Diplomatic World_nummer 55

55
INTERLINKING POLITICS, DIPLOMACY, BUSINESS
FINANCE, ART & CULTURAL DIPLOMACY
H.E.
CLAUDE-FRANCE
ARNOULD
Ambassador of
France
ALEXANDER
SHULGIN
Visionary
Investor
Composer
H.E
ABDULRAHMAN
BIN MOHAMMED
AL KHULAIFI
Ambassador of
Qatar
H.E. YURI O.
THAMRIN
Ambassador of
Indonesia
H.E. MAYA
NIKOLOVA
DOBREVA
Ambassador of
Bulgaria
SERGEY
KATYRIN
President of Russia’s
Chamber of
Commerce and
Industry
MARC
RESTELLINI
INSTITUT
RESTELLINI
The leading
experts of
Amedeo Modigliani
STEVEN G.
GLICKMAN
Economic Advisor to
Former US President
Barack Obama
Winter 2017 www.diplomatic-world.com Quarterly edition
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INTERLINKING POLITICS, DIPLOMACY, BUSINESS
FINANCE, ART & CULTURAL DIPLOMACY
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©2017 Diplomatic World Magazine
EDITORIAL
After winning the second round of the French presidential
election, Emmanuel Macron held his victory speech in front
of the glass pyramid marking the main entrance to the largest
cultural temple in Paris and France. We may consider this as
his first public endorsement as president of the values and
importance of culture and cultural diplomacy for present day
societies in Europe and globally.
Macron’s reception of President Putin in the Palace of Versailles,
and their visit of the Peter the Great exhibition was a further
clear signal of the same philosophy. In his victory speech Macron
spoke of a ‘new humanism’, and furthermore expressed in his first
official interview with eight European newspapers his wish to take
the lead not only in a French, but also a ‘European Renaissance.’
On the Athenian Pnyx hilltop, where all citizens had come
together to exercise their legislative power in democratic classic
Athens, Macron spoke before a dark blue night sky with the
wisely illuminated Akropolis and Parthenon jeweling the
background, about his plan to refund the EU through the three
core values of culture, democracy and sovereignty.
Interestingly, his next major speech concerning further
details about his ‘European Initiative’, held at the Aula of the
Sorbonne University in Paris, was also constructed around
the core concepts of democracy and sovereignty. But in this
speech, he exchanged culture for union. We read in this textual
interchangeability of culture and union that in Macron’s view
culture is an essential element in establishing a union among
states, both in Europe and globally. With our known dedication
to cultural diplomacy, we want to support such a vision and
provide practical and concrete suggestions for the forging of
union, as presented in the past issues of Diplomatic World.
Barbara Dietrich
barbara.dietrich@diplomatic-world.com
1

INDEX DIPLOMATIC WORLD 55
H.E.
CLAUDE-FRANCE
ARNOULD
Ambassador
of France
4
16
20
H.E
ABDULRAHMAN
BIN MOHAMMED
AL KHULAIFI
Ambassador of
the State of Qatar
H.E.
YURI O. THAMRIN
Ambassador
of the Republic
of Indonesia
PLACES LEFT
BEHIND: REGIONAL
INEQUALITY IN THE
U.S. & EUROPE
36
CHINA, A COUNTRY
IN TRANSITION
Prof. Jan Cornelis
HOOOP FOR
A GOOD CAUSE
AT THE
BISTRONOMY
Ambassador
38
54
Steven G. Glickman Leo D’Aes
58
SMART CITIES PUT
PEOPLE FIRST
Joachim De Vos
CEO & founder of
TomorrowLab
RELIGIOUS
TOLERANCE:
INDONESIAN
EXPERIENCES
100 YEARS
TOGETHER
WITH RUSSIA
Prof. Dr.
Dede Rosyada, MA
24
Sergey Katyrin
44
EXHIBITION
MODIGLIANI,
SOUTINE, AND
OTHER LEGENDS OF
MONTPARNASSE
Fabergé Museum
62
2
Herman Van Rompuy, Wim Dries, Joachim De Vos
They’ll bill everything automatically. They’ll wait for
their owners, or hire themselves out to other customers
in the interim. Naturally, a smart concept like that
48 SKYMINING
Carl Pendragon
doesn’t stop at municipal boundaries. Smart street
lighting, too, will only be really intelligent if the whole
BULGARIA region IS shares and uses data to provide energy-saving
PREPARING TO
TAKE OVER lighting THE EU or react appropriately in emergencies. TomorrowLab
will be glad to help drive such efforts with its
PRESIDENCY
EUROPEAN
H.E. experience Maya in Smart Cities”.
BUSINESS
Nikolova Dobreva
SUMMIT
26
PREVENT FRAGMENTATION
DECENTRALIZATION
The S-LIM initiative OF EVERYTHING is being taken by the Limburg
towns and municipalities. TRANSFORMING TomorrowLab, THE as a strategic
GLOBAL ECONOMY
innovation consultancy,
AND LIFESTYLE
will help these communities
to develop a vision and will ensure that they constantly
exchange learning and practical experiences with
30
Alexander Shulgin
each other. At the beginning of this year, a survey by
the University of Liège showed that most towns and
municipalities have not yet developed strategies to
52
On 23 – 24 Maroš May 2018, Šefčovič, 2.000 high-level Pieter EU De and Crem, national Herman policy-makers, Van Rompuy
business executives, civil society and academia representatives will gather at
the Egmont Things Palace like in Brussels mobility for the solutions annual European and smart Business PAUL street Summit. COOLS furniture
are the first applications under scrutiny. GENERAL Naturally, OF MALTA
HONORARY CONSUL
technology is an important driver, but it SPREADS has to be THE WORD
and extensive media ABOUT coverage. VALLETTA
integrated into the social fabric of a town. One smart
80
2018
street doesn’t make a smart city, let alone a smart
region.
CITY DATA
PEACE GLOBAL
ART PROJECT
THE SEVEN PILLARS
OF LAUGHING
Ulrike Bolenz
70
78
THE INSTITUT
RESTELLINI
Institute for Scientific
and Documentary
Research in Art History
Marc Restellini
TOWARDS EUROPE’S GLOBAL FUTURE
The European Business Summit (EBS) is a renowned debated
platform offering its partners and guests an opportunity to
exchange views on topics shaping the European and international
agenda. In the upcoming 18th edition, EBS would like to
build upon its ability to facilitate constructive dialogue between
countries’ representatives and business community in Europe
and beyond. By bringing these partners together, EBS contributes
to promoting European competitiveness, entrepreneurship
and innovation.
such as technologies, services for food and more, advertising in
the EBS Magazine and benefiting from EBS marketing products
EBS also recommends that its partners join the brand new
Strategy Group, a unique dialogue platform for countries,
regions, business executives and policy-makers. During the
approximately 6 meetings per year, the Strategy Group members
will participate in private sessions with high-level business and
policy representatives and it will contribute to shaping the pro-

PULAU JENGEKERIK
(CRICKET ISLAND)
Alexis Gautier
83
96
98
NIGHTSHADE:
AUBERGINE
CLARON MCFADDEN
MUZIEKTHEATER
TRANSPARANT
GEOPOLITICS,
ART AND
CREATION
Prof. Dr. Jan De Maere
114
116
CIDIC’S DIPLOMATIC,
ECONOMIC,
ACADEMIC AND
CULTURAL DAYS
IN TALLINN
THE CIDIC
EUROPEAN CENTRE
FOR ECONOMIC,
ACADEMIC AND
CULTURAL
DIPLOMACY
WINTER 2017
132
TAL CENTER
FOR INTEGRATIVE
ONCOLOGY
CHANGING
THE CULTURE OF
CANCER CARE
Dr. Yair Maimon
144
134
MECHELEN’S
ACCESSIBILITY
AND CONVIVIALITY
ARE IRRESISTIBLE
TO ENTREPRENEURS
AND VISITORS
CHRISTMAS
WEIHNACHTEN
Ute Gerhards
LEADING A
HIGH PERFORMANCE
TEAM
CHRISTMAS
122
146
Randall S. Peterson IN RUSSIA
102
A BRIDGE BETWEEN
NATIONS AND
RELIGIONS — INSPIRED
BY THE ART
OF CHAGALL
Yvelle Gabriel
124
FAKE NEWS AND
DEMOCRACY
Dieter Brockmeyer
BRAFA 2018
Harold t’Kint
de Roodenbeke
IMPACT SUMMIT
ZUG 2017:
FAITH IN FINANCE
WHAT DO YOU DO
WITH YOUR
WEALTH TO MAKE
106
A BETTER PLANET?
126
GOOD OF LOVE
PRO TOTO:
VOLKER
HILDEBRANDT
147
110
‘TOUR & TAXIS’
A DISTRICT
IN MOTION
148
DAVID BOWIE IN
THE MAN WHO
FELL TO EARTH
Review
Pascale Thielemans
3

STATE OF QATAR’S OPINION
ON TOPICS RELATED TO
CONTEMPORARY DIPLOMATIC
CHALLENGES
When talking to H.E Abdulrahman bin Mohammed
Al Khulaifi, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to
Belgium, Luxembourg, the European Union and
NATO, I can only acknowledge there are many
centers of interest and importance that we share.
The complexity of global scale and consequently
diplomatic challenges, make the relative perspective
and point of view change from each and every angle.
Today, the Middle East is one of the main stages
on a geopolitical and geo-economic level, often
identified as a region of turbulence and extremism,
subject to questions about terrorism and human
rights, fossil or renewable energies, but unmistakably
a region with its own traditions, vast cultural
heritage, and an openness and willingness to share
and build a dialogue with the rest of the world.
4
The last six months the diplomatic services of
Qatar and its neighbouring states have worked the
extra mile to address important and critical issues.
How do you feel negotiations in the Gulf crisis
with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
will evolve the next coming months? Will the
blockade have an important impact on Qatar and
its resources?
Since last April, Qatar was subjected to an unprecedented
campaign, designed to deviate our policies and our
position on key regional issues. On June 5th, an
unprovoked and unjustified blockade was imposed on
Qatar with the accusation of supporting terrorism!
Qatar, being a loyal and committed member of an
international coalition to fight terror, is committed to the
international conventions on the fight against terrorism
and its financing. Furthermore we are convinced that the
challenges of transnational terrorism are not unique to
Qatar. Terrorism is both a regional and global threat, that
requires collective efforts and political commitment from
all parties involved.
H.E Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al Khulaifi & Barbara Dietrich

welcoming society, authentic traditional visitor experiences, world-class museums,
libraries, galleries and public art installations, historic sites and heritage attractions.
flagrant human rights violations and false accusations against my country
© Embassy of Qatar
lockading countries, Qatar is still ready for dialogue to end the Gulf crisis
n principles Measures which have been do taken not by violate our government international to law and respect the
nty of the state strengthen of Qatar. its counter-terrorism efforts and tackle the root
value and support causes of terrorism the mediation by supporting of educational the Emir projects, of Kuwait HH Sheikh Sabah
al Ahmad al promoting Sabah tolerance end and the peace crisis.
and providing employment
opportunities for young people. In this regard, it is worth
icy stand on protecting human rights, public opinion and the right of people
mentioning the Centre for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies
etermination for this reason the blockading countries are attempting to
based in Doha, which is the first of its kind in the Arab
guardianship
region.
on it
The
.
Centre seeks to create an academic foundation
as been subjected capable of generating to exceptional unique knowledge, circumstances and spreading and faced challenges for
an three months the best because practices in the of field the of imposition conflict management of an and illegal blockade on it by
hboring countries humanitarian . action. It will educate decision and policy
ust blockade
makers
violates
in the Middle
international
East and North
laws
Africa,
and
to
human
take
rights, unfortunately the
appropriate decisions in order to deal with the conflicts
ing countries have taken illegal measures that constitute a grave violation
taking place in their countries. The centre also provides
, economic and social human rights. They include also banning Qatari
opportunities for higher education for researchers and
from travelling practitioners to or of transiting humanitarian through affairs. their territories. This has torn apart
milies and has interrupted education and the right to work .There are about
iolations cases filed with Qatar's National Human Rights Committee over
kade.
Qatar was also the first and only Gulf country to sign an
MOU with the United States to stop terror funding. Despite
flagrant civil, economic and human rights violations and
false accusations against Qatar by the blockading countries,
we are ready for dialogue to end the Gulf crisis based
on principles which do not violate international law and
respect the sovereignty of the state of Qatar. We value and
support the mediation of the Emir of Kuwait HH Sheikh
Sabah al Jaber al Ahmad al Sabah to end this crisis.
Our policy promotes and stands on the respect of
protecting human rights, the people’s right of having a
public opinion and the right of self-determination. This is
one of the reasons for the blockading countries’ attempt
to impose guardianship on it. Qatar has been subjected to
10 exceptional circumstances and faced challenges for more
than three months because of the imposition of an illegal
is looking forward to having measures taken against the blockading
s" by the international community). Such measures could only be called intellectual terrorism and constit
secret that the real motives behind the Such flagrant siege measures and violation the could severing of only the of right be diplomatic called to freedom intellectual of opinion terrorism and and express constit
5

lockade by its neighbouring countries. The blockade
includes banning Qatari citizens from travelling to or
transiting through their territories. This measure has torn
apart families and interrupted education and the right to
work. There are about 26.000 violations cases filed with
Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee about the
blockade.
It is no secret that the real motives behind the siege and the
severing of diplomatic relations with Qatar are not aimed
at fighting terrorism. Rather, they are an attempt to force
Qatar into a state of trusteeship, to interfere in our domestic
and foreign policy, and to undermine our sovereignty.
This cannot be accepted by any country that enjoys full
independence and sovereignty.
The crisis started with the hacking of Qatar News Agency
websites and the spreading of false news attributed to
Emir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, and was
followed by malicious media campaigns against Qatar.
The international community is invited to shoulder its
legal and moral responsibilities to avoid holding people
responsible for political differences among governments.
The scope of these violations and damages was not limited
to individuals: the blockading countries issued a joint
list, which was prepared unilaterally, including several
individuals and entities and branded them as terrorists. The
list, however, was rejected by the United Nations (UN) as
it violates international legitimacy and human rights and
poses obstacles in the implementation of humanitarian and
development work by humanitarian organizations, some
of which have consultative status with the UN and have
extensive partnerships with various UN agencies. These sets
of measures have opened the door for politicization of the
term ‘terrorism’ in accordance with the narrow interests of
some countries. But the international community should
have a clear and firm stance against double standards
relating to terrorism.
At the end these measures against Qatar could be called
‘intellectual terrorism’ and constitute a clear and flagrant
violation of the right to freedom of opinion and expression,
which was confirmed by the High Commissioner for Human
Rights in his statement issued on June 14 this year.
Qatar is in the middle of an extremely dynamic
region. How can Qatar contribute to the
stabilization of the Middle East, Eurasia, Western
Asia and Northeast Africa regions?
Qatar is an important player on the geopolitical and geoeconomic
stage. Its geostrategic position with enormous
economic resources, and the Al Jazeera channel as an
information resource, has often put it under the limelight.
Its geopolitical position as a coastal country, lying on a
peninsula, allows it to have access to almost all of the
Arabian Gulf and beyond.
6
© Embassy of Qatar

Many billions were pumped into Qatar infrastructure, developing new stadiums, hotels and commercial centers for the FIFA World Cup
Despite the state’s small size, Qatar was able to develop
sustainable gas resources, transforming Doha into a
prestigious hub. We were able to set up a top-notch airline,
Qatar Airways, and a ubiquitous news channel, Al Jazeera.
And Qatar also snatched the top prize of hosting the 2022
FIFA World Cup.
Our enlightened leadership imported skills from all over the
world in different fields ranging from education to sports,
from architecture to the arts, but also from security to
diplomacy. Internationally, Qatar has become more involved
in foreign affairs in the past decade than ever before. It has
mediated a number of high profile conflicts and through its
network it was able to successfully bring opposing parties to
the negotiation table.
As an active player in backing international peace and
security, Doha is keen to sponsor high level conferences
with the purpose of finding a common ground and a better
understanding to mitigate differences and shape consensus.
In terms of constructing peace agreements, Qatar has a
good record.
In this respect, “Reach out to Asia” was launched in 1995
and sponsored by the Qatar Foundation to give hope
to millions of youth and children across the world by
enhancing their skills and potentialities through education,
sports and other activities as an efficient tool to face
both local and global challenges. This fund is operating
in Cambodia, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal,
Bangladesh, the Palestinian territories, Iraq and Lebanon.
Its main task is improving high quality and relevant primary
and secondary education and health care. Qatar’s charitable
efforts are also extended to other crisis affected areas to
provide all types of assistance related to human rights
and decent living. Recently $ 100 million urgent aid was
granted by the Qatari government to New Orleans (USA)
in the aftermath of the passing of Katrina, to alleviate the
sufferings of the victims of the tornado. I would like in
this regard to focus on the role of the Silatech ‏,(كتلص)‏ a
Qatari social organization that works to create jobs for Arab
youth to tackle the alarming rise of the unemployment rate
in order to prevent youth to turn to frustration, which leads
to radicalism.
The end of 2016 was marked by a significant achievement
for Silatech, which succeeded in creating more than 300.000
jobs for Arab youth through a network of more than 150
partners and in signing strategic partnerships to sustain
more than one million job opportunities by 2020 across the
Arab World.
7

© Embassy of Qatar
8
In Sudan, Silatech signed an agreement with the Agricultural
Bank of Sudan to promote microfinance in support of youth
entrepreneurs to create 23.000 jobs, in addition to partnering
with the Social Development Bank to create 20.000 jobs
for graduates to start their own enterprises. In Tunisia,
Silatech signed an agreement to create more than 580.000
jobs through providing support to entrepreneurs to start
and grow their own businesses, and support the innovative
Smart Tunisia program in enabling to create 50.000 jobs
by 2020. With the collaboration of Qatar Red Crescent,
Silatech provides training courses for displaced youth in
Syria to develop their skills. In Palestine, Silatech, with the
partnership of the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Group, has launched
the “Khadamati” portal to allow craftsmen in Palestine to
advertise their products and services and connect them
with customers and markets beyond Palestine borders, in
addition to signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU)
with UNRWA to promote employment opportunities for
youth working in the construction sector. Building on the
success of the pilot partnership program, Silatech renewed its
partnership with Attawfiq Microfinance in Morocco, adding
up to 140.000 jobs for Moroccan youth.
Being in Brussels, close to the European Union,
which topics are on the priority list to enhance
the relationships between Qatar and the EU?
Economics, Energy, Finance, Culture, EU relations?
Relations between the EU and Qatar are considered to be
excellent. Over the last few years, both the political and the
economic relationship between the European Union and
Qatar have been deepened considerably by official visits and
rising bilateral trade agreements.
This cooperation is particularly evident in a number of
areas:
THE TRADE EXCHANGE
Periodic meetings between the State of Qatar and the
delegation of relations within the Peninsula in the European
Parliament (DARP), which holds parliamentary meetings
with the Shura Council of the State of Qatar, with the aim
to strengthen bilateral relations and especially parliamentary
ones.
THE QATARI-EUROPEAN POLITICAL DIALOGUE
As part of European Union efforts to strengthen relations
with the world, the External Action Service (EEAS) has
chosen Qatar as a key country in the region to engage a
special political dialogue on various issues of common
concern and to coordinate our positions on a number of
regional and international affairs. For this purpose, four
rounds of dialogue were held sequentially in Brussels in

2009, in Doha in 2010, in Brussels on June 2011 and
the last one took place in Brussels on the 1st of April
2014.
the EU will take a more proactive role in issues related to
the Middle East region apart from humanitarian
assistance.
IN THE FIELD OF AVIATION
Qatar General Civil Aviation Authority recently signed a
memorandum of understanding with the European Agency
for the Safety of Civil Aviation in the German city of
Cologne, (the headquarters of the European Agency for
the Safety of Civil Aviation). The MOU aims to enhance
cooperation and exchange of experiences in all areas of
civil aviation safety. These negotiations were launched in
September 2016.
A TRAINING COURSE FOR QATARI DIPLOMATS
ON THE WORK OF EU INSTITUTIONS
A first training course was organized during the period
12-17 February 2016 for the Qatari diplomats. The program
(both theoretical and practical) included a series of lectures,
workshops and discussions related to the diplomatic work in
Europe, as well as field visits to EU institutions. A second
training course will be held soon before the end of this year.
We assign great importance to developing diplomatic
skills and capacities to serve the State of Qatar, because
“nowadays diplomacy is becoming more and more a soft
power and a tool of foreign policy.” As a diplomat, I hope
CULTURAL RELATIONS BETWEEN THE STATE OF
QATAR AND THE EUROPEAN UNION
With a view of reinforcing and expanding cultural ties
between EU Member States represented in Qatar and the
State of Qatar, the embassies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary,
Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, the
Netherlands, as well as the British Council and the Institut
français, have decided to join efforts in the field of culture
by signing the founding charter of a European Union
National Institutes of Culture (EUNIC) cluster in Qatar.
Hosted by the Embassy of the Netherlands in its capacity
as the local presidency of the EU Council in the 1st half of
2016, the official signing ceremony of the founding charter
was held on 25 May. The EUNIC cluster in Qatar is the first
of its kind to be established in the GCC region. It gathers
EU countries represented in Qatar with the aim to promote
cultural and linguistic diversity and to develop exchanges
between European and Qatari youth while fostering
European and Qatari artists exchange programs. The
EUNIC cluster in Qatar will contribute to enhancing the
cultural relationships between EU member States and Qatar
and to promoting the cultural diversity of Europe.
9

© Embassy of Qatar
10
Renewable energy is on the worldwide priority
list related to the sustainability of our globe and
climate change. How do you see the evolution in
Qatar’s strategy and challenges related to this
situation?
In recent years, Qatar has been making itself a benchmark
for all future sustainable and renewable initiatives in the
Middle East. Qatar is committed to creating a cleaner and
more energy efficient environment and to making significant
contributions in addressing climate change challenges and
moving towards a more sustainable future.
In line with Qatar National Vision 2030, Qatar aims
to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. Sustainable
development has been identified as one of the top priorities
in Qatar’s National Development Strategy. Environmental
Development is one of the four main pillars of the Qatar
National Vision 2030, which aims to manage rapid domestic
expansion to ensure harmony between economic growth,
social development, and environmental protection.
Qatar Solar Energy (QSE) has officially opened one of the
largest vertically integrated PV module production facilities
in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The 300 MW facility, located in the Doha industrial zone
of Qatar, is the first significant development of the Qatar
National Vision 2030, which aims to reduce the country’s
reliance on fossil fuels in favour of more renewable energy
sources. Qatar’s fledgling forays into the solar PV sector
have gained pace last year, when state-backed Qatar Solar
Technologies (QSTEC) acquired a 29% stake in Solar World
in a move that raised eyebrows throughout the industry.
The second edition of the Power Qatar Summit will be held
on the 13th and 14th of November 2018 and will provide
varied opportunities to create a strong presence in the power
and energy industry. The summit is the only event of its kind
in the region focusing on the future of the power sector in
Qatar with a strong emphasis on renewable energy, smart
energy solutions, smart meters and smart grids. This way the
energy sector will make a significant contribution to achieving
a substantial growth and diversity for the Qatari economy.
In 2022, Qatar will host the FIFA World
Championship Football. This ambitious event could
bring up to 500.000 new visitors to Qatar. What do
you feel these fans and tourists will appreciate and
discover in Qatar? Tourism has been defined as one
of the main growing opportunities in Qatar; how
are these ambitious goals put into reality, from a
structural point of view towards the final hospitality
of inviting and receiving its foreign guests?

Stadiums in Qatar
Al Wakrah stadium
STADIUMS IN QATAR
Al khor Stadium
Al Wakrah stadium
Al khor Stadium
Since the Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030
(QNTSS) was launched in 2014, strong foundations have
been laid with major achievements to develop this vital
sector.
Focusing on new priority industries to meet Qatar’s
development needs, through its 26 contribution to economic
diversification, increasing foreign exchange earnings, and
creating new private sector business and employment
opportunities, and also stimulating construction,
transportation, infrastructure development, trading,
and recreation services. Qatar is constantly investing to
enhance its existing world-class tourism infrastructure.
Travellers can avail of a range of high quality luxury
hotels, worldwide aviation connections, superb sports and
recreation facilities, and state-of-the-art conference and
exhibition facilities. Qatar has outstanding cultural assets.
Tourists can expect a hospitable and welcoming society,
authentic traditional visitor experiences, world-class
museums, libraries, galleries and public art installations,
historic sites and heritage attractions. Our natural assets
are multiple. Visitors can enjoy year-round sunshine,
extensive unspoiled beaches, the Inland Sea, a spectacular
desert scenery, mangrove lagoons and dramatic windsculpted
rock formations.
Khalifa International stadium
The Arabian horse is rooted in Qatar’s history and
shows great strength and elegance. Could you share
with us some of the passion and the ways of careful
breeding, that keeps the heritage alive?
The strong beliefs of care and welfare for the horse are
illustrated in multiple ways by pre-Islamic and early Islamic
poetry, many of which were nearly 500 years old. Most
of the horses are pure-breed Arabians who are revered in
Islamic culture, prized for their beauty, intelligence and,
above all, their endurance. It was
27
the Arabian horse that
formed the genetic blueprint for the modern racehorse, with
three pure-blooded stallions given to the UK in the 18th
century. Some say the Arabian horse was a gift to mankind
from Allah. The ancient breed is supremely well-adapted to
the unforgiving desert terrain of our region. In this spirit,
the Qatar International Arabian Horse Festival is held at the
end of March and worth a visit to enjoy the most wonderful
horses. The Qatar International Show has a reputation for
having some of the best horses from across the Middle East
attend.
On Cultural Diplomacy. The last decade Qatar has
invested in creating international awareness for the
arts and building bridges with the art world, both
on a regional level and a global scale.
Al Rayan Stadium
Khalifa International stadium
Al Rayan Stadium
11

© Embassy of Qatar
12
How do you see the soft power of cultural
diplomacy as an effective tool for Qatar to address
an international audience, both in Qatar as abroad
by its diplomatic services?
Art becomes a very important part of our national identity;
every child is born an artist. Children think creativity
and by exposing them to an arts education and cultural
institutions from a young age, it nurtures innate talent.
So our objective is not to turn every Qatari into an artist,
but rather to enrich their lives with the history of art and
the ability to be creative. This would help each person in
their future career, even if it is non-arts related. Art is a tool,
another language that brings people together and creates a
space for innovation and expression.
Nowadays, Cultural Diplomacy is regarded as a tool to
form bridges and interactions within cultures, transcending
national and cultural boundaries. Art is very powerful
because it has no boundaries and you don’t need to belong
to any country or religion or social class. It brings people
from all walks of life together to talk about an idea. Being
the perfect bridge for East and West, Qatar will continue to
foster this concept on a daily basis.
Motivated by this spirit, Her Excellency Sheikha Al-Mayassa
bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani (34-years-old) started
buying Western modern and contemporary art that will
adorn the different museums Qatar is creating from scratch
in the desert. The Museum of Islamic Art (inaugurated in
2008) was designed to ensure the link between ancient and
contemporary art. Open since 2010, the Arab Museum of
Modern Art focuses on regional artists and art practices
and an important portion of the Western collection will also
become a part of the new contemporary art institution.

© Embassy of Qatar
As an Ambassador, as a Diplomat and even as
a student you have extensive experience with
Germany, France, Greece, Switzerland, but
also with the USA and China. How did you
experience the fact that our world is becoming
a global village?
Travelling to all of these countries was a great opportunity
to identify the characteristics of each country. But as
you know, no country is an isolated island. Due to better
and faster development of communication the world is
shrinking. The explosion of scientific knowledge and
technological applications has made the world a global
village. Therefore, the Global Village concept can be
conceived as part of a larger effort to make coexistence a
realistic prospect for the future of the whole world, through
sharing the life experiences and through contacts with
the others. In another sense, we can call it the concept of
an interactive world because of the rapid development of
modern technology.
I don’t mind the idea of transforming the world into
a global village. However, it has to be done by sharing
present resources, ensuring peaceful coexistence and using
education to install self-esteem, openness and mutual
respect.
The first step to make this concept a reality is to bring
people together and by building knowledge and appreciation
for each other through direct contacts in an atmosphere of
mutual trust. This involves making all parties feel that their
values are understood and their identity is not endangered.
If we can neutralize these perceptions of fear, we can
listen and be taught about the culture of the other. At that
moment, coexistence is possible.
We could banish borders between countries, but it’s very
hard to cancel specificities. In Qatar, we are open to the
other and to new ideas, but at the same time we are also
keen to preserve our traditions and our own culture to
13

© Embassy of Qatar
which we are very attached and especially proud. For me,
it’s very difficult to visit France without experiencing the
traditional bakeries with the famous French baguette or not
to be able to taste the traditional Belgian waffles because
it might be replaced by McDonalds. We have to ensure
multiculturalism exists and make sure that globalization
does not lead to the eradication of the identity of our
societies by spreading uniform and homogeneous criteria
that stamp out local cultures and traditions. Nowadays
some artists and intellectuals react to the uniformity of
globalization, and start emphasizing their roots and local
identity.
Bruno Devos & Barbara Dietrich
16
14
© Embassy of Qatar

15

H.E. CLAUDE-FRANCE ARNOULD,
AMBASSADOR OF FRANCE TO
THE KINGDOM OF BELGIUM, SHARES
THE FRENCH VISION AND STRATEGY
ON CULTURAL DIPLOMACY
Nations continually wonder about whether or not
to develop and to elaborate a strategy on cultural
diplomacy. For many centuries France, homeland of
the Enlightenment, freethinking and the Declaration
of Human Rights, has been an exception to this
internal debate, because cultural diplomacy has been
an integral part of its foreign policy for centuries,
embedded in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and
actively spread out by its corps diplomatique.
16
Going back in time, one might criticise the use of cultural
grandeur as the projection of national prestige that has
characterized France since the time of the Renaissance
King, François I, or Louis XIV, le Roi Soleil. Until today the
essence of the cultural diplomacy of France has remained
remarkably consistent in its vision and practice, in parallel
with the quest for political, military, and economic power.
From the start, the soft power associated with cultural
creativity constitutes a powerful means for asserting French
presence in the international community; a soft power
recently turned into smart power or a diplomacy of influence
in the globalised world we live in. The distribution has been
structured and organised both top-down and bottom-up,
leaving space for numerous local initiatives and the creation
of an organic flexibility in its operations. Via a vast network
of cooperation services in embassies and cultural institutions
like Institut français and Alliance française, both built with
a long term vision, as well as by numerous operators and
specialised agencies in various sectors, the international
presence and influence of France in the domains of culture,
language and communication, or higher education and
research are ensured and valorised. Active partnerships and
cooperation are key words in a decentralised but transversal
approach, which is well-defined for all players involved.
Per definition, being a French diplomat, cultural diplomacy
is an important task on my agenda, but personally I am
also committed to culture and the world of arts. Economic
diplomacy is another part of the main axes that define my
role in Brussels. The importance of cultural diplomacy has
been rooted in the ancient tradition of French diplomacy
since the Ancien Régime. In the Renaissance period France
was already prepared to build bridges and to influence via
its culture and language. The development of literature,
philosophy, history, language, arts and culture, made the
connection with our diplomatic services, creating synergies
which went beyond any other instrument or technocratic
tools.
In our history we can find lots of examples of diplomats
being writers or writers becoming diplomats. For centuries
writers were important players and active channels for
political reasons both locally and internationally.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau in the 18th century, but especially
the 19th century was the highlight of writers playing
important roles on the diplomatic stage like François-René
de Chateaubriand, or Stendhal among others. In the 20th
century, in between the two World Wars, in Paris at the
Quai d’Orsay, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a group

