Led by Artistic Director David Abrahamyan and President Konstantin Ishkhanov, ICCF brings together an illustrious lineup of musicians who will mentor young talents through an extensive series of masterclasses in an immersive approach that fosters collaboration across generations. Simultaneously, attendees will also experience these maestros in live performance, with a series of chamber performances highlighting masterpieces from across classical music.  

We sat down with David Abrahamyan, the Artistic Director of ICCF, to discuss his vision of this project, and his goals and ambitions as its launch draws closer. 

• What was the inspiration behind the ICCF, and what is your vision for this event?

There were a lot of inspirations that came from many places. My experience of living in Brussels was certainly one of them, as is the genuine sense of satisfaction and joy that I get from making music of the highest level with good friends, especially when you combine that with the crucial educational factor. However, most importantly, perhaps, was my friendship with Konstantin Ishkhanov, the President of ICCF, because this was the starting point of everything. As soon as this idea came to me, he was the first person who I went to speak to, because I know that we share both a similar passion for classical music, as well as the desire to see things done with excellence and dedication. I’ve long been aware of Konstantin’s many global successes with huge projects like the InClassica International Music Festival, Middle East Classical Music Academy, Accordi Musicali festival and Academy, and so many more, so I knew he would be the right person to help turn such a dream like this into reality, and in fact it proved true!

The vision is always to maintain the highest possible level of artistic excellency in combination with the crucial aspect — certainly for me at least — of educational excellency. My initial dream was to inspire young future players, students, and institutions; to connect the great masters of our time with the stars of the future, and to do all that in wonderful and historical locations like the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel. It is a wonderful honour, and to see young players get the opportunity of making music with great maestros like Claudio Bohorquez or Yossif Ivanov is always a very inspiring experience, both for us and for them, and it will definitely help to motivate them to improve and grow as musicians.

• The festival features both masterclasses and chamber concerts. How do you see the interplay between these two elements taking place?
  

Education is the key for everything in life, especially in this day and age, and an extremely important aspect of it is in performance. Ultimately, all of us musicians make the sacrifices and effort that we do in order to perform on stage, to make music and share our love for it with others like us. A chance to see wonderful professional musicians in action in live performances, and even having the opportunity to go on stage with them, as our Academy students shall have, is undoubtedly the best way to learn, grow and become inspired. 

• How does the collaboration with the QEMC contribute to this festival’s uniqueness?

Having such an incredibly wonderful institution like the QEMC, with its rich history in the music world, as a collaborator is a great honour for me, and indeed, for ICCF  itself. This is one of the examples of artistic excellency that we are seeking in our festival, and I am certain that this inimitable setting will both enrich the experience and help to inspire students and professors alike to leave a truly memorable and indelible mark in their musical journey.

• How has the experience of working alongside the organising committee been for you?

It has been truly remarkable! As I mentioned before, my friendship with Konstantin Ishkhanov was what transformed this idea into reality and made this wonderful project possible. His experience and very collaborative support of the team has made this journey into a wonderful trip with a very special destination that we deeply hope shall enrich and inspire our young musicians, as well as all the public who will be enjoying the wonderful performances that will be on offer. It is thanks to people like Konstantin Ishkhaov that such events can happen at all, and I am very grateful that there are people like him in our world of classical music!

• What do you hope the students will take away from working so closely with world-renowned musicians?

Inspiration, even more love and passion for music than I am sure they already possess, and a newfound dedication and willingness to take on the hard work necessary to grow into full musicians! These are all crucial elements which I hope they will be able to take with them, coupled with a realisation of the importance for maintaining artistic excellency in everything you do, and a resilience that will allow them to keep fighting to achieve their dreams and never give up. 

• Looking beyond the span of its duration, do you feel that this festival can have a role to play in fostering a broader appreciation of chamber music among local and international audiences?

Absolutely! This is only the first year, and it has already been a huge success. Before Konstantin and I even launched we already had countless applications for the masterclass sessions coming in through the QEMC, and the response from musicians who wished to perform and form part of this project has genuinely been truly overwhelming. This all points towards the growth of a cultural movement that we are looking to tap into and develop further in coming years. It’s still very early days of course, but among other things we are definitely hoping to be able to accommodate larger lineups, even more eclectic programmes, and a more comprehensive cultural outreach which will see the inclusion of lectures and seminars, colloquiums for students and teachers, as well as increased public involvement by incorporating elements such as public presentations of the programmes ahead of each performance, special concerts that will become social events in of themselves, and, last but not least, concerts aimed at the very young generation with the goal of igniting a newfound love for classical music within them.

The post Interview: Konstantin Ishkhanov and David Abrahamyan Bring Global Talent to Brussels with May 2025 International Chamber Classics Festival appeared first on Brussels Express.

Name: David Oliva Uribe
Nationality: Belgian-Mexican
Profession: Head of the Industrial Doctoral School – EIT Digital

« Trump’s protectionist policies help me to encourage Latin America to look more towards Europe as the best partner. »

Could you tell us a little about your journey and how you came to be in Brussels?

I’m 44 years old. I was born in Mexico City in 1975, but I’m a Belgian national now. I became a Belgian national in 2016. I went down the path where you show that you have more than five years working here. In addition, although it wasn’t necessary, I had several references from University rectors through my job – my scientific work, but also the work I have done to promote Belgian universities abroad. I help to enhance international cooperation between universities.

I came to Europe in 2005. I was interested in coming because at the time, in Mexico, I was working for one of the most important private universities, the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) and I was involved in education and research. But I was not able to lead my own research because I didn’t have a PhD. Also, Mexico at that time was not really able to carry out research with an impact on society or industry. So, I was very interested to know how the European model works.

I decided to go to Germany where I started my journey in Europe. It was very funny because I didn’t start out doing a PhD. I got a job working in a research centre. I was helping to manage the centre, with a team leader role, but not really working on my PhD. Basically, when I started looking to go there, I talked to the research centre directors and professors, and I said, I’m not only interested in doing a PhD, I’m also interested in how universities and industries can work together and innovate. So I was in Germany when I got that opportunity.

I learned quite a lot there about how German universities really have strong links with industry. I was the leader of a research team working on projects for Airbus, Siemens, Bosch and Volkswagen – very varied, really big as well as small companies. This helped me to understand the various collaborative possibilities.

It was there that I got the chance to be involved in applying for funding from the European Commission for FP7, the framework programme, and it became clear how important it was also to collaborate with the rest of Europe, because for every project you need three countries at least to work together.

Then the time came for me to know more about the European Union and I got the chance to come to Brussels in 2010 for summer training with a professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB).

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What were your first impressions of Brussels?

It was very interesting because people don’t necessarily imagine the things going on at Brussels’s universities. They may not be highly ranked although they are doing their best to improve, but they have real jewels in research: very highly renowned scientific researchers. The professor who ran this training course I went on is number two in the world for the research he does in modelling for non-linear systems, which you can apply everywhere. Finding the number two in the world in Brussels!

I spent one month here in the summer of 2010 and got to know the VUB and I found not only him but several professors who are really in the top echelons of research. You could say, I fell in love with the VUB – how they work, how they really want to promote collaboration and how they are very inclusive. It opened my eyes to Brussels as a very international city, a very friendly city, very open. For example, when you compare it to Paris – Paris is very international too but you still see it’s very closed and selfish. And Brussels is more open. Even just the different social days, for example on Thursday in Place Luxembourg or you can go to Chatelain. You can find people working in industry, working in the European Parliament or the Commission, and everybody can hang out with everybody. Nobody will be really ‘posh’ and say, ‘I will not talk to you!’. They really give you a smile, ask what you’re doing, you might find out they’re an MEP. You feel it’s a very friendly city.

By chance, the professor who was giving the training, was very interested in the research I’d started in Germany. While making things for industry was important, I had wanted to do something with a real impact for society and I had found a German neurosurgeon, Doctor Ralf Stroop, looking for a solution for local hospitals to better operate on brain tumours. He asked if I could develop something with him and we started working together. The prototypes were working very well, but very slowly. They were accurate but they took a very long time. So, I took this summer training to gain the knowledge and skills to make it really fast.

I presented this to the VUB professor, Johan Schoukens, and he told me, ‘I will give you a job here if you want to collaborate with me.’ For me, it was a nice opportunity to be in Brussels, to be with the number two in the world, and to continue my European path.

I decided to take the job. He gave me other responsibilities, such as the academic coordination of summer training. We receive PhD students from all over the world, and 17 countries in Europe. This has equipped me with great insight into European environments.

