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august 10, 2016 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ read more at www.flanderstoday.eu current affairs \ p2

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To Japan, with love

Adapting Google’s Street View with interactive technology, a start-up in Kasterlee is getting senior citizens cycling in familiar places

The biennial Brussels Flower Carpet hits Grote Markt this month, with an intricate design starring cranes, koi and cherry blossoms

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No hurdle too high

Paralympic athletes in Flanders prevail over physical and societal barriers Andy Furniere More articles by Andy \ flanderstoday.eu

Thanks to increased investment and better awareness, parasports are on the rise across Flanders, with some of world’s best athletes stemming from Tongeren and Antwerp.

Y

ou might have heard of wheelchair tennis, but does boccia ring a bell? The aim of this game, played by people with severe motor disabilities, is to throw red and blue leather balls as close as possible to a white target ball, or jack. It is practiced in over 50 countries, and one of the best players in the world is Pieter Cilissen from Tongeren.

Thanks to the combined efforts of various organisations, sports for people with disabilities, or parasports, are becoming increasingly popular in Flanders. The ongoing renovations of a specialised sports centre in Antwerp province are expected to boost the numbers even further.

A key moment for Flemish parasports, known in Dutch as G-sports, was four years ago. The London 2012 Paralympics garnered an unprecedented amount of attention in the worldwide media.

Flemish athletes put in a strong performance, with wheelchair athlete Marieke Vervoort bringing home gold and silver medals in the 100m and 200m sprint competitions.

The feat turned her into a bekende Vlaming (Flemish celebrity).

The same year, the government of Flanders established G-sport Vlaanderen, an umbrella organisation improving the collaboration between parasport associations in the

Sports can be essential to venting frustrations about the disability region and the provinces, responsible for policy planning.

A contact point, Steunpunt G-sport Vlaanderen, was created to answer questions, in addition to assembling the necessary expertise and setting up initiatives to stimulate the growth of parasports.

The support centre provides an online database, allowing people with disabilities to find a sports club offering accessible infrastructure and coaching for the sport of their choice.

There are about 600 sports clubs included in the database, some 260 of which are in Antwerp province.

In addition to boccia, another popular parasport is goalball.

Visually impaired players from two teams attempt to throw a ball that is embedded with bells into the opponents’ goal.

Players listen to the sound of the bells to judge the position and movement of the ball.

It is estimated that only 6% of disabled Flemings participate © Hendrik Geenens/Parantee

continued on page 7

\ CURRENT AFFAIRS

Van Avermaet wins gold in Rio Cyclist pulls ahead in final sprint, while Flanders’ Kristin Flipkens beats Venus Williams Leo Cendrowicz More articles by Leo \ flanderstoday.eu

F

lemish cyclist Greg Van Avermaet grabbed the gold medal in the cycling road race at the Rio Olympics at the weekend, triumphing after six hours and 237 kilometres around Rio de Janeiro’s winding, cobbled hills, under a thick layer of heat. He is Belgium’s first gold medallist in an Olympics road race since 1952.

Van Avermaet and Denmark’s Jakob Fuglsang caught Rafal Majka of Poland inside the final 3km, but Van Avermaet won in an exciting sprint finish. It came after favourite Vincenzo Nibali of Italy and Sergio Henao of Colombia both crashed on the final descent off the Vista Chinesa climb.

By then, even three-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome, and other supposedly more storied riders had been left far behind.

“It went perfectly in the end, I had the legs that I needed,” a jubilant Van Avermaet said.

“It was a hectic finale, but in the end, everything went well.”

The 31-year-old cyclist from Lokeren is enjoying a spectacular year in general. He came eighth in the green jersey ranking for sprint-

© Yuzuru Sunada/BELGA

Really gold: Greg Van Avermaet gets Belgium off to a good start

ers at the Tour de France, won stage five and led the race for three days. His father, Ronald Van Avermaet, also competed in the road race at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.

There were also impressive results in Rio for

Belgium’s swimming team, who came sixth in the 100m freestyle relay, notching up a national record along the way, with a time of 3:13.57.

The men’s hockey side, currently ranked sixth

Social workers to be deployed to Brussels’ public parks The Brussels-Capital Region’s environmental agency Leefmilieu Brussel is spending €2 million on additional supervision in parks and green spaces. The goal of the project is to improve social cohesion and security as part of the fight against terrorism.

The agency plans to hire 43 park stewards who will act as social workers in the parks. The parks themselves are not harbours of radicalism, but “more and more large families are moving in to tower blocks around the parks,” Serge Kempe-

neers of Leefmilieu Brussel told Bruzz. “Four or five children in a small apartment is not tenable. They have more need than ever of the city parks to play and exercise.” Creating safe spaces for them is “a way of maintaining peace,” he said.

The region decided shortly after the events of 22 March to make extra financing available for security, including in the green spaces. “In practice, the stewards will have the profile of social workers, with their roots in the neighbourhood

and a strong and positive connection with the life of the area,” explained Céline Fremault, environment minister for the Brussels region.

The new staff will be detailed mainly to Elisabethpark in Koekelberg and Liedekerkepark in Sint-Joost, as well as the new park planned for the Ninoofsepoort in Laken and the four municipal parks recently taken over by the region: Bospark in Anderlecht and the MarieJosépark, Albertpark and L28 park, all in Molenbeek. \ Alan Hope

Weyts reveals plan for changes to Brussels Ring Flemish mobility minister Ben Weyts has announced a plan aimed at improving traffic flow on the Brussels Ring, the RO. The Ring – most of which is located in Flemish Brabant – is the scene of tailbacks on an almost daily basis; the timing for the section between Groot-Bijgaarden and Zaventem has become almost a standard unit in Belgium.

One of the worst junctions is the A201 approach road to Brussels Airport, both for traffic to the airport and traffic leaving the airport for the Ring or E19. Weyts’ plan

involves splitting the lanes more efficiently to avoid tailbacks. Traffic for the Ring and E19 will no longer hold up lanes heading into Brussels or Vilvoorde.

In Groot-Bijgaarden, changes will be made to the interchange with the E40 in the direction of the coast, with motorists making better use of the right-hand lane.

At Strombeek-Bever, changes will be made to the connection with the A12 direction Antwerp, opening up the second right-hand lane to traffic taking the A12.

Over at Kraainem, at the junction with the

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E40 direction Leuven, traffic coming out of Brussels and using the left-hand lane will no longer have to merge right, making traffic flow faster and safer. Finally, at the Leonard junction in Tervuren, traffic coming from Namur on the E411 will be directed so as to make more use of the right-hand lane, easing congestion at peak times.

Earlier this year, the minister announced that large-scale works on the RO would begin in 2019, with extra lanes being added along 20 kilometres, splitting local from through traffic. \ AH

in the world, were just as striking, beating fourth-ranked Britain 4-1 and hosts Brazil 0-12 in their opening ties.

Flemish tennis player Kirsten Flipkens, meanwhile, made worldwide headlines with her stunning first round victory, beating seventime Grand Slam champion and four-time Olympic gold medallist Venus Williams 4-6, 6-3, 7-6. Flipkens called it “the most epic match” of her career. Yanina Wickmayer, knocked out in the first round, joined Flipkens to reach the second round in the doubles.

The only disappointment of the opening weekend was for 2012 judo bronze medallist Charlene Van Snick, who lost her first-round tie.

The Belgian flag was carried into the Olympic opening ceremony in the Maracaña stadium last Friday by Olivia Borlée, part of the 2008 4x100m relay silver medal-winning team.

Belgium has sent 110 athletes to Rio, competing in 24 sports, including 2012 bronze medallist Evy Van Acker for sailing and decathlete Thomas Van der Plaetsen, who took gold last month at the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam.

Wi-fi launches in first metro stations in Brussels next month

tinyurl.com/wifibrussels

The Brussels free wi-fi network is extending to metro stations in September, the Capital Region’s minister for digital development, Bianca Debaets, has announced.

According to the region’s mobility minister, Pascal Smet, tests are underway, and the first station, Halleport, should be equipped with wi-fi by next month. It will expand from there, with all stations equipped by the end of 2017.

The capital currently has more than 50 wi-fi hotspots. One in five residents has little to no internet access at home, so open public networks are important, Debaets said. The hotspots are also extremely useful for tourists and commuters. The existing hotspots are used by some 4,000 people every week.

A map showing the available free hotspots in Brussels can be found on the city’s website. \ AH

€1.7 million 25%

hours a year worked by the average person in Brussels, 10 hours less than the average of 71 cities studied by British B2B consultants Expert Market. Paris with 1,603 hours works the least

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increase in food and drink prices in restaurants and bars since the introduction of the smart cash register, which aims to fight against undeclared earnings and staff

raised so far this year from fines imposed on lorry drivers who failed to follow the rules on road tolls, which came into force in April.

The worst offenders are Romanian drivers, with 31 fines

new metro trains ordered by Brussels transport authority MIVB to improve frequencies and cover the extension of the metro to the north of the city

fewer cases of “butt-dialling” to emergency numbers in 2015 – where a caller inadvertently dials a number, usually by sitting on their phone. In 2014, butt-dialling accounted for 31% of calls

august 10, 2016

WEEK in brief Spaniard Roberto Martinez has been named the new head coach of Belgium’s national football team, replacing Marc Wilmots who was let go after a disappointing defeat to Wales in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals.

Martinez has spent the past two decades with mid-ranking sides in Britain, including Swansea City, for which he both played and managed.

face of flanders This year’s New Year dip in the sea off Ostend will take place on 1 January for the first time, organisers have announced. Usually the event takes place on the first Saturday of the new year, but New Year’s Day 2017 falls on a Sunday, which the organisation wants to take advantage of. This will be the first time that the event, which attracts about 5,000 brave souls, falls on the day itself since the tradition was started in 1987. \ nieuwjaarsduik.be

The Belgian state took in nearly €16.7 million in 2015 in unclaimed estates from 102 people who had died without a will or an heir. The state can claim an estate if there are no heirs or if the heirs decline the bequest.

Since 2007, the total take in comes to €80 million, from which the state paid €36 million to the regions in death duties.

Police discovered 13 migrants hiding in the port of Zeebrugge last week in an attempt to board a truck heading for the UK, the prosecutor’s office in Bruges said.

This brings the number of refugees found at the port this month alone to 20.

The Autoworld museum in Brussels’ Jubelpark is marking its 30th anniversary with the opening of a new Media Room, which will recount the history of the museum and the building in which it is housed. The privately owned museum was originally created to show part of the car collection of businessman Ghislain Mahy. The building, constructed to mark the 50th anniversary of the Belgian State, has over the years been home to the German army, a depot for racing pigeons and a storage place for sports equipment.

