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FEBRuary 17, 2016 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ read more at www.flanderstoday.eu current affairs \ p2

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Antwerp start-up NeoScores has launched Gustaf, the world’s first online shop for digital sheet music

A new programme at VUB is getting refugees who had to leave higher education behind back in the classroom

A Japanese novel about sexual frustration and deception was the inspiration for stage director Josse De Pauw’s new production

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Pastoral punk Two stalwart clubs keep West Flanders’ music scene rocking and rolling Mark Andrews More articles by Mark \ flanderstoday.eu

Since the late 1980s, The Pit’s in Kortrijk and 4AD in Diksmuide have been the indisputable centres of the West Flemish punk music scene.

or live music, the province of West Flanders is deep in the shadow of the domineering capital of its eastern cousin, Ghent. Yet there are some real occidental hotspots – De Kreun in Kortrijk, De Vortn’s Vis in Ypres, Cactus in Bruges. But the two oddball colossi at the heart of the West Flemish alternative music scene are 4AD in Diksmuide and The Pit’s in Kortrijk. Both opened in 1988 and both fuse the punk DIY ethos and Flemish volunteering culture with financial backup from the governing powers-that-be. Diksmuide is perhaps best known for the brutal trench warfare that took place around the Yser river during the First World War. It’s a strange place to find a music club named

after the British record label that was home to rock bands like The Pixies, Cocteau Twins and Xmal Deutschland. Patrick Smagghe, a Diksmuide local, started 4AD in a tiny bar on a shopping street in the late 1980s. It later moved to a larger location by the town’s railway station. Its third and current home is an old Belgacom depot, which 4AD moved into in 2004 and which was gifted by the town. In 2005, the depot was enclosed by an enormous cuboid structure of soundproofed concrete, over a metre thick in places. The cost of that operation, including that of all the new tech gear inside, was well over €900,000. The bulk of it came from the government of Flanders. Fortunately, successive Flemish culture ministers over the years have agreed with Smagghe that “pop and rock are art”. The 4AD founder hopes that current culture minister Sven Gatz will take that same motto to heart. The minister is expected to decide by June whether the club’s funding

will be continued for the 2017-2021 period. The subsidies for which 4AD (pictured above) has applied are part of a wider initiative: to stem the brain drain eastwards to Ghent. “In West Flanders, we’ve got the sea, but when you’re 18 or 20, you’re not so interested in the sea,” Smagghe notes drily. He adds that the area has also been haunted by an alarming phenomenon. “In this region, the Westhoek, we’ve got one of the highest percentage of suicide by youngsters.” Fittingly, what 4AD offers goes beyond entertainment. The club has three rehearsal spaces outside the concrete cube, which can be rented for only €7 for a three-hour slot. They are sandbagged to a height of four metres for soundproofing, closely resembling the preserved First World War trenches of the Dodengang around the nearby Yser. Smagghe, 49, is also proud of 4AD’s green credentials. The stage lights are in the process of being converted into LEDs, continued on page 5

\ CURRENT AFFAIRS

Sonian Forest joins European network to increase wilderness Management will step back and let region-spanning forest take care of itself Andy Furniere More articles by Andy \ flanderstoday.eu

sonianforest.be

he Sonian Forest on the edge of Brussels has been integrated into the European Rewilding Network, which wants to see more wilderness returned to Europe. The network was launched in 2013 and consists of 42 areas in 18 countries, in which nature can flourish with minimal management. Wildlife living there has every opportunity to settle again or strengthen its presence. It also creates opportunities for nature tourism. The Sonian is home to deer, boar and foxes, which could increase their numbers if left to their own devices, the Nature and Forests Agency said. Highland cattle are currently grazing in the Sonian and could eventually survive

Double train tracks in Brussels’ station areas, says rail CEO The number of railway tracks around Brussels should be doubled in areas where there are stations to prevent the future express rail network (Gen) from interfering with traffic on the normal inter-city lines, according to Jo Cornu, chief executive of the national rail authority NMBS. “I’m in favour of broadening out to four tracks, but I don’t want to do what has been done in the past and promise people that their children and grandchildren will one day see a top-performing service,” Cornu said. “I want to make the railways more appealing now.” Cornu also proposed increasing the capacity of the North-South connection in Brussels, which has become a bottleneck in recent years. For that seemingly impossible task, he has suggested driverless trains. “We’ve begun a study; if all goes well, the technology could be available by 2020.” Capacity, he said, could be increased by as much as 25%, with energy consumption coming down by the same proportion. Federal mobility minister Jacqueline Galant has invited her regional counterparts to the first meeting of the new Inter-modality Platform, where Gen will be on the agenda. “Mobility problems don’t begin and end at the borders of a region,” she said. “All policy levels are involved. That’s why it’s useful for Belgium to have a common strategy, for which the railways will be an important structural axis.” \ AH

independently, as they do in the Netherlands’ Groenendaalpark. Sonian managers also hope to welcome badgers and pine martens to a wilder and more natural forest, said the agency. The Sonian, which spans the Brussels-Capital, Flemish and Walloon regions, is already recognised as a valuable home to old-growth beech forests. The three regional governments have jointly applied for recognition as World Natural Heritage. The Rewilding Europe certificate will be awarded to the Sonian Forest management this week at the Nature and Forest Aency’s regional office in Hoeilaart. © Courtesy althistory.wikia.com

Thousands say goodbye to singer Eddy Wally More than 3,500 people attended the funeral of Flemish crooner Eddy Wally, who died on 6 February at the age of 83. Wally was buried in his home town of Zelzate in East Flanders on Saturday. Three giant screens set up on the Grote Markt broadcast the service to those who gathered outside the church. Among those present were fellow singers Wendy Van Wanten, Koen Crucke, Vader Abraham, Luc Steeno and Jimmy Frey,

with his wishes. “He wasn’t just the Eddy Wally we all knew,” the priest said. “He was also a dear husband, father and grandfather.” After the funeral, Wally’s manager, Hugo Colpaert, confirmed that a posthumous album of the singer’s work will be released shortly. The recordings were made six to eight years ago, before Wally suffered a stroke. The album will feature Marina and other Flemish performers.

Agency reveals roadworks planned for 2016 The Flemish roads and traffic agency AWV has released its schedule of planned roadworks in 2016. The concentration, according to mobility minister Ben Weyts, will be on road safety. Roadworks on motorways are planned for 28 locations. Weyts said that a concentration on motorways in previous years has left the network in “an acceptable to good state” and that none of this year’s work involves kilometres of structural maintenance. The majority of works are repairs to bridges and other local problems. Disruption will be kept to a minimum, he said, by widespread information campaigns via radio, roadside signage, social media and, for the first time, messages attached to the fuel hoses at petrol stations. Works will be carried out at night where possible and 24-hour work schedules will ensure short-term disruptions. Roadworks are, AWV said, an important part of reducing road deaths. “Apart from educating drivers, infrastructure has the most significant impact on the some 400 road deaths we see every year in Flanders,” said spokesperson Tom Roelants. “We hope people can see that, through works, the roads are improved

as far as comfort and safety are concerned, as well as providing safer cycle paths,” he said. The total bill for all roadworks in 2016 comes to €350 million, not counting the €50 million announced previously to tackle the 22 remaining accident black spots in the region. \ Alan Hope

10,780

17,000

items in Brussels public transport’s lost and found. Along with classic objects like umbrellas and scarves, the post property also includes a deep-fryer with oil and a case containing sex toys

while Christoff and Bart Herman took part in the service. Veteran politician Herman De Croo, father of current government minister Alexander, was also present. Wally was buried in a white coffin, brought to the church in a gold-coloured hearse in the flamboyant style that had been his professional trademark. His daughter, Marina, who had been part of her father’s act for years, arrived in a white limousine with her daughter Vanessa, in keeping

SMEs in Flanders experience some to a great deal of problems because of traffic. The most complaints come from Antwerp and Flemish Brabant, where the number goes up to one in two

houses gifted between family members in Flanders in 2015, after a change in duty taxes. One building union predicts an increase of €50-€75 million in spending on renovations on the gifted houses

32,901

of Belgians are staying married for financial reasons, according to a survey carried out by Intrum Justitia Group. The European average was 15%, with Belgium coming fourth

children with a disability received an increased child allowance in 2015, 615 more than in 2014. Spending on the extra allowance went up from €102 million to €107 million over the same period.

FEBRuary 17, 2016

WEEK in brief The Magritte Museum in Brussels has revised its policy of not allowing visitors to take photographs of works of art. The ban is now lifted for all but a handful of works, indicated by a notice next to each. Municipal authorities in Flanders have handed down 44,000 administrative sanctions, better known as GAS fines, for nuisance such as fly-tipping and public urination since the introduction in 2014. The 19 municipalities in Brussels issued some 30,000. Only 576, or fewer than 1%, were issued to minors, despite widespread publicity for some of those cases in the early days. Buses and trams on 36 routes in Brussels will now ride more frequently, transport authority MIVB has announced. The morning peak starts earlier and ends later for three trams (7, 19 and 25) and four buses (20, 49, 65 and 89). Trams 39 and 44 will also see the evening peak period extended. Next month people under the age of 30 will have the opportunity to sample the cooking of 58 leading chefs under 35 in Flanders and Brussels for a special price, Toerisme Vlaanderen has announced. For just €45, young diners get a three-course meal with matched wine or beer. At restaurants with a Michelin star or a Gault & Millau rating over 15, the price goes up to €55. The campaign is part of the Flemish Kitchen Rebels programme aimed at promoting local gastronomy. \ facebook.com/jong.keukengeweld

A group of 22 prostitutes working in the red-light area of Sint-Joost in Brussels have filed a complaint with the Council of State against a new municipal regulation. The new rule, which is due to come into force on 1 March, outlaws

face of flanders displays in windows on Sundays and between 23.00 and 7.00 on all other days. It also increases taxes and licence fees. Construction will begin this spring on a new ecoduct being built by the Flemish government over the Brussels Ring at Hoeilaart. The bridge allows animals to cross safely from one part of the Sonian Forest to another and should be completed in March 2017. The arrival of a new fast tram between Hasselt and Maastricht has been postponed following a ruling by the Council of State in the Netherlands voiding the part of the plan concerning the route on Dutch territory. A complaint was filed by the cycling organisation Fietsersbond, a Dutch hotel and a number of individuals. The ruling means a whole new plan has to be drawn up, a procedure that could take months or years. The Dutch and Belgian ministries of justice and home affairs have joined the Hungarian government and NGOs working in the field of human trafficking to create a platform allowing anyone working in the field to establish rapid and direct contact with police and aid agencies in any of the three countries. Divers involved in an operation to raise the Badboot – Antwerp’s floating swimming pool, which sank last September – have recovered a dead body, the local prosecutor’s office said. The missing persons office of the federal police is now trying to identify the body, which had been in the water for some time. Antwerp Zoo’s Heini the hippopotamus died last week at age 50, making him one of the oldest

hippos in any zoo in Europe. The two remaining hippos in Antwerp are Imani, his daughter, and her mother, Hermien. The zoo is currently looking for a mate for Imani. The throat spray Sativex, made from two extracts of the cannabis plant, goes on sale in Belgium next month, the federal agency for drugs and health care products has announced. The spray is used by patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, which affects the central nervous system. It’s use in other cases, such as pain relief, is not licensed and would require a new application, the agency said. Rudi Vranckx, VRT’s war correspondent, is turning investigator to look into the murder of a friend from his youth in Cuba three years ago. “I have an idea who was behind the murder, but I want to investigate thoroughly before I say anything,” he told De Standaard. He declined to identify the man at this point but said that he plans to write a book about the case. Antwerp is developing a new green space on the site of the Gedempte Zuiderdokken, a former dock now filled in and best known as the previous location of the Sinksenfoor summer fair. The new project, taking up nine hectares, will be named Dok Zuid and features a green boulevard enclosing a large park with recreational activities, a garden with water features and a central performance space. City agency AG Vespa described it as a “Central Park on the Scheldt” that would link the MAS with the Fine Arts Museum. The car park currently on the site will be moved underground.

