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Flanders today

APRIL 9, 2014 current affairs

politics

business

innovation

w w w. f la n d e r s t o day. e u

education

living

Waste not, want not

The lion roars

Cities in ruins

Government works with every level of the food chain to cut industrial and household food waste 4

Flanders breaks its record for export of goods in 2013, reaching nearly €294 billion

Museum M stages a powerful exhibition about cities ravaged by war and the power of resurrection 14

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Desperately seeking donors Flemish journalist’s campaign leads to debate on stem cell policy Andy Furniere

At the beginning of this year, Flemish journalist Katrien Depecker called on people in Flanders and beyond to donate stem cells, in the hope of saving her boyfriend, Ed Fox, who was suffering from the blood cancer lymphoma. The appeal could not save Fox, who died a few weeks ago, but it did instigate a public discussion on the current policy on stem cell donations in Belgium.

ox, from Birmingham, England, had only been living in Flanders for a few months when he was diagnosed with lymphoma last May. He had finally found a job in

Brussels so he could live with Humo journalist Depecker in Ghent. The couple had met about a year earlier in a youth hostel in Barcelona and had since regularly travelled to see each other. “We thought we could finally start our lives together without worries, but destiny, which had earlier brought us together, decided otherwise,” wrote Depecker in one of a series of articles in Humo. Fox suddenly came down with a fever that lasted several days and, after many tests, the doctors finally found the cause: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which normally only causes glandular fever, but in Fox it resulted in cancer. “A bone marrow biopsy showed that Ed also suffered from a

rare complication, hemophagocytosis, which means his cells ate themselves,” explained Depecker. The doctors told them that they had never had a patient with this disorder before and that there was little known about it. “When I googled the condition and found that hemophagocytosis is fatal for half of the patients, my heart sank,” Depecker said. Chemotherapy appeared to work for a while, but after three months, the fever came back. The doctors increased the chemo doses but told the couple that only a stem cell donation could save Fox at that point. As a suitable donor was not quickly found, and Fox’s condition was deteriorating rapidly, Depecker launched a cry for help via Facebook and `` continued on page 5

Flanders today

current affairs

april 9 , 2014

Antwerp to London direct Low-cost airline Flybe will offer eight flights a week to London-Southend from July Alan Hope

and carried more than seven million passengers last year. The airline was previously known as Jersey European Airways. Stobart, meanwhile, is based in Carlisle, but incorporated in Guernsey. The Antwerp service is part of an extension of flights to and from Southend, with other new destinations including Cologne-Bonn, Caen, Rennes, Münster-Osnabruck and Groningen.

Flights will depart from Deurne daily, with two return flights on Saturdays. The service will increase to two flights daily from September. The airline expects to carry 50,000 passengers a year in the first year, rising to 180,000 passengers in three years. The Antwerp service is aimed at tourists as well as business passengers.

egional airline Flybe is starting a new service offering eight flights a week from Antwerp-Deurne airport to London-Southend, an airport to the east of the British capital. The flights will be operated by franchise partner Stobart Air. Flybe Group is a low-cost airline based in Exeter, England. The largest regional airline in Europe, it offers 108 routes

Birth control pill is voted Best Belgian Invention The contraceptive pill is the Best Belgian Invention, according to listeners of the Flemish radio station Radio 1. The pill won the title with 38% of the votes. Other inventions on the shortlist were the jpeg compressed photo image, the Mercator projection (which portrays the three-dimensional globe in a two-dimensional form), the praline and the saxophone. The long list included many more inventions or discoveries mentioned by Radio 1, such as roll-on deodorant, witloof, the Big Bang theory, the dynamo and asphalt. Listeners were invited to add to the list, which explains some of the more unusual suggestions. Asphalt, for example, dates back to the fifth millennium BCE. The doorbell, also on the list, was probably invented in Scotland by William Murdoch in 1817. The contraceptive pill, to be fair, was not purely the invention of Turnhout gynaecologist Ferdinand Peeters. He took an idea that had been partially developed in the US and already on the market and improved on it greatly. Dr Peeters never took out a patent on his discovery, which would surely have netted him millions. As a strictly observant Catholic, he never quite came to terms with how his invention clashed with the views of the church. Peeters’ son, Marc, was present on Friday to receive the award at Radio 1.

Vandenbergh bringing up the rear. “It was man against man, and I just kept pushing,” Cancellara said. “Amazing day again; I feel sorry for the Belgians.” Analysts expected this year’s race to be a clash of giants between Cancellara and Flanders’ three-time winner Tom Boonen, but Tommeke finished seventh. The 2012 Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins of the UK came in 32nd. Dozens of crashes marred a nervous first half of the race, with last year’s third-place finisher Jürgen Roelandts and 2011 Paris-Roubaix winner Johan Van Summeren both crashing out. Van Summeren ran into a spectator and was taken to hospital for observation. Leo Cendrowicz

From left: Greg Van Avermaet, winner Fabian Cancellara and Sep Vanmarcke on the Tour of Flanders podium

Telenet to pay back overcharged customers Mechelen-based telecommunications provider Telenet will reimburse more than 35,000 clients – six in 10 of the company’s total client base – for a 3% price increase imposed in August 2011 and now overturned by a court. The price increase affected clients with a fixed-term contract and was immediately attacked in court by the consumer organisation Test-Aankoop, which argued the rise was in breach of the law on market practices, which forbids unilateral changes to contract terms, including price rises. The court agreed with Test-Aankoop. The company was careful to stress that it had not been ordered to repay the price increase, but a spokesperson said: “We obviously feel a moral duty, and so we will be reimbursing clients.” The measure affects 35,800 people who had a contract then and are still Telenet clients. They will receive an average of €5.33 each, worth a total of more than €190,000. In related news, many people are still paying more than necessary for their mobile phone contracts, according to a study published on Friday by the telecommunications regulator BIPT. The study found a variation in price of almost €240 a year across the 15 cheapest payment plans, with tariffs varying from €8 to €27 a month. For prepaid cards, prices range from €10 to €21 a month, with a difference of €120 a year between the cheapest and the most expensive. Similar wide variations in price were also found for mobile internet, ranging from €28 to €66.98 a month. The BIPT report stresses the advantage to customers of checking the comparison website www.bestetarief.be to find the lowest price for one’s needs. It was also reported last week that the number of text messages

Fabian Cancellara won last weekend's Ronde van Vlaanderen, or Tour of Flanders, for the second year running. It was the third time he has won Belgium’s most gruelling cycle race. The Swiss cyclist pulled ahead with a powerful surge at the finish that edged him over the line a fraction of a second ahead of three chasing Flemish riders. Cancellara, who won his first Tour in 2010, was in a fourman break with Greg Van Avermaet, Sep Vanmarcke and Stijn Vandenbergh, but none of his rivals had enough power for the final sprint after more than six hours of wind-lashed and accident-laden racing on the 259-kilometre course from Bruges to Oudenaarde. Van Avermaet, from Lokeren, was at the front when Cancellara went for it, but he had to settle for second place, ahead of Kortrijk’s Vanmarcke, with Oudenaarde’s

Cancellara wins Tour of Flanders for third time

sent in Belgium is decreasing for the first time since the technology was introduced. More and more people are using smartphones with mobile internet, which offers a range of other communication options such as WhatsApp and Skype, and Facebook and Google’s message services. According to figures from Proximus, the average number of text messages sent per month per client in 2012 was 282; last year that figure was 271. AH

THE WEEK IN FIGURES

240,000

450,000

11.7 million

1 in 10

€1,240

complaints received by Flanders’ ombudsman in the five years of this legislature – twice as many as in the last period. Main source of complaints: services of De Lijn, the state of the roads, noise nuisance

people who have dienstencheques, or service vouchers, that are valid for only 30 more days have not used them. The federal labour minister said the government had no plans to extend them

tonnes of freight handled by the port of Ghent in the first quarter, 0.5% more than in the same period last year. Goods brought in by sea rose by 5.7% to 6.4 million tonnes

people in Flanders puts off medical treatment because of the cost involved, according to Domus Medica, an organisation representing family doctors

debt per resident of the 308 Flemish municipalities in 2012, according to figures from Flemish interior minister Geert Bourgeois

Flanders today

current affairs

april 9 , 2014

face of flanders

WEEK in brief Brussels-City council has designated 15 locations for food trucks and has invited applications from operators for a space. The locations are mainly in the centre but also in the area of North Station, the end of Louizalaan and in Heembeek. Successful applicants will be given a spot at one or several locations for one day a week, with each location providing a variety of food trucks. The Brussels-Capital Region has appointed economist Julie Lumen as its new school facilitator to co-ordinate the development of extra places in Brussels schools. Lumen will work for the Agency for Territorial Development and will assist both the Dutch- and the French-speaking networks in carrying out new projects. Lumen was instrumental in the development of the region’s first educational plan, which created thousands of new places in schools.

Celebrity chef Jeroen Meus is opening a new restaurant in a former pharmacy in the centre of Leuven. “Not a gastronomic restaurant where you have to reserve in advance, but something more accessible,” he said. The business will be jointly run by Meus and his former business partner, Nico Viaene, owner of Leuven’s Bar Louis. A man who tried to murder his ex-partner by shooting her in the street in Hasselt in 2012 has been sentenced to 25 years for attempted murder. Victim Didi Swiers, then aged 20, was wounded in the head and back but survived. Davy Simons, now 25, pleaded with the jury for another chance. “I am not yet lost to society,” he said. According to the law, and the time he has already spent in prison, he could be free again by 2020. Seven people were taken to hospital last week and others treated onsite

by emergency services in the port of Antwerp, when a toxic product based on chlorine escaped into the water purification system at chemical company Evonik, releasing chlorine gas into the atmosphere. Chlorine, a commonly used element in industry, especially as a disinfectant, has been used as a weapon in war; the chemical reacts with water in the lungs to form hydrochloric acid. Former Genk striker Christian Benteke will miss the World Cup with Belgium amid fears he could be out for eight months with a torn Achilles tendon. His current team, England’s Aston Villa, have confirmed that he will undergo surgery after suffering the injury in training and say he is out until at least September. It means that Benteke, who has been outstanding since joining Villa in 2012, will not be part of the Red Devils squad in Brazil this summer. The 50th comic strip mural in Brussels, due to be completed in Laken by this summer, will be dedicated to Jommeke, the comic character of Jef Nys. The fresco will appear in Lokvogelstraat, and will be painted by an artist from the strip’s publisher, Ballon Media. Nys died in 2009. The Vooruit culture centre in Ghent inaugurated a special depository for abandoned instruments, where anyone can deposit an unwanted musical instrument, which will then be cleaned up, repaired and sent on to budding musicians in Burundi. The effort was launched by musicians, including Lady Linn, who donated a piano, and Johannes Verschaeve from The Van Jets, who gave a guitar. In May the depository – lovingly referred to as a “foundling drawer” after the special drawer in Antwerp where newborn babies can be left rather than abandoned – moves to the Ancienne Belgique and Warandepark, in Brussels.

OFFSIDE

The public prosecutor in the Swiss canton of Valais has agreed to a request by some of the parents of the victims of the Sierre school bus crash to investigate a second mobile phone owned by one of the two drivers of the bus. The drivers were among the 28 victims of the crash in March 2012. The man’s widow has said that he did not have a second phone with him at the time of the accident. The second phone lay at home at the time and was later handed over to police. The driver’s laptop and main phone have already been examined and offered no evidence. Stefaan Engels, the Ghent-based athlete known as Marathon Man for his extreme athletic achievements, is out to win a new record by running 100 kilometres a day for eight straight days. Engels, 53, will attempt the record as a closure to his 2,272km run across Belgium taking place in May. He will be accompanied by a medical team equipped with a new instrument able to tell if runners are reaching their limit. The sole owner of the Antwerp logistics giant Katoen Natie, Fernand Huts, has won his case before the European Commission against the so-called Major Law, which in Belgium obliges all workers in the port area to be given the special status of dock workers. Huts claims employees of his subsidiary Logisport are not dock workers but employees. The Commission agreed and gave the government two months to make its case. Huts was less fortunate with an action before the Antwerp court of appeal against fines imposed on his company for not reaching agreed tonnage targets. Other companies in the same situation had received lesser fines, Huts claimed, reductions which should be struck down and the full fines imposed. The court did not agree.

