Je suis CharlieThousands take to the streets inBrussels and Ghent in solidarity withParis following newspaper officeshooting

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816 january 14, 2015 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ rEad morE at www.flandErstoday.Eu

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

Fifty years after work began on restoration, visitors toAntwerp’s cathedral can now access all areas of thedelicate interior. Though work is almost complete, the long-term renovation project was affected by a severe hailstormlast summer, and, in the coming years, the roof will needattention too.

With more than 350,000 visitors a year, theCathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp is one of themost important monuments in Flanders. Over

the past 50 years, the building has undergone a dramaticrestoration programme that sawmany parts of the buildingoff-limits to visitors for years at a time. The ambitious

project has included repairs to the exterior fabric of thebuilding, as well as its delicate interior.The cost of renovating the cathedral has been funded by theprovince of Antwerp, which is responsible for its upkeep.The province pre-finances thework, but counts on a subsidyof 60% from the government of Flanders. Since the renova-tions started in 1965, more than €52 million has been spentto repair the cathedral and protect it for future generations.While the cathedral is the responsibility of the province,the north tower is the responsibility of the city of Antwerp.This arrangement was implemented by Napoleon and stillapplies to all cathedrals in Belgium; it was a logical divisionas the belfry of each cathedral also acted as a lookout tower.

Town authorities posted sentries in the tower to spot firesor approaching enemies.From the outside, it’s obvious that not all of the renova-tions have been completed. Scaffolding on the south sideis in place to repair damage caused by a hailstorm that hitAntwerp last June. “About €1 million in damage was causedto the roof and stained-glass windows in just 10 minutes,”explains Amke Maes, project leader of the provincial resto-ration project. “That will take another eight to 10 monthsto repair.”The ongoing work affects just a small area on the southside of the cathedral. Visitors can now get unobstructedviews of the building from almost every angle – enabling

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european firstSurgeons in Antwerp are the firstin Europe to replace a mitral valvein a heart using keyhole surgery,and it took just 20 minutes

Downmemory laneExhibition in Ghent takesvisitors through the life – andthe mind – of top Flemishillustrator Carll Cneut

The 50-year makeoverantwerp cathedral is finally free of scaffolding after half-century of renovations

dan smithMore articles by Dan \ flanderstoday.eu

© Mark walker

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\ CurrenT aFFaIrs

ABelgian ecumenical group representing all of themajor religions issued a joint statement last weekunreservedly condemning “every form of terrorist

activity.” It came in response to the shooting at the office ofParis newspaper Charlie Hebdo last Wednesday by Islamicfundamentalists, which left 12 dead. A further 11 peoplewere injured. The gunmen were killed two days later in afirefight with police.The group, Ecumenical Dialogue, is composed of represent-atives of the Protestant and Evangelical, United Protestant,Roman Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox churches, as wellas Judaism, Islam and the Humanist movement.“There are not enough words with which to condemn thebrutality of the murderous attack on the editorial office ofCharlie Hebdo,” the statement read. “These horrific actionsare a direct attack on our universal human rights. We aredeeply shocked and troubled. We are faced with the moralduty to battle extremism and forced conversion within ourown ranks. Extremism can never be justified.”OnThursday, in the federal parliament, a full chamber helda minute’s silence. Prime minister Charles Michel calledfor no concessions to be given to “preachers of hate andspreaders of terror”.Belgium’s media cartoonists gathered in homage at TheCartoonist gallery in Brussels, also observing a minute’ssilence. Satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo was targetedbecause of its cartoons depicting Muhammad. “Yesterdaywas a tragic day for us,” commentedMarcDe Cloedt (MarecinHet Nieuwsblad). “They have tried since 2006 to forbid usfrom making cartoons about the God of the Muslims withpencil and paper. Now our gods have been murdered withbullets.”“Let me be quite clear: This is an attack on the freedom of

expression,” said StevenDegrysse (Lectrr inDe Standaard).“I only hope they don’t close Charlie Hebdo down becausethen they [the terrorists] will have won.”“Theclashof opinions, howeverharsh, is oneof thedefiningcharacteristics of press freedom, of freedom of expressionand of democracy,” the Flemish advisory board the Journal-ismCouncil said in a statement. “That applies also, perhapsespecially, for opinions which offend, shock or disturb.”The editorial offices of P-Magazine and Clint.be in Beverenwere among a number of locations receiving increasedpolice protection following the shooting, interior ministerJan Jambon announced. According to the federal govern-ment’s risk analysis office, there is no reason to raise thealert level from the present Level Two.On the day of the shooting itself, about 500 members of thepublic gathered at the French consulate on Regentlaan inBrussels, while about 1,000 converged on Luxemburgpleinnear the European Parliament, to express solidarity withthe victims of the attacks.

protest marchesAn estimated 20,000 people joined a silent march in Brus-sels on Sunday in protest at the terrorist attack. “We citi-zens condemn strongly and unambiguously all forms andexpressions of fanaticism and extremism,” the organiserssaid. “Our message is ‘YES’ to freedom of speech and free-dom of the press and ‘NO’ to hatred and propaganda.”About 3,000 people joined a demonstration in Ghent, whilehundreds of Belgians travelled to Paris to take part in amarch that drew 1.5 million people, including world lead-ers.Minister Jambon also travelled to Paris to take part in aninternational conference on terrorism. He said he planned

tomake proposals to optimise the exchange of informationbetween national security services.“I find it shocking that the perpetrators of the attacks inParis were on the US and UK security services’ terrorismsuspect listsbutnotonthoseof theFrenchsecurityservices,”he said. He added that better exchange of information wasessential “because terrorism knows no borders”.Meanwhile, Flanders’ minister-president, Geert Bourgeois,said the attacks represented an attack on the fundamentalvalues of pluralism and freedom of speech. “Everyone has theright to express their views freely,” he said. “That includes theright to publish provocative satire, which is something I’mfamiliar with as a politician.” \ Alan Hope and Derek Blyth

Belgian ecumenical and pressgroups condemn Paris attacksmarches in Brussels and ghent in solidarity with france after charlie Hebdo shooting

Prisoner Frank Van den Bleeken,who was due to undergo euthana-siaonSundayafterserving30yearsin prison for rape and murder,will instead be transferred to anew psychiatric treatment centrein Ghent, federal justice ministerKoen Geens announced. Van denBleeken will ultimately have hiswish to be transferred to a carefacility in the Netherlands.Van den Bleeken, who is housedin the medical wing of the prisonin Turnhout, would have been thefirstprisoner inFlanders toreceiveeuthanasia after his request was

granted last year. His request wasdue to “intolerable psychologicalsuffering” caused by receiving nomental health care in the prisonsystem for 30 years.The European Court for HumanRights in Strasbourg hascondemned Belgium 14 times forfailing to provide mental healthcare formentally ill detainees. Vanden Bleeken claims nothing hasbeen done to curb the dangerousimpulses that led him to commithis crimes.The euthanasia procedure was setto take place in Bruges on 11 Janu-

ary, but Geens said that Van denBleeken would instead be trans-ferred to the forensic psychiat-

ric centre (FPC) in Ghent, whichopened last spring. There, acourse of suitable treatment willbe determined, said Geens. ForVan den Bleeken, that could meananother transfer to the PompeFoundation facility in Nijmegen,the Netherlands.Van den Bleeken rejected a previ-ous offer of a place in FPC Ghent,a project which was still in theconstruction phase when he filedfor the right to euthanasia. Hewasprepared to suspend his eutha-nasia request if he were trans-ferred to the Pompe Foundation.

However, Belgium and the Neth-erlands have no protocol for sucha transfer.“Very recent intense contacts”with Dutch justice minister FredTeeven, said Geens, “offer theclear possibility of a rapid trans-fer” to theNijmegen facility. Geenshas been working to develop newavenues of treatment for long-term detainees with psychiat-ric problems. There are approx-imately 1,150 such prisoners inBelgium who are housed in ordi-nary prisons.

archaeological items from the IronAge returned to Iran by the Jubel-park Museum in Brussels, percourt order. The items had beenbrought to Brussels in the 1960s

of cannabis seized in a singlepublic transport action carried outby MIVB staff and federal railwayspolice in Brussels. More than 5,800passengers on trams and metroswere checked

transgender patients seen in 2014at Ghent University Hospital’sgender clinic – 30% more than in2013. The reason is the breakdownof taboo and the increase in posi-tive images in the media, said theclinic

annual gross salary for Luc Coene,governor of the National Bank,making him the best-paid centralbanker in the Eurozone

passengers carried by BrusselsAirlines in 2014, 17%more than theprevious year, despite the provin-cial and national strikes of the endof the year

Flemish prisoner will not be euthanized

349 6.9 million148

© Corbis

MePs observed a minute of silence in front of the european Parliament inBrussels on Thursday

© Virginie lefour

Frank Van Den Bleeken during last year’shearing regarding whether to grant hisrequest for euthanasia

january 14, 2015

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faCe of flanDers

“A Belgian Politician” is thetitle of a 2011 painting by LucTuymans, considered by manyto be Belgium’s greatest livingpainter. Last week a civil casewasbroughtagainst theAntwerpartist accusing him of breach ofintellectual property rights.According to photographerKatrijn Van Giel, who works forDe Standaard, the painting is adirect copy of her 2010 portraitof maverick MP Jean-MarieDedecker. Van Giel is claimingdamages of €50,000, intendedto deter Tuymans from makingfurther reproductions.Van Giel’s depiction of Dedeckershows him cut off at the jawlineand centres on his forehead.Thepainting not only repeats theunusual framing, but also exag-gerates even more Dedecker’ssweaty brow.Tuymans has admitted using thephoto as inspiration but deniesit is a copy. His work, he claims,

is a parody. The law on copy-rights, he argues, allows an orig-inal work to be transformed forthe purposes of parody.“Humour and parody are notrestricted to slapstick,” arguesTuymans’ lawyer Michael DeVroey. “Luc Tuymans wanted tocreate a strong image to delivera critique of the move to theright wing in Belgian society. Hiswork is therefore more than justa painted version of a photo.Theformat and colour contrasts aredifferent, so that no confusioncould be possible.”Counsel for the plaintiff, DieterDelarue, replied: “Of course theywill now say it’s a parody, sincethat is the only way to escapejudgement. To my knowledge,Luc Tuymans is not really bestknown for his humorous works.This defence is more of a parodythan the work itself.”A judgement is expected by 22January. \ Alan Hope

“a Belgian Politician”

The city of Ghent regularly receives plaudits fromtourism media who, realising Brussels and Brugesare news to no-one, act as if they’ve uncoveredsomethinghithertounknown, year after year.None,however, has so far been soprestigious as themaga-zine Condé Nast Traveler, part of the stable thatincludes The New Yorker, Vogue, Vanity Fair andWired, which last week named Ghent one of itseight “rough diamonds” – or “dark horse destina-tions”.Ghent, themagazine claims, is “oneofWesternEurope’smostunderappreciated treasures,”with “snakingcanals… as impressive as Amsterdam’s” but “a fraction of thesightseers” (though doubtless not for much longer).“Having survived a German occupation during bothWorld Wars,” the magazine goes on, “Ghent providesa pristine portal to the past but displays a distinctly

modern energy in its annual summer festival” — areference to the Bacchanalia that is theGentse Feesten.“Although American tourists have been slow to catchon, Europeans clearly know where the party’s at.”For the record, the other seven rough diamonds are:Tulum in Mexico; Frankfort, Kentucky; Victoria,Canada; Santa Rosa, California; Waterbury, Vermont;Granada, Nicaragua; and Lafayette, Louisiana. Ghent isnot only the only selection in Europe, it’s the only onenot in the Americas.Ghent’s timing lastweekwaspretty perfect, then, asit announced the success of its main tourist attrac-tions, led by Sint-Baaf ’s cathedral,with 753,000 visi-tors, followedby theGravensteen castle (photo), theVan Eyck altarpiece and Sint-Pieters Abbey. A totalof 1,192,311 visitors. Not bad for an undiscoveredtreasure. \ AH

diamond in the roughoffsiDe

weeK in briefFootballer Bernard “Junior”Malanda-Adje, the Belgian under-21 international playing for Wolfs-burg in the German Bundesliga,died at the weekend in a caraccident in Germany en routeto the airport. The 20-year-oldplayed for Zulte Waregem, firstas a defender before switchingto defensive midfield, and signedfor Wolfsburg in 2013, where heplayed alongside fellow Red DevilKevin De Bruyne.

