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Steven Vanackere steps down

The federal minister of finance quits over ACW accusations
© Laurie Dieffembacq / BELGA

Tired of being on the defensive, vice prime-minister and minister of finance Steven Vanackere resigned last week amidst the commotion surrounding the worker’s movement ACW.

“Because of my political inspiration, rooted in the Christian-democracy and the Christian workers’ movement, some people find it unimaginable that I can function impartially as a minister for finance, even though there is nothing to prove this allegation. ... This atmosphere of distrust keeps me from my work, which is not in this country’s interest. It is not in my party’s interest either. I admit that it is more than what I can take as a person. Any doubt about my integrity, I find very unjust.”

Anja Otte
(March 13, 2013)

Government extends support to small business

Funding for training and advice is increased by €4 million and Banks Plan is approved
© ingimage

The government of Flanders is extending its support programme for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with more money and new subsidies for coaching. The government’s SME portfolio is a digital platform where small businesses can go to request support and advice. Last year the platform gave assistance to 32,000 companies, with a total spend of €34 million. This year, that budget is increased to €38 million.

“The SME platform allows us to encourage training within small businesses and makes it easier for our SMEs to use the services of external advisers,” commented Flemish minister-president Kris Peeters.

The SME platform will also include coaching for business owners, particularly for growth companies and companies that are being passed on from one family member to another. Companies requesting coaching will get ongoing practical support to a maximum value of €10,000.

Alan Hope
(March 13, 2013)

Out of the streets

Urban dance and music in Antwerp are being elevated to a fine art. But is street culture in a studio really the same thing?
© Jonas Lampens / IMAGEDESKy

Urban or street arts used to have a literal meaning. Graffiti, hip-hop, breakdancing, rap – arts that were created in the streets by those without access to (or interest in) theatres and culture houses. Rather late in the game, Flanders is only just starting to embrace urban culture, and Antwerp is the run-away leader, taking the arts of the street into the Flemish Opera, the Toneelhuis and the Night of the Proms. This has given many young people in the city a serious self-esteem boost, but mainstreaming a cultural phenomenon is not without its risks.

Three years ago, Sihame El Kaouakibi (pictured) resolved to take street culture off the streets. With an initial grant of €20,000 from Antwerp city council, she organised a series of dirt-cheap summer dance workshops that eventually grew into

Linda A Thompson
(March 13, 2013)

A night to remember

History lessons have never been so engaging as during Flanders’ annual Night of History
© Courtesy Mostaard Wostyn

One evening a year, people in Flanders have the chance to immerse themselves in the past and learn about their local history. De Nacht van de Geschiedenis, or The Night of History, finds more than 240 events spread across the whole of Brussels and Flanders in such diverse places as castles, bakeries, artists’ studios, town halls, farmhouses, breweries and churches.

Every year, The Night of History is organised around a different theme, and this year it’s Craftsmanship. Craftspeople, historians and storytellers will give lectures and demonstrations on a rich array of trades practised in bygone times and today. Glass blowers, chocolatiers, bookbinders, auto mechanics, luthiers, stone carvers, master brewers, cheese makers, surveyors, blacksmiths, art restorers, puppeteers ... a dizzying array of experts wax poetic about their vocations.

Diana Goodwin
(March 13, 2013)

Imagine all the writers

Arab Spring revisited at Brussels biennial literature festival Passa Porta
© Catherine Helie

Nearly 100 writers from 30 countries over five days at 27 locations in one city: Numerically, Passa Porta is an impressive festival. And a glance at the programme suggests that there’s reason to believe that this fourth outing of the literary celebration will be as good as the previous highly praised editions.

The slogan for this year’s Passa Porta Festival is “Imagine!” It’s a large umbrella under which very different kinds of literature can be presented. It’s clear that the power of imagination reigns in the work of many visiting authors. It’s no coincidence, of course, that the festival puts an important focus on the consequences of the Arab Spring.

