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october 19, 2016 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ read more at www.flanderstoday.eu current affairs \ P2

Politics \ P4

In the budget

The federal government approved a budget over the weekend, closing a €3 billion gap and just making the EU’s deadline \4

business \ P6

ComIC CrazIness

innovation \ P7

From Doctor Who to Lara Croft, you’ll see more than you bargained for at this weekend’s Facts comics-con in Ghent \ 10

education \ P9

art & living \ P10

do you read me?

Flanders is a guest of honour at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, a one-of-a-kind opportunity for the region’s authors and publishers \ 14

Now hiring

west flanders companies seek talent amid record low unemployment linda a thompson Follow linda on twitter \ @thompsonbXl

At 6.2%, West Flanders has the lowest unemployment figures in the country, but local companies and organisations are warning of the labour crisis lurking beneath the figures.

hen US manufacturing company Caterpillar announced it would shut its local factory last month, sending shockwaves across the country, Kortrijk mayor Vincent Van Quickenborne wasted no time directing the national spotlight to another employment crisis, one that has been quietly brewing for years. Speaking on the national broadcaster Radio 1 on the day of the Caterpillar announcement, Van Quickenborne invited

the 2,000 laid-off workers to come to West Flanders, where the jobs are bountiful. West Flanders has the lowest unemployment figures of any province in Belgium, at 6.2%; Wallonia’s Henegouwen, at 14%, has the highest. “These two provinces are next to each other,” Van Quickenborne said. “We should do everything we can to get those people to come work here.” His primetime appeal was music to the ears of the many West Flanders companies and small businesses across a variety of sectors that are struggling to find qualified workers. The long-standing labour shortage in the province stunts companies’ growth in a very real way – leading to less revenue, less turnover, less growth. Yet this quiet

jobs crisis has received only spotty attention from the local press and lawmakers. “This is seen as a luxury problem,” says Veerle De Mey from the West Flanders chapter of the chamber of commerce Voka. “But it’s not. This is a real threat. “It’s something that really frustrates us sometimes, that our problem gets much less attention,” she says, drawing a distinction with the wide outrage over the Caterpillar layoffs. “Actually our problem is just as much of a threat to the region, because if this goes on any longer there is a risk that companies will leave, and that’s just as terrible.” It’s why business associations like Voka have been beating the drum about this situation for years, and have mounted continued on page 5

\ cUrrent AFFAIrs

Solutions sought for plight of homeless children in region one in three homeless people is minor, says flanders’ children’s rights commissioner alan Hope Follow Alan on twitter \ @AlanHopeFt

he Flemish parliament is exploring solutions to homelessness among children and young people, after a report from the children’s rights commissioner revealed that one in three homeless people in Flanders is a minor. For one in three of those, the situation lasts for more than a year. According to the report, 12,958 eviction procedures were started in Flanders in 2014, with children involved in one in four cases, most of which concerned rent arrears. The team of children’s rights commissioner Bruno Vanobbergen spoke to 43 families about their situation.

Vanobbergen described homeless children as “refugees in their own land”. Homelessness leads to lack of privacy, and it often requires one or more changes of school,

High fees for breast reconstruction must end, says health minister Plastic surgeons are continuing to charge thousands of euros in supplements for breast reconstruction using a woman’s own tissue, despite an agreement with the mutualities to end the practice, according to De Standaard. Women who lose a breast because of cancer can have reconstructive surgery using their own tissue, but the process is often very expensive because surgeons charge high supplements. Three months ago, medical insurance agency Riziv, the mutualities and doctors’ syndicates agreed that doctors could no longer charge these supplementary fees. But the agreement is not being respected. “The result is that patients often postpone the surgery,” said Paul Callewaert of the Socialist Mutualities, which is threatening

meaning they must leave their friends and give up out-of-school pastimes, he said. The children become uprooted and at the mercy of the adults around them. The chair of the parliament’s committee against poverty, Lorin Parys, and Wim Wouters, adviser to Flemish minister for wellbeing and family matters Jo Vandeurzen, supported Vanobbergen’s recommendations. They include a more preventive approach when it comes to evictions of families with children, a more ambitious approach to the provision of social housing and the provision of emergency and transitional housing by local authorities.

“A house is more than just a roof over one’s head,” Parys said. “Housing is an essential part of a child’s development.” Wouters, meanwhile, argued for a “housing first” approach, where chronic homeless people are given a place to live, with conditions applied only later, giving priority to the immediate problem before moving to a more structural approach. The principle has been applied in practice elsewhere with positive results. “Every problem in this area is linked to everything else,” Parys said. “A co-ordinated approach is essential.”

Holidaymakers choose to stay close to home

court action over each supplement. Ivar Van Heijningen, a plastic surgeon from Knokke, confirmed to Radio1 that plastic surgeons refuse to sign the agreement. He says the mutualities are profiting from it while the federal government has to bear the costs. Public health minister Maggie De Block said the fees were improper and that she would take action if the agreement was not carried out by the end of the month. “I have much respect for the work of surgeons,” she said, “but for a doctor it can really not be all about the money.” She pointed out that women who undergo such surgery don’t do it as a luxury treatment but to repair their body. \ Andy Furniere

Belgians took more holidays in their own country last year than in previous years, according to the Federal Public Service for the Economy. Compared to 2014, Belgians also chose to take shorter holidays, usually consisting of one to three nights. The coast and the Ardennes were particularly popular, especially for short breaks of up to three nights. Last year, about 42% of Belgian holidaymakers opted for this type of trip, compared to 30% the year before. The proportion of Belgians deciding to take holidays in their own country stands at its highest level in five years. For vacations of four nights and more, Belgians often chose to stay here, though the rise in this category is less striking: 13.5%, compared to 11.27% in 2014. Other figures were more or less stable. As in

2014, about 60% of Belgians went on holiday in 2015. Brussels residents were the keenest vacationers (68%), ahead of those in Flanders (63%) and Wallonia (54%). The favourite destinations remained unchanged compared with previous years. For short trips, Belgium remained the most popular destination (41.7%), followed by France (21.2%) and the Netherlands (12.5%). \ Arthur Rubinstein

Human traffickers arrested as others are sentenced Police have arrested 16 members of a gang of Egyptian human traffickers, leading to checks on motorway car parks in Groot-Bijgaarden and Wetteren and house searches in Brussels. One of the men was released on bail after questioning. According to a spokesperson for the Brussels prosecutor’s office, the men were arrested at home, with house searches carried out in Schaarbeek, Sint-Joost, Brussels-

City, Laken, Anderlecht, Molenbeek, Koekelberg, Sint-Gillis and Elsene. Police then moved on to search the car parks by the side of the E40 used as staging points for human traffickers, where migrants can be hidden in lorries to make the crossing to the UK. Those searches turned up 38 of the traffickers’ victims, hoping to reach the UK. They were handed over to the Service for Foreigners

in Brussels. Meanwhile, 12 men who smuggled about 150 migrants to the UK

cost to the Flemish government of the closure of Darkom, the Flemish-Moroccan culture house in Brussels, culture minister Sven Gatz told the Flemish parliament’s culture committee

6,065

22,600 of Flemish civil servants have the possibility of teleworking, but 45% of those declined to make use of it in 2015, according to a parliamentary answer from minister for administrative affairs Liesbeth Homans

summer of 2015. The investigation began after six migrants being smuggled in a Polish refrigeration lorry made a call to police when they began to fear they would suffocate. When police arrived at the scene at the Groot-Bijgaarden motorway car park, they found that four of the migrants had the smuggler’s phone number. Further investigation led to the rest of the gang. \ AH

108,000

80% €1.4 million

between July and November last year have been given sentences of between 30 months and 10 years by a court in Brussels. They were also given fines ranging from €6,000 to €408,000. The court heard the men had recruited their victims from among the migrants who occupied the impromptu refugee camp in the Maximiliaan park near Brussels North station in the

job vacancies reported to the Flemish employment and training agency VDAB in September, 27.7% more than the same month last year. Over the year to end September, job vacancies rose by 26.4% to 215,887

tonnes of road salt in stock for the winter period, which officially runs from 17 October to 1 May. Last year saw stock at the same level at the beginning of the season, but only 9,062 tonnes were actually used

new diagnoses of colon cancer in Flanders in 2014, the latest available figures, an increase of 21% on 2013, the Cancer Register Foundation reports. The main reason is a rise in early diagnoses among people aged 56-74, who are eligible for free screening

october 19, 2016

WeeK In brIef Brussels Airport has dropped out of the top 20 of Europe’s major airports as a result of the bomb attack in March this year, according to the Airports Council International Europe. Between January and August Brussels Airport handled just over 14 million passengers, 10.7% fewer than in the same period last year. The airport drops from 16th to 22nd place. Heathrow, Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt top the list. Unions representing staff of ING bank have issued an intention to strike if communication from ING Belgium does not improve. Unions accuse the bank of giving only “vague” details of its restructuring plan, which will cost thousands of jobs and see almost half of all its branches close. “We have been asking questions, but it is very difficult to get any answers,” one representative said. Horeca Vlaanderen, the federation for the hospitality industry, has said that this year’s introduction of a new mandatory smart cash register has not led to the creation of new jobs, following a report from the office for social security that jobs in the sector increased by 2.2% in the first quarter. Horeca Vlaanderen says the introduction of the register led to workers who were previously undeclared becoming legal; though this increased the number of fulltime equivalents, it did not create new openings. The number of business failures attributed to the register meant the loss of almost 3,000 jobs, the federation said, with more to come. Flemish tourism minister Ben Weyts has announced a government contribution of €6.5 million towards a new visitor centre at Sint-Baaf ’s Cathedral in Ghent in support of the Van Eyck masterpiece “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb”, also known as the Ghent Altarpiece. The centre should be ready for 2020, he said, the same year the ongoing restoration project is set to be completed. (See related story, p14)

faCe of flanders Military intelligence – the General Service for Intelligence and Security – is to be given a broad range of new powers to allow intelligence officers operating in other countries to work more effectively. They include surveillance measures currently forbidden, such as planting cameras, hacking computers, opening mail and tapping phones, emails and internet traffic. Archbishop Jozef De Kesel, who succeeded André Léonard as primate of the Catholic church in Belgium last December, has been named as one of a new group of 17 cardinals to be created by Pope Francis in November. Before he became primate he was Bishop of Bruges, replacing the disgraced Roger Vangheluwe, who had admitted child sexual abuse of a member of his own family. Three municipalities in Limburg – Hamont-Achel, Bocholt and Kinrooi – have joined up with two in the Netherlands to create Europe’s first cross-border network against crime. It will allow the authorities to share information about criminals with each other and with the police, while growing local neighbourhood watch groups communicating via WhatsApp. The Flemish Federation of Newsagents (VFP) is to take a case to the European Court of Justice concerning the “compensations” offered to Bpost for the delivery of newspapers and periodicals. The compensationsareaformofsubsidy,theVFP argues, which distorts competition. A previous complaint by the federation to the European Commission was rejected without a thorough investigation, which the VFP claims denied it its procedural rights. Antwerp city council imposed street bans on 18 people found begging in the first half of the year in zones where the practice is forbidden, such as in the historic centre and shopping streets. The number is

