Ghent forthe winFor the first time in their 115-yearhistory, KAA Gent have won theBelgian league championship

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One hundred years ago, a German zeppelin fell from thesky in Ghent. It made for no more than footnote in thehistory of the First World War, but for the Ghent socio-artistic theatre group De Vieze Gasten, it was the perfectfoundation for a new neighbourhood project that focuseson conflicts small and big – and on Led Zeppelin.

“See that big zeppelin over there?” Kato, Helen andSimon ask me.All of them are fifth-year students at Ghent

primary school De Oogappel, and they’re pointing towarda round structure fashioned from willow branches that acouple of workers are unloading from a truck. “We made

it. Later on, we will march in a procession with our zeppe-lin to the Brugse Poort while we sing.”The children seem to be having a blast. And why wouldn’tthey? The sun is out in full force, and marching throughthe Brugse Poort has got to bemore fun than sitting insidea classroom. But why the zeppelin?“It’s about an airplane from the past,” one of themventures. “No, it’s about anything that flies,” someone elseinterjects. “No, about the war,” a third says.They’re all right. Their project, Let’s Zeppelin, is based onthe events of 7 June, 1915, when a battle took place in theskies above Ghent’s Brugse Poort neighbourhood. It wasthe very first German zeppelin successfully shot down in

the war.This project brings a larger-than-life war down toneighbourhood size.While these three pupils clearly don’t see eye to eye onthe why of the project, they all agree it was great fun. “Forabout a month, we worked on this project in school,” theyexplain. “All the classes participated. For a full week, wecrafted things like costumes and flags, and we learned thesongs you’ll hear soon.”Some 100 children have gathered at Segers Park, the heartof the Brugse Poort, a working-class neighbourhood inGhent. They are all wearing elaborate outfits. Some chil-dren look like small, noisy aircrafts, completewith propel-lers on their heads. Others are dressed in black and sport-

continued on page 5

Chill, babyAntwerp bicycle manufacturerChillafish is breaking intoJapan with a cute contest

“it’s a partof us”Bruges Snapshot exhibitionseries showcases the city’srelatively new Nepalesecommunity

Let’s Zeppelinghent arts centre creates a community project from a mere footnote of history

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© Toon lambrechts

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\ CURRenT aFFaIRs

KAAGent sealed their first ever Belgianleague title last Thursday, with a 2-0home win over Standard Liège in

their penultimate playoff game that ended a115-year wait for the East Flanders club.Sven Kums opened the scoring in the 18thminute before Renato Neto added a secondfrom the penalty spot in the 50th, giving theBuffaloesanunassailablefive-point leadoversecond-placed Club Brugge. The GhelamcoArena was filled to its 20,000 capacity asGent fans witnessed the historic moment,

with many wearing the club’s trademarkblue-and-white feather headdress.The victory, which guarantees Gent a placein next season’s Champions League, is aremarkable turnaround for a club often seenas being far behind the more establishedpowers in Belgian football. Although theyhave won three Belgian Cups and reachedthe quarter-finals of the Uefa Cup in 1992,they have never won the league.“I go to all their matches, but I am seldomso nervous,” laughed Ghent mayor Daniel

Termont, who flew in from a meeting inBerlin just in time to catch the match. “Wehave earned this.” Termont also mentionedthat more and more locals were comingto matches since the opening of the newstadium in 2013.KAA Gent was a founding member of theBelgian league in 1900, but its origins as ahockey and athletics association dates backto 1864.

Historic victory for KAA Gent2-0 win over standard liège gives club their first national title in 115 years

FilipWatteeuw, Ghent alderman for public works andmobility, said he can “no longer look in the same wayat the squares” that have been paved with cobble-stones linked to child labour in India. According toan investigative report in De Standaard newspaper,released at the weekend, many squares across Flan-ders are paved with such stones, including Ghent’smost central squares, recently repaved in a majordevelopment project.De Standaard reported the widespread use of kandlagrey cobblestones from Budhpura in northern India,where almost all the local people work in stone-cutting, including 1,300 children under 14 who do notgo to school. Others work in the quarries after schoolto supplement their family’s income.Ghent’s development of its city centre, which began in2009 and is still underway, included repaving Koren-markt and Emile Braunplein, using the stones fromIndia. “I’m not having it,” Watteeuw commented.“Certainly not in a city like Ghent, where workingconditions have historically been of great impor-tance. In future we will look into these cases morecarefully. I don’t want this to happen again.”The third and final phase of Ghent’s project includes

repaving Botermarkt and the adjoining Belfort-straat. “I’m going to ask for an investigation of whatcan possibly be done for the last phase,” Watteeuwsaid, although he pointed out that the contract wasagreed back in 2012. “Apparently the Belgian marketlooks towards the Indianmarket oftenwhen there arestones to be bought. Price is an important factor inthat. In future, the extra cost of honest stones shouldnot be a problem in Ghent.” \ Alan Hope

A 14-year-old girl attending theSint-Paulus secondary school inHerzele, East Flanders, has diedafter being diagnosed with tuber-culosis (TB). Another student hasalso been diagnosedThe girl who died had been in thecare of Ghent University Hospi-tal for several weeks. “This is anexceptional case,” commentedWouter Arrazola de Oñate of theFlemish Association for Respir-atory Health Care and Fight-ing Tuberculosis. “Many peoplethink TB disappeared long ago,but there are more than 1,000new cases every year in Belgium.The most recent figures we haveconcern 2012, when 54 peoplewith TB died – although the causeof death was something else inhalf of those cases.”According to the government’shealth care department, no-one

aged between four and 18 yearshas died in the last 10 years,although the disease was fatal fortwo infants. The girl’s classmatesin the third year were given skintests during the week, a healthdepartment spokesperson said,as were members of her family.TB is transmitted via frequentcontact with an infected person.Children and young people areless infectious because theycough less hard than adults, Arra-zola de Oñate explained, while in90% of cases, no symptoms of thedisease are present.The tests administered in theschool turned up one positiveresult.Theboywho tested positivewill continue to attend classes.He has been infected but is nothimself infectious, explained ahealth-care department spokes-person. \ AH

of cheese bought in 2014 for everyBelgian, according to a study bythe Flemish government's agri-marketing agency. More than 99%of households bought cheese regu-larly

people in Flanders caring for asick or elderly relative, accordingto figures from welfare minister JoVandeurzen. Spouses are carers in29% of cases, followed by daugh-ters and daughters-in-law

raised by number-plate recog-nition cameras to catch driv-ers with no road certificate or taxdocument. About 18,000 untaxedvehicles are thought to be ridingaround on Flanders’ roads

increase on last year in the numberofpeople inBelgiumhaving troublemeeting their mortgage payments,amounting to more than 46,000families. Total arrears now standsat €1.35 billion

officials of the federal financeministry unable to work becauseof a computer system glitch thatlasted for almost a week.The prob-lem did not affect public servicessuch as Tax-On-Web

Ghent alderman expresses shock at childlabour revelation

Second pupil diagnosed withTB after schoolgirl dies

12kg 12,000€1.2 million

leo cendrowiczmore articles by leo \ flanderstoday.eu

© stad Gent Dienst Voorlichting

The opening ceremony of the renovated korenmarkt

Police are investigating at least 500 cases offraud using pre-paid credit cards issued byBpost bank. The exact extent of the fraudis not yet known, but victims will be reim-bursed, the company has announced.Pre-paid credit cards are not linked to abank account and are only credited withsums of money transferred onto the card bythe owner, which can then be used to makepurchases where a credit card is required,

suchasonline.Eachcardhasa limitof €8,000.“Pre-paid credit cards have to be loadedwitha sum of money,” explained Isabelle March-andof Febelfin, theBelgian federation for thefinancial sector. “In other ways, they are thesame as ordinary credit cards. The retailerhas no idea they are pre-paid. As far as secu-rity is concerned, the same standards apply.”The mechanism used by the thieves to hackthe cards has not been revealed, and some

cardholders may still not be aware theyhave been robbed, police said. Cardholderssuspected of being victims will be contactedto find out if they loaned their cards to thirdparties or were themselves responsible forsuspect purchases.A spokesperson for Bpost said they were notthe only institution affected. “It’s not possi-ble that only Bpost clients were victims,” hesaid. “Fraud like this is carried out on all

sorts of cards. This case is a problem for allfinancial institutions who issue credit cards,not Bpost bank alone.”In related news, there were 63 cases of inter-net banking fraud for a value of €173,000 inthe first quarter of 2015, fewer than one a dayand a continuation of the downward trendsince 2013. \ AH

500 pre-paid Bpost credit cards hacked© Dursun aydemir/BelGa

may 27, 2015

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faCe of flanders

In the last two weeks we’ve seenthe effects of the free movementof performers in the EU. Firstan Italian male pole-dancerwon Belgium’s Got Talent. Nowthe best singer-songwriter inthe Netherlands is a young ladyfrom Sint-Niklaas in East Flan-ders.Anna Rune is the stage nameof 21-year-old Anna De Volder,born in Sint-Niklaas but resi-dent now as a student in Rotter-dam, where she also makesmusic with a seven-piece band.She was classically trained, andit’s there in her music: her songsare dramatic, with somethingof the opera and something ofthe musical, the melodies andthe voice reminiscent of ReginaSpector.Her winning number in theshow De Beste Singer-Songwritervan Nederland is in English andcalled “That’s Life”. It’s a songdedicated to her mother, shesaid. During the show’s run, shesang it alone at the keyboard,adding her own percussion; forthe final, the song was in itsSunday best, with a full back-ing band. “We got musiciansto work with,” she explained. “I

wrote some different arrange-ments for the musicians, whoreally helped me a lot.”She’s not only the first Flem-ing to win, she’s also the firstwoman to win the show, nowin its fourth season. The choiceof her over four male finalistswas that of the show’s origi-nator, radio personality GielBeelen, and his jury of experts.“It’s a seriously impressive song,”said jury member JaquelineGovaert. “You have a very natu-ral charisma. You know that allour eyes are on you, yet you sitthere as if you had done this for100 years. That is something tonurture.”“I can hardly believe I’ve won,”Rune said. “Next month I’mperforming at Pinkpop. I thinkI’m going to have to call theband together to get them tocome quick and start rehears-ing.”As well as that Dutch popmusicfestival, the prizes for winningthe competition include festi-val slots at Sziget in Hungary,The Brave in Amsterdam, deBe-schaving in Utrecht, Songbird inRotterdam and Live at Amster-damse Bos. \ Alan Hope

anna rune

The Damse Vaart – that arrow-straight, tree-lined stretch of canalrunning through the little town ofDamme, between Bruges and thecoast – is one of Flanders’ mostpicturesque spots, but many ofyou have probably been wonder-ing if it might not be prettier still ifonly there were some sheep graz-ing on the banks.There used to be, until January thisyear, when the sheep disappearedbecause of a dispute between theprovince of West Flanders and theFlemish government’s waterwaysagency W&Z. The latter no longerhad the time or resources, it said,

to co-operate in managing thegrazing of the banks. At the sametime, it was decided that graz-ing sheep did not really fit in withthe aim of attracting walkers andcyclists to the area.But the loss of the sheep turnedout to be a blow to the whole idyl-lic picture of the area. Local poli-ticians staged a humorous protest,and questions were raised in theprovincial council.ThenW&Z discovered it hadmadean accounting error: lawnmow-ers were less efficient and moreexpensive than they had reckonedas a means of keeping the grass

on the banks of the Vaart undercontrol. The agency was prepared,it announced, to meet half of thecost of bringing the sheep back, toa maximum of €22,500 a year.The province and the agency havenow started the procedures tobring the sheep back. \ AH

the return of the sheepoffside

weeK in briefBaby Q, the elephant calf bornat animal park Planckendaellast month, has died, the parkannounced last week. The baby’smother impeded his efforts tostand in the first hours after thebirth and would not let him feedfrom her. He later developedjaundice, and damage to his liverwas irreversible. As his condi-tion continued to worsen, thepark vet, in consultation withinternational experts and GhentUniversity, took the decision toput him to sleep.

