Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Understanding Belgium Today

All I can say to that is, you might as well be offering the meaning of life, its probably simpler.
"Belgium is a wasteland where minorities fight in the name of two cultures that do not exist . " This sentence by Jacques Brel, one of the most famous representatives of this country, can be disputed, but at least it puts the finger on an essential element one needs to understand in Belgium: its complexity. To understand how this flat land operates, you need to have an open mind capable of taking on board a "halve en halve" approach, capable of being comfortable with a " skief " (slanted) situation, but that can "remain continue and last" over time. This is what Belgium is all about: compromise. Maybe not an equal compromise, but one that operates nonetheless.

If you are interested in attending the lecture series, a further synopsis of each session, along with times and dates are here.

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