OFFSIDE Robin Hood of the sea A 37-year-old man accused of a series of burglaries at coastal resorts has opposed a sentence of 37 months in prison handed down in his absence. Jeroen C is accused of stealing fish and seafood, which he claims he stole to give to those in need. In one case, he got away with 28 kilograms of salmon, 15kg of sole, 24kg of oysters and 30kg of mussels from a wholesaler in Nieuwpoort. In another, presumably as an accompaniment, he was accused of stealing 325 bottles from a wine merchant in Oostduinkerke. Jeroen’s brother Elisama, 27, was charged as an accomplice in one theft in Middelkerke, for which he was given six months suspended. The defence argued that the elder C had been abused by a violent father and given only dry bread to eat. “Learning to steal was a

Dirk Brossé It’s not often that a Belgian artist gets to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York: Only Jacques Brel, Toots Thielemans and Rocco Granata have done so previously. So it’s not surprising that the event was announced on Twitter by Flemish minister-president Geert Bourgeois himself: Composer and conductor Dirk Brossé last week took to the stage of the prestigious venue for the American premiere of Black, White and In Between, a work for violin. Brossé was invited to Carnegie Hall by Salvatore Di Vittorio, the music director of the Chamber Orchestra of New York. Black, melancholy and dramatic by turns, is usually programmed with piano accompaniment, but for this occasion solo violinist Irene Abrigo was accompanied by the full orchestra. It’s a setting Brossé knows all too well: He is the musical director of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. Brossé, 56, was born in Ghent and studied trumpet and piano at the local conservatory. He went on to study counterpoint and fugue in Brussels and later conducted in Maastricht, Nice and Vienna, as well as composition under no lesser figure than

Leonard Bernstein. As musician and conductor, Brossé has stood on the stages of top concert halls across the world. Here at home, he’s the musical director of the Ghent Film Festival and house conductor for the World Soundtrack Awards. He also composed the music for Flemish films Koko Flanel and Daens and the First World War TV series Parade’s End, as well as for stage musicals Sacco & Vanzetti, ’14-’18 and Kuifje: De Zonnetempel. And, remaining close to his roots (his first trumpet teacher Georges Vanhoute was a trombonist with the Belgian Guides brass), he has also composed a long list of works for brass band. “Fantastic. It’s a boyhood dream come true,” he told VRT as he stepped out of a yellow cab to enter Carnegie Hall last Thursday. “This is the most prestigious concert hall in the US, maybe even the world.” Brossé was knighted in 2013 and awarded the medal of honour from the Flemish parliament in 2014 for his services to music. He is married to Claire Tillekaerts, CEO of Flanders Investment & Trade. \ Alan Hope

Flanders Today, a weekly English-language newspaper, is an initiative of the Flemish Region and is financially supported by the Flemish authorities.

necessity for him,” said lawyer Amélie Van Belleghem. In any case, she pleaded, C did not steal the huge quantities of food and drink for himself, but distributed it to the needy. “He cannot stand injustice,” she © Ingimage told the court. “That’s why he gave the fresh fish to homeless people and others he knew who were having problems. But now he realises that this Robin Hood behaviour doesn’t work.” Jeroen and his brother intend to oppose the sentences, which since they were given in absentia means the trial will have to be repeated. The court will rule on that question on 8 March. \ AH

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\ POLITICS

5TH COLUMN The Turteltax blues

What happened to Annemie Turtelboom, once one of Flanders’ most popular liberals, known for her penchant for Belgian fashion and head full of bouncy curls? Her popularity has taken a serious dip, especially with members of her own party. In a popular daily cartoon in Het Laatste Nieuws, she is routinely depicted being kicked out the door. As minister for energy in the government of Flanders, Turtelboom has imposed an extra levy on electricity, which has been under fire from the start by the opposition on the left, Groen and SP.A. The levy, which they dubbed the “Turteltax”, is simply unfair, they say. Moreover, it is harder on families than it is on large companies. The minister fought back with the argument that the socialists were responsible for the “historical debt” that has been built up by the previous governments and their socialist energy ministers through their far-too-generous subsidies for solar panels. She tried to rename the tax “Freya factuur” (Freya bill) after her socialist predecessor, Freya Van den Bossche. But, unlike the term Turteltax, this has not caught on. Things got out of hand for Turtelboom when she started to actually embrace the term Turteltax. “I will not pass on this debt to our children and grandchildren,”, she said. But few were listening. The energy minister has become known for the tax named after her – and nothing else. A liberal with her own tax named after her? Nothing could be more unpleasant for Turtelboom’s Open VLD, which has always been the anti-tax party. Soon the minister became the object of rumours, possibly started by the good number of hopefuls left out when party president Gwendolyn Rutten chose Turtelboom as energy minister. In recent months, it has also emerged that the Turteltax went not only towards paying off the solar panel debts but also to fund new sustainable energy projects. So when it emerged last week that one of those projects, the Langerlo biomass power station in Limburg, might never be realised, Turtelboom saw her chance. She announced that she would “happily” lower the Turteltax accordingly. Coalition partners CD&V and N-VA, however, would not hear of it. The tax will be needed if Flanders is to meet international climate agreements, they claimed. It looks like Turtelboom will have to eat humble pie until the very end.

New energy tax in question If no biomass plant, subsidy saved could affect electricity costs Andy Furniere More articles by Andy \ flanderstoday.eu

possible bankruptcy for German Pellets, the owner of the Langerlo energy plant in Genk, has brought into question the higher electricity tax planned for Flanders. The higher energy rate is known as the “Turteltax” after energy minister Annemie Turtelboom. German Pellets was planning to transform the Genk site into a biomass plant and received subsidies for the project from the Flemish government, to be financed by the new tax. The tax would result in an increase of an average €100 annually per household and more for businesses. It is meant to make up for a budget

deficit caused by subsidies allocated to families and companies that installed solar panels. In the TV programme Terzake, Turtelboom (pictured) emphasised that the subsidies for Langerlo were allocated by the previous energy minister and that she is not a proponent of biomass power plants. “I want to invest in wind and solar energy,” she said. “Biomass power plants are much too vulnerable, including economically.” If the biomass plant project does not go through and the related subsidies do not have to be spent, the cost, she said, could be deducted from the new tax. Turtelboom could

not give precise figures while as the German Pellets situation remains uncertain.

Muslim organisations sue Weyts over ritual slaughter

Police unions threaten to strike in protest at Canal Plan

A group of 10 Muslim organisations have filed a case at the tribunal of first instance in Brussels against Flemish animal welfare minister Ben Weyts. They are challenging the minister’s ruling that only licensed slaughterhouses may carry out ritual slaughter – the killing of animals without first stunning them. The case is due to be heard on Friday. During Eid al-Adha, or Feast of the Sacrifice, Muslim families are accustomed to having a sheep slaughtered. Weyts changed the law in Flanders to ban the procedure in temporary slaughter facilities regularly set up to cope with demand at Eid. Only licensed slaughterhouses could carry out ritual slaughter, but they were unable to meet demand. The Muslim Council of Theologians ruled that Muslims could be excused their duty of sacrifice in 2015, in the hope of reaching a solution later. A group of organ-

Unions representing the federal police’s General Reserve have announced their intention to strike in protest at the government’s Canal Plan, drawn up by home affairs minister Jan Jambon to tackle radicalisation and terrorism. The strike is announced for the last week of February. The Canal Plan was developed in the wake of recent investigations in Molenbeek. The plan takes in Brussels-City, Schaarbeek, Sint-Gillis, Anderlecht, Koekelberg and Sint-Joost, as well as Molenbeek and Vilvoorde. It promises 1,000 extra police by 2019 and closer co-operation between police and municipal officials working on radicalisation. Unions are not protesting the plan but its implementation, as officers from the General Reserve – who act as emergency intervention teams – have been transferred to duties in Molenbeek and Vilvoorde without consultation. “Colleagues who were detailed to those places, where they will be working – albeit indirectly – on terrorism, were informed by a simple phone call on 29 January,” a spokesperson said. The unions are demanding information for officers affected, arrangements for the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses and a proper procedure for the reassignment of reserve officers in future. \ AH

isations tried unsuccessfully to obtain an interim interdict. The case on the fundamentals of the matter will be heard this week. According to Weyts, the action is “simply pointless”. “I won the interim procedure, and the advice of the Council of State also came down on my side,” he said. “The groups who are now suing me are the same ones who always said they wanted a constructive dialogue. This is a strange way to go about things constructively.” \ Alan Hope

Flemish bar critical of Geens statements in Ghent rape case The association of Dutch-speaking lawyers and magistrates has criticised federal justice minister Koen Geens over remarks he made after a rape suspect was found guilty earlier this month but not sentenced. According to the association, Geens failed to respect the constitutional principle of separation of powers. The case was judged in a court in Ghent, which found that rape had taken place but that the accused did not merit a sentence because the rape was “not brutal,” and the incident was the result of a failure to “read signals” correctly. Geens, among many others, expressed shock at the ruling and suggested that the option of suspension of sentence – a ruling available to Belgian judges in certain circumstances – could be removed in the case of rape charges. The association said it was not in favour of removing the option. “It’s best if a judge, after an investigation and testimony, retains as broad a range of options as possible,” said chair Jan Geysen. Any judgement, he said, had serious repercussions for the accused, regardless of the details of the sentence. The Ghent rape suspect now has a criminal record, must pay damages and could find the decision to pass no sentence overturned if he commits another crime within three years. Geens said that the situation was a “misunderstanding”. The Ghent prosecutor’s office, meanwhile, has filed an appeal in the case, though the victim has said that she will not appeal. \ AH