Colleagues of the Delhaizeemployee injured in anacid attack in February havecollected €20,000 to help coverher medical and other costs.Marina Tijssen is recoveringslowly, although one of her skingrafts has become infected.

Workers laying a new gas pipe-line for Fluxys between Alver-ingem in West Flanders andMaldegem, some 75 kilome-tres away in East Flanders, haveso far uncovered more than10,000 First World War muni-tions. The area was the centreof fighting for much of the dura-tion of the war, and Fluxys beganpreparatory digging last Junein expectation of uncoveringbombs, shells and other muni-tions. The pipeline should beready by November.

About 15 masked men forcedtheir way into the offices of thefederal buildings agency in Brus-selsanddamagedascalemodelof a planned new prison in thenorth Brussels neighbourhoodof Haren – the latest in a seriesof protests against the prisonby locals. Earlier, the home ofBrussels region’s minister-pres-ident Rudi Vervoort and that ofa member of the prison projectgroup were spray-painted withanti-prison slogans. A group ofprotesters is currently occupy-ing the site of the prison.

Roadside cameras with auto-matic number plate recogni-

tion are unable to read person-alised licence plates, interiorminister Jan Jambon told parlia-ment last week. The cameras areused to track vehicles for whichthere are no records that tax hasbeenpaid.Theyareprogrammedto recognise standard platesfrom Belgium and some otherEuropean countries but areunable to read the 10,000 or sopersonalised plates currently onthe roads.

The house in which Flem-ish author Jef Geeraerts liveduntil his death on 12 May hasbeen sealed by his children,while lawyers attempt to ascer-tain who owns the house andits contents. According to somefamily members, the house wasin the name of his wife, EleonoreVigenon, who died in 2008;the house was originally theproperty of her first husband.However, writer Erwin Mortierhas claimed that he and his part-ner bought the house severalyears ago and allowed Geeraertsto continue living there.

Retired ticket collectorsrecalled by the rail authorityNMBS to cover for colleagues’holidays will work for a maxi-mum of four months, federalmobility minister JacquelineGalant told the federal parlia-ment’s infrastructure commit-tee. Earlier in the year, NMBSsaid it would take on 360 retiredinspectors for holiday coverage;160 of those vacancies are still tobe filled.

Erik Jacquemyn, the CEO ofthe hands-on science centreTechnopolis in Mechelen,will remain in his post and besubject to an evaluation withinsix months, Flemish innovationminister Philippe Muyters said.Jacquemyn has been the subjectof controversy since an audit ledto Muyters stopping the centre’ssubsidy. Later the staff advisedthe minister in a letter to sackhim as the only way to restoreorder. Muyters’ staff found noevidence of serious fault.

The trial began in Brussels lastweek of 11 people accused ofbeing responsible for the in-celldeath of 26-year-old Jona-than Jacob in Mortsel in 2010.Jacob was brought to a psychi-atric hospital in Boechout in aseverely agitated state and wasdenied admission. He was thentaken to a police cell in Mortsel,where adoctorwas called to givehim a sedative, accompanied bymembers of a special interven-tion squad who violently wres-tled Jacob to the floor, kneelingon him. He died soon after. Theeight officers are charged withmanslaughter and could face 10years. The local police commis-sioner, as well as the directorand psychiatrist of the psychi-atric centre, are also facingcharges.

A moth normally found only inAfrica and southern Europe andconsidered extremely danger-ous to corn and other cropshas been spotted in Flandersfor the first time ever, Natuur-punt reported last week. TheSesamia nonagrioides, knownin English as the Mediterraneancorn borer or West African pinkborer, was seen by a volunteerin Nieuwrode, Flemish Brabant.The moth bores into corn stalksto lay eggs, and the emerginglarvae then eat the plant fromthe inside out. The moth wouldbe unable to survive the Belgianwinter. How it came to be inFlanders is not clear.

The Ultime Hallucinatie,the Art Nouveau cafe onKoningsstraat in Brussels, islooking for a new owner, asthe current one announcedhe could no longer combinerunning the bar-restaurant withhis responsibilities as aldermanfor youth and sport in Schaar-beek. Sait Köse bought thecafé in 2012 after it was threat-ened with closure and has beenrunning it since. The price of therental contract is €900,000, plusa monthly rent of €10,000.

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Flanders’ minister-president, Geert Bourgeois, spoke tomembers of the British Chamber of Commerce in Belgium lastweek about how the region’s new government programme willmake Flanders more appealing to businesses.Bourgeois noted three major elements of the programme:simplification of procedures; a five-year, €500 million inno-vation plan; and stimulation of research and development.The government is particularly focused on supporting theLeuven nanotechnology research centre Imec, the life sciencesresearch institute VIB and the digital research centre iMinds,both inGhent, and the Flemish Institute for Technical ResearchVito, based in Mol.The minister also praised the efforts of the federal governmentin seeking to reduce the tax burden on labour.Asked about his administration’s position on TTIP, the contro-versial Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership undernegotiation between Europe and the US, he said that he fullysupported the initiative, noting that “Flanders is a very openeconomy and a trans-Atlantic agreement can only help Flemishbusinesses find new opportunities worldwide. It is an opportu-nity for Europe and the US, representing 60% of world trade, toset standards for the world”.UK ambassador Alison Rose, also present, noted that Flanderswas the UK’s fourth largest trading partner in Europe.\ John Stuyk

The Flemish Community Commis-sion (VGC), which looks after Flemishaffairs in the Brussels-Capital Region, isincreasingthenumberoforganisedplay-grounds this summer from eight to 18 tocope with the overwhelming demand,commission chair Guy Vanhengel hasannounced.The playgrounds are a form of organ-ised daycare for children during schoolholidays, mainly those of pre-schooland primary school age in the Dutch-speaking school sector. In recent years,the number had been declining, withschools less likely to allow the use oftheir facilities for fear of damages,explained Vanhengel.With the most recent elections, respon-sibility for the playgrounds moved fromthe department for youth to the educa-tion department, and Vanhengel saidhe used the occasion to strengthen thebond with schools.From now on, the schools will organisethe playground care, with one of theirown teachers in charge.Theyarepermit-

ted to offer priority to their own pupils.At the same time, more attention will bepaid to the use of Dutch as a commonlanguage during playground activities,just as it is during normal school activ-ities.As a result of the new rules, the numberof available sites has increased froma low point of eight last year to 18 thissummer, spread across 11 communes inthe capital. At the peak of activity, theplaygrounds will be looking after 1,060children, compared to 560 last year.Priority reservations are already in;booking is now open to everyone. \ AH

All of Flanders’ political parties, with the excep-tion of VlaamsBelang, have approved apackage ofmeasures aimed at tackling radicalisation in theregion. The 55 measures, developed by a specialcommittee, include an increase in the number ofrecognised mosques, a 24-hour advice line, thecreation of a positive framework forMuslim youthand local intervention teams.The government warned that additional fundingwould be necessary to implement the full packageof measures but has not gone into details. Inte-gration minister Liesbeth Homans has alreadyapproved half a million euros for projects, but,according tocommitteememberElisabethMeule-man of Groen, “we’ll need at least 10 times that. Acity like Vilvoorde alone needs €2.2 million”.In relatednews,AntwerpmayorBartDeWeverhaswarned of the rise of new organisations created tofill the gap left by Sharia4Belgium, which found

manymembers jailed recently in the city’s biggestterrorism trial.“We are seeing other organisations in Antwerpthat use the same methods,” De Wever said,

“that also hand out flyers in public and that tryto recruit followers of an extremist radical Islam,just as Sharia4Belgium did.”Antwerp police are currently investigating a groupcalled Way of Life. “In recent weeks, we havenoticed new initiatives to spread propagandaunder the guise of religious instruction,” policespokesperson Veerle De Vries told VTM news.“We have learned the lessons of the past and arefollowing the case closely, together with variouspartners, to ensure things do not escalate.”Meanwhile in Antwerp, seven young women whowere members of Sharia4Belgium were foundguilty of belonging to a terrorist group. Four ofthem were absent from the trial, having gone toSyria; they were each sentenced to five years inprison in absentia. Three others present in courtreceived lighter sentences. \ AH

Bourgeois presents businessstimulation plan to BritCham

VGC ups summertime playgroundsto cope with demand

Flemish parties pass measures to combat radicalisation

\ POlITICs

Big in JapanBefore the2014elections, someobservers foresaw months ofbickering about institutionaland language issues. Surely,with the nationalist N-VAdestined for the biggest elec-toral victory in recent times,an institutional big bangwould follow?There was no big bang, but aFrench speaker became primeminister: the amiable CharlesMichel (MR). N-VA, delightedto find Michel on the samewavelength, promised to dropits demands for a new statereform. Social and economicissues would be the focusof the new federal govern-ment, rather than discussionsabout which governmentlevel should be responsible forwhat. And so they have.N-VA’s clear dominance andits president Bart De Wever’sauthority have stood in theway of any internal dissent sofar. The institutional is gonefrom the political debate.Last week, Liesbeth Homans(N-VA), vice-minister-presi-dent in the Flemish govern-ment, lashed out at the federalgovernment for the economicmission to Japan by Micheland vice-prime minister KrisPeeters (CD&V).The trip was quite a jolly affair,with Michel and Peeters serv-ing fries and playing a gameof football with a Japaneserobot. The prime minister andPeeters were in good spirits,and there was no sign of thesquabbling that has beset thefederal government in recentmonths.The icing on the cake was tobe the announcement of theJapanese investment in Zwijn-drecht, the Antwerp harbourarea, worth €350 million. Itwasn’t Michel and Peeterswho broke the news, though,as Flemish minister-presidentGeert Bourgeois (N-VA) beatthem to it.A minor incident, but it isbased on Homans’ boneof contention: Michel andPeeters were out of line, shesaid, as the regions are solelyresponsible for foreign tradeand investment, and Flanders’representatives in Japan werenot involved in thepreparationof the mission. In a letter toMichel, Bourgeois, too, calledthe mission “harmful for Flan-ders and not to be repeated”.“Bonkers,” Michel reacted tothe criticism. Peeters alsorefuted the accusations.Homans is not the first to crit-icise foreign missions for analleged “breach of compe-tences,” though. In the previ-ous term, federal foreignaffairsminister Didier Reynders(MR) was roasted for the samereasons. The one pointing thefinger then? The then minis-ter-president Kris Peeters.\ Anja Otte

5th ColuMn Muyters reveals project to put6,000 youngsters to workindividualised employment plans feature training and work placements

Flemish labour minister Philippe Muytershas announced 17 new projects designedto propel young people with no academic

qualifications into work.The latest round of Wij!projects should provide 6,242 young people withemployment.The Wij! (We!) system (which stands for Werkin-leving voor Jongeren, or work immersion foryoung people) involves the creation of a tailor-madeemploymentplan.Overayearto18months,the system offers formal training, short periodsof working with businesses and other measuresdesigned to increase the young person’s skills.Muyters’ labour department is funding 60% ofthe €10.8 million total cost. The European SocialFund has contributed €2.9 million.

