Blue unionMinister-president GeertBourgeois has come out infavour of a possible ‘NorthSea Union’ to ease Brexittrade negotiations

\ 4 \ 10 \ 11

#44

5Er

kenn

ings

num

mer

P708

816 august 31, 2016 \ newsweekly - € 0,75 \ rEad morE at www.flandErstoday.Eu

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

A team of four specialists at UZGent are working on curiouscases that other doctors have been unable to solve, givinganswers to patients who have slipped through the net ofthe diagnosing system.

The most unrealistic element in the popular TV seriesHouse, M.D. was not so much the incredible range ofdiseases Dr House and his team encountered, but

the suggestion that there could be a single physician with acommand of the entire field of medicine.“To identify a mysterious disorder in a patient who hasrun from one doctor to the other, from one hospital to theother, you need a thoroughlymultidisciplinary team,” Flem-

ish doctor David Cassiman told De Standaard in a recentinterview.Cassiman, a specialist in liver andmetabolic diseases at UZLeuven andEast LimburgHospital, spent his summerwork-ing in the US, where he was invited to join the undiagnoseddisease programme at the National Institute of Health inBethesda, near Washington, DC. In that programme, a10-strong team tackles the most mysterious and seeminglyunsolvablemedical pictures. It’s quite an honour for a Flem-ish doctor to be asked to join the team.For Cassiman, the past two months have no doubt been anunforgettable experience. But he might equally have madean appointment with his colleagues at Ghent’s University

Hospital (UZGent).Since June 2015, UZGent has been home to a similar undi-agnosed rare diseases programme, known as Proza. In theprogramme, a team of four – they are actually referred to as“Dr House’s team” in the corridors – work together to helplocal patients who have slipped through the net of the diag-nosing system.“The profession of a physician, whether they’re a GP or abrain surgeon, is in many ways still a trade, a craft,” saysWim Terryn, one of the four Proza doctors and an intern-ist specialised in infectious and kidney diseases. “There’s nogolden protocol every doctor in the world follows to reacha diagnosis. Everyone has their own style, and in some

continued on page 5

TwinningcomBinaTionAntwerp University graduates – andtwins – Joyce and Raissa de Haas arewinning over taste buds around theworld with their tonic mixers

waTer worldFold up a canoe and wheel itaround like a suitcase to exploreany city a whole new way, thanksto an ingenious design by twoGhent entrepreneurs

The diagnosis detectivesmedical mysteries are being solved in ghent, thanks to the ‘dr House team’

© Courtesy uZgent

senne starckxMore articles by senne \ flanderstoday.eu

\ 2

\ CuRRent aFFaIRs

The Flemish Red Cross isaccepting donations for thevictims of the earthquake

that struck central Italy last week,taking at least 290 lives. Some 300people have been treated in areahospitals.“The money will be transferred tothe Red Cross in Italy, and then

they can decide how the donationsare used,” said An Luyten, spokes-person for the Flemish Red Cross.“It could be used for tents ormedi-cal kits, for example.”At least 2,500 people have beenmade homeless by the 6.3 magni-tude quake, which was followedby a 4.3 magnitude shock and

hundreds of smaller aftershocks,making rescue work more diffi-cult. Because the area is popularwith tourists, authorities are alsofinding it difficult to determineexactly how many people were inthe buildings affected in the townsof Amatrice, Arquata, Accumoliand Pescara del Tronto.

The local Red Cross chapter canalso help trace missing familymembers, Luyten told VRT. But sofar they have received no requests.Donations can bemade by transferto bank account BE53 0000 00005353 with the reference “aardbev-ing Italië”.

Flemish Red Cross collects donationsfor earthquake victims in Italylocals can give directly to italian relief efforts, hampered by aftershocks

Politicians and artists have beenpaying tribute to jazz musi-cian Toots Thielemans, who diedearly last week at the age of 94.The Brussels-born Thielemans,particularly known as a harmon-ica virtuoso, had been in hospi-tal since last month, when hesuffered a fall.“We saw it coming, but it wasstill a serious shock,” said Flem-ish jazz guitarist Philip Cathe-rine, who was informed of Thiele-mans’ death while on holiday inFrance. The two musicians playedtogether often and remained inclose contact.For Kurt Overbergh, artisticdirector of Brussels concert hallAncienne Belgique, Thielemans(pictured) was above all an ordi-nary Brussels ketje. “Artists oftenhave a desire to be larger than life,”he said. “But Toots was alwaysfriendly and down to earth, andI think that’s the best way to gothrough life.”Singer Johan Verminnen recalledthe first time he askedThielemansto play on a recording. “I was wetbehind the ears and didn’t realiseI was talking to a world star. Hisreply was ‘How can I help you?’Despite his status he was alwaysan extremely friendly man.”“I remember I had a new messageon my answering machine one

January,” recalls pianist Jef Neve.“Toots had played a tune, and said‘Happy New Year, Jefke!’ Those aremoments you don’t forget”.Flemish culture minister SvenGatz said that a museum or housededicated to themusicianwas notout of the question. “But I thinkthe strength of a musician is thathe will always be rediscovered byother musicians,” Gatz said. “Inthe case of Toots, I can say that hehas enough musician friends tomake sure that happens.”“I will remember Toots above allas a gentle, warm-hearted andlikeable global star who stoodon the stage with no preten-sions,” said Brussels ministerGuy Vanhengel, a friend of the

harmonica player. “We have a lotto learn from Toots, the musicianwho built an international careereveryone from Brussels and fromBelgium can be proud of. He maywell be the biggest ever Belgian inthe outside world.”Thielemans was buried last Satur-day in La Hulpe, where he lived inhis later years. A book of condo-lences was opened at Brussels cityhall.In related news, the Brussels Capi-tal Academy for Music plans tointroduce a course in harmon-ica, director Bruno De Jonghe hasannounced. The school, whichteaches music to adults as well aschildren from the age of six, hasalready had several enquiries andexpects renewed interest follow-ing Thielemans’ death.“I’ve played the harmonica foryears, and I’m a huge fan ofThiele-mans,” De Jonghe said.The academy’s “jazz and lightmusic” section includes lessonsin several instruments, includingguitar, percussion, piano, saxo-phone and keyboard. However,the harmonica is not recognisedas an instrument by the part-time education system – some-thing De Jonghe intends to rectify.“The harmonica offers all sorts ofpossibilities, including for chil-dren,” he said. \ AH

new driving instructors requiredin Flanders to cope with reformedregulations for driver educationand the retirement of many expe-rienced instructors, according toindustry federation Federdrive

spent in 2014 on pets in Belgium.Households in Flanders spent 0.7%of their budget on pets, mainly onfood and vet bills. One in five fami-lies in Flanders has a dog, whileone in four has a cat

staff of companies active at Brus-sels Airport have not yet returnedto work following the bomb attackin March. Ten are employees ofBrussels Airlines

people travelled by train to thecoast on Thursday, 25 August, arecord for the summer. Ostendwasthemost popular destination, with17,000 visitors

increase since 2011 in the numberof employees in Flanders whowork from home one or more daysa week, according to the federaleconomy ministry

Musicians and politicians pay tribute, asTootsThielemans laid to rest

250

€1.3 billion

25%

29,500

alan HopeFollow alan on twitter \ @alanHopeFt

17

© Riccardo De luca/MaXPPP

© Jos knaepen/tootsthielemans.com

One person was killed and fiveseriously injured in a traffic acci-dent last week on the westboundE40 at Oudenburg in West Flan-ders. In the back of one of thelorries involved in the accident,police discovered four migrantswithout papers.The four African men were lockedinside the lorry and were discov-ered when they banged on thesides.The vehicle was refrigeratedand had German number plates.According to police, the menwere headed to the UK. They wereordered to leave the country butnot held.

The accident happened whenanother lorry drove into a tail-back caused by maintenancework on the roadside. A car wascrushed between two lorries, andone of the passengers – a 40-year-old man from La Louvière – waskilled. The driver and her daugh-ter were both injured.The motorway was closed forseveral hours, while long tail-backs built up on the E40 and A10towards Ostend. Civil defencepersonnel handed out water onwhat was the warmest day of theyear so far. \ AH

Flemish public transport author-ity De Lijn has handed out 8,440traffic fines since it took over therunning of the fines system fromthe police court last September.More than four out of five fineswere for drivers parking in a busbay.De Lijn is now responsible forimposing its own fines of €107 onanyone who holds up the service.The total brought in over the 10months to date comes to more

than €900,000, with parked carsthe biggest hindrance.“That creates a dangerous situa-tion for passengers who want toget off,” a company spokesper-son said. By law, parking is notpermitted 15m on either side of abus stop.At the request of the Flemishombudsman, De Lijn has nowcreated a FAQ to explain thesystem. \ AH

Transmigrants discoveredfollowing accident on E40

De Lijn hands out 8,500 finesfor blocking service

august 31, 2016

\ 3

face of flanders

Flemish-Greek duo DimitriVegas and Like Mike have madeit onto Forbes’ top 10 list of theworld’s highest paid DJs. As thenew boys on the millionaire’sblock, they hold the 10th spot.Theduo’s estimated 2016 incomeamounts to €13.7 million.(Number one on the list is TaylorSwift’s boyfriend, Calvin Harris,at €56 million).Local authorities know Vegasand Mike as Dimitri andMichael Thivaios, Willebroek-born brothers of Greek origin.They started working togetherin 2006, when Dimitri (picturedright), who was living in Greeceat the time, returned to Flan-ders to help produce the firstrelease under their DimitriVegas and Like Mike-moniker:“La Cocaina”.A few years later, they hostedTomorrowland for the firsttime, creating the anthem of theinternationally renowned festi-val. “Tomorrow (Give in to theNight)” featuring Dada Life andTara McDonald came out onthe duo’s own label, Smash TheHouse, and established theirstatus as colossi of commercial

dance music.They went on to host annualsold-out parties at Antwerp’sSportpaleis, to play all over theworld and to create anotheranthem – for the Red Devilsduring Euro 2016. Vegas andMike are currently the first duoto become DJ Mag’s number oneDJ, dethroning the Netherlands’Hardwell after two consecutiveyears.Vegas and Mike play andproduce the same genre as mostof their Forbes-list compatriots:electronic dance music (EDM),which serves as an umbrellaterm for popular dance genreslike drum’n’bass, trance anddubstep. Their style comprisesa mix of heavily produced elec-tro and heavily produced housecalled, you guessed it, electro-house.EDM DJs are usually the oneswho play the biggest clubs andfestivals dance music has tooffer and have been known topour champagne all over thefirst rows of their audiences.And flamboyant Vegas and Mikearen’t averse to this kind of deca-dence. \ Laurens Bouckaert

dimitri vegas and like mike

TheAmerican scientist and philos-opher Stephen Jay Gould proposedin a 1997 essay that the conflictbetween religion and science wasa false concept. They were in factentirely separate domains – heused the term “non-overlappingmagisteria” – and the terms of onewere not applicable to the other.So what to make of a Communionwafer that appeared to start bleed-ing in Aalst? The news appearedlast week, after the priest, FatherEric Jacqmin, announced theapparition that took place lastmonth inhis home, in the presenceof seven witnesses present to cele-brate a birthday Mass.The wafer was contained in ametal holder difficult to tamper

with, believers said.The event tookplace nine months after FatherJacqmin came into possession ofthe object, on his birthday, and inthe month of the Holy Blood.According to Father Jacqmin, thephenomenon stands outside allnatural laws. According to profes-sorLiesbethJacxsensof thedepart-ment of food safety and quality atGhent University, the host prob-ably became discoloured by thepresence of bacteria or mould,which produces a red colour inproducts containing starch.Examples, she cited, are thebacterium Serratia marcescens,which produces a red pigment,or the fungus Monilia sitophila enOidium, which has the same effect.

