Ft 17 01 11 lowres by Ads & Data Brand Studio

#462 Erkenningsnummer P708816

January 11, 2017 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ read more at www.flanderstoday.eu current affairs \ p2

politics \ p4

Downtown train

More security cameras and personnel will be introduced this year in Brussels’ train stations, and the home affairs ministry is considering more options \4

BUSiNESS \ p6

innovation \ p7

Ice ice baby

It’s 20 below at the South Pole as one VUB student introduces her new snow pack measuring system at the Amundsen-Scott station \7

education \ p9

art & living \ p10

Same as it ever was

Tongeren’s Gallo-Roman Museum shows how the methods of staying beautiful have changed over the centuries – but not beauty standards \ 11

A century of jazz

New generation of Flemish musicians reinvent the genre for today’s audiences Tom Peeters More articles by Tom \ flanderstoday.eu

The 100th anniversary of the first jazz recording coincides with the rise of talented and inventive Flemish musicians who continue to push the genre’s traditional boundaries. January is jazz month, as bands take to stages across the country.

“L

ivery Stable Blues” by the Original Dixieland Jass Band is not likely to blow you away with its sound. Still, widely acknowledged as the firstever commercial jazz recording, the lively tune made its mark on history when it was released in 1917 on a record made of shellac. As the name jass morphed into jazz, the musical genre that originated in the African American clubs of New Orleans in the late 19th century found a name. Or rather an attitude, as many musicians prefer to think of it. Part of the reason why jazz has survived for so long is that it’s always reincarnating into something new. Today, the expansiveness of the genre is illustrated in Flanders by myriad bands, headed by Stuff., TaxiWars and De Beren Gieren. But the local jazz scene is grounded in a global movement. When announcing that Brussels concert halls Flagey and Ancienne Belgique would collaborate on the genre’s centenary celebrations, the latter’s artistic director asked: “Is jazz entering a new Golden Age?” In response to his own question, Kurt Overbergh said that the public began to take serious note of the emerg-

This openness and absence of genre borders is one of the strengths of our local scene ing contemporary jazz scene when musicians began to mingle with the world of pop music – from the collaboration between saxophonist Kamasi Washington, rapper Kendrick Lamar and the experimental-music producer Flying Lotus, to David Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, which featured a jazz ensemble. “Even Lady Gaga has teamed up with the crooner Tony Bennett,” he said. The need to pass on the heritage of the late jazz giants to a new generation of music fans is a concern for those programming the centenary celebrations. According to Maarten Van Rousselt, the production and planning manager at Flagey, contemporary jazz in Flanders fuses elements of R&B, hip-hop and electronic music, making it more familiar to younger listeners.

continued on page 5

\ CURRENT AFFAIRS

Higher wages and water bills New regulations for the new year include a return of indexation of wages Alan Hope Follow Alan on Twitter \ @AlanHopeFT

number of changes came into force on 1 January, including wage indexation, increased fines for driving while using a mobile phone and quieter sirens for fire engines. Thousands of workers will receive more in their wage packet, as a result of the annual indexation of their salaries. The exact amounts differ from sector to sector, from 0.38% for workers in the cleaning industry to 1.14% for transport workers. The former can look forward to a further increase in July. The fine for using a mobile phone while driving increases by €40 and by €400 in the case of driving under the influence. Petrol factor

95 is being replaced by the more environmentally friendly 95 E10. One in 10 cars is not suited to the new petrol, and drivers are advised to use 98. A list of cars that will not run on 95 E10 is available at e10.febiac.be. Fire service vehicles must use quieter sirens between 22.00 and 6.00. The regulation already applies to newer vehicles ordered after 2014. The average family in Flanders can expect an increased water bill in 2017, according to the water regulator. The average household will pay about €20 more annually. A new law on flexible work has also come into force, allowing more flexibility in work-

ing around peak travelling hours, time credit for the care of children or sick relatives and working from home in certain circumstances, such as when a technician is called out for work in the home. Newborn babies will receive the surnames of both parents in alphabetical order if the parents are unable to agree on a mutually acceptable combination. Parents of children born after June 2014 have until July to reach an agreement before the measure applies. Medical costs associated with giving up smoking will now be partially reimbursed by insurers and be free in the case of people under the age of 20.

Historic Ouderhoek boat sinks in Antwerp harbour

Drawing to allocate free tickets for massive Passchendaele commemoration in July

The Ouderhoek, a 10-metre-long boat that took part in the 1986 parade to mark the centenary of the Statue of Liberty in New York, sank last week at its mooring at the Bonaparte Dock in Antwerp. The dock is in front of the MAS museum in the city’s Eilandje district. It is believed that the ship took on water due to a burst pipe on board the vessel that caused the boat to flood. Nobody was injured in the incident, which was investigated by the city’s fire service. The vessel will be salvaged, the city said. The Ouderhoek (pictured) was

The British government is offering 4,000 free tickets to the commemoration of the Third Battle of Ypres via an online draw. The battle took place at Passchendaele in West Flanders from July to November 1917. The Third Battle of Ypres was launched by the Allies to take control of the ridges east and south of Ypres. It was only partially successful and remains extremely controversial to this day. The number of casualties is also contested, with anywhere from 200,000 to 450,000 fallen Allied soldiers and between 215,000 and

built in Amsterdam in 1914 as a floating pontoon and was the property of an art collector attracted by its below-deck Art Nouveau decor by period Dutch artist Carel Adolph Lion Cachet. The exterior of the boat also features extensive wood carving and gold-leaf. \ AH

410,000 Germans. The commemoration begins at the Last Post ceremony in Ypres on 30 July, the eve of the start of the battle. Live performances will follow the ceremony on the adjacent square, and a film will be projected on the famous Cloth Hall. The following day, the commemoration will move to Tyne Cot cemetery in Passchendaele, home to 12,000 graves and 35,000 inscriptions of names of the dead whose remains have never been found. “The Belgian government is deeply committed to supporting the

commemoration of this historical event of exceptional magnitude,” said Paul Breyne, Belgium’s commissioner for the commemoration of the First World War. “It is of the utmost importance to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and peace. We look forward to welcoming those British citizens and visitors from other nations who will travel to Belgium to pay tribute to those who fought with dedication and bravery, 100 years ago, in this devastating battle.” \ AH

Posters of hate speech against Istanbul victim may be prosecuted People who post hate messages on social media risk being prosecuted, according to federal home affairs minister Jan Jambon. The announcement comes after it was confirmed that Kerim Akyil, the Limburg-born son of secondgeneration Turkish parents, was one of the victims of the New Year’s Eve terrorist attack in an Istanbul nightclub, leading to a flood of racist messages on Facebook.

Akyil, born and brought up in Houthalen-Helchteren, was remembered at a silent wake last week in the town, where he was buried last Wednesday. “My son and I are a part of this country,” his father, Ali, told VRT News. “That’s why I will bury him here. These racists are sorry people. They don’t even know what they’re doing.” Last year, the federal police set up a service called the Inter-

95, 62

net Referral Unit, whose job is to track down hate speech on the internet. “Nearly 400 Facebook and Twitter accounts responsible for hate speech, incitement to violent extremism and paedophilia have been taken offline,” Jambon said in a statement. The unit will be reinforced shortly with 15 new appointments. The federal agency Unia, formerly the Centre for Equal Rights and

the Fight Against Racism, said it had opened 365 dossiers last year against hate speech, just under one a day on average and 10% more than in 2015. The centre called on social media sites to act more swiftly in removing hate messages. A spokesperson for Facebook told De Morgen the site had a set of clear guidelines intended to encourage users to share their opinions “in a responsible manner”.

€8.5 million

km/h

1 in 4 new businesses created in Belgium in 2016, according to the independent union for the self-employed, NSZ. That’s a 2% increase on the record figure from 2015

That includes zero tolerance for messages that incite violence or hatred based on nationality, ethnicity or religion. Meanwhile, the federal police said it would make a report whenever a case of hate speech was discovered, either reported by a member of the public or detected by police services. The report goes to the local prosecutor’s office, which decides whether to ask Facebook for the person’s details. \ AH

Brussels metro stations is equipped with free wi-fi – including Maalbeek, Troon and Weststation – with the whole network planned for coverage by September. Sign up at wifi.brussels

raised by the Brussels-Capital Region from road tolls for lorries in 2016, compared to an estimate of €23 million. The shortfall is being blamed on drivers using other routes to avoid charges

cocaine seized by police and customs in the port of Antwerp in 2016, almost twice as much as the year before and a new world record. They also made 162 arrests and seized €7.52 million in cash

the new maximum speed on all of Flanders’ regional roads unless otherwise indicated. Previously, the standard speed was 90. Signs with the 70 speed are being removed to save on maintenance

january 11, 2017

WEEK in brief The Ostend-Bruges International Airport closed 2016 with passenger traffic up by some 50%, and one-third more cargo, CEO Marcel Beulens has announced. The airport picked up traffic following the terrorist attacks at Brussels Airport in March, ending the year with a total of nearly 435,000 passengers. Antwerp Airport also saw record passenger figures, with some 25% more passengers than the year before, for a total of 276,300. The Association of Flemish Journalists (VVJ) has complained for a second time in a matter of weeks about a breach of the federal law protecting journalists’ sources after a reporter for Het Laatste Nieuws had her telephone wiretapped in connection with a case concerning Ghent’s city council. The reporter had received leaked information about a disciplinary matter within the council – a leak that may not have been illegal, according to the VVJ. The case follows a search warrant carried out in December at the home of a journalist for the VRT programme Terzake in connection with an ongoing murder case. Unions representing civil servants have protested against a plan by federal administrative affairs minister Steven Vandeput (N-VA) to stop funding first-class rail passes for government workers. At present, civil servants with university degrees are issued train passes for first-class. A number of other benefits would be scrapped, while others would be standardised for all classes of workers. Opposition leader John Crombez (SP.A) pointed out that members of parliament would continue to receive first-class passes. The Asannat, a Flemish fishing boat that capsized off the coast of south-east England last week, has been salvaged and returned to the port of Ostend, according to

face of flanders the maritime salvage and co-ordination centre. Two crew members were lost. The body of a 38-year-old Ostend man has been recovered, while a Spanish crew member remains missing. The boat’s skipper, Johny Ronsijn, survived after spending 11 hours clinging to the boat’s hull. The number of births increased last year in four of Flanders’ five provinces by an average of 0.9% to 63,946, reversing the downward trend of the last seven years. According to the Free University of Brussels (VUB), East Flanders saw a decrease of nearly 2%, while Limburg stayed the same. But the other provinces went up by between 1.3% and 3.5%. The port of Ghent has announced record figures, with a total of 51 million tonnes of goods handled, up nearly 10% on 2015. Sea traffic was up even higher, by 10.3% to more than 29 million tonnes. Ghent connects to the sea via a canal to the port of Terneuzen and the Scheldt estuary. The port recorded huge growth – some 46% – in liquid bulk, in particular hydrocarbons like methane and propane. The government of Flanders has withdrawn private security firms from the car parks along the westbound E40 motorway, following the removal of the refugee camp at Calais, minister Ben Weyts announced last week. The car parks had become a pick-up point for human traffickers to transport refugees to Zeebrugge, and thereafter to the UK. With the disappearance of the Calais camp, the security presence is no longer necessary, Weyts said. De Markten cultural centre and restaurant in the centre of Brussels is closed awaiting renovations and a takeover by a new operator, after Kiso Projects closed prior to

the end of their contract in April. Renovations will be carried out by the Flemish Community Commission, which represents Dutchspeakers in the capital. While Belgian schools offer immersion programmes in the other region’s language, it has been nearly impossible to find teachers willing to teach their subject in the other language, education minister Hilde Crevits confirmed. In the last two years, only two Flemish teachers have gone to teach in immersion programmes in French-speaking schools (outside of actual language lessons). At the same time, not a single Frenchspeaking teacher has made the move in the opposite direction. Ryanair has cancelled its contract with baggage handler Swissport at Brussels Airport, putting 80 jobs at possible risk, the company said. Ryanair is one of Swissport’s main clients at the airport after Brussels Airlines. Unions said they had no idea why the low-cost airline, which has been operating out of Zaventem since 2014, took the decision. Last week a dispute between unions and management of Zurich-based Swissport led to delays and cancellations. The year 2016 saw 70.5 million tonnes of freight being carried on Flanders’ waterways, the most in five years and close to the standing record of 72 million tonnes transported in 2011, waterways agency De Scheepvaart said. The largest area of growth was container traffic, which saw an increase of 9%.