The new round is aimed at more than 6,000young people, twice as many as were coveredin the previous round. “The previous roundwas limited to the 13 central towns and cities,

but this time we’re broadening out to cover allof Flanders,” Muyters explained. “It’s not logicalto leave a successful instrument like this withblind spots. Every young person has the right tosupport.”Muyters’ other portfolio, sport, is also includedas an aspect of the Wij! project. “Sport is morethan just movement,” he said. “Sport teachesyou things that come in handy in a job. You learnabout winning and losing, you learn discipline,arriving on time and leaving with permission.You learn about co-operation, looking at thelonger term and so much more. I’m convincedthat through sport, young people can pickup skills that make them stronger on the jobmarket.”

alan hopemore articles by alan \ flanderstoday.eu

© Ingimage

© nicolas maeterlinck/BelGa

From left: elisabeth meuleman (Groen), ward kennes (CD&V),nadia sminate (n-Va) and Caroline Gennez (sP.a) introduce thepackage of measures in the Flemish parliament

© Courtesy VGC

may 27, 2015

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Let’s Zeppelinart, technology and the science of flight all explored in community project

continued from page 1

ing multi-coloured zeppelins.Lien Rondu teaches the fifth and sixth yearat De Oogappel. “Let’s Zeppelin is actuallya project launched by the socio-artisticgroup De Vieze Gasten. Our school joinedin,” she explains. “The creative side of theproject – the costumes, the percussion,the zeppelins, basically everything you seehere today – we have worked on with allages mixed together, an approach that weconsider very important in our school.”Rondu’s students worked on a project onthe First World War last year, in honourof the centenary, but, she says, they tookeverything a little bit further this time. “Wefocused on everything that has to do withflying and the technology behind it,” sheexplains. “We made propellers and para-chutes, and tested them as a technologylesson.This kind of project gives classes theopportunity to put their own stamp on it.”

Coming togetherI’m at the Let’s Zeppelin parade, the offi-cial start of the three-week project. Underthe curious looks of passers-by, the paradewinds its way through the streets of BrugsePoort. The march is fronted by a groupcarrying a banner with the slogan “Let’sZeppelin”. Then the airship itself snakesthrough, fashioned out of willow branchesand covered with colourful ribbons,followed by a percussionist group.A couple of teachers make a valiant effortto get the children to sing the songs theylearned in class, with, let’s say, mixedresults. Once at Pierkespark, located rightin front of De Vieze Gasten theatre, the chil-dren are welcomed by other students and agroup of parents.The airship isn’t the only flying structure atthe park. Overhead, three other airships arefloating in the skies, including onemade bya thrift shop. As the children start singing,their airship is parkednext to its colleagues.Rudy De Niel, a fourth-grade teacher at DeOogappel, is the choirmaster for the hour.Dressed in a colourful outfit, he conductsthe band. Every now and then, you can hearLed Zeppelin tunes between the children’ssongs.It’s not the first time his school has collab-orated with De Vieze Gasten. “We oftenchoose to work on projects, although thisapproach asks a lot from us teachers,” hesays. “Our intentionwas to create a compre-hensive project that could be used in all thesubjects we teach.”Before the Easter holidays, he continues,“we worked on the topic of the First WorldWar with our students. The children wrotetexts and poems on war and peace. But wealso focused on art and technology, andflying itself.”The teachers organised creative workshopswith the aim of breaking down age barri-ers between the different classes. “You cansee the results all around you,” De Niel says.“Also, we made the big zeppelin, albeit withsome outside help.”De Niel mostly worked on the music forthe parade these last few weeks, and heexplains that, though the school had a brassband, it didn’t rehearse often. “This paradewas the ideal opportunity to breathe lifeback into our music group. We wrote thesongs together, especially for today. A veryinspiring project, and a lot of fun – just ask

the kids.”Suza, Jan and Sabine, in their sixth andfinal year at De Oogappel, do indeed allagreewith DeNiel. “One hundred years ago,there was a zeppelin that crashed here,” oneof them tells me.“We commemorate this event today,”another adds. “Our outfits have a sinisterlook because it was war at that time.”“But it was not all war and conflict,” thethird interjects. “In our class we worked on

flying more.”The teens point out that they also visitedan Antwerp exhibition about Flemishartist Panamarenko, famous for his airshipconstructions. “That was very nice; welearned a lot,” one of them explains. “Inaddition to the costumes and everything,we also created a blog about the project.”The Let’s Zeppelin project has its roots inthe night of 7 June, 1915, in the skies aboveBrugse Poort. It all began when a Britishpilot spotted three German zeppelins ona return flight from a mission in Englandto Gontrode, a small village just outsideGhent, which had an airport at the time.

British planes pursued the zeppelin aboveGhent, bombed it above the Bruges Poortarea and watched it crash in the nearbySint-Amandsberg district.The zeppelin was shot down by ReginaldWarneford, a famous British pilot. It wasthe first zeppelin to be shot down duringthe war, but, unfortunately, Warnefordwasn’t able to enjoy his victory very long.Barely 10 days later, he died in aplane crash.As a tribute, a street in Ghent was laternamed after him, while the German crewthat manned the zeppelin were buried inthe city’s Western Cemetery.Still, the story of the Ghent zeppelin wasjust a stepping stone to build their projectaround, explains Mark Jeanty of De ViezeGasten. “The actual historical facts are lessimportant to us. Rather, we seek to under-stand what war and conflict mean to thisneighbourhood. How is this dealt with? Wehave been looking at both large and smallconflicts in the world.”The Let’s Zeppelin programme includes aplay based on diaries from the First WorldWar, but also a fair featuring local artistswith Iraqi and Syrian roots. But smaller,neighbourhood conflicts such as night-time noise are also addressed.De Vieze Gasten looked for relics of thewar in the area, but they found few histor-ical leftovers, aside from the zeppelin tale.“But this story had an immediate appeal tothe imagination, so we used the airship asa form for our project,” Jeanty says, addingthat various groups and schools made bigand small zeppelins, while others wrotestories and plays. “Everyone was invited

to participate, which led to a very diverseresult.”De Vieze Gasten has previously stagedneighbourhood projects like Let’s Zeppelin.The group is, in fact, known for its partic-ipative projects. “We have a lot of experi-ence in how to involve individuals,” notesJeanty. “This time, it was more of a thingfor groups to work on, which is logical ifyou see how much work was put into theairships.”Jeanty says their closing event will alsobe one to look forward to. “On 6 June, weconclude with an artists’ market. And yes,there will be a Led Zeppelin cover band.”

\ COVeR sTORy

dEviEzEgastEn.org

In and around Pierkespark, Ghentuntil 6 june

This story hadan immediateappeal to theimagination

© sammy Van Cauteren

The Ghent project encourages Bruges Poort residents to consider all manner of conflict through theatre, music and art

© Gsl-commonswiki

an illustration recreating the dramatic explosion of thezeppelin over Ghent

\ 6

Unions at Alken-Maes, Belgium’ssecond-largest brewery, havecomplained of a “reign of terror”being waged by management innegotiations over working condi-tions and threatened possibleindustrial action. Management,meanwhile, denied the charge andsaid they were open to “construc-tive dialogue”.According to the union LBC-NVK,management is demanding a greatdeal of flexibility from employ-ees, in light of the current troublesof the beer market. Alken-Maes,which is ownedbyHeineken, is stilllargely dependent on pils (MaesPils and Cristal), a sector of thebeer market in decline in Belgium,as consumers turn more towardsspeciality beers, while reducingtheir consumption overall.A spokesperson said the companyhad abandoned talks and was nowattempting to intimidate workersinto accepting its terms, includ-

ing the loss of nine vacation daysa year. “Making employees afraid,putting them under pressureand approaching them one byone – these are things we cannotaccept,” said the union spokesper-son. “Social negotiations have tobe respected; otherwise a consen-sus can never be reached.”Union representatives will meet inthe coming days to consider thecompany’s position. “Industrialaction can certainly not be ruledout,” the spokesperson said.The company confirmed thattalks were under way to bring theworking conditions of some 40employees at the Alken breweryin Limburg into line with employ-ees in the rest of the group. Thatwould involve cutting the work-ing week by half an hour withoutloss of pay, but also scrapping ninedays fromvacation and compensa-tion days. \ AH

Bpost, the majority state-ownedBelgian postal service, is the onlycandidate to apply to run thenational distribution of newspa-pers and magazines, the post andtelecommunications regulatorBIPT has announced.BIPT compiled a short list of threecandidates in February and invitedthem to submit bids. Two of them,logistics and marketing companyBD Group and AMP, which deliv-ers newspapers to retail outlets,declined to submit a bid.BD Group said they were unableto concentrate on the “thoroughpreparation and implementa-tion of this dossier”. AMP, whichannounced only shortly before thedeadline that it would not bid, said

it was unable to “put our currentactivities in the deep-freeze towork on the newspaper contract”.Thecompanywill instead continueworking on its strategic plan todiversify its activities, includingthe pick-up/drop-off service Kari-boo.Bpost operates the current system,which is worth €270 million a yearto deliver newspapers and maga-zines by 7.30 every morning. Thenew contract was ordered by theEU Commission now that Bpost ispartly privatised and runs for fiveyears from1 January, 2016. Accord-ing to Bpost, 3,000 jobs dependon the company retaining thecontract. \ AH

The €19.7 million paid by thefederal government to BrusselsAirlines, Jetairfly (now known asTUI Airlines) and Thomas Cookdoesnotconstitute illegal stateaid,the commercial court in Brusselshas ruled, rejecting a complaintbrought by Ryanair.The subsidy was intended, accord-ing to the government, to compen-sate the three airlines for the costof using Brussels Airport and wasrestricted to those airlines estab-lished in Belgium, carrying morethan 400,000 passengers a yearand paying social security here.Ryanair now also operates out ofZaventem, but is incorporated inIreland; it pays social security atthe lower Irish rate.

Under the arrangement, thethree airlines are exempted frompaying Brussels Airport’s secu-rity tax. Ryanair complained thatthe subsidy constituted a stateaid to industry, which is illegalunder EU rules (except under verystrict conditions). Ryanair also hasan action under way before theCouncil of State and an investiga-tion pending with the EuropeanCommission.In a statement issued after thedecision, the company said theBrussels court’s ruling would haveno effect on the European inves-tigation. If the EU should find thestate aid to be illegal, Ryanair willtake steps to obtain damages, itsaid. \ AH

Alken-Maes unions threatenstrikes in face of intimidation

Bpost sole candidate fornewspaper delivery contract

Ryanair loses battle againstBrussels Airlines state aid

\ BUsIness

automation egeminTheAntwerp-basedcompany,owned by the local AVHholding group, has sold itshandling automation activ-ities to the German KionGroup for €72 million.

BankingnagelmaekersThe Dutch Delta Lloyd bank-ing and insurance group,acquired by the ChineseAnbang financial servicesgroup last year, has plans torevive the localNagelmaekersprivate and investment bank.The name had been droppedin 2005 by Delta Lloyd.

Biotech GalapagosThe Mechelen-based bio-tech group raised $317 (€285)million of new funds lastweek through its listing onthe Nasdaq in New York.

mining nyrstarThe Brussels-based non-ferrous metals group hassigned an option to sell itsCoricancha mine in Peru tothe Canadian Great PantherSilver company.

Plastics solvayThe Brussels chemicalcompany is building thefirst all-plastic car engine.The firm’s speciality poly-mers division expects to havethe engine ready by 2016 toequip a car to run the LimeRock Park race in the US. Theengine is expected to be upto 40% lighter than currentequipment.

scrap aImThe Canadian AmericanIron and Metal company isbuilding its first scrap metalrecycling unit in Europein Ostend. The companyhas acquired some 32,000square metres of land in thecity’s inner port area with anoption for a further 30,000and is investing €12 millionin the project.

supermarketsDelhaizeThe country’s second largestsupermarket, in talks withthe Dutch Albert Heijn overa possible merger, plans toinvest €800 million over thenext three years to renovateits stores.