Tunnels should go, says Brussels’ former mobility secretary As another Brussels tunnel was closed down because of falling masonry last week, Bruno De Lille of opposition party Groen proposed closing the tunnels on the capital’s ring road within 10 years. The proposal was described as “too ridiculous for words” by the motoring organisation Touring. The Brussels tunnel network has been experiencing problems because of their run-down state. De Lille, who was secretary of state for mobility in the previous Brussels-Capital Region government, has now produced a 10-point plan to create an alternative to the tunnels. His proposals include the rapid completion of the regional express rail network, improvements to the service provided by the Brussels public transport authority MIVB and the creation of car-pool parking facilities on the edge of the capital, where motorists could take a shuttle into the city. “In recent years, there has not been a single step forward in working out a good mobility plan for Brussels,” said Touring spokesperson Danny Smagghe. “I don’t see how this new 10-point plan

Fragments of masonry fell from the roof of the Pacheco tunnel last week

represents a breakthrough. I’m getting a strong feeling of déjà-vu.” “We need a plan supported by everyone,” De Lille countered. “Over the next 10 years the tunnels are going to cost easily €1 billion. Where is that money going to come from? And why spend it on tunnels that do nothing to solve the mobility problems? There are better investments available.” Last week, the roof of the Pacheco tunnel, which runs under Kruidtuinlaan from Brussels-City to Sint-Joost, was damaged by a lorry that was too high, a spokesperson for Brussel Mobiliteit said. After loose fragments were removed, a wooden support was installed to prevent the fall of further fragments. The tunnel was closed for about 24 hours.

\ COVER STORY

FEBRuary 17, 2016

Pastoral punk

Two alt music clubs unite fans and community in West Flanders

4ad.be facebook.com/ThePitsBZN

continued from page 1

and all food prepared for the bands is vegetarian. With the money raised through a recent crowdfunding campaign and help from sponsors, the club will also plant 6.6 hectares of new woods near Ostend at the end of this month. “At that point, we will become the first carbon-neutral arts centre in Belgium,” he says. Smagghe books about 50 bands a year, and it’s his taste that prevails, absolutely. “I consider myself an easy-going guy, but not at that point,” he admits. Fortunately, his tastes are broad. “We do singer-songwriter, reggae, dub, post-rock, metal.” He likes to pay the bands well and, in return, the kind of misbehaviour you might associate with touring musicians rarely happens at 4AD. Each show is also recorded by three fixed cameras, edited, burnt to DVD and given to the performers for free.

It’s a deviant, outcast, family thing Local bands, unsurprisingly, have nothing but love for the long-time club. Alek Pigor of Ostend’s The Glücks calls Smagghe “the real crème de la crème – honest, no bullshit. The same can be said for all the 4AD team.” 4AD has salaried staff for key technical roles and its production office, but the work of some 60 volunteers is also indispensable to keep it running. They, for instance, help organise the onsite accommodation for bands – next door in the converted Belgacom shop – where local musicians recording an album can also stay. Meanwhile, 50 kilometres southeast – a lot further from the sea – The Pit’s is under the stewardship of Claudia Lippo and Sebastien Dessauvage. According to Lippo, the club has been handed down through generations of “misfits who sought out a place to get together”. All in all, it has been through some 40 pairs of hands since it opened in the late 1980s. “There have been lawyers, accountants, welders, cooks, all getting horribly drunk and booking shows together,” says Dessauvage, 26. He and Lippo, 30, are fiercely proud of the traditions of The Pit’s, from the steak with kroketten and mushroom sauce that meat-eating bands are served, to the “Fuck That Weak Shit” club anthem by Kortrijk’s own ’90s punk band The Jesus Disease, to the enforced inti-

The urinals at The Pit’s (top) tell a story all their own. Bands either march past them or climb over the bar to get to the stage (above left); 4AD in the rural Diksmuide is surrounded by concrete, keeping noise to a minimum (above right)

macy of the urinals, which are in the same, very small room as the merchandising table. Bands that perform at the club often stay overnight in the spare room of the couple’s apartment, which comes with three cats, fresh sheets and a proper breakfast. This is part of The Pit’s rock-solid reputation for looking after bands, says Dessauvage. “We don’t ask: ‘How much do you want?’ We ask: ‘How much do you need to get to the next venue?’” The Pit’s genuinely seems untouched in decades. The exception is the graffiti bands are encouraged to leave behind in the backstage lounge. The Glücks scorched their name on the ceiling with lighters; Los Explosivos wrote theirs with what Lippo says is Nutella that is now 10 years old.

Alek Pigor of The Glücks says that the Kortrijk club is “the closest you’ll get to that ’77 CBGBs vibe in Belgium. It’s a deviant, outcast, family thing. It’s an intimate, raw way of experiencing shows.” Like that legendary New York music club, The Pit’s revels in its shabbiness, which is seemingly at odds with the solidly bourgeois atmosphere of a city like Kortrijk. It might still look like a West Berlin anarchist squat, but the club actually does its level best to keep things simpatico with the police, local residents and the town council, from which it gets a vital grant as a youth club. “Our rent is paid for by the city, as well as 80% of the utilities,” says Desauvage. Local officials quietly overlook that many of the members are way, way over 30 – the

upper limit for a youth club. Maybe that’s because The Pit’s also fulfils a valuable social role. Or maybe it’s because the Kortrijk mayor “is supposedly a metal head,” laughs Desauvage. It was a now legendary show by the US garage punk band The Mummies and Supercharger in the ’90s that put The Pit’s on the map as a venue for international acts. The US punk band The New Bomb Turks played there not long after The Mummies came through. Their frontman, Eric Davidson, devoted a paragraph to the Kortrijk music venue in his 2010 memoir We Never Learn: The Gunk Punk Undergut. “A wee corner pub not big enough to hold the cast of Waiting for Godot but which would, about twice a month, pack in a hundred drunken nutjobs,” he wrote. “From

the upstairs, the club got smaller and smaller, until you practically had to walk sideways to get to the bar. Then crawl over the bar to get to the six-by-six stage.” That route still exists. It’s that, or go past the merch and urinals, and then through the entire audience. The Pits and 4AD have taken two very different routes to great music since 1988. Indicatively, 4AD’s backstage is full of cardboard boxes of high-end sound gear from the German retailer Thomman, while that of The Pit’s is crammed with crates of Bockor Blauw beer. But here’s how similar they are: In the next few days, each will host two of North America’s wildest and finest outsider rock’n’roll acts. Daddy Long Legs play 4AD on 4 March, and Bloodshot Bill will take The Pit’s stage on 21 February.

\ BUSINESS

week in business HR Audi Brussels Audi Brussels has been certified as a Top Employer for 2016 by the Amsterdambased Top Employers Institute. Brussels public transport authority MIVB has also been certified for the second year in a row. Certifications require a comprehensive analysis of the company’s practices and an external audit.

Retail Bpost National post office Bpost is planning to take over the management of 220 newspaper shops from Lagardere Travel Retail, which owns the Press Shop and Relay brands. The deal, which still has to be approved by the competition authorities, also includes 735 Kariboo locations for the delivery of packages.

Distribution H&M Clothing chain H&M is closing its distribution centre in Puurs, Antwerp province, with the possible loss of 162 jobs. The Swedish chain employs more than 2,000 people in Belgium, and unions hope staff can be found jobs elsewhere.

Sports equipment Snauwaert The former Beveren-based tennis equipment manufacturer, once a blue-chip name in the sport, is making a comeback after going bankrupt in 1991, following a move to Portugal. The company has been revived by Flemish entrepreneur Patrick Vanoppen and a group of investors and aims to produce 5,000 racquets a year.

Telecoms Proximus Proximus is to face charges of being involved in a tax fraud scheme built around the purchase and sale of paid text messages. Ten Antwerp companies bought the messages in bulk in other countries and sold them on to commercial partners here, among them SMS games advertised on TV. The traders are accused of defrauding VAT authorities of some €1.8 million. The case will be heard in May.

Beverages Nuestro Futuro Officials working in the Flemish administration will now be served fair trade coffee in all government vending machines, the civil service magazine 13 reports. After a taste test, the administration’s vote went to an 100% Arabica-bean coffee produced by Guatemalan co-operative Nuestro Futuro.

NeoScores launches first shop for digital sheet music Start-up’s Gustaf offers downloads for musicians and orchestras Andy Furniere More articles by Andy \ flanderstoday.eu

ntwerp company neoScores has officially launched Gustaf, an online store where musicians can buy digital sheet music, the first such venture in the world. The name refers to the Austrian composer Gustav Mahler. NeoScores was established in 2013 by three Flemish music experts. It was supported through business angels and crowdfunding, was a 2014 nominee for Europe’s Tech All Stars Competition and was chosen as second best start-up in the world among 45 nominees at last year’s Start-up Nations Summit. Gustaf gathers some 200,000 scores from several major publishers of sheet music, from classical to R&B. It offers about 60% of the

sheet music market but plans to eventually provide the full 100%. Until Gustaf, musicians had to count on music shops to get original sheet music; scores offered online are often not the originals. Buyers can be sure they are buying original scores, which they can download to tablets. The platform makes sheets of music, which can be lost or forgotten, no longer necessary. Users can save their purchased scores in the accompanying app, make notes in them and share them with fellow musicians. The digital scores automatically adjust to the screens of smartphones, tablets and computers. The app works both online and offline. Scores are not printable, to prevent illegal distribution.

