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ON THE SCENT

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FUTURE TENSE

Leuven researchers are developing an ‘electronic nose’ that can detect chemical weapons and even cancer

Ghent’s new Student of the Year tells how she fled Afghanistan in fear of her life

Bozar exhibition looks back at the lesser-known art of post-war Europe

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Telling tales

Aspiring Flemish journalists learn the art and craft of storytelling in Greece Toon Lambrechts More articles by Toon \ flanderstoday.eu

The brainchild of two young Flemish journalists, the Caravan’s Journal is a two-week programme that trains future reporters to cover breaking stories wherever they may be.

ven though public transport in Athens has been paralysed by yet another strike, everyone makes it on time to the language school in the Mets neighbourhood, in the shadow of the Acropolis. Today, 15 young Flemish journalism students, one Dane and two Greeks are about to get a quick introduction to the economic and humanitarian crises that are affecting

Greece. The first speaker gives the students a run-through of the refugee crisis, which struck the country particularly hard last year and is far from over. A refugee activist describes his experience in the camps, where some 54,000 people are living today. Laptops and notebooks fill the table, and the young audience are keen to jot down as much information as possible. When the discussion shifts to the state of the Greek media, notorious for its biased reporting and overt political agenda, you can sense their astonishment. The workshops are the brainchild of journalist Kasper

Goethals and photographer Johannes De Bruycker, graduates of Artevelde University College in Ghent who felt dissatisfied with the state of journalism and decided to do things differently. And so the Caravan’s Journal was born, partly from a longing for travel, partly from a desire to exchange knowledge and experiences. The aim is to bring together passionate young storytellers with experts in the field. The project is also evolving into a collective network that carries out journalistic productions across different countries. After just a few workshops, one of the participants, Sofyan El Bouchtili, a student of digital storytelling at the (REC) continued on page 5

\ CURRENT AFFAIRS

Extra security for 21 July Brussels police receive extra resources for National Day celebrations Alan Hope Follow Alan on Twitter \ @AlanHopeFT

russels police will receive extra resources to ensure security on National Day on 21 July in the wake of the attack in Nice, federal home affairs minister Jan Jambon has said. However, the National Security Council has decided that the terror threat level will remain at three for the time being. At the time of writing, the attack in Nice, in which a man drove a lorry at high speed into crowds celebrating Bastille Day, had claimed 84 lives, with scores more injured. The man, who appears to have been operating alone, was shot dead by police at the scene. “A horrific attack,” Jambon said. “A terrible modus operandi, which seems to have cost the lives of many children.” Even before the Nice attack, he said, Brussels

police had requested additional resources, and their request had been approved. “The threat assessment agency OCAD will make a new analysis in the run-up to the festivities,” he said last week. “We will await that assessment before deciding what additional measures may be required.” This week it was

announced that 240 extra officers would be drafted in to the capital. In Ghent, the city council held talks with security services to determine what extra security measures are required during the Gentse Feesten, which started last week and run until 24 July. The city had already considered the situation before the Nice attack, described as “new information” by the councillor in charge of festivities, Christophe Peeters. Tour operators Jetair and Thomas Cook say their customers in the region were accounted for and are safe. Jetair operate two flights to Nice, from Ostend and Charleroi. Passengers will be able to cancel if they choose. A spokesperson for Thomas Cook said there was no reason to cancel flights, with one scheduled from Brussels Airport.

Meanwhile the annual Zuidfoor fun fair in Brussels is going ahead without additional security measures, the city council has decided. According to Marion Lemesre, councillor in charge of economic affairs in Brussels-City, the extent of the fair – which runs for two kilometres on Zuidlaan—and its traditional open character make it virtually impossible to introduce new security measures without ruining it. “That’s not at all what we want,” said Patrick De Corte, chair of the committee of fairground attraction owners. “We have to stop spreading fear. Brussels has suffered enough damage to its image. The fair has always been an open event, available to everyone, and that’s how we want to keep it.”

Unesco recognises Antwerp’s unique Le Corbusier house Maison Guiette in Antwerp, designed by the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, is to be added to the Unesco World Heritage list, Flemish minister-president Geert Bourgeois has announced. In total, 17 buildings designed by the pioneering architect have been recognised as world heritage sites. The Guiette house, Le Corbusier’s only work in Belgium, was built in 1926 for the Antwerp painter René Guiette, and is one of the architect’s earlier projects. Le Corbusier, whose real name was Charles Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, was born in Switzerland and became a French citi-

zen in 1930. “The white rectangular house is the image most people have of modern architecture, but if you look at Le Corbusier’s designs, he was originally thinking of a sort of chocolate colour,” said Piet Geleyns from the Flemish heritage department. “It was ultimately constructed in a cream colour but rapidly painted over in black. Only after the restoration in the 1980s was it painted white again.” The Unesco decision also includes 16 other works by the architect in Argentina, Germany, France, India, Japan and Switzerland. \ AH

Flanders celebrates its history with war memorial, music and dancing

Flemish hospitals score high on care and patient comfort Flemish hospitals score highly in areas such as patient care and safety, according to the latest report from healthcare inspectors, based on inspections carried out in 2015. In other areas, including hand hygiene, inspectors noted progress compared to the previous round of inspections in 2013. The latest round of inspections concentrated on internal medicine, including emergency departments and intensive care. In 2013, hand hygiene was insufficient in 9% of cases; by 2015 that number had dropped to 5%. It represents significant progress, the inspectors conclude, but work still remains

to be done. Progress was also noted in the information contained in identity bracelets worn by patients, preventive maintenance of medical apparatus and the way patient case files were kept up

12%

pass rate in the year’s first examination for admission to medical and dentistry studies at a Flemish university, out of 4,993 students who took part. A second exam takes place on 30 August

to date. Work was still required, inspectors said, in areas such as medication plans and information to patients. In 29 areas, inspectors awarded a red light, meaning the situation presents a substantial risk to patients. Two red lights were awarded in intensive care situations, where an ICU doctor was not available within 15 minutes. In 28 of the 29 cases, the problem was resolved by the time of an unannounced follow-up visit. In the remaining case, the problem of the lack of a permanent nursing presence in the emergency department was still present. \ AH

Across Flanders, people celebrated Flemish Community Day on 11 July, marking the 1302 defeat of a battalion of French cavalry in Kortrijk by a militia from the cities of Flanders. Since 1973, the day has been a public holiday in Flanders. In the main celebrations in Brussels, 11,000 people gathered on Muntplein for Brussel Danst, a series of events organised by Muntpunt including guided walks, dance battles, a tango class and a concert on the Grote Markt featuring Discobaar A Moeder and Bart Peeters. In Antwerp, the public was treated to a free performance by the Ketnet kids’ summer tour on the Groenplaats, and Vlaanderen Feest on the Grote Markt, featuring radio personality Peter Van de Veire. On the bill were the new K3, Will Tura and Stan Van Samang. Elsewhere, hundreds of neighbourhood committees, local authorities and associations from Aalst to Zwijndrecht organised parties, including tap-dancing demonstrations, choirs and fireworks. \ AH

497

1.5 million

of candidates to become licensed taxi drivers in Brussels failed in the first four months of this year in the behaviour section of the examination. Faults include language errors, reaction to stress and lack of discipline

rides by subscribers to the Villo system of bike-sharing in Brussels in 2015, down from 1.65 million the previous year, despite 21 new stations. A spokesperson for operator JC Decaux called it “a normal fluctuation”

received by Flemish universities in donations and bequests in 2014, an increase of 14.2% on 2013, according to figures from the government commission on higher education. Leuven led the field with €18.6 million

fully electric cars sold in Flanders in the first half of the year, up from 75 in the whole of 2015. The increase is largely due to a new Flemish premium worth between €2,500 and €5,000

JULY 20, 2016

WEEK in brief Two out of three Flemish entrepreneurs expect the announcement that the UK will leave the EU to have a negative effect on results for the second half of the year, according to a poll of 600 businesses by Flemish chamber of commerce Voka. Most said the economy as a whole would suffer, though 10% said they expected losses in income. Voka CEO Hans Maertens said a quick start for exit negotiations was crucial. “Uncertainty turns into anxiety, and that's not good for the economy.” Brecht Decaestecker has been appointed the new editorin-chief of the digital news channels of the Flemish public broadcaster VRT, including deredactie.be and social media. Decaestecker began his career with the Krant van West-Vlaanderen and moved via Het Nieuwsblad to De Morgen, where he was part of setting up digital operations. He replaces Emmanuel Rottey, who is moving abroad for family reasons. Marc Wilmots has been sacked as Red Devils head coach following Belgium’s poor showing at Euro 2016. Belgium, who remain second in Fifa’s world rankings, lost 3-1 to Wales in the quarterfinals. “The Royal Belgian Football Association have made an agreement with Marc Wilmots to end his contract,” read a statement on the Belgian FA’s website. “There is a common sense that the team needs a new impulse to lead this group towards a top result at a major tournament.” Flemish public transport authority De Lijn has begun to implement a code of conduct for people using escalators in premetro stations in Antwerp. The campaign, inspired by that of the London Underground, asks people to stand on the right, allowing people on the left side of the escalator to walk. The rule

face of flanders only applies on downward escalators. A decision by the Brussels public transport authority MIVB to buy a new fleet of hybrid buses is to be challenged before the Council of State, after an action was started by a group of 34 members of the Brussels parliament. The action claims a 2013 law forbids the introduction into service of any diesel-powered vehicle after 1 January, 2015. Hybrid buses operate on a mixture of diesel and electricity. Piet Vanthemsche, former president of the farmers union Boerenbond, has been appointed by Flemish animal welfare minister Ben Weyts as an independent intermediary in the discussions over ritual slaughter in Flanders. Last year, Weyts introduced a ban on slaughter without stunning outside of licensed slaughterhouses, and two proposals for an outright ban are on the agenda of the Flemish parliament. Benoit Van Innis, the artist who created the ceramic portraits for the walls of Maalbeek metro station, was due as Flanders Today went to press to unveil a new memorial to those who died in the metro bomb attack on 22 March. The eight portraits of anonymous metro users were not damaged in the explosion, but an upstairs wall featuring another work was damaged by the force of the blast. Kiki, the female gorilla in Antwerp Zoo who lost an arm after being bitten by male gorilla Matadi, has died of bleeding in her lungs, the zoo has announced. Kiki suffered from epilepsy since her birth in Heidelberg. During one seizure, Matadi, who was being introduced to the females gradually following his arrival in February from England, panicked and attacked her. Kiki is the third

gorilla to die in Antwerp this year, after silverback Kumba in January and 47-year-old Victoria in May. The Flemish government has approved changes to the rules on driving tests, which will make getting a licence more difficult than before. In future only one serious error will be permitted in the theory test, there is a new computer simulator test, and new manoeuvres on the open road, such as reversing and parallel parking, will be added to the practical exam. The decision to expel polar explorer Alain Hubert and his Brussels-based International Polar Foundation from the operations of the Prinses Elisabeth station at the South Pole was unlawful, according to the auditor of the Council of State. The advice of the auditor has to be confirmed by the full Council. Flemish film director Bas Devos, whose 2014 film Violet was described by Variety as “a stunning feature debut”, is on the hunt for photographs of Brussels taken by members of the public for his next film, in which the physical space of the city plays a major role. “I want to see the little things through the eyes of other people,” he said. “I’m asking people to show me their Brussels.” \ locatiesfilmbasdevos@gmail.com

