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SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ read more at www.flanderstoday.eu current affairs \ p2

politics \ p4

BUSiNESS \ p6

innovation \ p7

A second chance

Bugging out

Flanders’ Exams Commission offers study programmes for adults to get their secondary school diploma

Delhaize becomes Belgium’s first supermarket to launch a line of products containing insects \6

education \ p9

art & living \ p10

Sweet memories

Ghent chocolatier creates new praline flavours based on movies, books and memories

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Stand-up finds its footing

Antwerp hosts Flanders’ first international comedy fest in high point for local stand-up scene Dan Smith More articles by Dan \ flanderstoday.eu

Antwerp is set to host one of the largest comedy events ever held in Flanders when the first-ever Live Comedy Festival starts this week. Kicking off on Friday, the festival features 13 comedians from Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK and the US.

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any performers at the Live Comedy Festival in Antwerp will be familiar to local audiences from television shows such as the British stand-up comedy programme Live at the Apollo. Others, the American comedians in particular, are likely to be less familiar to the crowds at Antwerp’s festival venues.

Still, organiser Tom Bertels is confident that every performance will tickle the funny bone. “We’ve only invited quality, professional comedians who offer a great show,” he says.

Hans Teeuwen from the Netherlands opens the proceedings with his band The Painkillers in a unique mix of comedy and jazz. The following night top American comedian Reginald D Hunter takes to the stage with his controversially titled show A Nigga Runs Through It. Over the next six weeks, they will be joined by leading comedians from the UK, including Jimmy Carr, Jack Dee, Stephen Merchant and Daniel Sloss, and American comics including Jim Breuer, Whitney Cummings and Eddie Griffin. Flan-

ders will be well represented with performances from local comedians Jeroen Leenders, William Boeva and Begijn Le Bleu. Dutchman Jan Jaap van der Wal rounds out the line-up.

The process of selecting the acts has involved many trips to the UK and beyond. Bertels used these trips to fine-tune the line-up and select the supporting acts that will accompany some of the shows. “Our headliners will perform alone, but we’ve identified some great new talent to support the newer acts,” he says.

English-language comedy lovers are spoiled for choice, with nine of the 13 shows to be performed in English. That also includes the performance by Ghent comedian Leenders. continued on page 5

\ CURRENT AFFAIRS

Brussels to co-host Euro 2020 New national stadium at Heizel must be ready for football’s European Championship Alan Hope Follow Alan on Twitter \ @AlanHopeFT

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russels has been selected to host four matches of the 2020 European Championship, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has announced. The city will host three group matches and one last-16 match.

As capital of Europe, the city will continue to lobby to be allowed to stage the opening match, said Alan Courtois, the city alderman who led the bid. Earlier this month, UEFA gave Brussels’ candidature a positive report.

Brussels has the experience of staging major sporting events, UEFA said, as well as the

necessary infrastructure and hotel accommodation.

However, Brussels does not have a stadium that measures up to UEFA’s standards. The new national football stadium is planned to be constructed on what is currently Parking C on the Heizel site, where ground has yet to be broken. UEFA is expecting the stadium to be completed in time for the championship.

To mark the 60th anniversary of the tournament, Euro 2020 is being staged around the continent, rather than in one country – or in two, as happened in 2000 in Belgium

© Courtesy KBVB

Architect drawing of Brussels’ new national football stadium

and the Netherlands. The other host cities will be Munich, Baku, Saint Petersburg, Rome, Copenhagen, Bucharest, Amsterdam, Dublin, Bilbao, Budapest and Glasgow, with the semi-finals and final taking place in London.

“It was unthinkable for the capital of Belgium and of Europe not to be one of the 13 match cities,” said Rudi Vervoort, minister-president of the Brussels-Capital Region.

In a statement, Brussels city council added: “Brussels has finally won back her place on the international football stage.”

Police strike over pensions Obstacles like delivery trucks cost De Lijn millions every year

© Aurore Belot/Demotix/Corbis

Unions representing police officers were due to take part in a national strike on Tuesday, 23 September, as Flanders Today went to press. The announcement came after a major demonstration in Brussels last week in which 14,000 marchers took part (pictured).

The unions are demanding confirmation from the new federal government coalition that pension arrangements agreed in 2000-2001 will be maintained. Those negotiations, which merged the gendarmerie, judicial police and local police into one federal force, were carried out by eight political parties including those now negotiating to form the next federal government.

However, a recent ruling by the Constitutional Court on early retirement provisions for police officers threatens to strike down those agreements. “The rules were confirmed in 2008 and 2009, but people seem now to be suffering from amnesia,” said ACV representative Jan Adam, speaking to the throng in the Jubelpark. “We feel betrayed.”

The government negotiators were given until Tuesday to offer “a strong signal” of support for the unions’ case.

“Agreements have to be respected,” said NSPV leader Gert Cockx. “We will hold a day of action on 23 September, and other actions will follow.” \ AH

Obstacles in busy traffic areas, such as badly parked cars, lorries loading and unloading and ill-timed traffic lights are costing Flemish public transport authority De Lijn millions of euros every year in lost time, according to a study carried out for the authority.

Part of the study involved filming a whole day’s travel on the number 24 tram in Antwerp, between Silsburg and Schoonselhof, using a camera fixed to the front of the tram. Researchers found that the trip from terminus to terminus, which should take 51 minutes, was often delayed by as much as 15 minutes.

When taking into account the number of trips on all lines at peak traffic times, the total day’s delay reaches 15 hours.

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In related news, the Flemish parliament has voted to continue offering public transport passes to its members and honorary members, rejecting a proposal to abandon the system. Earlier this year, minister of state Freddy Willockx returned his free member’s train pass in protest at plans by De Lijn to stop free transport for over-65s.

He then suggested to both the Flemish and federal parliaments that free transport for members be abandoned.

Last week the steering committee of the Flemish Parliament rejected the proposal, explaining that it would require an amendment to the Constitution. \ AH

Jihadists arrested at airport may have been planning attack A man and a woman arrested last month at Brussels Airport suspected of being jihad fighters returning from Syria may have been planning a terrorist attack on the Berlaymont, home of the European Commission and one of the most symbolic buildings in Brussels, according to the Dutch broadcaster NOS. The pair, both of Turkish origin, live in The Hague but rented an apartment in Brussels where, according to Het Laatste Nieuws, explosives were found as well as firearms and bullet-proof vests.

The prosecutor’s office has declined to confirm or deny the story, and the

Commission said it had no knowledge of any specific threat. The two are being held on suspicion of being members of a terrorist organisation.

The prosecutor did confirm that several arrests had been made in recent weeks involving Belgians returning from fighting in Syria. The alert has been higher since May, when four people were killed in a shooting at the Jewish Museum in Brussels. A French national who had fought in Syria is awaiting trial on suspicion of carrying out the attack. \ AH

© Courtesy tpholland/Wikimedia

3,058,700

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Belgium’s place in the world ranking of reputation, compiled by the Reputation Institute and based on a survey of 26,000 people in 55 countries. Sixteen criteria include natural beauty, economic policy and hospitality

If the obstacles were removed, the same service could be offered using four fewer trams, saving about €1 million a year for every line in operation.

Shot on 4 September, the footage shows how small delays can easily accumulate. The tram is delayed by 30 seconds at stops where passengers cross in front of the vehicle. At one point the tram loses 2.5 minutes waiting for a delivery truck to finish unloading.

Insufficiently timed traffic lights cost the tram more than one minute, as does left-turning traffic. On stretches of the route where the tram has its own carriageway apart from other traffic, on the other hand, it manages to speed along unhindered.

Fine-tooth combs distributed by the province of West Flanders to schools to combat lice and their eggs. According to research, between 2 and 10% of children have lice

readers of Flemish newspapers, according to the Centre for Information on the Media. Het Laatste Nieuws leads the field with 1,185,900 readers

10,158

increase over the last 10 years in the cost of raising a child, according to family organisation Gezinsbond. In 2004, a child cost on average €378 a month, rising to €461 in 2014

letters sent out by tax authorities demanding people submit their tax forms immediately, although they already had. It was a technical problem, authorities said, and recipients can ignore the letters

september 24, 2014

WEEK in brief The biopic Marina won five Ensors on Saturday night, making it the big winner at the annual Flemish film awards. The film, directed and co-scripted by Stijn Coninx (Soeur Sourire) tells the story of Rocco Granata, the son of Italian mining immigrants to Limburg in the 1940s, who went on to become famous for his special brand of accordion-inspired pop music. Marina won the Ensor for best film, and Coninx won best director. The film also won for best script, best art direction and best costumes.

People living in Flanders are four times more likely to use a bike as a means of transport than residents of Brussels, according to a poll carried out for Le Soir newspaper. Within Brussels, Dutch-speakers are more likely to cycle than their French-speaking neighbours.

The bodies of an elderly couple were washed up on shore at Nieuwpoort last week. The woman is thought to have been swimming in the vicinity of a breakwater when she got into difficulties. The man tried to rescue her, but both were carried off by the strong current.

Conflict arose between police and a crowd of about 200 young people on Ghent’s Woodrow Wilsonplein after a police patrol detained two teenagers accused of an attack on inspectors of the public transport authority De Lijn.

During the stand-off, two officers used pepper spray when they found themselves surrounded. The crowd later dispersed.

Olivier Vanneste, governor of West Flanders from 1979 to 1997, has died at the age of 84. Vanneste came to international prominence in 1987 when the ferry Herald of Free Enterprise foundered off the port of Zeebrugge. He was in

face of flanders charge of the rescue operation, for which he received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. He was ennobled by King Albert II in 2002.

Antwerp chief of police Serge Muyters has appealed to government negotiators to allow the deployment of the Belgian army for the protection of Jewish institutions in the city. He stressed that the army would only be brought in during extended periods of increased risk of terrorist attacks.

Operatie Kelk (Operation Chalice), the investigation into sexual abuse and cover-ups in the Catholic church, has now been completed and the case file handed over to the federal prosecutor. The further progress of the case will have to await a court ruling after it was reported that some of the documents have gone missing. The operation began in 2010 with the highly publicised search of offices of the archbishop of Mechelen, at the time Cardinal Godfried Danneels, as well as his home and the city’s cathedral.

Police in Ghent have arrested Martina Johnson, former commander of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia, accused of crimes against humanity. Johnson, a lieutenant of former president Charles Taylor, is charged with mass murder and mutilations carried out during the country’s civil war between 1989 and 2003.

Johnson could be tried in Belgium under the legal doctrine of universal jurisdiction.

Four bicycle storage boxes installed this summer in the centre of Brussels cannot be used because the city council failed to prolong the contract with management company Cyclo, according to political party Groen. The boxes provide safe storage for bicycles while

their owners are busy elsewhere.

Boxes already in place before the contract ended in July can still be used, thanks to Cyclo’s decision not to close them down. The four new boxes, each with space for five bikes, cost about €4,000 each.

Some 2,500 bicycles are stolen in Brussels City every year.

Taxi drivers from Canada, India, the US and Europe, including Belgium, are protesting against the Uber taxi service on 8 October. Taxi unions met in Brussels last week, faced with the growth of Uber – now operating in 205 cities in 45 countries – in conflict with taxi service regulations. The Brussels-Capital Region originally banned the service, which has nevertheless continued to operate, and last weekend offered free taxi rides as a promotional stunt. Previous taxi protests in Brussels have led to serious traffic disruption.

