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september 20, 2017 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ read more at www.flanderstoday.eu current affairs \ p2

politics \ p4

Raising the bar

The government of Flanders is increasing its climate change goals following positive results, basing its 40% CO2 reduction target on levels from two years ago \4

BUSiNESS \ p6

innovation \ p7

Say you’ll stay

Ghent’s old docks – home to weird and wonderful events over the last several years – will soon make way for a new development. Which calls for a giant festival \ 15

Home improvements

education \ p9

art & living \ p10

What a pain

A Flemish doctor has just been made the head of the European Pain Federation, and he says physicians are woefully ill-informed about their patients’ number one complaint \7

Community action helps low-income families in Ghent bring homes up to standard Daan Bauwens Follow Daan on Twitter \ @DaanBauwens

A consortium in Ghent’s Dampoort neighbourhood arranges financing for families whose houses don’t meet basic safety and energy standards.

here’s a popular belief that owning a house is synonymous with being well-off. But that picture is misleading. In Flanders, 120,000 homeowners are what’s known as “emergency buyers”: families who couldn’t find a suitable rental property and so bought a house that doesn’t meet minimum safety, health or energy standards. And they lack the means to renovate. Selling the house to people who have the means when the

house becomes uninhabitable is often how the story ends. In Ghent’s Dampoort neighbourhood, a consortium of social organisations have joined forces with the government in an attempt to turn the tide. Thanks to their innovative renovation scheme, homeowners now have access to a budget to get their home fixed, helping them stay where they are. It’s a scheme deemed so cuttingedge that the consortium was one of the 10 nominations for Radical Innovators, a nationwide poll that puts the spotlight on innovations for a better world and a better climate. The Belgian and Flemish governments pride themselves on the nation’s home ownership rate: More than 70% of the population live in a privately owned house. But a close look

at the numbers can curb all that optimism. Not only is a high ownership rate not a sign of success – nations with higher poverty rates like Bulgaria and Romania have much higher ownership rates – recent research also shows that almost 9% of homeowners in Flanders live in run-down houses and can’t afford to renovate. In total, 350,000 houses in Flanders – including rental properties – need significant work before they can be considered safe, healthy and energy-efficient. What’s more, most families who own sub-standard quality homes aren’t eligible for the government’s myriad tax breaks, renewal projects, renovation or energy subsidies, as these all require financial commitment from the owner. continued on page 5

\ CURRENT AFFAIRS

Drivers more at risk from air pollution Pedestrians breathe in less carbon than drivers Alan Hope More articles by Alan \ flanderstoday.eu

ollution by the chemical known as black carbon (BC), a component of fine particles, has more of an effect on drivers than on pedestrians or cyclists, according to a study carried out by Brussels environment agency Leefmilieu Brussel in co-operation with the citizens action organisation Bral. The ExpAIR study saw 276 volunteers measuring levels of BC for nearly four years, while using various means of transport. Devices measured their exposure to air pollution, in particular BC, mainly caused by diesel-fuelled cars. The results show that traffic, not unexpectedly, is the main source of BC pollution, three times more than the next highest contributor, which is households. Commuting motorists have five times more exposure to BC than they do in homes and workplaces. Cyclists and commuters taking the bus, tram or metro experience three to four times the exposure, while pedestrians see their exposure levels double. In terms of transport, train passengers had the lowest

exposure levels. “We must take structural measures to improve Brussels’ air quality, which affects the health of the residents,” said Brussels environment minister Céline Fremault. “It is with this goal in mind that we are implementing a low emission zone in 2018.”

New English website for expats on living in Brussels Sven Gatz, Flemish minister for Brussels affairs, has produced a new magazine and website aimed at expats, which describes the benefits of living, studying and working in the capital. Bruzine.be is available in English, Dutch and French. There will be just one issue of the printed magazine, but the website will be updated regularly, said Gatz. Bruzine introduces readers to the capital’s neighbourhoods, options for continuing education, cultural offerings and wellness as well as providing statistics and an introduction to some of the expats and locals living there. It also is a reminder that Brussels is the capital of Flanders as well as of Belgium. Copies of the magazine are available at Muntpunt and are being sent to schools and libraries throughout Brussels and Flanders. It is also available to order or download on the website. The publication is mainly aimed at expats, Gatz said, but also at Flemish people who may be reticent about discovering their own capital. “Bruzine maps out the whole Flemish-Brussels network in a clear and practical way,” he said.

The idea for the project, he said, arose from the recent citizens’ cabinet on Brussels matters. Gatz announced Bruzine during this year’s Away Day, an annual event that sees all the ministers in the Flemish government gather together for a meeting and activity at the start of the new parliamentary year. This year’s gathering, chaired by Gatz, took place at the Karreveld Castle in Molenbeek, together with the municipality’s mayor, Françoise Schepmans. After the meeting, the ministers visited the Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art (Mima), also in Molenbeek. \ AH

Road safety agency changes Home sweeps Flemish cinema’s Ensor awards its name to Vias Institute The jittery drama Home by director Fien Troch has won six Ensor awards, far more than any other film. Home had also garnered more nominations than any other film, with 10. The Ensors are Flanders’ film awards celebrating local cinema and are handed out every year during the Ostend Film Festival. Home – the story of a group of fairly normal teenagers whose lives take twists and turns based on the behaviour of the adults around them – was a favourite at the ceremony. Home won the awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Actor (three of the film’s leads were nominated as a group) and

Fien Troch surrounded by Home cast members

Best Editing. The film’s editor, Nico Leunen, also co-wrote the script with Troch. Troch was most pleased with the prize for Best Film, she told De Standaard. “It’s the most comprehensive,” she said. “The prize for direction is also wonderful, of course, but you can only be a good director with a good film. Just like building a house, you don’t make

a film by yourself. This is a prize for all of us.” The red-light district drama Le Ciel Flamand, meanwhile, took home two Ensors, for Best Supporting Actor and Best Photography. Best Script went to mockumentary King of the Belgians, while the prize for best directing debut went to Nathalie Teirlinck for Le passé devant nous (Past Imperfect). The Public Prize for the best Flemish film went to Erik Van Looy’s De Premier. Some 1,200 people attended the invitation-only ceremony last Saturday night at the Kursaal in Ostend. It marked the final evening of the film festival. \ Lisa Bradshaw

The Belgian Institute for Road Safety (BIVV) has changed its name to Vias Institute. The change is a result of the latest phase of state reforms. In the sixth set of reforms, the institute was given a wider remit of safety in general, including mobility and multi-modal transport. The latter refers to the co-ordination of trains, buses, trams and the metro as well as other forms of transport such as car-sharing and bicycle infrastructure. “Vias is a name that’s easy to remember and to pronounce in different languages, and is also a nod towards the Latin,” explained managing director Karin Genoe (pictured). “The modern logo that goes along with the name makes

it clear that we’re ready for the future.” The agency was created in 1986 by the federal government and is based in Evere in Brussels. Its main tasks are to organise public campaigns on road safety – on drunk driving, for example, or texting while driving – and to carry out research on matters relating to mobility and traffic accidents. \ AH

€132,000 900,000 emails sent last week by the federal finance ministry by mistake. The message for those who had business with customs and excise was meant for just over 3,000 recipients

230 industrial cranes weighing 100 tonnes each were stolen last week from Michielsens crane rentals and sales in Zelzate, East Flanders. The cranes were found after a helicopter search

fatalities in road accidents in Belgium in the first six months of the year, a fall of 13% compared to last year. Flanders saw the steepest drop: from 141 to 113 deaths

cost to the government of putting a child in Belgium through primary and secondary school, according to figures from the OECD, where the average was €103,000

cases in which the king used the royal pardon in 2016, out of 208 requests. In five of the six cases, the pardon concerned only community service or fines, with one concerning a full prison sentence

september 20, 2017

WEEK in brief Three people suffered minor injuries last Friday evening when a train ran into the buffer stop at the end of the line at Antwerp Central Station. The train ran through the buffer and went on to crash into a steel pole, derailing. All three injured were rail staff. The cause of the incident is under investigation. Flemish welfare minister Jo Vandeurzen is investing an additional €1 million in early detection and treatment of mental health problems in young people. An information campaign aimed at youngsters is also being launched. “About 50% of adults’ psychological disorders start before the age of 14, and about 75% before the age of 25,” a Vandeurzen spokesperson told De Morgen. “So it’s clear that the mental health of children, youngsters and young adults be central to Flanders’ mental health policy.” Workers at Volvo Cars in Ghent staged a day-long wildcat strike last week in protest at a decision by management not to prolong the contracts of 150 short-term workers after the factory stops producing the XC60 model. Unions hammered out an agreement with management that satisfied only 42% of workers voting, but that was enough to end the strike. Clocks in the Brussels municipalities of Schaarbeek and SintJoost recently appeared to be ticking faster than usual, Bruzz has reported. Generators were brought in to service the area around a sinkhole in Leuvensesteenweg, which altered the clocks on electrical appliances, such as ovens and heating systems, power provider Sibelga said. The problem has since been resolved. The government of Flanders has agreed to a request by the city of Ypres to be recognised as a tourist centre. This will allow the West Flemish city more flexibility

face of flanders in opening hours for businesses. Ypres is at the centre of First World War tourism, best known for its daily Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate. Shops in the centre of town are now allowed to open on Sundays if they choose, to serve the many tourists visiting during the centenary of the war. Laure Genonceaux of the Briz’l restaurant in Ukkel has been voted Lady Chef of the year by bottled water company Chaudfontaine. The name of the restaurant is a French Creole word for aubergine. She takes the title over from Julie Baekelandt of C-Jules restaurant in Zottegem, East Flanders. Flemish media minister Sven Gatz has approved licences for four new radio stations for the Brussels area: one for the general public, one for Dutch-language music, one aimed at city-dwellers and one aimed at women. Visitors to Bozar fine arts centre in Brussels last Friday were able to listen to the organ in the main concert hall for the first time in years. The instrument was installed in 1930 but damaged by a fire in 1967. Only in 1988 were moves undertaken to repair the damage. The performance of the restored piano featured Olivier Latry, organ curator at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, accompanied by the Belgian National Orchestra. Almost half of all parents of children between the ages of nine and 14 in Flanders check up on their kids’ internet use without their knowing it. Parents regularly check the browsing history, and more than 40% read their children’s emails and texts. Ghent education expert Pedro De Bruyckere said that he understood parents’ concerns but that such behaviour is counterproductive. He suggests showing interest in online behaviour, which means “that they will come to you for help if something goes wrong”.

