At the behest of the English-speaking women’s club in Gent, I did some volunteer work for the University of Gent on Sunday. Volunteers were needed to help run a large symposium, “Making sense of the city” that brought together people from all over the world to discuss concerns about urbanization. Concurrent with the symposium was an art exhibit on the same theme, and I volunteered to help monitor the exhibit to ensure its safety.
The first part of the opening ceremony was held in the assembly hall they call the AULA, an interesting 19th century building in the heart of Gent. At the heart of the building is a dramatic, round auditorium with a high, domed ceiling, but as a volunteer I also got to see some of the more private rooms in the building. They spoke of a former grandeur, with heavy, somewhat frayed golden curtains covering high windows, cracked panels with detailed botanical carvings covering the walls, and a beautiful parquet floor. I sat on a bench with a thick velvet cushion waiting for the other volunteers, looked at the wires that had been added some time after construction to modify the ornate chandeliers for electricity. Some of the wires were hanging off the wall slightly, and I couldn’t help but notice that a number of holes had been punched through the wall panels at one time or another, and not been repaired. A frigid draft whipped through the panel behind me, and considering the scale of the building and the fact that it leaked cold air like a sieve, I never did take off my jacket for the rest of the day. It would have cost a fortune to actually heat the place.
The art exhibits leaned heavily towards the very modern. For example, in one curtained alcove a short black-and-white film played to some high-pitched techno music. A woman in a black leotard, with no expression on her face, was jumping up and down in a concrete, steel, and glass building. Because each jump exactly replicated the last, I surmised that they had filmed one jump, and had looped it. Over about five minutes, two additional scenes were added to the montage, until three different people were all jumping up and down monotonously. Then it would start again. Other exhibits included blurry pictures that had been Photoshopped to incomprehensibility, and a sculpture of a skull with little heads for teeth. There was a small pamphlet that listed the artists and their works, but most of the works were not actually labeled, so we all played a guessing game as to which was which. Ultimately, it all seemed to obfuscate the relationship of man to the city more than anything else, and the techno music gave all of the volunteers a headache.
After the first “We welcome you to Gent” speech was over, they had a reception in the main hall, handing out wine and drinks to all of the attendees. If I had known what was coming next, I would have grabbed a drink myself. They were an interesting crowd, though. Many of the women had artistic asymmetric hair cuts, and wore flowing, unique outfits with (as is required in Belgium) very exciting boots. All of them were thin, elegant, and looked very urbane as they wandered around looking at the art exhibits cradling glasses of champagne and wine. One gentleman from Algeria was wearing a white suit printed with photographs. A young man all in black leather with blue hair who looked vaguely like Trent Reznor, had on a green badge, which signified that he was one of the artists. I asked him which piece was his, and he handed me a flyer to “Meta bo”. That’s the musical show of “neuro techno” that finished off the whole conference on Wednesday.
Anyway, the next step for the volunteers was to direct all of the participants to a _different_ theater a few blocks away. The brilliant way they decided to do this was to dress us all up as ambulatory, demented traffic cones, so we could stand on various street corners and direct everyone. Yes, I was given a bright orange vest, a bright green construction helmet, and a blinking orange traffic light. They paraded the volunteers out in front of the mingling crowd, and advised them to follow us…at which point the head man of Meta bo took out his digital camera and immortalized us in our outlandish gear forever. But this is not the end, NO! Sunday was the last day of the last shopping weekend before Christmas! The streets of Gent were literally packed with thousands of shoppers. As I stood on my appointed corner, directing conference participants towards the NTG Gent theater, it seemed like each holiday reveler that passed me stopped short for a moment, and then examined me curiously with a look of mingled horror and amusement. Small children goggled and pointed. An attractive woman in a magenta scarf shook her head when she saw this awful display, and quickly rushed past me with her bags. A drunken man from a nearby bar stopped and heckled me in Dutch. At that moment, I would have given anything to be one of the people rushing by with the last of my Christmas shopping neatly tucked under my arm, or at least, I would have happily given the vest, the hat, and the blinking traffic light.
22 December, 2006
19 December, 2006
Last Week's Big Story
Several people have e-mailed or commented on a significant Belgian story that emerged last week. CNN covered it on their front page, and mom H. also sent me this article. This was definitely shocking news in Belgium, and the aftermath gripped the country on Friday. It was the talk of the day, and everyone had something to say about it.
In essence, an unannounced, unlabeled “joke” about Flanders declaring independence ran for thirty minutes on a Wallon news station, by a reputable anchor. The stunt included prefabricated scenes of people getting off of the train at the Flanders border to take the bus, people rallying outside of the Royal Palace, the royal family leaving Belgium by plane, and politicians in both regions commenting on the “event”.