The National Bank of Belgium (NBB) has expressed concern about electronic payment networks in the event of a loss of power this winter. The government has a brownout plan in place for times when demand threatens to exceed supply. According to NBB, people will be unable to obtain money during the brownouts, which will also affect electronic payment terminals in shops.

A fire that broke out in a flat above a synagogue on Kliniekstraat in the Brussels district of Anderlecht last week was arson but has not been confirmed as terrorist activity, the fire service said.

Three people in the building at the time escaped without injury. Also last week, a group of 20 visitors to the National Monument to Jewish Martyrs in Anderlecht were pelted with stones and empty bottles.

No-one was injured, and police have no leads on the attackers. The Belgian League against Anti-Semitism has called for an investigation.

OFFSIDE Law of the jungle Last week saw the arrival of a new resident of Antwerp Zoo, and never has there been such hope that the welcome would be a warm one.

Kiki (pictured) is a seven-year-old lowland gorilla from the Heidelberg Zoo in Germany. Kiki went through a difficult birth, which left her subject to epileptic seizures.

The gorilla group in Heidelberg was unstable, which made things difficult for her with her fragile health.

“At feeding time, she was always last in line,” explained Ilse Segers, spokesperson for Antwerp Zoo. “Sometimes she got nothing to eat, and now she’s underweight.”

Kiki’s experience is an unfortunate effect of natural selection, where stronger members of the group

© Jonas Verhulst/Antwerp Zoo

monopolise resources to the detriment of the weak. Such bullying behaviour has been observed in apes, as well as in lions and wolves, usually to enforce group discipline.

But zoos don’t need to abide by the law of the jungle, so Heidel-

berg went in search of somewhere Kiki might be more at home. “We have a young, stable group,” Segers said. “Hopefully we can offer her a warm nest.”

Kiki has joined Victoria and Amahoro, both much larger eastern gorillas ( female Amahoro, at 145 kilograms, is bigger than three Kikis put together), and Mambele and Kumba, who are also lowland gorillas from the rainforests of central and western Africa.

Kiki will be introduced to the new group gradually, during which she will likely find herself again at the lowest point in the pecking order, under the ailing and elderly Victoria. The zoo expects to introduce her to visitors in about a week. \ Alan Hope

© Courtesy Belgian Society of Cinematographers

Frank Van den Eeden This year’s Flemish Community Prize for Film has been awarded to Frank van den Eeden, the highly regarded cinematographer. The prize was handed over at the weekend by culture minister Sven Gatz.

Awarding the prize, Gatz referred to the Dutch proverb “Het oog van de meester maakt het paard vet,” which means the work advances better when the boss is watching. “The eye of Frank van de Eeden raises the level of a film,” he said.

Van den Eeden was born in the Netherlands and came to Brussels to study at Sint-Lukas’ film school, where he soon began to focus on what was happening behind the camera. The director of photography (DoP) is responsible for the lighting and camerawork of a film, leading to the overall look and feel. DoPs have been known to be able to make or break a movie.

Van den Eeden’s debut feature, following a string of shorts, was one of the popular Blinker family films. He then spent five years working on more shorts and TV before his first collaboration with Fien Troch, Een ander zijn geluk (Someone Else’s Happi-

ness).

It was one of those “make” moments – the 2005 film gained notice around the world for its strangely stark atmosphere, won several awards and was nominated for Poland’s Camerimage prize, a festival devoted to the art of cinematography.

Since then, Van den Eeden he has picked up several awards for cinematography, with 2006’s Tanghi Argentini nominated for an Oscar, after winning the best cinematography prize at the Brussels Short Film Festival.

“Frank van den Eeden’s work as director of photography is typified by several exceptional gifts,” the jury’s prize citation states.

“Thanks to his outstanding dramaturgical insights, his work is not limited merely to the creation of beautiful images, but is essential to the functioning of the narrative. He watches like no other over the style of a film, while realising the wishes of the director.”

He was also praised as one of the most versatile DoPs in Flanders, his territory covering various film genres as well as TV series. \ Alan Hope

Flanders Today, a weekly English-language newspaper, is an initiative of the Flemish Region and is financially supported by the Flemish authorities.

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

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

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

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\ POLITICS

5TH COLUMN Power slipping away

How does a party cope with the loss of power? The question is particularly poignant right now for CD&V. Until the Verhofstadt years (1999-2007), Christian-democrats being in charge went without saying. CD&V (then CVP) was the obvious leader, given its electoral strength, and the party could pick out coalition partners at will. The archetypical Christian-democrat was Jean-Luc Dehaene: a statesman above all, concerned more about governing in the best possible way than about ideology.

CD&V’s current party president, Wouter Beke, is an ideology specialist, who has published essays on the Christian-democrat doctrine. In recent years, though, Beke has become quite a pragmatist, too. And as a pragmatist, he has to deal with the loss of power. Since the May elections, he has taken some surprising decisions.

One of them was CD&V linking its fate to N-VA, the party that won the elections convincingly. This made a continuation of the sitting tripartite coalition of socialists, Christian-democrats and liberals impossible, even though that had gained some seats in parliament. Parting prime minister Elio Di Rupo (PS) finds this incomprehensible.

But, it is reasoned, a party with over 30% of the Flemish vote is too large to ignore. Leaving the nationalist N-VA out, once again, would only increase its popularity with voters.

Also, CD&V made an informal agreement with N-VA to divide the posts of Flemish minister-president and federal prime minister between them.

This solution suited them both: N-VA does not want to provide a prime minister for a country it does not believe in, while CD&V’s Kris Peeters was happy enough to take the job.

Socialist Johan Vande Lanotte and liberal Karel de Gucht have criticised this. They feel CD&V is letting N-VA off the hook by not forcing it to take up its responsibility.

Things only got more complicated when CD&V gave up the prime minister position so that Marianne Thyssen could become European commissioner. The move “liberated” the party when it came to social and economic policy, but how credible are “leftist” demands from a centrist party?

So what would Dehaene have to say about this? We will never know, as the statesman passed away days before the elections. And even if he had lived, he wasn’t one for answering hypothetical questions. \ Anja Otte

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Flanders’ waterways “cleanest in 15 years” says agency Progress made to improve nitrate levels in region’s rivers and streams Derek Blyth More articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu

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he rivers, canals and streams in Flanders are much cleaner than they were 15 years ago, according to the latest annual report of the Flemish environment agency VMM. The agency, which has been measuring nitrate levels in Flemish groundwater since 1999, said in its report that the nitrate concentration had dropped dramatically in many places. In 1999, the nitrate level was above the legal limit in 60% of locations where it carried out tests; the figure now is 21%.

The level has dropped over the past 15 years due

to information campaigns and official inspections that have persuaded farmers to cut down the amount of nitrates they use in fertilisers, the report said.

But the authors added that the level of nitrates in Flemish waterways was still frequently well above the European norm of 16%. The report also showed that some rivers are more polluted than others. The rivers Nete and Demer were very clean, whereas the IJzer and the Leie in West Flanders were polluted due to intensive pig farming in the region.

© Courtesy Westtoer

Peeters calls on liberals to propose a candidate prime minister Kris Peeters has called on the Flemish and French-speaking liberal parties to put forward a possible candidate to serve as prime minister as soon as possible. Peeters (CD&V) is one of two senior politicians steering the delicate negotiations to form a federal coalition government. Who will serve as prime minister is an important part of the discussion.

The liberals have been invited to propose a candidate in order to balance the government, since CD&V has already been granted the post of European Commissioner, while the Flemish nationalists N-VA, the country’s biggest party, is not interested in leading a country that it would prefer to see abolished.

The leading French-speaking liberal candidates are Charles Michel and Didier Reynders, but

they come from the only Frenchspeaking party in the future government, meaning the government does not have a Frenchspeaking majority. On the Flemish side, the most promising candidate is outgoing migration secretary Maggie De Block, who is popular among French-speaking Belgians.

De Block is not yet giving any clues as to her response to a possible offer of the prime minister post.

At this point, “I’m not saying yes, and I’m not saying no,” she told the press last week.

Peeters has urged the liberals to come up with a name quickly so that the coalition can begin the tough job of lopping €17.3 billion off the budget. “It’s been difficult, and it is going to get even more difficult,” he said. \ DB

Flanders gives €250,000 in aid to tackle Ebola epidemic Flemish minister-president Geert Bourgeois, who is also responsible for foreign policy, has approved a €250,000 emergency aid package to assist in the fight against the Ebola epidemic that is raging across large parts of West Africa.

The payment will go to the Flemish branch of the medical aid organisation Doctors Without Borders to prevent the spread of Ebola in the Liberian capital Monrovia.

The organisation requested the aid to cover the cost of distributing 50,000 medical kits to protect local people and medical staff from the disease. The kits, which include medical gear as well as disinfectant, will provide protection for about 30% of Monrovia’s population, Bourgeois said.

“Doctors, nurses and other volunteers are forced to work in very difficult circumstances, and, in so

doing, they put their own lives at risk,” Bourgeois said. “It is of vital importance that they can also protect themselves from the Ebola epidemic.”

Bourgeois made the announcement just hours after US president Barack Obama called on world leaders to accelerate the global response to the Ebola outbreak, warning that thousands more people could die unless healthcare workers, medical equipment and treatment centres were rapidly deployed. “This epidemic is going to get worse before it gets better,” Obama said.

More than 1,500 people in West Africa have already died from Ebola, including several doctors, though no Belgians have yet contracted the virus. \ DB

© Reuters

Belgian foreign affairs minister Didier Reynders (centre, slightly left) met with world leaders

Belgium expected to join global action to defeat IS Belgium seems very likely to join more than 30 other countries that have pledged to work together to defeat the threat from Islamic State (IS) terrorism.

Outgoing foreign minister Didier Reynders joined representatives from around the world in Paris last week to discuss a strategy against IS militants. “The threat is global, and the response must be global,” said French president François Hollande, who hosted the meeting. “There is no time to lose.”

Most Belgian political parties support the idea of participating in an international mission. Outgoing prime minister Elio Di Rupo stated that “Belgium should join an international coalition”.

His position already has the support of the Flemish nationalists N-VA, the Flemish Christian demo-

crats CD&V, the Flemish socialists SP.A and the environmental party Groen.

But there is no agreement yet on a precise strategy. The government is considering several options, a spokesperson said. One possibility would be to send four F16 fighter aircraft to join the bombing campaign against IS targets in northern Iraq. Another option is to use Belgium’s C130 transport planes to deliver humanitarian aid to refugees.

Meanwhile, Muslim groups in Belgium are planning to hold “white marches” later this year in protest at the actions of IS. “The Islam that IS perpetrates in Iraq and Syria is not our Islam,” said Mounir Jamal Qnioun, one of the initiators of the march. “We stand for a peaceful Islam.” \ DB

More cuts needed as funding gap grows A body composed of senior economists known as the Monitoring Committee has warned federal government negotiators that the government will need to save a further €500 million on top of the €17 billion already forecast if it is to balance its budget.

The Monitoring Committee said that the new government would need to find an extra €24 million this year and €570 million in 2015.

The additional income is needed because of slower economic

growth than expected.