Flanders Today digital Flanders Today is experiencing technical difficulties with its website, apps and email addresses. This should be taken care of this week, but should you have trouble contacting us, please use editorial@ackroyd.be. Thank you!

OFFSIDE Off-road vehicles

Dirk De Wachter We live in a troubled world, and nobody knows this better than psychiatrist Dirk De Wachter, one of Flanders’ most prominent experts on the human condition. De Standaard newspaper asked the go-to mental health spokesperson to serve as the editor of its recent supplement titled Handleiding voor een wisselvallig leven (Manual for an Unsure Life). Dirk August Jozef De Wachter was born in 1960 and grew up in Boom. He is a psychotherapist specialising in family therapy at the psychiatric clinic in Kortenberg, part of the University of Leuven. He is well known to the general public as a best-selling author and regular contributor to newspapers and magazines, or even as a live act. Last year, he was on a tour with singer Eva Deroovere and guitarist Steven Janssens in a sort of one-man TED Talk based on his book Liefde (Love). According to De Wachter, we are living in what he calls “borderline times” – also the title of one of his books – where the line between pathology and non-pathology is extremely thin, and where it seems like the whole world has lost its senses. Society, he says, is obsessed with the pursuit of

lannoo.be/dirk-de-wachter

happiness, but the trick is to come to terms with unhappiness and the mundane matters of life. The title of the supplement was inspired by Leonard Cohen’s reference to “a manual for living with defeat” in his song “Going Home”. It addresses that very idea. Put briefly, the only way to make it through is by coming together with other people in intimacy, bonding, solidarity and a sense of community. Whether in private relationships, families or workplace teams, the bond between people is the only thing that allows us to face those small defeats and overcome them. “It sounds like a paradox, but deeper bonds are forged talking to others about life’s troubles than about the happy moments,” he said in an interview with De Standaard on Facebook Live. That bonding, he believes, would remove from us the pressure to perform – the cause of so much stress in modern life. “We feel ashamed of our vulnerability, and vulnerability becomes a sickness. The hell of these times is to have no-one. The only way to take on this precarious life is in the company of others.” \ Alan Hope

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

Flanders awoke at the weekend to a blanket of white, and on Sunday morning alone there were 15 accidents reported on the roads. North of the border, however, there were 329. What’s the difference? According to VTM weather forecaster Frank Duboccage, roads in the Netherlands are largely made of porous concrete, which has a top layer of large particles that allow rainwater to pass through. “The advantage is that no water remains on the road surface, so there’s no splashing,” Duboccage explained. On the other hand, the water sits inside the concrete and forms a solid sheet of ice. The concrete is referred to differently in the Netherlands and in Flanders; here, it’s known as zeer open asfalt (very open

asphalt), while our neighbours call it zeer open asfaltbeton (very open asphalt-concrete). In layman’s terms, however, both sides agree on the name fluisterasfalt (whispering asphalt) because of its noisereducing qualities. On Belgian roads, the water is constantly being disturbed by traffic, and so never has time to freeze. Still, the situation was serious enough for the Flemish roads and traffic agency to advise not driving at the weekend unless absolutely necessary. And for future frosty days, a few tips from motoring organisation Touring: adjust your speed to the conditions; slow down using the engine rather than the brakes; avoid sudden manoeuvres; exercise caution and anticipate dangers before they happen. \ AH

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

Editor Lisa Bradshaw DEPUTY Editor Sally Tipper CONTRIBUTING Editor Alan Hope sub Editor Bartosz Brzezi´nski Agenda Robyn Boyle, Georgio Valentino Art director Paul Van Dooren Prepress Mediahuis AdPro Contributors Rebecca Benoot, Derek Blyth, Leo Cendrowicz, Sarah Crew, 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 Return of the left?

2017 has just begun, but most parties have their eyes firmly set on 2018 and the local elections. These are seen as a prelude to the 2019 federal and regional elections. Whoever comes out as the winner will ride that wave into the following year. These elections are a big test for nationalist party N-VA. Founded only in 2001, it has become the greatest political power in Flanders, a position previously held by the Christian-democrat CD&V. N-VA may have lost some its popularity since its 2014 landslide victory, but it still towers over all other parties. Nibbling away at this power are the parties on the left, though their electorates differ. Socialists SP.A, in opposition since 2014, is finding it hard to get its voice heard, with the ecologists Groen stealing away much of its limelight. Faced with the much more powerful N-VA on the right, SP.A is now trying to reorganise the left. If SP.A, Groen and the small but growing communist PVDA can overcome its traditional differences, they could match N-VA in size, especially in the cities. In Antwerp, SP.A hopes to win back city hall by joining forces with Groen and PVDA in a “citizen’s movement”. In Ostend, where SP.A is traditionally strong, another citizen’s movement is in the making. Mayor Johan Vande Lanotte (SP.A) wants to attract progressive of all sorts. The minister of state has even retired from parliament to devote all his energy to this goal. Competition is fierce, though. In Antwerp, mayor and N-VA party president Bart De Wever is the man to beat. In Ostend, Flemish vice minister-president Bart Tommelein (Open VLD) has declared himself Vande Lanotte’s challenger, even though they are both part of the current coalition. Another obstacle to SP.A is PVDA’s reputation. Its links to regimes such as North Korea never attracted much attention as long as it was a fringe party. In recent years, though, PVDA has gained strength, with bestselling books written by its president Peter Mertens. Raoul Hedebouw, a bilingual federal MP for PVDA’s Frenchspeaking counterpart PTB, recently appeared in the very TV quiz show that made Bart De Wever a household name. Some believe that PVDA should be put in cordon sanitaire, comparable to that which keeps the far-right Vlaams Belang out of government coalitions. But that has not stopped SP.A from flirting with the far-left. \ Anja Otte

Security in main railway stations to get boost in 2017

Berlin terrorist suspect passed through North Station on way to Italy Alan Hope More articles by Alan \ flanderstoday.eu

ederal home affairs minister Jan Jambon has promised to look into heightened security at Brussels’ railway stations, similar to that in place at airports. The announcement follows the news that Anis Amri, the alleged perpetrator of the attack on Berlin’s Christmas market last month, spent two hours in transit at Brussels North Station. Amri was travelling from Berlin to Milan following the attack on 19 December. Long before the Berlin attack, national rail authority NMBS announced that it would outfit major stations like Brussels South and Antwerp Central with 750 new security cameras, while renewing 1,550 older cameras in stations across the network. It would also employ additional security personnel, up to 600 this year alone. Part of their job would be to monitor new security doors due to be installed at major stations. The measures planned will not necessarily stop terrorism, according to Brice De Ruyver of Ghent University’s criminal justice department.

“Perfect security doesn’t exist,” he said. “If you secure some targets, there’s always the risk that the threat shifts to other targets.” He does, however, believe in additional security in public places. “The sensation of security is important. People can act strangely if they don’t feel safe in society. The feeling of security is what determines quality of life.” A related topic of discussion is the collection of identity details of people travelling on interna-

tional trains and buses. The idea was sparked in the summer of 2015 when an armed man planning a mass shooting was apprehended on a Thalys train in France. He had boarded the train at Brussels South. Passenger ID would only work, De Ruyver said, if all of Europe took part. “The measure would be useful not only in the fight against terrorism,” he said, “but also in other areas like human trafficking and the drugs trade.” Jambon also plans to train police in what is known as behavioural detection – detecting suspicious activity according to the suspect’s behaviour. This would help with terrorism, he said, but also more common crimes like theft and smuggling. A pilot project currently under way at Brussels Airport will be evaluated before the government decides whether to extend the exercise to other traffic hubs. Meanwhile, NMBS is looking into cameras with facial recognition, but there is no deadline for a decision, a spokesperson said.

Tributes paid to former National Bank governor Luc Coene

Tommelein to stand for Open Vld in Ostend’s 2018 mayor race

Politicians and others have been paying tribute to Luc Coene, the former governor of the National Bank who died last week. He was 69 and had been ill for some time. Coene (pictured) was “my fellow traveller for more than 30 years,” said former prime minister Guy Verhofstadt, whose chief of staff Coene had been. “In every function he filled, he acted as a role model for the generation that followed.” Coene, he said, had been a colleague in the Senate, a mainstay during the two terms he had served as Verhofstadt’s chief. “And above all an independent governor of the National Bank who was always ready and willing to give his opinion, even when it wasn’t asked for.” Jan Smets, who succeeded Coene as governor in 2015, described him as “an extraordinary man. He had a sharp power of analysis and a huge degree of insight, coupled with his willingness to take on responsibility. He led from the front like a

Flemish energy minister Bart Tommelein has announced that he will challenge former socialist party chair Johan Vande Lanotte in Ostend’s mayoral race come 2018. Tommelein (Open VLD) was the state secretary of social fraud and North Sea concerns before he accepted his current position as a replacement for party colleague Annemie Turtelboom last year. “I have decided to challenge mayor Johan Vande Lanotte and present myself as mayoral candidate and list leader for the liberals in 2018,” he said. The news follows the announcement by Kris Peeters, federal minister and former Flemish minister-president, that he would lead the CD&V list in Antwerp at the municipal elections in 2018. That puts him head-to-head against current port city mayor Bart De Wever, who is also president of the Flemish nationalist party N-VA. Tommelein, 54, was born in Ostend and is taking on one of Belgium’s biggest political heavyweights. Vande

general. He was also a loyal man, with whom I could work in perfect confidence.” Coene was known to support Open VLD. The party’s president, Gwendolyn Rutten, said he was “a man with a vision that combined knowledge and rigour. Luc’s advice was always clear and well-founded.” Party colleague Alexander De Croo called him “an unusually wise, friendly man of great integrity”. Prime minister Charles Michel also tweeted his thoughts for the family, describing Coene as “a professional bridge-builder who became a driven governor”. \ AH