National rail authority NMBS carried 2.3 million passengers to and from Brussels Airport in the first six months of 2017, an increase of 13% on 2015. Comparisons with 2016 are not being used because of the impact of the terrorist attacks in March of that year. The increase from two years prior is being attributed to the new direct link with the EU district of Brussels. A court in Antwerp has given the go-ahead for 54 chestnut trees on Charlottelei to be felled, contrary to a protest by local residents. The city claims the trees are old and sick, while residents argued they provide much-needed oxygen to the neighbourhood. A new bar will open next week run by and for women in the Huis van de vrouw (Women’s House) in Brussels’ Schaarbeek municipality. The owners of Le poisson sans bicyclette (A Fish without a Bicycle), have said that male customers are also welcome. Shoppers are not keen to hand over their purchases to cycle couriers to deliver them home, according to a six-month test project in Mechelen. Residents were invited to pay couriers to deliver their purchases to their homes, giving them a “hands-free” shopping experience. “Carrying bags appears to be part of the shopping experience,” said a spokesperson for Traject, which carried out the project. The subject of a bust to mark Yvan Mayeur’s term as mayor of Brussels-City has never come up in council meetings, according to heritage councillor Geoffrey Coomans. Mayeur was forced to step down during the summer amid accusations of corruption. According to tradition, all mayors of the city are commemorated with a bust. A petition to deprive Mayeur of such a commemoration has been signed by more than 15,000 people.

OFFSIDE Waste management We’ve all done it at one time or another: an important piece of paper gets chucked in the rubbish. Maybe you went looking for it in good time, or maybe it went the way of recycled paper everywhere. In the case of an elderly couple from Stekene, East Flanders, the stakes were rather high. It seems that the husband took some old flower pots to the Recyclagepark, or Recycling Park. Unfortunately, they contained some €32,000 in cash. His wife realised the error pretty quickly and contacted the Sint-Niklaas police department. From there, the head of waste management agency Miwa was contacted. The recycling park had been closed for the two days since (Sunday and Monday), so nothing had yet been processed. The container in question was brought to head office, and four workers went about finding the missing money. After an hour, they found the entire

Chris Dercon The business world is well aware that Flemish executives are in big demand, with many in high positions around the globe. There’s a similar situation in the arts world. But not in Berlin. Berlin’s Volksbühne was launched in 1914 to bring the best in German theatre to the masses at democratic prices. It was situated in East Germany from 1949 to 1990, and its return to a unified Germany was quite emotional. Two years later, the East Berliner Frank Castorf became its director. In 2015, the Volksbühne announced that he would be succeeded by Chris Dercon of Lier, Antwerp province, starting in 2017. The Berliners were not happy. To be fair, Dercon is an unusual choice. Though his CV is beyond reproach, he is an art historian, with no background in theatre. The 59-year-old arrived in Berlin this month to take up the post, fresh from his job as director of the Tate Modern in London, which he has held for six years. Prior to that, he held top posts at MoMA in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and, crucially, Haus der Kunst in Munich, which he turned from a simple provincial museum to a powerhouse on the city’s arts

scene. None of it good enough for the Berliners and the jealously guarded traditions of their People’s Theatre. He introduced himself this month not with a theatre piece – the Volksbühne has a reputation for fostering cutting-edge playwriting talent – but an open-air dance festival. The event featured Flemish choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker dancing her own 1982 piece Violin Phase on the tarmac of the famous Berlin Tempelhof Airport. “I’m a supporter of a theatre without borders,” Dercon told De Standaard. “Popular theatres have a long tradition in Germany, but you can also turn the thing around: what does theatre mean today in and for Berlin?” The Volksbühne has an ideological background, he admits, but he doesn’t. “Ideology doesn’t interest me, but politics does. I bring that engagement with me through the artists with whom I work. And there’s no point to art that seeks conflict for the sake of conflict. We need to come together.” The old Volksbühne, he states, boldly, “was in my opinion too loud and too quick to start shouting. I would replace that with Beckett: silence and whispering”. \ Alan Hope

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

sum. The couple wanted to reward the finders, but they declined to accept. “We were happy to help,” a Miwa spokesperson told Het Laatste Nieuws. “The offer was very friendly, but they can no doubt put their money to better use.” \ AH

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 Daan Bauwens, Rebecca Benoot, Derek Blyth, Leo Cendrowicz, Sarah Crew, Emma Davis, Paula Dear, Mari Eccles, Andy Furniere, Diana Goodwin, Clodagh Kinsella, Catherine Kosters, Toon Lambrechts, Ian Mundell, Anja Otte, Tom Peeters, Sarah Schug, Dan Smith, Senne Starckx, Linda Thompson, Christophe Verbiest, Denzil Walton General manager Hans De Loore Publisher Mediahuis NV

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\ POLITICS

5TH COLUMN

Flemish government has possible €250m budgetary surplus

Autumn agreement

The government of Flanders had some good news last week, as its budget has a surplus – always a feat in this country. The elation within the government led by minister-president Geert Bourgeois (N-VA) was similar to that of the federal government some weeks ago, when it presented the so-called Summer Agreement. Gone were the days of “the squabbling cabinet”. The agreement on a large number of social and economic reforms was a fresh show of unison. But as autumn approached, the squabbling resumed. This time the issue at stake was pensions for people over 50. In the Summer Agreement, the federal government had stuck by the principle that working should always result in a higher pension than periods of unemployment. This was inspired by a popular story of two elderly Walloon women. One of them had been self-employed all her life, but her pension turned out to be lower than her friend’s, who had been unemployed for over 30 years. To avoid absurdities like this, the Summer Agreement stated that pension built up during periods of unemployment would be based on a set minimum instead of previous wages. But SP.A leader John Crombez saw a fly in the ointment: people in their 50s who find themselves out of a job after having conceivably worked for 40 years or more. “These people lose their jobs, and then you punish them further by lowering their pensions,” he snapped at Open VLD president Gwendolyn Rutten. Nonsense, she replied. However, that was indeed how both N-VA and federal pensions minister Daniel Bacquelaine (MR) had interpreted the deal. The result was another week of negotiations, with what was mockingly called the Autumn Agreement as its outcome. In the end, Rutten, who had the support of CD&V, got her way... for a while. Even as she stated that people over 50 should not worry and that the “scaremongering” should end, N-VA announced that the issue was still on the table. It wants to hold another round of negotiations later this year. The incident highlights once again how hard the three Flemish coalition parties – N-VA, CD&V and Open VLD – find it to see eye to eye on social and economic matters. Similar though their views may be, vying for the same electorates has made them edgy. Recent opinion polls that show N-VA still firmly in the lead have only made the other parties even more nervous. \ Anja Otte

Flanders increases climate targets following positive results

he government of Flanders has decided to increase its goals for measures to combat climate change after positive results so far. In 2016, the government set the target of a 40% cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. That was based on 2005 figures. Energy consumption in government buildings would at the same time be cut by 27%. Now that CO2 emissions from

energy use have been reduced by the target amount, the government has decided to raise the bar: the 40% target will now be based on 2015 levels, making the goal harder to reach. “The Flemish government wants to continue to set an example, and through the amendment of its reference year is opting for an ambitious approach,” the government said in a document obtained by Belga news agency. \ Alan Hope

A week before minister-president Geert Bourgeois presents his annual September Declaration, the government of Flanders finds itself with a budget surplus for next year of between €150 and €250 million, financial daily De Tijd reports. The September Declaration marks the return of parliament following the summer recess and is a sort of State of the Union address given by the minister-president to state the government’s priorities in policy and spending for the coming year. The Flemish government’s budget represents spending of around €40 billion, of which €150 million will be available for additional spending, possibly rising to €250 million, De Tijd estimates. The surplus includes a buffer of €100 million created by the 2017 budget but never used. The government has not indicated how it plans to spend the money, but each minister is expected to make proposals. Bourgeois declined to speculate on the sums involved and stressed that his main interest was to create a structural balance in the budget.

However, next year’s budget is expected to include a one-time deficit of around €1 billion because of the accounting situation. On the one hand, the 2018 budget has to take account of new responsibilities passed from the federal to the Flemish government as a result of the latest series of state reforms. On the other, it will reflect some €100 million of the cost of the Oosterweel construction project in Antwerp and another €40 million of investment in hospital infrastructure. \ AH

Antwerp body votes down merger of green energy utilities

Flemish praise for Juncker’s State of the Union address

Flemish energy minister Bart Tommelein has promised that a plan to merge Flanders’ green energy providers into one holding company will be realised, despite a veto by Antwerp province’s financing agency IKA. A few months ago, the government of Flanders approved a proposal to reform intercommunals – utility providers that are owned and run by several cities and towns together. The plan is to merge the energy intercommunals into one for the whole of Flanders. According to Tommelein, this would be economically advantageous in more ways than one. It would, for example, drastically cut the number of posts held on the boards of the intercommunals, usually held by members of city councils, who are paid significant fees. The plan also included investment intercommunals, which the government wants to merge

Flemish minister-president Geert Bourgeois has praised the “clear vision” for the EU expressed in the State of the Union address given by EU Commission president JeanClaude Juncker at the start of the new political year. “This debate about the future is an opportunity for the EU to partake of some self-reflection,” Bourgeois said. “I am pleased that the president of the European Commission made no plea for an institutional big bang, a European super-state or a sterile more-or-less Europe debate.” Bourgeois welcomed the news that a new task force on subsidiarity – the principle whereby action is taken only at the lowest level possible, whether national, regional or local – will be chaired by Dutch Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans. The task force will consult with national parliaments to determine in which areas the EU can best take action, and where it should be left to

and bring on the market to allow members of the public to take part. IKA is one of six investment intercommunals that was meant to merge its green energy holdings – in wind turbine parks and solar projects – into the new energy structure, called Zephyr. But IKA declined because, according to reports, municipal representatives were critical of the government’s top-down approach. Four of the six energy intercommunals have already approved the Zephyr structure, according to Tommelein. “The Flemish energy holding company will certainly happen,” he said. \ AH

national or regional governments. Bourgeois went on to reference Juncker’s statements on creating free market conditions within Europe in areas like energy, transport and the digital economy, as well as regulations on social dumping – where companies save money by hiring workers from lower-wage countries to perform work in higher-wage countries. And he called for a humane but strict migration policy, with internal borders within the Schengen zone removed and external borders strictly maintained. Only this way, he said, could EU member states work together on helping refugees. \ AH

Greenpeace sues regional governments over air pollution The Belgian chapter of environmental organisation Greenpeace is taking legal action against the Flemish and Walloon governments, accusing them of negligence in their approach to air pollution. The governments have failed “to protect their citizens sufficiently against the severe impact of polluted air on our children,” said Joeri Thijs of the organisation’s Schone Lucht (Clean Air) campaign. “Our country still performs very badly in the area of diesel-related emissions of nitro-

gen dioxide.” Greenpeace’s complaint is based on a study commissioned from the Swiss Tropical Medicine and Public Health Institute in Basel, which reviewed the latest scientific literature on the health effects of nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The study concluded that there is no safe level of NO2 emissions: Even if levels are lower than EU limits allow, health-related dangers remain at the same level. The EU limit of NO2 per cubic metre is 40 micrograms, but, according to

the study, exposure to just 10 micrograms increases the chances of developing asthma by 15%. Greenpeace tested the air quality to which children were exposed in the back seat of a car at various locations in Brussels earlier this month. It found 139 micrograms per cubic metre at the Ganshoren exit to the Leopold II tunnel, 109 micrograms at the Louiza roundabout and 64 micrograms on the Schuman roundabout. “We are collectively poisoning our children,” Thijs said.