H.E. Claude-France Arnould & Barbara Dietrich
of writers were part of this tradition and they were even
charged with a Diplomacy of Writers. During this period in
Brussels, renowned writer and diplomat Paul Claudel was
stationed as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium, at the
end of his diplomatic career.
One could say a writer becomes a diplomat looking for
inspiration and context. But a diplomat on a mission
abroad could aspire literature on a professional basis or
just for leisure, receiving food for thought on a daily basis,
so I wouldn’t eliminate the option. Today, in the corps
diplomatic, we still have several writers in our team.
For Brussels in particular, we have different specificities
that interact in defining goals for cultural diplomacy.
Brussels is the capital of Belgium, but also the capital
of the EU, and host to the headquarters of NATO. With
the French-speaking part of Belgium we already share
the French language, so theatre and literature are natural
partners. We also reach out for an active exchange with
the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium. Cooperation on an
educative level is the main priority. In primary school we
look for exchanges with Flemish teachers. We consult with
Flemish authorities and institutions on how we could help
pedagogically and which needs we could facilitate in schools
and universities.
We are convinced that we should be open to other
influences and cultures and not just limit ourselves to the
dominating position of the Anglo-American culture and
English as the world language. We should be able to activate
our future generations, and get them acquainted on a young
age to as many languages as possible.
From a cultural point of view we are very active in Belgium.
Recent initiatives include the partnerships with several
Belgian structures such as the Kunstenfestivaldesarts via
EXTRA or the Liste Goncourt, Le choix de la Belgique,
where students of 9 universities in Belgium elected their
own award winning writer in parallel with the most
renowned French literature prize, le Prix Goncourt.
Another initiative to mention was the organisation of a
French speaking Haiku competition which involved 1.320
Flemish and German speaking students from Belgium
17

Beautiful sunrise at the Pont Alexandre III and Les Invalides in Paris
© Shutterstock
accompanied by international students residing in Belgium.
In collaboration with the Japanese Embassy, the award
winning ceremony also involved Herman Van Rompuy,
the first President of the European Council, who is also
recognised as a Haiku specialist.
On the 25th of January 2018, the cities of Brussels, Ghent
and Antwerp organise La Nuit des Idées in collaboration
with the Institut français, the Alliance française and the
French Embassy. ‘The Future’ and ‘Imagination’ will be
the key words around which talks, performances and art
practices will be organized in these 3 cities … until sunrise.
Thought-provoking ideas and activities across disciplines
and age come together and merge. In a spirit of dialogue,
partnership, co-creation and positive thinking, far removed
from any form of cultural imperialism, cultural diplomacy
turns into smart power.
Bruno Devos
The original interview was done in French. Some expressions and certain
nuances can change by the translation.
18
The Louvre by night
© Shutterstock

good of love pro toto: Volker Hildebrandt, “evolution”, 2011
19

INTERVIEW WITH DIPLOMATIC WORLD MAGAZINE
H.E. YURI O. THAMRIN,
AMBASSADOR OF THE REPUBLIC
OF INDONESIA TO BELGIUM,
LUXEMBOURG AND THE EUROPEAN UNION
Recently H.E. the Ambassador gave an interesting
presentation on “Indonesia: A Model of Tolerance,
Pluralism and Harmony”. Could you elaborate on
this topic?
This was an event held by the European Institute for Asian
Studies (EIAS) on 7 November 2017. The topic and title of
the event had been formulated by the organizer. Indonesia
never claims to be a model for any country, but we are
willing to share our experiences and best practices. This is
because Indonesia is also in a learning process.
Indonesia has been successful in managing its diversity.
Although Islam is the religion of the majority of the population,
the Islam practiced in Indonesia has certain characteristics
which protect the right of minority groups, which provide room
for women to contribute to society, which is inherently tolerant
and is respectful of differing cultural traditions.
Indonesia still faces challenges in protecting pluralism
and maintaining tolerance. Sectarian issues are still
raised in the elections, more recently in the last Jakarta
gubernatorial elections. Isolated cases of discrimination
towards some minority groups still exist. These are the
issues we still have to work on and the better we are able to
manage them, the more credible we will be in sharing our
experience with others.
We both face our respective challenges in our efforts to
prop up tolerance, pluralism and harmony. One of those
challenges in Europe takes the form of Islamophobia and a
stereotypical idea of the Islam, which is wrong and should
be corrected. Islamophobia — like anti-Semitism — is a
social cancer. It endangers European values of democracy,
tolerance, pluralism and harmony.
There are various possible areas for cooperation between
Indonesia and the EU. These may include:
• Engaging the media to be better informed about Islam
• Developing deradicalization programs
• Exchange programs for religious scholars and leaders
• Enhancing the culture of tolerance
• Managing social media and ICT not to be misused to
spread messages of intolerance, extremism and terrorism.
Already Indonesia has been active in promoting interreligious
dialogue and sharing our experiences with the
EU. We have been providing interfaith scholarships
to European participants to visit Indonesia and have
firsthand experience about how Islam has been practiced
in Indonesia, which is in line with democracy, peace,
harmony, and modernity.
The EU and Indonesia are important partners. Both are
democracies and therefore we should be able to help one
another. The EU and Indonesia share common values of
tolerance, peace, pluralism, democracy, human rights and
harmony.
20
Indonesia believes in cross-fertilization. The EU and
Indonesia should learn from one another and avoid
lecturing the other. After all, the best way for crossfertilization
is through exchanging and sharing experiences.
H.E. Yuri O. Thamrin

EUROPALIA ARTS FESTIVAL INDONESIA: Arco Renz - Curator, Koen Clement - General Manager of Europalia, Didier Reynders - Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Count Jacobs de Hagen - Chairman Europalia, HEM Yuri Thamrin - Ambassador of Indonesia, Ananto Kusuma Seta - Special Advisor to the
Minister of Education and Culture, Dirk Vermaelen - Artistic Director of Europalia, Dijf Sanders
Indonesia has also sent “interfaith delegations” to engage
with various stakeholders in Europe including governmental
officials, parliamentarians and think-tanks with a view to
achieving a better understanding about Islam.
In order to promote tolerance, pluralism and better
understanding about Islam, Indonesia has also supported
programs of Islamic studies in various European universities
and worked with think-tanks to organize seminars or
workshops.
a middle class that continues to grow steadily. In addition,
Indonesia will always be known for its richness in natural
resources. The combination of these factors makes Indonesia
as an attractive destination for investment. Under the current
President Joko Widodo, Indonesia is currently focusing on
infrastructure development throughout the country. With
better infrastructure, and especially maritime infrastructure
(since there are more than 17.000 islands), the Government
hopes that economic development and prosperity can
accelerate throughout all the regions.
From an economic point of view Indonesia is an
important player in Southeast Asia and Oceania.
How do you see the economic developments in
the region the next coming years? In which way
will Indonesia’s efforts and focus points result in
maintaining its significant role in maintaining
this position?
The Asia-Pacific region, which includes Southeast Asia and
Oceania, continues to be the driver of global economic
growth despite its slowing down in the past decade. This
situation may well continue for the better part of the 21st
century, since China and India are leading this Asian
resurgence, and actors like Japan and South Korea will
always play a significant role.
Indonesia, is the largest economy in the Southeast Asian
region. With an estimated 5.2% growth by the end of 2017,
Indonesia’s economy has proven itself resilient in the face
of global uncertainties. Indonesia has a population of more
than 250 million that mostly consists of young people, with
In the past Indonesia has relied heavily on commodity
exports. However, many efforts are being taken to shift
our economy towards other sectors such as industry,
tourism, and a knowledge-based economy. The future lies
in a knowledge-based economy, which is why there is a
lot of emphasis on education, especially higher education,
and research. At the moment the brightest young minds
of Indonesia are being given the opportunity to study at
the best universities in the world, through a governmentsponsored
scholarship.
We strongly believe that humanism and global
respect can only abide when knowledge about
one’s culture is shared via the universal language
of the arts. Do you have a strategy related to
cultural diplomacy? What are the main goals in this
possible strategy towards your European partners
and the EU?
Cultural diplomacy is increasingly becoming an important
tool in promoting a country’s identity and values.
21

Indonesia is a country that is rich in culture and traditions,
which we aspire to promote through various programs.
One program that is evident right now in Belgium is the
Europalia Indonesia Festival. But even before Europalia,
cultural missions have always been a part of our strategy to
better promote Indonesia to the outside world.
Every year we organize the Indonesian Arts and Culture
Scholarship through the Indonesian Foreign Ministry.
This scholarship invites young people from all over the
world to participate in a 3-month course on Indonesian arts
and culture. They will be studying at various art schools in
Indonesia and at the end of their stay they will perform in a
spectacle entitled the “Indonesia Channel.”
22
The main goal of cultural diplomacy is to create better
understanding between peoples, building bridges and
strengthening them. For instance, not many people in
Europe know that Indonesia is multi-cultural. There
are more than 300 ethnic groups, and more than 700
languages and dialects are being spoken. There are six
official religions, but traditional religions and beliefs are
also acknowledged by the Government. Indonesia’s motto
is “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika,” which is Sanskrit for unity in
diversity — similar to the EU’s own motto. Strengthening
cultural diplomacy here would help Europeans better
understand Indonesia, allowing us to acknowledge the
differences and to appreciate the commonalities between us.
Via Europalia 2017, we have the opportunity to
discover the rich history and culture of Indonesia.
What can we expect to discover when visiting
the numerous events related to Europalia? Can
you give our readers some of the must-sees of the
program?
You can expect the very best of Indonesia from Europalia
2017. In total there will be more than 250 events, consisting
of art exhibitions, dance and musical performances, theatre,
literature and film. These events will take place mostly in
Belgium, but there will also be events in the Netherlands,
France, Germany, the UK, Austria, and Poland. The term
used in the selection process for the events is “Rampai
Indonesia” which means “Indonesian bouquet.” Like a
special collection of the most beautiful flowers, Europalia
Indonesia underwent an arduous process in selecting the
finest to be showcased in Europe from October 2017 until
January 2018.
Through Europalia Indonesia, visitors and spectators
can learn more about my country. The selection made by
H.E. Yuri O. Thamrin
Europalia consists of the classical to the contemporary,
something for all tastes. Through Europalia, you can
experience the cultural richness of Indonesia, and you
will hopefully be able to see Indonesia as a democratic,
pluralistic, tolerant, and modern country that is deeply
rooted in traditions. I would suggest readers to see all the
exhibitions and performances if they could! But that is
quite a challenge considering they are so many and they
are quite spread out. For those in Belgium and particularly
in Brussels, you should not miss the two exhibitions at the
BOZAR in Brussels. First is the “Ancestors” exhibition,
which will inform you on Indonesia’s traditional past and
the various ancient cultures throughout the Archipelago.
The second is “Power and Other Things” and provides
insight on Indonesia’s historical progression from colonial
times until the present and the influence it has had on the
arts and culture. In Liège, at La Bovérie museum, there
is the “Archipel” exhibition that focuses on Indonesia’s
maritime heritage.
For performing arts, you have a wide selection from west
to east of Indonesia, from the dance group of Saman Gayo
Lues originating in Aceh, to the musical group Voices of
Papua. You can also enjoy more traditional performances,
such as the Gamelan group of Rahayu Supanggah to the
more contemporary dance of Eko Supriyanto, who both are
internationally renowned artists. With all that we have to
offer, we truly hope that Europalia Indonesia will warm your
heart throughout this winter season.

MAHAMERU
Shiva ordered Brahma and Vishnu to create a new island
called Java, by cutting the top of the sacred mountain of
Mahameru in India. After cutting it, as the gods carried
it back to Indonesia through the skies, the land suddenly
slipped through their hands into the ocean. As the island
was floating and drifting away, they decided to nail it down,
creating what is today called Mount Penanggungan, the
nailed mountain.
In order to appropriate the power from the summit of
a mountain, we peeled off the vegetation of a hill and
transplanted it onto the island. To transfer the right amount
of grass from the hill, I created a soft scale mold of the
island by knotting ropes together around the structure and
layed it on the summit.
Alexis Gautier - Pulau Jengekerik (Cricket Island)
23

RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE:
INDONESIAN EXPERIENCES TO
STRENGTHEN UNITY IN DIVERSITY
By Prof. Dr. Dede Rosyada, MA
Diversity of ethnicity, culture and religion of Indonesian
citizens has been at the core of Indonesia since its
independence. The country’s founding fathers were
confidently decided to develop a diverse country with
the spirit to achieve goals of social welfare, justice and
prosperity for all citizens. They believed these goals could
be attained by maintaining togetherness, harmonious
relationships, professional partnerships in business,
bureaucratic services, national defense and services, and
lastly respecting each other in the fields of religiosity,
culture and art.
24
Nevertheless, promoting a peaceful coexistence between
the different ethnicities, religious followers, and different
cultures is never an easy task. It requires powerful
regulation, smart management and continuous supervision
by the government, and active participation from the
religious leaders and society at large. Indonesia, in this case,
has proven to be the model of religious tolerance, ethnic
relationship, and cultural appreciation.
For decades, religious tolerance has remained an important
program in Indonesia. It is one of the pillars of the nation’s
motto “unity in diversity.” While the country is moulding
its status from a so-called Third World Country into a
developing country by improving its infrastructure and
increasing the people’s social welfare, it requires stability.
To achieve that stability, it is important to maintain a
harmonious relationship within society.
For this purpose, the Indonesian government issued the
bill number 1 year 1965 about blasphemy or preventing
desecration of religion, and then followed by issuing a
joint decree between the Ministry of Religious Affairs and
the Ministry of Home Affairs number 1 year 1979, about
the ways of religious missionary actions and foreign aids
for religious activities. In 2006, under the umbrella joint
decree number 9 and 8 year 2006, the Ministry of Religious
Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs also issued a
Prof. Dr. Dede Rosyada
joint decree about the authority of the governor and regent
in maintaining the harmonious relationship between all
religious followers, establishing a forum of communication
for religious followers, and regulating the building of houses
of worship.
Tolerance also plays a big role in developing the Indonesia’s
goal of achieving social justice. A nation that is facing
ethnic, cultural and religious conflict, will not be able to
improve industry, trade, overseas business networking, or
professional and economical activities. For those reasons,
the government manages tolerance as a political decision
and has mandated the Ministry of Religious Affairs
to develop three tolerance domains: between religious
followers of the same religions, between religious followers
of the different religions, and between religious followers
and government. Some efforts to minimize communal
conflict based on religious understanding, ethnic interest,
or cultural improvement, have been done by the Ministry

of Religious Affairs through cross dialogue that is always
organized through a communication forum for religious
followers, and an active campaign from the provincial and
district government to strengthen harmony in diversity,
toward a prosperous country in the future.
Finally, it is to be mentioned that tolerance is a basic
principle of Islam. It doesn’t mean a lack of principles, or
lack of seriousness about one’s own principles. It doesn’t
mean that Muslims should neglect there own obligations.
Tolerance means that one is free to adhere to one’s own
conviction and accept that others adhere to theirs. It means
accepting the fact that human beings, naturally diverse in
their appearance, situation, speech, behavior and values,
have the right to live in peace and to be as they are. It also
means that one’s views aren’t to be imposed on others.
Tolerance in other parts of the world, might be called
co-existence, but it is slightly different. Co-existence is the
range of initiatives necessary to ensure that communities
and societies can live more equitably and peacefully,
preventing conflict and managing post-conflict and conflict
transformation work, conflict-sensitivity, peace-building,
reconciliation, multicultural and pluralist work. Coexistence
practice and policy activities can find their institutional
homes within governments and governmental institutions,
IGOs, NGOs, community-based organizations and
foundations, business, work, cultural, social, and religious
institutions.
Today, Indonesia is in the process of using the co-existence
concept in settling religious conflicts, between religious
followers of the same religions, between religious followers
of the different religions, and between religious followers
and government. The Ministry of Religious Affairs is the
mandated ministry to solve interreligious conflicts, and has
tried to empower a center for interreligious communication,
which involves all religious leaders from all religions. They
strive to prevent conflicts by advancing dialogue between
all religious leaders, and by being involved in peace
building and reconciliation. They have even developed
some programs for post-conflict, to prevent an arising new
conflict. The same activities are also organized in provincial
and district levels all around the country.
PROF. DR. DEDE ROSYADA, MA
Year of Birth: 1957
Indonesia
Professor at the Faculty of Education,
UIN Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta on the field
of Research Methodology for Islamic Education.
POSITION RECORDS
2015 to date
Rector of the State Islamic University
Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta.
2011-2015
Director for Islamic Higher Education,
Ministry of Religious Affairs.
2011
Acting Rector (Interim) of the State Islamic Institute,
Sultan Thaha Saefuddin, Jambi.
2009-2011
Dean of the faculty of Education, State Islamic
University, Jakarta, second period
2005-2009
Dean of the faculty of Education, State Islamic
University, Jakarta.
2001-2005
Vice Dean on the academic field of the Faculty of
Education, State Islamic Institute, Jakarta.
1998-2001
Head of Research Center, State Islamic Institute,
Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta
25

BULGARIA IS PREPARING TO TAKE
OVER THE EU PRESIDENCY
ON 1 JANUARY 2018
By H.E. Maya Nikolova Dobreva
Bulgaria may be a young EU member state (this year
it celebrates its 10th anniversary of EU membership)
but is one of the oldest states in Europe — more than
13 centuries old. Rich with its ancient history, strong
with its traditions and historic experience, Bulgaria
is willing to reaffirm its position in the EU and to
play a constructive role in the EU processes.
26
Bulgaria is situated in Southeast Europe, in the heart of
the Balkan Peninsula. It is positioned on the crossroads
between Europe and Asia and has been a meeting point
for different cultures. The centuries-long tradition of coexistence
and interaction between different ethnicities,
religions and civilizations is a wealth that Bulgaria cherishes
and is proud of. The traces left by Thracian, Byzantine
and Roman cultures are testifications of the rich past of its
lands, already inhabited 5.000 years BC. Bulgaria is the only
country in Europe that has not changed its name since it
was first established. It has existed under the same name for
over 13 centuries and is preserved by the Bulgarian nation
to this day. Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, is the second
oldest European capital after Athens (Greece). Its history
dates back to 6.000 years BC. Plovdiv, the second largest
city in Bulgaria, is the oldest continuously inhabited city in
Europe and the fifth oldest city in the world. Bulgaria ranks
third in Europe for its number of valuable archeological
monuments after Italy and Greece. There are 9 UNESCO
sites in Bulgaria. Every city museum in Bulgaria is full
of antique objects and cultural historical remains, which
reveal the universe of some of the oldest societies, and their
religious, cultural and everyday needs.
Bulgaria is the cradle of the Cyrillic alphabet and has
played a crucial role in the spreading of Slavonic literature
and culture. The Cyrillic alphabet has become a symbol of
Bulgarian national identity and has been a major factor in
preserving this identity over the centuries. Upon Bulgaria’s
accession to the European Union, the Cyrillic alphabet
became the third official alphabet in the EU. Even though
Bulgaria is not yet member of the Eurozone, the Cyrillic
letters can be seen on every euro banknote.
The long history of Bulgaria was marked by many difficult
periods, long periods of foreign dominance, but every time
the strength and perseverance of the Bulgarian people has
made an accelerated rebuilding and development of the state
possible. Bulgaria’s remarkable capacity of catching up was
demonstrated in the beginning of the 20th century when the
country became one of the most developed industrialized
countries in the Balkans after gaining independence from
the Ottoman Empire.
After the collapse of the communist regime, Bulgaria has
embraced the democratic values. Following a period of
painful reforms and transformation of its economy and state
functioning, Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007. Bulgarians
continue to be very pro-European, convinced of the benefits
of the European project, willing to work for its preservation
and further development.
The major challenges Bulgaria will have to cope with while
at the helm of the EU, are quite diverse: the future of
Europe and Brexit, migration and security, financial and
social development, digital progress, the regulation of a
globalized economy and climate change. A special
emphasis will be put on security, fostering growth and
employment, digital single market, energy union and climate
change.

City centre of Sofia, capital of Bulgaria
© Schutterstock
In the field of external relations, the Bulgarian Presidency
will put a special emphasis on The Western Balkans, The
European Neighborhood Policy and Integrated Approach for
the Danube and the Black Sea regions. We will aim at keeping
the EU enlargement process high on the EU agenda because
Europe will not be completed without the Western Balkans
as part of it. The EU has an interest in stable, prosperous
Western Balkans. The process of enlargement is a strategic
investment in peace, democracy, stability and prosperity in
Europe. The informal EU-Western Balkan Summit that will
be held in Sofia seeks to re-affirm EU’s commitment to the
region and to give a new impetus to the Enlargement process.
The chosen motto “United we stand stronger” is inspired
by the slogan on the Bulgarian national parliament “Union
fait la force”— the same as in the Belgian Coat of Arms.
Bulgarians believe these words are more relevant than ever
in the current European context.
As a firm believer in the community method, Bulgaria will
fully support the Commission in its ambitious programme
for a More United, Stronger and More Democratic Union.
Bulgaria will seek balance and foster a broad consensus.
Bulgaria will work on improving competitiveness and stability
through cohesion and on setting conditions for unity and
solidarity. Cohesion and solidarity are core principles of the
union and it is in everyone’s interest to overcome divisions
between East and West, North and South. Overcoming these
divisions is essential, including in the context of the political
environment for the debate of EU’s future.
Although still lagging behind its partners in the EU in terms
of GDP per capita, Bulgaria’s dynamic economy offers
excellent conditions for doing business and sets conditions
for gradually increasing the prosperity of its citizens. Real
GDP growth in 2017 is expected to reach 3.9%, which is
above the EU average.
Bulgaria’s strategic geographic location serves as a bridge
between the EU and the rapidly growing markets of Russia,
Turkey, the Middle East and CIS countries, placing Bulgaria
at the centre of transit between these regions. The country
provides an educated and skilled workforce — 25% of the
population holds a university degree and 46% speaks at
least one foreign language. Bulgaria has a highly developed
ICT sector and communication infrastructure, 4G has been
operational for a few years now, the internet is available
everywhere and speed wise it holds the third place in
Europe and the fifth in the world.
Although Bulgaria is gaining popularity as a tourist
destination (this year it marked 40% rise in the Belgian
tourist market), the country remains an unknown place to
be discovered. Apart from the numerous historic, cultural,
and architectural sites to be visited, Bulgaria presents a
unique combination of diverse natural beauty. The terrain
is varied with large mountain massifs, fertile valleys, eternal
meadows and a beautiful coastline along the Black Sea.
Bulgaria boasts 200 healing mineral springs, making the
country an ideal place for spa tourism.
Bulgaria will be in the spotlight in the coming six months
and is eager to show the best of its capabilities, its potential,
natural beauty, culture and historic heritage, as well as its
talents and creativity. There is no doubt that Bulgaria is a
country worth visiting, discovering and exploring.
27

H.E. MAYA NIKOLOVA DOBREVA
Place of birth: Kardzhali, Republic of Bulgaria
WORK EXPERIENCE
28
02 Mar 2016 — present
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
Republic of Bulgaria to the Kingdom of Belgium
Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Brussels
21 Oct 2013 — 02 Mar 2016
Ambassador, Director of Southeastern Europe
Directorate
6 Oct 2014 — 23 Sep 2015
Ambassador, Acting Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sofia, Bulgaria
21 Jan 2009 — 15 Oct 2013
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
Republic of Bulgaria to Montenegro
Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Podgorica
8 Oct 2007 — 11 Jan 2009
Director, Europe III Directorate
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sofia, Bulgaria
28 Aug 2006 — 7 Oct 2007
Head of Department in Europe III Directorate
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bulgaria
12 Jan 2004 — 31 May 2006
Deputy Head of Mission, Chargée d’Affaires
Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Minsk, Belarus
16 Jul 2001 — 11 Jan 2004
Director, Europe II
6 Oct 1997 — 30 Jun 2001
Deputy Head of Mission, Consul
Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Ottawa, Canada
14 Oct 1992 — 5 Oct 1997
Director of Foreign Economic Policy Department
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sofia, Bulgaria
11 Feb 1992 — 13 Oct 1992
Chief Expert of Foreign Economic Policy Department
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sofia, Bulgaria
29 Nov 1991 — 10 Feb 1992
Advisor in the Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sofia, Bulgaria
1990 — 1991
Expert, Management of Labour and Training
Ministry of Industry, Trade and Services, Sofia, Bulgaria
1988 — 1990
Research Fellow
Center for Organization and Standardization of Labour/
ORGSYSTEM
1985 — 1988
Expert
SO MAT International Transport State Owned Company,
Pazardzhik, Bulgaria
EDUCATION
1980 — 1985
Economics, Master’s Degree
University of National and World Economy, Sofia,
Bulgaria
1986 — 1988
Postgraduate Study, “Labour Management and
Organization”
University of National and World Economy, Sofia,
Bulgaria
ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
1991
Certificate - Business Administration, Bradford UK
1992
Certificate - Multilateral Trade Negotiations Techniques
GATT Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland
1993
Certificate - USAID, US multilateral trade policy, USA
1995
Certificate, KOICA, Seoul
2008
Training on EU Institutions - functioning and negotiation
processes; workshops in Helsinki, Finland
LANGUAGE SKILLS
English, Serbian/Montenegrin, German, Russian
DISTINCTIONS
• Decorations for civil merits by His Majesty the King
of Belgium-Commander of Order Leopold II, by
His Majesty the King of Spain, by the President of
Portugal
• Decoration by the President of Montenegro
Mr. Filip Vujanovic “Crnogorska zastava drugog
reda” for outstanding achievements as Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of
Bulgaria to Montenegro

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29

DECENTRALIZATION OF
EVERYTHING
TRANSFORMING THE GLOBAL
ECONOMY AND LIFESTYLE
ALEXANDER SHULGIN, VISIONARY, INVESTOR, COMPOSER
PROLOGUE “IT WASN’T RAINING WHEN NOAH BUILT THE ARK”
CYCLES
history flows as a whole consistent progressive process of
change in the social and economic formations, in which
movement does not follow a straight line, but a spiral, i.e.
some of the features which characterize earlier stages of
historical development reoccur, yet they do so at a new,
higher level.
The word “centralization” came into use in France in
1794 as the post-French Revolution French Directory
leadership created a new government structure. The
word “decentralization” came into usage in the 1820s.
“Centralization” entered written English in the first third of
the 1800s.
Imagining life as eternal circular movement has been
quite usual since antiquity. Ancient societies widely
adhered to the idea of ages changing in cycles, as
celestial bodies recurrently changed their positions, thus
supposedly regulating events on Earth. This view of the
cyclic development of everything existing in the world,
besides such usual forms of cycles as solarand lunarcycles,
sedimentary cycles and life cycles, has passed onto
economic cycles made up of economic rises and falls, as
well as to cycles of political change.
Alexis de Tocqueville wrote that the French Revolution
began with “a push towards decentralization... [but
became,] in the end, an extension of centralization”.
30
While Spengler and Toynbee took specific cultures
(civilizations) localized in time as going through their
specific cycles, the Marxist concept denies the idea of world
history moving in closed circles, as well as the theory of its
continuous mechanical advancement, progressively, along
a straight line. According to historical materialism, world
Alexander Shulgin

In early twentieth-century America, one response to the
centralization of economic wealth and political power was
a decentralist movement. It blamed large-scale industrial
production for destroying middle-class shop keepers and
small manufacturers, and promoted increased property
ownership and a return to small-scale living.
Many books and other works dedicated to decentralization
have been written. Daniel Bell wrote The Coming of Post-
Industrial Society, while Alvin Toffler published Future Shock
(1970) and The Third Wave (1980). Futurist John Naisbitt’s
1982 book Megatrends was on The New York Times Best
Seller list for more than two years and sold 14 million
copies. Many other books and articles were published in
these years. Stephen Cummings wrote that decentralization
became a “revolutionary megatrend” in the 1980s.
However, all of this has so far been a kind of volatility
around the centralization trend, in the same way it has been
with the business cycle or economic cycle and/or trade
cycle, when we see the downward and upward movement
around its long-term growth trend up to the moment
when the technology capable of changing the World, its
organization and way of life emerges. Along with the
distributed ledger technology known as Blockchain, the
time for a bigger cycle is coming into being. Beginning from
the Renaissance, which followed a colossal European crisis
which occurred for a number of reasons including the Little
Ice Age, new breakthroughs in science and innovation,
followed by the start of the Technological Revolution, the
strongest centralization of everything has emerged, be it
power, infrastructure, manufacturing, distribution, finance
and media. This wave, this cycle was much bigger than
the earlier cycles of centralization. By 2000-2010, the
centralization wave reached its peak in social, industrial,
financial and geopolitical spheres, and by then we could
see the emerging blockchain technology to bring to life a
decentralized public ledger.
That means it’s time for a global correction. In terms
adopted by Nikolai Kondratiev, a genius Russian
scientist, to describe the economic cycles he discovered —
improvement, prosperity, recession, and depression — we
are at the beginning of recession. If there are Kondratiev’s
cycles lasting for a period of 50 years, as well as lesser
cycles, such as the Kuznets cycle, Juglar cycle and
Kitchin cycle, then there must be bigger cycles as well.
It is such a Cycle A, Wave A, cycle top, which we have
come to now.
GENESIS OF DIGITAL STATES
World System Theory (world-systems analysis or the worldsystems
perspective)
Immanuel Wallerstein and his successors have tried to
uncover such a prospect for a stable model of a geopolitical
future using the old economy model and taking into account
the transforming digital technology as the basis for the
Future Media Space.
In his 1910 The History of Nations, Henry Cabot Lodge
wrote that Persian King Darius I (550-486 BC) was a
master of organization and “for the first time in history,
centralization becomes a political fact.” He also noted that
this contrasted with the decentralization of Ancient Greece.
Marxism added a stress on social conflict, a focus on
the capital accumulation process and competitive class
struggles, a focus on a relevant totality, the transitory nature
of social forms and a dialectical sense of motion through
conflict and contradiction.
This is the prerequisite for decentralization and
redistribution of capital. However, all of this, along
with other attempts to visualize the coming geopolitical
transformation, was futile, for no one could envisage
the emergence of such a technology enabling total
decentralization. Halfway to such decentralization, a
prerequisite for decentralized centralization emerges,
which, according to Alexis de Tocqueville, is “a push
towards decentralization... [but became,] in the end,
an extension of centralization”. Stock market operators
and traders know the laws of the Fibonacci sequence
and Elliot waves, as well as other derivatives of cyclicity,
which means they know that somewhere halfway between
stormy growth and abrupt downfall there is a point of
trend confirmation, at which it is confirmed by a volatility,
jump-back or correction, which is known as ‘dead cat
bounce’ in downward trends. Therefore, before full global
31

decentralization, which is to be the biggest and therefore the
most dramatic of all previous ones, “…decentralization..., is
an extension of Final centralization”.
So, halfway into decentralization, which will lead to
ultimate global centralization, there will be new digital
Unions, the platform states. Instead of 200+ states and
unrecognized territories, seven digital Unions will emerge
in the form of economic platforms.
Seven digital platforms will be the seven digital single
markets joined not so much geographically, but based on
commonalities in culture, traditions and mentality. Those
will be relatively the same Unions in terms of number of
people and resources, which at some point will be driven
to merge to coexist within the new paradigm. A number
of countries have skills and technology, other countries
have resources, yet other countries have energy. Energy
will play an ever-growing role because computing power
of decentralized systems will require more energy along
the way. Even today, infrastructures which use Etherium
consume as much power as Cyprus, and those which use
Bitcoin consume much more. What’s to happen when
the Internet of Things, Industrial Internet of Things,
smart cities, smart factories etc. become commonplace?
When hundreds of billions of continuously connected
devices are all around us, consuming huge amounts of
energy, still more energy will be consumed supporting this
infrastructure, as well as by Useful Data Mining, necessary
for maintaining real-time data for our future Wisdom
Economy.
The Digital Environment will account for up to 80% of the
whole global economy. More than 50% of all services will
be provided within the digital environment, and nearly 50%
of all goods and products will be created and distributed
directly within that same digital space. Every one of the
7 Unions, the Digital States, shall have its own standards
protecting its economic sovereignty.
32

Job for
robots.
Life for people
Softwarization, digitalization, robotization and automation
bring immense risk of new luddites, where the unemployed
masses will be a heavy burden on society. They will
have to be paid Universal Income, and immigration
of foreign people into the Unions will be quite painful
both economically and socially for the existing societies.
Therefore, firewall protection and one’s own digital
environmental standards will create a strong border
comparable to the walls and moats of the Dark Ages.
Communications between unions will be managed using
gateways. Today, we are beginning to see such emerging
isolationism: Brexit, Trump’s policy, etc. All the existing
tension in the world is a positioning attempt before
the geopolitical transformation, decentralization and
replacement of the whole monetary system.
Everything will be fairly decentralized for Society within
such a Union, yet Centralization will go through its own
metamorphosis, and Alexis de Tocqueville, if he were alive,
would say that “a push towards decentralization... [but
became,] in the end, an extension of centralization”.
Ultimate decentralization into 7 digital platforms is
necessary to take the next step, which is total global
decentralization utilizing Hyper Centralization of
management and control and a unified Hyper Brain of all
humanity in our little home called Planet Earth will have no
privacy, and we will have nowhere to go in the same way a
passenger can’t leave a plane midflight.
Only one thing will remain, and that is to be Happy in an
absolutely decentralized Society. If we can, if the likes we
accumulate allow it, which will become the social credit of
trust, which we will be using to exchange things. For at this
time, we will not be using money at all.
33

