Belgium's language divide is a topic of endless intrigue for foreigners and for locals, debate. When contested on the regional level, the Wallonia/Flanders argument becomes more pernicious, often stoking separatist sentiment before arriving at a shared resolve to address matters in the Federal Government.
Whilst the distinction between regions is weaponised in political spheres to push an us-versus-them mentality, Brussels sits on the linguistic faultline like an awkward partner eager not to bend either way but quietly insist on its independence. The arrangement is full of contradictions: the capital is nominally Francophone but the Flanders Government is located in Brussels (Wallonia's government sits in Namur).
Not content with this division of power in what is, after all, not a very big country, Belgium has individual language communities that oversee the "soft" issues of education, health and welfare, culture, languages and sports (more on that here). Though these might seem less susceptible to partisan prodding, they come with their own complexities that even spark disputes in their own linguistic camps.
To impartial observers it's classic Belgitude, an organisational structure that resists comprehension and (so long as you're not deciding on your child's school or whether to play football in French, Flemish or German) can be overlooked in our daily goings-on. And then comes along a community holiday and expressions of French or Flemish culture are visible in Brussels.
27 September is the day for the Francophone community, though festivities in Brussels will be most felt on Friday with a free concert on the Grand Place. More celebration than promotional campaign, details of the debate will be lost on most spectators, no doubt most of them tourists unaware of the underlying associations.
Indeed, in a famously polyglot city where three-quarters of residents aren't even of Belgian origin, it's easier just to laugh and sing along, if you can.
Lost in translation? Let @Orlando_tbt know.
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