Alhoewel ik niet had gedacht dat ik het ooit ging doen, doe ik het bij wijze van experiment toch: bloggen in het Nederlands. Dit omdat ik via het weekblad Brussel Deze Week (waar ik stagiair-medewerker ben) mijn eigen blog wil promoten.
Let wel op: ik ga afwisselend in het Nederlands en het Engels publiceren, in de hoop dat de lezers van Brussel Deze Week hun weg naar mijn blog zullen vinden. Berichten die met andere projecten dan die voor Brussel Deze Week te maken hebben, zullen traditioneel in het Engels gepost worden.
So, for the readers of Brussel Deze Week, I am planning to post regularly in Dutch because I want to promote my blog to the (mostly Dutch-speaking) readers of Brussel Deze Week (where I am doing my working placement). Posts concerning another interest (apart from running projects for Brussel Deze Week) will appear in English, like my blog used to be.
Na mijn stageperiode zal ik nog zien of ik afwisselend in het Engels en het Nederlands (en wie weet ook het Frans) zal publiceren. Dat hangt er een beetje van af waar ik na mijn studie journalistiek verzeild raak en naar welk land ik in de zomer ga.
After my working period, I will evaluate this bilingual project. Maybe I will continue to publish in both Dutch and English (but English is always for sure on my blog) and maybe French. That depends on where I am travelling to after my study and what kind of news I will be bringing.
But make sure that you always enjoy this blog. Iedereen kan altijd op mijn blog terecht voor goede verhalen, lopende activiteiten, foto's en reisverslagen.
Regards, Groeten
Christophe
maandag 14 april 2008
vrijdag 11 april 2008
Interview with Mrs. Yangdutso Yangkartsang
Today I have an interview with the president of the Tibetan community in Brussels, mrs. Yangdutso Yangkartsang.
This should result in a nice portrait article about her, but with a mayor focus on the community. As you may know, the mayor condition for writing for Brussel Deze Week is that everyhting must be happening in Brussels (wow, surprising!!). By writing this, I only want to say that I will ask political questions and questions about the present situation in Tibet, but that these questions will be driven a little bit to the background. However, this is an interesting excercise. As working-placement journalist, I am beginning to specialize myself in huge journalistic portraits. So this means that I am always investigating the inner side of my interviewees, the psychological aspect of sitting in front of a journalist who can ask you a wide range of questions - going from smart to unevitably stupid. I must be joking.
What the interview was like, you can read after the weekend. I will be too busy.
Regards,
Christophe
This should result in a nice portrait article about her, but with a mayor focus on the community. As you may know, the mayor condition for writing for Brussel Deze Week is that everyhting must be happening in Brussels (wow, surprising!!). By writing this, I only want to say that I will ask political questions and questions about the present situation in Tibet, but that these questions will be driven a little bit to the background. However, this is an interesting excercise. As working-placement journalist, I am beginning to specialize myself in huge journalistic portraits. So this means that I am always investigating the inner side of my interviewees, the psychological aspect of sitting in front of a journalist who can ask you a wide range of questions - going from smart to unevitably stupid. I must be joking.
What the interview was like, you can read after the weekend. I will be too busy.
Regards,
Christophe
donderdag 10 april 2008
Protest for a free Tibet
Yesterday, some 100 people demonstrated for a free Tibet in front of the BOIC-headquarters (Belgian Olympic Committee) in Brussels. This brought me into contact with another Chinese minority, who also deserve some attention.
Not a big deal, no big purposes and no violence. It is always interesting to see these people demonstrating, because it never has any sense of hate. Some 6 youngsters were urging the crowd to shout out loud "Stop killing in Tibet", "We want freedom, we want justice", "No olympic torch in China" and so on. Purpose of this manifestation was asking that the olympic torch should not pass through Tibet, because this would be seen as a provocation. The demonstration ended with the Tibetan national hymn.
Two people caught my special attention. In stead of waving the Tibetan flag, they waved a blue Turkish flag, the flag of Uyghuristan (the Chinese province Xinjiang). Now this is something most people don't know; that there is also a muslim minority in China, the Uyghurs, whose country is also an 'autonomous' region. Like Tibet, it also saw a big migration of native civilians (Uyghurs) to other parts of China (or other countries) and an immigration of ethnic Han-Chinese civilians into the region. Uyghuristan is rich in oil and gas, so this shouldn't be surprising.
The guy I spoke to, Marat, is living in Brussels. "We are less known, and also less present in both Brussels and Europe, but we are here to support Tibet and their struggle, because more or less the same things are happening in Uyghuristan (East Turkestan)," he says. Marat speaks French to me, but his native language is Uyghur, a language closely related to...Turkish (and most other Central-Asian languages).