A verdict in the trial in Antwerp of46 men accused of membershipof a terrorist organisation,Sharia4Belgium, has been delayedby a month. The trial ran from endSeptember last year to 10 Decem-ber, and a verdict was expectedthis week.

Flemish public broadcaster VRThasscrappeditschannelOp12as a cost-cutting measure. Op12was introduced as an extension ofchildren’s channel Ketnet on thesame frequency and was intendedto provide programmes for youngpeople aged 12 and over. Fans ofFlanders, the broadcast in Englishfor expats, also aired on the chan-nel. The frequency will now serveafter 20.00 as overflow for Eén andCanvas, providing services suchas culture, sports and programmewith audio description for thepartially sighted. Fans of Flandersstill airs on Canvas.

The Flemish Red Cross has beguna new campaign to attract blooddonors of type O-negative,supplies of which are criticallylow.The blood type is of particularimportance, as it can be transfusedinto anyone of any other bloodgroup. Visitors the campaignwebsite can keep track of the stateof stocks of their own blood type.

\ www.wiehelpjij.be

This year’s Days Without Meatcampaign has been launched bya group of celebrities, includingsinger Natalia, filmmaker Adil El

Arbi, shoe retailer Wouter Torfsand star chef Kobe Desramaults.The campaign is aimed at groups,which can sign up to skip animalflesh for 40 days this year and posttheir progress online.

\ www.dagenzondervlees.be

Three port workers from Antwerpwho were involved in clasheswith police during an anti-austerity demonstration in Brus-sels in November have been giventhe maximum number of hours ofcommunity service (300) possible.Themenwere among four broughtbefore a court for taking part instone-throwing and damage toproperty. A number of police offic-ers were injured. The fourth man’scase was re-opened after newevidence came to light. He will besentenced later, together with fiveother accused.

The TV stations ATV (coveringAntwerp), TV Limburg and TVOost (covering East Flanders) willmerge next month to form a newbroadcaster, De Buren, ownersConcentra said. The merger wasmade possible by new co-opera-tion rules in the Flemish govern-ment’s regional TV decree andwill help keep down costs. Thethree separate editorial teams willremain to cover local events.

National rail authority NMBS hasfiled for damages of €60 millionfrom train constructor Siemensbecause of construction faultsin the Desiro trains. Inspectorsfound 80 defects, which have led toeach train breaking down an aver-age of once a week.

Eight-year-old Masai giraffeDawa died at Antwerp Zoo lastweek. She had been ill for sometime. Dawa was one of five femalesat the zoo and was the last Masaigiraffe born in captivity remainingin Western Europe.

Twelve illegal immigrantsdetained

in a security centre in Brugesescaped last week using a tech-nique right out of the cartoons:They tied sheets together andlowered themselves out of awindow as staff were changingshifts. A fight broke out elsewherein the building as a distraction.The12 were still at large as FlandersToday went to press.

The non-profit Vredeseilanden hasbegunacampaign, spearheadedbyrock’n’roll chocolatier DominiquePersoone of The Chocolate Line,to draw attention to the worldshortageof cocoa, the key ingre-dient in chocolate. According toestimates, the world will produceone million tonnes less cocoa by2020 than now, leading to short-ages and a price explosion. Cocoafarmers, with an average age of 55,are leaving the business becauseworld prices are so low becausethey are not being succeeded byyounger generations.

Cameras equipped with auto-matic number plate recog-nition (ANPR) helped solve 369investigations in 2014, Mechelenmayor Bart Somers announced.The cameras are able to “read”number plates and can warnpolice when vehicles have noinsurance or test certificate. Inother cases, the cameras’ abilityto record where a vehicle was at agiven time can provide evidence ina criminal case. Mechelen has 58ANPR cameras at fixed locations.More than 2,600 stolen vehicleswere detected.

Beer sommelier Sam Vander-straeten has turned to crowd-funding in order to rebuild theHof Ten Dormael brewery inHaacht, Flemish Brabant, whichwasdestroyedbyfire lastweek.Thebrewery grows its own barley andhops and was the first to launch abeer made with witloof (Belgianendive). In two days, the appealhad raised more than €8,000 of atarget of €25,000.

\ www.gofundme.com/jrqdkg

© Courtesy De standaard

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

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Editor Lisa BradshawdEPuty Editor Sally TippercontriButing EditorAlanHopesuB Editor Linda AThompsonagEnda Robyn Boyle, Georgio Valentinoart dirEctor Paul VanDoorenPrEPrEssCorelio AdProcontriButorsDaan Bauwens, RebeccaBenoot, Derek Blyth, Leo Cendrowicz, KatyDesmond, Andy Furniere, DianaGoodwin,Julie Kavanagh, Catherine Kosters, ToonLambrechts, Katrien Lindemans, IanMundell, Anja Otte, TomPeeters, DanielShamaun, Senne Starckx, ChristopheVerbiest, Débora Votquenne, DenzilWaltongEnEral managErHansDe LoorePuBlisHErCorelio Publishing NV

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Federal minister for foreign affairsDidier Reynders and minister fordevelopment co-operation Alexan-der De Croomade an official visit toRwandaandBurundi lastweek.VRTnews followed the pair as De Croo(OpenVLD) told officials in Rwandathat theirs was the first country hewas visiting since he took over thedevelopment aid portfolio.The two ministers were due to visithospitals, schools and infrastruc-ture projects in both countriesthat benefit from Belgian funding.Funds are mainly directed towardsaid projects that improve healthcare services, connect householdsto the electricity grid and providesolar panels.“We are practically the only Euro-

peans who have a strong presencein Rwanda,” Reynders told Knack.Both Rwanda and Burundi werecolonised by Belgium after the FirstWorld War, a situation that endedin 1962.Rwanda has made huge improve-ments in health care over the pastdecade, with life expectancy risingby 12 years since 2002. But the coun-try is still performing less well inareas like human rights and free-dom of the press.De Croo recently announced thathe would withhold a €40 milliondevelopment aid bonus becauseof Rwanda’s continuing failure torespect both issues. “The bonuswas intended as an incentive, butit hasn’t worked,” he told VRT. \ DB

Flemish minister Lies-beth Homans, responsi-ble for combatting poverty,has set aside extra funds toprotect vulnerable tenantsfrom eviction. The ministerhas boosted the budget by€312,000 to help tenants whoare threatened with evictionby private-sector landlords.Some 13,000 families areevicted from rented accom-modation every year in theregion because they fallbehind in paying the rent.Many of them end up onthe streets or in shelters.Homans (pictured) planssix projects that will use thefunds to tackle such prob-lems such as rent arrears,substandard accommoda-tion and personal disputes.“We want to work specifi-cally with the most vulner-

able tenants in the privaterental sector and provide thenecessary support when theyare at risk of being evictedfrom their homes,” she said.The projects will targetpotential problems at anearly stage and offer supportand help to the affectedtenants using both profes-sionals and volunteers. “Wewant to make the service asaccessible as possible and,if necessary, set up advicecentres for tenants,” Homanssaid. \ DB

Taxpayers in Belgiumdon’t get value fortheir money compared to other west-ern economies, according to the latestannual survey carried out by the Flem-ish chamber of commerce, Voka.The survey weighed benefits gainedagainst the level of tax paid in 50 areas,including education, environment,poverty and job creation. The conclu-sion was that Belgians are getting a rawdeal compared to other OECD memberstates, with Switzerland, Norway, Esto-nia and Germany leading the list andBelgium near the bottom.“Youcanseethatweareperform-ing very badly,” said Voka’schief economist, Stijn DeCock. “We have thefourth highest taxburden, butwe get rela-tively little inreturn.”The reportput Belgiumin 20thplace outof 24 OECD

countries – the same as in 2013. “Theonly countries that do worse are Italy,France and Greece,” De Cock claimed.“We have the taxation footprint of aScandinavian country, but we don’thave the quality of a Scandinaviangovernment.”The answer, according to the organ-isation, is to cut taxes and force thegovernment to improve on efficiency.“Belgium still has a huge potential for

growth” but needs to cut govern-ment debt, reduce unemploy-ment and develop new exportmarkets, De Cock said.

The report also noted someimprovements in 2014compared to the previ-ous year, includingeducation, the labourmarket, health careand enterprise culture.If the tax burden waslowered, Belgiumwould immediatelyimprove its ranking toeighth place, De Cocksaid. \ DB

Federal ministers visit facilities in Rwanda and Burundi

New fund to protectvulnerable tenants fromeviction

Belgian taxpayers don’t get valuefor money, claims Voka

\ POlITICs

The improbable year2014wasayear full of surprises.What seemed impossible inJanuary had materialised bythe summer.No-one had imagined thatN-VA, Flanders’ largest party,would drop its demands forreforms towards confederal-ism and enter a federal govern-ment based on an economicprogramme. Likewise, mostpeople had expected theoutcome of the May electionsto beDi Rupo II, a continuationof the tripartite federal govern-ment.Instead, the new governmentconsisted of three Flemishparties and just one French-speaking party, the liberalMR, which also got the postof prime minister for youngCharles Michel.One political observercompared 2014 to the bankingcrisis: no-one saw it coming,and economists were left toexplain what happened inretrospect.Another surprise was the newminister-president of Flanders:N-VA’s Geert Bourgeois, whofulfilled a life-long dream. Inthe light of his party’s electoralvictory, Bourgeois’ move upseems only logical but was stillrather unexpected now. Also, aFlemish nationalist leading thegovernment of Flanders is noless than historic, as Bourgeoispointed out in recent inter-views.In spite of a difficult start, withunavoidablebudget cuts,Bour-geois is determined to makehis mark. He wants to prepareFlanders for challenges leadingto2040, includingtheeconomicpower shift towards the East,climate change, an aging popu-lation andnew technologies. Inexchange, the minister-presi-dent asks for “enthusiasm andactivism” amongst citizens andbusinesses alike.One of the main problemshis government faces is theincreasing polarisation inthe public debate. Last year’sstrikes were reminiscent of the1980s, and the issues at stakeare anything but resolved.Newspaper opinion pages arefull of antagonism; even manya Christmas family dinner wasriddled with emotional politi-cal discussion.Some blame Bourgeois’ ownparty for this: in less than adecade since it was founded,N-VA has become Flanders’largest party, but it never lostthe “street-fighter” culture ofits early days. Bourgeois, everyinch a gentleman, calls thisgrowing pains. Last year, hisparty took up its responsibil-ity, he says. Now he asks forco-operation.“My message is one of opti-mism,” he says. “We’re not thatbad off in Flanders, after all.”Maybe 2015 will amaze us, too.\ Anja Otte

5th Column One-third of residents in deRand don’t speak Dutchminister calls situation in flemish Brabant communities “disturbing”

One-third of people living in the Flemishmunicipalities that ring Brussels, knownin Dutch as de Rand, are unable to speak

Dutch, minister Ben Weyts told the FlemishParliament last week.Weyts (N-VA) is the minister responsible forissues concerningde Rand, an area that includesmunicipalities popular with both French-speaking Belgians and expats such as Tervuren(pictured), Drogenbos and Sint-Genesius-Rode.Weyts was presenting the latest findings of theTaalbarometer, a survey thatmeasures languagecompetence in the region. He described thecurrent situation as “disturbing”, saying that it

was about more than just language. “The basicproblem is a social one,” he said. “It goes to theheart of the social fabric in de Rand.”