The experts said that the economy would grow by 1.1% this year rather than the expected 1.4%, and by 1.5% in 2015 rather than the forecasted 1.8%. The announcement could make it more difficult to form a coalition based on the three Flemish parties N-VA, CD&V and Open VLD and the Frenchspeaking liberals MR. The parties are currently struggling to find a way to balance the budget without increasing taxes. \ DB

\ COVER STORY

september 24, 2014

Stand-up finds its footing Comedy festival brings host of leading comedians to Flanders

www.livecomedyfestival.be

continued from page 1

“I like to make it hard for myself,” explains Leenders, who has lately been trying out his English material on audiences across Belgium and the Netherlands. “Every language has nuances and grammatical tricks. These are new for me in English, but a nice experiment.”

One of the youngest comedians to perform is Daniel Sloss from Scotland. Now 24, Sloss began trying out his material on family and friends at the age of 15, performing his first gig at 17.“I’m slightly more opinionated and annoying now,” he says.

Sloss decided not to tailor his material for a non-English-speaking audience. “There’s always the fear that people won’t understand everything I say,” he says. “But from my experience, they always do. I do speak a lot slower and pronounce things better, because I’m aware that my accent is quite stupid.”

The Live Comedy Festival is part of Comedy Fest Europe, a collaboration of a handful of European stand-up comedy promoters.

Many of the comedians appearing in Antwerp will also perform at events in Norway, Sweden and Iceland. However, Antwerp will host the largest number of performances.

“By combining the Antwerp Festival with events in northern Europe, we are able to offer the comedians a longer tour,” says Bertels.

“This makes it much more appealing to them.” The plan is to make Antwerp’s Live Comedy Festival an annual event although the 2015 edition may take place later in the year.

Bertels believes Antwerp is the natural home for the Flemish leg of the festival because of the high percentage of people who speak English. “To understand the international acts, the audience will need English, and in Antwerp, most people under 40 comprehend it well,” he says. “More and more Flemish people are also using English in their daily work lives.”

The Live Comedy Festival will be staged in five theatres in Antwerp ranging from the 2,000-seat Stadschouwburg to the 400-seat Zuiderpershuis. Bertels hopes that the latter will become a longterm venue for comedy shows in Antwerp. “It’s a very adaptable space with bare brick walls – very atmospheric,” he says.

Stand-up comedy is, in fact, a relatively recent phenomenon in Flanders. “Twenty-five years ago Flanders had never heard of the concept,” says Bertels. Then, in the late 1990s, two comedy venues opened almost simultaneously – Le Bal Infernal in Ghent and De Buster in Antwerp. Both clubs are now closed, but they provided important outlets for local talent,

© Karel Duerinckx

From left, clockwise: Jeroen Leenders is one of several local comedians on the UK and US-heavy bill; Festival organiser Tom Bertels says they were able to attract big names by partnering with other European venues; Comedian Nigel Williams runs an English-language comedy club that welcomes up-and-coming talent

including stand-up virgins such as Nigel Williams.

Born in Bristol, Williams moved to Flanders when he was 20. By the time he took to the stage at De Buster, he was working as a union organiser at Antwerp’s Opel factory. “I performed in Dutch every week for six weeks before I got my first proper laugh,” remembers Williams. “That was like an injection of heroin, and I’ve been a comedy junkie ever since.”

In addition to performing across Europe, Williams also runs StandUp Antwerp, a monthly Englishlanguage comedy club in the cellar of De Groene Waterman bookshop. Held on a Wednesday night, the 100-seat venue is always sold out. “We’re aiming for quality on a small scale,” explains Williams. “I want to build a comedy audience who come without knowing who is on the bill.”

Along with bringing one or two acts from the UK or elsewhere in Europe, Williams invites up-andcoming talent to perform each month. “To be a true comedian, you have to do time on stage, but there are not enough clubs here for people to get the experience.”

That’s a sentiment with which Leenders agrees. “People in Belgium don’t really know standup,” he says. “Real stand-up demands that you think. I swear a lot, and I make people think.” And Leenders has a piece of advice for those who don’t like that. “Tell your friends, so they don’t come either.

Twenty-five years ago Flanders had never heard of the concept of stand-up The best comedians will rattle your head and make you see things about yourself that you might not like.”

Stand-Up Antwerp has been running for two years now and will celebrate its anniversary on 13 December with a special Christmas show in the Arenberg thea-

tre. Headliner for the night is Sean Hughes from the UK. Supporting acts were selected based on feedback from the Stand-Up Antwerp audience and will include Christian Schulte-Loh from Germany, Isak Jansson from Sweden, and the UK’s Maureen Younger. Like all Stand-Up Antwerp events, every act will be performed in English.

The success of Stand-Up Antwerp has seen similar events take off in Brussels and Hasselt, which held its first event at Café Café earlier this month. “We give it to local people to run but support them by sharing comedians,” Williams says.

“Each venue is run like a proper comedy club. We want to build an audience of people who know they will have a good night.”

True comedy aficionados love such open-mic nights where inexperienced comedians get to try out their acts. They offer a chance for

audiences to discover new talent and have been a launchpad for many now-famous faces, including Williams and Leenders. Antwerp’s Café The Joker is where Leenders and William Boeva got their first break, and the venue is still going strong.

“Sundays are dedicated to professional comedians who usually perform in Dutch,” explains Fokke van der Meulen, organiser of the comedy events at Café The Joker.

“Two Wednesdays a month, we do an open-mic night. Anyone can perform for up to eight minutes, in Dutch or English.”

Flanders may not have a long tradition of stand-up comedy, but it is rapidly becoming more familiar to local audiences. It’s to be hoped that the Live Comedy Festival will be the shot of adrenaline needed to encourage Flemish audiences to explore this unique art form more.

More stand-up in Flanders Stand-up comedy might not be the most popular pastime in Flanders, but the number of venues catering to comedy addicts continues to grow.

Cafe The Joker Started by Fokke van der Meulen and Yasmine Van Suetendael in 2006, Cafe The Joker hosts both professional and amateur comedians. Most performances are

in Dutch, but the venue also welcomes English-speaking comedians. Check the website for details of upcoming shows; reservations aren’t necessary. Cafe The Joker, Kleine Markt 16, Antwerp \ www.cafethejoker.be

Stand-Up Antwerp/ Brussels/Hasselt Once a month, Stand-Up Antwerp brings top international comedi-

ans to Belgium. In Antwerp, they perform in the cellar of De Groene Waterman bookstore where the evening is hosted by Nigel Williams. This month, Stand-Up Brussels events will move to The Black Sheep in Elsene, while StandUp Hasselt starts its first season at Café Café. De Groene Waterman, Wolstraat 7, Antwerp \ www.facebook.com/ Standupantwerp

\5

\ BUSINESS

week in business Chocolate Duc d’O

The producer of chocolate truffles, based in Kruibeke, East Flanders, has been sold to the Dutch Baronie confectionary group

Chemicals Taminco The Ghent-based amines and formic acid producer has been sold by its owner, the Appolo Global capital fund, to the US Eastman Chemical group for some €2.2 billion.

Cinema Kinepolis The Ghent-based cinema operator has announced plans to invest €50 million in its Netherlands activities.

Its Dutch Wolff company operates nine cinemas, and Kinepolis is expected to build multiplexes in Utrecht and Dordrecht.

Media Politico The Washington-based political news website has confirmed its plans to invest $10 million (€7.8 million) in partnership with Germany’s Axel Springer group to launch a Brussels-based website specialised in European affairs early next year.

Payments Proton The Proton electronic chip located on bank cards in Belgium, used mainly for small purchases, is being phased out following its slow decline and the growing dominance of the Bancontact-MisterCash payments systems. Proton will only be available until the end of the year.

Roads Allianz The Munich-based assets management affiliate of the insurance group is investing €433 million to finance a new motorway connecting the Port of Zeebrugge with the E40 and E34 in West Flanders.

Transport Megabus The low-cost bus operator, an affiliate of the Scottish public transport company Stagecoach, will open its first continental European base in Brussels. New lines connecting the city with Lille, Luxembourg and Rotterdam start on 6 October, while services to Paris, Amsterdam and Cologne are under development. Megabus has acquired six additional buses from Lier-based manufacturer Van Hool for €2 million.

\6

Agristo wins Export Lion

Prestigious annual prize awarded to Agristo and High Tech Metal Seals Alan Hope More articles by Alan \ flanderstoday.eu

WWW.LEEUWVANDEEXPORT.BE

A

gristo, the world’s largest producer of frozen potato products, based in Harelbeke, West Flanders, has been awarded this year’s Leeuw van de export, or Export Lion, for companies with more than 50 employees. The prize for smaller companies went to Mechelen-based High Tech Metal Seals.

The winners were announced last week by Flanders Investment and Trade (Fit). “Both companies are an inspiring example for enterprise in Flanders,” commented Flemish minister-president Geert Bourgeois, handing out the awards.

The Export Lion, administered by Fit, is a prestigious business award, given annually to large and small companies that perform exceptionally well in export markets. Agristo produces more than 200 frozen potato products, mainly

© Courtesy Agristo

The world’s largest producer of frozen potato products has won Flanders’ export prize

as private label goods to be sold by supermarkets and other retailers in 116 countries. The company employs 373 people and last year had

a turnover of €242 million, 99% of it coming from foreign sales.

High Tech Metal Seals manufactures seals for the aviation and aerospace industries, offshore oil and gas installations, nuclear research and medical applications. The company has 34 employees and last year exported to 26 countries, where sales accounted for 95% of the €6.7 million turnover.

The two companies were among six nominees. The others were Brouwerij Huyghe, brewers of Delirium Tremens, and speculoos baker Vermeiren Princeps in the small-to-medium category, and crop protection specialists BioBest and Datwyler Pharma Packaging Belgium in the category for larger businesses.

Antwerp researchers launch burnout platform for employers

AB InBev prepares biggest takeover bid ever

Due to recent legislation, employers in Belgium are legally required to reduce the risk of burnout in the workplace, and they can now rely on a new web platform to help them out.

Assessment and talent management company Thalento co-operated with researchers at Antwerp University (UA) to develop an online tool that provides employers with information and advice on burnout and “boreout”. The tool offers assistance with promoting the development of talent, the

Leuven-based AB InBev, the world’s largest brewing group, is reported by the Wall Street Journal to be in talks with its banks with a view to preparing a takeover bid for SABMiller, its biggest competitor, now based in London.

The bid is said to be worth €94.2 billion, the largest the beer industry has seen since the takeover of Anheuser-Busch by InBev in 2008.

SAB – which stands for South African Breweries – was established to meet the beer needs of South African miners at the end of the 19th century and moved its based to London in 1999, three years before taking over Miller Brewing of Milwaukee.

SABMiller has operations worldwide and owns several brands, including Pilsner Urquell, Fosters, Grolsch, Peroni and Carling Black

prevention of burnout and mobility questions, such as mobile desks, digital availability and working at home.

“Employers are more than ever before considering their staff ’s career development, commitment and well-being in the workplace,” said Wouter Van Bockhaven of UA. “The retention of valuable employees, mobility, the possibility of working longer, the prevention of burnout … these are all crucial themes for companies and organisations.” \ Senne Starckx

Delhaize launches line of products containing insects Delhaize has The announcebecome the first ment puts Delhaize supermarket chain narrowly ahead in Flanders to of Damhert, a launch a range of company based in products based on Heusden-Zolder insect protein. The in Limburg, which chain will offer two announced that sorts of savoury it would be sellspread, branded ing three new Green Bugs, both insect products containing mealfrom October in worms. local supermarkets. © Courtesy Delhaize The spreads, despite Delhaize’s new line of spreads The Damhert range clearly stating their contains only 4 to 6% bugs consists of nuggets, origin on the label, burgers and schnitzels contain no identifiable insect made from buffalo worms. parts. They come in two flavours The buffalo worm was one of 10 – tomato and carrot – and look insect species approved for human more like jars of baby food than consumption last year by the anything creepy-crawly. The federal food safety agency. Both spreads cost €3.45 for 125 grams. buffalo worms and mealworms are The tomato spread contains about beetle larvae.