Telemarketing companies are still ignoring Do Not Call lists, which register telephone numbers of members of the public who do not want to be cold-called, according to federal economy ministry. A survey revealed that 40% of 70 companies investigated were caught calling numbers on the Do Not Call list. One of the offending companies risks being banned, while 22 others have been fined.

NSZ and Unizo, which both represent the self-employed, have called for changes to the system to address the growing number of self-employed people suffering long-term illness. The numbers of self-employed claiming benefits for long-term sickness rose from 3,980 in 2011 to 5,035 last year. Benefits €34 to €45 a day – only kick in after 30 days of illness. NSZ is calling for an end to the delay, while Unizo argues for a social security fund for the self-employed.

Seven people were injured when two trams collided at De Wand station in Laken last Thursday, MIVB said. A tram number 7 ran into the back of a tram number 3 travelling in the same direction. Both drivers were among the injured.

A police patrol spotted in Elisabethpark in Koekelberg on National Day on 21 July were not playing Pokemon Go! as reported, the Brussels-West police zone has concluded after an internal enquiry. The officers were investigating a large gathering of people in the park who

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were there to play the game, a spokesperson said.

Unesco has recognised the Albert Marinus Centre in SintLambrechts-Woluwe in Brussels as an official documentation centre for heritage protection.

The centre, named after a distinguished Belgian sociologist and folk culture expert, is used by schools, researchers and organisations involved with heritage and folk culture.

The railways division of the federal police is looking for the owners of some 300 personal belongings recovered from the scene of the suicide bombing at Maalbeek metro station in Brussels on 22 March. The items include jewellery, clothing and a guitar. Anyone who was present on the day, or the relatives of victims, can contact the division on 02 528 14 44 or at dga.spc.bru. north@police.belgium.eu.

The federal food safety agency is advising owners of rabbits to have them vaccinated if they are for sale or taking part in competitions. The advice is a reaction to the sharp increase in cases of a new form of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease reported in Flanders in recent weeks. The virus is not harmful to humans but can be fatal to rabbits and hares, causing internal bleeding and hepatitis.

Together with other European organisations, Hasselt University’s Institute for Mobility (Imob) has developed Ruba – short for Road User Behaviour Analysis. The tool can automatically detect specific traffic situations, such as the colour of a light and whether pedestrians are present. The combination of fields can detect dangerous situations such as if a pedestrian crosses a street against the light when a car is approaching. Imob will deploy Ruba in urban areas.

OFFSIDE Feeding time The subject of food waste comes up from time to time, and there’s no shortage of initiatives to combat the problem, from supermarkets donating to food banks to court cases over dumpster-diving to supermarkets refusing to re-stock shelves with new products before the old ones are sold out.

The latest in a long line of great ideas comes from Delhaize, which will supply the Planckendael animal park in Mechelen with leftover fruits and vegetables for the animals. “We’ve been working for years with food banks and local organisation to share unsold products with people who need

Lucien Van Impe While most of Flanders was celebrating Greg Van Avermaet’s Olympic victory at the weekend (see story, facing page), the people of Erpe-Mere, East Flanders, gathered to remember the feat of their local boy, the last Belgian to win the Tour de France. It was the 40th anniversary of the win, and the local authority organised a two-day ceremony.

Lucien Van Impe, also known as de kleine van Mere for his diminutive size, was born in Mere in 1946 (before it merged with next-door Erpe). He started as a professional cyclist in 1969, and was particularly strong over long distances. His victory in the Tour de France in 1976 came after a third place in 1971 and in 1975; in 1981 he would come second.

He was also a formidable climber, winning numerous mountain stages. In 2007 he was voted best climber of all time by the website climbbybike.com.

And according to the Dutch Volkskrant, he is the only Tour winner of the post-1966 period who has never been accused of using performance enhancing substances.

© Nicolas Maeterlinck/BELGA

Van Impe retired from cycling in 1987. During his career he lined up at the start of the Tour de France 15 times and finished each time, setting a record for Belgium which remains to be beaten.

Also present at the celebration with Van Impe, who turns 70 later this year, were former cyclists Roger De Vlaeminck, Raymond Poulidor and Hubert Arbes, who flew in from his home in Lourdes. According to Erpe-Mere mayor Hugo De Waele, Van Impe had put the town on the map. “He has been an ambassador for our municipality at home and abroad,” he said. Yet despite his renown, he remained “a man of the people,” De Waele said.

For Antoine Slagmulder, councillor in charge of sport, Van Impe was small of stature but great of heart, with a place among the legends of cycling.

“He is fit to stand with the Bear of Bern [Fabian Cancellara], the Eagle of Toledo [Federico Bahamontes] and the Cannibal [Eddy Merckx].”

The town also unveiled a monument to Van Impe by sculptor Veerle De Vuyst. \ Alan Hope

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

© Eddy Van 3000/flickr

help, while fighting the problem of food waste,” a spokesperson for the chain said.

The company’s priority remains

aid to humans, but there are categories that the federal food safety agency has decreed many not be passed on for human consumption, such as products that are expired.

In the case of Planckendael, the produce is over-ripe or bruised, for example, which doesn’t appeal to humans. An elephant, however, is less likely to be picky. The plan aims to deliver 20 tonnes of fruit and vegetables a year – which would otherwise end up in landfill – and forms part of the supermarket’s target to find a good home by 2020 for 100% of all food waste. \ AH

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 Bartosz Brzezi´nski Agenda Robyn Boyle, Georgio Valentino Art director Paul Van Dooren Prepress Mediahuis AdPro Contributors Rebecca Benoot, Derek Blyth, Leo Cendrowicz, Paula Dear, Andy Furniere, Lee Gillette, Diana Goodwin, Clodagh Kinsella, Catherine Kosters, Toon Lambrechts, Ian Mundell, Anja Otte, Tom Peeters, Senne Starckx, Christophe Verbiest, Denzil Walton General manager Hans De Loore Publisher Mediahuis NV

Editorial address Gossetlaan 30 - 1702 Groot-Bijgaarden tel 02 467 23 06 editorial@flanderstoday.eu subscriptions tel 03 560 17 49 subscriptions@flanderstoday.eu or order online at www.flanderstoday.eu Advertising 02 467 24 37 advertising@flanderstoday.eu Verantwoordelijke uitgever Hans De Loore

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\ POLITICS

5TH COLUMN About a boy

Just as The Economist announced that it saw a new political divide emerging between people who stand for an open and welcoming society and those who want to erect walls around their countries, a nasty side of this divide reared its head in Flanders.

The report of the death of a 15-year-old-boy from Genk in a squad accident while on holiday in Morocco resulted in a number of now-infamous racist reactions on a Facebook page.

“Is this what a Fleming looks like?” one user wrote about the teenager, who was of Moroccan descent. Other, more rancid, reactions were variations on the “one less Moroccan” theme.

The Facebook page was soon taken down as reactions were immediately condemned by politicians from all sides.

“These people need help,” Flemish youth minister Sven Gatz (Open VLD) tweeted. SP.A party president John Crombez called the reactions “sickening”.

Minister-president Geert Bourgeois (N-VA) noted that “there is much work to do before we arrive at a shared citizenship and an inclusive society”.

But soon the political discussion turned sour, as opposition SP.A and Groen pointed the finger at N-VA for inciting racism. Theo Francken (N-VA), secretary of state for migration and asylum in turn blamed “the left’s open border policy” for growing racism.

The discussion was not just a Twitter fight during silly season. Migration and security are set to dominate the political debate in years to come in Flanders, with N-VA taking the lead.

In recent weeks, the nationalists have proposed limiting freedom of speech around terrorism and introducing a “Patriot Act”.

Ritual slaughter – without stunning, as is customary by Muslims during Eid al-Adha – has come increasingly under fire for reasons of animal welfare. N-VA, so it seems, has shifted its focus from social and economic demands to migration.

Some observers believe this shift is inspired by the recent rise of Vlaams Belang, the farright party that had shrunk to irrelevance in recent years.

Attracting former Vlaams Belang voters helped N-VA to unseen electoral successes – but at least part of them are turning their backs on the party.

One N-VA tactic in winning back voters is attacking its coalition partner CD&V as being naive and pandering to Muslim voters. There is a fine line, though, between being tough on immigration and inciting racist reactions, as the death of a teenager demonstrated last week. \ Anja Otte

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Stricter security follows attack on police officers Incident classified as terrorist attack puts agents in hospital Alan Hope Follow Alan on Twitter \ @AlanHopeFT

T

he National Security Council has ordered increased security at police stations following an attack in Charleroi at the weekend in which two police officers were seriously injured by a man wielding a machete.

The attacker was shot by another officer at the scene and died later in hospital.

The general terrorist threat level remains at three, prime minister Charles Michel (pictured) announced after the meeting of the council, which took place amid heavy security. “Following such a serious incident we need to take away a lesson,” he said. “This morning the crisis centre examined and confirmed all of the measures previously implemented.” The measures in force would be continuously re-evaluated, he said.

He also praised the police for their handling of the incident. “They reacted with sangfroid,” he said. The officers who had been injured showed “exceptional courage”.

The attacker was identified as a 33-year-old Algerian resident in France but illegally in Belgium since 2012. The man was heard to shout “Allahu akbar” before attacking; the incident is being treated as a terrorist attack.

The Union of Mosques in Charleroi issued a statement of support for the police, describing the attack as “a disgusting act of extreme savagery” and praising the “heroic actions” of the two police officers, both of whom were being kept in induced comas as Flanders Today went to press.

© Nicolas Maeterlinck/BELGA

Intelligence records must be destroyed after 50 years

Government prioritises Belgian human rights institute

Belgium’s two intelligence agencies, State Security for civilian matters and ADIV for the military, will now be obliged to destroy all records kept on individuals at the end of 50 years, if not sooner, under a new law that came into force last week, De Tijd reports.

The law, signed by federal justice minister Koen Geens and defence minister Steven Vandeput, marks the first time in the intelligence services’ 185-year history that a term has been placed on the collection of intelligence.

The first-ever law covering the intelligence services was passed in 1998 and included provisions for the storage and destruction of personal details. However, there was no fixed term attached to it.

The new royal decree is the missing link in that legislation, said Geens.

“The maintenance of information on people who are involved in an investigation is essential for the operation of our intelligence and security services,” Geens told De Tijd. “By retaining essential data, the services are able to link people from different investigations with

The federal government is ready with plans to create a human rights institute, justice minister Koen Geens has said. The move comes after Belgium was criticised by the human rights committee of the United Nations in January.

The country does have various organisations concerned with aspects of human rights, such as privacy, gender equality and racial discrimination. But not all aspects are dealt with, including human rights in prisons. According to Amnesty International, there is insufficient monitoring of the measures taken in the fight against terrorism.

The latest call for an urgent response came from Flemish

© Belpress

Belgium’s state security building in Brussels

each other. But when the information is no longer needed, it has to be destroyed.”