I thought it was interesting, because it isn't really fair that the world is supporting Tibet, while it remains blind for another autonomous region with (almost) the same problems. Uyghuristan was also occupied in 1949, and its people was (is) also oppressed. The now called 'Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region' (XUAR) hosts a minority of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and other people of central-Asian origin.
I will do more research about XUAR, and post a separate article about this.
Not a big deal, no big purposes and no violence. It is always interesting to see these people demonstrating, because it never has any sense of hate. Some 6 youngsters were urging the crowd to shout out loud "Stop killing in Tibet", "We want freedom, we want justice", "No olympic torch in China" and so on. Purpose of this manifestation was asking that the olympic torch should not pass through Tibet, because this would be seen as a provocation. The demonstration ended with the Tibetan national hymn.
Two people caught my special attention. In stead of waving the Tibetan flag, they waved a blue Turkish flag, the flag of Uyghuristan (the Chinese province Xinjiang). Now this is something most people don't know; that there is also a muslim minority in China, the Uyghurs, whose country is also an 'autonomous' region. Like Tibet, it also saw a big migration of native civilians (Uyghurs) to other parts of China (or other countries) and an immigration of ethnic Han-Chinese civilians into the region. Uyghuristan is rich in oil and gas, so this shouldn't be surprising.
The guy I spoke to, Marat, is living in Brussels. "We are less known, and also less present in both Brussels and Europe, but we are here to support Tibet and their struggle, because more or less the same things are happening in Uyghuristan (East Turkestan)," he says. Marat speaks French to me, but his native language is Uyghur, a language closely related to...Turkish (and most other Central-Asian languages).
I thought it was interesting, because it isn't really fair that the world is supporting Tibet, while it remains blind for another autonomous region with (almost) the same problems. Uyghuristan was also occupied in 1949, and its people was (is) also oppressed. The now called 'Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region' (XUAR) hosts a minority of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and other people of central-Asian origin.
I will do more research about XUAR, and post a separate article about this.
woensdag 9 april 2008
Brussels International
Hi,
After two weeks of writing for Brussel Deze Week, I can say that Brussels is still a fantastic city, hosting more communities than you can imagine.
Did you know that there are even Uyghurs living in this capital? I will help you: Uyghuristan is the western part of the former Central-Asian Turkestan, which is now part of China. A hot topic.
I am following the Tibetan community of Brussels. You won't see me displaying Tibetan flags on my blog, or walking around with some 'Free Tibet' Button. No, my way of showing my opinion is by writing...articles. Mostly, I haven't got 'An Own Opinion' (mind the big 'O'). Journalism is the art of balancing, of being angry without losing the other side out of sight. Having an opinion, but being able to listen to the other side.
With my article about the Tibetan community, I am aware that I might be getting attracted by the idea of 'freeing Tibet'. I feel it is more an act of subtility, of gently showing this community to my readers, together with achievements, threats, but also with weaknesses. So you won't spot me with a flag, button or whatever can be used to make a statement. My articles are a statement, as a journalist. My personal opinion is something else. I try to convergate them. If I can help people while being a journalist, I help. But that doesn't mean that I will attach myself to one part.
I made the idea of posting more while working in Brussels. It doesn't always have to be about the Balkans, or something like that...
Regards,
Christophe
After two weeks of writing for Brussel Deze Week, I can say that Brussels is still a fantastic city, hosting more communities than you can imagine.
Did you know that there are even Uyghurs living in this capital? I will help you: Uyghuristan is the western part of the former Central-Asian Turkestan, which is now part of China. A hot topic.
I am following the Tibetan community of Brussels. You won't see me displaying Tibetan flags on my blog, or walking around with some 'Free Tibet' Button. No, my way of showing my opinion is by writing...articles. Mostly, I haven't got 'An Own Opinion' (mind the big 'O'). Journalism is the art of balancing, of being angry without losing the other side out of sight. Having an opinion, but being able to listen to the other side.
With my article about the Tibetan community, I am aware that I might be getting attracted by the idea of 'freeing Tibet'. I feel it is more an act of subtility, of gently showing this community to my readers, together with achievements, threats, but also with weaknesses. So you won't spot me with a flag, button or whatever can be used to make a statement. My articles are a statement, as a journalist. My personal opinion is something else. I try to convergate them. If I can help people while being a journalist, I help. But that doesn't mean that I will attach myself to one part.
I made the idea of posting more while working in Brussels. It doesn't always have to be about the Balkans, or something like that...
Regards,
Christophe
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