6% of ground mealworm, while the “There’s nothing you can see to carrot version contains only 4%. suggest there are insects in the “Products made from insects product,” assured Lisa Lamorgese are trending at the moment, and of Damhert. “The worms are first Delhaize wants to reaffirm its role freeze-dried and then ground up. as a pioneer in the field of food The rest of the process is identiretailing,” said spokesperson Roel cal to the use of other meat substiDekelver. tutes.” \ AH

Label. The company is also a major bottler of Coca-Cola.

Rumours of a bid by AB InBev have been circulating for some time, with a recent failed bid by SABMiller to take over Dutch brewer Heineken, owner of Alken-Maes, a sign of a preemptive attempt by SABMiller to defend itself. A takeover of Heineken would have made SABMiller too large to be in danger of being taken over itself. News of the failed bid was only recently released, when Heineken responded to rumours.

A takeover by AB InBev would make its position as the world’s largest brewery unassailable and give the Leuven brewing giant new market possibilities in Africa, China and Australia. AB InBev brands include Jupiler, Stella Artois and Hoegaarden in Belgium, and Budweiser and Corona in the US. \ AH

VRT series to stream on newly launched Netflix Six VRT programmes will be available via the Netflix streaming service, which launched in Belgium last week. Monthly subscriptions start at €7.99 and allows customers to stream films and TV series to watch on computers, games consoles, TV or tablets.

The service is expected to be popular mainly in Flanders, where viewers are accustomed to watching British and American productions in their original version with subtitles.

For those Flemish viewers, Netflix will be including six series from the VRT, with more to come later if the experiment is a success, VRT general manager Jean Philip De Tender said. Details of exactly which series are involved have not yet been released.

“This is in the first place a service for media consumers, who want to

watch live in real time but also be able to watch when it suits them,” De Tender said. “On top of that, we’re selling the six series, which bring money in to the VRT that we can invest in new series. Part of that income also goes directly to the co-producers.”

Flemish media giant Telenet, meanwhile, has announced that it will make its own drama series, together with Zaventem-based production house deMensen. Chaussée d’Amour (Love Boulevard) will be available to paid subscribers, with all 10 episodes released at the same time.

The series, about a woman who goes to live in a brothel along a suburban road in Flanders after her divorce, will be directed by Nathalie Basteyns, who also made the family drama Clan for VTM. Production begins in 2015 for broadcast in 2016. \ AH

\ INNOVATION

september 24, 2014

Catching the wind

week in innovation New kind of needle wins award

Flemish company unlocks new market with mid-sized windmills Senne Starckx More articles by Senne \ flanderstoday.eu

www.xant.be

B

ecause the available space for wind turbines is limited in the geographically small region of Flanders, manufacturers tend to maximise the power of the turbines for which they receive a permit. This explains why most wind turbines in Flanders, often placed along highways, loom large like giants and deliver several megawatts of power to the electrical grid.

But this preference for large wind turbines has had consequences at the national and international level, since it has made the segment of mid-sized wind turbines on the energy market a real terra incognita. Yet smaller turbines are the most suitable to deliver decentralised, green and cheap electricity to small- and mediumsized companies across a variety of sectors – from industry and retail to farming and horticulture.

XANT, a young Brussels-based company, dived headfirst into this overlooked market segment with its development of a wind turbine that can be easily and quickly assembled and that can even be shipped to distant locations.

The turbine was designed according to the “JEEP” method, or Just Enough Essential Parts.

In this case, “just enough” means nine parts that together fit into a standard 12-metre container.

“You could compare our turbine with a do-ityourself kit that’s easy to transport around the world,” says Alexander Van Heuverswyn, the XANT sales manager. “The easy shipping is important, as our ambition is to sell our turbines to foreign customers who want to use it as a hybrid solution, meaning in combination with a diesel generator or photovoltaic system.”

Because remote locations can sometimes be hard to reach, XANT developed a version of its turbine that doesn’t require a crane to be erected. “The turbine can be easily rigged up using just a gin pole,” Van Heuverswyn says, referring to a specialised pulley system. “And the container can be used as a maintenance or control room afterwards.”

But that’s for next year. First, XANT wants to perfect its expertise by delivering mid-sized wind turbines – most of them equipped with a stand-alone pole – to customers in Flanders and

© courtesy Xant

XANT’s smaller turbines can easily and quickly be assembled, much like a do-it-yourself kit

Europe. “Because there are only nine components, there isn’t a lot of maintenance needed,” explains Van Heuverswyn.

Their turbines, he continues, don’t contain gearboxes. “The hub is directly connected to the electricity generator. We have also dropped the motors inside the rotor.” Conventional turbines typically have small motors that steer the blades off to protect them against strong winds and for pitch control.

Obviously, the engineers from XANT had to come up with a couple of technical tours de force. “The blade shape is unique, and the tips are flexible, so they can, in a manner of speaking, bend with the wind.”

Four companies have already ordered mid-sized wind turbines from XANT, among them Deme, the Zwijndrecht dredging company.

According to Van Heuverswyn, the company’s wind turbines are perfect to place inside industrial zones. “It’s often not allowed to build large wind turbines in industrial sites, so our midsized turbines are a good alternative,” he says.

“In most cases, they will be used for direct electricity consumption, not for production and supply to electrical networks.”

So how much does a XANT wind turbine cost?

“The current price fluctuates around €300,000, depending on the choice of a standing pole or lyre, a metal type of rope, and also on the char-

acteristics of the direct environment and the subsoil. It takes about 10 days to install. Of course, we provide assistance with the installation.”

For Van Heuverswyn, it’s obvious why small businesses and organisations would be interested in such mid-sized wind turbines. “For free electricity. After eight to 10 years, the wind turbine has paid for itself. From then on, it delivers free electricity to the company. The life expectancy is 20 years or longer, as replacement parts, like generators, are available.”

In addition, Van Heuverswyn says, wind turbines also give companies a better and greener image.

“It’s even possible to paint the blades the colours of the company’s logo, so it just might replace their traditional flag.”

XANT is a joint venture between 3E, a pioneer in renewable energy; Vyncke Energietechniek, a provider of biomass combustion technology; and Jo Versavel, a venture capitalist from West Flanders. A few weeks ago, XANT signed a strategic deal with ParticipatieMaatschappij Vlaanderen, the Flemish government’s investment company. The deal means a capital injection of €1 million and a loan of another €1 million.

“The collaboration with Vyncke creates possibilities because our wind turbine could be used to power small and localised biomass plants,” says Van Heuverswyn.

Q&A

www.projectmine.com

Philip Van Damme is a neurologist at the Leuven University Hospital (UZ Leuven), where he oversees research on the neuromuscular disease ALS The Ice Bucket Challenge must have come just at the right moment for your research on the exact nature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS? It’s like a gift from heaven. In the last few months, we’ve begun rolling out the MinE project, an international research project that will analyse the DNA of at least 15,000 ALS patients, with a control group of 7,500 healthy people. Research into the genetic basis of ALS has never been done on this scale before. Hospitals and universities in Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, Ireland and Portugal are already involved. The ALS Liga Belgium has decided to allocate the money raised by the challenge

by irregular proteins in the nerve cells of the motor system. You could call ALS a neurodegenerative disorder like Alzheimer’s, with the difference that it only affects the motor nerves. But what determines the differences in the progression of this process is still unclear.

to the MinE project. We’ll need it, as the sequencing of entire human genomes is a very costly procedure. With our team in Leuven, we want to analyse the DNA of at least 500 patients.

If you’re looking into the genes of patients, you must be assuming that ALS has a genetic cause.

Indeed. Although a combination of aging, environmental and genetic factors is thought to cause ALS, the genetic cause may be the easiest to identify. But at the moment, we literally have no clue what this genetic cause might look like. It could be a collection of separate SNPs [single-letter mutations in the DNA code] or an

interplay between different faulty genes.

Some patients die just months after an ALS diagnosis; some live with the disease for years.

Why is that?

The mechanism that controls the huge diversity of ALS is still a mystery. We know that it is caused

Can ALS, like Alzheimer’s, affect entire families?

Yes, but this type of ALS is rather rare; it makes up only 10% of cases. The other 90% suffer from so-called sporadic ALS, in which no hereditary link can be found.

Hopefully, the results of the MinE project will provide us with a genetic cause and offer the starting point for research into an effective treatment, because no treatment exists at this time.

An Antwerp University spinoff has developed a device that injects vaccines into the skin instead of into the muscles, making it easier to use and much less painful.

Earlier this year, Novosanis, a spin-off of Antwerp University that develops innovative medical devices, launched VAX-ID. During the development of the device, Novosanis received support from Antwerp students who are specialising in product development. One of them applied for the international James Dyson Award, a student contest that rewards innovative products and is supported by the James Dyson Foundation. The team was rewarded with the prize for Belgium, worth $3,500 (€2,720).

Back surgeries increase by 40% In the decade to 2012, the number of back surgeries in Belgium rose by 40%. For many patients however, intervention doesn’t help and can even lead to complications, according to the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE). For many patients, surgery is not the appropriate solution for their back pain. In most cases of unnecessary surgeries, patients complain about nonspecific lower back pain for which there is no clear cause such as inflammation or a fall.

According to recent findings, a multidisciplinary approach of physical therapy is the best option in most cases. KCE argues in favour of more information for physicians, who should reserve back surgeries for carefully selected patients.

UHasselt MS research gets funding boost Hasselt University is taking part in a huge international research effort for the development of drugs and rehabilitation strategies for multiple sclerosis (MS), an incurable chronic disease that affects the central nervous system.

Patients with relapsing-remitting MS experience sudden periods of physical decline, with longer periods of recovery. Patients with progressive MS suffer from symptoms that only get worse, without any chance of improvement. Over the next five years, the International Progressive MS Alliance will invest €22 million into research on progressive MS. Among the 22 projects selected for the first round of funding are two at Hasselt University, which receive a total of €75,000. \ SS

\ Interview by SS

\7

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The Bulletin and ING Belgium invite you to a seminar on

ProPerty in Belgium • Joris Vrielynck,

COO, Optima Global Estate.

"Latest trends in the residential market."

• Alexis Lemmerling,

Notary, Berquin.

"Update on recent legal changes.”

October 7, 2014

ING Head Office - Marnix Entrance via Rue du Trône 1, 1000 Brussels (nearest subway station: Trône)

• Registration at 17:30 • Presentations at 18:00 sharp

• Dave Deruytter,

Head of Expats and Non Residents, ING. “Finance and insure Private Real Estate in Belgium? How about taxation?”

Free entry • Register before October 6 at www.thebulletin.be/realestate

\ EDUCATION

september 24, 2014

A fresh start

week in education

Flanders’ Exams Commission grants high-school dropouts a second chance Alan Hope More articles by Alan \ flanderstoday.eu

www.tinyurl.com/pkrruwp

O

n the first of this month, children and teens in Flanders went back to school.