The 50-year term is subject to a few exceptions such as information with historical value, as recognised by the State Archives, and information still needed for legal proceedings or for continuing intelligence investigations. In those cases, the situation will be re-evaluated every five years.

At the other end of the spectrum, information that has no further use can be destroyed before the 50-year term is over. The two intelligence services will appoint an “advisor on the protection of personal privacy,” said Geens, to oversee the services’ compliance with the new law. \ AH

comedian Geert Hoste (pictured), an ambassador for Amnesty International. In a recent op-ed piece published in De Standaard, he cited support for the institute from both prime minister Charles Michel and Flemish minister-president Geert Bourgeois.

The decision by UN member states on the importance of a human rights institute was first taken in 1993, he wrote, and there are now 69 institutes worldwide, including 22 in Europe. “The matter is on the fast track,” Geens said. “The protection of human rights is a priority for this government, which is why the government partners are all working on the creation of the institute.” \ AH

© Courtesy geerthoste.be

Court hearing to follow Facebook comments on death of teen An organisation called the Flemish Defence League is facing legal action later this year for inciting racial hatred, following a complaint from the federal equal opportunities agency Unia, the Antwerp prosecutor’s office has confirmed.

The organisation came under fire last week over hate messages posted on the group’s Facebook page in reaction to the death of a teenager from Genk with Moroccan roots. The group has since deleted the page.

Politicians and other public figures have reacted strongly in recent days to the messages, posted in response to an article about the death of 15-year-old Ramzi Mohammed Kaddouri. He died in a quad accident while on holiday in

Morocco.

Among the least offensive examples of posts were arguments that Kaddouri should not be referred to as “Flemish” as he was in the article and that he probably bought the quad “with the proceeds of drugs trade or theft”. Other posts were much more vicious.

“Sick racism,” commented Flanders’ youth minister Sven Gatz. His colleague Liesbeth Homans, minister of equal opportunities, called the display “repellent and degrading”.

“Terrible racist remarks,” according to Flemish MP Tine Soens on Twitter. “What’s wrong with this world?”

“This was only a child who had never done anything to anyone. There is something seri-

ously wrong in our society,” said CD&V member Youssef Kobo, who said he had received death threats following his condemnation of the posts.

“The at times hateful remarks on social media show that there is still a great deal to be done before we arrive at a shared citizenship and an inclusive society,” Flemish minister-president Geert Bourgeois said. “Ramzi was a young Fleming who was taken from the world too soon.

People who employ this sort of hurtful language need to take a look in the mirror.”

A formal complaint has been filed and will result in a court case after the summer recess, the Antwerp prosecutor’s office said. The office did not specify who had filed the complaint or what charges might result. \ AH

august 10, 2016

Untangling the traffic snarl Brussels mobility minister wants to solve the capital’s ubiquitous traffic jams Leo Cendrowicz Follow Leo on Twitter \ @LeoCendro

PASCALSMET.BE

Pascal Smet, mobility minister of the Brussels-Capital Region, says he’s found the solution to the traffic congestion in the capital: Give the city’s streets back to the people and make the infrastructure smarter.

I

t says a lot about Brussels traffic that, in a year of dramatic news stories, the issue that often dominates conversations in the capital is the state of the city’s roads. With incessant roadworks, blocked tunnels and some of the worst urban traffic in the world, Brussels has become a driving calamity.

But that is about to change, insists Pascal Smet, public works and mobility minister for the BrusselsCapital Region. “Until recently, the city made every accommodation for cars and did nothing for cyclists or pedestrians,” he says.

“That’s changing now.”

In a country awash with ministers, Smet has one of the toughest jobs, as he faces up to a legacy of under-investment in infrastructure and over-indulgence of driving. Although he is overseeing an ambitious overhaul of the city’s transport arrangements, the ongoing snarl-ups that continue to blight daily commutes mean he is a particular target of Brussels’ road rage.

According to an analysis by Inrix, a traffic data organisation, Brussels ranks fifth worst for traffic in Europe, with an estimated 71 hours spent in traffic in 2015. The findings from 2016 are expected to be worse.

This year has been particularly grim. After the roof of one of the tunnels was damaged by a lorry, Brussels authorities made some quick checks and discovered that the city’s entire tunnel system needed urgent repairs.

A parliamentary inquiry blamed a systematic failure to provide maintenance of roads, tunnels and viaducts over the years. Even now, the Stefania and Montgomery road tunnels are closed to repair cracks and corrosion in the reinforced concrete.

So Smet has a lot of explaining to do. Yet despite being the focus of intense ire, he is relaxed, upbeat even. “We can no longer be a city for cars. We must be a city for people,” he says over lunch at Beaucoup Fish, a trendy restaurant behind the KVS theatre in Brussels.

Smet, 48, is originally from Beveren in East Flanders. This is his second stint as Brussels mobility minister; his first, from 2004 to 2009, was followed by five years as Flemish Education Minister. “The issue

© Courtesy Pascal Smet

Living by example: Pascal Smet cycles along the Brussels Canal

here is a commuter problem,” he continues. “There is something in the DNA of Belgium that makes people feel that living in the countryside is better than living in the city.”

History has played a part in the current predicament: When Brussels hosted the 1958 World Expo, it provided the excuse for a radical overhaul of the city. Some 45 kilometres of new road surfaces were laid, 7.5km of tunnels dug, construction of the metro began, and Brussels Airport was built.

“The city was never designed for so many cars,” he says. “But in the name of modernity, in the last 50 years, the city opened itself up to them, with tunnels and highways that suck them in. And when you invite in all the cars in, they have to go somewhere. Cities that give more space to cars have more traffic jams.”

Of the 400,000 commuters coming to Brussels every day, 235,000 take their own car. “They are the traffic jam,” Smet says. “It is the choice of non-residents. Half the people who live in the city don’t even own a car. Only 35% of movement within the city is done by car.”

Other factors exacerbate the situ-

ation, he explains. A federal tax policy that supports people living in the countryside, thus reinforcing out-of-town commuters.

Company cars are given lavish tax-breaks and are subsidised to an average €2,763, according to a study by the OECD policy institute.

The confusion of federal, regional and local authorities complicates decision-making; only now are the federal rail services co-ordinating with Brussels public transport operator MIVB, and the regional

budget includes €1.6 billion for a north-south metro line and €750 million to renovate the tunnels.

Tramlines will be built from Simonis to Heizel and from Herman-Debroux to Rodebeek.

Heizel will connect to the Flemish transport networks, and a new fleet of buses, trams and metros will be rolled out. Some 8,500 parking spaces will be built next to the metro stations on the outskirts of Brussels by 2020.

Officials are also working on

We can no longer be a city for cars. We must be a city for people operators De Lijn and TEC. And there are obstacles delaying reasonable alternatives, like the repeated delays to the planned suburban rail service, Regional Express Network.

However, Smet says it is getting better. Two years ago, the Brussels-Capital Region was given an extra €5.2 billion to invest in transport over the next 10 years. The

smarter traffic management: Intelligent traffic lights will react on real-time data. Cameras will catch cars that block the road, especially the criss-crossed boxes painted at junctions.

Smet talks enthusiastically about the Villo! self-service bicycle rental scheme, with 1.5 million uses last year, and the new carsharing initiatives like Drive Now,

Zencar and Zipcar. He is particularly hopeful about special lanes for car-poolers.

“In the past, it was difficult as you had to find people to come with you,” he says. “Today we have smart phones, and we need something like Tinder for carpooling.

We need a sexy application.”

Amongst Smet’s urban plans are renovations to Schumanplein and Madouplein, turning Luxemburgplein into a pedestrian zone and closing Elsense Steenweg to cars during the day. When the viaduct over Auguste Reyerslaan is completely removed, he says, the road system will be redesigned, perhaps with a roundabout.

Smet also wants to send the inner ring traffic between Louizaplein and Naamsepoort underground.

“It is supposed to be the most exclusive, beautiful shopping area in the city, but the public space is crap,” he says. “We have to give these spaces back to the people.”

He admits it may be another 10 years before this ambitious plan is realised. He has enough on his plate right now. “In the next three to four years, there will be a lot of work. We have to make the city better. Let’s do it now.”

\5

\ BUSINESS

week in business Brewing AB InBev The head office of the new company created by the merger of brewers AB InBev and SABMiller will be in Leuven, with a “global functional management office” in New York, AB InBev has announced. The merger is expected to be completed in October.

Medical eSaturnus The Leuven-based company, which specialises in digital operating rooms, has been acquired by electronics giant Sony for an undisclosed sum. eSaturnus employs 25 people.

Fast food Just Eat Pizza.be, the Belgian side of Dutch fast-food delivery Takeaway.com, has taken over competitors Just Eat in Belgium and the Netherlands for €22.5 million.

Storage Boxify A Brussels start-up is offering a solution to anyone overwhelmed by too many possessions: permanent storage. Boxify delivers storage boxes, takes them into storage and returns them within 48 hours when requested.

Butcher Jack O’Shea Irish butcher Jack O’Shea has closed its three shops and its restaurant in Brussels because of financial problems, the company’s lawyer said. The owners are looking into possible re-financing or protection from creditors.

Transport De Lijn Flemish public transport authority De Lijn has adopted a new system that applies a special lubricant to the rails of the coast tram to reduce noise. Residents along the 72km route have complained about noise, especially on bends, when the weather is dry. The system costs €14,000 per tram.

Catering Flamingo Flamingo, the venture by bar entrepreneur Frédéric Nicolay opposite the KVS in Brussels, was declared bankrupt in May, according to the administrator. The establishment was originally said to be closed for renovations.

The restaurant Balls & Glory, which moved in to share the space in 2015, will continue to operate.

\6

New family lane at airport

Security lane at Zaventem to cater to families during school holidays Alan Hope Follow Alan on Twitter \ @AlanHopeFT

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russels Airport spent the first month of the summer vacation testing a new security procedure: the “Kids’ Lane”, which involves special inspections for children under 12. “We are ourselves mothers and fathers, so we know that air travel with children can be extra stressful,” said airport spokesperson Nathalie Van Impe.

The Kid’s Lane involves taking families with children out of the normal flow of passengers at security and through a special checkpoint marked by balloons. Extra personnel are on hand to help with pushchairs, and the regulations on liquids carried are relaxed to take

account of baby food.

“The most important goal of the Kids’ Lane is improved customer service,” said Van Impe.

“At busy times, it makes a real difference, and people seem to recognise the added value.”

The airport also concluded that the benefits outweigh the extra cost and administration involved.

The Kids’ Lane will come into full effect during the next school holiday in late October. “It’s possible it may have changed by then,” Van Impe said. “The age limit may be lower than 12, or we may concentrate on people with strollers.

We’re still brainstorming.”

