Translator: Jonathan Dupont Reviewer: Martin Bermudez
(Dutch) I am Françoise Masuy.
I am going to talk about language learning in Belgium.
(French) Uh, you don't understand me?
Of course, I forgot! We are in Belgium, in Wallonia!
Not everybody knows Dutch.
Isn't it a shame that we hardly know each other in such a small country
because of the language barrier?
I am going to take you with me on a journey to the heart of Belgium
after which you will want to get to know the others.
To start off, here are three anecdotes.
First anecdote.
A few years ago, I received an invitation
from a Dutch-speaking correspondant
with whom I had shared a few linguistic experiences
when I was a teenager.
She invited me to the Holy Communion of her 12-year-old daughter.
Surprised and flattered, I accepted.
And there I was in Flemish territory.
What I didn't know,
was that I was the surprise of the day.
I was treated like a queen by the parents and the three sisters.
(Dutch) "You haven't changed at all!
You look exactly the same!"
(French) That's always nice to hear when you are in your thirties.
And then,
something clicked:
I, who hadn't spoken Dutch
for so many years,
started to speak Dutch, just like that!
(Dutch) "Excuse me? Can you say that again?"
(French) By failing, however, to consistently reject the verb
at the end of the phrase ...
Regardless of the mistakes, I was having fun.
In short, everything started to fall back into place.
Since then, I listen to Radio Eén all day long in my car,
I sign up for all the courses across the linguistic border,
and my Dutch-speaking colleagues,
in addition to my ramblings in French,
have to put up with my painful conversations in their mother tongue.
Second anecdote.
At the hairdresser's in Wavre.
Wavre is a small town a few miles away from Louvain-la-Neuve.
I heard someone talk about the Overijse swimming pool.
I don't know if you know this swimming pool.
It is a sort of mini water park which is not too expensive.
The hairdresser went on to explain:
"I love the swimming pool in Oveijse! It is big and comfortable.
There is a sauna and there are slides for the children,
but,
I am afraid to go there.
I don't speak Dutch.
The few occasions I went there,
I spoke in English."
Third anecdote.
A family going away on holiday to the North Sea.
Once on the freeway in Flanders,
a child says:
"Uitrit, Uitrit, Uitrit! That's a big town!
It has been signposted the whole time!"
(Laughter)
Does anyone know what "Uitrit" means?
Yes, indeed! It means "Exit" in Dutch.
You haven't wasted your time coming today.
Three anecdotes.
Three emotions,
joy,
surprise,
fear,
which clearly shows the disparity of feelings
towards the national languages of Belgium.
Why is that?
Belgium is a small country of 18,969 square miles,
roughly 0.02% of the world's surface.
On this small piece of land 3 languages are spoken:
German, Dutch and French.
21.7 miles separate Louvain/Leuven from Louvain la Neuve,
a short physical distance
but such a huge mental one.
Why so?
It seems that never-ending discussions between political groups
create an atmosphere which is not conducive
to the development of mutual respect between communities.
However, research shows
that the more learners have a negative attitude
towards a language and community,
the more their command of that language is low.
Emotional factors play a crucial role in hindering
or developing learning.
Faced with this disenchantment,
I wanted to do something.
I got the idea of a site enabling us to learn how to get to know each other
because everyone knows that
in order to live together, we must know each other.
Therefore I asked young people from three linguistic communities
to share what excites them in their region:
a place, a personality, a habit ...
And they responded with enthusiasm in the other's language.
This is how the "Belgium on stage" website was born,
a trilingual website, fun,
created by and for young people,
who show cultural realities
just as they are perceived by young people between 17 and 24.
By discovering those testimonies,
we can see that there are far fewer things that divide us
than things that connect us.
I'm going to give you a few examples.
First example.
Belgium as seen by young people is made of festivals!
You all know Pukkelpop near Hasselt,
Tomorrowland in Antwerp, Rock Werchter, the Dour festival,
the Francofolies of Spa, Esperanzah! in Floreffe.
But do you know
"Het Groot Verlof,"
the newly created festival in Leuven
to liven up the deserted city with young people in summer?
And "Scène sur Sambre,"
an equally crazy festival on the banks of the Sambre,
in a little green paradise located in the south of Charleroi,
and where concerts take place on water thanks to a floating stage?
I've been living for 20 years in this village,
and I learned about the existence of this festival thanks to "Belgium on stage."
Incredible!
Belgium, as seen by young people, is made of similar leisure activities.
Whether it is youth movements,
scouts of Wallonia,
Pfadfinder in the Eastern Cantons,
Chiro in Flanders,
or a night out with friends.
All the good tips are given to have fun and have a drink
in the northern, southern and eastern side of the country.
Third example.
Belgium as seen by young people is made of gastronomy.
Did you know that you can discover Brussels
only around Belgian chocolate?
(Dutch) Chocolate walks in Brussels!
(French) But there are not only waffles,
there's chocolate, French fries and beer in Belgium!
Have you ever tasted the delicious palets de Dame,
typical biscuits of Tournai, "Doornik" in Dutch?
I had the chance to taste some
during the official launch of "Belgium on stage" not long ago.
A real delight!
Fourth example?
Belgium as seen by young people is made of TV shows
watched at home.
On one side, you have the French speakers watching "Koh-Lanta,"
and the Flemish who are fans of "Expeditie Robinson."
Do you know the most-watched TV series in Flanders?
"Thuis en Familie," of course,
which tells the story of the daily life of families
on two rival Flemish channels.
And "F.C. De Kampioenen,"
which depicts the adventures of a very bad football team.
Not to mention "Foute Vrienden,"
a hilarious reality-TV program
in which four friends take on challenges each one crazier than the last.
I'm convinced that if this concept was brought in Wallonia,
it would take the world by storm.
Fifth example.
Belgium as seen by young people is made of curiosities.
Do you know the Bueren mountain, near Liège,
also called the "stairs of the extreme"?
374 steps with a 30% incline!
There is also "Dreiländerpunkt,"
located on the border of three countries:
Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany.
Not to mention the Strépy-Thieu boat lift,
the biggest boat-lift in the world!
Finally, Belgium as seen by young people is made of notable personalities.
"BV," "de bekende Vlamingen," [the famous Flemish] in Flanders.
Fortunately, as one of the youngsters who participated in the website said,
the equivalent acronym doesn't exist in Wallonia:
"Famous Walloons" would be a bit ridiculous.
All those testimonials show the Belgium seen from the inside
by the young people living in it, in the other's language.
Remember what I told you in the beginning:
Isn't it a shame that in such a small country,
we know each other so little because of language?
All the examples given show
that we can meet thanks to language!
All the examples given show
that there are far more things that unite us
than things that divide us.
Fear and rejection stem from ignorance.
To live well together, we must learn to get to know each other.
Eighteen months ago, I was dreaming, alone.
Today this dream has become a reality.
Young people became the ambassadors of their communities.
With "Belgium on stage,"
I wish to awaken the utopic mind which lies in each one of us.
The same one which enables us to live well together.
Who knows?
This Belgian utopia may inspire other countries
where the coexistence of languages is sometimes tumultuous.
Because isn't being shared the aim of every utopia?
I believe so.
I say it.
I affirm it.
The three national languages of this country,
German, Dutch and French,
will one day be the languages of the world and the heart
for all the inhabitants of this little kingdom of Belgium.
As the poet Julos Beaucarne says,
"The wind from Flanders,
The wind from Wallonia:
it is the same wind,
with a different accent."
(Applause)
On that note, as we say in German,
"Danke und tschüss!"
(Applause)