The report found that Dutch was the languagemost spoken at home, with 45% of people usingit, but that Frenchwasunderstoodby the largestpercentage of people. The survey also showedthat 67% of those who spoke French at homesent their children to a French-speaking school,while just 19%went to aDutch-language school.Weyts was also concerned by the report’s find-ing that 82% of French speakers wanted deRand, which is geographically located in Flan-ders and officially Dutch-speaking, to become abilingual entity.

derek BlythMore articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu

© eric lalmand/BelGa

Federal minister of development co-operation alexander De Croo shakes hands with Burundi’spresident, Pierre nkurunziza. Foreign affairs minister Didier reynders is pictured centre

january 14, 2015

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The 50-year makeoverantwerp celebrates end of ambitious long-term cathedral restoration project

continued from page 1

them to appreciate the fine detailand centuries of work by highlytalented craftsmen.Although 2015 will mark 50 yearssince the restorationprojectbegan,it does not mean work will stop.“The transformer box that bringspower into the cathedral needs tobe updated,” saysMaes. “And in thenext decade we will need to startreplacing the roof.”Yearly inspections of the building’sfabric are carried out by Monu-ment Watch Flanders, an organi-sation that aims to maintain theregion’s valuable historical herit-age. If the inspection identifiesmajor maintenance, the works arescheduled and carried out by theprovince.Inside, the cathedral is finally freeof scaffolding, and all areas areaccessible to the public. One of thehighlights is the Reunion exhibi-tion, which has brought togethermany of the artworks that werelooted from the cathedral duringthe French Revolution.“The exhibition includes works byPeter Paul Rubens and QuintenMetsijs, which were specificallycommissioned for the cathedral.They hang as close as possible tothe place they were designed tooccupy,” says Leen Evens, deputydirector of the cathedral. Abouthalf the works are on loan fromthe Royal Museum of Fine Arts

Antwerp (KMSKA), which iscurrently closed for its own reno-vation.The exhibition opened in 2009 andwill run until the KMSKA renova-tions are completed in late 2017.“Protecting the artworks has beena major challenge,” explains Evens.“At times we have had to removewindows for repair, which requiredus to create ‘bubbles’ around theconstruction work to preventdamage to the art. It has been diffi-cult, but there have been no majorproblems.”With the restoration projectstretching over five decades, therehas inevitably been a change inapproach. “Initially, the goal wasto reveal the fabric of the build-ing and how it is put together,” saysEvens. Nowhere is this more obvi-ous than in the great pillars nearthe high altar.“If you look at the west side ofthe pillar, you will notice that thepaint has been stripped back toshow the stonework underneath,”Evens points out. “Move aroundto the altar side of the same pillarand you see that the stoneworkappearswhitewashed.This reflectsthe modern approach – today wedon’t take anything away unless itis absolutely necessary.”Another example can be foundin the sacristy entrance on thesouth side of the choir. Renovation

revealed two murals, only one ofwhich is visible to the public today.“The top image dates from the 15thcentury. It was more or less intact… so it was left as we found it,” saysEvens.Below that mural was anotherthat “was less clear,” she notes.“This has been recorded, thenpreserved under a layer of Japa-nese paper to protect it for futuregenerations. When technology ismore advanced, the mural will stillbe available to a new generationof conservationists as we haven’ttaken anything away.”

The area surrounding the highaltarwas the last to be restored andappears notably brighter than thebody of the cathedral. “This is duein part to the whitewash that wasused,” explains Evens. “However,LEDlightinghasalsobeen installedin this area.”Thenew lighting high-lights details such as the keystoneson the ceiling of the ambulatorythat surrounds the altar. Futuremaintenance will include theplacement of LED lights in thebody of the church.Noticeably absent from the cathe-dral is the Schyven organ, which

dates from the late 1800s. Theorgan was removed for renovationlate last year and is scheduled to beoperational again by late 2016.This year will mark a symbolic endto one of the most ambitious reno-vation projects in the cathedral’shistory. The province of Antwerpis organising a number of cele-bratory events during the year,including a performance of churchmusic. A study daywill also be heldto give an overview of the extensiverenovations and repairs that havebeen carried out over the past halfcentury.

\ COVer sTOry

www.dEkatHEdraal.BE

© stefan Dewickere

some of the most painstaking work done in antwerp cathedral involved the ceiling

© stefan Dewickere

The 19th-century schyven organ is being fully renovated and won’t be making a reappearance until 2016

Antwerp’s cathedral has occupied aplace intheheartof thecity formorethan 1,000 years. Tied to social life,the cathedral’s own history hasn’talways been trouble-free.Today’s cathedral is on the site of aRomanesque chapel which is firstmentioned in historical documentsfrom the 11th century. Known asOurLadyChapel, the small buildingdeveloped into a large Romanesquechurch which, in 1124, became theparish church of Antwerp.Over the next two centuries, thechurch grew slowly, funded bydonations from Antwerp’s wealthyfamilies. By 1352, construction ofa new Gothic church had started.As the building work proceeded,the Romanesque church wassystematically demolished. In 1420,construction of the north towerstarted.By 1521 the north tower and thebody of the church were complete.An ambitious plan to quadruple thesize of the church was put in place.But those plans went up in smokewhen a fire ravaged the building in1533. A year later, construction of a

new roof started. By 1559, the firedamage had largely been repaired,and the exterior looked much as itdoes today.In 1559, the church became thecathedral of the new diocese ofAntwerp. At the time, the Prot-estant reformation was sweep-ing Europe, and Antwerp was notspared. In 1566 the cathedral wasseverely damaged during the icon-oclastic attacks of 20 August. By thelate 1500s, the counter-reformationhad led to the refurbishment of thecathedral.The cathedral continued as thecentre of Antwerp’s spiritual lifefor the next two centuries, untilthe French Revolution (1789-1799)intervened. The cathedral waspillaged and closed for worship.In late 1801, Pope Pius VII abol-ished the diocese of Antwerp, andthe church lost its cathedral status.However, services were restored in1802, and the building began a newlife as a church.A restoration campaign waslaunched in 1830 to redesign theinterior in a neo-Gothic style.Much

of the existing interior dates fromthis time, including the stalls andchapels around the high altar.In 1961 Pope John XXIII re-estab-lished the diocese of Antwerp,and the church became a cathe-dral once more. In 1965 the prov-ince agreed to a request from thediocese to start a 50-year restora-tion of the cathedral’s interior andexterior.

a brief history of antwerp CatheDral

© Corbis

\ 6

Brussels-City municipal council is nolonger accepting applications for newfood service businesses, according totrade alderwoman Marion Lemesre.According to the council, central Brus-sels already has enough restaurants,snack bars and cafes.The question arose when the ownersof Wasbar, a combination launderetteand bar, with locations in Ghent andAntwerp, said in an interview that theirattempt to find premises in the Dansaertarea of Brussels was being hampered bythe council. Lemesre has now confirmedthat claim.The council wants to maintain a healthymix of commercial businesses in thecentre, she said, and avoid the creation ofmore food-only areas, such as exist in thearea of Sint-Katelijneplein, including theadjoining Baksteenkaai and Brandhout-kaai (pictured). The area around Sint-Goriksplein is the scene of a constantbattle between residents and local bars.The council’s ban concerns new licences,

explained Lemesre: Restaurateurs arewelcome to take over premises alreadylicensed for food service. If Wasbar finds“a building that already has a licence,there’s no problem,” she said. “But if Iallow them to take over a new building,and they move out within a year, I wouldhave no ability to take action to stop yetanother snack bar from opening up.”The restrictions apply to the Unesco areaaround Grote Markt, the area around theSint-Katelijneplein and the Sint-Jacobsarea, between Anspachlaan and Sint-Jansplein. \ AH

The court-appointed lawyer administer-ing the bankruptcy of former national airlineSabena, which went broke in 2001, is demand-ing damages of €850 million from the Swisscompany SAirGroup, owners of the formerSwissair.Lawyer Christian Van Buggenhout has been incharge of the affairs of the airline since it wentbankrupt, with the loss of more than 5,000 jobs.Twoweeks ago, the Cassation Court in Brusselsput an end to an appeal by the Belgian state for€1 billion in damages for the bankruptcy.The state was claiming a total of €900 millionin losses for investments made before andafter the takeover of the state-owned Sabenaby Swissair, as well as €100 million for loss ofreputation caused by a government losing itsnational carrier.Instead, the Cassation Court upheld a previ-ous court ruling awarding the state €300,000 in

damages. The end of that case now allows theremaining civil action to proceed.Thecourtofappeal inBrussels,whichmadethatdamages award in 2011, had stated that Swis-sair was in part responsible for the bankruptcyof Sabena. Factors involved included saddlingthe foundering airline with the purchase of 34

new Airbus aircraft (pictured), as well as failingto live up to prior promises regarding invest-ment.Van Buggenhout will now count on that recog-nition of responsibility in his claim for €850million, which, if awarded, will flow back inpart to the state and in part to other Sabenacreditors, including staff who were laid off andpensionerswhose pensionswere affectedwhenthe airline went broke. Van Buggenhout hasalready received an interim payment of €18.3million.His original claim for around €2 billion wasreduced in talks with the companies who hadoriginally leased the newplanes, some ofwhomhad made substantial profit from the collapseof Sabena. That figure, as well as €550 millionrelated to the social cost of the bankruptcy, willbe the subject of debatewhen the case resumes.\ AH

Every year, there are moreuniversity spin-off compa-nies created in Flandersthan the year before. Since2000, the five Flemishuniversities have generated146 spin-offs, accordingto statistics assembled byFlemish MP Robrecht Both-uyne. Spin-offs are estab-lished by scientists whoexpect that their researchwill lead to successfulcommercial products orservices.Anaverage3.8 spin-offshavebeen established by everyuniversity every year since2008, more than twice theEuropeanaverage of 1.7.TheUniversity of Leuven (KULeuven) leads the pack inFlanders, with 60 spin-offssince 2000. Ghent Univer-

sity (UGent) comes secondwith 39 spin-offs. Accordingto De Tijd, the increase inFlanders is due to the grow-ing desire among scientiststo put research results topractical use.The majority of spin-offs,however, don’t see growth,with about nine out of 10counting fewer than 10employees. According toBothuyne, the governmentshould support companiesin taking further steps, suchas by providing start-upassistance. \ Andy Furniere

Brussels-City calls a halt to newbars and restaurants

Sabena bankruptcy administrator demands €850 million

More universityspin-offs created thanever before

\ BusIness

award luc TackLuc Tack, managing direc-tor of Picanol, the textilelooms producer, and CEOof Tessenderlo Chemie,has been named Flanders’Manager of the Year by busi-ness magazine Trends.

Chemicals solvayThe Brussels-based chemi-cals and plastics group hasfinalised the $220 millionacquisition of Ryton PPS,the speciality polymers affil-iate of the US-based ChevronPhillips Chemical company.

energy GDF suezThe French energy group hasearmarked investments up to€400 million in its Doel 1 & 2nuclear plants to extend theiruseful production cyclesfor 10 years till 2025. Thegovernment has postponedthe closure deadline of theplants, slated for the end ofthis year, to avoid electricityshortages.

energy wind farmsThe government hasapproved plans for the devel-opment of five extra offshorewind farms in addition to thethree in operation. Authori-ties expect that wind energycould cover up to 10% ofBelgium’s energy require-ments when all parks are onstream.

