Endofanera - Flanders Today · gs nummer P708816 december 24, 2014 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ read more at ... or SMAK. In parallel, he built an international career, ...Authors: Susan

$Page 1: Endofanera - Flanders Today · gs nummer P708816 december 24, 2014 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ read more at ... or SMAK. In parallel, he built an international career, ...Authors: Susan$
The OOsTerweelbluesThe government of Flandersmust rebid Antwerp’s OosterweelRing Road link project, saysEuropean Commission

\ 4 \ 15

#36

2er

kenn

ings

num

mer

P708

816 december 24, 2014 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ read more at www.flanderstoday.eu

innovation \ P7business \ P6current affairs \ P2 education \ P9Politics \ P4 art & living \ P10

The death of art curator Jan Hoet last February left a large gap inthe Flemish and the international arts scene. In tribute, Ostend hasrealised his final, unfinished project: a wide-ranging exhibition onthe sea.

Hoet made his name in the 1970s and ’80s as director of Ghent’scontemporary art museum. In the 1990s, he engineered themuseum’s move to its current home in Citadelpark, when

it became the Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, or SMAK. Inparallel, he built an international career, most notably curating theprestigious Documenta exhibition in Kassel, Germany, in 1992.“Jan Hoet has been one of maybe five or six really important contem-porary art directors and curators in Europe from the previous 50 to 60years,” says Phillip Van den Bossche, director of the Mu.ZEE museumin Ostend. He draws a comparison with the late Harald Szeemann,the Swiss curator credited with redefining the way exhibitions couldbe conceived and produced.“Just as it’s impossible at themoment to imagine anotherHarald Szee-mann, it’s also impossible to imagine another Jan Hoet,” he says. “Inthe history of modern and contemporary art, we really needed these

continued on page 5

belgium OnThe big screenGet out of the cold andcatch a year’s worthof local cinema at theBe Film Festival inBrussels this month

FlandersTOday OnhOlidayWe’ll be absent from yourpostbox for the next two weeks,but don’t worry, we’ll be backon 14 January

Chaosin the mindostend exhibition the sea paystribute to curator Jan Hoet

Endof an eraworkers leave ford genkfor the last time page 6

© belga

ian mundellmore articles by Ian \ flanderstoday.eu

© photo: steven decroos

the oosterweelbluesThe government of Flandersmust rebid Antwerp’s OosterweelRing Road link project, saysEuropean Commission

\ 4 \ ? \ 14

#362

Erkenn

ingsnu

mmer

P708

816 december 24, 2014 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ rEad morE at www.flandErstoday.Eu

innovation \ P7BusinEss \ P6currEnt affairs \ P2 Education \ P9Politics \ P4 art & living \ P10



it became the Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, or SMAK. Inparallel, he built an international career, most notably curating theprestigious Documenta exhibition in Kassel, Germany, in 1992.“Jan Hoet has been one of maybe five or six really important contem-porary art directors and curators in Europe from the previous 50 to 60years,” says Phillip Van den Bossche, director of the Mu.ZEE museumin Ostend. He draws a comparison with the late Harald Szeemann,the Swiss curator credited with redefining the way exhibitions couldbe conceived and produced.“Just as it’s impossible at themoment to imagine anotherHarald Szee-mann, it’s also impossible to imagine another Jan Hoet,” he says. “Inthe history of modern and contemporary art, we really needed these

continued on page 5

belgium onthe big screenGet out of the cold andcatch a year’s worthof local cinema at theBe Film Festival inBrussels this month

Flanderstoday onholidayWe’ll be absent from yourpostbox for the next two weeks,but don’t worry, we’ll be backon 14 January



© belga



the oosterweelbluesThegovernment of Flandersmust rebid Antwerp’s OosterweelRing Road link project, saysEuropean Commission

\ 4 \ ? \ 14

#362

Erke

nning

snum

merP

7088

16

december 24, 2014 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ rEad morE atwww.flandErstoday.Eu

innovation \ P7BusinEss \ P6currEnt affairs \ P2 Education \ P9Politics \ P4 art & living \ P10



it became the Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, or SMAK. Inparallel, he built an international career, most notably curating theprestigious Documenta exhibition in Kassel, Germany, in 1992.“Jan Hoet has been one of maybe five or six really important contem-porary art directors and curators in Europe from the previous 50 to 60years,” says Phillip Vanden Bossche, director of the Mu.ZEE museumin Ostend. He draws a comparison with the late Harald Szeemann,the Swiss curator credited with redefining the way exhibitions couldbe conceived and produced.“Just as it’simpossible at themoment to imagine anotherHaraldSzee-mann, it’s also impossible to imagine another Jan Hoet,” he says. “Inthe history of modern and contemporary art, we really needed these

continued on page 5

belgium onthe big screenGet out of the cold andcatch a year’s worthof local cinema at theBe Film Festival inBrussels this month

Flanderstoday onholidayWe’ll be absent from yourpostbox for the next two weeks,but don’t worry, we’ll be backon 14 January



© belga



cr os si ngbo rd er sEm pl oy me nt mi ni st er sa re si gn in gde al st om ak er ec og ni ti on ofdi pl om as an dw or ki ng ac ro ss th eBe ne lu xa lo te as ie r\ 6 \ 9 \ 11

#361Erkenningsnumm

erP708816 december17,2014 \newsweekly -€0,75 \rEad morEatwww.flandErstoday.Eu innovation\P7BusinEss\P6currEntaffairs\ P2 Education\P9Politics\P4 art&living \P10

Twohundred yearsago, Ghentwas thesetting forthesigningof anagreement thatbrought toan endthe Warof1812 betweenthe USand Britain.A seriesof musicaleventswillcommemorate theanniversary.ChristmasEve,Ghent, 1814.AnAmerican delegation,ledby futurepresident JohnQuincy Adams,and aBritishdelegation, underthe guidanceof AdmiralJamesGambier,walksoutof Ghent’sCarthusianmonasterywithatreaty intheirhands thatwillbring peacetoNorthAmerica.Ascommemorations ringout inthe Flemishcity thismonth,we takealo okats omekey questions.What was

thiswarabout? Whatdidthe treatyguarantee?And whyonearthdidth eypickGhent?Thestory startsin 1776,with aphrase everyAmericanknowsbyheart: “Weholdthese truthstobe self-evident,thatallmen arecreatedequal.” Itisthe mostfamouslineoftheDeclaration ofIndependence,with which13NorthAmericancolonies announcedtheir breakfrom Britain.TheRevolutionaryWar endedin1783 whenGreatBritainofficiallyrecogniseditsc oloniesalongtheAtlantic coasttobeanindependent nation–theUnited StatesofAmerica.Butthestrugglefor independencewasn’tover.“The Britishempireonlyrecognised thestateson paper,”explainsLucFrançois,professor emeritusof historyat GhentUniver-

sity.“Tradeover seaand fishingrights remainedin Brit-ishhands.At thebeginningof the1800s,the Britishevenimposedaneconomic blockadeonNorth America,killingtheyoungnation’seconomy, justtomaintainits griponitsformercolonies.”What’smore,during theEuropeanwar againstNapoleon,theBritishneeded experiencedsailors.Britain decidednottorecognisetherig htofBritishsubjects tobecomeUSc iti-zensand startedtaking British-bornnaturalised Ameri-cansbyforceinto theNavy,infuriatingthe Americans.Inthe midstof thesetensions, athird partybecameinvolved.“TheIndians werenottoo happywiththe expan-sionistnature oftheir newneighbours,” explainsFran-continuedonpage5

Funwith FoodAuniqueprogrammeinGhentintroduceschildrenfrompoorerneighbourhoodstothejoysofhealthyeating

holidayhappeningsSearchingforafewideastofillyouragendathisholidayseason?Looknofurtherthanourguideinside

Finding commongroundwiththe treatyofghent, thecity playedavital rolein endingthewar of1812daanBauwensmorearticlesbydaan \flanderstoday.eu

AdmiraloftheFleet JamesGambiershakeshands withJohnQuincyAdams atthesigningof theTreatyofGhent inthis1914painting byFrenchartistAmédée Forestier

\ 2

\ cUrrenT AFFAIrs

An increase in distribution tariffs willsee energy prices rise substantially inFlanders in 2015, the regional energy

regulator VREG has said.Distribution tariffs – the price the consumerpays for being connected to the nationalgrid – were frozen in 2013 and 2014, but gridmanagement companies’ costs increaseddue to the number of consumers installingsolar panels and claiming subsidies. Sincetariffs were frozen, grid managers wereunable to spread the cost of the subsidiesamong customers across the board.Prices for electricity will go up by 8.4% for

the average family, but gas prices will comedown by an average 3.06%, meaning the billfor an average household will go up by about€10 a year in total.According to the VREG, two in three fami-

lies use both electricity and gas, and so willbe able to balance the rise of one with thefall of the other. Households relying only onelectricity will feel the increase correspond-ingly harder.Some areas, including West Flanders, willpay more than average, while in the centreof Antwerp the electricity increase is infact translated into a decrease. Competi-tion from providers for the same area couldlead to a difference of tens of euros. Homesheated by electricity will pay a lot more thanthose who use gas, whereas a severe wintercould mean total consumption wipes out

any small reduction in gas tariffs.In Brussels, meanwhile, distribution tariffswill go down for 2015 by about 6% for theaverage electricity customer and by 8%for gas, to be followed by a slight increase.Despite the later increase, VREG said, thetariff will still be lower in 2019 than it wasin 2014.Distribution tariffs in Brussels count for 41%of the electricity bill and 26% of the gas bill,meaning the total energy bill will go down in2015 by 2.5%.

Electricity prices to riseflanders faces increased cost of connecting to grid, though gas prices will decrease

The Brussels-Capital Region hasunveiled its new flag and logo.Gone is the stylised iris of goldon a blue background, in comes agolden heart blooming amid twoblue petals. Last week the Terri-torial Development commit-tee of the Brussels Parliamentapproved a motion to change theflag to sport the new logo.The new design (pictured) wasdeveloped two years ago and hasbeen slowly replacing the iriswithin the region’s administra-tive departments. The motionto change the flag is the newdesign’s arrival on the public

scene.The region estimated the cost ofthe new design and its adoptionas the region’s new house styleat €50,000. “The decision to letthe flag evolve has to be seen in

the framework of a city market-ing plan to improve the region’svisibility though its communica-tionsmedia,” Jo DeWitte, spokes-person for minister-presidentRudi Vervoort, told De Morgen.The former iris flag was thewinner of a design competi-tion and was adopted in 1991,just two years after the creationof the new region. The iris waschosen because it is a flower thatthrives in marshy ground, whichrefers to Brussels’ origins in themarshes. The Old Dutch wordbroekzele means “home in themarsh”. \ AH

Flanders’ Word of the Year for 2014is flitsmarathon, according to thedictionary publishers Van Dale,based on the popular annual poll. Asanyone who drives knows, the wordrefers to an extensive operation(marathon) of speed checks (flitsen)carried out by police. Belgium expe-rienced such marathons, which canresults in upwards of 20,000 speed-ing tickets issued in 24 hours, twicethis year.Flitsmarathon won with 24% of thevote, ahead of boterhammentaks(sandwich tax, a charge levied byschools for supervision of childrenat lunchtime) and kamizakecoali-tie (suicide coalition, a term appliedby opposition to the current federalgovernment coalition).There were also winners in five sub-categories: overschotdoos (doggy-bag, still not a reality in Flandersbut under discussion) in lifestyle;loomen (the making of braceletswith elastic bands) in sport/amuse-ment; perenboycot (boycott of pears)in economy and het Maggie-effect(an Open VLD electoral boost attrib-uted to Maggie De Block) in politics.Youth-speak, meanwhile, deliveredthe term “onesie”, an English wordthat describes a one-piece pyjama.The Children’s Word of the Year,chosen by viewers of kids’ chan-nel Ketnet, is the English acronymOMG, meaning “Oh My God”, and

pronounced by kids as “Oh Em Gee”.Almost 30,000 children took part inthe poll to choose from a list of fivenominations, including twix (whentwo people say the same thing atthe same time) and “bestie” (Englishslang for best friend).Last year’s kids’ choice also wentto an acronym – yolo, standing forYou Only Live Once. “I’m not at allsurprised an English acronym waschosen again this year,” said VRT’slanguage adviser, Ruud Hendrickx.“Children grow up with Englishand adapt it easily into their ownlanguage. And let’s face it, English isjust cool.”Meanwhile, the word oudjes, signify-ing elderly people, has been chosento be scrapped by the Institute forDutch Lexicology from among 10nominated words Dutch speakerswould prefer no longer to hear. Theword was described as “belittling”.\ AH