Or rather, most of them did. About one in seven young people leave school in Flanders without a diploma of secondary education. For one reason or another, they drop out and fail to complete the six years laid down by law.

The main reason is what is known as “school fatigue”: A student gets behind in lessons, finds it impossible to catch up and eventually stops going altogether. The problem is exacerbated by peer pressure from others in the same situation.

Truants might get mixed up in drugs or drink, which also make things worse.

Others drop out because they have been forced to repeat years, have other problems at school, such as illness or pregnancy, or are simply demotivated.

But there is hope. For anyone who doesn’t achieve a secondary school diploma in Flanders, there’s a second chance at the Exams Commission, which has the power to administer diplomas to anyone who completes a course of study and passes the exams.

Last year nearly 3,200 former students signed up with the Exams Commission, a department of the government of Flanders. They come from all age groups, but the average age of a new graduate is 20, suggesting that the decision to go back for a diploma happens quickly, as those without diplomas realise what a disadvantage it can be.

Of those who sign up, 6% choose to go through a preparatory school, which guides students through the process. The schools offering these second-chance education programmes are expensive, but their graduates appreciate the support.

“The classes are small, so the teachers can really pay attention to everyone,” says Tim, 21. “If you have a problem, they keep on explaining until you’ve got it. I got the feeling they want as many people as possible to get a diploma, so that’s pretty positive. They want everyone to pass.”

The Exams Commission’s website has testimonials from people like Tim who have come through the system. Another example is Mohammed, 25 and of Turkish origin; He also earned his

Second-chance students in Limburg met and discussed their concerns with former poverty minister Ingrid Lieten last spring

diploma with the Exams Commission. “It might seem like nothing, but I’m a Pisces, which I read somewhere means I’m dreamy and lazy. That describes me perfectly at school,” he says. “I absolutely had to change. And I have, completely. I’m much more results-oriented. A friend told me to ‘go for 100%’, so I went for 100% and scored 80% in three languages. That’s how much I’ve opened up. I thought to myself: ‘This is it’.”

Maarten, meanwhile, obtained his diploma at the age of 18, but he didn’t get it from a local school. “I chose the Exams Commission because school went much too slowly for me,” says Maarten, who is now at university. “I got fed up having nothing to do. I needed an intellectual challenge. The Exams Commission offered one serious advantage: It’s pure self-study. And so is university, so it was certainly a good preparation. And that was what I needed.”

The Exams Commission offers regular info sessions, where students can obtain a log-in for the online platform. From there, they can choose which studies to follow – general humanities, technical or professional. The site provides information on textbooks, lessons, study tips,

model exam questions and information on how the exams will be carried out.

When the current system was set up in 1991, there were two exam periods. Now the exams are spread out more or less throughout the year.

Following one course of study costs only €30, though students have to pay the cost of books.

The pass rate for Exams Commission students is 61%, though for the general humanities stream alone, the success rate is less than half. Those who fail remain an intractable problem for society, Groen education spokesperson Elisabeth Meuleman recently told De Tijd. “The question is, what happens to the others?” she asked. “A growing group of young people is experiencing problems or no longer finding what they need in regular education.”

It’s a concern, Meuleman continued, “that there remains a large group of young people who are being released into the job market without any sort of qualification.” The government of Flanders, she said, needs to reform secondary education “and to invest in a well-developed system of second-chance education with sufficient support”.

KU Leuven embraces entrepreneurship with new facilities As the new academic year begins, students at the University of Leuven have the choice of a new package of courses aimed at starting a business, as well as a new enterprise platform to guide and assist them in the idea-to-market process.

The new lessons offered by the university’s economics and business faculty includes a one-year module on the most crucial step taken by any start-up – drawing up a business plan.

During October, meanwhile, the university will launch its enterprise platform LCIE, which stands for Leuven Community for Innovation Driven Entrepreneurship. The platform brings together a group of potential partners with wouldbe student entrepreneurs.

LCIE project leader Wim Fyen says that in the past entrepreneurship at Leuven was either too academic – the teaching of case studies by

© Rob Stevens/KU Leuven

economics professors, for example – or too confusing. “The network of enterprise players in Leuven had become too complex,” he explains.

“Students needed to have one central place to turn to. LCIE will serve as a hub that brings everything together.”

A student with an idea for a business can address LCIE and get advice and support from old

hands in the field, such as Flanders DC, the government agency for business creativity; the digital research centre and ideas incubator iMinds and the Leuven Innovation Networking Circle of hightech innovators, companies and researchers.

LCIE will offer four contact points for students, including the economics faculty, where they will be able

to make use of meeting rooms and office space. The university has made financing of €130,000 available, on top of which the province of Flemish Brabant is giving €100,000.

Although it may be early days to think of such a thing, the university has already decided it will not take a share in any income generated by student enterprise projects.

All rights arising out of successful projects go to the students, a spokesperson said. Meanwhile, the platform will allow the university to keep track of promising new businesses.

In related news, the Erasmus University College in Brussels is also starting a Bachelor’s degree in Ideas and Innovation this year, with lessons offered by business professionals in creativity, enterprise, people skills and innovation.

So far 62 students have signed up.

Students to protest on 2 October

Student organisations in Flanders, including multiple student councils and the Flemish Association of Students (VVS), will take to the streets on 2 October in what they describe as “resistance” to plans by the government of Flanders and academic institutions for higher education.

In July, the VVS complained about the government’s plans outlined in the new government accord, as well as proposals from the universities to increase tuition fees.

The students’ concerns were set out in a letter to new education minister Hilde Crevits, who promised to engage in dialogue. Meanwhile, a proposal to increase registration fees from €620 to €1,100 was opposed by Ghent University vice-rector Freddy Mortier and Leuven rector Rik Torfs.

University hospitals ask for €60 million Belgium’s seven university hospitals have asked the incoming federal government for an increase of €60 million in funding for their teaching role. According to the council of university hospitals (RUZB), Belgium pays much less for its teaching hospitals than neighbouring countries, and the shortage could have a negative impact on patients. Last year the hospitals received €139 million for their academic responsibilities, including teaching medical and nursing students and carrying out research. In addition, Belgian hospitals have had to make €100 million in cuts over the past three years.

RUZB is asking the government to increase the share it pays of the salary of specialists from 13% to 75%, or a cash injection of €60 million.

KU Leuven remains in world Top 100 The University of Leuven is the only Belgian university left in the top 100 universities in the world, ranked by the British company Quacquarelli Symonds. Leuven takes 82nd place, a drop of five places from last year. The ranking, which includes criteria such as faculty-student ratio, citations per faculty and international orientation, ranks more than 700 universities around the world. The other Flemish universities on the list are Ghent (129, down from 193), the Free University of Brussels (VUB, 181, down from 172) and Antwerp (205, down from 185). Hasselt is the only Flemish university that doesn’t figure on the list. \ AH

\ AH

\9

\ LIVING

week in activities Fort Weekend Liezele ’14

Fort Liezele is the best preserved remnant of Antwerp’s First World War defences. This weekend, living history re-enactors will present a war encampment, and visitors can explore the fort and its surroundings.

27-28 September, 10.00-18.00, Fortbaan 2, Puurs; €5 \ WWW.FORTEN1914.

BE/FORTWEEKEND

Can’Art Festival Tenth and last edition of this three-day festival of music, dance, performance and visual arts. This truly is an event with something for everyone: wine tasting, tattoo art, skate park, children’s shows and more.

26-28 September, Domein Hoeve Vandewalle, Boomgaardstraat 188, Kuurne (West Flanders); free

\ WWW.CANARTFEST.ORG

Day of the Wijers A wijer is a manmade pond used for fish farming hundreds of years ago. There are more than 1,175 of them in one area of Limburg, creating a unique natural environment. Activities at more than a dozen locations including guided walks, fly-fishing initiations, bike tours, bird watching and more. 28 September; free \ WWW.DEWIJERS.BE

Mussel Festival The festivities begin with two historic fleets of sailboats entering the Willemdok and Bonapartedok, kicking off a weekend of nautical lore, maritime heritage, entertainment and demonstrations.

Guided tours of mussel fishing boats, and of course plenty of mussels. 26-28 September, Eilandje, Antwerp; free \ SHIPTOSHORE.BE/WATER-RANT

West Flanders Walks Discover the historic city of Tielt during this family event with routes ranging from a 2km Kids Walk and 6km Photo Scavenger Hunt to 18km and 23km routes for athletic types. Refreshments and entertainment provided along the way. 28 September, 8.00-16.00, Europahal, General Maczekplein 7, Tielt; €4 \ WWW.WEST-VLAANDERENWANDELT.BE

Naturaria Fair International expo for terrariums, aquariums, insects, reptiles and orchids. Animals, plants, equipment and supplies for sale, plus enthusiast groups, demos, information and expertise. 28 September, 10.00-16.00, Antwerp Expo, Jan Van Rijswijcklaan 191, €9 \ WWW.NATURARIA-FAIR.BE

\ 10

Robuust goes for zero

A new supermarket in Antwerp aims to eliminate disposable packaging Catherine Kosters More articles by Catherine \ flanderstoday.eu

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ROBUUSTTHEZEROWASTESHOP

F

or years, stores have been trying to create an eco-friendly image for themselves by getting rid of plastic bags for single use and introducing reusable ones. The sceptical shopper may point out that this measure only gets rid of a tiny percentage of waste, since all supermarket products still come meticulously packed in heaps of eco-unfriendly plastic.

Entrepreneur Savina Istas came to the same conclusion.

Istas, 25, decided Antwerp needed an environmental retail incentive and, after a summer of postponement due to financial issues and the unavailability of builders, she finally showed her baby Robuust to the public on 31 August.

The supermarket without packaging is the first of its kind in the country and only the fifth of its kind worldwide, modelled on shops like in.gredients in the US and Original Unverpackt in Berlin.

Apart from bypassing plastic, you can also buy exactly the amount you need Customers at Robuust bring their own containers, but the more forgetful ones can also buy a bottle or jar in the store. Just remember to bring them on your next visit.

Robuust comes across as a mix

© Courtesy Robuust

Savina Istas of Antwerp (right) opened Robuust to change the way we think of grocery shopping

between an old-fashioned neighbourhood store and a hip Whole Foods Market. It has everything on your shopping list, from pasta, rice and nuts to fruit and vegetables, coffee and biscuits – all sold in bulk from containers. Wine is tapped from the barrel, bottles of laundry detergent can be filled from large buckets and tablets of chocolate lie on a plate for the taking.

Because there’s no packaging involved, you’d expect lower prices. This, however, depends on the product. In some cases, you will pay less at the cash register, but since Robuust sells mostly fair-trade, ecological and organic foods, the overall bill isn’t any cheaper than an average supermarket. Your rubbish bin, on the

other hand, will be emptier.

Aside from edibles, the supermarket also sells household items for a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Think lunchboxes, reusable drinking straws – made from stainless steel – and even toilet brushes with replacement heads. Beauty aficionados will be drawn to the selection of essential oils and facial masks, and health freaks can go crazy over vitamin supplements.

Everything at Robuust is bought per piece or by weight. The staff weigh and label your empty jars and bottles as you come in, and again when you check out.

Apart from bypassing useless plastic, this also means you can buy exactly the amount you need. No more half-full jars of spice that sit on your shelf for years because you

only needed a sprinkle of cumin.