The professor is ready to analysea piece of the host. The priest isunlikely to agree to that, adheringto Gould’s belief: the two domainshave nothing to say to each other.

never the twainoffside

weeK in BriefBrussels needsmore public trans-port at night, not only for thoseout on the town but also for restau-rant and shift-workers, accord-ing to the public transport usersgroup TreinTramBus. The organ-isation said it recognised that a24-hour metro service was unfeasi-ble, but suggested an extension ofthe Noctis night-bus service to runall week instead of only Friday andSaturday.

Hanne Verstreken and Jaro Steens,winners of the first edition ofMijn Pop-uprestaurant! in2014, have sold the food truckthey bought with their €100,000winnings andplan to open a restau-rant in Antwerp. An advertisementfor the truckappears on thewebsite2dehands.be, with an asking priceof €50,000.

For the third time, the lemon solehas been named Fish of the Yearby the Flemish centre for agricul-tural and fisheriesmarketing Vlam.The fish won the title previously in1997 and 2008. Belgians consumedonly 116 tonnes of lemon sole lastyear from a catch of 705 tonnes.

Works on the Antwerp Ring dueto start on 5 September will lasttwo months and mainly be carriedout overnight, the roads and trafficagency said. Effects could be felt asearly as 21.00, with closure of lanesand on- and off-ramps. The worksinvolve replacing joints betweenthe plates of reinforced concretethatmake up the road, covering thearea between the Kennedy Tunneland the Deurne interchange on thenorth-bound carriageway.

The annual Snow and Ice Sculp-ture Festival in Bruges is movingto Hasselt, organisers haveannounced. The festival has beenan annual event in Bruges since1999, but visitor numbers havebeen falling. Organisers said theterror attacks in Paris last Novem-ber led many coach parties to cut

Bruges from their itineraries, whilechanges to the bus and taxi zonesin front of Bruges station meantthe festival would have less space.It will now join Hasselt’s Winter-land event and be called Ice MagicHasselt.

The city of Leuven has signed acultural co-operation agreementwith the German city of Neuss. Itwas two battalions of troops fromtheGermancitywhowere responsi-ble formuchof the damage sufferedby Leuven in 1914. “We want toshow that culture can repair whatfire and war once destroyed,” saidDenise Vandevoort, city coun-cillor for culture. The agreementcovers both cities’ archives, libraryexchanges and a joint exhibition in1918 tomark the 100th anniversaryof the end of the First World War.

Mega-brewer AB InBev has plans tocut 3% of the workforce – some5,500 jobs – after it has completedits takeover of SABMiller, Bloom-berg reports.Thefigures come frommerger documents the companysubmitted to competition authori-ties.The job cuts will be introducedin phases. Shareholders of the twocompanies will vote on 28 Septem-ber.

Last Saturday saw the world’s larg-est ever Kubb tournament inAalst, with more than 500 gamesbeing played simultaneously.Kubb is a Swedish lawn game thatinvolves knocking over woodenblocks by throwing wooden batonsat them. The Aalst tournament isnow in its 10th edition.

Brussels households consumed1.9% less electricity in 2015 thanthe previous year, when consump-tionwasdown4.4%on2013,accord-ing to expertise centre Brugel.Theyused more gas, however, which thecentre attributed to the weather. Anumber of new providers enteredthemarket, pushing downprices by6% for electricity and by 8% for gas.

Flemish TV channel Acht has beenrenamedCAZ andwill relaunch on1October as the “male equivalentof Vitaya”, new ownersMedialaanhave announced. The group said itwould catermainly tomen aged 18to 54, with mob and action moviesand series such asGame ofThronesand Dexter. It will also produce aseries looking behind the scenes ofthe Belgian army’s Special Forces.

Jane Windey, a 21-year-old tour-ism student from Bruges, has beennamed Job Student of the Yearby Unizo and human resourcesconsultants ADMB.Windey guidestourists by bike in the city andsurrounding area. A Unizo studyshowed that three out of fouremployers use job students, partic-ularly in peak periods.

Dutch celebrity chef SergioHerman plans to open his upscalechip-shop Frites Atelier inAntwerp later this year, he said.Herman already owns a branchin The Hague and is co-owner ofthe two-Michelin star restaurantThe Jane in Antwerp. “It’s not aneight-course meal, but a packet offries can also be great,” he told HetBelang van Limburg. “It’s nice to beable to offer a top product for lessthan €5.”

The Royal Institute for CulturalHeritage in Brussels is investigat-ing the apparent disturbance oftwo reliquaries in the Sint-Catha-rina Church in Maaseik, Limburgprovince, after it was discoveredthat bones contained in one hadbeen moved to the other and thatsome of them had been wrappedin freezer bags – activity thatfollowed the last official open-ing of the containers in 1930. Theunofficial opening is thought tohave taken place between 1987and 1992.

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

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

Editor Lisa BradshawdEPuty Editor Sally TippercontriButing EditorAlanHopesuB EditorBartosz BrzezinskiagEnda Robyn Boyle, Georgio Valentinoart dirEctor Paul VanDoorenPrEPrEssMediahuis AdProcontriButorsRebecca Benoot, DerekBlyth, Leo Cendrowicz, Paula Dear, AndyFurniere, Lee Gillette, DianaGoodwin,ClodaghKinsella, Catherine Kosters,Toon Lambrechts, IanMundell, Anja Otte,TomPeeters, Senne Starckx, ChristopheVerbiest, DenzilWaltongEnEral managErHansDe LoorePuBlisHErMediahuis NV

Editorial addrEssGossetlaan 30 - 1702Groot-Bijgaardentel 02 467 23 06editorial@flanderstoday.eu

suBscriPtionstel 03 560 17 49subscriptions@flanderstoday.euor order online at www.flanderstoday.eu

advErtising02 467 24 37advertising@flanderstoday.eu

vErantwoordElijkE uitgEvErHansDe Loore

© John snyder/wikimedia

\ 4

Flemish public works ministerBen Weyts has begun a week-longmission to West Africa, to discussthe use of Flemish ports withtrading partners in Guinea andIvory Coast. Just before his depar-ture, the ports of Zeebrugge andAntwerp signed a co-operationagreement to work together moreclosely on the matter.“We want to be seen as the frontdoortoaEuropeanmarketofabout500million consumers,”Weyts toldFlanders Today. “Because of ourmaritime logistics and expertise,it’s useful for countries – and forwhole continents even – to enterthe European market through ourports. We always want to explorenewmarkets.”Weyts will be accompanied bysome 50 representatives fromlocal concerns and will meet withhigh-level contacts in Abidjan, theeconomic capital of Ivory Coast,andConakry, the capital of Guinea.

While Flanders already has strongties with Abidjan, it is looking tomake inroads into Conakry, anemerging economy.Last week the CEOs of the ports ofAntwerp and Zeebrugge signed anagreement to begin offering ship-ping companies access to bothports for a single tariff. The twosigned a declaration of intent ayear ago to work together moreclosely.The CEOs of the two ports, withtheir counterparts from Ghentand Ostend, are part of the Flem-ish delegation to Africa. \ AH

Flanders’ environment ministerJoke Schauvliege and public worksminister Ben Weyts broke groundlast week on works to extend theZwin nature reserve in Knokke atthe coast.The reserve, which opened anew visitors’ centre earlier thissummer (pictured), will eventuallydouble in size.The project will alsoinclude stormprotection, at a totalcost of €12.7 million.The Zwin reserve consists ofsand flats situated on the borderbetween West Flanders andZeeland province in the Nether-lands. The expansion works willadd some 120 hectares to thereserve, almost doubling its sizeby 2019.

The works involve taking sandfrom the Zwin estuary to theWillem-Leopold polder, where anew dyke will be constructed toreplace the existing one , whichdates to 1872. In 2019, the old dykewill be demolished, and the polder–which straddles theborder and isnamedafterWillem III of theNeth-erlands and Leopold II of Belgium– will be returned to the sea.That will have two effects. Wildlifewill be given 120ha of new habitat– an act of compensation for theloss of habitat caused by the dredg-ing of the Westerschelde furtherup the coast for shipping purposes.And the works will prevent furthersilting of the Zwin, whichwas oncethe waterway used by ships to sail

all the way to Bruges, until siltingcut off access.The operation involves shiftingthe equivalent of 150,000 lorries ofsand. Outdoors enthusiasts, andespecially bird-watchers, will alsobenefit. “The Zwin will not onlybecome larger and more valua-

ble, the new dyke will make thehinterland safer,” Weyts said at theground-breaking ceremony in theDutch village of Retranchement.“The broader and deeper Zwinestuary is essential for the sustain-able future of low-tide areas,”Schauvliege added. \ AH

A group of young Muslim womenin Antwerp held a “beach party”last Saturday in protest at N-VA’sproposed ban on the burqini andat recent comments made by thecity’s mayor, Bart De Wever. Theevent was planned to take placeon Suikerrui, next to city hall, butmoved to the nearby Steenplein.“We are women, and we’re free,”the group said on its Facebookpage. “We’re not prepared to haveanyone tell us what we can orcannot wear.”The burqini is a full-body swim-suit intended to allow Muslimwomen to go to the beach withoutexposing themselves. Last week,De Wever referred to burqinis aswearable “tents”. The commentsfollowed his party’s proposal thatthe burqini should be banned onFlanders’ beaches as it has been inseveral coastal resorts in France,most notably Cannes and Nice.“Our bodies are our own,” said

the group, which called its actiona st(r)a(n)dfeest, a play on wordsmixing “beach party” with “cityparty”. “We decide which areaof skin should be covered or leftexposed. That’s how it ought to be,with a burqini, bikini, monokini orno kini at all.” \ AH

Minister heads toWest Africa topromote Flemish ports

Weyts and Schauvliege break ground on Zwin expansion

Antwerp women organise ‘beachparty’ against burqini ban

\ POlItICs

the 20%The federal government hasreturned from holidays totough budget talks, with someclear decisions to make. Onediscussion that seems to besettled already is that of abalanced budget by 2018.Although it was part of thecoalition agreement, no oneis still insisting on a balancedbudget. The general consen-sus seems to be that it is simplyunattainable.This is particularly trou-bling for leading party N-VA.A balanced budget was one ofthe cornerstones of its electionprogramme,meant to “clean upthe budgetary mess” left by theprevious government and theFrench-speaking socialists PS.However, N-VA is hoping foranother trophy: lowering busi-ness taxes. The idea is to makeit more simple: the current ratestands at over 30%.With awiderange of possible reductions,hardly any company ever paysthe full tax, but that is hard toexplain, as foreign companiesoften only look at the rate itself.So federal finance ministerJohan Van Overtveldt (N-VA)has comeupwith a simpleplan:lower the rate to a 20% flat rate,with no reductions possible.The idea has not been acceptedby the government yet, but ithas caught international atten-tion already. A Dutch finan-cial newspaper put Van Overt-veldt’s plans on its front page,stating that it “increases pres-sure” on the Dutch tax system.In any case, lowering businesstax rates is an internationaltrend, as most OECD countrieshave done the same in recentyears. Some critics warn abouta “race to the bottom”.International attention is onething, getting the reductionapproved is another. N-VA’scoalition partners CD&V andOpenVLDhavetheirownobjec-tions. CD&V is worried aboutthe treasury, as the budget isin trouble already. Vice-primeminister Kris Peeters againdemanded a capital gains tax inreturn, as “amatter of fairness”.Open VLD, meanwhile, stressesthat the reduction should notbe a “raise in disguise”. Theliberals are worried aboutmeasures to compensate forthe reduction.Employer organisation VBO,too, is critical. It does notwant to see the “notionalinterest reduction” disappear.This reduction has persuadedmany overseas corporationsto choose Belgium as its Euro-pean headquarters, but manylocal companies champion it,too.Cutting company tax will thusbecome a major test for theMichel government. and theinternational attention won’tdo much to ease the pressure.\ Anja Otte