Around that time, I started a strong collaboration with the Mexican Embassy in Brussels and their mission to the EU, because they asked me to start creating professional networks for Mexicans living in Europe. So I created the first one in Germany, then one in Belgium, and I helped to structure the Mexican network in Europe which now has 17 associations in 16 different countries.

The main idea is to enhance collaboration between European countries and Mexican institutions and people. Previously Mexico’s focus had been the United States. But many things have happened to change that. First of all, we sent a strong message that Europe and the EU is a very good partner to work with. Education in Europe is stronger, richer, more inclusive. And this has changed the way Mexico views collaboration. 15 years ago, 90% of Mexican scholarships to go abroad were to the United States. Now, 65% of scholars want to come to Europe or are in Europe. So we changed that completely.

When you say Europe is stronger, richer, in terms of education, how does that fit with the impression people have of, for example, MIT in the States, their big name universities and all the private money that goes into those institutions? There’s a narrative that says that sort of approach drives innovation and research in a way that doesn’t happen here. But you think that Europe has a stronger academic offer than America?

Europe has a stronger academic scene and a completely different perspective on innovation, which is the social impact side of things. This is totally different from the vision of the United States. The US has a stronger, economy driven model of innovation. Money is the most important thing there, multiplication of investment. Creating value, economic value. But it’s not always thought-through: what are we placing into the market?

In Europe, on the other hand, there is a strong commitment to saying, ‘What we invest as public funds, plus what we win from private investors, drives innovation and yes, will generate economic benefits, but the tangible outputs are things that are good for society. Products that will improve health, improve the quality of life, that will give you a safer job.’ And when you look at these, the financial side has not been the aim. Of course, we have a gap, which we need to rebalance. We need to generate more successful companies. But still, we don’t need to change that social impact mission.

Through this collaboration with Mexico, I had more and more contact and attended events at the EU, so I really observed a lot of what’s happening in Brussels. At the time when I got my first offer of work with a European organisation, I had become a Belgian national and I was invited to work with the European University Association, the EUA. It’s the biggest university lobbying effort in the world. They gather universities in all European countries. They had on the association’s board the rectors conference of 30 countries, so it’s really global.

At the EUA, I was in charge of the Council for Doctoral Education, where I had contacts with 230 universities in 30 countries in Europe – not only the EU – so I became involved with policies and how we develop better opportunities for researchers. This has given me a great perspective to understand institutions, to understand what they do. But at the same time, I’ve never stopped collaborating with Mexico. That’s how and why I started bringing more and more ideas to Mexico and Latin America, from Brussels: how to do things that will promote development but with social impact. This is what Brussels can bring and I have been a big promoter of Brussels in Latin America. With Brussels you can reach every single part of Europe – you cannot imagine! I have meetings with the Helsinki office who are just downstairs. Through those windows there (pointing) you have the Association of Norwegian Universities. If I want to reach Russian universities, they have an office near Place Luxembourg. So, every single place in Europe can be reached in Brussels.

It’s a city where you can achieve your personal goals too. I lived a wonderful life here as a single person. I got married here with a German and we have a daughter and she was born in Brussels, raised here, educated here and we are very happy here. You can combine a good quality of life while still being in the most interesting and active region where you discuss the future of European development.

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Those are very positive comments about Brussels. How would you compare those experiences with Germany or indeed, Mexico City? Would you draw any comparisons?

It’s different. I was in Hanover in Germany. Many German cities are still not really international. German companies see ‘internationalisation’ in terms of ‘how can we place things into foreign markets’, not ‘how do we integrate these things into our environment?’. In Belgium, in Brussels, it’s the latter. There, in Germany, you can see, everybody really pictures you as a foreigner. Here, the definition of ‘foreigner’ is gone. Actually, sometimes you feel that it’s the Belgians who feel foreign sometimes in Brussels! That’s the difference.

I joined EIT Digital. There are certain external organisations that depend on the European Commission called European Union Bodies. EIT is one of them, the European Institute for Innovation and Technology. The headquarters are in Budapest, and EIT has a mission to boost innovation in Europe. They are divided into different Knowledge Innovation Communities (KICs) and one of them is EIT Digital, which is in charge of the digital transformation of Europe. There is also EIT Climate, EIT Energy.

EIT Digital decided to put the headquarters in Brussels but we have offices in 17 different cities, including one in Silicon Valley. I joined EIT Digital last year to be the Head of the Industrial Doctoral School, so for me it’s a really dream job. In fact, every job I’ve ever had has been a dream job for me. But why do I enjoy this job? Because first we are talking about bringing innovation to Europe in the domain of digital transformation – where we are not the world leaders yet, and we have everything it takes to become the strongest. And for me, now I feel I’m really working for Europe and for Brussels.

Secondly, I have the opportunity both to promote programmes that will see companies and universities working together, and to communicate with young talent and tell them: doing research is something not only university-based, but also collaborative which gives you the opportunity to boost your career, to have a better position in your professional life and to develop solutions that will have an impact on society.

One of the things that is really a problem in Europe, is the fight for talent. Talent management is a huge topic. Talent retention. For example, Nordic countries have ideal places to work but nobody wants to go there. So they have even placed offices in Brussels to understand how to become more attractive. And we can retain talent if we show them the value of European companies.

So our mission in the industrial doctorates is to shape new talents, to shape new professionals for Europe who believe in European companies. We also have international companies with a great commitment to Europe, although we put emphasis on European ones. They can create and nurture their own companies, and we can provide them with the best ecosystem for innovation. We can connect them to all the programmes we are working on with the Commission’s vision. It just so happened with the change of Presidency, that the new Commissioner for Innovation and Youth, (Mariya Gabriel), was the Commissioner for Digital and this has helped to infuse digital research and education into all other agendas like climate and societal inclusion.

So we really want to expand the way we work: bring in more universities, more industries working together and inspiring young talent to believe that we can achieve a very powerful digital transformation. We already have around 120 participants in the Industrial Doctorate, but we’ll expand it to 300 – where we provide part of the scholarship funding and a complete international training in innovation and entrepreneurship. Actually, I would add that part of the training we provide, can take part here in Brussels so students can grasp how, through understanding Brussels and the EU, they can also reach many things.

Can you talk a little more about your own research work and give us an example of how research in the digital technology and biotech space can really have an impact on people’s lives?

Basically, where digital technologies can help is to do more complex tasks, because now we have the capacity to do it with artificial intelligence, numerical methods and powerful computers that can allow us to obtain better results. This has been, for instance, my focus with the ‘intelligent scalpel’ I designed: to develop technology that is accessible for all hospitals, that can be very precise and safe, and allows the surgeon to take the decisions, because he or she should take the decision. Human decision-making is really relevant for health. You should never take out the human approach from health and well-being.

With Doctor Stroop we aim to make an instrument that a surgeon will use to evaluate areas of the brain where he knows there is a tumour. The instrument will very thoroughly analyse the tissue being touched and confirm the surgeon’s judgement. Just through touch, the instrument starts making micro-vibrations using more than 4000 frequencies simultaneously. It’s like spectrum photography of how the tissue is vibrating. We analyse how the tissue vibrates and we extract complex models to decide if the tissue being touched is healthy or tumorous.

This requires material science as we decide on intelligent materials but these materials are only intelligent alongside digital technologies. We need to process a lot of information and calculations very quickly. Before, in Germany, we could do this in one minute per point, which is way too long! Waiting one minute for each bit of tissue analysis would mean the surgery would take ten days. Now, after working in Brussels with Professor Schoukens, we’ve managed to complete that task in 400 milliseconds per point. So really, you can just touch the tissue and see the result straightaway.

We are in the final phase of human trials and we hope to take it to market in a couple of years. But our aim is not really thinking about money, rather offering a solution that can be placed everywhere. That’s part of what I appreciate being here in Brussels, where many people here have that commitment. We believe that bringing things to society is the goal and as we come from different societies, so we try to ensure that the solutions match needs in different places.

Do you ever feel homesick for Mexico? Do you get the chance to go back?

In the past, before EIT I used to go back five times a year because I had a lot of projects but now EIT absorbs most of my time and my travels are more European. I try to go three times a year. But I don’t feel homesick because now, my family is here. My wife, my daughter. We really feel like une famille bruxelloise. So, Brussels is part of us.

If you were Mayor of one of the Communes, is there anything you would change, if you were in charge?

This is related to your first question. Why am I not homesick in Brussels? Because Brussels is like a small Mexico City. It is charming and chaotic. The only difference is that Mexico City is 30 times bigger because it has 30 million people, but still they are very similar. Very beautiful areas. Very dangerous areas. Chaotic. The traffic. Excellent transportation. Bad planning for street works.