Transport FlixbusThe German coach companyhas launched long-haulconnections from Brusselsand Antwerp to Paris andAmsterdam for as little as€8 one way. The companyexpects to make Brusselsa hub for its operations,connecting with up to 10other destinations by the endof June.

weeK inbusiness Lorry road fees announced

tariffs for trucks hauling goods on flemish roads to start next year

The truck driving industry has warnedof “negative economic consequences”arising from the introduction of a road

toll. Flemish mobility minister Ben Weytsannounced the tariffs to begin in April 2016.Every truck using Flanders’ roads will pay atoll of between €0.07 and €0.20 per kilome-tre, depending on the type, weight and emis-sions level of the vehicle. The heaviest and mostpolluting trucks, for instance, would pay €8 fora journey from Brussels to Antwerp. A lighter,more environmentally friendly truck would pay€2.96 for the same trip.“Thewhole world rides over Flemish roads, but,until now, only the Flemish paid,” said Weyts.“That’s about to change.”The income from the toll, he said, would be anestimated €310million a year. “Themeasurewill

encourage the greening of our haulage industry,and the income will allow us to invest more inour roads network.”Three organisations representing the local haul-agesector(Febetra,Transport&LogistiekVlaan-deren and UPTR) welcomed the announcement

of compensation for industry but said theywould not be sufficient to balance the damagecaused by the toll.As compensation for the toll, weight certifi-cates are no longer required, while road tax isreduced to the lowest level permitted by theEU – and removed altogether for the smallestlorries. Transport companies will be able todeduct the toll for company and even personaltax purposes. And the government is adding€100 million to its budget for road infrastruc-ture, an increase of 30%.Weyts also responded to a long-standingcomplaint by removing the exemption on roadtolls for tractors that are not exclusively used foragricultural purposes. According to the indus-try, tractors are steadily taking over haulagework because of a variety of exemptions.

alan hopemore articles by alan \ flanderstoday.eu

Brussels was the third-richestregion in the European Union in2013, with a GDP 207% higher thanthe average for the 28 memberstates. London came top of the list,with GDP 325% higher, followed byLuxembourg at 258%.In a footnote to the results, Euro-stat – the EU’s statistical service– points out that some regions’figures are strongly affectedby commuting patterns, withcommuters helping to push theresults to a level that the resi-dents of the region alone would beunable to reach.This is the case with Brussels,which attracts large numbersof people daily from both Flan-ders and Wallonia. The oppositeeffect is felt in the regions wherecommuters live but do not work.Brussels is followed in the rank-ings by Hamburg in Germany andGroningen in the Netherlands.Thepoorest region is the French over-

seas department of Mayotte, anisland between the African conti-nent and Madagascar, where theGDP per capita is only 27% of theEuropean average. The other 19of the 20 poorest regions are all inBulgaria, Romania, Hungary andPoland.Belgium as a whole scores 119%on the scale. Antwerp is the lead-ing province on 140%, followedby Flemish Brabant (126%), WestFlanders (114%) and East Flanders(109%). Limburg is Flanders’ onlyprovince below the EU average, on99%. \ AH

Brussels is third-richest regionin European Union

© Courtesy Visit Brussels

© Ingimage

may 27, 2015

\ 7

In Flanders, most people areused to seeing small childrenspeeding around on balance

bikes, but that doesn’t seem to bethe case elsewhere in the world.That’s changing, though, thanksin part to Antwerp companyChillafish.

Balancebikes–bikes forkidswith-out pedals or trainingwheels – arepopular for children aged betweenone and three who are too small toride a real bike but too ambitiousto just walk alongside

mum ordad. In

Chillafish terminology, they’reknown as Bunzis.Kaat Schellen is in charge ofsocial media and marketing forthe young, innovative company.“Chillafish was established in2011, and we launched our firstproducts mid-2012,” she explains.“Since then, things have gonereally fast for us. We’re now availa-ble in more than 45 countries.”She believes the secret of theirsuccess lies in their values.“Chillafish is about what we callour ‘HAPI’ values,” she says. “Itstands for Happiness: It has to befun. Affordable: It has to be acces-sible for a large audience. Pure:Weleave out all the frills and focusonly on what matters. And inno-vation, in all its forms.”The balance bike is well integratedin Flanders, she says. “People herehave known it for some years now,and many parents are convincedof the advantages it offers when itcomes to teaching small childrento ride a bike.”But that’s not the case in countriessuch as the US or Japan. “They’restill getting used to the idea thatit’s better to learn to ride on abalance bike than on a normalbike with training wheels. Thebalance bike helps smallchildren develop theirbalancing skills

from a very young age.”For the smallest toddlers,Chillafish has the Quadie, a littlefour-wheeler. But once they getpast the age of one, many want tobe challenged just a little more, sofor them the company developedthe Bunzi, which is suitable forkids up to three.The innovative part about theBunzi is that it’s adjustable: It canbeused as a tricycle or as a balancebike, depending on the child’sdevelopment. A quick adjustmentof the bike means parents don’thave to buy two models insuch a short space of time.At the same time, the childis being encouraged todevelop further.“The Bunzi perfectly repre-sents our values: It’s afforda-ble, innovative and fun all atonce,” says Schellen.Chillafish is now work-ing on breaking intoJapan througha partnershipwith toy retailerToys’R’Us. “Fromthe very begin-ning, we wantedto work with them,”says Schellen. “They’re

a big retailer in theUS as well asin Japan,

and those are two markets wherethe balance bike hasn’t been prop-erly introduced yet. When weasked them to be our partner, theyimmediately agreed.”Their Artist of Tomorrow compe-tition for children in Japan will seeone young artist’s design appliedto the frame of the Bunzi, whiletheir limited-edition FabulouslyArtistic Designs bikes in Flanderswill feature the work of local illus-trators, like Tim Van den Broeckand Musketon.

Striking a balanceantwerp company chillafish’ balance bike concept embraced abroad

stefaan Vaes winsBelgian nobel prizeMathematician Stefaan Vaesof theUniversityofLeuven(KULeuven) has won the FrancquiPrize, known as the BelgianNobel prize. The 39-year-oldwas rewarded for his researchon the Von Neumann alge-bras, mathematical struc-tures that originated fromquantum mechanics. Accord-ing to the jury, which includedtwo Nobel prize winners, Vaeshas improved on all existingtechniques in his researcharea and inspired a genera-tion of youngmathematiciansacross theworld.The jury alsopraised him formakingmathsmore popular and givingyoungsters a better insightinto its applications, such asthe search algorithms behindGoogle.

Talking forestteaches kids aboutenvironmentIn Melle, near Ghent, a “talk-ing forest” has opened in theAelmoeseneie woodlandsarea. Using digital appli-cations, the forest teachesstudents about the role oftrees as regulators of the envi-ronment. Several trees havebeen equipped with sensorsthat take measurementsincluding the daily shrinkingand swelling of the trunk andthe development of the treesduring the growing season.Another sensor measures theupward stream of moisture ina tree. Students from primaryand secondary schools arebeing invited to the forest to“listen” to the trees.The forestis open to the public, and themeasurements can also befollowed online.

\ aelmoeseneiebos.ugent.be

Insecticides found inFlemish waterwaysNeonicotinoids, the collectiveterm for insecticides utilis-ing nicotine substances andknown to destroy bee popula-tions, have been found in 90%of waterways recently testedin Flanders, according to theFlemish Environment Agency.Neonicotinoids are controver-sial because they cause massbee deaths and also threatenbirds, fish and mammals.Several scientists and natureassociations are demandinga total ban on the substancesin Europe. Three insecticideswere found in, respectively,90%, 44% and 26% of thewaters measured. Even earlyin the year,when theuse of theproducts is prohibited, therewas an excessive concentra-tion of two of the three. Oneof the most polluted is theZouw stream near Riemst inLimburg. \ Andy Furniere

weeK ininnovation

\ InnOVaTIOn

What will your company doexactly?Theaimof the spin-off is to supportthe bicycle development of smalland large scale manufacturers inBelgium and other countries inEurope. We will be an independ-ent test and knowledge centre forbicycle development, testing andresearch. We will not design ormanufacture bicycles, but we aimto co-operate with other partiesworking in these areas.

Can racing bikes still beimproved at this point?Since the beginning of the 20thcentury, bicycles have evolvedfrom a simple means of transpor-tation to a high-end sports applica-tion.That’s the result ofmany years

of trial and error, combined with aradical technological evolution inmaterial selection, production andassembling techniques. That’s howbicycles for sports applicationsbecame subdivided into differentcategories – race, mountain bike,time trial, etc.Recent evolutions in bicycle devel-

opment focus on each disciplineseparately, as each one has its ownrequirements in terms of stabil-ity, comfort, sturdiness and aero-dynamics. Our work starts here,by carefully studying and tryingto improve these separate bicycleproperties, and fulfil the needs ofthe cyclist in the process.

What aspects are you focusingon?Besides aerodynamics research,which is most relevant for timetrial applications, the performanceof the bicycle is determined by thestatic and dynamic properties ofits components. For example, byusing carbon composite materialsto build bicycle frames and frontforks, bicycles have become lighterand stronger. This is of great inter-est to professional – and these daysalso amateur – cyclists because itreduces the effort they need to

make for forward propulsion.But it’s not justweight thatmatters;the frame should also be durable,comfortable to ride and impactresistant. This is all provided byour “experimental test platform”,where test setups and evaluationtechniques are implemented.

What exactly is this experimen-tal test platform?The test platform supports bicy-cle manufacturers at several stagesin the value chain, from productprototyping to the end user. Forexample, mechanical tests on bicy-cle frames or front forks determinethe strength, the impact resist-ance and the durability.These testscan be implemented in the designphase to let the designer determinewhether the frame or front forkproperties meet the design specifi-cations. \ Interview by Senne Starckx

Q&a

chillafish.com

University of Ghent engineer Joachim Vanwalleghem is the brainsbehind a new spin-off that aims to push bike development in Flandersforward with scientific expertise.

débora votquennemore articles by Débora \ flanderstoday.eu

The balancebike helpschildren developtheir balancingskills from avery young age

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Your dailY news

may 27, 2015

\ 9

Looking eastflanders’ education minister strengthens ties with german-speakers

VUB awardshonorary doctorateto Patrick stewartBritish actor Sir Patrick Stew-art will receive an honor-ary doctorate from theFree University of Brussels(VUB) this month. Stew-art is famous for his role asCaptain Jean-Luc Picard inthe science fiction seriesStar Trek: The Next Genera-tion and was recommendedby the faculty of engineer-ing sciences and the consult-ing body of the exact sciencesdepartment. They said thatthe series, and especiallyStewart, had provided inspi-ration to future engineers,scientists and researchers.Star Trek had an immenseimpact on youngsters world-wide, they said, in terms ofstudying science, technology,engineering and maths.

Benelux approvesrecognition of degreesAn agreement signed lastweek by Flemish educa-tion minister Hilde Crevitsand her counterparts in therest of the Benelux meansthat qualifications endowedby Bachelor’s and Master’sdegrees in Belgium, the Neth-erlands and Luxembourgwill now be automaticallyrecognised in all three coun-tries. The agreement putsan end to complicated andtime-consuming recognitionprocedures, which took up tofour months and cost €200.It is a first in the EU, whichaspires to become a singlehigher education region.The ministers who signedthe agreement emphasisedthat trust, based on commonquality standards, should bethe basis for further progresson the issue.