Of course, most people on both sides of the border did not find this funny. Embassies sent messages about “developments” in Belgium, people called hotlines crying, stunned people in pubs started yelling, and politicians were confounded. Only deep into the “joke” did the news station print “this is fake” at the bottom of the screen. The whole ordeal has been compared to H.G. Wells’ famous broadcast. In the aftermath, there are already indications heads will roll, and this is going to have some lasting impact.
I suppose now is as good a time as any to comment on the structure of Belgium, and her politics. Belgium declared independence from the Netherlands in 1830, owing largely to religious differences- the Netherlands has a Calvinist Protestant heritage, and Belgium is solidly Catholic. (There are other reasons, consequences of the Napoleonic Wars which ended at Waterloo near Brussels, but that is another chapter). Yet Belgium itself is made up of two major and two minor regions. Flanders, where we now live, is the “Dutch” part of Belgium, next door to the Netherlands. One official language of Belgium is Dutch, though the thick dialect spoken here is called “Flemish”. The other area, Wallonia, is the “French” part in the South. French is a second official language of Belgium. These two components are the “main” parts of Belgium. The “German Cantons” near Eupen are small, but primarily speak German, thus German is the third official language of Belgium. And lastly, in the center there is Brussels, which kind of defies classification, and has its own special status- all Belgium populations are represented here, and it is a very heterogeneous city. Furthermore, 20% of Brussels residents are non-Belgian.
The Flemings and Wallonians have always had a diplomatic relationship, tense at times, and warm at others. Some earlier points of contention were the fact that French was once the only official Belgian language (and the language of the elite), and the French area was once wealthier. Things have changed, and now Flanders is Belgium’s economic powerhouse, which is growing rapidly (case in point: Bekaert). The main current point of conflict at this time is that Wallonian economy is flat, and unemployment is high, while Flanders continues to grow and prosper. Many Flemings resent that they pay very high taxes for their industry, which disproportionately go to pro-socialist Wallonia. There is some truth to this. There is also some truth to the argument that the current spending agreements are inefficient and artificial. For instance, if the government spends 6 million Euros on additions or improvements to the rail lines in Flanders, the government is obligated to spend 4 million Euros in Wallonia. Despite the fact the infrastructure is not needed there. This is of course to create “equal job opportunity” and “development” parity between the two regions, but can be seen as contrived nonetheless.
Of course, there are also counterarguments. There are important agricultural and mineral commodities that come out of Wallonia into Flanders, even if the economy is much slower. The argument that Flanders enjoys the advantage of being next to the sea is also true- Antwerp is the second largest commercial port in Europe, and the ports of Gent and Oostende see much commerce. This has created huge shipping and chemical industries in those areas, among other opportunities. Exactly how much the economic disparity is related to cultural and opportunistic differences is open to debate, but I suspect, as do most Belgians, that the country will adjust to the situation as it has been- slowly granting more autonomy to individual regions until things balance out.
I must take issue with the contention of one of the articles which describes Belgium as a “fragile democracy”. That simply isn’t true- the CIA World Factbook describes Belgium as a “stable, modern democracy”, and the overwhelming majority of citizens in all regions want to maintain a united, federal Belgium. “Complex federation” is a better term. I note the underhanded qualification in the CNN article that reads "Elections show strong support-", which is misleading. Only a few significant political figures favor full independence, most Flemings simply want more autonomy. Suggesting otherwise is not only wrong, its poor journalism.
There are many things that unite Belgians- their common history is one. They all remember Waterloo, their bid for independence, their (shady) history in the Congo, standing up to the Germans (and stopping their advance) in WWI, the underground resistance in WWII. They are united by national symbols such as mussels and chips (the national dish), chocolate, waffles, and the Royal Family. All of Belgium shares Brussels- the capital of Europe, a unique world class city of polyglots and multinationals. Belgium is the headquarters of the EU and NATO, and many other international groups because of, not in spite of, its unique diplomacy and structure.
In essence, an unannounced, unlabeled “joke” about Flanders declaring independence ran for thirty minutes on a Wallon news station, by a reputable anchor. The stunt included prefabricated scenes of people getting off of the train at the Flanders border to take the bus, people rallying outside of the Royal Palace, the royal family leaving Belgium by plane, and politicians in both regions commenting on the “event”.
Of course, most people on both sides of the border did not find this funny. Embassies sent messages about “developments” in Belgium, people called hotlines crying, stunned people in pubs started yelling, and politicians were confounded. Only deep into the “joke” did the news station print “this is fake” at the bottom of the screen. The whole ordeal has been compared to H.G. Wells’ famous broadcast. In the aftermath, there are already indications heads will roll, and this is going to have some lasting impact.
