Otherness

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Obama in Flanders Fields

It was the talk of the day - or even weeks - On March 26, President Obama paid a long expected visit - the first in his 5-years presidency - to Belgium. It lasted only 23 hours but the impact was enormous. Highest security levels were unseen.  Several tests (i.e. helicopter flights) and preparative scenarios took place weeks in advance. As you can imagine, media attention to Obama's impressive entourage were elaborated, with the famous so-called "The Beast" (Obama's transportation vehicle) scoring high. 

Except for noisy helicopters flying above Brussels's air space, i didn't notice any of the "Obama fever".

Though, what got most of my sympathy, was his visit to the only American World War I Cemetery and Memorial in Belgium, where a lot (about 411) American soldiers are buried or commemorated. It's located in a little town Waregem in Flanders, not that far from my birth town.

There, President Obama cited from the poem by Moina Michael "We shall keep the faith". She wrote that poem as a kind of answer to the famous poem "In Flanders Fields' by the Canadian John McCrae.

Touched me quite a bit, emotional gesture to the 100 years rememberance of the Great War 

"We shall keep the faith" - Moina Michael

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
In Flanders Fields we fought

"In Flanders Fields" - John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

BIRTH DAY

Recently I visited the exhibition "BIRTH DAY" by the Belgian photographer Lieve Blancquaert. It is part of a big project - the round-the-world journey of a mother, photographer and journalist searching for the answer to the questions: ”Why do we bring children into the world today? What does it mean to be born in a particular place in the world? 

In each location Lieve stepped into a maternity ward and so literally into the life of the baby and its family, meeting the mothers during one of the most emotional events of their lives: the birth of their child. But she also talked with family members, visiting their homes, taking part in in festivals and rituals, travelling to special places and events that told her more about the culture in which the child will grow up.

Lieve Blancquaert worked two years on this project, visiting 14 locations around the world. A mix of rich and poor, and of cultures, religions and communities. We see enormous differences: from very primitive conditions due to extreme poverty (i.e. in Africa) to mega-rich Kuweit, where the newly mother is treated as a princess in her 5 star hotel/hospital room …

Aside from a unique selection of large format photos, she also captures the diverse and amazing stories into a documentary series for television. Some excerpts shown at the exhibition were very captivating. 

Most compelling was the harsh situation of some families in my own city, Brussels. Families with (little) children living in extreme poverty, in an unhygienic, unsafe, squat. Unbelievable this exists in a so-called western welfare state!

Even more poignant is the fact that this building have been evacuated a couple of days ago by police force in a coarse way … putting (some illegal) people on the street and families in temporary transition housing … just when winter is around the corner.

Beauty of the photos next to harsh reality … life is unfair ...

FLOWER CARPET

For 5 days last week the Brussels' Grand Place was covered by a gorgeous flower carpet. This bi-annual event has been a summer highlight since 1971. 

To create the 80 metres long carpet,An army of 120 volunteers spended 48 hours installing hundreds of thousands of begonias, cultivated in Ghent. The theme of this year's edition was Africa, so there were extra elements, such as bards, sands and precious materials imported for the occasion.

I was lucky to get invited on the inaugural night where I could view the evening spectacle from the balcony of the historical City Hall. Aside form a stunning aerial perspective, there was a wonderful light and sound , a live musical act by the Belgian-African band MIxtuur, and fireworks as the climax of the opening event. Very impressive!

Thousands of tourists came for a look at the marvel. Since it were extraordinary hot summer days, the terraces and restaurants on the Grand Place did extra good business!

Europalia.Brazil and Literary Enlightment

First of all, the hiatus in my blog postings is primarily due to a practical reason. – And I know, it’s an excuse ...

More than a month ago my laptop (= my access to the world) has been stolen ... a terrible thing... Have to buy a new one. In the meantime, got to use a computer temporarily, so to help me out.

Back to my “musings”... finally!

In these dark wintery days, I can luckily escape to many art and cultural events in town. There are plenty organized for “Europalia.Brazil”, a prestigious biennial festival, putting Brazilian culture in the spotlight. Highlights are the exhibits “Brazil.Brasil” & “Art in Brazil” at the Brussels “cultural palace” BOZAR; and a photography show in BIP (Brussels Information Point) “Building Brasilia”. This exhibition offers a wide view of the period of Brasilia’s construction, with a special emphasis on the architectural pieces by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer

Another powerful photo exhibit I visited was “Urban Survivors”, on the harsh, miserable life in the slums, organized by Doctors without Borders ... definitely one with a firm social statement.

Switch to another art form. A literary highlight last week was a lunchtime reading by the multi-award winning Irish writer Glenn Patterson. He read and talked so passionate about his work that I got so inspired, as to pick up my blog!