Bart Tommelein (centre) during the Montgomery Ceremony in Ostend in 2014

Lanotte, 61, was born in Poperinge and was a professor of constitutional law at Ghent University before holding several federal posts, including home affairs, state enterprises and North Sea concerns. He has been mayor of Ostend since 2015. Tommelein’s party currently runs Ostend in coalition with the socialists and CD&V. “The coalition will simply carry on,” Tommelein said. “But Open VLD is now an established party in Ostend and capable of delivering a mayor. Ostend has a lot going for it, but also has a lot of challenges. I want to be a mayor that represents everyone in Ostend and take the lead of a project everyone can be involved in.” \ AH

App to back up Brussels street harassment law The federal government is preparing an app to make it easier to report sexual harassment on the street, state secretary for equal opportunities Elke Sleurs has announced. Figures show that only three incidents were reported in Brussels from May 2015 to May 2016, all of them dropped by the prosecutor’s office without charges. The law, passed in 2014, makes verbal sexual harassment in the street illegal. It was inspired by a documentary made by Flemish

student Sofie Peeters as her final project to graduate from the RITCS film and theatre school in Brussels. In Femme de la rue (Woman of the Street), she records the various approaches and remarks made by men as she walks in the Brussels neighbourhood where she lived at the time. The video was shown on TV stations on both sides of the language border, as well as being picked up by international media. According to an investigation by De Morgen, 25 complaints were

reported between the introduction of the law, in May 2014, and May 2015. Thirteen came from Flanders and three from Brussels. According to Sleurs, women remain reluctant to report incidents of harassment, as they believe nothing will come of the complaint – a belief supported by no charges being filed in the three cases this year. The law is also considered by legal experts to be too vague and open to interpretation.

Sleurs has promised to review the law this year. In the meantime, her department plans an information campaign aimed at raising awareness of the effects of sexist behaviour and the options available to victims. The campaign also includes a new digital app, based on a previous app for victims of homophobia. The app will allow victims of harassment to record incidents and possibly inform law enforcement at the same time. \ AH

\ COVER STORY

january 11, 2017

A century of jazz

Armed with experimental sounds, Flemish artists eye stages across border TINYURL.COM/BRUSSELS-JAZZ-FESTIVAL continued from page 1

“This openness and absence of borders is in fact one of the strengths of our local scene,” Van Rousselt says. “By promoting contemporary jazz artists, we hope that the music of the jazz icons of the past will also find its way to younger audiences.” But hasn’t jazz always included elements from the entire musical landscape? “Indeed,” says Pieter Koten of Ostend arts centre Vrijstaat O. “Jazz has always been a very vivid style, easily adapting to the trends of the time.” The biggest difference, he points out, is that the new generation of musicians presents itself differently. “They can’t stand parochialism and are very difficult to pigeonhole. For them, it’s all about cross-pollination. Sometimes, they consciously avoid the jazz label, and sometimes they want to vehemently stick to it.” Take Lander Gyselinck (pictured on cover), the jazz drummer who recently won the Flemish Culture Prize for Music. “On the new Stuff. album, which will be released in April, he will sound even more like Flying Lotus,” says Koten. But when collaborating with other bands and ensembles, including BeraadGeslagen, LABtrio and Kris Defoort Trio, “he can just as easily improvise or play jazz at chamber-music level.” Another jazz chameleon is the saxophone player Robin Verheyen. “In TaxiWars, he collaborates with the rock singer Tom Barman, while his other projects are more jazz- or world-oriented. And he will soon present a classical Bach project in Bruges’ Concertgebouw.” As a side note, both Verheyen and Gyselinck are based in New York. In the capital of jazz, says Koten, “you need to be open-minded to survive”. The musical cross-over, typical of this new generation of musicians, often comes with an interdisciplinary approach. This month, the Brussels Jazz Orchestra play a New Year’s concert at deSingel arts centre in Antwerp with five Syrian refugees. At Flagey’s Brussels Jazz Festival, the orchestra will pair up with trumpeter and composer Bert Joris, while at KVS theatre, they will be joined on stage by four slam poets: Laryssa Kim, Joy Slam, Zed Soul’Art and FutureFantastic. Koten has plenty of other examples. “After a more rock-based album, the band Nordmann, who won the Jong Talent competition in 2013, have been working on a film, while the Nightwatch project by the band Too Noisy Fish features two video screens and spoken word by the author Dimitri Verhulst.” Drummer Teun Verbruggen, who’s behind the trio Too Noisy Fish, has also worked with Flemish writer Tom Lanoye and the Brussels-based street artist Vincent Glowinski,

BRUSSELSJAZZORCHESTRA.COM

This month sees both local and international jazz masters taking to stages in festivals and celebrations of an ever-changing genre. Photos clockwise from above: Fulco Ottervanger and De Beren Gieren, Brussels Jazz Orchestra, Mark Guiliana

bringing poetry, live-drawing and jazz to the stage. “This approach requires a more enterprising attitude, one that looks at the bigger picture,” explains Koten. Verbruggen is also getting ready to launch a crowdfunding campaign for his Werkplaats Walter arts centre in the heart of Anderlecht. Officially scheduled to open in 2018, this former gym is being revamped into a cultural hotspot, housing furniture makers,

talent. “At first, the winners of Gent Jazz’s annual competition were awarded with a spot on stage,” says Koten. “Now that spot is only part of a more structural support. We’re not only choosing who the audience will get to see. In this interactive world, we have become a sort of ambassador for the musicians, introducing them to the outside world.” Then, there is the ubiquity of talent. “There’s

Jazz has always been a very vivid style, easily adapting to the trends of the time artist workspaces, a concert attic and even a bicycle-repair shop. “It’s wonderful to see musicians eager to follow original career paths,” says Koten, “rather than go for the obvious album release, followed by some concerts and then another album.” Over the last decade, the impact of the smallscale management bureaus and booking agencies, such as Aubergine and Inside Jazz, he continues, has also transformed the local scene into a more professional industry. The major summer jazz festivals, meanwhile, have started featuring young and emerging

so much out there! We haven’t even talked about SCHNTZL, Steiger or the Granvat collective,” exclaims Koten. “The next logical step to the local success story would be a follow-up on the international stage.” Case in point: the widespread popularity of the Scandinavian jazz scene, or the rise of UK and Canadian groups, such as BadBadNotGood, GoGo Penguin and Portico. Musician Fulco Ottervanger has just been appointed Ghent’s city composer. His band, De Beren Gieren have already enjoyed modest success in Europe and are working on a new album.

“We are more than ready for an international tour,” says the pianist. “Naturally, we’d like to play bigger venues, but it’s not that easy if you don’t have the backing of a major label. Or maybe the music of GoGo Penguin is just a bit simpler than ours. We need attentive listeners.” A broad and idiosyncratic musical appetite does come with a few perks. Like many fellow jazz musicians of his generation, Ottervanger – who grew up listening to Jimi Hendrix, Chick Corea and Beethoven – sees being part of only one band as an artistic limitation. At any given time, you can see him playing in a kid’s theatre, running the rock band Stadt or teaming up with drummer Gyselinck in the BeraadGeslagen improv band. “Everything I encounter in life, I put into my music,” he says. “Nothing equals that kind of freedom.” “For a local venue like Vrijstraat O, such a broad musical spectrum is the biggest gift of all,” says Koten. “By being so open, this emerging scene exhales the real jazz attitude.” And maybe, he adds, that’s more important than any international or mainstream acclaim.

Today’s jazz scene in 12 shows Refugee New Year’s Concert by Brussels Jazz Orchestra and Syrian Soloists 11 January 20:00, deSingel, Antwerp Brussels Jazz Festival 12-21 January, Flagey, Brussels Les Chronique de l’Inutile 14 January 20:00, Werkplaats Walter, Brussels

De Beren Gieren 17 January 19:00, Hot Club de Gand, Ghent SCHNTZL 18 January 20.00, CC De Schakel, Waregem Sarathy Korwar and BeraadGeslagen 23 January 20:00, Ancienne Belgique, Brussels We Orchestrate Words featuring Brussels

Jazz Orchestra and slam poets 28 January 20:30, KVS, Brussels LABtrio 24-27 February, across Flanders & Brussels TaxiWars 20 February 20:30, De Roma, Antwerp Duo à l’encre 5 March 15:30, Kamermuziek-

zaal, Bruges Nordmann plays Dementia 9-31 March, across Flanders Stuff. 27 April to 12 May, across Flanders and Brussels

\ BUSINESS

week in business Banking KBC Flanders’ largest financial institution has finalised the acquisition of the United Bulgarian Bank and of Interlease for €610 million to become Bulgaria’s leading bank/insurer. KBC also announced that it is considering further growth in Hungary and Slovakia, where it is the second and fourth largest player on the market respectively.

Electronics Zetes Panasonic has acquired 51% of the Brussels-based identification systems developer for €150 million with an option to acquire the rest of the shares in the second quarter of 2017, after the approval of competition authorities.

Textiles Ontex The Aalst-based manufacturer of diapers and incontinence products is acquiring Brazil’s Hypermarcas personal hygiene company for €290 million. The move strengthens Ontex’s position in Latin America after its recent acquisition of the Mexican Grupo Mabe.

Shipping Euronav The Antwerp-based tanker operator has signed a fiveyear, $186 million sale and lease back deal with the US Wafra Capital Partners fund, covering four of the company’s tankers. The deal is to yield a €37 million capital gain for Euronav and strengthens liquidity.

Telecoms Telenet The Mechelen-based company is buying the local activities of France’s SFR cable and telecoms firm, previously known as Coditel, for €400 million. The deal will give Telenet a leading position in the Brussels television cable market and its first foothold in Wallonia.

Metals Umicore The Brussels-based nonferrous metals and materials group is acquiring France’s Eurotungstene, specialised in metal powders used to strengthen diamond tools and refractory materials.

Energy Eni The Italian energy group is seeking a buyer for its Belgian operations, servicing some 800,000 customers in the country.

Database for female experts

New platform will act as recruitment pool for boardroom quotas Alan Hope Follow Alan on Twitter \ @AlanHopeFT

he Brussels secretary of state for equal opportunities has begun developing an online database of female experts in a variety of areas. Bianca Debaets has worked with the genderequality non-profit Amazone to create the site expertes.brussels, which brings together female experts for consultation by the press, government and other organisations and will act as a recruitment pool. As of the start of this year, all business receiving government subsidies or quoted on the stock

exchange must have at least one woman for every three board members. Many companies have yet to comply. “Companies often say they can’t find suitable women,” said Marleen Teugels of Amazone. “The new database will provide a response to that argument.” When the law on the quota was passed in 2011, one in 10 members of company boards were female. After a transition period of five years, the number for Belgium as a whole should have gone up to one in three, but that legal minimum is far from being reached in

expertes.brussels

the Brussels region, where many larger companies are based. “A balanced composition of men and women in company boardrooms is economically interesting for the companies involved, and

for the many female experts to get the chance to show their abilities,” said Debaets (pictured). The database, made possible by a subsidy of €34,000 from the region, lists more than 100 female experts in 14 business sectors, including economics, religion, sport, media and ICT. “We are focusing on company boards, but any organisation looking for a speaker, or a journalist looking for an expert, can also consult the list,” Teugels said. “We’d like to make it as easily accessible as possible.”