You can get hysterical in Brussels but at the end of the day you don’t want to leave because Brussels offers many things. I think what makes Brussels beautiful is the people. The combined international community really makes Brussels very warm for everybody. You feel it in the schools and your kids. My daughter, for example, who is a Belgian but she comes from ‘foreign blood’ – if she were in a school where she was the only foreigner, as could happen in Germany, she would feel maybe a little bit isolated. But here, almost everybody comes from parents with different origins. Children who were born here have parents who speak different languages and different cultures. But they’re integrated and they generate tolerance since they are growing and being educated alongside others.

What I don’t like, and I think many of us complain about on social media, is the bad planning of street works. I think there are many issues. Security and sometimes the work of the police is not so effective. The streets are not properly prepared for cycling; they were just adapted and it’s interesting that they simply put a line down the traffic lane, but actually there is no room for both! I think the street planning is very bad. I would really change the signage and I think they should move to more one-way traffic, because there are such narrow streets.

Brussels is chaotic in that sense. My wife remarked that even in Mexico City, the traffic works. There are fewer accidents in percentage terms than Brussels. The formula is like this: in Germany, mostly everybody follows the rules, so you know what to expect. In Mexico, actually there are no rules, so you still know what to expect. But in Brussels, half the people follow the rules and the others don’t, so you never know what to expect. I think they could do something with civil education because we come from so many different places that people are not used to the same rules. You don’t know what is about to happen in front of you, so there is always a crash.

Do you have any anecdotes about experiencing Belgian surrealism?

I live in Ixelles and they took a year to repair the Chaussée d’Ixelles and exactly one day after re-opening it, they closed it again to fix something they had forgotten!

The other thing is, why on earth do children have so many holidays when we as workers only have 20 days? They have a lot of holidays. It’s not easy. They have the whole of July and August and then every two months they have another week. It’s impossible. Even if you had 40 holiday days you would never keep up with them.

Do you have any favourite places to frequent in Brussels?

We love to go to Volle Gas restaurant, in front of Ixelles commune. It’s one of my favourites. There is also the Fin de Siècle, which is an excellent restaurant towards Saint-Gery from the Bourse. Very nice, Belgian-style food. They only have the menu on a board, so you have to choose from there. After about 7pm, there’s a queue of people, but it’s nice because as you get closer to the bar you can ask for a drink. And usually when you’ve stopped eating, you have to go, to make room.

We also like to go to the Cinquantenaire Park and Bois de la Cambre. We live very close to the ULB and we are only one street away from Bois de la Cambre, so that’s our back garden.

Another thing I find wonderful in Brussels is the nightlife and all the festivals. So in summertime, even September, you find a lot of things to do. I’ve been several times to the Brussels Summer Festival, and all the local events, like the Fiesta Latina and when they open the beach at the canal.

And of course the beer. And the Christmas Market. Even though I’ve been to quite a few German Christmas Markets, I find the Brussels one really nice. It’s really, really nice. It’s a good one. I think it competes with the German ones. And what I like the most is that they open after Christmas, whereas the German ones close on the 23rd.

You mentioned Belgian food. What’s your favourite Belgian specialty?

Carbonnade. And mussels.

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Do you have a personal wish linked to Brussels?

There is the route, the Comic Strip Walk, which I would like to do because I love comics. I only know two of the murals on the walk. And I’ve never been to the Comic Book Museum or to the Magritte Museum.

Just on a different note finally, because I think it would be remiss not to ask you: do you have any remarks about Trump and his policies?

I think it’s curious because of course it’s a bad position, but in terms of me as a Mexican Belgian, his protectionist policies help me to encourage Latin America to look more towards Europe. In terms of the wall (the one he wants Mexicans to pay for!), what he has actually done is place a wall between Latin American and US collaboration. For me this was an interesting moment, because I was then able to really strengthen my message. I also collaborate with other Latin American countries, with Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Argentina – I help them to find strategic alliances. When they were faced with Trump stopping every means to collaborate, it was a perfect time for me to introduce the message: Europe is your partner.

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I don’t drink so much coffee as people would expect. I guess it’s around 3-4 cups. But what’s for sure, I try/taste a lot, as well. It’s to control recipes and ratios, just like a cook.

Tell us something about yourself and your café in Ixelles?

Since I was a student, I’ve been working in the hospitality industry as a waitress. I always wanted to open my own place (but not especially a café). In 2013, I found a job at Café de la Presse here in Brussels. When I arrived there, they changed their coffee supplier and I met the guy who roasted the coffee. It was this moment that kicked-off my ‘coffee life’. I worked there during three years and learnt everything about work as a barista. In 2016, someone proposed a place/shop to me. I visited it, and Fika’s story began.

If you had to choose: flat white, cappuccino or latte?

Cappuccino. For me it is the drink containing milk that has a good balance: you taste the body of the coffee and enjoy it with the sweetness from the foam and warm milk.

Why did you call you cafe ‘Fika’ and why did you open it in Brussels (if there’s a reason)?

Brussels: it’s just the life that decided.

Fika is a combination of a culture that I like (Scandinavian) and my passion for coffee. I wanted to open a place about coffee culture and the coffee break, not especially a copy of a Swedish café.

Also, one of the most difficult things when you start a business is to find the name: it should be short, easy to remember and easy to read/pronounce. ‘Fika’ came naturally with my concept.

What is « Fika » for you? What makes a perfect Fika?

“Fika” for me is ‘to take a time for a break’, ‘take 5 min or more if you can, to relax with a drink and/or a snack’.

What’s special about your coffee? Where does it come from?

We only serve specialty coffees. This means the coffee have a score that reflects in quality. I work with 2 roasters (as my main suppliers): Café Capitale (a local roaster based in Brussels) and April, from Copenhagen. We change coffee origins on a regular basis, depending on what the roasters’ selection is and how the harvests look (coffee also has seasons, and change depending on the country it’s from).

Do you feel the coffee scene in Brussels and in Europe is developing fast? What do you think will be the next big trend?

Coffee is already a big trend, but when it comes to Europe, it’s developing faster in countries like the UK, The Netherlands or Sweden than in Belgium.

Do you bake the pastries yourself?

Some, but not everything myself. From the beginning, I work with Fanny, our part-time baker. But yes, the concept of ‘Fika’ is to bake everything ourselves!

What do you prefer? Semlor or cinnamon bun?

(She laughs) – hard question! I like both, but Semlor is only eating during a certain period and it’s a bit heavier than a cinnamon bun. I can’t eat a Semla every day, a cinnamon bun I can!

What’s hardest & most fun about having a small business/cafe?

The concept to do/manage everything yourself is hard but it’s so rewarding!

A small shop attracts loyal customers. The café been there for 2 years already and the interaction with my customers has become a friendly relationship. You feel like home at ‘Fika’.

What do you like most about Brussels?

It depends on the area you are in. What I like about Brussels is that the atmosphere is nice: the human size of the city with capital city advantages and all the different nationalities…

What’s the cosiest place in Brussels for you?

Is it arrogant if I respond Fika? (Joana laughs) Every day I try to make the shop as cozy as possible, it’s my job!

The post Interview with Joana from Fika appeared first on Brussels Express.

For those with some knowledge of the country, the word can suggest several different things: those who have travelled there might mention the luxurious spas and frenetic nightlife of its beautiful capital, Budapest; classical music aficionados will probably cite the wonderful classical melodies of the country’s most famous composer, Franz Liszt; history buffs will likely allude to the country’s frequently tragic, occasionally fraught, and invariably complicated past; and followers of contemporary politics might well use similar adjectives to describe the country’s present.

In short, for those of you who, like me, would probably have answered the above question with a curt “not much”, there is a significant amount to learn – and a lot to love – about a country of which so many Western citizens know so lamentably little.

Fortunately for us Brussels-dwellers, however, there is an institute located in the Belgian capital whose chief mandate is to address (at least of some of) this ignorance. It’s called the Balassi Institute – named after the Hungarian Renaissance poet, Bálint Balassi – and last week I was fortunate enough to meet with its Director, Zsófia Villegas-Vitézy, on its stylishly-designed premises near the centre of town, just off the Rue de la Loi.

Among other things, we discussed the history, nature and current activities of the Institute, and we also touched upon the upcoming annual flagship event, “HUNGAstRY”, which is scheduled to take place on June 29th-30th this year.

Thomas Moller-Nielsen: What is the purpose of the Balassi Institute?