5TH column Brexit: North Sea Union couldease international relationsflemish minister-president in favour of new ‘blue’ trade coalition

Flanders would be willing to join a newNorth Sea Union to govern trade relationswith the UK after the country leaves the

European Union, Britain’s Daily Telegraphreports. Flemish minister-president GeertBourgeois, whose portfolio also includesforeign trade, was once again arguing for whathe called a “soft Brexit”.Bourgeois (pictured) first spoke of a soft Brexitin a speech last month, following the UK’s 23June vote to leave the EU. His words contrastedwith the more aggressive terms used by Belgianprimeminister CharlesMichel, who insisted theinterests of continuing member states wouldcome far ahead of those of the British.“I can’t imagine a situation where we havemore

barriers on trade in both directions,” Bourgeoistold the Telegraph. “You are our fourth biggestexport market. It is in our mutual interest tofind a solution, and the majority of the EU now

agrees that anything other than a soft Brexitwould have a huge cost.”The idea of aNorth SeaUnionwas first proposedby theBremenregional government inGermany,which borders the North Sea. Bourgeois nowbelieves the notion could be the basis for a newsort of co-operation between the UK and otherEuropean countries.“I am not proposing a new EU,” Bourgeois toldthe paper. “My idea is a light structure on anintergovernmental basis, like the Mediterra-nean Union. There are so many areas in whichwe can work together on the enormous poten-tial of blue industry in the oceans, whether itis the pharmaceutical sector, health or foodproduction.”

alan HopeMore articles by alan \ flanderstoday.eu

© nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga

© giorgio Montersino/wikimedia.

© Courtesy Zwin nature reserve

© Courtesy of port of abidjan

august 31, 2016

\ 5

The diagnosis detectivesin its first year, uZgent’s undiagnosed disease programme has solved 200 cases

continued from page 1

disciplines diagnosing a patientinvolves more routine than inothers.”To err is human, and so it oftenhappens that a doctor can’tmake aclear diagnosis when they listen toa patient’s complaints or examinetheir body. That’s why our modernhealth system has both primary(GPs) and secondary health care(specialists).AGPcanreferpatientswithambig-uous or vague medical pictures toa specialist for further investiga-tion, or to a colleague for a secondopinion. Formost patients, it stopsthere: they get the right diagno-sis and, hopefully, a treatment isprescribed.But for a minority, it’s the begin-ning of a journey in which they seemore doctors and specialists thanthe average Fleming encounters intheir whole life.The Proza team consists offour specialists: two in inter-nal medicine, one neurologistand one geneticist. “Many of therare diseases that are missed inprimary or secondary health careare genetic,” says Bruce Poppe,the geneticist. So, he explains,it’s important to sequence theexome, or the gene-coding part ofthe DNA, of the patients they dealwith.They then try to find amatchin the scientific literature with aknown disorder.Many of the genetic, sometimeshereditary,disordersarechronicorprogressive – and often life-threat-ening. And though the diseasesare rare, a surprising number ofpeople suffer from one of them.“Less than one in 2,000 people inFlanders are affected by an offi-cially recognised ‘rare disease’,”says Poppe, “but because thereare more than 8,000 variations ofsuch diseases, the total numberof patients in Flanders lies some-where between 30,000 and 50,000.”One of those rare disorders isFabry’s disease, known for itsmisdiagnoses among clinicians.Terryn wrote his PhD thesis onit. “Fabry’s disease is an ultra-raredisorder that produces symptomsand complaints that can easily bemisunderstood,” he says. “I recall ayoung man who was hospitalisedwith a high fever and severe pain inhis arms and legs, just after his GPhad sent him home telling he justhad a severe sinus infection.”It was only after the patient had astroke that another doctor remem-bered a similar case from a confer-ence he’d attended a while before.The patient was quickly sent toPoppe, and, after an exome scan,they discovered the real cause:Fabry’s disease.Fortunately, there’s a treatmentfor Fabry’s disease, although itrequires a hospital visit every twoweeks for the rest of your life.When Terryn says that a doctor

remembered a similar case entirelyby coincidence, he hits the nail onthe head. One of the reasons Poppeand his three colleagues startedthe Proza programme a year ago

was their desire to decrease therole of chance in whether or not apatient receives the right diagno-sis in time.“We want to abolish routine in

the practice of diagnosing,” saysTerryn, “as it’s clear that thisroutine hasn’t solved the cases thatreach us. I believe a multidiscipli-nary approach is an important key

to our success, combined with thefact that we sit together and brain-storm with each other when wediscuss a file or see a patient inperson.”

The Proza team meets twice amonth, once to discuss new files,the second time to see the patientswhose files were not clear enoughto make a diagnosis. In the first

meeting, they discuss which of thenew files, submitted by physiciansacross Flanders, offer the mosthope of a diagnosis.If a file is admitted, the Proza

doctors don’t necessarily see thepatient behind it. On the contrary,in most cases the medical mysteryis solved based solely on the infor-mation in the file. If it isn’t, thepatient is invited for a consulta-tion. “Since we’ve started, morethan a year ago, we’ve diagnosedmore than 200 patients,” Poppesays. “Of those 200, we saw 50 inperson for a consultation.”It’s a heavy workload for a teamof four who do this as a kind ofvolunteer work. And, according toPoppe’s statistics, the number ofrequests isn’t decreasing.During a consultation, a patientmeets all four Proza doctorstogether. “Makingtherightdiagno-sis depends heavily on what ques-tions you ask and what answersyou give priority to,” explainsTerryn. “We try to find as much asobjective information as possibleand avoid vague complaints, likefatigue, which is almost impossi-ble to measure. It’s all about tryingto find clues that put us on theway.”When the team eventually comeup with the diagnosis, it’s notnecessarily a rare genetic disorderno one has ever heard of before.Sometimes the final outcome evenseems a little banal – but of courseno less serious for the patient.Terryn: “I recall a woman who wassufferingfrompaininherjointsandchronic fatigue and had alreadybeen diagnosed eight years earlierwith fibromyalgia. We discov-ered that, before the complaintsstarted, she had undergone gastricbypass surgery. A rare but well-known consequence of such anoperation – if it’s not carried outwell – is a syndrome that causesfibromyalgia-like symptoms. Wewere able to help the woman; aftersix weeks of treatment, she felt fitas a fiddle.”Like so many conditions, Fabry’sdiseasewasnamedafter its discov-erer, a German named JohannesFabry. Is there a chance that, some-day, a patient at UZ Gent will bediagnosed with Poppe’s disease orTerryn’s syndrome?“Thousands of rare genetic disor-ders have already been discov-ered and described, so there’s notmuch chance we’ll find a new one,”Terryn says. “But it’s not zero. AtUZGent, we have a unique set ofsequencing machinery by whichwe can scan a patient’s exome andimmediately compare the resultswith the existing genomic data inthe scientific literature.”Even if there’s no match, he says,“we can continue our search andlook for genetic anomalies inthe patient’s DNA that resembleknown mutations. This bio-infor-matics approach could lead us toyet undiscovered genes and, yes, toundiscovered disorders.”

\ COVeR stORy

uZgEnt.BE

Making the right diagnosis depends heavily on whatquestions you ask and what answers you give priority to

© Courtesy uZgent

the Proza team, from left: wim terryn, Dimitri Hemelsoet, steven Callens and Bruce Poppe

\ 6

Antwerp Port Authority has filedan appeal with the Council ofState in the Netherlands againstthe planned route of cables froma wind turbine installation off thecoast of Zeeland. The route leadsfrom the installation to the high-tension station at Borssele via theWesterschelde – the estuary of theScheldt river that carries heavy seatraffic to and from Antwerp andthe sea.The Dutch plans involve fiveturbine installations, delivering atotal of 3,500 megawatts of power,which will be carried via trans-former stations and cable to land.According to the Port Authority,the planned route will be a dangerto shipping in the Westerschelde.Alternative routes were not suffi-ciently studied, the appeal alleges.Five possible routes were orig-inally proposed, two of whichpass though the Westerschelde.The Dutch government preferredwhat is known as Route 4B, anddelivered the necessary permits.Antwerp port claims that it repeat-edly raised objections but was

ignored by the Dutch government.The port alleges that Route 4B isnot in line with the 2005 ScheldtTreaty signed by both Dutch andFlemish governments, whichconcerns matters such as safety,accessibility and the environment.The cable route passes throughthe river’s busiest shipping lanes,creating new potential obstaclesto traffic in a spot where Flan-ders spent €50 million clearing oldwreckage in the 1990s to make theriver safe.“Nothing must be allowed toimpede the safety and efficiencyof international shipping trafficto and from the port of Antwerp,”the port authority said in a state-ment. \ AH

A British court has ruled that thetwomain shareholders of London-based brewer SABMiller may betreated as a separate voting classin approving a takeover by Leuven-based AB InBev. The ruling makesit easier for approval to be blocked.The two shareholders – the AltriaGroup and Bevco, owned by theSanto Domingo family – wereoffered a combination cash andequity package by InBev, whileother SABMiller shareholderswere offered only cash. Since theinitial offer, however, the value ofthe pound has fallen, while thevalue of InBev shares, which aredenominated in euros, remainssteady. InBev recently raised theoffer from £44 to £45 to make up

for the fall.The decision to treat the two blocsas separate now means it wouldtake only 15% of shareholders toblock the deal when it comes upfor a vote on 28 September, insteadof 25%. Both major sharehold-ers have committed to approvingthe takeover, but their collectiveweight is now less than it was. \ AH

Unions representing postal work-ers are concernedabout aproposalby national post Bpost to bring inrefugees to fill the vacancies formail carriers. The jobs would go tothose who have been accepted asasylum-seekers.“Refugees are certainly welcome,but they have to have the rightbackground,” said Jean-PierreNyns of the socialist union ACOD.“In the Brussels periphery wealready get a lot of complaintsfrom people that their mail carrierdoesn’t speakDutch. It’s a sensitivequestion.”A Bpost spokesperson pointed outthat the companyhas alreadyfilledmany jobs with low-skilled work-ers. “We would have to approachthis in the rightway,” she said. “Youcan’t just hand over a letter bag toa refugee.”Bpost is looking for at least 60new mail carriers, mainly in theFlemish municipalities aroundBrussels. The company is alreadyhaving trouble filling vacancies.because of improved economicconditions. Jobs are easier to fillduring economic downturns, the

spokesperson said.“We’ve called on the help ofmunic-ipalities to communicate vacan-cies in the belt around Brussels,the coastal region and Antwerp,”the spokesperson said. Adver-tisements will also be printed on100,000 bread bags in the region.“Recruiting mail carriers is onlythe first step,” Nyns said. “Bpostalso has to make more effort tokeep them. Turnover is hugebecause of work pressure, and thestress is only getting worse.”Unions cameout on strike for a dayin June, and ACOD and the Chris-tian union ACV have threatenedmore actions if their demandsare not taken seriously. Both sideshope a new collective agreementcan be reached in September. \ AH

The number of tenured teachersyounger than 25 has increasedfrom 3% of the total in 2014 to 7%in 2015, according to the Flemisheducation ministry, responding toa parliamentary question by Flem-ish MP Vera Celis (N-VA).Earlier research indicated thatabout half of teachers in Flandershad towait until theywere 30 yearsold to get tenure.This discouragedmany young teachers, leading toone in four leaving the professionin the first five years.The new statistics show that apositive evolution has started,Celis told De Standaard. “Tenureimproves the psycho-social well-

being of many young teachers,”she said.According to De Standaard, thestatistics could become part ofthe ongoing debate on the prosand cons of the tenure system ineducation. Many school directorsare opposed to the system becauseit doesn’t allow enough freedom indismissing teachers who are seenas underperforming.Among teachers, there is moresupport for the system, as itprovides them a defence against“overeager education reformers,”as one teacher told the paper.\ Andy Furniere

Antwerp port appeals against Dutchwindmill plans at Zeeland

British court ruling could complicateAB InBev’s bid for SABMiller

Unions sceptical of Bpost plan torecruit refugees as mail carriers

Record number of young teachersbecoming tenured in Flanders

\ BusIness

Food CulinorThe producer of ready-to-eatmeals, based in Destelber-gen, East Flanders, has beenacquired by Switzerland’sOrior food group. Culinoris a leader in the Beneluxcountries and will becomethe Orior’s European compe-tency centre.

events easyfairsThe affiliate of the Brus-sels-based event organiserArtexis has acquired theWorld Water Works Confer-ence and Exhibition from theDutch ESC International.