Flemish students canstudy in GermanNearly 1,500 pupils in 18Flemish schools can followa number of subjects inFrench, English and GermanfromSeptember. Content andLanguage Integrated Learn-ing (CLIL) aims to improvethe pupils’ language skillsby teaching subjects such asmathematics, economics orbiology in another language.CLIL courses have the sameeducational targets as ifthe subjects were taught inDutch. At the beginning ofthe 2014-15 academic year,24 schools started teachingsubjects in French or English.This year German is beingadded to the mix. “Stronglanguage skills and knowl-edge are an asset on thelabour market,” said educa-tion minister Hilde Crevits.

weeK ineduCation

\ eDUCaTIOn

The German-speakingCommunity in Belgiummight just have the right

tools to solve the problem ofyouth unemployment in Flanders.That’s what Flemish educationminister Hilde Crevits is hopingfor as she seeks to strengthen theeducational co-operation betweenthe two communities.At a recent meeting with herGerman Community counterpart,Harald Möllers, Crevits outlineda plan that would improve theexchange of information betweenthe two cabinets and facilitatereforms to secondary educa-tion over the next two years. Theco-operation builds on an agree-ment from 2001 that focuses onpolicy harmonisation and recogni-tion of foreign diplomas and certif-icates.Now the minister plans to take acloser look at the German-speak-ing community’s Learn and Workprogramme, which combinescourses with work experience.“Ninety percent of young peoplewho take part in this initiative findjobs within six weeks of complet-ing the programme,” she says.“That’s something we can drawinspiration from.”

Based on the German model ofdual learning, students receivetechnical training at local compa-nies that counts as an integral partof their curriculum. Close to 1,000German-speakingBelgian studentsand more than 300 companies areinvolved.“I would like to find out what kindofpractical skills andqualificationsthe programme gives young peopleto prepare them for entry into thelabour market,” Crevits says.As part of the Learn and Workprogramme, the German-speak-ing community also organises anorientation week to help studentschoose a technical profession

that feels right for them. Aroundthe Easter holidays, pupils visitprospective employers and learnabout different positions and theresponsibilities they entail.“It’s an interesting concept,” saysCrevits. “There’s even a Girls Day,focusing on opportunities forfemale students.”A similar initiative already exists inFlanders but has not proven verypopular with students. Last year,Flanders Today reported that thenumber of Flemish pupils involvedin the Learn andWork programmehad dropped to about 3,000 from7,000 a decade ago.Crevits says the co-operation

agreement will help her drawlessons from the more successfulexperience of the German-speak-ing community.She will now visit the GermanCommunity with work ministerPhilippe Muyters to see what theprogramme looks like in practice.Their primary focuswill be on find-ing out what criteria companiesmust meet to participate. Accord-ing to Crevits, this is the first stepin making the Learn and Workprogramme into a system withactual benefits for students.The co-operation will also seek toprovide aspiring German-speakingteachers with internship opportu-nities in Flanders. Möllers says hisadministration wants to establishcommon school evaluations andwill closely observe the upcomingreforms to secondary educationin Flanders to see if they would beappropriate for his Community.Bothministers say they are pleasedto continue working together. “It isin our joint interest to ensure thatyoung people have easier accessto higher education and betteremployment opportunities in thefuture,” Crevits says. “The renewedco-operation moves us further inthat direction.”

Is Antwerp different from otherFlemish cities?Practical factors were mentioneda lot by respondents. Issues suchas a lack of parking, poor publictransport links and a lack ofquiet, pollution-free green spaceswhere teachers can take theirclasses were major concerns. Butthe major tipping point was themulticultural make-up of Antwerpclasses.

Why are multicultural classes sodifficult?Many of Antwerp’s teachers comefrom smaller towns where the

population is more homogenous.So they start with a low level offamiliarity with other cultures.Compounding this is the fact thatmost teacher-training coursesonly deal with other cultures in acursory way.

Is the situation improving?Since the CAR system was imple-mented in 2011, things havebecome worse. Under this system,schools have less control over thestudents they admit. As a result,some schools have gone fromhaving almost no students fromother cultures to classes where

more than 50% of students have anon-Flemish cultural background.This has put enormous pressure onteachers.

Is there a need for teachers fromother cultures?Definitely! These teachers have abetter understanding of the diffi-culties students face at home andcan act as a vital link between theschool and these communities.Multicultural issues need to be

addressed throughout the entireteacher-training programme andnot dealt with as an isolated topic.For practising teachers, thereneeds to be more support fromexperienced colleagues. Unfortu-nately, economic cutbacks havestopped funding for formalmentorprojects. However, I’m pleased tosee that in many schools this iscontinuing on an informal basis.

What advice would you give toteachers struggling with thisissue?Follow me for a week in my class!When you have respect for thesestudents, they respect you. Givethem confidence that they canachieve, and in return they willwork hard and show results.\ Interview by Dan Smith

School teacher Steven De Clercq recently completed his Master’sthesis on why teachers leave Antwerp-based positions. One of hissurprising findings was that multicultural classes are often thebreaking point

Q&a

© Ingimage

Mireille Van Craenenbroeck, direc-tor of the Sint-Ursula lyceum inLier, Antwerp province, haswon theannual Teacher of the Year awardorganised by multimedia educationplatform Klasse.This year’s electionput school directors in the spot-light.Van Craenenbroeck (pictured)was chosen from 900 nominationsand was described as “a motiva-tor, intelligent communicator anda leader with vision”. She has been

director of the lyceum since 2006,having previously taught chemistrythere. She is also a former pupil ofthe school.“Mireilleseesthecompletepictureofthe school organisation and focuseson shared leadership,” accordingto her nomination dossier. “Thewhole team receives responsibili-ties, according to their own talents.”The nomination also describes howshe got students involved in brain-storming around the school’s poli-

cies and her attention to teachers’and students’ welfare.“My task is to make teachers andstudents enthusiastic about newprojects,” Van Craenenbroeck said.“It’s really nice then if you havepeople who put their shouldersunder such projects. All that has tobe done then is to support that andapplaud it.”“Today, we don’t just put the spot-light on one director, but on alldirectors,” said Flemish education

minister Hilde Crevits. “I see a lot ofpassion, commitment and sincereconcern about their schools, teamsand students. They are the drivingforce behind a good school.”\ Andy Furniere

School director from Lier is Klasse’s Teacher of the Year

© Courtesy klasse

Bartosz Brzezinskimore articles by Bartosz \ flanderstoday.eu

© serge Heinen

From left: Hilde Crevits, Flemish minister-president Geert Bourgeois, German Community minister-president Oliver Paasch and Harald möllers

\ 10

\ lIVInG

The ascent of mankindnew Brussels museum collection brings together all human life

“All living thingscontinuously transformand evolve. As does

humankind,” proclaims a texton the wall of the Museum forNatural Sciences in Brussels. It’sone of the fundamental tenetsof science, and the basis of allbiology. You wouldn’t think itcould be controversial in this thirdmillennium, but it has turned outto be.The statement can be read in thenew Gallery of Humankind, whichhas made its home in the lowerfloor of the museum, next to thehall used for temporary exhibi-tions for children. The Gallerylooks at the evolutionof the ances-tors of Man, from Sahelanthropustchadensis about 6.8 million yearsago to the appearance on thescene, in Ethiopia, of Homo sapi-ens about 200,000 years ago.The exhibit does not go intogreat detail about anything thathappened before Homo habi-lis, such as tracing our evolu-tion back to a common ancestorwith the primates. All the ances-tors on show here are recognis-ably humanoid, their likenessesformed of a build-up of thinwooden plates.Yet Brussels Airlines refused anyadvertising for the Gallery in itsin-flightmagazine, on the groundsthat it might offend those whosereligious beliefs reject evolution.The airline also refused the ad,it said, because it showed somenakedness.This doesn’t seem to be stoppingparents, fortunately, from takingtheir children to see the newGallery, and the kids are happilyrunning around amid the muse-um’s new humanoids, which areindeed naked and anatomicallycorrect – no surprise for a science

museum.The Natural Sciences Museum hasmuch expertise in staging exhib-its that are approachable for chil-drenwhile still extremely interest-

ing for teenagers and adults. For atleast 15 years, they’ve beenputtingon exhibitions for children goodenough to challenge the knowl-edge of accompanying parents.

And with the renovation of thedinosaur hall more recently, aswell as the creation of the Galleryof Evolution on the top floor, themuseum has been brought firmlyinto the 21st century.The Gallery of Humankind, like allexhibitions, contains educationalmaterial: a timeline of humanevolution on the wall (whichyou’ll need to keep referring backto); archaeological material likeskulls, skeletons and artefacts,all with explanatory texts; videosand hands-on games such as therow of skulls which, when turnedupside down, will pour out theirbrain capacity to show which wasmost “developed”.Some things are gruesome, like anarmflayed to the shoulder to showthe muscular system, or a row offoetuses in jars of formaldehyde.Others are extremely clever, suchas the metal constructions show-ing how the various joints of thebody work, or the game whereyou have to match skulls with theimpressions of their teeth.I could have done without thesections dealing with the growthof the embryo or the changesthat come about at puberty – notbecause they’re not fascinatingtopics for children to learn about,but because they have nothingto do with the main topic of theGallery, and somewhat dilute itsimpact. The evolution of a life-form is not the same as the devel-opment of a person from embryoto adult, and it could be mislead-ing to place the two processesside-by-side.Themuseum’s educational servicealso organises workshops andtours for schools, but if that’snot on the immediate agenda,the exhibit is certainly not to bemissed.

This week, Mechelen’s Grote Marktwill become one big farm. Thepop-up event is an initiative ofGroene Kring, an association ofyoung farmers in Flanders, whichregularly organises pop-up cityfarms.For this edition, the young farm-ers will get local children involvedand introduce them to the world ofmodern farming. The children canpet animals and see farm machin-ery up-close (and even get behindthe wheel of a tractor), all whilelicking froma cone of farm-fresh icecream.Theycanalso get their handsdirty planting sunflower seeds.Getting kids acquainted with theagriculture sector is just one goalof the event. The Groene Kring also

uses its pop-up farms to spread awider message: Consumers need tobe aware of the true cost of farmedproducts. That’s why the pop-upfarm market sells its wares at thesame rock-bottom prices theyreceive for them.

“Our goal is to make consum-ers aware of the increasingly lowprices we get for our products,”says Groene Kring chair Alexan-der Maenhoudt, “despite our manyefforts in terms of quality, tracea-bility, animal welfare and environ-ment. The only thing we ask is anhonest return on these investmentsand a decent income.”An edition of the farm last yearin Roeselare saw that city’s GroteMarkt filled with straw and trac-tors and children milking cowsand stroking rabbits. While the lowprices (€0.12 for a kilo of onions,€0.17 for leeks, €0.30 for Brusselssprouts) attracted many buyers, theassociation hopes the action alsoopened a few eyes.