offsIde sperman to the rescue Wanted: sperm donors. Brussels University Hospital has updated its website that explains how sperm donation works. Comic character Sperman takes you through all the basics. The hospital is, of course, a worldrenowned centre of fertility research and treatment. Thousands of couples have had their desire for children made real by its Centre for Reproductive Medicine. In many cases, the centre explains, fertility problems are related to sperm that is insufficient in number or in health – a problem that can be solved by the use of donated sperm. The website details the procedure:

twice as many as in the whole of last year. According to the federal migration centre Myria, growing numbers of beggars are the victims of human traffickers and are being exploited by organised crime gangs. Three officers from the Montgomery police zone in Brussels have been found guilty of using excessive force after an incident in August 2012 in which a drunken man was beaten while in handcuffs. The incident was filmed by a local resident and the court rejected a plea by the defence for the film – which had been widely seen on YouTube – to be declared inadmissible. The officers were given threemonth suspended sentences. Taxi drivers in Flanders will only be granted a licence in future on condition of having a knowledge of Dutch, mobility minister Ben Weyts told the Flemish parliament. The government is working on a new version of the regulations for taxis. Antwerp has introduced a system where taxi drivers must produce a language test certificate when obtaining or renewing a taxi licence, and the system could be rolled out over the rest of Flanders, Weyts said. A 45-year-old Schaarbeek man with four children won last week’s €168 million EuroMillions lottery jackpot. The man has not been identified but told the National Lottery that he intends to give some of the winnings to charities. The previous record win was €100 million, won by a player in the Tienen area of Flemish Brabant. Labour law expert Roger Blanpain, emeritus professor at the University of Leuven, has died at the age of 83. Blanpain became a professor of labour law in 1967 and dean of the university’s law faculty from 1984 to 1988. He had a strong voice in social debates on topics such as employee rights and a ban on smoking in the workplace.

sPermadonor.be

Men aged 44 or younger an turn up at one of the donor centres having refrained for a few days. They provide a sample, which is tested, then find out if they can proceed as a donor. Becoming a donor requires samples of semen, blood and urine and a medical examination. According to the hospital, actively campaigning for new donors isn’t allowed by law, but the website provides new and updated information. One thing that is new is a list of sperm banks to which potential donors can refer. Previously, anyone interested in being a donor had to look for the closest sperm bank himself. \AH

viviane de muynck Her face has appeared on TV and in the cinema, she’s a regular on stage, she’s played in opera and musical theatre, and last weekend Viviane De Muynck was named winner of this year’s Career Prize from the Flemish Actors’ Guild. De Muynck, who turned 70 this year, was born in Mortsel, Antwerp province, and studied drama at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels, under the idiosyncratic theatre director Jan Decorte, among others. In 1980, she joined the now defunct theatre collective Mannen van den Dam, and there followed a veritable tour of the theatre greats, with performances in plays by Alfred Jarry, Georges Feydeau, Eugene O’Neill and of course Shakespeare. In 1987, De Muynck was awarded the Theo d’Or, given by the Dutch association of theatre and concert-hall managers, for her role as Martha in Edward Albee’s heart-wrenching Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ?. A central member of Needcompany, she has also been in demand with many companies and stage directors, including Guy Cassiers, Ivo Van Hove, Dirk Roofthooft and the Wooster Group in New York. Though she has always said that the theatre is her first love, De

deacteursgilde.be

Muynck has appeared in more than 60 film and TV productions, including Robert Altman’s film Vincent & Theo, the TV adaptation of Tom Lanoye’s Het goddelijke monster (The Divine Monster) and TV series Oud België and Met man en macht (With All We Had). She played a judge in the 2013 movie Het vonnis (The Verdict), a grieving mother in 2012’s Tot altijd (Time of My Life) and a dying woman spending her last days in a luxury hotel in 2011’s Swooni. More recently, she could be seen as the mother of two troubled brothers in the award-winning film D’Ardennen and the mother of the title character in police drama Professor T. She’ll be playing another mother soon: The main character in Hilde Van Mieghem’s adaptation of Flemish author Tom Lanoye’s book Sprakeloos (Speechless), an homage to his own mother. “This is absolutely not an end-ofcareer prize, more like an inspirational prize for a talent that’s very much ongoing,” commented Michael Pas on behalf of the Actors’ Guild. “This is a prize given by actors to actors, and it’s proof to what extent this top actor and her impressive career are appreciated by her colleagues.” \ Alan Hope

flanders today, a weekly english-language newspaper, is an initiative of the flemish region and is financially supported by the flemish authorities. The logo and the name Flanders Today belong to the Flemish Region (Benelux Beeldmerk nr 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, Emma Davis, Paula Dear, Andy Furniere, Lee Gillette, Diana Goodwin, Clodagh Kinsella, Catherine Kosters, Toon Lambrechts, Ian Mundell, Anja Otte, Tom Peeters, Arthur Rubinstein, 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 better late than never

Prime minister Charles Michel (MR) delivered the annual State of the Union to the federal parliament on a Sunday this year rather than on the customary second Tuesday of October. The speech had to be postponed because of a bitter conflict in his government, with Christian-democrats CD&V in an isolated position. The division escalated during the budget talks, when the federal government makes crucial policy decisions on economic and social issues. Tensions tend to run high, not least because of the time pressure. If an agreement proves impossible, the government falls. According to some sources, that nearly happened last week. CD&V vice prime minister Kris Peeters left the talks after his proposal to introduce a capital gains tax on stock bonds was rejected by the other coalition parties, N-VA, Open VLD and MR. Peeters sprung the proposal on his colleagues, but it was far from a whim. CD&V deeply believed the tax was needed to add a counterbalance to other policy options, such as the lowering of the business tax N-VA demanded. We want fair taxation, in CD&V’s words, meaning: The wealthy should contribute, too. On one crucial night last week, Peeters left the talks (“I did not walk out, I just did not return”), dumbfounding the other negotiators. They accused him of a lack of respect for the prime minister, who was then forced to announce a postponement of his speech and plead for unity. Theconflictisembeddedwithin his government. Its coalition parties share the same centreright ideology, which could have made for a smooth sailing, but CD&V is centrist to the bone, making it behave like a left-wing party in a coalition with right-wing parties. This has worked for decades, making CD&V a great stabilising power in Flemish politics. Since the party lost its number one position at the last elections, though, CD&V’s resistance has taken on a more rebellious streak. By the weekend, most of the drama had died down, and the federal government resumed its budget talks. The only other option – new elections – was rather unattractive in light of recent opinion polls. The government decided to shelve the most sensitive decisions, including both the business tax decrease and the introduction of a capital gains tax. It seems that both the State of the Union and the government’s conflicts were postponed last week. \ Anja Otte

Federal government agrees on budget to fill €3 billion gap new budget sees cuts to social security and health-care spending alan Hope More articles by Alan \ flanderstoday.eu

he federal government reached an agreement at the weekend on a budget for the rest of 2016 and for 2017, filling a €3 billion hole in the country’s finances with a mix of cuts in spending and tax changes. The agreement allowed the government to meet Monday’s EU deadline. The budget contains just over €3 billion in savings and tax increases, including cuts to social security and health spending, an increase on the tax on income from interest and dividends, an extension of the tax on shares and limits to tax deductions on company cars. Members of parliament gathered on Sunday to hear prime minister Charles Michel’s State of the Union speech, which had been postponed while budget talks continued. Michel (pictured centre) stressed that the measures adopted would improve purchasing power and reduce costs for business to improve competitiveness. The tax burden in Belgium in general had gone down during his administration, he said, from 37.1% to 36.8%, while labour costs for businesses had decreased from 26.3% to 25.5%. “There will be no new taxes on labour or consumption, no increase in VAT, no increase in excise duties and no changes to indexation or unemployment benefits,” he said. “We want a better future for everyone. The basis for that has been laid down.”

He also promised a study in the new year into Arco, the investment agency of Christian union ACW, which was a major shareholder in Dexia when the bank collapsed in 2011. Ordinary shareholders lost everything, but Arco members had their investment guaranteed by the state in the amount of €1.5 billion – an arrangement ruled illegal by the European Commission. Economy and employment minister Kris Peeters, whose CD&V party is closely linked to Arco, said: “This is clear language from the prime minister. There will be a solution for the Arco saver in 2017.” “Our reforms are producing their first fruit,” Michel added. “We will continue further down this road, to improve on these positive results.”

He denied accusations from the opposition that people would have to work more hours. “Anyone who claims that everyone will all of a sudden have to work 45 hours a week is simply lying,” he said. Meanwhile, socialist trade unions ABVV and ACOD warned the government they are not satisfied with the agreement and will continue to protest against government policies. The budget is “a case of cutting and pruning at the expense of ordinary people,” according to a statement put out by ABVV. “Anyone who has been unemployed for a long time or who is on a bridging pension will get less pension. Anyone who is sick or unemployed will have to wait longer for benefits. More than half of the budget savings will come from social security, even though ministers said that would be irresponsible.” According to Chris Reniers, secretary-general of the socialist union for government workers ACOD, one of the measures means that some groups, including the military and rail personnel, will have to work longer before retirement. “There is no global plan,” she said. “This is simply guesswork – the politics of breaking down the state. The only ideology in sight is that of the employers.”