Marvin Gaye Last week the city of Ostend unveiled a statue of one-time resident Marvin Gaye on the Albert-I-promenade. Gaye, one of the 20th century’s greatest soul and R&B singers, would have been 75 years old on 2 April. But he died on 1 April 1984, shot by his own father, not long after he had spent the better part of a year living in Ostend and in Moere, also in West Flanders, at the home of the artist Charles Dumolin. The American legend’s stay in Flanders followed a low point in both his career and personal life and famously led to his last big hit. It was 1980, and he had blown off a London performance in front of Princess Margaret by turning up after most of the guests of the charity event had left. Also facing major tax and relationship problems, Gaye followed the advice of a local concert promoter who owned a hotel in Ostend and took the ferry over from Dover. In 1982, following his stay, he surprised the world with the release of the album Midnight Love and the hit single “Sexual Healing”, recorded just outside Brussels. It was composed between the house in Moere and Ostend’s Residence Jane, outside of which his statue now stands.

The song, almost as overtly erotically charged as Serge Gainsbourg’s “Je t’aime, moi non plus”, was a sensation, with chart success in country after country. It reached number two on Belgium’s Ultratop list. It also picked up two Grammys and has been repeatedly covered, perhaps most oddly by George Michael at Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday tribute in 1988. In more recent times it frequently surfaces as a sample by rap and hip-hop artists. “Ostend is a beautiful little city,” Gaye said during his stay, where he was a novelty to the coastal resort’s residents. “It’s a beat back in tempo from Paris, London, New York or Los Angeles. Perhaps two beats back. I think that the people here are of the mind and of the attitude that if you’re human and if you’re decent and good and respectable, then you’re OK with them.” Last week an old friend remembered Gaye’s Ostend days. Arno, a native Ostendenaar who was then verging on early success with TC Matic, was working in the kitchen of the hotel where Gaye was staying. Last week he told the VRT: “We never talked about music, only about women.” `` www.marvingaye.be

Alan Hope

flanders today

Those cheating Antwerpenaars The figures are in, and it’s official: The people of Antwerp province are the most unfaithful in Flanders and Brussels. The info comes from the owners of the dating website Victoria Milan, which describes itself unapologetically as “specially designed for men and women who are currently in a relationship, but are looking for thrills and excitement via discreet flirtation or an affair”. Victoria Milan took a survey of its customer base, and the top five unfaithful cities are Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, Hasselt and Leuven. Based on average activity of adulterers, Antwerp is 23% more active than the average city, while Brussels is 19% more active. This is remarkable, in that Brussels has 33% more residents on the site

Alan Hope

than Antwerp does. Must be all those sailors – or at least the sea air. To be fair, those cheating Antwerpenaars are only spending 23% more time on the website; no one knows, of course, how much they’re actually being unfaithful in real life. It could be they’re content to look but not touch. Meanwhile, in Ghent (17% more randy than the national average) researchers working

with colleagues from Leuven have produced a report on sexual health in Flanders. According to the university, it lays to rest 13 myths about sexual behaviour. Some findings: Flemings have sex on average once a week, not the two to three times some might have us believe More people have a sexual attraction to members of the same sex than ever act on them – 72% of women and 46% of men One in four pregnancies is unplanned Men can also be victims of unwanted sexual attentions – 6.3% of males under the age of 18 and 1.7% of adults One woman in five and one man in eight suffers some kind of sexual dysfunction

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

Editor Lisa Bradshaw DEPUTY Editor Sally Tipper sub Editor Linda A Thompson CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Alan Hope Agenda Robyn Boyle, Georgio Valentino Art director Paul Van Dooren Prepress Corelio AdPro Contributors Daan Bauwens, Rebecca Benoot, Derek Blyth, Leo Cendrowicz, Sabine Clappaert, Katy Desmond, Andy Furniere, Diana Goodwin, Kelly Hendrickx, Katrien Lindemans, Marc Maes, Ian Mundell, Anja Otte, Tom Peeters, Senne Starckx, Simon Van Dorpe, Christophe Verbiest, Denzil Walton General manager Hans De Loore Publisher Corelio Publishing NV

Editorial address Gossetlaan 30 - 1702 Groot-Bijgaarden tel 02 373 99 09 editorial@flanderstoday.eu subscriptions tel 02 467 25 03 subscriptions@flanderstoday.eu or order online at www.flanderstoday.eu Advertising 02 373 83 24 advertising@flanderstoday.eu Verantwoordelijke uitgever Hans De Loore

Flanders today

politics

Show me the money Bart De Wever, the mayor of Antwerp and leader of the N-VA, may dominate the polls, but he was far from omnipresent over the last couple of weeks. In many a political debate, a spokesperson turned up in his place – to the chagrin of the other party leaders. Bruno Tobback of SP.A even compared him to Mao, “who also sent out updates on his health but not on his policies”. De Wever did make two noted appearances, though. One was at a TV awards show, where he was dressed as a panda. The reason behind that may have been to prove wrong rumours about serious health problems – De Wever has been hospitalised several times over the last year. The fact is, of course, that if you are so far ahead in the polls, it is often better to keep out of the public eye to stave off fatigue and avoid faux-pas. The nationalist also turned up for one almost presidential debate with Paul Magnette, leader of the Frenchspeaking socialists. There was something odd about it, though, as the leaders are not electoral opponents. They stand in different constituencies. It is quite possible that both their parties will win (although that is unlikely in the case of the PS); they may even form a coalition after the elections (something both of them want to avoid). In the end, both of them won the debate, which was no huge surprise: They are each other’s favourite enemy. To De Wever, PS stands for squandering, sloth and big government. To Magnette, N-VA stands for bigotry and selfishness. Both of them want to see less of the other after the elections. During the debate, De Wever produced one of those quotes that sticks with voters through to the election. “Show me the money,” he said. He was referring to the €22 billion budget cuts by the federal government. If the government has cut so much, how come the deficit has only gone from €13 to €9 billion? In the days that followed, viceprime minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) attempted to explain exactly where the money is. “Either De Wever does not understand how a budget works or he is misleading the people,” De Croo said. His words are probably in vain, as only De Wever’s quote will stick. Which goes to show: There is some value in selecting your appearances carefully.

Chinese president visits Volvo and gives speech in Bruges Xi Jinping encourages College of Europe students to visit his country Derek Blyth & Lisa Bradshaw

he Chinese president Xi Jinping ended his two-day visit to Belgium last week with a speech in the Concertgebouw in Bruges, where he emphasised the growing bonds between China and the EU. He encouraged the audience, made up of students and staff from the College of Europe, to visit his country. “The College of Europe has, in recent years, placed increasing importance on China,” said the president. “It has started courses on EuropeanChina relations and is also preparing the launch of a Europe-China research centre, devoted to the studies of European-China relations. China plans to work with the College of Europe to build a library on China, the first of its kind in an EU member country.” The president, who assumed office one year ago, talked about his country’s relationship with the EU. “China and the European Union have one of the most important bilateral co-operations in the world,” he said, “and there is still much more potential. Because of that, we need to get to know each other better. … I am inviting you all to my country. What you hear can be false, but what you see is true.” The Chinese embassy had arranged for buses to take hundreds of Chinese people living in Belgium – mostly students from Flemish universities – to

Chinese president Xi Jinping waves to the crowds gathered in Bruges before his speech in the Concertgebouw

Bruges to get a glimpse of their president as he entered the Concertgebouw. “You can imagine that in a country of more than 1.3 billion people, it is a lot more difficult to get anywhere near the president,” 24-year-old student Huyu Wang told Het Nieuwsblad. Earlier in the day, Xi visited the Volvo plant in Ghent, along with the king and queen and several politicians, including Flemish minister-president Kris Peeters and Ghent mayor Daniel Termont. While Volvo is a Swedish brand, the company is owned by the Chinese auto manufacturer Zhejiang

Former Belgian PM Yves Leterme quits OECD post Former Belgian prime minister Yves Leterme will leave his post as deputy secretary-general of the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for a top job at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) in Stockholm. Leterme (CD&V) was appointed to the OECD in 2011, where he was given responsibility for a broad portfolio that included social affairs, education, health, regional development and entrepreneurship. His contract, initially for two years, was extended a further two years in 2013. Before joining the OECD, Leterme held a number of political posts in Belgium at every level of

government. He started out with a seat on the council of his home town, Ypres, before becoming an MP. He then went on to serve as minister-president of Flanders, federal minister of foreign affairs and finally prime minister in 2008 and again from 2009-2011. IDEA monitors elections and issues advice on drafting constitutions. “We mostly work in former conflict areas in order to set up a democratic system,” Leterme explained. “The function of secretary-general at IDEA is a choice from my heart, not a career move. I have chosen a job that I would really like to do.” Leterme plans to move to the IDEA headquarters in Stockholm before his second term in Paris comes to an end. DB

Geely Holding Group. President Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, met Belgian and Chinese trainees at Volvo and attended a ceremony to mark the production of the 300,000th car constructed in Ghent for the Chinese market – a Volvo XC60. Also during his visit, Xi signed several co-operation agreements between the Brussels Free University (VUB) and five Chinese universities – Sichuan, Renmin, Fudan, Northwestern Polytechnic in Xi’an and the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. The agreements will lead to jointly organised study programmes and the creation of a mutual laboratory in audio visual signal processing. During the signing ceremony at VUB, professor Jan Cornelis was awarded the Sanqin Friendship Award. VUB’s vice-rector of international policy, Cornelis has been instrumental in arranging co-operation between the VUB and Chinese institutions. The prize is given by China’s Shaanxi province to foreigners who have made an outstanding contribution to the region’s economic and social development. It was Xi’s first trip to Europe; Belgium was his fourth and final stop after the Netherlands, France and Germany. He is the first Chinese president to pay an official visit to the EU.

