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A group of high-level players in European culture is here this week for Flanders Inspires, a series of visits that highlights local activities and knowhow

No matter how long you’ve lived here, you’ll find something you never heard of before in our special Quirky Flanders pull-out guide

One of Belgium’s most enduring comics is celebrating its 70th birthday this year: We tell you everything you need to know about Lucky Luke

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A legacy of care

© Dieter Telemans

special centre de Eglantier brightens lives of children and their families andy furniere More articles by Andy \ flanderstoday.eu

De Eglantier is both a day centre and hotel for youngsters with severe disabilities, taking some of the pressure off parents and putting a smile on kids’ faces.

A

t the end of the 1970s, a parent of a child with multiple severe disabilities put the foundations in place for Flanders’ first day care centre for such youngsters. It was to be a place where they would receive individual care in a homely environment adjusted to their needs.

Today, De Eglantier also offers a short-term “hotel” service for children, so parents can have some much-needed rest at the weekend.

There are currently 26 young people being cared for at De

Eglantier, in two renovated houses in the rural Flemish Brabant town of Leefdaal. They can come to the centre until they are 25.

All of them have both physical and mental disabilities, and none have mental capacities beyond the age of a one-yearold. So, among other restrictions, they cannot speak.

It’s almost impossible for children with such conditions to function in Flanders’ special education system (BuSO). But thanks to the Eglantier team, they get the right care at a home away from home every weekday. In rare cases, youngsters make so much progress at the centre that they can make the transition to a BuSO school.

The Eglantier story started in the late 1970s, when Johan

Nootens of Tervuren was searching for proper care for his daughter Floortje. “She suffered from the rare Cockayne syndrome,” he says, “which slows growth and causes abnormal sensitivity to sunlight and premature aging. We didn’t want residential care, so we looked for good alternatives.

But we couldn’t find any.”

So Nootens decided to create that alternative with other parents in a similar situation. With the help of local politicians and other supporters, they turned a villa into the first small-scale Flemish day care centre for children with such severe disabilities.

Floortje died when she was six, but her legacy lives on in De Eglantier, which has since been modernised and continued on page 5

\ CURREnT AFFAIRs

Artificial island study under way

flanders looking into ways to protect coast from ‘thousand-year storm’ alan Hope Follow Alan on Twitter \ @AlanHopeFT

F

lemish minister for public works Ben Weyts has set aside €8 million for a study into the possibility of building an artificial island off the coast of Knokke-Heist. The plan, which has the backing of state secretary for the North Sea Philippe De Backer, would see works starting in 2020.

The idea of constructing an island as protection against rising sea levels and the “thousand-year storm” is being spearheaded by private-sector initiative Vlaamse Baaien. “We have protected the coast mainly by replenishing sand and raising dykes,” Weyts said. “That work focuses on protection to the year 2050, but with this project we’re looking forward to 2100, in preparation for a rise of 80 centimetres or more in the sea level.”

The island would cover 40 hectares and be built 12 kilometres off the coast of Knokke. Research would then be carried out on the island to study its effects on waves and tidal patterns. If

appropriate, the island could later be extended to up to 450ha.

As well as its protective function, Weyts also foresees other benefits of the island. “It could offer a home to the terns of Zeebrugge,” he said. “It could be possible to build a marina between Zeebrugge and Knokke-Heist, and it could be a staging post for inland water transport to make traffic between Zeebrugge and the Scheldt possible.”

Municipal authorities in Knokke, meanwhile, are concerned that the island would be bad for the tourist industry, particularly the water-sport sector. By contrast, Bredene mayor Steve Vandenberghe said his town would be willing to welcome the island off their coast.

Weyts, however, noted that the location off Knokke-Heist had not been chosen at random. “The western and middle parts of the coast are pretty much ready for a rise in sea levels of 80cm, but the eastern coast remains a weak link,” he said.

© Courtesy buytaert.net

Health insurer proposes cap on doctors’ salaries

Bomb threat in North Station causes travel chaos

The Belgian Doctors’ Association (BVAS) has called health insurer CM’s suggestion that doctors’ salaries be capped a “declaration of war”. CM also called for nursing staff salaries to be increased.

CM president Luc Van Gorp said last week that the salaries paid to doctors and specialists was “unreasonable” in the light of the cost of medical care in general, and called for them to be reduced. He also argued that nursing staff ought to be paid more, and that the entire system needs to be more transparent.

BVAS chair Marc Moens said he was open to discussion, but called into question the presence of CM representatives on the boards of hospitals, pharmacies and other organisations that set the prices of medical service and equipment. “CM needs to stick to its core business as medical insurer and stop behaving like a commercial business,” he said.

According to Van Gorp, the annual gross earnings of medical specialists in Flanders range from €195,000 for a lung specialist to €636,000 for a kidney specialist – with many earning more than €10,000 net per month.

Federal health minister Maggie De Block, herself a general practitioner, has expressed a desire for more transparency in doctors’ fees, but stressed that the question is one for “long-term consideration”. \ AH

The report of a bomb in Brussels North Station last Wednesday, 5 October, turned out to be false, but caused cancellations and serious delays of trains. Security evacuated the station at about 13.30 and stopped all rail traffic on the busy North-South line. The situation was resolved and passengers and traffic allowed back in by 14.45, but hour-long delays continued for the rest of the day and evening.

One in three trains on the country’s rail network pass through the bottleneck Brussels line, so any delay on that connection has a knock-on effect on trains everywhere else.

The alert also affected public transport on MIVB and De Lijn, which also serve Brussels North. Buses and pre-metro were not allowed to access the station during the alert.

The threat came in via a mobile phone call,

© Thierry Roge/BElGA

police said, which also said that a bomb had been planted in the offices of the Brussels prosecutor next to the Justice Palace. Personnel were evacuated and a search carried out.

Elsewhere, false bomb alerts were reported at Charleroi Airport and at the CharleroiSouth station, which serves the airport.

Nothing was found at any of the locations.

\ AH

Ivo Van Hove wins Flemish Culture Prize for service Theatre and opera director Ivo Van Hove has been awarded this year’s Flemish Culture Prize for overall service, culture minister Sven Gatz announced. Van Hove, who was born in Heist-op-den-Berg, Antwerp province, worked with a variety of Flemish theatre groups before taking over the leadership of Toneelgroep Amsterdam in 2001. He has since become a well-known guest director across Europe as well as in the US. Van Hove won two Tony Awards this year for his New York production of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge. He was also nominated four times for his Miller production

The Crucible.

This season Van Hove will be directing Hedda Gabler at the National Theatre in London, Salome at the Nederlandse Opera and three shows at Toneelgroep Amsterdam, including Obsession, an international co-production with the Barbican Centre, starring Jude Law. The musical Lazarus by Van Hove and David Bowie is also being staged in London at the end of this month.

The three Toneelgroep productions will also be performed at Kaaitheater in Brussels and Toneelhuis and deSingel in Antwerp.

“The number of top-notch productions that

90%

© Mirjam Devriendt/CJsM

cjsm.BE/cultuur

Ivo Van Hove has created is incredible,” said Gatz. “They have resulted in prestigious prizes. As famous as he is worldwide, Ivo Van Hove has rightfully merited this Flemish Culture Prize”. “‘I am deeply honoured with this prestigious prize,” said Van Hove. “Even though my work has taken me far beyond the borders of the place where my mother and father brought me into the world, I feel that part of me still remains a villager, a Fleming and a Belgian. I have very high regard for the fact that Flanders is acknowledging my work in this way.” \ AH

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40 €1.84 billion

of retailers would prefer for the two annual official sales months of January and July to be shifted four to six weeks later to match the more extreme weather patterns

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new jobs to be created this year in Belgium’s tech industry, according to federation representative Agoria – twice as many as previously forecast. Growth is forecast to continue in 2017

primary school children in Flanders have concerns over what they eat or how much they weigh, according to a survey by Ghent University

held collectively by the six Flemish universities in investments, with the University of Leuven accounting for more than €1 billion by itself, according to education minister Hilde Crevits

continuous months that the unemployment rate among people under 25 in Brussels has decreased, employment service Actiris has announced

octoBEr 12, 2016

Week in brief The first meeting of the Interministerial Conference for Culture took place last week. The conference, made up of the culture ministers of the three communities, was brought together on the invitation of Flemish culture minister Sven Gatz, and discussed a tax shelter for theatre arts, cultural communications and a regulated price for books.

Antwerp Zoo welcomed the arrival of a baby Malayan tapir last week.

This is mother Nakal’s second baby.

The Malayan tapir is an endangered species \ zooantwerpen.be

Passengers on lines 2 and 6 of the Brussels public transport authority MIVB can now access free wi-fi in and around Hallepoort metro station, mobility minister Pascal Smet has announced.

Other stations will be wired up in the coming months, with Delacroix, Clemenceau, Zuidstation, Munthof, Louiza, Naamsepoort and Troon coming online this month.

Flemish TV director Jan Matthys has been nominated for a Bafta Scotland award for his work on the BBC detective series Shetland, set on the islands to the north of the Scottish mainland. The series is also nominated in three other categories, for best drama, best actor and best screenplay. \ tinyurl.com/shetlandbafta

The closure of schools in Brussels during the lockdown in November last year came as a surprise to the government’s risk assessment agency OCAD, its former head, Andre Vandoren, told a parliamentary committee last week. In the aftermath of the Paris attacks, which involved terrorists from Brussels, the alert level here was raised to four, and schools were ordered to be closed. But the OCAD, Vandoren said, had not

face of flanders received any intelligence of any threat to schools.

Former member of the Walloon parliament Bernard Wesphael has been acquitted by a jury in Mons. Wesphael had been accused of murdering his wife, Veronique Pirotton, in a hotel in Ostend in 2013. Wesphael has always maintained that she died of an overdose of medication and alcohol. In its verdict, the jury criticised failures in the investigation and the prosecution’s case.

The memorial project Coming World Remember Me, carried out by the non-profit group Kunst, has been nominated as one of the three most worthwhile cultural projects in Europe by the British Guild of Travel Writers. People in Flanders and abroad are invited to create a small clay figure. The 600,000 figures – which represent the number of casualties in Belgium during the First World War – will be placed in a massive open-air exhibition in 2018. \ comingworldrememberme.be

Roger Vanden Stock, chair of the Anderlecht football club, has demanded clarity from the organisations behind the plans for a new national stadium at Heizel, which the club will eventually rent. At present the application for a building permit is being held up by legal actions, while the deadline for completion of the works approaches.

Energy prices charged to smaller municipalities could rise as a result of the unsuccessful deal to sell 14% of power provider Eandis to China’s State Grid, according to Eandis CEO Walter Van Den Bossche. The putative deal was torpedoed when Antwerp city council voted against a merger that would make the deal possible, but other municipalities had expressed misgivings. State Grid was prepared to pay €860

million for the shares. “Someone has to pay the bill,” Van Den Bossche said.