An apparent hostage-taking situation in Ghent lastweek was invented by the young man who reportedit, the Ghent public prosecutor revealed. The 18-year-old called police on the morning of 15 December,reporting that his friend had been taken hostage byfour men armed with Kalashnikov rifles in the Dam-poort neighbourhood.Police arrived at the apartment building, cordoned offthe area and deployed a police helicopter. Two of thesupposed hostage-takers were arrested outside thebuilding, and a third was detained after the specialintervention squad stormed the building. No-one wasinjured.The supposed victim then denied having been takenhostage and said there had never been any firearmspresent. “The victim has been thoroughly questioned

and maintains there is no question of hostage-taking,threats orweapons,” saidAnnemie Serlippens, spokes-person for the prosecutor’s office. “There is no reasonwhatsoever to take the 18-year-old’s story seriously.”The three men arrested as hostage-takers are resi-dents of the building. There never was a fourth man.The incident, coinciding with a real hostage incidentin Sydney, Australia, attracted international atten-tion, with TV crews from the Dutch NOS, the BBCand Sky News, who were in Belgium to report on thenational strike.The 18-year-old in question has a police record fordrugs offences. He now faces charges of making afalse statement, an offence that can carry a prisonsentence, as well as a bill for the costs of the opera-tion. \ AH

traffic accidents in the first ninemonths of 2014 involving De Lijnvehicles, down 1.29% on the sameperiod last year, mobility ministerBen Weyts said

paid by Dutch chef Sergio Hermanto Poperinge grower De Lowie for100 grams of the new crop of hopshoots for his restaurant Pure C inZeeland

kilometres driven by all Belgianstogether in 2013, a new record,according to the federal mobil-ity ministry, and the equivalent ofcircling the globe twomillion times

raised for the charity Mamas forAfrica thanks to an appeal by rockstar Lenny Kravitz to listeners ofStudio Brussel. The station lastweek launched its annual Musicfor Life campaign

cost of last week’s national striketo the private sector, according toUnizo.The strike affected only 6.5%of companies directly, but employ-ees incurred other costs, includ-ing child care and transport alter-natives

Brussels-Capital Region launches new logo and flag Flitsmarathon is theWord of the Year

Hostage situation in Ghent was hoax

alan HopeFollow Alan on Twitter \ @AlanHopeFT

4,193

€124.90 €264.8 million

83.1 billion

€7,347

© kVds/de standaard

december 24, 2014

\ 3

Face OF Flanders

He’s the first filmmaker andthe first person of immigrantorigin to win. Adil El Arbi isde slimste mens ter wereld(The Smartest Person in theWorld).ThehugelypopularTVquiz show of the same namecompleted its 12th season lastweek with a nail-biting finalebetween El Arbi and screen-writer Bart De Pauw.El Arbi, 26, was born inEdegem, Antwerp province,and studied film at Sint-Lukasart academy in Brussels. It’sthere where he met BilallFallah, with whom he madehisfirstfilm, the thriller Image,currently showing in cinemas.His age in fact also makes ElArbi the youngest winner ofDe slimste mens ever.El Arbi said that he was reluc-tant to accept the invitationfrom producers to take part inthe quiz show because he wassure his memory would freezeunder the pressure. His progressthrough the first rounds,however, proved that was not tobe the case.In the final, though, he couldhardly have been more

unlucky. He was up againstconfirmed quizzer Bart DePauw (who wrote and starredin the TV seriesQuiz Me Quickabout the world of amateurquiz contestants), who wastaking part in the show forthe second time around. Hehad also faced Gert Verhulst,boss of the media conglomer-ate Studio 100, who had set anew record of 11 consecutiveappearances before the finalweek.In the end, De Pauw went intothe final round with a deficitof 87 points, and El Arbi tookthe final with a question onthe Formula One driver LewisHamilton. “I never expected this.I can’t believe it myself,” he toldthe VRT later. “The final roundwas really tense, like a boxingmatch. We were very close, andit could have gone either way.”On the effect of his situation asnewly minted BV: “I live in Brus-sels, so there’s not much differ-ence. In Flanders, though, it’senormous. A huge number ofpeople have come up to melately wishing me good luck.That’s really great.” \ Alan Hope

adil el arbi

ABBCTV series financed by Flan-ders and shot largely in Belgiumhas been nominated for twoGolden Globe awards.The Britisheight-part miniseries The Miss-ing concerns an apparently idealcouple and their five-year-old,who goesmissing in a town in thenorth of France (filmed in Huy inWalloonBrabant) during the 2006World Cup.The timeline then splits as wefollow the investigation in flash-back and watch how the father,played by theNorthern Irish actorJames Nesbitt (pictured), goes topieces with guilt over the years,before a tiny clue shakes him out

of his reverie.The series was co-produced by VRT,RTBF and Eurydice Gysel and KoenMortier for Brussels-based Czar TV.BNP Paribas Fortis Film Financealso co-produced, with supportfrom the Screen Flanders economicfund.Last year The White Queen,another Czar TV co-production,shot across Flanders, was nomi-nated three times, but failed topick up any awards. The nomina-tions forThe Missing include BestMiniseries and Best Actress forFrances O’Connor, who plays themissing boy’s mother.The awardswill be announced on 11 January.

As well as finance and location –Brussels stands in for Lille – Flan-ders also provided much of thecast, including Titus De Voogdt(Welp, 22 Mei), Johan Leysen(De smaak van De Keyser), HildeHeijnen (Parade’s End) and LotteHeijtenis (Jes, Zot van A).The series has not yet been sched-uled for airing in Flanders, but thenews is that a second series hasbeen commissioned, with a newcast, new characters and a newstoryline. \ AH

the missing a big hitOFFside

weeK in brieFThe Flemish Parliament hasscrapped foie gras from themenu of its restaurant, follow-ing a request fromN-VAmemberJelle Engelbosch. The decision,Engelbosch said, sends a clearsignal that the parliament doesnot support the suffering associ-ated with the product.

Rail authority NMBS spentalmost €150,000 on taxis forstranded passengers in 2013,according to federal mobil-ity minister Jacqueline Galant.NMBS paid for 1,969 taxis forpassengers whose last trainhad been cancelled or who hadmisseda last connection throughno fault of their own – slightlymore than the 1,872 in 2012.

Kruibeke in East Flanders is themost business-friendlymunic-ipality in Flanders, according tothe business magazine Trends.The magazine rated munici-palities on economic activity,employment growth and invest-ment. Kruibeke is home to aero-space technology companyQinetiQ Space, constructiongroup Artes, advertising screenmanufacturers Open and choc-olatiers Duc d’O. All of the topfive municipalities, which alsoinclude Grimminge, Evergem,Hamme and Lede, are in EastFlanders.

Shops in tourist centres andseaside resorts can no longerbe open every Sunday, follow-ing a ruling by the CassationCourt. One of the exceptions tothe general ban on Sunday trad-ing applies to small retailers andhairdressers in resorts and tour-ist cities,whoareallowed toopenin the Christmas and Easter holi-days, between May and Septem-ber and on 13 other Sundaysthroughout the year.

Twenty-two year old Navid Shar-ifi, who was deported to hisnative Afghanistan in 2012amid much community and

media protest, has been allowedto return to Belgium aftermarry-ing his Polish girlfriend. Sharifi’sasylum application was deniedafter he had been in the countryfor three years, had learned thelanguage, completed a trainingand was working as a plumber.Now that he is married to alegal resident, he has been givenpermission to return. He was,however, required to pay the€14,000 cost of his deportation,which has been donated by well-wishers.

The nuclear power stationsDoel 1 and 2 will remain openuntil 2025, 10 years longer thanpreviously planned, federalenergy minister Marie-Chris-tine Marghem has announced.Closure by the original date of2015 is impossible, she said,while the country’s power supplycapacity is still so uncertain.Opposition party Groen spokes-person Kristof Calvo describedthe decision as “foolish” andpointed out that the two powerstations would require €700million in investment to keepthem operating for anotherdecade.

The liberal police union VSOAis considering refusing to imple-ment the end-of-year BOBcampaign of intensive drink-driving checks between Christ-mas and New Year, as part of thecontinuing police protest againsta raising of retirement ages. Theunion will decide on 24 Decem-ber what its next action will bebut admitted a boycott of thecampaignwas “oneof theoptionson the table”.

Flemish public transport author-ity De Lijn will no longer runbuses inruralareasbefore10.00and after 19.00 on Sundays, it hasannounced. The move is part ofa cost-cutting plan, which alsoinvolves scrapping split shiftsand bringing in part-time driv-ers, as well as paying overtimeonce a year instead of quarterly

as now. In return, the companysaid it would offer employeeswork security and a guaranteedbasic salary. The measures takentogether would save De Lijn €34million a year.

Flemish energy minister Anne-mie Turtelboom will next monthmake a request to the federalgovernment to have the port ofGhent excluded from sched-uled power cuts in the eventof an electricity shortage thiswinter. The government’s planexcludes major cities, like Brus-sels and Antwerp, but allowsfor the possibility of switchingoff power to the port, a positionTurtelboom described as “excep-tionally ill-judged”. The govern-ment of Flanders is currentlydrawing up its own plan, whichit hopes the federal governmentwill adopt.

Members of the Flemish Parlia-ment will give up their right tofree travel with De Lijn, follow-ing adecisionby the parliament’ssteering committee. At the sametime, several other benefits forserving and former members,such as the payment of internetand transport costs, will also bescrapped. Free travel on publictransport became a sensitiveissue when some parliamentar-ians complained that memberswere allowed to travel free evenas De Lijn was scrapping freetravel for seniors.

There are now more people inFlanders in possession of amobile phone than an ordinaryphone – 57%, or 10% more thanlast year, according to the annualsurvey by digital research centreiMinds. At the same time, 56%have access to a tablet computerin the family, an increase of14%. The figures show that the“multi-screen family” is becomethe norm in Flanders: 77% ofthose interviewed have at leastthree screens at home, includingTV, laptop, desktop, tablet andsmartphone.

© Johan Jacobs/de standaard

flanders today, a weekly english-language newspaper, is an initiative of the flemishregion and is financially supported by the flemish authorities.

The logo and the name Flanders Today belong to the Flemish Region (Benelux Beeldmerk nr815.088). The editorial team of Flanders Today has full editorial autonomy regarding the contentof the newspaper and is responsible for all content, as stipulated in the agreement betweenCorelio Publishing and the Flemish authorities.

editor Lisa BradshawdePuty editor Sally Tippercontributing editor AlanHopesub editor Linda AThompsonagenda Robyn Boyle, Georgio Valentinoart director Paul VanDoorenPrePress Corelio AdProcontributors Daan Bauwens, RebeccaBenoot, Derek Blyth, Leo Cendrowicz, KatyDesmond, Andy Furniere, DianaGoodwin,Julie Kavanagh, Catherine Kosters, ToonLambrechts, Katrien Lindemans, IanMundell, Anja Otte, TomPeeters, DanielShamaun, Senne Starckx, ChristopheVerbiest, Débora Votquenne, DenzilWaltongeneral manager HansDe LoorePublisHer Corelio Publishing NV

editorial addressGossetlaan 30 - 1702Groot-Bijgaardentel 02 373 99 [email protected]

subscriPtionstel 03 560 17 [email protected] order online at www.flanderstoday.eu

advertising02 373 83 [email protected]

verantwoordeliJke uitgeverHansDe Loore

© courtesy bbc

\ 4

Ghent’s popular socialistmayor, Daniël Termont,has been shortlisted forthe World Mayor Prize2014. Termont is thefirst Belgian mayor to beshortlisted for the bien-nial prize, which was firstawarded by the London-based City Mayors Foun-dation in 2004.Termont is one of 25mayors shortlisted forthe prize, which hasbeen won in the past bycivic leaders from Bilbao,Melbourne and Athens.“This is an exceptionalhonour,” Termont told DeStandaard.The award is based on ananalysis of the mayor’spersonal qualities suchas leadership, honesty,vision, integrity, envi-ronmental awareness,community relations andeconomic policy.“Since assuming officein 2007, Daniël Termont

has become one of themost listened-to mayorsin Europe,” the founda-tion said on its website.“Ghent has managed topreserve and conserve itsheritage but also developinto a vibrant, diverse andmodern European city.”Theaward encourages citi-zens to engage with localgovernment by submittingtestimonials to the panel

of judges. “Daniël Termontis verymuch present in thecity, walking or cycling,and is easy to approachfor a chat,” read one suchcomment. “He actuallylistens, and his communi-cation skills are fantastic.”The winner of the awardwill be announced on 3February. \ Derek Blyth

Flemishnationalist partyN-VAwill receive €12.3million from public funds annually up until thenext election. The grant, which is calculatedaccording to the number of MPs elected to thefederal and regional parliaments, represents thelargest figure ever awarded to a political partyin Belgium.The party saw its annual funding increase by€4.2 million following the elections last May,after which it emerged as the largest party inthe country. The sum is paid annually, whichmeans that the N-VA could end up with a totalof €43 million by the 2019 elections, accordingto a study by two University of Leuven politicalscientists.This would give the party a huge financialadvantage over its rivals, according to analysts.