A similar action for negligence has already been brought against the government of the Brussels-Capital Region and is due to be heard in November. That was filed by the Brussels chapter of ClientEarth. According to Flemish environment minister Joke Schauvliege, the data on which the study is based is correct. But she is obliged to follow EU guidelines, she said. “We would prefer for our policy to be determined by parliament and not by the courts,” she said. \ AH

\ COVER STORY

september 20, 2017

Home improvements

Renovation project among Radical Innovators laureates helping to create a better world CLTGENT.BE continued from page 1

In other words: Those with more means are the ones getting subsidies. The poor miss out, and eventually they have to move out. In the neighbourhood around Ghent’s Dampoort train station, three organisations got together under the name Community Land Trust Gent (CLT), and succeeded in breaking the deadlock. Their pilot project, Dampoort KnapT OP (Dampoort Makeover), helps families lift their homes to minimal standards and beyond. “CLT thinks of new housing concepts to benefit the underprivileged,” says Natan Hertogen of Samenlevingsopbouw Gent, one of the three member organisations. “For instance, in the Muide neighbourhood we are building new social housing that’s set to be finished in 2021. But as well as building for those who needed a home, we knew we had to come up with something for those who already have a home but urgently need to renovate.” They decided to ask social welfare agency OCMW if funds could be provided on an advance basis. That is: OCMW would provide enough funding for renovations, but if the owner sells the house, buys a second house or dies, the money will be reimbursed to OCMW. “This way, the funds are not a subsidy but an advance without a term,” Hertogen explains. “It could be paid back after three years, after 30 years or even more.” In 2014, OCMW Ghent agreed and provided advances of €30,000 each for the first 10 families. The next question was which families were most in need. And would they be willing or able to have their homes taken over by workers for weeks, or even months? Ann Van Hoof at Sivi, the local organisation for the alleviation of poverty, led the recruitment and selection procedure. “We chose one block in the Dampoort neighbourhood where we already knew there was a high rate of emergency buyers and a high number of old houses in danger,” she says. “This way, the project could bring about much more than mere renovation. Creating a community feeling between residents was almost as important to us.” After the recruitment phase – starting with posting leaflets in the targeted streets and door-to-door visits – came the selection phase, in which all the families who wanted to take part were graded on criteria such as the urgency of renovation and their income. Next, architects and engineers from Domus Mundi, a social architectural firm and the third partner in CLT, made the plans for renovation with the residents while Sivi assisted in each phase.

FACEBOOK.COM/ECHOSUITDEWIJK

Residents were asked to shoot scenes of daily life in their homes; the results were enlarged and exhibited on the outer walls of an empty building

“Many of our participants were shocked to find out there were so many others nearby with the same problems,” says Van Hoof. “Once we’d started, we led monthly meetings in which all participants came together to share experiences about the renovation and learn from each other.” During community meetings, art project Echo’s uit de Wijk (Echoes from the Neighbourhood) was called in to make an artistic rendering of the project. “Participants were given disposable cameras and asked to shoot scenes of daily life in their homes,” Hertogen explains. Some of the results were enlarged and exhibited on the outer walls of an empty lot in the block, says Hertogen. “This way, we made what happened behind closed

doors visible to everyone, which also gave a boost to the feeling of community.” Both the community meetings and art project helped ease the stress caused by the renovations,

of renovation who needed all the help they could get.” All the families made it to the end of the process. Selection started in 2014 and construction the year after. Ten previously dilapidated

Creating a community feeling was almost as important as renovation but each of the participating families was also assisted individually by Sivi staff. “From getting all the paperwork done and gathering the necessary signatures to finding a temporary place when the demolition and construction started,” Van Hoof explains. “Most of these were families with little experience

houses are now safe, healthy and energy-efficient homes. Because of the project’s success, Ghent’s OCMW decided to provide five more families with renovation funds, while the city’s councillors for urban planning and the environment are each contributing to three extra funds.

In the meantime, Samenlevingsopbouw Gent is trying to get regular support for the scheme from the government of Flanders, while social organisations around the country are looking into ways to copy it in their own provinces or cities. CLT’s success and innovation have earned the consortium a spot among the 10 nominees of Radical Innovators, a popular poll on the most radical initiatives for a better world and a better climate. It’s run by the Sociale InnovatieFabriek, a think tank supporting social entrepreneurship, and a professional jury chose the laureates from 322 candidates. Three winners were named: the jury winner, the popular winner and the climate winner, the last one decided by a journalist from De Standaard. Despite their efforts to help emergency buyers, energyefficiency and social cohesion, the CLT consortium wasn’t among the winners. The jury and popular award both went to De Landgenoten (The Countrymen), a foundation of farmers and citizens that uses crowdfunding and donations to buy farm land. This land is then rented out to organic farmers. If the farmer quits, the cultivated land is rented to a successor. Cooperative DuCoop, meanwhile, won the climate award for its innovative energy concept for the new buildings at Ghent’s docks. Waste water from toilets in the apartments will be mixed with shredded biological waste from the kitchens to ferment in the cellars and produce biogas to heat the apartments. Other laureates include CitizenLab, an online platform that gives citizens a chance to share their opinion on municipal policies. Rising You(th), an initiative providing free climbing courses for refugees, is the answer to both unemployment among refugees and to companies’ need for professionals with climbing experience. The remaining five projects include Laminaria, founded by two cousins who developed the world’s first turbine that uses sea waves to produce energy. BIGH turned the roofs of the slaughterhouses in Anderlecht, Brussels, into fertile farm land, and in Mol, Antwerp province, residents at a care home can now virtually bike around their old neighbourhoods thanks to a project called Activ84Health. At Konekt in Ghent, people with mental disabilities have the chance to receive tailor-made education and find a mainstream job, while Dorpspunt Beveren is a neighbourhood shop and meeting place run by people with disabilities.

\ BUSINESS

week in business Ports Zeebrugge The container terminal of the port of Zeebrugge, which handles up to one million containers a year, has been acquired by China’s Cosco Shipping group. Cosco has already owned 24% of the operation since 2014 and has now bought the outstanding stake from the Dutch-owned ATM Terminals.

Pharma Janssen The affiliate of the US Johnson and Johnson company, based in Beerse, Antwerp province, is investing €9 million in a sustainable office building on its main campus (pictured).

Food Ter Beke The meat products and readymade meals company, based in Waarschoot, East Flanders, is acquiring 90% of the British KK Fine Foods, specialised in the production of prepared pasta dishes.

Banking

Kempen

The Dutch assets management and research company is opening an office in Antwerp as part of an expansion of its activities in Europe.

Property Woluwe Shopping Centre AG Real Estate is selling the Woluwe Shopping Centre, one of the country’s largest, with 130 shops and seven million visitors a year. Potential bidders include the Netherlands’ Wereldhave and France’s Unibail and Klepierre property groups.

Shipping Exmar The Antwerp-based gas transport and shipping group has sold its Belgibo insurance brokerage affiliate to the UK-based Jardine Lloyd Thomson group. The deal, expected to yield a €25 million capital gain, will help Exmar reduce its debt load following the acquisition of large floating liquefied natural gas platforms last year.

Care homes Aedifica The Brussels-based property group specialised in the development of assisted living residences and retirement homes is buying three more care facilities – two in the Netherlands and one in Germany for €31 million in total. The company has already invested €365 million this year and is expected to spend an additional €550 million in the coming three years.

WinWin project guides Flemish engineers back to labour market 4,000 vacancies for engineers, but more than 2,000 looking for work Andy Furniere More articles by Andy \ flanderstoday.eu

lemish labour minister Philippe Muyters has presented the WinWin project, which will provide extra training to engineers who have been unemployed for months or years. The minister announced the launch of the trial project last week at Audi Brussel, together with University of Leuven rector Luc Sels and Fons Leroy, the managing director of Flemish employment and training agency VDAB. In August of last year, the VDAB database had nearly 4,000 vacancies for engineers, while at the same time more than 2,200 engineers were looking for a job. One-third of those engineers had been unemployed for several months or

years and more than one-third were older than 50. The WinWin trial will put nine work-seeking engineers in a four- to six-month training

programme in a company like Audi to update their skills and adapt them to the needs of the labour market. “We want to bring them closer to what an employer expects from an engineer,” said Muyters in a statement. “That’s a win-win situation, for the engineer who gets back to work and for the Flemish economy.” The selected engineers will also receive coaching from the five Flemish universities. The training itself is free, and the participants keep their unemployment benefits for the duration. If the evaluation of it is positive, the project will be extended. There is already funding earmarked for the programme for four years.