Social media giant Facebook has been named Privacy Villain of the Year by the Big Brother Awards Belgium for its harvesting of personal data and tracking of users’ movements across the internet. The company’s default privacy settings are “noxious,” the jury said. \ bigbrotherawards.be

Deacon Lode Aerts, 57, has been named the new Bishop of Bruges, replacing Jozef De Kesel, who was appointed Archbishop of MechelenBrussels, the highest Catholic office in the country. Aerts is currently working in Ghent on the support provided to victims of sexual abuse by clergy. He is described by colleagues as “warm-hearted and jovial”.

Flemish broadcaster VTM has obtained the rights to show all matches of the national football team between September 2018 and June 2022 – a scheduled 40 games in all. Parent company Medialaan won the rights with a competitive bid to European football body UEFA. It now holds the contract for all matches, including the qualifiers for the 2020 European Championships and for the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.

Electricity provider Electrabel has shown “major non conformities” in its treatment of confidential documents, according to an audit.

At one site, the Doel nuclear power plant in East Flanders, documents are outsourced to another company over which Electrabel has no oversight. At other sites, there are no systematic policies on access codes or the presence of fireproof safes.

Identification of security personnel is not standardised, and some staff don’t know how confidential documents have to be labelled or stored.

offside finders keepers Police and bomb disposal experts were called to an address in Schaarbeek last week to deal with a report of two mortar shells found by a treasure-hunter. The man found the shells in Ter Kamerenbos (pictured) on the outskirts of the city and took them on the 30-minute tram ride home.

The young man regularly goes to deserted places like forests to search for interesting stuff with his metal detector, takes pictures of them and posts them online.

The internet forum he frequents lit up; others more expert in the matter of munitions warned him that the shells were British-manufactured mortar bombs, which could still be unstable and liable to explode.

He couldn’t get through to the army bomb disposal unit Dovo right away, so what to do? He decided to take the two bombs down to the bottle bank on the corner and leave them there. Later he realised that might not be the best solution and called the local police.

There’s a happy ending: Dovo did in fact come and collect the shells, disposing of them safely.

© Hedwig neesen

andy claeskens A firefighter has to get used to rushing about, and the job is undoubtedly dangerous, but one Flemish firefighter is more concerned about the dangers he faces just getting to work.

Andy Claeskens’ YouTube video of his 50-kilometre cycle ride from his home in Scherpenheuvel to the fire service in Vilvoorde has become a sensation in Flanders. Any cyclist will tell you stories of the obstacles they encounter on a daily basis: cars parked on cycle paths, drivers throwing open doors without looking, the dreaded blind spot of lorry drivers turning right and so on.

Put them all in a row, and you have a real horror show. The film, which Claeskens shot using a GoPro attached to his handlebars, is made up of a pastiche of situations when he was forced to brake or take to the street to avoid a collision.

The video is his latest entry in a campaign he’s been running since 2014 to sensitise drivers and municipal authorities to challenges faced by commuting cyclists. He started the campaign after he ran into a

tinyurl.com/claEskEns

pothole in Haacht and fell badly, breaking his shoulder and missing six weeks of work.

“I sent an email to the mayor and councillors of Haacht,” he told Het Nieuwsblad. “They never replied. There are now works happening on that stretch of road, but I’m keeping away and riding a few kilometres around because it’s dangerous for cyclists there.”

The video has made international headlines and has been viewed more than 99,000 times.

In the comments – an unusually polite discussion, on the whole, considering it’s YouTube – Claeskens explains himself.

“I was myself a professional lorry driver for 10 years, then I moved to the fire service, so I can say I have experience as both a driver and a cyclist. I’m not trying to make out I’m holier than the Pope, but inattention, time pressure, making phone calls at the wheel and indifference make things really dangerous. I have three children, and I try to encourage them to take the bike to school. They’re really nice kids, and I’d like to hold on to them a bit longer.” \ Alan Hope

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

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

The lucky treasure-hunter may still come to regret his collector’s frenzy, though. The police are thinking of sending him a bill for the uproar he caused. He’s already been given a summons – for possession of explosives. \ AH

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, Emma Davis, Paula Dear, Andy Furniere, Lee Gillette, Diana Goodwin, Clodagh Kinsella, Catherine Kosters, Toon Lambrechts, Ian Mundell, Anja Otte, Tom Peeters, Arthur Rubinstein, 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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5th coluMn In the hot seat

After the Paris and Brussels attacks and the asylum crisis, all eyes were on the minister for the interior, Jan Jambon (N-VA), and the secretary of state for migration and asylum, Theo Francken (N-VA). As the federal government continued its budget talks – an annual ritual that comes with nightly meetings and terse doorstep statements – attention turns to another N-VA politician: finance minister Johan Van Overtveldt.

The federal budget minister may be Sophie Wilmès (MR), but Van Overtveldt is the one who will be judged by a balanced budget – or lack thereof. Any new taxes to achieve this balance will also be his responsibility.

Why is there so much weight on this minister’s shoulders?

For one, he represents N-VA, the largest party in the federal government and the one that stated it stood for change. After decades of socialists in government, N-VA said it would bring about real economic recovery.

There is also Van Overtveldt’s past. As editor-in-chief of the business weekly Trends, he was a ruthless critic of the previous federal governments. Their budgetary efforts, he wrote, were mere accountancy tricks: no real cuts or reforms.

This vision was the main reason N-VA recruited him.

However, Van Overtveldt faces the same problems as his predecessors. In the run-up to the talks, it was predicted that the budget was €2.4 billion short. The tax return forecasts – Van Overtveldt’s responsibility – were overly optimistic, though, and €2.4 billion became €4.2 billion.

Pretty soon Van Overtveldt was mocked as the “man who cannot count”. His old critiques were dug up from press archives, as they seemed equally applicable to his own performance in the federal government.

N-VA believes Van Overtveldt is being treated unfairly. He is not the first minister to receive faulty forecasts from the administration, but he is the first to expose these, wanting to set them right for the future, according to the party.

The nationalists believe CD&V is behind Van Overtveldt’s scapegoating. After all, he is the one who’s blocking the capital gains tax CD&V has demanded over and over again.

As the federal ministers met for the final budget talks, the gap had shrunk from €4.2 billion to €3 billion. In the past, Van Overtveldt might have called this an accountancy trick. Now it’s he who will be accountable for the end result. \ Anja Otte

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Office in Rome for Flanders

a representation office is due to open in the italian capital in 2019 alan Hope Follow Alan on Twitter \ @AlanHopeFT

T

he government of Flanders will open a representation office in Rome in 2019, minister-president Geert Bourgeois has announced.

In its 2014 accord, the government decided to broaden the region’s international contacts, turning the international department into a foreign affairs ministry. The choice of Rome as the latest addition to the network comes from a study that identified the Italian capital as the place that most interested Flemish business and other civil organisations.

“The choice fell on Italy, the only one of the

major member states where there is not yet a Flemish representation,” said Bourgeois, whose

portfolio includes foreign relations. “Italy is Flanders’ sixth largest export market. It is also the fifth largest exporter in the EU, and the 10th worldwide.”

Flanders Investment & Trade and Visit Flanders already have representation in Rome and Milan, which will now be supplemented by staff from the international department. Flanders already has 11 representative offices, including in Berlin, London, Madrid, Warsaw and New York.

Two offices represent Flanders to international organisations: in Brussels for the European Union and in Geneva for the United Nations.

22 March bomber may have had contact with British intelligence

No talks with British before Article 50, says Verhofstadt

Belgian military intelligence had no information prior to 22 March that mighthavehelpedpreventthebomb attacks at Brussels Airport and Maalbeek metro station, according to the head of the service. Majorgeneral Eddy Testelmans provided testimony last week to the parliamentary investigative commission looking into the circumstances surrounding the attacks.

“There is no such thing as perfection,” said Testelmans (pictured).

“But we did all we could do.” The General Service for Intelligence and Security has contacts with 20 other intelligence services, none of which had any information that could have prevented the attacks from being carried out, he said. “Reinterpreting events in hindsight is always risky, but still I think we had no information that might have averted the attacks.”

Also last week the British press accused one of those foreign services, the MI5, of abandoning an undercover investigation into suspected radical Islamists. It had emerged that Mohamed Abrini, the bomber who fled the scene of the attack on Brussels Airport, had been in contact with the British cell

The European parliament’s chief negotiator, former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt, has stated that the EU will not enter into any form of negotiations with the British government before the country invokes Article 50, which begins the process of leaving the EU. Last week British prime minister Theresa May announced her intention to trigger Article 50 by the end of next March.

According to reports, May had hoped to begin talks with the rest of Europe before then, in the hope that, having set a date for Article 50, the UK might find European leaders more amenable to approaches on the terms of withdrawal. “No pre-negotiations,” said Verhofstadt in Strasbourg last week. “The talks can only begin after Article 50 is activated.”

Verhofstadt, the leaders of the

© Thierry Roge/BElGA

months before the attacks on Brussels.

The 22 March commission chair, veteran politician Patrick Dewael, said he would be asking British intelligence for an explanation of the accusations, either directly or via the British liaison officer.

Testelmans, meanwhile, told the commission that he wanted to see something done at the European level about messaging services like WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber, which do not give intelligence services access to user messages.

As a result, these services are popular among terrorists.

If need be, he said, he would even favour a ban on such messaging services. Whether that would be realistic is questionable: Social media giant Facebook, with more and one billion users, recently finishedrollingoutmessageencryption on its Messenger service. \ AH

Nature groups sue government over polder grasslands A group of nature conservancy organisations have banded together under the name Polderfront to file a legal complaint against the government of Flanders over its policy on historic grasslands in the polders of West Flanders.

The grasslands cover an area of about 12,000 hectares in the region’s coastal hinterland. In November last year the government said it had reached an agreement with representatives of the agricultural sector whereby 8,000ha of that would be given protected status: 5,000ha by nature legislation and the other 3,000ha by agriculture legislation.

The organisations making up Polderfront – Natuurpunt, Vogelbescherming Vlaanderen and the West Flanders Environment Federation – complained that agricultural legislation offered only “false protection” and that 4,000ha of polder was receiving no protection at all.

Polderfront said that, in the absence of what it considers a satisfactory response from the government, it is forced to take the issue to court. Crucial questions remain unanswered, the group argued, such as the destruction of herbs and other plants by the use of herbicides, the procedure that allows farmers each year to ask for parcels of land to be removed from the protected area and that horse owners are not covered by agricultural laws. \ AH

Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe party, also made it clear that the negotiations, once begun, should be completed by the next European elections in 2019. The two-year process of leaving the EU after invoking Article 50 would allow the British to just meet that deadline if the elections are to be held in May 2019.