Zsófia Villegas-Vitézy: Our goal is to promote general awareness and appreciation of Hungarian culture, including the Hungarian language, as well as Hungarian literature, music, and art. In short, our purpose is to engage in what is sometimes called ‘cultural diplomacy’ on behalf of the Hungarian people. We also frequently collaborate with EUNIC, the European Union National Institutes for Culture, an organisation of which the Balassi Institute is a member. EUNIC’s objective is to promote European culture in general around the world. Currently, I hold EUNIC Brussels’ rotating presidency, in addition to my present role as Director of the Balassi Institute.

TMN: How long has the Balassi Institute been in Brussels for?

ZVV: The institute has been around since 2004, and I joined it in 2013.

TMN: Interesting: the Institute opened in the same year that Hungary joined the European Union. Are the two events linked, by any chance?

ZVV: Yes. Belgium, and particularly Brussels, became strategically important to Hungary when we joined the European Union in 2004. Most countries of a similar size to Belgium, like the Netherlands or Switzerland, don’t have any such institutes. Well, actually there is one in Finland, but that’s because of the long-standing cultural ties between the two countries, particularly linguistic ties.

TMN: Where are the other Balassi Institutes located?

ZVV: There are several institutes in the countries bordering Hungary, including in Slovakia, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia. The institutes aren’t there just because it is important for Hungary to foster genuine intercultural understanding between its close neighbours; they’re there because a lot of these countries have significant Hungarian minorities. However, our aim is not to cater solely to them; our goal is to promote Hungarian culture among all of the citizens in the countries where we are based.

In total, there are 24 Balassi Institutes around the world, located in 22 different counties in and outside the EU. There’s one in New York, one in New Delhi, one in Beijing, one in Cairo, one in Istanbul, and many others besides. It’s an old network: more than 100 years old, in fact. Originally, the institutes were usually focussed in major European cities, like Berlin, Vienna, and Rome. But after the end of the Cold War the scope of the institutes began to expand.

TMN: Who is it funded by?

ZVV: We are funded by the Hungarian government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, but we foster international cooperation and search for Hungarian and multilateral financial sources.

TMN: How does each institute decide what events or activities to offer?

ZVV: Every year, we get a list of performances or potential projects offered to us by the Headquarters in Budapest. But they’re really just recommendations. We try to tailor our programs to the specific environments and cultures that we happen to be located in; to adapt our programs to our local environments. In short, we have a huge amount of autonomy in terms of what we decide to do.

TMN: What kinds of activities or events does the Balassi Institute organise?

ZVV: Music events, art exhibitions, lectures and discussions, basically everything related Hungarian culture, history or traditions. We also offer language classes.

TMN: Who attends these activities and events?

ZVV: A lot of different kinds of people attend our events: Hungarians, friends of Hungarians, or just people who are generally interested in learning a bit more about Hungarian culture or are interested in the topics we offer.

For our language classes, we often get offspring of Hungarian parents whose Hungarian is not quite up to scratch, who want to become better at speaking the language. We also get quite a few people who have Hungarian spouses, as well as some Belgians who have bought a summer house in Hungary, and who are keen to learn some of the language so that when they return to Hungary they’re able to communicate. Finally, quite a few ‘language-collectors’ come to our classes: these are people who simply want to learn a Finno-Ugric language of some kind, to add to the ‘collection’ of languages they already know. I should emphasise, though, that absolutely anyone is welcome to attend our classes and events, regardless of their background or motivation.

TMN: When some people in the West think of Hungary today, they think Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, and his current political difficulties and differences with the EU. Is this something that has proved to be a problem for you?

ZVV: We’re not a political institution, but a cultural one. We want to show people what Hungarian culture has to offer, in a broad sense, regardless of one’s political beliefs. As you don’t go to the opera to see political debates, you don’t visit a foreign cultural institute to dispute about the actual government or certain politicians of the respective country. There are many other places where you can do this – we are in Brussels after all.

TMN: Can you tell us a little bit about HUNGAstRY?

ZVV: It’s an annual festival, now in its fourth year, jointly organised by us and by the Permanent Representation of Hungary to the EU. This year it will take place on the weekend of the 29th-30th of June, in Cinquantenaire Park. The year of the festival’s launch, 2016, was a particularly special year for Hungarians, as it was the 60th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising against Soviet control of the country. However, I should emphasise that HUNGAstRY’s purpose is not political; it’s designed specifically to promote Hungarian culture, including gastronomical culture. Goulash, lángos, but other less well-known examples of Hungarian cuisine will be readily available, as well as excellent Hungarian wines. It will also feature music of all genres from folk to electric and even folk dancing lessons, for those who are keen to learn.

TMN: How popular has the festival proved to be over the years?

ZVV: Very popular. More than 5,000 people turned up to the inaugural HUNGAstRY back in 2016, and last year we had more than 10,000 people attend.

TMN: Why the focus on food, though? I mean, Hungary is also well-known for many other things: its spas, its history, its music, its literature.

ZVV: Well, you will have a chance to enjoy our music at the festival, and to take part in activities celebrating Hungarian culture and history. The founder is the Hungarian Ambassador to the EU, and the programs and the structure of the festival are based upon his ideas. But no doubt, food and wine are things that everyone tend to enjoy – and by sharing them people usually end up liking each other a lot more.

Further details:

For further details about the Balassi Institute and its upcoming events and activities, please go to its website.

For more information about HUNGAstRY, click here.

The post “We want to show what Hungarian culture has to offer regardless of one’s background or beliefs” – Balassi Institute’s director Zsófia Villegas-Vitézy appeared first on Brussels Express.

Trained as a classical pianist at the Royal Conservatories of Brussels and Liège, she counts both Rachmaninoff and The Prodigy as being among her musical influences. Under her stage name, “MAM,” she writes and performs acoustic piano pieces that self-consciously defy musical categorisation, while for her electro band “X-ing Stars” – which consists of her and her partner, Piotr Paluch – she produces music that is far more conventionally mainstream. She’s fascinated by science, and is currently involved in a project exploring the relationship between music and synesthesia. She holds distinctive and thoughtful views on a variety of subjects, including but not limited to music, science, aesthetics, and the nature and limits of human knowledge.

Oh, and she wants to go the moon. Literally. (More on this later.)

I caught up with Manon the other day at the Aloft Bar Lounge near Schuman, where she will be performing this Saturday evening as a featured act in Brussels Urban Classical, a new music event on the Brussels scene which aims to combine the best of classical and urban genres in a live setting.

We spoke about a wide variety of subjects, including her personal life, music, philosophy, science, synesthesia – and of course her long-held desire for space travel.

Thomas Moller-Nielsen: Have you always wanted to be a musician? How old were you when you started playing music?

Manon Moemaers (“MAM”): I’ve wanted to be a musician for as long as I can remember. I started playing music when I was a baby: I was two years old when my parents bought me a violin, and I was three years old when I started playing the piano. I’ve never really enjoyed playing the violin, but I’ve always felt at home playing the piano.

TMN: Do you play any instruments other than the piano? Do you sing?

MAM: I’ve started to sing more and more these days – for instance, I occasionally sing for my electro band, “X-ing stars” – but I’m not as good at singing as I am at playing the piano. I’m not as professional. I also play the drums, the guitar, the recorder, and the bass guitar. But I only really play them for fun. And when I’m performing as “MAM”, I only play the piano, although I often accompany people who are singing.

TMN: Having browsed through your YouTube channel and website, it seems to me that you’ve been influenced by quite a number of different musicians: Yann Tiersen, Mozart, Ludovico Einaudi, Debussy, Chopin, even Céline Dion! Who, and what, would you say are your biggest musical influences?

MAM: I come from a family that lives and breathes classical music. Both of my parents are successful professional classical musicians: my father is a trained classical pianist, and my mother is a trained classical singer. So, naturally, the first music I ever listened to was classical music: Debussy, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Mozart, Liszt, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, all were big influences on me as a child. But as I grew older I started to listen to other things. I listened to a lot of rock as a teenager: Foo Fighters, Good Charlotte, and Muse. I still like them. I’m also a fan of electro music, like Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy.

TMN: Several of your YouTube videos show you playing in public spaces, for instance at train stations. Is it fair to say that this is something you enjoy doing?

MAM: I like having fun. It’s a different experience playing in front of people at a train station, compared to playing a live concert. There’s less pressure, for one thing. But I enjoy doing both of them.

TMN: Why is your new album called “Classical or Not? – Colours of Sound”?

MAM: I chose the first part of the title, “Classical or Not?”, because I wanted to express the idea that, although I largely use classical music techniques, methods and instruments – namely, an acoustic piano – to make my music, the music that I ended up producing for the album really isn’t classical in any conventional or straightforward sense: it’s influenced by pop, rock, electro-music, things like that. In a sense, the title is really a question for listeners: I don’t want to define my music as either classical or as non-classical. I want to let the public decide.

