiet asphalt, and what makes it different from normal asphalt?

There are three readily available kinds of quiet asphalt. Stone mastic, the most common of the three found in Flanders, is very durable and has a finer texture.

This creates a smoother road surface, reducing traffic noise.

Porous asphalt has open pores that absorb sound and change sound energy into very low heat. And, finally, thin asphalt (with a maximum thickness of three centimetres) has even smaller granulates, and therefore an even smoother texture, and in some cases some porous properties.

How will the research at the pilot sites be carried out?

Two test tracks will be built in Antwerp to test three types of thin asphalt. The goal is to see if existing mixtures that are already used frequently in the Netherlands can be applied in an urban environment, and if they produce the necessary noise reduction without shortening the life of the road surface too much.

Measurementswillbetakenfortwo to three years. Every six months, the sites will be acoustically tested for degradation in sound reduction, caused by wear and tear on the road’s surface. Surveys will be conducted with residents to corre-

est period of time, making it both cost-effective and practical.

late the answers with the acoustic test results. We want to find out which thin asphalt gives the best noise reduction for the long-

How could this change people’s daily lives?

A study by the World Health Organization in 2011 showed that nearly one million years of life are lost each year in Western Europe due to high stress levels, sleep disturbance and even heart disease, caused by noise pollution.

But noise action plans, stemming from the European Noise Directive of 2002, are having a positive effect, as the number of people in Belgium disturbed by traffic noise dropped from 35 to 26% between 2001 and 2013. Research into quiet asphalt increases the lifetimes not only of our road surfaces but of our residents, too. \ Interview by Daniel

Niras, the national institute for the treatment of radioactive waste and enriched nuclear material, has told the government that it should store highly active or longlived radioactive waste in deep soil layers of clay. The EU has demanded that Belgium set up a long-term policy for the storage of radioactive waste.

Low- and medium-active and short-lived waste (category A) will be dealt with under the cAt project, which was launched with the construction of a disposal facility in Dessel, Antwerp province.

For highly active or longlived radioactive waste (categories B and C), the board of directors of Niras has given its director-general mandate to set up a policy that can be presented to the federal government.

“ankle tag more effective than jail” Ex-convicts who served time in prison are twice as likely to reoffend as those who wore an ankle tag, according to the first Belgian study on the effect of ankle monitors, carried out by the National Institute for Criminalistics (NICC) and reported by Flemish science magazine Eos. The NICC followed up on nearly 5,400 convicts freed between 2003 and 2005, of whom 1,074 served 90% of their sentence via electronic supervision with an ankle monitor. Within a year, 18% of convicts who served their time in prison were back in jail, while the same was true for only 5% of those who wore an ankle monitor. After five years, the figures were 46% and 24%, respectively.

Digital inclusion project launched The federal minister of the digital agenda, Alexander De Croo, has launched the research project IDEALiC on digital inclusion, or e-inclusion. The project, financed by the Belgian Science Policy Office, will develop a national e-inclusion policy over the next four years. The initiative is being carried out by Flemish research group iMindsSMIT-VUB with the Frenchspeaking group FTU Namur.

Federal research shows that 47% of Belgians have belowaverage internet skills, while a similar percentage of older people have never used the internet. \ Andy Furniere \ www.idealic.be

Shamaun

\7

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\ eDUcaTIOn

march 25, 2015

Ruling ignites debate on lessons in religion at school

court makes it easier to withdraw students from spiritual subjects andy furniere more articles by andy \ flanderstoday.eu

P

arents have the right to request that their children be exempted from religious and ethics courses without having to explain their reasons, following a decision by the Constitutional Court. The court was ruling on a complaint from parents of children at a Frenchspeaking secondary school in Brussels.

The parents had filed a complaint at the Council of State because their request for an exemption had been refused by the school. They considered it unacceptable that they had to explain their ideological convictions to obtain this exemption. The Constitutional Court ruled that this legislation is contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights.

While directed in the first place against the French-speaking system, the ruling has repercussions for the Flemish education sector and has sparked a debate on how such courses are organised.

Parents of children in Flemish public schools – of the community education network (GO!) and Education Secretary for Cities and Municipalities (OVSG) – can already obtain an exemption without giving extensive reasons. Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example, use this option.

If exempted from the ideological course, pupils in public schools have to spend the two lesson hours carrying out self-study focused on their spiritual beliefs. “They are not allowed, for

example, to study maths because that would give them an advantage over other students,” OVSG’s Ellen Van Den Block told De Standaard.

According to Van Den Block, the implementation of this regulation is “a grey area” and this lack of clarity deters many parents from submitting a request. Only 1.5 to 2% of students in public schools are exempted from religious and ethics classes.

The system is not just vague but also expensive: Public schools are legally obliged to provide

courses in all recognised religions – Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican, Judaism and Islam – and in ethics to students who want them. It costs the government of Flanders €292 million in the school year 2013-2014, according to education ministry statistics requested

by MP Ann Brusseel. Brusseel said costs would only increase as society became more diverse.

“Let’s make these courses more general, bring students together and start a dialogue,” she said.

“Schools need to teach students how to think, not how to believe.”

Her proposal resembles that of Antwerp University’s ethics philosopher Patrick Loobuyck, who wants to introduce a general course on ideology, ethics and philosophy in all school years and networks.

Flanders’ education minister Hilde Crevits, meanwhile, said she was not in favour of scrapping religious and ethics courses. “To further stimulate mutual respect, we are in discussions with the education networks and institutions whether the inter-ideological competences of students can be broadened,” she said.

There are already trial projects in two GO! schools, where one ideological lesson hour is replaced by an inter-ideological course.

Concerning the organisational problems in public schools, Crevits said the ministry was looking into the issue.

Over-25s get chance to take secondary school courses Flemish education minister Hilde Crevits wants to make the age limit of 25 in secondary education more flexible. The age limit was set for “pedagogical and didactic reasons”, as youngsters and adults in the same classroom could create problems.

It was thought that there were sufficient alternatives for over-25s to turn to, such as adult education and the Exams Commission – a department of the Flemish

government that has the power to administer diplomas to anyone who completes a course of study and passes its exams.