The NeoScores team celebrates a world first

Choco need not contain chocolate, judge rules

Chemical industry starts fund for older workers

Delhaize may call its chocolateof chocolate and is simply a way of flavoured spread “choco”, even describing the taste of the product. though it contains no chocoThere is a legal definition for choclate, a Brussels commercial court olate, but not for choco. has ruled. The case was A second claim by brought against the superFerrero was also rejected market chain by Ferrero, by the court. The the makers of Nutella. company complained Ferrero complained that that Delhaize’s adverDelhaize was advertising tisements stressthe hazelnut spread as ing the absence of choco, implying the prespalm oil in its spread ence of chocolate. The was a direct attack company argued that on Nutella, which this was unfair compecontains the ingredi© Courtesy Delhaize tition against the more ent. Delhaize publicity expensive Nutella, which does claims that palm oil is less healthy contain chocolate. Ferrero was and less environmentally friendly demanding a fine of up to €100,000. than other ingredients. The court The court followed the reasoning ruled that there was no evidence of Delhaize, which is that choco to show Delhaize’s claims were not is a separate concept from choctrue, so they could not be prohibolate, does not imply the presence ited. \ Alan Hope

Belgium’s chemical industry, including petrochemicals and life sciences firms, has established a fund aimed at helping older workers remain in their jobs, while improving conditions for them. The Demography Fund is the first of its kind in the country. The fund makes no distinction as to the grade of the employee and aims to finance projects “in order to maintain and improve employment in the sector in the face of the demographic changes and the consequences of prolonging the working period,” according to an agreement reached between sector federation Essencia and unions. The agreement includes training projects within companies to

Hasselt Ikea draws crowds – and complaints from neighbours Residents living near the site of the new Ikea store in Hasselt, now Belgium’s largest Ikea outlet, have complained about traffic chaos on the first weekend of the store’s opening. A stalled vehicle caused a major tailback, which police solved by removing a barrier put in place to protect local residents from Ikea-bound traffic. The barrier prevents traffic – other than local residents and buses – from using the Witte Wijk residential area as a short-cut to the Prins-Bisschopssingel ring road, giving access to the store. “We were worried about a tailback, so we opened the barrier,” said a spokesperson for Hasselt police. “They guaranteed that that would never happen,” said a local resident. “They lied to us.” “We haven’t been difficult,” another neighbour told De Standaard. “We welcomed the arrival of Ikea, and we’re not complaining about lights burning at night. But they promised us this area would only be for residents and buses. And now the first problem becomes an emergency. We feel cheated, and we’re having second thoughts.” The new store opened on 3 February and saw 20,000 visitors during the first weekend. The nearby N80 junction with Biesenstraat was dealing with 650 to 700 cars an hour on Saturday, while the Ikea car park has only 1,400 places. The government of Flanders’ Roads and Traffic Agency will monitor the situation for two weeks before making possible adjustments. \ AH

promote good employment practice. Special attention will go to older employees, shift workers and those with stressful working conditions. Examples of projects for financing are switching older workers to physically lighter tasks, teaching new skills, diversity in the workplace and flexible working hours. The fund covers nearly 1,000 companies and 90,000 staff and is financed by a levy of 0.15% on the sector’s gross salary bill. “With this fund, one of the leading industrial sectors in the country is taking the lead in the debate around improved working conditions and sustainable employment,” the two sides said in a statement. \ AH

Air traffic control at Brussels Airport boycott training Unions representing staff at the national air traffic control agency Belgocontrol have begun industrial action. The action was announced before the start of the February school holiday, with a promise that holiday traffic would not be affected. Staff will boycott training for new routes due to come into force in April. Their goal is to obtain extra investment in personnel and to prolong existing pension policies. The aim is to disrupt management plans, not to affect the public, and passengers are unlikely to feel the impact, unions said. An attempt last Friday to achieve a last-minute agreement failed, a spokesperson for the union ACV Transcom said, because management would not make any commitment beyond 2017. Belgocontrol management said it did not have the authority to meet union

demands, which require decisions from the federal government. The action directly affects the government’s plan to scrap the take-off route known as Leuven Rechtdoor, which takes planes all the way to Leuven before diverting them to their normal route. In May a court ruled that the route must be changed, on pain of fines. Unless Belgocontrol staff train for alternatives, the route cannot be dropped within the timetable planned by the government. \ AH

\ INNOVATION

FEBRuary 17, 2016

Is ‘green’ a myth?

week in innovation

KU Leuven scientists urge scepticism over the so-called green economy Senne Starckx More articles by Senne \ flanderstoday.eu

ne of the lessons from November’s Paris climate conference is that the clock is ticking. The world needs drastic action. And, slowly but surely, governments, the private sector, NGOs and groups of worried (and angry) citizens are moving towards a consensus that reads like a slogan: the green economy. Or should we speak of green capitalism? Going green isn’t important only in tackling climate change, it also makes countries “stronger, healthier, safer, more innovative and competitive – and better respected”. These are the words of New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. According to Friedman, nothing is more patriotic, more capitalistic and more geostrategic than green capitalism. Hold your horses, though, Friedman. Maybe it’s not that simple. It’s hard to see capitalism as the solution for the world’s problems; you could even argue that it’s caused them, including a widespread addiction to fossil fuels and the recent banking crisis. Just like with the climate, there are believers and non-believers when it comes to the green economy. University of Leuven scientists Anneleen Kenis and Matthias Lievens definitely belong to the latter group. In 2012, the pair published a book called De mythe van de groene economie (The Myth of the Green Economy). It sent a shockwave through Flanders’ ecological movement. In the book, Kenis – now a postdoc in earth sciences – and philosophy professor Lievens described how multinationals, banks and lobbyists are surfing the wave of the green economy. They unravelled what they call the myth in all its dimensions. They cast doubts on emissions trading, on sustain-

able consumption, on population control and on technological optimism. Now, in the aftermath of Paris, they have brought out an updated version of the book that made such a stir four years ago. But the message is the same: We can’t reconcile the three Ps – people, planet and profit. “In other words: it’s impossible to combine social and environmental progress with making a profit,” says Kenis. “In practice, profit will always occupy centre stage – maybe with a touch of planet but definitely at the cost of people.” Green growth, the core of the green economy, is a contradiction in terms, she says. “Economic growth goes hand in hand with an increased use of raw materials and energy and an increased production of waste.” And, as she points out, we are already overburdening the planet. “The current average growth of the world economy, a not very impressive 3%, means it will double within 25 years,” Kenis explains. “Within a century, the economy will be 16 times as big as it is now. For 200 years, the multiplier is 250, and for

three centuries it’s 4,000. That’s all rational from an economic point of view, but from an ecological perspective, it’s clearly absurd.” The writers also criticise the “economisation” of green ideas by large international bodies like the World Bank and the European Commission. They point to the practice of emissions trading, which allows companies to buy extra emission rights from countries who have little industry and thus plenty of “clean air”. This practice has long been presented as a win-win situation as it supports a financial transfer to developing countries. But, according to Kenis, the system is perverse. “It’s simply become a way to win time instead of a way to change what needs to be changed, namely our emissions.” In fact, she continues, “buying emissions rights – which are much too cheap, by the way – allows companies to keep their old machinery running. The bestknown system, that of the EU, has contributed almost nothing in the fight against climate change – even though it’s been in place for more than a decade.”

Kenis isn’t a fan of Al Gore, the world’s most famous climate advocate, either. “I call him the first carbon millionaire in history,” she says. “He and his company have become very rich thanks to emissions trading. Now they are even planning to wrap up emission credits into ‘more structured products’ before selling them. How cynical can you be, using a mechanism that lay at the basis of the financial crisis to fight climate change?” According to Aviel Verbruggen, an emeritus professor in environmental economy at Antwerp University, Kenis and Lievens have put their finger on the sore spot. But on the other hand, the professor says, they are lacking a deeper analysis. “What’s their alternative?” he asks. “My own studies also resulted in a critical analysis of practices like emissions trading. But I came to the conclusion that the system can indeed be part of the solution, if it’s well applied. It would be ideal in steering change in a single global sector, such as international shipping.”

People in Flanders who are vaccinated against the flu are better protected than people in neighbouring countries because of the quadrivalent, or four-strain, vaccination, which protects against four flu viruses, according to virologist Marc Van Ranst, who leads the federal government’s flu campaigns. De Standaard reported that the three-strain vaccination recommended by Belgium’s Superior Health Council only works in half of cases. Threequarters of Belgian GPs – and a larger share in Flanders – are prescribing a new fourstrain vaccine, which protects from all the current variants. Van Ranst recommended the four-strain vaccination to GPs because of positive results in an Australian study. The health council recommended the three-strain vaccination because the four-strain is only produced by one company, GlaxoSmithKline, which the council did not want to be seen as favouring.

3D-printing sector unites Flemish companies and research institutions active in 3D printing have established a platform to encourage collaboration. Several companies and research institutions joined forces last summer to establish the nonprofit Flam3D. The founding partners include the University of Leuven, Materialise, Tenco DDM, Ghent University and Vamac, with others signing up since then. The Flemish government’s agency for entrepreneurship is also lending support. Flam3D will organise activities for the public and for educational institutions, as well as acting as an umbrella organisation that communicates with the government. \ flam3d.be

Q&A

GREATPROJECT.EU.COM

Researcher Kristof May of Limburg energy research institute EnergyVille is working on the European Great project, which is analysing the value of smart energy grids for small- and medium-sized enterprises What are the main advantages of smart grids for SMEs? By streamlining the supply and demand of renewable energy – mainly wind and solar – smart grids could significantly reduce SMEs’ CO2 emissions. Because smart grids spread this supply of electricity more evenly over a day, and so prevent peaks of consumption, they reduce CO2 emissions and lead to lower electricity prices. The electricity network infrastructure also needs less maintenance. However, there are still major challenges that need to be overcome to achieve these goals.

Four-strain flu vaccine protects better

Like what? The reduction of CO2 emissions depends partly on the optimal use and energy-efficiency of technology like heat pumps and solar panels. Another essential technology, which is not yet being implemented in Flanders, is that of smart energy meters that provide better information on and more control over energy consumption. Finally, we also need more flexible energy rates. What do you mean by flexible rates? Right now, there is just a day

grid. This way, you avoid energy shortages during peak moments, and the cost of energy consumption – for SMEs and others – can be reduced. A reform of rates like this has recently been carried out in Spain.

and a night energy rate. But the rates should be adjusted to the supply, meaning energy should be cheaper when there is an excess of renewable energy supply on the

When will smart grids become common? We’re still in the development phase, but there have already been large-scale pilot projects, like Linear, that have provided important insights. During the Great project, we found that the full potential of smart grids was not very well understood in most SMEs but that there is a major interest in it. \ Interview by Andy

Energy-saving renovations up Energy-saving renovations are growing in popularity in Flanders. Last year, the government awarded 12% more subsidies for domestic energy-saving measures than it did in 2014. Subsidies for heat pumps and for roof, floor and cavity wall insulation are especially popular. There was a remarkable rise in the number of subsidy requests for heat pumps: 47% more than in 2014. Requests for cavity walls increased by 20% and floor insulation by 22%. Flemings also requested 31% more subsidies for roof insulation. \ AF