The city of Antwerp has developed a cycle plan aimed at tourists, with a programme to encourage hotels to take part in cycling events and provide cycling information to guests, and tourist maps built around events such as Open Monument Day. Antwerp aims to reinforce its reputation as a cycling city: 28.9% of all journeys in the city are by bicycle, compared to a Flemish average of 12.7%. The plan includes promotion of bike-sharing system Velo for use by tourists.

OFFSIDE About-Face He was voted the most approachable mayor in Flanders by Het Laatste Nieuws, based on how readily he responded to emails. Now Frank Bruggeman of Zelzate in East Flanders is turning his back on modern society, the equivalent of retiring into a monastery in sackcloth and ashes: he’s giving up social media. “It’s with pain in my heart that I’m leaving Facebook,” he said. “Social media sites are fantastic. They’re easy to access and you can reach a lot of people in a short time. But there’s an enormous downside: a lot of people abuse the system to spew out unfounded criticism and bring people down. At one point

Leo Van Broeck No sooner was his appointment announced than the new Flemish bouwmeester – or master architect – had thrown a cat in among the pigeons. The Flemish, he said, were paying the price for their desire to live in their own house on their own plot of land outside the cities. City dwellers represent less of a burden on society, and new construction on the outskirts of small towns and villages should be stopped. Flanders has 1,200 small towns and villages, and one in three Flemings lives there. Of the rest, a fair number are planning to move there one day, or wish they could. So Leo Van Broeck’s words were bound to cause a reaction. The Rural Guild ventured to suggest it might not be a great idea to drive everyone into urban centres. Van Broeck later amended his statement – Flemings should not necessarily migrate to the cities; even the centres of smaller towns were better than the constant eating away of rural land by new construction. The countryside was being “inhabited to death”, he said. Van Broeck studied architecture at the University of Leuven and started teaching there in 1995, becoming professor of architectural and urban design in 2006.

A year later he set up in private practice with Oana Bogdan in the centre of Brussels. Since then they have worked on projects in Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp and Genk, as well as Uppsala, Dubai and Iasi in Romania. The bureau only takes on urban projects. His new job almost didn’t exist. His predecessor, Peter Swinnen, was only the third holder of the post, who oversees the quality of architectural and town planning projects in Flanders. Swinnen was dismissed in February last year, five months before the end of his term. No detailed reason was given. The government had already said it planned to scrap the post altogether, with the responsibilities taken over by panel of experts. In April last year, it said it had changed its mind on advice from the sector, and advertised a vacancy. At the time, no suitable candidate came forward, and the vacancy was re-advertised in February this year. “The map of Flanders is like a sort of cluster-bomb,” Van Broeck said. “It’s easy to see how it’s impossible to service the region with public transport. Redrawing that map will be a difficult but extremely profitable operation.”

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

it even involved my family. That’s when it’s time to pull the plug.” From now on, he says, he prefers to be more accessible in the real world offline. He’s introduced a sort of Question Time in the town

hall, where townspeople can come to raise problems and ask questions. “It’s been an enormous success. Every week I see more than 30 people, and the reactions are a lot less sour than on social media.” Social media recreate something like the feeling of a village from earlier times, said sociologist Ignace Glorieux of the Free University of Brussels (VUB). “But on a gigantic scale. Rumours, back-biting, comments, all hugely enlarged. The minute someone says something wrong, the reactions rain down. As a public figure, you get a lot of flak.”

The logo and the name Flanders Today belong to the Flemish Region (Benelux Beeldmerk nr 815.088). The editorial team of Flanders Today has full editorial autonomy regarding the content of the newspaper and is responsible for all content, as stipulated in the agreement between Corelio Publishing and the Flemish authorities.

Editor Lisa Bradshaw DEPUTY Editor Sally Tipper CONTRIBUTING Editor Alan Hope sub Editor Bartosz Brzezi´nski Agenda Robyn Boyle, Georgio Valentino Art director Paul Van Dooren Prepress Mediahuis AdPro Contributors Rebecca Benoot, Derek Blyth, Leo Cendrowicz, Andy Furniere, Lee Gillette, Diana Goodwin, Clodagh Kinsella, Catherine Kosters, Toon Lambrechts, Ian Mundell, Anja Otte, Tom Peeters, Senne Starckx, Christophe Verbiest, Denzil Walton General manager Hans De Loore Publisher Mediahuis NV

Editorial address Gossetlaan 30 - 1702 Groot-Bijgaarden tel 02 467 23 06 editorial@flanderstoday.eu subscriptions tel 03 560 17 49 subscriptions@flanderstoday.eu or order online at www.flanderstoday.eu Advertising 02 467 24 37 advertising@flanderstoday.eu Verantwoordelijke uitgever Hans De Loore

\ POLITICS

5TH COLUMN Plan B

Most political parties are already preparing the local and national elections – to be held two and three years from now respectively. They’re not just launching new candidates, they are also positioning themselves. While minister-president Geert Bourgeois (N-VA) called for more regionalisation after the 2019 elections, federal viceprime minister Alexander De Croo has said the opposite. He believes certain devolved responsibilities such as mobility and energy should be “re-federalised”, to increase efficiency. It was echoed by the mayors of Hoeilaart and Terhulpen. Plan BE, as the mayors called their move, was remarkable in that it meant them joining forces across the language border – Hoeilaart in Flanders, Terhulpen in Wallonia. Their call for “more Belgium” has not been popular in recent years, when Flemish politics was dominated by the nationalists. The mayors’ belief in Belgium stems not from nostalgic motives but from a “pragmatic” belief in a lean government. This debate about regionalisation and re-federalisation seems oddly timed. The federal government parties had announced a standstill on community issues for the duration of its term. Only by doing so could prime minister Charles Michel’s French-speaking liberals enter a government with the N-VA, the Flemish nationalists who had convincingly won the elections in Flanders. Rather than focus on language and institutional matters, it was said at the time, this government would concentrate on social and economic recovery. A coalition without socialists was a unique opportunity to push through badly needed reforms. Standstill or not, more than one party feels the need to assert itself. Take the liberals. Over the years, N-VA has adopted many of the liberals’ ideas on the economy. This has contributed to N-VA’s electoral success: many people believed in the “change” they stood for, even if they didn’t necessarily share the party’s ideas on nationalism. Open VLD now points out where the two parties differ: not on the economy, perhaps, but in their communitarian views. By focusing on the economy, N-VA might lose some of its traditional Flemish nationalist voters to Vlaams Belang. That explains some of its recent rhetoric, on regionalisation as well as migration. The opposition, meanwhile, calls the many declarations a smokescreen. A plan B for the coalition parties, for want of real reforms. \ Anja Otte

Changes in store for Flanders’ hospital system Complex procedures limited to one or two specialist sites Alan Hope Follow Alan on Twitter \ @AlanHopeFT

lemish welfare minister Jo Vandeurzen has announced plans for the reform of the region’s hospital system. The changes include the introduction of a two-tier system of basic and specialist hospitals. Flanders has 55 hospitals, spread over 105 campus locations. The current landscape is a result of mergers over recent decades in a hunt for economies of scale. At the same time, most hospitals aim to offer a broad variety of services. “Everyone wants to do everything,” according to Geert Peuskens of the government’s health-care agency. “People can more or less find a hospital for anything in their own region. But just because there’s a hospital in the area, it doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily get the best level of care.”

The agency has determined that the quality of some types of care in some hospitals cannot be guaranteed. “With this plan, Flanders intends to better adapt medical care to the needs of the

people,” Vandeurzen said. “The concentration of large-scale hospitals that offer the whole range of super-specialist services appears to have reached its limit.” The plan proposes dividing the region into care areas, with care offered according to the needs of the local population. That means basic hospital care in some hospitals, with more complex procedures limited to specialist hospitals. Patients for those services might find themselves having to travel further than now. The plan is still under discussion, with the federal government and the hospital sector itself. It will also go to the social and economic council and the advisory council on health, welfare and family for advice.