Cattle slaughterhouse closed after video of animal abuse

Sustainable urinal gets start-up shot at SE Asian market

Flemish minister for animal welfare Ben Weyts ordered the Verbist slaughterhouse in Izegem to close last week after seeing a video detailing serious abuse of cattle. The video was released by Animal Rights, which was also responsible for the footage that shut down the Debra-Group slaughterhouse in Tielt last March. According to a ministry spokesperson, the problems at Verbist include a lack of legally required infrastructure as well as a lack of skills on the part of workers. The footage shows animals being repeatedly shocked with a cattle-prod, jabbed with a long pole, stunned ineffectively and having their throats cut in full view of living animals, which is against regulations as it causes panic. Following the release of the video last week, supermarket chain Delhaize immediately suspended its contract with the facility. “The road to animal welfare is a damned long one,” Weyts said in an emotional

Antwerp-based IPee is the latest tech start-up to be offered office space in Singapore, where it will get the chance to launch on the south-east Asian market. IPee is the fifth and final recipient of the port city’s Singapore aid scheme. The aptly named IPee develops sensors that determine when and how much water urinals should flush. For example, at sporting events – where a good deal of drinking takes place – less flushing and water is required. By contrast, patients in hospital produce urine that may contain drug residues, requiring more water to flush. The system (pictured) uses a minimum of water for each occasion, while ensuring optimum sanitary results. “The ambitions of IPee fit in perfectly with Antwerp’s priorities of sustainability and eHealth,” according to economy councillor

statement to VRT. “But anyone who thinks we don’t mean what we say will find out the hard way.” He promised more resources to allow an increase in the number of inspections, though he called the inspection services provided by the federal food safety agency FAVV “inadequate”. FAVV concentrates too much on food safety and not enough on animal welfare, he said. Weyts is reportedly considering having his ministry take over inspections of slaughterhouses in the region. The Izegem closure follows an almost identical incident earlier this year at another slaughterhouse in nearby Tielt, when undercover video revealed similar maltreatment with regards to pigs. “Following Tielt, I signed a covenant with the sector that raised the bar for animal welfare standards,” Weyts said. “However, I see that inspections have not followed through with that.” \ AH

Power cut in Ghent causes tens of thousands in losses A fire in a power station in Ghent on Thursday last week saw 500 streets lose electricity in the centre and neighbourhoods north of the centre. It took 13 hours to restore electricity to every street. As the lack of power continued, businesses began reporting losing thousands of euros in income and goods. The problem mainly affected the catering industry, as restaurants and supermarkets couldn’t open. They also lost power to their refrigerators and freezers, causing a massive loss of product. Some foods kept in large, professional freezers are able to withstand several hours of a loss of power, though some products, such as

The fire department responds to incident at Ghent power station

fish, are more vulnerable to a slight change in temperature. Electricity providers in Flanders offered advice for consumers in the event of a power cut. Plugs should be removed from sockets and just one light switch left on to let you know when the power is back. Stock a battery-operated radio to keep track of the situation. \ Alan Hope

Caroline Bastiaens. The start-up project is part of Antwerp’s co-operation with B-DNA, a Singapore-based engineering and architectural firm, dedicated to sustainable design. The city’s contribution is to provide office space and local support for five start-ups. \ AH

Ghelamco Group sues to stop book critical of Ghent stadium Property developer and construction company Ghelamco has filed suit against the Flemish publisher Doorbraak because of an upcoming book that provides details on the contract and construction of AA Gent’s football stadium, Ghelamco Arena. The stadium opened in 2013, and the book is titled De illegale Ghelamco Arena: Als politici zich met voetbal bemoeien (The Illegal Ghelamco Arena: When Politicians Interfere with football). Ghelamco filed last week for an interim interdict to prevent publication of the book, which it said was due to happen this week. According to Doorbraak, the book is not due to be published until 7 December. The case was adjourned until 22 November.

According to Doorbraak, Ghelamco’s complaint is based solely on a blurb on its website that reads: “The new stadium was only made possible in financial and politically suspicious circumstances in which cronyism has precedence over the law.” The book’s author, Ignace Vandewalle, a political communications advisor, has been working with the file for years, the publisher said, and he is “convinced that the stadium is illegal”. If the request for an interdict is unsuccessful, the book will publish as scheduled. Ghelamco will, in any case, file a libel suit, in which a court will hear complaints by the company, its parent group and its CEO Paul Gheysens. \ AH

\ INNOVATION

september 20, 2017

The sixth sense

week in innovation

Flemish specialist wants to put pain on every doctor’s agenda Senne Starckx Follow Senne on Twitter \ @SStarckx

europeanpainfederation.eu

Bart Morlion, the new president of Europe’s largest professional organisation for doctors involved in pain research and treatment, says it’s high time medical practitioners started paying more attention to it.

“P

ain is an extra sense, in addition to our traditional five human senses. It’s also an emotion because it’s so personal and subjective.” This is not a spiritual healer or medical guru speaking, but Dr Chris Wells, a UK specialist in pain management who until recently headed the European Pain Federation (EFIC), an international professional organisation in the field of pain research and medicine based in Diegem, Flemish Brabant. Wells is being succeeded by Dr Bart Morlion, a Flemish anaesthetist who serves as the co-ordinator of the Leuven Center for Algology and Pain Management at the city’s University Hospital. Morlion, also a professor at the University of Leuven, is taking up the job of EFIC president at a time when pain is still too often treated as a symptom of an illness or disorder, or as an inconvenience. With one in five Europeans suffering from some kind of chronic pain, however, it is becoming ever clearer that our “sixth sense” deserves proper care from dedicated specialists. According to Wells, a pain doctor is different from all other medical specialists. “We work on the

Researchers at Ghent University (UGent) are developing sustainable food packaging based on coriander oil and crustacean waste. Apart from coriander oil, the packaging would be based on chitosan, a biopolymer derived from crustacean waste that protects against fungi and bacteria. “The main purpose is to extend the food’s shelf life,” said UGent professor Chris Stevens in a statement. The coriander project is part of the PhD of UGent bio-engineer Evelien Uitterhaegen and is an example of the type of research UGent will focus on in its new international network, GreenChem, launched last week.

Risk of malnourishment in over-65s

Dr Bart Morlion says the first step to addressing Europe’s current chronic pain epidemic is to focus on more primary prevention

event attracted pain specialists, trainees, researchers and representatives from the pharma industry, who gathered to discuss the latest trends in pain medication and learn more about future developments. In addition, doctors could also take an exam to obtain a certificate in pain medicine – the only such qualification in Europe. “Our certification is a very powerful tool to improve and safeguard the quality of pain specialists in Europe,” explains Morlion. According to the doctor, who will also be featured in the Vier

ciently organised,” he explains. “Some have almost transformed themselves into lobby groups that influence policymakers. So we can achieve much more if we work together with them.” When it comes to pain, and especially the chronic kind, such as back pain – which is becoming a true epidemic as European populations age – there is no silver bullet, Morlion admits. “We have powerful medication, but there’s always the risk of addiction and of immunity, which requires ever bigger doses.” Dr Morlion cites one of the biggest ongoing public health crises in the

Many of us are still reluctant when it comes to the participation of patients, but we can achieve much more if we work together with them psychological level much more, while a surgeon treats his patients more like biological samples in which certain parts have to be fixed or replaced,” he says. “Many classically schooled doctors feel like gods, while we see ourselves more like salesmen.” An important part of a pain doctor’s job, he explains, is to convince a patient to try something or suggest changes in the patient’s behaviour that might offer relief. Being a doctor, and especially being a pain doctor, also means treating non-responders, people who don’t seem to react to a certain treatment or medication, Dr Morlion adds. “Treating these patients is almost a speciality in itself,” he says. Wells officially passed the threeyear post to Dr Morlion at the EFIC conference held earlier this month in Copenhagen, Denmark. The

Ghent researchers turn shrimp into packaging

programme Topdokters later this year, there are several ways in which our approach to pain could be improved in Europe. But his main ambition, and the one that’s the closest to his heart, is to build a better relationship between caregivers and patients. “Ours is one of the most multidisciplinary fields in medicine,” says Morlion. “There’s no connection with a particular medical speciality. When it comes to pain, only the patient is central.” At the Copenhagen event, a patient led a conference session for the first time in the organisation’s history. Morlion wants to see many more such initiatives that do a better job of involving patients. “Many of us are still reluctant when it comes to the participation of patients, but we forget that many patient groups are very effi-

US as an example. At the heart of this drug epidemic are opioids, morphine-like painkillers that are extremely addictive. According to Morlion, a solution for the chronic pain epidemic that is currently rocking Europe begins with the realisation that many pain-related problems are of our own making. “Our daily lives are not preventive enough, and the environment we live in is not well suited to avoiding diseases, including pain,” he says. “That’s why I want to strongly focus on primary prevention. I know it’s not the most attractive solution for patients, but it’s the best one we have that doesn’t have any side effects.” Morlion advises everyone to carve out sufficient time in their schedules for exercise and, for instance, to start counting their steps. But the world of medicine itself also

has to change and focus on pain much more, he says. He notes that this year’s conference programme included many sessions aimed at helping medical practitioners improve their knowledge – from introductory general workshops to highly specialised lectures. Morlion finds the lack of attention to pain in medical curricula particularly problematic. “In most European countries, this remains an open wound,” he says, pointing out that student veterinarians typically receive more training in pain medicine than general practitioners. The same is true, he says, when you compare the curricula of nursing schools and of medical specialities. “Even at my own university, I’m struggling to get these hours into the curriculum,” he says, referring to the University of Leuven. “Isn’t that strange? Every doctor will encounter patients with pain, while many disorders they actually learn about are so rare that only a few doctors will ever have to deal with them.” It’s of course impossible to train “super doctors” who excel in every medical speciality, which is why Morlion isn’t arguing for neurologists, surgeons and oncologists to also become veritable pain specialists. To him, good pain management instead exceeds the multidisciplinary level. “I prefer the term ‘interdisciplinary’ – doctors have to learn to work together,” he says. “They have to know who is good in a particular area.” Still, it would help if all medical specialists had at least some general knowledge about pain, he says. “For example, that we can quite accurately measure pain, even though it is a very subjective phenomenon.”

People aged 65 and over who live at home in Belgium are at a significant risk of being undernourished, according to a study from the Vives University College in Kortrijk and several other institutions. As people get older, they have less of an appetite and tend to eat smaller portions. “But you still need enough protein and fibre, just like younger adults,” researcher Lien Van den Broeck of Vives told De Standaard. Some 29% of older adults in Belgium are at risk of being malnourished, according to professor Maurits Vandewoude of Antwerp University, who co-operated on the research. “Over-65s often say that nothing is wrong because they are still mobile and don’t feel sick,” Vandewoude explained. “But it’s a problem that gradually gets worse.”