Furniere

\ EDUCATION

FEBRuary 17, 2016

A fresh start

week in education Pupils see risk of drug-driving

Refugees continue studies at the Free University of Brussels Sally Tipper Follow Sally on Twitter \ @sallybtipper

vub.ac.be

Syrian academic is encouraging refugees in Belgium to continue their education, through a unique university programme that offers people fleeing war zones the chance of a better future. Dr Mohammad Salman came to Belgium five years ago to study international relations at the Free University of Brussels (VUB). He is now responsible for co-ordinating the Welcome Student Refugees programme that supports access and integration of refugees. “The VUB has a social responsibility to do something about the refugee crisis,” says the university’s refugee taskforce leader Koen Van den Abeele, who has 15 years of management experience in the social sector. “The rector, Paul De Knop, put together a group at the end of last year to examine what action we could take. The idea was not to provide housing, blankets or food. We want to stick to our core business of education, training and research. So we started to analyse the data.” Van den Abeele talked to the department of foreign affairs, the federal asylum agency and other authorities, gathering statistics from their interviews with asylum-seekers. What he found was that of 35,000 people applying for asylum in

These are educated, professional people who want to create a life here Belgium, 23% had been students before they fled their country, with 11% of those at university. “So straight away, we could see it wasn’t a few hundred but a few thousand people,” he says, “and we wanted to be ready when they got their asylum status.” These people are highly educated, and all of them want to work, Salman points out. “They have certificates, they have Master’s degrees, but their qualifications are not recognised here.” So VUB is inviting them to apply for a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, in English and Dutch. The taskforce caught people’s attention when De Knop announced it in his New Year’s address. “We expected a lot of interest, but we didn’t really know what to expect. Maybe 100 applications,”

Social mix helps weaker pupils © Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto/Corbis

VUB decided it would help incoming refugees by focusing on its core mission – education

says Salman. “But up to now I’ve received more than 800 emails from refugees who want to study here.” Of these potential students, more than 500 have the academic capability to start right away, but language is a stumbling block. Most of them have a good level of English, but about half want to study in Dutch to increase their chances of finding a job in Flanders. The university and its adult education wing have provided free language classes for those eligible to start studying. “Language and education are the best ways to integrate into a new culture. So if their language isn’t good enough, we’ll give them a chance,” says Salman. “Some have been studying and are already at level B1 in Dutch having been here six months.” Those offered a place on a course of study can defer it until September 2017 if their language skills are not yet sufficient. Given that these people have fled war zones, how likely is it that they will have their academic paperwork with them? “We don’t expect them to have their certificates, but I’ve been surprised to see that most people do,” says Salman. “From 800 applications so far, there are just seven people without a certificate. I asked one of them about it, and he told me: ‘This is my life, my chance at a future. If I fall into the sea it’s not a problem, but I have to keep my certificates out of the water’.” The programme aims not just to offer refugees a shot at a better future, but to help the local economy, too. “If they get a qualification from

this country, it’s more likely that they’ll find work,” Salman explains. “We offer them a chance to improve their skills, so they can find work and pay taxes. These are educated, professional people who want to create a life here and be part of society.” They can also fill significant skills gaps in the region. For example, it’s expected that Flanders will need an extra 35,000 engineers in the next 10 to 20 years. In that time, the region’s universities expect to train just 7,000. “We’ve had applications from architects, engineers, everything,” says Van den Abeele. “There was one man with a long CV and pdfs of buildings he’s designed. It would be terrible to let these people’s skills go to waste. There are young, intelligent people twiddling their thumbs in refugee reception centres,” he adds. “They are ready to do something, and we are ready to help.” The goodwill is there, with support from the university’s top administrators, while students plan to set up a buddy system. What’s lacking, according to Salman and Van den Abeele, is co-ordinated support from the regional and federal governments and other bodies. “I want to see the other universities doing something similar,” says Salman. “They can come to us for guidance. We could create a programme for all the universities in Flanders. I’m not talking about conferences, about theory; I’m talking about practical action. The government has provided money for Dutch lessons, which is a step in the right direction, but we still need more.”

Honorary doctorate for human rights watcher Peter Bouckaert The University of Leuven (KU Leuven) has awarded honorary doctorates to six experts from diverse disciplines, including Peter Bouckaert, who heads up the Emergencies Team of Human Rights Watch. Bouckaert was born in Leuven but moved to San Francisco when he was 15. After studying humanitarian law at Stanford University, he joined the Emergencies Team of the American non-profit organisation Human Rights Watch and later became its director. Now based in Geneva, Bouckaert collects information in conflict regions to prove human rights violations. He has documented such violations in dozens of regions in his career, including

The volunteer organisation Responsible Young Drivers has developed a simulator to show people how it feels to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It will be used for a school campaign developed with the European Commission. About one in 50 adults in Flanders has used cannabis in the past month. Cannabis influences reaction times, co-ordination and memory. As a result, a driver under the influence of cannabis runs three times the risk of having an accident. The organisation created the simulator using the virtual reality headset Oculus Rift. The user can choose from three driving modes: sober, under the influence of alcohol or under the influence of various drugs.

Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Syria, the Central African Republic and Congo. Bouckaert’s report on the Syrian government’s role in the 2013 chemical attack on Ghouta led

to Syria’s promise to ban chemical weapons. His field work also provides crucial evidence for bringing charges against war criminals. The charge against Slobodan Miloševic’ before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia was partly based on Bouckaert’s eyewitness report and photographs. Bouckaert is now actively involved in the refugee crisis. The other laureates receiving KU Leuven honorary doctorates were Italian writer Alessandro Baricco, the French and American biochemists Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, American computer scientist Anantha P Chandrakasan and American conflict manager Carrie J Menkel-Meadow. \ Andy Furniere

Ensuring a healthy mix of students from different socioeconomic backgrounds can considerably reduce the number of students with poor grades and will not affect the performance of the stronger students, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). They analysed data from the 2012 Pisa study, a research project concerning performance results of 15-year-olds in the 64 OECD countries. The study found that 28% did not achieve the required basic level of reading, mathematics or sciences. “Although a student’s socialeconomic background has an important influence on the probability of performing inadequately on maths tests, the social-economic profile of the school has an even bigger impact,” researchers said.

Social issues learning kit launched Faro, the government agency for the support of Flemish cultural heritage, has released the LeerDok education kit, which gives teachers access to archive materials representing social issues. The first kit targets pupils in the second and third years of secondary school and contains historical materials that illustrate censorship and freedom of speech. Students will discuss topics such as adultery in the middle ages, daily life during the First World War and censorship in postmodern Flemish literature. The kit includes a manual for the teacher, five lesson modules, a closing lesson with creative assignments and links to digital resources. \ AF

\ LIVING

week in activities Sweetheart Swim Celebrate Valentine’s Day weekend by taking your sweetheart to the seaside – and jumping into the ice-cold water. Proceeds go to charity. Warm up with zumba beforehand and enjoy fireworks afterwards. Same-day signup at the tourist office on Astridplein. 13 February, 11.00-19.00 (swim at 15.00), Oostduinkerke, €5

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Haspengouw Walk An organised trail hike with a choice of 4, 7, 11, 20 or 27km routes. The walk takes you through two typical Haspengouw villages, Kleine and Grote Spouwen, with their courtyard farms, orchards and historic buildings. 20 February, starting between 7.00 and 15.00, Saint Amandus Hall, Sint-Aldegondisstraat 5, Kleine Spouwen-Bilzen, €1.50 \ wsveurekavzw.be

Mountain Bike Rally Annual mountain biking event through the hills and woods of Kasterlee. There’s a 12km route for the kids, plus 25, 37 and 48km routes for the adults. Dressing rooms, showers, first aid, bike wash and secure bike parking provided. 21 February, starting time 8.00-10.30, Sportcentrum Meulenstraat, Molenstraat 56, Kasterlee (Antwerp province), €5 \ tinyurl.com/Kasterlee-rally

Africa Sunday at Bozar Children and families can learn about African culture and traditions during a day of educational, creative and fun activities. At 15.00, take part in a dance performance and workshop with Congolese dancer and choreographer Sidonie Madoki. 21 February, 11.00-18.00, Bozar, Ravensteinstraat 23, Brussels, free \ africamuseum.be

Guided tour of Villa Empain This Art Deco masterpiece is usually closed to the public, but the owners are offering guided tours on 5 March in English, French and Dutch, along with a visit to an exhibition of Korean art. Reservations required by 27 February on 02 627 52 30 or info@ boghossianfoundation.be. 5 March, Villa Empain, Franklin Rooseveltlaan 67, Brussels, €15 \ villaempain.com

\ 10

Ostend parties like it’s 1929 Bal Rat Mort returns, with a new theme and an air of exclusivity Vanessa Rombaut Follow Vanessa \ @vanessaincolour

KURSAALOOSTENDE.BE

he Roaring Twenties are coming back to life in Ostend, courtesy of Bal Rat Mort, a party that’s been taking place at the coast each year for more than a century. This year’s organisers, Neo Retro, are revamping the ball by focusing on creating an immersive experience. “Ten years ago, the Bal Rat Mort had a crowd of 2,000 people,” says Ben Mouling of Neo Retro. “This year, only 700 tickets are on sale. The focus is on exclusivity. We want people to have an intense experience.” In the past few years, he explains, “the creative input hasn’t been there, so we’re reviving the ball, with lots of artists and performers. It’s going to be the night of the year.” Performance artists The Retronettes and Brussels-based burlesque act Colette Collerette & The Flying Willy are among the performers on the programme. Beauty experts will do hair and makeup in period style, and party-goers can have their photo taken with old-timer cars or dance the Charleston. Don’t worry if your Charleston is a little rusty. Half-hour lessons are provided. In the early evening, music will be provided by acts like UK big band Alex Mendham & His Orchestra, then a DJ will take over until the wee hours. There will also be a pop-up bistro serving food. Prohibition will not be in force – a champagne bar will serve 1920s-inspired cocktails. Costume is mandatory, and there will be a contest to find the best one. The first prize is a trip to Paris. Need inspiration? It might not win you a prize, but, says Jonah Schoonbaert of Kursaal Oostend, which is hosting the ball, “for men, a black suit and tie is enough. Women can put feathers in their hair and wear a nice black

The Retronettes will be among the acts performing during the annual Bal Rat Mort

skirt. (See sidebar for costume shops in Flanders) Bal Rat Mort began in 1896, when the Ostend Cercle Coecilia society – whose most famous member was artist James Ensor – took a trip to Paris and found themselves at the Rat Mort, a cabaret near Moulin Rouge. They were so impressed with the festivities, they decided to hold their own ball every year in their hometown. Each year has a theme; in the past these have included Carnival in Rio, the Masks of James Ensor and Japan. “Previously, it was traditional

for people to dress up in masquerade, but we’ve decided to start again and have chosen a theme for a wider audience,” explains Mouling. The most important thing, of course, he says, is to have fun. “Come with a few friends and celebrate. Don’t be afraid to dress up, dance and have a few drinks,” says Schoonbaert. “This is about being with friends and enjoying the party.”