34

season 2017 — 2018
Le Duc d’Albe
Gaetano Donizetti - Giorgio Battistelli
from 17.11.17
opera
Falstaff
Giuseppe Verdi
from 13.12.17
opera
Ravel/Debussy
Cherkaoui - Verbruggen
from 21.12.17
ballet
Faust
Jean-Christophe Maillot
from 20.01.18
ballet
Pelléas et Mélisande
Claude Debussy
from 02.02.18
opera
Parsifal
Richard Wagner
from18.03.18
opera
Selon désir
Foniadakis - Nijinski - Clug - Lock
from 31.03.18
ballet
La clemenza di Tito
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
from 06.05.18
opera
Memento Mori
Cherkaoui - Shechter - Forsythe
from 12.06.18
ballet
The Gambler
Sergey Prokofiev
from 13.06.18
opera
Kati Heck, Courtesy Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp
www.operaballet.be
35

CHINA, A COUNTRY IN TRANSITION:
POSITIONING ITSELF IN THE WORLD, STRENGTHENING
ITS LEADERSHIP, AND PROMOTING COLLECTIVE IDEALS
WITH OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUAL INITIATIVES
Personal views by Prof. Jan Cornelis —
Pro Vice-Rector VUB and China lover, currently
traveling through China Chengdu, China.
Soon after Xi Jinping’s keynote speech at the 19th Party
Congress, I watched an interview of several international
political and economic experts on BBC World. They had not
heard Xi Jinping’s three and a half hour speech and had not
read the text, but gave their comments and advice anyway.
When they started to comment on Xi’s accumulation of
personal power and criticize Xi himself, the TV screen
went blank and the sound disappeared for a while.
While the Congress was taking place, the security level
was increased in Beijing. There were extra guards at the
entrances of the universities. People were checked for
explosives and other devices. The internet for foreign
connections worked extra slowly, while the internet
speed was normal for internal mail. Like the political
commentators, I have not read the text and have just heard
the main points. So please do not consider my opinion an
expert analysis.
Western model of democracy is not on the agenda while the
socialist model with Chinese accents continues, as Xi had
indicated in his speech in Bruges during his last state visit to
Belgium in 2014.
The discourse continues to be peace-loving, with a warning
not to adopt a cold war mentality, although military
investments will be increased to modernize the army.
Environmental concerns are given high priority, addressed
from an economic perspective and to be implemented, for
example, through electric vehicles and environmentallyfriendly
electricity production. Advances in environmental
technologies are evolving so rapidly that in the medium
term we will undoubtedly purchase our own environmental
36
China continues opening up to the world, a process started
by Deng Xiaoping in 1978: China has to wade across the
river, carefully groping for the stones under its feet. There
is something for everyone in Xi’s speech. The belt and road
initiative is also included: this is a vision that puts all noses
in the same direction (although no one exactly knows what
that means), a vision in which local actors in China and the
whole world are encouraged to participate. Transportation
and communication infrastructure as well as innovation
are central to this vision. My approach is to make use of
it, rather than reject the initiative a priori as an element of
China’s propaganda or economic dominance. Ultimately
we live in a global economy. The initiatives I see are really
strongly inspired by the free-market economy on the one
hand and the need to accelerate regional poverty reduction
through creative entrepreneurship on the other hand. The
Prof. Jan Cornelis

Chinese new year lanterns
technologies in China. Environmental technologies also
benefit from innovations in other fields. An example
is the development of Artificial Intelligence and crossfertilization
amongst different sectors (including ICT and
the automobile industry driven by the great Chinese ICT
multinationals) that are remarkable in China. It is up to us
to make an appropriate response to all of this.
hour speech standing all the time and without drinking
and over 2,000 people who listen without touching their
smartphones or going to the toilet... that is really impressive.
When I asked at the hotel lobby whether the hotel could
get me the text of the speech, a friendly manager was called
who told me that I could find it through Google: probably
Chinese humour because Google does not work in China.
The Party as a unique policy maker with a strong captain
is essential to the success story of China’s PR, according
to Xi. Professors who are Party members participate in
the discussions and the man in the street is cautious in
expressing opinions. The fight against corruption is broadly
appreciated.
An assistant of the Department of International Relations
of one of the universities we visited sent me a We Chat
message: I am only authorized to confirm the official
position but a 64 year-old man who gives a three and a half
China is clearly a country in transition, and working
closely with my Chinese colleagues is proving highly
stimulating and interesting. On this mission I was trying
to find partners, investors or buyers in China for 6 VUB
smart technology products: maybe a modest contribution
to forging a better understanding of the ways in which
“unity in diversity” can be achieved. Again this is an
exciting new experience for me, in the world of investors
and companies where both parties still have a lot to learn
from each other.
37

STEVEN G. GLICKMAN
PLACES LEFT BEHIND: REGIONAL
INEQUALITY IN THE U.S. & EUROPE
REMARKS AT THE BRUSSELS DIPLOMATIC ACADEMY
38
GOOD MORNING, AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, let me start by
sharing my gratitude for a few people that helped make
today possible. First, my wife, Christen, and our son, Elliott,
who traveled to Europe with me. Elliott has already been to
more countries than 2/3 of Americans. He’s 7 months old.
Second, Gunter Gaublomme for his kind invite to this —
and I’m quoting President Trump here — Yuge “Hellhole.”
Of course, I’m only joking. I love the land of beer, fries,
waffles, and chocolates. Criticizing Belgium feels oddly
un-American, given those are all four of Americans’ primary
food groups. Third, Ambassador Johan Verbeke, who I was
lucky enough to get to know during his time as Ambassador
to the United States. It’s an honor to join the Brussels
Diplomatic Academy for this incredible conference that you
have brought together today. By the end of the day, I expect
you will have tackled just about all of the major challenges
facing Belgium and beyond, which is a nice gesture shortly
before the holidays.
I was invited here to tell an American story, but one that
I believe has increasing resonance in Belgium and across
Europe. And there is no story more American than that
which the Thanksgiving holiday celebrates — the journey
of the pilgrims, essentially religious refugees, who arrived
in America aboard the Mayflower seeking a new life. Over
the past year, America seems to have forgotten our roots
— rejecting our legal and moral obligations to refugees and
immigrants like my grandparents, who came to the U.S.
from Europe after World War II via a displaced person in
Italy. But, I’m also not going to glibly dismiss Trumpism and
other forms of right-wing populism as if they are not rooted
in real economic and cultural anxiety being felt by large
numbers of Americans and Europeans.
American voters made Trump the U.S. President not
in spite of his flaws, as many in the American political
establishment would have you believe, but because they were
betting he was just crazy enough to blow up the existing
economic and political status quo.
Let’s be clear, right-wing parties have also made substantial
gains in European Union countries over the past decade,
seven of whom captured over 20% of the vote in recent
elections — (1) the Freedom Party in Austria, (2) the
Danish Peoples Party in Denmark, (3) the National Front
in France, (4) Jobbik in Hungary, (5) Law and Justice in
Poland, and (6) the Swiss People’s Party. Of course, the
seventh member of that group includes the New Flemish
Alliance, a right-wing separatist group right here in Belgium.
So, why are we seeing so much anger, anxiety, and yes,
hate, in the ninth year of a global economic recovery?
Because for nearly half of the Western world, the economic
recovery has looked more like a continued recession.
Regional inequality, declining rates of entrepreneurship,
and increasingly powerful corporate monopolies have
trapped many communities in both America and Europe
into a downward spiral of aging industries, low-wage jobs,
depressed investment, and little hope for the future.
Very simply, Western economies are facing an emerging
crisis of epic proportions from the hardening divides along
geographic lines, which could rip apart our institutions,
destroy the legitimacy of democratic politics, and lead to
social unrest at a massive scale. While plenty of ink has
been spilled about income inequality, it is the inequality
of opportunity between the connected and disconnected,
the large city and the small town, the corporate monopoly
and the entrepreneur, which is exacerbating the lack of
economic opportunity in far too many communities.
Rather than “Securing Our Economic Prosperity,” my
call to action today is “Ensuring More Broadly Shared
Economic Prosperity.” It’s the central economic challenge
facing the U.S. and Europe, even if most people don’t
realize it yet.

Professor Steven G. Glickman, Georgetown University
But before I delve into the details, let me share some
quick tidbits about my background. I spent over four years
working for President Obama in a number of different roles,
essentially during the entirety of his first term in office
between 2008 and 2013. About half of that time was spent
as Chief of Staff of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial
Service, which is the arm of the U.S. government
responsible for commercial diplomacy. The second half
of my journey in the Obama Administration was as a
senior White House advisor responsible for small business,
manufacturing, and trade and investment policy at the
National Economic and National Security Councils.
There is no doubt that under President Obama’s
leadership, the U.S. led global efforts that pulled the world
from the brink of an economic disaster. I am proud of that
work. And yet despite the fact that the U.S. is achieving
2-3% national GDP growth, it’s unemployment rate is
around 4%, and the U.S. stock market and corporate profits
have never been higher, a majority of Americans are really
angry about the state of our economy. That paradox led
me to co-found a small research and policy organization in
Washington, DC nearly five years ago called the Economic
Innovation Group, which studies the economics and
politics of America’s left behind communities and our
national decline in the rate of new business creation and
entrepreneurship. As our research and data on the U.S.
economy bears out, the populist anger expressed in the
2016 American elections was not an irrational response
to globalization or technology, but an entirely rational
reaction to the widespread local economic stagnation that’s
just below the surface of the promising national economic
statistics. In short, national growth alone is no longer a tide
that lifts all boats.
The most important lesson of the Great Recession is that
the 21st century economy favors the large over the small,
and the connected over the disconnected. Truth be told,
the tide of increased growth never lifted all boats, but
as recently as the 1990s, the majority of U.S. counties
grew with the national growth rate. But, in this economic
recovery, only 25% of U.S. counties experienced the
39

national growth rate. So, which counties are growing? Well,
as recently as the 1990s, the answer was small counties,
under 100,000 people, which saw twice as much growth
as large counties. But, fast forward to the 2010s, and you
see the exact opposite picture, with large counties growing
twice as fast as small ones. Prosperity in the U.S. is now
fundamentally a major metropolitan phenomenon.
Similarly, the UK has one of the widest inequality gaps in
Europe — most of its regions have roughly half of London’s
GDP per capita, including Scotland, which had been
making gains prior to the Recession. So, shouldn’t we be
asking ourselves whether Brexit was as much a rebellion
against London’s dominance as it was a desire to separate
from the EU itself?
40
What’s most troubling is that for most parts of America
— particularly small-town America — they are no longer
planting the seeds that will generate future prosperity
— new businesses and entrepreneurship, the source of
virtually all net new jobs in the American economy. In
fact, new business creation in the U.S. is on a long-term
decline, and currently hovering around a 40 year low.
If we go back as recently as the 1980s, just about all
metropolitan areas saw a net increase in new businesses.
Nowadays, though, more businesses close than open
in a majority of metro areas. America’s largest, most
diversified metropolitan hubs have proven to be its
most resilient. Those with 1 million people added new
businesses at a rate comparable to prior recoveries, but
smaller counties, including many sizable metropolitan
counties, are still underwater.
This phenomenon is not an American one alone.
Economic disparities within EU countries appeared to be
narrowing prior to 2008’s recession, but we are learning
now, that the economic success of Europe’s largest cities
masked widening gaps between second and third tier places
in decline. According to a Financial Times report from last
year, regional economic divergence impacting the Southern
portions of Spain and Italy have been growing at alarming
levels. Southern Spain alone contributed over 40% of
Spain unemployment following the Recession. And, while
the enormous economic gaps between Milan and Sicily in
Italy have been there for years prior to the Recession, it
surprised me to learn that Belgium ranks at the very bottom
of the EU, along with Italy, as the countries with the largest
regional disparity in employment rates, according to the
OECD.
While the poor are getting poorer, the wealthy cosmopolitan
centers of Western Europe are capturing many of the gains.
In some ways, Madrid has more in common with Brussels
and London than their countrymen and women outside the
capital cities. For example, the Brussels’ metropolitan area
accounts for about one-third of Belgium’s GDP, but with
only 18% of Belgium’s people.
Europe’s story is a carbon copy of the economic and political
trends we are seeing in rural and small-town America. This
part of America supported Donald Trump overwhelmingly.
In fact, 90% of small counties under 100,000 people voted
for President Trump in 2016, which means that over 2,000 of
them were with Trump, while just over 200 voted for Hillary
Clinton. If you’re living in one of these counties, it makes
perfect sense to reject the established political leadership,
because your home town is 11 times more likely to be
economically distressed than bigger cities. In fact, the vast
majority — 85% — of America’s persistently poor counties —
those that have a 20% poverty rate for at least 30 years — are
small or rural. These are places that are disproportionately
dependent on traditional banking to buy houses or start
businesses, yet over 10,000 bank branches closed across
the U.S. Bank of America, the second largest bank in the
country, closed 80% of its rural branches since 2009. This
was also an economic recovery characterized by premiums
paid to those with a higher education — 99% of the net jobs
created went to people with at least some college and 75%
went to those with at least a bachelor’s degree. Yet, over half
of rural Americans have no schooling beyond high school,
and less than 20% have a four-year college degree, compared
to 1 in 3 Americans with a college degree nationwide. Simply
put, these communities are dying, and the children born here
are far less likely to do better than their parents.
So, the Recession has put Western economies in a pretty big
hole. And what’s the first rule of holes? Stop digging. Or, in
other words, let’s start by recognizing the extent to which
regional inequality is a driver of so much political unrest
and economic anxiety. The current consensus on economic
policymaking is simply not delivering enough good results
for enough people. Once we stop digging, it’s time to assess
where we need to get to, so the second rule of holes is to
look up — at some of the common characteristics of highperforming
places. Successful communities tend to do or
have the following:
First, they are high-amenity places in which people want to
live. While some places benefit from natural assets like great

weather and access to the outdoors, others have doubled
down on investing in their infrastructure, workforce, culture,
and local government.
Second, these places are magnets to educated young
people and welcoming of immigrants, two groups
disproportionately connected to entrepreneurship and
business creation.
Third, they have robust and diversified knowledge
economies, often anchored by one or multiple research
universities. Alternatively, places that are closely identified
with industrial and agricultural sectors of the economy, as
opposed to the digital economy, have the most stagnant and
least dynamic economies in both the U.S. and Europe.
Fourth, these cities are close to investors, lenders,
and capital markets, and spread that capital across
neighborhoods. Access to capital is the lifeblood of growing
the homegrown businesses it takes to launch the virtuous
cycles of investments that communities need.
make up the most diverse, dynamic, and technology
enabled economies in the U.S. Yet, unlike America’s 20th
century focus on land grant universities, transportation
infrastructure, and rural electrification, there are largely
no new 21st century place-based economic development
programs that incentivize place-based investment.
We need a bold new agenda that’s focused on new
approaches to economic development that doesn’t
get bogged down in the all-too-common scapegoats of
globalization, immigration, and technology. In fact, with
the exception of the manufacturing sector, there is little
evidence in the U.S., at least, that globalization and
technology are destroying too many jobs. In fact, the
opposite is largely true — we have far too little creation
— both in terms of businesses and jobs — not too much
destruction. While there is no silver bullet, if you asked me
to recommend one core focus area for national, regional,
and/or local governments, it would be to better plant
the seeds of their economic future through a focus on
entrepreneurship and new businesses creation.
Fifth, they have a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem — and
they take deliberate steps to make this ecosystem socially
and geographically inclusive. That means everything from
establishing incubator and accelerator spaces to lower
regulatory barriers for entrepreneurs to publicly funded
angel capital funds.
Sixth, these cities embrace public-private partnerships, and
activate networks of business people, investors, and civic
leaders with a commitment to their cities. I can’t emphasize
this element of the equation enough — these problems
cannot be solved by the public sector alone, they require
private sector buy in and investment.
Seventh, and most of all, successful places are physically
and digitally connected to the world. They’re plugged into
networks of people, goods, and information.
The good news is that America and Europe both have a rich
history of making investments in places left behind as a way
to ensure that prosperity is widely shared. For example, a
defining feature of former President Franklin Roosevelt’s
New Deal was a commitment to developing rural America
and the American West at a time when the agricultural
sector was under a tremendous amount of pressure and
people were fleeing to cities to take advantage of the
Industrial Revolution. Today, Western States in America
Belgium, in particular, has a long way to go here with
extremely low rates of start-up activity connected with very
high regulatory burdens and an unfavorable tax regime.
Surprisingly, at least to me, Belgium ranks last among EU
countries in terms of entrepreneurship culture. A new
approach to entrepreneurship entails a number of policies.
For example:
• Supporting expanded entrepreneurship visas that are
geographically tied so immigrants are incentivized to
seek out new places to grow roots;
• Adopting regulatory reforms that reduce or eliminate
barriers like non-compete agreements, as well as other
more commonplace obstacles like the compliance costs
for starting a business, which in Belgium is about 60%
higher than the EU average; and
• Incentivizing investment in distressed communities —
everywhere from traditional banking to angel capital
to high-growth venture capital. One example here is
a bipartisan proposal in the U.S. Congress called the
“Investing in Opportunity Act” which would create a
simple, but powerful tax incentive for investments in lowincome
communities.
Recently, Belgium instituted tax incentives for investments
in startups, which seems to have had some early success,
but without these incentives being tied to where there’s
geographic need, Belgium risks further reinforcing its
regional inequality.
41

42
The collapse of business formation in the U.S. has also
coincided with a transformation of America’s corporate
landscape. The 21st century economy is fast becoming
a golden age for global corporate monopolies. In the
U.S., since the late 1990s, a full two-thirds of America’s
industries saw an increase in market concentration, and by
2012, the four largest companies captured at least 25% of
the market in nearly half of all American industries. Perhaps
an even more powerful statistic — in 1 in 7 U.S. industries
— take telecommunications, department stores, hospitals,
and airlines for example — the four largest companies
claimed more than 50% of the market. In Belgium, several
industries show a similarly high degree of concentration,
particularly in sectors like telecom, IT, and transportation.
Meanwhile, corporate profits in the U.S. as a share of GDP
have nearly doubled in 20 years, approaching unprecedented
heights, and it’s happening without the commensurate local
investment in the country’s future.
The growing dominance of large firms can be traced, in
part, to the premium globalization pays just for being big.
And this is where diplomats can and should step up their
game — they need to make entrepreneurship diplomacy the
very centerpiece of modern economic diplomacy. I mean
that both in terms of whom commercial diplomats serve,
and in terms of the tactics used to support entrepreneurship
all over the world. First, commercial diplomacy should
increasingly target the smaller towns and regions, as well
as the smaller companies, that are struggling to break into
international markets. This would be a dramatic reversal
from the existing bias of economic diplomacy, which has
traditionally focused most of its energy around how to
help larger companies secure big deals — through export
financing, political advocacy with foreign governments,
large-scale trade negotiations, and other tools and tactics.
Increasingly, governments need to diversify their
services, and move from a 20th century analog version
of international business matchmaking to a 21st century
digitally enabled hub of information that would connect
more places and companies to the global economy.
Entrepreneurs don’t seek out government assistance, they
avoid the government, and use the internet to find the
resources they need. When I worked for President Obama,
I was tasked with creating a modern website and intake
platform for the 19 trade-related Federal agencies that touch
the thousands of companies engaging in global trade. Yes,
19 Federal agencies and departments. Removing duplication
of how Federal agencies engaged business customers and
increasing information sharing would have enabled the U.S.
government to reach far more small businesses over a far
larger geographic area. But I failed. Badly. And, still today,
commercial diplomats in the U.S. tremendously underutilize
technology in connecting with businesses. Turns out that it
can be just has hard to deal with government bureaucracy,
as it can be to negotiate with the Chinese or the Republican
party. But, I’m sure that’s not a problem here in Europe…
Second, despite all of the flaws and shortcomings of
the U.S. economy, we are still the most entrepreneurial
country in the world by many measures. In addition to
Silicon Valley, Boston, and NYC, you now see robust
entrepreneurial ecosystems in less well-known cities like
Austin, Denver, and Salt Lake City. Europe has its share of
major success stories, as well — Amsterdam, London, and
Stockholm can hold their own with any city in the world —
hopefully, Brussels will join these ranks someday soon.
As Western governments face the reality of having less and
less capital to invest and the corporate sector is even less
invested in places that have fallen behind, it will be the
scrappy, creative, ambitious entrepreneurs that will need to
fill the gaps. Diplomats can empower entrepreneurs, invest
time and resources into them, and deploy more of them in
underserved places throughout the world.
Regional inequality in the U.S. and Europe is not just a
political and economic failing, it’s a moral failure, as well.
And our societies can no longer afford to ignore it. We can
complain about the rise in populism in our societies — the
insecurity, anxiety, and oftentimes, hate expressed by our
fellow citizens — or we can recognize it for what it is and
do something about it. But, to the extent we care about the
American and the EU experiment, it starts here. To the
extent we want to see more global economic cooperation,
not more nationalist outcomes, it starts here. And, to the
text we want to do more economic good for more people, it
starts here. Thank you for inviting me to join you, and enjoy
the rest of the day.

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43

100 YEARS TOGETHER WITH RUSSIA
The Institute of Russian Chambers
of Commerce and Industry celebrates
the centenary this year. Yet the history
of Russian business self-governance
began much earlier. That is what the
interview by CCI of Russia President
Sergey Katyrin is about.
Every organization, especially with such history
as Russia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
has its symbols, signs, and emblems. What is the
meaning of the caduceus?
Today, the rod of Mercury (the caduceus) is a golden staff
entwined by two golden snakes looking at one another.
Mercury received the caduceus (a walnut tree branch) from
Apollo. The caduceus was topped by the golden winged
helmet of Hades (the legend says it was Hades, the ruler
of the underworld, who gave the helmet to the god of
commerce and Mercury used it to deter the attack of the
Titans on Mount Olympus).
The caduceus worked miracles: it could reconcile and bring
together any conflicting sides. Mercury once tossed his
branch into a ball of fighting snakes, the snakes stopped
fighting immediately, entwined the branch, and looked at
one another peacefully. This is how the rod of Mercury we
know, the symbol of reconciliation and accord, came into
existence.
44
Sergey Katyrin

The caduceus decorated coats of arms of some noble
families, cities, and provinces of pre-Revolution Russia.
Nowadays, the staff is an element of the Russian Customs
Service’s emblem and the official symbol of the Chamber
of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation.
The staff of the Roman god of commerce, Mercury is bound
to stop quarrels and reconcile enemies; in the modern
context, it is destined to reconcile entrepreneurs in an arbitral
proceeding and seek accord in global trade. To a large extent,
the modern caduceus is the symbol of fair competition and
partnership, as well as quality goods and services.
So how did the history of the Russian Chamber of
Commerce and Industry begin?
The government first tried to create an association of
Russian merchants and industrialists in February 1727.
I can assure you that many Russian businessmen, and
above all, members of our Chamber, are aware of the order
of Catherine I. The document, and I am citing it by a
photocopy, prescribed “a certain number of manufacturers
[…] to come together in Moscow for at least one month
in winter and seek counsel, while the Commerce Board
should be informed whenever important matters required
the issuance of an order.” Regretfully, the order signed
almost 300 years ago (its 290th anniversary was marked this
year) was never implemented. The only thing done was a
commission receiving complaints from manufacturers.
In fact, Russian merchants and craftsmen had united before
to agree on rules of commerce and to protect their interests.
For instance, special weighting scales were installed in
places of business, and designated officials verified the
correctness of weight and transactions. A weighting duty
was levied on sold goods. Merchants resolved their disputes
in a commercial court. Besides merchants, industrialists and
seafarers formed commercial unions to lay down common
rules. Craft and merchant guilds, which appeared in the
Middle Ages, can be called forerunners of chambers of
commerce and industry.
Peter the Great established the Board of Commerce in
his government. Its regulations stipulated assistance to
merchants, including their protection from duress and
harassment by the customs, free and unhampered trade, and
measures against monopolies. Hence, the order issued by
Catherine I in February 1727 to unite Russian merchants
and industrialists did not start the process from scratch.
Still whatever orders the imperial rulers created can
hardly be called free civil unions, which chambers
of commerce and industry actually are.
Yes, it so happened then that the structures uniting business
people were an element of Russia’s state machinery rather
45

46
than civil unions for a long period of time. But businessmen
had more opportunities to represent their interests. For
example, the 1869 Charter of the Moscow Exchange
Committee gave its members the right to discuss proposals
on the development of trade and industry and submit them
to government agencies. I should say that back then the
word ‘exchange’ signified not only the place of trade but
also the community of participating parties. In other words,
in contrast to those in Western Europe, Russian exchanges
(i.e. the community of their participants) assumed some
functions of chambers of commerce via their committees.
In the case of Moscow, the community was
gathering on Ilyinka Street.
Exactly. The first building of the Exchange erected on
Ilyinka Street in 1839 cost half a million rubles. There was
a terrace between two arch entrances to the Exchange, and
brokers who for some reason refused to work in the central
hall for a long time, gathered there, in the open air, at first.
The transformation of Ilyinka into the main business street
of Moscow was completed in the second half of the 19th
century. The square in front of the Exchange was named
Exchange Square. The Exchange was overcrowded, so it
underwent profound renovations and expansion from
1873-1875. Today, it accommodates the Chamber of
Commerce and Industry of Russia.
But let’s go back to our history. In the early 20th century,
once again at the proposal of the authorities, Russian
exchange committees started working on a model of Russian
chambers of commerce and industry. The work was slow.
Why is that? Was it the notorious bureaucratic
red tape?
Oh no, bureaucracy has nothing to do with that.
Interestingly, except for the Moscow Exchange Committee,
every other exchange committee, which, as I have already
said, was executing functions of chambers of commerce
and industry, as well as merchant boards and factory
councils that once called for business self-governance were
obstinately stalling territorial chamber projects. The reason
was simple: they did not want to lose their privileges,
opportunities, and representative capacities. One way
or another, the process was set in motion. First, Russian
chambers of commerce were created abroad, such as the
Russian Chamber of Commerce in Alexandria (1902), the
Russian Chamber of Commerce in London (1915), etc.
A number of bi-national or mixed chambers came into being,
among them the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce in
St. Petersburg (1908) and the Russian-American Chamber
of Commerce in Moscow (1913). In addition, a number of
strictly domestic chambers of commerce were formed with
emphasis on boosting foreign trade.
Nonetheless, the Regulations on Chambers of Commerce
and Industry were approved only on October 19 (formerly
6), 1917, to lay down the institutional foundation of Russian
business self-governance; the document defined principle
objectives, tasks, and powers of chambers of commerce and
industry in Russia. The new law envisaged the establishment
of territorial chambers of commerce and industry and the
mandatory participation of every business entity, the clear
territorial jurisdiction within one province, the obligation
to execute state duties, and the payment of membership
fees. Hence, as I have said before, the national system of
chambers of commerce and industry marked its centenary
in October of this year.
Then you are sort of coeval with the October
Revolution, about which so much has been said
and written?
I am not sure this is symbolic. No doubt, the birth year is
the same. But after the Socialist Revolution, the CCI was
definitely not an organization of business self-governance,
simply because there was no entrepreneurship in its current
meaning in the Soviet Union and the government owned all
means of production. Nevertheless, the All-Union Chamber
of Commerce that was established after the revolution
(renamed the USSR Chamber of Commerce and Industry
in 1971) had the status of a civil organization, actively
participated in the development of the national economy,
promoted contacts with foreign trade and economic
organizations, including chambers of commerce, export
companies, exchanges, etc., or actually performed every CCI
function possible in a socialist state.
The CCI of Russia held a founding congress in 1991 after
socialism fell and the Soviet Union collapsed. Nineteen
regional chambers and several dozen business associations
took part in it. That happened on October 19, 74 years after
the adoption of the first law on chambers of commerce and
industry. A historical circle or, if you prefer, a historical
cycle was completed.
How did you begin?
It was not easy. I was directly involved in the establishment
of the Russian chamber and worked for it from the start, so
I can say there is a huge difference between how we started

and what we are now. I mean we inherited practically every
material asset from the Soviet chamber, including our
building on Ilyinka Street, and we are extremely grateful to
our predecessors for that. However, the chamber was part of
the state in the Soviet Union and had no powers in the field
of legislation, etc.
Our work on the market started from scratch. The old
economy was in ruins, and the new economy was just born.
We had to learn to represent the interests of business under
those circumstances and actually create the enterprise
development institute, which the country barely had.
Now you are the biggest, leading business
community of the country.
Right you are. Today, the national CCI system stands
for 180 chambers, over 50,000 enterprises and entities
of various forms of ownership aligned to the Chamber,
more than 200 unions, associations, and other groups of
businessmen operating on the federal level, 500 regional
business associations, as well as committees and councils
of the CCI of Russia working in various business fields and
branches. The Chamber represents and defends interests of
businessmen with the authorities.
True, there is an important reservation to make — we
defend and represent the interests of small, medium, and
big business unless their interests contravene the public
ones. Our “zone of responsibility” embraces every sphere
of enterprise, such as industry, domestic and foreign trade,
agriculture, the financial system, and services. We bring
together big, medium, and small business. Most of Chamber
members are small companies.
There are lots of problems in Russia, and businesses,
especially small and medium one, sometimes find it hard
to live and work. Still, when there is business in the country,
it is developing. And this is our biggest achievement.
Good of love pro toto: Volker Hildebrandt, “human globalisation: the united states of love”, 2015
47

DIPLOMATIC WORLD INTERVIEW
WITH CARL PENDRAGON,
CEO OF SKYMINING
If companies and financial growth are linked to
degradation and emission, it means you are
addicted to ruining the planet.
Carl Pendragon is inventor, philosopher and entrepreneur,
with over 25 years experience in energy markets. Since the
early 1990s when he set up his first purchasing group for oil
and electricity, he has been a part of a multitude of projects.
He is the CEO of Skymining, a company and a process of
turning atmospheric CO2 into a renewable solid fuel.
On the panel Discussion: “Climate Smart Agriculture as a
Systemic Response to Climate Change”, he not only names
problems and addresses failures, but shares solutions to
global economists.
“WE ARE ALREADY AT THREE DEGREES WARMING,
AND THERE IS SOMETHING IN CLIMATE CHANGE
THAT IS CALLED THE 30 YEAR LAG!”
“All the CO2 we send to the atmosphere first heats up the
air and then heats up the ocean. Water is 600 times more
dense than air. So heating up the ocean takes a long time.
What we have felt today is global warming until 1992 and
we have not felt the global warming after 1992 yet.
The carbon, we have admitted since 1992 is equal to all the
carbon that was admitted until 1992 since 1750.
So if we stop burning fossil fuels today, we will have 30
more years of heating. Let’s look at the facts. If you look
at the current global energy supply, 82% still comes from
fossil fuels and 10% is burning biomass. That means that
mankind with all its technological advances is still getting
92% of all energy from burning fossil fuels or biomass. We
do have amazing technologies but they are less than 8%. The
actual causes of climate change, in my belief, is that we have
decoupled our minds from our hearts and also decoupled
from nature. What we need is to restore and regenerate.
We need to fix what we have broken. And only nature can
do that.”
“WE HAVE A FALSE LAYER OF REALITY CALLED
‘THE ECONOMY’.”
Carl, DW is pleased to meet you. During the
panel you have made things quite clear. As CEO
of Skymining you transform exponential economic
growth into exponential sustainable growth.
What is your approach?
Well I think the most important thing is to look at the
facts of climate change instead of the thousands of stories
that are floating around. If you reduce it down to the core,
the cause of climate change is twofold. First, too much
carbon that is already in the sky and second the human
behaviour that put it there. Those are the two main causes.
Decarbonizing energy systems but not changing the
behaviour that is putting carbon up there, is like cleaning
everything down here, but never changing the attitude of
the one polluting it up there. We have a false layer of reality
called “the economy” and we need to address the behaviour
of humans putting carbon up there.
48
Barbara Dietrich & Carl Pendragon

