Claire Deslongchamps in Les Halles Saint-Géry, where, on June 24, Québec’s national holiday is celebrated. “This is one of the oldest places in Brussels. It’s where the city began, in the midst of a swamp. Now there’s this wonderful hall where we can celebrate our national holiday. On that occasion, we always dress the Manneken Pis in a Québécois costume, and in the halls we serve Québec specialities such as poutine – no, not the former Russian presi-dent, but fries served with gravy and cheese.”

10 there to here

THE BULLETIN December 2010 / January 2011

Brussels identities from A to Z Québécoise

When Claire Deslongchamps first arrived in Brussels on a sunny spring day two years ago, she was

immediately struck by how rich the city is in orchids. “I saw orchids everywhere: in restaurants, in

banks, at my office, in the city’s Délégation générale du Québec. Later on I realised that not every day

in Belgium would be as sunny as that first one, and that this exotic flower, which needs little warmth

but a lot of light suits the country very well.” Claire has two more years to go before returning to

her native Québec, the French-speaking enclave in the English-speaking ocean which is the rest of

Canada. A situation which might sound familiar to some in Belgium.

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“There are twenty-eight Québec r e p r e s e n t a -tions spread all over the world,

but the Brussels delegation is one of the most important. We promote Québec’s culture, economy and tour-ist attractions. We work on a partner-ship between the EU and Canada, we have bilateral contacts on many levels, and we work with European institutions. There aren’t too many Québécois and Canadians in Brussels though – officially only a few hun-dred. But I do have the feeling we fit in well here: Belgians, after all, are relatively uncomplicated; they have a self-deprecating sense of humour and are not, in the main, too big-headed. The same qualities that the Québécois have – compared, for instance, with Americans, who have a quite differ-ent mindset. With language comes a whole culture and way of thinking – people who speak a different language to you are, as a consequence, quite dif-ferent to you.

Here in Belgium, I notice a lot of good will toward Québec. Of course, there is a long tradition of intense exchange with the French-speaking part of the country, but we also expe-rience a great openness on the part of Dutch-speakers. After all, the Québécois too belong to a minority

Claire Deslongchamps in Les Halles Saint-Géry, where, on June 24, Québec’s national holiday is celebrated. “This is one of the oldest places in Brussels. It’s where the city began, in the midst of a swamp. Now there’s this wonderful hall where we can celebrate our national holiday. On that occasion, we always dress the Manneken Pis in a Québécois costume, and in the halls we serve Québec specialities such as poutine – no, not the former Russian presi-dent, but fries served with gravy and cheese.”

11

Québécoise

Interview by Veerle Devos & Kristof Dams

Image by Veerle Devos

language group and Québec is a staunch defender of languages – a policy with which I agree. You have to make sure minority lan-guages remain living languages, that they are not obliterated by more dominant languages.

When I came to Belgium I was fascinated to discover the country’s Dutch-speaking culture and history. I am now study-ing Dutch and am taking part in ‘conversation tables’, because I think it’s important to follow the media in their original language, so as to be better informed about what’s going on in this coun-

try on a political level, but also to be able to enjoy Flemish culture fully. But I’m exploring the whole of Belgium, from Bruges to Mons, from Ghent to Charleroi and from Liège to Antwerp. This last city is my favourite. As a Québécoise, I’m enthralled by the ancient history of all these cities – in Canada, of course, this is lacking a bit. It’s wonderful how much information, art and science from the Middle Ages can be found in museums here.

I love the cosmopolitan character of Brussels. Québec being predominantly French-speaking, I am struck by how many languages are spoken here and how everyone is able to keep their own iden-tity – from the African mamas dressed in their col-ourful robes to the Islamic men in their djellabas. Remarkably this leads more to a sort of harmonious coexistence than to conflict. Brussels is an experi-ment in multi-ethnic cohabitation; it lends the city an open and contemporary image. I find it all fasci-nating, and I am glad to be part of the experience for a couple of years. Of course, Brussels has its less pleasant sides as well, and I don’t turn a blind eye to them. What you can’t fail to notice, of course, is the poverty. I hope those in power will find a solution for it, because homelessness is unacceptable.

A problem of a less serious order here is the road signs. When you are used to the straightforward American system, like me, then in the beginning you will be lost by the often inconsistent and unclear manner in which street names and house numbers are indicated. The street where my office is even has two names: one side is called Avenue des Arts, the other side is called Boulevard du Régent. But there

you go. I’ve got used to it all now, just as I’ve grown attached to all the good things this city has to offer, not least the delicious choco-late which lies there smiling at you in all shapes and sizes, and that I always take to my mother in Québec as a souvenir. All in all, I feel perfectly accepted and integrated in this city and country, and I think I can speak here for all Québécois living in Belgium.”

In praise of: Royal Museum for Central

Africa, Tervuren. I stumbled upon it almost by chance and lost my heart to it. I revisited

it a couple of times over the summer to see the exhibitions

on the 50th anniversary of Congolese independence.

It’s a real gateway to Africa, something we of course don’t have in Québec. When I have

guests in Brussels, I always send them here.

Place Sainte-Catherine. The number of restaurants in

this pleasant area is unique. Belgian gastronomy is one of

Brussels’ assets.

Place du Jeu de Balle flea market. My partner loves to rummage through this

flea market, and so do I. Afterwards you can find me behind a beer at De Skieven Architek, a classic watering-

hole which reflects the special, willful nature of the Marolles

neighbourhood.

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