Party spokesperson Joachim Pohlman said thathe was surprised by the figures. “According toour calculations, we would have about half thatamount in 2019, with some €21 to €22 million in

the bank,” he told De Morgen.Most other parties will receive public fundingsimilar to their pre-election levels, apart fromthe far-right Vlaams Belang, which will lose€2.5 million. It has already launched an appealto party members to donate more.Political parties in Belgium now receive totalannual funding of nearly €61 million – anincrease of €4 million on the previous year. Thefigure represents 80% of parties’ total revenue.The N-VA currently has €18.4 million in reserve,compared to €8.45 million in 2010. Its currentbalance puts it just behind the French-speakingsocialists, who currently hold the most reservesat €18.8 million. \ DB

Elke Sleurs, state secretary for combatting tax fraud, hasordered tax authorities to look into the returns of driv-ers linked to the controversial “ride-sharing” service Uber.While insisting she was not against innovation, Sleurs saidthat Uber had to respect existing Belgian regulations. “If itturns out that Uber is guilty of tax evasion, or encouragesit, then we will carry out careful checks and impose penal-ties,” she told De Standaard.Meanwhile, Brussels mobility minister Pascal Smet hasfiled a legal complaint against Uber for failing to respectsocial security regulations.Theminister, who bannedUberfrom the Brussels streets earlier this year, said he wouldintroduce regulations next year to cover services such asUber, which critics simply call an unregulated taxi service.However, Smet has decided to approve a new taxi servicein Brussels that will use motorised rickshaws, or tuk-tuks.They are to be allowed to operate on two routes – one withstops at Beurs, South Station, Louiza and Naamsepoort,and the other connecting Baljuwstraat and Flageyplein.The company Mobiloo has been given a permit to run afleet of 10 tuk-tuks in Brussels, with the number rising to15 if the project proves a success. A single ride in one ofthe open-air vehicles, which come equipped with wi-fi, aphone charger, music and magazines, will cost €4 for oneperson and €5 for a couple.Smet said the new vehicles are classified as motorbikes.“They are small and run on electricity, so are environmen-tally friendly,” he told the website brusselnieuws.be. “Wewill incorporate them into the new taxi plan that we aredrawing up next year to ensure they are safe.” \ DB

Ghent’s Daniël Termontnominated for world’s best mayor

N-VA to receive record €12.3 million annual funding

Mobility minister filescomplaint against Uber

\ POlITIcs

Open debate cultureThe demand for a tax on capitalgains has surprised this federalgovernment.WhenMichelIwasformed this summer, it seemedno more than a whim from theleftist fringe. The Christian-democrats brought it up duringgovernment formation talks,but it was not included in thefinal agreement.Since then, public opinion hasbecome much more in favourof the “rich tax”. Some pollseven speak of 80% supportamong the population. CD&V,therefore, being the furthestleft of the federal governmentparties, keeps insisting on it.Open VLD refuses it straightout, while N-VA and MR areslowly moving towards accept-ance.The federal governmentthus ends the year in disso-nance. Every day some orother member of governmentspeaks out, contradicting hisor her colleagues.This is noth-ing new. Under prime minis-ter Guy Verhofstadt, therewere so many differencesthat the coalition agreed tojust let them happen. Opendebate culture, they calledthis euphemistically.The differences in Michel I aremeant to be reconciled in theupcoming “budget control”.In essence, this is a numbercrunching exercise, but thecurrent budgetary restraintsand differences of opinion canonly be solved by somethingmore, such as a new compro-mise– ifnotanewgovernmentagreement. If that cannot befound, a “fall” becomes inevi-table for Michel I.Meanwhile, something simi-lar is happening in municipal-ities all over Flanders. Dender-leeuw, Putte, Turnhout ... in allthese towns, the local councilhas irreconcilable differences.The latest in line is Tienen,Flemish Brabant, where coali-tion partners CD&V and SP.Aare no longer on speakingterms.Judging which forces arebehind local conflicts is diffi-cult, but the number of townswith similar incidents, onlytwo years into the term, isstriking.In the past, coalitions that fellout had very fewoptions. Oncesomeone was appointed analderman, he or she remaineduntil the end of term. In caseof disputes, city councils hadto find a way to govern aroundobstinate aldermen.But a new rule, introduced byGeert Bourgeois as Flemishminister for the interior, hasmade it easier to switch coali-tion partners. Too easy, somesay, as this may be the root ofthe many conflicts now.Then again, maybe these localgovernments, too, have beenexperimenting with opendebate culture. \ Anja Otte

5Th cOlumn Oosterweel must be rebidcommission demands new government tender for antwerp ring road link

TheEuropeanCommissionhas handeddown itsdefinitive opinion against the financing of theOosterweel connection in Antwerp, forcing thegovernment of Flanders to go back to the begin-ning by issuing a new tender for the project.The Oosterweel connection, named after one ofthe villages that once stood on the banks of theriver Scheldt, is a plan to complete the AntwerpRing on the western side of the city, to easecongestion and speed up traffic from the port ofAntwerp to the motorways leading north, southand east.The problem for the government started fiveyears ago, when, after a protest campaign anda referendum in Antwerp, the decision wasmade to change the connection from a viaduct(pictured) to a tunnel. That led to a substantialchange in the project, the Commission said,

but the government went ahead with the samecontractors – the temporary consortium Nori-ant – on the same terms.The Commission is now demanding a newtender for the project, since the basis on whichNoriant was awarded the job has changed. If anew tender were issued, Noriant would have

the right, under an agreement reached in Octo-ber, to compensation of more than €37 million,plus a further €5.1 million for the intellectualproperty rights in its design for the portion ofthe project that remains unchanged. In return,Noriant dropped a legal action for compensa-tion of nearly €324 million.TheCommission’s decision has been awaited forsome time, but it will not hold back progress onthe connection, Flemish mobility minister BenWeyts said. “At last we are rid of this millstonearound our necks,” he told VRT Radio. “This willnot lead to delays. We plan to break ground in2017.”That positionwas described by opposition partyGroen as “totally unrealistic”.

alan Hopemore articles by Alan \ flanderstoday.eu

© courtesy bAm/noriant

© courtesy Het nieuwsblad

mayor Termont greeting football club AA Gent supporters

© Francois lenoir/reuters/corbis

december 24, 2014

\ 5

Chaos in the mindJan Hoet’s final project turned into a tribute to the late curator

continued from page 1

personalities.”Hoet retired from SMAK in 2003 but went onto collaborate with architect Frank Gehryas founding director of the Marta Museumin Herford, Germany. He left in 2009 to takeon projects such as the Yinchuan Biennale inChina in 2012 and Middle Gate Geel in Flan-ders in 2013.It was during the Geel project that Hoet andVandenBossche began talking about an exhi-bition in Ostend that would explore represen-tations of the sea, from the mid-19th centuryto the present day. “We worked together forsix, seven months, meeting almost everyweek. Just before Christmas last year, wefinished the selection of modern art: paint-ings and works from the 19th century and thebeginning of the 20th century.”These included Gustave Courbet’s “TheWave”, James Ensor’s “Large Seascape”, HenriMatisse’s “Oceania: The Sea” and MarcelBroodthaers’ “Large Pot of Mussels”. The twomen promised to meet again at the begin-ning of January and start on the contempo-rary artworks. But they didn’t get the chanceto have that part of the discussion because, bythen, Hoet was seriously ill.Van den Bossche tentatively suggested thatthe project should continue and, if worstcame to worst, become a tribute. Throughthe family, Van denBossche learned thatHoetagreed. On 27 February, Hoet died at the ageof 77.

The exhibition The Sea was turned intoa tribute in three ways. First of all, workwas selected from Hoet’s previous exhibi-tions. “We found works in the SMAK collec-tion that are related to the sea, and we alsolooked at his Documenta from 1992, where,for instance, there was ‘The Arc of Ascent’ byBill Viola,” Van den Bossche explains. “So wecontacted Viola and asked him if this wouldbe a good work to show in Ostend as part ofthis homage, and he agreed.”This monumental video work, shown in theold Cinema Capitole on Langestraat, shows aman suspended in the air, falling slowly intowater. The image is inverted so that the waterappears at the topof the screen, and thefigurefalls upwards.Then the process is reversed, asa man suspended in water appears to fall upinto air. This evokes both drowning at sea andmore mythical encounters with the elements.The second approach was to contact artistswho had been important to Hoet. “We askedthe artists themselves to come up with agood work fitting this exhibition, and as anhomage.”For example, German artist Thomas Schüttesuggested his bust of Alain Colas, a Frenchyachtsman who was lost at sea in 1978. Hisinstallation “Belgian Blues”, an arrangementof benches and Rothko-like watercoloursmade in Ostend, also features in the exhibi-

tion.The third approach was to ask young Flem-ish artists to make new works. One is KrisMartin’s “Altar”, on the beach in front of theThermae Palace, which captures the sea inthe framework of Van Eyck’s famous GhentAltarpiece.Another is Vaast Colson’s “Atop the Capstan”,which is exhibited inside the Thermae Palace.For this work, the artist took a recording ofHoet’s voice and rigged up an accordion sothat it would play his words. The man andthe musical instrument even seem to take abreath at the same time.Spreading the exhibition across Ostendwas also important to the Mu.ZEE team.“Jan always tried to go outside the museumas much as possible, thinking about themuseum without walls and the exhibition

without frontiers,” Van den Bossche explains.“So we wanted to go beyond the walls of themuseum and bring the work into the city.”Other venues include the Church of theCapuchins, which has two beautifully mysti-cal sculptures by American artist James LeeByars, the Ensor House and De Grote Postcultural centre. Outdoors, there is work at thecity’s railway station, around the marina andin Leopoldpark.Hardy souls can take a short ferry ride anda long walk through the docks to find workby Cameroonian artist Pascale MarthineTayou at a Volvo dealership in the Ooster-

oever district.But the bulk of the show takes place atMu.ZEE. “I would have loved to have installedthe exhibition with Jan, but we didn’t reallydiscuss it,” says Van den Bossche. “The onlyhomage I couldmake to him, as a curator, wasto do it my way, and not to try to get into hishead. That would have been impossible.”However, he did keep in mind a commentfrom Hoet that an exhibition should be clearbut with the possibility of chaos. “There aredifferent definitions of chaos of course, andyou can’t just have a chaotic exhibition space.But it’s to do with creating a kind of chaos inthe mind of the visitor.”For instance, the first thing you see on enter-ing the museum is a collection of woodenpieces by the German artist Bernd Lohaus,which suggest bothdriftwoodand ship-build-ing. Alongside these are Matisse’s marinesilhouettes and “Spirit of St Louis” by LucTuymans, a small painting of a plane lost ina blue sky.

strange combinations“From an art history perspective, this is astrange combination,” says Van den Bossche.“I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it is chaos,but it is a way of working with this theme ofthe sea.”It certainly underlines the notion that the seahas meant many different things to artistsover the years. Some strive to capture itsreality, while others try to find its essence inabstraction or concepts. At one end of thespectrum is Courbet’s painting of a crashingwave, at the other a sheet of paper with “sea”typed over and over, one of American artistCarl Andre’s “One Hundred Sonnets”.Artists have also been obsessed with humaninteractions with the sea, painting bathersand fishermen, and even themselves at workin the dunes. The exhibition features shipsand seashells, maps and postcards, evenlighthouses and their keepers.One highlight is “Three Seascapes” by thegreat British painter JMW Turner, on loanfrom the Tate Gallery in London. The canvasshows three oil sketches of sea and sky, one ofwhich is painted upside down so that a singlesky is shared by two seas. The effect is disori-entating and surprisingly modern.The Turner piece hangs opposite Ensor’satmospheric “Large Seascape”, one ofMu.ZEE’s treasures. “For me, it’s not justhaving thispaintingbyTurner,which is amaz-ing, but to have the chance, I think for the veryfirst time, to have his work in dialogue withJames Ensor,” says Van den Bossche. “That’svery important for this exhibition.”The Tate does not loan its Turners easily, andthe painting’s inclusion is another mark ofrespect for Hoet. “I contacted [Tate direc-tor] Nicholas Serota and asked him if, as anhomage, they would loan this importantTurner painting, and they agreed.”Justas importantly, thepublichave respondedto the idea of the tribute. “We have had morethan 30,000 visitors already, and I thinkbefore Christmas I will be handing a book tothe 40,000th visitor,” says Van den Bossche.“It feels good to see how many people arecoming to see this exhibition.”