I suppose now is as good a time as any to comment on the structure of Belgium, and her politics. Belgium declared independence from the Netherlands in 1830, owing largely to religious differences- the Netherlands has a Calvinist Protestant heritage, and Belgium is solidly Catholic. (There are other reasons, consequences of the Napoleonic Wars which ended at Waterloo near Brussels, but that is another chapter). Yet Belgium itself is made up of two major and two minor regions. Flanders, where we now live, is the “Dutch” part of Belgium, next door to the Netherlands. One official language of Belgium is Dutch, though the thick dialect spoken here is called “Flemish”. The other area, Wallonia, is the “French” part in the South. French is a second official language of Belgium. These two components are the “main” parts of Belgium. The “German Cantons” near Eupen are small, but primarily speak German, thus German is the third official language of Belgium. And lastly, in the center there is Brussels, which kind of defies classification, and has its own special status- all Belgium populations are represented here, and it is a very heterogeneous city. Furthermore, 20% of Brussels residents are non-Belgian.
The Flemings and Wallonians have always had a diplomatic relationship, tense at times, and warm at others. Some earlier points of contention were the fact that French was once the only official Belgian language (and the language of the elite), and the French area was once wealthier. Things have changed, and now Flanders is Belgium’s economic powerhouse, which is growing rapidly (case in point: Bekaert). The main current point of conflict at this time is that Wallonian economy is flat, and unemployment is high, while Flanders continues to grow and prosper. Many Flemings resent that they pay very high taxes for their industry, which disproportionately go to pro-socialist Wallonia. There is some truth to this. There is also some truth to the argument that the current spending agreements are inefficient and artificial. For instance, if the government spends 6 million Euros on additions or improvements to the rail lines in Flanders, the government is obligated to spend 4 million Euros in Wallonia. Despite the fact the infrastructure is not needed there. This is of course to create “equal job opportunity” and “development” parity between the two regions, but can be seen as contrived nonetheless.
Of course, there are also counterarguments. There are important agricultural and mineral commodities that come out of Wallonia into Flanders, even if the economy is much slower. The argument that Flanders enjoys the advantage of being next to the sea is also true- Antwerp is the second largest commercial port in Europe, and the ports of Gent and Oostende see much commerce. This has created huge shipping and chemical industries in those areas, among other opportunities. Exactly how much the economic disparity is related to cultural and opportunistic differences is open to debate, but I suspect, as do most Belgians, that the country will adjust to the situation as it has been- slowly granting more autonomy to individual regions until things balance out.
I must take issue with the contention of one of the articles which describes Belgium as a “fragile democracy”. That simply isn’t true- the CIA World Factbook describes Belgium as a “stable, modern democracy”, and the overwhelming majority of citizens in all regions want to maintain a united, federal Belgium. “Complex federation” is a better term. I note the underhanded qualification in the CNN article that reads "Elections show strong support-", which is misleading. Only a few significant political figures favor full independence, most Flemings simply want more autonomy. Suggesting otherwise is not only wrong, its poor journalism.
There are many things that unite Belgians- their common history is one. They all remember Waterloo, their bid for independence, their (shady) history in the Congo, standing up to the Germans (and stopping their advance) in WWI, the underground resistance in WWII. They are united by national symbols such as mussels and chips (the national dish), chocolate, waffles, and the Royal Family. All of Belgium shares Brussels- the capital of Europe, a unique world class city of polyglots and multinationals. Belgium is the headquarters of the EU and NATO, and many other international groups because of, not in spite of, its unique diplomacy and structure.
14 December, 2006
In Flanders' Fields
Ieper (Ypres) is a city with a grim past- the site of a vicious four year struggle during World War I, which reduced the city and everything within miles to rubble. The battle was largely fought by Commonwealth forces, along with the escaped Belgian army and some French and French North African units, in the Westhoek- the last piece of Belgium not overrun by the Germans. Ieper has the dubious distinction of being the site of the first poison gas attack in modern warfare, launched by the Germans in April 1915 as the onset of the Second Battle of Iepers. I wanted to get the pictures out of the camera before I posted about my trip there, but I don’t really know why since that doesn’t really do it the justice it deserves.
I set out early by train from Kortrijk on the 11th of November- Veteran’s Day/Armistice Day/Remembrance Day/Jour de’armistice and of course, Wapenstilstanddag. It is just over the hill from Kortrijk, so I arrived just in time to catch the packed Poppy Parade start past the “new” cloth call, and followed the procession to the Menin Gate.