Sports minister calls for fair play towards officials

Regions reach agreement on 2020 climate and energy goals After six years of negotiation, Belgium’s three regions – Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels – have come to an agreement on how they will share the responsibility of reaching the country’s climate goals by the 2020 deadline. In December, the regions and the federal government agreed on the reduction each region would make in its emissions of greenhouse gases: Flanders would reduce emissions by 15.7% of 2013 levels, Wallonia by

14.7% and Brussels by 8.8%. The latest agreement concerns the tariffs to be paid if one region fails to meet its target, when it would be able to buy up a portion from another region that has gone over its target. The price would be based on the price of onshore wind energy on the day, with a discount of 25% for the first portion of 750 gigawatt hours (GWh), on a sliding scale down to 5% on a portion between 3,000 and 3,500 GWh. \ AH

Sports players and supporters should show more respect for referees, umpires and jury members, according to Flemish sports minister Philippe Muyters, who also wants federations to give them more support. This month sees the second Week of the Official, organised by the Flemish Sports Federation to thank the region’s thousands of sporting officials. “We should not take our officials and the work they do for granted,” Muyters said. “If we were able to enjoy some fantastic sporting moments at the Olympic Games in Rio, it was in part thanks to them. And it goes without saying that they should be celebrated as we celebrated our athletes.” Sporting federations also need to provide consistent support for their own officials, Muyters said, such as by creating a clear and

consistent policy, by training and by continuing education. To help matters along, the government will grant extra subsidies from January to federations that show progress in implementing the ministry guidelines. “It is important that officials are well trained and able to rely on top-quality support from their sport,” Muyters said. \ AH

Majority parties losing support, according to new poll Since the 2014 elections, the majority parties N-VA, CD&V and Open VLD have collectively lost 8.3% of their electorate, according to the results of a new poll of the Flemish electorate carried out by public broadcaster VRT and daily paper De Standaard. Nationalist N-VA are holding their own as Flanders’ most popular

party, at 27.8%, though they are down from their 32.4% lead in 2014. Christian Democrat CD&V, meanwhile, are at a historic low, with a mere 16.8%. Socialist SP.A are in third place, with 15.8%. The most notable result is that the other left-wing opposition party, Groen, stands at 13.3%. That is a record high for the

ecologists, who in the past have struggled to pass the 5% electoral threshold. Federal health minister Maggie De Block of Open VLD remains the most popular politician in Flanders, with 55% calling her their favourite politician. With federal minister Alexander De Croo and Open VLD party president Gwen-

dolyn Rutten also in the top 10, liberal politicians seem to be more popular than their party, which came in fourth place at 13.6%. Kris Peeters (CD&V) and Bart De Wever (N-VA) are the second and third most popular politicians, and prime minister Charles Michel (MR) is fourth. \ Anja Otte

\ coVer story

october 19, 2016

Now hiring

labour shortage pushes west flanders businesses to recruit from farther afield continued from page 1

numerous programmes to woo workers from neighbouring areas like Wallonia and northern France. Some employment organisations have left no stone unturned in the search for applicants, setting up career fairs and job booths at everything from the local KV Kortrijk football stadium to the Dranouter music festival. One Wielsbeke company, Unilin, even enlisted the help of Pat Krimson, a Flemish dance artist popular in the 1990s. The first 1,000 applicants to visit the floor covering company’s jobs website were offered a free download of a dedicated mixtape Krimson had put together. Large companies try to curb the labour shortage with a number of stopgap solutions – outsourcing some functions, optimising their production processes, giving extra tasks to other employees, contracting work to sheltered and social workplaces, and recruiting beyond language and country borders. The Kortrijk plant of the multinational building materials company Wienerberger, for instance, is recruiting engineers in places as far away as Portugal and Spain. “But there’s only so much you can do,” De Mey says. “At a certain point, if you want to additionally grow as a company, you’re going to have to rely on people, and you’ll need to be able to find those people.” The province’s low unemployment rate means the competition between companies for workers – the “war for talent” – is fierce. According to a September poll by Unizo, the Flemish organisation that supports the selfemployed, one in two SMEs in West Flanders sees the recruitment of qualified personnel as their biggest concern. Pointing to the low number of unemployed locals and shortage of technical workers, Sabine Declercq, HR manager at the Roeselare pasta-maker Soubry, says the company gets most of its applicants from competitors. “We primarily have to make do with people who are already working in this field, and want to switch for some reason or other.” Declercq says the competitive labour market has not yet produced a SiliconValley style environment in which employers try to outdo each other with lavish benefits and employee perks. “I don’t think it’s that bad yet, if you want to call it that,” she says. “But of course, if one company starts going down this road, the rest will probably quickly follow suit.” Instead, the company tries to create as pleasant a work environment as possible, she says, “with nice working conditions, a nice team, with opportunities to do something fun after work hours and teambuilding events”. The company currently employs people from 20 nationalities and has a dozen outstanding vacancies for packaging operators, production operators and technicians – all three have been designated by the Flemish employment agency VDAB as positions that employers struggle to fill – as well as a technical service supervisor. The reasons behind the shortage of labour in West Flanders are a confluence of both historical and recent developments. The province has long been known as a region of hard workers, one where people are quick to sniff out business opportunities and keen to start out on their own.

kortrijk-based wienerberger has had to recruit engineers from as far away as Portugal and spain

West Flanders is home to both small businesses and large companies, several of which have their roots in the flax businesses that developed around the province’s erstwhile lifeline, the Leie river. “Entrepreneurship is really baked into this region,” De Mey says. “People here have always reinvented themselves; that’s really what is particular about this region. When business is bad, we’ll try something else instead.” The acute need for workers that results from the high business density is further exacerbated by two acute problems facing Western nations – the shortage of workers with technical and technological degrees, and an ageing, retiring population without enough qualified workers to fill the freed-up vacancies. Further compounding the problem is the

hold, or workers are asked to do extra time. Pointing out that Soubry workers are entitled to their annual leave and that it’s always difficult to find replacements, she says: “I fear for a situation in which our workers will feel guilty when they take a day off because they know that will make it extra difficult for their colleagues.” For Frederik Serruys, director of the West Flanders chapter of Unizo, both lawmakers and the VDAB need to target their efforts on fixing the existing mismatch on the labour market. Many job applicants in West Flanders do not have the skills or degrees employers are looking for, he says. “For instance, we would be in favour of speeding up the process of making unemployment benefits dependent on further training or retraining in other sectors where there are sufficient vacancies,” he says. “So

Labour shortage is not a luxury problem, but a real threat brain drain this rural province has suffered in recent years. Lured by the bright lights of cities like Ghent and Antwerp, many young West Flemings leave the province to attend college and often end up settling in these cities rather than returning home. The labour shortage is a strain, Declercq from Soubry says, and when vacancies remain open, projects are sometimes put on

people will realise that there actually isn’t a future in the sector they’re applying to.” The roots of the mismatch, however, stem from choices that teenagers and young adults make even before they enter the job market, he says, and consequently they should be addressed at the high-school and university level. In Serruys’ view, what’s needed is an education system that does

a better job of steering students toward course options and degree programmes with a viable future. As an example, he cites the province’s surplus of beautician graduates. “You see this phenomenon of ‘I’m going to keep searching in the sector that I trained for,’” he says. “But there simply aren’t enough jobs in the beauty industry, and yet there are so many other open vacancies – from those for highly skilled graduates to more skilled technical profiles.” Serruys warns that the labour shortage in some sectors such as the construction industry has drawn the attention of a number of foreign companies, which have set up shop in West Flanders and brought over their own workers. “But when Bulgarians, Romanians and Poles come and work here in Belgium, that’s wealth that’s being exported, to a certain degree,” he says. Citing Europe’s single market, he says, this trend is no cause for concern in itself. “But, locally, this often does pose a problem because it often makes it difficult for local construction companies to grow,” he says. De Mey from Voka also says that the quiet labour crisis in West Flanders should give more people pause. “Companies create prosperity and well-being, and that’s something that is sometimes forgotten. People think that companies exist to make money and that CEOs drive around in big cars,” she says. “But a majority of people are employed by a company and this way have a salary that allows them to live their lives the way they want to.”

\ bUsIness

WeeK In busIness banking InG The Dutch-based bank is to transfer its Brussels trading room, active in the derivatives, stocks and raw material markets, to London. IT operations backing those activities will move to Singapore.

retail Uniqlo

The Japanese textiles and clothing group plans to open up to six outlets locally in addition to its Antwerp store, which opened a year ago. The next operation is slated for Brussels in an as-yet unspecified location.

refrigeration Daikin

The Japanese air-conditioning equipment producer is considering moving some of its British operations to Belgium.

beer Alken-Maes

The Waarloos-based brewer, part of the Dutch Heineken group, is to invest €20 million next year to boost capacity and production of its Affligem beer. The company seeks to increase its exports to 50% of output compared to 30% today.

chemicals synvina

The joint venture created by the German chemical group BASFandtheDutchAvantium will build a 50,000-tonnes-ayear furandicarboxylic acid production unit in the port of Antwerp area. Engineering work on the multi-millioneuro project is expected to be completed by 2018, and the unit will come on stream in 2021 at the earliest.

Agri-business sapec

The Brussels-based industrial services company specialised in the agricultural and chemical sectors in Spain and Portugal is seeking to sell its agri-business division for up to €400 million.

banking kbc

Flanders’ largest financial institution has been fined €1.4 million by the Irish central bank for curbing the rules on internal loans to some of the staff and shareholders of its Dublin-based affiliate.

employment House of Hr

TheRoeselaere-basedrecruitment group has acquired TimePartner, headquartered in Hamburg, with some 100 outlets in Germany. House of HR already has operations in Belgium, France, Germany, Rumania, Portugal, Switzerland, Poland and the Netherlands.

Ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge make impression in Japan

state mission includes presentation to 800 maritime industry executives alan Hope Follow Alan on twitter \ @AlanHopeFt

he chief executives of the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge gave a joint presentation in Nagoya in Japan, extolling the virtues of the Flemish ports to more than 800 executives from the Japanese maritime industry. Eddy Bruyninckx of Antwerp and Joachim Coens of Zeebrugge were taking part in the state visit by King Filip and Queen Mathilde to Japan. Antwerp and Zeebrugge recently decided to act together instead of in competition with each other, to attract foreign shippers by presenting a joint package. Both already have strong ties to Japan: Antwerp is a destination for a number of shipping lines, for container, ro-ro and breakbulk traffic. Zeebrugge, meanwhile, is the larg-

the port of nagoya hosts an aquariam and footbridge on one end

est automobile port in the world, handling 2.4 million new cars a year, 40% of which come from

Japan. Nagoya is Japan’s fourth-largest city and a major port. The event at which the two port bosses were speaking is an annual gathering of highlevel representatives of shipping lines, freight forwarders and port authorities. Antwerp has been twinned with Nagoya for almost 30 years, while Zeebrugge signed a treaty of friendship with the city in 2013. “We felt a strong feeling of confidence from those present,” Bruyninckx said. The day after the event, King Filip, Bruyninckx and Coens were present for a ceremony in which the 10 millionth Japanese car was loaded on a ship bound for Belgium.