Nina Anne Pahnke & Carl Pendragon
What is “ecologically negative”
behaviour?
All of us are in pursuit of happiness and growth and most
people want to have more income the next year, not less.
Most companies are hoping for quarterly revenue growth,
and I have never seen a business model where a company
says to the chairholders: “We are trying to get less
turnover and profits every year for the next ten years.”
Why is that a problem? Because if you expand your
company, and if your growth is linked to the degradation
of nature or a decrease of resources, it means that your
growth is directly attached to degradation and emission.
Why is it a false layer?
It is a false layer, because we use terms like profit and wealth
creation when in fact the way to make profit and wealth
creation for shareholders is to ruin something, for example
distroy a forest to make palm oil. In reality we are actually
reducing the wealth of the planet, and are increasing CO2
emissions to create a so-called-wealth for shareholder
companies and people. The basic and fundamental
problem is our false ideal of wealth creation linked
to the degradation of the real world.
This world is addicted to growth, which is set around
countries, set around companies, especially stock
exchange registered companies that are in pursuit of
quarterly growth increase. Since that growth is linked to
degradation and emission, it means that you are addicted
to ruining the planet. What we see as the problem is
actually the business model of mankind, hidden in a false
layer of reality called “the economy”.
49

Nina Anne Pahnke & Carl Pendragon
50
“THE MORE BUSINESS YOU DO, THE BETTER
THE WORLD BECOMES.”
On the panel discussion you call for a different
manifest for economy and companies: “being big and
doing good”. What is included in this approach?
What we need to do, and what we try to offer to the world
is to decouple growth, pursuit of happiness and pursuit of
growth from degradation and emissions, and couple it to
restoration and CO2 removal. Skymining is unique, in that
it can be attached to any business model. When we talked to
Amazon last week in London, for example and we proposed
to them, that every time they send a package to somebody,
they remove that emission and a little more.
A fascinating concept, nowadays the bigger businesses
become, the more harm they do. But if you remove more
emission than you emit, then the more business you do, the
more you can improve the world. In other words, you are
repairing the harm you did and a little more.
So imagine if they wake up tomorrow and say: “If we double
our business size we can double the amount of good we do
in the world.” We did the math for Amazon: they have about
1.7 billion packages a year they send to people. The average
value of a package is $80 and it would only take 2 cents
to compensate the emission and more from sending each
package. Every consecutive year the removal of the emission
just of that package becomes a 10th of 2 cents. So you have
to only add 1 thousandth of the price of the transaction to
actually do good instead of harm. Nowadays if a company
like Amazon doubles in size, whatever harm they are doing,
it would double unless they do something drastic.
“GROWTH EQUALS BAD” BECAUSE
“GROWTH EQUALS PROFIT.”
What we are suggesting, is to attach acts of doing good, like
ecosystem restoration, removing CO2, creating farms, to
our business models. If a company doubles their business,
the farm would be twice as big and twice as good. Twice as
many people working on the farm, creating fuel, fiber, food.
An amazing idea and this is a really important message for
everyone. If we couple pursuit of growth to regeneration
of ecosystems to CO2 to removal, then suddenly growth
becomes a positive thing. Today growth is a negative thing.
That is the most fundamental issue that we need to address.
We need to decouple growth from degradation.
Nina Anne Pahnke & Brita Achberger
Source: http://carlpendragon.com,
http://carlpendragon.com/skymining.html

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51

TOWARDS EUROPE’S GLOBAL FUTURE
On 23 – 24 May 2018, 2.000 high-level EU and national policy-makers,
business executives, civil society and academia representatives will gather at
the Egmont Palace in Brussels for the annual European Business Summit.
52
The European Business Summit (EBS) is a renowned debated
platform offering its partners and guests an opportunity to
exchange views on topics shaping the European and international
agenda. In the upcoming 18th edition, EBS would like to
build upon its ability to facilitate constructive dialogue between
countries’ representatives and business community in Europe
and beyond. By bringing these partners together, EBS contributes
to promoting European competitiveness, entrepreneurship
and innovation.
EBS enjoys the high patronages of His Majesty the King of the
Belgians, the Belgian Minister of European and Foreign Affairs,
Didier Reynders and EU Commission President Jean-Claude
Juncker. EBS is also supported by BUSINESSEUROPE and
Federation of Enterprises in Europe (FEB).
PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
EBS encourages countries or regions to join the event and
showcase their national business and investment opportunities.
Proposing various tailor-made partnership agreements ensuring
country’s needs and expectations are met.
Country or region representations could benefit from speaking
possibilities at EBS during plenary debates, roundtable discussions,
interactive Agora talks or Meet the Expert exchanges. In
addition, EBS partners can host a side or a main event of any
size and scope, open to EBS participants or by invitation only.
The experienced EBS team will ensure high-level organisation
and promotion of this event. EBS also offers branding options
such as a booth in the Networking Village – the most visited
location at the Egmont Palace - placing advertising products
such as technologies, services for food and more, advertising in
the EBS Magazine and benefiting from EBS marketing products
and extensive media coverage.
EBS also recommends that its partners join the brand new
Strategy Group, a unique dialogue platform for countries,
regions, business executives and policy-makers. During the
approximately 6 meetings per year, the Strategy Group members
will participate in private sessions with high-level business and
policy representatives and it will contribute to shaping the programme
of EBS and associated events. The partnership is the
best way to further impact the content and strengthens the voice
at the Summit.
MISSION OF CANADA TO THE EUROPEAN UNION
AT EBS 2016
The European Business Summit 2016 hosted a session entitled
“CETA: A New Deal for Europe”, organised together with the
Embassy of Canada to Belgium and Luxembourg.
Cecilia Malmström, EU Commissioner for Trade debated the
Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement, known as CETA,
with Chrystia Freeland, Minister of International Trade in the
Canadian Government, Daniel Kelly, President and CEO of the
Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).
The panelists discussed the advantages and opportunities
of CETA for businesses communities looking to build new
partnerships and establish or expand their operations in Canada.
EBS also facilitated meetings between EU policy-makers, business
leaders and representatives from Canada present at the Summit.

EBS EBS IN IN BRIEF
- 2 - days 2 days of of high-level debates
- 1700 - 1700 participants
- 250 - 250 speakers
- 10 - 10 EU EU Commissioners
- 50 - 50 sessions
- 100 - 100 international journalists
Save Save the the date date for for the the 18 18 th EBS th EBS edition:
23-24 23-24 MAY MAY 2018 2018
CANADA AT AT EBS EBS - - OVERVIEW
- 3 - years 3 years of of debating CETA at at EBS EBS
- - Special session with with EU EU Commissioner
Malmström
- High - High visibility among EU EU policy-makers
and and business community
- - Increased business opportunities for for EU EU
and and Canadian companies
WOULD YOU YOU LIKE LIKE YOUR COUNTRY TO TO BE BE REPRESENTED AT AT EBS EBS ? ? PLEASE CONTACT:
Arnaud Thysen Thysen - - Director General - - at@ebsummit.eu - +32 - +32 (0)2 (0)2 645 645 34 34 83 83
Bartosz Lasota Lasota - - Business Development Manager - - bl@ebsummit.eu - +32 - +32 (0)2 (0)2 645 645 34 34 85 85
Jamie Jamie Nuttall Nuttall - - Business Development Manager - - jan@ebsummit.eu - +32 - +32 (0)2 (0)2 645 645 34 34 84 84
53

HOOOP FOR A GOOD CAUSE
AT THE BISTRONOMY
The artist Jean-Marie Waelkens and chef
Marc Clément of the restaurant The Bistronomy
are joining forces with the HOOOP project for a
good cause. With the proceeds, they will support
BelHospice, an initiative that is close to the heart of
Leo D’Aes, the Belgian ambassador in Belgrade.
It is really not to be missed. The award-winning, innovative
restaurant The Bistronomy in Brussels has recently been
occupied by a small army of wooden HOOOP puppets. They
are the handiwork of the artist Jean-Marie Waelkens. In
his daily life, Jean-Marie designs wooden dining tables and
other wooden objects. One day, he was asked to design a
lamp and, while looking for the ideal design, came up with
a figure that closely resembled Pinocchio. This first wooden
puppet soon acquired a series of friends, and so the idea for
HOOOP was born. Jean-Marie Waelkens has been referred
to as a “wood reader”. He goes in search of different types
of wood, the tree rings of which are suited to certain
types of design. These give the puppets their distinctive
expressions.
The Bistronomy. For him, too, the story of the reused
wood was very important, certainly in an era when we are
trying to avoid food waste at all costs. Marc Clément:
“In my kitchen nothing is wasted. Everything edible or
usable in dishes finds a purpose. That is why I feel such a
close connection to Jean-Marie’s art. The inspiration he
puts into his puppets is what I put into my dishes.”
THE 3 OS IN HOOOP
The HOOOP puppets are in reality much more than a
parade of wooden puppets. The marionettes made of wood
have a deeper message. The decision to spell “HOOOP”
with 3 Os was a deliberate one. They stand for “hopen,
dromen, geloven”, Dutch for hoping, dreaming and
believing. The puppets are quite abstract and summon up
a fairy-tale nostalgia. With this the artist seeks to refer to
the carefee days of childhood. Childlike imagination soon
brings abstract forms to life.
Jean-Marie Waelkens: “With my art, I want to create a world
of hope, a world in which one can continue to believe in
dreams.”
54
In this way, the wood scraps left over from his daily
activities are put to a meaningful and artistic use.
This is how the link was made to chef Marc Clément of

MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE
Both chef Marc Clément and the artist Jean-Marie
Waelkens want to send a message with this initiative. They
would like to encourage people to realize their dreams.
They hope that the HOOOP puppets, that are now exhibited
in the restaurant will find a place in people’s homes or
offices, and remind them that they should continue to
believe in their dreams. As long as that is possible, there is
hope for the future!
Ambassador Leo D’Aes
The Bistronomy by Living Tomorrow
Indringingsweg 1 - BE–1800 Vilvoorde
www.thebistronomy.com - info@thebistronomy.com
Jean-Marie Waelkens
Marc Clément
55

HOOOP FOR A GOOD CAUSE
The two artists, each in his own domain, are now joining forces for a good cause. Based on the story
of the HOOOP puppets, master chef Marc Clément has developed a HOOOP menu drawing on his
own creativity and vision. The surprising result caresses both the eye and the taste buds. Thus, the
wooden relief of the puppets is translated into the dishes and one can even recognize the profile of
Pinocchio’s head in the chocolate dessert.
A good percentage of both the sale of the HOOOP puppets and of the HOOOP menu goes to
BelHospice. This centre for palliative care accompanies cancer patients in Serbia, and is a project at
which Leo d’Aes, the Belgian ambassador in Belgrade, is chair of the support committee. The centre
offers free palliative care for terminal cancer patients in Serbia. Given the difficult history of the
country, this care is far from straightforward.
If you buy a HOOOP puppet, you are giving the patients there hope and an accompaniment that
honours their dignity. Each of the HOOOP puppets is unique, and comes with a certificate of
authenticity.
56

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AMAZING BUSINESS LUNCH I GASTRONOMIC DINNER MOODS
100% REAL FOOD
INFO & RESERVATIONS
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57

SMART CITIES PUT PEOPLE FIRST
AN INTERVIEW WITH JOACHIM DE VOS
CEO & FOUNDER OF TOMORROWLAB
The technologization of cities has become big
business. Many companies are targeting this growth
market with their products, data services or apps,
and are trying to persuade cities to adopt their
applications. The global market for smart cities in
2020 is estimated at 400 billion dollars. However, a
city is also a complex interaction between social and
technological systems which continually align with
each other and their surroundings; how can they
mutually strengthen each other? A conversation
with Joachim De Vos, CEO of TomorrowLab, which
helps cities and towns to become Smart.
COULD YOU FIRST EXPLAIN WHAT IS MEANT BY
A SMART CITY?
Joachim De Vos: “Cities or regions are ‘smart’ whenever
they make use of innovation, technology or creativity in
order to achieve a certain goal. The goals will vary from
city to city, but you can group them around three different
pillars. The first has to do with increasing comfort, the
quality of life and citizen well-being. Second, you can seek
to make efficiency gains or to limit risks by introducing
long-term thinking. A third pillar is sustainability, whereby
cities and regions try to reduce their footprint. Think for
instance of air quality, the environment, etc.”
CAN TECHNOLOGY SOLVE EVERYTHING?
58
Technology unquestionably plays a very important role, but
it is not because something is possible that it is always also
desirable that it be done. Human beings are at the centre of
the story, the question is simply how government can create
a top-down environment in which bottom-up initiatives can
grow. For truly long-term vision, you need a larger scale in
order to work efficiently. A typical example is infrastructure:
roads, logistical centres, hyperloops, etc.
Herman Van Rompuy, Wim Dries, Joachim De Vos
They’ll bill everything automatically. They’ll wait for

For that you need a top-down approach by the government
and stakeholders to create the framework. But once that
framework is present, innovative entrepreneurship from
below needs to grow. That should lead to creativity, as
frustration is often the source of innovation.
Facebook, Google, Apple, Uber, etc. already do all that, but
they have a different approach to privacy, of course. Living
Labs can play an important role in that bottom-up story.
Otherwise, it must be clear that Smart City is sometimes
more about fast failure than about quick wins.
HOW WOULD THAT LOOK, IN PRACTICE?
A government should be able to ensure that they make data
available from the top, for example. Whenever you talk
about data, sooner or later the issue of privacy comes up.
A government can incorporate privacy into the system from
the outset, creating a context where data is used smartly,
while respecting the privacy of citizens. Players such as
WHAT ARE THE PITFALLS FOR CITIES AND
REGIONS THAT SEEK TO BE “SMART”?
Cities must be aware that they must keep their options
open as far as possible, and not become dependent on a
single supplier, for example, which is known as ‘vendor
lock-in’. That is something to be wary of, and is easy to
prevent.
59

60
Cities sometimes have the tendency to each work in their
own corner, which is much more difficult to solve. It is
unfortunate, for although it is in a sense understandable,
this approach gives rise to a series of separate silos. That
is counterproductive, since cities cannot, for example,
devise a smart parking policy without the neighbouring
municipalities getting involved. Traffic obviously does not
stop at the city limits. That is why we are so proud of the
S-LIM project, in which we have brought together more
than 44 different cities and municipalities around the table,
in order to develop a single strategy for their region.
That is perhaps the greatest pitfall, the lack of strategy.
Everything starts there.
ARE YOU SOMETIMES
OVERWHELMED BY “SMART”?
HAVE A LOOK AT
WWW.TOMORROWLAB.COM
FOR MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT SMART CITIES AND
INNOVATION.

A HANDFUL OF SOIL
If a Bugis had to leave his village to seek a better life
elsewhere, he would take with him some soil from his old
dwelling-place. Once he arrived at the shores of his new
home, he would scatter the soil while saying “this is the soil
from my former home, now I spread it here… Thus this is
where I reside now”.
Bugis Beliefs about the classification of the cosmos.
Halilintar Lathief
Alexis Gautier - Pulau Jengekerik (Cricket Island)
61

EXHIBITION
MODIGLIANI, SOUTINE, AND OTHER
LEGENDS OF MONTPARNASSE
November 25, 2017 — March 25, 2018
Fabergé Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
In November 2017, the Fabergé Museum in St. Petersburg
opened its exhibition titled Modigliani, Soutine, and Other
Legends of Montparnasse, thus continuing its series of shows
on the most famous and influential artists of the twentieth
century. This will be the third major showing at the Fabergé
Museum in the last two years, following the immensely
successful Salvador Dali exhibition this year, and Frida Kahlo
the year before that.
of pilgrimage: in the 1910s, the regulars in its many cafés
were all leaders and ideologists of the European Modernist
movement. Ilya Ehrenburg wrote about the famous café “de la
Rotonde” located on the Montparnasse Boulevard: “Starting
early in the morning, in the hot, stuffy, smoke-filled back
room, at four or five tables sat Russians, Spaniards, Latin
Americans, Scandinavians, people from all corners of the
Earth, utterly destitute, wearing god-knows-what, starveling,
In the exhibition, the Russian audience can see for the first
time a unique collection of paintings by leading artists of
the School of Paris from the first third of the twentieth
century, a collection assembled by their contemporary and
patron Jonas Netter. Works by the most famous names and
the most important showpieces of Netter’s collection are on
display: paintings by Amedeo Modigliani, Chaim Soutine,
Maurice Utrillo, and also works by Moïse Kisling, Maurice
de Vlaminck, André Derain, Suzanne Valadon, and other
legendary masters of Montparnasse.
62
Montparnasse is a district in Paris that became the center
of its artistic, intellectual, and worldly life shortly before
the First World War, and retained this unique atmosphere
until the outbreak of World War II. An integral element of
Parisian life during this period was internationalism: artists,
writers, politicians, and businessmen from all over the world
gathered there, and many ended up living there. For artists
and poets who wanted to immerse themselves in the latest
schools and trends in art, Montparnasse was a genuine place
© Barbara Dietrich

© Fabergé Museum
where they talked about painting, recited poems, discussed
ways they could get five francs, argued and reconciled. In the
end, someone would inevitably get drunk and be ejected from
the room.”
The new culture of Modernism, inspired by the end of the
First World War and the following economic upturn, made
art even more relevant and popular, and in the geographic
center of this movement, Paris, gave rise to the atmosphere
of unprecedented, boundless freedom. Fernand Léger writes
that a man in those years “could finally lift his head, open his
eyes and look before himself; he could shake off tension, and
regain his taste for life, eagerly long to dance, throw money
about, walk with a long stride, shout, wail, and squander.”
Montparnasse was thriving on free living, free love, and the
freedom of the arts.
However, the Bohemian life of this era was far from being
carefree for those who lived it. Young artists — Modigliani,
Soutine, Utrillo, and many others — lived in poverty, and
the public perceived their paintings as scandalous, so they
only rarely found buyers. Modigliani’s friends nicknamed
him “Modi” not only because of his surname, but because it
sounded similar to the French word ‘maudit’, which means
‘cursed’. This nickname became entrenched both for him and
the artists of his circle, whose lives were full of hardships and
failures.
One of the first serious collectors of their work, entrepreneur
and art-lover Jonas Netter played an enormous role in the
fate of these artists. He began to assemble his collection after
being introduced to art dealer Leopold Zborovsky in Paris in
1915. Zborovsky began working for Netter: communicating
with artists, collecting, exchanging, and re-selling their
works. With Netter’s financial backing, Zborovsky concluded
agreements with artists, paid them salaries, gave them money
to rent studios, and to purchase materials for painting and
other supplies. In that same year, 1915, Netter and Zborovsky
signed a contract with Modigliani, under the terms of which
they paid the artist 300 francs a month, for which they would
receive all the canvases he created. By 1917, the monthly
amount paid to the artist had grown to 500 francs and, by
1919, it had risen to 1.000 francs. Similar agreements existed
between Netter and Zborovsky with Soutine and Utrillo.
Netter’s enthusiasm for their creativity, as well as for the
works of Moïse Kisling, Suzanne Valadon, André Derain,
and other masters contributed to the emerging demand for
artists of the School of Paris and created a new segment in
the art market. Jonas Netter died in 1946, leaving his heirs
an invaluable collection of works by artists who are now
63

fully embodied in his paintings, and in his creation of his
own version of Expressionism. Netter’s collection includes
examples of all the genres in which Soutine worked: portraits,
still lives, and both urban and rural landscapes. Considering
himself a successor of the old masters, Soutine claimed
that the motif of animal carcasses was suggested to him
by a Rembrandt painting “The Carcass of a Bull”. Soutine
painted his version of the picture from life, buying a carcass
in a slaughterhouse and hanging it in his studio. The artist
worked slowly, and the stench became so unbearable that his
neighbors complained to the city’s sanitation service. In order
to give Soutine the chance to finish his canvas, the sanitation
workers offered to treat the bull’s carcass with formalin. A
few days later, the desiccated meat had lost its rich color,
so Soutine obtained a bucket of fresh blood from the same
slaughterhouse. The bull, smeared with blood with the help
of a brush, became “even more beautiful than it had been
before.”
64
© Pinacothèque de Paris
recognized as the most important artists of the twentieth
century. For more than seventy years Netter’s collection was
not available to a wide audience, and only recently has it
begun to be shown in Europe.
The masterpieces of Netter’s collection are, undoubtedly, the
piercing and refined portraits created by Amedeo Modigliani
in the final years of his short life. Among them are two
portraits of his muse, Jeanne Hebuterne. The artist first met
the young woman at the end of 1916. Jeanne was nineteen
years old, a student at a private art school. Despite the
objections of her parents and Modigliani’s taste for alcohol,
Jeanne soon began to live with the artist, and subsequently
gave birth to his daughter. Modigliani created more than
twenty portraits of Jeanne. Their love story, embodied in the
portraits he created, became one of the most famous romantic
tales of the art world of the twentieth century. Jeanne shared
all of Modi’s adversity, and on the day after his death on
January 24, 1920, she committed suicide.
The exhibition also features a wonderful selection of paintings
by Modigliani’s close friend, Chaim Soutine, a Russian
immigrant. Like his friend, Soutine lived and worked in
poverty and was known to be a neurasthenic, morbid, and
hypersensitive person. The feverish nature of the artist is
The paintings of Maurice Utrillo are represented by an
entire series of landscapes drawn from the best of his ‘White
Period’. The first painting lessons Utrillo received were from
his mother, the artist Suzanne Valadon, who had in her youth
been a favorite nude model for both Renoir and Toulouse-
Lautrec. Valadon’s works can also be seen in the exhibition.
Utrillo became a master of monochrome, distinguished by
a refined sense of the tones of urban landscapes, conveying
a sense of loneliness and melancholy. In a vivid contrast
with Utrillo’s ephemeral work are the color-rich paintings of
Moïse Kisling, among which are a portrait of the collector
himself, Jonas Netter. He had become friends with Kisling,
which was not surprising: Kisling was the true soul of
Montparnasse, a man who, according to his contemporaries’
testimony, radiated “energy in which vitality, love, sexuality
and creativity were mixed.” He was a regular visitor to the
cafés “la Coupole”, “de la Rotonde” and attended numerous
costumed balls, which were arranged in studios, private
houses, and salons.
Altogether, the exhibition includes more than 120 works by
artists of the School of Paris, which constitute the core of
Jonas Netter’s unique collection.
The exhibition is organized by the Cultural-Historical
Foundation “The Link of Times” and by Fabergé Museum in
St. Petersburg. The curator of the exhibition, Marc Restellini,
is an art historian and the world’s leading experts on the body
of works of Amedeo Modigliani. The exhibition is open to
public until March 25, 2018.

© Pinacothèque de Paris
65

© Pinacothèque de Paris © Fabergé Museum
The official opening ceremony of the first privately owned Fabergé Museum in Russia took place on November 19, 2013, in the
Shuvalov Palace in St. Petersburg. The founding organization of the museum is the Link of Times cultural and historical foundation,
which was established in 2004 by Viktor Vekselberg with the aim of repatriating items of cultural significance to Russia.
The idea of creating a series of museums in Russia dedicated to the works of the great jeweler Carl Fabergé first came to the Link
of Times in 2004. In that year, Viktor Vekselberg purchased a one-of-a-kind collection of Fabergé works which had been collected
by Malcolm Forbes. Since then, the foundation has been collecting Russian works of decorative and fine art and has amassed more
than 4.000 items today. In terms of its size, diversity, and the quality of its pieces, many of which belonged to the royal family and
other members of the royal courts of Europe, the collection is without a doubt one of the best in the world.
The most valuable items in the Museum’s collection are the nine Imperial Easter Eggs created by Fabergé for the last two Russian
emperors. Each of them is a masterpiece of jewelry and art, as well as a unique historical monument to the reign and personal life of
Alexander III and Nicholas II.
The exclusivity of the Fabergé collection acquired by the Link of Times foundation also comes from the fact that this collection
represents all of the areas the House of Faberge specialized in: objects of fantasy of all kinds, jewelry, small goods, silverware, and
interior and religious objects. In addition to works by Fabergé, the collection also includes works by his contemporaries, including
famous Russian jewelers and silversmiths such as Sazikov, Ovchinnikov, Khlebnikov, Rückert and many others.
66
Fabergé Museum, 21, Fontanka River Embankment, St. Petersburg, Russia - Fabergemuseum.ru

© Pinacothèque de Paris
67

Vladimir Medinsky - Minister of Culture of Russia, Silvie Bermann
- Ambassador of France in Russia, Maksim Sokolov - Minister for
Transportation of Russia, Viktor Vekselberg - President of Renova Group,
Vladimir Voronchenko - Chair of the Board of the Link of Times Historical
and Cultural Foundation, Director of Fabergé Museum © Barbara Dietrich
Silvie Bermann - Ambassador of France in Russia, Maksim Sokolov - Minister
for Transportation of Russia, Vladimir Medinsky - Minister of Culture of
Russia, Vladimir Voronchenko - Chair of the Board of the Link of Times
Historical and Cultural Foundation, Director of Fabergé Museum
© Barbara Dietrich
Viktor Vekselberg, Vladimir Voronchenko
© Fabergé Museum
Vladimir Voronchenko, Viktor Vekselberg, Andrey Shtorkh
© Fabergé Museum
Vladimir Voronchenko, Marina Medinskaya,
Vladimir Medinsky, Marc Restellini
© Fabergé Museum
Viktor Vekselberg, Vladimir Medinsky, Marina Medinskaya
© Fabergé Museum
68
© Fabergé Museum Vladimir Voronchenko, Ekaterina Puchkova, Rinat Umarov © Fabergé Museum

Roman Thaker, Mikhail Ovchinnikov, Ilya Zlotnik
© Fabergé Museum
Oleg Urazmetof, Barbara Dietrich & Marc Restellini
© Fabergé Museum
Barbara Dietrich & Nic Iljine
© Barbara Dietrich
Barbara Dietrich & Vladimir Medinsky
© Barbara Dietrich
Yury Dormidoshin & Natalia Dormidoshina © Fabergé Museum Viktor Vekselberg & Barbara Dietrich © Barbara Dietrich
© Barbara Dietrich
© Barbara Dietrich
69

THE INSTITUT RESTELLINI
TAKING ART BEYOND PERIODS &
USING ARTISTS AS WITNESSES OF
THEIR TIME
After more than 25 years of experience in the
field of catalogues raisonnés, scientific analysis of
artworks and documentary research in Art History,
Marc Restellini is adding a new string to his bow
by creating his own Institute for Scientific and
Documentary Research in Art History:
The Institut Restellini.
While being a main contributor — during the past two
decades — to the world of culture, of museums and of
successful exhibitions, Marc Restellini has also been a
major pioneer in the scientific area of Art History. First
of all during his studies, when he elaborated, as early as
in his Master’s thesis, a catalogue raisonné based on the
most recent data processing methods, which had never
before been applied to that field of human sciences. He
then created in Paris I — Panthéon — Sorbonne, under the
impulse of Professor Marc Le Bot, a postgraduate seminar
of methodology in Art History, in order to link data
processing to the doctoral students’ research. He oversaw
that seminar in conjunction with the CNRS (represented
by Professor Levaillant) to set up the teaching of the
methodologies, which he had himself developed for his own
research.
He was once again a pioneer when he decided, in 1997, on
Daniel Wildenstein’s invitation, to devote himself to the
elaboration of Amedeo Modigliani’s catalogue raisonné,
70
Marc Restellini
© Pinacothèque de Paris

imposing new scientific criteria never before utilized in the
field of research on works of art. By imposing his own methods,
he has created a new type of catalogue raisonné, whose model,
the Catalogue Modigliani remains unique worldwide. With
its 600 scientific files on the whole of Modigliani’s corpus
(genuine and fakes) and systematic analyses for each work,
Marc Restellini created a unique comparative calibration,
which he associated to a systematic usage of every new
technology as soon as it appeared. He was thus the very first to
set up a protocol of comparative pigmentary analysis, for the
elaboration of a paintings catalogue. He is also the first to use
magnetic resonance, for a non-intrusive pigmentary analysis.
He was the first to systematize, for a catalogue of artworks,
the use of infra-red plates and, later on, the first to employ
innovative methods like the digital processes of “fake colors”,
providing very effective results.
Unique in the world, the Institut Restellini is a pioneer
in the contribution of the most advanced technologies
to the field of art history, and of documentation, by
combining the scientific methods with the traditional
stylistic and historical analysis. The Institut Restellini has
as its vocation — in total and absolute independence from
the art market — to work alongside the best scientists, on
any work of art, and not only on works by Modigliani. In
order to achieve that goal, it closely collaborates with the
SGS laboratory in Geneva, and thus performs complete
research for any work of art: be it ancient, modern or
contemporary. While integrating the latest scientific
techniques, it is able to produce most scientifically
accomplished catalogues raisonnés. The Institut Restellini
has decided to offer an electronic publication of the
catalogue raisonné of Amedeo Modigliani, which is being
elaborated.
For every work, the Institut Restellini calls upon recognized
specialists of the artist, experts, authors of catalogues
raisonnés, scholars and academics, museum curators,
gallery owners worldwide, thanks to the international
network developed by Marc Restellini over the years.
The Institut Restellini can offer a due diligence report,
which summarizes the results of scientific analysis together
with the expert’s opinion, as a complete updated record on
each work:
- Technical examination report (analysis of the medium
and technique)
- Stylistic comparative analysis
- Documentation (history, exhibitions, literature)
- Conclusions of the study.
Amedeo Modigliani (Livorno, 1884 − Paris, 1920)
Portrait de Chaïm Soutine, 1916, Oil on canvas, 100 x 65 cm
© Pinacothèque de Paris
You are specialised in early 20th century painting
which covers an important period in the period of
“l’Art Moderne”. What is the relevance today of
this period towards our contemporary times
and the 21st century audience?
Each period in art history finds its roots and is nurtured by
previous periods and experiences. Can one imagine Picasso
without Cézanne’s legacy, or Bacon without Soutine, who
himself was inspired and touched by Rembrandt, Corot and
Delacroix? The 21st century artists cannot escape from this
logic and I don’t see a disruptive change from this basic
premise. The old masters, and other artistic predecessors
have laid the artistic fundaments for future generations of
contemporary artists.
How are the artworks created in this early 20th
century period and the practice of these artists
still resonating and influencing our contemporary
artists today?
Today these artworks often live on in a spirit of
breakthrough artistic practices and as part of the
transgressive evolution of contemporary artists.
71

© SGS
72
(R)evolution is supposed to be part of the contemporary
art practice and conceptual art becomes the new academic
path to follow for a young emerging artist. Transgression
is part of the DNA of our new generation of artists
where they follow new paths in parallel with the mere
academic approach. Yet this doesn’t automatically mean
that this path is the right one to follow because in the
end it would become the new conformism again and even
the new academic style of developing art. But again, it
could mean that opportunities are missed when dogma
starts ruling and this will happen again in the future. It
is clear that academic’s failure to discover and welcome
the Impressionists in the 19th century should not happen
again and we should not miss new art geniuses for
academic reasons. We should create an open atmosphere
that becomes a fertile soil to accept new ideas and
practices. I was worried once that we should also miss the
new wave of graffiti artists and that is why I organised the
expo “Pressionnisme”, to stress that a 100 years after the
first failure, a second one was happening to these graffiti
artists. The world changes more rapidly than ever but still
we don’t always learn from past experiences and mistakes.
The impact of this 20th century period on today’s
art market is still extremely high, thanks to the
enormous amount of creative energy that was
used during those modern and exciting times in
Paris and thanks to the romanticization of the
artistic scenery of the main protagonists. From
a monetary point of view this period is one of the
most acclaimed related to financial values. Can
you explain the relative value of this period in
comparison with other important periods in art
history ?