5 March, 20.00

Kursaal Oostende

Dress to impress Avothea, Ghent This atmospheric shop offers a huge selection of historically accurate costumes that you can rent for the night. You can also buy accessories. \ avothea.be

Kostuumen Karamel, Mechelen Don’t let the tiny interior fool you: there are more than 5,000 costumes to choose from in this shop. You can rent costumes for the night as well as accessories and makeup.

\ kostuumenkaramel.be

Las Fiestas, Aalst A good range of costumes and accessories at low prices. You can also order online. \ lasfiestas.be

Huis Baeyans, Antwerp If you’re serious about your costume, this place rents out top-quality, historically accurate costumes. \ huisbaeyens.be

BITE Antwerp tour introduces visitors to city’s chocolate delights

antwerpenkoekenstad.be

For the fourth year running, Antwerp Chocolate Week is offering sweet-toothed visitors a delectable tour of the city. The event is being organised by Antwerpen Koekenstad (Antwerp Biscuit City), a city initiative that aims to showcase the tastiest local specialities and export products. “We wanted to give people the chance to taste authentic and artisanal chocolates,” says Jonathan Theys, one of the Chocolate Week organisers. “Antwerp has been the main producer of chocolate in Belgium for centuries. Antwerpen Koekenstad wants to make people aware of this history and its connection with the city.” Antwerpen Koekenstad focuses mainly on the legendary Antwerp handjes (hand-shaped biscuits and chocolates). It is also the driving force behind Pateekes week, which recently put bakers, coffee shops and tearooms in the spotlight, as well as sponsoring an exhibition. During Antwerp Chocolate Week, visitors can buy a pass for €10 at one of the participating shops. In

return, they’ll receive 10 coupons that they can trade for €2 worth of chocolates at each shop. In previous editions, visitors would sometimes get very excited and spend all their coupons in one shop. To ensure that customers who come after them don’t go home empty-handed, this year visitors won’t be able to spend more than two coupons at each chocolatier. The aim of Chocolate Week is to give people a chance to taste top-quality chocolate, and not

just any supermarket brand. Participating chocolatiers range from household names such as Leonidas and Neuhaus to distinguished stores like The Chocolate Line and Pierre Marcolini. This year marks the fourth edition of the event, so the organisers decidedw to branch out a bit and also offer a coffee tour. “We also wanted to focus on coffee shops that prepare premium or specialised coffee since coffee and chocolates go hand in hand,” explains Theys. The exhibition at the Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library, Op de koffie bij Nottebohm, highlights the history of coffee in Antwerp, reportedly the city with the most coffee bars per capita in Flanders. In addition to coffee, the exhibition covers local and regional culinary specialities, particularly those that pair with coffee. \ Rebecca Benoot

19-27 February

Across Antwerp

FEBRuary 17, 2016

Cast iron man

Ghent artisan restores landmark building in Manhattan’s NoHo district Toon Lambrechts More articles by Toon \ flanderstoday.eu

PETERVANCRONENBURG.BE

he building at 54 Bond Street in Manhattan, on the corner of Bond and Bowery, is one of the finest examples of cast-iron architecture in the world. And now the facade is getting a much-needed makeover thanks to Ghent craftsman Peter van Cronenburg. “This is a project that I wish would never end,” says van Cronenburg. “It’s a chance you only get once in your life as a restorer, and as a company. You don’t choose such an exceptional building to work with; the building chooses you.” 54 Bond Street is quite unique, he explains. “The location itself fires the imagination. This is NoHo, not far from the famous castiron district of SoHo, a place that attracts visitors and architecture enthusiasts from around the world.” The building is a bit of a curiosity. The facade is made entirely of cast iron, in keeping with SoHo’s castiron district, the largest collection of such architecture in the world. Yet it has its own identity. It was built as a bank by the German architect Henry Engelbert in the Empire style and was completed in 1874, the heyday of cast-iron architecture. Previously, it was called 330 Bowery, and for a time it housed the Bouwerie Lane Theatre. In 1963, it was recognised as an official landmark, but the necessary restoration of the facade was delayed. It had to wait for decades, even though the state of the front was already a problem back in the 1970s. The building now houses three luxury apartments and ground floor retail space. “You can clearly see that it wasn’t intended to be a storehouse like many other buildings in the area,”

The building on the corner of Bond and Bowery was designed to be a bank, and for a while housed a well-known theatre

says van Cronenburg. “It’s very rich in decoration and ornament, and all five floors are different in their details. This ornamentation

The restoration is a spectacular feat. In the first phase, the facade was given a makeover. It wasn’t an easy task because the entire

You don’t choose such an exceptional building to work with; the building chooses you was intended to give an appearance of wealth, while the cast iron creates an image of reliability.”

front of the building is composed of individual metal parts. All the ornaments and pedestals consist

of separate moulded pieces that fit together like a puzzle, making restoration more difficult because the pieces give each other strength and stability. To restore the facade as it was, van Cronenburg carried out a detailed study. Next, his team made 164 unique moulds and cast 2,890 pieces in iron. In the second phase, which is being carried out now, three sets of stairs are being restored – “monumental cast-iron entrance stairs that were meant to impress visitors,” says van Cronenburg. “On the basis of a few remaining fragments and old historical photos,

50 weekends in Flanders: City trip to Mechelen Flanders Today has launched an e-book with ideas for how to spend a year’s worth of weekends. Visit our website to get your copy of 50 Weekends in Flanders. We’ll also print one of our suggestions every week here, too.

sories, find out about cycling events in the region and grab a coffee in the back garden. They also show bike races on a TV screen and do repairs.

Mechelen used to be a sleepy old-fashioned kind of place with shops selling massive oak furniture. Now it’s a pretty hip town. You’ll find some striking modern architecture as well as historic Flemish buildings and traditional bars serving local beers like Gouden Carolus.

Eat at IL CARDINALE Two young graphic designers have created a cool hamburger joint (pictured) across the road from the Archbishop’s Palace. The cheeky pair have decorated one wall with statues of the Virgin and christened their burgers with names like Holy Guacamole and Noah and the Fish.

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we were able to reconstruct what the steps looked like.” In the final stage, the railings around the building will be reconstructed to comply with today’s safety standards. “But the artistic character will be preserved,” says van Cronenburg. “We never make any compromises in terms of quality and aesthetics in our projects. It’s very important to stay true to the architect’s original design.” The final phase will be completed in July, four years after the project began. How is it that a Flemish company has been asked to carry out such an important restoration on the other side of the world? “One of the owners, Rob Heyvaert, is Belgian,” van Cronenburg explains. “The initiative to restore 54 Bond Street came from him. He owns several floors of the building, and we had already provided him with metal architectural hardware, door handles and so on.” Jeroen De Schrijver of the New York architects office D + DS, which is in charge of the project, also has Flemish roots and asked van Cronenburg to look into restoring the facade. Van Cronenburg began his career making furniture before specialising in the restoration of churches and abbeys. There he learned to work with classical forms and architectural details. Gradually he started collecting and reproducing architectural hardware in metal using traditional methods. The company has its own workshops and foundries and focuses on specific restoration projects at home and abroad. “There are not so many specialists in this sector,” he says, “and Belgian craftsmanship is highly regarded abroad.”

TINYURL.COM/50WEEKENDS

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Wander along the DIJLEPAD The city has created a wooden walkway along the river Dijle that takes you past old waterfront houses and hidden squares. The route across town is particularly romantic at night when the walkway is lit by thousands of tiny spotlights. Shop at PELOTON DE PARIS Vincent Van Parys and Wendy Janssens have created an inspiring concept store where you can pick up bike acces-

Drink at DE GOUDEN VIS This bohemian Art Nouveau cafe looks a bit shabby at first, with bicycles parked in the hallway and faded posters peeling off the wall. But venture further into the former fishmonger’s shop to find a wonderfully romantic place to grab a beer. Come spring, seek out one of the few places to sit on the little waterfront terrace in the shade of an old vine. Nauwstraat 7

Stay at THE RED SPOT This is one of the most awesome B&Bs in the country. The owner has turned a 1920s townhouse into three striking suites decorated with white walls and red accents. One has a rooftop terrace with a white bathtub under the stars. Who would have thought? \ Derek Blyth \ theredspot.be

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Hey you.

Yes, you, with the smartphone. There is an app for Flanders Today, you know, which makes it super easy to keep up with daily news and features anywhere at any time on your smartphone or tablet There are 2 easy ways to download the app: visit www.fl www.flanderstoday.eu anderstoday.eu and click on “Download the Flanders Today app” or go straight to your app store – Android or iOS, makes no diff difference erence

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It’s free. The Bulletin and ING Belgium invite you to a seminar on

PROPERTY TODAY • Wout Vermeeren,

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\ LIVING

FEBRuary 17, 2016

week in arts & CULTURE Henk Swinnen new artistic director of deFilharmonie

Much of the brewing machinery on the old Wielemans-Ceuppens site are unique pieces of industrial heritage

A new industrial revolution Antique brewing machinery brought back to life at Wiels Toon Lambrechts More articles by Toon \ flanderstoday.eu

he engine room of the former Wielemans-Ceuppens brewery in the Brussels municipality of Vorst has all the hallmarks of machines from the heyday of the industrial revolution – large metal wheels, piston rods and measuring equipment to direct the steel giants. It’s not hard to imagine that they must have produced a deafening noise when they were still in use. Today, it is quiet in the engine room, but that will soon change. “This month, we complete the first phase of the restoration,” says Joaquín de Santos Barbosa, co-ordinator of the project, which was launched by the Vorst municipality. “Much faster than expected, we managed to get some of the equipment working again, including the La Vergne compressor, which was built more than 100 years ago.” To their surprise, he says, “it was enough to rub off the rust and grease it really well to get it going

again, without having to replace any parts. The La Vergne compressor was specially built for this brewery and is a unique piece.” Wielemans-Ceuppers was once an institution in Brussels. The building was constructed in 1888 and focused on the production of lager, then still a novelty. The brewery grew into an important player, but was later bought by the beer company Interbrew (now AB Inbev). One hundred years later, Wielemans-Ceuppens closed the doors after its business dried up. Today, the site houses the contemporary art museum Wiels, along with the art centre Brass. But the former machine room has lain empty. Until now. “The machines have long been exposed to rain and wind because the roof was leaking,” says Santos. “Also, rust and vandalism have taken their toll. We have a lot of clean-up work ahead of us. It was always our intention to get the

Katerina Gregos resigns from Art Brussels wielemansmachines.com

machines back up and running, but it was not clear if this would turn out to be a realistic goal. In the end, it was much easier than expected.” Which is a stroke of luck, because the machines on the old brewery site have great value as industrial heritage. “The compressor is a unique piece, and the other machines are unmatched in Europe. These pieces used to produce cold air; a cool breeze was required to lower the temperature of the fermenting beer in other halls in the factory. In the period that this industrial process was built, it was one of the most modern of its time.” In a second phase, the final two machines – a giant steam engine and a second compressor, both built in 1905 – will get their turn at a makeover. The aim is also to get these industrial giants rolling again. By the end of the summer everything should shine like it did 100 years ago. Between the two

phases of the restoration, which began last December, the site is open to the public. “Once the work is finished, we can show a complete industrial production process,” Santos says. “It also offers an interesting insight into how these old machines actually work.” The project, which is being funded through a combination of local and European grants, also serves an educational purpose. Three of the technicians working on the old machines are getting workplace training, which should help them find work in the sector later on. “In addition to that and the historic importance of the engine room, the project is also about the beauty of the machines themselves,” says Santos. “With the restoration of Wielemans-Ceuppens, Brussels will have a new major landmark when it comes to industrial heritage.”