However, certain disciplines that prepare students directly for the labour market are only provided in full-time secondary education.

These tend to be very specialised courses that train students to become an optician or dental technician, for example. There are almost no alternatives outside of

secondary school education.

The government of Flanders, therefore, wants to introduce the possibility of waiving the age limit of 25 in certain cases, which are still to be defined. Schools would have the freedom to decide whether or not they implement the measure.

The change will not result in a situation where adults can just register at any secondary school that provides such specialised

Stefaan Debrabandere is the co-ordinator of the new English-taught Bachelor’s degree in business management, with a Master’s in marketing, at the Brussels campus of Odisee University College.

example, the US and India – who are attracted by the context of the European capital and the democratically priced registration fees.

have higher study ambitions can enrol in our Master’s degree after following a bridging programme.

How does the new degree differ from the Dutch-speaking one?

For example, instead of explaining the Belgian legal system we will focus on international laws.

The programmes will be very similar, though. To make sure the same kind of competences are developed, the English-speaking lecturers will be coached by their Dutch-speaking counterparts.

Students will also receive extensive guidance to adapt their study methods to the Flemish system.

We suspect that new lecturers will enrich the knowledge of the Dutch speakers, too, such as on evaluation methods that concen-

courses. But it also means that acceptance would not be decided on a case-by-case basis but would depend on the school management’s policy.

The measure was included in the proposal for the education decree XXV, the annual collective decree with planned modifications to the education legislation, which Crevits recently submitted to the Flemish Parliament. \ AF

Q&a

What gap in Brussels’ education market do you fill?

There are already English-speaking business management degrees at Flemish institutions, but they include demanding courses in maths and statistics that not all students can handle.

We provide a very practice-orientated programme, including internships.

The majority of our lecturers will be native English speakers with experience in both the business world and higher education.

Our Bachelor’s degree prepares students for a job at the middlemanagement level, but those who

What kind of students do you expect to attract?

A major target group is students from the growing number of international secondary schools in Brussels. Until now, many of them had to look for options abroad because they don’t speak Dutch or French sufficiently. For Flemish students, we provide an opportunity to acquire skills needed for a career in an international environment. We also expect students from abroad – for

trate more on papers and essays than on tests, and this may bring changes to our working methods. \ Interview by AF

weeK in education social work results in cheaper housing

Thomas More University College has opened its new Campus National in Antwerp.

The campus includes housing for 50 students, and half the available rooms will be rented to students who agree to perform a community activity for two hours a week in return for reduced rent. This activity could be helping a fellow student with a disability in the student house, which has four rooms equipped for wheelchair users, or working on a social project in the neighbourhood. They can spend time with elderly people, help children with their homework or work with employees of a social aid agency.

c-maT to offer maritime and air transport degrees Antwerp University is launching an English-language degree in maritime and air transport economics through the new Centre for Maritime and Air Transport Management (C-MAT). C-MAT, which starts this autumn, will be housed at the university’s City Campus and offers two advanced Master’s programmes, targeted at an international public. Via scientific research and practical knowhow from the industrial sector, the centre is also expanding its expertise of maritime and air transport. The centre will also offer a Master’s in transport and maritime economics, for students who want to expand their research competences.

crevits attends eU meeting on radicalisation Flemish education minister Hilde Crevits attended a gathering of EU education ministers in Paris last week to discuss the manifesto published by the EU’s Radicalisation Awareness Network.

The manifesto contains 24 proposals to combat radicalisation in European schools.

Nearly 100 teachers and specialists from across Europe assembled in Manchester this month to discuss the problem and developed the manifesto that was discussed in Paris.

The principle advice is for schools to maintain a dialogue with youngsters who are in danger of being radicalised.

One of the authors of the manifesto is Karin Heremans, director of the Royal Athenaeum in Antwerp. The education sector, she said, can help prevent radicalisation by devoting more attention to democracy and citizenship. \ AF

\9

\ lIVInG

weeK in activities culinary plant walk Did you know that half of the weeds in your garden are edible? Find out which wild plants and herbs to use in the kitchen on this threehour walk. Every participant will receive a list of recipes (in Dutch). Reservations required on 0478 651 675. 29 March, 14.00-17.00; Wijgmaalbroek, meet at the church in Gebroeders Tassestraat, Leuven; €9 \ www.woudnimf.be

creative workshop for kids Het Steen, Antwerp’s famous castle on the Scheldt, houses a weekend workshop for kids aged six to 12, run by theatre group Het Paleis. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Saturdays and Sundays through 28 June, 14.00-17.00; Het Steen, Steenplein; free \ www.hetpaleis.be

Photo scavenger hunt From now until July, four provinces will have an ongoing contest for hikers and walkers. Each month, participants receive a route on the hiking trail network and have to figure out where 10 photos were taken. In order to win, you have to do all four routes and score the most points. Through 19 July; free \ www.wandelknooppunt.be

antwerp by bike Individuals can join a group bike tour of Antwerp highlights, including historical landmarks in the centre and up-and-coming districts like Het Eilandje (in English). Reservations suggested. Every Sunday through October, 13.4515.45; meet at Flandria kiosk, Steenplein; €18 (€12 with your own bike) \ www.antwerpbybike.be

art nouveau walking tour A pay-what-you-will tour of Art Nouveau architecture in Brussels’ city centre and boulevards, ending at the Horta Museum in SintGillis. Saturdays, 10.0013.00; meet at Koningsplein, 2-4 Koningstraat \ www.bravodiscovery.com

spring wine tasting Thirty wines from different countries available for tasting, in every price category, from affordable to exclusive. 28-29 March, 14.0020.00; Wijnhandel De Pallet, Betekomsesteenweg 95, Aarschot; free \ www.depallet.be

\ 10

Don’t blame the sugar

local food industry group calls for frank debate on healthy eating alan hope more articles by alan \ flanderstoday.eu

www.fEvia.BE

B

elgian food industry federation Fevia has called for an open public debate on healthy eating. The group launched its appeal following the widely reported news earlier this month of guidelines from the World Health Organisation (WHO) calling for people to limit their consumption of “free sugars” to 10% of their total caloric intake.

