The concept

A project aimed at celebrating the historical cultural and academic ties between Belgium and South Africa at various levels, consisting of a festival/event in Flemish and Afrikaans.

Vlaamse Week 1997

The first Vlaamse Week ("Flemish Week") was a one-off celebration of the link between Belgium and South Africa, held in Stellenbosch from 16 to 22 March 1997.

The festival

A joint project of the Vlaams-Zuid-Afrikaanse Cultuurstichting[1] and the Stellenbosch branch of the South African Vlaams-Suid-Afrikaanse Kultuurstigting, it was aimed at celebrating the historical cultural and academic ties between Belgium and South Africa at various levels.

An initiative of Ward Thielemans, chairman of the foundation at the time, it was locally organized by a committee of 11 locals, chaired by Willem Dempsey, with Muller Ballot as the administrative driving force behind the event. The committee included representatives from various arts departments at Stellenbosch, including those for drama, fine arts, literature and music.

The programme

Besides art exhibitions, music concerts, food and drink events, the presentations, the programme included some concerts by a Belgian of music by Volkskunstgroep VBK, a poetry reading by Leen Vermeiren, a film festival of three recent award-winning Belgian films (Manneken Pis[2], Taxandria[3] and Daens[4]) and six performances (from 17 to 22 March) of a student production of Bruid in die Môre, an Afrikaans version by Jan Rabie of Hugo Claus's first play, Een Bruid in de Morgen. (Directed by Johan Esterhuizen and featuring students from the Stellenbosch Drama Department, including Gaerin Hauptfleisch, Lorraine Burger, Paul van Wyk, Marliza Eloff and Derelyn Robb.) Claus also offered masterclasses in playwriting in the Drama Department during his visit.

Zuid-Afrikaanse week in Vlaanderen 1998

In 1998 a follow-up event called Zuid-Afrikaanse week in Vlaanderen, was organised in Antwerp, Belgium, under the title Zuid-Afrika, een caleidoscoop ("South Africa, a kaleidoscope"). Besdesthe many academics and musicians participating, there was also the performances by the Randall Wicomb Group, Pretoria Technikon Dance Company and the theatre couple Carel Trichardt and Petru Wessels.