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Is it bye bye Belgium?

Belgium, this little country on the Germanic-Romance border-divide in the heart of Europe has been around for over 175 years yet lately it isn’t doing so well. 194 days after the elections of June 2007 a government still hadn’t been formed so therefore it was decided to install a temporal government d`urgence and only in March 2008 a full new government was formed, yet many major decisions are still unresolved and the Belgian political system still seems to be tied in a gridlock. The Flemish and Walloons have often been at loggerheads and a federal system seemed to be the solution. The two communities have to share the country’s capital, Brussels, geographically placed in Flanders but a predominantly French-speaking city since the nineteen fifties and with not much affection for its Flemish citizens. This division now seems inadequate.The country seems to be falling apart and part of the reason is its political system. With the last state-reform in 1993 the political parties were split up along linguistic lines, so that a Fleming can vote for the Socialistische Partij and his Walloon counterpart for the Parti Socialiste. Since political parties can’t win any votes across the language-frontier they are likely to become more focused on ethno-regional issues. This is already happening since the Flemish politicians have become diametrically opposed to their Walloon opponents. Both sides had strong, outspoken political campaigns in the run-up towards the most recent elections with opposite views to what is to happen with Belgium.

The Flemish want more self government and the Walloons cling to the present situation, since they need Belgium (Flanders, that is) to pay for its bills.  It doesn’t help either that there still is a feeling of disdain among some French-speaking Belgians for the Flemish and their language. But will Belgium fall apart, and, should we care?

Until now it seemed improbable. The reason for this is Brussels. As a Siamese twin Brussels is the head for both Dutch-speaking Flanders and French-speaking Wallonia. The Flemish see it as historically theirs: after all, it was until the nineteenth century a basically monolingual Dutch-speaking city and it is located within Flanders. Yet nowadays it is a predominantly francophone city, which makes the Walloon claim pretty obvious. So Brussels is the glue that holds this little country together, not as a shared capital but as a prize that both sides covet.

If Belgium were to fall apart then there are a couple of possibilities. Flanders could become independent. Brussels would probably become a federal district like Washington D.C., since neither community would let the other take it for their capital. So the result would be that Europe would truly have a capital, and Wallonia, well what about Wallonia? It can’t pay for its own bills, some describe it as the last Soviet-state in Europe, not only because of its poverty-stricken Soviet-gray cities but also because its Socialist Party had been in power continuously for the last 80 years until the last elections, with a high number of corruption-scandals. Wallonia becoming part of France is improbable, France would surely decline this industrial graveyard. Then where would the money come from to support Wallonia? Well, from you. The EU would end up subsidizing the region and the Wallonian bill would be spread out along the E.U. so that you’d hardly notice it in your pocket.

Naturally there are quite a lot of Belgians who do still feel attached to their country, which is their good right. But if you think about it nationality is nothing more then a constructed identity. The feeling of belonging together which is present in all nationalisms is artificial but if there was ever a state that is artificial, it’s Belgium. Unlike England and France, nations that date all the way back to the middle ages Belgium came into being in 1830 and was only allowed to exist from the start with the approval of the U.K. and Prussia. Of course one can argue that the Flemish identity is man-made to, it is, but they do share one language and simply put, their nationalism seems to have become more attractive. It isn’t completely new either. The Walloon politician Jules Destree already wrote in a letter to his king in 1912:  Il y a en Belgique des Wallons et des Flamands. Il n'y a pas de Belges (In Belgium there are Walloons and Flemings, there are no Belgians).

Yet despite the rhetoric, it all comes down to money. Flanders is the rich region which has to support its poor compatriots down south and is fed up with it. The Flemings have become conceited. An often used slogan is: Wat we zelf doen, doen we beter (What we do ourselves, we do better). The solidarity has gone because Flemings don’t feel the same connection anymore with their Walloon compatriots as with their Flemish compatriots. In short this is exemplary for European separatism. In other countries you can find the same scenario. The Scottish for instance were once rather content being a member of the U.K However  nowadays Scotland believes it only gets a small share of the benefits from the North Sea oil fields discovered off the coast of Scotland in the sixties. So a new Scottish separatism has developed stating that Scotland would be better of being an independent state with independent Scottish oil. The same can be said for Cataluña. During the Franco-era, its language and culture were heavily suppressed, yet when Spain became a democracy in 1975, extensive rights were given to the regional cultures within Spain, such as Cataluña and the Basque country. However many Catalonians feel this is not enough and declare that they should become a sovereign state. Here to, money seems to play an important issue. Cataluña being the richest region of Spain, would be better of as a state of its own, since the money being made there wouldn’t be distributed all over Spain.