The second part of the title, “Colours of Sound”, was chosen because of an experience I had with a psychic some time ago. I played her a piece I had written – “Moon & Sun’s Friendship”, which is on the new album – and she then went on to describe to me what she saw as I was playing. I found her description fascinating.

TMN: What did she see?

MAM: She claimed she saw a fantastic array of colours emanating from me, from my very fingertips; and I remember she said she saw a coloured beam of light coming straight out of the top of my head, which then slowly spread out and filled the room. I found that really interesting. In a strange way, it cohered with my own sense of what I feel when I play music. I, too, feel a kind of energy emanating from me when I play music, an energy which fills the room.

TMN: On this theme, you say on your website that you’re collaborating on a project with a synesthete. How is this project going?

MAM: Yes, I am working with a young woman called Marlene, who is (unlike the psychic) a medically diagnosed synesthete: she claims to see colours when she hears music. My goal is to try to visually represent her experience when she listens to music, in a music video; to try to show others what it is that she sees when she hears music. It’ll obviously be a very difficult project, not least because Marlene claims that the colours she sees only exist “in her head”, rather than “out there in the world”, as in the case of other synesthetes. But it’ll be fascinating to try, and to see what we eventually come up with.

TMN: A lot the music that you’ve written, like “Liberté”, or “Moon & Sun’s Friendship”, seem to me to be rather emotional, but spiritually uplifting songs. Is it fair to say that this is the kind of music that you enjoy making the most, or that speaks to you the most?

MAM: Yes. I want listeners to feel good after listening to my music. The subject matter of my songs can often be quite negative and sad, but I always want to add ‘light’ to it, to give the audience a positive, happier feeling at the end. The goal is always to make the listener feel better after listening.

TMN: You say on your website that “Liberté” was written after you discovered a “shadow” in you, and that when this shadow passed it was like being “at the end of the tunnel where you can see the light”. Could you elaborate on this a little?

MAM: Well, I had spent a long time in my own shadow; that is, I had spent a long time exploring the darker, sadder, more shadowy parts of myself. This was due to a decision that I had made, to take the time to discover the darker part of myself. The song “Liberté” was written at a time when I had had enough, when I was through exploring that part of myself. And when I was writing it, I felt like was seeing light at the end of the tunnel. That’s the best way I can explain it.

TMN: But isn’t that a bit strange, to take a conscious decision to explore a dark part of yourself? I mean, most people don’t choose to feel sad!

MAM: Yes, maybe, but I thought it was necessary in order to know more about myself: about who I am, and what my weaknesses are.

TMN: Was this exploration of this darker side of yourself one that took place personally, or professionally?

MAM: Both.

TMN: What would you say music means to you?

MAM: Music is like magic; there’s something inherently magical about it. Music allows you to feel, and express, emotions and feelings that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to feel or express. It allows others to feel what you can feel in a way that nothing else really can. It’s almost like a universal language. But it’s even more powerful than that: it can also express lightness, darkness, abstract concepts, divine things, in a unique and magical way.

TMN: From your website and from talking to you, it seems to me that you’re very interested in science – and not just the science of synesthesia – and that you’re especially interested in the interaction and connection between science and music. Can you say more about this?

MAM: Yes, I’m interested in scientific research about music. I also think that there’s a sense in which, in principle, everything can be explained by science. But I also feel that even if we did one day have a complete scientific understanding of music, there would still remain something special about it. Something magical.

TMN: For some reason this reminds me of the famous John Keats line, about how Isaac Newton destroyed the poetry of the rainbow by explaining it scientifically. I suppose you would disagree – that understanding music scientifically won’t destroy its magic?

MAM: Yes, I disagree. Knowing something, or understanding something in a scientific sense can never diminish that thing’s beauty. It can only add to it.

TMN: You’ve applied for the #dearMoon Project, run by the Japanese billionaire businessman Yusaku Maezawa in collaboration with Elon Musk’s Space X company. The aim of the project is to bring artists to fly around moon as a means of inspiring themselves, their art, and the rest of humanity. Can you say more about that?

MAM: My fascination with space travel began when I was a child, when I was fortunate enough to meet Dirk Frimout, the first Belgian to go to space. When I met him, he actually promised me that when I was an adult he would take me to space! And now I’m an adult, he’s been very supportive of my application for the #dearMoon Project.

In general, though, I’m fascinated by what kind of experiences I would have if I went to space – what I would see, what I would feel, what I would experience, and so on. I’m especially curious to know what impact it would have on my art, and what kind of music I would produce after coming back. I also just have the sense that everything is linked, that everything is connected, and that going to the moon would allow me to understand and appreciate that link better.

TMN: Can you say a bit more about this “link”?

MAM: It’s difficult to put into words, but I believe that there’s a link, a connection, a bond, an energy, that exists between all things, large and small, between the stars and atoms, between all things divinely created – I mean, we already know that the structure of the atom resembles, to some extent, the structure of the solar system. In other words, I think that there’s a certain harmony that exists in the world. One of my main goals is to try to study and understand this harmony, this link, and how it is that people can perceive such different things, can be such different beings, but nevertheless be united by something true and eternal, by some divine truth.

TMN: So do you think that if you went to space you might be able to demonstrate the existence of – or even observe – this link, this divine truth?

MAM: Maybe. But if even if I did, I don’t know if I, or anyone else, could express it as the truth. Everyone will put a different name on it, and will see and express it differently. But we need to do serious research to understand how this one divine truth, this link, is connected to everyone and everything around it, and how others can be connected and unified despite their often very great differences.

A similar theme is present in my own music. I like listening to, and playing, many different kinds of music. The style of my songs, and the subject matter, can often be radically different, but underlying it all there’s an underlying unity, a connection. And in the same way, I think that there’s an underlying unity, a connection, a magic, that unifies all of music, and all of us.

TMN: So finding unity in diversity, that’s the goal?

MAM: Yes. Exactly.

Further details

For more information about Manon, please visit her website or her Facebook page.

Manon would also like to add that she has recently successfully completed a crowdfunding campaign, where she received a significant contribution from La Sacem, the Society of Authors, Composers, and Publishers of Music in France. She wishes to thank them for their contribution and for the faith they’ve shown in her.

To book Manon for any upcoming concerts, please email her agent (and Mainecoon Records producer) Piotr Paluch, at mail@piotrpaluch.be.

For any press-related matters (e.g. interviews), please email Denis Bogaerts at info.pianomam@gmail.com.

The post Finding unity in diversity – An interview with pianist Manon Moemaers, aka “MAM” appeared first on Brussels Express.

This was Abiy Ahmed’s first official visit to Brussels and to the European Union institutions. He met with Jean Claude Juncker, Donald Tusk and Federica Mogherini. The full package. On this occasion, Ethiopia and the European Union signed a 130 million euros cooperation agreement divided in three pillars: job creation (50 million euros), sustainable energy (35 million euros), and the establishment of agro-industrial parks in Ethiopia (45 million euros).

It was in this overloaded week that I met the new Ambassador of Ethiopia to the Kingdom of Belgium and to the European Union: Ambassador Grum Abay. 

I was waiting, at the charming conference room of the Embassy, for the Ambassador, when suddenly, I heard a friendly voice saying “Buongiorno Antonio!” I did not want to disappoint him and immediately replied “Buongiorno Signor Ambasciatore!”. 

“You know” he continued “I’ve served as a diplomat and as an ambassador in Rome for several years! I love your country!”

“Well thank you” I replied, “but I only have Italian origins…in fact, I’m Portuguese”. 

“Even better! Now you really must visit Ethiopia because both Portugal and Italy are old countries in the relationship between Ethiopia and Europe”.

This is how my conversation with the Ambassador started. 

Can you tell me an anecdote about the luso-ethiopian relationship? 

Of course! There are many, but I’ll tell you this one. The Portuguese came in the 16th century to Ethiopia. Funny enough, they came and told us that they were there to Christianise us and we explained to them that we were already Christians before they became one. Ethiopia accepted Christianity in 330 AD. We were in fact the second country in the world to accept Christianity after Armenia.

Ambassador Abay, you were appointed Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium in 2018. You also are the representative of Ethiopia to the European Union, and also the other Benelux countries. It’s quite a challenging position.