Three times more extreme heat by 2040 Starting around 2040, larger cities such as Brussels and Antwerp will experience extreme temperatures for more than 17 days per year, about three times more than the current average, according to research carried out by the University of Leuven. To be considered a heatwave, there must be three consecutive days with a maximum temperature of more than 30 degrees and a minimum temperature of more than 18 degrees. According to the researchers, the phenomenon will lead to a higher mortality rate, reduced work performance and higher energy consumption in cities. They have called on local governments to concentrate on preserving green spaces and water, as well as limit paving in the larger cities. \ Andy Furniere

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IN A CHANGING WORLD,

\ EDUCATION

september 20, 2017

Change from within

week in education

UHasselt staff competition sees rapid-impact innovations in lessons Ian Mundell follow Ian on Twitter \ @IanMundell

UHASSELT.BEc

hree innovative education projects begin at Hasselt University this month, developing the institution’s approach to teaching in architecture, industrial engineering and law. The lessons learned in these projects are also intended to benefit other disciplines. The projects were selected through a competition open to all members of staff. After submitting a dossier outlining their projects, each team pitched its idea to a jury made up of university insiders and members of its extended community. The projects were judged on their innovative qualities, but also on how well they lined up with the university’s education strategy. Aspiring academics also had to show how their projects would become self-supporting beyond the two-year running time of a pilot, and how their ideas might benefit other departments in the university. “The idea is to start with an innovative pilot project in one particular context, but afterwards to be able to spread the results to other disciplines,” explains Karin Coninx, Hasselt’s vice-rector for education. A broad definition of innovation was used, from improvements to the curriculum to more technical advances. But all proposals had to show that they could be applied and affect student learning within the two years. “These are not research projects, looking towards more long-term application, but something that has a rapid impact on the education that is given in a particular discipline,” Coninx explains. Some 10 projects were submitted to the competition this year, with three winners selected to receive

support. The first of the new projects is Live Lab, a collaboration between the faculty of architecture and arts and the faculty of industrial engineering sciences. Both faculties aim to give students skills that will help them in their chosen professions, where possible by working on problems from the real world. For architecture students this project-based learning usually involves design studies addressing regional architecture problems, while for engineering students it involves problem-solving projects with industrial partners. Live Lab will be a platform for building projects in which students from both faculties can participate, fulfilling complementary roles. “This means that different stakeholders will be brought together and that the employability skill of working together in a multidisciplinary team will be targeted,” says Coninx. The academics involved will also draw up a broader strategy for colleagues who might want to follow a similar path in other

disciplines. The second competition winner also involves project-based learning, this time in the law department. At the beginning of their degree programmes, law students are introduced to simple legal tasks and given guidance in how to resolve them. As time passes, they are given bigger and more complicated realworld problems to address, and left to work on their own. “Step by step, the students are expected to evolve in terms of the way they can independently solve problems,” says Coninx. While this approach is already well-established at Hasselt, its law professors think they still have more to learn, so the aim is to build an international network of law faculties that have similar approaches. “The result would be the network, on the one hand,” says Coninx, “and on the other hand digging in greater depth into the concept of project-based education in law, exchanging good practices and so on.” The third and final project again

comes from the faculty of architecture and arts, this time focusing on new ways of teaching a traditional skill. “In architecture education, there is some controversy over whether or not students should still be taught manual sketching, or if you should focus more on digital competences,” Coninx explains. Sketching is still part of the programme at Hasselt, but there is a feeling that the teaching needs to evolve. “We want students to be able to learn independently and not only be there in the classroom while the teacher draws something on the board.” So the Schetsatlas project will use video to record and catalogue the process of architectural drawing. “The students will not only be able to see the final drawing, but step-by-step how it has been constructed.” This will also mean that students can work at their own speed, on campus or from home. “This innovates in terms of learning competences in sketching, but also how to open up education for digital platforms.” The project will be carried out in collaboration with AZilPix, a university spin-off that specialises in image capture and processing. This is the second time that Hasselt has run a competition for innovative education projects. While it is too early to tell how successful the approach has been, Coninx thinks that simply having the competition has a beneficial effect on academics. “Doing these projects challenges them to go for some innovative ideas,” she says. “They get additional financing to realise them, so we encourage them to keep on thinking about innovating our education system.”

Q&A Fabio Carzedda has been appointed to the Genk secondary school district in Limburg, making him Flanders’ first police officer dedicated to a school system Why is this new function needed? Schools haven’t really known exactly where to turn for help for security matters, but now they will have a main contact point. It is my job to refer any problems to specialised police services if necessary, such as issues concerning traffic around the schools. Whereas we previously just carried out our jobs in response to trouble, like drawing up police reports, I will now focus more on prevention by tackling problems before they escalate.

What kind of problems do you expect to encounter? I will deal mainly with bullying behaviour, drugs, traffic issues, theft and signs of radicalisation. This will be done in close co-operation with existing education services, like the pupil support agencies [CLBs]. In the case of bullying, for example, I might talk to the perpetrator and their family, while the CLB takes care of the victim and their family. I will often act as mediator.

constant presence in the schools so the students can get used to me being around. We are also working to spread the word about my function via the digital communication platform Smartschool. This way, the students and all other parties will easily be able to call me or contact me via email.

How difficult is it to earn the students’ trust? I am able to get through to them since I grew up in Genk and have seven years of experience as a police officer here. I will also be a

Is this a local project only? Yes, but several other police zones have already shown interest. The challenges we encounter in Genk can be found across Flanders. We will evaluate the project after this school year, but the intention is to keep it going in the years to come.

More people earning diplomas than ever More people in Flanders are earning their secondary school diplomas than in previous years, and more are also obtaining degrees in higher education. The figures have been published in the OECD’s Education at a Glance annual report, which provides a detailed overview of the Belgian and Flemish education systems. In 2000, 76% of pupils left secondary school with a diploma. That figure is now 86%. “That’s a very good score,” said Dirk Van Damme, the Flemish head of the OECD’s Innovation and Measuring Progress Division. In addition, more people are earning a degree in higher education, from 36% of the population in 2000 to 45% now.

Number of teachers older than 65 doubles in five years The number of working teachers who are aged 65 and older has doubled in five years’ time, from 161 in the 2012-2013 school year to 350 in the last year. The figures were provided by Flemish education minister Hilde Crevits. A majority of the teachers who have postponed their retirement are men working in primary education. Minister Crevits applauded the trend. “It shows the teacher’s commitment, and it is beneficial for both the school involved and the teacher,” she said in a statement. Christian education union COC, however, finds the phenomenon alarming. “It’s becoming increasingly clear that we need to seriously invest in teaching careers,” COC secretary-general Koen Van Kerkhoven told De Standaard. “Over-65s cannot compensate for the structural shortage of teachers; that’s only a stopgap.”

Good marks for higher education in Flanders Flanders’ universities and colleges are providing quality education, according to a report by the Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organisation (NVAO). Fourteen of the 18 colleges and universities in the region were positively evaluated by internal and external auditors. Two institutions have yet to be evaluated and two must make changes. Institutions are judged on diversity, on how well they adjust to social challenges and on customised education such as special assistance for students in difficult situations and honours programmes for students who excel. NVAO, however, has advised the institutions to consider independent professionals to further improve the quality of their education. \ AF

\ Interview by Andy Furniere

\ LIVING

week in activities Brussels Night Run The first edition of this afterdark 8km run through the streets of Brussels starts and ends in front of the Palace. Participants each get a headlamp and can expect colourful light displays along the route. Register via the website. 23 September 20.00 (pick up start packet) & 22.00 (start of run), Paleizenplein, Brussels; €30 \ sport.be

Comic-Con Antwerp A gathering of pop-culture geeks with something for everyone: cosplay contest, gaming, fan groups, artists’ alley, merchandise and celebrities. Guests include stars from Game of Thrones and Star Wars. Show up in costume for a discount at the door. 23-24 September 10.0018.00, Waagnatie, Rijnkaai 150, Antwerp; €10 \ comicconantwerp.com

Tibetan Cultural Festival Discover the culture and traditions of Tibet during two days of music and dance performances, creative workshops, children’s activities, chanting, handicrafts and more, all in a beautiful outdoor setting under traditional tents used by nomads. Tibetan food specialities will be on sale from 12.00 to 14.00. 23-24 September 12.00-17.00, Georges Henri Park, SintLambrechts-Woluwe (Brussels); free \ tinyurl.com/Tibetan-Festival

Zwin Week The Zwin is a unique geographical area with its own ecology, history and culture, between the coast and the Dutch border. Explore all it has to offer during a week of guided walks, nature talks, bike rides, creative workshops, local product tastings, children’s activities and more. 23 September to 1 October, Knokke; free \ ivn.nl/weekvandezwinstreek

Coastal dog walk Bring your four-legged friends for the 26th annual dog-friendly walk through the dunes and polders and along the beach, starting and ending in the picturesque resort of De Haan. Choose from well-marked routes of 7, 11 or 15km. 24 September 9.00-15.00, Sporthal Haneveld, Nieuwe Steenweg 74, De Haan; €2 \ visitdehaan.be

\ 10

Thank you for the music

Shared singing project benefits both dementia patients and caregivers Toon Lambrechts More articles by Toon \ flanderstoday.eu

ur brains are without a doubt the most fascinating parts of our bodies. Even when they falter. Which they inevitably do, with age. It’s estimated that some 100,000 people in Flanders suffer from dementia, a number that’s expected to rise, given our aging population. The good news is that care for people with dementia is keeping pace. Caregivers and the medical community have been looking to other fields – like art, heritage and music – to improve the quality of life of people with dementia. De Stem van ons Geheugen (The Voice of our Memory) is one such initiative. The project brings together elderly people who face cognitive decline and their caregivers to sing in groups. The idea is that singing together has a range of benefits for both parties. “Our aim is to make the carers aware of the value and the benefits of singing,” says project manager Katrien Van Geystelen. “We organise workshops and training and facilitate exchanges between the care sector and the cultural world.” She is convinced of the benefits

ZINGENMETDEMENTIE.BE

of singing for elderly people with dementia. But De Stem van ons Geheugen has an equally important social component. “For nonprofessional caregivers, social isolation is a serious risk, due to the huge demands of caring for someone with dementia at home. A choir is a social space, and it brings together people who face similar challenges.” The idea started with a British documentary called Singing

choirs opt for songs that are part of the collective memory of the older generation, but often they adapt their repertoire to the singers’ preferences.” Most of the choirs are established in retirement homes. “It is definitely harder to reach out to the elderly and caregivers who live at home,” Van Geystelen says. “But we do notice that people living outside of a care facility do come back to our activities once they

value, but there are pitfalls as well. Social isolation and a burden on the shoulders of non-professional carers are serious risks.” The scientific community has done much research into the subject, and Van Geystelen sees the advantages in practice. “Our musical memory is the part of the brain that’s the most resilient,” she says. “When it is stimulated, it addresses other parts of our grey cells. We see that some elderly people who have lost

A choir is a social space, and it brings together people who face similar challenges for the Brain, which talked about the benefits of singing for elderly people who suffer from dementia. The potential is enormous, Van Geystelen believes. “Singing wakes people up, so to speak. We see in our choir practice that people who face significant cognitive decline still remember the songs from their past,” she says. “Singing in a group forges emotional ties as well. In general,

have a taste of singing together.” At the moment, Bruges is the only town with a choir composed entirely of people with dementia and non-professional caregivers, the Fotonkoor. Another choir is about to be established in SintNiklaas. “There is an evolution in elderly care that people should stay at home as long as possible,” says Van Geystelen. “This approach has its

the ability to speak are still able to sing along. Even the body benefits. Singing is so much more than mere reminiscence.” De Stem van ons Geheugen is a collaboration between the nonprofit Koor&Stem, Flanders Expertise Centre Dementia, care home Den Olm in Bonheiden, Antwerp province and education centre VSPW Mol.