Flanders adopts ambitious plan to tackle food waste Flemish minister-president Kris Peeters has launched an ambitious plan to cut down on food waste. The goal is to tackle the problem at every stage in food production by creating a “food chain road map” involving six of the biggest organisations involved in food distribution. “Globally, one-third of all the food produced ends up in the rubbish bin,” Peeters said. “This is something that we have to stop. Six organisations are involved in the plan: the farmers’ union Boerenbond; food industry federation Fevia Vlaanderen; the Flemish trade federation Comeos Vlaanderen; the Belgian Catering Union; Horeca Vlaanderen, which represents the catering industry; and OIVO, a research and

information centre for consumers. Some 120,000 tonnes of food are thrown away every year in Flanders, representing €300 worth of groceries per person. Peeters believes that there are economic gains to be made from tackling the problem. “We want to turn all this waste into profit,” he said. Most of the food thrown away is bread, vegetables and fruit, but some 10,000 tonnes of food is discarded in its packaging, even though one-fifth is still suitable for consumption. “With the signing of the new joint declaration, we are sending a clear signal to citizens and to European policy makers that we intend to take steps to deal with the problem,” Peeters said. DB

Ministers attend Rwanda remembrance events The 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide was remembered last Friday at Mechelen’s Kazerne Dossin, where Flanders’ ministerpresident Kris Peeters inaugurated the exhibition Rwanda: Wounded Vision (pictured) by French photographer Alexis Cordesse. Members of the federal government attended a ceremony on Monday in the Rwandan capital Kigali to mark the 20th anniversary of the genocide, despite Rwandan president Paul Kagame criticising Belgium and France for their alleged role in the mass killings. The French government announced at the weekend that it was pulling out of the ceremony following a recent interview in the African weekly Jeune Afrique in which Kagame referred

to “the direct role of Belgium and France in the political preparation of the genocide, and the participation of the latter in actual execution.” France later softened its position and sent its ambassador. Federal foreign minister Didier Reynders said that the Belgian situation differed from France. Kagame “did not indict us for participating in the execution of the genocide,” he said. Reynders attended the ceremony with Belgian development aid minister Jean-Pascal Labille. Belgium colonised Rwanda after the First World War, following Germany’s control of the country. Rwanda achieved independence in 1962. The ceremony on Monday remembered the genocide in 1994 when an estimated 800,000 Rwandans

Anja Otte

5th column

april 9 , 2014

were murdered in a brutal campaign led by Hutu extremists who targeted the Tutsi population as well as moderate Hutus. DB

Flanders today

cover story

april 9 , 2014

Desperately seeking donors Flood of new donors puts spotlight on budget available for stem cell testing

year which would keep the number within the limits of the budget. Last year, the details of 5,600 people were added to the database. The Red Cross has financed thousands of

When we started in 2009, there were only about 500 donors a year typifications with its own means. This high number of donors is in large part a result of the successful campaign set up by the Red Cross Flanders with the NGO De Maakbare Mens. “When we started in 2009, there were only about 500 donors a year,” says Marjan Joris of De Maakbare Mens. “There were still a lot of misunderstandings: for example, that you always needed to have a bone marrow biopsy under anaesthetic. But thanks to technological innovations, this is only necessary in exceptional cases.” With the Red Cross, De Maakbare Mens set up a website, explaining the procedure for people interested in donating. Currently there are about 62,700 potential donors in the national database of the marrow donor programme. Last year, the register carried out 351 searches for Belgian patients and 18,845 for international patients – compared to 281 and 14,592 in 2010. In all, 234 actual stem cell transplants took place in Belgian

other social media under the banner of Red Ed (Save Ed) – asking people to register at Belgian donor centres. Her call was taken up by Flemish and foreign media, leading to a few wellconnected personalities, like British actor Stephen Fry and footballer Gary Lineker, spreading the message via Twitter. About 9,700 people in Belgium answered Depecker’s call in the following three months, but to no avail. The doctors finally decided to try to transplant stem cells from Fox’s mother, which – typically for a parent donor – were only a 50% match, but he was too weak even for this transplantation and succumbed to the cancer at the age of 27. The chances of finding a good stem cell donor for patients are in general small – about one in 50,000. “An appeal in the media is understandable from an emotional standpoint, but actually makes only a little difference,” says Philippe Vandekerckhove, managing director of Red Cross Flanders, which is responsible for the registration of Flemish donors. “There are currently about 23 million potential donors registered worldwide, so a few thousand more donors hardly increases the statistical chances.” The flood of new donors, though, did put the spotlight on an important problem in Belgium’s stem cell policy. Medical insurance institute Riziv’s current budget only allows for 10,000 so-called “typifications”, or tests of the stem cell donation, over a five-year period. “After a registration procedure involving an interview and medical tests, a blood sample is taken from donors,” explains Vandekerckhove. “This blood sample serves to ascertain the HLA type – also known as the tissue type – of donors, which is essential to find out if you could possibly help someone in need of a stem cell transplant.” While there are only four blood types, HLA types are much more diverse. There are currently more than 2,500 known HLA molecules, which make up the personal HLA type. HLA matching is usually based on 10 HLA molecules. The more molecules two people share, the better the match. In the case of a good match, the immune systems of the donor and the patient will not see each other as “foreign” and are less likely to attack each other. Each typification costs about €400. The name and HLA type of the donor are saved in the national database of the Marrow Donor Program Belgium, which is managed by the Belgian Red Cross. Although on average about 60% of registrations don’t lead to an actual typification and introduction into the Belgian database, the high number of new registrations in the last months posed problems for the organisations involved. They’re problems that are not new; the number of donors has in recent years exceeded the average of 2,000 a

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hospitals in 2013, compared to 148 five years ago. It’s not just the supply, but also the demand that is rising. “But the policy of the Belgian government has not evolved in the last five years,” says Joris, who hopes this will change thanks to the working group that has been evaluating the stem cell donation policy since April last year and in which De Maakbare Mens is represented. Other members of the working group include the Red Cross, the federal government’s public health department, Riziv, university stem cell and cord blood banks, patient organisations and the Belgian Cancer Centre. The chair is Benoit Mores of the Belgian Cancer Centre, part of the Scientific Institute of Public Health. “For the next five years, the Belgian government will again allocate a budget for 10,000 new donor typifications to the medical insurance institute Riziv,” says Mores. “But we are looking to improve the efficiency of our database by targeting specific groups.” The working group is, for example, examining ways to assemble more stem cells from the umbilical cords cut after a birth. This cord still contains stem cells of the newborn child, which are more suitable for transplantations than other stem cells. The stem cells of women who have been pregnant, however, are less valuable for transplants, which raises the question of whether they should still be accepted as donors. Another important criteria is the age of the donors. As donors grow older, their stem cells become less suitable for transplantation. If a donor reaches the age of 60, their details are removed from the database. Registrations are now open for people aged 18 to 50, but the working group is discussing whether the age limit should be lowered, so that the typification investment results in longer-term possibility of a transplant. The group is also looking at the best ways to increase the diversity of the donor database so that more people from minority groups can be helped. “For example, people of African origin now have more difficulties in finding a good match,” says Mores. “One of the reasons is that the databases in African countries are less developed.” Children from mixed marriages also have a slimmer chance of finding a donor. Targeted campaigns could help to improve this situation. Finally, the working group will investigate whether a limit should be imposed on the number of potential donors in the database. The group’s final report should be presented at the end of the year. It will then be up to the next government to implement possible policy changes. `` www.stamceldonor.be

Katrien Depecker and her boyfriend, Ed Fox, whose lymphoma diagnosis and subsequent publicity campaign brought a flood of new stem cell donors in Flanders and in Ed’s native England (pictured)

Flanders today

business

The biotech company with research facilities in Ghent has signed an agreement with the New York-based Li Path laboratory to distribute its prostate cancer molecular diagnostic test ConfirmMDx.

CarsAudi The Vorst-based production affiliate of the German luxury cars group is to build the new Q3 model from 2017. Existing capacity of the A1 will transfer to the Spanish unit of the brand.

CarsD’Ieteren The Brussels-based importer and distributor of Volkswagen group vehicles has acquired the three VW, Audi and Seat car dealerships of the Wilrijkbased Claessens group and the three concessions of the ACM company in the Mechelen area.

CeramicsSibelco The Antwerp-based sand, clay and rare earth group with 233 sites in 42 countries worldwide is investing €6 million to modernise the Russian chinaclay production unit it acquired this year in Voronej.

IndustryFord The Genk assembling subsidiary of the US car group which is due to close this year with the loss of several thousand jobs may be partly taken over by the founder of the Punch industrial group, Guido Dumarey, specialised in sub-contracting for large car manufacturers.

MetalsNyrstar The non-ferrous metals producer and mining company, formerly part of the Umicore group, has loaned €20 million to ailing Finnish mining company Talvivaara in exchange for 80,000 tonnes of zinc.

Supermarkets Delhaize The Brussels-based retailing group has sold its 39-strong network in Bosnia to the local Tropic group. The company sold its chain of 54 stores in Bulgaria last month as part of its strategy to only remain in countries where it could gain a dominant position.

Technology Materialise The Leuven-based 3D printing and equipment specialist is seeking to raise $125 million on the US Nasdaq market. The issue prospectus has been delivered and approval is expected this month.

The region exported goods last year worth nearly €294 billion Alan Hope

landers’ exports last year reached a record level of €293.6 billion, an increase of 1.64% on 2012, according to figures from Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT). The 2012 total was itself a record. Flanders, with about 60% of the population of Belgium, accounts for 83% of the country’s exports. The most important customers are the neighbours: Germany, France, the Netherlands and the UK. EU member states account for 67.5% of all the region’s exports. Africa, however, continues to represent a growing market for Flanders. Exports to the continent last year rose by 18%, similar to the growth seen in 2012. FIT said it was working on a new strategy for Africa and was considering expanding its network there. The single largest increase came in exports to the African country of Togo, which went up by more than

Biotechnology MdxHealth

Flemish exports break record

273%. Next came Gibraltar, with an increase in 2013 of 188%. Other important markets are the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, especially for pharmaceuticals. The main categories of exports are minerals, oil and petrochemicals. “We can be proud of what the past

year has brought,” commented economy minister Kris Peeters, who made the announcement as he was accompanying Chinese president Xi Jinping on a visit to Volvo Ghent. “Together with our businesses, we succeeded in increasing Flemish exports by more than €75 million in

the years between 2009 and 2013, an increase of more than one-third,” he said. The organisation that represents the self-employed, Unizo, said in a statement that record export figure was “a feather in the cap of Flemish enterprise, and small and mediumsized businesses in particular. It is also the result of good co-operation with the government”. The organisation added that there remain opportunities for the government to make conditions better still, by taking steps to remove the three main obstacles to export growth: the cost of export documentation, the time it takes to obtain the necessary permits and the tax regime for exports to countries within the EU. Imports into Flanders, meanwhile, decreased by just under 1% to €287.7 billion

€10 million fund for new hires at growth companies Flanders’ minister-president Kris Peeters, also the region’s economy minister, has announced a fund of €10 million to provide incentives for small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) to take on managers for exports and for organisation and growth. The government estimates that the fund will be sufficient to support 500 SMEs by the end of 2015, implying an average premium of €20,000 each. The “engagement premium” is part of the region’s strategy to strengthen competitivity and

employment and targets a group of rapid-growth and export-driven SMEs known as “gazelles”. The premiums form part of the plan to reduce salary costs and is aimed particularly at strategic functions within SMEs. The government’s Enterprise Agency already operates a system of premiums to encourage companies to employ export and know-how managers, by providing a premium worth 50% of the gross salary up to a ceiling of €20,000 for one year. Since the system was introduced, 110 SMEs have benefited.

“No sooner have companies decided to go for export and to enter the international marketplace than they discover international competition,” said Peeters. “They are confronted by … professional players with a well-honed strategy, marketing plans and instruments. Flemish SMEs sometimes lack those tools and find themselves at a competitive disadvantage. With this measure, we want to support and strengthen the SMEs’ opportunities for growth.” AH `` www.agentschapondernemen.be

De Lijn order for 123 new hybrid buses goes ahead Flemish public transport authority De Lijn is going ahead with its order for 123 new hybrid buses, following the rejection of a court challenge to the contract for 105 of the buses from VDL Bus in Roeselare, West Flanders. The decision follows a ruling by the Council of State in response to an objection lodged by a competing constructor, Van Hool of Lier in Antwerp province. Van Hool claimed that the evaluation given to the two firms, which gave VDL Bus ( formerly known as Jonckheere) five points

to their own 3.7, was unfair. The Council of State found otherwise. “We have taken note of the ruling and will now see what the significance is,” a spokesperson for Van Hool said. “This would appear at the moment to be a logical answer, although of course we had hoped it would be different.” Hybrid buses run on a combination of diesel and electricity. They are not only three times quieter than petrol-powered buses, they release much less particulate matter into the air.