And he joined with Manfred Weber, chair of the largest group of MEPs in the parliament, in reaffirming the view that the four freedoms – of goods, services, people and capital – are part of the “DNA of the union” and cannot be negotiated separately. May has stated that her priority is control of migration – the movement of people – but others in her party argue that this would badly affect the UK’s ability to trade with the rest of the continent. \ AH

Gaia wants animal rights written into Belgian constitution gaia.BE Animal rights organisation Gaia wants to see animal rights written into the Belgian constitution. The Brussels-based nonprofit made the announcement last week on World Animal Day. Gaia pointed out that animals form a very vulnerable category of living creatures with certain welfare needs. “Respect for their dignity and guaranteeing their welfare should be included in the constitution as a fundamental duty of the state,” it said in a statement.

Gaia was inspired by initiatives in neighbouring countries Germany and Luxembourg, where animal rights were included in the constitution in 2002 and 2007, respectively.

“So this should not be an insurmountable problem in Belgium either,” said Gaia president Michel Vandenbosch.

Gaia suggested five “freedoms”.

© Courtesy Gaia/Facebook

Animals should be “free from hunger, thirst and malnourishment”, “free from pain and suffering”, “free to show and develop normal, natural behaviour”, “free from diseases and wounds” and “free from physical and physiological discomfort in terms of adequate accommodation”.

The animal rights organisation will ask constitution specialists to examine the idea. In the meantime, Gaia has already launched a petition in support of the idea. \ Andy Furniere

\ COVER sTORy

octoBEr 12, 2016

A legacy of care

six-year-old floortje’s memory lives on in de Eglantier’s much-needed respite work EglantiEr.BE continued from page 1

facEBook.com/tEamjakEoBriEn

expanded. “Youngsters are divided into groups of five – and one of six – according to their needs,” explains De Eglantier director Ann Debontridder. “Two educators are responsible for each group.

Through a variety of activities, we stimulate their development as much as possible.”

Verbal communication may be impossible, but the staff at De Eglantier have various ways of interacting with the youngsters, including playing with water, giving massages, singing, dancing and playing simple games. Both of the centre’s houses, across the street from each other, have large gardens in which the children can play.

A relaxing weekend may seem like a small thing, but it was an incredible gift for us Thanks to a collaboration with Tervuren non-profit The Healing Horse, the children can take part in hippotherapy sessions, meaning they get proper assistance to ride a horse. A speech therapist helps them develop their nonverbal communication, such as by teaching them the skills to point to something they want.

Both houses also have a snoezel room, a calming space that allows a person with mental disabilities to relax and explore their senses.

For families like those of Colm O’Brien, an Irishman who moved to Brussels in 1991, De Eglantier has made a world of difference.

One of his sons, Jake, was born with cerebral palsy, which left him with a severe mental disability and incapable of almost any voluntary movement. After staying in various Brussels centres, Jake got a place at De Eglantier about three years ago, where he received care until he passed away this summer at the age of 15.

“When we got a place at De Eglantier, for the first time we were 100% confident that Jake would be cared for in an absolutely loving way for the whole day,” says O’Brien. “Jake generally smiled when he arrived at De Eglantier in the mornings, which had never happened at the previous centres.”

He describes how the staff paid attention to all the details that

© Dieter Telemans

Taking care of youngsters with such severe disabilities every day is physically and mentally tough for families; De Eglantier offers respite and a safe, fun place for children

might improve the children’s lives.

“When they heard we’d bought a waterbed for Jake at his previous centre because he loved the movement of water, they went to a lot of trouble to get a similar bed.”

The opening of the Floortje Care Hotel – named after the daughter of the founder – at the end of 2014 further improved the quality of life for families such as the O’Briens.

For 10 weekends and 10 Saturdays each year, the Care Hotel hosts five youngsters, which gives their families some time to rest and regroup.

Each child can stay in the Care Hotel for up to three weekends and three Saturdays a year. The

Care Hotel consists of one double and three single rooms for children and one for the two educators taking care of them all.

The free time provided by Jake’s stays at the Care Hotel was very important for the O’Briens. “A relaxing weekend may seem like a small thing, but it was an incredible gift for us,” Jake’s father says.

“Never in the years before had we had the confidence that Jake would be happy somewhere else if we took time for ourselves.”

Taking care of youngsters with such severe disabilities every day is both physically and mentally tough, he explains, “even when

they are so brave and happy like Jake was. And during the night you have to be alert for possible problems, so you can never really sleep deeply”.

As the O’Briens don’t have much family in Belgium, it was difficult to ask others to regularly take over Jake’s care. “But in general, it’s difficult for families in this situation to rely on people in their personal environment,” Debontridder explains. “These youngsters need such specific and complicated support that this is a problem, especially as they grow older.”

To support De Eglantier, O’Brien set up the Team Jake Run for Char-

ity fundraiser. Seven teams of friends and family of the O’Briens will participate in the Ekiden Relay marathon in Brussels on 15 October to raise money for De Eglantier. Next year, O’Brien plans to open it up to anyone interested in supporting the cause.

This extra support is needed because the government subsidies that De Eglantier receives, amounting to about €1 million a year, are not enough to cover all the costs. “We only receive subsidies for 20 children, but we have taken on board six more who really needed our help,” says Debontridder. And the school received no subsidies for renovating the second house.

The centre relies on the help of volunteers, schools, clubs, companies, hospitals, donations and fundraising events like an annual art sale. The parents also contribute, paying about €13 a day.

According to Debontridder, the government doesn’t sufficiently take into account the needs of De Eglantier’s target group in their plans for the care sector, drawn up in the Perspectief 2020 concept.

“I feel the government puts too much focus on how home care and the people around somebody with a disability can help,” she says. “In our cases, friends and family can’t help enough, and home carers aren’t allowed to give medication or administer nutrition by catheter.”

She also points to the long waiting lists for nursing homes, where the youngsters get a place when they turn 25.

The Flemish Agency for People with a Disability (VAPH) points out that the government subsidises about 500 places in centres providing care to minors who are not able to attend special education because of their disabilities.

“We already invest strongly in these centres and provide the largest part of the total funding that De Eglantier receives,” it says.

VAPH confirms that the focus of Perspectief 2020 is on help from a network of family, but emphasises the intention to provide extra support to this network, to further facilitate care at home.

It also believes the children’s situation will improve thanks to the introduction of the Persoonsvolgend Budget, with which the government will provide subsidies to people with disabilities directly, and not to the centres providing care.

People with a disability and their guardians will be able to receive the budget in the form of cash to be spent on assistance, vouchers to pay a centre, or a combination of the two. It will be introduced for adults next year and for minors in 2018.

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\ BUsInEss

Week in business shipping Euronav The Antwerp-based shipping company is investing €70 million in two new tankers to be built by the Hyundai shipyard in South Korea. The two Suezmax ships, slated for delivery in 2018, will replace older tankers.

Biscuits Jules Destrooper

The family-owned biscuit producer, based in Veurne, has acquired Destrooper and Olivier (D&O) biscuits in nearby Oostkamp. The move will allow Jules Destrooper to develop its sales in the US and China, D&O’s leading export markets. The two families are related.

Retail Ms Mode

About half of the fashion chain’s 46 stores in Belgium have been taken over by the company’s own owner, Dutch investor Roland Kahn, who declared bankruptcy of the Belgian subsidiary of the Dutch chain last month.

Unions are considering taking action against what they see as an infringement of bankruptcy laws.

Building equipment GIMV

The government of Flanders’ investment fund has acquired 60% of the Acceo company, headquartered in Gémenos, near Marseille, and specialised in the inspection and certification of elevators and lift equipment.

ING to eliminate branches, Record Bank and 3,500 jobs

Belgian subsidiary to lay off 40% of its work force in next five years alan Hope Follow Alan on Twitter \ @AlanHopeFT

T

he Belgian subsidiary of the Dutchowned ING bank announced last week that it would close half of its branches in Belgium and lay off 3,500 people – about 40% of its local employees – over the next five years.

Last year, ING Belgium made about a €1 billion profit, and the figure so far this year is €588 million. The bank has 709 branches in the country, with about one in three run by an independent manager.

ING also owns Record Bank, with 536 branches runasfranchises.Therestructuringplanincludes merging Record Bank into the ING structure, so those branches will gradually disappear.

According to ING Belgium CEO Rik Vandenberghe (pictured), the current business model is no longer suited to the future of the banking sector. A future bank, he wrote in a letter to employees, “successfully meets the many challenges of the sector and provides answers to the

© laurie Dieffembacq/BElGA

many demands of a better informed and more digitally active clientele”.

Unions described the plan as “a slap in the face,” and called on staff at the headquarters in Brussels to strike. Liberal union ACLVB said forced redundancies would be “unacceptable”.

Christian union LBC said the plan was “scandalous for a company making a profit. Over the last five years, ING has paid out €7 billion to share-

Belgium’s largest hotel applies for protection from creditors

Regulated book prices approved by government of Flanders

The Sheraton in central Brussels, the largest hotel in the country, has applied for protection from its creditors, often the last step before declaring bankruptcy. The hotel has suffered, a spokesperson said, from the reduction in tourists to the city after last November’s attacks in Paris and the March bombings in Brussels.

The hotel also overlooks Rogierplein, which was the target of a planned terrorist attack in June. That attack was foiled by police, who had broken up the terrorist cell.

According to the owners of the Sheraton, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, the problem lies with the company that operates the hotel. Like the Sheraton at Brussels Airport, the hotel is run by a franchisee, who pays an annual sum for the use of the Sheraton name.

Staff, suppliers and other partners would not be affected while the legal process is taking place, Starwood said. \ AH

The government of Flanders has approved a proposal by culture minister Sven Gatz to apply a system of regulated book prices.

The measure is intended to protect the publishing industry and bookshops from big-discount retailers such as supermarkets.

Large retail chains often force publishers to accept low margins in return for promised high sales volumes.

The new system will come into force next spring and will see the publishersettingaminimumprice for any book published in Flanders, regardless of the language.

In the first six months after publication, retailers can offer no more than 10% off the minimum price.

The rule applies to online sales as well, including from major players such as Amazon and Colombo.

Even if a Flemish publisher sells

Packaging VPk

The Aalst-based cardboard and packaging equipment producer has taken over the Peterson Packaging group, which has six plants in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The move will allow VPK to expand its sales to industrial clients such as Ikea from 46 production units in 16 countries.

Construction Besix

The Brussels-based building group has been awarded a €70 million contract to provide foundations for two tunnels as part of the extension of the Paris metro.

Floor coverings Balta

Europe’s largest producer of floor coverings, headquartered in Wielsbeke, near Kortrijk, is negotiating the acquisition of the McThree carpet group, located in nearby Waregem.