Anti-terror and major crimes police take most sick leave

Most new jobs created by large companies since 2014

Officers in the anti-terrorism and major crimes divisions of the federal police take considerably more sick leave than the average police officer, according to figures from the medical service. Figures from January to November 2016 obtained by Le Soir show that across the whole police service, the average number of days an officer is absent through illness (excluding accidents and maternity leave) was 8.06 days in the federal police and 8.17 in the local police. In the anti-terrorism division, however, the average was 15 days in the course of 2016. According to the paper’s own estimate, 30 members of the department were sick at one time or another in December, out of a total force of 200. In the major crimes division, which also investigates organised crime, 247 out of 292 personnel had taken at least one day off

Three out of four jobs created during the current federal government’s term of office were in large companies in the private sector, according to the state service for social security RSV. The figures cover 83,742 new jobs created between the third quarter of 2014 and the same period in 2016. Belgian employment is usually considered as dependent on small and medium-sized enterprises, with companies of fewer than 200 employees making up 56% of employment. However, in the period concerned by the study, that sector accounted for only 20,600 new jobs, compared to 63,100 in large companies and corporations. According to Edward Roossens, chief economist at the Federation of Belgian Enterprise in Brussels, government measures are responsible for the change: the decision to skip a year in indexing wages,

Local police on patrol in Molenbeek

sick in the year to December, with a total of 6,313 days – the equivalent of 21 days’ leave for every fulltime equivalent. Last week, 30 officers from the Zone West in Brussels – covering Molenbeek, Koekelberg, Jette, Ganshoren and Sint-AgathaBerchem – reported sick collectively in protest at increased workloads and the zone’s inability to provide more manpower. Work has since resumed and talks with unions continue. \ AH

changes to taxation and lowering the costs of employment. “Large companies benefitted the most,” Roossens told Trends magazine. Belgium’s competitive disadvantage compared to neighbouring countries like the Netherlands, France and Germany, measured at 14% in previous years, now stands at 9%, the RSV said. The hourly cost of employment is now five percentage points cheaper. However, all of the new jobs are not full-time; 70% are at least half-time, with 25,400 being fulltime. \ AH

MediaMarkt takes over Makro’s electronics business © Courtesy Africaspotter/Wikimedia

Local airline seeks hundreds of new staff for summer season Belgian airline TUI Fly – previously Jetairfly – intends to take on 330 new aircrew in preparation for the summer season. The airline is looking for 70 pilots and 260 cabin crew. The staff are needed because the airline intends to add new destinations, as well as increasing the frequency of flights to cities it currently serves. Cabin crew will be hired on temporary contracts running until the end of October. “We don’t need as many people in the winter. That’s typical for the

sector,” a company spokesperson said. “But we hope to be able to keep on board those who make an impression.” The new cabin staff will undergo eight weeks’ training, with the possibility of a language course. TUI Fly, part of the Hanover-based tourism group TUI, operates out of all five Belgian airports – Brussels, Ostend, Antwerp, Liège and Charleroi – with a fleet of 25 planes and, after the new appointments, a staff of 1,150. \ AH

The multimedia chain MediaMarkt is to take over the electronics business of supermarket Makro, which has six branches in Belgium. Makro announced last year that it would scrap 505 of its 3,000 jobs in Belgium. Some of those jobs may now be rescued by MediaMarkt. The announcement followed a reported loss by Makro of €33 million, and involved the company restructuring to concentrate on fresh food, building materials and party accessories such as balloons and barbecues. Media Markt expressed an interest in the electronics activities in the six stores and negotiations are now complete. “We will start work in mid-January to convert the electronics departments of Makro stores

into MediaMarkt branches,” said Sven Degezelle, director general of MediaMarkt Belgium. “The process should be completed by mid-May.” Makro still plans to get rid of 505 jobs, according to a company spokesperson. “But that includes employees currently working in our electronics departments,” she said. “They may be able to find places elsewhere in Makro, but they can also apply for jobs with MediaMarkt.” Makro’s Flemish stores are in Antwerp, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw and Machelen near Brussels and Nazareth near Ghent. The company has assured customers that products bought from Makro will continue to be guaranteed by MediaMarkt. \ AH

\ INNOVATION

january 11, 2017

Twenty below

week in innovation

VUB researcher develops innovative measuring system at South Pole Senne Starckx More articles by Senne \ flanderstoday.eu

ICECUBE.WISC.EDU

any of us confuse the Geographic South Pole – the point where the axis of the Earth pricks through the southern hemisphere – with the South Pole, used as a casual synonym for Antarctica. But Gwenhaël de Wasseige is actually now on both. A few days before Christmas, the PhD student from the Free University of Brussels (VUB) arrived at the scientific research station Amundsen-Scott. Getting there from Brussels involved a three-day journey. “I first flew to Christchurch in New Zealand,” says de Wasseige. “From there a plane took me 3,500 kilometres farther south, to McMurdo Station, a ‘hub’ for everyone and everything travelling to the south pole. The final leg of the journey brought me to the southern-most place on Earth.” De Wasseige didn’t go to the South Pole just for sightseeing. The Amundsen-Scott base, which belongs to the United States, is home to important scientific research. The Flemish student is part of an international team that runs the Icecube Neutrino Observatory, a network of more than 5,000 optical sensors melted into a cubic kilometre of Antarctic ice. With this ice-cube telescope, physicists are trying to catch the most mysterious and intangible particles in the universe: neutrinos. Neutrinos barely interact with matter – they literally fly through everything at almost the speed of light. But once in a (very rare) while, they collide with an icy atom and produce a blue flash of light. Since it was put into operation in 2010, the Icecube detector has caught 28 neutrinos. It may seem like a poor harvest until you realise that these neutrinos carry information about some of the most distant and powerful phenomena in the universe – including pulsars, black holes, supernovas or even the big bang – precisely because they don’t interact with matter. De Wasseige wasn’t sent to the pole

Flanders’ innovation minister, Philippe Muyters, has launched a scheme to increase digital literacy among young people. The plan, which focuses on activities outside school hours, will be funded for five years and will provide experience that will also be used to improve the regular education system. The network of Stem academies, co-ordinated by Technopolis hands-on science museum in Mechelen, will receive an extra €160,000 a year through the plan. Muyters is also investing in CoderDojo, a non-profit initiative that teaches children computer skills, and CodeFever, which teaches 10,000 children how to programme.

Antwerp transforms into living lab

Aside from monitoring her own project, PhD student Gwenhaël de Wasseige is carrying out experiments for secondary school students

to help operate the detector (that’s done by scientists in a control room in the US), but to install a system that measures the thickness of the snow lying on the top part of the detector that sticks out of the ice. She invented the system on her own back in Brussels. “It’s doesn’t snow here very much,” she says referring to the Antarctic, “but because the wind never stops blowing, the snow is constantly moving. Until now, someone had to go out every day and stick a pole into the snow to determine how thick it is. I developed a system based on sound sensors to measure the daily thickness automatically.” So how is life in the least inhabitable place on Earth? “Once you’re inside the base, it’s very easy to forget that you’re actually in the middle of Antarctica, at the end of the world,” she says. “The rooms are small, but comfortable, with running hot water. There’s a nice restaurant serving delicious meals, and even a greenhouse, recreation rooms, a gym and an arts-andcrafts room. I can’t complain.” The only things that remind her of

the outside environment “are the constant daylight, the extremely dry air and the high altitude.” The South Pole is located more than three kilometres above sea level. When Flemish astronauts Dirk Frimout and Frank De Winne went into space, they carried a whole list of things to do there to promote space exploration and science among the general public, including schoolchildren. When de Wasseige looks at her own to-do list, she probably feels a bit like an astronaut who has been sent to a distant planet. In collaboration with Wtnschp, an organisation that promotes science in Brussels, she’s taking part in three initiatives. At the Amundsen-Scott base, she will run experiments given to her by secondary students, including two magnetic tests from schools in Antwerp and Tervuren. She also took hundreds of postcards given to her by colleagues, friends and other enthusiasts to post back to Flanders. “The base’s postmark is really unique, and you don’t get a letter from the Antarctic

every day, right?” Finally, de Wasseige will post photos of her four-week stay at the South Pole every day on social media, including Instagram and Twitter. “My day starts at 6.00, when the satellite internet is up. I read my e-mails, chat a bit and do my work on social media, before heading to breakfast. Our working day starts around nine and lasts until 16:00. Then we’re free until the evening, when we have a good satellite connection again.” When de Wasseige arrived in December, the weather in Antarctica was unusually “warm”. “The air outside is about minus 20 degrees, which is quite warm actually,” she says. “But it’s the wind that makes it feel so cold, with a wind chill of -40.” De Wasseige celebrated New Year’s Eve under a sunny blue sky, a complete change in weather from when she had just arrived. “During my first days here, the sky was white, and it was hard to distinguish it from the icy landscape.” Her southern adventure ends this week, as she heads home to Flanders.

European Time Machine project to visualise past timemachineproject.eu

Antwerp University (UAntwerp) is participating in the Time Machine FET Flagship project, which will visualise the past of cities in 3D. The project is one of the EU’s FET Flagships, described as “visionary, science-driven, large-scale research initiatives addressing grand scientific and technological challenges”. Time Machine, which is set to receive between €500,000 and €1

Plan to improve digital literacy

million in funding, brings together some 70 institutions from 20 countries to build a simulator that will map up to 2,000 years of European history. Information about people and places will be retrieved from billions of photographs, paintings, manuscripts and books, connected by computers and placed on a digital map. Eventually, 3D simulations will show us what cities – including

Venice and Antwerp – looked like hundreds of years ago. “The purpose is to create virtual, historic cities that people can move around in,” said UAntwerp historian Tim Soens. “Like Google Street View works today, but with the time dimension as an extra layer.” The project offers various scientific applications, including helping urban historians examine

how certain areas have developed throughout the centuries. The project also offers tourism opportunities, allowing visitors to experience life in Bruges in the middle ages, for instance. The “construction” of the Time Machine is scheduled to start in 2021. Leuven University Library is one of the Flemish organisations that has agreed to provide access to its materials.\ Andy Furniere

Antwerp has officially announced its City of Things project, which turns the port city into a living lab where companies, researchers, residents and local authorities can experiment with smart technology. The project is based on the Internet of Things, meaning a network of digitally connected objects and infrastructure that exchange data using embedded sensors. The city is collaborating with Leuven-based nanotechnology research centre imec and the government of Flanders for the City of Things, which has been running pilot projects for about a year. Those include measuring air quality using sensors attached to Bpost vehicles, monitoring energy consumption in real time and cars on the move communicating directly with traffic management systems. \ tinyurl.com/cityofthings