Ministers and magistrates back democracy in Turkey

Tourism grant will help provide affordable holidays for all

Two groups of Belgian magistrates have called on the federal government to exert pressure on the Turkish authorities to guarantee the freedom of the judiciary, following the suspension of 2,745 magistrates and the arrest of almost 200 in the wake of the weekend’s attempted coup. “The speed with which the list of suspended and arrested magistrates was drawn up arouses concern that these are planned and arbitrary arrests,” the two groups, one Flemish and one French-speaking, said in a statement. The statement calls on the government “to intervene with the Turkish authorities, as well as the Council of Europe and the European Union, and share the concerns of our country”. Following the thwarted coup on Friday evening, some 300 Turkish supporters of president Recep Tayyip Erdogan gathered at the Turkish embassy in Brussels to express their support. Demonstrators, many wearing Turkish football shirts, held up Turkish flags and images of Erdogan. The gathering went off peacefully. Meanwhile, pro-Erdogan demon-

Flemish tourism minister Ben Weyts has agreed a grant of €1.3 million for Visit Flanders for improvement to 44 holiday centres, to help provide affordable holidays for families on low incomes. “People with a limited budget or a handicap also need to go on holiday,” Weyts said. “I want to bring holidays within the reach of everyone.” The range of holiday accommodation available in Flanders is not always accessible to people with a handicap, or to low-income families or those with more children. Often, Weyts said, the changes needed – such as a wheelchair ramp – would not in themselves lead to more income. “These are investments that would never be made without targeted Flemish support,” he said. The holiday centres are spread across the region. For example, the Sporta centre in Tongerlo will be fitted with a fire detection system, a new cafeteria and special taps. Domein Schilderhof in Landen will undergo accessibility works. Youth centre Heuvelsven in Dilsen-Stokkem, Limburg, gets new windows and doors, a service lift, fire doors and a fire escape. \ AH

Crowds at Istanbul’s Taksim Square in the wake of the attempted coup

strators in Beringen, Limburg, clashed with police after they tried to break into the offices of a group supporting the exiled opposition leader Fethullah Gülen, who is accused by Erdogan of having orchestrated the failed coup from the US. His supporters deny any involvement. Following the coup attempt, the Belgian government issued a statement in support of the democratic institutions in Turkey. “All parties must now demonstrate restraint and respect for the rule of law and constitutional order,” the prime minister and foreign minister said in a statement. \ AH

Antwerp and Dutch province agree to work together The provinces of Antwerp in Belgium and Zuid-Holland in the Netherlands have agreed to work together in three main areas: horticulture, logistics and port matters. The agreement was reached during a working visit by Dutch provincial deputy Adri Bom-Lemstra to her Antwerp counterpart, Ludwig Caluwé. Port activities are important, given the presence of Antwerp in one province and Rotterdam in the other, and Bom-Lemstra laid out the challenges facing the sector. “We have a lot to learn from each other, and that’s why it’s important to keep on meeting and taking the time to get to know the context in which the other is working,” said Caluwé. They also visited a horticultural company in Merksplas, the site of a test project with Thomas More University College looking into how to make the sector – a heavy consumer of energy – more sustainable. \ AH

New code seeks to bring business know-how to sports Sports minister Philippe Muyters has launched a code of conduct for the management of Flanders’ 64 sports federations, aimed at creating more transparency, democracy and internal discipline. Those federations that implement the code satisfactorily will receive extra subsidies from 2017. A new governing decree for sports federations is due to be introduced in January, with good governance – as set out in the code of conduct – as one of the underlying principles. “I want to extend my experience with good governance in the business world to the world of sport,” Muyters said. “Many sports federations depend on volunteers who have good intentions but often have no knowledge of good governance. This code aims to change that.” The code has three main pillars. Transparency includes improved communication to members and the outside world, with information on things such as decisionmaking and spending. It reveals

what is working and what is not, allowing for internal control. On top of the subsidy they receive based on their membership figures, from January, sports federations will also receive a qualitative supplement for good governance, worth up to 20% of the subsidy. “Whoever commits to running their organisation professionally, and to administering the funds of the members, sponsors and government responsibly and efficiently, will be rewarded,” Muyters said. “Those extra resources will allow quality sports federations to invest more in their clubs and their members.” \ AH

\ COVER STORY

JULY 20, 2016

Telling tales

The two-week programme puts young journalists in the middle of the Greek crisis THECARAVANSJOURNAL.ORG

continued from page 1

Academy in Ghent, is impressed with what he’s learned. “I prepared myself and did some homework on the country, but the information we get in these courses makes me realise just how much the Belgian media omits in their reporting on what is happening here in Greece.” The location, he says, was an extra draw. “You find stories here that you would never find back home. Greece is a particularly interesting place, a country hit by two crises at once.” Over the course of two weeks, the participants will get to know Greece while improving their storytelling skills. “It’s a mix of passing on information on the situation in Greece and learning from professionals who have years of experience in journalism and storytelling,” says Goethals. “Apart from that, the participants have to work on their own ideas and stories.” Today, the focus is on the refugee crisis. Tomorrow, Elina Makri, the founder of Oikomedia, an international network of journalists, will talk about cross-border co-operation. Over the weekend, Flemish documentary filmmaker Johan Grimonprez will screen his latest work and hold a talk on ecology and mass media. These lectures are taking place on the island of Andros.

tellers. “It’s an all-encompassing definition,” he says. “We also have academics, photographers and illustrators here. This allows us to transcend the different disciplines in bringing the stories to the public.” Last year, the Caravan’s Journal pitched tents in Myanmar. Testing a new concept in a transitioning country is arguably a bold decision. “I’ve always had a deep affection for Myanmar,” says De Bruycker. “After our first excursion there, we decided to go for it. We worked with an organisation from the Netherlands that organises similar trips and it turned out to be a fantastic and demanding experience.” The programme took place a month before the country’s first democratic elections, so the participants had to be extra careful. “But they were able to observe the transition from up close,” says Bruycker. “Many of them ended up publishing stories for Flemish and international publications, and some still work together. It was the start of a network.” For De Bruycker, the Caravan’s Journal is a culmination of his passions. Even in high school, he would organise festivals and events. “But I was looking for something more serious,” he explains. “I studied journalism,

We’re living in turbulent times and only one thing is certain – stories will keep coming Next week, the Caravan’s Journal moves to the Impact Hub, a creative centre for young professionals, where the participants will get to work on their own stories and learn from the people behind media sites Vice Greece and Athens Live. The decision to come to Greece was made at the beginning of this year, when the refugee crisis was already in full swing. “At the same time, the country is struggling with the economic crisis,” says Goethals. “The dual crisis confronts our participants with situations that make headlines across the world. It also forces them to think about how to report their experiences with a dose of empathy. We want them to engage in the different situations and to be closer to people.” The participants are aged between 20 and 35, and are journalism students or young professionals hoping to launch a career in the media. Goethals calls them story-

but didn’t find what I was looking for.” After an internship with the international photo agency Noor and a trip abroad, the idea took hold to combine his love for travel and storytelling with the desire to set up collaborations and educate others. Like Goethals and De Bruycker, the participants say they strongly believe in the value of journalism and storytelling. How do they feel about the future of the industry? “Content is crucial, and will remain so,” says De Bruycker. “Stories are as old as mankind. We’re living in turbulent times and only one thing is certain – stories will keep on coming. It’s up to us to go after them and tell them to others. How we will do this changes at a moment’s notice.” El Bouchtili shares this optimistic outlook, but doesn’t feel his education has prepared him well enough for the demands ahead. “All too often I have the feeling

Kasper Goethals and Johannes De Bruycker (pictured, top), from Ghent, felt dissatisfied with the state of journalism and decided to do things differently

that we are only taught to function in the setting of an editorial office,” he says. “Here we get a taste of how to work on the outside. Kasper and Johannes really push for creative ways of working together, to safeguard durable and independent journalism.” Bernd Fink, another participant, expresses a similar sentiment. “Here we learn to work together and to evaluate each other,” he says. “We learn not only how to make a story, but also how to pitch it.”

As a student, he adds, he found himself craving a more international perspective and independent work. “The Caravan’s Journal gives us the tools to get to know a country in depth in a very short period of time. I also like the idea of a caravan – it might stop somewhere temporarily, but it always goes back on the road. I believe the future of journalism will be less static than it is today, something that this project embraces fully.” There will be more editions like

those in Greece and Myanmar, De Bruycker says. “Events like this transform individuals into a network of shared experiences. In that way, the Caravan’s Journal can grow into a platform for journalistic collaboration.” He hopes the Caravan will eventually become an international collective that travels to the most important places in the world, chasing stories and sharing them with a wider audience. “I strongly believe this is a way to keep journalism alive.”

\ BUSINESS

week in business Advertising Famous The advertising agency has been acquired by the British agency Grey for an undisclosed price, the two companies have announced. Grey already has an office in Brussels, while Famous, whose clients include Jupiler, NMBS and De Lijn, is based in Groot-Bijgaarden, Flemish Brabant.

Airports Ostend Ostend airport carried a record 253,036 passengers in the first half of the year, more than twice as many as the same period last year, mainly as a result of the shift of flights to regional airports after the March bomb attack at Brussels Airport. Cargo flights also increased, by 27.6%.

Media Radio VIER Media minister Sven Gatz has rejected an application by SBS Belgium to launch a new radio station, Radio VIER. Gatz said the new station would have a negative effect on competition with VRT and Medialaan stations.

Mobility Scooty The Brussels-based company is to begin a new system of sharing of electric motor scooters in Brussels in the autumn. Scooty plans test stations around Central Station, Louizalaan and the European quarter. A scooter costs €3.50 for the first 15 minutes and 20c a minute thereafter.

Retail Colruyt The Halle-based supermarket chain is to sell off its French subsidiary Pro à Pro, which delivers fresh and dry food to the professional food sector, to the cash-and-carry chain Metro. The deal has to be approved by the regulatory authorities.

Retail Delhaize Future merger partners Delhaize and Ahold are to sell off a total of 86 supermarkets in the United States, a condition imposed by the American competition authorities to allow the merger to go ahead. The merger is expected to be complete by the end of the month.

Antwerp signs deal with Iran’s biggest container port Antwerp and Bandar Abbas sign co-operation agreement Alan Hope Follow Alan on Twitter \ @AlanHopeFT

ntwerp Port Authority has signed a co-operation agreement with the port of Bandar Abbas in Iran. The agreement was signed in the headquarters of the Ports and Maritime Organisation in Tehran. Bandar Abbas handles 90% of all in- and outgoing containers in Iran, about half of the total 200 million tonnes passing through the country’s 11 ports. As well as containers, the port also handles crude oil, liquid bulk cargo and dry bulk including grain. The agreement lasts for five years and can be renewed. “Today we are repairing our economic ties with Iran, a country with a great deal of growth potential and a gateway to neighbouring coun-

tries,” outgoing Antwerp CEO Eddy Bruyninckx said at the signing. “Antwerp is in a perfect posi-

tion to support the further growth of this country.” Antwerp was the leading destination for Iranian cargo until 2010. In March this year, the first container ship for some time from the Iranian shipper IRISL entered Antwerp, and arrivals of various kinds of freight are expected to increase in the months to come. The agreement allows for companies in the two ports to work together more closely in an effort to stimulate traffic. The co-operation includes the exchange of information on statistics and harbour development plans. Antwerp training school APEC will also provide customised training for Iranian port staff.