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holders, Now the staff are paying the price,” spokesperson Herman Vanderhaegen said.

Prime minister Charles Michel has pledged to do anything possible to limit the number of job losses caused by restructuring plans. A majority of the redundancies will happen through both normal and early retirements. The number of forced redundancies is estimated at 1,700.

Michel announced the creation of a task force to work with unions on the number of forced redundancies. “We want to do all we can to bring that figure down,” he said.

Flemish minister-president Geert Bourgeois, meanwhile, hoped for a gesture from ING. “I’m calling on ING to recognise its responsibility and, as a bank that is doing very well here, to do more than it is legally obliged to do,” he said. He hoped that the bank would “show that it cases about its people and that this is not simply a cold-hearted firing procedure”.

Innovation on the rise in Flemish businesses Companies in Flanders are more involved with innovation now than ever before, according to Flemish employment minister Philippe Muyters. The minister has referenced figures from the region’s expertise centre for research and development monitoring agency, Ecoom.

Every two years, Ecoom measures the rate at which Flemish businesses are investing in innovation related to products and processes. The last enquiry was in 2013.

Ecoom has discovered that the innovation index in Flanders – the percentage of companies actively innovating in some aspect of their business – has gone up from 49% to 57%. That means Flemish companies have now gone past the level in place before the economic crisis of 2008.

The 57% figure is for all companies in general. Companies in low-

© Courtesy ondernemeninhasselt.be

tech industries achieved a figure of 54%, while hi-tech companies were at 71%. Large companies achieved a figure of 76%, while small and medium-sized enterprises remained around the average at 56%.

“These figures show that our Flemish enterprises have regained their confidence and are investing in the future with new products and processes,” Muyters said in a statement. “The importance of innovation in enterprise cannot be overstated as the motor behind economic growth and job creation.” \ AH

© Courtesy De standaard

a book via online channels to a customer somewhere else in the world, the minimum price still applies. There is an exception for schools and public libraries, which will get a 25% discount on the minimum price.

Gatz hopes to convince his counterparts in Brussels and Wallonia to adopt similar measures. “A major bookshop in the capital would then presumably sell its Dutch-language books at the same price as elsewhere in Flanders,” Gatz said. \ AH

Digital advertising panels in Brussels have no permit Digital advertising panels alongside streets in Brussels have been installed without any urban planning permission, according to Bianca Debaets, the region’s minister for road safety. Last month the Belgian Institute for Road Safety (BIVV) said the panels, which show ads in rotation, could be distracting to drivers and were in breach of traffic law.

There are about 100 of the panels in Brussels-City, owned and operated by Clear Channel. Brussels-City is the only municipality in the region where the panels are placed at the roadside. Debaets confirmed that the panels are not covered by any permit. “We have not received an application for urban planning permission,” she told La Dernière Heure. “The company has unmistakeably acted illegally.”

Clear Channel said that it had applied for permission and, while waiting for approval, had only placed non-commercial advertisements, such as for tourist attractions. Debaets has asked for a report on the legality of illuminated and moving panels by the roadside. If it should turn out the panels are in breach of the law, the region will “react appropriately,” she said. \ AH

\ InnOVATIOn

octoBEr 12, 2016

Getting to know you

Week in innovation

whirlwind tour of high-profile visitors spreads flanders’ fame abroad alan Hope More articles by Alan \ flanderstoday.eu

A

group of six influential decision-makers arrived in the country this week for an intensive working visit to find out more about Flanders so they can take the message back to their respective parts of the world. The visit is the 15th edition of Flanders Inspires International Visitors, a programme that started in 2010 and has now settled into a rhythm of two sessions a year.

“The programme was conceived as an instrument of public diplomacy,” explains Maarten Vidal, in charge of communications at the government’s Flanders International department. The idea, he says, was to engage in a dialogue with influential foreign decisionmakers and civil servants.

“We focus on different aspects of what makes Flanders what it is.

This edition puts the spotlight on the creative and cultural industries. We have had other sessions on smart logistics, for example, or the new industrial policy, and even one on human rights.”

The guests for this edition come from Durban, Hanover, Bilbao, New York, Montreal and Vilnius.

They include the director of the Lithuanian national association of creative and cultural industries, the programme director of the New York state council on the arts, the advisor on the creative and cultural industries to the Basque government, the managing director of Bayern Design and the programme manager for innovation for the Ethekweni municipality in South Africa.

“We host between five and 10 people who are active in a specific sector,” explains Vidal, “and we tend to aim for the highest levels, like the directors of institutions that are similar to institutions we have here.”

© Courtesy Flanders International Department

Delegates on last spring’s visit take a tour of a Colruyt warehouse

The week’s programme begins with a number of political meetings at the Flemish parliament, he continues, “with ministers who are responsible for whichever field is concerned during that session.

And then we travel throughout Flanders to relevant institutions, this week including the Flanders Fashion Institute in Antwerp and the Ghent Film Festival.”

As well as creative and cultural industry administrators, the group includes fashion designer Jean-Claude Poitras, who chairs the board of the Fashion Museum in Quebec. In recent years he has extended his horizons beyond fashion with designs for lifestyle areas like tableware, furniture and home decor.

Poitras has expressed an interest not only in Flanders’ fashion schools – of which Antwerp’s is the most famous – but also in trying to “discover and become acquainted with what constitutes the new Flemish soul – strong in its traditions, but completely in tune

with its avant-garde and creative talents,” says Vidal.

The guests will also visit the De Hoorn incubator in Leuven, iMinds digital research centre in Ghent and the Flanders Audiovisual Fund in Brussels. They will attend the opening of the Ghent Film Festival, and pay working visits to Antwerp’s Modenatie fashion complex, Galaxy production house and deSingel cultural centre.

So there’s never a dull moment.

“It’s quite intense,” Vidal admits.

“It brings the visitors into contact with as many people as possible.

That helps them develop their networks, and allows our Flemish institutions to develop theirs.

That’s the idea behind it.”

Evenings, meanwhile, will be taken up by themed dinner discussions with experts from Flanders, among them Flanders DC (District of Creativity), a non-profit based in Leuven that aims to bring entrepreneurship to the creative industries and creativity to business.

It’s the organisation’s third time taking part in Flanders Inspires.

“The basic idea of bringing influential people from other countries to Flanders to let them see what we’re doing here, how we work here and what we have to offer is a very worthwhile enterprise,” says director Pascal Cools.

Everything depends, says Cools, on who the guests are. “The government has to make the right selection, ensuring that the guests really are influencers who are able to change the way people in other countries regard Flanders.”

Considering Flanders DC’s role in helping creatives in the region, it would seem well placed for evaluating the results of Flanders Inspires. “A programme like this doesn’t bring direct results; you have to take the long-term view,” he explains. “A lot of little seeds are being planted in order to shape and maybe adjust the image of Flanders and the way people think about Flanders, and to show them what we have to offer.”

Q&a

vito.BE

Liesbeth Horckmans is a project co-ordinator at Vito, which has helped develop an automatic separation system in Genk for the recycling of refractory bricks. Also known as fire bricks, they are used to line the furnaces, reactors and kilns used in the metal, cement and ceramics industries.

Why is recycling refractory bricks important?

Worldwide, about 40 million tons of refractory material are produced each year, leading to an estimated 28 million tons of refractory waste. Recycling expended refractory bricks can reduce waste as well as the need to import valuable raw materials, but recycling these bricks is no easy task.

An incoming load of spent bricks contains a range of brick types, and the current method is to manually sort them. Manual sorting is prone to error, and some chemical differ-

ences simply cannot be seen. Even a minor incorrect classification could be enough to ruin the quality of an entire lot.

How does ReFraSort solve these problems?

ReFraSort is an automated sorting system equipped with the machinery to handle large and heavy bricks. It uses a unique laser technique, laser induced breakdown spectroscopy, that allows bricks to be sorted according to their chemical composition. A laser vaporises a small section of a brick’s surface

© Courtesy Vito

and a spectrometer then analyses the chemical composition. So ReFraSort is able to sort a mixture of refractory bricks into pure fractions that can be recycled to produce new refractory material.

Could ReFraSort be a boon for the economy?

The production of refractory materials in Europe is vital for the metals, cement, ceramics and many other industries. Raw materials account for about half the cost of making refractory bricks and have a big influence on the quality of the finished products.

Today, roughly 40-90% of the raw materials needed to produce refractory bricks must be imported, and prices for these raw materials have risen dramatically in recent years. With ReFraSort, we could save on primary raw materials and not only realise cost savings but also create a sustainable circular economy less dependent on imports. \ Interview by John

Bean

Breakthrough in Parkinson’s research Researchers connected to Flanders’ life sciences research institute, VIB, and the University of Leuven have discovered that a malfunctioning stresscoping mechanism in the brain is at the root of Parkinson’s disease. Genetic mutations that cause Parkinson’s can prevent synapses – the junctions between neurons where electrical signals are transmitted – from coping with the stress of intense brain activity. This damages the synapses, which in turn disrupts the transmission of brain signals. “We discovered that synaptic contacts have developed special mechanisms to deal with such a barrage of signals,” explained professor Patrik Verstreken, who led the research. By studying genetically modified fruit flies, the researchers discovered that one of those coping mechanisms is disrupted in Parkinson’s.

68% of Belgians “help” cybercriminals

The Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB) and the Cyber Security Coalition have launched a campaign to raise awareness about digital safety in light of the discovery that some 6.5 million Belgians unconsciously “help” cybercriminals by insufficiently protecting their computers, tablets and smartphones. The statistic comes from a study carried out by Ghent University (UGent) and shows that 68% of Belgian residents have user profiles that run larger than average risks of being affected by cybercrime. Cyber Security Coalition says users can protect devices with a good virus scanner, updating programmes and making back-ups. It’s also important to be on your guard for suspicious emails sent to obtain private data.

VIB celebrates 20 years To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Flemish life sciences research institute VIB is taking its show on the road. For the next several months, VIB, based in Ghent, will showcase the work of its researchers for the general public in stops across the region. Normally, VIB hosts a Biotech Day once a year at a single location, with activities revolving around a central theme. Last year, the fifth edition focused on cancer and brain research and took place on the University of Leuven’s Gasthuisberg campus.