© Pinacothèque de Paris
First of all we are confronted with an unhealthy speculation
in the art market right now, which goes beyond limits. More
recently a second factor rose up: the power and valuation
of culture that is demonstrated on a global scale. I could
criticise myself here because I have been one of the main
protagonists in the last 20 years to display art all over the
world and bring new approaches in demonstrating and
combining art projects. But I must admit I feel a bit sad
that this display of culture fuels the speculation in the
global art market today. Just the thought that a painting
that is attributed to Leonardo da Vinci could be sold for
such a huge amount (Salvator Mundi was sold at Christie’s
New York in November for 382 Mio EUR), through the
knowledge that it could attract millions of visitors to
museums, is a breakthrough in thinking about the art
market. This will have an impact on price developments in
the near future. It is only the second time in recent history
that this type of museum or should we call it merchandising
and investment-oriented approach was communicated on
such a big scale. The first time it occurred was with a nude
of Modigliani bought by a Chinese collector to advertise his
museum with an iconic piece of art (in 2015 at Christie’s
New York Liu Yiqian bought Modigliani’s Reclining Nude
for approx. 144 Mio EUR).
When we talk about financial value, forgery
and falsification come into play. An issue of all
times, although in the past a copy could be a
‘reproduction’ and when well-executed you were
accepted with honors as a good copyist. Today you
are one of the worldwide experts in analysing the
works of Amedeo Modigliani. Could you explain
how you scientifically approach this task and decide
which artwork is real or could be classified as a
forgery ?
High market values bring in the temptation of forgery,
which has been happening for ages. My approach is simple,
coherent and based on science. My 3 tools are these: first,
I work with my eye, the most subjective tool I’ll admit, but
indispensable to lay the basis for further research steps;
the eye already defines how I will proceed in the process of
analysing the artwork. The other two criteria are objective
ones; diving into documentation, which has to be authentic
and older than the first known falsifications, in the case
of Modigliani best before 1925-1930. The last step is the
scientific analysis, but also in this domain today’s market is
spoiled by would-be analysts who pretend to use technology
and scientific studies on the artworks. To make things even
more complex and dubious, I could say there are false
researchers too. The test results of the laboratory should be
measured via a strict protocol, testing them to a database
that is comprehensive, historically built and correct. When
all the criteria are positive and there is no doubt on any
of these, the artwork can be certified as authentic. But the
smallest amount of doubt should make the analyst dare to
say the painting is hazardous and perhaps not authentic.
73

Chaïm Soutine
© Pinacothèque de Paris
La Folle, c. 1919, Oil on canvas, 87 x 65,1 cm
Chaïm Soutine
© Pinacothèque de Paris
Le Bœuf, c. 1920, Oil on canvas, 81 x 50 cm
74
I can imagine there is a lot of pressure on the
experts when they start the valuation of a piece.
I am sure you have a sound understanding of your
responsibility towards this matter. How do you cope
with this pressure?
The pressure is enormous and it is important to protect
yourself from it. To control it means to focus on the
research, by studying the painting and performing the
scientific research in the laboratory, but most importantly
by not listening to all the players of the art market. Auction
houses, art dealers in the secondary market, or commercial
agents have no idea about the time needed for thorough
research and making a good evaluation. Sometimes others
have a hard time understanding what I do during my
scientific research.
How come you became so passionate about art, as a
student, and still to this day? Is passion a conditio
sine qua non for you in your daily practice?
In the world of arts, without passion nothing is possible
in the long run. Art has been my life since I was a child. I
was raised in an intellectual and artistic environment where
my grand-father was a painter, my brother a musician, and
another brother a historian, professor and writer of a large
oeuvre of books. I myself am above all a historian and art
historian. Surrounded by paintings and artworks, I was
immersed as a youngster in this world of the arts and rich
culture and finally became a professional. Before entering
the world of museums, I spent 15 years at La Sorbonne in
Paris as a student and teacher. I started as a director in a
state-controlled institution and later in my own museum,
La Pinacothèque de Paris, to develop my own programming
and to install my vision. All of this can only be achieved
with passion; a passion that sometimes makes you do crazy
things, jump and cross borders.
How do you approach an exhibition as a curator?
Could you define your curatorial style?
I would like to define it as universal and transversal. I was
one of the first in my field to experience the closing of
the gaps between different forms and practices of art and
culture. Today this has become evident, but already in 2003
I was talking about a transversal and universal vision, even
before the Louvre at Abu Dhabi was considered. I was also
one of the first to include ‘Wunderkammers’, or cabinets
of curiosity in a museum presentation at the Pinacoteca in
Paris in 2011. The instalment and presentation of light and
colour in combination with the montage of the artworks
are defining for this vision. Since the 1950s museums
completely forgot to create dialogues and confrontations
between artworks, which is something I have always
incorporated.
Bruno Devos & Marc Restellini

Chaïm Soutine (Smilovitchi, 1893 − Paris, 1943), Le Lièvre pendu, c. 1923, Oil on canvas, 61 x 37,8 cm
© Pinacothèque de Paris
75

MARC RESTELLINI
Marc Restellini, born in 1964 in Saint-Omer
(Pas-de-Calais), is an art historian and French
museum director. He is the grandson of painter
Isaac Antcher. He is the founder of the Institut
Restellini and is internationally recognized as
one of the leading experts on the artist
Amedeo Modigliani.
76
He is keen to see a more innovative reading of Art History
based on the cross-disciplinarity of works. His novel
approach as an exhibition curator has played a notable part
in the modernization of the French cultural scene.
For the uninitiated, his name will not necessarily conjure
up any images, whereas for all those who are interested in
art, its history, and the places where it can be seen, Marc
Restellini is an emblematic figure in the French cultural
landscape. His work as one of the greatest experts on
Modigliani and as founder of the Pinacothèque de Paris,
has profoundly altered the way we see the organization and
design of art exhibitions. For Marc Restellini, exhibitions
have always been his favourite method of expression.
Through a very particular medium that makes it possible
to create a balanced mix between education for the general
public and scientific erudition, Marc Restellini has offered
the public many cult exhibitions which have sometimes
turned out to be outstanding popular successes. Out of the
10 most visited exhibitions in the past 20 years, at least five
have been curated by Marc Restellini.
In particular, this medium has enabled him to change the
way people perceive artworks and the way artworks are
interpreted among the public. When he embarked on his
professional career, the museum world had been in a state
of rupture for 30 or 40 years with the model of the “old
museum”, where the works were hung against red wall
hangings less than four inches apart, from floor to ceiling.
That break, which occurred in the Malraux years, took
an opposite stance and resulted in hanging works 30 feet
apart on a white wall, with cold lighting. To the point of
removing all warmth from the setting, and sometimes even
killing the work. This approach culminated in making the
interpretation of the work extremely desensitized, rendering
it merely intellectual, by making a definitive break with the
aestheticism, which the fashion of the day railed against.
Marc Restellini, a virulent opponent of white walls, would
reintroduce colour onto walls, by adding an architectural
language to the setting through colour, altering lighting
systems and conceiving specific lighting for works, in order
to reintroduce emotion into the way a work was read.
Putting works closer to one another in a logic of dialogue
between them, and also introducing education to enable
the person reading the work to assimilate those notions of
art history represented by iconography and comparative
science, lie at the heart of his approach. He would thus be
the first person to impart the concept of cross-disciplinarity,
which also makes it possible to compare cultures and
civilizations in one and the same exhibition.
So the very famous Modigliani exhibition at the Musée
du Luxembourg, which he sub-titled “Modigliani, l’Ange
au Visage grave” [Modigliani, the Angel with the Solemn
Face], was a complete re-reading of the Italian artist’s
œuvre. In size, it was also the largest show ever held of
Modigliani’s work, with more than 110 paintings and more
than 40 drawings. That ambitious project was especially
well-acclaimed among the general public: almost 600.000
visitors saw the show, more than the figure for the “Picasso-
Matisse” exhibition which was held at the same time in the
Grand Palais. We should also bear in mind a re-reading of
Van Gogh with the double exhibition “Van Gogh, Dreams
of Japan” and “Hiroshige, the Art of Travel”, which
established the compulsive relation between Van Gogh and
the art of the Japanese print in the 18th and 19th century.
That exhibition was incidentally one of the major successes
of the Pinacothèque de Paris with more than 800.000
visitors in five months.

Marc Restellini, Institut Restellini
© Pinacothèque de Paris
77

PEACE GLOBAL ART PROJECT
THE SEVEN PILLARS OF LAUGHING
The ‘Column of Peace’ by the German-Belgian artist
Ulrike Bolenz shall unite and reconcile continents
and peoples. Central to this artistic idea are the
human ideals of peace and freedom.
On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the State of
Israel and of the Sheba Medical Center, both created in
1948, the “Column of Peace” will be formally presented
in June 2018 to the Josef Buchmann Gynaecology and
Maternity Center at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel.
This column, created by the German-Belgian artist Ulrike
Bolenz, is part of the PEACE GLOBAL ART PROJECT:
THE SEVEN PILLARS OF LAUGHING curated by
Barbara Dietrich, Art Curator for “Living Tomorrow”
and owner of the Diplomatic World Magazine, who will
personally present the column during the anniversary
celebrations at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel.
The Josef Buchmann Gynaecology and Maternity Center
at the Sheba Medical Center is Israel’s leading OB/
GYN center of excellence. The center offers high quality
and compassionate clinical care to advance women’s
reproductive health.
To meet growing demand for patient services, and to meet
the demands of modern technology and science, Sheba
seeks to grow the Buchmann Center into a full-fledged,
multidisciplinary, and comprehensive Women’s Hospital.
The beautiful new lobby is just the beginning of a long and
difficult road of comprehensive renovation and expansion
works that will transform the Women’s Hospital into a
modern, friendly and pampering environment for both the
women and the staff.
The ‘Column of Peace’ by the German-
Belgian artist Ulrike Bolenz shall unite
and reconcile continents and peoples.
Central to this artistic idea are the
human ideals of peace and freedom.
The columns contain very finely
created and highly aesthetic images of
women who are expressing joy by their
posture and their laugh. The artist has
chosen women as motifs because they,
particularly as mothers, must convey zest
of life, optimism and courage to their
children. Thus, in reality, the woman
already leads a new member of the
human society to a peaceful joy in life
and harmony between races, cultures and religions.
The final destination of the column is a permanent home at
a museum of the country which will receive the column as a
gift. In the spirit of the artistic idea of this artwork, people
in the country will be brought mentally close to the ideals of
freedom and peace.
The concept is that an institution or a personality who
contributed to human rights and rights for education etc., is
going to hand over the column to a museum in their country
together with Diplomatic World Global Art Forum.
The column is a gift, thus there are no obligations of any
kind by individuals or by the country !
Behind this idea is a peaceful harmonious central theme
of the Peace Global Art Project, in which country-specific
INTERLINKING POLITICS, DIPLOMACY, BUSINESS
FINANCE, ART & CULTURAL DIPLOMACY
78

customs and traditions will be respected and considered.
Additional Columns of Peace will be going to Russia,
China, Israel, Belgium, USA and to countries in Africa and
South-America (to be determined). There will always be a
small but dignified ceremony. In this respect the wishes of
the country concerned will be considered.
The project is headed by Barbara Dietrich, Chairwoman
Global Art Forum at Diplomatic World.
BARBARA DIETRICH, CEO
DIPLOMATIC WORLD
ART CURATOR LIVING TOMORROW
THE ARTISTIC WORKS TO THE SUBJECT ‘LAUGH’ OF ULRIKE BOLENZ
Freedom, understanding, sympathy, soulfulness, optimism, self-confidence, sovereignty — positive terms which are brought
in conjunction primarily to human laugh. Laughter can be understood as a form of communication between people, which,
in its conflict-reducing effect, encourages the human interaction, creates a community spirit and consensus.
But this positive effect of forming a strong sense of community also contains a hidden essential anarchic feature of laugh:
the critical questioning of and disrespect for authorities. Thus authorities often feel provoked by this openly emotional
expression — as recently became public. The subject “laugh” can rarely be found in the history of art, as on one hand
the early clergy condemned laughter as unchristian and as on the other hand the cause of laughter cannot be pictured in
works of Fine Arts like paintings, sculptures, etc. Nevertheless several early Masters such as Frans Hals, Rubens, etc. have
been dealing with this subject, lately also Chinese artists. In her installations and paintings the artist Ulrike Bolenz often
embeds social, political and scientific time-critical themes and thus broaches the issue of fears of the modern man. Her
artistic works are emotional, touching and are food for thought. For twenty years now, the topic humor in the expression
of laughter is already part of the oeuvre of Ulrike Bolenz. In 1996 an installation of hers, a group of laughing women,
has been on display at the famous Berliner Dom, in the following years in French churches and 2005 in Ghent in the
chapel Campo Santo. The delight, expressed in the artworks with the topic laugh, shows Ulrike Bolenz also understands
it as a resistance against the human atrocities in our time. The latest tragic situation in Paris in November 2015 confirms
“a fortiori” the topicality of her works and can also be understood as an artistic effort to preserve optimism and joie de
vivre, and to reduce people’s fears. The artistic work of Ulrike Bolenz includes sculptures and large-scale installations in a
unique photo sculpture technique and works on canvas and wood in oil, acrylic and mixed media.
79

PAUL COOLS FOUNDER AND PARTNER
AT LA-ON LAWYERS AND HONORARY
CONSUL GENERAL OF MALTA SPREADS THE
WORD ABOUT VALLETTA 2018
Paul Cools’ activities and operations intertwine
from legal entrepreneurship to diplomacy to the
world of performing arts and being a collector of
contemporary art. Since 1992 Paul is founding
partner of LA-ON Lawyers based in Antwerp and
Florence, specialising in international advisory and
debt collecting. In all these legal activities Paul Cools
and his firm focus on mediation and negotiation.
This experience has brought him almost organically in
playing several other roles as Honorary Consul General of
Malta and being for almost 10 years engaged as a member
and president of the board of The Flemish Opera house, the
most important cultural institution in Flanders from political,
budget and number of employees point of view. As member
of the board of the Opera he recently was an advocate of the
larger integration of the Royal Ballet of Flanders into one
organisation, Kunstenhuis, Opera Ballet Flanders. Today he
is active as member of the board of the Fashion Museum in
Antwerp (MOMU).
Consulates are anchor points for smaller countries abroad
and facilitate its introduction and active presence. But in a
large country such as Brazil, Belgium is represented in Belo
Horizonte by Henrique Machado Rabelo, who nowadays as
Honorary Consul General, apart from his legal activities,
is also representing the Antwerp Harbour in the region.
His diplomatic experience and negotiation skills are critical
factors in his daily entrepreneurial life but also into his
diplomatic and cultural activities. As a diplomat, since
1993, with an extensive network in business and politics,
the impact of culture as a soft power has proven its potential
leverage during the course of these 25 years. When dealing
on a human level, either in politics or business, interaction
only becomes successful when there is a mutual respect and
understanding, and often cultural activities instigate this
rapprochement.
As Honorary Consul General, he always serves the citizens
of Malta but often aids Belgian citizens or companies in
their search for tourism or business opportunities in Malta.
Building bridges on all levels is the best reason to keep
80
motivated and keep track of the results of his diplomatic role.
Paul Cools
© Herman Selleslags

The harbour in Valletta
So the partnership with local and experienced forward
thinking persons can be profitable in addition to the corps
diplomatique and the services of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, hence a public private partnership can benefit several
parties and institutions.
even offering financial incentives. The tax shelter created
for the film industry, is one of the reasons for collaborations
between Belgium and the Island. The attractiveness of Malta
as a destination for tourism and business incentive has been
increasing recently.
Valletta 2018 as cultural capital of Europe, is the highlight
of 25 years of cultural exchange between Belgium and Malta,
with a wider international horizon. For Paul Cools this high
level event gives him the opportunity to invite his customers
to several events. The program for Valletta 2018 is rich,
especially focusing on performing arts that will create a sense
to experience the famous Maltese Festa and for one year
Malta invites visitors from all over the world to be part of this
cultural party. The contribution of Belgium for Valletta 2018
focuses on performing arts with for example De Munt/La
Monnaie, Muziektheater Transparant and Laika staging and
performing productions and collaborations in Valletta.
In recent years, Malta has become one of Europe’s most
popular film and television locations and the Maltese Islands
— Malta, Gozo and Comino — have been home to several
Hollywood blockbusters, thanks to the islands’ beautiful,
unspoiled coastlines and breathtaking architecture. Malta has
structured the possibilities for international film productions
via The Malta Film Commission. MFC is a government body
set up with the aim of assisting in the production of films
in Malta and promoting the islands as a filming location,
For Cools, cultural diplomacy and art will keep playing
an important role in both his professional and personal
life. As an innovative legal firm, artworks are part of the
biotope of his legal firm. Paul Cools firmly believes the
contemporary artworks that inhabit his home and LA-ON’s
working space add something extra, inspiring employees but
also surrounding them with beauty. The employees at the
company, when not working at home, change seats every day,
which confronts them with a new neighbour, colleague and
artwork every day. It also changes perspectives and leads
to discovering new angles inside the office but also of the
outside view to the river Scheldt or the old port of Antwerp,
with the MAS Museum as neighbouring landmark. Art as
a motivational tool, plays a specific part in creating new
concepts and models of human resources that the LA-ON
firm incorporates in its daily habitat.
Valletta 2018, opens as European Capital of Culture
with a unique celebration that’s worthy of the traditional
Maltese Festa from the 14th to the 21st of January. Valletta
2018 brings an exciting year-long celebration — a cultural
programme that starts in the capital city and reaches out to
81

towns and villages all over Malta and Gozo. In the opening
week music and entertainment, street artists and performers
will spread word of the opening around the capital’s
streets. Exhibitions set in diverse venues around the city,
open days that re-discover Valletta’s fascinating historical
spaces, community storytelling events centered around the
city’s residents and the spaces they use create a total Festa
experience.
The Valletta 2018 Cultural Programme kicks off on the 20th
of January 2018: a collection of over 140 projects and 400
events taking place throughout the year. Valletta 2018 has
invested strongly in a programme that sees the involvement of
around 1.000 local and international artists, curators, artist
collectives, performers, workshop leaders, writers, designers,
choirs and film-makers. While a number of international
artists are collaborating with locals throughout the 2018
programme, Maltese artists are travelling to the twin
European Capital of Culture, Leeuwarden in the Netherlands
as well as other cities in Cyprus, Japan, Poland and Greece.
Orfeo & Majnun is an interdisciplinary, participatory musictheatre
project that connects two myths from different
cultures, combining the Greek myth of Orfeo and Eurydice
and the Middle Eastern legend of Leyla and Majnun. A theatre
of emotions about love, loss and longing and the power of
music, Orfeo & Majnun will be an enchanting production
that uses multiple textures, including shadow puppet theatre,
to express a new take on these well-known tales. The project
extends into workshops and collaborations with local citizens
of all generations and backgrounds where students, choirs,
musicians and artists participate in the process of co-creation.
This fascinating piece builds up to a powerful community
experience that makes it one of the biggest participatory
projects on our programme. Local and international artists,
together with citizens participating in workshops, will present
their work for the first part of the Orfeo & Majnun project.
Orfeo & Majnun is produced in partnership with the Valletta
2018 Foundation, La Monnaie in Brussels, Festival d’Aixen-Provence
in France, Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna,
Operadagen in Rotterdam, Santa Maria da Feira in Portugal
and the Krakow Festival Office in Poland.
Darba Waħda is an intergenerational project giving two
generations the opportunity to meet over a creative platform.
Elderly people have a wealth of information and experience
that makes them valuable members of our communities.
Children, on the other hand, in their simplicity and
youthfulness, are inspirational. Through various creative
methods including drama, games and exercises, arts and
crafts, storytelling and improvisations, the two generations
have the opportunity to relate, to share, to exchange, to learn
and to create… and most of all have fun together. This project
explores this relationship and creates a bridge between the
two generations.
http://valletta2018.org/cultural-programme/the-valletta-2018-
cultural-programme/
A SHORT INTRODUCTION TO LA-ON LAWYERS
La-On Lawyers, founded by Paul Cools in 1992, focuses
on commercial law and debt collection with a branch
specialized in real estate and construction law. The
company has bases in Antwerp and Florence, assisting
customers all over Europe with unpaid invoices. La-On
has developed its own software that allows them to log in
directly to their customers’ IT network and create profiles
for their clients. This in turn gives customers digital
access to the information in the files.
In 2016, La-On was nominated as the most innovative
law firm in Europe. Their drive for innovation has only
increased and in the last year, La-On joined hands with
a scientific analysist and developed a statistic model that
can predict the success of a summons. The algorithm is
being refined daily to make sure La-On can create the
perfect trajectory for each profile, for both amicable
settlements and court cases. Through this system, La-On
is able to get the ideal cost optimization and highest
number of recoveries for their customers.
La-On specializes in mediation. “Our goal, as opposed
to that of some of our colleagues, is to avoid trials at all
costs. This enables our clients to keep their customers
and it contributes to one of our core values: sustainable
business”, says Paul Cools. Every person at La-On is
reminded of the company’s approach each day thanks
to the motto hanging in the office kitchen: “Customer
service is not a department but an attitude”.
www.la-on.eu | paul.cools@la-on.eu
82

Nightshade: Aubergine
© Lisa Tahon
Aubergines
Spheroid
Fruit, pleasing
To taste, fattened
By water gushing in all
The gardens, glossy cupped
In its petiole, ah heart
Of a lamb in
A vulture’s claws
Ibn Sara van Santarém
1043—1123
“A certain esteem for each other is evident in all who eat together.
This is already expressed by the fact of their sharing.
The food in the common dish before them belongs to all of them.
Everyone tries to be fair and not to take advantage of anyone else.
But the touch of solemnity in their attitude cannot be explained by this alone;
their mutual esteem also means that they will not eat each other.”
Elias Canetti
1905-1994
83

NIGHTSHADE: AUBERGINE BY
‘MUZIEKTHEATER TRANSPARANT’
... IT’S AN INNER JOURNEY AS WELL
AS AN OUTER JOURNEY
When I meet Claron McFadden, backstage, an
hour before her performance in the theatre play
L’humanité at Le Théâtre de Namur (BE), I am
enchanted by her presence, attitude and motivation
to bring music and minds together, tearing down
walls, with several spontaneous laughs in between,
as a weapon of mass human bonding. A woman and
female artist who has been on the most prestigious
opera stages in the world, but now looking for
a new mission, focusing, and engaging in deep
musical experiences, in search of common roots
that bring people from all over the world together.
Communicating with or without words, gesture,
music, songs, performance and dance and even an
aubergine turned into a dish; food as an instrument,
being a valuable member of Claron’s band.
84
Claron McFadden goes in search of the common roots of
our various cultures by focusing on one of the most iconic
ingredients on the culinary scene: the aubergine.
Despite the huge migration that it has experienced, this
age-old fruit has always managed to adapt to its culinary
surroundings, without losing its striking identity. Documentary
maker Lisa Tahon and McFadden are retracing this epic
migration back to its origin. During her journey, starting in
The Mediterranean, McFadden spends a few days with a host
in different countries. At each stop, she is taught a traditional
dish and a song, and she takes the recipes and melodies
with her. Together with a group of musical colleagues she
is contributing a new chapter to the tradition of migration.
Nightshade: Aubergine shows how mutual cross-pollination
can strengthen our common identity, and allows the audience
to experience the rich tradition of aubergine-based cuisine,
in combination with live music and a “road-movie” travel
documentary.
“When I look at the map of the world from left to right
and back again, wherever the aubergine goes the first thing
it always meets is distrust and morbid curiosity. Some
considered it an afrodisiac ‘poma amoris’ - the apple of love.
Others called it the apple of madness: ‘mala insana’.”
Around 1600 this English herbalist who’s name was Gerarde,
tried to warn his fellow countrymen against this purple
menace from the East: “In Egypt and Barbarie, they use to eate
the fruite of Mala insana boiled or rosted under ashes with
oile, vinegar, and pepper, as people use to eate Mushroms.
But I rather wishe Englishmen to content themselves with
the meate and sauce of our own country, than with fruite and
sauce eaten with such perill: for doubtlesse these apples have
a mischeevous quality; the use thereof is utterly to be forsaken.
... Therefore it is better to esteeme this plant and have him in
the garden for your pleasure and the rarenesse thereof, then
for any virtue or good qualities yet knowne.”

Nightshade: Aubergine
© Lisa Tahon
As I keep looking at the map of the world I see cultures
on the move from East to West and back again and People
try to stick to their traditions but it’s always too late ‘cause
nothing stays the same’.
with her on her shoulder. In this first part she travelled from
Belgium to the Mediterranean Sea. In the second part (in
2018-2019) they travel from the Mediterranean region to
the far East.
Since 2017 the American-Dutch soprano Claron McFadden
is one of the artists in residence of Muziektheater Transparant.
This production house in Borgerhout (Antwerp, BE) thus
supports McFadden’s artistic creations including
‘Nightshade: Aubergine’.
McFadden has been fascinated for years by a phenomenon
that appears to be universal. “It doesn’t matter if you are
rich or poor, black or white, but when people eat the first
bites of a meal, a silence seems to come over them, just
before they swallow the food, a silence which lasts for a
couple of seconds.”
In 2016 the vibrant and young soul McFadden decided to
explore her fascination by means of her favourite vegetable
from the Mediterranean kitchen, the eggplant. But after
some research it turned out to be originally from Myanmar
and going all the way to China. She decided to follow the
migration routes of the aubergine from the Mediterranean
sea to the Oriental roots, together with documentary maker
Lisa Tahon who followed Claron as if she was travelling
PENETRATED BY MELANCHOLY
For the first part of this adventure she found five hostesses
and hosts, through friends and acquaintances, in five
countries (Spain, Morocco, Italy (Sicily), Greece and
Turkey) who were prepared to teach her to make a local
dish with eggplant, and also taught her a song. Some of the
hosts had a song ready for her before she arrived, others
chose it after they had actually met her. Coincidence or not,
the melodies often matched her melancholic personality.
“The Greek song, for example, comes from a man who had
cancer. The song is a metaphor for his death in which his
predeceased parents advise him to stay on the other side,
with both feet firmly in life, where it is so much better to
linger.”
“That whole journey was permeated by melancholy. I
heard sad stories but at the same time encountered so
much warmth and sincere affection. For example, I met
an incredibly friendly waiter in Turkey, I will call him
Yusuf, which is an alias. He was sentenced to death in
his homeland because he is gay. He is currently in Turkey
85

Nightshade: Aubergine
© Koen Broos
86
awaiting permission to go to another country where he
can build a new life. He travels four hours a day to works
as a waiter in a restaurant. He lost everything, his house,
his family, his money. It moved me to see how cheerful he
always was despite all the misery he went through.”
During the performance we will meet the people and stories
that McFadden collected during these three weeks. In the
background we will see video images of the documentary,
while the music will switch from recordings to live
performances. Claron’s classical musical background is also
discussed briefly when she meets a lady who sings opera in
Istanbul. “An amazing experience”. Besides so many others.
For Claron, this trip became an inner journey which made
her realise that she too still suffers from prejudices about
her fellow man, while thinking that she is open-minded. “It’s
an inner journey as well as an outer journey”. That’s why
she selected the photo with the taxi driver from Morocco
as an image of the production that reflects her experience
and perhaps even her life. “It is not a cheerful but rather a
mysterious image. You see distrust in my eyes, fear of the
unknown. Because when you start such a journey, you don’t
know where you will end up. When we boarded the taxi, we
assumed that the driver would cheat us. But as soon as
I started talking to him, my prejudices disappeared.
He turned out to be a very friendly man and he taught me
how to gesticulate in Arabic. We really had a good laugh
during that car journey.”
And that is the feeling Claron and her artistic entourage
want to convey with Nightshade: Aubergine. The feeling of
connection, the questioning of why we build so many walls
between people and the confirmation that we as people on
the same planet have so much more in common than we
think. “If we are not careful, history repeats itself with wars
and large migration flows due to distrust and exclusion.
Life is too short not to learn from each other. Afterwards
we can all eat something and talk about what we have seen
and heard. And who knows, keep silent together for a few
seconds when we swallow our first bite.”
Concept | Vocals: Claron McFadden
Composition:
Tuur Florizoone, Osama Abdulrasol, Yannick Peeters
Composition ‘Evlerine Varagele Usandım’:
Ryan Francesconi, Dan Cantrell, Tobias Roberson,
Paul Brown, Brenna MacCrimmon
http://nachtschadeaubergine.tumblr.com/

NIGHTSHADE: AUBERGINE BY
MUZIEKTHEATER TRANSPARANT
Soprano Claron McFadden (b. 1961) is artist in resident
at Muziektheater Transparant. After her studies at the
Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York,
she became a great name in both the baroque and
traditional and modern repertoire. The popular soloist
was nominated for a Grammy in 2002 and received the
Amsterdam Arts Prize in 2007. www.claronmcfadden.com
Lisa Tahon (b. 1989) is an Ostend filmmaker. She
studied direction at the RITS. Since 2010 she has been a
permanent filmmaker at Vrijstaat O. In 2012 she made her
first documentary Upside Down in Palestine. In 2014 she
performed Parallel Lines together with dancer Bui Ngoc
Quan. Lisa also created trailers and dance reports of Bára
Sigfúsdóttir (The Lover), 3art3 Company (Untold) and
Vittoria De Ferrari Sapetto (088). In May 2015 she created
the documentary Gloed about the work of choreographer
Serge Aimé Coulibaly for CC De Grote Post. For the
province of West Flanders, she made the documentary
Tegoare Sterker about the West Flanders poverty
associations.
Nightshade: Aubergine
© Koen Broos
Nightshade: Aubergine 2018
Hackney Empire, London (UK)
20 - 21 January
Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam (NL)
15 February
Handelsbeurs Gent (BE)
17 February
Theater Tilburg (NL)
7 April
St Aloysius College Theatre (Valetta, Malta) 1 September
Concertgebouw Brugge (BE)
18 November
MUZIEKTHEATER TRANSPARANT
Going from the artistic and social topicality, production
house Muziektheater Transparant enters into an
intensive dialogue with artists from various disciplines
and creates, renews and presents music theatre in its
entire diversity for a wide audience. The voice is placed
firmly at the centre of the projects, and it continually
blends the old and the new. Other disciplines like
visual arts, film, video, graphics are integrated in the
productions. The company pays particular attention to
offering contemporary musicians the chance to develop
and try new work. House artists are for example Wouter
Van Looy, Wim Henderickx, Annelies Van Parys,
Claron McFadden and Luigi d’Angelis. In TRANSLAB
Muziektheater Transparant opens its doors to young
makers of music theatre and offers them support, training
and opportunities for creation like the annual Youth
Opera. In this way there is a long-term commitment to a
new generation of performing artists with inspiring artists
who act as their coach. Transparant is internationally
active and it has performed at many venues, festivals,
opera houses and at several European Capitals of
Culture. This variety of shows, artists and production
methods gives Muziektheater Transparant a unique
national and international character.
www.transparant.be
87

DIPLOMATIC WORLD
GLOBAL ART FORUM
An intro from Claron McFadden
NIGHTSHADE: AUBERGINE
It seems that we are becoming more and more concerned
with what separates us from our fellow human beings,
whereas I think we have much more in common than we
might like to admit.
About 15 years ago I was invited to spend the day with the
family of a close friend whose roots are Jewish/Yemeni. His
mother welcomed me with open arms, even though not one
word was exchanged between us. Language was not needed
because we were communicating on a deeper level and the
warm reception I received that day planted the tiny seed of
this project.
Several years after that, as a panel guest on BBC’s radio
program FORUM, I was asked to make a 60 second pitch
on how to improve the world. I said that if on a given day,
everyone in the entire world started to eat at exactly the
same time, for the space of about 10 seconds, there would
be absolute world peace.
I believe that something takes place in the brain directly
connected to our survival instinct when we take our first bite,
and this lasts about 10 seconds. The hungrier we are, the
longer and more intense the silence seems to be… Whether
collectively or individually, this tiny unit of time seems to
always be present. This is my starting point for exploring just
how connected we human beings really are.
I’d like to retrace the journey of the aubergine, one which
runs parallel to the iconic silk route, but do it in reverse,
from Spain, all the way to China. Documentary maker Lisa
Tahon will be my travelling companion, filming “over my
shoulder”.
The result of this journey will be a live performance, in the
form of a musical documentary and incorporating music,
film footage and the public getting a sampling the dishes
learnt.
Starting from the most westerly point of the Mediterranean
and moving eastward, I will pass through several countries
learning from a host how to cook an aubergine recipe as
well as learning a traditional song. I also hope to learn a bit
more about their personal “transmigration” and sense of
identity along the way.
I have 5 wonderful hosts on this trip to Spain, Morocco,
Italy, Greece and Turkey, who agreed to spend two days with
me. On my final evening in each country we will eat together
with family/friends, and the dish I learnt to cook will be
presented. And after dinner I will sing the song I learnt,
which might be unexpectedly entertaining at times.
I’m looking forward immensely to starting this journey
of discovery, and I’ll certainly be looking out for that tiny
portion of “world peace”…
Music and food are an important part of most cultures,
today, as in prehistoric times. Due to vast migrations over the
ages and the “cross-pollination” of cultures and customs, it is
becoming more and more rare to find food or music which is
“purely” English, German, Nigerian, etc.
88
In this project, the Aubergine is a metaphor for this musical,
culinary and anthropological “trans-migration”; from the
Orient to the Mediterranean, the aubergine has adapted
itself to its surroundings, yet always retaining its distinct
texture, colour and flavour. It doesn’t assimilate, but
integrates without losing its identity.
Pages 89 - 95
Nightshade:Aubergine
Photos performance ©Koen Broos
Photos film stills ©Lisa Tahon
© Muziektheater Transparant
© Claron McFadden and Lisa Tahon