WHO guidelines refer to “free sugars”, which it defines as “all monosaccharides and disaccharides added to foods by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, plus sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates.”

“We have solid evidence that keeping intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake reduces the risk of obesity and tooth decay,” Francesco Branca, director of WHO’s Department of Nutrition for Health and Development, said in a statement. “Making policy changes to support this will be key if countries are to live up to their commitments to reduce the burden of noncommunicable diseases.”

The new guidelines point to the links between free sugars and obesity, heart disease, tooth decay and other non-communicable diseases. WHO’s recommendations were to reduce the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake in both adults and children, though it suggested 5% as optimal.

The total intake means the combined amount of daily calories consumed from any source, including fats, carbohydrates and protein.

In practice, 10% amounts to some 50 grams of free sugar a day, or about 12 teaspoons (or cubes).

That sounds like a lot, but research

© lies willaert / IPV-IFP

a worker at a local factory of juice producer Pepsico Tropicana

has shown that people systematically underestimate the amount of sugar contained in the food they eat. This is particularly true with processed foods. Sugar appears in the most unexpected places – wheat bread, meat products, savoury sauces – as well as the canned drinks and sweet snacks most often blamed for weight problems and diabetes.

“In the debate about complex problems such as obesity and diabetes, people too often point the finger at individual nutrients such as sugars,” said Chris Moris, director-general of Fevia. “Of course, we have to consider carefully our intake of calories, but we should also realise that a real solution will only come when we tackle the true causes.”

This means, he continues, that “we need to talk about all aspects of a healthy lifestyle. Are we respecting the recommendations of the Active Food Triangle? Do we exercise enough? A real discussion involving all of that is what is needed.”

Fevia supports a three-pronged

approach: allow the industry to innovate to solve dietary problems facing the population; provide clear and transparent information to allow consumers to make an informed choice; and support

how Much sugar?

According to a website called Sugar Stacks, one small can of Red Bull would by itself be enough to tip you over the lower daily

told Het Laatste Nieuws last year.

“Also, the hives are an easy way for many companies to work on increasing sustainability.”

In taking on a couple of hives, companies can contribute to improving the living conditions of bees, which are in imminent danger of extinction in Flanders. “Bees can no longer survive here without beekeepers,” Janssens explained.

“By installing the boxes, I hope to do my part to get the bee population back up to standard.”

According to Janssens, Antwerp’s bees have access to plenty of pollen from the blossoming trees of the many parks across the city, but they need a helping hand. We owe them that: Bee pollination is, directly and indirectly, responsible for 30% of our food.

limit, with 6.5 cubes of free sugar.

The site reveals the sometimes alarming quantities of free sugar contained in everyday foodstuffs.

Product Coca Cola can Minute Maid orange juice (25cl) Nesquik (25cl) Sun-Maid raisins box Yoplait yoghurt Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino grande McDonald’s chocolate shake Even the most innocuous products contain sugar. One dollop of ketchup on your frietjes? That contains one cube of sugar. Tiense Suiker provides a whole range of liquid sugars designed for the

Bite honey-kissed dishes Graanmarkt 13 made headlines late last year when it was chosen as Flanders’ best vegetarian restaurant by the influential French food bible Gault&Millau. But less known, perhaps, is that chef Seppe Nobels has an urban garden and beehives on the roof of the Graanmarkt shopping complex.

Here he organises several honeybee workshops during the spring and summer months. For the project City Honey, Nobels is working in close collaboration with the beekeepers of Boechoutse Honing, which regularly rents out honeybee hives to restaurants and other businesses.

“I placed bee boxes on the roof of Seppe’s restaurant so he could make dishes with the honey we produce,” Rik Janssens of Boechoutse Honing

responsible marketing, including the Belgian Pledge on not marketing directly to children under 12.

That pledge has been signed by major companies like Kellogg’s, Coca-Cola and Mars.

Tiense Suiker in Tienen is responsible for more than two-thirds of the country’s sugar production – a total of 539,287 tonnes in 2012 from a countrywide total of 761,533.

“For us, it’s very important that the message has to be balanced, so that you don’t just say ‘avoid sugar’,” says company spokesperson Isabelle Roelandts. “Sugar has an important role to play in a healthy and balanced diet, but you still have to exercise. We promote a healthy and balanced lifestyle, in which sugar still has a place. True, you should never add too much sugar; too much is always a bad thing.”

Sugar (in cubes) 9.5 6 7.5 7.5 6.5 11.5 27.5

manufacture of all of those sauces you find in the frietkot and on the supermarket shelves – barbecue sauce, salad dressing, vinaigrette and mustard – all made with sugar.

www.graanmarKt13.BE

© Frederik Vercruysse

Graanmarkt 13’s City Honey initiative offers not only a rare opportunity to see a beehive up close, but

also to taste a specially prepared honey menu. Participants are invited to enjoy a relaxed aperitif with starters before pulling on the appropriate protective wear to try their hand at beekeeping. After the workshop, a honey-based main course and equally sweet dessert await the novice beekeepers.

The whole experience costs €65 per person, plus an optional €25 for wine pairings. The small group workshops are held every two weeks on Wednesdays, from the end of April through the end of July. For more information and to register, send an email to welcome@graanmarkt13.be.

It is, of course, also possible to discover the world of honeybee keeping directly from the bee yard at Boechoutse Honing. \ Robyn Boyle

march 25, 2015

Something old, something new the centuries-old herkenrode abbey is open to the public after a 15-year renovation diana goodwin more articles by Diana \ flanderstoday.eu

\ www.aBdiJsitEhErKEnrodE.BE

After an extensive renovation project, the 800-year-old Herkenrode Abbey in Hasselt is kicking open its doors to the public. In a few days, all of the existing buildings of the former important religious, economic and political centre in Limburg will become accessible to visitors – a first

A

few days from now, Herkenrode Abbey in Hasselt will mark not just the end of a 15-year renovation but also the beginning of a new era.