Standaard Boekhandel takes over Club stores Flemish bookshop chain Standaard Boekhandel is taking over the Club chain, which offers a mix of books, office supplies and magazines, for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition of 100% of Club allows Standaard Boekhandel to strengthen its position in Brussels and Wallonia, the company said in a statement. The lossmaking Club is owned by the holding company Distriplus, which now intends to concentrate on personal care retail. Distriplus owns the Di and Planet Parfum chains. Club has 28 stores in Belgium – mostly in Brussels and Wallonia – and one in Luxembourg. The 145 Standaard Boekhandel outlets, meanwhile, are concentrated in Brussels and Flanders. “We need to find new growth areas, as the book market is so saturated in Flanders right

week in business

april 9 , 2014

now,” explained Geert Schotte, managing director of Standaard Boekhandel. “The takeover of Club, with locations and product lines that are complementary to ours, meets this goal perfectly.” Standaard Boekhandel was set up in 1919 by the same entrepreneurs who launched De Standaard newspaper but is now owned by Zuidnederlandse Uitgeverij of Aartselaar, Antwerp province. AH

Van Hool will produce 18 of the order of 123 hybrid city buses, worth a total of €38.2 million – €32.9 million to VDL Bus and €5.3 million to Van Hool. This order is part of a global package of 386 new buses approved by the government of Flanders in 2013, for a total budget of €93 million. The new buses are intended for use in urban areas, with 22 destined for Antwerp, 33 for Bruges and Ostend, 30 each for Ghent and Leuven and eight for Hasselt. The order brings the number of hybrid buses in service with De Lijn up to 202. AH

Antwerp and Canadian ports to co-operate more closely A delegation from the Port of Antwerp travelled last week to Canada for a four-day mission to Montreal and Toronto organised by Flanders Investment & Trade. Antwerp and Montreal have close ties; last year the two ports signed a memorandum of understanding allowing them to exchange experience in areas such as customer relations, enterprise development and business-to-business information. Montreal has the second largest container port in Canada and the sixth largest in North America. Last year, it handled 28.2 million tonnes of goods. Traffic between Montreal and Antwerp last year amounted to 3.3 million tonnes. According to Marc Van Peel, Antwerp’s alderman for port matters, the two cities have much in common. “Both are major container ports and both lie inland and are connected to the hinterland by navigable waterways, a rail network and extensive road infrastructure. Antwerp has, as a result, grown into the gateway to Europe, and Montreal into the gateway to the Midwest.” AH

Flanders today

innovation

april 9 , 2014

A different kind of heat Flanders embraces district heating with new legislation and projects Koen Mortelmans © Warmtenetwerk

nlike most northern and eastern European regions, Flanders has no real tradition in district heating. These are projects where a number of neighbouring homes are connected to a main heat source, such as a factory, and then receive their heating via a network of underground pipes. But Flanders is about to catch up. The government recently passed amended legislation, and several district heating projects were launched. One of the main reasons behind the absence of local heat distribution systems until now was the cheap and secure availability of natural gas, particularly from the Netherlands. But a growing awareness of climate change and the Kyoto and postKyoto targets have contributed to an increase in the use of excess heat from industrial processes and waste incineration. Until last year, building developers were legally required to provide infrastructure that connected all units in new residential districts to the natural gas grid. Offering infrastructure for heat distribution in addition would have increased the costs for developers. Under the new law, they can choose between gas or heat. Most existing Flemish heating distribution projects have been based on a one-producer, one-consumer model. This made investments considerably risky – one actor pulling out could lead to an entire project no longer being profitable. Having a larger number of small, residential consumers could be a solution. Waste incineration companies, with industrial processes that generate excess heat, have been watching the new developments closely. Paul Coomans, grid management director at gas and power grid operator Infrax, expects that petrochemical and other industries will become the main heat suppliers in the long run.

Flemish energy minister Freya Van den Bossche inaugurating the expansion of a district heating network in Roeselare, West Flanders

“Waste incinerators are certainly reliable suppliers, but only as long as they have environmental permits,” Coomans says. “The feed of a heat distribution grid provides some of them an extra argument to obtain new environmental permits.” But one of the advantages of incinerators is that they are located closer to residential areas compared to large industrial plants, so grids don’t have to extend as far. Coomans admits that’s true but points out that there are other constraints. “To exploit an incinerator on an economically sound basis, a scale of at least 100,000 tonnes per year is necessary. Many existing incinerators don’t reach this volume.” Jan Verheyen, spokesperson for Flemish waste management agency Ovam, says their goal isn’t to export their waste because there wouldn’t be enough incineration capacity in Flanders. “At the same time,” he says, “we also don’t want to generate redundant capacity because this would stimulate the import of waste or put pressure on the recycling of materials. This way, we also limit the environmental impact of waste transports. Compared to other European countries, Flanders has

very few waste transports in terms of kilometres.” Flemish MP Bart Martens (SP.A) sees another option. “We could increase our efforts to realise more of these transports by railway and by ships.” As a part of its ambition to become climate neutral by 2050, the city of Antwerp put out a tender for the construction and exploitation of a district heating grid in a new quarter, which has been dubbed the New South. With around 2,500 housing units, the local heating grid would become the country’s largest one. In addition to heating the residences, the grid would also ensure hot water supplies. In the first few years, the New South grid will use combined heat and power units, fuelled by gas. To boost the project, the city administration will connect a nearby municipal building to the new grid. The city also conducted a number of studies about new uses of the waste heat generated by plants in its port, which constitutes the world’s secondlargest petrochemical cluster. Some studies came up with innovative concepts, like transporting heat in water volumes inside ships, as an alternative to

long and complex pipelines. The Antwerp petrochemical industry has a production capacity of about 1,000 megawatts in waste heat, with a temperature between 80 and 120 degrees Celsius. Today, nothing is done with this excess heat, since the industry needs much higher temperatures for its own production chains. By collecting and commercialising this heat, the industry would be able to not only make profits, but also adopt a greener profile. Eandis and Infrax, the two main Flemish electricity and gas distribution grid operators, were initially reluctant to embrace district heating. But both are presently involved in several studies and pilot projects. “The model with one producer and one or a few professional consumers requires only simple administration,” Coomans explains. “Working with 1,000 household consumers is a completely different picture. Metering, payment problems, moving… We grid operators are very experienced in dealing with these kinds of problems, but for an incinerator operator, for instance, they can be horrible.” At 22 kilometres, Flanders’ largest district heating grid at present is in Bruges. But that honour will soon go to Roeselare in West Flanders. Its existing, 15-kilometre grid will be expanded to two new residential quarters. “Our supply offer can easily follow the growth of the grid,” says Koen Van Overberghe, technical director of the Mirom incinerator, which will supply the new grid. “Even after completion of the new second quarter, the grid only takes up one-third of our heat production. With the remaining heat, we produce electricity, but this is a less energyefficient application than the direct use of the heat.”

Moore’s law states that computing power doubles every two years. But these days, computer chips have become so small and complex that hardware engineers are starting to run up against the limits of the nanoworld. One of these is the problem with “the gap”, or the core of a transistor, where electrons jump across. The smaller the transistor, the narrower the gap, and below a certain width, the electrons are no longer controllable. This renders the chip useless. To overcome this “nano barrier”, scientists are now exploring a number of different strategies. One is to replace transistors with a neural network of tiny silicon nodes or neurons that communicate with each other through light pulses. The result is an optical, or photonic, chip.

Ghent scientists develop revolutionary new computer chip

The new chip’s neural network is made of 16 silicon neurons

The major advantage of this revolutionary chip is that it opens the door to high-speed computing. Moreover, a chip like this uses much less energy than a standard one. This, in turn, means it will require much less cooling, an important breakthrough considering that the ventilator is often the first part

to break down in computers and laptops. Scientists from the University of Ghent (UGent) have now created a prototype of a photonic chip implementing such a neural network – a first. Although the network is tiny – it has only 16 nodes - the chip represents an important

first step in the move toward a different approach to computation, according to Peter Bienstman from the Photonic Research Group at UGent. “The chip takes inspiration from the way our brain works to perform certain computations, both faster and more power-efficient compared to electronic chips,” he says. The researchers have successfully demonstrated that their invention – although still a modest prototype – can perform multiple tasks. The photonic chip can, for example, identify certain bit patterns in a data stream, and it can perform basic elements of speech recognition. The challenge now is to extend the neural network so that the chip can learn to perform more complex tasks. Senne Starckx

week in innovation Dansercoer in Greenland for record attempt Flemish polar explorer Dixie Dansercoer has set off on a new expedition with the Canadian Eric McNair-Landry to the ice cap of Greenland, the second largest ice cap in the world. They will try to travel more than 5,000 kilometres in 80 days just by means of a kite, which would be a world record. A helicopter will drop them off at the east coast of Greenland, where they will also finish. They will travel clockwise to profit from the katabatic winds, which move downhill at high speeds, and will promote ecological sustainability. The total amount of waste for both over 80 days should only be 600 grams, and they will only use the wind to advance. Solar energy will enable them to perform tasks such as charging batteries, and they will help climate experts by assembling data on global warming.

UZ Brussels first with new radiation method Patients who have a small tumour on their lung or colon cancer without many metastases can now get radiation at the University Hospital (UZ) Brussels in Jette, thanks to an innovative technique. Previously, the patients needed surgery, but they were often too weak and the surgery posed serious technical challenges. A new device at the hospital can perform spot radiation on the tumour, while sparing surrounding healthy tissue, meaning a higher dose of radiation can be administered and patients spend much less time in the hospital. It also greatly reduces the risk that the cancer will recur within 12 months, from 40% to 15%. The UZ Brussels is the first hospital in the world where it has been installed.

“Living batteries” found in North Sea An international team of marine researchers from the Free University of Brussels (VUB) and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research have found “living batteries” in the North Sea off the coast of Ostend. The long, wire-shaped bacteria produce electricity, creating a sort of electrochemical battery in the seabed. The bacteria found by the team in Ostend and in the Dutch Delta are the first to be isolated and identified, but the phenomenon occurs worldwide and has a great impact on the ecosystem of seabeds. Creating a natural battery gives the bacteria a big advantage in the competition for energy-rich food substances. Andy Furniere

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Flanders today

education

april 9 , 2014

Students work it out

week in education

Non-profit brings students and professionals together for annual Dream Day

Antwerp universities seek diversity funds

Andy Furniere

The Association University and Colleges Antwerp is asking the next government for more means to encourage specific target groups to enter higher education. In an election memorandum, the network points to the slow increase of the number of educated people in Flanders, demonstrated by a report by the OECD. The association feels this is the result of a lack of “democratisation” of higher education, which results in youngsters of foreign origin encountering more difficulties in going to college or university. The association receives €6.7 million from the Flemish Encouragement Fund for the purpose of mainstreaming certain target groups. According to association chair Robert Voorhamme, this should be doubled.

n a recent March morning, two dozen students from the Koninklijk Atheneum and the Vrij Handels- en Technisch Instituut in Dendermonde, East Flanders, shut the school gates behind them and set off for Ghent’s University Hospital. They had an appointment with Merima Hecimovic, deputyhead of the conventional radiology department, to talk careers, ambition and the day-to-day trials and tribulations of the job. Meanwhile, students of the Spes Nostra Instituut in Kuurne, West Flanders, were getting ready to welcome one of the post powerful figures in Flemish media, Rik De Nolf, CEO of publishing group Roularta. This was all going on as part of the 16th edition of Dream Day, organised every year by Step2you. Some 7,000 more students met with working professionals in a variety of sectors across the country on that day. Step2you was established in 1998 as a department of the ICHEC Brussels Management School. Founder Xavier De Poorter wanted to give young people a positive outlook for their future careers at a time when many of them were pessimistic. After massive lay-offs, like those caused by the closing of the Renault Vilvoorde plant, job prospects seemed a little gloomy. “Today, we are experiencing many similar setbacks due to the economic crisis, so it remains essential to provide youngsters with a positive outlook,” says spokesperson Nathalie Gilot. In the Dream D ay programme,

Students visited work floors across Flanders to get a taste of the day-to-day realities of different jobs

stereotypes. We show, for example, how social skills can also be a very valuable asset in an accountancy job, and that a job as a nurse doesn’t always entail night work in a hospital.” Students are encouraged to get in touch with professionals and ask

participating schools receive a lesson plan at the start of the year. The lesson helps students between the ages of 16 and 19 gain a better understanding of their personality and skills. At the same time, it also introduces them to different types of professions and companies – from