Gaming waterlandThe Dutch investment groupis taking over NapoleonGames, operatorof 23gaminghalls, betting parlours andonline gaming products fromthe founding Michiels family.It also acquires the KnokkeCasino, one of Flanders’ larg-est, which was bought by theMichiels in 2013 for €16.5million from the FrenchPartouche group.

Handling ChiquitaThe US-based food group hasdecided to shift its 170,000-tonne European importactivities from the Port ofAntwerp to nearby Flushing,the Netherlands, blaming thelack of flexibility and organ-isation of the port’s work-force.

Investment DukanThe French family that ownsthe dieting and nutritiongroup has opened an affili-ate in Belgium housing morethan 23% of its assets.

shipping CMBThe Antwerp-based ship-ping group has acquired14 container ships fromDelphis. The ships are said tobe among the world’s largestwith reinforced hulls for sail-ing in ice-covered seas.

weeK inbusiness Tom Boonen and other pro

cyclists face tax fraud chargesseveral pro cyclists and Pharma-Quickstep manager hope for deal

Top cyclist Tom Boonenand Pharma-Quickstepmanager Patrick Lefevere

are among nine people and twocompanies due to be tried oncharges of tax fraud, according tothe public prosecutor of Kortrijk.“The case concerns systemsconstructed to keep the income ofcyclists hidden from tax authori-ties,” a spokesperson for the pros-ecutor said. The sums involvedwere described as “serious”. Part ofthe complaint relates to Boonen’sresidency status in tax havenMonaco, while in reality he lives in

the Kempen area of Flanders.The investigation dates back toa complaint from 2010 from theSpecial Investigations office of theeconomy ministry and concernstax declarations relating to yearsprior to that. Boonen (pictured)and a number of other topcyclists, including Stijn Devolderand Jurgen Van Goolen, alreadyreachedanagreementwith the taxauthorities in 2013 involving thepayment of large sums of unpaidtax and penalties, intended toavoidprosecution.That is noguar-antee, however, that the prosecu-

tion will not press charges.“It is customary in similar fraudcases for the accused to push fora broad settlement,” accordingto Tom Janssens, a spokespersonfor the West Flanders prosecu-tor, speaking on VRT Radio. “Theythen reach an agreement with theprosecutor to avoid having thecase brought to court.”Should such an agreement proveimpossible to reach, the prosecu-tion said it was ready to bring thecase to trial by July at the latest.

© laurie Beylier/Flickr Commons

© aero Icarus/wikimedia

© Courtesy TTI Brussels/VuB

© www.milo-profi.be/VisitFlanders

alan HopeMore articles by alan \ flanderstoday.eu

january 14, 2015

\ 7

Of all the heart valves, the mitral is thehardest to reach. When this valve, whichensures that no blood flows back from

the left ventricle to the left atrium, needs to bereplaced, the surgeon needs hours to open theentire thorax to reach and replace the defectivevalve.During the operation, the heart has to bestopped, which is always tricky. It goes withoutsaying that this operation is not appropriate forolder, weakened patients.To replace theartery valves–whichconnect theright and left ventricles with, respectively, thelung artery and the aorta – doctors use keyholesurgery tominimise the impact on the patient’scondition and to shorten the length of the oper-ation. But for the atrioventricular valves, whichseparate the atria from the ventricles, keyholesurgery is not really an option because it’s sodifficult to reach the valves without damagingthe heart tissue.But it’s not impossible, as doctors fromAntwerp’s Middelheim Hospital have shown.In November, the mitral valve of an 85-year-oldwoman was replaced using keyhole surgery.While her heart kept beating at a normal pace,the Antwerp doctors made a three-centime-tre incision in her left breast into which theyinserted their medical instruments. Afterhaving pricked the heart, they positioned and

attached the new valve.“The entire intervention took just 20 minutes,”says Dr Stefan Verheye, the cardiologist whoreplaced the valve. “And after spending onlyone day in intensive care, the woman recov-ered rapidly from the intervention. Immedi-ately after the operation, she admitted that hershortness of breath had largely disappeared.”

Shortness of breath is one of the consequencesof a poorly functioning mitral valve.This was the first time in Europe that a mitralvalve had been replaced by keyhole surgery.The intervention was part of an internationalexamination to test the new technique, whichwas developed by a Canadian medical firm.The technique was first applied in Vancouveron patients who complied with the regulationof compassionate use – experimental therapiesmay be used if there’s no other remedy. “Thesepatients were much too weak for open-heartsurgery, and without a quick replacement oftheir mitral valve, they would soon have died,”says Verheye.Verheye was part of the team that made thisfirst intervention in Vancouver. He hopes thatpatients in his hospital in Antwerp will soon beable to receive the same treatment.Just like a car engine relies on valves to controlthe inflow of fuel and air and the outflow ofcombustion gases, our heart needs valves toprevent blood from flowing in the wrong direc-tion. And just like a car engine wears out as themileage counter reaches a certain point, our

heart valves begin to show signs of wear as wegrow older.“There are two kinds of valvular heart disease,”explains Verheye. “In the degenerative form,the valve shows signs of wear due to physicalcauses such as ageing or previous infection. Inthe functional form, cardiovascular disease cancause an imperfect closure of the valve. In bothcases, the defective valve needs to be replaced.”Verheye is an interventional cardiologist andnot a cardiac surgeon in the narrow sense ofthe word. He only performs interventions.“While a cardiac surgeon uses his eyes to studythe heart, once he has laid it open, and toreplace the valve, we use technical instrumentsto study the patient’s condition. For example,before an intervention we make a full 3D scanof the heart. We use that scan to build a full-scale model of the heart with our 3D printer. Bydoing this, we can check whether the artificialvalve will fit perfectly.“The valves themselves are not made to thesize of the patient. But, thanks to the revolu-tion in 3D printing, this will also be possible inthe future.”

A change of heartantwerp surgeons perform Europe’s first keyhole mitral valve surgery

Fleas modified todetect water pollutionBiologists from the Univer-sity of Leuven Kortrijkcampus (Kulak) are devel-oping a genetically modifiedwater flea that emits light ifit absorbs toxic substancesfrom water. The flea could beused to detect levels of waterpollution, reports KU Leuven’sCampuskrant. According toprofessor Ellen Decaesteckerof theaquaticbiology researchgroup,Daphnia magnafilterssubstances in the water. “Thatcan be parasites or algae butalso a broad range of pollutingsubstances,” she explained.

Breakthrough indementia treatmentMolecular biologists at theUniversity of Leuven and theFlemish life sciences researchinstitute VIB have madeglobal headlines with ground-breaking research on treat-ment for dementia. The teamexamined three patients withfrontotemporal dementia andtransformed the patients’ skincells into stem cells, whichwere then manipulated tosimulate cells of the cere-bral cortex. They then triedto develop brain cells thatwere affected by dementiabut didn’t succeed. Furthergenetic research on peoplewith and without dementiarevealed the reason: a specificgenetic signalling pathway.This prevented the cells fromdeveloping into fully func-tioning cerebral cortex cells.Through the repression ofa specific plasma moleculefound in dementia patients,the scientists were able toreplicate healthy cerebralcortex cells.

emergencyservices via sMsFrom 15 February, the Belgianemergency services will beaccessible via SMS for thedeaf, hearing impaired andthose with a speech imped-iment. In the future, thisoption may be extended tothe general population. Theoption to contact emergencyservices via text message wasapproved by parliament in2011 but was never launched.MPs Jef Van den Bergh andKoen Metsu requested anupdate on the progress frominterior minister Jan Jambon,who confirmed that themeas-ure was ready to be imple-mented. “Good news for the400,000 people in our countrywho are deaf or have a hear-ing impairment or speechdisability,” said Van den Bergh(CD&V). If initial evaluationsof the system judge it to beappropriate, the service couldbe opened up to the generalpublic. \ AF

weeK ininnovation

\ InnOVaTIOn

Manu Keirse is secretary for health policy at the Gezinsbond (FamilyUnion) and spokesperson for the Childproof platform, an informalnetwork of scientists, doctors and experts from health and environ-mental organisations. One of its goals is to introduce stricter air qual-ity standards in Flanders to protect the lungs of thewhole population,but in particular those of children, which are especially vulnerable.

Childproof was established topromote the “child standard”, isthat right?Yes, the Family Union developedthe concept of the child standardto demand that policymakers takeinto account the health risks forchildrenwhen they takemeasures.We are focusing on the poor airquality in Flanders, which threat-ens the health of everyone butespecially that of children. Evenwhen still in the womb, lungs areaffected by air pollution. Althoughthere has been some progress in

recent years, the air in Flandersis still very polluted because ofelements such as heavy conges-tion on roads.

What health risks does pollutedair carry?A well-known consequence is theincreasing prevalence of asthmaand lung cancer. But poor air qual-ity also increases the risk of cardio-vascular diseases.

What demands are youmaking?Air quality is not the responsibility

of one government department.Departments such as mobility,taxation, industry and urban plan-ning need to work together for anintegrated policy towards better

air quality. Specific demandsconcern the improvement of cyclenetworks and encouraging work-ing at home, to reduce congestionon Flemish roads.

Have you noticed your workhaving an effect?Yes. There has been much moreattention paid to air quality whenplanning new areas for play-grounds, to protect the healthof the children who will playthere. We also recently launcheda protest action against theEuropean Commission’s inten-tion to lower the standards forair quality in Europe. Child-proof has thus helped to impedethis reduction of ambitions inthe European air quality policy.\ Interview by Andy Furniere

Q&a

senne sterckxMore articles by senne \ flanderstoday.eu

This 85-year-old woman was given a new mitral valve in an operation that took just 20 minutes

© Courtesy Het nieuwsblad

These patients weremuch too weak foropen-heart surgery

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\ 9

Making the right choiceflemish universities experiment with ways to redirect failing students

Thousands don’tfinish primary schoolAccording to a report bythe Policy Research Centrefor Educational and SchoolCareers, about 2,500 youngpeopleenterthelabourmarketin Flanders every year with-out even finishing primaryschool. In 2010, the year onwhich researchers focused,an additional 2,845 studentsleft secondary school withouta diploma. Flemish law stipu-lates that students older than14 cannot stay in primaryeducation and have to moveto secondary education, evenif they haven’t passed primaryschool. The chance that theythen get a diploma in second-ary school, said the research-ers, is slim.

job applications to bepart of curriculumFlemish employmentagency VDAB is workingwith the community educa-tion network GO! to includean obligatory course insecondary schools on apply-ing for a job. The focus willbe on students in profes-sional and technical educa-tion. The programme wouldprovide practical informa-tion in terms of creating CVsand strategies in job inter-views but also more theoreti-cal help such as encouragingstudents to reflect on whatthey really want and are goodat. Through the co-operationwith GO!, the VDAB hopesto get youngsters motivatedabout their future work at anearlier stage. VDABalsowantsto prevent students receivingincorrect or outdated advicevia other channels, such asfrom their parents. Teacherswould receive extra trainingin order to be able to deliverthe lessons.

