2016: Belgium looks back on a year of highs and lows

Let’s face it: There was a lot to dislike about 2016. Aside from the loss of some of the world’s greatest musicians, there was Brexit and a US election upset, both of which came as less-than-pleasant surprises for Belgium’s international community. We lost seminal figures like musician Toots Thielemans and cartoonist Marc Sleen.

Even before the year had started, after the terror attacks in Paris and the subsequent lockdown in Brussels, one thought loomed large in people’s minds: Could it happen here? And then, in March, it did.

Terrorism comes to Belgium

On 22 March, shortly before 8.00, two suicide bombers detonated bombs in the departures hall at Brussels Airport in Zaventem. Just over an hour later, a bomb went off in a metro train at Maelbeek station in Brussels’ European quarter.

The attacks killed 32 members of the public and the three bombers, and injured more than 300. The bombers were linked to a terrorist cell headquartered in the Brussels municipality of Molenbeek, which had been under scrutiny since the Paris attacks the previous November. One of the leaders of that cell, Salah Abdeslam, was arrested in a shootout in Molenbeek four days before the attacks, which may have provided a trigger.

The attacks have had a lasting effect on the country, in particular on Brussels. As we end the year, armed soldiers are still patrolling the streets and the transport system, while shoppers are searched as they enter shopping centres. A parliamentary commission is investigating the circumstances surrounding the attacks.

Faster, higher, stronger

The 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August ended in disappointment for the Red Lions, the Belgian men’s hockey team, who were beaten by Argentina in a close final. Swimmer Pieter Timmers won silver in the 100m freestyle, while Dirk Van Tichelt took bronze in the lightweight judo.

But top honour went to cyclist Greg Van Avermaet in the road race, the first Belgian to take gold in the event since 1952. Nafissatou Thiam from Wallonia won gold in the heptathlon.

The Paralympics the following month saw the youngest gold medallist Belgium has ever produced: Laurens Devos, 16, in the men’s table tennis. Florian Van Acker also won gold in table tennis, in Class 11 of the men’s singles.

Wheelchair athlete Marieke Vervoort won silver in the 400m, and another wheelchair racer, Peter Genyn, won gold in the 100m, setting a new Paralympic record of 21.15.

Farewell Toots

Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor Thielemans, better known to the world as Toots, was born in the Marolles district of Brussels, and he remained a man of the people to the end. He died in August at the age of 94.

The rarity of the instrument – the harmonica – and his impeccable technique meant he was much sought-after: He played with everyone from Ella Fitzgerald to Billy Joel to the cast of Sesame Street. But despite his fame, his two honorary degrees from the city’s universities and his title of Baron granted by Albert II, he insisted he was still a ketje – the nickname for born-and-bred Brusselaars.

The beer beneath our streets

The idea to pipe beer to the bottler three kilometres away so that lorries don’t block traffic is so ingenious yet so simple, you wonder why brewers don’t all do it. De Halve Maan, makers of Brugse Zot and Straffe Hendrik, pride themselves on being the last remaining brewery in Bruges’ city centre. But there were logistical headaches in a city where the entire centre is Unesco-protected. After several years of planning, fundraising and construction, the €4 million underground pipeline opened in September. The story understandably drew international headlines.

Venue fit for a queen

In November, the Queen Elisabeth Hall opened in Antwerp, providing near-perfect acoustics and a permanent home to the Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra. The complex, known as the Elisabeth Center, also includes the new Flanders Meeting and Convention Center. The renovation cost €60 million, including €57 million from the government of Flanders and €3 million from the city of Antwerp.

Music for a good cause

In June, the Brussels Jazz Orchestra got together with the Ancienne Belgique concert venue to organise the benefit concert Artists #withRefugees. All artists worked for free, with the proceeds going to the Music Fund. It collects second-hand instruments, repairs them if necessary and ships them to musicians in developing countries, conflict zones and refugee camps.

The concert bill also included the Brussels Vocal Collective, wind ensemble I Solisti del Vento and singers Tutu Pouane and David Linx, as well as five members of the Syrian Big Band, all of whom are refugees. There will be a repeat performance in Antwerp next month.

Photo: Brussels Airport (c)John Thuys/Belga