We want to help them discover what job motivates them the most them about their motivation, skills and the nitty-gritty of the work to form a more complete picture of different professions. Teachers also receive materials to help students in their search and can themselves sign

multinationals to NGOs. “We want to broaden the scope of their career possibilities and help them to discover which job would motivate them the most,” Gilot says. “We also want to break down

up for Step2you training. They can also choose to arrange meetings with professionals on Dream Day, when Step2you brings professionals to schools, or schools to the work floor. Step2you, based in the Brussels district of Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, also organises the Cap’Ten and Explor’Ado programmes. Both aim to help teenagers figure out their interests and skills to guide them on the path to their future careers. The Cap’Ten programme is designed for students aged 11 and up. It encourages them to become “captains” of their own project and to transform an idea into a finished result. “One school, for example, set up a project around the theme of Ancient Egypt, and students were all in charge of their own creations – from designing a miniature pyramid to the typical dress,” says Gilot. Through optical illusions and stories about serendipity, Explor’Ado, the third Step2you programme, encourages students 14 and older to think outside the box. The programme booklet tells the story behind the success of the Nutella spread, with the hazelnuts originally being added to the recipe so that less expensive cocoa would have to be used. One of the plans of the Step2you team is to focus on meeting the increasing demand from companies and schools to inform students about jobs in the bottleneck professions, including engineering and technology. `` www.step2you.be

Many of the numerous initiatives that have recently popped up across Flanders to commemorate the First World War centenary have focused on remembrance. But, for some artists, the future is just as important, since facing the past also means passing it on to future generations. The participatory art project ComingWorldRememberMe (CWRM) by curator Jan Moeyaert and Koen Vanmechelen, one of Flanders’ best-known conceptual artists, embraces this double focus. “Remembering, helping, reflecting and connecting: Those are our four main goals,” says Vanmechelen. Local and international participants, in particular children and young people, are creating 600,000 clay sculptures over the next four years. Each “New Generation” figure is meant to represent one of the lives lost in Belgium in the First World War. In 2018, all these sculptures will be brought together in a land art installation at the Palingbeek provincial domain in Zonnebeke, West Flanders. Some of the domain was part of Ypres Salient, a heavily fought-over area during the war. Moulding a hunched figure out of clay in one of the project’s

600,000 sculptures represent lives lost in art project

Koen Vanmechelen helps a student make her sculpture.

conflict areas. “We not only want to create a respectful artistic memory for the victims of the Great War,” says Vanmechelen, “we also want to help children who are currently trapped in war situations.” The name of the person who made the little sculpture will be attached to it on a dog tag, the metal identification tag still worn by soldiers today. This tag also carries the name of a First World War victim, from a list compiled by the In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres. “This way, different generations and nationalities will be united in the commemoration,” Vanmechelen explains. In addition to making the sculptures and dog tags, the workshops also

Remembering the reality behind the stories of the Great War is vital workshops costs €10, half of which goes to West Flanders’ North-South solidarity action and Vanmechelen’s The Cosmogolem Foundation, which assists children living in

offer participants background information and a moment of reflection. CWRM fits in with Vanmechelen’s artistic preoccupation with the

successive cycles of life and death and the relationship between the individual and the collective. “War is a dramatic derailment of the neverending battle of, within and between every living thing,” the artist says. “Every living thing comes into being unasked and is doomed to grow old and decay.” For Vanmechelen, facing the past remains crucial for today’s youth. “In our extremely individualistic times, it is a huge challenge to save the small stories from oblivion,” he says. “Remembering the reality behind the stories of the Great War is vital for the future and for our survival.” Schools and other organisations can join a workshop at one of four permanent spaces: vzw Kunst in Schore, visitor centre De Kazematten in Ypres, former ammunition depot Bommenvrij in Nieuwpoort (all in West Flanders) and Vanmechelen’s studio in Hasselt. CWRM organisers also hope to inspire long-term partnerships with schools, cities and companies. Schools who commit to a minimum of 800 New Generation sculptures can, for instance, arrange a mobile workshop at a location of their choice. Bjorn Gabriels

Hasselt opens new doctoral school Hasselt University (UHasselt) last week officially opened its Doctoral School of Behavioural Sciences and Humanities. This school will train doctoral students in architecture, art, business-economic sciences and law to become researchers with different career options inside and outside the university. The department can take about 110 students and is the third doctoral school at UHasselt, after schools focusing on medicine/life sciences and sciences/technology. It will help students develop researchspecific as well as more general multidisciplinary knowledge and skills.

More students need financial help In the last five years, more students in higher education are receiving grants from the government of Flanders. While there were just over 41,700 in the academic year 2008-2009, that rose to nearly 46,300 in 2012-2013. Last year, about 6,000 of the University of Leuven’s (KU Leuven) 40,000 students needed a grant to pay their studies, according to judicial advisor Ruth Stokx. Four hundred youngsters asked for an extra school allowance or interest-free loan from the university’s social services department to finance their internet, commute or study materials. In total, one in five KU Leuven students receives financial support to help carry the costs of higher education. The universities of Antwerp and Hasselt report similar statistics, and at the Free University of Brussels (VUB), the situation is even more serious: About a quarter of the students need financial support. AF

`` www.comingworldrememberme.be

Flanders today

living

april 9 , 2014

week in activities Bookbinders’ fair One-stop shopping for all traditional book arts including bookbinding, calligraphy and paper making. Letterpress printing and calligraphy demos, children’s bookbinding workshop and exhibition. 13 April, 11.00-17.00, ’t Bauhaus, Slachthuisstraat 60, Sint Niklaas, €3 ``http://tinyurl.com/bookbinders-fair

Guided abbey walk The Norbertine abbey of Park in Leuven-Heverlee is one of the best preserved abbey complexes in Belgium. This guided walk starts with a visit to the brothers of the abbey, then takes you around the park and surrounding countryside to see the spring blossoms. Afterwards, you can visit the abbey’s museum on your own. 13 April, 13.30, 14.00 and 14.30, Norbertijenabdij Van ’t Park, Abdij Van Park 7, Heverlee, €5 ``http://tinyurl.com/guided-abbey-walk

Brewer’s Route bike tour A three-hour guided bike tour to the last working brewery in Antwerp as well as the Seefhoek, the neighbourhood that gave its name to the legendary Seefbier. And of course, there will be time for beer tasting. Bring your own bike or rent one. 13 April, 13.45-17.00, Steenplein, €10 (€8 for bike rental), reserve via the website ``www.antwerpbybike.be

Cosplay competition Cosplay is dressing up as your favourite character from an animated film, comic book or video game. It’s huge in Japan and the US but has its practitioners here in Europe too. Held in conjunction with the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, this contest will pick Belgium’s representative at the EuroCosplay competition in London. 13 April, 15.00-17.00, Bozar, Ravensteinstraat 23, Brussels, free ``http://tinyurl.com/cosplay-competition

Fire pot evening Every Friday in April, a unique experience is offered in the fruit-growing region of Haspengouw: an evening walk through the orchards with fire pots to light the way. A guide will share local stories and snacks for the journey. Finish with a cup of soup around the campfire. 11 April, 20.00, Fruitbedrijf Jabobs, Heide 114, Sint-Truiden. Reservations required, €7.50 ``www.jacobsfruit.be

Ride around the reds Taste Flemish red ales at their source during beer-and-bike heritage event Alan Hope

e all know that Belgium is the land of beer, but did you know a Flemish beer exists that uses natural, airborne yeasts and bacteria to trigger fermentation? And no, it’s not the lambic famously made in the Pajottenland area to the east of Brussels in Flemish Brabant. The beer we’re talking about is known as Flemish red ale. And later this month, you’ll have a chance to find out more, since four of the breweries that make it are opening their doors, inviting you to discover this unjustly forgotten style of beer. Now in its second edition, Rondje Roodbruin appropriately takes place on the annual Heritage Day later this month. This year, four breweries are participating: Rodenbach in Roeselare, Bockor in Bellegem, De Brabandere in Bavikhove and Verhaeghe in Vichte, all in West Flanders. Tourist organisation Toerisme Leiestreek has also organised a cycle route covering all four. For those who foresee being a little less steady on their legs, however, there’s also a shuttle bus. West Flemish beers are an important part of today’s gastronomic landscape, says Franky De Block, chair of Westtoer, the province’s umbrella tourist organisation. “Our beers are admired worldwide, and Westtoer is there to support that rich tradition in a modern way,” he says. “Each beer also has its own unique story to tell. The Rondje Roodbruin event is the perfect example of how the broader public can find out about the beer traditions of their own region.” One of those beer traditions is the Flemish red ale or red-brown – as the name of the event suggests – or even old brown. In fact, the choice of a name is one of the things

stopping the brewers from creating a concerted campaign to publicise the beer variety, says Omer-Jan Vander Ghinste, CEO of the Bockor brewery. He explains that some feel that the word “red” implies fruit beer, when in fact the colour comes from the kind of malt used, and not from fruit at all. The thing that makes Flemish reds different is the way they’re made using Lactobacillus bacteria during secondary fermentation in huge wooden casks known as foeders. That has the effect of turning sugars into lactic acid – just like in sourdough bread, yoghurt, cheese and pickled foods. The sourness characteristic of all those is the result of Lactobacillus. Each brewery has its own particular methods, according to traditions more than a century old. The name most familiar to the public is probably Rodenbach. Master brewer Rudi Ghequire explains that the process begins with brewing the basic beer using those red malts and a quantity of hops falling below the taste threshold, included only to hold back the production of bacteria. Some of that new beer is then placed

in the foeders to age for up to two years. The rest is used to blend with beer already aged. It’s in the foeders that the magic happens. While other types of beer mature in stainless steel tanks kept ruthlessly clean to avoid any contamination, these ales are matured in wooden barrels standing upright, which are never cleaned at all in order to maintain the colony of wild yeasts and bacteria that now goes to work on the basic beer. Ordinary Rodenbach is a blend containing 25% aged beer, Ghequire says. The Grand Cru, in contrast, contains 67%. In recent years, Rodenbach has also produced a limited Vintage edition, when the master brewer decides one vat of aged beer is good enough to be bottled by itself. Flemish reds are the most wine-

April 27, from 10.00

like of beers, in part because of that intimate relationship with wooden barrels. Each foeder is its own eco-system, and no two vats will produce the precise same beer – contrary to all principles of modern production environments. The flavour is as intense, complex and sophisticated as any wine in the same price category. It’s relatively simple for anyone in Belgium to lay his hands on a bottle of one of the best beers in the world for a modest price; most of us could only ever dream of getting a sip of one of the best wines. Nevertheless, the style has gone out of fashion, undoubtedly as a result of the onslaught of pils in the second half of the 20th century, a trend that now appears to be reversing. The Flemish red has a flavour profile that places some demand on the palate: These beers are for savouring, not knocking back in pints. And the sourness is a hurdle to get over, for sure. But, Ghequire points out, the pH of a red ale – the objective measure of its acidity – is about the same as that of a glass of white wine. Should you be unable to make it for Rondje itself on Heritage Day, these are the beers to look out for: the aforementioned Rodenbach editions; Vanderghinste Oud Bruin and Cuvée des Jacobins from Bockor; Vichtenaar and Duchesse de Bourgogne from Verhaeghe; Petrus Aged Pale, Aged Red and Oud Bruin from De Brabandere.

