Describing
the intricacies of culture is like mapping the human genome – pitted with
difficulties. Khaled Diab spoke to a number of Belgians to find out what makes the
country tick culturally.
The Belgian revolution – a
middle-class uprisingpar excellence – began following a rousing performance of Auber's La Muette de Portici in August 1830,
when the disgruntled bourgeoisie audience took to the streets to demand their
linguistic, religious and economic rights from William I of Orange.
But there is more to culture than
the high forms of opera and classical music. In fact, when writing an article
about any national culture a number of difficulties arise: defining what
exactly ‘culture’ is, trying to sum it up in a limited space, and describing it
meaningfully without descending into clichéd stereotypes or generalisations.
Derived from the Latin colo,
meaning ‘to cultivate’, culture covers literally every aspect of our lives that
is not innate, from our morning tea or coffee to high literature and fine art.
To overcome some the pitfalls, I
have been out and about find out what Belgian have to say about their culture.
A-Z
of Belgian culture
Although Flemings and Walloons often
share similar cultural interests, there are very few communal cultural spaces
left. There are no national newspapers or television stations, no national
theatre and no national cultural bodies. This is a side effect of the country’s
devolution and increasing federalisation. The cultural tastes of the two main
communities can diverge quite significantly, particularly when it comes to
popular music.
Architecture
Flanders and Walloonia each have
their own distinctive traditional architectural character. The Flemish have
followed a more ‘low countries’ style, while the Walloons have employed a more
French look.
Belgium, as a whole, has been at the
forefront of the modernist architectural movement, with pioneering Belgian
architects, such as Victor Horta, setting the tone for the art decoand art nouveau
styles.
The Belgian
propensity for architectural innovation should come as no surprise given the
affection in which they hold their houses. “Every Belgian is born with a brick
in the stomach”, is a popular belief here. In fact, many Belgians would rather
build their own homes than buy an existing property. The downside of this is
that the country has fallen prey to ‘ribbon’ urbanisation in which towns and
villages connect to one another in endless strips of development.
Food and drink
Belgian cuisine, like Belgium itself,
lies somewhere between northern and Mediterranean Europe. It is a fusion
between French finesse and solid northern European fare.
“For a Belgian, food is the most
important thing in the world, not to survive but to communicate with his or her
peers,” write Peter Perceval and Bert Kruismans in their hilarious België
voor beginnelingen (Belgium for beginners/foreigners), a satirical
guide to Belgian identity. “A Belgian speaks not with words, but with beers,
steaks and biscuits.”
Food and drink are prominent guests
at almost every social occasion, as was demonstrated when I visited an
exhibition of family films and videos recently. Regardless of the event,
everyone stood around with a glass in their hand and the person filming would
give the buffet an affectionate, slow sweep with the camera.
For your viewing pleasure
The cinema, theatre and other
performing arts are popular pastimes in Belgium. Belgian cinema is quite a
small, but regularly acclaimed, affair and people tend to look to the outside world
for their viewing pleasure.
All the Hollywood blockbusters and
box-office hits get a viewing here, either in English with Dutch and French
subtitles, or dubbed in French. It is also easy to see films from all over the
world, including the increasingly popular Spanish-language cinema, China, Japan
and even Israel and Palestine. A surprising number of art-house cinemas are
managing to keep their heads above water and some are even thriving.
Although Belgium lacks a vibrant
commercial theatre scene like that in London or Paris, many Belgians enjoy
going to the theatre, which tends to be community-based and subsidised by the
regional government.
“I love going to the theatre,” says
Gabrielle, a Belgian office worker from Liège. “I like classical theatre, but I also enjoy
watching something more complicated and experimental.” Belgium’s experimental
and fringe theatre is perhaps one of the most dynamic in Europe.
Fine art
Fine art is both a popular and
elitist cultural pursuit in Belgium. Belgian art covers everything from the
exquisite realism of the Flemish primitives to the witty surrealism of René
Magritte. There are plenty of places to see unique and priceless examples of
Belgian art, including the Bozar in Brussels. For something a little more
outlandish, Watou in West Flanders organises a summer arts festival in which
the entire village becomes an exhibition space.
Comic strips are considered a high
art form in Belgium (see pages 29-31). In fact, many Belgians are attracted to
the comic and cartoon art of other countries. “I am interested in Asian culture
and it all started with Japanese comic books,” explains Grégory, a graphic
artist from Brussels.
Humour
Belgians tend to value modesty and
shun showiness, which is reflected in their humour. “We Belgians can laugh at
ourselves. Self-mockery is a common element of comedy here,” jokes Gabrielle.
Judging by TV output, the
francophone community also enjoys more slapstick comedy, while the Flemish seem
to go more for dry, understated humour and irony. Stand-up comedy is currently
all the rage in Flanders, with Comedy Casino, proving a big hit.
Literature
Reading is a popular pastime in
Belgium and many Belgians go to reading clubs. Being citizens of a small
multicultural country, Belgians have incredibly eclectic tastes, and read
literature from across Europe and other parts of the world – often in the
original language.
The most famous of Belgium’s
contemporary writers in Dutch is Hugo Claus who is regularly a ‘bridesmaid but
never a bride’ when it comes to the Nobel Prize for literature. Maurice
Maeterlinck, who was born in Gent and wrote in French, actually won the Nobel
Prize in 1911.
Markets
Every Belgian town and city has its own market
square or three, reflecting the historic importance of markets in the country.
Even though shopping malls and hypermarkets are slowly dethroning more
traditional markets, they still have a great deal of support (see pages 34-35).
One example is the ever-popular brocantes/rommelmarkten
(junk/flea markets). “The brocante is the Belgian equivalent of cricket
– an entirely futile activity which everyone, nevertheless, thoroughly enjoys,”
jokes Simon, a British resident of Brussels.
Museums
Belgium has hundreds of museums covering
many parallel historical narratives: Belgium, art, war, nature, psychology and
psychiatry, every town and many villages, body sculptor, the 20th
century and much more.
“Museums still attract a lot of
people, but numbers are falling,” explains Els, the curator of a museum in Sint
Niklass. “Many museums are evolving to appeal to broader audiences by becoming
more interactive and entertaining. This has sparked a heated debate in the
museum world of the relative merits of educating and entertaining the public.”
Music
To
outsiders, Belgium is forever associated with the legendary voice of Jacques
Brel who died in 1978, although many do mistake him for being French. Given the
relatively small size of the Belgian market, musicians often have their eyes on
foreign markets.
Belgian
dance music is popular across Europe and many groups and singers perform in
languages other than their own.
Sport
Sport is an important component of
Belgian life – whether it is through direct engagement or by proxy. The most
popular sports in the country are football, tennis and cycling. Despite the
poor performance of the ‘Red Devils’ in recent years, soccer is still the
favourite national sport.
The relative domination of women’s
tennis by Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters has ensured that the sport
has a massive and loyal following. Although the glorious days of five-time Tour
de France champion Eddy Merckx are a fond memory, cycling is still very popular
in Belgium. Wielertoeristen – cycling hobbyists – can be seen kitted out
in full racing regalia as they swoop through the countryside, taking regular
pit stops at their favourite watering hole!
And, following the three gold medals
Belgium won – two of which were within five minutes of each other – at the
European Athletics Championship in Göteborg last month, athletics looks set to
become a popular pastime.
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ã2006
K. Diab. Unless otherwise stated, all the content on this website is the
copyrightof Khaled Diab.