Office space BirdThe French start-up, devel-oper of a website offer-ing short-term office spacebased on the Airbnb model,has launched operations onthe local market.

Fibres solvayThe Brussels-based chemicaland plastics group has inau-gurated a new carbon fibreproduction line to doublecapacity in its unit in theUS state of South Carolinato meet a growing demandfrom the American aero-space industry.The companyis already a leading supplierof Boeing.

Banking OptimaOptima bank’s bank-ruptcy proceedings requirefurther investigations intothe Ghent-based compa-ny’s affiliates. Magistratesare now seeking informa-tion on questionable deals inconnection with the bank’sSpanish subsidiary.

logistics CobepaThe Brussels-based hold-ing company has pushedits stake in the German JFHillebrand logistics groupbeyond 50%.

Printing graphiusFlanders’ largest printer,based in Ghent, has acquiredBrussels’ Dereume printingfirm to develop its activitiesin francophone Belgium.

Construction BesixThe Brussels-based build-ing group has won the €581million contract to build an82,000-seat stadium nearParis for the French rugbyfederation. The facility willbe the home of the country’snational team and the venuefor the Six Nations Tourna-ment fixtures.

weeK inBusiness Retailers co-operate on

central system for complaintsindustry federation to tackle customer service in 20 chain stores

Comeos, the federationrepresenting the majorretail and supermarket

chains, is to set up its ownombudsman service to dealwith complaints of customersatisfaction. The service shouldbe up and running by the newyear, De Tijd reports.The service will deal withcomplaints from customersregarding products bought in

one of the participating stores,where the customer believes thestore has not done enough torespond. “Customers can consultthe service absolutely free,” saidComeos chair Dominique Michel.“The service will be financed bythe chain stores, which will pay asort of subscription depending ontheir size. That money will allowus to hire independent lawyerswhocan step in if there is a conflict

between a customer and a chain.”Not all Comeos members – which

include such chains as Brico,Ikea, Carrefour and Overstock –are taking part, but the federationaims to have 20 chains on boardby the time it launches in Janu-ary. “I see a lot of interest, and weexpect more stores to join up astheproject advances,”Michel said.More information on consumerrights and a list of stores takingpart will be made available whenthe service is launched.

alan HopeFollow alan on twitter \ @alanHopeFt

© Courtesy maxedadiygroup.com

© Frans Berkelaar/Flickr © Courtesy Bpost

© Courtesy saBMiller

august 31, 2016

\ 7

Nette Dedapper’sgrandmother loves to readand can spend hours buried

in her favourite novels. But she isalso partly paralysed and finds itdifficult to hold a book, let aloneturn the pages.So the 12-year-old girl, who livesin Nijlen, Antwerp province, didwhat few other kids would do: Shedesigned a book stand that makesit easier for her grandmother toread.For her invention, Nette receivedthe public prize in the Design witha Heart contest, organised by theBelgian chapter of the non-profitHandicap International. As partof the annual event, the organisa-tion recognises amateur inventorswho come up with tools designedto improve the daily lives of peoplewith disabilities.Like Nette, the three other laure-ates this year were inspired by theneed to help their relatives or part-ners. Among the winners was alsoa team from the West FlandersUniversity College (HoWest).It’s the 13th time the local chap-ter of Handicap Internationalhas organised the contest thatpromotes non-commercial inno-vations for people with disabili-ties. The competition is aimed atcaregivers, including occupationaltherapists and schools.“While we have noticed that thereare many products on the marketfor people with disabilities, theyoften don’t meet the individualneeds of each person and can bevery expensive,” saysNicoleLuyckx,who co-ordinates the contest.Design with a Heart provides theamateur inventions with increasedvisibility, and Handicap Interna-

tional serves as a contact point forpeople who feel they could benefitfrom them.The jury awarded laureates infour categories: ergonomics, user-friendliness, design and schools.For the first time, the public couldalso vote for their favourite inven-tions, through the website. Theprize went to Nette, who came upwith the book stand for a class-room assignment.“I had to design a tool that wouldmake someone else’s life easier, andI immediately thoughtofmygrand-mother,” says Nette. “She likes toread a lot, but it had become verytiring and complicated for herbecause of her physical disability.”Nette asked her grandmother’sadvice on what would help her themost and designed the concept,while her father helped her craftthe book support out of wood. Hergrandfather had already made astick for his wife to help her type,and she now uses it to turn the

book pages.Frank Genar, from Hove, Antwerpprovince, won in the user-friendli-ness category. Like Nette’s grand-mother, Genar’s wife is partly para-lysed and uses a wheelchair, butshe faces a different challenge.“Ingrid became paralysed in anaccident a few years ago,” saysGenar. “But she can still stand up,and it’s essential for her to do soon a regular basis to improve herphysical condition.”Getting up from a wheelchair,however, is difficult because of therigid plate that supports her feet.To make it easier for his wife tostand up, Genar replaced the foot-plate with one that can be foldedout of the way easily by pulling ontwo strings.“I would always have to first helpher onto a regular chair, fromwhich she could then stand up onher own,” saysGenar. “Now, she canget up from the wheelchair and,for example, take her coat from a

hanger.”Thanks to the increased mobil-ity and sense of independence, headds, his wife’s physical conditionhas improved and she’s regainedsome of her confidence.Gilles Deleu from Kortrijk won intheschool category.While studyingoccupational therapy at HoWest,he spent his final academic yearworking with two others studentson a special wheelchair mat for64-year-old Marc Detremmerie,who’s been using a wheelchair formost of his life.“After a shower, the tyres on Marc’swheelchair would always leavemarks all over the house,” saysDeleu. “We developed a platformwith rotating tubes covered intextile, on which he could easilydry them.” The platform can alsoserve as a doormat, to dry thewheels during rainy weather.The other two winners are DavidDelabassée, from Tournai, inthe design category and OlivierDemoulin, from Namur, in ergo-nomics, who came up with inven-tions for their children.Delabassée developed a confettimachine for his nine-year-olddaughter Lylou, who has a neuro-muscular condition, so she cancelebrate carnival like other chil-dren. Demoulin made portableand adjustable bedside rails forhis 10-year-old son Gilles, who hasboth a mental and physical disa-bility. Though Gilles has an adjust-able bed at home, on holidays herisked falling out of bed. The newtool prevents that.In addition to the awards, allwinners received a voucher worth€500 to shopat home improvementchain Brico.

From the heartcharity rewards inventions designed for people with disabilities

Researchers from Ghent Univer-sity (UGent) and the Massachu-setts Institute of Technology (MIT)have bred bacteria that can digestorganic waste and turn it intouseful molecules for producingplastics. Although there is a longway to go before it could be usedin industrial applications, the newmethod can act as a more ecolog-ical alternative to fossil-fuel plas-tics.The search to replace fossilresources with more sustainablematerials has already producedsignificant results. Still, plant-based plastics remain a nicheproduct, and the shift from afossil-fuel industry to a commer-cial production based on biologi-cal material has yet to take place.One of the biggest questions ishow the increasing industrialdemands for natural resources likecorn will balance with the need tofeed humans and livestock. Theresearch by UGent, in collabora-

tion with MIT, has come up witha new method of producing bio-plastics that rely on the help ofbacteria.“We’ve modified the E coli bacte-ria to make it capable of trans-forming certain types of sugar intoethylene glycol, a molecule used tomake the common plastic calledPET,” explains professor MarjanDe Mey of the Biochemical andMicrobial Technology department

at UGent. “The sugars are found inorganic waste but are not digesti-ble by humans.”PETs are found everywhere – that’swhat plastic bottles are made of,for example – sofinding anorganicalternative is crucial. “Bottles arejust one of the many applicationsof PET,” says De Mey. “The mole-cule resulting from our process isexactly the sameas the onederivedfrom oil, so bottles made with itare the same as regular ones.”There are already many organicbottles on the market, she contin-ues, like Coca Cola’s green bottle,but their production is based onethanol, a resourcemade of sugarssuitable for human consumption.“Our method offers a simpler wayto derive the basic component ofPET from non-consumable sugars.It’s more sustainable than fuel-based production because it relieson natural resources, and theproduction process requires fewerchemicals.”

This makes it also more advan-tageous from an economic pointof view, says De Mey. “The plas-tics industry is focused on massproduction. If you want to developan economically sound produc-tion method, then you need tostart with resources that are lessexpensive. That’s why we choseto work with organic waste; it’scheaper than sugars suitable forhuman consumption.”Still, there is a long way to gobefore bacteria can compete withfossil fuels as a basic resourcefor plastics. “It is a good startingpoint, but the challenge is to applythis lab-basedmethod in an indus-trial setting.”Luckily, she adds, the chemicalindustry has already expressedsome interest. “Consumers aredemanding more sustainableproducts, so producers are look-ing beyond fossil fuels.”\ Toon Lambrechts

Researchers create bacteria that turn organic waste into plastic

VuB researchersimprove fertilitytreatmentResearchers at the Free Univer-sity of Brussels (VUB) and theUniversity Hospital of Brus-sels have, in collaboration withAustralian colleagues, found away to improve in-vitro matu-ration (IVM), the alternativeto the in-vitro fertilisation(IVF) method. For IVF, womentake hormones to stimulatethe growth of egg cells, whichare then taken and fertilisedoutside the womb. The use ofhormones results in significantdiscomfort, medical compli-cations and high costs. WithIVM, egg cells are removedearlier and then further devel-oped outside the body. Theinternational research grouphas improved the IVM processby adding a new growth factorto the egg cells, allowing themto better imitate the naturalprocesses of egg cell matura-tion, without using hormones.

eco-friendly way tobattle mosquitoesResearchers at the Univer-sity of Leuven have discov-ered that the biological pesti-cide Bti becomes more deadlyto mosquitoes when addingaromatic substances obtainedfrom the notonectidae familyof water insects, also known asbackswimmers,whicharenatu-ral enemies of the mosquito. Achemical substance knownas kairomone produced bynotonectidae in the presence ofprey causes a stress response inmosquitoes, which suppressestheir immune systems. Basedon this process, PhD studentLinOpdeBeeck found that Bti’seffectiveness can be improvedby adding a synthetic variantof these kairomones. She alsoshowed that the substanceharms the immune systemin such a way that survivingmosquitoes still die faster.

too many toddlersgiven antibioticsAbout half of Flemish childrenyounger than three are givenantibiotics at least once a year,according to figures reportedby Het Nieuwsblad the basis ofresearch by the OnafhankelijkeZiekenfondsen (IndependentMutualities). Compared with adecade ago, the use of antibiot-ics is decreasing. In 2006, about70% of under-threes were givenantibiotics, but consump-tion in Flanders is still threetimes higher than in the Neth-erlands. The OnafhankelijkeZiekenfondsen are calling forclearer guidelines for doctors.Excessive use of antibiotics ata young age increases the riskof developing a chronic diseaselike obesity, as antibiotics canpermanently damage the intes-tinal flora. \ AF

weeK ininnovaTion

\ InnOVatIOn

© Ingimage

andy furniereMore articles by andy \ flanderstoday.eu

© Olivier Papegnies

nette Dedapper designed a system to allow her grandmother to turn the pages of her book

HandicaPintErnational.BE

august 31, 2016

\ 9

Carving a nichesummer course immerses international students in language and culture

teacher entranceexams nowmandatoryStudents who start teach-ing studies in the comingacademic year will berequired to take an entranceexam after registering for theprogramme. Starting in 2016,aspiring teachers will have totake this exambefore register-ing.The entrance exam,whichis non-binding, is one of thekey aspects of the reform ofteaching studies approvedby the government of Flan-ders earlier this year. The ideabehind the exam is to raisethe profile of teaching studiesand to ensure that studentsare sufficiently motivatedto begin the programme.Students will also get an indi-cation as to whether theyare skilled enough in certaincompetences.

