deBuren

Christophe Deborsu

It is a southern neighbour of Flanders and the Netherlands. But how much do we really know about the culture and society of Wallonia? deBuren will fill in any gaps you may have in your knowledge with a number of programmes on this subject. The Flemish expert on Wallonia, Guido Fonteyn, the Wallon expert on Flanders Christophe Deborsu and Jacques De Decker, a French-speaking expert on Flanders, open the series with a debate moderated by Piet Piryns.

Guido Fonteyn was formerly a journalist for De Standaard. In the course of his career he specialised in news coverage on 'others': Europeans, the inhabitants of Brussels, migrants, the Walloons, etc. Based in Namur, he was the only Flemish journalist to work in Wallonia. He has also written several books, of which Afscheid van Magritte is the latest. It was recently published into French.

Christophe Deborsu, journalist for the RTBF, writes a monthly column "La Wallonie profonde" in De Standaard. He is originally from Namur and holder of a Master degree in Law of the Catholic University Leuven. Christophe Deborsu knows Flanders as the back of his hand, just as Guido Fonteyn knows Wallonia.

Jacques De Decker is a journalist, writer and translator. He has translated more than fifty plays, from Shakespeare to Hugo Claus, into French. He has written novels, short stories and essays which have been published in several languages. He is also a well-known critic and essayist for Le Soir. In 2002 he was appointed secretaire perpétuel of the Royal Belgian Academy of French Language and Literature.