I’ve been serving as a diplomat for 33 years now. Since the beginning of my career,  I’ve been mostly dealing with European affairs. In fact, my first foreign position was here in Brussels back in 1992. At the time, I was working as a Counsellor in this same Embassy, so I’m not new to Brussels. Between my first time in Brussels and this new chapter, I was the Ambassador of Ethiopia to Italy and most recently to Russia. I was transferred directly from Moscow to Brussels, where I presented my credentials last September 25th. Obviously, most of the job here concerns the European institutions. On a bilateral basis, it’s Belgium and Luxembourg that we are covering. We used to cover the Netherlands but since we opened an Embassy there last April 2018, we longer cover it. 

How do you describe the relationship between Belgium and Ethiopia?

We have a strong and old relationship with Belgium. In fact, our diplomatic relations started in 1906! You are the 5th country that opened an official diplomatic representation in our land. The order is Italy (1896), France (1898), United Kingdom (1899), 1900 (The United States) and 1906 (Belgium).  So, as you can see, we have long history…way before the European project. During the Italian invasion, Belgians were the ones who helped establish the Ethiopian body guard unit, which was responsible for the security of the Imperial Palace.

How do you describe diplomatically Belgium? 

Belgium respects the sovereignty of other countries. I think Belgium is a soft power country. It doesn’t engage on issues that are not critical to its own interest, and that’s why you don’t hear that much about Belgium on some of the global crisis situations. But Belgium’s voice is heard through the EU.

But in Africa you hear about Belgium. What about Congo?

The problem about colonialism in Africa, for us Ethiopians, it really doesn’t figure. Therefore, I don’t have the authority to comment. Luckily, we have not suffered under colonialism. 

I assume there were many attempts…

Yes, many. Starting with your fellow countrymen, the Portuguese, but none of them succeeded. That is why there is a very strong sense of patriotism in Ethiopia. We might argue or fight with each other time to time, but whenever there were attempts of external aggression, we always find a way to come together. When our African brothers and sisters tell us what they went through under colonialism, it is difficult to understand them because that was not our experience. I’m not saying that they didn’t suffer. I’m just saying that we haven’t gone through that experience. Nonetheless, we Ethiopians were at the forefront of the anti-colonial struggle in Africa. Coming back to the Belgian colonization, let’s not forget that Congo was the property of King Leopold and not really Belgium, as a State. I think other European States have more responsibility. What about the British, French and Portuguese? They had almost the entire continent. 

Do you think colonialism in Africa is over?

Yes, I feel that the story of colonialism in Africa is long over. Many in Africa still talk about colonialism as the cause of their lack of development. I categorically disagree with that because as far as I’m concerned, 70 years already passed. You cannot always go back to the past and blame colonialism for your own shortfalls. Frankly speaking: always blaming colonialism for the lack of good governance, for the lack of economic development, for the lack of political stability, for the lack of security is not intellectually honest. You have been independent for the last 70 years, that it is a long time to do things right.

You are sending the message that Ethiopia doesn’t behave like its continental neighbours. 

I would put like this: we are very proud of our history and that gives us a psychological predisposition in feeling that we are equal to anybody. We don’t have any inferiority complex. We don’t feel that the Europeans or Americans – because they are rich, white, blue or yellow – are superior to the Ethiopians. Our job consists in trying our best to develop our country without using any past, external or psychological excuses. 

I understand the European Union is your main developing partner. What’s your strategy?

We feel that the economic development of Ethiopia is much linked with Europe and whatever assistance we get from the European Institutions, Ethiopia is renowned for implementing projects partly or fully financed by the Europeans. You don’t find in Ethiopia any European budget being stolen or put to use for other purposes. 

Can you share an example of a successful project?

Well, for instance our national road development program. The amount allocated from the European institutions was exclusively used for this project. You know, everything is monitored. We have a very strict mechanism. The money is released on tranches so our partners can check the implementation of the project. 

How much has the European Union allocated so far to Ethiopia? 

About 745 million Euros from 2014 to 2020. Ending in fact this year in 2019. 

How do you describe your economy in 2019?

Multiple international experts are being testimony to the incredible growth of the Ethiopian economy. We have been growing by 10% on average for 12 years. We are among the top 5 countries with the most impressive economic growth in the world. In Africa, we are number 1. Our economy is based on agriculture. Our challenge is to modernise Ethiopia’s agriculture in order to be more efficient and productive. Lately, we have focused our attention on the manufacturing sector by building industrial parks where we can attract foreign investors to create job opportunities for our youth. This is an important concern for us: to create jobs for our future generation. Our government believes that job creation will flourish in the manufacturing sector with input from an efficient, productive and technically-advanced agriculture.

And what about coffee? What is the weight of this sector on your economy? 

Agriculture as a whole used to represent nearly half of our GDP and nowadays is around a third. Nevertheless, coffee still remains as the main export item from Ethiopia. Coffee exports are 40% of exported items, which represents about 10 % of our GDP.

40%?! Almost half of the economy?

Yes, 40%. Well, it used to more than 60%.

Most of coffee producers in Ethiopia are local farmers. How do they deal with the multinationals? 

The farmers do not sell directly to the multinationals. There are two ways of selling coffee from Ethiopia. The first one, the farmer will sell the product to Ethiopian national companies that are exporting coffee. We have several of them by the way. Those Ethiopian coffee exporting companies are registered into the Ethiopian commodities exchange and through that they have market links with multinational companies who buy coffee. The second one is the farmer sells the product to Ethiopian coffee distributors. 

Who are the main clients?

Starbucks for example. But the Starbuck coffee you drink in America is not really pure Ethiopian coffee. 

What do you mean?

They buy Ethiopian coffee – aroma and taste – but they mix it with the robusta they buy Nicaragua, Honduras or Brazil. So in the end it’s doesn’t give you the real Ethiopian coffee taste.  

But who are the big importers? 

The Japanese, Germans, Saudis, and the Americans. 

Could you share the coffee ranking worldwide?

First of all, I want to clarify that there are two types of coffee: robusta and arabica. Robusta type of coffee is cultivated widely in the world. Most of the countries who are coffee exporters produce robusta coffee. Namely, the Latin American countries and some countries in Africa. Arabica coffee is produced in very low amount, but it’s the best coffee. And that is the real Ethiopian coffee. You can also find it in Ivory Coast, or in Uganda. The rankings don’t reflect the difference in quality between robusta and arabica. But to reply to your question, Brazil is leading the ranking and we are number 7 worldwide.

I asked you this question because one can be surprised to see countries like Germany, Italy or Portugal as main coffee producers worldwide when they exclusively import coffee. As the Ambassador of Ethiopia to the European Union how do you analyse this situation?

That’s why when I told you we want to create jobs for our youth, it’s also about creating added value. We are actuality doing good in that process of adding value to Ethiopian goods that are being exported. We have been engaging with foreign companies, including Italian companies, to cooperate with Ethiopian exporters in value adding processes inside Ethiopia. The results are still very low, frankly speaking, because the companies in Italy, Portugal or Germany who buy the coffee, process it, package it, have their market networks already in place and get more money for Ethiopian coffee than any Ethiopian farmer. That is one of the reasons we are disappointed with European multinationals in this sector. We are demanding more money for our farmers. Starbucks buys a kilo of Ethiopian coffee for 6 dollars and they sell it for more than 17 dollars. This is unacceptable. 

I’m curious to know how did you defend Ethiopian coffee in Italy. For us, Italy is home of quality expresso.

Well, let me tell you a story. One time I was in Luigi’s café, just a few meters from the Ethiopian Embassy in Rome, and  I heard an Italian guy asking Luigi “fammi un bel caffè italiano!” – make me a good Italian coffee – and then I just laughed. This guy looked at me and asked me “why are your laughing”?  I replied saying that this was the first time I heard about Italian coffee. And he says “yes, we have good Italian coffee” and I replied, “you don’t even have one coffee tree here!” And once again, we come back to the main issue: to add value. We are trying to add value to our coffee production and we have started to move in that direction; value-addition to our primary products. We will soon start to sell the whole package from the farms to the shops. 

The post « Colonialism in Africa is long over » Interview with Grum Abay, Ethiopia’s Ambassador to Belgium appeared first on Brussels Express.

Here he opens up to readers and shares details about his life, personal interests, and plans for the future.

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself, your background?

I have lived in Brussels since 1987. Before, I lived in Cologne, Germany, where I was born. My parents (my father was French-speaking and my mother was Dutch-speaking) were teachers in the Belgian Army Forces in Germany, then called the 10th Province of Belgium. After my studies at the university in Namur and Louvain-la-Neuve, I moved to Jette, first to the center of the commune, then near the Bois du Laerbeek.

I’ve been very involved in this municipality because I think if you want to know the people you need to be on the field, in the cultural sphere and be social. I played mini football in Schaerbeek and Watermael-Boitsfort. My job was in the center of Brussels, as professor at EPHEC University College and my office had a view of Saint Gudule. In 1992, EPHEC moved from Brussels City Center to Woluwé Saint Lambert, near the campus ‘Louvain en Woluwé’.