Free-trade agreement veto is ‘incomprehensible’, says Bourgeois Flemish minister-president Geert Bourgeois has criticised the decision by the Walloon regional government to veto a proposed free trade agreement between the EU and Canada. Bourgeois, who is currently in Japan as part of a trade mission, described the decision as “incomprehensible”. Last week, the parliament of the French Community voted against the Ceta, with the Walloon parliament following suit two days later. The veto means federal prime minister Charles Michel is unable to sign the accord this week as planned. “This is incomprehensible,” Bourgeois said. “Here we are on a state visit with an important emphasis on trade and investment.

Wallonia travels halfway around the world with us to attract investment and promote exports, at the same time rejecting a treaty that would provide exactly that trade and investment, and deliver a great many jobs.” The Walloons’ concerns include the danger that the trade agreement will see a reduction in standards in areas such as agriculture and food safety. They also fear that a treaty with Canada will leave the door open for US businesses. A group of socialist and green MEPs said in an op-ed published in Le Soir that: “Social and environmental norms that protect our workers, citizens and businesses will be under attack.” \ AH

Flamish tourism minister announces subsidy shortlist Flemish tourism minister Ben Weyts has announced which tourism projects he will consider for subsidy. The projects will receive help from Visit Flanders to prepare a detailed business plan before any figures are discussed. “We’re looking for new tourist attractions that can bring people from across the world to Flanders,” Weyts said. “We’re prepared to invest heavily to raise our tourism to the next level.” Candidate projects were invited in three categories: meetings and conference infrastructure, key attractions and the Flemish Masters. There were applications received from 67 projects, of which 18 were selected to continue the process. “Every new tourist we can convince to come to Flanders is a new sponsor for our economy,” Weyts said. “Tourism projects bring great benefits for the whole of Flanders – more guests for hotels and restaurants, more customers for our retailers, and more income for tourism businesses.” The 18 projects will now be coached

in preparing a full business plan by next April, when it will be decided which will be subsidised, and for how much. The projects up for consideration include a Brueghel visitor centre in Brussels; an exhibition devoted to painter Adriaen Brouwer; renovations to Het Steen in Antwerp (pictured); a makeover for the Gunfire site in Brasschaat; a broadening of cycle tourism in West Flanders; a new visitor centre at the former mining site in Beringen in Limburg; a tourist pavilion linking the museums in central Bruges; and the extension of a meetings venue on the site of the Predikheren church and Sint-Elisabeth hospital in Leuven. \ AH

Leuven’s AB InBev completes SABMiller takeover The merger between brewing giants AB InBev and SABMiller has been finalised, cementing Leuven-based AB InBev’s position as the biggest brewer in the world. The old shares were delisted on Euronext Brussels, and trading in the new shares has begun. As well as Euronext Brussels, the brewer is listed in Johannesburg and Mexico City. Thenameofthenewlymergedbrewer remains AB InBev. SABMiller’s headquarters will remain in London until its main corporate functions merge with AB InBev’s in Leuven. According to AB InBev CEO Carlos Brito (pictured), the merged entity

can provide better financial results than the two companies separately. The focus will remain on achieving stronger sales growth and increased shareholder value. The acquisition of SABMiller gives AB InBev its first foothold in Africa, somewhere that Brito regards as a major market that is growing even faster than Europe. The new company will have annual sales of more than $55 billion. AB InBev had previously indicated it expected the merger to deliver more than $1.4 billion in synergies, in part by getting rid of 5,500 jobs worldwide. \ Arthur Rubinstein

ING management begins talks with unions over closures, redundancies ING Belgium and labour unions have begun talks on the bank’s restructuring plan, following the unions’ earlier refusal to appear at a works council meeting with management. This marks the first time that the unions and management have met since the bank’s announcement earlier this month that it would lay off some 3,500 people over the next five years. Unions are expected to receive all the relevant information, and by Wednesday representatives from the three unions – the Christian ACV, socialist ABVV and liberal ACLVB, together with their French-speak-

ing counterparts – were expected to have informed union members about the talks. According to Philippe Samek, the national secretary of the Frenchspeaking CNE union, management and unions have agreed on the procedure the talks should follow. At the start of the talks he spoke of “positive adjustments” that were made. ING’s restructuring plan consists of 350 jobs lost through natural attrition this year, and 3,150 redundancies spread over five years. Half of the bank’s branches (including the affiliate Record Bank) will be closed. \ AR

\ InnoVAtIon

october 19, 2016

Suffering for their art

WeeK In InnovatIon

Holistic medical centre dedicated to artists opens in antwerp emma Portier davis More articles by emma \ flanderstoday.eu

antwerPHearts.be

ours of sitting in the same scrunched-up position as he worked on his sculptures resulted in chronic back pain for Ludwig Vandevelde. The money he earned, he ploughed into new works rather than medical insurance. Then disaster struck when he tried to lift a wooden block weighing several hundred kilos. Three operations later he was, he says, a physical and mental wreck. “I was quite a successful sculptor in the 1980s and ’90s,” he says. “That means I was practising my sculpture full-time and these works were shown to the international art market, in quite prominent galleries and museums. That didn’t mean I was earning big money, rather that I was surviving in a very competitive art world.” After the accident, life for Vandevelde became very difficult. “I couldn’t concentrate and work in the studio. I lost contact with my galleries, museums, critics and friends, and I was completely isolated,” he says. “Medical treatment cost a lot of money that I didn’t have. My wife couldn’t stand this situation and left me. At one point, I felt so completely empty that I asked a doctor for euthanasia.” Vandevelde’s story is all too common in the art world, and that’s why Antwerp University Hospital and the University of Antwerp have recently opened a multidisciplinary expertise centre for the prevention and treatment of health complaints in artists. The goal of Antwerp HeArts (Healthcare for Artists) is to provide a holistic approach to their medical problems. The centre will cater for the full gamut of artists: jazz musicians suffering from tinnitus, singers with voice problems, musicians with focal dystonia (a neuromuscular disorder that can cause cramps so bad that a violinist, for example, would no longer be able to play) and dancers with chronic back pain. What’s important is that the centre will address their whole health and well-being. “At Antwerp HeArts, we are particularly interested in artists’ diseases, including musculoskeletal injuries and chronic pain and also loss of hearing or other complaints. We are also particularly interested in a multi-disciplinary approach, looking at the psychological part,” says Nathalie Roussel, a co-ordinator of the centre. Key factors in this psychological distress include things such as loss of work for these people who are often freelancers, fear about what will

Two Flemish SMEs have come up with an innovative mirror that shows both front and back view at the same time. The project was initiated by furniture manufacturer Group De Keyzer from Menen and mirror specialist Deknudt Mirrors from Deerlijk, supported by imec, and was presented at the Biennale Interieur in Kortrijk. The ME2 Mirror is integrated in a bathroom cabinet with two panels that each have a mirror on the inside. A camera in the left panel sends its images to a screen integrated in the other mirror. This way, both the front and the back view can be shown.

VIb explores selfdefence in plants © Filip Van roe

Dancers in opera ballet Vlaanderen’s production of bolero

happen to their career and consequent financial problems. “We think it’s important to see their problems as a whole,” she says. “If necessary, we can then collaborate with psychologists. Dancers, for example, are freelancers and their careers are short. They aren’t going to be dancing until they’re 65.” Getting artists to seek help early enough is a further challenge. If they seek help for medical complaints, they can develop a reputation for being injury-prone, meaning they don’t get work. If they leave it too long, other complaints can set in. Roussel explains that chronic lower back pain in dancers can quickly lead to other joint problems because of a lack of strength in their trunk. Even when they are ready to come forward for help, until now, it has been with mixed success due to the complicated and multi-faceted nature of their problems. Vandevelde says of his own experience: “As a patient, you’re in the hands of one specialist, who doesn’t know what the others are capable of. One has to find out every possible solution himself.” Roussel says these issues were a large part of what prompted the university and the hospital to open the centre. Putting different aspects of medical care under one roof will, they hope, lead to better prevention. They also hope to lead research in some underexplored areas like focal dystonia “It’s not useful to just treat the hands.

We have to look at the brain and central nervous system as well.” As for getting artists to come forward sooner, Roussel says the centre is working closely with leading companies like Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, deFilharmonie orchestra, multi-disciplinary artist Jan Fabre, the Antwerp School of Arts and the Toneelhuis theatre. “We hope that through these collaborations, the threshold for them to seek help will be lower.” Vandevelde, who is now head of sculpture at Hogeschool Gent, gave his testimony to support the development of Antwerp HeArts. After 10 years of suffering, he was finally put on track to recovery with an individualised treatment of diet, medication, yoga and meditation, prescribed by the doctor he previously went to for euthanasia. “I feel relieved and thankful that this awful period is behind me,” he says. “On the other hand, I still regret that I had to suffer, unnecessarily, for so many years. With the good guidance of a generalist who is interested in his patients’ well-being [instead of the focus on a specialisation] my problem would have been solved much earlier.” In his view, HeArts will tackle the core problems for artists, including prevention, a combined recovery programme, medical care that allows patients to recoup costs, and, crucially, an awareness of artists’ needs. “At HeArts, they are very much aware of the fact that the artistic practice is the patient’s identity.”

University and steel producer join forces on sustainability Ghent University (UGent) and the Ghent-based branch of steel producer ArcelorMittal have signed an agreement to work together more closely for the next five years. ArcelorMittal will fund the projects of researchers at four UGent faculties to boost its own innovation strategy. UGent regularly sets up collaborations with companies, but normally on short-term projects. “This exceptional long-term co-operation will help us look at the bigger picture, instead of focusing on specific problems,” says Rik Van de Walle, dean of UGent’s faculty of engineering sciences and architecture. “It will give us a better view of the developments in and the needs of this industrial sector.” The specific collaboration is not entirely new. UGent and ArcelorMittal have already worked together on separate projects, and UGent has also brought students into contact with the company via internships, theses, job days,

Mirror shows front and back

Matthieu Jehl of ArcelorMittal and UGent rector Ann De Paepe

company visits and guest lectures. Of ArcelorMittal Gent’s 4,700 employees, 280 have a master’s degree in the engineering sciences and 80% of them obtained this degree at UGent. For five years, ArcelorMittal Gent will fund relevant projects by researchers at UGent’s engineering, economics, sciences and bio-engineer-

ing faculties. Seventeen professors are involved in the initiative. The projects will focus on energy-efficiency, increased productivity, material efficiency and automation. “Our collaboration with ArcelorMittal will revolve around innovations concerning sustainability,” Van de Walle says. “The company wants to reduce the CO2 emissions related to its production process but also make its products more energy-efficient and therefore more ecofriendly.” If, for example, the steel for the bodywork of a car is made lighter, the car will need less fuel to drive. For UGent, the collaboration offers researchers the opportunity to test their work on a realistic industrial production scale. “It will also encourage researchers to think in a more multidisciplinary way, as different faculties are involved,” Van de Walle says. \ Andy Furniere

Researchers from Flanders’ life sciences research institute, VIB, and Ghent University have learned more about how damaged plants defend themselves against infections. The study was carried out with the University of São Paulo in Brazil. When plants are damaged, they risk losing nutrients and being infectedbymicrobes.Asaresult, they have developed sophisticated defence mechanisms. Each plant cell has the ability to activate protective responses to heal damaged tissue and prevent microbe infections. The researchers showed that a protein called clathrin is essential in this defence system. The findings could help scientists modulate the behaviour of food production plants, so they are better protected against environmental factors.