\ cOVer sTOry

www.deZee-oostende.be

Jan always triedto think about themuseum withoutwalls, the exhibitionwithout frontiers

From top: Gustave courbet’s “The wave” was chosen for the exhibition by Hoet himself; see the sea through the eyes of theGhent Altarpiece in kris martin’s “Altar”; “spirit of st louis” by luc Tuymans, based on the first plane that flew non-stopfrom new york to Paris, over the sea

© sabam

© Arne deboosere

mu.Zee (and other locations)Romestraat 11, Ostenduntil 19 april

\ 6

Unions representing staff of thesupermarket chain Delhaize havereceived the backing of theirmembers for the terms of a Christ-mas truce lasting until 6 January– a cessation of hostilities in thelong-running battle over restruc-turing.Last summer, the French-ownedsupermarket’s managementannounced a restructuring planthat would involve closing 14of the 138 stores under its ownmanagement across Belgium,and the loss of 2,500 jobs. Fran-chise stores would not be affected.The announcement led to strikeaction at stores and at distributioncentres, which left many shopswith empty shelves for weeks after.The proposed agreement wasdescribed by one union represent-ative as “a coherent whole” thatwas presented to the membershipin its entirety. The package wasapproved by a majority of thosevoting.UnionshaveagreedasortofChrist-mas truce until 6 January, promis-

ing no further industrial actionin the crucial end-of-year period,a peak time for sales. Delhaizeissued a statement promising that“customers will be welcomed fortheir end-of-year shopping duringthe coming weeks in a sereneatmosphere”.The cease-fire is “linked to acommitment by management to15 fundamental principles thatwill be the framework for futurenegotiations on the restructur-ing plan,” the Christian union LBCsaid in a statement. Those include,it said, an end to forced redun-dancies, income guarantees forremaining staff and new hires andmaintenance of premiums. \ AH

Finnish media company Sanoma is merging its Belgianand Dutch magazine publishing activities, after failingto find a buyer for its Belgian properties, which includeFlair, Story, Libelle and Humo. The new corporate entitywill be led by Sanoma’s Dutch executives, although theBelgian activities will continue to be based in Mechelen.“This merger will bring with it a number of growthopportunities that will have to be studied,” said HansCools, Sanoma Belgium CEO until the end of the year.The two divisions will also look into opportunities forsynergy in their operations.That will involve new products being launched on bothsides of the border. But there are no plans to switch tocross-border editions of existing properties, Cools said.The company publishes two versions of Flair and Libelle

for the Dutch and Flemish markets and will continue todo so.“Wewant to bring our product development and successstories over the border,” commented Henk Scheen-stra, who will take over the running of Sanoma MediaBelgium as chair of the board. He cited the examples ofDutch online activities nu.nl and the price comparisonsite kieskeurig.nl.The merger comes after months of talks that aimed tofind a buyer for the Belgian magazine division, whichwas unsuccessful due to an over-supplied and extremelycompetitive market, said Sanoma. Both De Persgroep,publishers of De Morgen and owners of VTM, andRoularta, publishers of Knack and Trends, showed initialinterest before backing away. \ AH

Netlog, the Ghent-based socialnetwork that was at one pointmore popular with young peoplein Flanders than Facebook, is nolonger operating. Owners MassiveMedia have pulled the site, andusers are now directed to one of itsother properties, Twoo.com.Netlog was first launched asRedbox, an early version of anonline community created by twoyoung Gentenaars, Toon Coppensand Lorenz Bogaert, in 1999. Inthe beginning it was Belgian only,becoming Europe-wide in 2005.In 2007, the two merged Redboxwith their other site, Facebox,changed the name to Netlog, andcashed in a venture capital injec-tion of €5 million. The site had63 million users, and two yearslater won an award in the cate-gory Mainstream and Large SocialNetworks. Netlog by then wasmarket leader in Europe.By2011, however, FacebookpassedNetlog in local user accounts.Many left their Netlog accountsto lie dormant, but even more

deleted their Netlog accounts tomove to Facebook.In 2012, Massive Media wasbought by US media company IASfor €18.9 million, but IAS was onlyinterested in Twoo.com, the newdating site createdbyCoppens andBogaert earlier that year. Twoocurrently has about 108 millionaccounts, 15 million of which areconsidered active.“We’vestartedmailingour[Netlog]users, who will have the chance todownload data from their Netlogarchive,” Bogaert told VRT News.“We will also be inviting them toopen an account with Twoo.” \ AH

Delhaize unions presentterms of “Christmas truce”

Sanoma’s Flemish magazines taken over by Dutch

Flemish social media siteNetlog pulls the plug

\ bUsIness

banking AnbangThe Chinese insurance andfinancial services group hasacquired the local DeltaLloyd Bank, an affiliate of theDutch insurance company,for €219 million. The moveis Anbang’s second acqui-sition in Belgium followingits October purchase of theFidea insurance company.Delta Lloyd Bank operates 55branches, has 75 independentrepresentatives and employs570 people locally.

energy FluxysThe Brussels-based gas trans-port and pipeline operator isconsidering the acquisition ofa stake in Desfa, the operatorof the Greek gas network. Themove would be part of a €400million bid by the Azerbaijannational oil and gas companySocar for a 66% stake in thenetwork.

media roulartaThe Brussels-based Roularta,publisher of Knack, Nest andseveral other Dutch-languagemagazines, is negotiating thesale of the bulk of its French-language activities, includ-ing the iconic L’Express, to agroup of investors led by thePatrick Drahi, chair of Altice,the cable and telecommuni-cations company, and by thepublishers of the French LeFigaro newspaper.

metals UmicoreThe Brussels-based metalsand materials group is tobuild a €20 million catalyticconverter production unitnear Bangkok. The move willallow Umicore to supply thefast-growing south-east Asianmarket from the second halfof 2016.

Pharmaceuticals UcbThe much-heralded €1.2billion sale of Kremers Urban,the US generic drugs produc-tion affiliate of the Brussels-based pharmaceutical group,has fallen through follow-ing a decision by the US Foodand Drug Administration torequire further studies on oneof the company’s star prod-ucts.

Property managementcofinimmo

The Brussels-based propertydevelopment and manage-ment group has paid €72million to acquire eight nurs-ing homes and building rightsfor an additional five in theNetherlands. The move allowsCofinimmo to become aleader in the health servicesproperty market.

weeK inbusiness Ford Genk factory closes

“minute of noise” sends off 4,000 workers from the manufacturing plantalan Hopemore articles by Alan \ flanderstoday.eu

Genk mayor Wim Dries took part in the“Loudest Post” ceremony to mark theofficial closure of the Ford factory in

Genk, Limburg, last Thursday at 12.30. Citizens,especially those who worked at Ford, werecalled upon to hold a “moment of noise” withyelling, car horns, pots and pans and bicyclebells.“It’s still emotional, but, like most people here,I’ve made the switch in my head,” Dries told DeMorgen. “This is the chronicle of a closure fore-told, which started two years ago. There havebeen fewer and fewer people going to work atthe factory every month. Not everyone is goneyet, and there will still be 400 people workingover the coming year.”Theanger that accompanied theannouncementof the closure inOctober of 2012hasdiminished,he said, to be replaced with a cautious hope.Tesla, the American producer of electric cars, is

known to be looking for a factory in Europe, andthe government of Flanders would be keen tosee CEO Elon Musk opt for Genk.“We’re interested in bringing them here, but Ithink Elon Musk only has one question: Howmuch subsidy do I get?Wehave to competewiththe Netherlands, France and even Slovakia, soit’s going to be hard. But why should we not behopeful?”According to Flemish labour minister PhilippeMuyters, the question of Tesla moving to Genkis “more of a hope than a reality”. However, talkswith other possible partners will be carried out“in complete discretion,” he told parliament.In the meantime, Thursday saw the last FordMondeo roll off the assembly line at Genk, andsome 4,000 workers join the unemploymentfigures. “18 December will go down as the dark-est day in Limburg’s history,” wrote industryexpert Urbain Vandormael in Knack. “Today the

focus lies on the consequences for those mostclosely involved, but the effects on purchasingpower and economic activity in the provincewill be felt long afterwards and will cost manymore jobs.”

© Francois lenoir/reuters/corbis

“effects will be felt long afterwards”: workers leave the Fordplant in Genk last Thursday

© sander de wilde/cOrbIs © courtesy Het nieuwsblad

netlog founders Toon coppens (left) andlorenz bogaert

december 24, 2014

\ 7

With all the recent talk about thelikelihood of electricity brownoutsthis winter, the issue of energy

supplies has become more urgent than ever. Theon-going concerns about energy supply havemade the findings of a major Flemish researchproject around flexible and sustainable energymanagement, presented in Brussels recently,particularly relevant.Launched in 2009, the Linear project unitesdifferent stakeholders in the Flemish energysector around the common goal of examin-ing how to make the supply of wind and solarenergy to households more efficient. The projectis supported by the government of Flanders andincludes partners like research institutes Energy-Ville and iMinds, technology businesses fifth-play and Miele and grid management companiesEandis and Infrax.On 9 December, the results of more than fiveyears of researchwere presented at theGDF Suezheadquarters in Brussels.“Our starting point was the realisation that – inorder to integrate sustainable energy, like windand solar, into our electricity network – we needto change theway the electricity system is organ-ised,” explains project leader Wim Cardinaelsfrom EnergyVille.“The electricity system that worked with central-isedgenerationbased itsproductionondemand,”he continues. “It generated more energy throughresources like nuclear power, oil, gas and coalwhen the demand increased, and lesswhen therewas a surplus of energy. If you use the power ofthe wind and the sun, you have to adapt to thesenatural elements.”To examine how consumer energy managementcould be optimised from a sustainable perspec-tive, the Linear project first collected data onhow households use common appliances, likedishwashers, but also electric vehicles. In thesecond phase of the project, 240 families fromacross Flanders participated in a test.A group of 55 families received information onthe most advantageous times to run their elec-tric devices. This information was shown on adisplay in their home, six times aday. “Themajor-ity of the households in this group, however,quickly stopped paying any mind to the informa-tion on the best variable tariffs,” Cardinaels says.“They said that the system was too complex andrequired too much effort on a daily basis.”

TheLinear project provided the rest of the partic-ipating households with intelligent, automaticenergy management systems. Families could, forexample, programme their dishwashers to finishthe load before a certain time, such as when theygot home from work. The smart system madesure that the dishwasher ran at the most advan-tageous moment – when the electricity gridshowed an energy surplus.In addition to the smart energy systems installedin the homes of the participants, specialised labswere also set up on the premises of project part-ners. These research efforts led to concrete tech-nological innovations, such as the developmentof a new type of intelligent boiler.TheLinear researchers say that, through success-ful energy streamlining, the project has demon-strated that a future exists on the consumermarket for smart grid systems that work withrenewable energy.“We also noticed that families used the auto-matic systems continuously for the entire 18months, without growing tired of it,” says Cardi-naels. “We concluded that a user-friendly inter-action system is essential if you want people todevelop a routine in using it.”At the same time, the researchers also empha-sised at the recent conference that importantchallenges remain. “Efforts are still necessary to

encourageachangeofmentality towardssustain-able energy,” says Cardinaels. “The governmenthas an important role to play in introducingregulations that reward people who use energyefficiently and thus relieve pressure on the elec-tricity grid.”The project also shows that more developmentis necessary to fine-tune the technology andlower its costs. “But this can go quickly oncethe consumer market grows,” says Cardinaels.He points to the success of consultancy bureausthat assist small- and medium-sized enter-prises in their sustainable energy managementas evidence that change is on the horizon. “Thenext step is finding ways to force a major break-through in the energy market,” he says.Flemish energy minister Annemie Turtelboomhas confirmed that smart devices that automati-cally control demand offer many possibilities inavoiding difficult situations like the projectedbrownouts this winter. “We want to invest in along-term solution to which this type of researchprojects contributes,” she says.Referring to the federal government’s recentlylaunched OffOn energy-saving campaign, shesaid: “For this winter, we are counting on theco-operation of families to enable a ‘manual’demand control.”

Finding green solutionslinear project introduces sustainable energy to flemish homes

Flanders’ air qualityis improvingAir quality in Flandersimproved considerablybetween 2000 and 2013,according to a report by theFlemish Environment Agency.But the amount of pollut-ants emitted by householdsand traffic is increasing, andFlanders hasn’t met the Euro-pean standards for fine dustin the air. The report shows asignificant reduction in emis-sions of substances that createozone (down 33%), substancesthat break down ozone (down82%) and substances responsi-ble for acid rain, like sulphurdioxide (down 73%). However,although the concentrationof fine dust has decreasedby 2% since 2000, Flandersstill doesn’t meet the Euro-pean standards. The sameapplies for ozone, arsenic andcadmium.

Virtual trainingfor ms patientsResearchers from the Exper-tise Centre for Digital Mediaat Hasselt University and theRehabilitation & MS CentreOverpelt have developeda digital strength trainingprogramme for the rehabili-tation of patients who haveMS or have had a stroke. Theprogramme enables patientstocondition their armmusclesmore effectively than before,using software that includesexercises and games. A robotconnected to the softwaredetermines the intensity of thetraining programme. The firsttests showed that patientsexperienced increased stabil-ity,mobilityandmuscleendur-ance. This makes it easier tocarry out daily activities, likecooking, using a wheelchairand eating independently.