But should we expect mayhem when Belgian decides to split up. Is separatism a recipy for disaster? You’d almost think it is if you look at the former Yugoslavian states. They really knocked themselves out there in the Balkans with all the killing, ethnic cleansing and raping. Yet that doesn’t mean this is a standard procedure. Czechia and Slovakia separated peacefully using common sense without a shot being fired.

If as in a marriage the two partners have lost the ability to compromise it’s often better to divorce and split the household. The only way Belgium could continue in the long run is a return to unitarism in order to recreate and reinforce a basis of togetherness which is crucial for the ability to be solidary. Yet with the political situation as it is, this seems unlikely to happen. So Belgium will probably drag on for another couple of years with the Flemings and Walloons facing themselves increasingly opposite to one another until awareness becomes apparent that it is in the best interest for everybody to go separate ways.

With the EU having taken over already a lot of tasks and as a supervisor this shouldn’t be a big problem. Some tough decisions will have to be taken on what is to happen with the Flemish municipalities surrounding Brussels where a lot of Francophones reside and who gets what from the remnants of the Belgian state. However a doomsday scenario of ethnic cleansing and civil warfare in the heart of Europe will not happen. The media will have something to write about, questions will be asked what this means to European solidarity and that will be it. It might give fuel to other separatist movements elsewhere in Europe but one of the advantages of the EU is that it secures the rights of small nations such as Malta and Luxembourg so if regions have an outspoken wish to become independent and if the countries in which they are embedded feel the same way, then in a democratic fashion new European member states might occur in the next few decades.

Jan ter Burg

 

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Reborn Sarajevo

The last great undiscovered European capital

If there is one city that deserves a good deal more attention then it currently receives, it is Sarajevo. After 10 years in the shadow of war, Sarajevo is slowly but surely reasserting itself and attracting increasing numbers of visitors. The city thrives with energy and is once again on its way of becoming the cultural capital of the region.

After WWII Sarajevo quickly became a (multi)cultural and intellectual centre, legendary across Yugoslavia for its vibrant cultural life and tolerant multi-ethnic character and acted as a hub for young people across the country with its artistic scene. The city was home to a mix of Muslims, Catholics and Jews who all contributing to its dynamism. Thriving and happy under Tito it hosted the Olympic Games in 1984, something people in Sarajevo still take pride in. Tito valued sport and culture very highly and historically culture has been an important part of Sarajevo life. To such a degree, that every neighbourhood had its own cultural centre.

When Bosnia declared independence in 1991, the tables turned. Having been thoroughly shot apart between 1992 and 1995, the city struggled. Half the population fled and the city is now mainly populated by Bosnian Muslims, Bosniaks. The city is still coming to terms with the war as there is still a lot of hurt and loss felt. The environment is scarred and shaped by the infamous siege; nearly every building carries bullet holes and many are still empty.

Yet, Sarajevo is incredibly alive and has the special kind of post-war energy that makes some cities particularly interesting. This is because of the space and the vacuum created by the destruction of war. Far from stifling the arts, the war spurred a defiant creativity. During the war intellectual and cultural actors filled a gap in the public realm, offering some relief and giving a sense of the normal by creating entertainment for a welcome change from the atrocities of the siege. Many of the city's liveliest cultural institutions sprang up in this time, most famously the Sarajevo Film Festival. People literally braved snipers and artillery to come to the screenings. As put by writer Milan Cvijanovic: ‘living was far more important then surviving’.