Goodbye to spoiled milk because you can’t drink the whole litre before it goes sour.

How do you know if Robuust with all its good intentions is the supermarket for you? Easy. Do you care about the environment? Are you worried about global waste? Do you like cooking and eating healthily? Do you take your time to go grocery shopping? Do you own a sturdy backpack, or a carrier bike that can be filled with glassware instead of kids? If the answer to most of these questions is yes, you know where to go.

And even if you’re a harried city dweller who can’t tell quinoa from muesli, Antwerp’s first zero-waste shop is worth a visit. Every plastic wrapper less counts.

BITE Gone fishin’ Last year the Smaakboot travelled all the way inland to Hasselt. This year it’s sticking closer to the coast, but that doesn’t mean the journey will be any less adventurous.

The Smaakboot (Flavour Boat) was introduced last year as part of the annual Week van de Smaak (Week of Taste), a celebration of all things culinary in Flanders. Week van de Smaak is in November, but we’re bringing up the Smaakboot early because you need to enter to win tickets if you want to take a ride.

The Smaakboot was launched last week in Zeebrugge (pictured) by a group of notables from the culinary and fishing world. This year’s theme for the Week van de Smaak is The Sustainable Imagination, and nowhere is sustainability a more urgent goal than in the fishing industry.

Flanders’ fishing industry is actually remarkably sustainable, having over the years had to cope with a threat to what is a limited fishing environment. Belgian waters in the North Sea offer little other than the flat fish our fisheries have evolved

© Courtesy Week van de Smaak

to concentrate on – plaice and sole. Cod is also caught, but more by accident than by design.

Hence the idea of a whole week devoted to Belgian fish, not just plaice and sole but also turbot, dogfish, brill, pollack, haddock and of course the unmissable world-beating grey shrimp. The 40 passengers on each leg of the trip aboard the lovely Gentse Barge will be served by one of 11 up-and-coming chefs, and the food and beer

explained by experts including Beer & Women campaigner and beer sommelier Sofie Vanrafelghem.

The boat stops in Zeebrugge, Bruges, Ostend, Nieuwpoort, Ypres, Diksmuide, Eeklo, Deinze, Kortrijk, Sint-Martens-Latem and Ghent.

And how do you get to take part? Go to the website and select Vistournee Generale, then follow the instructions in the video. Namely, invent a recipe using Belgian fish, invite some people over to try it, then send in a photo of the event with a short description of your recipe.

To make that worth your while, you win a pair of tickets, which include lunch on board the Smaakboot, an overnight stay, with breakfast, in the city where the boat stops next and a bus back to where you started from.

In another contest, pit your beer wits against the experts by coming up with the perfect match for a set of recipes devised by the chefs who will be serving on the boat. Be warned: It’s a brain-buster. \ Alan Hope

september 24, 2014

Ghent chocolatier digs deep Former archaeologist Nicolas Vanaise has launched a range of unusual pralines Daan Bauwens More articles by Daan \ flanderstoday.eu

I

t’s scientifically proven that taste, smell and memory are inextricably connected; tastes and smells revive memories.

Ghent chocolatier Nicolas Vanaise works the other way: He designs tastes based on memories. And on books and movies.

Take his new Havana praline.

“While traveling through Scotland I became fascinated by gentlemen’s clubs,” says Vanaise, 50. “I started thinking about a way to translate this atmosphere into a taste and came up with a praline that combines whisky from the Scottish isle of Jura with Montecristo tobacco from Cuba. Imagine reclining in a Chesterfield chair while having a cigar, just like Hemingway. This chocolate paints the picture.”

www.tinyurl.com/yuzuchocolates

But he didn’t start his shop immediately. “I needed some time to think and figure out what exactly I wanted to do,” he says. “I was lucky to end up in the confectionery business. My task there – as an experienced historian and archaeologist – was to research longforgotten Flemish tastes.”

It was an interesting time, but he ultimately decided he wanted to be his own boss and started exploring options to set up his own confectionery company. “The most important question, since Belgium already has the reputation of being a chocolate country, was how to avoid being a dime in the dozen. I started exploring here and abroad, looking for trends that might inspire me.”

At the same time, he decided to

It didn’t seem logical to start up a brand new company offering old tastes Vanaise can be found every day of the week in his small laboratory at the back of his shop, Yuzu, metres from the Minard theatre on one of the city’s smallest squares. There he designs chocolates from 5.00 in the morning, with unstoppable inventiveness.

There’s chocolate dedicated to his trips to the island of Cristina in Andalucia and the Great Barrier Reef. There are homages to characters from movies by Fellini and Wong Kar Wai. The First World War praline contains pipe tobacco. “I’m always looking for interesting ingredients,” Vanaise says. “After that, I see where I can use them. In the same way a photographer takes pictures, I make chocolate.”

The one depicting the historic figure of Marco Polo stands out: It’s shaped like a gold bar and contains Chinese five-spice powder. References to the Middle East are also abundant among Vanaise’s work: Ispahan, Aleppo, Persepolis and Sana’a are all there.

The reason soon becomes evident.

“I started this business 11 years ago,” Vanaise explains. “Before that I was an art historian and archaeologist, specialising in the Middle East. But it’s no secret the Middle East is not the best place to be digging in the sand.”

Just after the turn of the century, as he neared the end of his 30s, Vanaise decided to put an end to his career as an archaeologist in the Emirates and Iraq, and came back home.

stop focusing on the past. “It didn’t seem like a logical option to start up a brand new company offering old tastes,” he says. “I wanted to start something modern. My choice to break with the past blended well with developments in gastronomy. A decade ago, Spanish chef Ferran Adrià was dictating the new laws, encouraging everyone to quit traditions and start discovering new tastes and textures.”

That was exactly what Vanaise did. And while on the lookout for new ingredients, he went a lot further than the Middle East. His shop, Yuzu, is named after a Japanese citrus fruit he and his wife discovered on one of their annual trips to Japan.

“It ripens in winter and has one of the most interesting perfumes I know,” Vanaise says. That perfume can be tasted in the Koochi praline, named after a Japanese prefecture. “I know merchants who can deliver sancho pepper and real wasabi,” he explains, “and at the moment, I’m trying to develop chocolate that contains the taste of sake.”

After being named one of the 10 best food shops in Ghent by The Guardian newspaper, Vanaise can count on a lot of international attention. He even delivers his chocolates to the European Commission. But setting up a chain or production for abroad is not an option.

“This work is very labour intensive, and the product has a limited

Archaeologist-cum-chocolatier Nicolas Vanaise makes “rough chocolates” that look like they’ve been dug from the earth

shelf life,” he says. “Choosing production on a large scale would immediately force me to compromise on quality. I don’t want that.”

Above all, for Vanaise chocolate is a medium. “Chocolate is for me like bronze or marble is for a sculp-

tor,” he says. “Not just because of what the taste conveys, but also because of the shape. Every one of my pralines has the same shape, but the details differ. That’s why I try to make them look imperfect.

The pralines must look rough,

must remind you of the structure of minerals. And not just the outside; the texture must remind people of iron, wood or other rough materials. Somewhere, I’m still an archaeologist.”

\ 11

2ND EDITION OF:

EXPAT FINANCIAL AFFAIRS Growth makes you happy

ARE YOU AN EXPATRIATE IN BELGIUM? When finding your way in a new country, it is not always easy to get access to the right information about personal finance, tax and estate planning.

The British Chamber’s Expat Financial Affairs exhibition has over 20 short and informative presentations providing practical information about living in Belgium and how to handle your money.

TOPICS INCLUDE:

Expatriates and real estate in Belgium Can you afford to retire? Five top tips to retire rich Protecting your wealth from international tax exposure Starting up your own business Legal and tax analysis of your marital status

Participation is free, but registration is mandatory.

Creating a will in Belgium

For further information: www.expatfinancialaffairs.be CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Benefitting from social security MAIN SPONSOR:

SILVER SPONSOR:

DATE: 11 October 2014 | TIME: 10.30 - 16.30 VENUE: Vlerick Business School - Place Rogier (Manhattan Centre) - 1000 Brussels

Your new guide to life in Belgium The Autumn issue of the Bulletin Newcomer is your guide to enjoying life and settling in Belgium. It mixes essential practical information with lifestyle features on ďŹ nding a job, top cultural events, dating, keeping pets, sampling Belgian wine and spirits and joining a local theatre group.

If you want to make the most of life in Belgium, this is the essential read.

E L A S N O NOW

Pick up your copy at newsstands or at www.thebulletin.be now!

\ ARTS

september 24, 2014

A new direction

And now for something completely different from Flemish novelist Herman Brusselmans Rebecca Benoot More articles by Rebecca \ flanderstoday.eu

W

ith his long, dark hair, glasses and black leather jacket, Herman Brusselmans’ image is as iconic as his fiction. A public figure and prolific writer, Brusselmans was born in 1957 and debuted in 1985 with De man die werk vond (The Man who Found a Job).

Together with Tom Lanoye and Kristien Hemmerechts, he became one of the stars of 1980s Flemish fiction. Revered by some, loathed by others, he is one of Flanders’ enfants terribles.

Brusselmans’ novels are, admittedly, an acquired taste. He’s often criticised for being vulgar and sexist and writing, well, nonsense.

Though sex, booze, crude humour and boredom, often resulting in absurd dialogues, are recurring themes in his oeuvre, there’s more here than meets the eye: He frequently gets serious and delves into his own none- too-rosy past.

“I want to combine the melancholy and often harsh reality with what I call total bullshit,” he says. “Both aspects occur in all my novels, but the semi-autobiographical ones are slightly more serious, while the others can get quite absurd. They’re

www.hermanbrusselmans.com

a counterweight to the weightiness in the world, and in myself particularly.”

His love for sarcasm, crassness and the absurd are usually what people take away from his novels, making him, despite having written 64, an author who isn’t always taken seriously. Humorous novels in Flemish fiction are few and far between, and often not appreciated.

but they just don’t work. It’s not as easy as it seems.”

But Brusselmans has often proved himself a prolific author who can tackle a wide array of subjects and formats, ranging from fiction to poetry about music, motorcycles, sex and, frequently, his own life. “I’m very passionate about my trade,” he says, “and although I’ve had some low points, I still love what I do. Despite the fact I occasionally mock it, I take literature very seriously.”

It’s often said that parody is the greatest compliment to an original, and Brusselmans – an avid fan of

thrillers who has admitted to wanting to parody every serious genre at least once – has just written his first literary thriller, Zeik (Piss).

“The term ‘literary thriller’ on the cover was actually a joke,” he explains. “Literary thriller is a subgenre in literature that supposes that the quality is slightly better than the average thriller, but it still isn’t real literature.”

That’s something the critics often and unfairly say about his novels, of course.

The title character, Zeik, is an inspector working for the homicide department in Ghent in 1961.

He’s trying to catch a serial killer who tattoos symbolic numbers on the backs of his female victims.

Zeik is aided by a colourful cast of colleagues with similarly wacky names.

Despite being a whodunit in the style of George Simenon and Agatha Christie, Zeik is a typical Brusselmans novel full of his trademark humour, crudity and absurdity. And he isn’t done with the character or the genre just yet. Next year, Zeik will be back in De moord op de poetsvrouw van Hugo Claus (The Murder of Hugo Claus’ Cleaning Lady).