For this special edition, VIB is travelling with an exhibition and Biotechbabbels, or biotech talks, to Antwerp, Hasselt, Ghent, Leuven and Brussels. \ Andy Furniere

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\ lIVInG

octoBEr 12, 2016

Discover quirky Fl a compilation of the oddest or most unexpected places

F

landers is full of offbeat things to do. They can be surprising, even a little disturbing, but always delightfully unexpected. Most are off the beaten track, away from the crowds, in places that are sometimes hard to find. You might need to ask in a local bar for directions or set off on foot down a muddy track. But it’s worth making the effort to find these places because they tell you something about Flanders that you don’t read in the guide books or learn from Wikipedia.

visit a biZarre belGian enclave The village of Baarle-Hertog (pictured above) is described as a Belgian enclave within the Netherlands, but it’s a lot more complicated than that. The village, population 2,300, is broken up into 20 little enclaves located inside the Dutch village of Baarle-Nassau. But there are also seven Dutch exclaves within the Belgian enclaves. The result is a baffling border town with two fire stations, two town halls, a cafe split between two countries and a house with the living room in Belgium and the bedroom on Dutch soil. Once a den of smuggling, it is now a lively tourist town with a curious split identity. \ baarle-hertog.be

Walk barefoot in liMburG It used to be seen as eccentric and even reckless, but walking barefoot is taking off in Flanders. Some argue that it provides health benefits, but others simply see it as a new way to experience nature. The best place to try it out is in Limburg province, where the first blotevoetenpad (barefoot path) was created in 2006 at De Lieteberg nature reserve. The 2km barefoot trail lets you experience a range of surfaces, from wooden walkways to sand and even mud. The route includes a steep hill, a stretch of water and a wooden lookout tower. Kids, not surprisingly, love it. Visitors’ Centre Lieteberg, Zutendaal \ lietenberg.be

Walk throuGh a forest that Was once a battlefield The nature reserve De Palingbeek has woodland trails, farm animals and views of rolling countryside. But this estate near Ypres also has a tragic history. Some of the fiercest battles of the First World War were fought here, leaving behind concrete bunkers, flooded craters and two small cemeteries hidden deep in the forest. The most striking is Hedge Row Cemetery, a silent, mysterious place that can only be reached on foot along a muddy forest trail. The original cemetery was destroyed by shellfire, and the graves were laid out after the war in a circle.

Three former army packs are lined up along the cemetery wall containing objects that soldiers once carried, like gas masks, handkerchiefs and even makeup. Zwarteleenstraat, Palingbeek, West Flanders

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explore the dark secrets of a brabant castle

© Visit Flanders

take the World’s lonGest traM ride Most visitors say the same thing. The Flemish coast is flat.

It’s a long line of apartment buildings. And it always rains.

But take a ride on the coast tram and you might see things differently. The 67-kilometre route is the longest in the world and costs just a few euros for a day ticket. You can cover the entire route from southern De Panne to northern Knokke in a couple of hours, but it is more fun to get off at different stops along the way. You can wander among the fish shops in Nieuwpoort, drink a coffee in Ostend’s grand cafe Du Parc and walk out to the end of the wooden jetty in Blankenberge.

But the best part of the trip is the stretch between the sea and the dunes just west of Ostend. \ delijn.be

find old antWerp in a lost scheldt villaGe The strange forgotten village of Buitenland is hard to find. It lies off the main road in a bend of the Old Scheldt. Not many people ever come here, so no one has bothered to explain the strange buildings that don’t look as if they belong. They were built in 1894 for the World Fair in Antwerp as part of a nostalgic section called Old Antwerp. After the fair was over, most of the buildings were demolished, but a few were rebuilt in Buitenland by a local businessman who owned a basketmaking company. The most impressive is a replica of the 16th-century Reuzenhuis. Near Bornem, Antwerp province

cycle doWn the Golden river Once called the Golden River because it flowed among flax fields, the Leie meanders through the flat countryside outside Ghent, passing sleepy villages where Flemish artists once painted. This is a quiet region of cobbled roads, fields of cows and local bars. Follow the river south of Drongen abbey, heave your bike onto the free ferry at Afsnee and drink a beer in Cafe Sfinx on the other bank. From here, some serious pedalling brings you eventually to the Flemish Renaissance turrets of Ooidonk castle. Ring the caretaker’s bell at the entrance if you want to look around. It’s then just a few more kilometres to the riverside bar ’t Oud Sashuis, located in an abandoned lock-keeper’s house. The interior is crammed with shipping mementoes, old photographs and dried sausages hanging on strings, while French songs play in the background. Use the numbered cycle route signs, or knooppunten, to plot a route. \ fietsnet.be

The strangely overlooked Gaasbeek Castle lies just outside Brussels in the rolling Pajottenland countryside of Flemish Brabant. Here you can explore dark Neo Gothic interiors, including a dining hall, round tower and luxurious Art Deco bathroom installed by the last countess to live here.

These romantic rooms are often the setting for contemporary art exhibitions on creative themes like sex and death.

After a visit, you can wander around the wooded estate, visit the walled vegetable garden and drink a beer in one of the taverns at the castle gates. Kasteelstraat 40, Lennik \ kasteelvangaasbeek.be

folloW the brussels street art trail The street art scene in Brussels emerged in the 1990s when the city, modelling itself on Berlin, took a more tolerant attitude towards graffiti. Many of the best street artists flocked to the abandoned Kapellekerk railway station in the Marollen where the art organisation Recyclart was based. The artists were given permission to create works in the tunnels that run under the railway viaduct. Here you find striking works by local artists such as Bonom and ROA as well as Greek artist Sonke. From the station, head into the Marollen district where vibrant street art can be found in cobbled alleys off the Hoogstraat. \ recyclart.be

find the bruGes no one knoWs Millions of tourists head straight for the crowded centre of Bruges, but almost no one walks around the old ramparts.

Landscaped in the 19th century, they form an almost continuous green belt around the old city. This is where to head if you want to escape the crowds. You might pass the occasional fisherman or a couple riding their bikes, but almost everyone is local. The seven-kilometre trail takes you past city gates, windmills and a wooden crane, with authentic local pubs like De Windmolen providing stops along the way. \ brugge.be

Wander alonG Mechelen’s lost river It’s one of Flanders’ forgotten rivers. The Dijle flows secretly between old buildings in Mechelen, but you can track it down at a couple of spots. Begin on Zoutwerf, a former harbour with an impressive Renaissance house once owned by the guild of fishermen. Here you can pick up the Dijlepad wooden walkway that meanders along stretches of water once accessible only by boat. Then head back to the charming cafe De Gouden Vis near the old fish market where you can sit outside on a sunny terrace overlooking the river. \ mechelen.be

octoBEr 12, 2016

anders in 20 stops and activities in the region

text by derek Blyth

visit a MuseuM Where you don’t Want to be alone The strange and haunting Dr Guislain Museum occupies the 19th-century psychiatric institution founded by Dr Jozef Guislain. Visitors can wander through chilling deserted wards still furnished with iron beds and old medical equipment.

One room contains a terrifying mechanical saw used in operations to remove the top of the skull. The temporary exhibitions are always fascinating, as is the extensive collection of outsider art. Almost no one leaves this museum untouched.

J Guislainstraat 43, Ghent \ museumdrguislain.be

hop on a free bike to explore ostend’s hinterland Most people struggle to find a parking place at the coast, but Ostend has come up with a smart solution. You can park on the edge of town and then hop on a free bike to get around.

Launched back in 1998, the Park & Bike scheme hands out distinctive bright yellow bikes at three locations. You can be at the beach in a few minutes, or, if you want to be more adventurous, set off on the 30km Groen Lint route around the edge of Ostend. This takes you on an intriguing route, past a race course, oyster farm, fishermen’s church and across the harbour on a free ferry. Download the route map from the tourist office website. \ visitoostende.be

visit the World’s Most beautiful chocolate shop When Dominique Persoone opened The Chocolate Line in Bruges, people were rather shocked that he used ingredients like smoked eel, fried bacon and cauliflower. But then he was awarded a place in the Michelin guide, and the critics adjusted their opinion. His second shop occupies two rooms in a former royal palace on Antwerp’s Meir, once occupied by Napoleon’s brother. The chocolates are sold in an elegant room with 18th-century wall paintings, while the ancient tiled kitchen is now a chocolate workshop. Paleis op de Meir, Meir 50, Antwerp \ dominiquepersoone.be

take a niGht Walk in Ghent Ghent is an atmospheric city after dark thanks in part to an inspiring urban lighting plan. The ancient Gothic buildings like Vleeshuis and Sint-Baaf ’s are illuminated with subtle lights that bring out the mediaeval details, while spotlights in the pavements create a theatrical effect when anyone walks past. Start a night walk on Sint-Michiels bridge and follow the waterfront north to Vrijdagmarkt. Then head east to the streets around Sint-Jacobs church. Central Ghent \ gentverlicht.be

Walk under the river in antWerp © Toerisme Vlaanderen

stroll throuGh eccentric architecture Antwerp’s unforgettable Zurenborg district is just outside of Berchem station. Here you find some of the most stunning 19th-century architecture in Europe. The main street, CogelsOsylei, is lined with buildings in every style imaginable, from mock Greek temples to Art Nouveau. The exuberance continues in the surrounding streets, where wealthy locals built grand houses decorated with turrets, balconies and painted ceramic tiles. It used to be a forgotten district with few restaurants, but the squares De Dageraadplaats and Draakplaats are now lively urban hubs. Cogels-Osylei, Antwerp

Many people don’t even realise you can walk under the river Scheldt. Just over half a kilometre long, the white tiled SintAnna tunnel was built in 1933. You find the entrance in an Art Deco brick building behind the basketball court on SintJansvliet. A creaky wooden escalator takes you down to the tunnel level, where you can walk to the other side in about 10 minutes. But what do you do once you get across? In the past, people headed along the waterfront to Sint-Anna beach, a little resort that was the height of fashion in the 1930s. Locals still come here to eat in the fish restaurants behind the sea wall, swim in the open-air pool and cycle along the dyke towards the Dutch border. But don’t expect beach huts and night clubs. Sint-Jansvliet, Antwerp

adMire the station that Moved 36 Metres take a foodie tour in the Westhoek Some of the strangest food and beer is produced in the rolling hills of the Flemish west country around Ypres. It’s worth checking out the bierpaté sold in local butchers, with each recipe using a different local beer. Some say the best is made

by Puydtjes, where they use the strong Sint-Bernardus Abt 12 beer. Look out also for potjevlesch, literally a “little pot of meat”, made with chicken, rabbit and veal preserved in jelly and served with a bowl of frietjes and a beer. And if you ever find yourself in Poperinge, drop into Bakkerij Sansen to pick up a marazinetaart. This sweet sponge cake is named after a Cardinal Jules Mazarin, who soaked sponge cake in warm butter and cinnamon sauce to create a sweet, sticky pudding. \ toerismewesthoek.be

sneak a look at a forbidden sculpture Displayed in a temple designed by the young Victor Horta, Jef Lambeau’s “Human Passions” has not been seen by the public since 1899. But curious visitors peer through the keyhole for a glimpse of this notorious banned relief. Carved from 17 blocks of white Carrara marble, it features dozens of naked bodies representing human passions such as seduction, suicide, birth, drunkennessandmurder.Thisprovedtoomuchfor19th-century sensitivities, and the temple’s entrance was bricked up just three days after it was unveiled. In 2015 it will be open temporarily to visitors, on Wednesdays and weekends until 25 October.