\ www.i-travle.eu

cot death downby 80%Sudden infant deathsyndrome, also known as cotdeath, has been cut by 80% inFlanders in 20 years. Accord-ing to the Agency for Care andHealth, 19 babies died fromthe syndrome in 2012, while in1994, the numberwas closer to100. “We will never succeed inreducing that number to zero,”professor Gunnar Naulaers ofLeuven University Hospitaltold Het Laatste Nieuws. Thedecrease can be attributed toprecautionary measures takenby parents, he said, includingputting babies on their backsto sleep and refraining fromsmoking during pregnancy.Information on these meas-ures was spread by hospitalsand family organisations suchas Kind en Gezin starting inthe 1990s. \ AF

weeK ininnOvaTiOn

\ InnOVATIOn

www.linear-smartgrid.be

andy furnieremore articles by Andy \ flanderstoday.eu

The linear project team presented five years of research to energy minister Annemie Turtelboom (second from left) and otherinterested parties at a recent conference in brussels

© courtesy energyVille

Fresh from the climate changeconference in Peru, Flemish envi-ronment minister Joke Schauvliege(pictured) has been given the greenlight on her climate initiativestotalling €4.7 million. These “quickwin” measures should reduce theregion’s carbon dioxide emissionsby about half a million tons.The funding comes from the Flem-ish Climate Fund, a unique instru-ment that takes in revenue fromthe sale of emission rights andthe collection of fines from airlinecompanies.The government allocated €1.9million to waste authority Miromin Roeselare, West Flanders, tocreate a district heating networkbetween an incineration plant anda greenhouse cultivation cluster.

The network will transport surplusheat from Mirom’s incinerator tothe greenhouse cluster Roeselare-West.A second initiative is the invest-ment of €2.25million in small-scaleanaerobic digestion at agriculturalcompanies. Through this process,

organic substances from manureare transformed into biogas, whichis used as fuel for a generator thatproduces electricity.An investment of €450,000, mean-while, is being made to ensurespecialised advice regardingenergy consumption is availableto tourist agencies and hotels. Anadvisor will carry out energy scansand propose measures to reduceconsumption.Finally, the government has allo-cated €117,000 to the construc-tion of shore power infrastruc-ture for inland waterway shippingat Evergem in East Flanders andWijnegem in Antwerp province.The infrastructure will ensure thatships don’t have to use their owngenerators for the provision of

electricity on board, which reducesboth carbon dioxide emissions andnoise nuisance.“These projects are part of contin-ued efforts to reach Flanders’climate goals and to help realiseEurope’s global climate commit-ments,” said Schauvliege.The minister returned this weekfrom the climate change confer-ence in Lima, which she describedas “relatively positive”. The 195participating countries agreed toadopt measures to avert globalwarming. Most analysts agreethat the policies countries plan topursue to reduce carbon emissionswill be minimal, but, said Schau-vliege, “we knew that this wasonly a step on the way to the Parissummit” in a year’s time. \AF

Government invests €4.7 million in climate initiatives

© wiktor dabkowski/ZUmA Press/corbis

Sign up now for ourdaily and weeklynewsletters with localheadlines, events andfeatures, tailor-made forexpats in Belgium

Subscribe for free atwww.thebulletin.be

Your dailY news

december 24, 2014

\ 9

On happinessschool of life teaches students how to live well and think differently

andy furnieremore articles by Andy \ flanderstoday.eu

lawyer wins prize forcivil code updateLawyer Alexandra Vanvooren,an alumnus of Ghent Univer-sity, has won the FlemishThesis Prize with her propos-als to update the Civil Code inBelgium. The prize is an initia-tive by thenot-for-profit organ-isation Scriptie, to highlightthe academic work of emerg-ing scientific talent. More than500 students participated. Inher thesis, Vanvooren ques-tions the use of gender andphysical address for the judi-cial identification of citizens.“Via a thorough overview ofhistorical sources, Vanvoorendemonstrated in an accessi-ble way how the Civil Codewas established and is at thebasis of gender inequality andan archaic vision of societywith the family as a corner-stone,” said the chair of thejury, Marleen Finoulst, editor-in-chief of Bodytalk magazine.

klasse to focuson teachersKlasse, the Flemish educationdepartment’s multimedia plat-form, has presented its plan forthe future. Klasse has had toadjust its publication schedulebecause of budget cuts. At onepoint, it thought it would haveto cancel all its print publica-tions – separate magazines forteachers, students and parents– and be available only online.Klasse 2020 sets out the proce-dures for the next five years,beginning on 1 September.The website will be relaunchedand the organisation will bemore active on social media.It will also collaborate morewith other media. There willstill be a printed magazine –a new publication for teach-ers published four times peracademic year.

UGent beginsorientation testsGhent University (UGent) isintroducing orientation toolsto help studentsmake the tran-sition fromsecondary tohighereducation. According to rectorAnne De Paepe, the univer-sity will help final-year pupilsin secondary education via anonline self-evaluation tool thatexamines which study areascorrespond with their inter-ests and capacities. The tool iscalled Simon, short for Studi-evaardigheden en InteresseMonitor, or Study Skills andInterest MONitor. During theirfirst week, students at UGentwill be required to take theSimon test, which will exam-ine their knowledge, disciplineand reasoning capacity. Simonwill generate an expected passrate percentage for a certainfield of study. The results willbe used to create an individualprofile of the student. \ AF

weeK ineducaTiOn

\ edUcATIOn

The most important lessons in life are notlearned at school, the saying goes. Butstudents at The School of Life beg to differ.

The lecturers at this international organisation,co-founded by the London-based author andphilosopher Alain de Botton and with branchesaround the world, use insights from differentcultural disciplines to improve the day-to-daylives of their students. The first location in Flan-ders opened a few weeks ago in Antwerp’s citycentre.The School of Life in Antwerp captured thepublic’s attention by inviting de Botton for hisfirst-ever visit to Flanders and by setting up apop-up restaurant with tables for one persononly. The four-day dining concept was part of athematic School of Life week that addressed thechallenges and benefits of solitude.“Dining alone may be perceived as a lonely activ-ity, but it can actually be mentally healthy todisconnect from social interaction and take timefor yourself in this way,” explains Yvonne Cox, thefounder and director of the Antwerp school. Cox,who is a journalist by trade,was inspired to foundthe branch after talking to staff members at TheSchool of Life headquarters in London.The School of Life organises special events totranslate ideas from the broad cultural field intopractical insightstobeusedineverydaylife.Theseone-time events includequirky city tours, theatreperformances and lectures bywriters andphilos-ophers. For the recent solitude-focused week,the Antwerp chapter invited Nathalie Le Blanc, a

Flemish journalist and School of Life staffer whorecently wrote Solo, a book in which she exploreswhy more and more people are choosing to livealone.While the school is situated in Antwerp, the goalis to also set up events in other Flemish citiesand in Brussels in the form of one-week summerschools. The activities are usually held in Dutch,but Cox plans the occasional English-speakingevent.Every week, the school offers three-hour even-ing courses on three consecutive nights. Thesehow-to classes deal with themes like work andrelationships and are capped at 22 participants.Past workshops have included How to Relate toYour Family, How toFind a JobYouLove andHowto Be a Better Friend. Again, lessons are typicallyin Dutch, but English-speaking classes are alsosometimes offered.The School of Life lecturers havewidely divergingbackgrounds – fromphilosopher Tinneke Beeck-man to consultant Serge Ornelis, head of themediation section of the Belgian defence depart-ment. They use course materials from equallydiverse fields – from history and neuroscienceto visual arts. The materials are provided by theLondon School of Life headquarters but adaptedto the Flemish context.“The purpose of our classes is not to give clearanswerstolife’squestions,buttopointoutcertainideas that can provide participants with a differ-

ent perspective on issues,” says Cox. In the Howto Have Better Conversations class, for instance,clips from a Woody Allen film are shown to helpdemonstrate certain communication problems.The participants, typically of all backgroundsand ages, are encouraged to interact duringthe classes. “They can discuss with their fellowstudents how they see their own role in theirfamily, orwhat they consider as their best profes-sional skills,” Cox explains.She mentions a participant who didn’t like hiscurrent job, but in the course of the class realisedthat he had never truly liked any of his previousjobs, either. “Unhappiness at work can say moreabout your general emotional state than aboutthe jobs themselves,” notes Cox.While the courses can have a therapeutic effecton participants, the school doesn’t promote itsclasses as therapy sessions. Cox also points outthat the concept behind the School of Life is notnew but goes back to Ancient Greece. “At thattime, groups of citizens regularly hired philoso-phers to help them with their problems throughtheir insights,” she explains.BecauseTheSchool of Life doesnot receive subsi-dies, it operates as a commercial venture thatincludes a bar and a shop, where visitors can buybooks or other school materials, like notebooks.The how-to classes cost €45 per person. Compa-nies can also organise day-long workshops fortheir staff.

University of Hasselt graduate Thomas Stockx was recently awardedthe Alcatel-Lucent Bell MSc Thesis Award for his work on a subwaypositioning system

What’s special about yoursystem?MetroNavigator is an app writ-ten for mobile devices that canhelp users with navigation onunderground public transpor-tation systems. You can think ofit as a GPS device but for use onthe subway, with notifications onwhen to get off, how many stops orminutes left to your destination,information about nearby pointsof interest and so on. To be able todo this, I created a new techniquecalled SubwayPS [Subway Posi-tioning System] to interpret theaccelerometer data measured bythe mobile device. By combining

all this information,we canupdatethe user in real time.

You’ve received a lot of atten-tion for this app. How is it beingreceived by the business world?The main purpose of my thesiswas to research a good position-ing method that would work onunderground transport networks,and the app was mostly just aproof of the technique I devel-oped, which allows positioningwithout infrastructure works suchas installing routers. There hasbeen some good feedback fromcompanies in the networking andpeople-tracking business and the

academic world. The work on theresearch that I started will prob-ably continue under the guidanceof my advisor, professor JohannesSchöning.

You’re now working for a gamedeveloper. Any other brilliantideas in the pipeline?After graduating in July, I relo-cated to the UK for a job at BossAlien in Brighton. They are a well-known mobile games company,with titles such as CSR Racingplayed by over 100 million people.It’s a lot of funworking on a projectthat gets playedby somanypeople.As for brilliant ideas, my role atBoss Alien is as a programmer,which means working togetherwith artists and game design-ers to come up with and imple-ment new features for gamesthat are currently already avail-able. Obviously, I can’t talk aboutthe stuff that’s coming out soon,except for saying that it’s exciting.\ Interview by Alan Hope

Q&a

www.tHescHooloflife.com/antwerP

© photos: Ans brys

The school of life offers a shop, a café and inexpensive courses on life’s big issues

Antwerp school of life founder yvonne cox

\ 10

\ lIVInG

The day the guns fell silenton christmas day 1914, opposing soldiers shared a moment of humanity

One hundred years ago thisChristmas, a day of fraternityin Flanders’ fields passed

into fable. The Christmas truce of1914 is remembered as a momentof compassion amid the carnage ofthe First World War, of spontaneoussolidarity between opposingsoldiers, and perhaps the mostflagrantly subversive football matchin history.Although it had almost no bearingon the course of thewar on thewest-ern front, the Christmas truce stillhas the power to inspire. In recentweeks, commemorations have beenheld in Flanders and beyond, recog-nising this rare respite from thewar’s relentless catalogue of horrors.Earlier this month, Michel Platini,the president of European footballauthority UEFA, unveiled a sculp-ture near the village of Ploegsteertin Wallonia honouring the footballmatches played during the lull. Afew days before, another memo-rial, designed by students from twoschools inGermany and theUK,wasinaugurated at the Peace Village inMesen, West Flanders. In Britain,Prince William unveiled a footballsculpture celebrating the truce,the Royal Shakespeare Companyhas put on a specially commis-sioned play about it, and retailerSainsbury’s and the British Legionrecently broadcast a controversialfour-minute tear-jerking commer-cial dramatising the events of theday.Commemorative football matcheshave taken place across Europe,including a tournament in Flan-ders that brought youth teams fromBelgium, England, Scotland, France,Austria and Germany to play. Therehave also been fictional depictionsover the years, from the 1969 filmOh! What a Lovely War to 2005’sJoyeux Noël (Merry Christmas).Today, the Christmas truce has

become so mythologised that someeven question whether it reallyhappened.Yet it is rooted in facts. Therecertainly was a truce – or rather,many truces all along the long lineof trenches that ran from the NorthSea to Switzerland. From privateletters and diaries, officer reportsand blurred photographs, we knowthat soldiers met in No Man’s Landthat day, and, yes, even played foot-ball.