Music makes chocolate taste sweeter The music you hear while you eat has an influence on how the meal tastes, says PhD researcher Felipe Reinoso Carvalho of the University of Leuven and Free University of Brussels. Together with a professor from Oxford University and Bruges chocolatier Dominique Persoone, he created four pralines and two soundtracks. One of the soundtracks was labelled “soft” and the other “sharp”, referring to the emotions or taste the music should trigger. The people who ate the chocolate when listening to the “soft” music described the praline as creamier and sweeter, while those who listened to the “sharp” music described the same chocolate as rougher and more bitter. \ AF

IT’S EASIER THAN EVER TO WORK ABROAD. IN A CHANGING WORLD,

FREE PREMIUM PACK* Expats, make your life in Belgium easier: 3 multi-currency accounts + online banking + Gold credit cards* + many more advantages! To help you settle in, BNP Paribas Fortis offers you personalised solutions, from day-to-day banking to savings & investments, from insurance to loans. Visit your nearest BNP Paribas Fortis expat branch.

bnpparibasfortis.be/expatinbelgium

* Subject to approval of your application. More info via bnpparibasfortis.be/expatinbelgium Publisher: A. Moenaert, BNP Paribas Fortis SA/NV, Montagne du Parc/Warandeberg 3, 1000 Brussels, RPM Brussels, TVA BE 0403.199.702, FSMA n° 25,879 A

\ EDUCATION

january 11, 2017

The world’s a classroom

week in education

Hasselt teacher connects refugees in Kenya with the rest of the world projectkakuma.com

Ian Mundell More articles by Ian \ flanderstoday.eu

projectwater.info

Koen Timmers is in the running for the Global Teacher Prize in recognition of his work supporting a refugee camp and of teaching students closer to home about the importance of learning from each other.

oen Timmers is one of 50 educators from around the world in contention for the Global Teacher Prize, and the only Belgian in the running. He has been selected because of his project that allows teachers to connect with children in a Kenyan refugee camp, but this is just one of the innovative initiatives under his belt. Timmers’ day job is teaching computer science at an adult education college in HeusdenZolder, north of Hasselt. He specialises in web design, and his pupils are a mix of people studying for pleasure and those in “secondchance” education, looking to get back in to the job market. He teaches not only about computers, but with computers. “I’m part of a distance-learning project, so my students attend half of the classes at home,” he explains. “I use Skype, I use digital textbooks, and I encourage my students to learn from each other. I try to learn from them as well.” Timmers’ Kenya project is also distance learning, but under quite different circumstances. It began with a chance conversation, via Skype, with a charity worker in the Kakuma refugee camp in the north-west of the country. Nearly 180,000 people who have fled violence in the region live in the camp, more than half of them children. But with few resources and class sizes running to 150-200

In the Times Higher Education magazine, University of Leuven rector Rik Torfs has pleaded for a collaboration with UK universities following Brexit and proposed setting up associations of British and European universities. The UK is part of many EU research programmes, and it is currently unclear whether researchers based at British universities will be able to remain in these programmes following the country’s exit from the European Union. Many British universities are considering setting up satellite campuses on the European mainland. Torfs has proposed the establishment of “one or more British universities on the mainland”. This would allow British researchers to continue collaborating with their colleagues and access EU funding.

Percentage of students studying Islam doubles

Learning by doing is essential to teaching technology, according to Hasselt teacher Koen Timmers

by sending one of his own laptops for a school to use, but its modest speakers were hardly up to the job. “When I had a Skype call with the students, there were 150 of them looking at my little laptop screen. It was really cool, but also a bit frustrating.” One of the teachers in the camp had to repeat what Timmers said to the rest of the class, and pass back the children’s comments. Language also proved problematic, with the different varieties of English being used often slowing things down or leading to misunderstandings. Undaunted, Timmers launched a crowdfunding campaign to buy extra computers, a video projector and a sound system. This has improved things, although lessons

And while the teaching is important, the empathy created by the lessons is just as valuable. “The refugees are not allowed to leave the camp, so by having a Skype call with them – one day with New Zealand, the next with Brazil – we are unlocking their world.” The same goes for students outside Kenya who get involved through their teachers and sometimes prepare lessons for their peers in the camp. “They get another perspective on what it is like to be a refugee and how people in Africa live,” Timmers explains. Despite its success, the project’s future is uncertain. The internet connection in the camp was maintained by a non-profit organisation, which now has other priorities, so Timmers has been looking

When I had a Skype call with the students, there were 150 of them looking at my little laptop screen pupils, the camp’s 30 schools struggle to meet demand. “He asked me to help him increase the level of education in the camp, not just on my own but by bringing in other educators from around the world,” Timmers recalls. “I know these people because I’m in Microsoft’s expert educator community, so I have lots of contacts around the world who are doing great things in their own classrooms.” The first problem was how to connect these global teachers with the camp, which has unreliable internet service and very few computers. Timmers responded

Leuven rector wants UK universities on mainland

remain unconventional. “Once you get used to the concept of chaos, it works pretty well,” he says. Subjects, such as science and maths, are chosen to fit in with the Kenyan national curriculum. Timmers started out teaching geography and biology, but preparing lessons outside his expertise proved time-consuming, and now he concentrates on co-ordinating the network. “I managed to find about 100 teachers around the world who were willing to teach the refugees on a daily basis, and I do a lesson of my own once a week,” he says.

for alternatives. The organisation that runs the schools is supportive, but has no resources to spare. “They really need computers and funding to pay the energy bills, and we are working very hard to raise that money.” His lower target is €2,000 to €3,000, which would buy some laptops and keep the internet connection up for six months. “If we had a little more funding, we would be able to buy them solar panels, so we wouldn’t have to pay for fuel on a monthly basis.” The Global Teacher Prize is worth

$1 million (€963,000), which would take the project to a completely different level. “I don’t think I’m going to win the prize,” Timmers says, “but if I did, the money would make it possible to involve all the schools in Kakuma in the project.” The winner of the annual prize will be announced on 19 March. Meanwhile, Timmers has been busy with other online teaching projects, such as Wai Water, which last year connected nine schools on six continents. “The students had to find out about clean water, spoilage, insufficient water and so on, and we covered a lot of subjects, like geography, biology, history and maths,” he explains. The students collected information in small groups and presented their results first to others in their classroom and then to others in the network. “I think it’s better for students to learn from each other, from their peers from around the world, than just from a book or a teacher instructing them.” The solutions the students came up with also surprised Timmers. “I thought they would just use PowerPoint to present their outcomes, but they began to use Minecraft to construct waterfalls and so on. They used Lego, they created stopmotion videos and green-screen movies. It was really fascinating to see which technologies they were using.” This, he thinks, is the key to teaching technology. “Don’t take a textbook and teach students how to use Word. Give them Word or PowerPoint or Minecraft, and they will find out themselves while working on important things like water.”

The percentage of students following Islam lessons in Flemish primary and secondary schools has more than doubled in 10 years. According to De Tijd, their share has increased from 3.2% in 2005-2006 to 6.8% last school year, when a total of 56,262 pupils studied Islam. The percentage of students following lessons in Catholic religion has fallen from 83.5% to 78.8% in the past decade. The share of students choosing to study Protestant religion has remained stable, while lessons in morals have become more popular. The increased demand causes problems, as there is a lack of qualified Islam teachers, with only 16% of teachers in primary education and 38% in secondary education having the right diploma.

Academics call for anonymous exams In an op-ed for De Standaard, academics Els Vandesande, Johan Lievens and Andy Thys from the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) have proposed making exams anonymous, to tackle the influence of prejudices. They suggest replacing the student’s name with a number, which would reduce the influence of prejudice about someone’s background, gender or reputation and thus improve equality of opportunity. “The unconscious association between a Flemish name and enthusiasm for studying could mean that a lecturer evaluates students with a less Flemish-sounding name proportionally worse,” the academics said. “We will never impose this,” KU Leuven rector Rik Torfs said on Twitter. “Students are not anonymous people.” \ Andy Furniere

\ LIVING

week in activities Putteke Winter This weekend’s event is the last in a series of night-time walks through the woods, all across Flanders, with entertainment by fire performers, musicians and street artists. The path leads you past the most romantic places in the park, with lanterns and fire pits lighting the way. Hot drinks and food are available to buy. 13 January, enter between 18.00 and 20.45, Huizingen Provincial Park, Henry Torleylaan 100, Beersel; free \ puttekewinter.be

Algerian Culture Night Bring your family and friends for an evening of Algerian music, food and dance, plus a presentation about the country. Learn about another culture in a fun, relaxed setting. Register via info@inspirationvzw.be. 13 January 19.00-23.00, Inspiration, Berendrechtstraat 92, Antwerp; €5 (includes food) \ facebook.com/inspirationvzw

Costumes of Venice If you can’t make it to Venice for Carnival this year, come to Bruges instead. Fifty guest performers will parade through the streets, wearing their most beautiful and colourful Carnival costumes and masks. They will follow two routes through the historic city centre, starting at 10.00 and 14.00 each day. 14-15 January, Bruges; free \ facebook.com/discoverbruges

Arboretum Walk Have you ever wondered how trees get their names? During a family-friendly guided walk, learn the (Latin and Dutch) names of various trees, along with the stories of Indian tribes and intrepid explorers behind them. 15 January 14.00-16.00, Vlaktedreef, Tervuren; €1 \ visittervuren.be

Karibu Karimu This international family festival offers something for everyone: world music by Ritmo Latino and other bands; salsa, tango and street dance workshops; belly dance for kids; a djembe (drum) workshop; henna and face-painting; games and more. Plus food from Armenia, Mexico, Peru and Turkey. 15 January 11.3018.00, Dommelhof Provincial Park, Toekomstlaan 5, Neerpelt; free \ wereldfeestondersteboven.eu

\ 10

You are not alone

Outreach team offers mental health support to troubled youngsters Sarah Crew More articles by Sarah \ flanderstoday.eu

tinyurl.com/bru-stars

he mental health-care landscape in Belgium is changing. As part of the expansion of community care provision – redirecting funding from institutional psychiatric care – a series of outreach teams for adults has been established across the country in the past five years. Similar multidisciplinary networks were launched for children and adolescents in 2015, with one in each province. The capital’s network is known as Bru-Stars. Launched in 2015, Bru-Stars unites francophone, Dutch-speaking and bi-community institutions in the capital, with a mobile psychiatric service set up last sprint. It follows two successful projects for adults in Brussels; a third service, specialising in senior mental health care, is due in the coming years. Bru-Stars will eventually number more than 30 health professionals, treating children and young people who are referred to the service. “Our patients are mainly youngsters who have dropped out of society,” explains Dr Anne François, a child psychiatrist at UMC Sint-Pieter and former head of child psychiatry at Queen Fabiola Children’s Hospital. “They may have already had a difficult and chaotic life, experiencing separation, abandonment and discontinuity. It can start at an early age.” Mental disorders are more likely to be found among youngsters who can’t leave the house for a diverse number of reasons, she explains. These may be biological problems such as schizophrenia and depression, or relational problems linked to the family and their environment. Early intervention is crucial, Fran-

