My cousin Nancy H. was in town and we took full advantage of getting to know more of my family (since M's side of the family is very much a part of the boy's lives due to effort but also proximity, this is a big deal when one of mine is available and can connect with us!)
We started by meeting up with a colleague and fellow African traveller of Nancy's in a gallery just off Place Ste Catherine. Kristien Geenen is an anthropologist who was in Kanchasa for several years at the same time as my cousin while Nancy was doing research into the maternal health and the history of medicine in the area. Kristien has been able to engage many of the street gangs in art and then bring their paintings back for sale here in Belgium. She is a photographer in her own right and has really captured the exuberant but difficult life of these youth who have interesting gang names like Tokyo SoHo and the like...I can't remember them, only that they made me smile at their attempt at worldliness. Here's a pic of one of the boys admiring the work of these youth who have to steal, beg, do petty jobs (like calling out the stops and directions of the buses in the city on behalf of the driver or carrying groceries for people in the outdoor markets) but who have incredible pride in their hygiene and appearance and friendships an alliances. Each piece told an incredible story of hardship and chaos.
After that, we walked to the Grand Place to check out the scenes and to see what was "up". The lights were just being turned on as we arrived and the countdown on the Maison du Ville was at 36 when we arrived, to lots of noise and celebration all the lights turned on when the count reached zero. The spectacle was incredible, since every "dark" surface of the 4 storey building with its off-centre tower had lines of LED lights tightly packed in to resemble a video screen. Imagine when you were a kid and you put your nose right on the TV screen--remember seeing all those dots flashing and strobing? Take this idea and expand it to the size of a building and then add choreographed sound to it...my oldest son's favourite was the images and sounds from PAC-Man complete with the yellow eating circle and the ghosts being chased over the entire building front. Just a few minutes later, the music and sounds were more in keeping with the season, and were images of chiming bells along with the Carole of the Bells and wonderful hymns with images of wreaths and snow globes. Quite a sight! Here's a pic of my cousin and youngest taking in the sights, oooohing and aaaahing as we saw the beginning of the display. This is on from now until New Years. I hope I can take time to see some more after dark again this year!
After this, we ate in a Greek restaurant, and then went to the Toone Theatre which is a marionette puppet theatre just off the Grand Place. If you were to go to Chez Leon and take a sharp right at the next intersection, you would be in the right place...but don't walk too fast, since the entry to the theatre is a slit in the wall access alley way to a dark staircase beyond a stone arch...we had to double-back twice to make sure we knew where it really was.
The kids sat up close and were able to see the puppeteers acting out the performance to the recorded voices. I was struck with how young and strong they were and that they had to change puppeteers frequently due to probably muscle exhaustion (these are hand made wood puppets that "stand" about waist high and are presented on a stage 6-8 feet in each direction...but with "legs" and scenery, props and furniture, just like a real stage...very impressive. I guess I know why this is a mainstay in the Belgian culture and has probably been around for over 200 years now. Unfortunately I understood very little, but the boys got some of it, and were able to tell me that it was entirely in Bruxelois, a dialect of French that has a number of Flemish phrases words and pronunciations within. No wonder I barely caught one word in twenty...our friends in Glons likely would have equal difficulty!
The evening ended with a visit to Nancy's hotel room to catch up and have a bit of dessert (cokes and cakes for the boys with a very generous helping of the wrapped candies from the lobby) and then we splashed through the puddles to the bus stop that took us directly home from a very long day. The boys' behaviours were not stellar, since they were keen to impress Nancy and share with her lots that they knew, as well as quiz her with 100's of questions, but I think even though my cousin doesn't have kids of her own, she's also an auntie so was patient as Job with them and enjoyed their enthusiasm.
We'll try to connect again, as since Nancy often comes to the Belgian Archives to do research on her way to African conferences, we'll likely have another chance. Our boys are lining up their questions now, Nancy...get ready!
