A CRASH COURSE ON BELGIUM

Vesta, the division of the International Office that covers all welcome, hospitality and intercultural activities of K.U.Leuven, once again organises ‘About Belgium’. ‘About Belgium’ aims at providing international students with an insight on ‘what makes Belgium and Belgians tick’, offering a complete program of seven lectures and one performance.

Stating that ‘About Belgium’ is a crash course might be an overstatement, as the lectures are spread over three month. But it certainly does not make this seminar less worth your while. The seven meetings with eminent and excellent speakers (journalists, professors, artists, etc.) will give you an insight into Belgian politics, history, economy, gastronomy, music, art, etc. The seminar will be round off with a stand-up comedian joking about the Belgian way of life and the art of the Belgians. Let’s run through the program.

‘About Belgium’ starts with ‘The History of Belgium in 10 ½ chapters’ by Tim Pauwels, a renowned journalist for the Flemish television. He will present a rudimental overview on the structure of the Belgian State, an overview even Belgian teenagers need to learn in school. Furthermore he will talk about some things that are obvious to Belgians, but seem fascinating for foreigners. The fact that there are nor Belgian media, nor Belgian political parties but language-specific parties, for example. These things are daily bread to (television) journalists. This first lecture takes place at STUK-auditorium (Naamsestraat 96) on September 30th.

The second lecture is given on October 14th by prof. Ludo Beheydt (Dutch philology and culture). He will expand on the Flemish Primitive Rogier Van der Weyden, a painter who lived in the same period as Jan Van Eyck, another famous Flemish Primitive, but is known to excel in depicting emotion, whereas Van Eyck was a master in observation. Place to be is also the STUK-auditorium. Following the path of arts, head of the Lemmens Institute, Mr. Marc Erkens and pianist Ludo Callaerts will talk about Belgian music in an international perspective. Their lecture takes place a week later, on October 21th in the L. Janssenszaal at the Holy Spirit College, Naamsestraat 40.

On October 28th, you can go see the most successful Belgian movie ever: ‘Loft’, a movie about five adulterous men who rent an apartment together to meet their mistresses… until something goes horribly wrong.  We reviewed the movie for you on page 15. No worries, the projection will be subtitled in English. An introduction will precede the projection.

In November two lectures take place: one by Stella Okemwa on how one can feel after a few months away from home and in a different culture (November 18). Klaartje Proesmans, intercultural officer of the international students, will give you a taste of Belgian gastronomy, with samples afterwards (November 25). Economy and comedy have a spot in December, respectively on second and ninth December. Stand-up comedian Thomas Smith, a ‘Dutch Englishman from Antwerp’, will serve the comedy part. His subjects are very diverse, but if his program is somewhat similar to what ‘that other British-rooted stand-up comedian’, Nigel Williams, did last year, you can expect to laugh a lot, especially if you are or a Belgian yourself, or if you experienced Belgium and its inhabitants for a while. ‘Belgium and its inhabitants’ will be the clincher of this undoubtedly fascinating seminar.

All details on what, where and when can be found at www.kuleuven.be/vesta. We will report for you too in next issues of The Voice.