On 29 March, the 800-year-old Flemish heritage site in Limburg province will celebrate the completion of its renovations with a free day of guided tours and the unveiling of a new permanent artwork on the site of the former abbey church.

From that day onward, all of the existing buildings will also become accessible to the public, while parts that have long since disappeared will be evoked through landscape elements and new constructions, thereby completing the picture of the former abbey.

Herkenrode was a Cistercian abbey that for 600 years served as an important religious, economic and political centre. Founded by the counts of Loon, it later fell under the jurisdiction of the PrinceBishop of Liège. The abbesses came from influential local families and oversaw huge estates that encompassed lands and farms scattered all over the Kempen and Haspengouw, as well as refuges in Hasselt and Sint-Truiden.

Previous visitors to Herkenrode will already be familiar with the impressive, monumental gatehouse that still serves as the entryway to the site. This 16th-century building and the adjacent porter’s lodge have been newly renovated and will now function as a reception hall and conference centre.

Award-winning children’s book publisher Clavis moved into the renovated former stables next to the porter’s lodge in 2014. Along with the company’s offices, there’s also a colourful bookstore that’s open to the public and an educational centre for children operating in conjunction with PXLEducation, the teacher-training college in Hasselt.

The stables, tenant farmer’s house and the monumental tithe barn form a U-shaped ensemble that constitutes the largest surviving building complex of the abbey. Accessed through the central doorway of the neoclassical tenant’s house, the visitor’s centre is a modern, interactive museum that tells the story of the abbey from its founding in the 12th century through modern times. It

© evelien Impens

The renovated coach house and stables at herkenrode abbey

© annemie america/stad hasselt

The site’s porter’s lodge (left) and gatehouse

hans Op de Beeck’s “The Quiet View”is similar to this 2008 installation at the Towada art center in Japan

opened in 2012.

These buildings, which until now have been the focus of the public’s experience, formed the agricultural part of the abbey. In essence, this was the farm that supported and fed the nuns. “In the past, people thought the existing buildings were the heart of the abbey, but they weren’t,” explains Ginny

Haesevoets, the City of Hasselt’s co-ordinator for the site. In fact, the historic heart of Herkenrode disappeared nearly 200 years ago.

Located to the left of the gatehouse, as you entered the abbey, the most important buildings were the cloister with adjacent nuns’ quarters, the abbey church and the nearby guest house. Parts

of the nuns’ dormitories and the sacristy adjoining the church still survive, but the church and cloister together formed the spiritual and symbolic centre of the community.

The church burned down in 1826, during a period when it housed a textile factory. In 2004, archaeological excavations were carried out, and the vanished buildings were carefully documented.

The challenge since then has been to “recreate” what was lost. “We chose not to create a replica of the original church, but to create something new that still has the same function,” says Haesevoets.

“The Quiet View”, a work by Flemish artist Hans Op de Beeck, occupies the spot where the abbey church once stood. On the outside, the massive structure is a nearly featureless rectangular box, a stark contrast with the warm brick and sandstone of the historic buildings.

Upon entering through a door at one end, the visitor walks down

a long hallway and enters a quiet space with benches and what seems to be a view to the outside world. But it’s a fictional landscape of the artist’s creation.

“This landscape offers a meditative sense of depth and stillness, just as a seascape does,” Op de Beeck explains in a statement. He wanted to create a quiet, contemplative place to reflect the church that once stood here. “Only I go beyond the religious and offer a spiritual place for rest and reflection in the broadest sense.”

New cobblestone paths and tiled pavements, meanwhile, give access to the historic heart of the site and serve to indicate the location of now-vanished buildings.

Across from where the church once stood, the former horse stables house a brand-new restaurant, De Paardenstallen, with both indoor and outdoor seating. For the first time in hundreds of years, visitors can enjoy a meal at the abbey.

At the rear of the site, two buildings that formed part of an extensive craftsmen’s quarter have also been recently renovated. The “fisher’s house” will once again host personnel and service functions, while the old watermill on the Demer river is still awaiting a new use. No trace remains of the bakery, tannery and brewery that served the abbey.

During the grand opening event, the entire site will be open to the public without an entrance fee, including the visitor’s centre and gardens. Visitors will be able to view the new artwork by Op de Beeck for the first time, and a film about “The Quiet View” will be shown in the gatehouse. Guided tours of the site will be offered throughout the day, along with activities for children.

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march 25, 2015

“I’m calling this one my last”

walter van den Broeck draws the curtain on a fine, 30-year career rebecca Benoot more articles by rebecca \ flanderstoday.eu

www.waltErvandEnBroEcK.BE

D

e vreemdelinge (The Stranger), Walter van den Broeck’s latest novel, is a family chronicle, both a philosophical contemplation and a snapshot of our daily lives through the eyes of an aging bookseller. Arguably one of Flanders’ greatest storytellers, van den Broeck is best known for his funny, accessible and multilayered accounts of contemporary society.

De vreemdelinge, however, is something quite different – much more subtle and dark than the writer’s usual fare.

After discovering that he had a knack for writing, former teacher van den Broeck (pictured) published his debut novel De troonopvolger (Heir to the Throne) in 1967, and he has released numerous novels and plays since then.

His most famous play, Groenten uit Balen, was adapted to the big screen in 2011.

His big break as an author came with Brief aan Boudewijn (Letter to Bouwewijn) in 1980, a novel in which he gave the former Belgian king a tour of his hometown and, in the process, offered a compelling portrait of Flanders. The book also functioned as the precursor to his magnum opus, the fourvolume series Het Beleg van Laken (The Siege of Laken).

But royalty isn’t the only reccurring theme in the oeuvre of van den Broeck, who was born in Olen, Antwerp province, and now lives in Turnhout. His novels are also often packed with autobiographical elements, which he uses to depict small-town Flanders from the viewpoint of the ordinary citizen.

Such is the case with The vreemde-

© koen Broos

linge, which tells the tale of Bram de Landsheer, a retired book salesman and an avid reader. He has left his business to his son, Raf, an idealist who prefers to offer literary classics and first editions rather than bestsellers.