Games consoles in physical therapy

Researchers from PXL University College, Hasselt University and West Flanders University College have developed a system to improve patients’ physical rehabilitation, using a games console. The system, called Intelligent Activitybased Client-centred Training system (iACT), is designed for patients with back, shoulder or knee problems and neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis. To improve the rehabilitation process, the researchers developed a training system using Microsoft Kinect, a movement sensor for games consoles that is operated through body gestures, without the need for a controller. The system should enable client-oriented rehabilitation, meaning that a patient’s needs and wishes are taken into account. A therapist can set all the specific movements, exercises and activities, and the iACT system gives feedback on the quality of the movements. \ AF

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\ eDUcAtIon

october 19, 2016

Across the borders

WeeK In eduCatIon

cessmir research centre adds academic insight to debate on migration toon lambrechts More articles by toon \ flanderstoday.eu

ugent.be/cessmir

igration has long been one of the main forces shaping contemporary society. As millions of people worldwide are forced to leave their homes and look for a safer and better life elsewhere, their journey has a profound impact not only on them but on the host societies as well. It’s no surprise then that migration has become an important research topic in the field of social sciences. Last month, Ghent University (UGent) unveiled its new interdisciplinary centre. Cessmir, or Centre for the Social Study of Migration and Refugees, brings together researchers from different faculties. “The idea came from two needs faced by the university,” explains the centre’s founder, professor Ilse Derluyn from the department of social work and social pedagogy. “On the one hand, a lot of researchers were already looking into migration from their respective fields, but without knowing what the others were doing.” That was a pity, she adds. “Cessmir aims to connect these fields of study in an interdisciplinary centre. Here, we can come up with new ways of conducting research, resulting in closer collaboration on a variety of projects. This approach fits into the university’s wider vision to transcend borders between disciplines.” The centre’s other aim is to get academic voices heard in the continuing public debate on migration. Derluyn calls this a necessity. “The discourse on migration and refugees is all too often limited to truisms and lacks a scientific foundation,” she says. “It’s a thoroughly politicised

ThegovernmentofFlandershas presented a plan to strengthen the ties between the education and culture sectors. Education minister Hilde Crevits and culture minister Sven Gatz will work together more and have already announced projects for this school year. The plan should ensure that culture is a part of the whole curriculum, not just in courses with a clear link such as aesthetics or music. For example, students should learn to see the art in sciences or use language more creatively. The idea is to let all children enjoy culture, no matter their home situation, socio-economic background or educational stream. One concrete project, called tZalWELzijn, concerns bullying. Another will see writers and artists in residence visit classrooms later this school year.

Apps teach children first aid © Mstyslav chernov/wikimedia

debate based on one-sided views. At Cessmir, we hope to weigh in on the discourse.” The centre will make research into migration more prominent at UGent, she says. “It will be a point of contact for the media. Most researchers would love to share their scientific perspective, but often their voices are not heard in the public debate. Our centre will create a clear identity and show that social sciences have a lot to say on the phenomenon of migration.” On a more practical side, the centre’s expertise will be made available to people working in the field. “Social workers, policy makers, lawyers and so on,” says Derluyn. “This is our university’s mission, but it is often over-

looked.” At workshops, training sessions and conferences, she explains, Cessmir will share its findings with a wider audience. “We’re already participating in the city’s refugee task force, an important recognition of our work.” The centre is a collaboration of 30 professors from six faculties, including Social and Political Sciences, Law, and Medicine. “The focus lies on the social aspect of migration,” says Derluyn. “This is a very broad perspective, but when we talk about migration, we take into account what it means for the migrants, for the host societies and for the countries where they come from. We look at, for example, the psychological and economic side-effects.”

Q&a

Migration is a subject that is here to stay, in the media, the public sphere and the political discourse. Is it also becoming more relevant as a subject of academic research? “I think so, but it is just my feeling,” says Derluyn. “It is certainly not a new field of study, however, considering the level of expertise there already is at UGent.” Derluyn, whose research focuses on unaccompanied minors, was surprised by the positive feedback Cessmir received when she first brought the idea to the table. “I would have considered six professors to be a success, but it turns out there is a lot more research into migration and refugees than I thought. It’s very interesting to get to know all these different perspectives on just one subject.” relaXindeklas.be

Cindy Maas is a yoga and mindfulness instructor who has created a special programme for schools that helps alleviate tension in the classroom. Made up of a few simple breathing and movement exercises, Relax in de Klas helps children and their teachers.

but it takes the edge off. Then the teacher can have a conversation about what happened in the classroom or playground.

How did you come up with the idea for Relax in de Klas? I’d been working for years in the corporate world and decided it was time to change my life. I started teaching yoga to children after school and I felt an urge to get it out to as many kids as possible. What we do is train teachers and provide materials for breathing and movement exercises. It’s not full-blown yoga. We just ask them to take a break for a couple of minutes twice a day.

How fast is Relax in de Klas growing? We’re in our second year now and we work in seven schools with about 150 teachers and 2,200 children. As of January, we will have another 11 schools. I want to be everywhere! Every child in every class in every school should have access to this.

What kind of results does it bring? Teachers say they are more capa-

culture in the classroom

ble of managing the excitement in the classroom, bringing it down or even spicing it back up. Children themselves start to ask for it and teachers say that if they do this before a task the kids are more relaxed and focused. Can you give us an example of an exercise? A very effective one is the volcano. We try to put our attention on what is going on inside the body and take emotions like anger and sadness and visualise them like a big ball of fire in your tummy. Then you let it explode out of your body. It doesn’t solve everything

Why do you believe this is so important? If we can teach this to kids we create habits they can use for the rest of their lives. I had a burnout and what I’ve seen is that many people in the corporate world

revert to mindfulness and yoga. If we teach these children the techniques now, we won’t need to go that far. \ Interview by Emma Davis

Education minister Hilde Crevits has launched two free apps about first aid, to teach children how to save lives. StartnHart, developed by the University of Leuven, will help teachers show children how to carry out resuscitation. Een Adembenemende Picnic (A Breathtaking Picnic), created by the Belgian Resuscitation Council, aims to raise awareness about the importance of life-saving actions among children aged between six and 10. Both apps are funded by the government’s education department and are available on Android and iOS. Crevits has developed an action plan called First Aid in Education, featuring a website that helps schools organise first aid education.

Pre-schools threaten legal action

Two directors of pre-schools in Antwerp province and West Flanders are threatening to file a legal complaint against education minister Hilde Crevits in order to force more funding for pre-schools from the government. The directors are backed by the organisation Werkgroep Kleuterscholen Vlaanderen, which defends the interests of pre-schools in the region. They said they are frustrated because primary schools receive an average €200 more per pupil than pre-schools, despite similar costs. More and more children are attending pre-school in the region, and the directors claimed that funding no longer corresponds to the reality of the situation. Crevits said that she recognised the problem and hoped to negotiate with the Werkgroep. \ Andy Furniere

\ lIVInG

WeeK In aCtIvItIes Pumpkin regatta What better way to welcome autumn than by hollowing out a giant orange gourd, putting it in the water and using it as a boat? This annual event is a must-see. Participants wear costumes and compete in teams of four. Pumpkin games, face painting and entertainment for spectators. 23 October 12.00, Ark van Noë, Arkstraat 6, Lichtaart; free \ pompoenregatta.be

cemetery of laken What Père Lachaise is to Paris, this historic burial ground is to Brussels. Tour the restored cemetery, underground galleries and former stonecutters’ workshop, where the gravestones were made – now a museum of funerary art. Registration required on 0486 95 70 79 or laken@davidsfonds.net. (In Dutch.) 22 October 14.30, meet at the cemetery entrance, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwvoorplein, Laken; €10 \ davidsfonds.be

Festival of liberties This week-long festival includes an international film competition, panel discussions, concerts, theatre, art exhibitions and more, all on the theme of human rights and civil liberties. This year’s focus is on the current preoccupation with security in the face of terrorism. 20-29 October, Theatre National, Emile Jacqmainlaan 111-115, Brussels; free-€30 \ festivaldeslibertes.be

young and MAD TheFashionandDesignCenter (MAD) is organising this celebration of young local design talent. Highlights include a competition and exhibition of textile, furniture and fashion design, plus a fashion trail through the Dansaert district with unique shop window installations, a scavenger hunt, creative workshops and guided tours. 20-23 October, Antoine Dansaertstraat 90, Brussels; free-€95 \ mad.brussels

Halloween in blankenberge A week’s worth of spooky fun gets under way this weekend when the local giants (traditional, larger-thanlife puppets) welcome the witches to town, followed by a witch parade through the city centre. Next weekend there’s a torchlight tour, a kids’ party, a parade and an outdoor spectacle with music, light show and fireworks. 23-31 October, Blankenberge city centre and pier; free \ blankenberge.be

\ 10

Geek show

facts meet fantasy at ghent comic extravaganza leo cendrowicz More articles by leo \ flanderstoday.eu

facts.be

t’s where zombies meet vampires, Batman meets Darth Vader, Doctor Who meets Harry Potter, and Wonder Woman meets Lara Croft. It’s the weird and wonderful world of the comic book convention, and this weekend one of the biggest comic-cons in Europe will take place in Ghent. The Ghent event is called Facts, which stands for fantasy, animation, comics, toys and sci-fi, a term intended to cover a broad sweep of fandom. It’ll bring together model makers, toy collectors, comic book artists, movie stars and thousands of fans dressed as their favourite characters. For geeks and freaks, Facts is a fantasy heaven. Founded by four friends in Het Tonneke pub in Ghent in 1993, Facts had an inauspicious start: there were just two tables, and a mere 40 visitors came. Today it fills the massive Flanders Expo complex, spread over an area the size of eight football fields, with some 50,000 people expected to attend this year. Ghent lawyer Emmanuel Van Melkebeke, one of the four founders and still the main organiser, said the driving idea had always been about giving fans a home for their passions. “We want to create a gathering for the fans of series, like the Superman and X-Men comic books, sword-and-sorcery fantasy like Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, science fiction like Star Wars and Star Trek, and cult shows like The A-Team,” he says. Comic books still feature heavily, including local output, and computer games are usually given their own corner of the convention hall.