Rondje Roodbruin Different starting points in West Flanders www.rondjeroodbruin.be

BITE

Robyn Boyle

Food packets Businesses that deliver food packets to your door are popping up all over the internet. Opening hours in Flanders being anything but merciful to your average fulltime working, commuting citizen, this is a very good idea indeed. Some clever entrepreneurs have come up with ways to rescue local households from the “what’s for dinner” doldrums. Imagine no longer having to figure out how to get creative with what’s left in the fridge or rush to the supermarket after work. Doozo, Smartmat and Kook Makkelijk all deliver recipes along with the fresh ingredients needed to prepare them. The services vary greatly in terms of cost, creativity and health consciousness. But all offer the same advantages: ease and the chance to discover new dishes. They also help keep your grocery budget in check and avoid you

having to throw away food. Kook Makkelijk is the most basic of the three, offering everyday recipes that are easy to make in about half an hour using familiar ingredients. Next week’s menu includes salmon with white asparagus op Vlaamse wijze, white pudding with witloof and apple and farfalle with broccoli and salsa verde. Kook Makkelijk offers packets for three or four days, at a cost ranging from €58 (three days, two people) to €89 ( four days, four people). Smartmat is a Swedish concept,

brought to Belgium by Anders Åsarby, a father who knows how hard it can be to put dinner on the table night after night and keep it interesting. Smartmat meals, put together by nutritionists, are healthy and varied. They are eco-conscious, too, aiming wherever possible to use local meats and avoid endangered fish. A veggie packet is also available. Packets range from €55 ( four days, two people) to €99 ( five days, four people). “Every day good food” is Doozo’s

slogan. It’s the brainchild of mother-of-three Catherine Van Durme and Frank Fol, otherwise known as De Groentekok, the Vegetable Cook. Veggies and fruit are the main component of Doozo meals, which never contain less than 200g of fruit or veg per person, and usually contain more. Doozo’s meals are well-balanced and seasonal, and there are even gluten-free packets and packets for diabetics. The prices reflect the higher quality of the recipes and their products: €72 ( four days, two people) or €84 (three days, four people). Expect things like ovenbaked white fish with courgette spaghetti and parsley and lemon puree, or couscous with vegetables and smoked salmon. `` www.kookmakkelijk.be `` www.smartmat.be `` www.doozo.be

Flanders today

living

april 9 , 2014

In search of the simple life Ecological farm offers relaxation and organic meals to volunteers and tourists Katy Desmond

a Gaume is not the Ardennes, we were told by the couple in their 60s who had picked us up from the side of the road. It was our sixth car of the day, hitchhiking from Brussels to Belgium’s southernmost tip in a quest for fresh air and organic vegetables, and we were happy to sit still for the last 30 kilometres and hear about the region. Gaume was special, they said. Where the Ardennes is a network of cosy, one-lane villages and bigger towns, in the Gaume you could walk for days without seeing cars or houses. I raised an eyebrow. Surely this was an exaggeration, impossible to find in Belgium, one of the world’s densest countries. But they assured me it was true. It’s also the location of the Flemish-run Ferme du Bois-le-Comte organic farm and B&B. We had not planned on visiting it. I found it late one night on the website of World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), an international network connecting organic farms with eager volunteers who are willing to exchange labour for room and board. It caught my eye because despite being in Orval, as deep as one can get in Wallonia where Belgium tapers off to meet France and Luxembourg, it’s a Dutch-speaking operation. Ferme du Bois-le-Comte is ru n by the Flemish couple Luc De Cuyper and Lieve Debert, who bought it in 1996. They own the 100-year-old farmhouse and run it with a combination of employees and volunteers, who are largely Flemish with a smattering of international WWOOFers. The organic farm doubles as an ecological guesthouse and course centre, offering

The bucolic setting of Ferme du Bois-le-Comte is ideal for a country getaway or good old-fashioned hard work

half- and full-board to its guests from a 100% organic restaurant, supplied largely from its own garden, designed according to permaculture principles. De Cuyper and Debert bring in reputable chefs from around the world to cook up three-course vegetarian meals. Life here is about simplicity. No internet. Hardly any mobile phone reception. Just a well-equipped room, with bed, sink and extra blankets, a clean, spacious shared bathroom,

and a steady supply of hot tea throughout the day. There are only two things indulgent about the farm: the drinkable freshness of its air, and the food. The basic accommodation (€55 per person) is half-board, with breakfast and dinner. All meals are vegetarian, usually vegan, and made with entirely organic products. On our first night, we were served a thick vegetable stew followed by an enormous plate of dhal, curried roasted parsnips as thick

as drumsticks, salad, rice, broccoli and seitan. In case – unimaginably – one plate was not enough, they even placed the rest of the food on a table in the dining hall, where one could serve oneself seconds – or thirds or fourths. Then came dessert. With stuffed bellies we waddled to our room and snuggled into our bed to read and listen to the insects chirp in the dark, ready to spend the next day putting our chauffeurs’ words to the test. `` www.boislecomte.be

Sprucing up the stucco New life is being breathed into Horst Castle, including more child-friendly activities

fter six months of feverish activity behind closed doors, Horst Castle has raised its drawbridge to invaders again ( figuratively speaking – it doesn’t actually have one). Visitors can once more pour over the wooden bridge to overrun the courtyard and scale the keep of this authentic castle near Holsbeek, Flemish Brabant. They can occupy some newly restored rooms, while children can march around the castle in the footsteps of four former inhabitants. Part of the charm of Horst Castle – built in the mid-14th century by local money-changer Amelric Boote – is the fact that it hasn’t been renovated for more than 360 years. It therefore stands out from most of the castles in Flanders, which were rebuilt in the 18th or 19th centuries. Horst, however, looks pretty much the same as it did at the end of the 1650s. This was when Maria-Anna van den Tympel inherited the estate and gave the castle its last serious makeover. She built a new chapel, a servants’ wing and a coach house, and decorated three living rooms with superb stuccos. A few hundred years later, however,

the castle is in sore need of some serious patching up. It’s a major undertaking. Phase one is nearing completion. The interior of the left wing has been replastered, the roof repaired and facades and exterior woodwork restored. The knight’s hall has a newly tiled floor. All materials have been carefully selected to integrate aesthetically and historically with the whole building. The renovation work was partly funded by European Union subsidies via the Interreg IV A programme. But the most demanding work is yet to come: phases two to four. Phase two will address the keep, which has a huge crack running through it, and the chapel, which is threatening to break off from the tower. The haut-relief stucco work on the ceiling of the Ovid Hall, by Flemish artist Jan-Christian Hansche, needs carefully restoring. And the oratory – a small private chapel – hasn’t been presentable for years. Phase three will restore the west wing, which by the 17th century had become the heart of the castle. It connects the original keep with the circular 16th-century corner

Denzil Walton

Young visitors are welcome at the newly restored Horst Castle

tower. Finally, during phase four, the north wing will be renovated and stabilised. Here, the ambitious plan involves making the rooms suitable for commercial and entertainment functions. This will allow the castle to generate its own income again. The work is being overseen by Herita, the Flemish heritage organisation. In the meantime, the castle has

been made more child-friendly with a new activity and educational programme. Children are invited to tour the castle with four fictional ex-inhabitants. Countess MariaAnna is once more the perfect hostess. Pynnock the Knight explains the details of the keep, which he built in the 15th century. Tijl the Page reveals a few secrets about what goes on behind the

scenes at jousting competitions. And cook Margriet talks about the delicious food she likes to prepare for the lavish feasts of the 17th century. All this talk about food and feasts may give you the urge to drop into Maria-Anna van den Tympel’s coach house, part of which has been converted into a restaurant – Het Wagenhuis Horst. They do a rather sumptuous castle brunch each Sunday from 11.00 to 15.00. At €45 per head it’s a bit pricey, but for that you won’t leave hungry – or have to eat for the remainder of the day. After bread, cornflakes, yoghurt, bacon and eggs, you can tuck into poached salmon, smoked halibut, two hot seafood courses, and diverse salads. Hopefully you will still have room for fresh fruit salad, chocolate mousse and pancakes. There’s coffee, tea, water, red and white house wine to wash everything down. After all that, you’ll probably need to make the most of the very pleasant walks around the castle lake and through the adjoining woods. `` www.tinyurl.com/Horst-castle

The Bulletin invites you to 10 days of concerts, events, seminars and activities that symbolise the ever growing presence of the international community in Brussels

You’re invited!

The BulleTin’s Brussels inTernaTional Days Sign up for free at www.thebulletin.be/bbid

May 11

Opening event - The Welcome Festival at Bozar Exhibitions and concerts by choirs of the international community

May 12

“Brussels meets Europe” lunch Topic: “The Future of the Capital of Europe”

May 13

Seminar - “How to start your own business” Tips and information to help you clear all the hurdles

May 14 - 15

European Business Summit European Associations Summit

May 15

Association of Belgian Relocation Agencies meeting

May 17

Walks in Brussels - “The best kept secrets of the city” With tireless city explorer Derek Blyth

May 19

Vlerick School seminar - “How to become a winner in your market” Followed by a networking cocktail

May 20

The Brussels Metropolitan Night The networking event that brings together the movers and shakers of the city.

May 22

@Seven Party A celebration of the Greek Presidency This schedule is subject to change. Check www.thebulletin.be/bbid for updated information

Better than the real thing Indulge in the best wine cellar on board brusselsairlines.com/experience

Flanders today

arts

april 9 , 2014

“I want to keep things simple” Mauro Pawlowski’s band went all the way to Chicago to get the sound they wanted Christophe Verbiest © imagedesk

Anyone familiar with the name Mauro Pawlowski knows he’s a Renaissance man when it comes to music: multiple bands, sounds and genres abound in his world, which is about to become one album richer

“I

want to keep things simple,” confesses Mauro Pawlowski. “Recording and mixing an album in a few days, playing as a live band in the studio: That’s how I like it.” And that’s what he did with Neutral Village Massacre, the debut album by his band Gruppo Di Pawlowski. But there was one small problem: “It was difficult to find the right place in Belgium to do that. I’m not saying there aren’t good studios that work that way, but the mentality here is different: Too often a song is still built layer after layer. But I think that’s not necessary.” The solution was found in Chicago in the Electrical Audio studio belonging to legendary sound engineer Steve Albini. Nirvana, PJ Harvey, Pixies and Sonic Youth are just a few of the thousand or so artists and bands he has worked with. He was the right man to record the guitar-driven lunacy in which Gruppo Di Pawlowski excel. “He’s a great guy to work with, very down to earth. His studio has some guest rooms, so we just stayed there.” Singer and guitarist Pawlowski (pictured), who was born in Limburg province but lives in Antwerp, is far from a debutant. On the contrary, the artist, who turns 43 this month, has spearheaded dozens of bands and projects, ranging from lazy, melancholic pop songs with Hitsville Drunks via solo improvs such as Mauro Antonio Pawlowski to, for instance, the highly experimental incarnation Somnabula. But he rose to fame with Evil Superstars, the band that

won Humo’s Rock Rally in 1994 and went on to sign a recording contract with A&M in London. Evil Superstars recorded only two albums in the 1990s and have barely played a concert for the past 15

“True,” he confirms, “there’s a clear thread running from the Evil Superstars to this band. We might even be playing some Superstars songs live.” And the stage is where the heart

I’m only the singer this time around; I’m free to go wild on stage years, but “we haven’t officially split,” Pawlowski insists. “It’s always possible that one day we’ll get together again.” For the past decade and a half, Pawlowski has never come as close to the refractory rock of the Evil Superstars as he does with Gruppo.

of this band lies. “We’ve been around for almost seven years, and I never felt the urge to record an album.” That changed last year, with Neutral Village Massacre the result. Remarkably, Pawlowski is not playing guitar. “I never did in Gruppo. I’m only the singer this

time around: I’m free to go wild on stage and cheer on the musicians.” (He actually does that on the album, too.) For 10 years now, Pawlowski has also been the guitarist in dEUS. Though he didn’t know it at the time, it was a brilliant career move. The legendary Flemish band offer him the financial security that allows him to explore his many other musical endeavours. Ten years on, it’s difficult to imagine the Antwerp fivesome without him. When Pawlowski said he likes to record quickly, I had to think of

dEUS. They’re famous for camping out in the studio for a long time, even building their own studio for the purpose. “That’s different,” Pawlowski counters. “In that band, I come in on the days I’m needed, I bring some ideas, and if they’re not used, so be it.” Or in other words: He’s not running the show, and he’s fine with that. For the next year, or maybe a bit longer, the world will have to do without dEUS. “It’s good to take a break.” Tom Barman, the group’s singer and guitarist, is working on a new album with Magnus, his electronic duo with CJ Bolland. dEUS keyboardist Klaas Janzoons, meanwhile, is opening a restaurant in Antwerp. But let there be no misunderstanding: “When the band resumes, I will still be a member,” Pawlowski assures us. So this year, he will have plenty of time for his personal projects. One of them comes as a huge surprise. “In the autumn, I will release my first album as Maurits Pauwels, a Dutch version of my name. It will be all in Dutch.” He refers to the likes of Raymond van het Groenewoud and Kris De Bruyne, who, in the 1970s, pioneered pop songs in Dutch in Flanders, musically playing the field bordered by rock, folk and chanson. “No big extravaganza,” Pawlowski promises. “Just some wistful and heart-wrenching songs.” `` www.mauroworld.net