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DIPLOMATIC WORLD
GLOBAL ART FORUM
PULAU JENGEKERIK (CRICKET ISLAND)
ALEXIS GAUTIER
Cricket Island
Alexis Gautier (1990) has spent two months in Indonesia
looking for the definition of an island: “there is a bored god,
a handful of dust and a floating island. I hear my name in
the speakers of the mosque, a night fisherman with a lamp
on his forehead and a prayer with open hand palms. They
tell me about a buried egg, a hidden door and about one
single cricket.”
About Pulau Jengkerik
By Laura Herman
What makes an island? French artist Alexis Gautier offers no
single answer to this question in his sprawling exhibition at
BOZAR. Through films, artefacts, and drawings, Gautier takes
viewers back to his allegorical floating island moving over the
waters around Flores, a group of islands in the eastern half of
Indonesia. Rather than focusing on the co-creation process with
local craftsmen, the works on view in the exhibition unravel the
multiple meanings and values accrued by the tiny body of artificial
land in an attempt to describe islandness as living experiment.
Though the exhibition may be read as an archipelago in itself,
allowing thought to drift off to its different parts, the works
are loosely hinged around three themes, namely the emergence
of myths, the prestige of discovering land, and the island as a
node in a geopolitical maze. Pulau Jengkerik functions less as
the protagonist of Gautier’s exhibition, than as the pretext for
making a documentary about the fantasy of territorial sovereignty,
geography, and belonging.
First, there was the encounter. As the small island was released
into the sea and travelled to different villages – whose inhabitants
speak various languages and follow multiple religions – it was
first met with suspicion. Then came expressions of astonishment,
enthusiasm and curiosity. The island quickly acquired different
names including Pulau Jengkerik (referring to its sole inhabitant, a
cricket) or Pulau Buatan (man-made island). Yet, most importantly
it brought forth a flood of stories and conversations about the
status and ontology of the island, often linked to shifting territories
and belief systems. If today artificial islands are commonly built
for the love of money or to rule the waves, the floating island once
belonged to the realm of fantasy and mythology. The myth of the
origin of Java Island, for example, goes something like this: moving
freely in the ocean, Batara Guru (Shiva) wanted to make the Java
island stay still. He instructed the gods Bragma and Vishnu to
move the tip of Mahameru and attach it to Java in order for it to
remain still. This story, told as way to mystify the unexplained, is
mimicked in the creation process of Pulau Jengkerik, which was
covered with the peeled off vegetation of the top of a hill.
Myths and stories are closely intertwined with the discovery of
lands and the act of taking possession of them, and it is no
coincidence that the sight of the bare stripped area reminds us
of humankind’s violent venture to subdue or master nature, and
exploit its resources. Simultaneously, the vegetation covering the
island refers to the contemporary legal definition of what makes
an island according to Indonesian law. An island is only an island,
and not a rock in the water, when it appears high on tide and
accommodates vegetation, preferably a tree.
A similar definition has been given for what constitutes a micronation.
The most ephemeral of states requires an office, enjoys
recognition, and fashions its own currency. One may speculate
that the woven banknotes on view in the exhibition operate as a
currency for Gautier’s fictional island. Based on original, historical
currency from the archipelago, but made with a diagonal weave,
the woven notes reflect a drifting perception of space, upending
the standardised cardinal points of the compass: north, south,
east, and west. When leaving the island by boats, many islanders
turned their back to the sea and the future, keeping sight of the
shore and the past. Woven from the experience of time and space,
the notes suggest a different relation to direction, land, borders,
and neighbours. Along those lines, Gautier’s cricket isle can also
be viewed as a meandering landmark, constantly shifting its spatial
relation to the world’s geographical axes.
Finally, many other stories of volcanic eruptions and natural
phenomena permeate and extend from Pulau Jengkerik as it
pushes the imagination of everyone who encounters it. Above all,
the floating island points to the permeability of stories and belief
systems – the capacity to absorb and integrate stories to make
multiple versions of the world we inhabit, and wherein we can
occupy both sides of the divide between fiction and reality.
Pages 23, 61, 96, 129 & 141
PULAU JENGEKERIK (CRICKET ISLAND)
© Alexis Gautier
97

GEOPOLITICS, ART AND CREATION
DIPLOMATIC WORLD
Prof. Dr. Jan De Maere
The geopolitical context changes radically
nowadays. This forces Europe to adapt and to
speak with one voice. This also has implications
for creativity, art and culture, and its relation to
artificial intelligence (AI). The Anglo-Saxon art
market is 60% of the world market, and will soon
be defining its own rules. It is based on different
principles, less regulation and better policing of
the code of conduct by professional art market
organizations. How will the European art market
survive at a bureaucratic excess? Will Europe make
a prerequisite of the respect of intellectual property
rights in its diplomatic relations?
Our democratic institutions adapt with hope and courage
to the new European order, soon without Great Britain.
Regardless of the quality of Brexit negotiators, it is
nevertheless Mrs Angela Merkel who will largely decide the
outcome of European trade regulations with the UK. The
path to optimise coordination between European countries
and their many regions, is strewn with pitfalls. This
provokes some jolts as we see in Cataluña. Some countries
have a tradition of strong centralization, others are a
federation of regions with a central government and great
subsidiarity at each level of competence. The transformation
of the artistic world and creative industry, has to find a way
between a free and globalized market, allowing to shine
without borders, and the ukases of the ‘politically correct’
state management artistic life, inherited from times, not
so long ago, when Marxism was intellectually fashionable.
Stardom, immediacy, short attention-span and social
media, leave little room for poetry, procrastination and
contemplation. The dimension of time is shrinking every
day.
98
Territorial integrity and Western values of free expression
are undermined by revenge and by the disrespect for the
rule of law in many countries. Each century adapts its
Jan De Maere

Leonardo da Vinci, ‘Christ Savior’, Christie’s New York, sold $451.000.000
forms of diplomacy to the requirements of its times. As
two hundred years ago at the Vienna Congress (1815),
a new international system points at the horizon. Based
on the historic primacy and brutality of the great powers,
their desire for regional hegemony modifies more and more
the balance of power and transforms it in geographical
spheres of influence. The great powers are historically
always nationalist and only globalist when it suits them. The
American primacy resulted from the end of the Cold War.
Today, the fragile balance of powers is renegotiated between
the USA and China, both playing on the lack of European
cohesion. Advancing in a dispersed order is never a good
idea, as Ambiorix, king of the Eburones (Gallia Belgica),
and Vercingetorix (Averni tribe) found out, fighting against
Julius Caesar, which exploited Gaulish internal division two
thousand years ago.
In a world obsessed with efficiency, where in most countries
education neglects history and culture, artistic creation is
a fragile area of freedom. Economic Europe is becoming
stronger, socio-political Europe is looking for its identity,
while a Europe of culture has yet to be firmly established
99

Ioan Sbârciu & Jan De Maere, Cluj-Napoca 2015
100
and defined. In this digitalized world, there is a direct
link between the economics of the art market and cultural
education and consumption. Quality can only be expressed
through the critical sense of a healthy civil society,
imposing the complexity and diversity of its reflection. Free
movement of people and goods is the general European
principle, respected by all. Countries, facilitating exchanges
between different cultural regions and countries, outperform
others. Art intensifies the cultural discourse and
science, which cannot exist without creative hypothesis.
Therefore, it’s on the margins of society that creators
reveal their fragile niches, which, in their individuality,
bear a universal dimension that grabs us emotionally. Selfawareness
has only a lucky outcome when the story we
unconsciously tell about our self, finds its parallel in the
global and lasting discourse of humanity, which is expressed
through its creativity. That is where our doubts are qualified
and hope is born.
A well-functioning world needs an active and critical
civil society that offers solutions and takes interest in the
suffering of others. The desire for discovery, exchange and
innovation should not use ad hominem arguments nor
stigmatization. The search for the common universal base of
our European values requires from public authorities a great
capacity to listen to the fragility of the nascent creation.
Their task is also to organize a common cultural memory
with respect for all nuances of diversity. But, their attempts
bring them far from the roots with which people establish
the foundation of their subjectivity. Public cultural policies
are part of the continuity of the history of peoples. But,
they have to avoid alienation; only meaningful content could
transform emotion into feelings.
The present is conditioned by the past, as much as the
future is by the present. The integration of our concepts of
time and place in our subjectivity is mediated through art
and cultural management. The regulation of the transfer
of cultural immaterial values is part of the economy of
culture, but some great countries hardly respect intellectual
property rights. In a hypocritical opportunist reflex, a
great number of other countries do not contest this bad
attitude in their diplomatic relationships. They do not
want to know that hereby they weaken themselves. It is up
to the democratic state to define the framework in which
his cultural economy can function in an optimal way for
all. Incentive, distributive and corrective measures must
reconcile the terms of cultural exception, free trade and law,
taking into account European values. Countries that have
maintained or developed totalitarian tendencies, if they have
the ambition to trade with Europe, should be required to
respect freedom of opinion. Article 36 TFUE recognizes for

those member states of the European Union that they can
partially derogate from the principles of free movement; but
free expression and information is protected by the Charter
of Fundamental Rights of the EU (Title II, art 11).
threshold set in their category and a procedure for the
return of cultural property unlawfully transferred from one
Member State to another with retroactive effect for illicit
transfers done from 1 January 1993.
The state plays a great role in all markets, it regulates
them and negotiates international agreements. Legal,
administrative and fiscal rules are drawn up in order to
guarantee buyers and sellers a minimum of transparency
and fairness. Each European country has its legal
specificities about intellectual rights and the concept of
authenticity. The Anglo-Saxon market, which dominates two
thirds of the international art market, is based on “common
law”, which considers authenticity a matter of opinion and
due diligence. As for the European continent, it derived its
laws from the Napoleonic code. In France, Jurisprudence
sees authenticity in cultural matters as a ‘fact to be proven’.
But, also there, legal truth and connoisseurship are often
in conflict. Because there, legal expertise is also only a
matter of diagnostic based on an educated opinion and on
material analysis, it’s only a legally accepted opinion. A
good example is ‘Le Jardin d’Auvers sur Oise’. A French legal
decision established the authorship of Vincent Van Gogh.
Nevertheless, the painting has been unsellable ever since,
because a majority of connoisseurs does not believe in it.
Each system has its advantages and its handicaps, but it is
clear that an excess of regulation is harmful and does not
improve the quality of the practice of the art market. It are
its actors and their professional organizations, which are
best placed to ensure transparency and fairness.
Special tax procedures can contribute to the growth of
public collections. This is the case of the ‘payment in
dation’, which allows the payment of tax by handing over
works of art to the State. Those exemptions from taxes can
be, as in the United States, a powerful incentive for the
donation of works of art to museums. Tax measures can
help to foster creation. In many countries, companies can
deduct a portion of the purchase price for works by living
artists from their profits. The state may also encourage
individuals and companies to acquire and preserve
patrimonial assets.
The disappearance of physical checks at European internal
borders has made it necessary to set up a European Union
system for controlling the circulation of objects and works
of art. It is based on two procedures: the requirement
of a license for the export of cultural property outside
the European Union for cultural property exceeding the
The degree of patrimonial preservation is the indicator
of society’s relationship to its history. Private collectors
are the first guardians of the treasures of creation; they
have been generous donors since the Enlightenment. The
distance in time necessary to evaluate the lasting impact of
today’s contemporary art should be the task of museums
and connoisseurs in the coming centuries. This selection
works as an ongoing and informal peer-review of influent
connoisseurs, scholars, art galleries and collectors, essential
elements of the market economy. They shape the eye of the
next century, even if most of them are isolated individuals
with a refined eye. They allowed artists such as Marcel
Broodthaers, Vincent Van Gogh and Johannes Vermeer to
live and paint, while living on the margins of the fashion of
the day. Political correct mainstream art can never become
a creative avant-garde.
Until now, most countries in Europe and the EU
administration have unfortunately considered and taxed
works of art only as a commodity, and seen the professional
art market organizations as a nuisance. This has caused
the decline of the continental European art markets to
the benefit of external markets such as the United States
and Switzerland. Even in Europe, their politicians always
defended Great Britain’s art market privileges by delaying
EU regulations. They have confidence in the professional
law-abiding art market associations which is why they
dominate the world market.
Normativity, i.e. reference systems, dominates the
digitalized world and social media. The word of a simple
honest man, searching for his subjective truth, is rarely
heard in the concert of the interest of nations. The question
of identity, place, history and of what unites us in our
differences, cannot be solved in the contempt of tradition
and culture. Nothing new is ever born out of itself! It is not
by spreading standardized information on the internet that
ignorance will resist media manipulation. Tolerance towards
others begins with doubt and critical self-understanding
and needs time, a rare commodity in a digital world.
When Artificial Intelligence (AI) will imposes more and
more predefined single thought, it will eliminate complex
individual diversity. Art is the only salvation. It has the right
to the last word and the highest price.
101

A BRIDGE BETWEEN NATIONS AND
RELIGIONS — INSPIRED BY THE ART
OF CHAGALL
The German artist, Yvelle Gabriel, is currently
working on the new Sheba Synagogue project
— located in the main lobby of the most
comprehensive medical center in the Middle East.
Beautiful stained glass windows, which profoundly
touch the contexts peace, hope and consolation.
The Chaim Sheba Medical Center is the most
comprehensive medical center in the Middle East. With 1.5
million people passing through Israel‘s largest and most
important medical facility every year, visiting the Synagogue
is an important spiritual experience. Many of the medical
center’s patients, their families and visitors, as well as Sheba
staff, make daily use of the central synagogue. At times of
medical crisis and uncertainty, all people — from all walks
of life — seek a place to pray. The current construction of
the new Sheba Synagogue triples the size of the old one. A
new concept and architectural design, adding a second floor
and integrating the unique glass art of the German artist
Yvelle Gabriel.
• 2 large front windows, each 1.20 x 6 meters high. Subject:
“The profound journey of the Jews: Genesis: Exodus:
Homeland”
• 1 hanging, oversized glass Torah Ark in the form of a threedimensional,
modified “Star of David”
• 1 three-dimensional glass ceiling diamond, “The tree of life:
7 fruits of Israel”, 3 meters diameter
• 2 large entrance doors each with 12 small windows. Subject:
“12 tribes of Israel”, in cooperation with the famous Bezalel
Art School of Israel
• 1 large window in the staircase leading to the women’s area.
Subject: “Intention of good prayers and wishes”
102

Barbara Dietrich, Yvelle Gabriel and Ulrike Haen at St. Stephan Mainz
THE MYTH BEHIND THE ART
In 1959, Marc Chagall was commissioned to create 12
windows of the then largest Israeli hospital “Hadassah”.
At the inauguration in 1962, he said: “My hope is that
through this, I may extend my hand to the culture seeking
poets and artists among the neighboring peoples.” After
this, he designed many glass windows with his French
partner and friend Charles Marq in collaboration with the
Jacques Simon Workshop in Reims and the unique, mouthblown
antique glass works in St. Just sur Loire.
He completed his crowning achievement in the
St. Stephan’s church in Mainz. Chagall’s windows
in Germany were a very personal statement after the
Holocaust and Nazi Germany: a gesture of goodwill
from a Jewish artist connecting and bridging Jewish and
Christian faiths. Chagall finished this German-Jewish
project in Mainz shortly before his death. Mainz is also
the birthplace of Yvelle Gabriel, where he was baptized in
1969. For many years, the artist had a vision of continuing
Chagall’s very special work. Now he is able to pick up
this delicate thread and return it to the “Holy Land”.
Gabriel grew up close to the first “wild concentration
camp” Osthofen and was beaten by some Neo-Nazis in
his youth. Gabriel illustrates this in some of his art and
performances.
THE GERMAN ARTIST IN HIS OWN WORDS
Yvelle Gabriel, Barbara Dietrich and Ulrike Haen at St. Stephan Mainz
“I am dedicated to this art project for the Jewish
synagogue, in the largest Israeli hospital — a place of
healing and recovery, especially for Jews — it is a great
opportunity. On reflection, for me personally, the
conciliatory circle is symbolically complete. A reaching out
of hands in the healing process of our own German past —
between successive generations of Christians and Jews,
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a “generation of grandchildren” — German and Israeli. In
the seven years of my Israeli travels, I was invited to many
Jewish festivals. I took an in-depth part in Jewish life and
embraced many sons, daughters and grandchildren, whose
parents and grandparents were killed in concentration
camps in Germany. I can only look back symbolically at
these deep wounds — and soothe the scars lovingly when
they no longer bleed. Only if I am permitted to, of course.
However, as grandchildren we can handle this much more
consciously. Time heals all wounds? Ultimately, the love and
dedication of our and future generations, will be ready for
reconciliation.
I am only too aware that my work will lead to controversy
after its installation in 2018. A German artist, a non-
Jew, creates the windows of the Orthodox synagogue
— the spiritual and religious heart of the most important
Jewish clinic in the Promised Land. But, for me, the focus
will be on a peaceful completion of deep generational
reconciliation, peoples and nations: A world-embracing
artist, whose heart and soul artistically builds bridges
between all cultures and religions — in the spirit of Chagall”.
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Gilles Florent and Yvelle Gabriel

“My hope is that through this, I may extend my hand to all
the Jews in Israel and that they will ultimately accept it as a
gesture of friendship.”
“During a tour in 2017, my Israeli Studio Partner, Gilles
Florent, and I purchased some unique antique glass from
the last French glass works, St. Just. In April, we visited the
Studio Marq in Reims, where Marc Chagall once built his
windows for Israel and Mainz. Here the inaugural piece of
the front windows was created and transported to Israel:
“the Jewish flame”. Later in the year we opened our new
Glass Studio in Ramlah — inside the old Templar building
of the Arab metal artist Nihad Dabeet. Now that our studio
community has been established, visitors are welcome:
From heart to art.”
“When I look through the stained glass I am fascinated. It is
comparable to seeing my whole life pass by. There are small
bubbles, glittering wonderfully in the sun — interwoven with
countless structures, in the warm back light of this unique
moment. On the surface I perceive thousands of shimmering
facets. The last seven years in Israel, an incomprehensible
period of a thousand moments, seem to have melted into it, now
crystallized and frozen — in a unique matrix, an artistic hologram.
In early 2018, this profoundly expressive glass will be installed
in the synagogue of the largest Middle-Eastern clinic and many
people will be able to read from it in the coming decades — a
deeply touching personal experience. Generational Reconciliation
through the conviction and belief in this holy work, of a German
artist in Israel. The glow of glass is hidden in darkness — one
divine light brings it forth. It penetrates our souls absolutely.”
www.sheba-synagogue.com
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BRAFA 2018
UNVEILS THE LIST OF EXHIBITORS
133 BELGIAN AND
INTERNATIONAL GALLERIES
WILL GATHER AT TOUR & TAXIS
(BRUSSELS) FROM
27 JANUARY TO 4 FEBRUARY 2018
The first international art fair of the year, the next edition of
BRAFA will take place between 27 January and 4 February
2018 at Tour & Taxis (Brussels), and will bring together
133 galleries and art dealers from some fifteen countries.
Continuity and an increased international presence will
be the watchwords of a fair that has not stopped evolving
in recent years and has established itself as an unmissable
event on the art market calendar. Quality and eclecticism
are the golden thread guiding visitors through each of the
specialities represented, which cover the history of art from
antiquity to the contemporary era from every possible origin
and region. From 46.000 in 2012 to more than 61.000
in 2017, the number of visitors to Brafa is growing each
year, in search of top level works of art and discoveries in
disciplines as diverse as archaeology, jewellery, painting,
sculpture, furniture, design, glassware, ceramics and
porcelain, clocks, objets d’art, antique frames, panels
and original drawings by comic strip artists, as well as
contemporary creations.
If this ever-increasing growth in attendance reflects the
steady rise in the prominence of the event, it also creates
ever greater expectations that the organizers must not
disappoint. And so, there is but one credo: that of the
highest possible quality. That became the leitmotif repeated
in unison by each of the exhibitors, of which there will be
133 for the 2018 edition — one more than in 2017 — made
up of a core of faithful galleries that have been present at
the event for many years and the new international galleries
that are joining their ranks.
106
Galerie Schifferli, ‘Santa Conversazione’, ‘Santa Conversazione’
Max Ernst (Brühl 1891-1976 Paris)
As compared to the 2017 edition, then, 13 major new names
will participate for the first time in 2018:
ArtAncient
(London - archaeology, numismatics);
Galeria Bernat
(Madrid / Barcelona - Haute Epoque);
Galerie Chastel-Maréchal
(Paris - 20th-century decorative arts);

Gladstone Gallery
(Brussels - contemporary art);
Galerie Maeght
(Paris - 20th-century paintings and sculptures);
Guilhem Montagut Gallery
(Barcelona - tribal art);
Renaud Montméat
(Paris - Asian art);
Osborne Samuel Gallery
(London - modern and contemporary art with focus on
Modern British Painting and Sculpture);
Galerie de la Présidence
(Paris - 20th-century masters and figurative painters
of the 1950s);
Galerie Ratton
(Paris - tribal art);
Repetto Gallery
(London - Italian post-war art, Arte Povera, Land Art);
Galerie Schifferli
(Geneva - 20th-century paintings and works on paper);
Theatrum Mundi
(Arezzo - 21st-century cabinet of curiosities).
HAROLD T’KINT DE ROODENBEKE,
PRESIDENT OF BRAFA:
“It’s really a great
source of pride for
Brafa to be able
to present such a
panel, comprising
so many galleries of
international renown
and such strong
sections. I think the
quality will never have been as high, and I am delighted
at the prospect. We have never been ready this early, our
list of participants having been finalized in June. This is
strong testimony to the attractiveness of BRAFA, and
constitutes recognition on the part of our colleagues.
We are looking forward with great anticipation to being
able to open our doors to our visitors!”
Boon Gallery, ‘L’oracle’, Circa 1931, René Magritte (Lessines 1898-1967 Brussels)
107

BRAFA 2018
GUEST OF HONOUR 2018
CHRISTO
108
Christo was born in Gabrovo, Bulgaria. His father,
Vladimir Javacheff, was a businessman and ran a
fabric factory, and his mother, Tsveta Dimitrova, was
the secretary at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia.
Professors from the Academy who visited his family
observed Christo’s artistic talent while he was still of a
very young age. Christo studied art at the Sofia Academy
from 1953 to 1956 and went to Prague, Czechoslovakia
(now Czech Republic), until 1957, when he left for the
West by bribing a railway official and stowing away with
several other individuals on board a train transporting
medicine and medical supplies to Austria.
Christo quickly settled in Vienna and enrolled at the
Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. After only one semester
there, he traveled to Geneva and moved to Paris in 1958.
His life in Paris was characterized by financial hardship
and social isolation, which was worsened by his difficulty
learning the French language. He earned money by
painting portraits, which he likened to prostitution and
signed with his family name “Javachef” while his early
works were signed “Christo.” In 1973, after 17 stateless
years, Christo became a United States citizen.
JEAN-CLAUDE
Jeanne-Claude was born in Casablanca, Morocco, where
her French military father was stationed. Her mother,
Précilda, was 17 when she married Jeanne-Claude’s
father, Major Léon Denat. Précilda and Léon Denat
divorced shortly after Jeanne-Claude was born, and
Précilda remarried three times. Jeanne-Claude earned a
baccalauréat in Latin and philosophy in 1952 from the
University of Tunis.
During World War II, Jeanne-Claude lived with her
father’s family while her mother fought in the French
Resistance. In 1946, Précilda married the influential
General Jacques de Guillebon. The family lived in
Berne from 1948 to 1951, then in Tunisia from 1952 to
1957, when they returned to Paris. She was described as
“extroverted” and with natural organizational abilities.
Her hair was dyed red, a color she claimed was selected
by her husband and she smoked cigarettes, and tried to
quit many times until her weight would balloon. She did
not enjoy cooking. She took responsibility for overseeing
work crews and for raising funds. She said she became an
artist out of love for Christo (if he’d been a dentist, she
said she’d have become a dentist).
Jeanne-Claude died in New York City on November 18,
2009, from complications due to a brain aneurysm. Her
body was to be donated to science, one of her wishes.
Former Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg
described The Gates as “one of the most exciting public
art projects ever put on anywhere in the world — and it
would never have happened without Jeanne-Claude.”
Jeanne-Claude said, “Our art has absolutely no purpose,
except to be a work of art. We do not give messages.” She
also said, “Artists don’t retire. They die. That’s all. When
they stop being able to create art, they die.” When she
died, she and Christo were at work on Over the River, a
set of fabric panels over the Arkansas River in Colorado
(begun in 1992) and The Mastaba, a stack of 410,000 oil
barrels configured as a mastaba, a trapezoidal prism, in
the United Arab Emirates.
Source : Wikipedia

27 JAN - 04 FEB 2018
BRUSSELS
ONE OF THE MOST INSPIRING FAIRS IN THE WORLD
109

‘TOUR & TAXIS’
A DISTRICT IN MOTION
The former goods station and the multimodal
distribution platform on the site entitled
‘Tour & Taxis’ bear witness to Belgium’s
prominent position within the world economy
at the start of the last century.
For almost a century, the huge Tour & Taxis customs and
warehousing complex was the capital’s freight transport
hub. Its construction (1902-1907) along with that of the
seaport, gave great impetus to the industrialization of the
neighboring quarters of Molenbeek and Laeken and the
entire Brussels area. Its rationalist design by engineers
Bruneel and Zone and architects Van Humbeek, Bosmans
and Vandeveld provides direct access by water, road and
rail. The complex has three vital functions: the speedy
reception of goods, their storage in bonded warehouses
and the collection of taxes and excise duties. The layout is
designed to optimize use of the railway track network.
The site extends over 37 hectares of what was previously
marshy grassland. It is a world-class monument
to the Golden Age of industrialization, a mine of
information on industrial architecture, civil engineering,
metalwork, stonework and the use of natural light. It
is contemporaneous with Orsay and Antwerp railway
stations, where the same materials were used. As European
customs barriers were removed and competition from road
110

transportation increased, the importance of the complex
gradually declined. Serious iconoclastic threats to the
site have now been safely removed. Thanks to the efforts
of La Fonderie and sympathetic organizations at home
and abroad, Tour & Taxis is now a protected site. The
promoters and the present owners are extremely sensitive
to the heritage aspects. The complex has huge conversion
potential and ideas are being carefully vetted. The heritage
value has become the key asset in the development process.
Consultations have been launched with all the economic,
cultural and social interest groups with a view to converting
this site into a new slice of town.
The cultural heritage, which luckily has been preserved, is of an exceptional
architectural quality and reflects the standard of technical engineering at
the time of its construction. This book analyses and resituates each building
and installation on the site to enable this past to be taken into account when
pursuing development. In this way the history of the site can be preserved and
understood.
Whilst retaining full respect for the site as it is updated, from now on Tour
& Taxis offers undoubted value if you are organizing shows or events or if
you want to make available long-lasting office spaces. In the near future, a
new park will be developed and the site will be welcoming a host of activities
on the theme of the long-lasting business and the economy of knowledge.
Ambitions in terms of an economy based on energy and the re-use of
renewable energy will be particularly daring. The site will inspire feelings of
well-being and will be a place where there is always something to experience
and discover. What is more, top-quality dwellings can be offered right next to
the center to allow optimum mobility. In this way Tour & Taxis will once again
become an important driver of the economic and cultural development of
Brussels.
Baron Luc Bertrand
Chairman of the Board of Directors - Project T&T S.A./N.V.
111

112

113

CIDIC’S DIPLOMATIC, ECONOMIC,
ACADEMIC AND CULTURAL DAYS
IN TALLINN
AT THE OCCASION OF THE ESTONIAN PRESIDENCY
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
Organized in concertation with the Estonian Ministries
of Foreign and Economic Affairs, and HE Mr Lembit
Uibo, Ambassador of Estonia in Belgium, the DEAC
Days, in cooperation with CIDIC’s strategic partners,
UNICA, BRUSSELS DIPLOMATIC ACADEMY and
DIPLOMATIC WORLD, were acclaimed as highly
successful by all participants.
After a number of meetings at the Tallinn University of
Technology and the Tallinn University, the delegation of
about 25 people ended the Mission with the European
CIDIC Awards Ceremony.
HE Mr Carl Peeters, Ambassador of Belgium to Finland and
Estonia, gave a European CIDIC Award to Katoen Natie
Tallinn, Professor Abdellah Touhafi of the Vrije Universiteit
Brussel, Skeleton Technologies Estonia and Lainergy
Estonia. The Ceremony was followed by a reception
offered by the Belgian Embassy to all Belgian and Estonian
participants.
AT THE KUMU MUSEUM THE PARTICIPANTS
WERE INTRODUCED TO THE ESTONIAN
CULTURE AND HISTORY.
These excellent results have further enhanced our
determination to continue the development of our DEAC
Days concept by organizing DEAC Days and other
activities with the country holding the six-monthly rotating
Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
We are, more than ever, convinced that these six-monthly
DEAC activities contribute to re-dynamising the European
inland economy, and the sense of a shared European
citizenship.
114

The Belgian delegation at Kumu Museum
Kumu Museum
Kumu Museum
Kumu Museum, Kadriorg park, Tallinn.
115

THE CIDIC
EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR ECONOMIC,
ACADEMIC AND CULTURAL DIPLOMACY
The CIDIC (European Centre for Economic,
Academic and Cultural Diplomacy) Diplomatic,
Economic, Academic, and Cultural (DEAC)
mission to Tallinn, 10 - 12 October 2017, in
cooperation with UNICA, VUB-Brussels
Diplomatic Academy and Diplomatic World,
Universities and research centres at work during
the Estonian DEAC Days
Report by Jan Cornelis, Academic Attaché, CIDIC
116
The mission’s two academic workshops were undoubtedly
the highlight of the DEAC Days in Estonia. The subjects
were chosen to attract a mixed public of governmental
decision-makers, and diplomatic and private sector
representatives. While we did not succeed in breaking down
the walls separating these distinct communities in Estonia,
the workshops were very successful in bringing Estonian
and Belgian scientists who share a real interest in creating
international societal and economic impact closer together.
The workshop on Digital Society and Big Data took place
in Tallinn Technical University’s Mektory. Mektory is a
special place. The gap between a new idea emanating from
university research or an individual inventor and a good idea
supported by a sound, sustainable business venture is still
a difficult hurdle to surmount. In this “new-to-good idea”
translation process, besides attracting investors, there is
an even more urgent need for training in the fundamentals
of business and (technology) entrepreneurship, and for an
appropriate transit ecosystem including physical facilities
before moving to a business incubator, a science park or an
independent setting. Mektory (Modern Estonian Knowledge
Transfer Organization foR You) provides such an ecosystem.
It is the missing link that exists in many other countries.
Mektory unites all functions that in most countries
are fragmented with only limited cross-fertilization:
technology transfer bringing together scientists, students,
schoolchildren, inventors and entrepreneurs, coaching of
student start-ups, addressing upcoming generations to show
them that engineering is exciting, internationalisation by
bringing together different cultures, working habits, ideas
and out of the box solutions, fabrication laboratories —
small-scale workshops offering personal digital fabrication
to a public of all ages, startup competitions, free office
space for (pre-)incubation activities, meeting places and
show rooms where the latest IT infrastructure can be used
and demonstrated. It is this integrated approach in one
building and the associated network that makes Mektory a
unique and well-appreciated innovation and business centre
without any need for window-dressing.
e-Estonia is a reality, known worldwide, and hence choosing
Digital Society and Big Data as the subject of one of the
workshops was an obvious winner. e-Estonia is more than a
label — it is a very efficient and fully operational information
society. The beauty of e-Estonia is its organizational aspect,
the interaction of different systems that exist in other
countries too but as independent applications, often only
used by early adopters of digital technologies. The story
of digital Estonia started shortly after the restoration of
Estonia’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
It needed some courage to immediately choose the digital
option to modernize the country, as Rector Jaak Aaviksoo
pointed out in his historical overview. Internet was in its