The second part of my professional life is linked to the Brussels bubble. From 2000 to 2011, I was appointed as the Diplomatic Representative of the Brussels Capital Region to the EU in the Permanent Representation of Belgium to the EU (PermRep). Along with the Brussels regional Ministers, I was involved in the Council with important policies, for instance research and innovation, trying to defend and promote innovation in Belgium and Brussels towards the EU.

Urban dimension and structural funds were also important topics when I worked at the PermRep. Even though the Brussels Capital region is one of the richest regions in Europe, we have –as other European Capital regions– a lot of urban problems: mobility, pollution, environment, migration, housing.

Only since 1989 is Brussels a Region like Flanders and Wallonia. It means that those regional competences such as environment, research, industry, need to be defended within the Belgian Federal State, at international and European levels. And that was my job. During those eleven years, which means, 22 EU Presidencies, I had a lot of contact with diplomats, expats, regional offices, so you can see this is a strong link with Brussels Express.

After that, I had many missions abroad within those presidencies. And between 2010 and 2014 I traveled a lot in the European regions because I was the Secretary General of the Assembly of European Regions. And from 2014 until today in the frame of FEDRA (Federation of Regional Growth Actors in Europe) I managed to get a lot of insights in the regional and local domains, in 3 important fields: digitalization, youth and regional flavors.

Why did you acquire Brussels Express?

I met the founder of Brussels Express, António Buscardini, in Strasbourg, when I was the Secretary General of the Assembly of European Regions and he was then working for the press and communications department. I invited him to join AER’s team in Brussels and to be in charge of press relations. After he left the Assembly, we kept in touch and I was happy to follow his achievements. Particularly when he founded Brussels Express in January 2017. In the summer of 2018, he explained to me that he wanted to pursue his carrier as a TV director and that he was considering to sell Brussels Express. I didn’t hesitate to make an offer. The negotiations and transition went quite smoothly. We know each other quite well.

It is important for me to make the connection between my past and current activities linked to digital tools, FEDRA, and my other Brussels-based projects. Yes, Brussels Express is for me an excellent tool to go deeply into the Brussels multi-active scene. I love Brussels and I would like to share a piece of Brussels with our readers every day. This will be the driving force of the whole Brussels Express Editorial team.

What are your plans?

The first thing is to keep the spirit of Brussels Express because the spirit is something that Antonio gave to Brussels Express. To speak about news, about the people, about sociocultural activities, but also to write relevant articles for visitors coming to Brussels.

They are reading what is going on in Brussels when they are planning their trips and missions to Brussels. I’m not talking only about political delegations, commercial – so business delegations – but also tourists. They want to prepare their journey based on the information available on Brussels Express because we are the only English-speaking media that speaks about news, cultural events, agenda, restaurants, entertainment, within a daily digital platform written by Brussels’ insiders & expats.

What is very important is that we have an international team working together with the same spirit. And it’s very important to have a strong cohesion among us. The office is located at Square de Meeus, in the European Quarter. But we are working with the 19 municipalities, with the Region. And of course in the surrounding municipalities of the French and Dutch-speaking Brabant, where expats are also living.

The new things. We want the whole team, journalists and contributors, we want to develop this baby into a strong woman, a strong man, because we think we can give value to our community. This community is growing. In 2018 we had more than 726.058 views. We think the need is there. This appetite for news is there, and that’s why we want to build this Brussels-based, English-speaking community. So growth is one thing. Our objective is 1 million views in 2019.

Secondly, we will also have a focus on Regions and Cities because Brussels is the world capital of local and regional lobbying and networking, and a lot of activities are organized here in Brussels. A new section –Business & jobs– is also available since a few days now and we will come up with other inspiring elements: a new lay-out for our newsletter, interviews, profile pieces, and we will extend our partnerships with Brussels-based players in the diplomatic, political, economic, and sociocultural fields.

We also want to go digital and in a few weeks, we’ll have a closer partnership with our community through our mobile App. We want to share a lot of things with our community in an easy way. We want our readers to know about all the news, events and activities that are going on in Brussels.

If we achieve this in the next months, I will be a happy Editor-in-chief. Together, with all the team members, we will work hard to reach those goals for our readers. Thanks in advance to you, our loyal readers, and to our new readers for their trust in Brussels Express.

The post Interview with Brussels Express’ Editor-in-Chief Pascal Goergen appeared first on Brussels Express.

It is important to be reminded of inspirational stories about people who make an impact with their work. They could be motivational for us to create an environment where our positive contribution matters to improve the society we live in. A moment to break away from our Western day-to-day habitual concerns.

Jovana Savic  shared her experiences with Brussels Express, and the following interview was conducted at Soare Internationale meeting in Brussels.

Jovana Savic is a passionate young woman with bright visions about socio-economic development through education. Today she works in Ghana, Western Africa, as an Education Programme Coordinator. She relocated there a year and a half ago.

She grew up in a small town in rural Serbia. In addition to English and French, she also learnt Greek and Chinese at the University of Belgrade. In 2014, she completed her postgraduate studies in Business Development at the Vrije University of Brussels, Belgium. But how come she decided to move to Africa? She explains this as a gradual process after working for various NGOs for Africa and South-Eastern Europe.

“That’s the beauty of International Brussels. I was asked to monitor and fundraise for a few organisations in East Africa. But I decided that I want more than that, I wanted to live there for at least a few years so I can really understand the culture and people. The opportunity appeared to be in Ghana, which took me by surprise, but after living there I fell in love with country and its people.”

Inspired by her working and living experience in the Balkans and West Africa, she finds a lot of similarities between them. She believes in the importance of providing the youth and children with adequate skills and opportunities.

The organisation

Jovana works for Ghana Health and Education Initiative. Their mission is to enable communities in the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai District of Ghana to improve their children’s health, learning success and opportunities by building local capacity and providing necessary resources and support. They envision a future where children—free from illness and illiteracy—can realise their full potential, a future where healthy, educated young people will lead their communities out of poverty.

The region

Can you describe the area conditions?

It is not that densely populated. It’s surrounded by vividly green forest. There is a rainy season and a dry season – everything gets dried out. Last year, we had two months and a half with no rain, high temperatures (over 43 degrees Celsius) which has a negative impact on the agriculture and food supplies. The main income comes from Cocoa collection, which is then dried and exported to the West for chocolate making.

Jovana emphasises that working in the village Humjibre, rural Ghana in Western region, is very different from the capital Accra. The organisation is covering 6 communities with 5000 people.

« The beauty, » she says, « is that “we are community focused, working with local staff. I consider myself more as a facilitator and someone who is there to bring in new skills and improve the educational environment. At the same time, I have learnt a lot not just about development work but also about beautiful Ghanaian culture.’’

What are the most important things you learnt during your stay?

When you go to a funeral in Ghana, you see people dancing. I wasn’t shocked to see that. And of course, at the same time, people are also crying because they are mourning. What really touched me was the life celebration. That is something which we have to improve here. From Ghanaians, I learnt that you really need to be grateful for what you have. I felt it before, but the experience of living in rural Ghana just deepened the gratitude.

Are they different from Europeans?

Love, care, attention, empathy are universal values. What I learnt is that being spiritual is important. People in Europe are often dipped in conformism, not always being able to remember their own essence and existence.

How did your relatives react to your choice to dedicate time and live in Ghana?

People who know me expected it, my family and friends are very supportive. They were supportive because this decision did not come over night, it was a gradual process and it took me a few years to achieve and settle on the continent. They might not fully understand my motivation and calling but when I explain how fulfilling it is and show the results, they realise the impact of my work. Because, at the end of the day, the only true measure is happiness.

Education

How is the educational programme structured?

If you enter a primary school in rural Ghana, you will notice there is one teacher per 50-60 students. As a result there is a huge number of school drop outs and high levels of illiteracy. We have Early Childhood Literacy program where we enroll the non-performing students and teach them English and basic Maths skills. We give them supplemental classes every day after school. After 2 years 95% of students are able to become top students in the classrooms in their regular schools, which I find amazing. It is important how you teach, not what you teach. Our classrooms are creative classrooms and we have this policy to encourage students and give them attention, so they feel valued. People just need an opportunity, the distribution of talent everywhere around the world is equal, but the distribution of opportunities is not. This is what we’re trying to put forward.

Do you provide the top students with scholarships?