Because he struggles to connect with his son, Bram spends a lot of

time with his grandson, Dries, who also shows more interest in books than girls – to the chagrin of Bram who longs for a (great) granddaughter. But the old man turns hopeful when Dries meets Tess, an enchanting stranger in this melancholy male world.

Van den Broeck’s writing process

isn’t straightforward, he says. “I have all kinds of thoughts, feelings and ideas, and then suddenly something triggers one of them and everything falls into place,” he explains.

The trigger for De vreemdelinge was an encounter with a childhood friend at a reception. “He was accompanied by his daughter, who is as old as my eldest grandson, which made me realise that I have two sons and three grandsons. The main character in De vreemdelinge has even more sons, and I would have loved to have a daughter or a granddaughter.”

This longing for a daughter or granddaughter isn’t the only thing the writer has in common with his main character. Bram is a member of a men’s club, de Koninklijke Kamer van Reflectie en Consideratie (The Royal Chamber of Reflection and Consideration), just like van den Broeck. “It’s basically an excuse to get together and contemplate the world and our surroundings,” he says.

In De vreemdelinge, those surroundings don’t inspire much hope; the novel is filled with extreme meteorological phenomena and doomed characters.

“There might be other planets where there’s life, but Earth just happens to have all the variables to sustain it,” the writer says.

“However, if we keep continuing the way we are, that might not be the case in a few hundred years.

That might sound pessimistic, but it’s also realistic.”

This kind of fatalist mood permeates the novel and is hinted at in the title, a clear reference to French writer Albert Camus’ 1942 masterpiece The Stranger. “Camus

and his existential ideology are woven throughout the novel,” says van den Broeck. “He said that man is the only living being that knows it will die, so what is the point of living if you know it will end?”

For van den Broeck, that means that the only worthwhile question in philosophy is whether to end it yourself or not. “Camus went on to say that despite knowing the outcome, you should go forth anyway. But Tess, ‘the stranger’ in this case, doesn’t agree with him.”

The result is a haunting and fascinating piece of fiction, evidence that van den Broeck’s prose is still as rich as ever.

Van den Broeck, who turns 74 this month, has been writing for almost 50 years and still hasn’t found a method to his madness. “I don’t have subjects I want to write about,” he explains. “I’m inspired by certain things, and then I start to write. I’ve written novels that are completely autobiographical and novels that are complete fiction. When I was writing my debut novel, I started typing, and, after the first sentence, I wondered what would follow. It ended up being another 304 pages.”

Van den Broeck has said De vreemdelinge will be his final book. “I’d find it terrible if I left a novel unfinished, which is why I am calling De vreemdelinge my last novel,” he says. “I might write another one but, statistically speaking, I only have another six years to live. So I’m calling this one my last, just in case.”

Pessimism aside – or should I say realism – let’s hope he’s mistaken.

De vreemdelinge (★★★☆) is published by De Bezige Bij

More new fiction de kunst van het crashen (the art of crashing) Peter Verhelst • Prometheus In 2013, the wheel of a truck crashed into author Peter Verhelst’s car on the E40.

Though his car flipped over three times, he survived the accident unscathed. He has turned the traumatic event into a novel, or at least the beginning of one. De kunst van het crashen recounts what Verhelst saw and felt during those frightening seconds in which the accident occurred. Chaotic, mesmerising and intriguing, this is classic Verhelst.

de trapchauffeur (the stair driver) Marnix Peeters • Hollands diep Rock music journalist Marnix Peeters is on a roll. He debuted as an author just three

years ago, but this is his fourth novel. Main character Antoine is a stair car driver at the airport, a profession that is slowly becoming obsolete because planes now pull up to the terminal at most airports. He likes to keep notes about his long days and spends time with his deaf mother, farting sister and the local pita mobster, Hussein.

Peeters’ characters are wacky and wonderful; the writing is undiluted and hilarious.

de zes levens van sophie (the six lives of sophie) Sarah Meuleman • Lebowski Flemish journalist Sarah Meuleman, who recently left our humble little region for the Netherlands, has released her debut novel, in which a 12-year-old girl from a small town vanishes. Eighteen years later, her best friend tries to make sense of the event

by writing a book. It sounds like a gripping, emotional subject, but it quickly turns into a predictable and, frankly, shallow piece of work.

dertig dagen (thirty days) Annelies Verbeke • De Geus Annelies Verbeke’s new novel is peopled by an eclectic array of characters – an unhappily married doctor, an ageing historian, a journalist with irritable bowel syndrome, a victim of a paedophile priest … the list goes on. They are all connected through Alphonse, a musician who leaves Brussels to become a handyman in West Flanders.

His arrival profoundly changes the lives of the characters, and Verbeke offers a memorable and multilayered account of their experiences.

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weeK in arts & culture Flanders co-sponsors exhibition in madrid The government of Flanders is providing the National Prado Museum in Madrid with €75,000 in support of a major exhibition on Flemish primitive painter Rogier van der Weyden, who lived much of his life in Brussels. Additionally, Antwerp’s Museum of Fine Arts is lending Van der Weyden’s altarpiece “The Seven Sacraments” to the exhibition. “Flanders is exceptionally rich when it comes to cultural heritage,” said Flemish foreign affairs minister Geert Bourgeois. “We often fail to realise the important role artists play in helping to shape our region’s image in the world. Cultural diplomacy should be a major pillar in our foreign policy.” Flanders’ culture minister, Sven Gatz, attended the opening of the exhibition at the Prado last Monday.

Flower carpet wins international award

Last year’s Brussels Flower Carpet has won Flower Event of the Year at the International Garden Tourism Awards in Toronto, Canada. The trade organisation annually awards the best garden tourism initiatives across the world. Brussels’ biennial event sees the Grote Markt covered in a giant carpet made entirely of flowers for four days in August.

Last year’s design replicated the geometric patterns of carpets popular in Turkey, inspired by the 50th anniversary of Turkish immigration in Belgium. “Thanks to the essential qualities of every craftsperson involved, the Flower Carpet has become one of the most recognised and wellknown images of our capital abroad,” said Annette Katz of Visit Brussels, which organises the event.

role for schoenaerts in hollywood film

The centre of Brussels formed the backdrop last week for the new Hollywood film The Danish Girl, directed by Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech).