There does not appear to have beenany deeply thought-out game plan,or organised scheme among thesoldiers on either side. Nonethe-

less, the reports all talk of informalappeals at various points along theline.In most accounts, the initiativecomes from the German side. Daysbefore, German soldiers startedputting small fir trees – tannenbaum– on the parapet of their trenches,with candles clamped on to providea seasonal glow.Letters talk of soldiers then callingout across to the other side, withmessages like “Hello Fritz!” and“Merry Christmas, Tommy!” Oneaccount talked of how on Christmasmorning, Germans sang their carolsand the British sang “O Come, All YeFaithful”, with the Germans joiningin with the same hymn to the Latinwords, Adeste fideles.After establishing a line of commu-nication, the next steps would havebeen the most precarious, as theytentatively breached the idea ofceasing hostilities for the day. Onereport tells of Germans holding upsigns bearing a phrase in brokenEnglish: “Youno shoot,weno shoot.”The main motivations, however,were practical: Both sides had aninterest in burying thedead that hadpiledupbetween themsince thewarstarted. A trucewould allow them to

clear the lines.Whoknowswhatwasracingthroughthe minds of the first soldiers toemerge from the trenches, uncer-tain whether the other side couldkeep their word, yet determinedto trust in the spirit of Christmascheer? But the trust was repaid asthey met in the centre, shook handsand embraced.Conversation might have been diffi-cult, but there seems to have beenenough language between the twosides to convey their goodwill.Mementoes such as buttons, beltbuckles and the famous Germanspiked Pickelhaube helmets wereexchanged, along with more imme-diately useful gifts: tobacco, food,alcohol.And then there was the football.Whiletherearenoconfirmedreportsof organised 11-a-side matchesbetween British and German forces,there were, indeed, chaotic kicka-bouts up and down the line, usuallywith dozens of participants and noobvious rules.The truce was not observed every-where. Nerves sometimes gave wayto panic and gunfire. And in someplaces, commanders ignored thepleas and shot those crawling outfrom the other side, just as theywould have the day before.Even more poignant is whathappened afterwards. There wouldbe no more Christmas truces in thefollowing years. Generals and politi-cians on both sides were alarmed bywhat they saw as a breach of disci-pline and threatened court martialfor any further fraternisation.Nonetheless, the memories of thattruce in the mud 100 years ago arestill with us. They are rememberedas a small triumph of a commonhumanity, a magical pause in thehorrors of the trenches and thesenseless waste of life, and a reasonto raise a cheer this Christmas.

For a province that forms a circlearound the bustling metropolis ofBrussels, Flemish Brabant certainlyis rural. It’s an area that’s surpris-ingly rich in farmland and the prod-ucts of local artisans. In addition tothings like witloof, grapes, apples,pears, mushrooms and aspara-gus, Flemish Brabant is known forproducing its own speciality beersand wines, jams, honey, chocolate,cookies and more.A basket of local products makesfor the ideal Christmas gift, andmany of the goodies from Flem-ish Brabant can be picked up at along list of selling points through-out the province. And have you everthought of putting a meal on thetable over the holidays that incor-

porates some of these fine regionalingredients?Flemish celebrity chef and Tervurenresident Jeroen De Pauw has, andhis recipes are bundled into anew cookbook. As ambassadorof the initiative to promote Flem-ish Brabant’s regional products, DePauw wrote the cookbook StraffeStreekgerechten (Excellent RegionalDishes) to inspire people to domorewith all that witloof and beer.“Peoplewhobuyabasketof regionalproducts will get my handy recipebook along with it, so they can getcreative in thekitchenwith the localproduce,” he told Het Nieuwsblad.“There’s a lot of cooking going on inFlanders during the festive season.And food tastes even better when

it’s made with local ingredients.”Along with the gift baskets andcookbook, the region’s also show-ing off its local products with a newStraffe Streek calendar, featuringsurprising photographs of the prod-ucts ladenwithartisanal allure.Thisyear’s calendar highlights severalproducts for their authenticity andpurity, from jams and waffles to

lambic beer and tripe. The photo-graphs come from Studio Wauters,a top culinary photographer fromOverijse.For the most authentic holidaygift baskets, calendars and end-of-year cooking inspiration, head toone of the participating FlemishBrabant retailers – see the websitefor details. \ Robyn Boyle

biTethe province that keeps on giving

winter nightsat bokrijkThe open-air museum isclosed for thewinter exceptfor five magical eveningsbetween Christmas andNew Year. Enjoy a retrocarnival with old-fashionedrides, historical atmos-phere, holiday decorations,entertainment, warm foodand drink. Fireworks everynight at 20.30. 26-30 Decem-ber, 16.00-21.00, Bokrijklaan1, Genk; €6

\ www.bokrijk.be

Glühwein walkin the VoerstreekA two-hour guided naturewalk through the coun-tryside (in Dutch), endingwith a glass of warme wijn.26 December, 14.00, departsfrom Pley 13, ’s Gravenvo-eren, reserve via [email protected] or 043 81 07 36

\www.voerstreek.be

christmas ParadesAfunparadewithcostumedperformers, colourfulfloats, singing and dancingand lots of holiday cheer. 27December in Lier, 28 Decem-ber in Kortrijk, 18.00; free

\ www.kerstparade.be

medievalwinter eventTwelfth annual winterevent at Abbey MuseumTen Duinen, with fightingknights, live music, story-telling,birdsofprey,archeryand crafts. Free admis-sion for anyone in medie-val costume. 27 December,14.00-18.00, AbdijmuseumTen Duinen 1138, KoninklijkPrinslaan 6, Koksijde; €5( free for under-12s)

\ http://nl.tenduinen.be

saints andsinners walkA night-time guided tourof Antwerp, featuringstories and legends aboutthe world of good and evil,belief and superstition,that once governed city life.You’ll meet inspired soulswho tried to earn theirplace in heaven – and thosewhose religious zeal wenttoo far. 26 December, 21.00,reserve via the website; €10

\ www.ghostwalk.be

winterwonders circusBreathtaking circus acts,clowns, acrobats and musi-cians, brought together ina delightful holiday storythat beginswith a travellinggypsy family. Until 4 Janu-ary, Provinciaal DomeinDe Schorre, Schommelei 1,Boom; €10-35

\ www.circusevents.be

weeK inacTiviTies

leo cendrowiczmore articles by leo \ flanderstoday.eu

The christmas truce football match of 1914 has become an iconic symbol of goodwill

The Christmastruce footballmatch of 1914has become aniconic symbolof goodwill

www.straffestreek.be

december 24, 2014

\ 11

The best reads of 2014make the most of those winter nights with a bit of homegrown literature

The days are dark, cold andwet: in otherwords, the perfect time of year to closethe curtains and curl up in front of the

fire with a cup of tea. The only thing missingfrom this soothing picture is a book, one thatwill distract you from the drearyweather andtransport you to a fictional world. As a littleinspiration, here are the most outstandingFlemish novels of 2014, for you to read – andshare – this holiday season.

Oorlog en terpentijn(War and Turpentine)Stefan Hertmans • De Bezige BijThough this novel was published in theautumn of 2013, Oorlog en terpentijn (Warand Turpentine) won so many prizes thisyear, we’ve decided to include it here. Andbesides, it hasn’t been surpassed this year.It is, without a doubt, one of the best novelspublished in Flanders over the last severalyears, winning multiple awards, includingthe prestigious AKO Literature Prize lastmonth.Author StefanHertmans’ grandfather, UrbainMartien, was a corporal who fought in theFirst World War. He later wrote an accountof this harrowing experience and handed itto his grandson just before his death in 1981.It took Hertmans 30 years to muster up thecourage to read it.Eventually, though, he did much more: Heturned the account into a novel to honourhis grandfather, a man who once gave hima watch when he was a boy, a meaningfulheirloom that was shattered in the hands ofa clumsy young Stefan. It was an event thatstayed with him and filled him with guilt andthe determination not to let his grandfatherdown a second time.Based solely on his grandfather’s notes, Hert-mans’ beautifully written novel overflowswith striking imagery and raw emotions.During the Belle Époque, the well-educatedCéline marries a poor and ailing painter.Their son, Urbain, inherits his father’s lovefor painting and restoration, a passion thathas to be put on hold when the war starts.In the first part ofOorlog en terpentijn, Hert- mans reconstructs his grandfather’s child-

hood – his relationship with his parents andhis education. In the second part, the pointof view shifts, andUrbain becomes the narra-tor instead of Hertmans himself, based onthe account he left behind of his own experi-ences during the slaughter of 1914-18.Urbain eventually becomes a war hero butis crippled by the conflict none the less. Thebook goes on to recount the love of his lifeand his eventual marriage, from which Hert-mans’mother is born.This is where the notesthat Urbain left his grandson end.The remainder of Oorlog en terpentijn isbased on many long conversations with rela-tives, concluding an intricate and inward-looking saga. Hertmans tells this harrow-ing piece of family history with poise andcompassion, showing us with intimate detailhow lives can be shattered by a single brush-stroke.

WoestenKris Van Steenberge • VrijdagFormer teacher Kris Van Steenberge’s firstbook, which won the Bronze Owl for a debutnovel inOctober, is a real Flemish gem, a clas-

sic story set in a rural village where the localsexperience love, tragedy and, ultimately, war.At the end of the 19th century in a villagecalled Woesten, young Elisabeth is ready tospread her wings until she discovers thatshe is pregnant and is forced to marry thefather. She gives birth to twins: the beautifulValentijn and his horribly disfigured brother,who remains nameless. As 1914 approaches,war isn’t the only tragedy to strike this quiettown. Woesten is epic, elegant and sumptu-ous storytelling.

Monte CarloPeter Terrin • De Bezige BijPeter Terrin follows up his award-winningnovel Post Mortem with this story revolv-ing around Formula 1 racing. In Monte Carloduring the summer of 1968, mechanic JackPreston saves the life of a young (and volup-tuous) actress named DeeDee, and we followhis descent from adoration to self-preserva-tion.Terrin’s subdued style turns this potentiallysensational joyride into a work of art whereno stone is left unturned. Not a word inthis condensed novel is superfluous. As he’s

pursued by inevitable tragedy, Jack’s esca-pades andTerrin’s literary craftsmanshipwilllinger in the reader’s memory.

Kom hier dat ik u kus (ComeHere So I Can Kiss You)Griet Op de Beeck • PrometheusJournalist Griet Op de Beeck’s debut novel,Vele hemels boven de zevende (Many Heav-ens Above the Seventh), was an unexpectedbestseller in Flanders and is soon to bemadeinto a movie. Her second novel, Kom hierdat ik u kus, follows Mona, a nine-year-oldwho loses her mother, until she is an inde-pendent 35-year-old who has to say goodbyeto her beloved father.It’s a beautiful and funny portrait of a coura-geouswoman scared tomakemistakeswhilefollowing her heart – a soap opera as wellas a tale about a peculiar family, talentedartists and egotistical men. It’s a novel to besavoured.

Kaddisj voor een kut(Kaddish for a Cunt)Dimitri Verhulst• Atlas / ContactIn De helaasheid der dingen (TheMisfortu-nates), Dimitri Verhulst wrote a semi-auto-biographical tale about his far-from-rosychildhood in small-town Flanders. Afterseveral more novels of varying degrees ofsuccess, he was back this year with anotherharrowing story that relates his time as ayouth in a juvenile housing facility.The first part of this short book deals withthe funeral of Gianna, a beautiful girl in theinstitution who commits suicide, leading toa complaint about the church’s hypocrisy.The second part shines a light on two formerdetainees who kill their children to protectthem from their stigmatised future. Dark,condensed and eloquent: This is trademarkVerhulst, in the best sense.

rebecca benootmore articles by rebecca \ flanderstoday.eu

chronicle of a family: stefan Hertmans

© michiel Hendryckx

Find out how we will pamper you at:brusselsairlines.com/family

WE GO THE EXTRA SMILEFOR FAMILIES TOO.With , the whole family flies with a smile thanks to a freepackage of services and other goodies. Now you can enjoy both comfort and a great fare!

PRIORITYBOARDING.

ENJOY A CHILDDISCOUNT.

SIT TOGETHERWITHYOUR FAMILY.

RETRIEVE YOURSTROLLER AT THEAIRCRAFT DOOR

12KG HAND BAGGAGEFOR YOUR CHILDREN.

december 24, 2014

\ 13

\ ArTs

Smiling in the darkcomic michael van Peel looks for the brightness in a very dark year

His comedy show about 2014 isthe darkest Michael Van Peel hasever written. “It was really hardto keep it funny this time,” theFlemish stand-up comedian andnewspaper columnist admits, ashe starts a new tour at the end ofa very turbulent year.

