The Belgians' grief

This serie on Belgian Flanders through the historical nationalism that plagues this territory is a journey into a dark novel : my version of a territory handled by far-right partie.

The Belgians' grief

This photographic account was inspired by an article in La Libre Belgique:
"Why this monument to the Waffen SS in Zedelgem?".
I went to Zedelgem, and then to other Flemish towns, in search of the traces of nationalism in this territory where it is deeply rooted. In the 2019 regional elections, Vlaams Belang and Nieeuwe-Vlaamse Alliantie together took over forty percent of the vote.

Cemeteries where the graves of former collaborators are maintained and celebrated. A military barracks where a far-right terrorist stole heavy weapons before carrying out his act. In a random square, the no less insignificant statue of a poet who inspired the Flemish movement at the end of the 19th century... As my investigation progresses, the historical roots of nationalism emerge from the cobblestones I tread. The Nationalist Archives Centre in Antwerp will be one of the key places to help me understand the depth of what I'm seeing.
A few encounters accompany me as I traverse this dismal landscape: inside a bar, I meet S., a Senegalese immigrant who is in the process of being mugged. At the "Vlaams Radikaal", I observe far-right elected representatives flirting with their electorate over cheap beer.

The present is tinged with rampant violence. As much as visible evidence, it's sensations - that of bad dreams and anxious awakenings - that come to me through these images.