Jubelpark Museum, Etterbeek (Brussels) \ kmkg-mrahbe

You might not think Antwerpen-Dam looks different from any other Belgian train station. Located near Park Spoor Noord, it’s a typical Flemish Renaissance brick building standing alongside a railway viaduct. But an exhibition of old photographs in the tunnel under the viaduct tells an astonishing story. It reveals that the entire station was moved 36 metres in 1907 using an ingenious system of mechanical jacks and rails. The company that carried out this exceptional engineering project hoped that it could sell the technology elsewhere, but the concept never took off, leaving Dam station as a unique experiment. Damplein, Antwerp

discover the neW berlin Set off through the streets of Brussels to check out some quirky art galleries in unusual locations. Begin at Wiels, where edgy art is shown in a former brewery next to the railway tracks. The newly opened rooftop space adds to the excitement of this industrial space. Head uptown to Poelaertplein where several galleries, including the well-known Jan Mot, have taken over a large building once occupied by a law publisher. Now head through Elsene to Galerie Valerie Bach, where art is exhibited in a former skating rink. End your art tour at Galerie Rivoli where several small galleries such as the popular Xavier Hufkens have taken over a 1970s shopping mall. \ bamart.be

This guide to quirky Flanders is also available in a handy e-book, which you can download at tinyurl.com/quirky-flanders

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octoBEr 12, 2016

The secret life of wasps

ku leuven researchers take to back gardens to study an enduring pest ian mundell More articles by Ian \ flanderstoday.eu

I

t’s a hot September afternoon in the Leuven suburbs, but Thomas Gyselinck and Jana Dobelmann are putting on extra layers. Over their regular clothes go protective suits, complete with hoods and masks, and thick gloves with gauntlets.

Silver gaffer tape is wound around the gauntlets and the point where trouser cuffs meet rubber boots.

Tape also goes over the tops of the zippers on the suits, closing off any gaps.

They are about to go hunting wasps, aggressive black and yellow insects capable of stinging over and over if provoked. This contrasts them with bees, which sting once and then die. So this is no time for a wardrobe malfunction.

I’m here to watch the operation, but I’m beginning to feel a little under-dressed. The owners of the garden where the wasp hunt will take place have sensibly decided to watch from inside the house.

Some species of wasp are solitary, but Gyselinck and Dobelmann are interested in the common wasp (Vespula vulgaris). These insects are social, forming highly structured communities in underground nests.

In the spring or early summer, wasp queens emerge from hibernation and search for suitable nest sites, such as abandoned mouse holes. Inside, they build a small comb out of paper made from chewed-up wood and lay eggs, which develop into larvae and then eventually into worker wasps.

These are also female, but generally cannot reproduce.

The workers take over foraging for food and nest building, while the queen lays more eggs, producing even more workers (and a nuisance for humans). Then, towards the end of the summer, larvae are produced, which develop into males and new queens.

Once hatched, the insects leave the nest and seek appropriate mates from other colonies. The fertilised queens then look for somewhere to hibernate for the winter.

© Ian Mundell

Thomas Gyselinck and Jana Dobelmann dig wasps’ nests out of the ground for study back at the lab in leuven

September is the best time to collect nests if you want to study the reproductive phase of the wasp life cycle. Each year, the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) offers people living within 15 kilometres of the city a free disposal service if they have a problem nest. This provides valuable research material for the university, while householders save the €50 that the fire brigade usually charges for removing a nest.

Gyselinck is organising this year’s collection, while Dobelmann is visiting from New Zealand to collect samples for a research project at Victoria University, Wellington.

Satisfied that their suits are wellsealed, they go around the back of the house and into the garden. The wasps have built their nest at the edge of a concrete path that runs through trees, making it a little bit tricky to get at.

While a beekeeper would usually calm a hive down with smoke, this is not an option with an underground wasp nest. There is no alternative but to dig away and let the wasps do their worst.

There are already a few of the insects foraging outside the nest, but the numbers increase dramat-

ically as Gyselinck starts to probe the ground with his spade. I retreat to a safe distance and watch as the pair remove soil and small roots before reaching the paper of the nest.

They loosen the soil, and then I see Gyselinck lift up the nest. It’s about

With an underground nest, there is no alternative but to dig away and let the wasps do their worst the size of a basketball, the biggest of the summer so far.

He drops it into a fine-mesh bag that Dobelmann is holding, and she puts it into a plastic box. Then they scoop up and sieve more soil from the hole, to be sure they have caught the queen. The box is taped shut, they fill in the hole, and we all pile back into the van.

Back in the lab, Dobelmann pipes carbon dioxide into the box, to make the wasps drowsy and manageable. Then the combs are lifted out and photographed.

You can see the different zones

VUB sends athletes to first ‘Bionic Olympics’ The Brussels Human Robotics Research Center (BruBotics) at the Free University of Brussels (VUB) is sending two athletes to the first Cybathlon Championship, dubbed the ‘Bionic Olympics’, this weekend in Zurich. Participating athletes use the newest robotics technologies to deal with a disability.

Unlike in the Paralympic Games, Cybathlon athletes are allowed to use actively assisting “bionic” technologies. The VUB athletes are

registered for the powered leg prosthetics race.

As well as being a competition,

where drones, males and potential queens are developing. These will be digitally mapped and measured. Later the combs, the wasps and the larvae will be quickly frozen. This is both a humane way of killing them, and the best way of preserving them for future study.

“This project has been running for five or 10 years, and we have been studying the wasps for different reasons,” explains Tom Wenseleers, research professor in the Laboratory of Socioecology and Social Evolution, part of KU Leuven’s biology department.

Early work examined how the social structure and the division of labour within wasp colonies was maintained. Now the focus is on sequencing the wasp genome in order to find out how this social behaviour evolved. “We would like to compare the genome to that of solitary ancestors,” says Wenseleers, “to get a grip on what genes are involved in this social behaviour.”

The collaboration with New Zealand is about controlling the common wasp. These were only

the Cybathlon is a unique meeting of the top robotics research centres and companies in the world. It gives them the chance to show their latest developments to a broad public and possible investors.

VUB’s Ankle Mimicking Prosthesis team have developed an ankle and leg prosthesis for Maher Latiri, which adapts to a surface like a human foot. It not only allows extra comfort, it limits the chance

introduced to the country in the 1970s but now represent a threat to the native species, which are solitary and generally harmless.

“The common wasps are really abundant and dominate food sources, and they sting people, so New Zealand wants to get rid of them,” Dobelmann explains.

The goal of the three-year project is to look for a disease or another limiting factor in European nests that is not present in New Zealand.

“We are looking for correlations that could help with pest control,” she says.

BruBotics.Eu

of damage caused by an unnatural walking or running pattern.

The university’s Cyberlegs team developed a knee-ankle-foot prosthesis, which athlete Michel De Groote can operate with a remote control. It helps him to both stand up and move. “With a regular prosthesis, I would have to do 90% of the effort myself, but this prosthesis takes over most of the effort, so I have less back problems,” said De Groote. \ Andy Furniere

Week in education new course puts focus on the future The Erasmus university college in Brussels has introduced the country’s first course on future research. In strategic futures orientation, third-year students in the Idea & Innovation Management study stream will learn to “think of the future”. The course is an introduction to the methods and approaches of future research and is part of an international programme for exchange students. Lecturer Maya Van Leemput said the course responds to the growing trend among governments, companies and organisations to focus on long-term evolutions and transformations.

Last year the college set up the Applied Futures Research knowledge centre, which has a team of 230 students, lecturers and researchers.

1 in 4 kU leuven students fail studies

Some 600 first-year students at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) are being forced to enrol in a different bachelor’s programme or to change universities, as a result of a measure taken by the university last year to prevent students taking too much time to complete a bachelor’s degree. The 2015-16 academic year is the first in which KU Leuven students are required to achieve at least 30% of their study points – meaning passing at least two of their courses – to continue in their programme. More than one in four of the students, or 2,352, did not reach the 30% minimum. Most of those voluntarily chose another study option, but 600 students wanted to try again in the same programme.

Higher education watchdog streamlined

The government of Flanders is restructuring the system whereby institutions of higher education are monitored for any legal infractions or financial mismanagement. There are currently seven government commissioners monitoring Flanders’ universities and colleges, but the Court of Audit and company auditors arealsoinvolvedintheprocess.

To avoid duplication of work, the government is cutting the number of commissioners involved to four and co-ordinating tasks. Every commissioner will monitor a group of institutions. Two years ago, the government replaced the system of separate inspections of study streams – the so-called visitations – with the current system, which sees the institutions checked as a whole. \ AF

\ 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

\ lIVInG

octoBEr 12, 2016

Faster than his shadow

Week in activities

at 70, lucky luke continues to capture hearts of readers worldwide toon lambrechts More articles by Toon \ flanderstoday.eu

comicscEntEr.nEt

W

ho remembers reading Lucky Luke’s hapless adventures as a kid, laughing at the stupidity of the Dalton brothers or the sassiness of the cowboy’s trusty horse, Jolly Jumper? Over the years, the Lucky Luke series has been translated into more than 20 languages, becoming a cornerstone of Belgium’s comics industry.

Created in 1946, the character of Lucky Luke – known as the “man who shoots faster than his shadow” – was the brainchild of Maurice De Bevere, better known as Morris.

The character, now celebrating his 70th birthday, made his first appearance in the comic magazine Spirou.

Morris, who was born in Kortrijk and attended school in Aalst, wrote the comic in French and initially scripted and illustrated it all himself. Starting in 1955, other writers took over the scripting role, beginning with René Goscinny. With Morris’ death in 2001, the French artist Achdé became the series’ main illustrator.

Lucky Luke’s immense staying power comes as no surprise to Willem De Graeve. “Together with Tintin and the Smurfs, Lucky Luke, is one of the most popular comic series in Belgium,” says the director of the Belgian Comic Strip Center in Brussels. “Its success is the result of the collaboration between two great talents –

Morris and Goscinny.”

Morris, he continues, “was a very gifted cartoonist who knew how to make drawings come to life.

He borrowed a lot of the techniques of cinematography, including long shots, close-ups and worm’s-eye view. That was something new for his time”.

The collaboration with Goscinny, known for his work on the Asterix series, proved fruitful. “Goscinny was arguably among the best comic book script writers of his generation,” says De Graeve.

“He worked on two levels. His stories include elements for children, like funny Indians or stupid desperados. But they’re also infused with more adult-oriented themes, including references to historical figures, like Jesse James and the Daltons. Goscinny gave the series new depth.”

In addition to adapting cinema techniques to the page, Morris also envisioned Lucky Luke as a spoof of the Western genre.