© Courtesy Brussels Airport

Apple and pear harvest likely down by one-fifth due to bad weather This year’s apple harvest will be down by 18% on last year, with the pear harvest 10% lower, according to figures from the Flemish farming union, Boerenbond. The main reason, it said, is bad weather in the spring and summer.

The low point was 23 June, when heavy rain caused severe damage in orchards in the main growing areas in Flemish Brabant and southern Limburg. An estimated 18% of the apple growing area was damaged, and 11% of the area under pears.

Boerenbond’s figures, compiled with the union of Belgian horticultural co-operatives, place the estimate for the total apple harvest at 234 million kilograms, and pears at 332 million kg. Despite the damage in June, pear growing grew by 351 hectares as demand grew for the fruit, even with the ongoing Russian boycott. Efforts to compensate for the boycott by finding new markets for Belgian Conference pears have been successful.

The same cannot be said for apples: the total area planted with apple trees fell by 374 hectares to 6,491ha. Boerenbond said it hoped the reduced harvest would have the effect of increased prices for the grower, depending on whether shops and customers show a preference for home-grown fruit.

Belgium’s 234,000 tonnes of apples this year will be competing against 12 million tonnes of product from other EU countries. For pears, the situation is slightly better: 332,000 tonnes from a European total of 2.2 million tonnes. \ AH

Flemish employment figures up over whole year The unemployment rate in Flanders went down again in July, by 3% compared to the same month last year, continuing a trend which has been steady for a whole year now. The region now counts just under 239,000 people out of work and seeking employment, 7,320 fewer than last July.

The reduction was even bigger among those claiming unemployment benefits, whose numbers fell by 9% to 162,846. Given the end of the school year, there was an increase of 4.6% in out of work graduates (who have to wait 310 days before claiming benefits), and a rise of 14% in those out of work but not seeking employment.

The reduction in unemployment was spread across all age-groups and provinces, with the largest decreases in the age-group 25-50 (3.6%) and in Limburg (6.2%). Some demographics are not sharing in the year-long fall

Brussels companies have problems paying bills on time Companies in the Brussels-Capital Region have the poorest record in the country for paying invoices on time, according to figures from business consultants Graydon. Nearly one in 10 companies is unable to pay its creditors within 90 days.

In the second quarter of 2016, almost 65% of companies in Belgium paid their bills on time, fewer than in the first quarter and fewer than the same period last year, Graydon said. “On time” means within 90 days, said the consultancy.

Some 15% pay within 30 days; 6% make it within 60 days, and 3%

take a full 90 days. Some 9.3% had not paid within 90 days. That’s the highest figure since the second quarter of 2013, when the number topped 10%.

Graydon pointed to the terrorist attacks as one reason that the number increased. “It created economic damage and limited immediate income,” a spokesperson said. “That affected the ability to pay invoices on time.”

Companies did better in Flanders, but the Flemish government posted some of its worst figures ever, Graydon said, with just 43% of its bills paid on time in the second quarter. \ AH

Flanders Investment & Trade publishes FAQ on getting into export fitagency.be

in unemployment: the longterm unemployed were up 3.4%; people of immigrant origin were up 3.2%, and people with a disability affecting their work were up 2.9%.

“The measures to improve the economy and the continual focus on putting the right talent in the right place are paying off,” employment minister Philippe Muyters said. “With the government’s new policy on target groups, which came into force on 1 July, we are now providing people with what they need most to get back into work.” \ AH

Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT), the Flemish government’s export agency, has produced a brochure containing 101 questions frequently asked by businesses looking to trade abroad. FIT already provides expert advice to companies about to enter the export market. The new brochure, subtitled “Guidelines for your cross-border activities”, is intended to provide answers to the kind of questions companies at that level usually ask.

The list includes such questions as “Is it worth the effort to take part in international trade fairs?” and “How do I set prices in other countries?”

Answers to the FAQs are printed on the right-hand pages only, with the lefthand pages left blank for the use of the businesses to make notes, jot down contact details and so on.

Among the questions and answers, the brochure (in Dutch) also contains a reassurance that small business owners need have no fear of larger enterprises on the export market. “An SME is more flexible, not only at production level but also in decision-making,” the document reads. “There is always less bureaucracy involved in decision-making. One person is often responsible for export business, making supervision easier. And because of the personal contact with the staff of the SME, clients are less likely to cross over to a competitor.”

The brochure can be downloaded or ordered from the FIT website. \ AH

\ COVER STORY

august 10, 2016

© Luc Dequick

Goalball is an incredibly popular sport for blind athletes who must throw a ball embedded with bells into the opponents’ goal. Eye masks allow those who are partially sighted to also take part

No hurdle too high

Parasport associations promote climate of inclusivity in Flemish sports in sports, although it’s difficult to come up with precise statistics, says Kevin De Smedt, communication advisor at Steunpunt G-sport Vlaanderen. “We are working hard to get more people engaged,” he says. “Athletic activities are essential for their health and social integration.”

While sports are important for everyone’s well-being, this is even more true for people with disabilities, he says, because they run a higher risk of developing health problems such obesity. Sports also help wheelchair users avoid pressure sores and bladder infections, to name only a few benefits.

“But sports can also be essential to venting frustrations about the disability and to gathering the strength to find your way in society,” explains De Smedt. “The social aspect is also important, because these people are more vulnerable to social isolation.”

In addition to promoting access to sports for people with disabilities, G-sport Vlaanderen also supports inclusive sporting that sees people with and without disabilities competing together. “This improves the self-confidence of the athletes who are disabled and reduces the prejudices of those who are not,” says De Smedt.

Ann Jambers, whose son, Emlyn Goyvaerts, has been playing recreational basketball since he was eight, echoes De Smedt’s words.

Goyvaerts, who’s now 28, has Down syndrome and trains in a team

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continued from page 1

with other intellectually disabled people at the Gembo sports club in Antwerp.

“Our entire family used to go swimming, but that didn’t have the same social advantages,” says Jambers. “Emlyn has a lot of fun playing basketball in a group and is also accepted by the players from the regular team, who sometimes train his group or take him along to games.”

Goyvaerts’ basketball team regularly plays in tournaments. The players also participate at the annual Belgian Special Olympics, that bring together some 12,000 athletes. “The medals Emlyn has won there are sacred to him,” says Jambers.

Jef Vandorpe from Niel, Antwerp province, shows that parasports can be top-level competi-

at the Forest Wheels club in SintKatelijne-Waver and quickly proved to be a natural talent.

Today, Vandorpe is ranked fourth best junior in the world. “I want to participate in the Paralympics in 2020 and win a medal four years later,” he says. With the help of his school and the Hopiness organisation, Vandorpe is able to participate in tournaments in Belgium and abroad.

Despite the improvements, many athletes with disabilities have difficulty finding sports clubs with adequate facilities. “Too often, the clubs’ infrastructure is not accessible,” explains De Smedt. “The high cost of sporting equipment, especially wheelchairs, can also discourage many people.”

Sport wheelchairs have to be custom-fitted for each athlete,

Too often, a sports club’s infrastructure is not accessible tions. Eight years ago, the 15-yearold was diagnosed with Perthes disease, a rare disorder affecting the hip. Vandorpe (pictured on cover) can still walk, albeit with difficulty, but he is unable to run.

Before his diagnosis, he was an athletic child, and sports later helped him to adapt to his disability. He started wheelchair tennis

and every sports requires specific adjustments. A tennis wheelchair is completely different from the one used in rugby, for example. And if the young athlete is still growing, they might have to change the wheelchair every few years, with some costing between €3,000 and €5,000.

Flemish provinces have services

that rent wheelchairs for a low price, allowing people to try out a sport before committing themselves to it. In addition, the G-sportfonds, set up by Antwerp province, raises money for athletes with disabilities and supports clubs looking to invest in parasports. Last year, the fund raised some €440,000.

According to De Smedt, the education sector also plays an essential role. “Schools already offer a number of parasport projects, but too often the youngsters stop any form of exercise when school is over,” he says. “We try to integrate parasports in the schools’ sports days, so that youngsters can get in touch with the clubs that offer these activities.”

Through collaboration with the Flemish Trainers School and the Flemish Bureau for Sports Asssistance, G-sport Vlaanderen is also working on opportunities for prospective parasport instructors.

In special courses, the trainers learn communication methods for certain disabilities and to address the physical limitations in a motivating and respectful manner.

An important step to a brighter future is the renovation of the Peerdsbos sports centre in Brasschaat. By 2018, Peerdsbos will be a hotspot for all Paralympic activities. The renovation and extensions have a price tag of €4.6 million, some €1.4 million of which is funded by the government of Flanders.

“The infrastructure will be 100% accessible, and the sports fields and facilities will accommodate the different parasports,” says Elke Leenaards, head of the centre’s sports management department.

“The staff will also be trained to assist people with disabilities, and we will also give priority to parasports in organising our programmes.”

With the focus on inclusivity, she continues, Peerdsbos will continue to cater to people without disabilities as well. At the moment, 11.5% of visitors are athletes with disabilities, but this number is expected to rise significantly after the renovations are complete.

New office buildings are also being constructed, and these can be used for parasport services like physiotherapy and training initiatives.

Steunpunt G-sport Vlaanderen, currently located in the Berchem district of Antwerp, might also relocate here.

While Peerdsbos is undergoing dramatic changes, so is the Flemish parasports landscape as a whole. By 2018, the regional authorities are expected take over the management of parasportrelated policies from the provinces. The centralisation of policymaking should help overcome the remaining hurdles for parasports in the region.

The Paralympic Games in Rio kick off on 7 September

\7

\ INNOVATION

august 10, 2016

Down memory lane

week in innovation

Linking Street View and exercise bikes keeps care home residents active Paula Dear More articles by Paula \ flanderstoday.eu

ACTIV84HEALTH.EU

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new device designed to take nursing home residents on a nostalgic virtual journey to familiar places has been shortlisted to win a European award for internet innovation.

The Activ84Health Explorer was designed by Flemish brothers Roel and Jan Smolders and enables older people who can no longer get out and about to cycle or walk on indoor exercise machines while watching their “outdoor” trip on a big screen.

The interactive program allows people to visit their home towns and favourite locations using a new app mixed with existing Google Street View technology, which shows 360-degree images of millions of streets around the world.

A sensor connects the motion of the exercise machine with what’s happening on the screen so the user can control their own trip, choosing which places to visit, what direction to go at each junction, how fast to travel and what to stop and look at.

For clients with dementia or physical limitations, pre-set routes can be loaded or the journey taken by virtual taxi.

It can also be a shared experience, with residents sitting together and taking a group trip to the coast, the countryside or cities like Antwerp and Brussels.

“Usually people go to the local streets they know. It encourages story-telling and reminiscences – they tell each other ‘I used to work there, I went to school there’,” says Roel. “I’ve seen people sitting on a bike, pedalling and talking for 40 minutes without stopping. They’re so caught up in the experience, they don’t even notice how long they’ve been cycling.”