80% of studentslose sleep to noiseAbout 80% of Flemishstudents living away fromhome in a student room arewoken by night noise. As aresult, almost 40% of themhave to catch up two hoursof sleep the next day and 4%never really feel rested in themorning. The findings arethe results of research by twomaster’s students at AntwerpUniversity. Ruben de Bruynand Thijs Driesen surveyed130 students living in studentrooms about the acousticcomfort of their rooms. Thebiggest source of disturbanceis airborne noise, which both-ers about half of the students.This mostly consists of voicesand sounds from a radio orTV in other bedrooms or inshared spaces like the hall orkitchen.

schools turn awaydisabled childrenPrimary and secondaryschools still too often refuse toregister children with a disa-bility, says Flanders’ Children’sRights Commission. Accord-ing to the government’s Mdecree on inclusive education,as many students as possiblemust be shifted from specialeducation to regular educa-tion and schools are obliged tocarry out “reasonable adjust-ments” such as providing chil-dren with special needs tech-nical assistance. Children’srights commissioner BrunoVanobbergen, speaking toVRT, said that there are bigdifferences between the atti-tudes of schools across theregion. “Some are develop-ing a proper care policy, whileothers are lagging behind,”he said. Most problems, headded, are caused by a lackof knowledge and training.\ Andy Furniere

weeK ineducaTion

\ eDuCatIOn

The fashion department of the Royal Academy ofFineArtsAntwerphasbeenawarded fourthplacein the Global Fashion Schools ranking compliedby the British website Business of Fashion.Antwerp took fourth place on both the bestbachelor and master’s degrees lists. The schoolbecame internationally famous thanks to theAntwerp Six, six graduates who went on to show

together at London Fashion Week in 1988 andmade a huge splash on the global fashion indus-try. The six included Dries Van Noten and AnnDemeulemeester, and other graduates includeKaat Tilley, Martin Margiela and Raf Simons.Walter Van Beirendonck, head of the depart-ment and member of the original Antwerp Six,attributed its success to a “strong vision”. “The

fashion department is nowmore than ever look-ing outwards,” he said. “The challenge is to keepthe course dynamic and relevant so that fashionstudents from across the world think it worth-while to come to little Antwerp.”First on Business of Fashion’s list for bachelor andmasterdegreesisCentralSaintMartinsinLondon.\ Alan Hope

Agroup of 114 studentsfrom 27 countries hasjust completed a special

summer course at Ghent University(UGent). To attend it, some havetravelled from as far as China,Argentina, India, South Africa,Indonesia and Russia, while otherscame from western and easternEurope.The focus of the course: to immerseyourself in the Dutch languageand grasp the meaning of Flem-ish culture. Now in its 61st year,the two-week Taalunie SummerCourse covers traditional areas likelanguage, art and literature, butwas re-designed this summer toconcentrate more on how studentscan use it to enhance their careers.“All kinds of people are interestedin the course, and we are nowmorefocused on the professional side,”says course leader Els Verschuere.“Many of the students are followingDutch classes at their home univer-sity andmaywant to become trans-lators. Others are interested in ourhistory or art, or perhaps econom-ics and politics.”Though Dutch isn’t a large-scalelanguage like English or French,“for some people there are moreopportunities in the economicmarket if they speak a languagelike Dutch,” Verschuere explains.“Whether that’s teaching, translat-

ing or working for a company.”Participants in this year’sprogramme – run jointly with theDutch language union Taalunie –chose to follow one of four themes,depending on their interests or thesubjects they are already studyingat home.The themes included media andpolitics, art and literature, linguis-tics and literature and transla-tion and publishing and includedsessions with guest speakers suchas journalists and translators. Eachtopic was presented by a Flemishteacher and a tutor from the Neth-erlands, inorder tohavean “equilib-rium between the Dutch languagein both places,” says Verschuere.

Students were taken on tours ofGhent and The Hague and, in thefinal two days, completed intern-ships at a range of businesses andorganisations, including Flem-ish public broadcaster VRT, news-paper NRC Handelsblad and theGhent-based digital research insti-tute iMinds.Olena Kretska, who studies Dutchlanguage and literature at KievNational Linguistic Universityin her home country of Ukraine,chose the course because of herinterests in art and culture. “And,of course, because it’s a lot easierto find a good job in Kiev with sucha rare language,” says the 20-year-old. “The programme in Ghent was

a good opportunity to travel to aDutch-speaking area, especially asit can be difficult to get a visa.”Kretska has already done sometranslating from Dutch and hopesto eventually work in the tour-ism sector and make full use ofthe language. During the course,she participated in a workshop atGhent’s Museum of Fine Arts andattended a performance by author,illustrator and cabaret artist Jokevan Leeuwen.Did anything in particular surpriseher about Flanders’ culture? “I wasshocked that so many places in thecity close at 19.00,” she says.In a series of blogs the studentsposted about their experiences,Eszter Kovács, from Hungary, andSaurabh Pal, from India, wroteabout their two-day internship atFlemish-Dutch heritage journalOns Erfdeel in Menen, West Flan-ders.Kovács said that when she trav-elled here from Hungary she hadn’texpected Belgium to play suchan important role in her life, butadded: “I already know that I wantto come back here.”Pal commented that in two daysat the publication he had learned“more about the culture of Belgiumand the Netherlands than in theone-and-a-half years I spent learn-ing Dutch”.

Antwerp fashion department fourth best in world

Students lost points for guess-ing, but how do you know ifthey’re guessing?In the new grading method,students are asked to indicatewhether each answer is possibleor impossible. If the student elim-inates the correct answer, thenthey are penalised. If the studentleaves more than one answer asthe possible one, and one of themis the correct answer, then theywill receive partial credit.

What inspired this method?We found that students were expe-riencing high levels of stress whenthey were not entirely sure of theiranswer because they had to decide

whether to guess or leave theanswer blank. Statistically speak-ing, you should always answer thequestion even if you’re unsure. Butwe noticed that there were somestudents who left answers blankanyway, when really they knewpart of the answer.So we started looking for alter-natives to measure the students’“real” knowledge as accurately aspossible. We also wanted to makethe experience less stressful, andwe didn’t want to teach them toguess if they don’t know.

Howdoyouknowif this ishavinga positive impact?More than 2,000 students partic-

ipated in our experiment, andmore than 60% indicated that theyfelt less stressed out than during a

traditional multiple-choice exam.As we had expected, the numberof students who passed did notreally change. But we believe thatthe more risk-conscious studentsreceived better marks, while therisk-takers did less well, sinceguessing is no longer rewarded,and showing doubts will still getyou some credit.

Is this going to be implementedthroughout the university?Our vice rector has promised thatevery teacher who wants to usethis new grading system next yearwill be able to do so. In the mean-time, we will continue to exper-iment and hopefully the univer-sity will adopt a wider policy.\ Interview by Samantha Clark

Q&aTinne De Laet is the head of the tutorial services at the University ofLeuven’s engineering sciences department that has recently come upwith a new, less stressful method for grading multiple-choice exams

© Rob stevens / ku leuven

taaluniE.org

Paula dearMore articles by Paula \ flanderstoday.eu

© Isabelle Pateer

More than 100 student from around the world spent part of their summer learning Dutch andworking for local companies

\ 10

\ lIVIng

Get your glean onvolunteers pick leftover crops, combating food waste and world hunger

At least one-third of all the food producedin the world ends up not on our platesbut in the waste bin. Meanwhile,

millions of people still suffer from hunger andmalnutrition. The unbelievable amount ofwasted food is perhaps one of the greatest sinsof the modern age.Something needs to be done urgently, say thevolunteers of the Gleaning Network EU, whospend their free time collecting leftover cropsfrom farmers’ fields and offering them to chari-table organisations.The concept is simple, explains Helena Schalen-bourg, a volunteer for the network’s local chap-ter. “On average, as much as 33% of the harvestis wasted in the first phase of the productionprocess, either because the vegetables don’tmeet the absurd aesthetic standards from thesupermarkets, or because of unfair commercialpractices.”Wholesalers, she continues, also often canceltheir orders at the last minute, leaving farm-ers with crops that can’t be sold anywhere else.“Gleaning might be a possible, small-scale solu-tion.”Working with the farmers, the volunteers go tothe fields, collect the vegetables and redistrib-ute them to social organisations like food aidnetworks. “At the same time, gleaning is away toraise awareness about the issue of food waste,”Schalenbourg says.That’s necessary because wasting perfectlyedible food for aesthetic standards is morallyunacceptable, she says. “But it is an environ-mental disaster as well. Every vegetable thatends up in the bin is a waste of resources likewater, fertilisers, land and, of course, the farm-er’s labour.”The participating farmers are very enthusiasticabout the gleaning initiative. For Schalenbourg,this doesn’t come as a surprise. “Farmers put alot of resources and love into their work, so ithurts them to see the fruits of their labour goto waste,” she says. “They are really happy withour effort to put these commercially unwantedvegetables to use, especially because we redis-tribute everything to charities and social entre-

preneurs.”Gleaning Network Belgium is part of the Euro-pean network, which is headquartered in theUK. The first gleaning event in Flanders tookplace in 2014, on the occasion of the Feedingthe 5000 event, run by the Feedback organisa-tion to provide 5,000 people with a meal, usingonly food that didn’t make it to the supermar-kets or was thrown away. Feedback is the brain-child of British environmental activist TristramStuart and has inspired similar movements allover Europe.During last year’s harvest season, GleaningNetwork Belgium went out to the fields almostevery weekend for three consecutive months.“It was intense, but very valuable,” says Scha-lenbourg. As the summer draws to an end, new

volunteers are enthusiastic, but sometimes alsosurprised.“We are all raised with the idea of finishingeverything on our plate out of respect,” saysSchalenbourg. “Many participants are shockedwhen they see for themselves how much foodgoes to waste. I was too, the first time.”Apart from raising awareness and collectingthe leftover crops, Schalenbourg adds, glean-ing is also an activity that connects volunteerswith each other, but also with the land and thefarmers. “People often don’t have a clue wheretheir food comes from or what certain vegeta-bles look like in reality,” she says. “So for all itssimplicity, gleaning is actually more than meetsthe eye.”