Though Brusselmans has an eclectic oeuvre and is one of Flanders’ best-known authors, his distinctive yet diverse style has never won him an award or even the appreciation of the masses. He admits that he predominantly writes for “someone between 30 and 40 who thinks like me, is willing not to take literature too seriously and who lives on the same planet as me: likes the same books, the same music, is left wing, has the same views on relationships, a rock’n’roll lifestyle and is young at heart.”

He’s often also been called sexist, but he has many female readers, he says: “Mostly women with a sense of humour who don’t take my writing or themselves too seriously.”

It is difficult to label Brusselmans.

Yes, he is crude and absurd, but there is also a lingering sensitivity just beneath the surface of his semi-autobiographical novels.

Whether he’s writing the literary equivalent of a blockbuster or a heartbreaking column about the downfall of his own relationship, there’s no denying that whatever he does, he is a skilled and passionate craftsman, and one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Flemish literature.

Demons of Ghent Helen Grant • Corgi Children’s

Paddenkoppenland (Toad Head Country)

Eén mens is genoeg (One is enough)

Part two of former Tervuren resident Helen Grant’s Forbidden Spaces teen trilogy brings back Silent Saturday heroine, Veerle, who has moved to Ghent with her family. There she stumbles across a face from her past: a murderous past she was hoping to leave behind. When the killing starts again, she is forced to the rooftops of this majestic city. Thrilling, dark and immensely atmospheric, Grant’s sequel (which can also be read on its own) takes young adult thriller fiction to new heights.

Luc de Vos • Atlas/Contact

Els Beerten • Querido

Ronny de Keyzer grows up in a small town near Ghent thinking his fellow inhabitants all look like toads. Desperate to rise above his roots, he waits for a twist of fate.

During the first car-free Sunday (based on the oil crisis) in 1973, he realises his musical ambitions will remain dreams unless he takes charge of his life – and one day, mesmerising melodies show up. Luc De Vos illustrates that nothing comes for free, while painting a monochrome portrait of a restless generation.

After the award-winning Allemaal willen we de hemel (We All Want the Sky), Els Beerten is back with a touching tale about a musical family in Limburg who are stricken by hardship when the father dies. Juliette and her brother Louis decide to get away from their grieving yet tyrannical mother, but they soon realise that your life isn’t always in your own hands. With this beautifully written and elegantly constructed novel, Beerten is sure to capture the imagination of readers of all ages.

Despite the fact I occasionally mock it, I take literature very seriously “Literature is mostly weighty stuff,” says Brusselmans (pictured), “and authors are not taken seriously if they write funny fiction, even though it’s an art in itself, making people laugh. The gravity of everyday life has to be alternated with a little absurdity, otherwise life would be too depressing.”

Despite the continuing criticism, he says: “I want to entertain and amuse people, something that isn’t on a par with ‘art’, where you always have to convey a message or reality.”

Though Brusselmans’ novels seem like simple titbits from everyday life, much work goes into constructing such a universe. “A lot of people think when they read my novels that they can go write something similar,” he says, “that it’s just a few jokes and some bullshit. My publisher gets a lot of manuscripts from people who want to copy me,

© Filip Claus

book reviews De tenondergang en de ongelooflijke wederopstanding van Eddy Vangelis (The Downfall and Incredible Resurrection of Eddy Vangelis) Marnix Peeters • Prometheus In his third novel, journalist Marnix Peeters proves he has matured as a writer by ingeniously entwining 30 characters in 71 chapters, resulting in an explosive climax to this burlesque and ballsy book. Eddy Vangelis tries his best to be a good person but is constantly lied to, cheated and abused. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, but the road is

paved with bodily fluids, making it a sticky and wacky trip. Not for the faint of heart.

\ 13

\ ARTS

week in arts & CULTURE Gaga and Bennett perform on Grote Markt

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett were due to perform a short concert on the Grote Markt in Brussels on Monday night as Flanders Today went to press. The concert was announced a few days earlier; the American queen of pop and the legendary crooner were both in Belgium for concerts and decided to shoot a video in the Grote Markt in support of their new album of jazz standards, Cheek to Cheek. Bennett was scheduled to give a concert earlier in the evening at Brussels’ Koninklijk Circus, and Gaga to perform in Antwerp on Tuesday. Through a special deal, tickets to the Grote Markt concert were limited to Mobistar customers who had to win them in a contest.

Double the expected visitors to Red Star Line Museum Antwerp’s Red Star Line Museum has welcomed nearly 200,000 visitors since opening one year ago, double the museum’s expectations.

It is a particularly impressive number considering that visitors are limited to a few every half an hour to allow for the best possible experience of the interactive museum that tells the story of the passenger ship that took European immigrants to the New World. Many of the visitors came from abroad. “We received a lot of great press in the beginning,” said museum director Luc Verheyen. “After that, it was all word of mouth.” \ WWW.REDSTARLINE.BE

Rubens’ Self-Portrait being restored The famous self-portrait of Peter Paul Rubens that hangs in the Rubens House in Antwerp left for London last week, where it will be restored in the National Gallery. The painting, one of four self-portraits by the 17th-century master, is painted on a construction of several panels of wood of Rubens’ own making. It is therefore quite complicated to transport and to restore. Restoration experts hope to get a better idea of Rubens’ technique through the work on the self-portrait.

The iconic painting will be returned by March in time for the opening of a major exhibition at Rubens House titled Rubens in Private: The Master Portrays His Family. \ WWW.RUBENSHUIS.BE

\ 14

Italian art brings saints to life Bozar’s Sienese paintings shows an evolution in delicate religious art Bjorn Gabriels More articles by Bjorn \ flanderstoday.eu

WWW.BOZAR.BE

S

hould this promising Indian summer not be in it for the long haul, Brussels is offering a multifaceted Italian autumn, the highlight of which is an exhibition featuring the finest art from Italy’s city states in the middle ages.

Until November, film archive Cinematek is the place to indulge yourself in the masterpieces of Luchino Visconti, whose retrospective includes a restored version of the 1962 classic Il gattopardo (The Leopard), presented by icon of Italian cinema Claudia Cardinale (on 6 October).

If you prefer your saints somewhat less flamboyant, the exhibition Paintings from Siena: Ars Narrandi in Europe’s Gothic Age at Bozar might suit you better. The exhibition shows some 60 highly fragile works of the Sienese School from the 13th to the 15th century, a time when the Tuscan city was a hub for pilgrims and traders travelling between northwestern Europe and eastern centres of culture and commerce, like Rome, Constantinople and the Holy City, Jerusalem.

It would take until well into the 19th century for Italy to become one nation. For centuries, there was fierce competition marked by shifting alliances between rival city republics, such as Siena and nearby Florence.

The rich and powerful, whether secular or religious, often chose arts and crafts to help them articulate their influence and spread their beliefs.

The artists they engaged were versatile craftsmen, who worked in the slipstream of the ruling classes, their patrons. Only later, during the Renaissance and especially the Romantic era, did the rather modern myth of the artist as a highly individual creator expressing his innermost thoughts and feelings gain prominence.

The late middle age artists shown at Bozar were called upon to design, embellish and construct various items that could be used in their patrons’ daily lives, or could serve for special occasions.

The better part of the artworks in Paintings from Siena – mainly on loan from the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Siena – are (parts of) foldable diptychs or triptychs meant to be carried along during pilgrimages or to practise devotion at home.

The wooden panels are painted with the tempera technique, which predates oil painting and consists of powdered pigments dissolved in water with egg yolk or other glutinous materials.

In the same corridors and spacious rooms that welcomed a

© Courtesy Pinacoteca Nazionale

Detail from Dietisalvi di Speme’s “Madonna and Child with Angels”, circa 1262

record number of visitors during the summer expo dedicated to Flemish painter Michaël Borremans, there now reigns a solemn silence. Dim lighting and large black or white walls create a sober atmosphere.

Every section of the thematically organised exhibition opens with an introductory text that sketches the historical context. The Sienese artworks recount an evolution from depictions that remain faithful to the iconography of religious figures, gradually leading to the introduction of narrative elements and references to contemporary life.

Fittingly, Paintings from Siena starts off with glorifications of the Virgin Mary, Siena’s patron saint.

In “Madonna and Child with two Angels” (1262) by Dietisalvi di Speme (pictured), Christ sits on Mary’s arm but mother and son barely seem to touch each other.

Mary gazes distantly to us viewers against a golden background, typi-

cal for gothic art.

Half a century later, Simone Martini paints “Mother with Child” (1300-1310) in which the right hands of Mary and her son are tenderly entangled, even if both stare in opposite directions.

In Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s “Mary with Child” (1340), the infant Jesus has his arm around his mother’s neck in a gentle embrace. In less than a century, the blank holy figures seem to have become an actual mother and son.

Another tempera on wood panel, Giovanni di Paolo’s “Madonna of Humility” (1450), also shows Mary holding her son close, against a strikingly different background in comparison with the earlier works.

The Virgin Mary is surrounded by a flower garden, and behind her we see houses, fields and mountains.

Until 18 January

The halos around their heads still radiate with gold, but the gilded backdrop – often with gold leaf – has been replaced by a landscape.

This evolution towards a more mundane yet still highly sacrosanct art is reflected not just in the depiction of various scenes from the lives of Mary and Jesus. There’s also a shift towards portraits of saints, including contemporaries such as Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) and Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380).

Paintings from Siena shows how artists vary on visual and narrative themes. You can see how pieces of cloth or blood-soaked patches are introduced and subsequently transformed. Over time, the Siena art becomes more dramatic – recounting the crucifixion and resurrection or other Biblical passages – and incorporates more details.

One remarkable example in that respect is Giovanni di Paolo’s “Last Judgment, Heaven and Hell” (1460-1465), a work that is clearly influenced by Dante’s epic poem Divine Comedy, which he illuminated.

Near the end of the exhibition, the Italian Renaissance is in full swing.

Sitting alongside The Yellow Side of Sociality, an exhibition of presentday Italian art, in which the gothic gold finds echoes in fluorescent yellow, Paintings from Siena looks ahead with great self-confidence.

Florentine middle age poets Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio would prove to be the fathers of Italian language. Nowadays, the historic centre of Siena is recognised by Unesco as world heritage, just like its ( former) rival Florence.

St Francis and St Catherine are partners as patrons of Italy, and the latter was named one of the six patron saints of Europe in 1999, the year the monetary union was established.

Paintings from Siena is a remarkable congregation of extremely delicate art – its voyage to the capital of Europe is not an obvious one. Organised for the Italian presidency of the European Union, artists from the Sienese School are once more employed to distribute the core values of their benefactors. Paintings from Siena celebrates a founding base of (European) humanism and salutes the city, the country, and the EU that embed it.

Bozar

Ravensteinstraat 23, Brussels

\ AGENDA

september 24, 2014

The art schwindler

Jean Schwind Retrospective Until 11 January

A

SMAK

Citadel Park, Ghent

funeral wreath to Belgian art (“A notre cher art belge”), with a ribbon in the Belgian tricolour over a ring of black plastic flowers and foliage, welcomes you to the small exhibition in SMAK that showcases Jean Schwind’s artistic blitzkrieg.

Schwind was a pseudonym used by academicturned-artist Jean Warie (1935-1985) between 1969 and 1976, the year of Schwind’s selfproclaimed death.

“Schwind was an heir to the destructive side of Dada”, says curator Jan Ceuleers. “Unlike kindred spirit Marcel Broodthaers, who was diplomatic enough to know and respect boundaries, Schwind didn’t know where to stop.”