Skype fined €223,000 by local telecoms regulator

Employment agency aims to help asylum-seekers find work

Internet telephone service Skype has been fined €223,454 by the Belgian telecommunications regulator BIPT for failing to comply with Belgium’s telecoms law. The dispute dates back to 2011 and concerns the SkypeOut service, which allows calls over the internet to anyone with a fixed line or mobile phone. Before the introduction of the service by Skype – which is now owned by Microsoft – calls over the internet could only be made to Skype phones. SkypeOut requires the user to buy call credit, but calls are charged at local rates. The person being called is not required to be a Skype subscriber, and there is no way of telling the call is coming over Skype. According to the BIPT, Skype should have registered the SkypeOut service as required by the telecoms law. Not doing so, the regulator said, “constitutes a serious offence which could damage

The Flemish employment and training agency VDAB has begun a project to help asylum-seekers in reception centres in Flanders to find work. The project could lead to jobs for 10,000 people. The project comes from a declaration of intent agreed by Flemish labour minister Philippe Muyters and federal asylum minister Theo Francken to allow VDAB to work with Fedasil, the federal agency for asylum. Work, like language, is seen as a crucial factor in allowing an asylum-seeker or refugee to integrate into a new society. Only 3.6% of asylum-seekers currently under the care of Fedasil have a job, Francken said, a level he described as “terribly low”. VDAB has taken on 35 new staff for the project, and in the last few months has organised courses to help them deal with people who may still be recovering from traumatic

the interests of users and competitors”. Skype argued that it is not providing a telecommunications service. SkypeOut, the company said, only connects the caller to a telecoms gateway, which then transfers the call to the telecommunications network. As such, it is not obliged to register with the BIPT. Skype has one month to bring itself into line with the BIPT’s ruling, and has 60 days to appeal the decision in the court of appeal in Brussels. In the meantime, Skype said it would “continue to be available to users in Belgium”. \ AH

New opening hours for post offices as customers stay away Post offices across the country will adopt new opening hours from September, as a result of falling customer numbers, according to Alexander De Croo, minister for the post. In the last five years, the number of people using post offices has dropped by 25%, while online users have increased by 9.2% over the same period. “Customers used to have to rely only on post offices,” De Croo said in a parliamentary answer. “Now they have a range of possibilities.” The new hours affect 179 post offices from 5 September, 119 of them in Flanders. Included in the changes is a new half-day clos-

ing one day a week. In Brussels, however, three post offices will see their opening hours extended. “The level of service will be maintained everywhere,” De Croo said. \ AH

experiences. The VDAB will determine the best way to help each applicant. “That might be through training or stages, or in some cases interview coaching and then straight on to applying for vacancies,” Muyters said. There will also be tuition in language on the work-floor. “Practical experience in the workplace not only provides for better and more efficient employees, it also ensures that asylum-seekers can feel more at home in the local community,” he said. \ AH

Banks lend record amounts to business, household credit rises Belgian banks are lending record amounts to businesses, according to figures from the industry federation, Febelfin. At the end of May, the outstanding credit to industry stood at a record €120 billion. That figure is €6 billion higher than the same time the previous year, and €4.5 billion higher than at the end of December 2015. From the end of April to the end of May, businesses took out loans worth €1 billion. Low interest rates played a major role, Febelfin explains. Businesses are now more interested than ever in longer-term loans, of between one and five years. “Companies that can present a solid credit file have every chance of seeing their application for credit approved,” said Febelfin director Michel

Vermaerke (pictured). “The rate of acceptance is around 83%, which puts Belgium ahead of the field. Another major factor is that Belgian banks are sitting on enormous reserves of cash thanks to traditional Belgian saving habits.” Household credit is also on the rise. At the end of May, the amount outstanding stood at just under €203 billion, an increase of €2.8 billion in the first five months of the year. \ AH

\ INNOVATION

JULY 20, 2016

What’s that smell?

week in innovation

Leuven researchers develop electronic super-nose that detects lethal gases Andy Furniere More articles by Andy \ flanderstoday.eu

A PhD student and a team of researchers at the University of Leuven have developed a sensor that is capable of detecting concentrations of gases imperceptible even to dogs.

sing a new kind of chemical material, the researchers at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) have developed an electronic nose capable of detecting low concentrations of gases imperceptible even to dogs. The breakthrough may lead to tests that uncover signs of diseases like lung cancer in our breath. The most familiar kind of electronic nose is the breathalyser, used by police to measure the amount of alcohol in a driver’s blood. “But alcohol is easy to detect, because the chemical reaction is very specific and the concentration of the measured gas is fairly high,” says Ivo Stassen, a PhD student who worked on the electronic nose under the guidance of professor Rob Ameloot. The researchers at the KU Leuven Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis have now developed a more sensitive tool, with which they can detect gases that consist of much more complex mixtures of molecules, in very low concentrations. They specifically tested their invention on phosphonates, chemical compounds found in pesticides and nerve agents. The concentrations they were dealing with were extremely low, comparable to a drop of water in an Olympic-size swimming pool.

We have created a model in the lab that now needs to be miniaturised into an actual prototype The technology is the most sensitive gas sensor for these substances. It could be used to detect traces of chemical weapons such as sarin gas, which has been used during the conflict in Syria, or to identify pesticide residue on food. “We could, for example, monitor the use of pesticides in the agriculture sector,” says Stassen. But the potential applications are much wider. The technology could lead to a tool that detects signs of lung cancer or multiple sclerosis in a

BIW.KULEUVEN.BE

person’s breath, or identify food spoilage or corked wines. Central to this new development is the use of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs): chemical materials consisting of a nanoporous framework of organic molecules and metal ions. Inside this framework are minuscule pores that can absorb substantial quantities of gas. MOFs can be thought of as microscopic sponges that soak up the gases. A big advantage is also that their absorption capacity can be modified with relative ease. “They were developed around 2000, but the research has mostly focused on possible chemical applications, such as gas storage,” says Stassen. The materials can prove helpful in the storage of natural gas in car tanks, but the researchers have also achieved promising results in the use of MOFs as catalysts or accelerants in chemical reactions. Until now, MOFs were used on a limited basis because they could only be obtained as a chemical powder. During his research, Stassen managed to create them in the shape of a thin film. The film can be applied over the surface of an electric circuit, making it possible to develop a tool equipped with gas sensors. In the future, this could lead to smartphone sensors capable of detecting harmful gases. Nanotechnology firm imec, based in Leuven, was a crucial partner throughout the research. Stassen’s team also received assistance from Ghent University and the Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel in Germany. The project was sponsored by the Flemish Fund for Scientific Research. Although Stassen has finished his PhD, the research project is far from over. As a postdoctoral

heated. This information is then used to charge beyond the peak-load hours. In both cases, the consumer pays for energy at periods that are cheaper.

The Royal Limburg Pharmacists’ Union (KLAV) and Hasselt University have set up TakingCare, a trial project to track down people who have diabetes without realising it. According to the Diabetes League, one in three diabetics in Belgium are unaware of their condition. The trial was carried out over the course of three weeks in 10 pharmacies in Houthalen-Helchteren, in Limburg. People with a high risk profile were advised to consult their doctor and to monitor their blood sugar. KLAV estimates that with a screening of the entire population, HouthalenHelchteren could save €3.45 million by 2038. The project will be carried out across the whole province by the end of the year.

Funds doubles for rare disease research

© Isabelle Rozenbaum/Belga researcher, he is now looking for EU subsidies and companies to invest in him. KU Leuven is also assembling a group of researchers to focus on chemical sensors. “We have created a model in the lab that now needs to be miniaturised into an actual prototype,” says Stassen. “We are examining market needs, to see what kind of applications we should focus on.” The KU Leuven project has already attracted the interest of companies in the electronics sector, and the defence and food packaging industries. Imec will also be involved in any further developments. “Once we have determined the best option, we can have a prototype in about six months,” says Stassen. “In five years, our work may lead to an electronic device that is ready for the market.”

Smart Flemish cleantech ideas head to European final Three Flemish cleantech business initiatives have been chosen to participate in the European final of the ClimateLaunchpad, which challenges entrepreneurs all over Europe to come up with ideas for climate-friendly products or services. First and second place in the Belgian final went to two ideas from researchers at EnergyVille, the energy research park in Genk. SmartUp my Water and FlexiCity are developing technology for storing electrical energy from wind and sun in household appliances and making them work smarter. FlexiCity will make refrigerators cool more intensely at times when there is an energy surplus on the electricity market. The technology of SmartUp my Water (pictured) equips boilers with heat sensors, so the electrical system knows when you are heating and how much can still be

Diabetes tests cut medical costs

CLIMATELAUNCHPAD.ORG

Faro, from Leuven, came up with a plan for dealing with waste in emerging cities in Africa. Today, 2 billion people worldwide do not have access to waste collection, which has a very negative impact on the immediate environment. Faro offers a low-tech solution for processing plastic waste into new, marketable products for the local community. It removes waste from landfill or incineration plants, having a direct impact on the soil and air quality. The local final was held in Antwerp last week, with the European final taking place in Tallinn, Estonia, in October. The Belgian event was supported by Vito, Deloitte, Flanders DC, GreenVille, iCleantech Flanders, EnergyVille, Limburg Startup, Start it @ KBC andStartUps.be.

Flemish innovation minister Philippe Muyters has doubled the annual subsidies available for research and treatment concerning rare diseases. The €13.8 million funding will be available for a programme known as applied biomedical research with primary social finality. The Flemish Fund for Scientific Research has already selected 18 projects from consortia of research centres, which will receive funding via the programme. One supported project, from Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), will examine how the detection of DNA damage in sperm influences a patient’s chance of conception.