9 April, 20.00

Ancienne Belgique

10 April, 20.00

De Kreun

Anspachlaan 110, Brussels Conservatoriumplein, Kortrijk See website for more dates

Music reviews Yuko Long Sleeves Cause Accidents • Unday After two fine, recommendable albums, Yuko surpass themselves on Long Sleeves Cause Accidents, an ambitious and fully successful masterpiece. The foursome, fronted by Kristof Deneijs, play pop songs, but they have been deliciously infected with a wide range of genres: folk, electronic, classical and even gospel. They massage the heart, but also aim at your dancing shoes. It’s music that makes you dream, but also exalt. From now on, staggering is spelled “Yuko”. `` www.yukotheband.be

Benny Zen The Recording Artist Ft The Syphilis Madmen Go Out and Love the People Unsung hero Peter Houben, who wrote music history with rock band Nemo and later played in Mitsoobishy Jacson, has been

releasing albums as Benny Zen The Recording Artist Ft The Syphilis Madmen since 2009. Album number four, Go Out and Love the People – the naked breast on the cover was censored by Facebook – is his most direct, gracefully gliding from psychedelia (“Drunk at Home”) to merciless rock (“Gonna Be Fixed”) with a stopover at a haven for 1960s garage bands (“I Like Airports”). Eleven songs, 26 minutes of music: The album might seem a bit short, but it’s worth the money.

Nashville to record an album with loads of famous guest musicians, he now opts for an intimate approach. Acoustic Movies is a record with stripped-down songs: Just Bherman’s voice and acoustic guitar. It’s a tribute to the British folk revival of the 1960s, with its figures such as Bert Jansch and John Martyn, both of whom he covers here. The dozen austere tunes are full of emotion, but it might be telling that by far the strongest one is a reprise of his own song “Four” – eight years old and still awesome.

`` www.bennyzen.bandcamp.com

`` www.brucebherman.com

Bruce Bherman

Acoustic Movies • akr Four years after Bruce Bherman – half British, half Belgian – went to

Mon Réal

Salmigondis • Rea It’s exceptional for a Flemish artist to record an entire album in

French. Mon Réal (the name is a pun on the French pronunciation of Montreal, in which the t is silent) is the brainchild of singersongwriter Frank De Vos and multi-instrumentalist Roeland Vandemoortele. The title is French slang for hodgepodge, and that’s precisely what this album delivers, in a good way. The eclectic collection of songs refers to Gainsbourg and acoustic folk, but also exotic chanson and summery jazz. Mon Réal is an interesting new name, though I could have done without their cover of Salvatore Adamo’s “Tombe la neige”. ``www.monrealmusic.com

Flanders today

arts

april 9 , 2014

The culture ministers from Belgium’s three language communities have submitted a joint application to Unesco requesting that the country’s beer culture be recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage. In a statement, the ministers claim that there are more than 1,000 Belgian beers, including “the largest selection of authentic, locally produced beers of any country in the world.” Should Unesco approve the request, which will be decided next year, beer culture would join several other events recognised as cultural heritage in Belgium, including the Binche and Aalst carnivals, the shrimp fishers of Oostduinkerke and the Holy Blood Procession in Bruges. ``www.unesco-vlaanderen.be

Eén and BBC make drama series Flemish channel Eén has begun shooting a new series in co-production with the BBC. The Missing stars Belgian actors Titus De Voogdt (Small Gods, 22 Mei) and Emilie Dequenne (A perdre la raison), as well as British actors James Nesbitt (The Hobbit) and Frances O’Connor (Mr Selfridge). The eight-part series will be filmed entirely in Belgium over the next two months. The story concerns a young boy who goes missing while on holiday in France and follows police and parents as they try to find him. Other Flemish actors involved include Johan Leysen (Het Vonnis, The Spiral), Hilde Heijnen (Parade’s End, In Flanders Fields) and Lotte Heijtenis (Zot van A, Jes).

Borremans show could break record The exhibition As Sweet as it Gets by Flemish artist Michaël Borremans is set to break visitor records at Bozar. In the first month, 48,000 people visited; if that rate keeps up, it will be the single most visited exhibition since Bozar was founded in 2003. “We are pleasantly surprised with the huge interest,” said Bozar spokeperson Filip Stuer. “It is difficult to point to one specific reason for its success. Borremans is an excellent painter, of course, and his exhibition has received very favourable comments in the press. But we suspect it’s his mix of threat and aesthetics that entices many visitors; Borremans strikes a chord with his David Lynch-like universe.”

Museum M takes a look at the ruins and resurrections of destroyed cities Tom Peeters

n 19 August, 1914, two weeks after the invasion of Belgium, German troops attacked the city of Leuven. The aftermath was horrible: 200 civilian deaths, 1,100 houses destroyed and 300,000 books going up in flames at the library of the University of Leuven. It was in fact the massive loss of the books that resonated around the world and turned Leuven into something of a martyr city. If you destroy art, you destroy civilisation, right? Museum M looks at this episode of history with a critical lens, exploring both propaganda and recuperation on the side of the occupiers and the occupied. The first, small room of the new Ravaged exhibition features only three objects. One is a black-andwhite photograph of what remained of the university library after the fire – the outer walls. There’s also a 17th-century painting of Michael Sweerts that depicts war god Mars destroying the arts, which symbolises that history repeats itself. Finally, a work by contemporary Algerian artist Adel Abdessemed is also on view. It shows a green book, candle grease and iron wire, linking the 1914 destruction of Leuven to the more recent uprisings in the Arab world, where freedom was limited by means of books spread by the authoritarian regimes. The combination of these three objects illustrates the curators’ point: connecting our ravaged heritage with present-day, and even future, events, while proffering a message that isn’t all too optimistic. Namely, that war and the destruction of art and cultural heritage have always been and will continue to be part of the human experience, because they’re connected to who we are as people. Ravaged is Museum M’s first exhibition that juxtaposes artists from the past and present in the same exhibition. From the museum’s roof – the obligatory end to any visit – visitors are confronted with a poignant end to their tour: the university library, which was newly rebuilt on the nearby Ladeuzeplein, with US help. The rooftop view suggests that even destroyed heritage will rise again. The exhibition shows that artists are often the first to tell audiences about the resurrection powers of heritage. They have always been inspired by destroyed cities – their ruins, the deliberate ravages, propaganda and art theft, which are the five main themes of the exhibition. The exhibition includes a variety of media such as paintings, tapestry, photographs, video and graphic works, as well as monumental installations. Curators Eline Van Assche, whose work focuses on the classics, and Ronald Van de Sompel, a specialist in contemporary art, collected visual art representing the fictitious and real destruction of cities like Troy, Sodom, Jerusalem, Reims and Beirut. Most of the works on view are

Beer heritage submitted to Unesco

Heritage will rise again

Beirut, Autopsy of a City, by Lebanese visual artist and filmmaker Lamia Joreige

loans from private collections and museums like the National Gallery, the Imperial War Museum and the Rijksmuseum. “This was the ideal project to emphasise the museum’s focus on both old and new,” explains Van Assche. In preparation for the exhibition, a scientific committee was set up to expand its local scope. “We started with a long list,” says Van Assche, adding that they were unable to obtain every object they wanted. She mentions an ancient vase that depicts a large art theft by Napoleon in a parade around the vase, this way linking it to Roman Empire victory marches. “Unfortunately, it was too difficult to transport.” In other cases, practical obstacles were overcome. The famed Hoover Institution does not normally allow object loans from its archives in Stanford, California. Yet this time, the think tank agreed to lend a big, colourful wall tapestry, a gift from Belgium to the Americans to thank them for rebuilding the university library and saving the cultural heritage of Leuven. “The modernist tapestry, which was woven in Brussels based on a design by Floris Jespers, glorifies the generosity of the Americans,” Van Assche explains. “It was shown at the 1939 World Fair in New York and is now being exhibited in Belgium for the first time.” She adds that the tapestry was transported by cargo plane, rolled up in a crate. Getting Mona Hatoum’s “Bunker” (pictured) to Leuven was even tougher. Van de Sompel first saw the installation in London in 2011 and was immediately floored by it. But the first question the Lebanese artist asked Van de Sompel when he inquired after possibly exhibiting it was: What is the carrying capacity of your floor? With 13 black steel constructions weighing between 400 and 1,700 kilo, it’s the heaviest object to ever be displayed in the museum. This heavy weight represents the artist’s memories of the apocalyptical landscape of Beirut, the city she left at the start of the civil war in 1975. At the same time, she’s also evoking the emotional impact the

week in artS & culture

war had on her. “Some buildings are recognisable, such as the highrise tower where snipers used to hide, or the hotel where negotiations about the hostages took place,” Van de Sompel says. “Others refer in a more abstract way to a universal demolished city.” Still, some cities appear to be less resilient than others in this constant cycle of destruction and resurrection. “Some cities are of geostrategic importance, like Beirut, which used to lie on the path of the crusaders to Jerusalem,” Van de Sompel says. Or take Constantine in modern-day Algeria, featured in the exhibition in a painting in a hasty, chaotic style by 19th-century painter William Turner, who showed interest in the decline of large empires throughout his career. “The ambiguity between indignation and appeal runs through the entire exhibition,” Van Assche says. Like all things ambiguous, the exhibition also raises questions, about art theft and restitution for instance. “May the Arrogant Not Prevail”, an installation by IraqiAmerican artist Michael Rakowitz, refers to the original Iraqi Ishtar Gate, which dates back to 575 BC. It used to be the old city gate of Babylon, but it was taken to Berlin to be rebuilt in a local museum after

Until 1 September

a German archaeologist excavated it. Today, only a replica of the gate remains near the Babylon ruins. Rakowitz’s version of the gate, with its blue Pepsi and yellow Lipton Tea wrappings, is a reconstruction of that reconstruction. The museum also invited Peruvian artist Fernando Bryce to research the propaganda that followed in the wake of the 1914 events in Leuven, when the city became a martyr of sorts. “We commissioned him to translate the documents, newspapers and postcards he found in the archives into a new art installation.” In “To the Civilised World”, Bryce not only shows new multilayered drawings based on these often intriguing and surprising documents, he also redefines his role and place as an artist. “As many of the contemporary artist do here,” Van de Sompel says, “since their situation in a fast-media society is by no means comparable to that of a 19th-century painter.” “It was a conscious choice to focus on the art,” the curator points out. “Even though the context is historical, it is an art, not a historical, exhibition.” Two publications about the exhibition, a comprehensive catalogue and an collection of essays, offer additional information.