BITE New Bistro Mature takes a laid-back approach to good food

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The Antwerp suburb of Deurne is not known for its fine dining or Michelin-starred restaurants. Most establishments in the area cater to the predominantly older crowd who know what they like and aren’t persuaded by innovation in the kitchen. So it was some surprise to the locals when Bistro Mature opened just down the road from Riverienhof, one of Antwerp’s largest and most popular parks. Not only does Bistro Mature stand out from the crowd thanks to its modern and contemporary look, it has a food and drinks menu to match. That’s no surprise when you find out that chef Kevin de Backer, best known for his restaurant B23 on Brouwersvliet near the MAS museum, is the brains behind it. While B23 is aimed at the gastronomic crowd with its extensive tasting menus, Bistro Mature has a pared-down offer and relaxed atmosphere that won’t frighten the locals. Whether you just want to stop by for a coffee or a beer, are looking for something light or are ready

for a full gourmet experience, this is the place to be. And you can tell that a master chef is at work in the kitchen. There’s a great selection of fine quality produce on offer, from three-week aged Irish beef and succulent ribs from Duroc pigs to farmraised chicken and fresh grilled salmon. The children’s menu is also more extensive and interesting than you might expect, with baby steaks and the Duroc ribs available for junior gourmands. Fish sticks, pasta and chicken round out the offer. Another feature is the excellent selection of beers and wines by the glass and a large vermouth menu. There is also an excellent selection of iced teas. When it comes to dessert, the offering is a little more in line with what you’d find at any average bistro. But here again, freshness and simplicity are the watchwords, elevating what could be

humdrum to sublime. You can also finish the meal with an assortment of cheeses from Callebaut, the cheesemasters from Oudenaarde. Although not a vast offer, the selection is well-chosen. While Bistro Mature is billed as the little sister of B23, it more than lives up to the expectations of its older sibling. \ Dan Smith

september 20, 2017

Bed, board and beyond A hotel restaurant as a destination? It’s a new reality in Antwerp Clodagh Kinsella More articles by Clodagh \ flanderstoday.eu

u-eatsleep.be hotelpilar.be

or a long time, hotel restaurants were a desperate last resort: expensive, unappetising and too reliant on a captive audience. But venture to New York or London these days, and you’ll find that every next hotel is styling itself as its hometown’s “living room”. And now the trend is coming to Flanders. Launched in June, sleek 15-room boutique hotel U Antwerp boasts a top location on the city’s marina. Its foodie credentials are just as stellar: Alongside TV personality Hans Otten, it’s the brainchild of Viki Geunes, chef at the two-star ’t Zilte restaurant in the MAS museum, just opposite. Otten’s wife Colette van Remortel, a long-time training pilot for Brussels Airlines, is managing the hotel, while Geunes’ wife Viviane Plaquet, a veteran of the restaurant industry, is overseeing the food. The calm, metropolitan-chic decor – each bedroom has a different identity – comes courtesy of Karine Ribbens of the April One interiors firm. Appropriately, friends Otten and Geunes first met while working on a 2009 reality programme where young contestants vied to manage a hotel. “He was the judge, and I was the host,” Otten recalls. “We kept in touch. He was dreaming about a second restaurant, and my

Like Pilar, U Antwerp wants to be a place where visitors can grab a worthy bite, drink a good cocktail and spend the night in one stylish fell swoop

restaurant, an open-kitchen food bar and a stylish cocktail lounge. In summer months, the vast and picturesque terrace has a prime view of bobbing yachts. “The name U is because you can choose what you want to do,”

would become a one-stop shop attracting tourists, business people, families and couples on a dinner date. “It’s everybody all in one place,” says Otten. “And it’s happening, which is beautiful to see.”

is fast morphing into integrated hotel dining concept Pilar. Ernest Hemingway’s nickname for his wife – and, oddly, fishing boat – was the name Sam Peeters and Christophe Ysewyn were reserving for their first-born. In the event, it

We’re a restaurant with a hotel, not a hotel with a restaurant wife was dreaming about her own hotel.” A seasoned traveller, Otten wanted to replicate the more forward-looking hotels he’d come across elsewhere – “experience hubs” where you could eat well, sleep well and drink a decent cocktail under one roof. U Antwerp has three dining areas: a formal, parquet-floored

explains Geunes. “For example, with Viki’s menu you can choose Italian, Eastern or classic Flemish dishes – which is impossible in most restaurants. You can have a quick bite at the food bar, or eat the full restaurant menu there. You can do what you want. We don’t have any rules.” The duo’s hope was that U Antwerp

Crucially, rather than the food being just another ingredient in this sumptuous lifestyle pie, it’s the main event. “We’re a restaurant with a hotel, not a hotel with a restaurant,” says Otten. Meanwhile, at the other end of town, diagonally across from the currently shuttered Royal Museum of Fine Arts, the former HotelO Sud

made a suitably cosmopolitan title for their project. Hotelier Ysewyn worked in the building on Leopold de Waelplaats in its previous guise, when it housed a restaurant and hotel, under separate management. When HotelO opted to focus on other branches, he and Peeters, an interior designer, leapt at the

chance. “The location is really good,” says Peeters. “You have Café Hopper, Patine and famous pitta place Finjan. But this place was always a bit lost. We saw a great opportunity to give it a new direction.” Like U Antwerp, Pilar aims to be a multi-purpose hangout – nothing too posh or uptight but, as Ysewyn puts it, “a house where everything is possible.” The upstairs hotel, which will be properly rebranded when it opens later this month – the O sign still casts a ghostly shadow – will house 17 rooms ranging from 25 square metres to 75-square-metre suites. All the art adorning the walls will be for sale. Downstairs already functions as a relaxed all-day cafe serving breakfast, lunch and – while terrace season holds – sharing-style dinners. The menu is low on fuss and high on vegetarian-friendly comfort food – avocado toast, sweet potato tart, green soup. In a month or so, Pilar will start offering dinner from Thursday to Saturday. Also downstairs, a shop acts as a canvas for Pilar’s eclectic sourcing. Alongside the hotel’s bespoke blankets and cushions, it stocks Peeters’ desks and candlesticks he makes with his mother as well as backpacks by a friend of the duo. Haute French perfumery Le Labo, choosy about its hook-ups, has contributed toiletries for the bedrooms and a special hotel fragrance for the shop. “They’re paraben-free, which is very important to us,” says Peeters. “It’s not easy to be sustainable in this industry but we try,” he adds, pointing out that the smart sofa in one corner of the cafe originally belonged to his grandfather. Meanwhile, what he says of the ceramics in the kitchen, and the unusually anti-corporate meeting room, also goes for Pilar itself: “We made it because we couldn’t find it – that’s our tagline.”

Former rail depot in Essen to become brewery Flemish minister-president Geert Bourgeois, who is also in charge of heritage matters, has announced funding of €3.3 million for the renovation of a former railway warehouse in Essen in the far north of Antwerp province. The building will be converted into a brewery. In the 19th century, Essen was a key border post on the rail route from Antwerp to Roosendaal in the Netherlands, with a station, a customs post and quarantine facilities. The goods warehouse (pictured) was built at the turn of

the century in neo-Renaissance style and was in use until 1975. “Finding a new purpose is the ideal way to breathe new life into a heritage location,” Bourgeois said. “So the municipality went looking for a partner that would give the building a new function while respecting its industrial character.” Rixt, a drinks wholesaler from Antwerp, will develop and run the brewery, with brewing to take place where the rails once were, and storage on the former platforms. The city of Essen will be in

charge of the renovations, with the help of government funding. According to Essen mayor Gaston Van Tichelt, there will also be a bar or restaurant included in the building, as well as a tasting room for visitors and office space. The conversion will also receive EU funding under the Demi More project for energy efficiency, which supports the use of sustainable and renewable energy in public heritage settings. \ Alan Hope © Courtesy Flanders Heritage Agency

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\ ARTS

september 20, 2017

A little something Extra

week in arts & CULTURE €1.9 million for arts and culture project grants

Antwerp art house Extra City aims to live up to its name Christophe Verbiest More articles by Christophe \ flanderstoday.eu

EXTRACITYKUNSTHAL.ORG

Antwerp art space Extra City has a new director and has just opened its latest exhibition, with the ethos that contemporary art should be accessible to everyone and reflect recognisable urban themes.

here were 1,500 people at the opening weekend of Extra Citizen, the new exhibition at Kunsthal Extra City. It’s a new start for this art space in the Antwerp district of Berchem. The day after the opening, I meet its satisfied director, Adinda Van Geystelen. Only four years ago I was sitting in the same spot with the previous director, Mihnea Mircan, to talk about – indeed – the restart of Extra City. Since it opened in a former grain silo in the Antwerp port in 2004, its history has been one of fits and starts. Housed since 2013 in a former industrial laundry – a mighty building that still needs some more refurbishing – Extra City hopes to finally be sailing on smooth waters. Van Geystelen took the reins in September last year, but was already part of the repositioning team. “The three directors that Extra City has had in its history were great curators who set up shows that were well talked-about – but mostly internationally, not in Flanders.” There was a concern that the centre would lose its subsidies from the Flemish government. In that context, the board decided to dismiss Mircan and reposition the institution within the visual arts landscape in Flanders. It was then that Van Geystelen entered the picture. Trained as an architect, she has a background in cultural organisations – as director of artistic policy at Brussels fine arts centre Bozar and general manager of dance company Rosas – and was an advisor to the former culture minister Bert Anciaux. “I’ve always been very interested in the visual arts, but I’ve become incensed at the fact that people without a professional education in art philosophy or theory have been left out in the cold,” she says. “They often don’t have the tools to be able to understand what contemporary art is about.” It was one of the reasons that, as a volunteer, she wanted to invest time in repositioning Extra City. A quartet was formed, with, among others, art sociologist Pascal Gielen. The group met weekly to brainstorm. “We wanted a space that shows contemporary art that – even assuming it might be difficult – tries to find a wider audience, and certainly not only emanating from the art world itself,” Van Geystelen explains. “Communicating will

Flemish culture minister Sven Gatz has announced the list of 35 recipients in the third and final round of project subsidies for this year. The total amount of the subsidies came to €1.9 million. The system is for specific projects and is separate from structural cultural subsidies – although the same groups can apply for both. The latest round brings the total for the three rounds of project subsidies in 2017 to just over €8 million. Among the organisations receiving subsidies in this round are the Brussels-based theatre group Tristero (which lost its structural subsidy last year but now picks up €34,700), music centre Artrisjok in Mechelen, and robot orchestra Logos Foundation. Individual artists accounted for 19 subsidies, which includes sculptor Peter Buggenhout, ceramics artist Anne Marie Laureys and painter Cindy Wright.