Local engineers to build ESA launch site Engineering company Engie Axima Belgium has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) as part of a consortium to build the launch complex for Ariane 6 – a next-generation carrier rocket scheduled to enter service in 2020. Engie Axima is part of the ECLAIR6 group, which will carry out the complete construction of the launch site in Kourou in French Guyana. The company, with branches in Aartselaar, Wevelgem, Antwerp, Brussels and Wallonia, is the first Belgian enterprise selected to work on the Ariane 6 project. It will be responsible for the cooling systems and installing heating, ventilation and air-conditioning in the buildings. In addition to the launch site, the partners will also build the adjoining assembly building and a mobile service crane. \ AF

\ Andy Furniere

\ EDUCATION

JULY 20, 2016

Lessons in life

week in education

Women’s advocate, midwife, refugee: meet Ghent’s student of the year

Flemish education minister Hilde Crevits has announced a budget of €150 million over the next three years to provide more than 13,000 new school places in Flanders and Brussels. The money will go to 126 projects in 15 municipalities where the shortage of places is most acute, as a result of population growth. Primary schools make up the bulk of the new places – 11,213 in all. Antwerp schools get 3,798 of those, followed by 1,511 in Brussels and 905 in SintNiklaas. Antwerp also leads in new places for secondary school students. Antwerp, Brussels and Sint-Niklaas also lead on the number of projects approved for financing, which are mainly new construction or rebuilding, Crevits said.

Andy Furniere More articles by Andy \ flanderstoday.eu

hent’s new Student of the Year has done more than just achieve good grades: 44-year-old Arzoo Bahramand had to flee her native Afghanistan after an attempt on her life, and now raises awareness among young Flemings about the reality behind the movement of refugees. Earlier this summer, the City of Ghent elected its Student of the Year for the 13th time, a student at a Ghent university or university college who not only excels in their studies but also makes extra efforts to improve their education institution and Ghent’s society in general. Bahramand, who gained her Bachelor’s degree in midwifery at Artevelde University College, was praised for her resilience in the face of exceptional adversity. Before fleeing to Belgium, Bahramand was working as an assistant gynaecologist at a hospital in Afghanistan and strove to familiarise other medical workers with contraception. “The mortality rate among mothers is high in Afghanistan because there is too little time between pregnancies,” she explains. “I felt it was important to help women by training doctors and nurses about the advantages of condoms and the pill and so on, which can also improve women’s social position.” Between 2006 and 2010, she worked without any trouble for the Afghan Family Guidance Association. But then she started to receive disturbing phone calls. “Unknown people called me and ordered me to stop my work on raising awareness about contraception, because it goes against Islam,” she says. “But I know very well, and I have showed many other doctors, that birth control is considered natural in the Koran.” Bahramand didn’t let herself be scared off, until she had what she thought was a car accident. “I was driving in my small rickshaw when a bigger car came out of nowhere and drove me off the road,” she says. She came out with only minor injuries, but the biggest shock was still to come. “Somebody called me to say that this time I had been lucky, but the next time they would kill me for sure.” To this day, she doesn’t know who threatened her, but she suspects it was an Islamic fundamentalist political movement like the Taliban. The police couldn’t help, so she and her husband

€150 million for new school places

Arzoo Bahramand fled Afghanistan in fear of her life six years ago and is now about to qualify as a midwife in Ghent

decided they had to seek safety abroad. Smugglers brought her and her four children, one of them just five months old, to Brussels in June 2010. She stood in unknown streets, knowing only that she had to find the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons. There were ups and downs, but Bahramand got her life in Flanders on track. She was granted refugee status, was given residence in an asylum centre in Ghent and started to learn Dutch. In 2011, her husband, Homayan, joined her. Though he is trained as a doctor, he decided to work in a night shop, giving his wife the chance to study again. As her diploma from Afghanistan wasn’t accepted here, she had to study again for three years to get her degree. “Those first weeks at university college, I almost gave up because of the language barrier, but my fellow students helped me persevere,” she says. The school also provided her with extra support by giving her more time to do her exams and being flexible about her participation in practical lessons. Gradually, she became more self-confident, and during her internships her experience benefited her fellow students. “I told them not to panic in

the first days in the hospitals, as I know you quickly get used to the challenges there,” she says. Bahramand herself had to get used to the kind of medical tools used in Flemish hospitals, which are often different to those in Afghanistan, as well as the different needs of patients here. “Flemish patients tend to be more highly educated, so they often demand more explanation than those in Afghanistan do,” she explains. She now just has one more internship to do, in August, before she can become a midwife. Her plan is then to search for a job, preferably in a hospital in Ghent. “My dream is still to become a gynaecologist, the profession I was working towards in Afghanistan, but that is perhaps something for the future,” she says. She also wants to tell her story to pupils in Flemish secondary schools, to enlighten them about why people migrate. “Many youngsters are afraid and have negative feelings about immigrants because of the refugee crisis and the terrorist attacks,” says Bahramand. “I want them to know that there are terrorist attacks against Muslims on a daily basis in Afghanistan, and convince them of the need for respect and tolerance.”

Q&A

classroom and found that the workbooks students write in were expensive and can only be used once, so we’ve decided to do away with those. For excursions, we have bought bicycles and planned trips closer to home. Another thing was equipment like sets of knives for trainee chefs. These students don’t even know at the age of 12 if they will finish the course, so we will allow them to rent these.

What are the most expensive components of school bills? We looked at everything in the

How have students and parents reacted? We carried out a pilot project in

A professor at the University of Leuven has raised concerns about the increasing amount of time students are working outside their studies, following new legislation that raises the time students can spend working in a job. In an op-ed for De Standaard, Yves Stevens, head lecturer at the Institute for Social Law, pointed out that there is a problem with the funding of higher education if students have to work to pay for their tuition. However, he believes the majority of students work for extra money, not just to pay for their studies. Stevens believes they should only be allowed to work if it’s certain their academic work won’t suffer as a result.

More student rooms as prices stabilise

In September, Antwerp is to roll out a maximum bill for children studying in provincial schools. Inga Verhaert, deputy for education for the province, explains why it’s crucial to cut these bills, particularly for technical and professional students. What prompted the province to take this initiative? Two things, really. First of all, the number of unpaid bills posed a problem that was growing every year. More and more families are struggling to make ends meet. It takes a lot of effort to track parents and it’s stigmatising for the kids. Secondly, the labour market is clamouring for people with technical training but they often need a lot of equipment.

Studying must come before work, Leuven professor says

instalments or in two halves over the school year. The number of unpaid bills for this one school in one year has fallen by 10-15%.

one school where they reacted very favourably. We gave them an opportunity to pay in monthly

What are your hopes for the future of the scheme? I think other provincial schools across Flanders are keen to take up the scheme. We expect that each school in our province will save one full-time administrator who can be put to use elsewhere. The most important thing is that if we all mean it when we say we need technically trained people, and that technical and professional schools give a good education, then shouldn’t we make it easy and simple to get this education?

The prices of student rooms in Flanders are stabilising, because many more rooms have been made available in recent years. The average price is €305 a month. Last academic year, there were still about 1,200 rooms available for rent in Leuven at the end of the rental season, which is more than the 1.5% of empty rooms required for a healthy market. In Antwerp, where a room costs on average €335 a month, there is no change in prices because of a surplus. In Ghent and Brussels, prices have gone up slightly. In Hasselt, the price has increased by €5.

\ Interview by Emma Portier Davis

\ LIVING

week in activities Royal Open House Once a year, the royal family open the door to their Brussels residence, and the public can wander through the public areas of the palace. As usual, there will be exhibits focused on science and culture, with a special exhibition, Maps and Cartography Through the Ages. 22 July-4 September 10.30-15.45 (closed Mondays), Koninklijk Paleis, Paleizenplein, Brussels; free \ monarchie.be

The Pikkeling An international folkloric harvest festival, this annual week-long event in the villages around Aalst features performances by dance groups from Argentina, Bangladesh, Serbia and Scotland, as well as tractor pulls, parades, children’s activities and more. The opening festivities include a flower carpet and party in MoorselDorp. 27 July-3 August, various locations (East Flanders); free \ de-pikkeling.be

Tour the port Throughout the year, the Port of Antwerp offers free bus tours geared at children aged six to 12 and their families. Learn all about the kinds of cargo, and about the ships and shipping containers (in Dutch). Reservations required via the website. Wednesdays & Saturdays 14.00-16.00, MAS Havenpaviljoen, Hanzestedenplaats 19, Antwerp; free \ portofantwerp.com

Medieval weekend Travel back in time at a reconstructed 15th-century fishing village on the coast. Hundreds of costumed re-enactors bring the middle ages to life with sword-fighting, archery, arts and crafts demonstrations and more. 23 July 10.3018.00 and 24 July 10.30-17.00, Raversyde Provincial Park, Nieuwpoortsesteenweg 636, Ostend; €6 \ raversyde.be

Re-opening of BELvue Following renovations, the museum dedicated to the history of Belgium and the royal family will re-open on 21 July. A weekend of special activities, including guided tours of the new permanent exhibition (in Dutch, French, German and English) and free fries! Reservations required for tours via the website. 21-24 July 10.00-18.00, BELvue Museum, Paleizenplein 7, Brussels; free \ belvue.be

Sunshine and sawdust

Eco-friendly camping gets a whole new meaning in Antwerp Débora Votquenne More articles by Débora \ flanderstoday.eu

t feels like the first real day of summer in Antwerp, with the thermometer reaching 26 degrees. The people around are moving slowly, that speed you recognise from your holidays in a southern country, when your only mission is to stay close to the pool and sip cool drinks. One person stands out in the crowd. Thierry Lavender is running back and forth to make sure everything is ready for the grand opening of Kamping Kontiki – possibly the smallest, probably the most eccentric campsite in Antwerp. While he’s on the phone arranging a thousand things for the launch that evening, I sit down at Café Le Tour. This small bar, which also belongs to Lavender and is close to the campsite, is on the site of the old Noordkasteel recreational resort. This is the point where the city stops and the port of Antwerp begins. The bike path along the water offers a great view over the city and the Port House, the impressive boot-shaped building that’s due to open by the end of the year. This is the fourth time Café Le Tour has operated. But the place isn’t crowded, and it has the feel of a well-kept secret that only the chosen few know about. Order your pastis, lie down on the dyke, jump in the lake, or just sit by the television and watch the Tour de France. Everything here is made of recycled material, and the services are basic. There’s no running water, for example, but it’s just a matter of fetching some from the nearby fritkot a couple of times a day. When it’s time to watch the cycling, it appears the antenna is broken; another thing for Lavender to sort out. After a few moments of twisting and turning and pointing the cable in the right direction, a sigh of relief goes up. It works! People find seats in front of the TV and the afternoon at Café Le Tour begins. Meanwhile, Lavender points to the little boat in front of the cafe. “This one doesn’t work, but soon we will have another boat to take us from here to the other side of the lake,” he says. For now, we resort to walking. As we pass the Antwerp Maritime Academy and enter the

forest, the sounds fade away. Birds are basically all you can hear here. We climb the dusty road and reach the campsite, where the atmosphere changes. People are rushing to get everything ready for the evening’s launch party. Someone’s painting white dots on the toilets, which do away with running water in favour of sawdust. Next to the portable pizza oven are the showers. You won’t find running water here either. “If you pull the string on the water container, you risk pouring hot water over yourself,” says Lavender.