When he startedpreparations for hisfifth annual comedy

review, 36-year-old comedianMichael Van Peel was remindedby his notebooks that the year hadstarted promisingly.“We were all ‘one world’, enjoy-ing the sunny weather, dancingto Pharell Williams’ ‘Happy’,” hesays. “All the political parties werepromising us that they would keepthe retirement age at 65. And noone had ever heard of IS or ISIS, oreven MH17.”It’s true that thenational and inter-nationalturmoil–anationalstrike,a new Cold War and remorse-less terrorism – only began in thesecond half of the year.So it’s not surprising that VanPeel (pictured) has constantlybeen searching for smiles inthe dark. “I’m now trying tobring some more light into theshow,” he says after a successful90-minute performance in thecultural centre of Aarschot inFlemish Brabant.There’s still a bit of time left forchanges before the live recordingof the show in Antwerp’s Arenberg-schouwburg, which will be broad-cast several times onFlemish radioand TV between Christmas andNew Year’s Day.“I’m trying to ease the harsh jokeswith some silliness,” he says. “Butsadly, silly things have been rarethis year. It’s been very hard notto become cynical when watchingthe news. What can you say aboutthe Israel-Palestine conflict afteranother failed ‘peace process’?”Still, by mostly avoiding theblackest of humour he keeps

on entertaining his public witha show that’s part comedy, partstorytelling (with many refer-ences to his intelligent, thought-provoking columns about soci-ety in Flemish daily De Morgen).

Even in these difficult circum-stances, there are funny mono-logues. Like everybody else in theaudience, Van Peel would haveliked to see the face of the youngsuicide bomber who made themistake of arriving an hour earlyat the scene. “It really happened,and it had something to do withdaylight saving time,” Van Peelsmiles. “The best jokes are oftenthose you don’t have to come upwith yourself.”So the ‘loser terrorism’ of IS, BokoHaram and warriors in Syria is abig topic, just like other distrib-

utors of fear – often politicians.“Make no mistake, I’m not laugh-ing at the suffering, only at thereporting about it in our mediaand social media, and the effectsthese actions have on us. My only

weapon against fear is humour.”The idea behind the Van PeelSurvives… comedy shows is notto give a chronological summaryof what’s happened in the pastyear. “Instead, I want to capturethis one zeitgeist idea that willremain and will be remem-bered,” he explains.From his former acts, we remem-ber, for instance, that Big Brotheris watching us. This year that bigidea could just aswell be the polar-ised world in which we live. “Itseems to have become only morepolarised, by spreading more fear.”

For Van Peel, making a comedyshow doesn’t begin by coming upwith jokes. Often it starts in a barwith fellow comedians, drinkingand chatting.“But that doesn’t prevent my firstattempts from being a disaster,”he admits. “Basically, I just starttalking, with hardly any jokes atall. Slowly they slip into the story,and then it’s amatter of finding theright balance between the talkingand the joking. In the meantime,I try to remember [ fellow comic]Alex Agnew’s advice: ‘If they ain’tlaughing, it’s just a guy talking’.”Van Peel’s ease at talking and argu-ing is rooted in his youth. “Myfather was a doctor and a localpolitician. As a public figure, heencouraged discussions aroundthe dinner table. Arguing loudlywas rather common in our family,which was represented by variouscolours and parties.” The fact that

Van Peel’s sister became a memberof the Flemish nationalist partyN-VA, for example, did not hinderdiscussions.Still, as a kid he used to be a bit ofa loner, hidden between his booksandCDs. “Imade a little headquar-ters ofmybedroom, surroundedbyencyclopaedias and a modem withearly internet connection, whichallowed me to chat and downloadfiles at the speed of a fax machine.I’ve always been a bit nerdy,” helaughs.Contrary to popular belief, he says,comedians are not the most socialof creatures. “I stand in front ofan audience, but I’m there all bymyself, doing a monologue. Musi-cians are better off: At least they’resurrounded by colleagues.”So it took him a long time to takethe stage. He remembers his neph-ews playing with theatre but beingscared to join them. “I had coldfeet,” he admits. “During creativesummer camps, I always hid in thebroom cupboard when we finallyhad to present the theatre piecewe had prepared.”After entering university to try hishand at chemistry, he graduatedas a commercial engineer withthe idea that he might become amanager, or a banker, or start abusiness, like his friends.It’s only due to his friend NigelWilliams, the Antwerp-basedcomedian with British roots,that he ended up on a stage. “Hepushed me from the right to thewrong track,” says Van Peel, whofinally made his comedy debut in2005. “But my first public appear-ance was like a shot of heroin. Iwas addicted right away. I wantedmore, and, though it never got asgood as that very first shot, andsometimes I felt like I was dying upthere, I never gave up. And look atme now: I keep on surviving.”

With the school holidays in mind,here’s our pick of more stage shows

this week, good for the whole family

metro boulot dodo (5+)nevski ProspektSlapstick, theatre and dance meet inNevski Prospekt’s wordless show aboutthe strange and otherworldly Herman,who discovers it’s worth being yourself,even if you’re not like anyone else. 28December, 15.00, Bronks, Brussels

\ www.bronks.be

cowboys huilen niet(cowboys don’t cry, 7+)laika & bonteHondBrothers Gert and Jo Jochems play twocowboys (pictured), inventions of GerdaDendooven, the celebrated illustratorand writer of children’s books. Afterthey lose their mother and anotherbrother disappears, they decide tolook for a new life behind the horizonof the seemingly endless prairie. 27December to 4 January, 15.00, De Studio,Antwerp (on tour until 29 May), in Dutch

\ www.laika.be

Het vertrek van de mier(the ant’s departure, 6+)Het Paleis, toneelhuis &kunstZStage director Guy Cassiers directedand adapted the book by Dutchwriter Toon Tellegen about an antwho’s departing for another country.All emotions concerned with leavingand missing a loved one are presentin this ambitious collaborationbetween the main Antwerp theatrehouses and socio-artistic organisationkunstZ. Until 25 January, 15.00,Het Paleis, Antwerp, in Dutch

\ www.HetPaleis.be

mOre perFOrmance This weeK

tom Peetersmore articles by Tom \ flanderstoday.eu

\ www.micHaelvanPeel.be

Van Peel survivesAcross Flandersuntil 6 february

My only weapon againstfear is humour

© Johannes Vande Voorde

\ 14

\ ArTs

Border patrolflemish photographer nick Hannes on natural and man-made fences

tom Peetersmore articles by Tom \ flanderstoday.eu

The crisis in Greece, refugees in Lampedusa,revolutions in the Arab world, bombs in Gaza:The countries surrounding the Mediterraneanhaven’t been exactly quiet in recent years.Antwerp photographer Nick Hannes has beena curious eyewitness.

“The Pacific may have the mostchangeless, ageless aspect of anyocean, but the Mediterranean

Sea celebrates the continuity of Man.” Theobservation of the British historian and sailorErnle Bradford accompanies a new exhibitionand book by Flemish photographer NickHannes.“He spent half his life sailing the Mediterraneanand wrote a fist-thick reference work about itshistory and cross-pollination of cultures,” the40-year-old photographer says after observ-ing the region through his own lens for theAntwerp exhibition Mediterranean: The Conti-nuity of Man.It took Hannes 20 trips over four years. “Itremains unique on the map of the world: a seaat the intersection of three continents, a rela-tively short distance from each other,” he says.“There’s a reason why this region is consideredthe cradle of our civilisation.”As in his previous long-term project on theformer Soviet Union, The Red Journey, Hannestries to keep his distance in order to transcendthe news of the day. But this proved a majorissue since the region has been in constantturmoil since his first trip in 2010.And though the term “continuity” in the titleoften has positive connotations, you can askyourself if this is still true for the countriessurrounding the Mediterranean. Hannes showsthat the sea has become more of a barrier thanan intersection.“Economically, it is still a very important corri-dor, but we see more countries sealing off theirborders with fences.” His lens only wanted toregister, but behind the images you can see theirony and indignation.

Hannes’ approach is less anecdotal than in hisphotos of the former Soviet Union, basicallybecause his images deal with themes far closerto home. In between the crises, wars and revo-lutions, his eyes glance towards the depriva-tion of landscapes, the costs of mass tourismand urban development and the way we (mis)manage scarce open space.“My photos have always been more about howwe shape our environment than about individ-uals,” he explains. “I’m not telling the personalstory of a refugee, I’m looking at the systemsseparating groups of people by fences. A ceme-tery of boats in Lampedusa is a better and moresymbolic metaphor to me than a pile of bodybags.”

His trip to the Italian island was one of his lastbut most moving journeys. Hannes arrived onlya few days after a ramshackle boat coming fromLibya sank; 360 African migrants drowned. “Itwas a bizarre experience,” he says. “There’s asummer vibe among tourists flying to Lampe-dusa from the Italian mainland, but they aredrinking their coffee at the same beach terraceswhere you see black Africans who survived thetraumatic trip from the other side.”These contrasts are all over the exhibition inAntwerp’s FotoMuseum. You notice a hugeNigerian man staring into the horizon at theMoroccan coastline, dreaming of the other side.Hannes leaves the question unanswered, butthe visitor can wonder if he really wants this“illegal”, often homeless life, trying to sell imita-tion watches to sunbathers and surviving in theperiphery of an unknown city.Most of the Flemish photographer’s imagesdon’t reguire explanation. On one side of theroom you see a large crowd of members of theMuslim Brotherhood on Tahrir Square in Cairo,on the other young people partying in Ibiza. Onboth sides, they have their hands in the air.Or take his symbolic series of empty petrolstations inGreece.Thecontrastwith the exuber-ance on board a cruise liner – it could be visitingGreek heritage – is obvious.Hannes is not interested in the jewels of civili-sation. “It explains,” he says, “why there are nophotosofVenicehere.” Itwasonly ifhedetectedacommon ground between mass tourism, migra-tion and city development, and found a placewhere cultures met, that he became intrigued.The harshest meetings – those involving road-blocks, bombs and fences, some natural(Lampedusa) but mostly man-made (Cyprus,Gaza and other war zones) – were the ones thatleft the most traces; on a personal level, as well.“A book about the Mediterranean, yeah sure,”he was told at a military checkpoint in Libya,

when he asked if he could take pictures of theghost town of Tawergha, a former pro-Gaddafibastion. “We can see only pictures of demol-ished buildings. Why aren’t there any fishingports or beaches on your memory card?”Accused of espionage, Hannes spent two nightsin jail waiting for the Belgian consulate to havehim freed.He could never have predicted any of this whenhe started his project in 2010. “I was inMorocco,working on a series about the Spanish enclaves,when I heard the news about the revolution innearby Tunisia. While my project evolved, thedomino effect kept going.”And he kept travelling. The most intense andexhausting part is the searching itself, heexplains. Most of the time he knew what he waslooking for, but he also needed a bit of luck. “Idid underestimate the whole project a bit,” headmits.For parts of the trips, he took along his part-ner and twin daughters, all in a camper van.For destinations further afield, he took planesand travelled alone using public transport. Toget into Gaza and Libya, he worked with a fixer.“Every time, you see different things,” he says.At the moment, there are no plans for anothersuch major project. “First I want to show thesephotos, hopefully in the Mediterranean region,too.” He’s already part of the Thessaloniki Bien-nale of Contemporary Art, wrapping up thismonth, “but I would love to go to the Frenchphoto festivals, too.”The next project, he thinks, will be somethingcloser to home. “Perhaps a bit more personal.”

de munt directornamed leaderof the yearPeter de Caluwe, generaldirector of DeMunt operahouse in Brussels, has beennamed Leader of the Year bythe Belgianmagazine Lobby.Lobby Awards are given outannually to personalitiesseen as opinion leaders whoinspire through their capac-ity for communication. Bornin Dendermonde, De Caluweworked as communicationsdirector and then as artisticdirector of the Dutch Na-tional Opera in Amsterdambefore returning to Belgiumto take over as general direc-tor at DeMunt in 2007.

walter de buckdies aged 80Ghent folk singer and sculp-torWalter De Buck died atthe weekend of cancer at theage of 80. De Buck is creditedwith reviving the GentseFeesten in the 1960s, trans-forming it from the fun fairit had become to the world’slargest street theatre andoutdoormusic festival. Heperformed every year at thefestival on the stage near theTrefpunt cafe, which he alsoopened in the 1960s. Inmorerecent years, De Buck found-ed Loods 13, which offersarts-related constructionwork to the unemployed. DeBuck is responsible for muchof Ghent’s public artworks,including a totem-like sculp-ture in Bij Sint-Jacobs squareand theMorisco dancers,perched on a rooftop be-tween Sint-Baaf ’s cathedraland Sint-Niklaas church.

de munt cuts danceprogrammeFlemish choreographerAnne Teresa De Keersmaek-er has criticised Brussels’DeMunt opera house forcutting dance performancesfrom its programme entirely.De Keersmaeker’s companyRosas, also based in Brussels,is world-famous, having per-formed in some of themostprestigious cultural institu-tions in the world, includingNew York’s Lincoln Centreand the National Opera ofParis. “The news… over-whelmsme by its incredibil-ity,” De Keersmaeker said ina statement. “This develop-ment contrasts sharply withthe importance of Brusselsas one of the dance capitalsof the world.”