Katoen Natie increases annual arts funding to €8 million Fernand Huts, the outspoken owner of port distribution giant Katoen Natie, has announced that he will spend more of the group’s turnover sponsoring arts and culture. His promise to up the investment from 0.35% to 0.5% brings the total his company contributes to some €8 million a year – the same amount the government of Flanders earmarks for its 21 recognised museums. During the recent announcement, Huts also presented a new art book that he funded. Huts is well known for having a keen interest in the arts; over the years, Katoen Natie has amassed a large and diverse collection. The greater part of it has been placed

in a separate entity under the name The Phoebus Foundation. Huts also commissions pieces from contemporary artists that

are now on display at the group’s “headquARTers” in Antwerp and its logistics hub Singelberg on the port’s left bank. According to the entrepreneur, art and culture are an asset for both the economy and society. For centuries, he said, Flanders – and particularly Antwerp – has excelled as a centre for the arts, putting the region on the map in the 16th and 17th centuries. There is no reason why this attitude could not be revived in the 21st century, he said. Saying that politics and the arts have always had a close relationship, Huts has sponsored the publication of Politics as Painting by KU Leuven professor of art

Oboe player Henk Swinnen has been named the new artistic director of deFilharmonie, the Royal Flemish Philharmonic. Swinnen will take over on 1 May from Geert Riem, who is leaving to become general director of De Bijloke music centre in Ghent. Swinnen has been director of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva since 2013. He studied oboe and chamber music at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels before performing as a soloist with various chamber and orchestral ensembles. He then became manager of the Music Centre Foundation in Hilversum, the Netherlands, in 2007, followed by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra from 2011 to 2013.

history Katharina Van Cauteren. The book, available in both Dutch and English, highlights the role of the nearly forgotten painter Hendrick De Clerck (1560-1630), a master of propaganda for the Archduke and duchess Albert and Isabella. The pair jointly ruled the Habsburg Netherlands from 1598 until 1621, doing their utmost to force the people of their territory back into the arms of the Catholic Church. De Clerck provided them with the iconographic pompand-circumstance to fortify their rule. \ Marcel Schoeters

This will be the final year that Katerina Gregos will serve as the artistic director of Art Brussels, the capital’s annual contemporary art fair. Gregos, who is Greek but has lived and worked in Brussels since 2006, plans to continue her freelance curatorial activities fulltime. Gregos has worked with many local and international venues as a curator, including the Belgian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, the Thessaloniki Biennial and Manifesta. She has served as Art Brussels artistic director since 2012, during which time she has improved its reputation internationally and instigated innovative developments, such as a new architectural design every year. Art Brussels takes place from 22-24 April at Tour & Taxis.

Ghent photographer wins birth photo award Ghent photographer Marijke Thoen has won the annual competition sponsored by the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers, based in Texas in the US. The winning image (below) was captured by the 38-yearold during the water birth of baby Nelle eight months ago. “The lighting was perfect, the baby’s head was facing me, and there were not too many hands or arms in the way of my camera,” Thoen told Het Nieuwsblad.

Politics as Painting is published by Lannoo

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\ ARTS

The key of desire Performance studies husband and wife’s jealousy, infidelity and obsession Ian Mundell More articles by Ian \ flanderstoday.eu

Director Josse De Pauw’s new production uses an all-female cast to bring out different aspects of a 1950s Japanese novel.

unichiro Tanizaki’s novel The Key is a tale of sexual frustration, deception and infidelity – hardly the ideal present from one lover to another at the start of a relationship. Yet this is how actor-director Josse De Pauw first encountered the book 30 years ago, a gift from his then partner, the dancer and choreographer Fumiyo Ikeda. The gift turned out to be an inspired choice, their different readings of it prompting so much thought and discussion that they said they should put a version of it on the stage one day. Three decades on, the idea has finally come to fruition in De sleutel, adapted and directed by De Pauw with choreography by Ikeda. In the novel, a jaded married

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Ikeda plays the wife, and fellow dancer Taka Shamoto plays the suitor. The quartet is completed by percussionist Kuniko Kato. While they still dress according to their characters’ gender roles, this casting subtly removes the emphasis on masculinity, allowing other aspects of the story to come to the fore. “We are more on the track of desire,” De Pauw explains, “a desire that never stops, the wanting to be together.” Such desire is rarely straightforward. “Love is not like a fairy tale. It’s a little bit dark,” he says. “There are lies, and there are traps. But in the end, as the woman [in the play] says, that doesn’t mean that we didn’t love each other.” Tanizaki’s novel, which was first published in 1956, drew on tensions in Japanese society between traditional codes of behaviour and more permissive attitudes coming from the US and Europe. Ideas of purity in love and

Love is a little bit dark. There are lies, and there are traps couple – an aging professor of literature and his younger wife – communicate with each other through their diaries. Each knows, but neither acknowledges, that the other has access to their private thoughts. In this way, everything that is unspoken between them is understood and they can realise their secret desires. When their daughter finds a suitor, he too is gradually drawn in to their sexual fantasies. The erotic charge this brings helps sustain the couple’s relationship, yet there is also jealousy and a dangerous obsession with infidelity. De Pauw’s adaptation features an all-female cast. Flemish actress Frieda Pittoors plays the husband,

marriage collide with the earthier realities of desire. These constraints hardly apply to European society in the 21st century, but De Pauw feels that the deeper struggle still goes on in relationships. “When I look around me, I see these kinds of stories between people. The trying is heroic, the trying to be together and this desire that never, never stops.” The novel is built from the diaries of both husband and wife, but De Pauw puts the emphasis on the husband’s view. This is spoken in Dutch by De Pauw, his recorded voice played through loudspeakers in the auditorium, so that it emerges close to the audience.

“I want to invite the audience into the head of the old man, to see the whole performance through his eyes. And what he sees is his own story, told by means of dance, sound and percussion,” he explains. “It’s an atmosphere that I want to lead people into.” The actors on stage occasionally speak in Japanese, their words translated in surtitles. This provides some of the wife’s narrative, but her story is also translated into dance, a strategy that

further separates the two narratives. In a way this also means that the discussion between De Pauw and Ikeda about what the story means is still going on. “The concept of the play is my view, but Fumio had a very sharp weapon, because the choreography is hers, and the Japanese language is hers, and Taka Shamoto’s as well. One way or another I have the feeling that they influenced the concept very much. And they can do so every

night, again, on stage of course.” At this point it is tempting to ask whether De Pauw also keeps a diary. He laughs at the question, and says that he doesn’t. “I think it’s typical for actors that we love things to go by. The theatre is so important for me because every night, when it’s over, it’s gone. And the next night is another night.” He contrasts this with movies, which tend to linger. “Thirty years later someone opens this box, shows the film again and there you are. And that’s not always pleasant. I like things to disappear.” This may be why he appears in so few films, although he has formed an enduring working relationship with director Dominique Deruderre. Their work together stretches from the cultish Crazy Love in 1987, a Flemish take on Charles Bukowski, through the Oscarnominated Everybody’s Famous in 2000 to Flying Home in 2014. And in any case, there is plenty to keep him busy in the theatre, whether appearing for other directors or in his own productions. Alongside The Key he is still touring House, based on two tragicomic stories by Belgian author Michel de Ghelderode, and An Old Monk, a collaboration with jazz pianist Kris Defoort about music and the lust for life. These three productions will travel until May, when he will retreat to France to work on new projects for 2017-18. Meanwhile, he hopes to have the chance to take The Key to Japan. “That would make me very happy, to see how people there react to what I’ve done with the book.” De sleutel premieres at KVS in Brussels (in Dutch and Japanese, with Dutch and French surtitles) on 17 February, but you will have to join the waiting list for spare tickets. It then moves to Bruges and Genk, returning to stages across Flanders in April

More performance this month The Civil Wars Milo Rau’s The Civil Wars begins with the case of a young Belgian who travelled to fight in Syria. But then it pivots, allowing its cast – Johan Leysen, Sara De Bosschere, Karim Bel Kacem and Sébastien Foucault – to reflect on their own lives, their fathers and how they escaped them. Our attention turns from the insanity of Syria to a malaise much closer to home. Vooruit, Ghent, 24-25 February \ vooruit.be

Altered Natives’ Say Yes To Another Excess – Twerk Franco-Argentinian couple François Chaignaud and Cecilia Bengolea take their inspiration from club culture,

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creating sexually charged dance performances that tread the line between high and low culture (pictured). Here they cover themselves in grime, with the help of New York voguer Alex Mugler and dancers Ana Pi and Elisa Yvelin. STUK, Leuven, 25-26 February \ stuk.be

Hedda Gabler Director Bart Meuleman takes an unfamiliar tack with Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, finding humour in a tale usually drenched in misery and melodrama. He also asks whether the century of emancipation foreseen by the author was really worth it after all. Ariane van Vliet takes the lead in

this Toneelhuis production. Bourlaschouwburg , Antwerp, 18-26 February, then across Flanders