Christophe Verbiest
(March 13, 2013)

Prosecutor-general reviews Jonathan Jacob case

Antwerp prosecutor Herman Dams steps down, then retracts admission
© Herwig Vergult / BELGA

Antwerp prosecutor Herman Dams stepped down last week after admitting to intervening in the case of Jonathan Jacob, the psychiatric patient who died at the hands of a special police unit in a local jail cell three years ago. The case has been widely reported in recent weeks after footage of the man’s last moments was shown on the TV news programme Panorama. (See Flanders Today last week).

Recent reports revealed that some documents in the case were possibly tampered with in order to conceal the role of the prosecutor’s office. Dams was under intense pressure from his superior, prosecutor-general Yves Liégeois, who announced at a press conference that Ingrid Pira, former mayor of Mortsel, had reviewed her own notes, which mentioned a contact with the prosecutor on the fatal night in question.

Anja Otte
(March 6, 2013)

Peeters holds talks with Catalan president

Regions need more recognition at the European level, says minister-president
© Jordi Bedmar

The EU needs to do more to recognise the competences of regional governments and their specific identities, according to Flemish minister-president Kris Peeters, speaking in Barcelona last week. Peeters was visiting the Mobile World Congress (MWC) and also held talks with his Catalan counterpart Artur Mas.

“I am convinced that the European Union of the future is increasingly a European Union with and of the regions. And I am happy that President Mas and the Government of Catalonia share this vision,” Peeters told a meeting of APEC, the association of European journalists in Catalonia. “But it is not enough that the strong regions of Europe share this vision. It also has to become a basic principle of the EU itself.

Alan Hope
(March 6, 2013)

Complementary colours

Painter Luc Dondeyne celebrates his 50th with not one, but two exhibitions
A new view on Paris in Luc Dondeyne’s “Elsewhere”

Flemish painter Luc Dondeyne, who turns 50 later this year, sums up his recent career with Distances, a book illustrating all his works since 2002, and two exhibitions. Bedrijvencentrum Concentra in Antwerp hosts a selection of those paintings, while the exhibition Elsewhere in Mechelen’s Galerie Transit is a collection of brand new works.

Bedrijvencentrum Concentra is a business complex that houses the editorial staff of Flemish newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen. It’s not a place you would expect to visit an exhibition of paintings, especially as some of them are scattered throughout the editorial offices.

“It’s not the white cube a museum normally is,” Dondeyne admits. “But I like the confrontation between my paintings and reality. I think my work is able to resist it.” To be clear: Visitors can freely enter the offices to see the works.

Christophe Verbiest
(March 6, 2013)

Axelle Red: Fashion Victim

A hometown girl and her wardrobe

Most of us know Axelle Red as the Flemish singer of French lyrics with dreamy tunes. But the 40-something redhead also has a keen sense of fashion and an impressive wardrobe, full of Belgian and international designers.

So impressive that the Fashion Museum in Hasselt (where Red is from) dedicated an entire exhibition to her clothes, including both her stage outfits and daily wear.

Red was born Fabienne Demal in 1968 and earned a law degree in Brussels in 1993, the same year she released her first album. She’s been on stage for more than 20 years now, and besides a record collection to be proud of, she’s gathered a wardrobe that would be envied by many, too.

Katrien Lindemans
(March 6, 2013)

The powers that be

Flanders’ 10 most influential women on work, convictions and choices
Sandra De Preter © Diego Franssens

In 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. The following year, National Women’s Day was observed in the US, eventually spreading to the rest of the world and recognised every 8 March. As statistics on work, violence and poverty show, the struggle for equity continues. We spoke to three of Flanders’ most influential women about their jobs, their personal lives and their dedication to their convictions.

Mieke Van Hecke Director-general, Flemish Secretariat of Catholic Education (VSKO)
As director-general of the VSKO, Mieke Van Hecke is one of the most influential figures in Flemish education, with the organisation representing 64% of primary schools and 75% of secondary schools in Flanders, as well as boarding schools, centres for adult education and university colleges.

Sabine Clappaert
(March 6, 2013)