Stars are on site to sprinkle glamour on the proceedings. This year features television icon David Hasselhoff; Sean Astin, who played Samwise in The Lord of the Rings; former Doctor Who stars Paul McGann and Sylvester McCoy; Baywatch star Erika Eleniak; and Icelandic strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, better known as Gregor Clegane or The Mountain from Game of Thrones. While outsiders may mock the obsessive fans who engage in costume play, or cosplay, with their outfits copying fictional characters, others swoon, demanding to be photographed with them. A recent recurring feature of Facts is the R2-D2 builders club, where electrical

engineers showcase their replicas of the Star Wars droid. “Facts is a place where everyone can be who they want to be,” Van Melkebeke says. “I always enjoy seeing cosplayers in character, and watching kids following the R2-D2s strolling about, who really think they are in a galaxy far, far away.” Van Melkebeke says the days have long gone when comic-cons were a niche event. “Fantasy and sci-fi has now become the most popular youth culture,” he says. “Back when we started, geeks and nerds were definitely not seen as posi-

22-23 october

bIte expert coffee duo branch out into the capital The capital’s newest coffee joint opened over the summer and has quickly become a favourite with residents and visitors of the international Louizalaan corridor. What the clientele might not know is that their go-to gourmet coffee bar began life as a start-up roastery and subscription service in Antwerp. The brainchild of school chums Loïc Installe and Charly Meerbergen, Belga & Co has serviced the port city and its environs with a specially curated selection of blends since early last year. “I was already working in start-ups and we finally decided we wanted to do our own thing,” Meerbergen says. Coffee was a natural choice for at least one of the partners. Installe, born into a coffee-importing

dynasty that stretches back four generations, was already an expert in the subject. Meerbergen, though, didn’t even drink the stuff. “All that’s changed now,” he says, laughing. “But it’s true. Before we went into business, I never really drank coffee. What had always attracted me was the social atmosphere around the drink.” After a crash course in coffee theory and the eventual success of their subscription service, the two entrepreneurs duly set about recreating said atmosphere with their very own storefront. And it had to be in Brussels. “Antwerp is already well served by so many great cafes,” Meerbergen says. “It’s the coffee capital of Belgium. Brussels, on the other

hand, is an untapped market. Brussels needs more coffee.” They couldn’t have found a better

tively as they are today.” He explains their popularity as an escape from everyday, often mundane lives. “In a way, Harry Potter lets the young kids today dream of another world like their parents did when reading the Tintin books back in the day,” he says. “Who doesn’t know Superman? Who’s never heard of Spiderman? Comics to help you dream away, escape from the sometimes harsh reality. As they said of the 1978 Christopher Reeves Superman movie: ‘You’ll believe a man can fly’.”

Flanders expo

Maaltekouter 1, Ghent

belgacoffee.com

spot. Meerbergen and Installe landed some prime real estate on the trendy Baillistraat, a stone’s throw from Louizalaan. The space was formerly a men’s clothing store and was restored to its former glory for Belga & Co. Original architectural details, including a majestic ceiling, were brought out of hiding and restored. Charming wood furniture, some of it custom-built, was brought in to complement the original wood floor. The design combines contemporary geometry in the main room with country comfort in the livingroom nook and rear garden. Belga’s growing core of regular customers seem to love both the product and the setting. \ Georgio Valentino

october 19, 2016

Teutonic nights

new interactive after-dark tour shows alden biesen castle in a new light diana goodwin More articles by Diana \ flanderstoday.eu

A new tourist attraction at Alden Biesen castle in Limburg offers a window into another world, as the lord of the manor leads visitors on a virtual trip back in time.

or centuries, the castle of Alden Biesen was the local headquarters of the Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order. After it was confiscated by the French in 1797, it was sold at public auction to the former mayor of Hasselt. Nearly 200 years later, his descendant Armand Roelants du Vivier was its sole inhabitant, struggling to maintain the property by himself. He became something of a fixture in the area, easily recognised with his rubber boots, old coat and dilapidated bicycle. In March 1971, the Lord of Biesen, as he was known locally, was in negotiations to sell this historic property to the Belgian government. He lit the fires in the castle’s old, poorly maintained fireplaces to welcome his guests, and thus started a conflagration that very nearly destroyed the entire building. In the end, the sale went through and the government started an award-winning restoration programme to repair extensive damage from the fire and from decades of neglect. Today, 45 years later, the Lord of Biesen can once again be seen leading visitors around the grounds

and enthusiastically regaling them with stories of Alden Biesen’s past. Only now he is the narrator and guide in a new interactive tour of the castle called Bilzen Mysteries. The colourful figure is played by esteemed Flemish actor Jan Decleir, wearing du Vivier’s signature trench coat tied at the waist with a length of rope. Visitors are given a tablet and headphones, by which they are led via onscreen video clips, as well as outdoor lights and image projections, through a night-time tour of the castle and its history. On screen, the Lord of Biesen encounters and interacts with figures from the past, such as pilgrims

bilZenmysteries.be

him. He literally draws you in and leads you on as he spins his tale. Bilzen Mysteries is the first tourism project to be completed as a direct result of SALK (Strategic Action Plan for Limburg Squared), a comprehensive development plan for Limburg designed to compensate for the closing of the Ford plant in Genk and the subsequent loss of 10,000 jobs in the area. A keystone of the plan is an increase in the tourism sector in Limburg. The city of Bilzen received a subsidy of €1.7 million to develop an attraction at Alden Biesen. The site has been a designated Flemish Cultural Centre since

The result is something in between historical tableau, imaginative storytelling and pure spectacle. and knights, at the same time that the viewer is standing in the spot where the scene takes place. It’s an effective technique that at times evokes a kind of time-travel, or at least a window into another world, and involves the viewer in the story unfolding onscreen. As du Vivier walks around the castle grounds, the viewer’s point of view is that of the camera following

its purchase and restoration by the Belgian government. It’s well known in the area as a venue for several big annual events, such as the Scottish Festival, Fleuramour, Summer Opera and the International Storytelling Festival. It’s also a popular congress centre for organisations and companies. But until now, it has had little to offer day visitors and tourists,

other than imposing architecture, picturesque gardens and a few hiking trails in the surrounding countryside. One of the main requirements of the new tourism product was that it not interfere with the site’s other activities, and in that respect the solution is quite clever. The attraction is only offered after dark, and takes place, for the most part, out of doors. Because the sound is delivered by headsets, it also takes place in complete silence. Bilzen Mysteries is not offered during September, presumably to avoid conflict with the Scottish Festival and Fleuramour. “Because of the night-time nature of the attraction, visitors who come from a distance will be more likely to stay overnight. Local restaurants and other sights in the area will also benefit from Bilzen Mysteries,” says Bilzen mayor Frieda Brepoels. “So the multimedia tour will lend an economic boost not only to the city of Bilzen but also to the province of Limburg and to Flanders.” AnotherSALKgrantfor€6.3million will cover the cost of converting the former steward’s house, next to Alden Biesen’s gatehouse, into a high-end 75-room hotel, complete with wellness facilities, restaurant, bar and meeting rooms. It will be managed by Martin’s Hotels, the group responsible for other historic lodgings in Bruges, Leuven and Mechelen. Bilzen Mysteries is being billed

as a journey through 800 years of history at Alden Biesen. In developing the attraction, one of the requirements was that it respect the historical character of the site. However, it also had to appeal to an international audience as well as children and families. Guy Swennen, city councillor responsible for tourism, calls it “history with a touch of fantasy”. The result is something in between historical tableau, imaginative storytelling and pure spectacle. The problem is that it can be difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction. There’s a dramatic scene in the chapel, in which the Pope calls the faithful to embark on Crusade to the Holy Land, and the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order knights three brothers. However, the Pope never came to Alden Biesen, and the scene never actually took place. In the end, there’s more fantasy than history in the story. One of the most enchanting parts of the tour is near the end, when a huge luminous moon appears between the posts of an old gate. Not on screen, but right in front of you. It has nothing to do with the story, really, but it’s magical. The tour ends with the great fire in 1971, and the firemen’s desperate attempts to put out the blaze. From there, the Lord of Biesen leads you into the French garden for a final laser light show set to music, and then bids you farewell.

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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

Quirky Flanders offers 20 unexpected – or downright odd – activities or sights across the region you can get busy taking part in right now

Visit the Flanders Today website to download the e-book now! For free!

www.flanderstoday.eu

\ Arts

october 19, 2016

Avant-garde all the time

bozar exhibition brings together avant-garde artists of past and present christophe verbiest More articles by christophe \ flanderstoday.eu

boZar.be

A new exhibition at Bozar pairs the works of 14 contemporary avant-garde artists with the likes of Emil Nolde, Kazimir Malevich and Egon Schiele, showing the enduring influence of the century-old classics.