“Well, that’s if the sun has heated it up.” The campsite has room for 15 tents. There’s also a tipi for rent that can host up to 11 people, but the most impressive element of the campsite is the wooden construction in the middle. It’s called the space cabin, and it’s definitely the place to be for eco-friendly campers looking for an out-of-the-ordinary holiday in Antwerp.

Until 15 September Noordkasteel, Antwerp

BITE Join a communal outdoor barbecue, or go it alone Summer is the time for barbecue, even if it seems the sun shines only a few days a year. If there’s one thing better than getting out the grill and starting up the blaze, it’s letting someone else do it for you. Across Flanders, local groups are organising barbecue parties. Members of S-Plus, the organisation for over-50s, are having a barbecue in Landen on 23 July, with meat and fish, plus indoor seating. On the same day, there’s a barbecue by LGBT group Hallelesbienne. The €15 entry covers everything but meat and fish, which you bring yourself, and drinks. It takes place in Huizingen, Flemish Brabant, but for the exact location and to make a reservation, call Anne on 0496 14 40 11. \ tinyurl.com/s-plus-bbq \ hallelesbienne.be

The Schriek rural society in Antwerp province is organising its annual farmhouse barbecue on 24 July in Sint-Janshoeve on Bredestraat. Five euros for a piece of meat, and the trimmings all come included. No need to make a reservation. \ lgschriek.be

\ 10

KAMPINGKONTIKI.NET

Beer and barbecue pairing is on the menu in Kalmthout, Antwerp province, on 27 July at the Govio youth centre. No beer for the under-16s, obviously. \ tinyurl.com/govio-bbq

Finally, the three-day Zulzeekse Feesten in Zulzeke, East Flanders, culminates on 31 July in a barbecue at noon, followed by Highland games, a ball and a performance by the new K3. \ zulzeeksefeesten.be

If you do insist on doing it yourself, we asked a few professionals for tips. What do people most often

get wrong? Rob Mitchell, representative for Big Green Egg, the Rolls Royce of barbecue cookers, reckons the biggest mistake people make is buying pre-marinated meat from the supermarket. “Go to a good butcher and ask his advice. He’ll know what’s best, and if you need a marinade, make your own,” he says. “That makes a difference on even the cheapest barbecue.” What’s the best type of meat to cook on the barbecue? Former chef Hilaire Spreuwers reckons proper pork belly. “Pre-cook it just a little bit and then throw it on the barbecue in one piece, that’s just the best. When you cut it at the table, people will spontaneously cheer,” says the member of Flanders Food Faculty, a network of professionals that promotes Flemish gastronomy. And the big question: what’s the best Belgian beer to go with grilled meat? Beer sommelier Luc De Raedemaeker: “It depends on the meat. But in general beers with roasted malt like stout and strong dark beers, or hoppy beers with power like double IPA or hoppy tripels.” Some names to look for: Rulles brune, Buffalo Stout, Jambes des Bois, Chouffe Houblon. \ AH

JULY 20, 2016

Hidden treasures

Tongeren’s newest museum brings religious artefacts to light Toon Lambrechts More articles by Toon \ flanderstoday.eu

TESEUM.BE

Teseum showcases the extraordinary richness of the religious objects amassed by the monks who used to live on the grounds of the Basilica of Our Lady.

or centuries, the Basilica of Our Lady has dominated the lush landscape of Haspengouw, in southern Limburg. Visible from every direction, it was the first sight offered to travellers approaching the city of Tongeren. Adjacent to the gothic church lies the former chapter house, where the monks used to meet and where Teseum, Tongeren’s newest museum, has found its home. The monks were responsible for running all aspects of the church. Over the centuries, they amassed a treasure trove of religious objects of significant value. Some were used in religious ceremonies, like the chalices and censers, or the chasubles worn by the priests. Others were reliquaries and paintings. “The Basilica of Our Lady has one of the largest collections of religious artefacts, the oldest of which date back to the 6th century,” explains Stefanie Sfingopoulos, the city’s heritage and tourism consultant. “Tongeren has taken ownership of the church treasure and has decided to open it to the public as a museum.” For years, the church treasure was hidden away in old display cases in one of the rooms. “Thanks to the much larger exhibition space, a lot of these items can be seen for the first time,” says Sfingopoulos. “But it is about

A lot of these items can be seen for the first time here more than just the artefacts. The museum reveals their origins, how they were used in the church’s daily practices and why.” The museum, she says, tells the story of the monks and the objects they cared for. “Part of the collection is made up of music manu-

Some of the artefacts, which include chalices, reliquaries and paintings, date back to the 6th century

scripts, because the monks were responsible for church music. They include Gregorian chants and polyphonic music. To add an extra dimension to the museum, we asked a choir to perform them, so visitors can actually listen to them.” From a religious perspective, the most important part of the collection is the bodily remains of the saints and the objects they were in contact with. Possession of relics was proof of the church’s long history and its power and prestige. The holy objects were venerated by the people, so the most important relics occasionally left the church to be displayed to the public, for example during the Heiligdomsvaart ceremony held once every seven years. The largest part of the collection is stored

on the upper floor, under an impressive roof supported by thick wooden beams. The adjacent Romanesque cloister has also been opened to the public. With the monastery’s garden, it is a unique site in the region and an oasis of calm for the city. But, Sfingopoulos says, there is still more to come. The museum’s organisers now plan to open up the basilica’s basement. “There is an entire network of cellars under the church with significant archaeological value,” says Sfingopoulos. “It contains the remains of Roman structures, giving us an insight into 2000 years of history.” For the moment, exploratory research is being carried out and the museum hopes to open the underground site to the public by 2018. “It’s something we are really looking forward to,” says Sfingopoulos. © Stefan Matthijssens

50 weekends in Flanders: Get wet at the beach 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. The 67-kilometre coastline is lined with broad sandy beaches where you can go swimming, yachting or surfing. The liveliest places for plunging into the waves are at Nieuwpoort, Blankenberge and De Panne. \ kust.be

Go sand-yachting at DE PANNE When the wind is right, you can steer a sand yacht along a 30-kilometre stretch of beach from De Panne to Dunkirk. The sport was brought to De Panne in 1898 by the local Dumont brothers using sleek land yachts

TINYURL.COM/50WEEKENDS

that could reach speeds of over 100 kilometres an hour. Lessons are now organised by the Royal Sand Yacht School.

looking for something wild to do at the sea. He runs a small company called WaveFun in Blankenberge harbour where he organises jet-ski excursions out to sea. He also takes groups on tours of the Uitkerkse polders on sturdy Finnish kick-bikes.

\ rsyc.be

Ride the waves at NIEUWPOORT Once you’ve got the hang of it, you can ride out into the North Sea on a bouncy rubber speed boat (pictured). The one-hour wavekarting ride takes you and your partner along the coast off Nieuwpoort beach. The organisers will even lay on champagne once you’re safely back on dry land. \ wavekarting.com

Hit the surf at ZEEBRUGGE You can find several surf clubs along the windswept coast where hardy surfers squeeze into wetsuits to ride the waves. The Icarus

\ wavefun.be

surf school is a cool club based in a wooden cabin perched in the dunes above Zeebrugge beach. You can also sign up here for lessons in kite surfing and stand-up paddling. \ icarussurfclub.be

Ride a jet-ski at BLANKENBERGE Bart Lux is the person to contact if you’re

Go kite surfing at NIEUWPOORT Pull on a wetsuit, grab hold of a big curved kite and head off on a surfboard into the waves. The kite surf school near Nieuwpoort provides a range of courses from one-day sessions to week-long camps. It looks terrifying, but instructors insist that it’s perfectly safe once you’ve learned the technique. \ Derek Blyth

\ kitesurfschool.be

\ 11

Best of Belgium Plus expat Directory 2016

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What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done in Flanders? If you can’t think of anything at all, you’d better check out our new e-book

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ctoRY

\ ARTS

JULY 20, 2016

Two worlds as one

week in arts & CULTURE Klara network manager takes charge of culture at VRT

Exhibition at Bozar bridges striking visions of post-war Europe Christophe Verbiest More articles by Christophe \ flanderstoday.eu

BOZAR.BE

The curators of a new exhibition at Bozar have showcased three decades’ worth of art from both sides of the Iron Curtain.

aving traversed 12 exhibition rooms, I find myself in front of “Bather (Cain)”. The oil painting by the German Harald Metzkes depicts Adam and Eve’s first son who murdered his younger brother out of envy and wrath. Metzkes drew inspiration from the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. This powerful image concludes Facing the Future: Art in Europe 1945-68, an exhibition that left me with mixed feelings. Sure, there is some great art on display – including the works of Lucio Fontana, Yves Klein and Otto Muehl – but the whole feels more like a meticulously constructed academic exercise. The exhibition comprises some 160 works – most of them paintings – by 150 artists. It’s divided into six chronological sections, some with an artistic link, others philosophical. When Bozar’s director, Paul Dujardin, says it was a hell of a job to collect all the pieces, you take his word for it, but Facing the Future nevertheless lacks some crucial names. Though the aim was not to showcase the best of the best, and the overarching narrative is more important than the individuals presented, I was left with the question of how it could be possible to present post-war European art without the likes of Francis Bacon, Pierre Soulage, Barbara Hepworth or David Hockney. That’s not to say the exhibition lacks bite. On the contrary, its power lies in the fact that it’s not limited to Western Europe but showcases many visual artists from behind the Iron Curtain, most of whom will be familiar only to art historians. There has already been plenty of discussion on the main differences between the art worlds of Western

Andrzej Wroblewski’s “Child with Dead Mother”, 1949

Chantal Pattyn, former network manager for classical music station Klara, has been named as the new culture manager for the Flemish public broadcaster VRT. Her job will be to draw up the broad lines of cultural policy for the entire network – TV, radio and online. “We already cover a lot of culture, but now we’re aiming for more impact,” she said. “Why else would culture be so expressly mentioned in the new management agreement? Surely because that leads to more knowledge, better understanding and in the end more participation.” The new management agreement with the government also includes a requirement for every news bulletin – as far as possible – to contain at least one cultural item.