From left: Bru-Stars doctors Karim Odr, Laurent Servais and Anne François

çois adds. “From experience, we see that as soon as a child drops out, in general they drop out of sight of traditional systems. I’m currently working with an 11-yearold who dropped out of school two years ago. What is his future? You can’t wait too long with a case like this.” What is the satisfaction of working with young people? François: “The possibilities are almost infinite. When they are older, possibilities still exist, but they’re more limited. When you see a young person reconstruct their life, recreating a social network and improving relations with their family, that is enormously satisfying.” Dr Laurent Servais is a psychiatrist with a private practice in Brussels who previously headed a project

for delinquents and adolescents. “One of the exiled populations in Brussels that we never talk about is the European Commission, a breeding ground of exiles,” he says. “The number of people I’ve treated at the commission and the training sessions I’ve given have shown me what an important question integration is.” It’s a real problem, he adds, “that concerns not just the EU institutions but everyone from a higher socio-economical background: In general, social workers don’t visit them”. Bru-Stars is also involved in initiatives to raise awareness of mental health in the wider community. “We are working on the visibility of mental health, because it’s still so difficult in our society to

BITE Old-school glamour at new-look Café Metropole While the Hotel Metropole was fighting a high-profile legal battle with the City of Brussels over vehicle access, its sumptuous eatery, Café Metropole, was busy reinventing itself with the help of a new head chef. The capital’s pedestrian zone has been the subject of polemics since its inauguration in 2015, but few of its critics have gone as far as making it the subject of legal proceedings. The owners of the historic five-star Hotel Metropole did just that, arguing that accessibility issues were adversely affecting its bottom line. It won a rare exception to the city’s new car-free zone, a one-way channel down the Wolvengracht, between the bustling Nieuwstraat and Muntplein and right up to the hotel lobby, facing De Brouckère-

plein. Meanwhile, inside the building, another set of changes was in full swing. Incoming head chef Benjamin Obsomer was tasked with overseeing a relaunch of the hotel’s restaurant. All marble and varnish, Café Metropole is an original Belle Epoque treasure dating back to 1890. Obsomer’s mandate was to balance this history with the ever-evolving demands of a competitive hospitality industry. So the works ranged from maintenance and restoration of vintage fixtures to the development of a new menu. Obsomer, a veteran of the Belgian brasserie scene, kept signature standbys like the prize-winning Metropole 31 club sandwich while introducing new French- and Ital-

ian-inspired dishes. Among his more adventurous creations is duck breast with speculoos and poached Asian pear. It’s not all so exotic, though. There’s still down-home brasserie fare like smoked salmon, steak tartare and croquettes.

admit that you have a problem,” says clinical psychologist Kathleen Coppens, one of Bru-Stars’ co-ordinators. She previously worked for her doctorate in Uganda, studying the psycho-social rehabilitation of child soldiers. “Publicity about issues such as burnout have seen more people sharing their experiences, helping it become less stigmatised,” she adds. “People are starting to realise that having a problem at one point doesn’t mean your whole life will be influenced by it.” She points out, too, that mental health problems are everywhere, and they change over time. “You may be fragile in one way but you can have so many other strengths. You can always contribute something to society.”

metropolehotel.com

The bar has been brought up to date as well. Not only will the connoisseur find the timeless trappist beers on which Belgium’s brewing reputation rightfully rests, Café Metropole also stocks top-quality craft product made by local upstarts. (Explore Zinnebir, made by Brussels’ own Brasserie de la Senne.) Then there’s a carefully selected wine list and a full range of liquors and cocktails. Metropole’s Parisian-style terrace, meanwhile, has been a prime spot for coffee, ice cream and peoplewatching since the days of the horse-drawn carriage. Even in winter, warmed by heat lamps, the place remains a worthwhile pit stop on a city-centre stroll. \ Georgio Valentino

january 11, 2017

The line of beauty

Exhibition studies ideals of female beauty – but avoids the tough questions Diana Goodwin More articles by Diana \ flanderstoday.eu

GALLOROMEINSMUSEUM.BE

Tongeren’s Gallo-Roman Museum looks at notions of female beauty through the ages via modern photography and ancient artefacts, and suggests that very little has changed.

new exhibition in Tongeren combines contemporary photography, ancient objects and classical texts to explore the theme of timeless beauty. The combination of modern art with archaeological finds represents a new kind of exhibition for the Gallo-Roman Museum, previously associated with popular shows such as Gladiators and Vikings, which focused on ancient peoples and cultures. Throughout Timeless Beauty, largescale photographs of beautiful women – usually young and mostly nude – are juxtaposed with beauty implements from the ancient world, statues of Venus and quotes from classical authors that address aspects of feminine beauty. Both the photographs and classical texts describe a similar ideal of female beauty that spans the centuries. The poster for the exhibition depicts the face of a model, cheek-to-cheek with a stone bust of Venus, their faces representing two versions of the same ideal: young, symmetrical, unblemished, expressionless. It’s an image that could have been created especially for the exhibition, as it perfectly encapsulates the theme. In the first room, oversized photographs of women accompany classical texts praising this or that aspect of a woman’s beauty, alongside related archaeological finds. While the photographs are visually arresting and dominate the space, the objects are both delicate and intimate. Video screens next to the displays show how the implements were used, in short films recreating beauty rituals as practised by Roman women. In another section, ancient objects related to themes such as makeup or jewellery are displayed. The emphasis is on the habits and fashions of the Roman world, with photography used more sparingly. In the next section, however, the photographs again take centre stage, as oversized images that dominate the darkened space. They cover the exterior walls of three free-standing cubes, inside which are objects and videos relating to physical exercise, skin care and aging in the ancient world. Perhaps recognising that the nude photographs might be at odds with the museum’s family-friendly image, Igor Philtjens, Limburg’s deputy minister for tourism and culture, says: “The Gallo-Roman Museum has a strong tradition

Just like modern women, women in Roman times strived to live up to ideals of beauty

of child-friendly exhibitions. This event, too, is suitable for visits with children, provided some guidance is given.” The photographs are the work of Antwerp-based photographer Marc Lagrange, who died unexpectedly in December 2015. At the time of his death, he was in the middle of working with the museum on a project that would have seen him creating original works as part of an exhibition about feasting in Roman times. That project ended with his death, but the museum later decided to create a new exhibition incorporating his work, which straddles the line between fashion photography and fine art. His models are young, slender and conventionally beautiful, and he portrays them in sensuous poses amid baroque settings. Many of the images have an explicitly erotic character. This visual eroticism marries seamlessly with the classical texts, which are primarily concerned with the sexual allure and attractiveness of women. A text by Apuleius, paired with a nude by Lagrange, reads: She transformed herself into the picture of Venus / rising from the ocean waves. / For a time she even held one rosy little hand / in front of her smooth-shaven pubes, / purposely shadowing it rather than modestly hiding it. “Consciously or otherwise, many women today seek to emulate actresses or models,” Philtjens

says. “In Roman times, the goddess Venus was the ideal. Her image was everywhere.” And just like modern women, women in Roman times strived to live up to that ideal. The exhibition is most successful in illuminating the various ways in which Roman women tried to achieve an ideal of beauty: It’s fascinating to see the combs, makeup containers, perfume bottles and

societal ideal of feminine beauty as “timeless”. The last section is a room full of video screens showing real, contemporary women talking about themselves, their appearance and their bodies. Finally, a larger screen shows an interview with University of Utrecht professor Liesbeth Voertman, author of The Psychology of Appearance. She discusses the harm that unrealistic images in the media can

should have character.” Unfortunately, the photographs themselves belie his words: All we know of these woman is what we can see. The message is that beauty is character – and a woman’s inner worth is based on her external appearance. Just as the women in the photographs are seen through the eyes of a male photographer, the classical texts are exclusively by male

The message is that beauty is character – and a woman’s inner worth is based on her external appearance jewellery used by these women thousands of years ago, and to see their beauty routines recreated in the accompanying videos. If anything, it shows that women today are not so different in their daily rituals from their ancient ancestors. Where the exhibition fails, however, is in deconstructing or questioning either the ancient or modern ideals of beauty. As the title of the exhibition suggests, the ideal of beauty presented in both the photographs and ancient texts is seen as timeless. In other words, as a standard that is both enduring and unchanging. There is a hint that the exhibition designers sensed the inherent problem with presenting a

have on girls and women. However, the interviews lack the power to challenge or criticise the images and words that precede them. The videos are literally segregated from the rest of the exhibition, and seem included almost as an afterthought. Because the viewer must sit down and listen to each interview for several minutes, the videos are much less accessible and immediate than the photos or objects, and even the classical texts. At the end of the exhibition there is an homage to the photographer. The “last word”, as it were, is a quote from Lagrange: “The women in my photos should evoke a feeling of beauty. Beauty itself isn’t the most important thing – women

writers. The ideal of female beauty celebrated in the exhibition is one created by men. Absent is the perspective of the women depicted in the photos and described in the texts. We know nothing of them aside from what we are shown and told by their male admirers. On the other hand, the ancient objects tell another story – one that contemporary women can certainly relate to. The curling irons, skin scrapers, cosmetic vials, mirrors and tiny tweezers belonging to Roman women attest to the time and care lavished on trying to live up to ideals of beauty, then as now. How little has changed for women, even after 2,000 years.

\ 11

\ ARTS

january 11, 2017

The kids aren’t all right

week in arts & CULTURE

A new coming-of-age film portrays the disconnect between generations Ian Mundell More articles by Ian \ flanderstoday.eu

VERSUSPRODUCTION.BE

In her latest film, Home, Flemish director Fien Troch looks at the internal and external struggles faced by teenagers in their transition to adulthood.

hen Fien Troch set out to make a movie about teenagers, she knew that there were some blanks she needed to fill in. “I had a script, of course, and I knew what I wanted to do, but I also realised that I’m not 16 anymore,” she says. “I wasn’t afraid of getting the emotions wrong – I think those are quite similar in every generation – but more their behaviour and little sub-cultures.” Now in her late 30s, the Flemish director has built a career on films that explore tensions in families. In her 2005 debut, Someone Else’s Happiness, it was a community dealing with the death of a child, while in Unspoken (2008) a marriage is split in two by a daughter’s disappearance. In 2012’s Kid, a small boy must come to terms with losing his mother’s love. Home, which is out this week, progresses to the difficult teenage years. After a false start striking up random conversations at the local skate park (“Just sitting there and trying to talk to teenagers is quite impossible”), Troch set in train a process that combined casting and research into the contemporary teen. Rather than focusing on performance, the casting sessions discussed how the youngsters saw life in general and what their reactions were to films their peers put on YouTube. This already helped refine the script, but also pointed her towards people who would fit into the story she wanted to tell. “I couldn’t use teenagers who were watching television every evening with their parents and being model children,” she says. “That’s great, but I was looking for something else. In my film, they would have to use a lot of the experiences they had in real life.” That said, all of them proved they