They have a nose for good businessand a taste for originalmixers. Twinsisters Joyce and Raissa de Haas ofAntwerp launched Double Dutchtwo years ago, when they were just23.Nowthepair,who live inLondon,are going global at high speed.“Even as students we were frus-trated that there were so fewoptions for those who like mixeddrinks,” says Joyce. “So we thought,why not develop our own?”The twins – who have Dutch roots,hence the name – studied econom-ics at Antwerp University, and bothwent on to the University CollegeLondon (UCL), where they pickedup their second master’s in entre-preneurship technology. “At UCL,wewereasked topickaproduct thatwould become our study topic forthe whole year,” explains Joyce. “Wewere so passionate about making

our ownmixers that our choice waseasily made.”They graduated in 2014 with UCL’stitle of most promising start-up oftheir year. With a grant from theschool, they launched their firstdrink in early 2015.“We started with mixing cucum-ber, watermelon, pomegranateand basil, with a focus on vodkaand gin,” says Raissa. “We don’t justrandomly mix drinks. We researchthem on a molecular level to figureout which flavour mixes best withwhich spirit.”And then came Richard Branson,the internationally renowned busi-ness magnate and founder of VirginGroup. “In 2015, we won the VirginStartUp Foodpreneur Festival andreceived coaching from Bransonhimself,” says Raissa. “He flew us tothe United States and introduced

us to the people running the retailgiant Target. In January, you'll beable to find Double Dutchmixers in300 of their stores.”The sisters already export to several

European locations, includingBelgium, Italy, Ibiza, the CzechRepublic and Cyprus. Australia andSouth Africa will follow in 2017.“We always start with the high-end customers,” says Raissa. “First,we launch in five-star hotels andwell-respected bars. Then we workwith supermarkets to distribute ourmixers.”What’s next for the young entrepre-neurs who have already achievedsuch fame? Joyce: “We want todevelop a mixer for a darker-coloured spirit and target the Asianmarket.”Whatever the future brings, thesisters will continue workingtogether. Raissa: “It's probablybecause we are twins that we workso well together. It feels very natu-ral”. \ Débora Votquenne

BiTeantwerp twins mix high-end cocktails and mingle with richard Branson

Brussels Comicstrip FestivalThe seventh annual editionputs the comics of Québecin the spotlight. See an exhi-bition of the Canadian prov-ince’s greatest strips, attendpanel discussions with inter-national artists or take partin a drawing workshop.Register for guided walkingand cycling tours of Brus-sels’ comic book murals. 2-4September, Warandepark; free

\ visit.brussels

Prinsenhof FestivalThis block party in Ghent’sPrinsenhof, the birthplaceof Charles V, has somethingfor everyone. A bike race, inhonour of the future emper-or’s mother, Joanna the Mad,workshops for kids, a guidedtour of the neighbourhoodwith anecdotes from its resi-dents, plus jazz and stand-up comedy in three historiclocations. Tickets requiredfor some events. 2-4 Septem-ber, Prinsenhof; free to €15

\ prinsenhof-gent.be

Rozenberglight ParadeDid you know that the oldestand biggest light paradein the world takes place inFlanders? InMol, to be exact.Come see the 132nd annualedition, with 23 floats deco-rated with electric lights.The event kicks off with fire-works, and there will be livemusic. 3 September, from19.45, town centre; free

\ rozenberglichtstoet.be

gordel FestivalThe annual festival dedicatedto de rand, or the Flemishperiphery around Brussels,showcases all the activitiesand attractions that the areahas to offer: cycling, hiking,heritage. There are two mainlocations for activities: Huiz-ingen Provincial Park and theJezus-Eik district in Overijse.4 September, across de rand;free

\ gordelfestival.be

Monument RunChoose between the 5K or10K for this evening runthrough the centre of Sint-Truiden, where the historicbuildings are beautifully litafter dark. Kids can partici-pate too, with their own 1Krun, and there’s live enter-tainment and a DJ party onthe Grote Markt afterwards.Register online or in person.10 September, from 19.00,Grote Markt; €1-€8

\ monumentenrun.be

weeK inacTiviTies

douBlEdutcHdrinks.com

© Courtesy Double Dutch

fEEdBackgloBal.org

toon lambrechtsMore articles by toon \ flanderstoday.eu

© Courtesy gleaning network Belgium

Volunteers go into Flanders’ fields, collect leftover vegetables and redistribute them to social organisations like food aid networks

august 31, 2016

\ 11

Come sail awayEntrepreneurs from ghent create a canoe that folds up like a suitcase

Thomas Weyn and Otto Van de Steeneshare a passion for canoeing. If it wereup to them, urban waterways in their

native Ghent would be teeming with boatspaddling up and down the stream.But transporting a conventional canoe is noeasy task, even less so in the city, says Weyn.“You always have to transport it on a car. Aninflatable canoe, on the other hand, is notvery robust.”Coming from an engineering and a graphicdesign background respectively, Weyn andVan de Steene had tinkeredwith alternatives,but the breakthrough arrived three years agowhen Van de Steene returned from a photog-raphy tour in Norway.“I accidentally lost my cameras, so I startedmaking tiny paper canoes to distract myself,”he says. “That’s when I was struck by the ideaof making real-size foldable ones.”Taking inspiration from the Japanese art oforigami, the young entrepreneurs createda light-weight portable canoe, and called itOnak. The concept is not entirely new – theUS-based company Oru Kayak offers kayaksthat also fold and unfold.For Onak, however, Weyn and Van de Steenedeveloped a unique material based on thepattern of a honeycomb. It’s both highly flex-ible and durable.With support from EconCore, a technol-ogy company connected to the University ofLeuven,Weyn andVan de Steenewere able todesign a canoe that’s not only very sturdy andlight, but also comfortable and safe.Before hitting the production line, the Ghentstart-up received support from the Flemishagency for innovation through science andtechnology, Vlaio, and the Flemish govern-ment's investment agency PMV. Weyn andVan de Steene also had assistance from thenetworking organisation Wonderland andraised some €235,000 through crowdfunding.This month, production finally began. Thecanoe folds into a compact suitcase onwheels, weighing just 17 kilograms. In a fewminutes, however, it transforms into a sturdycanoe that can carry a load of up to 250kg.“Ideal for two people and some luggage,” saysWeyn.

Or for three people. Onak was designed toseat up to three, so it can also be an enjoya-ble social activity, they emphasise.The canoe can be used anywhere but is espe-cially suited for urban paddling. This opensup new recreational opportunities, say theinventors, as canoeing is allowed in all Flem-ish cities, except for the centre of Bruges andsome ports.Onak will offer financial incentives tocustomers who share their adventures androutes online, with the aim of expandingthe canoeing community. “Canoeing is theperfect way to relax during stressful times,”says Van de Steene. “You experience theurban environment differently and notice

things from a new perspective because youare not distracted by the traffic in the streets.”It has met with immensely positive feedbackalready. Time magazine devoted an article

to it, and many orders are coming in fromabroad. This means the canoe is probablynot the end of the road for the two inventors.

“The honeycombmaterial opens new oppor-tunities, but it’s too early to disclose anythingyet,” says Weyn.If you’d like to examine the origami canoe up

close before sinking €1,295 into it (paddlesincluded), head over to Ghent’s DesignMuseum, where one is currently on display.

Somewhere in the ever-expanding universeof Dok, the canal-side festival-cum-meet-ing point for Ghent’s creative types, PascalDe Bondt and Kenny Vandenbroucke foundspace for their two fairly inconspicuous ship-ping containers.One of them is filled with water tanks, hometo tilapia and giant shrimp. The other holdsvegetables, basking in a soft, pinkish lightprovided by a set of LED lamps. Together,the containers serve as a concept for whata smart urban farm of the future might looklike.“We were presented with the wonderfulopportunity to install the prototype here forthe summer,” says Vandenbroucke. “If youtell people about the idea of growing foodand fish in a closed circuit, you will be metwith scepticism. But when you show themhow it works, people become convinced.”Over the summer, De Bondt and Vanden-

broucke made final adjustments to theprototype. In November, they will move toDe Punt, the support platform for start-upsin the Gentbrugge district. “We’ll also add

a third container, making the Urban SmartFarmfullyoperational,”Vandenbroucke says.The Urban Smart Farm concept makes aconventional garden look primitive. It isa technologically advanced, autonomoussystem that produces vegetables, fish andshellfish.The process begins with the larvae of theblack soldier fly, which feed on organicwaste. The larvae serve as food for the fishand the shrimp, whose manure is used tofertilise the plants, which, in turn, filter thewater for the fish tanks.Every squaremetre is put to use, so the vege-tables and herbs are grown in several verti-cal layers and get the right light from solar-powered LEDs.Thewhole set-upmay appearcomplicated, but De Bondt and Vandenb-roucke are not deterred.“Within five years, we’d like to set up fiveadditional smart farms and produce food

that’s economically viable,” says Vanden-broucke. “Vegetables and fish produced inGhent, for Ghent, all in accordance with theshort food chain principle.”Urban farming is big these days, withcommunal allotments and related projectspopping up everywhere. But De Bondt andVandenbroucke want to take the move-ment further. “Most projects are social initi-atives started by enthusiasts,” says Vanden-broucke. “We aim to become producers andhelp professionalise urban farming.”But their project has a social componentas well. “We are working with several part-ners in Ghent on an educational programmeto help explain what we are doing,” explainsVandenbroucke. “It will be open to everyone,butwehope to focusonyoungsterswhohaveproblems at school, offering them an inter-esting and completely newwork experience.”\ Toon Lambrechts

Urban farming gets a smart makeover thanks to tilapia and bugs

© Courtesy urban smart Farm

Container farming: Pascal De Bondt (left) and kennyVandenbroucke

andy furniereMore articles by andy \ flanderstoday.eu

onakcanoEs.com

© Courtesy Onak

Onak has met with immensely positive feedback already, with many orders coming in from abroad

You experience the urban environmentdifferently and see things from a new perspective

2016

Sunday,SEPTEMBER4PROVINCIAL ESTATE OF HUIZINGENJEZUS-EIK (OVERIJSE)TOPDAY

FREE

CLOUSEAULAURA TESORO

BICYCLE &WALKING TOURS

STREET THEATRESPORTS & ADVENTURE

RADIO OORWOUDTODDLER VILLAGESPORTS VILLAGE

REGIONAL PRODUCTS MARKET

Discover the entire programme at www.gordelfestival.be

What’s the weirdest thingyou’ve ever done in Flanders?

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

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

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

www.flanderstoday.eu

august 31, 2016

\ 13

\ aRts

Dance like nobody’s watchingoffbeat antwerp dj duo discobaar a moeder put the fun into funky music

The eccentric DJ duo DiscobaarA Moeder have made a name forthemselves for playing music thatputs a smile on your face, and theyperform at Antwerp’s Laundry Dayfestival next month.