“This helps explain why the series has become so popular outside of Belgium,” De Graeve explains. “The characters, settings and stories in Westerns appeal to a wide audience.”

Morris, who was an avid movie enthusiast, studied the Western genre in depth. Once, he even stole movie posters from a cinema, with the help of his friend and fellow illustrator André Franquin.

But his decision to draw a comic set in the American West was unusual from the start. Most series at the time, like Suske en Wiske, were distinctly Flemish, in terms of both setting and characters.

It’s both a Western comic and a brilliant parody of the genre

affectionately by this name).

It looks much the same, but, according to the new owner, the service is better, and the food has gone back to basics. Although much could be forgiven with such a location, the service at the Bootjeshuis was at busy times frustratingly slow and curt, and the menu at times rather fussy.

Day of the slow Road Every year in the autumn, this festival celebrates Flanders’ farm roads and country lanes. Choose from guided nature walks, storytelling walks for kids, farmer’s markets, bike rides and other activities in your area. 15-16 October, across Flanders; free \ dagvandetrageweg.be

But Lucky Luke, says De Graeve, “is both a Western comic and a brilliant parody of the genre. Morris and Goscinny really knew how to play on the genre’s many cliches, and that’s what makes the series so unique. While the motif of the lonesome cowboy and his faithful horse can be found in many western books and movies, Jolly Jumper’s cynical comments are truly one-of-a-kind.”

At the Belgian Comic Strip Center, a permanent exhibition serves as a tribute to Lucky Luke. A life-sized statue of the cowboy and his horse greets the museum’s visitors, put there to commemorate the series’ 70th anniversary.

Meanwhile in Antwerp, the organisers of next month’s Boekenbeurs have created a special programme to celebrate the lonesome cowboy’s birthday. May he continue shooting faster than his shadow.

tervuren’s boathouse: Back from bankruptcy and back to basics

© Courtesy Bistro Mille

Hasselt, home of the Jenever Museum, celebrates its favourite tipple every October with a weekend of jenever tastings, live music, folkloric traditions, distillery tours and more. Don’t miss the Miracle of the Borrelmanneke, when a fountain in the shape of a jolly man sitting atop a barrel pours forth free jenever instead of water.

15-16 October, Hasselt city centre; free \ jeneverfeesten.be

bite

On a quintessentially Belgian outing to the grand surroundings of the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, a beer, a waffle or some brasserie fare at the water’s edge has been de rigeur for the flocks of visitors since the 1950s.

But during the summer months, many were left wondering where to refuel, as the Bootjeshuis, which sits at the main entrance to the park overlooking the lakes, had finally gone bankrupt after years of financial struggles.

Its history is turbulent. In 2000, the brasserie burnt down and had to be completely rebuilt.

During that period, the owner, Emiel Singulé, passed away, leaving the restaurant in the hands of his wife. After fighting an insurance claim for 16 years, she finally declared bankruptcy and retired.

Now the boathouse is back with a new name and a new owner. Singulé’s son, Kurt, who stuck with the family trade and trained as a chef, has taken over the business, reopening under the name Bistro Mille (a nod to his father, known

Jenever Festival

Bistro-millE.com

“We wanted to go back to the classic Belgian kitchen,” says Kurt. “I feel that there’s a need and a demand for it. People are tired of all these special menus; they just want to get real, quality food.”

With two rambunctious little boys in tow (just to really test out the service), we head there for dinner. The menu indeed has classic Belgian fare: meatballs in tomato sauce, stoofvlees (meat cooked in beer) and vol-au-vent.

There are more fancy suggestions, including snails, but we go for burgers and fries, ribs and spaghetti. It’s served elegantly enough and with a smile and helpful comments about what to order for the kids.

It’s basic, affordable and tasty (although with a limp salad garnish). My beer expert cheers the menu with Brugse Zot (on tap), Westmalle and Chimay, among other solid choices. With tomato sauce moustaches, my five and three year-olds declare through mouthfuls of fries: “It’s good.” \ Emma Davis

Autumn Colours walk Now is the time to admire the autumn colours in Botanic Garden Meise, when the leaves are turning. To help visitors find the prettiest examples, a free brochure with a designated route through the garden is available, with helpful information about the trees. 16 October to 30 November 9.30-16.30, Nieuwelaan 38, Meise; €7 \ br.fgov.be

kasterlee Pumpkin Day This little village in Antwerp province is known as Pumpkintown, and October is Pumpkin Month with pumpkin-related activities every weekend. Pumpkin Day is marked by a wide selection of edibles made with pumpkin, including soup, waffles, fries and beer. Also, traditional craft demonstrations, live music, children’s activities and, of course, a contest for the biggest pumpkin. 16 October 10.00-18.00, Markt, Kasterlee; €3 \ tinyurl.com/pompoendag

Urban Trail - Bruges Pass major sights and landmarks during this 10km run in the city centre. You can still register online, and even on the day itself, as long as the maximum of 5,000 participants hasn’t been reached.

(Or register now for the Urban Trail run in Mechelen on 3 December.) 16 October from 8.00, Markt, Bruges; €30 \ tinyurl.com/brugestrail

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\ ARTs

Question everything new goose album should get fans dancing and dreaming christophe verbiest More articles by Christophe \ flanderstoday.eu

goosEmusic.com

Goose frontman Mickael Karkousse talks about his band’s fourth album, a calmer, more melodic offering from the Kortrijk band.

“P

eople who have already seen us live know that the visual aspect is very important,” says Mickael Karkousse, singer of Kortrijk foursome Goose. “For our concert in Antwerp we’re working on a new show, and I can promise a surprising set list. It’s been 10 years since our debut album, so we’re diving into our past to perform songs we haven’t played for a long time.”

What hasn’t changed, he promises, is that it will be one long party.

“If there’s anybody not dancing during a show, we leave the stage disappointed.”

The soundtrack for this party is a successful symbiosis of rock and electronic. Still, Karkousse doesn’t hesitate when I ask him if Goose consider themselves to be a rock band. “Yes, we do, because we’re first and foremost a live act,” he says. “When we started, more than 15 years ago, we used guitar, bass and drums. Afterwards we enriched our sound by adding other instruments, like synthesizers. But we didn’t become another group.”

Compared to their previous three albums, the new one, What You Need, is, at times, calmer and more melodic than we’re used to from Goose. “We want to keep challenging ourselves and definitely not repeat ourselves,” says Karkousse (pictured, top left). “This time we wanted to make an album that you could listen to on a Sunday morning.”

That doesn’t mean, though, that the new album is no more than a dozen ballads. Karkousse: “The title track is a good example of a danceable song that doesn’t tear up your speakers. But we threw away loads of songs – not because

they were bad but because we felt like we were repeating ourselves.

Following our instinct is, in the long run, the only justified choice.

This approach doesn’t make life easy for our fans, but ultimately it always ends well.”

Even so, play What You Need on a Sunday morning, and the sleep will be rubbed from your eyes in one whoosh. “And you’ll wake up on the right side of the bed,” says Karkousse. “We’ve always wanted to make people dance. But these days we also want to make them dream.”

He points to two diverging tendencies in the dance scene. For some

people, often producers, the impact of the music is the most important thing. Others, like Goose, put the song centre stage.

“In a sense, we’re classic songwriters. We just happen to also use electronic instruments.”

Goose went to Los Angeles to record the album, and the trip really influenced it, says Karkousse. “You can hear it in some of the songs. They have a lightness that probably wasn’t there in our previous work. A song like ‘Fall Fall Fall’ wouldn’t have made

28 october

it on to our previous albums, but it was good for this one. You can hear some of our inspirations in the song, like [French bands] Air and Phoenix.”

Karkousse doesn’t totally agree with the album being called more melodic; all their records are full of melodies, he insists, they’re just a bit more out in the open here. In that sense, he says, What You Need is a more honest and direct album.

“I think you can also find that openness in the lyrics,” he says. “I used to sing somewhat abstract,

lotto Arena

Schijnpoortweg 119, Antwerp

mysterious lyrics with space for the listener to let their imagination roam free. This time I tried to tell more clear-cut stories. I like to compare my lyrics to screenplays. Our music has always been very filmic, and the challenge was to introduce this cinematographic side in the lyrics.”

This link to cinema isn’t a surprise: Karkousse studied multimedia 3D design at Kask, Ghent’s fine arts school. This training really influences Goose, he says.

“During my studies, I was forced to think about how to formally translate my ideas. I always had to explain to my teachers why I was doing something. It might be the most important thing I learned there: being able to ask yourself the right questions. That’s what ultimately leads you to interesting ideas. If you don’t question yourself, you’ll end up at a standstill.”

After the release of their debut album, Bring It On, Goose were the talk of the town, and not only in Flanders. They toured the world, from Australia to Japan. And although they’ve played in China and in the US, their international career these days is mostly a European one.

“We were on a roll, and it was over before we realised what had happened,” says Karkousse.

“For years we’d been told that we shouldn’t aim for international success, but we always did. So when it happened, we thought it was normal. I think it’s this stubbornness that brought us there.”

Looking back, he can see what happened. “We fitted perfectly in a musical movement: the new rave.”

This term, coined by British music weekly NME, referred to bands that fused rock and electronic music.

“It was a craze for a while, and we profited from that hype.”

Some bands collapse when they realise the hype is over, but Goose have survived it without any problems, as What You Need clearly shows.

More neW Music this Month tommigun Wooden Son • 9000 After two good albums, Tommigun have surpassed themselves with Wooden Son, which opens with a short chant evoking the singing of old prison chain gangs. It gives away the main influence of this third album by the Brussels band. The rest of Wooden Son is a delicate exercise in integrating these influences into contemporary rock songs. They succeed impressively, delivering 10 heartfelt, wrenchingly wonderful songs that at times recall the sadly missed

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San Diego trio The Black Heart Procession.

Singer Thomas Devos sounds more melancholic than ever, but the other members contribute, too, to the album’s vocal beauty.

An album that keeps haunting the listener, long after the last note has died away. \ tommigun.be

sleepers’ reign King into Delight • Sialia Four years after Sleepers’ Reign finished second in Humo’s Rock Rally (and won the

audience award), the four youngsters have finally released their debut album. King into Delight is a tasty potpourri of styles, from electro to indie rock, with almost always slight psychedelic undertones. At times they remind me of Vampire Weekend, whose producer they work with, the colourful pop of XTC and the genial aural experiments of The Beta Band. Sometimes Sleepers’ Reign try to cram too many ideas into one song, but even then the result is charming. All in all, a very entertaining, audacious debut album. \ facebook.com/sleepersreign

\ AGEnDA

octoBEr 12, 2016

The classy, stylish Kortrijk you didn’t know existed

tour

Biennale Interieur 14-23 october

W

Brussels

Across kortrijk

across kortrijk

hile London just recently closed its first ever and Istanbul just counted its third, Kortrijk is celebrating its 25th. This month’s Biennale Interieur in Kortrijk will exhibit works of close to 400 local and international interior brands and designers.