Residents of Ghent are invited to take part in a human chain on 26 January to officially launch the move of the city library’s book collection from its current home on Woodrow Wilsonplein to its new home at De Krook, 250 metres away. The symbolic moment will signal the start of the official move of 600,000 books to the new multi-media facility, due to open in March, some six years after the start of construction. Those interested in being part of the chain should email bibliotheek@gent.be by 16 January with “verhuisketting” in the subject line and with a mention of name, age and year of birth. \ stad.gent/bibliotheek

Brussels Wish shares hopes of residents

Director Fien Troch has pulled down multiple awards for Home, including Best Director at the Venice Film Festival and both the audience awards at the Ghent Film Festival

could act, bringing their own insights into the reality of being a millennial teenager to the story that Troch wanted to tell. Seventeen-year-old Kevin (Sebastian Van Dun) is just out of jail, but cannot go back to his parents’ house because of ongoing fights with his father. So his aunt, Sonja

true millennial style on a mobile phone) and the revelation that John is not just under the thumb but being seriously abused. John’s story was inspired by a real case in the US. “It’s not that I felt an urge to make the world see this kind of problem,” she says. “It’s more about this psychological

The actors had to use a lot of the experiences they had in real life (Karlijn Sileghem), adds him to her family. There he makes tentative bonds with their son Sammy (Loïc Batog), his girlfriend Lina (Lena Suijkerbuijk) and John (Mistral Guidotti), a school friend with a controlling mother. In addition to the everyday tensions of this extended family, there are stronger currents that come from Kevin’s violent past (captured in

thing, where you hate somebody but love them so much that you cover it all up.” It’s also an exploration, she says, of “how something becomes a system in your life, and you can’t get out of it, even though it would be very simple to get out of it just by saying ‘No’”. The extremes of this plot line are handled in the same matter-of-fact way as the violence in Kevin’s story

or the sexual aspects of teenage life. “We decided to film in a documentary style – we are always there, it is really happening – and I realised that if I show the violence it feels natural to show the rest. It felt like cheating just to leave the room at a certain point.” Even if the filming is never exploitative, the results are still shocking. But that is unavoidable. “If I dare to talk about this, then I must dare to show it as well,” Troch says. Alongside Troch’s career interest in families, she has started a family of her own, and her young son even has a small role in Home. So, is she looking forward to him turning into a teenager? “Yes and no,” she says. “A bit afraid, maybe.” The main thing that she realised during the film is, “Hell, it’s really difficult to raise a teenager! And the only thing I will have to say to my own son is that I don’t really know how to do this, either. I will try to guide him, at the same time knowing... I don’t know who you are, or how you really feel.”

Review: Home is where the heart aches Limiting what the viewer knows about a situation is a hallmark of Fien Troch’s cinema. Her previous film, Kid, gave us the child’s-eye view of a fractured family. Now, in Home, we are on the outside looking in on the mysterious world of the teenager. Initially, this seems to confirm our worst fears. These young people are truculent and rude, uncommunicative and potentially violent. Absorbed in their phones, they are utterly unreadable. Yet gradually their personal qual-

Human chain to move library books

ities emerge. Sometimes this is done subtly, a matter of a glance or a gesture, sometimes it is a shock that radically changes our understanding of the situation. This is not a film that pulls its punches.

It is also not out to apologise for its characters. Kevin is violent, but eventually we see that he doesn’t want to be. We also see the bonds within the group, friendships John can count on when his life finally melts down. The young cast is fantastic and more than capable of holding the screen. But as a bonus there are pleasing cameos from better-known Flemish actors: Natali Broods as a teacher, Kevin Janssens throwing some punches and Jeroen Perceval doing some plumbing.

Although thematically connected with Troch’s previous films, Home marks a distinct change in style. A square image format contributes a documentary atmosphere, and the hand-held camerawork has a looser feel than before, sometimes harmonising with droppedin mobile phone footage. The inspiration she cites is American documentary veteran Frederick Wiseman, yet the subject matter means there is also an unavoidable echo of Gus Van Sant and Larry Clark. (In Dutch)

Until 15 January, large screens will be located in several squares across Brussels as part of the Brussels Wish campaign. Residents of the capital, or anyone in the world, can share their wish for the new year via social media, and it will be shared on the screens. The screens are located in Rogierplein, Madouplein, Flageyplein and the Gemeenteplein in Molenbeek. Brussels Wish is a project of Brussels Sounds Good, an association that formed following the 22 March terrorist attacks to “save and restore citizen confidence and revive Brussels’ influence, both in Belgium and abroad”. \ wish.brussels

New director for Flemish Opera and Ballet Bart Van der Roost will replace Lena De Meerleer as the new director-general of Kunsthuis, which encompasses the Royal Ballet and Opera Vlaanderen. Van der Roost will take over the post in Antwerp in May. A trombone player, Van der Roost earned an MBA from Vlerick Business School before becoming a programmer at classical music radio station Klara and then head of productions for the Brussels Philharmonic. More recently, he co-launched the start-up neo-Scores, which creates digital versions of musical scores. “I am looking forward to tackling the challenges with the whole team of the Kunsthuis,” Van der Roost said. “I intend to preserve what is good and to refresh what needs refreshing in order to allow this house to do what it does best: produce relevant and inspiring opera and dance productions.” \ operaballet.be

\ 13

\ ARTS

Punk love

Flemish band The Scabs on kicking down doors and going back to basics Christophe Verbiest More articles by Christophe \ flanderstoday.eu

THESCABS.BE

As the legendary Flemish rock band The Scabs go on tour, Guy Swinnen and Willy Willy reflect on the ups and downs of their careers, including musical mishaps and the passing of one of their members.

“W

e might not be rocking, but we will certainly be grooving,” Guy Swinnen, the lead singer of The Scabs, tells me about the upcoming theatre tour Unplugged Power Off. Accompanied by guitarist Willy Willy, we’re sitting in Swinnen’s home in Diest, which also serves as the band’s rehearsal space. Last year, The Scabs were asked by Radio 1 to play an acoustic set. The experience made them hungry for more. “We discovered that our electronic rock songs sound really good in an acoustic format,” says Swinnen, 56. “That’s not so surprising when you know that I use an acoustic guitar when I start writing a song. I’ve been doing it this way since I was young.” Only later are the songs fitted with the electric vibe. “We always try to establish a strong melody as the keystone of our songs,” Swinnen adds. The new tour is an opportunity to dig up some forgotten gems, including the serene “Crystal Eyes”, one of their most charming numbers. “It doesn’t fit into a festival set, but in this setting, it will be perfect.” Listen to any of their early singles, and it’s hard to believe they were written on acoustic guitar. “That’s because most of the early songs were written during rehearsals with the whole band,” he explains. “It was the interaction between the four of us that determined the sound. Only in the second part of the 1980s did each of us start writing on our own. Then we’d bring the results together.” Formed in 1981, by the end of that decade The Scabs had taken a more classic rock direction – think of the Rolling Stones. But at the beginning, the band was clearly influenced by punk and new wave. “As a teenager, I was a huge music fan,” says Swinnen. “I would go to a lot of concerts, but musicians were mysterious and unapproachable. Punk totally changed that.” He recalls with excitement the first album by the British band The Clash. “Great music, but also rudimentary. Punk gave me the courage to set my foot on the stage. I also liked the do-it-yourself mentality that came with it.” Willy Willy, who was born as Willy Lambregt, joined the band in 1985. “I remember when Arno played The Scabs’ first mini album, Here’s to You, Gang!, for me. He said: ‘This is

From left: Frank Saenen, Guy Swinnen and Willy Willy are The Scabs. Their months-long unplugged tour across Flanders kicks off in Brussels this month

the Belgian Clash’.” And with every release, Willy continues, “they got better. When they were in need of a new guitar player, I certainly didn’t hesitate”. His second show with the band was at the iconic EBU festival, which took place in 1985 in Helsinki. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union, it promised a lot of airplay all over Europe. “We played a hell of a show,” says Willy, 58. “We outclassed the Fine Young Cannibals.” By 1990, The Scabs had become one of Belgium’s most popular bands, but the international breakthrough – with the exception of the Netherlands – never happened. “We tried France and Germany, though never the UK,” Swinnen says. “At the time, playing

there was almost impossible for a band from continental Europe. Luckily for younger artists, this has now changed.” A pioneer, Willy adds, “can be recognised by the number of arrows in their back. We kicked down the doors so others could walk through them. But we have no regrets.” “In retrospect,” Swinnen says, “I realise we took the wrong approach. Encouraged by our entourage, we put too much emphasis on the international career. We should have done it in a much more grassroots way.” It wasn’t until the beginning of the 1990s that they could live off of their music. “We have always been the sort of band that used all our earnings to pay for recordings or gear,” says Swinnen, who’s trained as a

graphic designer. In 1994, Willy was kicked out of the band. “It’s like football,” he smiles. “When the forward stops scoring, he loses his place in the team.” Two years later The Scabs called it a day. “We were on the wrong track and had very conflicting ideas about the music,” Swinnen says. “This led to a lot of friction. It was also the moment when dEUS became popular. Our classic rock fell out of vogue.” Their 1995 album, Sunset over Wasteland, was a shot at connecting to a younger generation, but it was, Swinnen admits, too contrived. “Some good songs were ruined by some far-fetched arrangements. That’s easy to say in hindsight, of course.” After a 12-year hiatus, The Scabs finally gave in to the numerous attempts to get them back on stage. With Willy back in the band, they played their most cherished album, Royalty in Exile, at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. Not once, not twice, but three soldout nights in a row. In the following years, they appeared sporadically at festivals, but it wasn’t until 2015 that they released a new album, Ways of a Wild Heart. “We never thought that our reunion would be a success,” Swinnen says. “When we got asked to play live more often, I found that we had to come up with new songs instead of living on nostalgia.” Still, it’s too early to tell what the future might bring. For the moment, a follow-up is not in the making. “We take it year by year,” says Willy. The biggest challenge in recording their latest album was the untimely death of bass player Fons Sijmons, in 2013. “I remember we still had some shows to play after he passed away,” Swinnen recalls. “The hardest was Suikerrock, in Tienen, two days after his funeral.” “He was a great musician,” says Willy, “and he always meant fun.” According to Swinnen, music was everything to Sijmons. “You could spend the whole day rehearsing, and he would call at three in the morning to tell you about a new idea. He was the peacemaker in the band.” Willy Willy: “I still miss him every day.” Swinnen: “Me, too.”