Maenhoudt says we can all do ourpart to ensure that farmers receive afair price, “by simply avoiding shop-ping in supermarkets that claim tohave the lowest prices. That way,you know you’re paying for theadded value of our quality prod-ucts”.Of course, politicians also have acrucial role to play, he adds. “Theymust take responsibility for theconsequences of the price crisisthat currently dominates the agri-cultural and horticultural sectors.Governments at various levelsshould set the necessary marketmeasures, and international tradeagreements need to work towardsthe creation of a level playing field.”\ Robyn Boyle

bitePop-up city farms

Public Park DayA celebration of Flanders’open spaces and naturalenvironment, with eventsand activities in every prov-ince. The theme for 2015is “Nature seasons yourneighbourhood”, with afocus on edible plants. 31May; various locations: free

\ www.dagvanhetpark.be

Railroad Bikesat TwilightGather your friends andfamily for a unique outdoorexperience: riding along anold railroad track on a bikefor 12 ( four pedallers andeight passengers). Regis-tration required. 30 May,19.00-22.00 (also on 27 June, 25July, 22 August); Kapellen Mili-tary Camp, Fortsteenweg 37,Kapellen (Antwerp province);€10-€15

\ www.provincieantwerpen.be

molenberg DistilleryFestivalMolenberg makes whiskyfrom the mash generatedby the brewing of GoudenCarolusbeer.Guideddistill-ery tours, whisky tastings,local specialities market,live music, kids’ entertain-ment, BBQ and more. 30 &31May; Stokerij DeMolenberg,Klaterstraat 1, Willebroek; free

\ www.stokerijdemolenberg.be

live in HasseltSimultaneous perfor-mances to suit every taste,from jazz to rock to clas-sical, in cafes and restau-rants throughout the city.Pick one venue and settlein, or wander from place toplace. 30 May, 21.00-1.30 and31 May, 16.00-22.00; acrossHasselt; free

\ www.liveinhasselt.be

leuven world FestivalAn outdoor cultural festi-val with a conscience: “Lessinequality, more develop-ment” is this year’s theme.World music, internationalfood stalls, NGO informa-tion stands, creative work-shops for kids and adults.30 May, 13.00; De Bruul Park,Raoul Claesstraat, Leuven; free

\ www.wereldfeest.be

Bokkerieje Bike Tour25th annual border-crossing (BE-NL) bikeride through the beau-tiful Meuse river valleyin Limburg. Start at anyof the six participatingtowns and choose yourown route between 25 and86km. Along the way, reststops offer live music, foodand drink. 31 May, regis-ter between 8.00 and 15.00;Limburg; €3

\ www.bokkerieje.org

weeK inaCtivities

naturalsciEncEs.BEalan hopemore articles by alan \ flanderstoday.eu

© koen Broos

The new Gallery of Humankind is suitable for children but also challenges the knowledge of adult visitors

may 27, 2015

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Hoste with the mostBruges gallery brings art closer to schoolchildren and residents closer to artists

Bruges certainly knows howto make use of its historicalheritage, drawing four

million tourists every year. Butwhen Caroline Hoste opened herart gallery just outside the busycentre, it wasn’t the city’s past thatinterested her.Instead, the art agent, who grewup in Waregem, West Flanders,sought to create a space wherecontemporary artists could live,work and engage with the localcommunity. Six months after thegrand opening, a conversationwith one of the visiting touriststurned her attention to the needsof the city’s youngest residents.Now, when she’s not travelling tosell art or set up exhibitions acrosssouthern Europe, Hoste is busyestablishing a unique art educa-tion programme in Bruges.Hoste Art Residence opened in2013. On the ground level of thewhite 19th-century building areexhibition rooms, a work studio,kitchen and main hall with doorsleading to a sculpture garden.Until the end of June, the galleryis showcasing Flemish illustrators,so the walls are decorated withartwork by the likes of RandallCasaer, Sebastiaan Van Doninck,Jelle Kindt, Klaas Verplancke andhis niece Astrid Verplancke.Upstairs are seven bedrooms forthe artists and some additionaldisplay space. Awoodendoor lead-ing to the attic has a signon it read-ing “Silence, work in progress!”,spray-painted by the French streetartist Mr OneTeas when he stayedhere last year.“It’s a joke,” smiles Hoste. “That’sjust the kind of artist he is – veryyoung and very driven. We have afamily-like atmosphere here.”In the days before exhibitionsopen, Hoste invites the public tojoin the artists as they explain the

concepts and inspiration behindtheir work. At opening receptions,she provides live music and food,and there is poetry reading by theunofficial poet of Bruges, Marcus

Cumberlege.“You can even join the artists intheir work,” Hoste says. “At thelast reception, adults and childrenpainted with the illustrator Sebas-tiaan Van Doninck.”All the exhibitions are free andopen to the public. And even

though each artwork comes witha price tag, Hoste says her focusright now isn’t on the money. “I’mnot here only to sell art. Every-one is more than welcome to just

come in, check out what’s newand talk to each other. Art is asocialmedium, and it should bringpeople together.”One such casual encounterprovided Hoste with a new direc-tion for her art residence. Whenthe Dutch coach Gladys Roberts

from the Quality Youth organi-sation visited in 2014, the twowomen struck up a conversation.“She told me about the youthprogramme she runs in Rotter-dam,” Hoste says. “She organisessport, science and art projects forthe local kids, so they can developinto capable and independent-thinking adults. I immediatelythought that I wanted to establishsomething similar in Bruges.”So since January, she has beenhosting free weekly workshops forchildren aged eight and up thatcombine lectures on art historywith painting and leisure. Teach-ers from local schools take partas well. Various artists and stylesare highlighted, from Rembrandtand Van Gogh to Picasso and Andy

Warhol.The idea, Hoste says, is to providechildren with creative freedomand enable them to develop theirown style and sense of confidence.“Sometimes adults don’t under-stand that very well; they say, ‘Oh,you can’t make money with art.’But art provides childrenwith newdirections in life. It increases theirskillsets and helps them with jobprospects later on.”In the future,Hoste plans to launchan academy to train local teachersand youth coaches in art educa-tion. The weekly workshops at theresidence serve as a testing groundfor that project.One of the unique things aboutthe methodology established byRoberts is that children have achance to immerse themselves intheir community. During archi-tecture classes, for example, theylearn about the qualities of build-ing materials and the characteris-tics of various architectural styles,and then take field trips aroundtheir neighbourhoods, linkingtheory to practice.“Eventually, we want to bring chil-dren from the Netherlands toBruges and give them architec-tural lessons and guided tours,”Hoste explains. “And we will alsoorganise an exchange in the otherdirection, so our children can beexposed to art in Rotterdam.”The youth programme run byHoste is already proving success-ful. From the evaluation formsshe receives, it’s evident that bothteachers and children share theenthusiasm for the workshops.Word is spreading, too.“I already have requests forco-operation from places as faraway as Texas; but we’re not quiteready yet,” she says. “There is still along road ahead of us, and we areonly at the beginning.”

Residents of Flanders often think of Brus-sels as a concrete jungle and don’t considerit when making plans to spend a little timeoutdoors. Combiningour love for eatingwiththe search for a little tranquillity, we soughtout some of the capital’s nicest behind-the-scenes terraces. You can’t see them from thestreet, which makes them lovely spots tolinger over your meal.

Kamilou, Mundo BKamilou is the restaurant on the groundfloor of Mundo B, an ecological buildingfound near Naamsepoort that is home todozens of environmental NGOs. Open onlyfor lunch, Kamilou gets busy, as much forits inventive organic food and drink as for

its enormous back garden with plentifultables, which sees the sun all afternoon long.Edinburgstraat 26, Elsene

Vert de GrisInside and out, Vert de Gris manages tomarry elegance with comfort in this grandold house.While the interior is lavishly deco-rated with bold colours and baroque chan-deliers, out back, simple wooden tables andchairs fill a large, tree-shaded garden. Alovely spot to lunch. These days, the Frenchrestaurant has become a Brussels staple,with a loyal crowd of tourist and locals.Cellebroersstraat 63, city centre

Aglio e OlioYou can’t do much better on a spring even-ing than enjoy the authentic Italian cookingof Aglio eOlio.The food is solid Italian stand-bys – pastas, pizzas, somewell-grilledmeats

– but it’s worth the trip just for the stunningback garden. Ambiance is everything at thisfamilyjointinElsene.Staylongenoughandbythe end of the evening you’ll likely be sippingvino rosso with your neighbouring tables.Vleurgatsesteenweg 25, Elsene

L’Hirondelle d’OrWith €5 and €7 daily specials, you can’t beatthe prices at L’Hirondelle d’Or, one of manyAsian-fusion restaurants to choose from inthe Kastelein neighbourhood.The only thingthat makes it better is its enormous backgarden (pictured). With its odd-looking treeand ivy creepingover thepaintedbrickwalls,it’s a charming spot for somegrub andabeer.Baljuwstraat 34, Elsene \ Katy Desmond

Off the beaten pavement: Brussels’ hidden terraces

Bartosz Brzezinskimore articles by Bartosz \ flanderstoday.eu

hostEarts.com

Art is a social medium, and it shouldbring people together

artist in residence Zivo at work in Hoste

Enjoy special discounts and free services for your whole family.Your family boards first and sits together on board.Kids under the age of 12 receive discounts* and everyoneis entitled to 12kg of hand baggage.

WE TAKE YOUR FAMILYAND YOUR BUDGETUNDER OUR WING.

brusselsairlines.com/familyor your travel agency.

*Con

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may 27, 2015

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\ aRTs

Amatter of life and deathlara taveirne explores mysterious true story of suicide pact in debut novel

In 2005, two teenage girlsjumped off the Cap Blanc Nezcliffs near Calais. One of the

bodies was eventually recovered;the other girl remains missing tothis day.These were the dramatic eventsthat inspired Bruges native andtheatre director Lara Taveirne towrite her first novel, De kinderenvan Calais (TheChildren of Calais),which was nominated last year forthe Bronze Owl, awarded to thebest Dutch-language debut novel.Back when she was a student inGermanic languages at GhentUniversity, Taveirne read an arti-cle about the girls in the Flemishdaily De Morgen. “I was touched bythe story because when I was 15, Istood on those cliffs with my bestfriend, looking down,” she says.“In my case, it was more of an actof rebellion during a school tripbecause they forbade us to go nearthe edge.”

Reading the article, Taveirne(pictured) was able to imaginethe scene clearly. “But it was thelast sentence that really got tome. It said that the parents of thegirl whose body was never foundhoped she was still alive some-where.”In De kinderen van Calais, the32-year-old envisions whathappened to the other girl.She got to work on the novel, buteventually put the manuscript

away to focus on her other passion– theatre. Taveirne writes anddirects plays for youngsters, andgives theatre workshops. Whenpublisher Manteau came knock-ing on her door however, she feltshe had matured enough to finishher book.“I didn’t want to write a novelthat resulted in that fateful leap ofthose two girls, but one that usedit as a starting point,” she explains.“When facing death, one of themchooses life.” Though inspired by atrueevent, thenovel is, sheassures,“a complete work of fiction”.The novel tells the story of whathappens after two best friends,Lilith and Violaine, decide to jumpoff the cliff. Only one of them ulti-mately goes through with it. Lilithfinds herself frozen at the edge,paralysed by the secrets that haverecently tainted their supposedlyunbreakable bond.De kinderen van Calais explores

the aftermath of that day andits impact on their loved ones –on narrator Violaine’s daughter,Vieux-Rose, particularly.Set in 1976, the novel gave Taveirnetheopportunity towriteaboutgirlsand their mothers, and even theirchildren. “I wanted to write aboutgenerations, how trauma can bepassed down from one generationto the next and influence the livesof all those involved,” she explains.The relationships between the

characters, and in particular thetwo friends, lie at the heart of thisrich novel that cunningly walks athin line between sentimental andserene.“I believe we are all in search ofsomeonewho completes us, some-one to lose ourselves in – just likethe two girls initially do,” she says.“I think we are all trying to find

that connection with someonewho truly gets us. That connec-tion is our driving force, and it’swhy love is such a vital part of thisnovel. When that connection fallsapart, the survivor tries to fill thisgap with others.”Taveirne admits that the theatredirector in her still prevails, andthe novel is packed with meta-

phors – often whimsical. “In thea-tre, it’s the scene that’s predomi-nant. The text takes second place,so imagery is very importantto me. When writing a novel, itshould probably be the other wayround,” she laughs.Indeed, Taveirne conjures lushscenery and imagery to the extentthat it can be over the top, thoughthat’s a quibble considering themood she succeeds in creating.By focusing on women in vari-ous stages of life, De kinderen vanCalais examines what it’s like tobe a woman. Love, relationshipsand the female experience, in fact,have always been key elements inTaveirne’s work. She’s a brutallyhonest author who depicts boththe grit and glamour behind hercharacters’ dresses and lipstick.The writer still sees a lot of linesseldom crossed in narratives thatcentre on womanhood. “Takemenstruating for example – it’ssuch a vital part of a woman’s lifeand literally life-changing whenit occurs for the first time. Yetpeople almost never talk about it,let alone write about it,” she says.“Female sensitivity is something Ihold dear, so I think it is importantto write about.”De kinderen van Calais is a tragicand truthful tale about growingup,the consequences of our actionsand the longing buried deep insideus. Its women-centric perspectivecreates an unparalleled vulner-ability that feels both refreshingand candid, like an injection of lifeFlemish literature sorely needs.