Memories are very important for older people and are usually linked to location, he explains. “We have a video clip of a lady ‘cycling’ past her old house. She tells the story of

Last year, 241,221 test animals were used in Flemish laboratories – about 40,000 less than in 2014. However, the percentage of animals that experience “severe discomfort” has increased from 14% to 20.5%. Most test animals in the region are used for scientific research, particularly in research related to neurological diseases, such as epilepsy, and cancer. Other test animals were used for tests related to quality, safety and toxicity.

Tests on animals are illegal in Belgium for the development of cosmetics and tobacco products. Mice made up more than half of all test animals, following by zebra fish at just over 36,600. Tests were also performed on 1,785 dogs, 74 cats and 41 rhesus monkeys.

3,350 brains find new home © Rob Stevens/KU Leuven

The brothers behind Activ84Health Explorer wanted to take elderly people outside “because that’s where their memories are”

how she lived there with her elderly father, and she is really emotional.

She wells up as she starts talking about her dad, the house, the flowers they had on the windowsill.

That’s the essence of this product.”

The idea was born in 2013 when Jan – who is director of the Witte Meren

window,” Roel says. “Jan wanted to take them outside again because that’s where their memories are.”

Using Roel’s expertise as a health technology researcher, the brothers teamed up to develop the software. What began as a “hobby project” evolved into a business

They’re so caught up in the experience they don’t even notice how long they’ve been cycling nursing home in Mol – was trying to find ways to keep his residents physically active as well as motivated and stimulated. “The home has a physiotherapy room, but when the clients were on the bike they were just looking at a wall or through a

venture, and the two launched their Activ84Health company, along with two colleagues, at the end of last year.

The device – comprising a cadence sensor, a tablet loaded with cloudbased software and a tablet holder

that attaches to an exercise machine – is already up and running in 10 nursing homes in Flanders, as well as one in the Netherlands.

With Google Street View covering much of the world, there is potential to sell to clients in almost any country, says Roel, who has taken leave from his job at Vito, the Flemish Institute of Technological Research to head the new company.

He says the product can be useful for anyone with a limited capacity to travel.

Activ84Health has been shortlisted for the first Active and Assisted Living Challenge prize, which awards €50,000 to the best product or idea that uses internet connectivity and the Internet of Things to empower older people to have more independence and a better quality of life. The winner will be announced at a forum in Switzerland next month.

Q&A

UZLEUVEN.BE

Professor Ilse Mombaerts works in the the ocular department of the University Hospital of Leuven, which has recently partnered with experts in 3D printing to create world’s first perfectly fitted eye prosthesis How did you use 3D printing?

The patient, who had lost an eye, first underwent a CBCT scan, which is similar to a CT scan but simpler and faster. The scan provided detailed images of his empty eye socket. These images were used to produce a 3D print of the eye socket, on the basis of which the prosthetic eye – used for aesthetic purposes – was crafted out of synthetic material. For this patient, we also made a prosthetic eye using traditional methods, but the one based on the 3D model looked much better.

Fewer lab tests on animals

How are prosthetic eyes usually made?

The specialists in this field, called ocularists, normally make prosthetic eyes by creating a cast of the eye socket through the insertion of a material that sets in a few minutes. This is a delicate procedure since the eye socket is made of soft tissues that are difficult to model. With the scan and 3D technology, a more precise model can be made so the prosthetic eye can be more easily tailored to fit the eye socket exactly.

a standard procedure. The UZ Leuven also has engineers who are specialised in 3D printing and the necessary technology, like the 3D printing software made by Leuven company Materialise. By joining forces, we managed to achieve this breakthrough in less than a year.

Did your manage this feat all on your own?

We partnered with our colleagues from the oral surgery department, for whom this technique is already

Do you expect all prosthetic eyes to be made this way from now on?

No, we’re still in the research phase and have to fine-tune the technique. We also want to make the procedure radiation-free. The radiation doses of a CBCT scan are very low, but it’s still not a good idea to expose babies, children and pregnant women to it. \ Interview by

A unique collection of 3,350 brains of psychiatric patients has been moved from London to the Psychiatric Hospital Duffel (PZ Duffel) in Antwerp province. PZ Duffel and Antwerp University (UAntwerp) will use the brains for research into psychiatric conditions.

According to PZ Duffel director Manuel Morrens, it is the largest psychiatric brain bank in Europe. It was created by British neuropathologist John Corsellis, who collected about 8,000 brains of patients who died at the Runwell Hospital in London between 1954 and 1997. This portion of the collection is very useful in the study of schizophrenia, depression and addiction. The collection is a “gold mine,” said Morrens.

UGent doping specialists in Rio During the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, which started on Friday, seven scientists from Gent University’s (UGent) doping control lab will be working at the event on-site doping lab. More than 6,000 samples from Olympic and Paralympic athletes will be gathered in Rio’s lab and tested for some 400 banned substances. It is estimated that about half of the participating athletes will be tested.

The UGent scientists will be involved in the interpretation of results and the application of the most complicated techniques, like the use of carbon isotope ratio mass spectrometry. UGent established an antidoping knowledge centre in 2014, to provide information and expertise to outside labs and organisation. \ AF

Andy Furniere

\9

\ EDUCATION

week in education Most teen mums don’t follow home education

Of the 129 Flemish students absent from school due to pregnancy last year, only 15 continued their education from home. The figures comes from the region’s education minister, requested by MP Vera Celis.

In Flanders, teenage parents in secondary education are guaranteed up to 10 weeks of maternity leave and have the right to request homeschooling during their absence. As part of the initiative, teachers come to the mother’s home to help her keep up with classes. Students can also follow lessons on the internet. According to Celis, the figures show that not enough students are aware of their rights. “We have to ensure that schools, and the girls, are sufficiently informed about the right to home education,” she said.

Study allowance system gets overhaul Following a simplification procedure, parents can again submit a request for a study allowance for their children – available for pre-schoolers through to students in higher education. Both on paper and digitally, the system has been thoroughly overhauled, education minister Hilde Crevits announced. About half of the requests for the 2015-16 academic year were submitted on forms, which have been reduced from eight pages to one recto-verso page. Much of the data will have been filled in automatically when parents receive the form, and they need only check that it is correct.

The online method has also been made more user-friendly, through the linking of multiple databases. Parents can also access the Flemish Info Line for help via chat, mail or phone.

‘Too much pressure on professors’ The Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Sciences and Arts has emphasised the dangers of both red tape and performance pressure at universities.

The experts said that universities focus too much on quantitative parameters. “Financial resources and competition risk becoming goals in themselves,” the report read. This can lead to a weakening of both academic excellence and the bonds of trust between professors and institutions, it said. The organisation recommends ensuring adequate funding so that universities are less dependent on research funds. Also, professors need more support for administrative tasks.

\ 10

Ghent’s new arts library will be housed in the oldest building on the Bijloke site

Down to a fine art

Ghent’s new visual arts library takes shape with a collaborative effort Ian Mundell follow Ian on Twitter \ @IanMundell

A new visual arts library in Ghent, scheduled to open in 2017, will bring together collections from four of the city’s institutions for arts education.

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new visual arts library is being developed in Ghent that brings together books and journals from four of the city’s artistic institutions. Housed in a restored medieval building on the Bijloke site, to the south of the city centre, it will offer a new resource to students, researchers and the public.

“I hope the library will work for the students in an academic way and become somewhere they can retire from the world and have a moment for reflection,” says Wim De Temmerman, dean of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Kask) and the Royal Conservatory. “But I also hope it will be somewhere we can address the public and create an interaction with the students.”

The library will also be a resource for artists and researchers, particularly those pursuing practicebased PhDs. “Art history and the sociology of the arts will be part of the library, of course, but the focus will be on the work of the artist and the reflections and publications that come out of the arts,” says De Temmerman.

The project began with Kask’s need to improve its library facilities on

SCHOOLOFARTSGENT.BE

the Bijloke campus of University College Ghent, its parent institution. Informal discussions with Smak, the city’s museum of contemporary art, soon led to a proposal for a joint library project, combining their strengths.

Kask dates back to 1751 and has a collection of books, journals and other documents that reflects this long engagement with the visual arts. Smak’s library is devoted to contemporary art, with a strong focus on the 1960s and ’70s, when it was created.

“In fact, the collections are quite complementary,” says De Temmerman. “We’ve been happy to find that there isn’t a huge overlap, and the librarians are now making decisions about what to do with duplicates.”

While this cataloguing and comparison was in progress, two other institutions joined the project. One is Ghent’s Design Museum, with a library that naturally complements the arts collections at Kask and Smak. Cataloguing its collection should be complete in the next six to eight months.

The fourth partner is the Higher Institute for Fine Arts (Hisk), a post-graduate art school that moved to Ghent from Antwerp in 2007. It has a much smaller library than the others but a valuable focus on the school’s alumni.

“A lot of contemporary artists in Belgium, and worldwide, studied at Hisk, and the library has followed their work and publications,” says De Temmerman. This includes internationally known artists such as David Claerbout, Vincent Meessen and Hans Op De Beeck, along with rising stars such as Rinus Van de Velde.

The building chosen for the library dates back to the middle ages and was originally the residence of the abbess of the Bijloke Abbey.

The abbey and its hospital are the oldest parts of the Bijloke site, which expanded over the centuries with the addition of other religious and medical buildings.

The House of the Abbess also changed over time, becoming a three-storey building with a steeply pitched roof. Its last role was as a women’s clinic, part of Ghent’s medical school.

In the 1990s, the Bijloke was redeveloped as an arts complex, becoming home to Kask, Ghent’s City Museum (Stam), the Bijloke concert hall and a number of performing arts organisations.

During this time, the House of the Abbess stood empty, although the covered passage that once allowed her private access to the abbey was restored as an exhibition space. Cut short by Stam’s entry hall, this long, low building will be one way into the new

library.

Structural work on the House of the Abbess itself is now complete, along with a first phase of interior design. The renovated rooms are light and open. It feels modern, rather than an old building bought back to life, although some rooms in the second phase of renovation will feature original roof beams.

“The concept of the library is that there will be a lot reading spaces, all over the building, rather than one reading room and then the library,” says De Temmerman.

Recent books and journals, along with older volumes that are most in demand will be kept in the library itself, on approximately 1,500 metres of open bookshelves.

The rest of the collection will be stored nearby, in an archive with 3,000m of shelving.

Furniture for the library has been designed by professor Toon Heyndrickx and student Jonas Van de Geuchte from Kask’s department of interior design. It is currently being built and will be installed over the winter. Then the books will move in, with a festive opening ceremony scheduled for the spring of 2017.

The budget for the project is €3 million, paid for by University College Ghent. The building itself remains city property, but Kask and the other partners can use it rent-free for 50 years.