Directors of Black make film in support of magazine

HAP Grieshaber’s “Schmerzensbild”, 1952

and Eastern Europe in the Cold War. In the West, freedom reigned, resulting in abstract expressionism, but in the East, the artists were shackled by the premises of socialist realism. The exhibition, which will later travel to Karlsruhe in Germany and Moscow, wants to erase this difference. Eckhart Gillen, one of the curators, illustrates this by comparing two prominent works, “Builders with Aloe” by Frenchman Fernand Léger and “Sketch for Peaceful Building” by the Soviet painter Alexander Deyneka. “They share the theme of construction workers,” he says. “Deyneka is a typical example of a painter glorifying the working ethos: the joyful labourers are building the country. But Léger, who was a member of the Communist party, also presents an optimistic view of the future.” It’s a common trait of European art in the 1960s, he adds, propelled by new technologies and the prospects of nuclear power. Still, other artists shared a much darker vision of the future. Gillen brings up the painter Armando, who started off as a member of the avant-garde movement Cobra. In

Facing the Future, the Dutch painter’s work is of a radically different sort. “Black Barbed Wire on Black 1-62” is a black rectangular painting with actual barbed wire wrapped around the canvas. The chilling work is undoubtedly one of the show’s highlights. “Armando grew up in the shadows of the concentration camp in Amersfoort, where he was confronted with barbed wire day in, day out,” Gillen says. The artworks illustrate the duality of post-war European art. The Second World War enveloped the world of art with the vision of doom and suffering, so strikingly illustrated by Armando and others. On the other hand, a new optimism was blossoming among artists who weren’t afraid to inject joy and fun into their work. As early as 1948, Scotsman Eduardo Paolozzi would lay the groundwork for the movement that would come to be known as Pop art, favouring a confident belief in the future by combining the elements of popular

Until 25 September

culture, like magazines and advertisements in his paper collage “Dr. Pepper”. Even in the 1960s, when the shadow of the Second World War began to fade, the dichotomy persisted. The playfulness of François Morellet’s optical art contrasts sharply with the imagery of war used by AR Penck or Ilya Kabakov. But by the second half of the decade, even the strongest optimists began to lose hope, as the prosperity and happiness envisioned by unbridled consumerism turned out to be a hopeless dream. With the Vietnam War raging, it became clear that the world post-1968 would never be the same. The exhibition ends on this iconic year. Combined with the immense book spanning nearly 500 pages of text and illustration, it’s a worthy introduction to the world of art in post-Second World War Europe. And, as a didactic exercise, it surely can’t be surpassed. Who knows, maybe one day another exhibition will pick up where this one left off.

Bozar

Ravensteinstraat 23, Brussels

The makers of the film Black, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, have made a short clip to support the film magazine Vertigo, which lost its structural subsidy in the last round of subsidies for the years 2017-2019. The magazine was accused of being “too mainstream” by the committee advising culture minister Sven Gatz. Meanwhile, a petition has been launched against the decision, with signatures from Felix Van Groeningen and Veerle Baetens (Broken Circle Breakdown), Erik Van Looy (Loft) and Koen De Bouw (Cordon).

Police warn of Pokemon Go dangers Antwerp police have warned the public of the dangers of playing Pokemon Go, the latest trend in smartphone games. Players have to “capture” Pokemon characters which show up in augmented reality on their phones in reallife locations. However, since those locations can include roundabouts, road junctions and even railway lines, police advise caution. “Always keep a lookout, including for other road users, and follow the rules of the road,” a police spokesperson said. Players in other countries have been robbed while their attention was diverted. “There have even been criminals who misuse the game to lure victims and rob them.”

\ 13

\ ARTS

Behold the man

Flemish photographer pays tribute to the human spirit Sally Tipper Follow Sally on Twitter \ @sallybtipper

MLEUVEN.BE

Photographer Lieve Blancquaert has collaborated with Leuven’s M Museum to display her work within the museum’s permanent collection, with a distinct focus on human fragility.

woman in black weeps for her lost son, lamenting in an ancient tongue. A dozen other mothers who understand her pain look on in sympathy. This unknown woman is the first exhibit in Ecce Homo, a collaboration between Leuven’s M Museum and photographer Lieve Blancquaert, an intriguing partnership in which the latter inserts new work inspired by the former into the museum’s permanent collection. It begins with a video of this veiled, almost sculpted mother, a modern-day pietà who Blancquaert encountered at a refugee camp. She talks for several minutes in Arabic about her son, who she’s not seen or heard from in two years. Statues of Mary from the museum’s collection adorn the walls, facing the screen. There is no translation of the woman’s words, but her pain is clear from her tone and body language. “Grief is universal; anyone who watches this will understand,” curator Marjan Debaene explains. “It’s not meant to be a documentary, it’s a work of art. Lieve says she speaks to the other mothers in the room.” The next gallery contains an unusual altar painting and some heavy religious vestments. Blancquaert took the garments worn during the Passion of Christ as her inspiration for a series of photographs made during a week spent at the casualty department of UZ Gent. In an emergency, doctors have to get to the injury as quickly as possible, shearing off any clothes the patient might be wearing. Blancquaert took these burnt and blood-stained clothes and put them back together. Their bright colours and banal slogans bely the underlying sense of violence and aggression; to her, these are modern-day shrouds. Everything in this collaboration is unobtrusive; there’s genuine harmony between the permanent collection and the contemporary insertions. That’s true also of the Masters room, where Blancquaert rubs shoulders with hallowed names such as Rogier Van der Weyden and Michiel Coxie. Her response to these works came from another refugee camp in Dunkirk where she met an Iraqi family. The resultant triptych – a contemporary Christmas crib, she calls it – shows mother, father and child swaddled in bright synthetic blankets, attempting to keep out the chill of a northern European winter. “The father was an English teacher in Iraq and felt shame because of the way they had to live

here,” Debaene explains. “He showed Lieve photos of his house, his garden, his friends, his old life. She went back a few weeks ago and they were gone.” On the other side of the wall hangs “Martyrdom of St Quentin” by Jan van Rillaer. It depicts a strong man who bears his suffering in silence: he shows no anguish despite the brutal torture two tormentors are inflicting on him. Alongside, we see a portrait of a young man, head back, prosthetic arm held by his side, the word “Imagine” tattooed on his chest. “Lieve wanted to capture the man’s strength and beauty,” Debaene says. “He was full of dreams and ambitions, and the fact that he lost his arm in an accident isn’t going to stop him. He takes his disability in his stride.”

At times, you almost have to look twice to see the modern work. A case in point is the portrait gallery, where a series of idealised 18th-century young women are joined by an interloper, alike in style but not in message. The subject protects her anonymity, covering her face with her long fair hair and offering the world her imperfections: a series of deep self-inflicted scars on her forearms. Blancquaert photographed her at a psychiatric centre, where the residents know that physical pain is more bearable than mental suffering. The girl’s position is defensive, almost foetal. “We still idealise our portraits,” says Blancquaert. “When we have photographs taken of our children, it’s always them at their best. But this is a girl at war with herself and the world.”

A small, dark room displays pictures of refugees, young men living in a reception centre in Antwerp who have crossed the Mediterranean by boat. On arrival they were given foil sheets to keep warm; Blancquaert has pictured each of them wrapped in their survival blanket. A murky Flemish landscape by Constant Permeke hangs at one end of the room, a stark contrast to the bright metallic blankets, and a world away from the lands these men have left behind. Opposite, a battered wooden statue of Christ has clearly suffered too, losing arms, head and identity. The statue is hardly recognisable as a piece of sculpture any more, just as these men are hardly recognisable as individual people, reduced by war to mere statistics. “We think the statue is from the 17th century, but we don’t know for sure,” says Debaene. “He must once have been very beautiful, but now he’s like a piece of driftwood, just like these refugees who wash up on Europe’s shores.” The final room contains images of sleeping children and statues of angels, one of which has lost its wings. These children are unaccompanied refugees currently being cared for in Flanders. In the background, they talk about their dreams and sing lullabies from their homeland. “It started with the angels,” says Blancquaert. “I was inspired by them, and I wanted to do something with these young refugees who arrive here all by themselves without parents. Some are only eight or nine years old.” She spent some time with Minor Ndako, an organisation that supports unaccompanied minors. About 20 children live at their centre in Dilbeek, Flemish Brabant, where Blancquaert made her soundscape. “One little boy told me: ‘I was in Turkey and it was dark. We got on the boat and my mama and papa were there, then we arrived in Greece and it was light and they were gone.’ Five minutes later he was talking about how much he likes apple sauce and wants to become a doctor.” It’s that spirit and resilience that Blancquaert has tried to capture in this series of images, taken as the children slept. “The place where you sleep should be a place of security,” she says. “It’s one of the most important places you can have. If you don’t have a place to sleep safely, you’re completely lost.”