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\ AGENDA

FEBRuary 17, 2016

Strictly screen-free

BANG! 18 February to 25 March

PERFORMANCE Ghent Brussels Art Institute KULTUURKAFFEE.BE

he travelling art festival BANG! is about to invade the Brussels Art Institute (BAI_), run by the internationally acclaimed and controversial Flemish artist Jan De Cock. Curated by Johannes Verschaeve, frontman of Flemish glam-rock outfit The Van Jets, BANG! focuses on live experiences in a variety of disciplines, away from the digital screens our minds are increasingly paralysed by. “It’s crucial to counter this very childish virtual distraction,” says Verschaeve (pictured) matter-of-factly. “So in composing the BANG programme, I emphasised the physical presence of the artist and the audience. Mistakes are allowed during our concerts and performances, since they will confront us with the fact that what we are seeing or hearing is unique; it can’t be reproduced and certainly is not on YouTube.” There’s a striking parallel with the mission of his

host, who created the BAI_ near Brussels South Station as his studio but also an informal public

space where artists and students can improve their skills at their own speed – and without digital interference. “I built my library under the ground to be sure it has no internet connection,” De Cock says. It was after crossing paths during the TV quiz De slimste mens ter wereld (The Smartest Person in the World) that the artists discovered this shared vision. In a joint performance based on the Elvis Presley song “Love Me Tender”, they will open the festival by introducing slow, romantic couple dancing to an audience that’s used to moving individually. Then, while De Cock invites visitors to a free sculpting session, Verschaeve will join musicians on stage. Of course, he’ll also welcome a number of obscure rock and jazz bands when not shopping at the vintage clothes market or belting one out at the karaoke contest. \ Tom Peeters

VISUAL ARTS

FAMILY

Brussels I Love You

Geluk voor kinderen

Until 27 February

Across Brussels brusselsiloveyou.com

Inspired by the success of the Parisian art walk Paris Je T’Aime, a group of Brussels galleries have joined forces to launch this gallery crawl. Centred around the municipalities of Elsene and Sint-Gillis, it gives audiences the chance to discover their friendly neighbourhood art spaces and the local artists who show there. Some 20 venues are participating, with special performances, conferences, readings and book signings. The centrepiece of this inaugural edition of BILY is a solo exhibition of Brussels-based installation artist Lola Meotti at the Elsene gallery Hangar H18. \ Georgio Valentino

Until 10 April

Yann Martel

Beyoncé

Canadian writer Yann Martel struggled with his early books before finally breaking through in 2001 with the best-selling philosophical novel Life of Pi, which was later adapted for the big screen by Hollywood director Ang Lee. Passa Porta welcomes Martel to discuss his latest novel, The High Mountains of Portugal. Like his previous work, this epic tale mines its author’s experience as a lifelong vagabond. Martel was born the son of a globe-trotting diplomat and spent his early adulthood working odd jobs and travelling far and wide before finally settling in Montreal. \ GV

Ghent The Light of Sicily: Contemporary works by seven Sicilian painters around the theme “light”, featuring sun-drenched landscapes and turquoise-blue coastal waters. 19 February to 27 March, Francis Maere Fine Arts Gallery, Kouter 172 \ francismaerefinearts.be

get ti

ckets

Fort Napoleon, Ostend gelukvoorkinderen.be

now

Elton John: The British singer, composer and pianist presents his Wonderful Crazy Night Tour, a combination of new songs and classic hits like “Tiny Dancer” and “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”. 19 November 20.00, Lotto Arena, Schijnpoortweg 119 \ lotto-arena.be

FILM Wemmel (Flemish Brabant) Delicatessen 2015: Part one of the festival featuring the best Flemish short films of 2015, including Aller-Retour, Billy the Bully, De Smet and Perdition County. 19 February 14.00 & 20.00, GC de Zandloper, Kaasmarkt 75 \ dezandloper.be

CONCERT passaporta.be

VISUAL ARTS

Antwerp

LITERATURE 23 February, 20.00

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CONCERT

Flemish author and motivational speaker Leo Bormans has built a career on positivity. His World Book of Happiness has earned him invitations to preach the gospel of happy to harried working adults the world over. Now kids can get in on the geluk. This interactive exhibition uses colourful bird characters to help children aged six to 12 overcome challenges and know themselves better. The fun and games unfold in the corridors of Ostend’s historic Fort Napoleon, a seaside stronghold built by the eponymous French Emperor himself. \ GV

Passa Porta, Brussels

Louis Vanhaverbeke: Kokokito: The young Flemish choreographer/performer talks, thinks and sings his way across the stage in an investigation of the relationship between language and movement (in Dutch and English). 24-25 February 20.30, Campo, Nieuwpoort 31-35

31 July With a thunder-stealing guest performance during Coldplay’s half-time show at the Super Bowl and a surprise, blazing single that saw her reaffirming her black southern roots like it was nobody’s business, Beyoncé is again crushing it. Add to that the announcement of a new world tour, three years after the US pop star hit

get tic

kets n ow

Koning Boudewijn Stadium, Brussels livenation.be

the road with her superlative Mrs Carter tour, and you begin to understand why the internet pretty much exploded last week. The Brussels show at the mega, 50,000-capacity Koning Boudewijn Stadium will be anything but an intimate affair, but best believe you will be entertained. \ Linda A Thompson

TALK Ostend Gin, geschiedenis in een glas (Gin, History in A Glass): Gin expert Kurt Heddebauw tells the exciting and turbulent history of gin, from the spirit’s earliest origins in the middle ages to its comeback and popularity in recent years (in Dutch). 23 February 14.00, Stadhuis, Vindictivelaan 1 \ uitinoostende.be

EVENT Leuven Heritage on Stage: Free exhibition and pop-up show in which various Leuven nonprofits showcase the rich variety of cultures and heritage they represent. 20 February 15.00, Het Depot, Martelarenplein 12 \ vzwaif.be

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\ BACKPAGE

FEBRuary 17, 2016

Talking Dutch Sire, you have 50,000 new messages

In response to: Face of Flanders: Fidèle Peter Chloupek: I have been to Brugge a 100 times and he has always been there! Will miss you!

Derek Blyth More articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu

’ve never wanted to write to the king, but, should the need arise, I now know how to do it. A friend in Antwerp recently presented me with a massive boxed set of Dutch language lessons from the 1930s. It provides 40 lessons that teach you everything you need to know, from auto ongelukken – car accidents, to smeekschrift aan de koning – a petition to the king. So I now know that one should begin a letter to the king with the words Aan Zijn Majesteit den Koning der Belgen – to His Majesty the King of the Belgians. Sire, one must then write, followed by the message. Once you’ve had your say, you should end with the words – Uw zeer onderdanige en getrouwste dienaar – your most humble and loyal servant. Now this might seem very quaint and medieval to someone from the US or China. But the right to send a letter to the king (or queen) is one of the foundations of the Belgian state. It’s even protected by the Constitution, as Knack magazine revealed in a recent article. Elke Belg die verdrietig is – Every Belgian who is unhappy, of zijn

CONNECT WITH US

gram wil halen – or wants to get their revenge, of gewoon een vraag heeft – or simply has a question, mag de koning schrijven – can write to the king. His Majesty’s humble servant doesn’t even have to find a stamp. Brieven naar de koning zijn portvrij, dat staat in de wet – By law, letters to the king are sent free of charge, a post office official confirmed. You might be thinking that this custom would have been killed off by email and Facebook. But this is one ancient custom that’s still going strong. Elk jaar krijgen ze

in het paleis 50.000 brieven – The palace receives 50,000 letters a year. Als het van de post afhangt – Judging from the post, is de monarchie ongemeen populair in België – the monarchy is still remarkably popular in Belgium. Some of the letters are sent by children who want to ask the king a question. Waar staat uw troon? – Where is your throne? Or: Waar is uw scepter? – Where is your sceptre? Others are sent by people facing difficulties. Wij kunnen hen geen sociale woning of uitkering geven – We can’t give them a council house or benefits, said a palace spokesperson, maar we kunnen hen naar de juiste instelling verwijzen – but we can point them in the direction of the right organisation. The palace employs several people to answer the letters. Iedereen die de koning schrijft – Everyone who writes to the king, krijgt een reactie – gets a response, the palace promises. You don’t even need the full address. Just send it to Koning Filip, Brussel. The post office will take care of the rest. And you don’t really have to call him Sire.

Tweet us your thoughts @FlandersToday

Poll

a. Yes! A thousand times yes. This would radically improve traffic flow and decrease tailbacks

0% b. No, but lights should be better co-ordinated to allow more efficient traffic flow: Think green wave

82% c. Absolutely not. How would pedestrians get across the street? They risk their lives as it is

18% ers. The thinking behind the proposal: Red lights slow down traffic, increase pollution and lead to the loss of countless working hours every day to the detriment of the economy. For Touring, one in two could go with no ill effect. A Hasselt University professor, however,

called the proposal “nonsense”. So did you; zero votes. The huge majority of you thought lights could be better co-ordinated to achieve the same effect, and about one in five thought things should stay as they are. It’s hard to argue with numbers like that.

\ Next week's question: Brussels’ former mobility minister has suggested eliminating those infamous ring road tunnels by the year 2025. What do you think? Log in to the Flanders Today website at www.flanderstoday.eu and click on VOTE!

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In response to: New app crowdsources quick, expert tips about life in Brussels Tine Declerck: Sweet initiative, I often just go to USE-IT Brussels to ask my questions to someone else that lives in Brussels.

In response to: Flemish singer Eddy Wally dies at 83 Alan Doggart: Great guy!

Geert Noels @GeertNoels Antwerp develops its own Central Park. Eat that New York ;-)

Martin’s Klooster @MartinsKlooster Leuven... The place to be(er)!

Sara @simplysarablog Having a lovely walk tonight around #Ghent #Belgium then onto #Bruges in a days time. Anything I must do or see?

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Do you think Belgium should scrap half of its traffic lights since a new study suggests it could improve traffic?

OK, so let’s not scrap half of the traffic lights out there. In fact, let’s not get rid of any at all. The proposal from the Institute of Economic Affairs in the UK, picked up by motoring organisation Touring and being taken seriously by Belgium’s Institute for Road Safety, received no support from our read-

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“I used the formula and looked up a few numbers.”

“We’ve got plenty going for us. Our name of course, and the statue of Mary in the church. Legend has it that the statue moved from one side of the church to the other on its own one night.”

Gilbert Bortels, 83, spotted an error in his energy bill, saving himself – and tens of thousands of other customers – money as part of a group purchase in Antwerp province

Street cleaners “Let’s be quite clear: This cannot be allowed. The police have put these people out on the street with nothing but the clothes on their backs.” Deacon Filip Carpentier of the bishopric of Bruges, after police had a rubbish truck haul away refugees’ personal belongings in Zeebrugge

Danny Claeys, mayor of Nazareth in East Flanders, which intends to invite Pope Francis to come and visit

The little things “A nurse who without asking brings you a new pillow after you’ve been lying in the same bed for five days – that sort of thing makes all the difference. And the morphine, of course, but you can find that anywhere.” Cancer patient Nicole Billen is the face of a new campaign by Brussels University Hospital to recruit nursing staff

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