Crevits wantstime-out for teachersFlemish education ministerHilde Crevits is re-openingthe debate with social part-ners on the introduction of a“time-out” for teachers whoare not performing optimallyfor reasons such as depres-sion or addiction. Parliamenthas been negotiating the issuesince the previous govern-ment term. School directorscan now only address teach-ing problems through a disci-plinary sanction or nega-tive evaluation. A time-out– essentially a break fromwork – would give teachersthe opportunity to get appro-priate treatment. The breakwould also be linked with acoaching programme. Theintervention of an occupa-tional health physician wouldprevent abuse of the system,Crevits said. \ AF

weeK ineDuCation

\ eDuCaTIOn

Last year, the rectors of theuniversities of Leuven andHasselt suggested barring

failing first-year students fromcontinuing in the same disciplineof study. Instead, they said, thestudents should be assisted inmaking a choice that better suitsthem.The propositions focus on first-yearswho, according to theuniver-sities, have no chance of success-fully completing their chosencourse of studies. In Leuven’sproposal, students would berefused the opportunity to repeatthe first year if they score less than20 to 30%of themaximumnumberof exam points.In other words, freshmen wouldneed to pass three or four subjectsto be given a second chance. Theplan is based on the universities’own statistics: Only 5.6% of thestudents who get less than 30%in the first year go on to get thedegree. Students who score above40% have a 16% chance of gradu-ating.Last September, Hasselt rectorLuc De Schepper proposed aneven more drastic approach: Inhis plan, students who don’t passany exams at the end of the firstsemester would not be allowed togo on to the second semester inthat field of study. Each studentwould be given a personal orien-tation trajectory, steering them inthe right direction.Asked about the need for suchdrastic measures, De Schep-per refers to the new coalitionagreement. “In essence, this isabout budget cuts,” he explains.“The Flemish minister of educa-tion, Hilde Crevits, is champion-ing admission exams to save onstudents who don’t have the rightcapacities to graduate from thestart.”But according to De Schepper,none of the Flemish universitiesadvocates such a proposition.“Our proposals are an alternativeto these exams,” he says.According to research“done in Flanders, theNetherlands and theUS,” De Schepper says,“admission tests barone out of fourstudents fromentering. But30% of thosestudentswouldhavegrad-

uated if allowed in. In otherwords,admission tests are not reliable.”Moreover, he continues, admis-sion tests “increase the generalpass rate for freshmen from 50 to58%. Hardly a significant rise. It isbetter to point the students in theright direction as early as possi-ble.”De Schepper also points out animportant paradox: “The Flem-ish government has repeatedlystated it wants to belong to thetop five Regions of Knowledge inthe world. But we do not have alarge number of graduates. Only44% of all 18-year-olds will get a[higher education] degree. TheOECD mean is 53%. Australia andCanada score between 60 and70%.”With admission tests, De Schep-per claims, “Flanders’ number willdecline even further. What’s more,we spend 1.4% of our gross domes-tic product on higher education.The OECD mean is 2%. We areeconomising while performingunder the norm.”Anne De Paepe, rector of theUniversity of Ghent, refuses todiscuss the proposed plans intermsofbudgetcuts.Alsoreferringto the new coalition agreement,she says new proposals are in thefirst place needed to“reduce the

unwanted side effects of thegreater flexibility in higher educa-tion”.TheFlemishgoverment’sflexibilitydecree – approved in 2004 – allowsstudents to carry over a numberof subjects they didn’t pass thisyear to the next year or two yearsafter. Students can choose howmany subjects they take, or picksubjects taught in different years.This sometimes results in complexsituations and often extends thetime spent at university, partic-ularly for students struggling topass.

“We need to make students betterat making the right choice fromthe start,” De Paepe says, “and weneed to do that in a humane way.Barring them after the first yearis not an option. Can we expect17- or 18-year-olds to be matureenough tomake the right decision,influencing the rest of their lives?”First-years, she says, “are living

alone for the first time,entering a system whereself-discipline isneeded. This requiresadaptation. Some aregood at dealing withthat freedom, othersless so.”Bearing this inmind, Ghenthas drawn upits own two-step plan inresponse tothe minis-ter’s sugges-tion of admis-sion tests. “In

recent

years, we have developed SIMON,an online self-evaluation toolmeant primarily for pupils in thelast year of higher education,”explains De Paepe.SIMONconsistsof twoparts. “First,your fields of interest are assessed,then your capacities in maths andlanguages are appraised,” contin-ues De Paepe. “At the start of theacademic year, we let freshmentake the test as well. Based ontheir results and on their interests,we allow them to choose anotherdiscipline.”That is the first step of the plan.

In the second step, “those whoperform poorly in the first yearget a second chance. But in therepeated year, they must attain75% of the study points. Or theyneed to choose a different disci-pline. It sounds harsh, but ourdata shows that only a very smallpercentage of students repeatingtheir first year don’t reach the 75%benchmark.”Furthermore, continues De Paepe,“this approach has more prom-ising results than the more dras-tic Leuven approach. In Ghent,“a larger number of students aresteered in different directions”.At the end of this month, all Flem-ish universities will sit togetherto discuss the plans. The meetingmight lead to a single, unified listof measures, to be proposed to theminister. “In the most ideal case,”De Paepe says, “universities willbe free to decide for themselves.Each institution has its individu-ality. That is an important addedvalue of our system.”

daan BauwensMore articles by Daan \ flanderstoday.eu

Can we expect 17- or 18-year-oldsto be mature enough to make theright decision?

© Thomas Tackaert/wikimedia Commons

Ghent university rector anne De Paepe has spelled out her institution’s plan for first-year students who don’t make the grade

\ 10

\ lIVInG

Cracking the codeantwerp escape room game brings cluedo to life, and then some

Brook Waters was working in marketingwhen he first encountered an escaperoom on holiday.

It was a game in which players are lockedin a room and must find clues, use gadgets,solve puzzles and work as a team to escape. “Ithought: Wow! It gives you a buzz, and we don’thave anything like that in Antwerp. That’s whenI decided to start one here,” says Waters.He was as good as his word. Last November,Antwerp Clue opened its doors. There are otherreal-life escape games in Flanders, but this is afirst for Antwerp.Waters, whomoved from England to Belgium asa child, both owns and manages the companyand is involved in each game that is played. Hecommunicates to players in the room via text ona screen (which acts as a clockwhen it isn’t deliv-ering hismessages). “I think it’s really important,as gamemaster, to add a little bit of humour anda few tips, but not give too much away,” he says.The hints help if the group gets stuck, so youdon’t have a situation where you’re standingaround completely clueless. But the game is alsochallenging and layered enough that it won’t becompleted too easily.Antwerp Clue offers two themed rooms, whichcan be tackled by teams of two to six players.TheTaken Room is set in a children’s nursery. Teamshave 60minutes towork together onpuzzles andclues tofindoutwhere themissing childrenhavegone and to escape the nursery.InTheOffice of JohnMonroe, which I testedwiththree friends, players investigate the murder ofthe eponymous private investigator. Adventur-ers again get one hour to search the premises,solve the murder case and find their way out ofthe locked office.The Office of John Monroe creates an atmos-phere of suspense that is a dream come truefor fans of crime fiction and film noir, and agreat adventure for those who aren’t. Playing itbrought back memories of watching the Britishgame show The Crystal Maze as a child, as weworked as a team to solve puzzles against theclock, tension and adrenaline mounting.

Afterashortwhile,youfall intotheroleofadetec-tive without even realising it. With no phones orother distractions, Antwerp Clue offers an inter-active and adventurous way to have fun. “We tryto make it as realistic as possible in terms of thestoryline,” explains Waters.There is some debate on the origin of live escaperooms, but many claim that they were inspiredby an internet game created 10 years ago byToshimitsu Takagi called Crimson Room. Real-life escape rooms “started in Japan about sixyears ago and gradually came through Europe,”says Waters. They have since gained huge popu-larity, especially, for some reason, in Budapestand throughout Hungary. “There, if you go tothe toilet, you have 60 minutes to get out,” jokesWaters.Waters initially had some difficulty launchingin Antwerp because nobody had ever heard ofescape rooms. But he says that now that morepeople understand the concept, the receptionhas been very positive.It’s clear that Antwerp Clue has become Waters’passion, and that passion comes through in

every aspect of the game.The rooms and puzzlesfeel like they were crafted with care, to create asimmersive an atmosphere as possible, and eachroom has a very different feel.The games also come with few language barri-ers, as the puzzles are based more on codes andnumbers than word clues. Where there is text, itis available in both Dutch and English.Though Antwerp Clue has only been open for afew weeks, it’s already welcomed visitors fromNorway, the UK, Australia, Lithuania, the USand Russia, assisted by its stellar location acrossfrom the MAS museum on Godefriduskaai.Two additional themed rooms will open nearthe end of January, one inspired by the 2003Antwerp diamond heist and the other designedas the laboratory of a Romanian geneticist.Waters’ energy is infectious and, combined withthe thrill of the game, it’s hard not to enjoy your-self. The final minutes have the potential to giveyou an adrenaline rush that can last for hours.It’s the kind of experience you talk about for dayswith those who enjoyed it with you, and recom-mend to those who didn’t.

Leek, cabbage, root vegetables, sprouts … Flan-ders has plenty to offer in the way of winterproduce. And by far the most popular is witloof,or endive. Belgians are the biggest consumersof witloof in the world, eating an average of 6.5kilograms per person per year. They invented itafter all.And yet there is room for improvement, accord-ing to the Flemish Centre for Agricultural andFisheries Marketing (Vlam). The marketingspecialists at Vlam have launched a campaignto make the white veg even more appealing,especially for kids. To this end, they’ve revivedan old, familiar face: Popeye.One of the world’s most famous cartoon char-acters, Popeye first appeared in 1929. He isbest remembered for scoffing can after can ofspinach to maintain his superhuman strength.Parents around the world must have rejoicedwhen their little Popeye fans suddenly wantedto eat spinach, too.What worked back then just might work now,Vlam must have figured when it decided toprominently feature Popeye in its new witloof

campaign. A dedicated witloof website featureskid-friendly recipes, like pizza, wraps andcroquettes.Witloof is rich in dietary fibres and availableyear-round, so it’s worth checking out Vlam’stips for parents to make witloof more enticingfor little ones, such as adding milk to the waterwhen cooking to take an edge off the bitter-ness or adding a bit of colour and sweetnessby combining it with other vegetables such ascarrots, pumpkin or cherry tomatoes.Last month, Vlam employees stood outsideseven Flemish train stations to hand out 40,000

colouringbookswith recipes insideandpicturesof a witloof-hungry Popeye, not to mention acountless number of tough Popeye-themedtemporary tattoos.So even though witloof is commonly a favouriteof the older generation – and of top chefs thanksto its slightly bitter taste – it can easily be incor-porated into a tasty snack for younger palates.

Five things you might not know aboutwitloof:1 Witloof (cichorium intybus) was first culti-vated in Brussels, in a basement in Schaarbeek2 It belongs to the root chicory family. Commonnames includeendive, radicchio,Belgianendive,French endive, red endive and sugarloaf3 It is grownundergroundor inside, in the dark.When exposed to the light, witloof turns greenand (even more) bitter4 It is often referred to as “white gold”5 Flemish chef Felix Alen of the Hof te Rhode inDiest devoted a book to the vegetable in 2003,Witloof from Belgium (in Dutch)\ Robyn Boyle

bitethe Popeye treatment

VelofolliesThe biggest cycling fair inthe Benelux, with every kindof bicycle: BMX to moun-tain bikes to e-bikes. Alsobike trips, accessories, auto-graphs, expert panels andmore. 16-18 January, KorkrijkExpo, Dorniksesteenweg 216;€10 advance/€14 door

\ www.velofollies.be

Horseback Dune rideA guided two-hour trail rideover the sand dunes of Ouds-berg, a large area of ancient,drifting dunes that formpart of the Kempisch Plateaunature reserve. Differenttypes of horses and saddlesavailable. Greevenhof HorseDairy, Weg Naar As 95, Gruit-rode, until 31 January; reserva-tions 0476 832 565; €20

\ www.greevenhof.be

Great BirdingweekendOver the weekend of 17-18January, observe the birdsin your garden and add yourcount to the collected data.The website has tips on howto attract and feed the birds,as well as activities at Natu-urpunt locations across Flan-ders.