De kinderen van Calais ()is published in Dutch by Manteau.Taveirne’s second novel, Hotelzonder sterren (No-star Hotel) isdue to appear later this year

kameleon (chameleon)Charlotte van den Broeck •arbeiderspersYoung poet Charlotte van den Broeck haspublished a smouldering collection abouttransience. Whether she focuses on expec-tations constantly in flux, our place in ourown little microcosm or the voyage intoadulthood, each poem offers a wonderfulexploration, at once poignant andeloquent. Deceptively simple yet multi-layered, these poems’ meaning changesfrom one moment to the next, dependingon the reader’s mood or perspective. Butthe 23-year-old’s vivid imagery and whirl-wind sentences are a constant.

vermoorde onschuld(the murder of innocence)Jo Claes • HoutekietSeasoned thriller author Jo Claes has come

up with a new puzzle for his literary brain-child, chief inspector Thomas Berg. LukasLebowski is a best-selling crime fictionauthor and playboy. He is revered by thou-sands of fans and trailed by numerousgroupies. But when his number-one fan isfound dead in a hotel room, all the evidencepoints to him. Is one of his groupie’shusbands out to get him? Vermoordeonschuld is a quick, entertaining read.

Passions humaines (human Passions)Erwin Mortier • De Bezige BijErwin Mortier was asked to write a play forAntwerp’s Toneelhuis based on the famousand once-scandalous Brussels relief“Passions humaines”. Involving the sculptor,Jef Lambeaux, architect and rival VictorHorta and King Leopold II, the original storybehind the artwork is complex, but Mortiertakes it a step further by focusing on univer-

sal urges and their power to connect, destroyand even transcend the worlds of art andpolitics. Both Mortier’s stage and noveladaptation offer a collection of feelings,images and impressions that compete forjustice and acknowledgement.

mijn begrafenis (my funeral)Maarten de Saeger • BriesIt took illustrator Maarten de Saeger twoyears to complete his debut graphic novelabout Arnon, a recently deceased youngmanwhowould have done anything to sleepwith a woman. But his theft of someoneelse’s manuscript to impress a woman ulti-mately leads to his unexpected demise. InMijn begrafenis, he looks back on his life inan attempt to figure out what went wrong.De Saeger alternates delicate illustrationswith black humour and heightenedemotions in this graphic novel that trulygets under your skin.

More new fiCtion

rebecca Benootmore articles by Rebecca \ flanderstoday.eu

© Jurgen Rogiers

I wanted to write about generations,how trauma can be passed downfrom one generation to the next

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Namaste, neighboursnapshot exhibition puts Bruges’ nepali community in the frame

An exhibition in Bruges turnsthe lens on the city’s Nepaliimmigrants, its festivals, its familylife – and its grief following twodevastating earthquakes.

Bruges’Volkskundemuseumisa time capsule. Step throughthe door of this folk-history

museum and you’re transported to17th-century Flanders. You’ll strollthrough a historically accurateclassroom, pharmacy, grocerystore, confectioner’s workshopand living quarters. The museumeven boasts a charming – and fullyfunctional – pub called De ZwarteKat. It’s not false advertising,either. The cafe is home to a realblack cat, who evidently enjoyslistening to Jacques Brel and FrankSinatra.The museum’s Snapshot exhibitionseries is usually of a piece. Eachbiannual edition shines a spot-light on different aspects of Bruges’cultural heritage through photog-raphy and period artefacts. The11th edition,Namaste Bruges, takesan entirely different approach.First, it focuses on contemporaryBruges; second, its subject is oneof the city’s newest and fastest-growing immigrant communities:the Nepalese.

500 strong“It was time to show the culturaldiversity of present-day Bruges,”says exhibition curator GeertSouvereyns. “Our Nepali commu-nity is nearly 500 strong and, evenwhile integrating into Flemishsociety, they maintain strong tieswith the traditions of their homecountry.”Nepali immigration is a recentphenomenon sparked by Nepal’scivilwar,whicherupted in1996andraged for over a decade. Asylum-seekers settled all over BelgiumbutBruges became a favoured destina-tion thanks to its booming touristand hospitality industry.At the turn of the millennium,migration was a mere trickle;within a few years there wereenough newcomers to organ-ise Bruges’ Everest Nepali Society,headed by Durga Subedi. The soci-ety would be the Volkskundemu-seum’s natural partner in NamasteBruges.“Bruges is now a part of us,” Subedisays. “And we are part of Bruges.”The Volkskundemuseum gave theNepali carte blanche to tell theirstory. The exhibition features 45objects that communicate theNepali immigrant experience:traditional clothes, musical instru-ments, tools and souvenir photo-graphs from Nepal. Video projec-tions document the community’snumerous festivals in living colour.The most important of these is the

Hindu-Buddhist feast of Dashain,whose social rites are spread outacrossa fortnight. It is celebrated inBruges as in Kathmandu, althoughthe change of venue changes every-thing else about the celebration.“This isn’t an anthropologicalexhibition,” says Souvereyns. “It’snot about Nepali tradition per sebut about how Nepali tradition ismaintained and adapted here inBruges. It’s about a very specific setof people and the ways they handlethe tension between integrationand tradition.”

This tension is most evident ina series of giant original photo-graphs mounted in the museumcourtyard. These were snappedby young Flemish photographerBieke Depoorter, a rising talentwhose work has taken her aroundthe world. A true prodigy, she isthe youngest member of the pres-tigious international photo agencyMagnum.For this commission, Depoorterembedded herself in Bruges’Nepali community to capturemoments of intimate family lifeas well as public ceremony. Themost striking aspect of the seriesis the truly multicultural juxtapo-sition of visual elements. ColourfulNepali costume and decoration areoften framed in contemporary andhistorically Flemish surroundings.And yet the subjects themselvesare entirely at ease and the compo-sitions are as natural as can be.

“We are so pleased with whatBieke did,” says Subedi. “She spentmonths getting to know us. She isvery patient and subtle. There’s nostage management. She preparesherself, immerses herself in thesubject and waits until the rightmoment presents itself.”Namaste Bruges had been in devel-opment for nearly two years by thetime the partners began preparingthe exhibition space in April. Atthat moment, on the other side ofthe world, an unprecedented natu-ral disaster put the whole project

into perspective – and jeopardy.The 7.8-magnitude earthquakethat killed thousands in Nepal on25 April forced Snapshot organ-isers to reconsider their timing.Souvereyns deferred to Subedi’sjudgment.“When tragedy strikes,” saysSubedi, “the Nepalese mourn inprivate. Many are still mourning.But we knew we had to continue.It was our way of honouring thosewho lost their lives.”The earthquake didn’t stop theexhibition, but it did prompt alast-minute addition. Artist JyotiKisingh created amemorial instal-lation with information, messagesof solidarity and drawings by localchildren. Kisingh’s tribute becamethe centrepiece of Namaste Brugesand greets visitors at the thresh-

old.The exhibition opening waspreceded by a ceremony in honourof the fallen, and the outpour-ing of grief became a window intothe Nepali community. Flemishneighbours showed extraordinaryempathy. The success of the inau-guration proved that the Nepa-lese are now an established andrespected part of Bruges. Subedi,who was one of the pioneers ofNepali migration to the city, feelsvindicated.“I arrived in 2001,” says Subedi. “Itwas difficult then. People didn’tknow who we were or what toexpect. And it’s human nature tofear what one doesn’t know. Butnow all that has changed. Thisexhibition shows how far we’vecome.”Namaste Bruges rolls on throughthe summer and into the autumnwith plenty of events, including theerection of a giant bamboo swingin the courtyard. This is hardlyyour average playground equip-ment. A hallmark of the annualDashain festival, the Nepali pingstands an imposing eight metrestall and is not recommended forthe faint of heart.Before the exhibition wraps inOctober, the museum will hostFlemish school groups learningabout cultural diversity. Snapshotorganisers and their partners hopethe exhibition will make a last-ing impression, that visitors willfollow the Nepali community outof the museum and into the city.Nepali celebrations like Dashainare always open to all and sundry.After all, we’re neighbours.

€75,000 stolenfrom eurorockPolice in Limburg are inves-tigating the alleged theft of€75,000 from this month’sEurorock festival in Neerpelt,Limburg province. OrganiserRudi Donckers was taken tohospital with heart problemson hearing the news and soonunderwent surgery. The festi-valwas almost abandoned butcontinued after some bandsagreed to play despite notbeing paid. Eurorock, a gothand new wave festival, doesn’tpay bands until after theyplay, which is unusual accord-ing to festival organisers. Atleast one equipment companycame forward to say that thefestival still owes it €10,000.

saint-Cyr houseto become B&BThe new owner of the ArtNouveau Saint-Cyr house onAmbiorix square in Brussels,a protected monument, hasapplied for a permit to turn itinto a luxury bed & breakfast,brusselnieuws.be reports.The cost of renovations isestimated at €1 million.If approved, the conver-sion work is expected to becomplete in 2017.