German-made wristwatch from around 1915 is not the first object one would expect to see at a display of avant-garde art. Still, it’s this watch that serves as the opening to The Power of the Avant-Garde: Now and Then, a new exhibition at Bozar in Brussels. “A men’s wristwatch was invented during the First World War,” explains Matthias Rogg, colonel, historian and director of the Bundeswehr Military Museum in Dresden, Germany. “Previously wristwatches were only worn by women; men used pocket watches.” But during the First World War, he adds, soldiers needed to quickly check the response time of the newly invented artillery, and the wristwatch became a male accessory, too. Long before it was used in the political and art context, the term avant-garde was coined by the military, referring to the front lines of a marching army. It’s by wry coincidence, then, that the First World War was the time when the avant-garde revolutionised the visual arts. Or I should say the “avant-gardes”, since German expressionism, Italian futurism, Spanish-French cubism and Russian constructivism, to name a few, all resulted in different forms of art. With a host of great works, The Power of the Avant-Garde: Now and Then gives a condensed but stimulating overview of those classic movements. The expressionists’ reliance on heavy emotions, the futurists’ endeavours to capture movement, the enchanting road to abstraction used by the constructivists and the multidimensional perspective with which the cubists looked at reality: the Bozar exhibition is a mesmerising crash course in European art from a century ago. The curators have tried to branch out beyond the usual suspects. For every Emil Nolde, there’s a Cuno Amiet; for every Kazimir Malevich, a Lyubov Popova; for every Egon Schiele, an Ignaz Epper. The exhibition attempts to portray the movement within its broader context. For instance, as curator Ulrich Bischoff points out, you can see the influence of futurism on the Russian revolution. Not all avant-garde, however, should be viewed as serious, Bischoff adds. Just think of some of the products of the Bauhaus movement. The Belgian avant-garde also gets its own chapter. A century ago, Belgium wasn’t the focal point of artistic innovations, but the country produced some great visual artists, like the enigmatic Paul Joostens or Victor Servranckx, known for his particular view on constructivism and geometric abstraction. The long underrated Marthe Donas, who has emerged out of obscurity in recent years,

clockwise from left: Dutch painter koen Vermeule’s “tokyo Dreamer” (2011), Flemish painter Marthe Donas’ “tete cubiste” (1917) and “les Helices” (1918) by French artist Fernand léger

is present, too. The avant-garde art of a century ago forms the core of the exhibition, which could easily be a prequel to Facing the Future: Art in Europe 1945-1968, which ran at Bozar during the summer. But as

Early on in the show, you’ll meet perhaps the most fascinating of the 14 tandems, as the pairs are called. South African artist Marlene Dumas presents an ensemble of three small striking paintings (“The Blonde, the Brunette and the

The Bozar exhibition is a mesmerising crash course in European art from a century ago its name implies, The Power of the AvantGarde: Now and Then also looks at the contemporary avant-garde movement. Fourteen artists, including Luc Tuymans and Olafur Eliasson, are each paired with one of the classic avant-garde artists who may have influenced them. It’s debatable whether all 14 deserve to be labelled avant-garde, but they’re unquestionably among the key artists of our time.

Black Woman”) next to Edvard Munch’s “Alpha and Omega”, a series of 22 lithographs depicting the first humans’ dealings with infidelity. The most surprising of the duos, however, is Bogomir Ecker and Fortunato Depero. The Slovenian-born, Germany-based Ecker, who works with found materials, presents “Marionette”. The massive sculpture is surrounded by

Depero’s colourful collages, which the Italian futurist made for the sets and costumes to be used in the opera The Song of the Nightingale by the Ballets Russes company in Paris. The drawings were never realised for stage, but they’re still artworks in their own right. My absolute favourite is “Tokyo Dreamer”, an oversized portrait by the Dutch artist Koen Vermeule. From afar, it looks like a photograph; closer inspection of the subtle play of shadow, reflection and light reveals it to be a painting. Vermeule chose an obscure but strikingly beautiful canvas by Ostend symbolist Léon Spilliaert. There are too many great works to mention here, which is always a good sign. Unlike with Art in Europe 19451968, you won’t leave this exhibition feeling that some key artists are lacking. Recommended.

until 22 january bozar

Ravensteinstraat 23, Brussels

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\ Arts

WeeK In arts & Culture eight panels of Ghent Altarpiece fully restored After a restoration of four years, eightofthepanelsofthefamous Van Eyck altarpiece “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” have been fully restored and are back in Ghent’s Sint-Baaf ’s Cathedral. The 15th-century altarpiece – one of the world’s first oil paintings – is a triptych that opens and closes like a cabinet. The restored panels make up the exterior of the doors. The interior panels must still undergo restoration, and the bottom panel – on which the lamb of the title can be seen – was removed last week. Digital prints replace the originals while they’re being restored. Panels are removed from the work’s glass showcase in SintBaaf ’s and taken to the city’s Fine Arts Museum for restoration. Visitors can see restorers from Belgium’s Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage at work on the panels. Restoration is expected to continue until 2020. The city’s Caermersklooster Culture Centre is hosting an exhibition on the restoration process.

Fashion Museum Hasselt director steps down Kenneth Raemaekers, director of Fashion Museum Hasselt, has announced his decision to step down after eight years in the job “to seek new challenges”. Raemaekers was appointed in 2008 and raised the profile of the museum with exhibitions focused on Flemish singer Axelle Red and British designer Paul Smith – the latter of which saw a record 53,000 visitors. “Great things never come from remaining in one’s comfort zone,” said Raemaekers. “I’ve been feeling for some time that it’s time to broaden my horizons.”

two Flemish culture Prizes awarded

The Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp has won this year’s Flemish Culture Prize for heritage, culture minister Sven Gatz announced. The museum opened in 2013 and tells the story of the Red Star passenger ship, which carried two million migrants from Antwerp to the US between 1871 and 1935. The region also awarded its literature prize last week – to comic strip artist Luc Cromheecke. His work includes Ben de boswachter (Ben the Forest Ranger) and Roboboy, and his strips have been translated into French, Spanish, Danish, German and Indonesian. He also creates cartoons for De Morgen and De Volkskrant in the Netherlands.

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On the same page

flanders joint guest of honour at top international book fair bjorn gabriels More articles by bjorn \ flanderstoday.eu

bucHmesse.de

Flanders and the Netherlands have teamed up as guest of honour at the world’s most important professional book fair, held in Frankfurt this month.

he Frankfurter Buchmesse, the publishing industry’s biggest international trade fair, has welcomed a country as guest of honour since 1976. It began as a biannual thematic focus, and since 1988 it’s been a yearly showcase of a region’s book market, literature and culture. This year, the honour goes jointly to Flanders and the Netherlands. “This is the pinnacle of several years of hard work,” says Koen Van Bockstal, director of the Flemish Literature Fund (VFL), which is organising the guest of honour programme with the Dutch Foundation for Literature. “The seeds were sown by VFL president Jos Geysels more than five years ago. He thought it would be great to reteam the same places that had already been guest of honour together in 1993. We immediately found support from our Dutch colleagues and from the political factions.” To be selected, a region has to apply well in advance. Years of intense lobbying, nationally and internationally, culminate in a five-day book fair in Frankfurt and a yearlong cultural programme in cities throughout Germany. All this is largely funded by the guest of honour.

have in common, and what makes us stronger together.” With Antwerp children’s book writer Bart Moeyaert as its artistic director, the literary programme plays on each partner’s strong suits. “In Flanders, the graphic novel and comics are a bit more developed than in the Netherlands,” says Van Bockstal. “Dutch authors and publishers, on the other hand, are slightly stronger in non-fiction, because the Flemish Literature Fund has only recently built a policy around that. “We weren’t squeamish about

We see the Buchmesse not as an end, but as a new start Joke Schauvliege, predecessor of current Flemish culture minister Sven Gatz, gave the official assignment to prepare the candidacy. “When we submitted our bid, we were in a pretty fierce competition with France, Canada and Mexico,” says Van Bockstal. “We eventually made it because the Buchmesse felt we had a very innovative plan.” This kind of opportunity only comes around once in a generation, if you’re lucky, he says. “After China, India and Turkey, we are only the fourth guest to be invited twice, so we really had to come up with a strong narrative.” That story is captured by the slogan “This is what we share”. Financially as well as with regard to the literary programme, there’s a 50-50 split between Flanders and the Netherlands. “Obviously, there are differences between us, and between our literature,” says Van Bockstal, “but we have chosen to focus on what’s most interesting, which is what we

who would ‘dominate’ which category, as long as there was a global balance catering to the strengths of each partner.” Gatz also stresses the diversity in the line-up. “Of course, famous literary fiction writers such as Tom Lanoye or Stefan Hertmans carry the load in Frankfurt, but it’s also about young talents and non-classical genres.” Two years ago when he visited the Buchmesse, he was positively surprised by the Flemish children’s books. He found that publications from other countries were often dutifully pedagogical, or more adventurous only for older children. Flemish books, he says, are very good at “an intuitive, emotional approach that combines text and drawings. For which we’re internationally renowned.” One of the young talents at the Buchmesse this year, working in a field of literature that often struggles to cross language borders, is poet Charlotte Van den Broeck. She

will deliver the opening speech in Frankfurt alongside Dutch writer and columnist Arnon Grunberg. “We will tackle the guest theme in a playful dialogue based on the correspondence we’ve had,” she explains. “We have been chosen as each other’s counterbalances. Arnon is an experienced author, writing prose, whereas I’m a debutante writing poetry. That combination will be the strength of our speech.” With political delegations, including royalty, attending a string of formal activities at a businessto-business event, being guest of honour has all the hallmarks of a trade mission. “It’s a borderline case,” says Gatz. “It’s a cultural fair, but with huge economic implications. The word ‘product’ is too reductive with regard to literature, but Flemish culture is very valuable. Culture is the incubator of the trade missions, adding warmth to the promotion of Flanders as a society that focuses on innovation, creativity and the Burgundian lifestyle.” The financial effort of being the focus at the world’s biggest book fair can’t be repeated every year. “Nor should it,” Van Bockstal says. “The attention from international press and publishers for Flemish literature this year is exceptional. It’s our job to build on that over the coming years.” For both the culture ministry and the VFL, the Buchmesse is of the utmost importance. “It’s one of the highlights of my legislature,” says Gatz, “and it’s embedded in the international policy that we want to implement.” And internationalisation has been a buzzword. “It’s a mind shift similar to the export by Flemish brewers, who until 20 years ago would usually have brewed their beer near the town’s church and limited distribution to their own province,”

says Gatz. “Artists obviously work with their own talents, addressing the audience they want. But we’d like to help those who see it bigger – and which artist doesn’t want to be heard, seen, read, admired. It’s a way to give our writers more comfort. Given that in Flanders, 1,000 copies of a novel might be printed on average, properly positioning your book in Germany or France could mean a big difference.” This year’s Buchmesse is the culmination of VFL’s international policy, Van Bockstal says. “It will be a magnificent firework display, but we don’t intend to leave everything dark and silent once the fireworks have landed. We see the Buchmesse not as an end, but as a new start.” There’s already been a strong boost to translations into German. Gatz: “Dutch and Flemish books combined, the number of translations has climbed to 474; 300 of those are literary books, but there are also cookbooks, poetry, comic books and theatre texts. It might encourage translations into other languages too, because the entire world will be there in Frankfurt.” The new translations include a collection of Paul van Ostaijen’s poetry and prose, Mieke Maaike’s obscene jeugd by Louis Paul Boon, comic book Cowboy Henk (Kamagurka and Herr Seele), and work by novelists Yves Petry and Saskia De Coster. There’s also work from non-fiction writers Mark Schaevers and David Van Reybrouck, poet Els Moors, theatre writer Arne Sierens, graphic novelist Brecht Evens and more. “We’ll most likely need a bigger translation budget in the future,” says Van Bockstal, “but that really is a luxury problem. We’ve always predicted this would happen. I trust our plea for additional resources will not be in vain.”