The film stars Oscar-winning British actor Eddie Redmayne as early-20th century artist Lili Elbe, one of the first maleto-female transgenders in the world to undergo sex reassignment surgery. Flemish actor Matthias Schoenaerts also has a role in the film, which shot scenes in the cafe La Mort Subite, the Horta Museum and the Sint-Hubertus Gallery.

Redmayne recently won a Bafta, Golden Globe and Oscar for his portrayal of physicist Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.

\ 14

This is not a dance piece

anne teresa de Keersmaeker turns idea of performance on its head georgio valentino more articles by Georgio \ flanderstoday.eu

www.wiEls.org

W

hen Brussels contemporary arts centre Wiels approached Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker about a possible retrospective of the seminal Flemish choreographer’s 30-year career, both parties knew this wouldn’t be a simple stroll down memory lane via archival footage and celebrity testimonials.

After three years of development, the exhibition Work/Travail/ Arbeid isn’t a retrospective at all, but rather a summation of De Keersmaeker’s minimalist practice, a code-bending cross-section of a dance performance that reveals the inner workings of her art.

This continuous choreographycum-exhibition is also among the marquee events at this year’s edition of Performatik, and it’s an appropriate cornerstone to the Performatik edifice. The biennial festival aims to bridge the gap between theatre and the visual arts through the inherently intersectional medium of performance art, and that’s exactly what De Keersmaeker does here.

Work/Travail/Arbeid removes the dance performance (in this case, De Keersmaeker’s 2013 stage piece Vortex Temporum) from the black box of the theatre, dissects it and reassembles it in the white cube of the museum. In the process it offers both artist and audience a fresh angle on theatrical performance.

This sort of root-and-branch rethink is overdue. Let’s face it: Even avant-garde art has become

© anne Van aerschot

work/Travail/arbeid removes the dance performance from the black box of the theatre

a bit predictable. We have a good idea how any stage piece – including the most radically contemporary – is going to unfold.

The audience waits outside a door. The door opens. The audience is ushered into the space and assumes its customary position, usually seated. The curtain opens, and the performance begins.

That’s when it starts to get interesting. Indeed, it’s only from this point that one work can even be distinguished from another. Here we find out if this is a classical Prokofiev ballet or a gritty, abstract flail fest set to Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music.

Regardless, when the performance is over, protocol returns with a vengeance. The audience invariably applauds. The performer

bows several times, waves a hand in gratitude to the technical crew, then retreats to the dressing room.

The alternative that De Keersmaeker proposes in Work/Travail/ Arbeid is to proceed spatially instead of temporally, according to the logic of the exhibition.

Dancers are spread out across the entire third floor of Wiels’ repurposed brewery. Each individual step is rehearsed in endless repetition, with the following step existing simultaneously in an adjacent space.

The perpetual motion of the entire choreography at all times requires two casts of dancers tagging in and out of Work throughout the seven-

until 17 may

hour days of the five-day weeks of the nine-week exhibition.

The initiative thus belongs wholly to the audience. Spectators come and go as they please, viewing any given slice of Work from the angle of their choice and moving on to the next at their own rhythm. No two experiences will be the same.

De Keersmaeker herself will be monitoring all this from a workspace in the same building and developing a sequel of sorts to be premiered at the Kunstenfestivaldesarts in May. And, since work is never truly finished, a condensed nine-day version of Work travels to Paris’ Centre Pompidou and London’s Tate Modern in 2016.

wiels

Van Volxemlaan 354, Brussels

Bruges exhibition gives voice to the terminally ill www.tinyurl.com/rightBEforE

Just off the thoroughfare of shops flogging lace and waffles in the tourist heartland of central Bruges lies the medieval Sint-Janshospitaal.

Greeted by Evelien Vanden Berghe, assistant curator at Musea Brugge, I climb the circular, stone staircase to the atmospheric gallery under the wooden eaves to visit the exhibition Right, Before I Die by American artist Andrew George.

Vanden Berghe confesses a particular resonance with the exhibition, which runs until the end of June. “I feel it’s really fitting to have brought Right, Before I Die to this space. For many centuries, it was the sick and dying who were treated downstairs. Now, here in the attic we host an exhibition that seeks out and gives a voice to the terminally ill.”

The fruit of two years of conversations with patients at a hospice in California, and with an endorsement from renowned Swiss philosopher Alain de Botton, the project garnered an enthusiastic reception online. It piqued the interest of Vanden Berghe, who oversaw the transition from the web to an understated exhibition running along one wall of the low-lit hall.

Portraits of different sizes, one for each person interviewed, are accompanied by snippets of conversation highlighting the joys and regrets of

© andrew George

patients as they ponder their mortality.

With a perspective that perhaps only the dying can truly achieve, Odis, for instance, advises: “It no longer matters quite so much who we squabbled with and what our anxieties may currently be about. We are set free from things that shouldn’t constrain us in the first place: fears, wrong preoccupations, false values.”

Particularly poignant are the handwritten letters accompanying each portrait, the writing barely legible and the sentences painstakingly formed.

Not surprisingly, they speak of the importance of family, forgiveness and of what comes after.

Faith and doubt intermingle. “I pray there is not a charlatan behind a curtain pulling it away,” John wrote.

The random injustice of illness hits home as Sarah, not yet middle-aged, states with stark simplicity: “Time is so precious. God, it’s precious.”

At the end of the line, a mirror beckons us to reflect (the implication being, before it is too late). And that is the key to this sensitively paced exhibition. Rather than dwelling on death, it seeks to reaffirm life.

It was this vitality that moved de Botton to contribute. “The dying are the great appreciators,” he writes in the foreword to the accompanying book. “They were once like us, of course.

They wasted decades but now they are in a position to know of their folly and warn us of our own.”