Funding to ensure faster recognition of refugee qualifications Flemish education minister Hilde Crevits has promised €200,000 in extra spending for Naric – the National Academic Recognition Information Centre – to speed up the procedure for determining the equivalence of foreign diplomas.

“If people can get clarity regarding the equivalence of their diploma quickly, they have a better chance of finding a job and a more rapid road to integration,” she said.

Last year Naric saw an increase of nearly 7% in the number of applications for diploma recognition, largely as a result of the large number

ond.vlaanderen.be/naric

of asylum-seekers. Naric also provides equivalence information for holders of a diploma from a Flemish institution going abroad.

In 65% of cases, a positive decision was given; in 29% of cases the decision was partial, such as when a master’s degree was judged to be equivalent to a bachelor’s. The largest group of applications came from the Netherlands (569), followed by Morocco (252) and Romania (155). This year is also likely to see an increase, the organisation said. \ Alan Hope © Ingimage

Faster regularisation of foreign diplomas can get newcomers more quickly into the workplace

\ LIVING

august 10, 2016

Dive right in

week in activities

Hasselt’s long-awaited swimming complex opens its doors to the public Diana Goodwin Follow Diana on Twitter \ @basedinbelgium

HASSELT.BE

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n the middle of this unseasonably cool summer, the City of Hasselt has at least one bright spot: the opening of a brand new swimming complex in Kapermol Park. Comprising multiple indoor and outdoor pools, the new facility more than doubles the city’s swim capacity.

Hasselt had long ago outgrown the old indoor pool, built in 1963, which had only six lanes. Due to demand by sports clubs and schools, the pool was open to individual swimmers only for limited hours each day. The new complex has a new pool with eight lanes and a second with four lanes, both of which are open to recreational swimmers all day long.

“Through the doubling of the water surface area, the swimming pool is also more accessible to schools and sports clubs,” says Hasselt’s city councillor for sport, Habib El-Ouakili. “Before, there were long waiting lists for swimming lessons, and schools had pulled out due to insufficient capacity. These problems are a thing of the past.”

The large indoor pool has a movable floor to allow for different uses.

Besides the two indoor sport pools and an Olympic-sized outdoor pool, the complex includes a wildwater slide, two wave pools and two kiddie pools.

All facilities were designed to be more accessible for swimmers with disabilities, and there is a motorised lift that can help wheelchair users get in and out of the water more easily.

There’s also a new restaurant, Bermudas Beach Bar, featuring retro-surfer decor, complete with an Airstream caravan. The outdoor bar area has patio umbrellas and comfortable lounge seating. It’s

Four days of free and low-cost entertainment in numerous indoor and outdoor locations all over Hasselt: street theatre, dance, music, circus acts, comedy and more. The artists come from Belgium and across Europe, and many of the shows are created just for the festival.

The downloadable programme lists locations, ticket prices and the target age group. 11-14 August; Kolonel Dusartplein, Hasselt; €0-€22 \ theateropdemarkt.be

Velo Baroque Part of the MA Festival of early music, this outdoor concert series is linked by a self-guided 30-kilometre bike route starting in Bruges and circling through the surrounding countryside via Oostkamp and Zedelgem. For an extra fee, you can enjoy a picnic lunch during the midday concert at Gruuthuse Castle. Bike rentals available. 14 August,10.0019.00, Concertgebouw, ’t Zand, Bruges; €25 \ velobaroque.be

© Kris Van de Sande

The beautifully designed Kapermolen swimming complex includes multiple pools, a beach bar and sustainable infrastructure

Horst Castle Festival

a big improvement over the old poolside concession serving fries and ice cream. The whole complex cost €21 million.

Given the price tag, it’s not surprising that the entry fee has gone up from €1.50 to €3.50 for adults.

But measures were taken during construction to ensure long-term savings in energy costs.

“The automatic rolling cover for the outdoor pool is good for an annual savings of at least 280,000 kWh, or just over €15,000, since the pool doesn’t have to be reheated again each time,” says Joost Venken, city councillor for energy and sustainability. Tripleglazed windows mean energy savings of 30,000 kWh per year,

An annual tradition at historic Horst Castle near Leuven, this fun, medieval-themed family festival features sword fighting, storytelling, tournaments, magicians, fire-eaters, falconry shows, live music and guided castle tours. 14-15 August, 10.00-18.00, Horststraat 28, Holsbeek; €8

for a cost savings of €1,600. And a green roof both insulates and connects the pool building with the surrounding park.

City employees, sports clubs and some lucky residents had the chance to try out the new swimming pool before its opening last month. The feedback from these test sessions proved useful in determining the optimal positions for lifeguards and in improving signage around the pool.

All Hasselt residents were offered a one-time free ticket good for five entries, perhaps to make up for the long wait for the new pool. Construction started on the site of the previous outdoor pool in September 2014, and the old

BITE Wine, beer and stories at Ghent’s new B-Bar Quietly perched on the side of the canal in the Kuiperskai area of Ghent, B-Bar exudes an atmosphere of relaxation that can be felt even before stepping inside. Newly opened, it’s the first bar in town to offer exclusively Belgian products, ranging from wine and beer to vodka and food. Yes, you read that correctly. Belgian vodka.

It labels itself a wine bar, but that’s a bit like calling the ocean water.

A larger story takes shape as the owner, Benoit Dubrulle, tells me what lies at the foundation of B-Bar. Opened last month, B-Bar is a joint project of Benoit, who brews the beer Crabbelaer, and Jonas and Jens De Maere, owners of Belgian Wines.

They combined their strengths, and

Theatre on the Square

B-Bar was born, dedicated to bringing some of the country’s lesserknown gems out of obscurity.

There are more than 50 wines on the menu. With limited land and resources, Belgian winemakers have been forced to learn the hard way, says Dubrulle, resulting in wines very different from other European appellations. Belgium puts variety above all else. As does B-Bar. Barman Tim sums up B-Bar’s philosophy: “We try not to put the emphasis on what we like but instead encourage everybody to taste everything.”

The 40-something Benoit says he speaks for his entire generation when he says that Ghent lacked an “in-between” sanctuary – a haven for those trying to escape time,

stress and worries. But more importantly, a place they can feel a sense of community. Even the minimalistic interior design is based on this

indoor pool closed at the end of May this year. Those with longer memories may recall that plans for a new swimming pool have been in the works since the 1990s.

The response to the new swimming pool has been overwhelmingly positive, judging from the festive atmosphere at the grand opening and the steady stream of swimmers through the doors since then.

Perhaps the only criticism is that the giant yellow water slide that was a favourite feature of the outdoor pool has vanished. But it won’t be missed for long, judging by the screams of delight coming from kids on the new wild water slide.

facebook.com/BBarGent

mission – to not to take attention away from the simple exercise of relaxing.

B-Bar is very concerned with telling the stories behind the wines they offer. The lower floor’s racks are slowly filling up with bottles people can pick up and feel, and buy if they want. Visitors can look up any of the wines in a Belgian wine compendium they keep at hand for those who want to know where their drinks came from, and why.

As for its one-and-only vodka, it comes from Van Hoo in Eeklo. B-Bar also sports a cosy terrace right on the canal, offers brunch on weekends and hopes to kick off tasting and food-pairing classes as soon as next month. \ Mirna Pavlovic

\ kasteelvanhorst.be

Wings and Wheels The biggest military fair in Flanders with more than 300 restored vehicles on display, plus historic aircraft fly-overs, Belgian military displays, First and Second World War re-enactments, pipe bands, war games, collectibles, vintage clothing and more. Free swing and jive dance party on Saturday night. 13-14 August, 9.0017.00, Ursel Airfield, Urselseweg 183, Knesselare; €10 \ wingsandwheels.be

Summer Block Party Genk’s Vennestraat is the lively, commercial heart of this multicultural city, with its vibrant Italian, Turkish and other immigrant populations.

On four consecutive Saturdays, the street becomes the setting for a neighbourhood party featuring international cuisine, children’s entertainment and live music. 13, 20, 27 August and 3 September, from 17.00, Vennestraat, Genk; free \ vollebakvennestraat. wordpress.com

\ 11

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever done in Flanders?

If you can’t think of anything at all, you’d better check out our new e-book

Quirky Flanders offers 20 unexpected – or downright odd – activities or sights across the region you can get busy taking part in right now

Visit the Flanders Today website to download the e-book now! For free!

www.flanderstoday.eu

Your dailY news Sign up now for our daily and weekly newsletters with local headlines, events and features, tailor-made for expats in Belgium

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\ ARTS

august 10, 2016

Sixteenth-century souvenirs Paintings of church interiors were fashionable keepsakes Tom Peeters More articles by Tom \ flanderstoday.eu

MUSEUMMAYERVANDENBERGH.BE

In the late 16th and 17th centuries, paintings of Antwerp church interiors were a fashionable keepsake for travellers to the city.

A revealing exhibition at Museum Mayer van den Bergh introduces an often-neglected genre that combined the rules of perspective with the delicacy of figure painting.

A

s in much of world history, the birth of a new artistic genre often started with destruction. When the Iconoclastic Fury reached Antwerp on 20 August 1566 – exactly 450 years ago – images of saints were banned in churches and the majority of local intellectuals and artists sought refuge elsewhere – many of them in Germany.

The result is illustrated in the exhibition Divine Interiors: Experience Churches in the Age of Rubens at the Museum Mayer van den Bergh.

The exhibition’s first image is an engraving dated 1558 that portrays a beautifully decorated church full of life. The second is an etching dated 1579, showing the rage that led to the total destruction of this interior.

“The clashes between Catholics and Calvinists meant turbulent times,” explains museum director and curator Claire Baisier. “The impact of the Iconoclastic Fury had major social, cultural and artistic repercussions. During the war, there simply wasn’t time for art.”

It was against this background that the exiled Antwerp artist and architect Hans Vredeman de Vries met Hendrik van Steenwijck, a young painter who would become his pupil, in Aachen. “In the German city they found the time and the serenity to develop their ideas about perspective,” says Baisier.

She further explains that, as a result of their conversations, Vredeman de Vries would become the founding father of architectural painting in the Low Countries, and van Steenwijck would go on to create the very first painting to show a wholly realistic representation of an existing church, the Palatin Chapel in Aachen Cathedral.

The exhibition includes an enlargement of this painting (which is on view in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich). The iconic work, painted in 1573, only includes a handful of people. “The main objective of the artist was to show the perfect perspective,” explains Baisier.

“Figures are only there to show the proportions.”

According to the curator, this work is the start of a new genre. Although some paintings of church interiors already existed, they only served as decor and were not created to scale as architectural illustrations.

week in arts & CULTURE Play the piano at Gaasbeek exhibition Gaasbeek Castle in Lennik, Flemish Brabant, is inviting pianists to play during the upcoming exhibition Meaulnes: Gerold Van de Perre.