The success of eccentricAntwerp DJ duo DiscobaarA Moeder lies in their mix

of any music you can shake yourhips to. “Everybody gets rewardedwith our very democratic playlist,”says Wouter “Schele” Hoet, whochooses the music, while Gunter“Ras” Van Reusel acts as Masterof Ceremonies. “Everyone getstheir moment. We play it all: newwave, hard rock, mambo, cha-cha-cha, rock’n’roll, samba, reggae andFlemish schlager.”During their set, seriousness isconstantly under attack from theplayful, unexpected playlist anda never-ending series of funnyrhymes in Antwerp dialect. Thepink plastic flamingo on the DJdesk serves as a metaphor for avital mission. “People are way tooserious,” says Hoet. “If audiencesseewe’re having fun, they’ll join us.”Other DJ duos such as Disco-bar Galaxie, 2ManyDJs and, morerecently,Mensch, Erger JeNiet haveoffered an alternative to the oftenone-dimensional dance-floor beatsof the ’90s by mixing things up andgoing eclectic. Discobar A Moedercounter the professional mixingof their colleagues with a looserapproach and tracks you can singalong to without the risk of beingridiculed.“We’re not in it to deliver theperfect mix; we don’t even prepareour sets,” says Van Reusel. “But it’sprecisely this carefree atmospherethat tells the audience they can

relax and dance without having tobe cool.”Another advantage of theirnonchalant approach is that theywelcome requests from the fans.“For most DJs, this is a real horror,but to us it’s part of the vibe,” saysthe MC, who hits people up withhis rhymes as he calls out for grouphugs. All through the microphone,his weapon of choice.Van Reusel has been familiar withthe power of the mic since hebecame a member of the Far WestCrew sound system in 1993. Underthe Ras Gunti pseudonym hehelped bring Jamaican reggae anddub sounds to Antwerp.In fact, that’s where Discobaar AMoeder picked up the traditionof performing with a programmeselector, who’s responsible for play-ing the 33-inch vinyl records, anda Master of Ceremonies talking tohis audience in rhyme. “I’m prettysure that our direct communica-tion with the audience has addedto our success,” says Van Reusel.Though they “have a bigmouth,” hesays, “people don’t feel intimidatedby us because we respect them,putting on nice suits and mixinglocal anthems such as Jimmy Frey’s‘Saragossa’ with classics such asNeil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’ orMotörhead’s ‘Ace of Spades’.”Discobaar A Moeder (Disco BarYour Mother, in Antwerp dialect)got started when their favouritehangout, cafe De Kroon in Borger-hout, asked them toDJ one eveningnearly 15 years ago. From playinglocal bars and fairs, they graduallybecame a Flemish phenomenon,bringing out two compilation CDs(Volle Gas and 2de Vitesse), show-ing up on Flemish TV (they had aweekly guest spot on the prime

time show Iedereen Beroemd)and, this summer, a radio show onStudio Brussel.That’s quite an achievement for aduo without a master plan or eventhe slightest advertising campaign.“Just once we printed posters topromote our DJ set,” Hoet says. “Wewanted to distribute themduring apub crawl, but we only managed todo three bars…”Despite the success, they’ve kepttheir jobs in social care. “We couldmake a living from our sets,” VanReusel says, “but then it wouldturn into a real job. Now it can bean outlet.”Their biggest appearances to datehave been during the annual NightOfTheProms in theAntwerpSport-paleis. Playing with the symphonicorchestra II Novecento, led byconductor Robert Groslot, was atotally new experience. But therewas more: Van Reusel got to sing aduet with the American R&B divaAngie Stone.“Of course, she didn’t know us atall,” he says. “We were only intro-duced a few hours before the firstshow. I still remember the scene:‘This is Ras. He will sing with you,replacing Snoop Dogg.’ She wasprobably thinking: ‘Oh no, do Ireally have to go through this?’.“I still remember I had to walk upto her after 2:35, but she was star-tled, as if she’d already forgottenme. Maybe it wasn’t a top-notchperformance, but we definitely hada good time, and I think the audi-ence did, too.”And isn’t that exactly theirmission?At least that’swhat article3 of their Barak A Bomma (Barrack

Your Grandma, again in Antwerpdialect) charter says: “The associa-tion’s aim is to contribute to amorepleasant society – by means ofmusical interventions – by urgingthe audience to dance with enthu-siasm.”Discobaar A Moeder are perform-ing at Antwerp’s 12-stage LaundryDay dance festival next weekend.It isn’t the first time they’ve beeninvited to play the event, so they’reaware those attending the festi-val on the left bank of the Scheldtaren’t there because of them.“We’reconsideredaguiltypleasure,”Van Reusel says. “The kids come toour set to relax for a moment fromthe bouncing, pumping beats, tosing along to some real music andhave fun.”In its 19th edition, the festivalis eager to move away from theTomorrowland-style commercialsuperstar DJs, going back to theroots of the festival that started outin 1998 to unite fashion and beatlovers in Antwerp’s Kammenstraatshopping street. This means nomore VIP area in front of the mainstage, more live performances, andstages focusing on techno, house,drum’n’bass and local hip-hoptalent.The headliners are DJ anddrum’n’bass producer Netsky – hereleased his newalbum, 3, in June –and house producer Claptone. Formore adventurous gigs, check outthe Secret Stage. Among others,Pomrad will play a live set here,accompanied by his trademarkkeytar and music from his funkydebut album, Knights.

Few Flemish schoolsvisit BronksOnly 16 schools in Flandersfound their way to Brussels’youth theatre Bronks in 2015,compared to 190 classes fromBrussels schools, “despite thefact that Bronks is world-renowned,” lamented Flem-ish MP Joris Poschet (CD&V)in Bruzz. “Even for schoolsfrom Flemish Brabant,Het Paleis youth theatre inAntwerp seems to be easierto visit than Bronks.” Poschethas suggested a promotioncampaign in Flemish schools,convinced that the multi-lingual Bronks can introduceyoungsters across Flandersto their capital city. Bronkspointed out that demand ismuch larger than supply. “Weregret the imbalance, but forthe moment we are focusedprimarily on a good collabo-ration with the Dutch-speak-ing schools in Brussels,” said aspokesperson.

uantwerp putsfamous art urbanlegend to restThe white smear on the firstversion of Edvard Munch’s“The Scream” is not, in fact,a bird dropping, according tothe cultural heritage depart-ment of Antwerp University(UAntwerp). Urban legendhas long had it that a faintwhite splotch on the rightshoulder of the figure in theNorwegian artist’s earliestversion of the iconic paintingwas bird poo. Munch oftenpainted outdoors, insistingthat his work be subjected tothe forces of nature. No formaltesting had ever been carriedout. UAntwerp scientist GeertVan der Snickt and his teamtook their specialised equip-ment to Oslo and obtaineda micro-sample, which theythen analysed using a parti-cle accelerator in a special-ist facility in Hamburg. A“pattern of wax crystals” wasdiscovered. Experts believethat candle wax dripped ontothe painting and was wipedaway. “Solving the mystery ofthe bird droppings demon-strates how our disciplinehas much in common withforensic experts,” says Van derSnickt. “The field of culturalheritage science is character-ised by a rapid introductionof improved state-of-the-arttechniques, and this allowsus to bring to light completelynew information on iconicworks of art.”

weeK in arTs& culTure

tom PeetersMore articles by tom \ flanderstoday.eu

discoBaaramoEdEr.BE

laundryday.BE

Middenvijver, antwerp3 september

© Courtesy laundry Day

Programmer wouter “schele” Hoet (left) and MC gunter “Ras” Van Reusel

\ 14

\ aRts

The artist as an artworkafter 30 years, flanders’ bad boy of visual arts offends more for what he says

Ghent-based artist Wim Delvoye’swords speak as loud as hisactions these days, as becomesclear when he guides FlandersToday through a retrospective ofhis often controversial work in aLuxembourg retrospective.

It takes three hours fromBrussels, but it’s worth takingthe train to Luxembourg City

for the 10th anniversary of theMudam, the museum of modernart, as it celebrates its first decadewith a retrospective of Ghent-based artist Wim Delvoye.The exhibition makes no claim tobe exhaustive, but it gives a greatoverviewofDelvoye,whowas bornin 1965 in theWest Flemish bordertown of Wervik and rose to prom-inence at the end of the 1980s. Onshow are ironing boards deco-rated with coats of arms, his goalmade with stained glass insteadof netting, stretched out andcontorted bronze statues, lorrytyres hand-carved with designs,a few Cloacas (his installationthat turns food into faeces), somesuitcases made from embossedaluminium and much more.What’s Delvoye’s reflection on histhree decades of work? “I’m stilldoing the same thing,” he sayswhen pondering the two floors fullof his art at the Mudam, an archi-tectural gem in adistrict linedwithoffice buildings. “But I’ve alwaysbeen able to adapt to new technol-ogies.”Most artists, he continues, “arerecognisable from the formal char-acteristics of their work. And forsome, this works very well; thinkof [20th-century Japanese concep-tual artist] On Kawara. But I’m fullof doubt, all the time. So I alwayswant to change. Some worksare very small, others are gigan-tic. Some are made from a fragilematerial, others from a very strongone. They can be well executed orreally grungy.”That’s true, but it’s also true thata Delvoye work is immediatelyrecognisable. His signature is theoxymoron, as Michael Onfraywrote in 2006 when Delvoye wascommissioned to create an insitu artwork – a gothic chapelthat’s still on view – for the thennew Mudam. Delvoye combineselements you don’t expect to seetogether, be it tattoos on pigs orgas canisters that look like DelftBlue pottery.This is the most extensive over-view of his work ever assembled,so it might come as a surprise thatit’s taking place in Luxembourg.“Strategically, it’s a perfect loca-tion,” he says. “It’s outside Belgium,but also very close to it.”

Not that Belgian museums aren’tinterested. Ghent’s contempo-rary art museum Smak is, andthe head of the Royal Muse-ums of Fine Arts in Brussels hasapproached Delvoye for a collabo-ration. “But it’s easier to work withthe Mudam,” he says. “It’s smaller,but also bigger: They have a largerbudget.”More than 20 years ago, Delvoyehad his first exhibition in Luxem-bourg, and in 2007 the CasinoLuxembourg, the city’s otherimportant space for contempo-rary art, organised a grand over-view of his Cloaca machines. Atthat time, Enrico Lunghi was headof the Casino; today he’s generaldirector of the Mudam. Delvoye:“It feels like coming home.”The exhibition is Delvoye’s secondbig show this year. In the spring hehad an exhibition at the TehranMuseum of Contemporary Art.

It’s true love between Delvoye andIran, since he’s planning to open anart gallery in Kashan, a city of one-quarter of a million people in thecountry’s central Isfahan province.Given his problems with the Flem-ish authorities, who thwartedhis plans to establish a sculpturegarden at his castle in Melle, nearGhent, the Kashan art space is aremarkable change of plans. “I’meither completely mad or a masterinvestor,” he says with his charac-teristic grin.“I’m convinced you are more freein Iran.”That’s a surprising remark,to say the least. “Of course, youcould find some elements annoy-ing,” he admits. “Drinking alco-hol is forbidden, but I don’t drinkit anyway. As a man, you can’twear shorts, but the western pressthinks this is far less of a problemthan the coverings women have towear.” In neighbouring countries,like Bahrain or Saudi Arabia, theregime is even stricter, he says.But compared to European norms,Iran certainly cannot be called ademocracywith respect for human

rights. Delvoye is not impressed.“I’m convinced that the countryis less corrupt than ours, is betterorganised and can guarantee thesafety of its inhabitants better,” hesays. “It’s an oasis of peace. That’sall highly important for an inves-tor. On a social level it’s grand,too: A much larger percentage ofwomen there have gone to univer-sity, compared to the United Statesor here.”Did he encounter no limitations insetting up his show in Tehran? “Idon’t think they would have let metattoo pigs,” he says, referring to apreviouswork. In the past, Delvoyehas also made gothic stained glasswindows that showX-rays of copu-lating couples. “That would proba-bly have been a problem, too. But

I’m not making those works atthe moment, so it wasn’t an issue.I had an exhibition at the Louvreand, believe me, they wouldn’thave accepted thoseworks, either.”He’s not naïve about Iran, hesays, but calls freedom “relative”.“Certainly for someone from Flan-ders. I’m a good barometer for theeconomic climate, since most ofthe buyers of my work are entre-preneurs. Well, for five, six yearsnow,most of themhave been livingin fear. Not of burglars, not of refu-gees but of our own governmentthat has become a Gargantua withan ever-growing stomach.”Once upon a time, Delvoye was

considered an enfant terrible andhis work shocking and confront-ing. This isn’t the case anymore.Maybe because his work haschanged – it probably has a bit –but certainly because our society’sstance on art has become muchmore lenient.Hearing him sing Iran’s praises andmaking politically incorrect state-ments without caring what peoplethink, it’s clear that these dayswhat he says is more shockingthan what he creates. You mighteven say the artist himself hasmorphed into a work of art.A typical Delvoye, come to thinkof it.