\ http://vogelweekend.natuurpunt.be

sweets with styleSample the best treats thatBruges has to offer duringa guided walk through thecity centre. In between stopsin specialty shops, the guideshares anecdotes and inter-esting facts about the city.17 January, 15:30-17:30; €12includes tastings, reservationsvia the website

\ www.tinyurl.com/sweetswithstyle

Blessing of theanimals and HorsesAn annual tradition in Oud-Turnhout, starting with aprocession through town andaMass in the church, followedby the blessing of animals andtractors. Soup, drinks andsnacks served in the villagesquare. 18 January, from 10:30,Sint-Antonius Church, Polder-straat 2

\ www.tinyurl.com/animalsandhorses

winter walkA five-kilometre guidedwinter hike in Hoge KempenNational Park that encom-passes the Stalkerschans, a16th-century rural fortifi-cation, as well as wild areascovered with heather andjuniper bushes. 18 January,13:30; reserve at info@liete-berg.be, €5 includes coffee andapple strudel

\ www.lieteberg.be

weeK inaCtivities

www.witloofvanBijons.BE

© Bart Deseyn

daniel shamaunMore articles by Daniel \ flanderstoday.eu www.antwErPcluE.BE

escape one of two cleverly themed rooms at antwerp Clue

january 14, 2015

\ 11

The good ol’ daysfamous flemish tour guide captures bygone antwerp in nostalgic new book

Tanguy Ottomer’s latestproject, a book aboutAntwerp’s vanished past,

has been years in the making.It’s the culmination of a life-long fascination with the city’shistory and the buildings thathave disappeared from the urbanlandscape.Ottomer started out as thecity’s youngest tour guide eightyears ago. He now runs his owncompany employing several otherguides and has made a name forhimself as the city’smost recognis-able ambassador and promoter. In2013, CNN named him in its list of“Seven of the world’s savviest tourguides”.Born and raised in Antwerp,Ottomer readily admits thathis fellow Antwerpenaarsare extremely proud of theircity. More than half (60%) ofOttomer’s clients are fromBelgium, and a sizable portionare from Antwerp. “They reallywant to know their city. Theywant to know these little bars,these little alleys.”In the last few years, high-profilemedia coverage in the foreignpress has raised both Antwerp’sprofile and Ottomer’s. These dayshe has many clients from the US,Japan and Russia. Sometimes healso works as a personal shop-per, guiding style-savvy visitorsthrough the ins and outs of theAntwerp fashion scene.

Still, it’s not just fashion that luresvisitors to Antwerp. “It has allthe advantages of a big city, butpocket-sized,” he explains. “It’s avillage because everyone knowseach other. You can do everythingon foot. For tourists, it’s an exqui-site city to visit. If you stay here for

three days, you’ll know the city.”The origins of his new book,’t stad van vroeger (The City ofYesteryear), can be traced to theguide’s youthful passion for hishometown, as well as a certainrebellious streak. Bored with thehistory lessons in school thatfocused on faraway places and

distant time periods, the youngOttomer had a better idea.“I said: ‘I want to know the historyof the area that I live in,’” he recalls.“So as a teenager I started to go tothe city archives of Antwerp andlook for things like oldmaps, plansof buildings that were already

demolished, to see what it was likebefore. I started to get interested inold Antwerp.”’t stad van vroeger profiles 12different neighbourhoods andsquares in Antwerp, accompa-nied by the history of the area,anecdotes and old photographs.Ottomer started the book withhis own collection of vintagepostcards, but then issued apublic call for additional mate-rial. For the most part, peoplecame forward with pictures thathe already had.“Until this one guy calledmeandsaid: ‘Maybe you should cometo my house and have a look,because I have some pictures.’I go to his place ...” Ottomerpauses, leans back in his chairand chuckles at the memory.“This guy had so many pictures.It was amazing.”The book contains over 100 photo-

graphs ranging from 19th-centurypostcards to family snapshots fromthe ’70s. Two weeks after its initialrelease at the Boekenbeurs, Flan-ders’ largest book fair, the bookwas already in its second printing.It’s proven very popular with resi-dents of Antwerp aswell as visitorsinterested in the history of the city.’t stad van vroeger isn’t just forhistory buffs and old-timerstaking a trip down memorylane. It’s also meant to show thecurrent generation howmuch ofAntwerp’s architectural heritagehas been lost, a theme dear toOttomer’s heart.“One of the first tours that Imade was about places that weredestroyed by the city,” he says. “Inthe 1960s and ’70s they destroyedmore than in two World Warstogether.” By showing peoplewhat’s already been demolishedin the name of modernisation and

efficiency, he hopes to encouragehis fellow Antwerpenaars to valuewhat they still have.Antwerp’s biggest fan is optimisticabout the future. “I’m very happythat it’s sucha successful book, andI’m very, very happy that peoplehave the same feeling: ‘Come on,they destroyed toomuch. Keep thecity like it is now and don’t touchthe old buildings anymore.’”Ottomer’s next project is a chil-dren’s book based on A Dog ofFlanders, the 19th-century novelabout a boy and his dog – morefamous abroad than in Antwerp,where the story is set. Perhapshecan do for Patrasche, the titulardog, what he’s already done forthe city of yesteryear: uneartha forgotten gem and bring it tolight.

’t stad van vroeger is published byLuster Uitgeverij in Dutch

Last Friday, Design Vlaanderenhanded out its annual Henry vande Velde Awards at Bozar in Brus-sels. Graphic designer and illus-trator Gert Dooreman took homethe Career Award, home deco labelSerax was awarded Company ofthe Year and design agency Unfoldreceived the Young Talent Award.Dooreman, fromGhent, startedhiscareer as an illustrator for newspa-pers De Morgen and De Gentenaarand is also responsible for restyl-ing the newspaper De Standaardand magazine Humo. Serax, based

in Kontich, Antwerp province, is ahome interior design label ownedby Serge and Axel Van den Boss-che.Unfold was founded in 2002 inAntwerp by Claire Warnier andDries Verbruggen (pictured) afterthey graduated from Eindhoven’sDesign Academy. The duo experi-ments with new ways of creating,financing and developing design.Two companies were rewardedfor their environmentally friendlydesigns. Smappee, a device tomeasure home energy consump-

tion, developed by Kortrijk-basedstudio Pilipili, received the OVAMEcodesign Award PRO for producton the market, while the Oxyvase,a vase that prolongs the life offresh flowers with oxygen-richwater, was awarded best productin development.Fifteen products also received theHenry van de Velde Quality label.All products and designs are ondisplay at Bozar in a free exhibi-tion that runs until 15 February. \Katrien Lindemans

Henry van de Velde Awards honour the best in Flemish designwww.dEsignvlaandErEn.BE

diana goodwinMore articles by Diana \ flanderstoday.eu

Tanguy Ottomer’s new book includes everything from 19th-century postcards to family snapshots from the 1970s

© Fabian

I started to go to the city archivesof Antwerp when I was a teenager

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Psychedelia andThe Big Lebowskiantwerp band Bed rugs just released their second album on cassette

When the Antwerp bandPorn Bloopers changedtheir name to Bed Rugs,

they alsopromptly embracedanewsound – a decidedly psychedelicone.“It was not a choice,” claims drum-mer Noah Melis. “It’s the musicwe like and listen to, and withoutdiscussing it, we started playingit. Though I think in the end, wewrite pop songs with psychedelicsoundsmore so than really psyche-delic music.”For Melis, truly psychedelic musictends to sound more drone-oriented. “Psychedelia is morecharacterised by how the musicsounds, with loads of reverb forinstance, than with the actualmusic played. Bands likeThe Flam-ing Lips or Animal Collective areboth psychedelic, though they’requite different.”Psychedelia, adds percussionistYorgos Tsakiridis, “is in the eye ofthe beholder. Maybe after doingdrugs, one might find SandraKim psychedelic” – a reference toBelgium’s only Eurovision SongContest winner.Stijn Boels (guitar), Yannick Aerts(guitar), Arne Omloop (bass) andMelis released 8th Cloud, their firstalbum, three years ago. Tsakiridisjoined the band after they releasedtheir six-track mini album Rapidsin 2013.They’ve now released a newfull album, Cycle. The group arecurrently Artist in Residence atTrix, the music club in their home-town of Antwerp, where they willplay a free release show later thismonth.Tsakiridisalsoplaysinseveralotherbands, with The Hickey Under-world being the most famous. He’sa multi-instrumentalist, playingbass guitar in The Hickey Under-world and keyboard and percus-sion in Bed Rugs.Precisely because he plays inseveral bands, he’s the only one ofthe fivemembers able to live off his

music. Melis, for instance, togetherwith his father, runs Me & MyMonkee, a coffee bar in Antwerpthat also sells records.

“I’d love to be a full-time musician,but financially it’s not yet possible,”says Melis. “On the other hand,thanks to thebar, I’maroundmusicall the time.” Smiling, he adds: “Andwhen I need to play a show, I cantell my father: ‘Dad, you’ll have tomanage without me’.”Bed Rugs took their name fromTheBig Lebowski, the 1998 cult film bytheCoenBrothers. “It’s a filmabout

a loser whose rug is urinated on bycriminals who mistake him for amillionaire,” Melis explains.“That intrusion shakes him out of

his lethargy, and he, finally, takehis life into his own hands – whichmostly leads to more problems,”Tsakiridis adds.Melis: “Sincewe adore that film,wewanted to call ourselves ‘The Rugs’,but that name was already taken.”Because Melis and Aerts are cous-ins and both their grandmothersused to make quilts, they settledon Bed Rugs instead.

Melis readily admits that they haveoften been called Red Bugs ratherthan Bed Rugs. “But we feed thatconfusion because we sporadi-cally deejay as Red Bugs. Peoplealso think that the band nameis pronounced ‘be drugs’, but wedidn’t have that in mind. Not thatwe care; let people come up withtheir own stories, please.”The band wrote and recorded thenew album Cycle in less than ayear – an impressive feat as mostgroups take far longer than that.“Don’t give us too much freedom,we won’t use it,” says Melis. “But assoon as a deadline is looming, westart working like hell.Thatwayweget the best result.”Melis says their ambitions are high,but also rooted in reality. “We’re

sensible enough to know that wewon’t embark on a world tour nextmonth,” he says. “For the moment,we’re aimingmore at shorter tours.Of course, the ideal would be thatthe five of us could all live off theband.”Cycle will be released in the USby Burger Records on … cassette.Yes, one of those artefacts thatappeared to have disappeared atthe turn of the century, though infact a small circle of music lovershave enthusiastically embraced theold-school tapes.“It’s an honour that they want torelease us, because Burger is solic-ited by loads of artists,” Melis says.“You might assume a cassetterelease is quite underground, butBurger has a growing reputation,so being released by them opensdoors. They organise festivals withtheir cassette bands – Burger-amas they’re called – for like 5,000people and counting.”For members of a group that playsuch mind-bending music, Melisand Tsakiridis seem very down-to-earth. But for Tsakiridis a band’scool-headedness has nothing to dowith the music they play. “If you’rebusywithmusic thewhole day, youquickly realise that all the roman-ticism you read about in inter-views is heavily exaggerated,” hesays. “And if something like thathappens, you only realise it after-wards. While you’re working, youhave to stay concentrated. That’sthe key element.”So which big Flemish music festi-val do they hope will call themfor next summer? Tsakiridis sayshe would like to play both RockWerchter and Pukkelpop. Melisagrees, but adds a caveat. “Whenpush comes to shove, I’d go forWerchter, because we have alreadyplayed Pukkelpop.”

mensen BlaffenVerzameld werk • OnderstroomThanks to Onderstroom Records – theunderrated Flemish Brabant label dedi-cated to newwave, both old and fresh – thealmost complete works of Mensen Blaffenhave finally gotten a long overdue CDrelease, making Verzameld werk (CollectedWorks) a singular piece of rock history.Between 1984 and 1988, the band fromAalst released three 12-inches (as EPs werecalled back then) and one album – all onvinyl of course. Their mix of angular rock,chilly, funk-induced grooves and SylvieHonnay’s weird, almost Dadaist lyrics

(mostly in Dutch, sometimes in French andGerman) was nothing less than unique –and not just in Flanders. Unfortunately,Mensen Blaffen’s exceptional originalitywasn’t matched by a similar amount ofsuccess.