The Sarajevo Film Festival, held each year in August, is now internationally renowned, growing every year and increasingly screening international movies, while also playing a role in boosting the regional film industry. This year they showed the young Romanian star director Christian Nemescus' ‘California Dreaming’, as well as the movie ‘Control’ by Anton Corbijn. Steve Buscemi, a friend of the festival, came to present his film ‘Interview’. Other guests to the festival this year included Juliette Binoche, Fatih Akin, Michael Moore and Jeremy Irons. Sarajevo hosts several other festivals as well, such as the Sarajevo Jazz festival that was hosted from 31 0ctober to 4 November this year. The independent and non profit festival has been a regular attraction since 1997 and has featured jazz musicians from around the world.

The energy in Sarajevo during the film festival is incredible, people do not go home, the weather is nice, the streets full and the parties good. People dress up a great deal, with women especially going all out for a night in the city, you will not see one wearing jeans. Young to old, the women wear elegant dresses, pumps, and indeed a good deal of make-up. The older women drink coffee and wander through the Old Town and the younger ones party until dawn. This elegant culture unquestionably relates to the Muslim culture in Bosnia and compares to Beirut, known for its elegant and trendy nightlife. Perhaps not unrelated, Sarajevo is often labelled as the most Eastern city of Europe. The old Turkish area with its mosques, minarets and silver shops is intact and beautiful. Too large and too much a part of the life of the citizens of Sarajevo, the Bascarsija market will not easily become a mere tourist attraction. The neighbourhoods of the Ottoman era flow over in the east to the more regularly ordered structures of the Habsburg-era districts, and even further east it flows into the post WWII socialist constructions and high-rise housing. In the Habsburg part you find the central European style modernistic terraces along the length of a whole pedestrian street. Here waiters will serve you any cocktail in an instant. In both areas new restaurants cater to a local as well as international clientele.

The cultural energy is paying of for the city as, for example, more and more contemporary art galleries pop up, like the high quality MAK gallery in the centre in a splendid little building with a cute patio and the experimental art gallery Collegium Artisticum located in a Communist-era shopping mall on the border of the city centre. In empty shops between the clothing boutiques one can admire graffiti style paintings, exploding collages inspired by The butcher , the cook and the wife, and drawings by young Sarajevo artists.

Yet, although the city takes pride in its cultural image, for the young and artistic it is hard to be recognised. After the war the artists and intellectuals previously so prominent in the public sphere were replaced by politicians again and not much was left of their artistic and intellectual freedom. In a post-war society culture and arts are not priorities and furthermore, the city’s demographics have changed. The population of Sarajevo is not what it was before the war. About 30% of the urban population left and were replaced by rural people from all over Bosnia. These recent residents bring with them another culture than what dominated the city in its intellectual and cultural heyday. Most youngsters nowadays have little idea of the great width and possibilities culture has to offer and politicians take little care to re establish that vibrant post-war atmosphere.

Those left with a need for cultural diversity have to fight hard, by themselves and with some support from else where, to revive the city's former spirit. Under the surface there is an enormous amount of energy among young people who want to go somewhere, who want to meet, exchange ideas and create things. Every year this energy clearly comes to the surface during the film festival, when the city transforms into a place of cultural bliss. The rest of the year, they have to build, search and fight to get an initiative of the ground.

Even though it is relatively small part of the Sarajevo residents active in the cultural world, you can feel the energy and passion to fight in the city and this is very appealing. Dutch organisation Kriterion's efforts to start an art house cinema and cultural centre illustrates this situation. It is very hard for the organisation to get something off the ground; indeed to buy a building in Sarajevo seems to be impossible. Yet the screenings they organise around the city are always full. Listening to the conviction and urgency with which the young people from Sarajevo involved in this project spoke is very telling. There is a spirit of urgency and necessity that young people in the West can almost not grasp, where civil society and opportunities for self-expression exist and taken for granted. To have the opportunity to build this civil society, to be part of this effort to give young cultural students in a country with no job perspectives a perspective, is very important for students in Sarajevo. They do not have the luxury to take anything for granted.

So the city is reinventing itself, but with different ingredients than before. Instead of a multicultural, multiethnic city, Sarajevo is now a Bosniak city with an international or European outlook.

 

Sophie Bloemen en Frederiek Biemans

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