there to here
Brussels identities from A to Z
Dutch Halil Cikmazkara, 26, grew up in Rotterdam and has been living in Brussels for a year now. His parents moved to the Netherlands from a village near Antalya in Turkey. He himself hardly speaks Turkish, so it amazed him to find out how Turks from Brussels often don’t speak French very well - let alone the city’s other official language, his native Dutch. Halil studied European Law in the Netherlands, after which he earned a supplementary Master’s degree
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in International and European Law at Brussels Free University (VUB). Although not his
f... In praise o “I took my American girlfriend to see the Justice Palace: a beautiful and very prominent building, on a high point in the city, with a formidable view. During my first days in Brussels I was strolling around the city and just happened to bump into the thing. That was a true sensation for me: suddenly this grandeur. What’s also funny is that you can take an elevator to the Marolles below. What’s that good for? Well, it’s convenient, of course.” “Even if I don’t live in Schaerbeek, I always go to a halal butcher there to buy minced meat. I am a Muslim and attached to the special taste of the meat – Turkish butchers prepare mince in a totally different way to Belgian or Dutch ones. I find it great to ‘travel-whileshopping’ in Brussels like picking up Turkish mince, or vegetables at the Midi market.” “Now and then, I go to a performance in Bozar (a gorgeous building) and on the way there I pass through the Ravenstein gallery: an impressive place where you can physically feel the difference in height between the lower and the upper town.”
original intention, he now plans to live and work in Brussels. What’s more, he wants to imbue the capital of Europe with the spirit of US President Barack Obama through a housing and social inclusion project he aims to get co-funded under the European Union’s ‘Eurobama’ contest.
“A
ll things Europe have my interest, so it’s logical that I should live in the ‘Capital of Europe’. Europe is one big integration project: the internal market is being harmonized; you need your passport to travel less and less; and the entire economy is becoming more and more interwoven. Today, Europe is like one big city, with countries like Belgium and the Netherlands no more than small villages, which are ever more interdependent. Ten years ago, these evolutions were not really felt in places like, say, Italy; but today there’s just no getting away from it. Of course this also causes friction, and that is nowhere more evident than in the capital of Europe. People have to adapt to each other: the borders are gone, everyone can come in. Those who were already here have to adapt to the newcomers; the newcomers must adapt to their new environment – this isn’t always easy. It also strikes me that Brussels’ neighbourhoods are dominated by certain ethnic groups. In Rotterdam we also have a very diverse population, but there the neighbourhoods are more mixed than in Brussels. I’ve lived in Molenbeek for a long time – if the media were to be believed, than I have lived in an unsafe area, rife with tensions and agitation. But to be honest, I’ve never really noticed any of that – you just have another vibe there, compared to other areas in Brussels, which are in fact all widely different from one another. You know, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy – if you want to, you can also focus on
all traces of racism in Flanders and conclude that the whole region is on the extreme right. I mean: most people in Molenbeek just play their part in society, like you and me. The recent clashes stem more from social problems than from ethnic or religious differences. If we were to follow the credo of the political scientist Samuel Huntington, than we have a clash of civilisations on our hands, but I can tell you: ethnicity plays only a minor part in the recent disturbances. I mean, me, with my Turkish roots, I don’t get up in the morning and say to myself: I really should go out and rob someone – after all, I’m a Turk. That’s just not how it works. This is about a social problem: in Brussels, there is a deep chasm between the rich and the poor. I first arrived in Brussels late in the evening. My first impression was that of a lively, busy city. In the centre, around Saint Géry, all the terraces were full. I fell immediately under the spell of the city’s rich, old architectural heritage. That probably has something to do with my coming from Rotterdam, which was completely flattened by Nazi bombardments at the start of World War Two, and was then rebuilt with contemporary architecture. I soon began to notice, though, how many vacant buildings there are in Brussels, and that there is an enormous process of pauperisation going on. The city authorities do not appear to focus on these things. I get the feeling that they don’t really know how to go about it. I also feel that this Capital of Europe could be more hospitable towards non-Belgians.
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Take foreign students: you enrol in the university, and then that’s it. You get no information that shows you around town, or that explains the housing market to you. No wonder, then, that students stay on campus, outside the city centre, and don’t get to know the city. What a missed opportunity! Schaerbeek, Matonge, Molenbeek... : all these different neighbourhoods are well worth knowing. Now and then I run into other Dutch people, but I don’t go looking for them. Why should I? The Netherlands are only two hours away. Perhaps if I lived in China, I would feel the need to meet up with other Dutch folk – people with whom I could speak my language and share a cultural background. But in Brussels, I don’t feel that need at all. The things I saw here in Brussels, over the last year, have inspired me to start up a project with a group of people, and apply for funding under the Eurobama contest, which wants to inspire people from minorities to exercise leadership on issues related to poverty, diversity and climate change. There is such a high vacancy rate in buildings in Brussels – yet prices remain steep. On the other hand, so
many people – from all layers of the population – are out there looking for work. We propose a project that puts two and two together: teaching unemployed young people the skills to refurbish vacant buildings; make them habitable. This involves more than just masonry: they should also learn about applying for permissions, dealing with architectural and town planning issues, working with contractors, and so on. The refurbished houses should accommodate both people with low incomes and students; two categories that in Brussels have trouble finding a quality, affordable place to live. The houses should also be ecological, with double glass and solar panels – Brussels is also known for its high energy use. The proceeds will go entirely to a fund which will finance the training of more young people. You see, in Brussels, there is work to be done, and that inspires me to contribute.” See www.eurobama.net
“Ethnicity plays only a minor part in the recent disturbances. This is about a social problem”
Interview by Veerle Devos & Kristof Dams Image by Veerle Devos November 5 2009 w w w. t h eb u l l e t i n . b e 23
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