CIDIC Awards
infancy, mobile communication and digital data repositories
about the citizens were non-existent and digital literacy of
the citizens still had to be developed. In 1998, all schools
were equipped with computers and internet connections.
Later, access to the internet was declared a human right
so that the whole country became “connected”. Estonia’s
digital society is the result of visionary political decisions,
a sustained public effort and consequently a mixture of
public and private initiatives.
In his talk about Online big data analytics — finance,
social nets, smart cities and multimodal imaging, Nikos
Deligiannis, VUB, sketched some state of the art research
issues and challenges of big data analytics. “We currently
experience the dawn of the age of a data deluge, 50 billion
devices on the web by 2020”, says Deligiannis. Extremely
large data sets are analyzed computationally to reveal
new patterns, trends and associations, that hitherto
remained hidden, especially relating to human behaviour
and interactions. VVV, the three initial descriptors and
challenges of big data: volume, variety, and velocity. Data
sets are so voluminous and heterogeneous in nature that
traditional data processing and management software are
failing to deal with them. It is the volume and variety of
data that primarily determines value and potential insights
that can be extracted from them. Velocity refers to the
speed at which the data is generated and must be processed
and hence also to the massive computer power needed.
Nowadays, we speak about the 5V challenges: VVVVV, value
and veracity were added later.
Jüri Riives, of the Innovative Manufacturing Engineering
Systems Competence Centre — IMECC gave a talk on
“What can be expected from Industry 4.0”? Industry 4.0
is the name for the current trend of automation and data
exchange in manufacturing technologies. It includes cyberphysical
systems, the Internet of Things, cloud computing
and cognitive computing. Industry 4.0 creates what has been
called a “smart factory”. Within the modular structured
smart factories, cyber-physical systems monitor physical
processes, create a virtual copy of the physical world and
make decentralized decisions. Over the Internet of Things,
cyber-physical systems communicate and cooperate with
each other and with humans in real time, and, via the
117

Internet of Services, both internal and cross-organizational
services are offered and used by participants of the value
chain. Such concepts are creating a revolution in the
rather traditional sector of Manufacturing. That is why
IMECC is an essential interface for industry to promote
and design novel manufacturing and create preconditions
for the development of efficient, intelligent and competitive
production, based on Industry 4.0 concepts.
118
The subject chosen by Kairit Tammets of Tallinn University
(TLU) was Towards data-driven education in Estonia.
Although the Tiger Leap programme, launched in 1996
for setting up IT infrastructures in schools, updating
educational curricula and providing teacher training, was
a successful large-scale project emanating from a visionary
government policy, we heard a few critical notes among
Tammets’s concluding remarks: “ICT has not supported
the main processes in educational institutions, we miss
the systemic habit to learn from our innovations, although
learning analytics provides a variety of possibilities for
higher education institutes to improve the educational
services, the culture is not there yet but we are on the way.”
Eerik Muuli, a software engineer in STACC (Software
Technology and Applications Competence Center —
University of Tartu) gave a refreshing talk on Recommender
systems. He explained the role of machine learning in
recommender systems that consider peculiarities of
each client, get smarter day by day, emphasize business
objectives, reconfigure business rules. A spontaneous
reaction in the public brought us back to Earth: “How
can we switch off these types of systems?” This poses the
question: are these recommender systems subtle enough?
Do we really want them? How can we control their degree
of intrusiveness in our lives? Do we have to revise the
concepts of privacy?
Innar Liiv of Tallinn University of Technology (TTU)
talked about Predictive e-Government and Big Data. Liiv
emphasized the need for conceptual frameworks that help
to make sense out of Data for Policy as an emerging field of
interdisciplinary study. Liiv’s talk also touched upon policy
challenges and opportunities, cutting-edge technologies, big
data sources and emerging research (computational social
science and political bots). “The next wave of e-government
innovation will be about analytics and predictive models.
Taking advantage of their potential for social impact will
require a solid foundation of e-government infrastructure.
The most important questions to start with are as follows:
What are the relevant new data sources? How can we use
them? What should we do with the information? Who cares?
Which political decisions need faster information from
novel sources? Do we need faster information? Does it come
with unanticipated risks? These questions barely scratch
the surface, because the complex interplay between general
advancements of computational social science and hovering
satellite topics like political bots will have an enormous
impact on research and using data for policy.”
At Tallinn University (TLU), we were welcomed by Rector
Tiit Land for the workshop on Social Entrepreneurship.
First, Nikolay Dentchev, VUB, talked about “Social
entrepreneurs need your help: Let’s care, share and
support”. Dentchev presented the VUB crowd-sourcing and
-funding platform (https://www.vubsocialentrepreneurship.
com/). He launched an open invitation to use and adapt
its model to create several of these collaborating platforms
for augmenting coaching and evaluation capabilities and
improving best practices. The platform created in 2015
is developing sustainable business models for social
enterprises involving universities, profit and non-profit
sectors. The main objectives of the social entrepreneurship
chair are to: generate internationally recognized scientific
research, develop a platform that supports social
entrepreneurs, and create a vibrant interdisciplinary
network that benefits social entrepreneurship.
In his talk on Fablabs and remote digital international
collaboration, Abdellah Touhafi launched an invitation
to establish a network of internationally and fully
interconnected fablabs, with unseen capabilities. His goal
is to create an environment in which students can make
everything. In a first step, his fablab evolved from a classic
clean lab environment to a machine-based digital creation
environment with an outreach far beyond the student
population, e.g. artists, entrepreneurs, architects and
companies. In a second stage, he developed an appropriate

IT infrastructure to support the interconnection of diverse
fablabs wherever they are, through remote user interaction
and collaboration. (http://fablab.hylas.be/fablab-english/)
Merle Ojasoo, TTU, shed light on Social entrepreneurship
in an ageing society. Ojasoo emphasized that “Social
entrepreneurship is also a process of identifying and
addressing neglected problems in society through innovative
sustainable solutions.” On the one hand, there are not
sufficient resources for social services for senior citizens
and on the other hand, creating new purposes with new
opportunities and roles for the elderly has market potential
and reduces social isolation. Even though social enterprises
are often not-for-profit, business plans are essential to ensure
the mixed goal of sustainability and social impact. Ojasoo
advocated entrepreneurial education for older people,
specific financing channels, political initiatives and adapted
regulations.
Zsolt BUGARSZKI, TLU, addressed the subject of Social
impact & problem penetration — Business
metrics for social entrepreneurship. Social return on
investment (SROI) is a principles-based method for
measuring extra-financial value (i.e. environmental and
social value, not currently reflected in conventional
financial accounts) relative to the resources invested. In
a slightly provocative style, Bugarszki mentioned Tesla to
illustrate how traditional business metrics are outdated if
we try to understand the success of Elon Musk’s company
by relying on metrics like profit, market penetration, and
market share. “Tesla is not the market leader in electrical
vehicles. Tesla keeps losing money, so why is it worth
more than Ford?” Tesla is a Category Creator — beyond
incremental innovation, it changes the rules of the road
entirely by creating a new category. In that landscape,
our established modes of measurement just do not work.
Bugarszki proposed Problem Penetration as a metric to
address the core problems and challenges posed by new
product or service introduction. Besides addressing the
immediate problems in the society, and satisfying an unmet
need, this metric also motivates innovative thinking in the
organisation.
Tallinn. The choice of the location was primarily inspired by
Estonian’s membership of the EU.
Skeleton Technologies, represented by Taavi Madiberk
and Oliver Ahlberg. The company has developed
high-performance energy storage solutions based on
breakthrough graphene material. Skeleton Technologies
already received the best start-up award at the Ecosummit
2015. It is currently scaling-up its production capacity and
international customer base. CIDIC wanted to express its
appreciation for a start-up company based on breakthrough
technological innovation and an exemplary early company
evolution since 2009. (https://www.skeletontech.com/)
Lainergy, represented by the whole team, including Nikon
Vidjajev and Jan Trentjev. Lainergy is an entrepreneurial
spin-off residing in Mektory that has developed technology
for affordable renewable energy from ocean waves, based
on its own invention, namely a new type of ocean wave
energy converter. Renewable energy gained from the power
of wind and sun is one of the current global priorities,
but the potential of the sea and its waves remains largely
unexplored. The team deserves encouragement for further
development of both its energy harvesting technologies and
the associated business models. The CIDIC award was given
in support of the challenging endeavour of exploiting a new
eco-friendly energy source technology at its best.
(https://www.f6s.com/lainergy)
Prof. Abdellah TOUHAFI, VUB, received the European
CIDIC award for his multifaceted career as a socially
engaged entrepreneur, self-made man, director of the
RAPPTOR research lab, professor in electronics and ICT,
initiator and coordinator of interconnected fablabs, CEO
of VUB’s spinoff company, Lumency. As a first-generation
Moroccan immigrant, he was automatically pushed to follow
a professional education like all other immigrant students of
his generation (in the late eighties). He successively became
an industrial and later an academic engineer and professor.
He continues his social engagement for the immigrant
Moroccan community.
European CIDIC Award Ceremony in the presence of the
Belgian Ambassador, HE. Mr. Carl Peeters and Katoen
Natie Estonia, represented by Mart Melles. The CIDIC
Award emphasized the immersive economic collaboration
in Estonia of a well-established company. Katoen Natie
launched a logistic site in the harbour of Muuga, close to
119

Prof. Jan Cornelis, Academic Attaché CIDIC, on Social Entrepreneurship.
Prof. Tüt Land, Rector TLU
Mr. Eerik Muuli of the University of Tartu’s Software Technology and
Applications Competence Centre, on Recommender Systems.
Ms. Kris Dejonckheere, Secretary General of UNICA
Mr. Carl Decaluwé, Governor of the Province of West-Flanders,
Prof. Tüt Land, Rector of the Tallinn University and
Mr. Hervé Jamar, Governor of the Province of Liège
Tallinn University. Group photo of the professors.
120
Mr. Jaak Aaviksoo, Rector of TTU, starting the program on Digital Estonia
HE Mr. Carl Peeters, Belgian Ambassador to Finland and Estonia with Baron
Ernest de Laminne de Bex, President of CIDIC, opening of the CIDIC Awards
Ceremony.

Ms. Kris Dejonckheere - Secretary General of UNICA, Prof. Dr Roland GUEUBEL-B-Life Director, Baron Ernest de Laminne de BEX - CIDIC’s President,
Mr. Christian J. Mouvet - Secretary Général CIDIC, Mr. Frederic De Pryck, CIDIC’s Chairman of the Executive Committee,
Mr. Jean Dewaerheid - Communications Officer CIDIC.
The nominees Katoen Natie Estonia, Skeleton Technologies, Lainergy Oü and Prof. A. Touhafi (VUB)
121

LEADING A
HIGH PERFORMANCE TEAM
BY RANDALL S. PETERSON
No matter where you work, teams are an inevitable fact of
life — partly because they can achieve things that no one
individual can, partly because they are oftentimes a forum
for resolving conflict, and partly because an effective team
gives its members a sense of belonging. Teams are the
fundamental building blocks of human civilisation. They
sit at the heart of our everyday lives. But that does not
make them easy to lead. Indeed, because they are doing
such important work is part of why they are difficult to
lead effectively. So are there any basic and straightforward
principles for leading a high performance team?
Research has indeed revealed some basic principles and one
hundred plus years of scholarly research suggests five simple
keys to leading high performance teams.
ASSEMBLE A DIVERSE TEAM
Diversity matters — if you don’t have all of the perspectives
around the table, you can reach resolution, but you’ll never
really solve the bigger problems, and you’ll never have all
of the necessary skills combined to resolve the issues.
So, assemble a team that is diverse in skillset as well as
one that represents all of the stakeholders you need to
involve.
GUARD AGAINST COORDINATION FAILURE
People talk and operate at cross purposes, even within the
same organisation. Someone from marketing will talk about
a topic, and may even use some of the same words, in a
completely different way to someone in operations. We may
think we’re talking about the same thing, but it turns out
we’re not. I’m talking feet and inches and you’re hearing
centimetres and metres. Teams with diverse information,
perspectives and values are likely to experience these kinds
of coordination failures early on. And research shows teams
are very good at dividing up work and pulling apart, while
being notoriously bad at putting those pieces back together
again. Once a coordination problem occurs, team members
tend very quickly to start explaining it by looking for
people who are different. So, why did this not work? Why
are we having problems? It’s not simply that we come from
different worlds, it’s because that person looks different,
they have different values to me, and it’s obviously their
fault that this is not working.
START BY BUILDING TRUST
122
Once you have built a diverse team you’ll need to combine
those different views, perspectives, knowledge, experience,
interests, motives and personality types to get the job
done. Your next challenge is to build a team that has
the capacity to deal with the issues. It is easy to see the
absolutely central role of trust. When there is trust, people
can disagree about a task or process without it turning
personal. Without trust, people tend to interpret things in
the worst possible light. Start your team by building trust
before you move onto decision making and action. If you
start with decisions rather than building relationships, you’ll
likely experience unhelpful conflict pretty quickly. With low
trust levels, members will then start thinking: “I’m really
different from them.” Then they start disliking each other,
which leads to a further decline in trust and poor group
performance.
Randall S. Peterson

So the challenge is to create coordination early on, watch
out for problems and, if they do come up, avoid finding fault
and focus more on how to work together going forward and
ensure this coordination failure doesn’t happen again.
HAVE A CLEAR DECISION-MAKING PROCESS
Clearly the best situation is a cohesive group that agrees
with the decision. But in reality it is rare that everyone will
come to complete consensus on a single plan of action.
When you are struggling to get agreement, which is most of
the time, there are three options. The best option is qualified
consensus: everybody can live with the decision, even if they
may not think it is the best. Second-best is that the matter is
discussed and the team leader decides. The advantage is that
this doesn’t disenfranchise or disconnect any subgroup that
perhaps doesn’t like the result. It maintains a relationship
between the leader and the individuals so is it a better, more
reasonable way of going about things.
remember that nothing worthwhile is ever that easy.
Prof. Peterson, London Business School, will be in Brussels
for an exclusive leadership programme with colleagues from
Insead, Saïd at Oxford University, Esade Barcelona, London
School of Economics. Organised by Global and Diplomatic
World. For more information and deadlines go to
www.globalmagevents.com
What you should actively avoid is the third option: majority
rule. Most people think this works because it is a wellknown
form of democracy. But it’s associated with really
angry people, disenfranchised or disconnected subgroups,
and really poor team performance.
MANAGE CONFLICT BY BEING PRE-EMPTIVE
AND PLURALISTIC
With all these challenges you might well be thinking:
“Why bother with teams at all?” And indeed one of the
reasons I started studying teams and conflict was because
I couldn’t understand how groups of really great people
can come together and make bad decisions. But much of it
revolves around how they manage conflict, or in many cases
how they don’t manage conflict.
Additional Reading
• Ferguson, A. J., & Peterson, R. S. (2015). Sinking slowly:
Diversity in propensity to trust predicts downward trust
spirals in small groups. Journal of Applied Psychology,
100(4): 1012-1024. doi: 10.1037/apl0000007
• Peterson, R. S., & Ferguson, A. J. (2014). Strategies
for Developing Trust Through Constructive Conflict
Resolution in Teams. In O.B. Ayoko, N. Ashkanasy &
K. A. Jehn (Eds), Handbook of Conflict Management,
p. 193-204. Cheltenham, UK.: Edward Elgar.
• Behfar, K. J., Peterson, R. S., Mannix, E. A., & Trochim,
W. M. K. (2008). The critical role of conflict resolution
in teams: A close look at the links between conflict type,
conflict management strategies, and team outcomes.
Journal of Applied Psychology, 93, 170-188. doi:
10.1037/0021-9010.93.1.170
The secret to managing conflict is to tackle it head-on, by
being pre-emptive — that is anticipating the types of conflict
that might emerge in the team and pre-empt the negative
effects of those conflicts before they happen. Secondly, you
need to create conflict resolution strategies that focus on
what is good for the group versus what is good for specific
individuals within the group. Overall, if you can keep
focused on these five basic principles, you’ll have a much
better chance of looking back on your team experiences
with appreciation rather than frustration, and anticipation
for the next opportunity rather than dread. That still won’t
make leading a high performance team easy, but just
Dr. Randall S. Peterson is Professor of Organisational
Behaviour at London Business School and Director of the
School’s Leadership Institute. Randall holds a Ph.D. in
Social and Organisational Psychology from the University
of California, Berkeley. He teaches leadership on the
Executive Education, Accelerated Development and Senior
Executive Programmes. His research has been published
in the leading scholarly journals in the field including
journals such as the Journal of Applied Psychology.
Randall has also published work in important outlets for
managers including Harvard Business Review and
New Yorker Magazine.
123

FAKE NEWS AND DEMOCRACY
“Facing Change!” is an ongoing column by
senior media industry expert and Diplomatic
Council’s Chairman Global Media Forum, Dieter
Brockmeyer. He throws a light on burning issues of
our digitalization driven global societies from his
own perspective.
124
It’s a pest indeed, the sudden rise of so-called fake news
distributed via the internet and social media channels trying to
influence public opinion. Authorities are panicking and their
reactions may even prove dangerous to our societies, more
dangerous than the fake news itself. Passing legislation making
platforms block and/or erase fake news and their authors is
censorship that opposes the right of free speech! This right
is essential to democratic societies granting to express your
opinions and beliefs, even if it is mere nonsense. There are
other and better ways to tackle the problem:
Yes, in digital environments nonsense spreads rapidly. On the
other hand, they also react to nonsense at the same speed.
The impact of fake news is limited since almost immediately
another wave of corrections will be out. The problem is only
for those serious media adopting to something that appears to
be spectacular too fast and unreflective. For a big newspaper to
have to correct a negative image due to being too unreflective
is painful. However, there is also a learning curve. By now,
everybody knows double-checking is essential. The problem is
with those who believe in fake news.
They can’t be influenced by regular media channels. However,
such filter bubbles are not a new phenomenon. It was hidden
before social media allowed everybody to become a global
publisher in their own interest, and it was hidden from
“conspiracy activists” who found a loud and global voice. Our
societies have begun to recognize the problem. However, the
term “conspiracy activist” sounds as if there was only a small
problem, that it’s people with limited education and influence.
Wrong so! The more people are dissatisfied with our societies
or feel cheated by politics and media the more even academics
are attracted at least by some of these ideas.
The good thing is that we can no longer ignore the problem.
That’s the first step to finding solutions! This cannot be
censorship because that would be hiding the problem again!
There is no covering up in digital networks. Communications
would be hidden again but nevertheless be quite effective, for
instance, via Facebook closed groups or WhatsApp. Certainly,
many of these radical activists can be heard much louder
than ever, and many who hadn’t expressed their discomfort
and fears before are now doing so. Not all of them belong
into conspiracy corners. But their discomfort opens them to
alternative and fake news sources. This creates a spiral that
can’t be stopped with bans. On the contrary: Why do you ban
anything when it is nonsense?
We must return to the values of our democracies including
open debate of ALL opinions, even if we feel hurt. I’m sure
we have plenty of arguments and the better ones! By excluding
opinions, we prepare the ground for more radicalism, in
the worst case we make them mainstream. Even worse, our
defending democracy may itself bury the freedom it stands
for. We must leave our comfort zones and argue rather than
cover up. There are many references to the pre-WW I and II
period from clever minds. We are in times of rapid change
and many have already lost their comfort or social status.
There’s similarity, for sure! However, we are living in a different
environment: Then, international relations were limited to
the elites. Today there is mass tourism and most business is
international. Then, wars still were considered to be “Ultima
Ratio” — the final logic. Today, most people are aware of
the consequence of a new world conflict. Euphoria as in the
beginning of WWI seems not to be very likely anymore.
We have the chance to avoid the fatal mistake of our ancestors.
Let’s take this chance — it will not return!

The Grand Tour
Diplomatic World presents two remarkable events in Brussels:
one regarding people management and leadership whereby diplomats, civil servants and
managers are confronted with world authorities from no less than 4 of
Europe’s leading business schools: London Business School, Insead,
Esade Barcelona, London School of Economics.
one regarding Advanced Negotiation Techniques with Prof Tim Cullen, Oxford University
Go to www.globalmagevents.com
INTERLINKING POLITICS, DIPLOMACY, BUSINESS
FINANCE, ART & CULTURAL DIPLOMACY
125

IMPACT SUMMIT ZUG 2017:
FAITH IN FINANCE — WHAT DO YOU
DO WITH YOUR WEALTH TO MAKE
A BETTER PLANET?
On the 30th and 31st of October 2017 the small
city of Zug Switzerland was host to a historic event
taking a big step forward in the fight towards climate
change. The SIIA Impact Summit 2017 marked the
beginning of new collaborations and commitments
and highlighted innovations in impact investment
and climate action.
For the second year running the Swiss Impact Investment
Association (SIIA) called to Zug for the Impact
Summit. SIIA invited entrepreneurs, thought leaders,
philanthropists, financial institutions and investors, to
speak and present new ideas for impact investing and
report on new approaches and inspiring changes in the
investment sector. The conference was co-hosted with
the Alliance of Religions in Conservation (ARC) and the
canton and city of Zug, in the heart of Switzerland.
The conference boasted a diverse range of 55 speakers and
topics. Keynote speakers included Jamison Irvin of the
UNDP, Jo Andrews of Equileap, Robert Rubinstein of the
TBLI Group, Jouni Keronen of the Climate Leadership
Council, and Cardinal Turkson of the Vatican, who
touched upon key topics such as sustainable development,
gender equality, and faith-based investing. Panels and
speakers’ series were formed on a range of SDGs,
and presented new approaches of impact investing in
unexpected sectors.
gave a platform to numerous showcases, among them the
innovation of 1bank4all Founding Association, the first
global social bank.
A highlight of the first day was the signing of the Zug
Declaration by numerous Swiss based NGOs and
foundations. SIIA gathered influential and effective actors
to publicly commit the use of their financial means to
contribute to and support the UN SDGs and impactful
investment. Among the first signatories were the Robert F.
Kennedy Foundation, WWF, and Gold Standard, as well
as an Argentinian foundation making the first step towards
expanding the Zug Declaration globally.
126
The conference saw panels held on ‘How to Invest in
Gender Equality’, as well as ‘Block Chain for Good’
recognising the new possibilities in digital technological
advancements. One afternoon was dedicated to the ‘Save
the Forest’-Symposium held by Everland. Speakers of
renowned research institutions and organisations, such
as NASA and the UNDP, addressed the realities of
climate change and its implications to the forests. SIIA
Cardinal Turkson giving his key note speech at the Impact Summit 2017.

The Procession reaching the conference centre with banners representing the Faiths, ARC, and the UN.
The second day of the conference was dedicated to
‘Faith in Finance’. Religions are considered to be often
overlooked when accounting global investment assets
and their effective potential for positive change. ‘Faith
Consistent Investing and Impact Investment have much in
common, and we wanted to highlight these commonalities,’
explains Klaus-Michael Christensen, President and cofounder
of SIIA. Martin Palmer, Secretary General of
ARC, also pressed that recognising this new actor in the
investment community is crucial to the future of impact
investing. Their billions of dollars in assets and influence
as global communities should not be missed when thinking
about impacting sociological and economical change. At a
parallel conference to Impact Summit ARC, the UN, and
other key impact investment funds worked closely with
the faith leaders of more than 30 different faith traditions
representing over 500 faith investment groups to write a
Guideline for faith investors.
The Zug Guidelines were ceremoniously enacted by the
Faiths and joint conference attendees of SIIA and ARC.
As the highlight of the two day conference, after an evening
prayer in Zug’s Liebfrauenkapelle on the waterfront of
the Zuger See, the Faiths led a procession through the
centre of the city of Zug. The procession ended on the
conference stage with the signing of the Guidelines by
all representatives of the faiths, pledging to invest in
sustainability. ‘I am so proud that SIIA was able to play a
helping hand in the tremendous effort that ARC has gone
through in preparing the Faiths for the Zug Guideline,’
says Christensen. ‘We found terrific synergies between
the Faiths and business, upon which we now can build to
strengthen the relationship between them in the years to
come. I am very excited that SIIA will be instrumental
in establishing a permanent dialogue on values and
entrepreneurial innovation between Faiths and Business in
Zug.’ The Summit closed with the Handclasp for the Future,
symbolising the Faiths’ commitment and collaboration.
The second SIIA Impact Summit has been deemed a great
success by attendees and the SIIA team. As a next step
SIIA will facilitate a permanent independent ‘Multi-Faith
Impact Investment Conference’ alongside SIIA’s annual
conference. A Multi-Faith Alliance Committee will be
composed of representatives of the Faiths that will take
leadership of the annual Faith Consistent Investing agenda.
As Klaus-Michael Christensen asserts, ’SIIA’s goal is to
bring back an equilibrium between economic and social
development through the means of how we invest in our
collective future.’
Brita Achberger
127

Klaus-Michael Christensen closing the conference with the Faith representatives at the signing of the Zug Guidelines.
128
The Alliance of Religions and Conservation
(ARC) is a secular body that helps the major religions
of the world to develop their own environmental
programmes, based on their own core teachings,
beliefs and practices.
ARC helps the religions link with key environmental
organisations — creating powerful alliances between
faith communities and conservation groups.
ARC was founded in 1995 by HRH Prince Philip.
They now work with 11 major faiths through the key
traditions within each faith.
SIIA is a non-profit association founded in Zug in
2016 with a mission to showcase investments and
companies with societal impact. The association
was founded with the mission to heighten awareness
in and around Switzerland for impact investment
and aiming to bridge impact with finance, through
conferences and networking events.
SIIA is a platform for best practice impact
investments and seeks credible risk, return and
impact investment opportunities to showcase. SIIA
encourages all stakeholders to jointly develop a
narrative for impact investment for society to adopt.

SAILING BACKWARDS
The words ri olo and ri munri are an interesting study in that
the Bugis equate the front with the past and the back with
the present. This indicates that the Bugi’s time orientation
is towards the past, with the future behind, in a reverse of
the usual order. This reflects perhaps the Bugis’ heritage as
seafarers who are afraid to lose sight of land, hence they
always faces the mountain from where they were sailing.
Their homeland was always the standard reference for their
new home.
Bugis Beliefs about the classification of the cosmos.
Halilintar Lathief
Alexis Gautier - Pulau Jengekerik (Cricket Island)
129

THE NEW VOLVO XC60
WITH NEW-GENERATION CITY SAFETY
SEE THE UNEXPECTED
In life, foresight enables you to identify potential risk. Similarly, the new Volvo XC60 reads the road ahead and
reacts, faster than humanly possible, to steer car and driver to safety. It’s one of Volvo’s world-fi rst and SUV-fi rst
advancements to help keep you moving forward.
WORLD-FIRST ‘KEYLESS’ CAR
CONNECTIVITY ON THE MOVE
Introducing an automotive world-fi rst solution: the digital key.
Bringing greater fl exibility, the XC60’s ‘keyless’ innovation
allows drivers to open, close and start the vehicle from their
smartphones via Bluetooth or the Volvo On Call app. This
pioneering feature saves drivers time and allows you to run
a more fl uid, interchangeable fl eet – with multi-person access
so colleagues can share, drop off and collect cars with no
concern over logistics or physical handover.
And for an intuitive way of working, the XC60’s Sensus Connect
touch-screen interface is now the familiar smartphone portrait
format. The Volvo On Call app delivers new connected services
where drivers can send locations from calendars to the car’s
navigation, fi nd fuel stops, and more. While the app’s redesign
makes it simpler to monitor up to ten fl eet cars.
POWER WITHOUT COMPROMISE
Aside from reducing the risks, the XC60’s D5 powertrain
innovations supply all the power of an SUV while offering
impressive effi ciencies on CO 2
emissions and fuel. SUV-fi rst
PowerPulse is just one example, where if the accelerator is
pressed at a standstill, or when driving under 2,000 rpm in
fi rst or second gear, compressed air is released to activate
the turbocharger with practically no lag. This means your
business can excel without counting the costs.
STRUCTURED FOR SUCCESS
130
Because, like you, Volvo looks to the future to prepare for
today, its Scalable Product Architecture replicates and resizes
engine and electrical infrastructures across models. This organised
modular system enables drivers to access new technologies,
while improved weight distribution makes for a dynamic driving
experience.