Or, put rather more succinctly by Abel: “You have a one-way ticket; don’t waste it.” \ Julie Kavanagh

until June 28 sint-Janshospitaal Mariastraat 38, Bruges

\ aGenDa

march 25, 2015

The good, the bad and the absurd

concert

Eye on Palestine 28 march to 5 april

A

festival devoted to Palestine risks being a grim affair, but Eye on Palestine in Brussels has selected several films for its fifth edition that will raise a smile as well as serious political issues.

Take The Wanted 18, for example, which recounts how residents of a Palestinian neighbourhood became fed up with having to buy milk from an Israeli dairy and so got some cows of their own.

The first problem was that they knew nothing about keeping cows. The second was that the Israeli army saw this act of milky defiance – in 1988, at the height of the first Intifada – as a threat to state security and proceeded to

Brussels Sean Rowe: The American folk singer-songwriter, aka the travelling troubadour, is best known for his uncommonly deep voice and haunting, almost magical sound.

26 March, 20.00, Ancienne Belgique, Anspachlaan 110

across Brussels

www.EyEonPalEstinE.BE

hunt down the cows. This absurd story (pictured) is told with a mix of documentary, interviews and stop-motion animation, in which the cows present their side of the story.

There is also something absurd about On the Bride’s Side, in which Italian filmmakers record their project to get a group of Syrian and Palestinian refugees from Milan to Malmö disguised as a wedding party. This act of smuggling in plain sight probes the weaknesses in Fortress Europe and provides an occasion for the refugees to tell their stories.

Other documentaries explore subjects such as the contempo-

\ www.abconcerts.be

classical Brussels rary identity of Bethlehem, the way national history is taught in Palestinian and Israeli schools, and the impact decades of foreign aid have had on Palestinian lives.

The festival’s dramatic performances present inside and outside perspectives on Palestinian stories, and there will also be dance, slam poetry, concerts and DJ sets.

oPera

filM festival

Penthesilea

courtisane festival

31 march to 18 april From Lord Byron to Théophile Gautier, the Romantics of the early 19th century were a notoriously sensational lot. Heinrich von Kleist was no exception. The German playwright and his fictional characters lived life on the edge. His operatic retelling of the Penthesilea myth sees the titular Amazon queen tear

De munt, Brussels www.dEmunt.BE

apart her lover Achilles with her teeth in a frenzy of passion and rage.

Contemporary French composer Pascal Dusapin breathes new life into the oft-told story by introducing an original score and making this a world premiere, co-produced

by De Munt and Strasbourg’s Opéra National du Rhin. \ Georgio Valentino

1-5 april Four Ghent venues join forces to screen dozens of films by 14 of the world’s most cutting-edge filmmakers – work that pushes at the boundaries of both form and function. There is also a cycle devoted to African-American filmmakers who chronicled life in the inner city in the 1970s and ’80s. Opening night

The films and performances are often accompanied by debates and discussions. And for the duration, the festival’s main location, KVS, will be “occupied” by non-profit organisation Maramiya, with workshops, a book salon, short films and tea. A lot of tea. \ Ian Mundell

across Ghent www.courtisanE.BE

celebrations take place at Minard theatre and feature a screening of Chinese director Wang Bing’s latest, Fu Yu Zi (Father and Sons), as well as a live soundtrack to the vintage American silent Body and Soul, performed by American jazz drummer William Hooker. \ GV

Anna Vinnitskaya: The Russian pianist performs Prokofiev’s poetic Second Sonata, Schumann’s Kinderszenen and Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque, in addition to pieces by JS Bach. 27 March, 20.00, Bozar, Ravensteinstraat 23 \ www.bozar.be

Saint Matthew Passion: The Anglican Pro-Cathedral presents a free performance of one of the most famous oratorios by JS Bach, with a full chorus, soloists and an orchestra made up of Royal Conservatory graduates. 3 April, 19.00, Holy Trinity Pro-Cathedral, Kapitein Crespelstraat 29 \ www.passiontoperform.eu

faMilY Brussels Bruparck Easter Egg Hunt: Register until 30 March for a fun-filled day hunting for chocolate Easter eggs – including several larger eggs filled with prizes – hidden throughout Brussels’ favourite amusement park. 5-6 April, 13.00, Bruparck, Eeuwfeestlaan 20 \ www.bruparck.com

festival Brussels

© hofmann/De munt

fair

concert

Petit Bazaar 28-29 march Ghent’s International Convention Centre hosts the 13th edition of the wildly popular family fair Petit Bazaar. Here you’ll find everything for the young ones, from clothes to games to furniture to school supplies. Local design label Whoost! handcrafts original but retro-inspired threads and accessories for your hep cats-in-training (pictured).

Webshop Fairplace brings you the latest in eco-friendly toys.

And these are just two of the 60 vendors on hand to show off their spring collections.

Snacks, drinks and child care all available. \ GV

get tic

kets n

Joan Baez Icc, Ghent www.PEtitBazaar.BE

9 July, 20.00 If you couldn’t get tickets to Joan Baez’s sold-out concert at the Koninklijk Circus in Brussels last year, here’s a second chance to catch the legendary American folk singer whose hits include “Diamonds & Rust” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”. In the 1960s, Baez (pictured) was the voice of a generation, performing her own protest songs as well as those written by others at political demonstrations and countercultural festivals, including Woodstock. Her early partnership with Bob Dylan would help establish the promising young Minnesotan songwriter on the New York City folk circuit and later the national scene. \ GV

ow

kursaal, Ostend www.KursaaloostEndE.BE

Passa Porta: Fifth edition of the biennial event, featuring a varied programme of activities, including readings and talks by authors, city walks, fictional conversations, erotic poetry, a literature festival for children and an evening with British writer Ian McEwan.

26-29 March, Across Brussels \ www.passaporta.be

talK Brussels Tristram Stuart on Waste Not Want Not: The British author and campaigner delves into the shocking scale of food waste worldwide, but also how to address it, accompanied by a buffet dinner. (In English) 26 March, 19.00, Brussels, register for location information \ www.fullcircle.eu

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\ BackPaGe

march 25, 2015

Talking Dutch and a beer for my dog, please derek Blyth more articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu

N

o, I thought. It can’t be true. There I was sitting on a cafe terrace in Limburg when I saw a sign advertising Snuffle Hondenbier – Snuffle dog

beer.