weeK in arTs& culTure

www.fotomuseum.be

FotomuseumWaalsekaai 47, Antwerp

until 1 february

I’m not telling thestory of a refugee,I’m looking at thesystems separatinggroups of people

The mediterranean through the lens of nick Hannes: the sabanci mosque in Adana, Turkey; Asylum-seekers in Greece; saint-Tropez, France

december 24, 2014

\ 15

eXhibiTiOn new year’s eve

cOncerT

Brussels’ Parlamentarium is thecitizen’s go-to for all things Euro-pean Parliament. A font of bothhistorical facts and the news of theday, the multimedia visitor centrealso hosts collaborative culturalprojects like Fashion Art EU.This exhibition was conceived byMadrid’s Fashion Art Institute as away to express the diversity of theEuropean Union and the sharedvalues at its heart. Each of the 28member states is represented by aunique sartorial ensemble, fusingcontemporary design and tradi-tional forms. In keeping with theParlamentarium’s democraticprinciples, entry is free. \ GeorgioValentino

The Be Film Festival inBrussels is one of the fewplaces where movies from

Flanders and French-speakingBelgium can be seen on an equalfooting. Now in its 10th edition,the festival takes stock of the yeargone by in Belgian cinema andoffers a sneak preview of films tocome in 2015.The Flemish preview is Luci-fer by Gust Van den Berghe, thefinal film in the director’s trilogydealing with humanity’s emerg-ing consciousness. Expelled fromHeaven, the rebel angel Luciferpasses through a remote Mexicantown on his way to Hell, bringingknowledge of sin to the previously

innocent community.Like its predecessors, Little BabyJesus of Flandr and Blue Bird,Van den Berghe’s film (pictured)features non-professional actorsand is presented in an unusualvisual style, this time in a formatthe director calls “tondoscope”.This was inspired by the use ofcircles in mediaeval religiouspaintings.Van den Berghe will be on handto explain himself, as will severalother directors featured in theretrospective. One not to missis Bullhead director Michaël RRoskam,whowill bepresentinghisHollywood debut, The Drop. Thisexcellent slow-burning New York

thriller stars Tom Hardy, MatthiasSchoenaerts and, in his final role,the late James Gandolfini.Other Flemish directors set toappear include Jonas Govaertswith boy-scout horror film Welp,Douglas Boswell with kids’ adven-ture Labyrinthus and Bas Devoswith troubled teen drama Violet.Meanwhile, actorEvelienBosmanswill introduce Marina, StijnConinx’s biopic of Italian singerRocco Granata, who immigrated

to Flanders in the 1940s.On the French-speaking side, thehighlight is Deux jours, une nuit(Two Days, One Night) by theDardenne brothers, widely consid-ered to be the best Belgian film of2014. Luc Dardenne and the film’sco-star, Fabrizio Rongione, willintroduce the film. Also highlyrecommended is Marion Hansel’sLa Tendresse (Tenderness), againintroduced by the director. \ IanMundell

Flemish singer-songwriterSelah Sue made a splashwith her eponymous debutalbum in 2011. She rode thewave all the way to the USwhere she recorded a duetwith soul man Cee-Lo Greenand earned a nod from Roll-ing Stone magazine. Afterpreviewing a wealth of newmaterial at recent perfor-mances, she promises todeliver her second album in2015. She’s celebrating with aEuropean tour in the spring.Tickets for the only concertin Belgium are already onsale and going fast. \ GV

100% Belgian

Be Film FestivalcOncerTGhentMidnight Blue Birds & theirSentimental Gentlemen:Close harmony singing groupknown to evoke feelings ofwar-time nostalgia with adiverse repertoire of dance-able swing and sensuousballads. 26 December 20.00-22.00, Herberg Macharius,Voorhoutkaai 43

www.burenvandeabdij.be

visual arTsHasseltVan Grimm tot Sinterklaas(From Grimm to St Nicho-las): Illustrations by Frenchartist Charlotte Dematonswhowon awards for her draw-ings in Nederland, Sinterk-laasandacollectionofGrimmfairy tales, plus activities forkids. Until 18 April, LiterairMuseum, Bampslaan 35

www.literairmuseum.be

brugesBruges at War: One hundredyears after the German inva-sion of Bruges, the city iscommemorating the GreatWar with three photo exhibi-tions, one curated by Flemishhistorian Sophie De Schaep-drijver, who looks at daily lifein the occupied city, and twofeaturing the work of Carl DeKeyzer and other Magnumphotographers.Until 22Febru-ary, Stadshallen, Markt 7

www.brugge1418.be

FilmbrusselsTim Burton cycle: On theoccasion of the release of theeccentric American director’slatest film, Big Eyes, Cine-matek screens Burton’s great-est films, including Pee-Wee’sBig Adventure, Edward Scis-sorhands and Beetlejuice.24 December to 30 January,Cinematek, Baron Horta-straat 9

www.cinematek.be

FOOd&drinKAcross FlandersNew Year’s Drink: ManyFlemish cities host a compli-mentary New Year’s drink(nieuwjaarsreceptie ornieuwjaarsdrink) for theirresidents to ring in 2015,including Mechelen, Antwerpand Ghent. Throughout Janu-ary across Flanders

www.uitinvlaanderen.be

leuvenTaste of Stars: SeveralLeuven restaurants invite Ital-ian Michelin-starred chefs toserve gastronomic menus ataffordable prices in pop-uprestaurants. 12-17 January,Officina Clandestina, Sint-Antoniusberg 6

www.tasteofstars.com

HappyBrussels is your chanceto discover the capital andring in the New Year in one –or more – of its trendy nightspots. Organisers have puttogether a network of touristattractions, shops and danceclubs. One pass gives you freeentry to the iconic Atomiumand the Galeries Cinema,which is currently showingthe photography of Americanfilm director David Lynch, aswell as discounts at selectshops. After the sightseeingand shopping,HappyBrusselsis your all-access pass to 10New Year’s parties at venuesas happening as the capital’slegendary rave club Fuse. \ GV

fashion art eu Happy brussels

selah sue

\ AGendA

bozar & cinematek, brusselswww.befilmfestival.be

26-30 december

Parlamentarium, brusselswww.euroParl.euroPa.eu/visiting

until 15 may Across brusselswww.HaPPybrussels.com

30-31 december, 22.00

lotto Arena, Antwerpwww.lotto-arena.be

18 april

get tickets nowclassical

The Presidency of the Council ofthe European Union entails certainagenda-setting prerogatives andadministrative responsibilities. It’salso a great excuse to build bridgesculturally. In the New Year the Ital-ians yield the presidency to Latvia,who kick off their term with aperformance by one of the Balticnation’s most celebrated singers,Elina Garanca. She and conductorKarel Mark Chichon (pictured) leadthe National Orchestra of Belgiumthrough an epic programme span-ning several centuries and an entirecontinent.Theprogramme includescanonical works by Berlioz andTchaikovsky and contemporarypieces by Latvian composers AndrisDzenitis and Eriks Esenvalds. \ GV

latvian Presidency concertbozar, brussels

www.boZar.be16 January, 20.00

© marco borggreve

december 24, 2014

\ 16

facebook.com/flanderstoday

You have road signs in Flanders warning aboutall sorts of unexpected hazards. They aresometimes put up to alert speeding drivers to

spelende kinderen – children playing. Or they mightwarn motorists that wild boar are roaming around.But until now there hasn’t been a sign warning driversto slow down for old people.The municipality of Beersel in Flemish Brabant hasnow filled that little gap in the signage landscape byinstalling a road sign that announces to the speedingdriver: Opgelet! Overstekende ouderen – Warning! Oldpeople crossing.Britain and the Netherlands already have a sign towarndrivers to be careful of elderly people crossing thestreet. But this is believed to be a first here. The symbolshows a doddery old couple, with the man supportinghimself on a stick as they cross the road.Nice idea, you might think. But a lot of people areanything but pleased.The Flemish motoring organisation Touring believesthe council doesn’t have the authority to install a newtraffic sign. “Het is onaanvaardbaar dat lokale over-heden de wettelijke bepalingen aan hun laars lappen”– It’s unacceptable for local authorities to take the lawinto their own hands, a spokesperson said, “en op eenonwettigemanier elk hun eigen verkeersreglement begin-nen te maken” – and illegally start to introduce traf-fic rules.Members of Ouderenraad – the organisation for theelderly – is even crosser because it creates a negativeimage of older people, they say. Not every old personhobbles along with a stick, they argue. “Als gemeentesoudere inwoners echt willen helpen” – If local councils

really want to help older people, said a spokesperson,“kunnen zij maar beter de verkeerslichten langer opgroen laten voor wie oversteekt” – they would do betterto leave the traffic lights on green longer for peoplewho are crossing.Beersel insists it won’t take down the sign near theZennehart nursing home. “We gaan elke week in dezomer wandelen” – We go out for a walk every week inthe summer, explained staff member Lynn De Schut-ter in an interview with VRT news. “De autos die hier-bij rijden gaan niet echt stoppen” – The cars that driveround here don’t really stop.De Schutter denies that the sign creates a negativeimage of old people and says it had to feature a symbolthat would capture drivers’ attention. “It has to be aclear sign,” she insisted.Some would argue it’s is a clear sign that Beersel is outof touch.

Talking Dutchthe sign that makes everyone cross

\ bAckPAGe

The lasT wOrd

news babies“I never comment on the privatelives of my journalists, but it’s afact that we have a pretty youngeditorial team, and that hasconsequences.”Kris Hoflack, head of VTM News,where an anchor and two reportersare about to go on maternity leave atthe same time

death of a giant“This is another great loss forGhent and Flanders. Walter DeBuck was an artistic polymath:musician, painter and sculptor.His songs like “’t Vliegerke” willforever form part of our collec-tive memory.”Minister-president Geert Bourgeoison the death of Walter De Buck,known as the father of the GentseFeesten (see p11)

sporting chance“Betting goes together with sportbecause they both appeal to thesame needs: You need to win,preferably here and now.”Former basketball star Tomas Vander Spiegel, who now gives financialadvice to athletes, on news that well-paid footballers are often in financialtrouble, partly due to betting

sweet dreams“Luxury for me is being able tobuy a mango. To go to the super-market and fill up the trolleywithout looking at the prices. Weboth fantasise about that.”Melissa Thiebaut, with five-year-oldson Ilias, is the face of the new Inno-centi anti-poverty campaign

a. Of course! Any self-respecting capital should have one, especially the capital of Europe

b. No, the collection should all go back to the city’s Royal Museums of Fine Arts where it came from in thefirst place

c. No, and all that art shouldn’t stay in Brussels. The collection should be shared among the country’s othermodern art museums

Brussels has its eyes on a newmodern art museum, but the artbelongs to the federal government.The government has been keepingit in storage for yearswhile renova-tions are made to the Royal Muse-ums of Fine Arts, which essen-tially closed the modern art wing.

So what should become of the artnow?Well, a majority of people thoughtBrussels hadn’t much of a case;either the art should stay in afederal museum or it should bedivvied up among the existingmodern art museums, such as in

Ghent and Antwerp.Aminority thoughtBrussels’ statusas capital (and capital of Europe)means it’s entitled to preferen-tial treatment. That’s a card that’soften played in this sort of discus-sion, but it was rejected by mostFlanders Today readers.

Pollbrussels’ planned modern art museum is being undermined by the federalgovernment. does brussels need its own modern art museum?

\ next week's question:The Institute for Dutch Lexicology has nominated a list of words to be scrapped from the Dutch language. Whichword do you hate the most?Log on to the Flanders Today website at www.flanderstoday.eu to vote for your most-hated word

CONNECT WITH US LIKE USTweet us your thoughts @FlandersToday

Rachel Watson @RacheyRoo183This time last year I was on my way to Bruges with @Buzzline-sTravel Today I’m off to work :/ Take me back!

Yuhan Tan @Yuhan_TanLunchbreak. Just in time to watch the live draw for the Euro-pean team championships in Leuven!

Anja Schneider @anjaschneiderSo happy to be back in Antwerp ! Playtime 1-3 at labyrinth !#trustontour Nick Curly “official”

In response to: Hostage situation in Ghent was hoax, says pros-ecutorRob MitchellThey’ll get the invoice to think about over the holidays.

In response to: TalkingDutch:The sign thatmakes everyone crossAngela Emsen-DanielidouDiscriminating and sexist! Why is the old lady walking behindthe man?

vOices OFFlanders TOday

In response to: Police union action follows national strikeChris J WeedaI had no problem on the brommer. Just rode quietly pastthem on the bike path

36%

27%

36%

derek blythmore articles by derek \ flanderstoday.eu

© courtesy VrT

[F\C[F\C

Documents

Endofanera - Flanders Today · gs nummer P708816 december 24, 2014 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ read more at ... or SMAK. In parallel, he built an international career, ...Authors: Susan