The exhibition opens on 8 September and features the work of Flemish painter Van de Perre, who was inspired to create a kind of storyboard of paintings based on the classic French coming-of-age novel Le Grand Meaulnes. Gaasbeek has placed both modern and historical pianos throughout the exhibition, which will be played at certain times by piano teachers and pupils from the local Academie Peter Benoit. It is also inviting other trained pianists to play. Interested parties can email kasteelvangaasbeek@vlaanderen.be.

Flanders celebrates World Heritage Day

© Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

Interior of Antwerp Cathedral by Hendrik van Steenwijck, with figures by Jan Brueghel the Elder

When it was safe again, Vredeman de Vries and van Steenwijck took their new ideas back to Antwerp. Over the following years, architectural painting, just like the churches themselves, became more vivid, as visitors to the exhibition can see.

Among the older works almost unidentifiable people, often in black, are shown only from the back. “That’s because they were still painted by masters in architectural painting,” says Baisier. “But take this fine work, by Paul Vredeman de Vries, the son of Hans. Here, the little figures were painted by Sebastiaen Vrancs, a specialist in delicate figure painting.” Dividing painting tasks became standard practice at the end of the 16th century.

Sometimes it would take almost 20 years before a figure painter finished a church portrait. As more and more refined figures entered the paintings, they became excellent documents of the passage of time, in which churches were not only depicted as places of worship but also as places to meet, network and gossip.

It was the only public place where everyone was welcome, explains Baisier. “People felt safe because it was sort of neutral ground. You could see the rich and the poor.

Well-dressed noblemen bought indulgences, beggars begged, kids played and dogs leaped.”

Baisier knows the subject well.

Before accepting her job as director of the Museum Mayer van den Bergh, she was co-ordinator of churches in the Antwerp heritage department. In 2008, she

completed her PhD at the University of Leuven on the documentary value of church portraits.

From a database of approximately 1,000 existing paintings, she selected 44 for Divine Interiors. Most are still privately owned.

Opening up private collections to the public has always been a drive for the museum, which exhibits a selection of the 3,000 artworks once owned by the 19th-century Antwerp collector Fritz Mayer van den Bergh.

It is noteworthy that almost all of the private art collections from the late 16th and 17th centuries included – in addition to a still life, a landscape and some portraits – a church painting. “It’s the result of a small industry that arose around these Antwerp churches,” says Baisier. “The painter Peeter Neeffs was especially known for producing church portraits, of various levels of quality, destined for collectors or visitors hunting for a souvenir of their trip to Antwerp. From the Cathedral of Our Lady alone, 150 works still remain. They must have been sold very near to the cathedral.”

The most striking part of the exhibition is the hallway filled with both atmospheric night views of church interiors and music by the Antwerp choir Grandelavoix, singing early Baroque compositions written when the works on the wall were painted. It might be hard to imagine life 400 years ago,

Until 16 October

but these realistic paintings show that divine interiors characterise human behaviour: “Look how a child pulls the sleeve of her mother here, indicating she’s bored,” Baisier says with a smile.

The final section of the exhibition focuses on Antwerp churches.

Two highlights are a work depicting the Cathedral of Our Lady, with figures painted by Jan Brueghel the Elder, and one showing the interior of Sint-Carolus Borromeus Church, the ceiling of which was painted with imagery by Rubens.

The church was later destroyed by a fire. One of the interiors of Sint-Jans Church hangs next to its design drawing, which is a rarity.

The exhibition continues into the streets of Antwerp with an app that takes you on an urban trail featuring six churches, two of which have disappeared over the course of time. Those have been brought back to life in a 3D historical reconstruction, made in collaboration with Ghent firm Mindscape3D. The Sint-Walburgis Church, which used to be near the Scheldt river at Steenplein, was one of the biggest in the city. The Baroque church of the Discalced Carmelites used to be around the corner from the Museum Mayer van den Berg on the Graanmarkt. Based on archival research and only one church painting, the result, including fabulous Rubens paintings on the wall, offers a unique experience in time travel.

Museum Mayer van den Bergh Lange Gasthuisstraat 19, Antwerp

For the first time, Flanders will organise special openings and activities for World Heritage Day, which celebrates Unesco-recognised world heritage. Open Werelderfgoeddag takes place on 18 April and will put the spotlight on Flanders’ recognised valuable world heritage, including the region’s many begijnhoven and belfries, the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp and the entire centre of Bruges. Newly recognised as world heritage this week is the House Guiette van Le Corbusier in Antwerp, the only house left in Belgium designed by the legendary Swiss-French architect Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, better known as Le Corbusier.

10 Ensor nominations for D’Ardennen Writer/director Robin Pront’s quirkily violent D’Ardennen has earned the most nominations from Flanders’ annual film awards, pulling down 10. The film, starring Jeroen Perceval (who also co-wrote the script) as the mild-mannered brother of the volatile ex-con Kenneth (Kevin Janssens) from whom he is keeping one whopper of a secret, has been nominated in all the major categories, including Best Film. It was also nominated in all of the acting categories. Black, the much-talked-about gang film by Adil El Arbi and Billal Fallah earned six nominations, including Best Director and Best Film. Rounding out the Best Film nomination is Felix Van Groeningen’s drama Belgica, an examination of Ghent’s clubbing scene, which got a total of seven nominations. The awards ceremony takes places on 16 September.

\ 13

\ ARTS

Small world, big vision

Rapper Woodie Smalls is ready to take on the world one line at a time Christophe Verbiest More articles by Christophe \ flanderstoday.eu

WOODIESMALLS.COM

With the release of his debut album in 2015, Woodie Smalls has become an overnight rapping sensation, but now the young artist from Sint-Niklaas is eager to conquer the birthplace of hip-hop.

W

oodie Smalls’ life has changed radically since the release of his debut album in September. “I’ve barely been home these past few months,” says the 20-year-old rapper. “People recognise me on the street and ask me for a selfie or come up to tell me that they love my music. It’s all strange, very strange.”

Since the release of Soft Parade last year and the single “About the Dutch”, Smalls’ career has gained so much momentum that he still finds it difficult to believe that any of it is actually true. Because when he talks about home, he still refers to the house where he grew up. Living with his parents and siblings comes as a reality check – his mother still tells him to clean his room. (It should come as no surprise that he’s looking for his own place.)

The rapper, whose real name is Sylvestre Salumu, was born and raised in Sint-Niklaas, East Flanders, a halfway point between Antwerp and Ghent. His parents moved here from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and he grew up speaking French. You can catch hints of it in his Dutch, which is also regularly punctuated with English words and expressions.

Hearing Smalls rap, you would have no idea he’s from Flanders.

His rhymes are first-rate, his English flawless, and the music, solid and infectious, is on par with the best American hip-hop.

“It’s a reaction I often get,” he admits. “I was eight when I started rapping and writing lines

© Pieter-Jan Minnebo

Catch Woodie Smalls this summer at Lokerse Feesten, Pukkelpop or Laundry Day

in English. As far as I can tell, I never used another language. I continued working on my English throughout my childhood, so I could control it better. That’s why now my English is flawless.”

His role models have always been American hip-hop artists. “Kanye West, Jay Z, Pharrell Williams,” he says, “I really dig them. They made me feel less alone. And it was important that they were black.

Black and successful.”

Smalls has encountered racism in Sint-Niklaas, though he’s not really keen to talk about it. “It’s a small town, and there aren’t many people of colour,” he says. “If you are different, you automatically stand out. Growing up in Brussels would have made a real difference, I think.”

Earlier this summer, Smalls joined Niveau4, a one-off collaboration between Flemish and francophone rappers initiated by the Couleur Café festival in Brus-

Belgian hip-hop because I must admit that I have never followed the local scene, not in Dutch or French.”

Smalls’ lyrics are immediately

What I do doesn’t feel like work.

I love rapping, and I could do it for the rest of my life sels. Working with 11 artists from across Belgium, Smalls says, was a good experience.

“It was really interesting for me to see what’s been happening in

recognisable to anyone familiar with mainstream American hiphop, packed with fast cars, gold jewellery and scantily clad women.

But the young rapper does give his

music a more personal touch. On Soft Parade’s first track, “Nuggets of Wisdom”, he looks back to a time when he was suicidal. In another song, he asks himself: “What if I don’t make it?”.

He never considered a back-up plan. “I can’t picture myself getting a normal job,” he says. “What I do now doesn’t feel like work. I love rapping, and I could do it for the rest of my life.”

But the sudden success did come as a surprise. “I absolutely didn’t expect this,” Smalls says. “In my wildest dreams, I was certainly hoping that things would turn out this way, because I want to play live as much as I can and reach out to the widest audience possible.”

The rapper isn’t shy about his ambitions, but he doesn’t come off as pretentious. “I’m just trying to be super big,” he says, laughing. “I want to tour all over Europe and, of course, the United States.”

This might not be such a farfetched vision. Earlier this year, Smalls made a splash at South

by Southwest in Austin, Texas, one of the largest music festivals in the world. “Hip-hop was born in America, and I don’t know of many European rappers who have played there,” he says. Going back “would be super crazy”.

He’s already been introduced to the French. In March, Leuven singer Selah Sue invited him to perform with her on the country’s most influential music show, Taratata. “It was a last minute thing,” he recalls. “I had never met her before, and I was really surprised she’d heard of me. I was happy because it worked out well.”

A short video on the show’s website shows him rapping backstage without accompaniment. It’s a wonderful moment that confirms his vocal fluency. Without a doubt, the future looks bright for Woodie Smalls.

More new music this week Kreng

Collegium Vocale Gent

Camino • Lakeshore The Dutch word kreng literally translates to carrion, but it also means anything wretched. It’s also the stage name chosen by Flemish actor and musician Pepijn Caudron. His new album Camino is the soundtrack for the eponymous 2015 American action flick, described by Variety as a competent but unmemorable. The soundtrack is all but unmemorable. The dark soundscapes, sparsely infused with some bright details, catapult the listener into a haunted world, where danger silently lurks. The expanse between rotting flesh and wretchedness is solidly filled by Kreng. With a record like this, who needs images?

Igor Stravinsky - Threni - Requiem Canticles • ɸ Since Philippe Herreweghe, the world-famous Flemish conductor and driving force behind chamber choir Collegium Vocale, started his own record label imprint ɸ (the Greek letter phi) in 2010, he seems busier than ever. Igor Stravinsky - Threni - Requiem Canticles, created in collaboration with the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, is the label’s 20th release. Following albums with mostly romantic or baroque repertoire, Herreweghe surprises us with 20th-century composer Igor Stravinsky. Second surprise: it’s late Stravinsky. The four works were written when the composer was between 75 and 85 years old. Approaching these little known atonal and serial gems with the same vocal clarity as, for instance, Bach, lends them an overwhelming power. Poetry for the ears and balm for the soul.