Ravaged

Museum M L Vanderkelenstraat 28, Leuven www.ravaged1914.be

Flanders today

agenda

april 9 , 2014

Dark galleries and endless orgasms

CONCERT

Nicolas Provost Until 11 May

Be-Part, Waregem

www.be-part.be

close-up of the lower part of a naked woman’s body, with the vulva centre stage. The woman rises gracefully and strides down a nude beach, where she comes across African immigrants, just washed ashore. The sequence was the famous prologue of The Invader (2011), the first feature film by Flemish visual artist Nicolas Provost. The scene is projected on a huge screen in the exhibition The Perfect Wave in Waregem. Provost has always seen the sequence, he tells me, as a separate work that could stand on its own apart from the film. It’s one of the five recent video works that are on show, along with a series of stills. The first is the most impressive: “Illumination” is a 15-minute work of people walking on a

Brussels

Manhattan street. Its particular architecture and the idiosyncracies of the sunlight at that spot drenches the scene in a chiaroscuro reminiscent of the great Caravaggio. The extreme slowed-down movements remind me of Bill Viola, though Provost doesn’t like that comparison. “The Perfect Wave” is a fascinating looped video of a surfer who keeps going and going on what indeed looks like a perfect wave. It’s a metaphor for what the artist calls the human desire for an endless orgasm. “The Dark Galleries” was commissioned to accompany the book of the same name on paintings in 1940s and 1950s films. With shots from 30 Hollywood films noirs and melodramas from the 1940s and ‘50s - each with an artwork, often a painting, in them - he created an 11-minute crime story. The work of Provost is both a playful and an intense take on filmic language. This small

Melingo: Argentine multiinstrumentalist, singer and composer with a unique talent for combining improbable tangos with sultry rock and jazz 11 APR 20.00 at Botanique, Koningsstraat

``www.botanique.be

PERFORMANCE Antwerp and Ghent

exhibition emphasises that it’s time for a more extensive retrospective. In the meantime, Be-Part is the place to be (pun not intended). Christophe Verbiest

Beyond the Tutu: This triple bill by the Royal Ballet of Flanders includes Marius Petipa’s 1877 La Bayadère: The Kingdom of the Shades, Nicolo Fonte’s Made Man and the premiere of Tyll by Alexander Ekman 16-19 APR 20.00 at Vlaamse Opera Antwerp; 9-11 MAY at Vlaamse Opera Ghent

``www.balletvlaanderen.be

VISUAL ARTS

visual arts

FESTIVAL

Jan Cox

More Music

Until 29 June

M HKA, Antwerp

Antwerp’s contemporary arts museum M HKA and gallery Zwarte Panter are joining forces to celebrate one of the city’s most indefatigable modernist painters. When the Belgian arts scene kicked into overdrive after the Second World War, Jan Cox was everywhere. The artist was a founding member of the influential Jeune Peinture Belge group and later forged ties with the Cobra movement. Cox spent the 1950s in New York and Boston before returning to Antwerp, where he helped establish the Zwarte Panter. After the artist’s death in 1980, his friends at the gallery set about preserving his work and memory. This three-month exhibition is staged in three parts, with works by Cox chosen by different artists. First up this month is painter

www.muhka.be

Koen van den Broek, next is multidisciplinary artist Vaast Colson and finally Philippe Pirotte takes over as curator in June. Georgio Valentino

16-19 April

Concertgebouw, Bruges

www.moremusicfestival.be

The concert promoters at Cactus Muziek may be best known for organising Bruges’ big, summertime Cactus Festival but that doesn’t mean they’re resting on their laurels the rest of the year. In addition to dozens of alternative club concerts, Cactus hosts More Music. This progressive four-day event showcases 10 international groups and artists in the labyrinthine Concertgebouw’s various spaces. The atmosphere and architecture of the host venue is, in fact, just as crucial as the performances themselves. Artists include British electronic duo Mount Kimbie, charismatic British singer-songwriter Benjamin Clementine (pictured) and Flanders’ own Spookhuisje, led by multiinstrumentalist Raphaël Absolonne

EVENT

PERFORMANCE

Blossoms in Limburg

Marie Antoinette

Across Haspengouw region

www.toerismelimburg.be

If you live in Belgium and have not yet been to Limburg to see the fruit blossoms in the spring, shame on you. The Haspengouw region came alive with fruit blossoms a couple of weeks earlier than usual this year, so if you want to catch them, this weekend is just about your last chance. The cherries will be uitgebloeid, as the Flemish say – “bloomed out” – but you’ll catch the pears at the end of their cycle, and the apples will be in full bloom. Head to any of the small cities in the region, like Sint-Truiden or Borgloon, where the tourist office will be happy to sell you walking or cycling maps. There are also several marked trails that begin in town centres that will wind you through the green and white of the grassy orchards with their blaze of blooms. Limburg’s tourist website has an agenda of events for every day, including visits to fruit growers, tastings and guided walks.

Bruges

20 August to 6 September Merode Castle, Westerlo If you’re going to put on an extravagant, open-air production about the life of Marie Antoinette, you couldn’t find a better backdrop (outside of Versailles) than Merode Castle in Westerlo, Antwerp province. The medieval fortress (pictured) will be transformed into an 18th-century French village for the duration of the Historalia festival. The main event, a sumptuous songand-dance spectacle, stars Flemish

Snapshot 9: Kantje boord (Touch and Go): Flemish photographer Karin Borghouts turns her attention to the topic of lace, linking it with rites of passage, including birth, marriage and death, in the annual Bruges Snapshot series Until 19 OCT at Folklore Museum, Balstraat 43

``www.museabrugge.be

Ghent Dyson Design: A glimpse into the global technology company’s top-secret research, design and development facility, and some of its past and future world-changing inventions Until 9 JUN at Design Museum Gent, Jan Breydelstraat 5

``www.designmuseumgent.be

who also curates More Music’s multimedia exhibition/parcours Distant Bohemian Dream. GV get tickets now

FESTIVAL Bruges Blues in Bruges: Free intimate blues concerts in Bruges’ cosiest pubs, featuring Maxwell Street, Innes Sibun, Moonrunner and Dave Specter Band 10-14 APR across Bruges

``www.bluesinbruges.be

www.historalia.be

actress Ann Van den Broek as the eponymous Queen of France who was executed when the Revolution took a violent turn. Van den Broek and a cast of 200 dancers and actors will perform on a floating stage in the middle of the castle moat whilst a full orchestra accompanies. Some performances are already sold out, so order up your tickets right away. Georgio Valentino

FAMILY Ostend Ik en den Theo (Theo and I): Musicians Piet Maris and Theo Raballand (Jaune Toujours) entertain kids ages six and up with songs about alternative superheroes, playing in a rock band, the internet and more 13 APR 14.00 at Vrijstaat O, Zeedijk 10

``www.vrijstaat-o.be

Lisa Bradshaw

Flanders today

backpage

april 9 , 2014

Talking Dutch There’s more than one Antwerp

Invest in Flanders @InvestFlanders RHEA (Canadian ADGA gr) opens EU research & tech center in #Flanders! #innovative solutions big data http://ow.ly/vqoKU #aerospace #FDI

Derek Blyth

t started with a film about Antwerp. Een promotiefilmpje dat bepaalde troeven van Antwerpen moet benadrukken ten opzichte van bedrijven – a promotional film that would focus on Antwerp’s highlights for the benefit of companies, reported De Standaard. The three-minute clip (pictured) was called “Moving Antwerp”. It has already been watched more than 35,500 times on YouTube. (Not bad, you might think, although a long way short of the 15 million hits generated by a clip of a flashmob dancing to Julie Andrews’ Do Re Mi in Antwerp’s Central Station.) But Moving Antwerp didn’t please everyone who saw it. Het leidt tot heel wat commotie op sociale media omdat het een wel erg “blank” beeld van de Antwerpse bevolking zou geven – it sparked off a huge amount of criticism on social media because it gave the impression that Antwerp was very “white”. The city administration agreed that the film didn’t show Antwerp in all its diversity, but that wasn’t the goal, it argued. Het filmpje was niet voor het brede publiek of de media bedoeld, maar heeft een erg specifieke businessto-business doelstelling – The clip wasn’t intended for the general public or the media, but for a very specific business-to-business purpose, said a spokesperson for the tourist department. The focus, he continued, wordt op bepaalde aspecten van de stad zoals de haven, musea of de diamantsector, was on certain aspects of the city such as the port, museums and the diamond sector. He went on to promise that the city would be making more films later in the year to focus on other aspects of Antwerp. Eind dit jaar willen we echter naar buiten komen met een bredere marketingstrategie waarin alle facetten wél evenwichtig voorkomen – We plan to launch a broader marketing strategy at the end of the

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year in which all the various facets will be presented in a balanced way. But maybe that won’t be necessary, because several young Antwerp filmmakers have produced short clips that portray the city as they see it. Mahmoud Al Azzawi took just a few days to put together Moving Antwerp Part 2 using friendly multicultural faces and the sentimental 1917 Flemish song Daar is maar één Vlaanderen – There’s Only One Flanders. Comics Othman Azzouz and Hamid Hajjab uploaded a second film called Moving the Real Antwerp, in which they showed young people from diverse backgrounds giving a one-finger salute. A third film called We are from Antwerp found young people in the street dancing to Pharrell Williams’ “Happy”. The city now has four promotional films on YouTube. The one it paid for has been viewed 35,500 times, while the three it didn’t pay for have been seen nearly twice that many times, collectively. But none of the new clips is likely to beat the one that shows people bursting into song in Cental Station.

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Toerisme Oost-Vlaanderen Heb jij onze vernieuwde website al gezien? Vanaf nu kan je nog sneller en eenvoudiger fiets-en wandelroutes of activiteiten zoeken uit Oost-Vlaanderen. Ontdek het zelf via www.tov.be BICYCLING magazine BMC's Taylor Phinney is taking over our Instagram feed from Flanders! For more of his photos: http://oak.ctx.ly/r/vcff Europe Just confirmed! We're going back to Belgium this summer! Always a pleasure! //Europe Tickets and info: ROCK ZOTTEGEM www.rock-zottegem.be

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the last word

Radio 1 is running a poll to find the best Belgian invention. We’ve chosen some of our favourites. Which one deserves to win?

a. Europe’s first birth-control pill – and a big improvement on America’s – invented by Turnhout doctor Ferdinand Peeters in 1961

70%

b. The jpeg photo compression, invented by Limburg physicist Ingrid Daubechies in 1987

20% c. “Mosquito milk” insect repellent, invented by Antwerp tropical institute scientist Alfons Van Doninck in 1987

10% d. Obstetric forceps, invented by Ghent physician Jan Palfijn in 1717

Well, the listeners and judges thought the same, and Dr Peeters’ pill was the winner of the popular vote. Peeters never made a cent from his invention, but we’re sure he’d be proud of the fact that he beat such luminaries as the inventors of roller skates, the

High fever

Swiss cheese

“If passengers show any signs of illness, our staff will wear protective gloves and a mask.”

“Sorry, Belgians, but I had promised the flowers to my wife.”

Brussels Airlines is taking no chances on flights to and from areas affected by an Ebola outbreak, a spokesperson said

Late shift “I’m bored stiff sitting at home, and anyway I need to be able to buy presents for my 16 greatgrandchildren.”

Julia Bertens from Antwerp is looking for a new job at the age of 81

Fabien Cancellara won last weekend’s Tour of Flanders just ahead of three local frontrunners (see p2 )

That’s amore “I nearly drowned, but Enrique was worth it. I fell in love with him, but I realise nothing can come of it.”

West Flemish super-fan Valerie V, 27, swam 1.5 kilometres to reach the villa of crooner Enrique Iglesias in Miami

saxophone and the internet. Respect to all those whose inventions were under consideration, and commiserations to 18th-century Ghent doctor Jan Palfijn, inventor of the obstetric forceps, a device that has saved the lives of countless babies and new mothers.

Next week's question:

The government of Flanders has launched an ambitious plan to tackle food waste, together with the food industry. What do you think? Go to the homepage of the Flanders Today website to vote. No need any more to log in!

Spot On Locations @SpotOnLocations Need help finding your way around #Flanders? Check out the Great War Battlefields #WW1 phone app http://bit.ly/1eood9m

`` www.tinyurl.com/movingantwerp

Poll

It’s not often a poll has a correct answer, but in this case we came as close as possible. A large majority of you voted the contraceptive pill developed by Dr Ferdinand Peeters from Turnhout in 1961 to be the Best Belgian Invention from a list provided to listeners of VRT’s Radio 1.

VoiceS of flanders today

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