Last year the Ghanaian government abolished fees for senior high school and because of that decision we are not awarding scholarships anymore. Since 2005 up to last year we have awarded around 113 scholarships. Those scholarships gave a lot of opportunity to young people to continue their education, and sometimes even study abroad. We have around 10 cases where those people who benefited from our scholarships now help the organisation from the distance.

Are there volunteering programmes available?

Yes. Volunteers are able to come and enjoy the community under the annual Summer Serve and Learn Programme. There are different sessions, health, and education related. Usually, the volunteers stay for 2-3 weeks. Girls Empowerment Camp is a necessity. After the camp has been introduced to the community, the level of teenage pregnancy has dropped. For example, ten years ago a lot of girls used to get pregnant and that would stop their further education.

We believe that this programme has prevented that because, for the past 6 years, we haven’t had such cases among participants. These are some of the workshops we provide during the camp: Leadership, sexual reproductive health, we teach them how to earn pocket money, for example, soap making and jewellery. The more opportunities, the more results. If people decide to join the Health Programme, they help the organisation collect the data that show if we should scale back, improve or continue the projects. The international volunteers are mainly college students from US and Canada, but I would recommend the programme to anyone who is interested to better understand how development works on the field in rural Ghana.

The post A lesson from Western Africa: socioeconomic development through education appeared first on Brussels Express.

Sonic Waters is a unique musical experience that combines all the senses. Bringing music into life has been the quest for the composer Michel Redolfi for over thirty years. From this, comes a new concept: underwater music or « anamorphous » listening. To realise this crazy dream, Michel Redolfi creates original compositions which are diffused in the sea or in swimming pools by means of equipment and instruments developed for this purpose.

Audiences listen to the music floating in the water or immersing themselves in it. Sonic waters was premiered in June 1981 in San Diego Bay and a few days later at the Rencontres Internationales d’Art Contemporain in La Rochelle. Since then, this fascinating form of concert has been presented all over the world, and it is in Brussels, for the edition of Inouïe. Brussels Express speaks with creator Michel Redolfi to find out more about the nature of the concert.

What experience do eople have during the concert?

By floating in levitation in sonic waters, audience experience listening with their full body resonating magically to the music. It’s completely sensorial, overwhelming and just plain natural. You may feel like a sea mammal, a mermaid.

What difference does the liquid environment make?

While the sound travels four times faster than in the air, it brings the purest sound quality all down to your body bypassing your ears. Water makes you float while listening just like if you were in space. Art in gravity zero is our future here and soon on other planets.

Could you share more about the musical and reading choice?

I composed the music especially for the underwater concerts. Part of it will be performed live in the deep pool with my new instrument. The music is slow paced to induce a dreamy experience. Texts of the pioneer of modern music John Cage and the Italian writer Erri de Luca evoke inner mental states and life at sea with dolphins.

You chose Jean Marc Barr for the leading voice?

French-American actor Jean Marc Barr was the best fit for the vocal guide of the evening. We both worked on Besson’s “Le grand bleu” movie and his smoothing voice sounds amazing in the water. Part of his performance will be given in scaphander into the deep of the pool. This is a challenging world premiere that relies on the mythic oceanic world of Jules Verne.

Where have you performed before?

Previous venues include open sea concerts: Bays of Sydney, San Diego, Nice, and Monte Carlo. Concerts in Olympic pools in Amsterdam, Paris, Sao Paulo.

More information about the concerts

About the creator

The post Sonic Waters at Bains de Bruxelles: a concert where you can experience music under water appeared first on Brussels Express.

“We have a high status now and the match against Scotland will be a great way to warm up. On the other hand, Iceland has got a strong team because they play together. Belgium has got great individuals but to be the best we need to play like one.”

Exclusive interview with Obelgix – the spirit of the Belgian Red Devils

“I’m certainly not the best fan because all the fans are the best but I want to be a strong representative of the Belgian spirit.”

How was oBELgix born?

I started dressing for the World Cup in Brazil, changing my costume for every game and that caused a big buzz in the international media. My friends were always asking me what my next dress is. After this, in the beginning of 2016 Belgium had a Friendly match with France and I was in Paris. For that game, I wanted to pick a French character that is really popular in France and transform it into the Belgium flag. I quickly bought a costume of Obelix on Amazon but it was in white and blue. I used black, yellow and red spray cans to paint it but it was far from professional. When I was walking on the Champs Elysees, I had an idea to buy a chicken – the famous “Symbol” of France and eat it at the stadium, because of course, Obelix likes his food. We were so good at that game, we beat France 4:3. On the next day I appeared on every newspaper with the chicken. Everyone reacted positively and laughed a lot, even some of the French people.

I decided to keep the character, because Obelix has a character with a strong personality, just as I do, but because he is from Belgium, I decided to call it OBelgix and since then, he became my trade mark. If I have to describe him in 3 words: he is impressive, never afraid and very symbolic of Belgium because Belgium people like having fun. We don’t care about what others say and enjoy life.

Who made your costume?

I realized that I need a more professionally made costume. My wife’s mum is a very good sewer and we chose special fabrics. On top of that I added a belt with a clasp with the logo of the Belgium National team – the Red Trident I made myself in a 3D format with a help from a designer. My name is also written, so people who see me for the first time know that this is not simply Obelix.

Did you inspire some of your friends to become heroes?

A friend of mine is dressing now like asBelgix, and a colleague is dressing like faBelga. A whole group of people.

You went to the Football World Cup in Russia, what experience did it bring to you?

For every game I was going back and forth to Belgium. I used to take the early flight at 4 o’clock in the morning and travel home early on the next day to be at work on time and manage my two companies. These two weeks were extremely busy…

I was a little bit afraid before going to Russia but I thought that the country did a great job in terms of security. That was my main concern because we heard about groups of hooligans and fights between fans. But in the end I’m glad there weren’t any problems. The organization in the stadium was well-managed, only the traffic to the stadium was horrible. The Russians were very welcoming and I felt like they enjoyed having us in the city.

Did you expect such popularity? A lot of people are congratulating you on the look in your Facebook page and Twitter.

I had no idea I’d gain such popularity but I knew that this would attract attention. On every world cup, people from different countries proudly use national symbols to create amazing costumes and it is almost a competition who will have the most quirky one. I saw someone dressed in a Belgium waffle and another one with the Belgian fries and huge cheese on their head. Another person had a whole body installation in the shape of the Atomium.

When I went to Brussels “Big Market Place,” to celebrate with the players, their wonderful worldcup, I suddenly had a lot of fans who wanted to take pictures with me and I felt like a superstar. Once a group of people were throwing me in the air and some people asked me for an autograph, but I thought that this is a bit exaggerated. The people even started to recognize me without the costume on the street and in restaurants.

Have you met the team?

My next goal is to meet the Belgium team. I met the CEO of the Belgium team – Gérard Linard and he liked very much my costume and the character of oBelgix. I told him I wanted to be useful to the national team. For instance, I really want to improve our songs because sometimes we sing in Dutch, sometimes we sing in French, but there should be a song that unites us. A song that gives you goose bumps. A real sensation.

The cartoons of me were made by Pad’r. I thought it would be great to illustrate Obelgix giving the “potion magique”(the magical potion) to the players. The caricaturist drew them and I printed them straightaway at the last minute and went directly to the stadium with a big poster.

What was the most memorable game for you?

The one with Japan because we were losing 0:2 and then we scored 3 goals. We were altogether and the atmosphere was indescribable. We stayed for 2 hours on the top of the game. A moment I’ll never forget.

The other one was beating the famous Brazilian national team. It was a tough match but after this we had the feeling we could win the world cup and we regret that we didn’t. Nevertheless, it was important to have the third place. Otherwise, we would have been very disappointed.

Who is the person behind Obelgix?

I’m originally from the French part of Belgium, 30 km away from Brussels. For the last 10 years, I’ve been working in recruitment and today I have two companies – a recruitment agency, “D-Network” and “ProUnity” – a digital platform for freelancers from all kinds.

Have you always been passionate about the game?

I’ve been playing football since I was 4 years old. Unfortunately, I broke my knee but even after that I continued. I’ve been practicing for many years, playing in different clubs in Belgium and abroad, where my studies and work brought me: Spain, Mexico, France and USA.

But you always come back to Belgium?

I’ve lived in so many places but I’ve never had the feeling that I was going to be happier than in Brussels. Belgium people are really friendly, so expat people get a good feeling when they arrive here. They don’t feel “like a number”, they feel integrated. This is Brussels – the diversity is very important for us. Also the city is not too expensive compared to other capitals. And most importantly there is less stress because everything is within arms’ reach.

The post Exclusive interview with Obelgix – the spirit of the Belgian Red Devils appeared first on Brussels Express.