18 January, 20.00 Ancienne Belgique

Anspachlaan 110, Brussels

More new music this month Various Artists Belpop Classics • Sony With “Time”, The Scabs are one of the 36 musicians and bands on this double CD offering an overview of 50 years of Belgian pop music, the vast majority of which is Flemish. It’s a very broad compilation, ranging from kleinkunst (Zjef Vanuytsel) and

\ 14

new wave (Bernthøler) to dance (Technotronic) and world-infused funk (Allez Allez), plus Madou, dEUS, Gabriel Rios and more. In an accompanying book, Gust De Coster, who coined the term “belpop” in the 1980s, writes about the tracks. A great introduction for newbies. \ tinyurl.com/belpop-classics

Various Artists Eigen Makelij Vol 8 • Eigen Makelij The Antwerp label Eigen Makelij has been supporting local rap talent since 2009, with the hugely popular Tourist LeMC being its most famous discovery. Every year, the label releases a compilation with (relatively) new names. Volume eight

confirms the talent of Pepe, Cloos and Tiewai. The latter is musically the most daring of the nine names on this compilation. Some others have seemingly invested more time in their fluent rhymes (all in Dutch) and less in their rhythms. Still, it’s a record that offers a glimpse of the future. \ eigenmakelij.com

\ AGENDA

january 11, 2017

Taking it to the streets

CONCERT

William Klein: 5 Cities Until 5 February

Botanique, Brussels botanique.be

orn in Harlem, New York, into an impoverished Jewish family, William Klein dropped out of university and moved to Paris in 1948, where he pursued work as a photographer and graphic designer. Though the City of Light would become his adopted home, his daring artistic approach soon caught the eye of Alexander Liberman, the legendary art director at the American fashion magazine Vogue, who took the young Klein under his wing. And so by 1954, Klein was back in New York, this time as a photographer on assignment. The resultant collection of images, Life is Good and Good for You in New York, is considered one of the most influential books in the history of street photography. Until Klein came along, the wide-angle lens was largely the preserve of landscape photog-

raphers. Undeterred by criticism, he used its distorting effects to put emphasis on his human subjects. From Latino kids dancing in the streets of Brooklyn to an upscale charity ball at the Waldorf Hotel, his photos exemplify the cultural and racial diversity of the Big Apple.

With the raw and close-up portrayal of New Yorkers living out their daily lives in the bustling metropolis, Klein was able to capture the spirit of a time and place like no photographer before him. Devoid of the clean and polished aesthetic of his contemporaries, his aggressive yet honest style paved the way for many to follow. At the 5 Cities exhibition at Botanique, Klein’s New York of the 1950s takes centre stage, but, as evidenced in the name, four more city books would follow: Rome, Moscow, Tokyo and Paris, each characterised by the same high-contrast, up-close imagery. Covering nearly half a century of work, this is a well-deserved tribute to arguably the most groundbreaking street photographer of the 20th century. \ Bartosz Brzezinski

FILM

CLASSICAL

Grands travaux

Nigel Kennedy

17-19 January After their lauded student film Because We Are Visual and dance documentary Rain, Flemish filmmaking duo Gerard-Jan Claes and Olivia Rochette present Grands travaux (Major Works), shot at the Dutch-language vocational school Anneessens-Funck in Brussels. “We really liked the link between the work the boys do at school

Ghent

Across Flanders & Brussels docpoppies.be

and the construction work that goes on in Brussels,” says Rochette. “School is where they work on their futures, according to a set plan, similar to the grands travaux, which were intended to shape the future of Brussels.” The excellent Grands travaux ponders the youngsters’ vision of their own future. \ Bjorn Gabriels

7 April, 20.00

Lady Lin Duo: Intimate matinee concert by hometown luminary Lady Linn, accompanied only by bassist Filip Vandebril. They perform acoustic versions of songs from her four albums. 15 January 11.00, Handelsbeurs, Kouter 29 \ handelsbeurs.be

CLASSICAL Brussels Malta Philharmonic: The Maltese presidency of the Council of the European Union kicks off with this concert, conducted by Brian Schembri. The programme includes Verdi and Puccini as well as Malta’s national composer, Charles Camilleri. 16 January 20.00, Bozar, Ravensteinstraat 23 \ bozar.be

get tic

kets n ow

THEATRE Antwerp

Stadsschouwburg, Antwerp stadsschouwburg-antwerpen.be

Award-winning British violinist Nigel Kennedy is known for his breadth as much as for his skill. Recognized as a virtuoso from an early age, he quickly burned through the jazz and classical songbooks before crossing over into the worlds of rock and electronic. His latest work, The New Four Seasons, fuses all of them in a single Vivaldi-composed package. This isn’t the first time Kennedy has tackled the Baroque master. It was his 1989 recording of Four Seasons that put Kennedy on the map and announced that classical music needn’t remain stuck in the 18th century. \ Georgio Valentino

get tic

kets n ow

Napoleon: The Shadow of the Revolution: Flemish author and playwright Bart Van Loo performs a monologue based on the life of Napoleon. Original music by Geert Hellings and visual art by Koen Broucke. 25 February 20.30, De Roma, Turnhoutsebaan 286 \ deroma.be

Brussels Cinderella: Amateur Brussels theatre company English Comedy Club presents a family-friendly staging of the classic fairy tale. Will be over by midnight. 13-15 January, CC Oudergem, Vorstlaan 183 \ cc-auderghem.be

VISUAL ARTS Brussels

OPERA

VISUAL ARTS

Daral Shaga

Seeing Zen

11-15 January Celebrated stage director Fabrice Murgia and Flemish jazz giant Kris Defoort join forces to tell an epic tale of migration. Written by French playwright Laurent Gaudé, Daral Shaga explores the drama of the immigrant experience with all its utopian dreams and harsh realities. The subject is familiar to

11-15 January theatrenational.be

Murgia, who is himself the child of a Spanish mother and an Italian father. This unconventional opera combines contemporary theatre, acrobatics, video and jazz music. Borders will be crossed and identities challenged. (In French with Dutch surtitles) \ GV

Until 29 January Zen is notoriously hard to pin down, which is part of its charm. The tradition reflects millennia of Chinese and Japanese philosophy centred on harmony and humility. It has recently spread around the world as a new-age antidote to the stress of modern life. This exhibition showcases a little-known visual aspect of Zen culture. The works on display, known as Zenga, aren’t really “art” as we know it but rather visual aphorisms illustrating Zen principles – often in irreverent ways. There are farting Buddhas and Zen masters in compromising positions. The message: relax and don’t take yourself too seriously. \ GV

Villa Empain, Brussels villaempain.com

Faro Wymeersch: In Between: Young Flemish illustrator shines a new light on everyday life. Wymeersch’s prints combine field and line in innovative ways even when depicting the most mundane street scenes. 13 January to 9 March, Jos Joos Art Wine Design Gallery, Belliardstraat 200 \ josjoosartwinedesign.be

FILM Brussels Adolphe Menjou: Cinematek celebrates the golden-age Hollywood star – a contemporary of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton – with a series of screenings. Films include Frank Capra’s Forbidden (1932) and Victor Schertzinger’s Friends and Lovers (1931). Until 28 February, Cinematek, Baron Hortastraat 9 \ cinematek.be

\ 15

\ BACKPAGE

january 11, 2017

Talking Dutch Who’s been sleeping in my bed?

In response to: Take a tour of medieval Bruges without leaving your sofa Joao Costa: This is truly amazing. Experienced this last year in Bruges.

Derek Blyth More articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu

t’s a global trend that started in Ghent. But Ikea has finally put its foot down. Stop met in onze winkels te overnachten – Stop spending the night in our stores, the Swedish company pleaded, after it found that dozens of young people were bedding down on its premises for the night. The sleepover craze began last summer with Florian Van Hecke and Bram Geirnaert of Ghent. We zijn in juni van de humaniora afgestudeerd – We graduated from secondary school in June, they explained. Zoals wel meer jongeren – Like a lot of young people wilden we eens losbreken uit de maatschappij – we just wanted to do something crazy. So they came up with a plan. De jongens aten eerst Zweedse balletjes in het Ikea-restaurant – The teenagers began by eating Swedish meatballs in the Ikea restaurant voor ze zich in twee kasten verstopten net voor het sluitingsuur – before hiding in two cupboards just before closing time, De Standaard reported. Pas na drie uur durfden ze daar uit te komen – Three hours passed before they dared to come out, om vervolgens te testen welke bedden het beste sprongen – so that they could test which was the best bed for jumping on, en het meest comfortabel lagen – and which one was most comfortable. De Vallavik is ongetwijfeld ons favoriete bed – The Vallavik is without a doubt our favourite bed, the teenagers finally decided. Of course, it wouldn’t be a prank without a YouTube video. Het filmpje dat de Gentse jongens over hun nachtje draaiden – The film the Ghent teenagers made about their night in the store werd intussen bijna twee miljoen keer bekeken – has been viewed almost two million times en kreeg ook heel wat navolging – and inspired a multi-

VoiceS of flanders today

In response to: Flemish designers give unsightly hospital gowns a stylish makeover Adrienne De Potter: I just wish this would become the everyday hospital gown!!! Some dignity would be much appreciated 

tude of copycats. Ze richten zich tot de kijker in het Engels – They addressed the viewer in English, maar hun accent verraa dt dat ze twee Vlaamse jongens zijn – but their accent gave away that they were Flemish youngsters, Gazet van Antwerpen noted. This isn’t the first time Ikea has lost patience with teenagers having fun in its stores. Back in 2015, the company took a tough line when 32,000 people signed up on Facebook for a game of hide-and-seek in one of its Dutch branches. Now the company is having to deal with the sleepover craze. Bij de Zweedse meubelgigant kunnen ze niet meer lachen – The Swedish furniture giant is sick and tired met al die ongewenste overnachtingen – of all those unauthorised sleepovers. We hopen dat deze trend stopt – We hope this trend is going to stop, an Ikea spokesperson said. We zien ook niet in wat hier leuk aan is – We don’t actually see what’s so much fun about it. The message is as clear as an Ikea assembly sheet. Eat, shop, leave.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

In response to: KU Leuven and UGent honour German chancellor Merkel Tom Vandenbosch: She is our beacon of vision, intellect and hope in Europe.

deanXphotography @deanXphoto Really hope I can photograph @depechemode in Antwerp in May. It’s all I ever wanted, all I ever needed.

Bieke @BoxxyVermicelli Come to Leuven I’m making cake xx

Caroline K @CarolineKarlijn Got into Ghent University.

LIKE US

facebook.com/flanderstoday

the last word Sound advice

Road safety

“There will be setbacks. He’ll have to learn to be happy with less. Not everything you touch turns to gold.”

“Do you find 19 victims of cycle accidents a week acceptable?”

The father of the new Belgian champion in cyclo-cross’s first-year division has some sobering words for his son, 14-year-old Thibau. But then the father is nine-time national champ Sven Nys

Just call me God “It’s a great honour to have been Jesus. People automatically think you’re a good person.”

A QUICK DIP Ostend welcomed hardy bathers in fancy dress for the annual New Year’s Day swim in the North Sea

Ted Neeley played Jesus in the 1973 film Jesus Christ Superstar and is in Antwerp for a short run of the stage play at the Arenberg theatre

School friends of two girls who were killed in separate hit-and-run accidents while cycling to school have started a petition calling for government action

Facing up to Facebook “It completely swallowed me up. I used to spend more than three hours at a time on social media. On what? Looking around, reading rubbish and wasting my time.” Jenthe Blockx, 25, was one of an estimated one in four people in Flanders addicted to social media, according to Het Nieuwsblad

5ELNGFR*bbgbcg+[K\C \ 16