\ AGenDA

october 19, 2016

Take a second look

These Strangers... Painting and People smak, Ghent

until 8 january

smak.be

n a world of ubiquitous digital photography, Instagram and Photoshop, portrait art is often thought of as a thing of the past. The days in which artists invited curious characters into their studios and spent days trying to depict their living subject’s inner gaze seem long gone. Ghent’s museum for contemporary art, Smak, asks us to reconsider. Introducing us to nine international artists whose work has never been shown on Belgian soil, its exhibition These Strangers... Painting and People attempts to show how portrait art never disappeared but instead took on a new form, in which the human subject depicted

Alice neel’s “richard in the era of corporation”

is not to be seen as an individual but as a metaphor for human existence in a complex world. American artist Nicole Eisenman might be the best illustration. In the portrait “Day’s End” she paints a man alone on a bed in an empty dark room, staring at the ceiling while his smartphone recharges, while through the window the new One World Tower soars above New York. Also from New York, the late American painter Alice Neel might have been the last prominent painter to have used living models, handpicked by the artist herself. Her depictions of people subliminally tackle a multitude of social and

political themes like racial and sexual discrimination. Other highlights include Romanian Victor Man’s portraits in which he mingles references from literature with elements from art history and folklore from Romania. African-American Henry Taylor lifts the taboos on the inner world of patients in the psychiatric centre where he worked as a young man, and East Berlin-born Katharina Wulff depicts cultural confusion in her new home, Marrakech. Smak convincingly shows how an art form that purportedly went missing still exists and actually offers a pertinent insight into the state of the world. \ Daan Bauwens

vIsual arts

daniel sloss

guggenheim: full abstraction

Arca, Ghent livecomedy.be

Award-winning Scottish comedian Daniel Sloss returns to Europe with his new stand-up show So? In less than a decade, the babyfaced performer has become an international star, with sold-out shows as far afield as Australia and the United States. He has also proven a particular favourite of American talk-show host Conan

festIval

get tic

sinner’s day 20 november 12.00 Hasselt has always punched above its weight musically, especially during the 1980s, when the provincial capital was a hotbed of post-punk and other subcultural sounds. The annual Sinner’s Day festival is a celebration of those black-clad years. The antithesis of a sunny summer music festival, this autumn extravaganza regularly attracts the biggest brooders and

O’Brien. Sloss is touring with his long-time friend, erstwhile roommate and frequent support act Kai Humphries, who opens the night with jokes about life in England’s North East. The duo are also appearing in Brussels (25 October) and Antwerp (27 October), though tickets are already scarce. \ Georgio Valentino

kets n

ethias Arena, Hasselt sinnersday.com

iconoclasts of that brooding, iconoclastic decade. This year’s headliners are British goth-rock giants Sisters of Mercy. Other acts include John Lydon’s pioneering postpunk outfit Public Image Limited, Liverpool synth-pop duo Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and American no-wave legends Tuxedomoon (pictured). \ GV

until 12 february

InG Art center, brussels ing.be/art

American art collectors Peggy and Solomon Guggenheim were outspoken champions of modernism long beforegivingtheirnametothefamed New York museum. Indeed, abstract art might never have succeeded if not for the wealthy socialite couple’s sponsorship. This new exhibition presents 60 paintings from their personal collections. Spanning two continents, three decades and loads of different styles, these works bear witness to a revolution in European and American art. The exhibition scenography is specially designed to immerse visitors in a different world where moods and colours take precedence over recognisable figures. Pictured is Max Ernst’s “The Antipope” from 1941. \ GV

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Ghent Low Society Band: Supercharged Memphis blues-rock featuring the belting voice of singer Mandy Lemons of “You Can’t Keep A Good Woman Down”. 20 October 21.00, Missy Sippy Blues & Roots Club, Klein Turkije 16 \ missy-sippy.be

famIly Krikrak: Second edition of the family festival that sees a range of cultural venues open their doors for all ages during the autumn holidays, with activities including theatre, music, film, exhibitions, guided tours, workshops and more. 2-6 November, cultural venues across Bruges

brussels European Space Expo: This free travelling exhibition makes its final stop in Brussels to highlight the ways in which the EU space programme helps citizens on the ground every day, presenting key information – from satellite navigation to Earth observation – in an engaging and entertaining way. 14-25 October, Muntplein \ ec.europa.eu/eu-space-expo

fIlm Flemish brabant

gelukkig Zijn sing-along Learning a language is always easier when it’s got a beat. AB’s monthly sing-along series helps expats learn Dutch through the great Flemish songbook. Each session has a theme and a set of classic Dutch-language songs to go with. This month it’s friendship as sung by Flemish artists like Louis

Michael Franti: Concert by one of the world’s most uplifting musicians, recognised for using his music as a vehicle for positive change, as well as for his unforgettable, high-energy shows with his band, Spearhead. 22 October 21.00, Theatre National, Emile Jacqmainlaan 111-115

\ krikrak.be

event

26 october 20.00

brussels

bruges

stand-uP 26 october 20.00

ConCerts

Ancienne belgique, brussels abconcerts.be

Neefs, Frank Vanderlinden and Clouseau. The sing-along is led by a professional vocalist and accompanied by a pianist, but participants need not have any training or even talent. It’s all about the spirit of camaraderie and handson learning. The event is free but online registration is required. \ GV

Holebi Film Festival: Sixteenth edition of the festival, featuring 20 days of film screenings, documentaries and theatre performances around the holebi and transgender theme. 10-29 November, around Flemish Brabant \ holebifilmfestival.be

sPeCIal event brussels Docks is Movement: Grand opening festivities for the new Docks Bruxsel shopping district with its numerous shops, eight movie theatres and adventure park, featuring concerts, dance performances and high-wire acts. 20-22 October, Docks Bruxsel, Lambermontlaan 1 \ docksbruxsel.be

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\ bAckPAGe

october 19, 2016

Talking Dutch

voICes of flanders today

rain on my parade

In response to Eight panels of Ghent Altarpiece fully restored Mike O’Connell: Gosh! I remember seeing it around 55 years ago when we stayed with friends in Ostend. I had a card replica of the altarpiece. Lost in a move, unfortunately.

derek blyth More articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu

e all complain now and again about the local weather. You leave the house in summer clothes and two hours later it’s snowing. You can even find a Facebook page dedicated to the unpredictable weather we have to endure in this country. Welkom in België – Welcome to Belgium, it’s called, een land waar je 4 seizoenen in 1 dag kunt hebben – a country where you can get four seasons in one day. We might all agree that the weather is maddening, but it isn’t often that someone gets mad with the weatherman. Yet that was the gist of a story that appeared in De Morgen earlier this month. Oostends burgemeester Johan Vande Lanotte heeft het gehad met het weerbericht – Ostend mayor Johan Vande Lanotte is fed up with the weather forecast, it said. It seems the weatherman got it wrong in his forecast for the coast. Volgens de voorspellingen – According to the forecast, zou het afgelopen weekend regenen aan de kust – it should have rained last weekend at the coast, maar de druppels bleven uit – but there wasn’t a drop. You might have thought people in Ostend would have been delighted with the unexpected good weather. But not so the mayor, who blew his top when he saw the clear blue sky. Ik heb het nu echt wel gehad met de weerberichten – I’ve really had enough of the weather forecasts, he posted on Facebook. Deze morgen nog op Radio 1 – On Radio 1 this morning, the mayor continued, werd duidelijk gezegd – they again clearly said dat aan de kust zou regenen – that it would rain at the coast. Daar is niets van te zien – There wasn’t a drop to be seen. He was incensed because people who live at the coast rely on tourists. De inkomsten van heel wat mensen

In response to Tervuren’s boathouse back from bankruptcy and back to basics Elsebeth Faber: Just went there last Friday with quite a big group of colleagues after a walk in the park. It was a great evening 

hangen er vanaf – A huge number of people depend on it for their incomes. Het is de voorbije maanden al vaak verkeerd geweest – It’s happened a lot in recent months. Wat meer accuraatheid zou wel mogen – A little more accuracy would be appreciated. Flemish weatherman Frank Deboosere tried to put things in perspective. Volgens hem moet de burgemeester het weerbericht leren lezen – He said that the mayor should learn how to read the weather report, said De Morgen. Er is gezegd dat het in de loop van de dag zou regenen – It was reported that it would rain during the course of the day. De regen kwam iets later dan voorspeld – The rain came a little later than predicted, maar ze was er wel – but it did arrive. The mayor was also corrected on Facebook in the local West Flanders dialect. Bwa tegen de avond is het toch wat beginnen regenen he Johan – Come on now, it started to rain a bit in the evening, didn’t it Johan. Zeer lichtjes – Very lightly, he admitted.

PHoto of tHe week

In response to Pets allowed at new Villa Samson hospital department Myriam Byn: I can only encourage other hospitals in Belgium to do the same.

fabiola jean-louis @FabiolaJLPhoto I am so excited, and extremely happy to announce that I was invited to exhibit in Europe! Ghent here we come!

Ronán @Ronan_Kavanagh Antwerp Central has five different levels of train platforms. My brains hurts. Show me beer and waffles.

Janette Waweru @Nakasongola Bruges was like walking in a postcard! This is the oldest and most picturesque city I have ever visited.

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the last Word a hard rain

“Dylan is not the sort of winner that has people going, ‘let’s go down to the bookshop and see what the man has written’. There’s nothing in it for us.” Booksellers like Paul Luyten of Walry in Ghent are disappointed a songwriter was chosen to win the Nobel Prize for literature

unwelcome visitors

altar Image the first results of the ongoing restoration of the Van eyck masterpiece “the Adoration of the Mystic lamb” were unveiled and opened to the public last week. After four years of work, the eight newly restored exterior panels of the altarpiece are back on show in sint-baaf’s cathedral in Ghent. some of the interior panels have now been taken away for their own restoration.

“People often think that bailiffs only come knocking at the doors of those living on the margins of society, but there isn’t a chic street full of villas where we haven’t been. More than once, even.” Bailiffs Kristina Vindevogel and Hendrik De Klerck have written a book on the secrets of their profession

uncompromising

“Catholic standards call for a public scandal over Bonny’s words. The church may not bless what God has forbidden.”

The conservative Catholic group Pro Familia has filed a complaint with the Vatican over a book by Antwerp bishop Johan Bonny in which he calls for the church to be more open to gays, divorced people and unmarried partners

winners & losers

“I have a family. I don’t want to be bothered any more. This is totally out of order.”

The Schaarbeek shopkeeper who sold the winning EuroMillions ticket, worth €168 million, has been inundated with demands for details of the winner, which he does not have

[O\C \ 16