christophe verbiestMore articles by Christophe \ flanderstoday.eu

MudamPark Dräi Eechelen, Luxembourg City

until 8 january

© aDagP, Paris, 2016 / wim Delvoye

© wikimedia Commons

a cloaca and a tattooed pig: 30 years of wim Delvoye at the Mudam

august 31, 2016

\ 15

familY

fesTival liTeraTure

visual arTs

The founding of the modernBelgian state some 185 years agocoincided with the golden age ofpress cartoons. Local cartoon-ists have continued ever since toput pen to paper in order to sati-rise current events, be it the late19th-century colonisation of theCongo or the perennial politi-cal strife between the linguis-tic communities. This free exhibi-tion brings together artists fromyesterday and today to presentan unflinching if irreverent visualaccount of the past two centuries.Pop historian Gilles Dal curated aselection of historical works andinvited living cartoonists to reflecton Belgian history from a contem-porary perspective. \ GV

Everyone loves trains, but they aresimply too bulky to enjoy indoors.Hence the model train. The collec-tors and enthusiasts behind Aalst’sTreinland invite families for aweekend open house of 1:48 scaleproportion. The voyage beginswith Friday night’s Nocturne,during which visitors will watchmagical illuminated trains pull-ing into fairy-tale stations. Trein-land reopens for amore traditionalopen house the following after-noon. Kids will enjoy interactivedemonstrations and multimediatrain simulations as well as foodand drink. Entry to both events isfree. \ Georgio Valentino

When Norwegian painterTone Aanderaa andher Belgian husband

revamped the old train stationat Sainte-Marie-Geest into anart gallery, they took a specialinterest in the large surroundinggarden. Once settled just acrossthe language border from Flanders,they started inviting other artiststo their premises deep in thecountryside.This is the fifth time they havecurated their own garden art exhi-bition in this picturesque hamlet,part of Jodoigne but closer toHoegaarden in Flemish Brabant.Thirty-one artists from Belgium,the Netherlands, the UK, France,

Norway and Indonesia are intro-ducing works in diverse materials,as well as land and street art, soundinstallations and music.The couple open their naturalgarden for “a journey of myster-ies and wonders, transformationsand metamorphosis” on Fridayevenings and weekend afternoonsuntil late September, setting up“encounters, exchanges, and collab-orations between art and nature”.Along with sculptures in glass,stone, concrete, metal, wood,textiles and ceramic, Aanderaa’sown paintings are featured in thegarden, exhibiting scenes frombooks of fairy-tales she has illus-trated. She’s not the onlyNorwegian

artist; Anne Hesvik displays decora-tive painting, inspired by the old

European and Norwegian masters.A more modern collaborationcouples Belgian landscape archi-tect Jean de la Kethulle with graffitiartist Axel, combining pastoral andstreet art (pictured).The music of British sound artistBarbara Hills, presenting the instal-lation “Moon and Shadows”, addsto the overall sensory trip in differ-ent parts of the garden, while thecontemplative bronzes and ceram-ics by Flemish visual artist andpoet Lebuïn D’Haese are especiallyenchanting. He describes his art asa house with open doors. It’s a nicemetaphor for a garden connectingart with nature. \ Tom Peeters

Nigerian author Wole Soyinka’spolitical activism earned him aprison sentence and the animosityof a succession of corrupt regimes.It has also fed a steady stream ofplays and poems that made hima Nobel laureate in 1986. Nowaged 82, the veteran playwrightshows no signs of slowing down.He remains a tireless advocateof democracy and human rightsaround the world but especiallyin Africa. This Bozar appearance,moderated by MO* Magazine’sAfrica correspondent StefaanAnrys, focuses not just on Soyin-ka’s life and career but the future ofAfrican activism. (In English) \ GV

Where art and nature meet

TheEnchanted GardenconcerTantwerpBen Miller Band: The four-piece American blues-rockband performs with anarsenal of instruments: violin,slide guitar, dobro, dulci-mer, keyboard, mandolin,banjo, bass and harmonica.2 September 20.30, De Roma,Turnhoutsebaan 329 (Borger-hout)

\ deroma.be

The Van Jets: The Flem-ish rock band perform theirunique form of groovy glam-rock, right after the fireworksshow to close out anotheredition of Deurne’s annualBevrijdingsfeesten (Libera-tion Festival). 2 September22.30, Openluchttheater Rivie-renhof, Turnhoutsebaan 246(Deurne)

\ oltrivierenhof.be

classicalBrusselsSofiaMatsagou:Concert andCD preview from the talentedGreek pianist, includingworks by Bach, Chopin, Raveland Debussy, among others.3 September 20.00, Art Base,Zavelstraat 29

\ art-base.be

visual arTsghentLee Kit: A small sound inyour head: Installations bythe Chinese contemporaryartist incorporating ready-made objects such as videosand paintings on kitchentowels, picnic blankets andcurtains, all with elements ofpopmusic and language.Until4 September, Smak, Jan Hoet-plein 1

\ smak.be

music fesTivalVeurneVeurne La Fête: Annualmusic festival in the charm-ing historic centre of thisWest Flemish town, featuringlocal bands like hip-hop crewWestflag, fierce rock’n’rollersHelsinki, the ever-humor-ous Radio Guga and cabaretduo Preuteleute. 2 September,Grote Markt

\ toerisme-veurne.be

filmsint-niklaasParklife: Summer bar withcocktails and tapas, plus afree open-air screening ofSergio Leone’s 1966 classicThe Good, The Bad and TheUgly, starring Clint Eastwood.31 August 22.00, De Casino,Stationsstraat 104

\ decasino.be

Despite its genteel origins inRenaissance Italy, the pianowould become a crucial player inthe jazz revolution that rockedEurope in the 20th century. Earlyjazz pianists likeThelonious Monkand Bill Evans were seminal to thefledgling musical form. The 13thedition of the Marni Jazz Festi-val pays tribute to this workhorseof jazz. Each of the festival’s sixconcerts showcases ahome-grownpianist or piano-based ensemblecurrently plying the internationaljazz scene. Among the perform-ers are pianist-composers Jef Neve(pictured), Nathalie Loriers, IgorGehenot and avant-garde quartetAka Moon. \ GV

treintjesfestival

marni jazz festival

Belgium et cetera: 1830-2030 in Press cartoons

wole soyinka

\ agenDa

Rue du tilleul, JodoignedE-BEtovErEndE-tuin.info

until 25 september

treinland, aalstovmv.BE

2-3 septemberBelvue, Brussels

BElvuE.BEuntil 6 november

théâtre Marni, BrusselstHEatrEmarni.com

7-17 septemberBozar, Brussels

BoZar.BE21 september, 20.00

© stefan Vanfleteren

get tickets now

august 31, 2016

\ 16

facebook.com/flanderstoday

Itwas puzzling at first.ThenewspaperDe Standaardhad changed its name toDe St nd rd.TheAntwerpnewspaperGazet van Antwerpen had becomeG zet

v n ntwerpen. AndHet Belang van Limburgwas barelyrecognisable on the newsstands as Het el ng v n Limurg.It was only when you turned to an inside page of DeStandaard that the mystery was explained. U zag hetwellicht al – You have perhaps seen it already, de letter‘a’ is tijdelijk verdwenen uit het logo van De Standaard– the letter ‘a’ has temporarily disappeared from DeStandaard’s logo. Dat heeft alles te maken met een actievan het Rode Kruis – It’s all to do with a campaign bythe Red Cross.Still confused? Het Rode Kruis zoekt dit jaar 38.000bloeddonoren – The Red Cross is looking for 38,000blood donors this year, en hoopt die te vinden met eenopvallende campagne – and is hoping to find themthrough an eye-catching campaign waarbij de lettersvan de belangrijkste bloedgroepen geschrapt worden –inwhich the letters ofmajor blood groups are droppeduit de logo’s van tientallen bedrijven en organisaties –from the logos of dozens of companies and organisa-tions.Door gewoon elk jaar aan te kondigendatwemeer bloed-donoren nodig hadden – Just announcing every yearthat we needed more blood donors boekten we weinigvooruitgang – didn’t have much impact, explained RedCross spokesperson An Luyten. So it was time for amore innovative campaign.The drive is part of an international initiative calledMissingType.De organisatie sprak een hele reeks bedrij-ven en organisaties aan–Theorganisation asked a long

list of companies and organisations om de letters A, Oen B uit hun logo te halen – to remove the letters A, Oand B from their logos.We waren verrast over de respons –We were amazed atthe response, Luyten said: 95 bedrijven en organisaties– 95 companies and organisationswaaronder politiekepartijen – including political parties, zijnmet ons in zeegegaan – joined in the action.Thecampaign led tosomestrangemetrostationnamespopping up overnight in Brussels. De MIVB onder-schrijft de campagne – MIVB supported the campaigndoor letters weg te laten op haarwebsite en in de stations– by dropping letters on its website and in the stations.So leest u Park voortaan als P rk, De Brouckère als DeBr uckère en Louiza als L uiz – So from now on yousee Park as P rk, De Brouckère as De Br uckère andLouiza as L uiz .You can find out more about the campaign and howyou can donate blood on the website of R de Kruis Vlnderen.

Talking Dutchthere will be bl d

\ BaCkPage

THe lasT word

no place like home“I really don’t want to go toKosovo. I don’t know it. I don’tspeak the language very well, Idon’t know the traditions, theculture, the mentality. I don’tknow anything.”Sixteen-year-old Djellza, who haslived in Flanders nearly her entirelife, was ordered to return to Kosovowith her family last week. She hassince gone underground, her lawyersaid

Body politics“If looks could kill, I’d be dead bynow.”Het Nieuwsblad reporter Kim Clem-ens spent a day in a burqini on thebeach at Blankenberge

clean it up“Everyone has 10minutes, even ifit means getting up a bit earlier.”Jean-Paul Meus, CEO of Antwerpdecorations company Goodwill,devotes 10 minutes every day tocleaning up rubbish in his local area

Pie in the sky“The drone cannot detect if thereis another aircraft or other obsta-cle in theway.The chance of colli-sions is too great.”Aspokesperson for the federalmobil-ity ministry explained why Domino’swill not be delivering pizzas by dronein Belgium for the time being

LIKE US

Cat Baker @CatBakeratorWas recognised by Fairgrounds barista and briefly chatted onway to the toilet. I’ve finallymade it. I am a recognisable Ghentcivilian.

Marion @MarionH_Antwerpen, you so pretty.

Victoria Azarenka @vika7Hagelslag – that’s just amazing. Used to be my favourite as akid and I played a tournament in Hasselt. Tried it there.

In response to Heading south: Dutch students come to Flandersen masseZei Dan:This is why Belgium is the best country to live in.

In response to Antwerp women organise ‘beach party’ againstburqini banDanielle Robertson: Good. Show France that not all Europe-ans have to be idiotic about their unfounded fears of modestwomen.

voices offlanders TodaY

In response to Toots Thielemans, harmonica virtuoso, diesaged 94AnnickdeVliegher:Agreat loss.😢😢 Such amaestro💕💞

PHoto of tHE wEEk

HoT sTuff Families made the most of the sunshine during the final week of the summer holidays,with thousands flocking to the Flemish coast as temperatures reached 31 degrees

derek BlythMore articles by Derek \ flanderstoday.eu rodEkruis.BE

[N\P

© Ricardo smit/Belga