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Article: A few sparks over the Scheldt. (Antwerp '93 arts celebration in Belgium)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- May 15, 1993
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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VISITORS to Belgium often sneer at theyou cross the border into Holland. Antwerp, Belgium's second city, finds this most hurtful. As Europe's "cultural capital" this year, it has followed Glasgow's 1990 lead and cleaned its fine array of distinguished but dingy buildings.
Antwerp offers both the Renaissance architecture of a Bruges or a Ghent and the cafe culture of a Paris or a Barcelona. It also has another side. In Belgium's 1991 election 23% of Antwerpers voted for the Vlaams Blok, an anti-immigrant party that wants an independent Flanders (Antwerp is home to 25,000 Muslims from Turkey and North Africa, and 15,000 Jews).
Eric Antonis, director of Antwerp ...