BrZZvll featuringanthony josephEngines • Zephyrus/VynillaOn their previous three albums Brzzvll –pronounced “Brazzaville” – forayed intoafrobeat, fusion, funk and jazz. With theseingredients, theybrewedtheiruniqueblend

of danceable music, in the process becom-ing one of Flanders’ most funky musicalcollectives. Brzzvll also double as the houseorchestra of ’Nuff Said, the Antwerp even-ing series dedicated to music, poetry andstand-up comedy.ThebandmetUK-basedTrinidadianauthorAnthony Joseph at one of those ’Nuff Saidevenings and their subsequent collabora-tion onEngines is a homerun. Joseph’s voice– alternately soothing and angry, butalways hypnotising – pairs perfectly withthe groove-driven music of Brzzvll, whodon’t shy away from exploring newmusicalterritories, such as in the amazing “Liver-pool Highlands”.

more new albums this month

From left: stijn Boels, yannick aerts, noah Melis, arne Omloop and yorgos Tsakiridis are Bed rugs, who play a free concert on 30 january

TrixNoordersingel 28-30, Antwerp30 january, 19.30

We wanted to call ourselvesthe Rugs, but that namewas already taken

christophe verbiestMore articles by Christophe \ flanderstoday.eu

www.tinyury.com/BEdrugsfB

© richard Grey

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The Polaroid life of Carll Cneutfamous flemish illustrator offers a peek into his creative process

The exhibition Carll Cneut:In My Head is a windingtrip down memory lane. It

opens with a selection of Polaroidphotos the laurelled Flemish bookillustrator took over the past fewyears. They show an artist on themove, travelling to book fairs andlectures, giving interviews andcelebrating with friends.Cneut, 46, is best known for hisaward-winning drawings in chil-dren’s books such as Het geheimvan de keel van de nachtegaal (TheSecret of the Nightingale’s Throat)and Roodgeelzwartwit (Redyellow-blackwhite).“I started planning this showabout two-and-a-half years ago,”Cneut tells me from his tempo-rary studio inside the Sint-Piet-ers Abbey in Ghent, where theexhibition is staged. “During thepreparatory talks for the exhibi-tion, I mentioned that my profes-sion doesn’t just consist of sittingat home and drawing. There’s a lotmore to it.”Out of that grew the idea, he contin-ues, “of showing my life the way itis, in Polaroids. Because unlike digi-tal photography, those can’t be tink-ered with. Polaroids don’t embel-lish life. On the contrary, they showit how it actually is.”After this analogue introduction,the exhibition goes further backin time and unfolds as a journeythrough Cneut’s childhood in theWest Flemish village of Geluwe(now part of Wervik), near theFrenchborder. A 3D-reconstructionof the avenue with trees on bothsides that connected his childhoodhome with a local steenweg (road)offers a gateway to Cneut’s earlyyears.In room after room, or aviary afterclassroom, visitors experienceCneut’s formative years: eatingwithhis grandmother, throwing mud,hiding in the backseat of the carwhile his mother drove to variousfrituurs and encountering legend-ary local figures who hid at thebottom of a pond, or rode a bike toand fro all day, every day.“Theconstructionof that part of theexhibition, togetherwith the staffofSint-Pieters Abbey, almost felt likemaking a book,” Cneut explains.“Other than a few new drawingshere and there, most come fromprevious work. We laboured long tofind a logic that would bind every-thing together, just like in a book.”An integral part of the show’sstoryline is the audiowalk, narratedin both West Flemish dialect andDutch, created by comedian andraconteur par excellence WouterDeprez, a friend of Cneut’s who alsohails from Geluwe.“Wouter is a friend who is veryfamiliar with the surroundings Igrew up in,” explains Cneut. “Wetalked a lot about my childhood,

and he shaped those conversationsinto short stories firmly based onmy experiences. The West Flemishversion feels even more personal tome because it is in my own dialect,which I share with Wouter.”The closeness of Cneut and Deprezproved essential to the very privatefeel of the audio walk. “Perhaps Ieven shared more intimacies thanI would have thought beforehand,”Cneut admits. “If it wasn’t for ourfriendship, I would never havedivulged so much personal infor-mation. I’ve had doubts about shar-ing these stories, but now I’m surethis is the way it should be.”Among those more private child-hoodmemories is the early death ofCneut’s father, withwhomhe some-times drew Mickey Mouse figures.As a tribute, Cneut has now drawn– for the first time since then – aMicky Mouse.“My father died when I was nine,”he says. “My sisters and I suddenlybecame special in the eyes ofthe villagers. Typical for a smallcommunity – everyone knewwhat had happened. So the bakerlooked at us compassionately, and

the butcher gave us three slices ofsausage instead of one. But don’tget the wrong idea, I had a veryhappy childhood.”A important moment in Cneut’sfuture development as an illustra-tor was the discovery of the boldwork of turn-of-the-20th-centuryOstend artist James Ensor, througha poster that could be acquired bysaving the famous points fromWestFlemish food company Soubry.Many spaghettis later, Cneut hadalso digested art that didn’t limititself to tedious landscapes or inertfruit and flowers.“Without Ensor, I might havebecome a lawyer,” says Cneut, whopaid tribute to Ensor and masterslike Pieter Bruegel and Hierony-mus Bosch in books like Dulle Grietand De Blauwe Vogel, an adapta-tion of Nobel prize-winner MauriceMaeterlinck’s Blue Bird.The interplay between narrationin words and visual storytellingis well-known terrain for Cneut,

whose drawings tend to form aparallel tale that interacts with thestory. Of equal importance is theimaginative audacity from whichhisworknever shies away.Hewantsto create multi-layered books foraudiences of all ages.“The show is intended for adults,but children can also enjoy it,”Cneut says. “Similarly, adults reada book like Dulle Griet – which Icreated with author Geert De Kock-ere – and get the references, whilechildren have an entirely differentreading experience. Hopefully, oncethey grow up, they can return tothose books and read them anew.”As an internationally renownedillustrator published across theworld, Cneut has experiencedcultural and commercial differ-ences with regard to children’sbooks. “Major British and Ameri-can publishing houses that employa lot of people tend to be exceed-ingly careful,” he notes.The Amazing Love Story of Mr Morf,the only book Cneut both wroteand illustrated, was published bythe London-based giant Macmil-lan in 2002. “I’m still happywith thebook and with its large-scale distri-bution, but I think the project cametoo early in my career,” he says. “Iwas so young and so happy to workfor them that I became too amena-ble to their instructions. And therewere a lot of them, including theconcern that the word ‘love’ wouldequal ‘sex’ and how a pig would bedrawn. But, all in all, it was a valu-able lesson for me.”It hasn’t hindered him from draw-ing English-speaking pigs in hisdistinctive style, either, such as inTen Moonstruck Piglets, which waspublished by the US imprint Clar-ion Books in 2011.Cneut’s particular style first cameto the fore in his fourth book, Willy.Originally published in 1999 locallyby De Eenhoorn, it is now alsoavailable in English via EerdmansPublishing. “While illustrating thatstory I actually had amomentwhenI thought: ‘I am an illustrator now’.”And he has been ever since, metic-ulously forging new ways to craftcolourful fantasy worlds inhabitedby fairy-tale figures and animals,like in hismost recent yellow-domi-nated illustrations for De goudenkooi (The Golden Cage) by French-Italian author Anna Castagnoli.Thebook has been translated by Flem-ish author Saskia De Coster.The original drawings in De goudenkooi and other books finish theexhibition, right before you stepinto Cneut’s workspace to ask him,for instance, how the elephant gotits tiny tail.

stromae winsmost MIasAlthough he won half asmany as last year, Stro-mae still came out on top atlast week’s Music IndustryAwards (MIAs), the annualprizes of the Flemish musicindustry. The Brussels hip-hop artist picked up awardsfor Pop and Male Solo Artistin the public choice cate-gory and Live Act and VideoClip in the music sector cate-gory, the latter for his video“Ta Fête”. Electro-pop bandOscar and the Wolf won theBreakthrough, Alternativeand Album categories. Trig-gerfinger won Best Group,and Selah Sue won for BestFemale Solo. Bart Peeterswon for best Dutch-languagesinger or group, and the hitof the year was “Gold” byGabriel Rios. The LifetimeAchievement award wasgiven posthumously to LucDe Vos, who died suddenlylast month.

Film shot in Brugesbreaks recordsThe most popular Bolly-wood film of all time in Indiais PK, which was partiallyshot in Bruges. Released on19 December, it has alreadybroken box office recordsin the country, taking inmore than $45 million. Thefilm, directed by RajkumarHirani, is about a young jour-nalist in Delhi who, afterhaving her heart broken inBruges, comes across analien trying to make his wayhome. “The director gave methree requirements for theEuropean location: cobbledstreets, a concert hall andcanals,” associate directorKaran Narveker told VRT.“Belgium gave us somethingthat was very innocent andvery charming, the kind oflocation we had never seenbefore.” The city of Brugesis launching a new tourismcampaign in India based onthe film.

Callier new sint-niklaas ambassadorAlex Callier, the founder andbassist of long-running rockbandHooverphonic, has beennamed a cultural ambassadorfor Sint-Niklaas,where hewasborn and continues to live. Heis the first to receive the title.The role, said the city in astatement, requires Callier to“undertake initiatives relat-ing to democracy, diversity,sustainability and servicesthat contribute to the devel-opment of community andcity pride”. The decision toappoint Callier was unani-mous, and he will carry thetitle for two years.

weeK in arts& Culture

Bjorn gabrielsMore articles by Bjorn \ flanderstoday.eu

www.sintPiEtErsaBdijgEnt.BE

sint-Pieters abbeySint-Pietersplein, Ghentuntil 10 may

a bridge between kids and adults: Carll Cneut; see the world through the eyes of the illustratorat In My Head

january 14, 2015

\ 15

visual arts

party event

festival

Although he rose to prominence inNazi-occupied Paris, thanks to theinstantly recognizable tune “Nuages”,gypsy-jazz guitarist Django Reinhardtwasborn inBelgium.And theBelgianswon’t soon forget it. Every winter thejazz legend’s birthday (23 January) iscelebrated with a fortnight of music,performed by an international line-up of Django-inspired musicians.Nearly 30 venues across Belgium areparticipating in this year’s Django-folllies (no, we haven’t misspelled it).This year’s programme boasts perfor-mances by Flanders’ De Cauter family(Dajo pictured), Mons-based ensem-ble ACQMM and the Dutch-Roma-nian Limberger Family, whose patri-arch Piotto was once a member ofDjango’s group. \ GV

The irony of contemporary art isthat its revolutionary impulseshave proven all too easily assimi-lated into the very hierarchies theyonce sought to level. Tobe sure, the21st-century museum looks differ-ent than its 19th-century fore-bear, but it mostly works the same.French artist Pierre Leguillon tack-les this subject in The Museum ofMistakes: Contemporary Art andClass Struggle. Classification hereoperates on two levels: It is boththe division of space into differ-ent classes of objects and thedivision of society into differentclasses of people. True to the orig-inal mission of contemporary art,Leguillon attempts to de-class-ifythe museum. \ Georgio Valentino