His one-man guerrilla warfare was aimed at everything the art world held – and still holds – very dear. Warie created a mysterious persona that would go against the very notion of an

artist as an individual genius who creates (and sells) unique pieces of art.

As the first and only Belgian appropriation artist, Schwind made pastiches of works by Christo, Lucio Fontana, Broodthaers and others.

Not with the intention of forging his way into the art market, but to expose art as a swindle.

Schwind often destroyed his pastiches or – in the line of conceptual art – didn’t materialise his plans at all. SMAK shows a series of photos of art works about to go up in flames, thus “sanctifying” the replicated remnants of a distorting parody.

With a scathing sense of humour, Schwind offered critique on the art world and the commodification of art objects. He created his own “anti-collection” with tricolored art works and parodies of celebrated art, until the art project that was his life had to come to an end.

Brussels

© Zelo zelatus sum: Hommage à Boltanski, 1971

Because sooner or later, the appropriation artist would become appropriated himself. \ Bjorn Gabriels

Lee Friedlander: Self and Family

Brussels Art Square

www.fondationastichting.be

This exhibition focuses on two signature themes in Lee Friedlander’s work. The self-portraits of the celebrated American photographer are legend. He has been exploring the genre from all angles, especially the most oblique, for over 50 years (long before the current rage for narcissistic “selfies,” with which, it must be noted, Friedlander’s practice has nothing to do). His latest book, Family in the Picture, 1958-2013, reveals another side of Friedlander - the family man. His approach here is every bit as ironic and penetrating as his self-portraits. Fondation A Stichting and San Francisco’s Fraenkel Gallery present a selection of works spanning a lifetime. \

26-27 September

Zavel, Brussels

© Friedlander, Giancarlo, New City, New York, 2000

www.brusselsartsquare.com

© Courtesy Tomasso Brothers

It’s not for nothing that SintTruiden boasts the second largest market in Flanders. Situated in the middle of the fertile, fruitproducing Haspengouw region, this Limburg town is the place to be when apples and pears start coming off the branches. Local producers bring them in by the bushel. Visitors can buy the fruits

fresh or sample a range of artisanal products, including cider and jam. This is one of the main events on Sint-Truiden’s annual calendar, so the whole town mobilises. Local cultural institutions use the buzz to announce the coming season’s programme, and children present arts and crafts made with—what else?—Haspengouw fruits. \ GV

British nurse Edith Cavell was executed in Brussels in 1915 for assisting Allied soldiers to escape occupied Belgium. The resistance heroine is the subject of this First World War commemoration, as historians Marijke Van Campenhout and Emmanuel Debruyne join Cavell biographer Diana Souhami to discuss her role in both local nursing and the war. Souhami’s account of the life of Cavell (pictured) is a detailed portrait of a selfless woman who played a pioneering role in founding the nursing profession in Belgium. Cavell came to Brussels to supervise a new school for nursing.

When war broke out, her deep sense of responsibility ultimately led to her death. \ Sarah Crew

noAarchitecten: Like the buildings of this Brusselsbased architecture bureau are complex spatial experiences, this exhibition invites you to walk, see, feel, think and experience their spaces for yourself. 26 September to 4 January 2015, deSingel, Desguinlei 25 / www.desingel.be

Belgium: Occupation and Resistance 30 September, 19.30

Muntpunt Book Sale: The Brussels library and information centre is expanding its collection of Englishand German-language books.

That’s not the only good news: They are about to sell 9,000 used books from all genres.

3-5 October, Muntpunt, Munt 6

Antwerp

Fruitmarkt WWW.PORTOFANTWERP.COM

Brussels

VISUAL ARTS

DISCUSSION Grote Markt, Sint-Truiden

LITERATURE

/ www.muntpunt.be

MARKET 28 September, 13.00

Huis@KVS: This grotesque tableau vivant by director Josse De Pauw, composer Jan Kuijken and music theatre company LOD is an adaptation of two stories – one situated in Brussels, another in Jerusalem – by the Belgian author Michel de Ghelderode (1898-1962) and brings together several top local actors. 26-28 September, KVS, Arduinkaai 9 / www.kvs.be

Everyone knows that Brussels’ Zavel district is brimming with antique dealers and art galleries.

This is thanks in part to Brussels Art Square, an association of local businesses that has been boosting the neighbourhood for almost a decade.

Now the Square introduces a new concept. Belgian dealers host visiting counterparts from a different European country every year. The inaugural edition spotlights our near neighbours in the UK. Fifteen internationally renowned British dealers will be on hand at the Brussels Art Square open house weekender to trade their wares: contemporary and ethnic art as well as antiques of all varieties. The National Trust is guest of honour. \ GV

Georgio Valentino

Bozar Electronic Arts Festival: The third edition of this festival focusing on the avantgarde of installation art and sound design features the bravest noise architecture and many intriguing interdisciplinary collaborations. 25-27 September, Bozar, Ravensteinstraat 23

THEATRE

EVENT

Until 14 December

Brussels

\ www.bozar.be

VISUAL ARTS Fondation A Stichting, Brussels

FESTIVAL

British School of Brussels, Tervuren www.britishschool.be

EVENT Across Flanders Cassette Store Day: The first edition of this festive day reviving all things K7 was conceived last year by a few UK indie record labels. Now Flanders joins in the fun. In Ghent, for example, you can enjoy a cassette market, live shows and tape deck DJing. 27 September, multiple venues / www.cassettestoreday.com

Ghent

get ti ck

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Richard Dawkins: The Ghent-based free thinkers from Denkgelag invite the renowned British evolutionary biologist and philosopher for an evening of discussion and debate. 26 January 2015, Ghent / www.denkgelag.be

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september 24, 2014

Talking Dutch Our daily bread machine

Dimitri Vegas @dimitrivegas Finally watching @Guardians of The Galaxy at @Kinepolis antwerp... Welcome home after a busy Ibiza season !! :) @ Marvel

Derek Blyth More articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu

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have never used one, but some people must do because they’re all over Flanders. They are called broodautomaten – bread vending machines. You put in a few coins and out comes a freshly baked (I suppose) loaf of bread.

They must be quite useful when you return from a long holiday, or when you’ve been working late, so I was surprised to read a headline in De Morgen that stated Merchtem verklaart de oorlog aan broodautomaten – Merchtem declares war on bread vending machines.

Someone clearly didn’t like those machines. Het schepencollege van Merchtem wil het aantal broodautomaten in de gemeente drastisch verminderen – The local council wants to drastically reduce the number of bread vending machines in the municipality.

In my municipality, I would love it if the council drastically reduced the number of rubbish bags dumped in the street, or drastically reduced the number of people shouting at 3am. But I think I could live with an illuminated aluminium box filled with sliced white bread.

Not so the people of Merchtem. Het aantal dergelijke toestellen neemt immers steeds meer toe en dit tot ergernis van omwonenden – The number of such machines just keeps on growing and residents are getting annoyed.

The proposed solution is a cull – Merchtem wil er in de toekomst nog slechts één per deelgemeente overhouden – In future, Merchtem wants no more than one per district, said Merchtem’s mayor, Eddie De Block.

NSZ, a union for the self-employed, described the proposed regulation as een verkeerd signaal en een burgemeester onwaardig – the wrong signal to be sending out and unworthy of a burgomaster.

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Gediminas Varvuolis @varvuolis On study trip in #Vlaams-Brabant, #Belgium, with a group of colleagues. Good start @ sugar beet reffinerie in #Tienen pic. twitter.com/m9lOHXyvSB

© Het Nieuwsblad

The proposed ban sparked off a lively debate in the press. Merchtem bindt strijd aan tegen broodautomaten – Merchtem takes up arms against the bread vending machine, read one headline on the VRT news website.

It struck me that this was a rather futile battle to be fighting, when there were so many more urgent problems in the world. But then I have no experience of living next to a bread vending machine. Maybe it makes the conflict in Ukraine seem like a holiday in the sun.

De Block eventually dealt with his many critics in a blog post, under a headline that read Geef ons heden ons dagelijks brood, en vergeef ons... – Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us ...

The contrite burgomaster explained that the aim of the regulation was to control the spread of unauthorised vending machines. He added that he was a man who always listened to residents – tot in de eeuwen der eeuwen, amen – forever and ever, amen.

Then he turned his attention to more important issues, like the barbeque for 130 new residents and the Fattest Fish in Merchtem competition.

Tweet us your thoughts @FlandersToday

Poll

a. Sure. Schools must create the best conditions possible for girls to learn technology, and if that means girls-only classes, so be it

38% b. Maybe, but only for part of the term. Girls do better in single-sex classes, but boys do worse, so why punish them?

25% c. No. The world does not come segregated, so the earlier girls get used to working with boys, the better

38% As you can see, there’s not a lot of consensus among readers of Flanders Today. While more than onethird of you though classes should be split anyway to allow girls to develop their talents to the fullest, an equal number found the idea ridiculous and not in keeping with global realities. A minority of you

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took the middle road, considering the idea of splitting up the genders for part of the term.

And maybe that’s the best of both worlds. Allow girls to be on their own long enough to give them the confidence they need to then be mingled with the boys.

At long last, Netflix has arrived in Belgium (see p6). Will you be signing up?

Log on to the Flanders Today website at www.flanderstoday.eu and click on VOTE

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Ashes57 (Teklife/81) @Ashes57 I just wanted to say Big Up to the Belgium Crew in Leuven.

I have discovered amazing new musicians at #HORST14 last week end!!

The Culture Map @TheCultureMap Brussels: Not Boring but Open-Minded, Arty, and Cool http://www.theculturemap.com/brussels-boring-openminded-arty-cool/ … @visitbrussels #Belgium #ttot #streetart pic.twitter.com/Ouz1UY3Rd1

Distance @Distance_dj Put this in ya diaries. Chestplate vs Dailydubstep. 14th Nov in Ghent http://instagram.com/p/s-iUutIx9O/

In response to: Delhaize launches line of insect products Dawn Holt Erm....not sure this will make it on to my shopping list.

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the last word

Should secondary school tech classes be segregated by gender, as industry rep Agoria suggests, since girls do better in the absence of boys?

What’s the best way for girls to get ahead in technical education? According to the head of the tech industry federation Agoria, it might be to split up classes by gender. It’s been shown time and again that girls do better in classes without boys. Boys, however, do worse.

VoiceS of flanders today

All downhill from here Slimmer spending “The first time you come over the finishing line first in Flanders, it’s after 18 years of preparation.

You can never again repeat that feeling. As you get older, you get tougher, you see things better, but it can never again be as beautiful as it was in the first part of your racing life.”

“The tax would encourage healthier eating, and you’d see a lot less of a whole variety of illnesses: cardiac problems, diabetes, strokes and some cancers. That means medical costs would be much less.”

Pro cyclist Tom Boonen, a veteran at 33, in Het Nieuwsblad

Lieven Annemans of Ghent University on a study that suggests that a tax on unhealthy foods could save €2.2 billion a year in health-care costs

Townies greener

Expert view

“Residents of the 13 biggest cities prove to be more concerned about nature. They’re more sensitive to the problems of endangered species, like hamsters.”

“I never thought the epidemic could get as bad as this.”

Peter Piot, the Flemish scientist who helped identify the Ebola virus nearly 40 years ago

Annelore Nys of Natuurpunt, on a poll of 15,000 Flemings living in urban and rural areas

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