ChoreographerJan martens winsmajor Dutch prizeFlemish choreographerJan Martens (pictured) haswon Amsterdam’s CharlotteKöhler Prize for performanceart. The prize, given out bythe Prins Bernhard CultureFund, will be handed over inJuly during the city’s YoungTalent Awards. Two CharlotteKöhler prizes, worth €30,000each, are awarded annually,one to someone working inperformance arts and one toa visual artist. They are givento artists who are youngerthan 35. “Martens has onceagain proven himself to be avery talented choreographerin his most recent work, TheDog Days Are Over,” said thejury. The winner of the visualarts prize is Dutch photogra-pher Jan Hoek.

weeK in arts& Culture

georgio valentinomore articles by Georgio \ flanderstoday.eu

BEzoEkErs.BruggE.BE

© Bieke Depoorter

VolkskundemuseumBalstraat 43, Bruges

until 18 october

Bruges is now a part of us.And we are part of Bruges

may 27, 2015

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perforManCe

fair ConCert

festival

Brussels’ Retrorama was alreadyone of Europe’s biggest vintagefairs, but this year theeventevolvesinto full-fledged festival completewith big-name entertainmentstraight out of a time capsule.In addition to its 17,000 squaremetres of second-hand merchan-dise from the 20th century, Flash-back features four stages of music,including period headliners likeChris de Burgh and Belgium’s own’70s-rock superstars Machiavel(pictured) as well as contemporaryretro acts like local swing ensem-ble Midnight Blue Birds. There arealso burlesque performances, DIYworkshops, dance classes, arcadegames, a roller-dance floor, a carshow and a kids’ corner. \ GV

Nid & Sancy are trying somethingnew, which is nothing new. TheGhent-based electro-punk duohave always mashed up differentmusical forms and served theirhybrid compositions with a side ofperformance art. Having alreadymined various European andAmerican subcultures for inspira-tion, their side project Gamelan

Voices looks further afield, to thepercussion ensembles of Indo-nesia. Conceptually this inaugu-ral performance is somewherebetween rock concert and tran-scendental meditation: a blend offield recordings (made in Balinesetemples with local gamelan play-ers), music and (hopefully) spon-taneous crowd synergy. \ GV

Conductor Vincent Dumestreand his musical theatrecompany, Le Poème

Harmonique, have been leadingFrance’s old-music revival sincelast millennium. The ensemblemay have formed at the tail endof the epoch in 1998, but theirrepertoire is considerably older.To wit, Dumestre and co specialisein music from the Baroque period.Every performance whisks itsaudience back to the 16th and17th centuries, with historicallyauthentic compositions andinstruments.Le Poème Harmonique (pictured)typically tackles composers fromDumestre’s native France and Italy,

which was after all the cradle ofRenaissance culture. But now, fora special one-night stand in Brus-sels, the company resuscitatesa gem of English opera: HenryPurcell’s Dido and Aeneas.Purcell created but one operabefore his untimely death aged 36.Fortunatelyforus,the17th-centurycomposer was already at the top ofhis game and gave us perfection inthe first try.“This is a masterpiece in everysense of the word,” says Dumes-tre. “It’s one of themost celebratedof the century and, to be honest, itmay be the best written.”The opera, describing an ill-fatedromance between a Trojan War

veteranandtheQueenofCarthage,is still, in its way, a pop-culturefixture. Its climactic aria “Dido’sLament” was even performed bythe likes of folk-rock singer JeffBuckley.Yet for all its success, Dido andAeneas remains an enigma. Nooriginal score has survived thecenturies and later versions areeither incomplete or dubious. Anystageadaptationrequiresresearch,

induction and not a small amountof improvisation. Dumestre haspainstakingly plugged the holeswith appropriate extracts fromother works, giving his version ofthe opera a consistency that thevagaries of history have denied theoriginal.“It’s a roundabout route,” saysDumestre, “but I think we’vetapped the spirit of the piece.”\ Georgio Valentino

Irish singer Róisín Murphy roseto fame as half of 1990s trip-hopduo Moloko and cultivated amassively successful solo careerafter that vehicle’s demise. True,she has been rather quiet of late.The release of this year’s albumHairless Toys caps an eight-yearhiatus during which the artist hadtwo children. Murphy’s comebackhas been a wild success thus far.Her recent concert at AncienneBelgique sold out in short order,and this just-announced appear-ance at Vorst Nationaal is expectedto do the same. Murphy promisesthese performances will be “hot”,“sweaty” and “intense”. \ GV

Operatic enigma

DidoandAeneasConCertantwerpRoxette: The Swedish duothat dominated the world popcharts in the 1980s and ’90swith hits like “Listen To YourHeart” and “ItMust Have BeenLove” celebrate their 30thanniversary with a “best of ”double album and Europeantour. 29 May, 20.00, LottoArena, Schijnpoort 119

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talKBrusselsThe Public Space: TheBrussels Academy invitesrenowned internationalprofessors to present theirideas and prompt the audi-ence to reflect on the designand use of urban public space(in English). 29 May, 17.30,Beursschouwburg, AugusteOrtsstraat 20

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fairantwerpBoekenfestijn: Book fairfeaturing more than a millionbooks in Dutch, French andEnglish, plus board games,puzzles, stationery and more.28-31 May, Antwerp Expo,Jan van Rijswijcklaan 191

\ boekenfestijn.com

eventGhent50 years NTGent: Ghent’scity theatre celebrates fivedecades with surprise acts,music and talks by artisticdirector Wim Opbrouck andGhent mayor Daniël Termont.30 May, 15.00, NTGent, Sint-Baafsplein 17

\ ntgent.be

food&drinKBrusselsOpen Kitchen #36: Foodfor fertility dinner: Thisedition of Open Kitchenfeatures talks by three expertsand a seven-course menu ofdishes prepared with organic,fertility-enhancing ingre-dients (in English). 6 June,20.00-23.00, Green Crowding,Blaesstraat 35

\ open-kitchen.eu

Evere Food: Market withstrictly artisanal, organic,local and sustainable prod-ucts, featuring brewers,bakers, beekeepers and choc-olatiers, among others. 31May, 11.00-18.00, BrusselsMuseum for Mill and Food,Windmolenstraat 21

\ molenevere.be

In eight years, the Brussels VinylRecord Fair has grown from aneighbourhood gathering of vinylenthusiasts into a veritable inter-national convention. The bian-nual event regularly attractsdozens of dealers, hundreds ofserious collectors and over 1,000casual browsers. They come fromBelgium, Germany, France, theNetherlands and theUK.TheVinylRecord Fair is for purists only; youwon’t find any CDs or cassettetapes here. But youwill findmusicof all genres, from blockbusterrock to soul to soundtracks tofantastically obscure niche styleslike 1970s Belgian Popcornmusic.Look it up. \ GV

gamelan voices: live ritual #1

vinyl record fair

flashback festival

róisín murphy

\ aGenDa

Bozar, BrusselsBozar.BE

3 june, 20.00

Vooruit, Ghentvooruit.BE

29 may, 20.30Brussels expo

flashBackfEstival.BE28-31 may

Ravenstein Gallery, BrusselsBrussElsrEcordfair.com

31 may, 10.00Vorst nationaal, Brussels

vorst-nationaal.BE21 november, 20.00

© Guy Vivien

get tickets now

may 27, 2015

\ 16

facebook.com/flanderstoday

Whoever coined the phrase“sorry is the hardestword to say” clearly never

flicked through a Dutch dictionary.When I was learning the language,the teacher once wrote a singleword on the blackboard for us tohave a go at saying.Hottentottententententoonstel-lingsterrein – an exhibition groundforHottentot tents, in case youwerewondering.The entire class gasped at this41-letter juggernaut of a word.How on earth do we even begin topronounce it? we asked ourselves.The teacher explained that theDutch language allows you to buildup long words from shorter ones,like adding carriages to a train. Soyou endupwithhorrendously trickywords like kindercarnavalsoptocht-voorbereidingswerkzaamheden –which is a committee working onthe preparations for a children’scarnival parade.We were introduced to a long listof Dutch compound words that arefiendishly difficult to say, many ofthem involving insurance policies,like aansprakelijkheidsverzekering– personal responsibility insurance.Imagine the stress involved in trying

to take out personal liability insur-ance to cover a children’s carnivalprocession at a Hottentot tent exhi-bition.I was reminded of those Hottentottents recently when I read that theGenootschap Onze Taal – the Asso-ciation for Our Language – hadlaunched a contest to find the hard-est word in the Dutch language.Aanleiding voor de verkiezing waseen vergelijkbare inventarisatie inhet Engels – The inspiration for thecontest was a similar list in English(which apparently offered “Worces-tershire” as the hardest word inthe English language, at leastfor foreigners to say, followed by

“specific” and “squirrel”).The Netherlands-based languageorganisation decided to track downthe word that caused the mostheadaches for Dutch speakers. Bijeen inventarisatie via Facebook koos35 procent van de 2880 deelnem-ers voor een word – In a Facebooksurvey of 2,800 participants, 35%chose one word.And here it is. Um, metrologisch.No, meterologisch. Bear with me amoment.Meteo-rol-og-isch.Het woord “Meteorologisch” is voorNederlandersmoeilijkstuit tesprekenwoord –The wordmeteorologisch isthe hardest word for Dutch peopleto say. You can say that again.Defibrilleren (defibrillate) came insecond place, with 32% of the vote,while the creamy dessert known asbavarois came in third place with11% of voters finding that a trickyone to pronounce. The list of diffi-cult words also included uil – owl,munitie – munitions, aluminium,cholesterol, identiteit, nieuws andindustrieel.Personally, I always have troubleasking for uien – onions. But if I getit wrong, I just say excuseer – sorry.It’s not nearly the hardest word tosay.

Talking Dutchsorry is far from the hardest word

\ BaCkPaGe

the last word

king of the road“I’m very happy and relieved. It’sbeen months of struggle, but mydriving licence is my freedom,and they can’t take it away fromme.”After five months of trials andappeals, a court ruled that 97-year-old Gaston Bruynooghe from Oost-duinkerke, West Flanders, was notresponsible for an accident that ledto him losing his licence

Booths get the boot“Those things were constantlyout of order. One time you’d becut off in the middle of a conver-sation, the next you’d be unableto call because the handset wasgone. I remember swearing a lotin the phone booth.”Lawyer Jef Vermassen recalls thepublic phone booth, as Flanders’ lastexamples are carted away for good

day of mourning“Thisisthemostdifficultmomentin the 24 years I’ve worked here.”Ben Van Dyck, head keeper of theelephant house in Planckendael, waspresent for the last breath of Baby Q,the elephant born last month whodidn’t make it (see p3)

many happy returns“Everyone always invites all theneighbours. That way you get alot of presents, but, on the otherhand, you have to buy one justabout every month. That’s howfast things go here.”Ellen De Winter lives in Alfons VanZandyckestraat in Deinze, East Flan-ders, the most fertile street in Flan-ders, with 31 children and two moreon the way

a. Sure, switch one of them to another month to spread things out a bit

b. Belgium has too many public holidays anyway. We can afford to lose one in May for sure. Maybe one inNovember, too

c. Certainly not. Religious holidays like Ascension and Pentecost can’t just be rearranged

d. The concept of collective holidays is medieval. Just give workers another week or two off and leave thegovernment out of it

The concentration of public holi-days in May, say economists, costsemployers inBelgium€510million,and many would like to see onescrapped – or at least moved toanothermonth. So we put it to youand got a pretty disparate result,with support for every answer to

the question.One-third of you are in favour ofmoving things around to spreadthe load. One-third of you thoughtthe whole idea of fixed public holi-days was outdated and shouldbe thrown open to negotiationbetween workers and employers.

However, there was some supportfor not rocking the boat. Many ofBelgium’s public holidays are fixedby the Catholic calendar, after all.But it’s hard for some – even Cath-olics – to see why Pentecost, say,should be a reason for a day offwork.

Polldo you agree with Belgian employers that may has too many holidays and thatone should be scrapped or moved to another month?

\ next week's question:A new bus service is offering cheap trips to Amsterdam and Paris (see p6) for as little as €8. Would you give upcomfort and speed for such a low fare?Log in to the Flanders Today website at www.flanderstoday.eu and click on VOTE.

CONNECT WITH US LIKE USTweet us your thoughts @FlandersToday

Danielle Chantall @danchantall9Beautiful, Bruges

The Independent @IndependentWatch this granny pull off some incredible moves as shedances to a Brussels beatboxer http://ind.pn/1F1XFXr

rafaelantonirisarri @blackknoll@matisyahu Ghent is one of my favorite places in Europe.Beautiful city with amazing eats & beers. Enjoy!

In response to: Yurt offers shelter to expats in search of stabilityAnsa Norman PalmérNo, no, no, tried that in Mongolia. It was a very cold night!

In response to: Talking Dutch: Sorry is far from the hardest wordEvelyn GimorosAcht- nacht-echt it’s difficult for me to pronounce but I’mtrying my best

voiCes offlanders today

In response to: Football club KAA Gent win first national titlein 115 yearsAlexandre RaymundoGo Gent!

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derek Blythmore articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu

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