Flemish museum pros head to UK

Marinella Senatore’s “Protest Bike” (2016) is among the works at the Extra Citizen show

be an essential tool in doing so. If necessary, we’ll even do one less show a year.” Kunsthal Extra City receives €380,000 a year from the Flemish government, €50,000 from the city of Antwerp and has 15% own revenues. That’s a very moderate budget, Van Geystelen points out, compared to similar organisations abroad. “We can’t compete with them; that’s why we decided not to cover the whole field of contemporary art anymore but to focus on a thematic approach.” With a name like Extra City the choice was easy: Art that relates to current urban themes. It’s a way for the centre to build a bridge to

Director Adinda Van Geystelen: “I’ve become incensed at the fact that people without a professional education in art philosophy or theory have been left out in the cold”

a non-professional audience, showing them that contemporary art often deals with issues they encounter day-to-day.

every three years. Enter Antonia Alampi and iLiana Fokianaki, who are established curators, and Brussels-based artist Michiel

We wanted a space that shows contemporary art that tries to find a wider audience At that point, one issue still needed to be tackled. “In its short history, Extra City has been through three directors. They were great curators, but in the end they were judged on their qualities as directors of the centre.” That’s why this time they chose a co-ordinator who would safeguard Extra City’s mission and vision, and who collaborates with the curators and artists. “It’s also a statement against the idea that still reigns in lots of other art places that one artistic director takes all the decisions,” Van Geystelen says. “If there is one place where you should have dissenting visions and a dialogue about what’s relevant and what not, it’s an art space like Extra City.” This means that Extra City works with an artistic trio that changes

Until 12 December

Vandevelde. The three are not full-time employees, but judging by the first exhibition, Extra Citizen, that’s isn’t a problem. The show gives the spotlight to their main theme for the next three years – citizenship. It’s a combination of radical political art criticising migration policies, and more witty works. But there’s also space for art that on first viewing doesn’t have a connection with citizenship, like paintings by the two Flemish participants, Bram Demunter and Philippe Van Snick. It forces you to think to find the relationship. It’s an effort that makes you an active viewer, but it never gives you the feeling of being too dumb to understand the show. At least one mission accomplished.

A group of 23 local museum professionals are in the UK this week visiting museums in Liverpool, Wakefield, Birmingham and Manchester. The trip, organised by Flemish heritage organisation Faro, will allow them to discuss the modern museum’s place in society, outreach to diverse groups and what the future holds for the sector. “We have chosen to visit these places in England because we have noticed that their museums adapt incredibly well to their circumstances,” said Faro in a statement. The professionals are part of the group Museums in Dialogue, a network of museums in Flanders and Brussels. The 23 members include Ghent’s contemporary art museum Smak, Antwerp’s Red Star Line museum and Brussels’ Royal Museums of Art and History.

New overtly sexual mural in Brussels Following on the penis and the image of penetration, a mural of a woman masturbating has appeared on the side of a building in Brussels. The painting was created on the upper side of a building in the canal district near the Klein Kasteeltje asylum centre. Like the other overtly sexual images, this one isn’t causing a lot of controversy. “As long as the mural isn’t hateful or racist, it’s not a problem,” culture councillor Karine Lalieux told Bruzz.

Extra City

Eikelstraat 25-31, Antwerp

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\ ARTS

A tale of two countries

Toneelhuis season opener explores migrant crisis through refugee’s eyes Clodagh Kinsella More articles by Clodagh \ flanderstoday.eu

Antwerp theatre Toneelhuis opens its new season with a play that explores an unlikely friendship between two old men, probing what it feels like to be a refugee and pushing viewers to become emotionally involved.

ast season, as part of its Beyond Borders initiative, Antwerp’s Toneelhuis brought to the stage Austrian playwright Elfriede Jelinek’s text Grensgeval (Borderline), a damning account of Europeans’ response to the ongoing refugee crisis. But with two sides to every story, the Antwerp theatre’s autumn opener probes the flipside of the tragedy: What does it feel like for the refugee adrift in a foreign country? Het kleine meisje van meneer Linh

toneelhuis.be

owing to his long-past soldiering days. He fought in a colonial war in Linh’s country (likely Vietnam, when it was part of the former French colony Indochina). These traumas form a common bond between the two men that endures despite several grim twists, including Linh’s transferral to a psychiatric ward, and a particularly haunting last-minute reversal involving his granddaughter. “It’s really a story about the friendship between them and the effort they make to understand one another,” says Jans. “And hope: that it’s possible to communicate, despite their losses and the background of this terrible war.” As such, it’s an entirely different beast to its predecessor, Grensgeval – a complex, polyphonic text in which a chorus of European voices weigh in on the migrant crisis. Cassiers opted to stage

It’s really a story about the friendship between them (Mister Linh and His Child) is adapted from a 2005 novel of the same name by French writer and filmmaker Philippe Claudel. In common with much of his oeuvre, it is preoccupied with survivor’s guilt and trauma. Mister Linh charts the travails of an old man who takes refuge in Europe with his infant granddaughter after the rest of his family is killed in a war in an unspecified Asian country. “The child is the only thing he has,” says dramaturg Erwin Jans, who adapted the work alongside director Guy Cassiers. “He doesn’t know the language, the codes, the rules. At a certain point he meets another man and, although they cannot understand each other’s language, they become the best of friends.” Over the course of this halting friendship, the story of Linh’s interlocutor, the European Mister Bark, is also revealed. Widowed shortly before the pair meet on a park bench, Bark is ridden with guilt

it with four actors addressing a silent mass of dancers standing in for the refugees. Grensgeval “is more like the brain – the discourse, the arguments, the shifts,” says Jans. “It makes you think, whereas with this story you get very emotionally involved. It’s a kind of modern fairy tale, but told in such a simple way that it really confuses you. It hits hard and deep, like fairy tales do.” One key change was made in adapting the work: Rather than an omniscient narrator, Linh and his friend tell the story in the third person, and all the other characters they meet are merely words projected onto a screen behind them – a tested Cassiers manoeuvre emphasising the duo’s isolation. Sometimes, as in a comic, the typography reflects emotional states; when a character gets angry, the words get bigger, playfully reinforcing the story’s fairytale aspects.

“The child is the only thing he has”: Dramaturg Erwin Jans adapted Mister Linh and His Child alongside director Guy Cassiers

Otherwise, the mise en scène is simple: two actors, two chairs and two cameras, which sporadically film the duo, relaying their expressions onto the big screen. “These are the elements with which we try to recreate that whole world,” says Jans. The play kicks off later this month at Toneelhuis with Gene Bervoets and Koen De Sutter in the main roles, and then will tour Belgium and Holland from January to May of next year in the original Dutchlanguage version. Fittingly for a play about (mis) communication, further versions

are planned in French and English. For these shows, veteran thespian Bervoets will continue to interpret the Linh role and be joined by a different local actor – first up, stage and screen star Jérôme Kircher in France. It’s a model that the internationally minded Toneelhuis has already tested with Grensgeval, which was performed in different countries by dance students studying at Belgian or French dance academies. “In the past we

28 September - 6 October

did a lot of co-productions, especially with France, but now we’re going one step further,” says Jans. “By working in the language of the co-producer and asking them to provide an actor, it becomes a co-creation.” It’s a communal spirit exemplified by another member of Toneelhuis, former refugee Mokhallad Rasem. After last season’s Zielzoekers (Soul Seekers), based on the time he spent in a Belgian asylum, the Iraqi-born playwright’s Delivery Theatre will take the production right into people’s homes. Anyone can call up to request a performance, and Rasem will then zip over on his scooter, a miniature version of the Bourla theatre stowed in the box on the back. Using this prop and little figures, he’ll then create the show on-site. “From five people upward, there’s a discount. It’s like a pizza delivery, and of course it plays a little bit on the two meanings of ‘delivery’,” explains Jans. “It’s something very new that he’s still working on, but people can already start calling to make appointments.” A few weeks ago, with the Antwerpbased theatre company MarthaTentatief, Toneelhuis kicked off its own intriguing, communityminded project: The Office of Urban Enthusiasm. It aims to react to the fast-changing dynamic of cities witnessing the rise of mass immigration – or “super-diversity” in sociologists’ parlance – in real time. The project is set to run for several years, with Toneelhuis staging city-wide shows and lectures in tandem with other organisations and artists. “What Mokhallad is doing with his motorbike is the same thing that we want to do with this project,” Jans explains. “Go into the city and develop things in a quicker way and on a different scale to performances here in the Bourla,” he says. “It’s not that we want to reject the stage – on the contrary, we want to add to it: We want to create other, temporary stages in the city.”

