Neither anthems nor flags: Netflix, the social glue that brings together flamingos and Walloons
Once the rubbish, the bureaucracy and all the clichés of surrealism have been overcome, anyone who has been in Belgium for a while inevitably falls into the national question.. On whether it is one real country or two, the enormous wall that separates Flemish and Walloons. The lack of a common identity, at least in appearance. The ravages of nationalism, indifference. Faith was placed in football as a unifying element, but the one that has ended up being successful, as incredible as it may seem, is Netflix.
“What is the shortest path between Flemish and French speakers? An American streaming platform specialized in series and movies. Yes, the Belgian glue of the moment is called Netflix,” writes Béatrice Delvaux, its chief editorialist, in Le Soir.
It is true that sport, in the last decade, has managed to go further than any previous symbol.. The Belgian does not get too excited with his flag (the Flemish do with theirs) or singing his anthem. Nor is it especially proud of its history or leaders. But the emergence of a unique generation of footballers managed to generate hope and passion. In the last five years it really seemed like they could win a Euro Cup or a World Cup, and the brands filled the streets and supermarkets with red merchandising.. But the balances make everything artificial. They call the team The Red Devils, in English. And the songs are almost all in Shakespeare's language, which is absurd. This Sunday I saw a Belgium-Spain basketball game and they only shouted Belgium, Belgium or Defense, like in the NBA. An intimate connection doesn't even win everything.
But Netflix is something else.. “Even those who did not study Dutch as a second language at school have become addicted to the Vlaanderen series with stories anchored in the north of the country and performed by local actors and actresses,” explains Delvaux.. There is an extraordinary batch. First there was Undercover, a series about drug trafficking between Flanders and the Netherlands with a rebel police officer (Tom Waes, Flemish TV star) infiltrated with the drug traffickers.. Then came De Twaalf, a kind of 12 merciless men. And above all Diamonds in the Rough, a thriller set in the world of the Orthodox Jewish diamond merchants of Antwerp.
Of all of them, I would highlight Knokke, a not particularly brilliant drama that portrays the summer of a group of children in the posh coastal town: they go out, drink, take drugs, hook up with each other.. The photography and music are good, but above all it allows for a more normal approach, without shots or crimes. There is nothing to hide behind. The Walloon discovers what until now he only saw in North American or French productions, and can feel identified. And that's a big step forward.
Half the country is discovering regional celebrities. Among all of them, Pommelien Thijs perhaps stands out, protagonist of Knokke and established artist, one of the most listened to in Flanders last year and an iconic face since #LikeMe, a cult series for teenagers. Their kick-off concert of the new tour, at the legendary Ancienne Belgique hall in Brussels, sold out in minutes. It is the hope of reconciliation with the new generations. Distant but perhaps less loaded with prejudices.