The Poppy Parade was motivated by Lt. John McCrae's iconic poem “In Flanders’ Fields”. If you have never read it, you are obligated to do so now. The Menin Gate, a large dome arching the Menin road in the center of Ieper, is a memorial to the almost 60,000 Commonwealth soldiers who fell at Iepers and have no known grave. To put this into perspective- this represents only people whose bodies were never found, who died at this specific town, among the Commonwealth forces alone. That number is equivalent to U.S. losses during the entire Vietnam War. The names blanket the walls of the memorial- inside and out.
Since the end of the war, the local fire brigade has dutifully stopped traffic at the gate, and played “Last Post” each evening. At 11:00 A.M on the 11th of November each year, this is played by the bands of military units that have a history in the battle. After this moving event, I went to the cloth hall to the “In Flanders’ Fields” museum, which is an excellent exhibition of the horrors of this battle and WWI. Rifles and gas masks, shells and shovels, mud stained uniforms and more accompany interactive multimedia explaining the major events.
To round out my day, I took a bus outside of the town proper to walk in the trenches of Hill 62, a preserved section of trenches and battlements. It was quite chilling to kneel on the firing step and peer over the placid Flanders countryside. Adding to the ghastly mystique of the place was the knowledge that in adjoining sections there are bodies and weapons still buried in the ground above which I walked. There are long lists of specific soldiers that anthropologists know died in certain areas and were never found, and many bodies are still recovered every year, making the “Great War” of almost a century ago seem uncomfortably recent and tangible.
I set out early by train from Kortrijk on the 11th of November- Veteran’s Day/Armistice Day/Remembrance Day/Jour de’armistice and of course, Wapenstilstanddag. It is just over the hill from Kortrijk, so I arrived just in time to catch the packed Poppy Parade start past the “new” cloth call, and followed the procession to the Menin Gate.
The Poppy Parade was motivated by Lt. John McCrae's iconic poem “In Flanders’ Fields”. If you have never read it, you are obligated to do so now. The Menin Gate, a large dome arching the Menin road in the center of Ieper, is a memorial to the almost 60,000 Commonwealth soldiers who fell at Iepers and have no known grave. To put this into perspective- this represents only people whose bodies were never found, who died at this specific town, among the Commonwealth forces alone. That number is equivalent to U.S. losses during the entire Vietnam War. The names blanket the walls of the memorial- inside and out.
Since the end of the war, the local fire brigade has dutifully stopped traffic at the gate, and played “Last Post” each evening. At 11:00 A.M on the 11th of November each year, this is played by the bands of military units that have a history in the battle. After this moving event, I went to the cloth hall to the “In Flanders’ Fields” museum, which is an excellent exhibition of the horrors of this battle and WWI. Rifles and gas masks, shells and shovels, mud stained uniforms and more accompany interactive multimedia explaining the major events.
To round out my day, I took a bus outside of the town proper to walk in the trenches of Hill 62, a preserved section of trenches and battlements. It was quite chilling to kneel on the firing step and peer over the placid Flanders countryside. Adding to the ghastly mystique of the place was the knowledge that in adjoining sections there are bodies and weapons still buried in the ground above which I walked. There are long lists of specific soldiers that anthropologists know died in certain areas and were never found, and many bodies are still recovered every year, making the “Great War” of almost a century ago seem uncomfortably recent and tangible.
07 December, 2006
Still life in cardboard
The unpacking is...Progressing. Apartments in Belgium tend to share certain, well, traditional aspects. The stairs are wide enough to allow the passage of a human body, but not, say, actual furniture. There is as much storage space as you bring with you. They generously provide as many as one electrical outlet per room! The refrigerator can hold roughly the same volume as a small picnic cooler, and don't think that this is humorous exaggeration, because it isn't. It's so cute though! I really like this place.
I took a short, (and, apologies, blurry and shaky) video of the place before our stuff arrived. It looked so nice before the army of half-empty cardboard boxes arrived! I finally managed to find the cord so I could get some of the pictures out of our camera, which was a little backlogged to say the least.
We also took some pictures of the movers getting our stuff into the apartment :
Also, you can see in the background of the photo that the street we live on is cobbled. I would go outside and take some more pictures of our street, but it is raining buckets and small sea animals out there.
From our apartment you can hear the trains running, which seems like a comforting sound to me. It's like the ocean.
I took a short, (and, apologies, blurry and shaky) video of the place before our stuff arrived. It looked so nice before the army of half-empty cardboard boxes arrived! I finally managed to find the cord so I could get some of the pictures out of our camera, which was a little backlogged to say the least.
We also took some pictures of the movers getting our stuff into the apartment :
Also, you can see in the background of the photo that the street we live on is cobbled. I would go outside and take some more pictures of our street, but it is raining buckets and small sea animals out there.
From our apartment you can hear the trains running, which seems like a comforting sound to me. It's like the ocean.
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