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1930 Zaventem
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131
AC
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zave

MECHELEN’S ACCESSIBILITY AND
CONVIVIALITY ARE IRRESISTIBLE
TO ENTREPRENEURS AND VISITORS
Mechelen is accessible to everyone. The city is
located in the heart of Flanders about 25km from
Brussels and Antwerp. From the Brussels airport to
Mechelen it takes only 11 minutes by train. Thanks
to its largely uncongested road network, travelling
to and from other surrounding countries/cities from
Mechelen whether by bus, train, plane or car is also
easy and doesn’t take much of your time. Major
commercial and industrial centers such as London,
Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Luxemburg are
only a few hours away.
ACCESS TO YOUNG AND TALENTED CAPITAL
Wondering where employers will come from for your
business? No need to stress! The biggest college in
Flanders, Thomas More, University College is found
in Mechelen. Therefore, it provides a steady supply of
multitalented workers as it has about 4.000 students and
more than 15 academic programs. Businesses can readily
handpick the finest talent while the brightest graduates
from neighboring universities in Leuven, Antwerp and
Brussels strategically settle in Mechelen. In recent years,
Mechelen has been transformed into the new hotspot of
cross media activities. The young talent pool of highly
qualified, multilingual workers and the city’s own dynamic
business climate has attracted several communication,
marketing and multimedia companies.
nice historical buildings. The city has about 400 inspiring
historical buildings that bring about the cultural diversity
of the city. The restaurants and cafés are charming and
have diverse choices.
MAKE SURE TO ALSO VISIT THE MUSEUM
HOF VAN BUSLEYDEN IN THE NEAR FUTURE
This museum is so much more than a collection of
(cultural) historical objects. It also serves as a beacon for
research and experiments and is a hotspot for classical
and contemporary heritage, from where you can follow
the traces of Burgundian influences in today’s culture.
ARE YOU INTO HISTORY AND NEED A
CULTURAL EXPERIENCE?
132
There is certainly more to learn and do in Mechelen
during leisure and free time. The fact that Mechelen is a
pocket-sized world city means that everything is within
walking distance. It is also one of Flanders’ prominent
cities of historical art, therefore as you wander along the
narrow streets you will be able to feast your eyes on the

BURGUNDIAN CITY PALACE MECHELEN
Discover the history of the Burgundian Netherlands in
the new museum Hof van Busleyden in Mechelen as of
March 2018. Learn more about how the Burgundian
court culture left its mark on the contemporary city in a
stately sixteenth-century city palace. The new Museum
Hof van Busleyden is a place for encounters, discoveries
and admiration.
It answers questions like, how did the Burgundian rulers
manage to create such a great empire? Which impact
did the resulting internationalization have on Mechelen?
What is so special about the paintings of the Flemish
Primitives, about Flemish polyphonic music and the
products of Burgundian craftsmen? What prompted the
rapid developments in medicine, botany and cartography
in this era?
CHILD-FRIENDLY CITY
A family can easily combine a spot of history with
activities that both the parents and children can warm up
to. One of the largest toy museums in Europe is located in
Mechelen. You can also visit a hands-on science museum,
Technopolis. A walk among the penguins in the city’s zoo
Planckendael is a ‘must do’.
JOIN TODAY AND BENEFIT TOMORROW
In the last couple of years more and more businesses
have come to recognize Mechelen for its true worth: its
midway location within Flanders and Europe, its high
speed connectivity, access to highly skilled and flexible
employers with an always-on attitude and lastly its
excellent quality of life. Even the mayor of the city himself
agrees with the fact that Mechelen is not only the best
place to live but indeed offers everything for successful
business investments and outstanding conditions for a
growing business.
Mechelen has activities for both children and older
people. In and around the lively city centre, there are
activities that suit every indoor and outdoor taste.
More info:
www.mechelen.be / www.visitmechelen.be
133

The TAL Center for Integrative Oncology is located within
the largest Oncology Institute in the Middle East, the
Sheba Hospital at Tel Hashomer. The center aims to change
the culture of cancer treatment and serves as a Center of
Excellence in the field. The TAL Center is the first in the
country to offer a combination of complementary medical
treatments and scientific research as an integral part of the
Oncology Center. Today, more than ever, there is a need
for a medical center that meets the unique requirement of
oncology patients.
The Tal Center was created to honor the memory of Tal
Yaakobson. Tal’s name means water and more specifically
“dew”. Water can be both harmful and give life. The morning
dew is just about giving life and has a positive nature. In that
respect we are very much following this line of thought.
Cancer is becoming an epidemic. How can we best provide
a better life for cancer patients?
The Tal Center for Integrative Oncology Medicine
promotes the use of natural therapies that support and
work in conjunction with conventional oncology; meeting
the unique needs of oncology patients, helping them battle
the disease and increasing their chances of survival.
With the aim of proving the efficacy of integrative
medicine in the treatment of both cancer and the side
effects caused by conventional medicine, the Tal Center
conducts clinical and para-clinical studies, examining
the influence of medicinal herbs and their active
mechanisms, on cancer cells and the immune system.
The Tal Center’s uniqueness lies in its ability to conduct
in-depth scientific research, mainly as a result of the
exceptional partnership the center has established with
the Sheba Medical Center - Tel Hashomer. The Sheba
Oncology Center, the largest in Israel, has provided the
Tal Center with a state-of-the-art laboratory to support
its groundbreaking research. This advanced technology
enables the in vitro growth of patients’ cancer and
immune system cells, making it possible to examine
their response to anti-cancerous herbs and provide truly
personalized medicine; while expanding the Tal Center
treatment experience and knowledge-base.
Working closely with oncologists, the Tal Center has begun
the process of ‘translating’ the wisdom of Chinese medicine
into western practices, and conducts pioneering, global
clinical research in a diverse range of fields, including
oncology nutrition, botanical formulas, homeopathy and
immunotherapy.
134

Chinese Acupuncture decreases the side effects that develop
during chemotherapy, including nausea, fatigue and pain.
By integrating Western practices with the holistic approaches
of Chinese medicine, through unique collaborations with
leading centers in Israel and abroad; the TAL Center is
transforming vision into reality and becoming a center for
international excellence.
“The TAL Center is a center of excellence. It sounds a bit
presumptuous to say but the truth is that we strive for and
we are on our way to be excellent, which is quite an amazing
thing” and thus Dr. Noah Samuels set the bar high in this
interview. This is my second visit to Tel Hashomer Sheba
Hospital and the TAL Center and I feel at home.
The first impressions of my September visit were confirmed
the minute I entered the gates of the hospital grounds
today. This place is the center of energy, empathy, safety
and medicine of the highest standards. The TAL Center is,
as a massive benign growth onto the oncology department,
living proof that the perfect marriage between Western and
traditional Chinese medicine does exist. We meet for a round
table discussion in the heart of the TAL Center.
“My specialty is internal medicine and my sub-specialty is
complementary integrative medicine”, Dr. Noah Samuels
starts.
or medication? Does it have side effects? Is the treatment
going to be dangerous? Is the outcome going to be good?
“Like any treatment we do in medicine everything has side
effects (except chicken soup). We must make sure that what
we are doing, does not go against what the oncologists or the
hematologists are giving. Especially in cancer care.”
INTEGRATIVE ONCOLOGY
Integrative medicine is complementary medicine within the
conventional medical system. Cancer patients are looking
for ways to heal and they are trying all kinds of different
treatments, sometimes taking supplements and most of the
time the oncologists don’t know exactly what they are trying.
Here at the TAL Center the doctor makes the diagnosis,
gives the painkiller, the nurse calls the physiotherapist, refers
to the acupuncture department down the hall, makes all
the other appointments and puts all this information in the
patient file. Everything is one stop, it’s all concentrated in
one place.
“We have all that here at SHEBA. In the TAL Center we
work inside the hospital. Not just geographically, also
logistically. Today doctors at Tel Hashomer referred two new
patients. One patient had hot flashes because of hormone
therapy and another patient was suffering from severe
neuropathy from the chemotherapy. She could hardly walk
and said it was as if she was walking on needles. She couldn’t
close her shirt because she could not manipulate the buttons.
There is no conventional treatment for this, so the doctor has
sent her to the TAL Center. What the TAL Center offers can
be very effective for a lot of side effects.
A CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
The TAL Center for Integrative Oncology serves as a Center
of Excellence, advancing the integration of complementary
medicine in standard oncology care.
Integrative physicians are conventional physicians who
believe in conventional medicine but know and are familiar
with the whole world of complementary medicine and the
aspects that are evidence based in that the treatments can
help and not harm. Because those are the big questions: does
it help? Does it harm? Does it interact with other treatments
A Center of Excellence is a team, a shared facility, an
entity that provides leadership, the best practices, research,
support, and training. The TAL Center is working on all of
these aspects. “If you do only one thing, that’s fantastic but
it’s not going to make a change. The nurses, the doctors, the
patients must know that all of these treatments are good and
helpful. We are in Tel Hashomer, the largest cancer center in
the Middle East. We see 5.000 new patients every year and
treat some 20.000 patients per year.”
135

How the treatments are impacting patients is registered,
everything is evidence based. Studies show what helps and
what does not harm. Patients are all supervised, making sure
that they get healthy without side effects. All of this makes
the treatments very safe.
Dr. Yair Maimon brings with him the vision of bridging the
gap between Chinese Medicine and the Western world’s
pharmaceutical industry
The integrative physician works with the oncologist.
“Everything we do is in the patients’ file so that the
oncologists know what is happening. Our main goal is
for people to feel better and to get through the cancer
treatments which have terrible side effects like neuropathy.
The conventional treatment for neuropathy caused by
chemotherapy, is to stop the treatment or reduce the dose
or switch to something less toxic. We can help the patient
complete their chemo at the intended dose.” There are
studies that show that if you help people reduce symptoms
and help them to feel better, that helps their survival.
“We work from the lab to the bedside. We are closely
working together to get all the results in real time. The
complementary integrative treatments are effective and
not expensive, not just to the patients but also to the
system.”
Doctor Samuels has been doing clinical research for 20
years to observe what happens in real time. There are
different types of research. The main type of research
that the center is focused on is called pragmatic research.
One patient might get acupuncture while at the same time
another patient benefits from other treatments. This is
how a center that offers a multitude of treatments works.
Pragmatic means real time. In order to know what is really
happening, the pragmatic trials are very effective.
It’s not ‘clean’ research, it is not very exact but that’s
how people are being treated, each one according to their
symptoms, liking and results.
136
RESEARCH
The TAL Center for Research is conducting state of the
art research into the effect of herbal medicine on cancer
cell cultures and immune cells. “There are 2 big aspects in
the research that we are doing. We are working with other
centers; we are collaborating.”
Dr. Samuels is in charge of the clinical work of the center
and Dr. Yair Maimon oversees the lab studies and research.
The pragmatic trials are very important and work in
a systems approach, a patient approach. “There is a
study on neuropathy that we are doing with Technion in
collaboration with 4 other medical centers. To show the
power of the effect of a treatment you need to work together,
join forces.” In another study with brain tumor patients we
are helping with their symptoms.
There is a project running with the Patient Registry through
the patient files. We published a study on homeopathy.
Yesterday we started a study on neuropathy and we are
running another one in gynaecology.

TEACHING
Education is the key. We have medical student programs;
we offer conferences for medical professionals, doctors,
nurses and offer lectures for the public, and we have an
internet site.
Dr. Samuels is an integrative physician. When patients
consult him, he recommends different types of treatment,
whatever is most appropriate. There are some 100 studies
on acupuncture, reflexology, touch therapy, yoga and
meditation about how good all this is, how important it is.
It is all evidence based. People also need to hear what really
happens. They need to know that people are affected by
these treatments in a positive way and how it changes their
lives.
As a nurse the most important for me is the patient and
I believe that we can help them. I have seen it. We can
help them reduce stress, relieve pain, see them through hot
flashes or nausea. Their whole well-being is very important,
more important than anything else when you go through
cancer. I hope this field will be more and more integrated in
the regular treatment because it will improve survivorship.
I see it in the patients, I see it all the time.”
“For the patients that survived cancer, we need to maintain
their whole well-being. Usually afterwards they suffer from
anxiety and stress. They can’t go back to their regular life,
because it is not easy.”
“We know some patients will not survive and there is
nothing we can do about it. But it is important to know
that we can help them. The way we do something for them
is more important than the outcome because some of the
patients will die regardless of what we did for them.
On top of that we have the whole administration, the
management guidelines, the accreditation. As nurses, we
have both sides of the job.”
“The patient comes in and is seen by the physician, we start
the treatments and ask the patient to report back to us. We
want to know if the patient did benefit from the treatment
and we need to record it in the patient file for the oncologist
to consult.”
MORE THAN A NURSE
Einat Brinenberg is the oncology nurse with vast experience
in patient care, as well as an Integrative Medicine nurse
with training in Chinese Medicine and Reflexology. Einat is
involved in both the treatment aspects of the TAL Center,
as well as helping us run the center efficiently and effectively
in an administrative capacity. She is involved in the whole
process and in the follow up with the administration of the
patient file. “I have been an oncology nurse for 15 years now
and I have seen cancer patients from all departments.”
“At the center we offer a tailor made and personalized
treatment. Some patients don’t want acupuncture because
they don’t like needles, others don’t like to be touched and
do want the needles.”
“The knowledge of oncology helps a lot. I enrolled in a
course in Chinese Medicine because it is good for all nurses
and doctors to know both sides of the treatment, to know
what you can combine when you give treatment. We care
about the patients and the treatments they get. We keep
patients safe. We know what the side effects are, we have
the detailed computerized medical files. We are the bridge
between East and West.
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WHY IT IS IMPORTANT
In a perfect world this would all be funded but we live in an
imperfect world. But that is not what happens. ‘The way to
a man’s heart is through the stomach’ they say, well ‘the way
to an oncologist’s heart is through lab research’ and through
showing proof of the molecules, receptors, and genes.
Bringing in new medications into the clinical settings, ‘from
the lab to the bedside’ is very important.
When the patient comes in, one of his choices should be
whatever we are providing. Patients should not have to go
elsewhere, looking for practitioners and therapists. When
the normal medical system cannot provide them with the
right treatment options, we are a very legitimate option.”
“We are living in very interesting times. Western medicine
is about 50 to 80 years old, that means that all the
treatments patients are receiving are relatively new. What
we observe and what we are pioneering in the center and
in other places in the world, is not relevant just to the use
of natural medicine in cancer. It is also relevant to human
consciousness and deeper understanding of healing. We
believe that will see great change in the next ten years.
Much of it is due to unexpected future discoveries. We are
observing many changes in cancer patients and we keep on
asking the question: “How can we prove what we observe?”
Patients are doing well, but people are asking us for proof.
Prevention, and prevention of recurrence and improving
quality of life is the aim.”
“Even more important, there is the science of medicine and
the art of healing. These two should combine. Hospitals
sometimes focus too much on the science of medicine
and could therefore forget the art of healing. What we
are providing is not just a treatment. We are proving
another point, another important statement to the medical
community: we are stressing that, because of too much
focus on science, there is a tendency to forget the healing.
“We forgot that the healing is within the patient, not
in the medicine, not in the molecules. That has a lot of
ramifications on how you look for a personalized treatment,
how you can improve the quality of life of the patient and
how the patient is treated. Also helping them to die in the
proper way because western medicine tends to concentrate
on the cancer and not on the system and the patient. The
word ‘healing’ is the key word. It is very easy to go into the
molecular world and forget that the healing is not done on
the molecular level.”
138
Doctor Yair Maimon is the head of the research department
and he has a very clear vision about the TAL Center. “The
TAL Center is a visionary place, and it is up to us to fulfill
the vision, one way or another. The vision is very clear: to
do whatever we can do to change the way cancer is being
treated. To bring in different natural treatments we know
are effective. To prove that they are effective. To change the
protocols of cancer patients.
“There is a big difference between evidence-based medicine
and patient-centered medicine. Evidence-based medicine is
a two-edged sword, it does not always work to the benefit
of the patient. Some patients might want something
different.”
“Zoya, the head of my lab is a scientist, she is a molecular
biologist. Last week she came to the clinic while I was

treating a patient. I told her to come in because we are
always in the lab, researching herbs, and it would be good
if she could witness what we can achieve in the practice.
There was a lung cancer patient who had been taking the
herbs since she came to me a year ago. At that time, she
had a terrible cough, was very highly medicated and on
steroids. Her life expectancy was very low. By the expected
medical criteria, she was not supposed to still be here when
Zoya saw her. She still has metastatic cancer, but she is
not coughing. She goes out, she is driving, her swelling
reduced, she reduced the cortisone. To Zoya, the labs’
molecular biologist, to hear this from the patient, to see that
the patient has improved, to her this is evidence that the
treatment is useful and above all safe.”
“Patients should get the very best treatment options, that’s
the bottom line. When they come to the hospital, they
should get the best the medical system provides. What we
are providing makes sense and should be part of it.”
Dr. Yair Maimon is a practitioner and a researcher. When
they started the TAL Center he took charge of the research
department and was very keen on proving that it is a center
of excellence.
“It’s not easy to do research”, he continues, “everybody
likes research, everybody wants to talk about research, but
research is very difficult to do. Especially when it’s not
well-funded and even more so when you research something
which is strange.”
“It is easy to research a molecule, but it is difficult to
research multi molecule herbs. When you research 2 herbs it
is even more difficult. The more variables you have, the more
difficult it is. The classical research method is to research
one molecule for one result. One intervention and one result.
You know the mechanics and you can use the result. We are
totally 180° on the opposite side of this spectrum.
“I know that we will be part of the treatment and I think
all the reasons are there, especially if you look at it from
the patients’ perspective. A concept we are implementing
here, is called ‘patient-centered medicine’. The medicine is
centered around the patient, not around the hospital or the
doctor or anyone else. We are all health care providers, we
provide service, we are here for the patient. A lot of the time
this is forgotten, especially in the care for cancer patients.”
TRADITIONAL
CHINESE MEDICINE (TCM)
The topic of discussions or studies is always the disease.
In Chinese medicine there is no word for ‘disease’. Western
medicine is focused on disease; Chinese medicine is focused
on balance and imbalance.
One way to create change is to change the belief system.
One of the great advantages of science is the ability to learn
139

more, to know more. We are in a hospital for a reason, we
are not against science, we are not against progress and
certainly not against progression of modern science.
We use science to prove that what we know is working and
this can be very surprising. It surprises me all the time.
Now I am doing something totally opposite to Chinese
medicine or natural medicine. I go to the molecule. I go
back to see what TCM does in a cell. A cell can teach you a
lot of surprising things.
Let me tell you about one of our findings to illustrate this.
We are using an herbal formula which consists of a few
herbs and is called LCS101 in our research protocol. We
are trying this on cancer cells and on normal cells. To our
surprise we saw that when you put the herbs on the normal
cells, nothing happens to them. When you increase the
dose, nothing happens. Actually, they are very happy, they
even thrive better. When you put the herbs on the cancer
cells, this almost immediately kills them. The formula is
selective, it has its own wisdom: it kills cancer cells and
does not affect normal cells. It goes even further: if you take
chemotherapy that kills both normal cells and cancer cells
— which happens at the same speed and at the same rate
— when you take the herbs, they protect the normal cells
and immediately kill the cancer cells. It offers a selective
protection and that is phenomenal to observe. We published
it already, it is quite unique.
What herbal medicine is doing in the immune system is
exiting as well. We take the patients’ blood and look at
how the herbal formula is protecting the blood. We take
patients tissue and grow their cancer cells in the lab. We see
how the herbs are reacting to the cancer cells. We are very
advanced in our vision of proving that what we are doing
is not only effective but safe. We can provide clinical proof
and laboratory proof that we are not just dreamers. It has
nothing to do with dreaming. The more we can prove in the
lab that what we are doing is potentially very interesting,
should be researched further, and should be implemented —
and herbs are the most difficult to implement in a hospital
setting - the further we can move forward.
of change. Reinventing nature suddenly is going to be
interesting. We talk about “the amazing wisdom of nature”.
The breakthrough in Western medicine will also happen
through researching the immune system. It is not through
providing drugs targeted at cancer cells.
There are three reasons why we are going to see great
change: The first one and the strongest one relates to the
reason why integrative medicine is popular. It creates a grass
root movement: the patients are asking for it. Second: there
is, and there will be an advance in science which will help
to bring in other criteria into what is evidence and what is
not. The outcome of pragmatic studies through observation
will be regarded as evidence. The third issue is money. The
cost of the medicine that is administered to the patient is
ridiculously high and becomes a real burden. The cost is
becoming a burden on the system as well, not just the chemo
but also the cost of drugs like the ones given against nausea.
A patient is being given a medicine that is not really curative,
maybe to help him survive better, maybe even palliative and
it will cost $100.000 to $200.000. This to get a medicine of
which the chance that it will help him is small. But how can
one not allow a patient who is going to die medicine when
there is a small chance that it will help him? The treatments
we are providing in TCM are not only effective but also very
sensible, very cost-effective and needed for cancer patients
on so many levels.
The main reason why I believe we can create a change
in cancer care, by using traditional Chinese medicine as
integrative complementary medicine, relates to the fact
that it is safe and more cost effective than conventional
medicine. We have to look at a ten-year process. What we
are saying now, will come. We are a visionary place.
Everything we do starts with a thought, a believe or a wish
for how things will develop.
It is much easier to implement other alternative therapies in
the hospital like acupuncture or touch therapy because there
already is a lot of evidence backing it up.
140
A hundred years ago herbs were very much implemented.
All the wisdom is in nature. We must go back to observing
nature with respect and care. We are living in a time

LAND CLAIMING
A friend of mine had a crazy story about land property, she
is English and she bought an island here in the National
Park a couple of years ago. She knew about some cases of
people taking possession of islands by coming overnight to
build a hut and put a goat, claiming ownership to the
government. So this friend decided to hire a farmer to keep
her island protected. She built a house for him, had a goat
and planted a garden, and the farmer lived there.
When she came back a year later, the farmer had claimed
the island as his, and had received a certificate of ownership
from the government. They are now in a law court and it’s
very complicated because it’s difficult to prove who was
there first. There was always someone first.
Nina. Labuanbajo, 2017
Alexis Gautier - Pulau Jengekerik (Cricket Island)
141

142
A SWEET SECRET
HANDMADE WITH LOVE
IN THE KINGDOM OF BELGIUM.
Discover our fascinating story, our store localisator or buy online at:
Confierieleopold.com

GET MERRY,
IN KNOKKE-HEIST.
Strolling between shops while
ships glide by, at night,
a twinkling competition between
the trees and the stars in the sky.
Presents on offer, earrings
and ties, high-tech and low tech,
finding is easy, choosing is hard,
Sunday Christmas shopping
in Knokke-Heist,
makes you feel Young at Heart.
YOUNG AT HEART
christmax myKH
MYKNOKKE-HEIST.BE
143

CHRISTMAS - WEIHNACHTEN
THE “FEST” IS THE “BEST”
Christmas, or WEIHNACHTEN, is considered to
be the most wonderful time of the year by Germans.
To be “kissed” by Christmas season does not mean
to only worship Christmas shopping! Germans don’t
even celebrate “boxing day”!
The Germans’ most important wish is “happiness and
peace for all”. All of us live different Christmas traditions
such as cutting down a tree at our favourite Christmas
farm, to enjoy “Advents Sundays” listening to grandma’s
music box, but most of all we love our four candles on the
“Adventskranz” sweetened by the smell of Mum’s handmade
“Baumkuchen”. Some of these traditions may have been
passed on for generations. They are perfect to bring the
whole family together to celebrate.
“I AM DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS”
The most popular song, not only on German radio, the
Christmas Carol symbolizes dreams of the deep and merry
wish of a Winter Wonderland. Unfortunately it only snows
about every years in the lower regions (the temperature in
December is mainly about 28-40 degrees Fahrenheit). But
you might be lucky to enjoy snow in the higher regions such
as Bavaria and the Black Forest.
LOVELY MAGIC ADVENT! CHRISTMAS SEASON
COMES EARLY IN GERMANY
to be picked up by the Christkind at the beginning of the
Advent season.
People celebrate St Thomas day on December 21st, the
shortest day and the longest night of the year. December
24th is THE day of exchanging all the gifts! All kids around
the world would be quite jealous knowing that German
children received their presents 12 hours earlier! The next
few days are rather quiet and peaceful, visiting friends and
family. Germans are a little less consumption-oriented than
the US or Great Britain. December 26th, is our second
Christmas day and we relax in a very festive atmosphere.
TURKEYS ARE SAFE IN GERMANY!
Generally speaking, Germans are no big snack or junk food
eaters. But no need to worry, you definitely won’t go hungry.
On Christmas Eve we generally eat light food such as a
simple potato salad and sausages. On Christmas day the
family tucks into stuffed or roast goose (Weihnachtsgans)
with red cabbage and potato dumplings (Kartoffelklöße)
and wine-flavoured sauce. There is no special technique
144
As soon as the first Christmas feeling is in the air the
countdown starts several weeks ahead with the Advent
season. This period is the time of waiting, hope, love,
peace and joy for all. Inviting the family to slow down and
celebrate with the scent of fresh pine green in every room!
Isn’t that lovely smell of baked apples, cinnamon and
marzipan what Christmas is all about? Advent invites us to
take a deep breath and to appreciate this most wonderful
time of the year. In some parts of the country, mainly in
the Southeast, children write letters to the “Christkind”
asking for presents. These letters are decorated with sugar
which is glued to the envelope to make it look attractive and
sparkling. Children leave these letters on the windowsill

in preparing this dish, apart from the sauce of wine, the
juices produced while cooking the goose and a gravy. Many
German restaurants offer this dish during the Christmas
Season and of course many German families cook it as well.
“STOLLEN” THE ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS CAKE
Most likely it was the Germans who invented the Christmas
Stollen, but this was a long time ago! This cake was first
mentioned in 1330 in the village Naumburg/ Saale, as a
special privilege granted by the bishop to the bakers’ guild.
There is no English translation that we know of but this
German cake uses the best ingredients to create an aromatic
and delicious Stollen dough. Each loaf is lovingly formed
by hand. It contains plenty of raisins which are soaked
overnight in rum, candied lemon and orange peel, sweet and
bitter almonds and good butter.
GERMANY’S CHRISTMAS TREE
“OH TANNENBAUM”
This is a long story. Germans like to decorate a freshly
cut Christmas tree in a bit of an old-fashioned way.
Nevertheless the traditional tree continues to create this
unique atmosphere through real wax candles. We use special
candleholders and know how to manage this safely as these
candles are not meant to burn for a long time! The religious
reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546) is said to have
started this Christmas tree tradition, but the tree was first
mentioned long time after Luther’s death. The Christmas
tree tradition dates back to the early 1550’s, as the first
written “Tannenbaum Ballads” were circulating at that time.
It is very important to any family with young children to
have a Christmas tree at home. Mostly it is the mother who
decorates the tree very secretly in the morning of the 24th
of December. Did you know that every year the world’s
tallest Christmas tree stands in Dortmund’s Hansaplatz
and a 4-meter tall angel crowns the top of it? In total 1,700
fir trees soar 45 metres into the sky! Around 48,000 lights
beam festive illumination for the approximately two million
people visiting Dortmund who come to delight in the
Christmas spirit of the Dortmund Christmas Market.
From traditional handicrafts and quirky ornaments to local
delicacies and sweet-scented mulled wine, there’s absolutely
nothing you can’t find in a German Christmas market,
whether you choose to wander the most popular ones or
visit those hidden in some quaint medieval village. As for
the gifts, no worries, this superb winter display features
stands filled with authentic Christmas handicrafts, pottery,
candles, handmade toys, wooden ornaments, and much,
much more.
This colourful German Christmas tradition has found
its way to parts of France, England and other parts of
the world. Beginning in late November, in almost any
German city of any size, one or more Christmas Markets
will pop up on the local square and often in several other
locations. These markets usually continue through the four
December weeks leading up to Christmas Eve. Frankfurt,
Munich, Berlin, Hamburg and Nürnberg, each town has
its own spirit. The Nürnberg Christkind officially opens
the Christmas market on the Friday before Advent starts.
Dresden “Striezelmarkt” is Germany’s oldest Christmas
market and celebrates its 583rd anniversary in 2017. The
name “Striezelmarkt” is historical and takes its name from
the “Striezel” or “Stollen” which Dresden is famous for.
There is much more to tell about German Christmas
traditions such as Barbarazweige, Christmas Carols,
the Wooden Angels of Erzgebirge and numerous other
fascinating elements of our traditions and values.
Have a Merry Christmas — Fröhliche Weihnachten überall !
Ute Gerhards.
GERMAN CHRISTMAS MARKETS WILL
TOUCH ALL YOUR SENSES
Nothing says Christmas in Germany better than its
charming, quintessential Christmas markets that decorate
the country during this magical time of the year.
145

CHRISTMAS IN RUSSIA
Christmas (rus. Rozhdestvo Khristovo) is a
feast deeply rooted in Russian history. While for
Orthodox Christians Easter is undoubtedly the main
event, Christmas remains an extremely important
hallmark in religious life. It has also become part
and parcel of the Russian cultural tradition and
folklore.
In Russia, Christmas is celebrated according to the Julian
calendar, that is, 13 days later than in Europe, on January 7.
This fact gave rise to a unique tradition — celebrating “the Old
New Year” at night of January 13. Of course, not all Russians
celebrate it, but some do, as well as many expatriates who
take advantage of this custom to meet friends in a warm and
completely informal atmosphere.
146
In Soviet times political powers tried to replace religious feasts
with civil ones. Thus, New Year acquired some Christmas
features and became more popular. Though by the end of the
20th century Christmas regained its status, New Year is still
celebrated on a large scale.
Nowadays winter holidays in Russia last all week, from New
Year to Christmas. Russian cities are prepared in advance for
it. In early December, the streets are decorated with lights and
big Christmas trees, traditional Christmas markets are set on
large squares. Christmas wreaths made of spruce branches or
other material with the Nativity icon inside or with figures of
the Holy Family are placed in front of the churches. People
thoroughly prepare their homes for the holidays: they clean up
apartments, decorate the Christmas tree, put colorful garlands
all around, hang flashing lights on windows and chandeliers,
and buy presents for family and friends.
During the winter holidays, everyone enjoys skating, skiing,
snowboarding, driving in a sledge, riding horses, making
snowmen and having snowball fights. Many travel abroad —
some spend a few days at the seashore, others go to different
European cities. Belgium with its fairytale like sites has
become a very popular destination for Russian tourists during
Christmas season. Parents often bring their children to
Christmas shows where they meet fairy characters: Grandfather
Frost (rus. Ded Moroz) and his granddaughter the Snow
Maiden (rus. Snegurochka). Grandfather Frost is an old kind
man who brings presents to children. Little ones often get
ready to meet Ded Moroz, preparing a song or poems.
A lot of people go to churches on Christmas night. The
Patriarch serves solemn Vespers and the Divine Liturgy in the
Cathedral of Christ the Savior in the heart of Moscow. The
service is broadcast on TV live, thus everyone in the country
has an opportunity to be a part of the event. At midnight the
air is filled with merry chimes. There is also a tradition, albeit
not very common these days, of singing Christmas carols.
Young people gather in groups, dress up in colorful costumes
and visit friends with songs glorifying the Birth of Christ and
wishes of a happy and prosperous year. In return, singers are
given sweets or money.
After the church service or in the morning, the whole family
usually gathers around the festive table. The main dish is
supposed to be a goose or a duck with apples. The next
11 days after the holiday are the Holy Days (rus. Sviatki).
It used to be a festive period, but with the holidays spent
before Christmas, it is mostly “back to work” mood, which
nevertheless is lit with bright memories of wonderful winter
holidays.

GOOD OF LOVE PRO TOTO: VOLKER HILDEBRANDT, AMORE MORE, 2012, WWW.LOVEPROTOTO.COM
147

DAVID BOWIE IN
THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH
Review by Pascale Thielemans
148
First advertised as a “mind-stretching experience,” Nicolas Roeg’s
The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) stunned the cinema world.
A tour-de-force of science fiction as art form, the movie brought
not only hallucinatory visuals and a haunting exploration of
contemporary alienation, but also glam-rock legend David Bowie
in his lead role debut as paranoid alien Newton.
Based on Walter Tevis’s 1963 sci-fi fable of the same title,
The Man Who Fell to Earth follows alien Newton from his
arrival on earth in search of water; his transition to wealthy
entrepreneur, leveraging the advanced technologies of his
native planet; his sexual awakening with the young Mary-Lou;
and then the discovery of his alien identity, his imprisonment,
abandonment, and descent into alcoholism. Throughout, Roeg
coaxed a beguiling performance from his cast, presenting not
only Bowie in ethereal space-traveler glory, but also pitchperfect
supporting performances from Candy Clark, Rip Torn,
and Buck Henry.
TASCHEN’s The Man Who Fell to Earth presents a plenitude
of stills and behind-the-scenes images by unit photographer
David James, including numerous shots of Bowie at his playful
and ambiguous best. A fresh introductory essay explores the
shooting of the film and its lasting impact, drawing upon an
exclusive interview with David James, who brings first-hand
insights into the making of this sci-fi masterwork.
REVIEW BY PASCALE THIELEMANS
In the fall of 2016, I had the opportunity of going to London to
view the musical Lazarus, written by David Bowie before
his death at the beginning of 2016. The musical is a sequel
to The Man Who Fell to Earth, the 1976 science fiction film
by Nicolas Roeg with David Bowie in the lead role. In order
to fully prepare myself for the musical and in order to fully
understand the story, I felt obliged to watch the film. The film
comes across as very experimental, even now 40 years later,
and tells the story of an alien who comes to earth in search of
water. Thomas Jerome Newton as the alien is named on earth,
uses the very highbrow technology of his planet to become
a very wealthy person planning on building a spaceship to
transport water to his planet, saving the arid planet and with it,
his wife and two children.
Sadly enough he is discovered
as an alien and becomes
the subject of a scientific
investigation. He is locked in
his house, unable to age and
fighting an alcohol addiction.
Despite his technological genius and efforts he is not able to
bring back water to his planet. In Lazarus the same hopeless
situation continues. Newton is still stuck on earth, emprisoned
in his own house, he is sad, sad because of his lost family, sad
because of his addiction, wanting only one thing, being able
to meet his family and live on his planet. Will he be able to
escape?
The book is filled with stills from the film but also from Bowie,
and his young son Duncan, and the other actors on the set.
It gives us the opportunity to see a very young Bowie playing
a very strange role. The essay included by Paul Duncan is
anecdotal and talks about the making of the film, how Bowie
reacted to the script, apparently not even reading the script but
accepting the role based on Roegs reputation. “It was probably
the best decision based on absolutely nothing, other than a
man’s previous work, that I have ever made.” It is the time of
his Diamond Dogs tour and the recording of Young Americans.
Bowie plays a magnificent role, he manages to get all the things
right, perhaps aided by his cocaine addiction in that period. As
he confesses himself: “I actually was feeling as alienated as that
character was. It was a pretty natural performance… a good
exhibition of somebody literally falling apart in front of you.
(…) I was stoned out of my mind from beginning to end.”
Thank you Taschen for this wonderful book, giving us an
insight in the making of one of the most alienating films
I have ever seen, bringing back to life one of the most talented
performers I have ever seen. One can only hope that there will
be a similar publication of the sequel Lazarus.
DAVID BOWIE:
“WE CARRY THE LUGGAGE OF OTHERNESS
WITH US WHEREVER WE GO”
Paul Duncan, Taschen Bibliotheca Universalis 2017

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