Bourlaschouwburg

Komedieplaats 18, Antwerp

Erwin Jans’ tips for the rest of the season Poquelin II

Actors’ collective Stan are on familiar ground with this Molière-inspired production, created with Olympique Dramatique, among others. “They worked with Molière’s texts back in 2004 with the first Poquelin, and for this they’re going to work with Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, but also pieces from other texts,” says Jans. “With Stan, a lot can happen

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during rehearsal as they start putting the text together.” Premieres on 9 November

Vergeef Ons (May We Be Forgiven)

Guy Cassiers adapts AM Homes’ pitch-black 2012 novel about a family that collapses after the husband flirts with his brother’s wife at Thanksgiving – cue murder, mayhem, car crashes and the patriarch ending up with

sole charge of his nephew and nieces. “At the end there’s a reconstruction of a new kind of complicated family,” says Jans. “It has this hope in it.” Premieres on 22 February, 2018

Experimental troupe FC Bergman will tackle William Gaddis’ eponymous cult novel about an 11-year-old who storms the stock market

in 1970s New York. The ambitious set will include a multi-storey apartment building. “It’s an analysis of how our modern world is in the grip of speculation,” reveals Jans. “If a child can cause so much misery, what does that say about the American financial system?” Premieres on 22 March, 2018

\ AGENDA

september 20, 2017

Farewell old docks

CONCERT

Sorry, Not Sorry 23-24 September

Brussels Think Pink: Benefit concert celebrating the 10th anniversary of the national breast cancer campaign, featuring Flemish indie-rock girl choir Scala, Koen Buyse of Zornik and an after-party led by DJ Regi of Milk Inc. 21 September, Ancienne Belgique, Anspachlaan 110

Across Ghent sorrynotsorry.gent

any inhabitants of Ghent will shed a tear when the site of the old docks becomes a construction site for a new residential area. For the past six years, it’s been the most multifunctional place imaginable in the city, from a site for a drive-in with waitresses on roller skates to a children’s playground with sandpit or an oriental tea parlour. When all this must go isn’t clear, but this weekend is the perfect chance to see it in all its glory. The free festival Sorry, Not Sorry will put amateur and professional street artists on view in and on the water of the city’s old port. With almost 100 activities going on in just one weekend, it’s best to start with where the festival probably took its name from: not really being sorry for spraying graffiti on the walls. Bring It

Yourself (BIY) Skaters, one of the local organisers, will hold a skate contest while teaching kids how to spray straight. DOK, another festival partner, is hosting a street design market, while experimental print laboratory and third partner Topo Copy will bring out a full-size bulldozer as a very impractical but awesome-looking printing tool for artists and visitors, among other printing and drawing stunts. To name but one of the international artists taking part, Briton Lucy McLauchlan from the street art collective Beat 13! is showing her work in Ghent’s new favourite hangout, Bar Bricolage. Her work is one stop on a trail that takes visitors along visual or performance art by more than 30 artists.

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PERFORMANCE Kortrijk

On both days, residents of the local houseboats will come ashore and hold a festival within the festival, with live music and screenings of movies on the poetic beauty of boat life. \ Daan Bauwens

VISUAL ARTS

PERFORMANCE

Perpetual Uncertainty

Virginity

Until 10 December The advent of the atomic bomb in 1945 inaugurated an era of atomic art, pregnant with explosive power and impending doom. The traces of nuclear power are more subtle in the 21st century, when the threat of mutually assured destruction has been substituted by the silent accumulation of radiation in the environment. Perpetual Uncertainty features works by 21 inter-

Z33, Hasselt z33.be

national artists, all addressing the nuclear Anthropocene – the current stage of geologic evolution marked by nuclear activity. The free exhibition is accompanied by events, including field trips to nuclear sites with the artists and a roundtable discussion on the politics and aesthetics of the nuclear age. \ Georgio Valentino

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VISUAL ARTS Ghent Hetpaleis, Antwerp

Until 1 October

hetpaleis.be

Youth theatres fABULEUS and Hetpaleis collaborate on this multidisciplinary production addressing the social pressures of young adulthood with panache. Intended for audiences aged 12 and up, Virginity eschews the schmaltz of the usual offering for kids in favour of contemporary theatre, dance and live music—all united under the sign of the artist formerly known as Prince. The production’s four young performers apply the Purple One’s pop wisdom to the dilemmas faced by adolescents: community, identity and sexuality. Virginity premieres at Hetpaleis before touring Flanders until the end of October.

CONCERT

Brussels Art Square

The Breeders

22-24 September With its boutique galleries and weekly market, Brussels’ Zavel district has long been known by locals as the place to score art and antiquities. Brussels Art Square was conceived in 2005 to communicate that reputation on an international level. Each edition boasts loads of guest dealers from across Europe selling everything from modernist paintings to pre-Columbian sculptures from the Americas. Previous editions have showcased British, Italian and Spanish galleries. BAS 2017 shines a spotlight on France. A dozen French vendors join some 30 local names to fill the streets of the Zavel with collectible art of every stripe. \ GV

Zavel, Brussels brusselsartsquare.com

FILM Brussels

get tic

23 October, 19.00 Founded by Pixies bassist Kim Deal and featuring her twin sister, Kelley, the Breeders have been crafting critically acclaimed alternative rock since 1989. It hasn’t been a smooth ride. The Deal sisters have worked through a long line of bassists and drummers over the years. Indeed, even Kelley has

Geta Bra˘tescu: The Romanian artist’s first solo exhibition in Belgium is a compact overview of the remarkably varied oeuvre of the 91-year-old, including drawing, sewing, printmaking, performance, film and installation. Until 14 January, MSK Gent, Fernand Scribedreef 1 \ mskgent.be

\ GV

EVENT

Nachtasiel (The Lower Depths): Theater Antigone presents the still highly relevant 1902 piece by Russian playwright Maxim Gorki about outcasts, wanderers and antisocials. Tours Flanders following initial run. (In Dutch) 27 September to 18 November, Theater Antigone, Overleiestraat 47

kets n ow

Trix, Antwerp trixonline.be

often strayed from the fold. Now operating with something close to the original line-up, the band continue to tour sporadically although the last studio album is nearly a decade old. Despite all that, nearly half of this autumn’s tour dates sold out quickly. \ GV

Mikio Naruse retrospective: Screenings of 20 titles by the mid-20th-century Japanese filmmaker whose extraordinary filmography includes domestic dramas such as When a Woman Ascends the Stairs, Floating Clouds and Yearning. Until 18 October, Cinematek, Baron Hortastraat 9 \ cinematek.be

LITERATURE Brussels Yu Hua: The internationally renowned Chinese writer talks about what it is like to be read outside of your own linguistic and cultural area, and gives his perspective on today’s China. (In English) 21 September 20.0021.30, Passa Porta, Antoine Dansaertstraat 46 \ passaporta.be

TALK Ghent Meertaligheid (Multilingual): Several experts discuss multilingualism in Ghent, including its challenges and advantages, its use in the classroom and as the contact language in an immigration context. 26 September 19.00-21.00, De Krook, Miriam Makebaplein 1 \ dekrook.be

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\ BACKPAGE

september 20, 2017

Talking Dutch

VoiceS of flanders today

End of the road

In response to: Cattle slaughterhouse closed after video of abuse Matthew Clarke I can’t even bring myself to watch the video or even read about this, cruelty to any living creature is just so sad and can’t be understood. I’m so pleased I made the decision to become vegetarian.

Derek Blyth More articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu

ou’ll know the problem if you’ve ever driven on a motorway in Belgium. The slow lane is always virtually empty because drivers cling to the middle lane. It’s something that irritates a lot of people. So now it looks like the Flemish government has come up with an original solution – it placed an ad this month on the secondhand website 2dehands.be. Te koop – For sale, it says, nauwelijks gebruikt – Hardly used: rechterrijstrook – the right-hand lane. And in case you’re interested in putting in an offer – Prijs o.t.k. (The initials OTK, which often appear in small ads, stand for overeen te komen – to be agreed.) It seems like the government has reached the end of its tether. Uit pure frustratie – Out of pure frustration, the ad explains, verkoopt de Vlaamse overheid alle rechtse rijstroken – the Flemish government is selling off all the slow lanes die op haar grondgebied gelegen zijn – in its territory. Geen hond die de rechtse rijstrook gebruikt – No one (literally “not one dog”) is using the slow lane, the ad grumbles, en geld om te sensibiliseren is er toch niet – and there’s no money to run an information campaign. But would the government really place such an ad? A link included in the ad goes to a private Facebook page that announces snelheidscontroles – speed traps. The ad, it turns out, was just placed by some frustrated citizen. As Het Laatste Nieuws explains, it’s one of Flemish drivers’ pet peeves. Volgens het verkeersreglement – According to traffic regulations, the paper writes, moeten bestuurders wel degelijk op de rechterrijstrook rijden – drivers must stay in the right-hand lane als ze niemand inhalen – if they

In response to: Three times more extreme heat by 2040, says KU Leuven Krisztina Fehér So finally summer weather in Belgium!

are not overtaking anyone. Back to the ad: Met het afschaffen van de rechtse rijstrook – By abolishing the slow lane hoopt de wegbeheerder het probleem van de linksrijders ook voorgoed op te lossen – the transport department hopes that it can finally eliminate the problem of drivers who stick to the fast lane. En dus gaan alle rechtse rijstroken op Vlaams grondgebied onder de hamer – And so all the slow lanes in Flanders are up for sale. That’s a lot of prime real estate, the ad points out. De overheid verwacht dan ook dat de verkoop verschillende miljoenen zal opbrengen – The government expects that the sell-off will raise several million (euro). Dat geld wil ze gebruiken om het gat in de begroting te vullen – The money will be used to fill the hole in the budget en hier en daar ook een gat in de weg – and also here and there a hole in the road. Op de linkse rijstrook – in the fast lane, wel te verstaan – of course. So please pull over into the slow lane while you still have the chance.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

James Crisp @JamesCrisp6 Brussels chums! I think every Sunday should be a car free day in #Brussels. How can we make this happen? @CityBrussels ?

Gledis Shabani @gledisshabani Today in Antwerp: Commemoration of the victims of the Shoah entitled: “Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it” @SantEgidioBE

Joona Salminen @JooSalmin On my way to Leuven, giving a paper on early Christian apologies and asceticism #EASR #phdlife

Emma Coolen @emma_coolen #GAMEDAY! Another day to take some (literal) steps towards the @FIFAWWC! 16:45 KV Mechelen - VC Moldavo ♥

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the last word Good riddance to bad rubbish “It costs our towns and cities fistfuls of money to pay people to clean everything up, not to mention the costs to the environment.” A week-long clamp-down is currently in progress in Flanders, with increased fines for dumping rubbish illegally, explained Jan Verheyen of the regional waste management agency Ovam

ON THIN ICE Kortrijk-born judoka Gella Vandecaveye – an Olympic medallist and seven-time European champion – leads a team of local CEOs on a trek through Alaska to raise awareness about global warming

Flemish education minister Hilde Crevits looks back on her 24-year-old son Bram’s fight against lymphoma this year, which ended with the recent news that he is in remission

Clash of the titans “Whatever they may say, this is the starting shot. The knives are being sharpened. This will be a tough battle.” Political science professor Carl Devos, as federal minister Kris Peeters launches his campaign to replace Bart De Wever as mayor of Antwerp

Tot uw gezondheid “We’re not the bad guys. It’s the others who keep prices artificially high. What we’re doing is perfectly legal.” Stijn Van Rompay and his father run Docpharma, which buys up cheap generic drugs in other parts of Europe, repackages it and sells it in Belgium, much to the annoyance of big pharma

5ELNGFR*bbgbcg+[N\I \ 16