Reggae star Alpha Blondytops the bill at Afropean+,a day-long event at Bozar

in Brussels that puts a spotlighton the African diaspora in Europeand the contribution it makes tothe cultural landscape. In additionto concerts by established andnew performers, there will befilms, debates, play readings, acraft fair, children’s entertainmentand exhibitions.Themusical line-uphasadistinctlyWest African flavour. Alpha Blondyhails from IvoryCoast, bringinghislocal take on mainstream reggae.Sekouba Bambino cut his teethwith Guinean legends BembeyaJazz National and continues in the

group's afropop tradition with atouch of Cuban style thrown in.Nzimbu Project brings togetherveteranpianistRayLemaofCongo-Kinshasa with singers BallouCanta and Fredy Massamba fromacross the river in Congo-Brazza-ville. They perform with Brazilianguitarist Rodrigo Viana, produc-ing a mellow and soulful acousticsound. Finally, urban pop singerPegguy Tabu pays tribute to cele-brated Congolese rhumba singerTabu Ley Rochereau, his father.Throughout the day, young artistsfrom the African diaspora inBelgium appear at the BrusselsTalent Show. The aim is to attractthe attention of programmers and

agents, and to reach out to newaudiences.You will need tickets for theconcerts, but the rest of the dayis free. The programme includesdocumentaries and fiction filmsset in Congo, Kenya, Burkina Faso,Ivory Coast and Mali. Pride ofplace goes to Colour Bar by RolandGunst, which explores the mixed-race director's identity crisis being

treated aswhite in Africa but blackin Belgium.Meetings range from a sympo-sium on cultural entrepreneurshipin Brussels’ African diaspora toa debate on the role of women inAfrica and Europe. Between times,check out the exhibition TimbuktuRenaissance, arts and crafts atthe market and food from acrossAfrica. \ Ian Mundell

After working up their cour-age with many warm-up eventsaround the world, the folks behindthe Chocoladesalon brought theircacao convention to chocolate’smost favoured nation for the firsttime last year. It was a hit. Thesecond edition promises to beeven sweeter. Some 60 interna-tional producers and vendors are

on hand to show their wares.Therearealsodemonstrations, anexhibi-tion of chocolate art and a runwayshow with the latest in ediblecouture. Chocoladesalon partnersinclude giants of the Belgian scenelike Pierre Marcolini and Flemishchocolatier Dominique Persoone.\ GV

West Africa in Brussels

Afropean+ConCertantwerpBooker T Jones:The70-year-old living legend performssongs from his new album,with the help of fellow soulartists Anthony Hamilton,Estelle and Raphael Saadiq.22 January 20.30, De Roma,Turnhoutsebaan 286

\ www.deroma.be

performanCeBrusselsGrote hoofden, kleinehartjes (Big Heads, SmallHearts): Family performanceabout heads full of dreams,based on the book Kniesen broos by Flemish writerReineke Van Hooreweghe (inDutch; ages 7 and up). 17-18,21 January, Bronks, Varkens-markt 15-17 (Tours Flandersthereafter)

\ www.bronks.be

visual artsBrugesSnapshot 10: The Halber-diers: The 10th edition ofBruges’ annual Snapshot seriesfeatures Flemish photographerMax Pinckers who explores theSt Michael’s Guild in Bruges,Flanders’ best-known fenc-ing guild. Until 19 April, Volk-skundemuseum, Balstraat 43

\ www.museabrugge.be

festivalBrusselsBrussels Jazz Festival:Multimedia festival featur-ing film, improvisation, jamsessions and concerts by PhilipCatherine, the Rigas RitmiAllstars of Latvia and perfor-mance artist Cécile McLorinSalvant, among others. Until23 January, Flagey, Heilig-Kruisplein

\ www.flagey.be

filmBrusselsCinema Nova 35/18mm:Mini-festival honouring 35and 18mm, featuring five filmsfrom five countries, thought-fully selected by the CinemaNova team in celebration of thevenue’s 18th birthday. 21 Janu-ary to 4 February, CinemaNova, Arenbergstraat 3

\ www.nova-cinema.org

partyBrusselsGala Nocturna: The world-famous darkly romanticcostume ball is themed TheSwan Princess this year andfeatures historical dancelesson, appetizers at the SwanBuffet, vendors, absinthe bar,photo corner and more. 7March 20.00, Concert Noble,Aarlenstraat 84

\ www.gala-nocturna.com

If, as some conspiracy theoristsspeculate, Elvis Presley staged hisown death in 1977, he has just cele-brated his 80th birthday in blissfulanonymity.TherestofushaveRadioModern’s Elvis Special. The eveningbegins with a dance lesson cover-ing the obligatory pelvic gyrations.Then a line-up of Elvis impersona-tors vie for supremacy in the Battle

of the Kings. These literal pretend-ers to the throne are accompaniedby a seven-piece band and a troupeof go-go dancers. Those keen tohave a souvenir of their brush withroyalty canpose for a snapshotwithElvis in the photo corner. Thereaf-ter a DJ spins retro hits from thelikes of Little Richard, Chuck Berryand, of course, Presley himself. \ GV

Pierre leguillon

radio modern Elvis special

djangofolllies

chocoladesalon

\ aGenDa

Bozar, Brusselswww.BoZar.BE

17 january

wiels, Brusselswww.wiEls.org

until 22 februaryacross Belgium

www.BrosElla.BE15-30 january

kursaal, Ostendwww.radiomodErn.BE

17 january, 20.00Brussels expo

HttP://BrussEls.salon-du-cHocolat.com

6-8 february

© alexandra Huddleston

© stefe jiroflee

get tickets now

get tickets now

january 14, 2015

\ 16

facebook.com/flanderstoday

EveryoneagreesthatFacebookis a good way to keep intouch with your friends. But

sometimes the social media sitesuggests that you share your lifewith someone you’ve nevermet. AsDe Morgen noted recently, Somsslaat het algoritme de bal mis, enworden twee wildvreemden aanelkaar gekoppeld – Sometimesthe algorithm gets it wrong, andit connects two total strangers.When that happens, most peoplejust click “No thanks”. But a filmstudent from Ghent chose adifferent response. Als Victor VanRossem een plaatje te zien krijgtvan Neal, een man met een langegrijze baard en een enorme grijnsop zijn gezicht, besluit hij op desuggestie in te gaan –When VictorVan Rossem received a photo of aman with a long grey beard and abig grin on his face, he decided tofollow up the suggestion.“De suggestie van Facebook wasabsurd,” zegt Vincent. “Neal is 49en woont aan de andere kant vande wereld” – “Facebook’s sugges-tion was absurd,” Vincent says.“Neal is 49 years old and lives onthe other side of the world.”But Van Rossem was looking for a

challenge. Op dat moment heefthij zijn buik vol van het kunstzin-nige karakter van de school – Justthen, he was fed up spending allday in the classroom. Naar buitenwil hij, op avontuur! – He wantedto get out and have an adventure!VanRossemtriedtobecomefriendswith the man with the beard, buthis request was turned down.He refused to give up. Met mede-student Bram Van Bree boekt hijeen ticket naar Austin om Nealop te zoeken –With fellow studentBram Van Bree, he booked a ticketto Austin to track down Neal.It turned out to be harder thanexpected – Op goed geluk doorAustin dwalen levert weinig op –Wandering around Austin hopingto bump into him didn’t producemuch. Een afficheactie evenmin –Nor did a poster campaign.The two students finally trackeddown the elusive Neal through alocal bookshop.He turnedout tobeevery bit as eccentric as his profilepicture suggested. De jongensworden het bizarre universumvan Neal Retke ingezogen – Thetwo youngsters were drawn intoNeal Retke’s bizarre world, volesoterische literatuur en heftige

noisefeestjes waar een gast totmoes word geslagen in het kadervan een performance – completewith esoteric books and “heavynoise parties”, where a participantwas beaten up as part of a perfor-mance.But it all ended well for the pairfrom Flanders. Het resultaat vande zoektocht is een documentairegeworden, hun eindwerk boven-dien – Their journey became adocumentary, which they submit-ted as their final-year project.Van Rossem had also made anew friend. “Hij is een beetje eenvreemde vriend, maar wel eenechte vriend” – “He is a bit ofa strange friend, but he’s a realfriend.”

Talking Dutchyou’ve got a friend in me

\ BaCkPaGe

the last worD

thinning the soup“Put 20% aside, get rid of somestaff and reduce opening hours.Otherwise you won’t survive thewhite cash register.”Filip Vanheusden, chair of HorecaVlaanderen, offers advice to cafesand restaurants in a New Year letter

Hard won“If this goes any further, ourfundamental rights will be atrisk, and we can turn back theclock on our civilisation. Wehaven’t had those liberties forlong, you know, and we had tofight for centuries to win them.”Flemish minister-president GeertBourgeois on the Charlie Hebdoattack, in Het Nieuwsblad

Penitentiary pals“It’s important to just be there tolisten. Asking about their livingsituation is good. Prisoners talkeasily about that sort of thing.”The charity Bond zonder Naam islooking for volunteers to write topeople in prison, Yves Bocklandtexplains

art history“It’s as if I’ve lost a child. I can’teven watch the demolition work;it’s too painful.”Flemish artist Arne Quinze, whosemonumental wooden structure “ThePassenger” in Mons collapsed andhad to be dismantled

a. oudjes (elderly people)

b. yolo (You Only Live Once)

c. selfie (self-portrait photo)

d. participatiesamenleving (participative society)

e. OMG (OhMy God)

The word you would most like toseevanish fromtheDutch languageis the English acronym yolo, whichstands for You Only Live Once –a sort of baby-talk version of theLatin phrase carpe diem. Presum-ably voters have no quarrel withthe sense of the word, just its

form. Thankfully, its use seems tobe limited to young people, whoprobably need its message morethan anyone.Elsewhere, you were pretty evenlysplitbetweenoudjes,participatiesa-menleving and OMG (pronouncedOh-Em-Gee), the latter of which is

another import, the former harm-less enough, while themiddle termis the only real abomination.Selfie picked up a minimum ofvotes, which suggests it’s alreadytoo deeply engrained in thelanguage (both English and Dutch)to even consider losing.

Pollwhich of these words do you think should be scrapped from the dutch language?

\ next week's question:Convicted killer Frank Van den Bleekenwas granted permission to undergo euthanasia because, after 30 years, hisprison sentence has become intolerable. What do you think?Log in to the Flanders Today website at www.flanderstoday.eu and click on VOTE!

CONNECT WITH US LIKE USTweet us your thoughts @FlandersToday

In response to: Antwerp welcomes first escape room gameVolkan BozkurtAntwerpen .... my darling

In response to: Brussels-City calls a halt to new bars and restau-rantsPaola CampoI don’t get it. Iwouldunderstand if thiswashappening in a resi-dential area or in an actual historical landmark. But Dansaert?

SandyWalsh @SandyWalsh_40Good training and good game today against KVMechelen. 2-1win. Tomorrow last day!

Tona @TonadoodlesJust a quick sketch. I miss spring andmy bike. I wanna go backto #Hasselt if only for a day.… http://instagram.com/p/xuxfx-OuQBV/

Melissa Clausen @sweetmelissa20Bruges! Love it! RT @TravlandLeisure: These romantic citieshave Cupid taking notes: http://tandl.me/13R2OoU

voiCes offlanDers toDay

Ilknur Cengiz @IlknurCengizEngaged in the preparation of exhibition in theCastle ClaeysBouuaert in #Ghent @RudyCoddens

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© Het nieuwsblad

derek BlythMore articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu

Victor Van rossem (left) and Bram Van Breewith their new friend neal retke

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