Design buffs rejoice. New designs by Italian leader Alessi and century-old Giorgetti sit side by side with newcomers such as the young Ghent-based duo Roos & Hinke, Flemish crafts workshop Tradewinds and the breath-taking collaborative project between designer Alexandre Lowie and sculptor Ben Storms. Also, keep an eye out for the dresses worn by the event’s hosts when entering, as they were conceived by internationally acclaimed Flemish fashion designer Ann Demeulemeester.

Don’t leave before visiting The Circus, a new showroom reminiscent of an old-fashioned big

© BasPrincen

top, with stands, festoon lights and a stage in sleek black and white. Ten brands will present their work here.

Other highlights include an exhibition on legends Le Corbusier and Perriand and the collaborative project Belgian Matters in which

designers from Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia were asked to collaborate on one design. Did it turn out to be a big mess?

The main stage at Kortrijk Xpo will host myriad talks, of which Dutch interior journalist Kitty de Groot’s discourse on “New Ways of Working” is expected to attract the largest crowd.

Outside the Texture Museum, meanwhile, an installation combining various archetypes of Belgian architecture by the visionary photographer Filip Dujardin will be opened to the public, while the works of the four Flemish laureates of the West Flanders Design Prize will be exhibited inside the museum.

Creative City Tours will take visitors past upmarket restaurants, authentic bistros, trendy bars, classy shops and surprising architectural highlights of this often under-appreciated city. \ Daan Bauwens

perforMance

africana flavours 2016

the flying dutchman

Africa has long been a crossroads of cultures. This third edition of the Africana Flavours food festival showcases the continent’s culinary diversity, the fruit of millennia of exchange and migration. Foodies and their families will revel in delicious regional dishes as they learn about Africa’s rich cultural tapes-

wijkhuis Malibran, Brussels tHEfoodBridgE.org

try. Some of the recipes are ageold while others are recent innovations inspired by global influences.

The all-day event is organised by local non-profit The Food Bridge in collaboration with the Brussels chapter of Slow Foods as well as a host of activist organisations. \ Georgio Valentino

20 october to 22 november Der Fliegende Holländer may not be among Richard Wagner’s best-known operas but his adaptation of the Flying Dutchman legend boasts all the right ingredients: existential angst, windswept locales and a sweeping score. The plot revolves around a ghost ship fated to wander the seven seas for all eternity, or at least until

\ naturalsciences.be

filM Brussels Alimenterre: Documentary film festival all about human consumption and agriculture, including the Danish documentary Bugs, followed by an insect tasting and concert.

13-16 October, Cinéma Galeries, Koninginnegalerij 26 \ festivalalimenterre.be

fair

food&drink 15 october, from 14.00

Lunchtime Dinosaur Tour: Guided tour of Brussels’ famous dinosaur exhibit, featuring complete skeletons of the many Iguanodons and Mosasaurus discovered in Belgium more than 135 years ago (in Dutch). 13 October 12.30-13.30, Museum of Natural Sciences, Vautierstraat 29

Brussels Opera Antwerp & Ghent oPEraBallEt.BE

its cursed captain can find someone to love. This new production reunites German director Tatjana Gürbaca and her creative team, who won multiple international awards for their 2013 production of Wagner’s Parsifal. The orchestra is conducted by German wunderkind Cornelius Meister, a rising star at the Vienna State Opera. \ GV

Brussels Horse Days: First edition of the comprehensive event for enthusiasts of all things equestrian, from horse care and breeding to jumping and riding, featuring evening shows such as Epona, a breathtaking display of human-horse symbiosis. 14-16 October, Tour & Taxis, Havenlaan 86c \ brussels-horse-days.com

talk Brussels Brussel Vertelt (Brussels Tells): Five residents of the capital take turns telling stories about their hometown, including true and personal anecdotes, with topics ranging from Magritte to broken hearts (in Dutch). 13 October 19.30-21.00, Muntpunt, Muntplein 6 \ muntpunt.be

visual arts Philippe cornet: american fragments until 30 october Cultural centre Botanique celebrates the upcoming US presidential election with this ethnographic photo exhibition. Brussels-based journalist Philippe Cornet, a regular visitor to the States since 1981, recently realised how much the country has changed and duly set about documenting these changes with his camera. American Fragments features candids of American celebrities as well as anonymous citizens going through the humdrum of everyday life in that most misunderstood and polarising of countries. Each face reflects another side of the American Dream. In keeping with national cliché, entry is free. \ GV

Botanique, Brussels BotaniquE.BE

concert

night of the Proms 5-11 november Inspired by the festive atmosphere of the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms, two enterprising Flemish students launched their own Night of the Proms in 1985. The event, which blends the classical music of the original Proms with contemporary pop, was a hit from the start and is now an international concert series starring bigname performers from around the world. The headliners of this 32nd edition include American soul singer Chaka Khan (pictured) and Belgium’s most recent Eurovision alum, Laura Tesoro. After its opening run in Antwerp, Night of the Proms moves east for a onenighter at Hasselt’s Ethias Arena.

perforMance get tic kets n ow

sportpaleis, Antwerp notP.com

Antwerp

get tic k

ets no w

Jesus Christ Superstar: Extra dates have been added to the Antwerp run of the famous rock opera telling the story of the last week of Jesus’ life.

It stars Ted Neeley, the same actor who played the leading role in the 1973 film (in English). 11-15 January, Stadsschouwburg, Theaterplein 1 \ stadsschouwburgantwerpen.be

Brussels English Stand-Up: Ritcs Café kicks off its new comedy season with acts by Australian comedian Johnny Kats, the UK’s Neville Raven and Nikolas Rabogliatti of the US and Belgium (in English). 18 October 20.00-23.00, Ritcs Café, Dansaertstraat 70 \ ritcscafe.be

\ GV

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octoBEr 12, 2016

Talking Dutch

voices of flanders today

let it all hang out

derek Blyth More articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu

H

ere’s one story you might not want to share with your mum on Facebook. Penis in Sint-Gillis moet weg, penetratie in centrum mag blijven – Penis in Sint-Gillis has to go, penetration in the centre can stay, ran the headline in Het Laatste Nieuws.

Wow, I thought, that’s not something you read every day. It seems that two new examples of street art had recently been sprayed on walls in Brussels. Het ene toonde een penis – One showed a penis, op het andere was een penetratie te zien – the other showed penetration.

The Sint-Gillis mural (pictured) sparked something of a debate.

Sommigen vonden het een kunstexpressie – Some people considered it art, anderen vonden het dan weer vulgair – others found it simply vulgar.

In the end, the Sint-Gillis council became a bit prudish, while Brussels-City was totally relaxed. De grote muurschildering met een penis aan de Parklaan in Sint-Gillis – The huge penis mural on Parklaan in Sint-Gillis tegenover een katholieke school – opposite a Catholic school moet verdwijnen – has to go. Dat aan de Visverkopersstraat in Brussel-Stad – the one on Visverkop-

Š sally Tipper

ersstraat in Brussels-City, waar een penetratie te zien is – which shows penetration mag dan weer blijven – is allowed to stay.

The decision by Sint-Gillis to paint over the artwork was followed by a promise to replace it. Het is de bedoeling dat er een nieuwe tekening komt – It’s the intention to introduce a new drawing, maar dat zal in samenspraak met buurtbewoners gebeuren – but it will be done in consultation with local residents, said Sint-Gillis councillor for public cleanliness Carlo Luyckx.

De nieuwe tekening zal een zijn die niet choqueert – The new drawing will be one that won’t shock

people, he added. Iemand die wil choqueren kan dat in een museum doen – Anyone who wants to shock can do that in a museum.

But the debate continues. In an opinion piece in De Standaard, science correspondent Hilde van den Eynde wrote een pleidooi voor een piemel – a plea for a penis. Een stad met ballen – A city with balls, she argued, zou haar toeristische dienst een wandeling laten uitzetten – would get its tourist office to create a walk langs haar groeinde oeuvre van graffitikunst – along its growing body of graffiti art, in plaats van haar te willen wissen – instead of wanting to erase it.

Sven Gatz, the Flemish minister for culture (and also for Flemish affairs in Brussels), was also unhappy with the decision. Ik vind het sneu – I think it’s a pity, he said, dat men een kunstwerk verwijdert – that people remove a work of art omdat het mensen een beetje tegen de borst stoot – because people find it a little bit offensive. Laat hem hangen – let it all hang out, hij hangt daar goed – it’s hanging just fine where it is.

A petition is now being circulated calling on people to Red de Penis – Save the Penis. And you thought Brussels was boring.

PHoto of tHE wEEk

In response to Gaia wants animal rights written into constitution Geneviève Honnay: I really hope Gaia succeeds. Animals deserve it!

In response to Pets allowed at new Villa Samson hospital department Amanda Tobin: Excellent. Well done UZ Brussels for this progressive move.

In response to No talks with British before Article 50, says Verhofstadt Justin Quang Nguyen: So there is nothing official yet đ&#x;˜‰

Leesa @Leesa So I’ve heard you’re into castles... You should come to my hometown, Ghent, Belgium. You will love it! #Gravenkasteel

Ludmila Carone @Exotides Last day in Leuven. Excellent cake and coffee and real sadness to leave.

David O’Reilly @francofilms_uk Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine opens today. I found the house.

Meant to be on a Welsh island, found in the suburbs of Antwerp! #MissPeregrine

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the last Word cleaning it up

“State security had an annual budget before the attacks of â‚Ź45 million. That’s less than what Flanders spends on picking up litter in the parks, which comes to â‚Ź60 million.â€?

Jaak Raes, administrator-general of the civilian intelligence service, calling for more resources

fall from grace

“If I ever say I’ve gone back to believing in God, that’ll be proof I’ve lost my mind.�

Flemish philosopher Etienne Vermeersch, whose new book is called Over God

Pink slips

“I underestimated the emotional impact.�

Rik Vandenberghe, CEO of ING Belgium, in the parliamentary business committee on the bank’s decision to cut 3,500 jobs

on the air

“Mama, couldn’t you talk a bit faster so you can pick me up from school earlier?�

Chantal Pattyn, programme director of Klara and host of its programme Pompidou, has written a book about her relationship with her eight-yearold son, Julian Jack

Š Zoo Antwerpen

baby love Antwerp Zoo welcomed a baby Malayan tapir on Friday. The new arrival weighed in at 9kg and is the seventh to be born at the zoo. Its distinctive stripes are intended to camouflage it during its early days in the rainforest; after a few months, they will fade, and it will develop the same colouring as its parents

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