Now, I know this country likes to make unusual beers, but this seems a bit too weird. Maybe it was just a joke, I thought. But a quick search online confirmed it was true. Een heus pintje voor honden, uitgevonden door het Antwerpse bedrijf The Happy Animal Planet – A genuine beer for dogs, developed by The Happy Animal Planet from Antwerp, it said in Het Laatste Nieuws.

It seems that a dedicated beer is just what dogs have been barking for all these years. “Het success is pril, maar onverwacht groot” – “It’s early days yet, but it’s already turned out to be an unexpected success,” said Stefaan Dielens of the doggie brewers. “In ons land vind je het al in een 30-tal winkels” – You can already find it in about 30 shops in Belgium, he said. “Over de grenzen gaat het nog harder” – It’s selling even better abroad.

“In Duitsland, Hongkong en ZuidKorea gaat Snuffle vlotjes over de toonbank” – Snuffle is selling well in Germany, Hong Kong and South Korea. Ook in Engeland zijn baasjes en honden er zot van” – And even British dogs and their owners

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are fond of it.”

But let’s be clear about one thing. Dog beer is not alcoholic. “In plaats van alcohol, voegen wij rund- of kipextracten toe” – “Instead of alcohol, we add beef and chicken extract,” said Dielens. So that means your dog can still drive home after a pint or three.

And what do dogs think of this beer? Het Laatste Nieuws decided to find out by organising an official tasting in a cafe in Asse. Samen met dwerg pincher Christoffel, beagle Billie, en vizsla Maximiliaan, namen we plaats aan de toog – We sat at the bar with Christoffel, a miniature pinscher, Billie the beagle and Maximiliaan, a vizsla.

Waard! Een pintje voor de honden en geef de baasjes ook maar iets! – Barkeep! A pint of beer for the dogs and something for their owners as well. The dogs lapped it up. Billie heeft na een paar slokjes al genoeg – Billie had had enough after a few slurps. Maximiliaan was more enthusiastic – Slobbert vlot 3 pintjes op – Rapidly downing three pints. Christoffel was quite sniffy about the beef-flavoured beer: Alleen fan van variant met kip – Only liked the version with chicken.

The conclusion: Twee op de drie honden lusten wel een pintje – Two out of three dogs enjoy their beer. So let’s raise a glass to the dog brewers.

Tweet us your thoughts @FlandersToday

Poll

a. No. Kids should learn about such an important subject, and it was the only avenue for discussing ethical dilemmas, like bullying

25%

b. Yes, but only because it’s not standardised. Goodness knows how individual teachers are handling the subject

42%

c. Yes. Our kids are already polarised enough. Teach them philosophy instead and leave religious subjects to the parents

33% religion, but only if their parents submitted a detailed explanation as to why they didn’t want them to. The court’s ruling abolishes the need for such an explanation.

Although abolishing the teaching of religion seems pretty straightforward in a democratic society, it turns out that many Flemings have fond memories of such courses, as it was the only outlet available at

\ next week's question:

school to discuss social issues such as multi-culturalism and bullying.

Most Flanders Today readers seem to be in favour of these lessons in school in principle, if not in practice. Although views are split, the majority thinks the court was right but only because such lessons are hard to police – specialised teachers delivering standardised lessons are preferred to an ad-hoc approach.

A report by experts at the University of Leuven calls for a ban on advertising prescription drugs because information is unreliable. What do you think?

Log on to the Flanders Today website at www.flanderstoday.eu and click on VOTE!

\ 16

In response to: The curious incident of the Flemish dog at Crufts Graham Stroud Apparently, the poison that killed him was too fast-acting for it to have happened at Crufts.

In response to: Brussels buys Citroën building for new modern art museum Mike Wales It all depends on how the space is used. The result could be interesting.

In response to: Women often avoid promotion opportunities, study shows Miranda Martin This may be the case but many women also avoid senior positions because they don’t want to work long hours or be tied to workplace responsibilities.

In response to: Brussels students choose to live in Leuven Pedro Anselmo Same thing happens constantly in Portugal – Portuguese students coming to the capital often consider it a dirty and dangerous city.

Trey Songz @TreySongz Thank you for the LOVE Brussels!!! #ThePinkPrintTour Daniel Tompkins @Rockwithdan Day 9. Arrived in Antwerp. Saw a deer wearing a tuxedo and sporting a monocle...Prepping for tonight’s show and... http:// fb.me/3yc5ELrS7

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the last word

do you agree with the court’s decision that school students should not be required to study religion or ethics?

This is one complicated subject, as it turns out. Until the Constitutional Court’s ruling earlier this month, students in Belgium’s primary and secondary schools were obliged to follow lessons in a religion of their choice – or ethics if they preferred.

The court’s ruling abolished that obligation.

In Flanders, pupils were already not required to follow lessons in

voices of flanders todaY

Everyday sexism

“All of those personal stories together is confrontational. Your mother, your sister or your girlfriend have all suffered through such attention.”

Yasmine Schillebeeckx, whose blog post in response to De Morgen columnist Marc Didden sparked a flood of responses regarding street harassment on Twitter under the hashtag #WijOverdrijvenNiet (We Are Not Exaggerating)

fighting words

“I agree with pretty much everything you’ve said.”

Socialist party chair Bruno Tobback to the challenger for his job, John Crombez, during their first debate in Sint-Niklaas

life’s ups and downs

“If that’s what it takes to make him happy, I’m pleased to do it.”

Marc Van Rooy of Herentals spends every Saturday taking his 10-yearold autistic son by train to Antwerp Central Station, where they spend 45 minutes going up and down the escalators, the boy’s favourite pastime

Backhanded compliment “I see myself as more the Karen type: a big mouth but a big heart.”

Nineteen-year-old Yane Huremovic from Edegem is one of 2,700 applicants to the TV competition to choose the members of the new K3 kiddy-pop band (see p3)

[B\N