Until 17 January M Museum

Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 28, Leuven

More visual arts this week Show us the Money A journey to the world’s offshore tax havens; ironic portraits of the filthy rich as gangsters; CCTV snapshots of the most powerful men and women in the City of London: three photography projects shine a light on the money – and the people – that make the world go round. Until 9 October, FOMU, Waalsekaai 47, Antwerp \ fotomuseum.be

Photorealism: 50 Years of Hyperrealistic Painting A celebration of the post-Pop hyperrealist painters from the 1960s and late 1980s, through their images of all-American cars, food, diners and instantly recognisable brands, portraying and criticising consumer society in a semiphotographic style. Until 25 September, Museum van Elsene, Jean Van Volsemlaan 71, Brussels \ museumvanelsene.irisnet.be

\ 14

Searching for Beauty What is beauty to you: a forgotten painting, the smell of flowers or an empty street? This interactive multimedia exhibition on what beauty means to us in Europe and around the world is part of Slovakia’s presidency of the Council of the EU. An online gallery of short animations produced by the public is featured in the exhibition. Until 18 September, Parlamentarium, Wiertzstraat 60, Brussels \ searchingforbeauty.eu

\ AGENDA

JULY 20, 2016

Going out with a bang

CONCERT

Kunstenfestival Watou Various locations, Watou (Poperinge)

Until 4 September

KUNSTENFESTIVALWATOU.BE

or almost 40 years, Kunstenfestival Watou has been combining poetry with visual arts, stressing the interaction between the two art forms. This year it’s beautifully illustrated by a poem by Stefan Hertmans, inspired by “Conversation Piece”, a harrowing set of sculptures by the late Spanish artist Juan Muñoz. You can find them in the Douviehoeve, an old farm that’s one of the 10 locations of the festival, all within walking distance of the festival centre in the heart of Watou, a district of the West Flanders town of Poperinge on the French border. The works illustrate the motto of this year’s festival: On the Strength

CONCERT

get ti

of Empathy. Other highlights are sculptures by Roeland Tweelinckx and “Casa tomada”, a fascinating installation by Colombian Rafael Gómezbarros comprised of what

PJ Harvey 19 October 20.00

ckets

now

Vorst Nationaal, Brussels vorst-nationaal.be

Dirk De Wachter Museum Until 25 September

Museum Dr Guislain, Ghent museumdrguislain.be

co-curate a special exhibition to illustrate his findings and meditate on the role of the psychiatrist as public intellectual. The museum is no stranger to such themes; it occupies a disused asylum and is dedicated to the history of psychiatry as well as its links to culture and society at large. \ GV

CONCERT Leuven Liesa Van der Aa: Flemish actor, singer and violinist fuses classical and experimental sounds with an array of electronic pedals. 23 July 20.00, M Museum Leuven, Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 28 \ baramuze.be

THEATRE Antwerp Driften: Latest production by Swedish choreographer Anna Nilsson and theatre company Petri Dish is a surreal vision of postmodern society. In the context of Zomer van Antwerpen. Until 6 August, Slachthuis, Slachthuislaan 70 \ zva.be

Ghent Gentse Feesten: 173rd edition of Flanders’ biggest street party comes to a close this weekend with loads of live music, street theatre, food, drink and family-oriented events. Until 24 July

FESTIVAL

EVENT

Irie Vibes Roots Festival

Bal National

This year the West Flemish town of Kortemark celebrates the 15th edition of its reggae and roots music festival Irie Vibes. Organised by local non-profit Greenforward, the open-air weekender promotes cultural diversity and ecological sustainability. It also boasts a solid line-up of international performers including Jamaican reggae pioneer Cedric “Congo” Myton (pictured), official Reggae Ambassador Earl Sixteen and Flemish ska ensemble Zebras Are Timeless. Festival-goers will also enjoy eating global cuisine and browsing Irie Vibes’ world-goods market. A nearby campsite is available for those who want to stay near the action all weekend. \ GV

\ sportpaleis.be

FESTIVAL

22-23 July

Netsky: Young Antwerp-based DJ continues to take over the world with a high-profile performance at Flanders’ biggest venue. 25 February 18.30, Sportpaleis, Schijnpoortweg 119

\ Christophe Verbiest

VISUAL ARTS

In his 2012 book Borderline Times, Flemish psychiatrist and academic Dirk De Wachter diagnosed modern society as pathological in its impulsiveness, narcissism and superficiality. Contemporary art in particular appears as a symptom in the study. This summer Ghent’s Museum Dr Guislain invites De Wachter to

After a half-decade hiatus, British alt-rock star PJ Harvey returns to the stage to present her ninth studio album, The Hope Six Demolition Project. The singer recently wowed Werchter with a live set of new tunes and fan favourites. The festival season was but a warmup for a month-long headline tour of Europe in the autumn. Harvey’s nine-piece backing band is worth a special mention as well: a who’s who of alternative rock luminaries, the group features members of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Gallon Drunk. Tickets for this sole Belgian date are now on sale and moving briskly. \ Georgio Valentino

seems at first sight to be hundreds of huge ants. A closer look reveals that those ants are made of reproductions of human skulls and branches.

Two days before the opening of this edition of Watou – as the festival is generally known – it learned that it had lost its Flemish cultural subsidies, worth almost €300,000. The organisers said this would mean the end of the festival, which started 36 years ago as a poetry event. Organiser Jan Moeyaerts quoted French author Albert Camus in his introductory text for this year’s festival: “If we understood the world, art would not exist.” But no more understanding will be done in Watou. It’s always a pity when a festival with a unique profile disappears; even more so when it’s in full flow. Watou goes out with a bang.

get tic

kets n ow

Antwerp

Kortemark irievibes.be

20 July 19.00 In just over a decade the free outdoor Bal National has established itself as the Belgian National Day pre-party. Every year some 15,000 revellers gather to celebrate on the Vossenplein, famous for its daily flea market and the old-time charm of the surrounding Marollen district. The event

\ gentsefeesten.be

FESTIVAL Vossenplein, Brussels balnational.be

begins with a group dance workout. Then main-stage entertainment comes in the form of singer Filip Jordens’ tribute to Jacques Brel, a DJ set by hip-hop veteran Daddy K and a closing performance of yesteryear’s pop hits by one-time Eurovision entrant Kate Ryan. \ GV

Aarschot Roots in het Park: Second edition of blues and Americana festival offers an alternative to schlager on Belgium’s National Day. 21 July 13.00, Stadspark \ hetgasthuis.be

FAMILY/KIDS Leuven Family day at Leuven Beach: Summer pop-up rolls out the red carpet for families with clown show, dance workshop, beach volleyball and live music. 21 July 9.00, Ladeuzeplein \ leuvenbeachvolley.be

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\ BACKPAGE

JULY 20, 2016

Talking Dutch

VoiceS of flanders today

Hash, moustaches and a headless body Derek Blyth More articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu

ou might be wondering if peaceful European co-operation is a thing of the past. But at least Belgium and the Netherlands can still settle a dispute without causing a global crisis. Last month, the two countries reached a friendly settlement over a disputed territory. België schenkt Nederland verloederd schiereiland – Belgium gives abandoned island to the Netherlands, reported De Morgen. And the Dutch gave something to Belgium in return. See, that’s how it’s done. It wasn’t quite as historic as the sale of Manhattan to the Dutch, but there was still a small ceremony. Grensprovincies en gemeenten uit beide landen – the provinces and municipalities on each side of the border zetten hun handtekening onder een ruil – put their signatures to an exchange van drie onbewoonde schiereilanden in de Maas – of three uninhabited peninsulas in the river Maas, even ten zuiden van Maastricht – just to the south of Maastricht. The agreement, which took five years to negotiate, brings an end to decades of uncertainty. Met de eilandenwissel herstellen de buur-

landen een fout uit 1961 – The land swap has allowed the two countries to correct a mistake made in 1961, toen de kronkelende Maas werd rechtgetrokken – when the meandering Maas was straightened maar niemand zich bekommerde om de rijksgrens – but no one bothered to change the national boundary, die de oorspronkelijke loop van de rivier bleef volgen – which continued to follow the original course of the river. Sindsdien horen drie eilanden bij het ‘verkeerde’ land – Ever since, three small islands have belonged to the wrong country. The Dutch appear initially to have come out of the agreement with a small advantage. Hierdoor gaat een natuurgebied van 14 hectare naar

Nederland – Under the arrangement a nature site of 14 hectares went to the Netherlands, en twee Nederlandse eilandjes van 4 hectare naar België – and two Dutch islands of four hectares went to Belgium. But look more closely and you can see that the former Belgian island isn’t actually such a prime piece of real estate. Wat daar plaatsvindt, is niet min – What went on there is no laughing matter: drugshandel – drug dealing, verboden visserij – prohibited fishing, illegale feesten – illegal raves en een onthoofd lijk – and a headless corpse. Oh, and there’s the annual invasion. De Antwerpse Snorrenclub komt hier al dertig jaar om land te veroveren – The Antwerp Moustache Club has been coming here for the past 30 years to occupy the island. The Snorrenclub members call it the Republic of Snoravia, from the Dutch word snor – a moustache. Dit is de eerste grenscorrectie tussen Nederland and Belgie – This is the first border shift between the Netherlands and Belgium die zonder oorlog tot stand is gekomen – that has been achieved without war, said a Dutch official. Heel memorabel – Something to remember. We can all agree with that.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

In response to: Assistance dogs learn to lend a helping paw Martin Harding: Delightful and indescribable... Unconditional love.

In response to: Brussels police given extra security resources for 21 July Ab Rais: We strongly condemn those who kill innocent people around the world.

In response to: Gentse Feesten returns for 173rd edition Steve Morrison: I want to be there!

Claïs Lemmens @Claiis Dear cyclists of Antwerp. Between 5-7pm on a workday, PLEASE don’t stop in the middle of the bike path to take a selfie.

John Mulgrew @newsmulg Amazing weather and superb day in Leuven.

Kathy Hearns @Cookiebun Random #bride and #groom just walking down the #cobblestone road in #Ghent #Belgium #beautiful #Love

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the last word Good sport

ClanDestine affairs

“All in all everything’s OK. There are worse things in life, compared to the terrible events of the last few days.”

“Is this the blackest comedy ever? Women are at the heart of this devilish Belgian drama, which is like Desperate Housewives … with many more attempted murders.”

Federal minister Kris Peeters fell off his bike and broke an elbow and two ribs

Man of many talents “I’m not saying I’m unique, but nobody in Europe is as multifaceted as I am.” Koen Crucke, who plays a hairdresser in the children’s TV series Samson & Gert, has a new CD out

The Flemish comedy drama Clan is being shown in Dutch with subtitles in the UK, under the title The OutLaws, the Guardian reports

Must have thick skin “We’re looking for a trainer with experience and results in modern international football.” Chris Van Puyvelde of the Football Union, which has parted company with Red Devils coach Marc Wilmots

HEAR YE The Gentse Feesten are officially open. Ghent’s much-anticipated 10-day party began this weekend, with a packed programme of music, street theatre, comedy and drinking. More than a million visitors are expected to join the celebrations

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