\ krengmusic.com

\ collegiumvocale.com

\ 14

\ AGENDA

august 10, 2016

A whole lot of shakin’ going on

CONCERT

Jazz Middelheim

Park Den Brandt & other venues in Antwerp

12-15 August

jazzmiddelheim.be

I

t’s the 35th edition of Jazz Middelheim and the whole of Antwerp seems to be involved with the celebration. Until late August, photos of the yearly jazz festival in Park Den Brandt are on display at 35 locations throughout the city. As a result, barflies can keep on jazzing all night in infamous local hotspots such as Café Hopper, De Muze, Witzli Poetzli and Café Zeezicht.

But there’s more. Antwerp’s photo museum showcases the work of three Jazz Middelheim photographers who were there from the very beginning. The Vleeshuis displays posters and authentic recording equipment from the

early years and major museum players MAS and M HKA are also joining the party.

With headlining shows by the Italian pianist and minimalist Ludovico Einaudi, American punk poet Patti Smith (pictured), the internationally acclaimed Belgian singer Melanie De Biasio and the iconic jazz rebel and saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, Jazz Middelheim keeps its definition of jazz wide open.

On Saturday the festival pays homage to the free jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman, who died last year at 85, with a tribute band comprised of musicians from his final line up, including his son

and drummer, Denardo Coleman. Sunday the stage is taken by local artists, with concerts by the exciting crossover quintet STUFF.,

FESTIVAL

EVENT

Paulusfeesten

Flower Carpet

10-16 August

Brussels

Sint-Petrus en Paulusplein, Ostend paulusfeesten.be

Ostend’s signature street festival turns 44 this year with a week’s worth of open-air concerts, street theatre, games and more. Paulusfeesten may be smaller and younger than the Gentse Feesten, but it, too, fuses local folk history and contemporary life, with an emphasis on Flemish and Dutch culture. The programme features dozens of performers, including veteran Flemish pop-rock singer Paul Michiels. Another highlight is Dutch street theatre duo SteamDream, whose fire-belching time machine and Victorian costumes add a touch of steampunk whimsy to the proceedings.

12-15 August

pianist Jef Neve – teaming up with Dutch singer and spoken-word artist Typhoon – and De Biasio, presenting her new album, the slow burning Blackened Cities.

Artist in residence, trumpeter Avishai Cohen, will play a set on each day of the festival, while drummer Eric Thielemans and saxophonist Ben Sluijs were picked to show their experienced and flexible playing in different line ups.

If you are interested in the stories behind the music, you can come early to the Club Stage where American music historian and author Ashley Kahn interview a few of this year’s musicians in English. \ Tom Peeters

\ summer.brussels.be

PERFORMANCE Genk Studio Orka’s Chasse Patate: Charming and imaginative theatre for adults and children (8+), about the creation of a dreamworld where anything is possible (in Dutch). Until 14 August, Volmolen, Genk \ studio-orka.be

VISUAL ARTS Bruges

Grote Markt, Brussels flowercarpet.be

Even on a rainy day, Brussels’ Grote Markt ranks among the most beautiful squares in Europe. The biennial Flower Carpet extravaganza dials up the charm factor to positively spectacular, thanks in large part to hundreds of thousands of Ghent-grown begonias.

Every two years since 1971 a new floral pattern, 75 metres long and 25 wide, is laid at the doorstep of Brussels City Hall by an army of more than 100 volunteer artisans. This 20th edition celebrates 150 years of friendship between Belgium and Japan with a collaborative design starring cranes, koi and cherry blossoms. \ GV

\ Georgio Valentino

#BXLOVE Summer: Free back-to-back concerts in the city centre, featuring the nine-member percussionist group Velotronix, slam poet Jane Dossand and a public dance session. 13 August 16.00, Beursplein

August Chemistry: Sculptures by Spanish artist Gerard Mas, featuring life-like works that call to mind 15th-century Florentine portrait busts, but with a healthy dose of humour. Until 31 August, Absolute Art Gallery, Dijver 4-5 \ absoluteartgallery.com

MUSIC FESTIVAL Hoogstraten (Antwerp province) Antilliaansefeesten: The world’s biggest Caribbean festival features flamboyant music, warm summer nights, cocktails and plenty of opportunity to kick up your heels. Acts include La 33 is Colombian salsa band LA 33 and Dominican bachata superstar Frank Reyes. 12-13 August, Hal 3, Blauwbossen \ antilliaansefeesten.be

© Nicolas Ramoudt

EVENT

CONCERT Jamie Lidell

get tic

20 October, 20.00 Jamie Lidell returns to Brussels to celebrate his sixth studio album Building a Beginning. And he’s celebrating in regal style, with a backing band called the Royal Pharaohs. It’s been over a decade since the British soul-funk singer splashed onto the scene with songs like “Multiply” and “A Little

kets n ow

Ancienne Belgique, Brussels abconcerts.be

Bite More”. Now based in Nashville, Lidell has lain low since his eponymous 2013 album, which found him moving away from his successful soul formula towards electronica. If lead single “Walk Right Back” is any indication, this will be his return to form. It will also be his fifth appearance at the AB. \ GV

FESTIVAL

Ostend

Antwerp Pride 10-15 August Antwerp’s annual Pride event has been a beacon of tolerance and diversity since 2008. The main event is Saturday’s parade, which wends its way through the city’s Zuid district and historical centre, but there’s much, much more. The five-day festival celebrating gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual

Across Antwerp antwerppride.eu

lives, boasts plenty of parties as well as a market, a holiday brunch and a closing party on the city’s scenic Grote Markt. The festival also coincides with the third edition of the Antwerp Queer Arts Festival, nine days of visual arts, music and film at venues throughout the city. \ GV

Rio House: Belgium’s fan central for the 2016 Summer Olympics, featuring a festive, Brazilian atmosphere and the Games live on the big screen all afternoon and into the evening. Every morning offers highlights from the day before. Until 21 August, Groot Strand, Albert I-promenade 64 \ visitoostende.be

MARKET Ghent Handmade Market: The Etsy Team Gent presents its second all-handmade goods market with about 20 unique stallholders selling gifts, from one-of-a-kind jewellery to interior decor and more. 14-15 August 11.0018.00, Hostel De Draecke, SintWidostraat 11 \ teamgent-etsy.be

\ 15

\ BACKPAGE

august 10, 2016

Talking Dutch

VoiceS of flanders today

Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf?

Derek Blyth More articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu

O

nce upon a time, the story goes, there was a girl called Roodkapje – Little Red Riding Hood. And while she was out wandering in the forest she met a big bad wolf.

Only now the story has changed. De grote boze wolf wordt steeds minder boos – The big bad wolf has become much less angry, read a recent headline in Het Laatste Nieuws. It seems that a Dutch expert in computational linguistics ran 427 Dutch and Flemish versions of the traditional tale through a computer.

Uit hun analyse blijkt – The analysis showed dat het sprookje zich de afgelopen twee eeuwen gradueel ontwikkelde – that the fairy tale had gradually evolved over the past two centuries.

Nieuwe uitgaven van Roodkapje – New versions of Little Red Riding Hood grijpen meestal terug op versies die gemiddeld 20 jaar oud zijn – are generally based on versions that are an average of 20 years old.

Wellicht zijn dat de versies die de auteur als kind gehoord heeft – Perhaps these are the versions that the author heard as a child of die hij zijn eigen kind heeft voorgelezen – or that he read to his own child.

The study found 98 different items in Little Red Riding Hood’s basket, depending on who was telling the story.

In de allereerste versies – In the oldest versions is ze op weg naar haar zieke oma met een fles wijn – she is on

her way to her sick grandmother with a bottle of wine.

Sinds de jaren zestig – Since the 1960s geven we een zieke geen wijn meer – we no longer give wine to someone who is sick. Roodkapje heeft de alcohol in haar mandje dan vervangen – So Little Red Riding Hood has replaced the alcohol in her basket door iets gezonds – with something healthy, zoals bessensap – like blueberry juice. En de wafeltjes worden kadetjes – And the waffles become bread rolls.

Ook de wolf verandert – The wolf also changes. Hij wordt steeds minder agressief – He becomes a lot less aggressive.

Meanwhile, Little Red Riding Hood becomes more plucky.

Heel lang is Roodkapje een wat dommig, naïef meisje – For a long time Little Red Riding Hood was a rather stupid, naïve girl, afhankelijk van een vaderfiguur – who depended on a father figure zoals de jager – such as the hunter.

Maar sinds de jaren tachtig – But since the 1980s neemt ze zelf het heft in handen – she takes the bull by the horns. Of een bijl – Or the axe. Karsdorp refers to Edward van de Vendel’s 2004 version Rood Rood Roodkapje – Red Red Red Riding Hood, in which she kills the wolf with her bare hands.

Ik moet zeggen – I have to say dat ik haar niet graag zou tegenkomen in het bos – that I wouldn’t want to meet her in the wood.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

In response to: Collection of 3,350 brains moved from London to Duffel Nessascityblog M: Well English people stopped using their brains on 23 June, so they don't need them now.

In response to: Brussels Airport introduces new “kids’ lane” Victoria Bataclan: Bravo! My two year old grandson went and enjoyed it.

In response to: First Brussels metro station equipped with wi-fi by next month Hans Puelinckx: Let me guess: Connected... no signal... connected...

Isla Aimée Rush @isla_rush Off to tackle some of the Tour of Flanders climbs.

Kathryn @kathrynbstead Can't wait to have a boogie in Antwerp when I get home.

Teresa Oaxaca @TeresaOaxaca Writing to you from Bruges, soon to travel to Spain.

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the last word Power plants

Doctor in the house

“€100,000. That’s how much this wet summer has cost us.”

“This generation is more careful with their private lives. By refusing to see new patients, young doctors have more control over their work-life balance.”

Pol Van Doorslaar, councillor of public works in Meise, which, like many municipalities, is faced with the mammoth task of combatting weeds that thrive in wet conditions

Holiday hero “There were people around, but all they were doing was watching.

Purely out of instinct, I took off my T-shirt and ran into the sea.”

© Benoit Doppagne/BELGA

VENUS DOWN Flemish tennis player Kirsten Flipkens couldn’t quite believe her first-round victory against four-time gold medallist Venus Villiams at the Rio Olympics. The 30-year-old Flipkens, ranked 62nd in the world, rallied from one set down to win the game 4-6, 6-3, 7-6. (See full story, p2)

Ghent student Bram Ronsse risked his life to save a boy drowning in the sea off Girgaum in India, where he is on holiday

Marc Moens, chair of the Flemish family doctors’ union BVAS, on news that half of doctors aged 27-40 are no longer taking on new patients

Silver-medal mum “They don’t even know I was an athlete before. They think I played tennis because they see me going to the tennis club now.”

Olympian Kim Gevaert left athletics behind eight years and three children ago, and now works part time as a speech therapist

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