The office of Luc Jacobs, Belgium's ambassador to Ukraine, is dominated by two things: the extensive sunlight coming through its large bow window, and the sculpture of a woman bathing in it.
The artwork, a piece by modern Belgian artist Annette Defoort, stands majestically on a pedestal, and reminds one of an ancient goddess.
As fascinating as it is, the sculpture’s function isn’t simply decorative for what otherwise is an austere office. It is a reflection of the embassy’s focus on promoting the art of both Belgium and Ukraine – a pursuit that is, clearly, a great passion of the ambassador himself.
“Never before in my career, but in today’s Ukraine, have I truly sensed the difference of what a free and vibrant art scene can make in bringing about fundamental societal change,” Jacobs says.
He became Belgium’s envoy to Ukraine in September 2014. But instead of taking a comfortable flight to his new workplace, he packed his things in the family car and drove to Kyiv through Europe.
At first sight and in terms of figures, Belgium isn’t widely represented in Ukraine. Only 90 Belgian companies operate in Ukraine, and the embassy has registered 120 Belgians living in the country.
At the same time, Belgium is a very special partner for Ukraine as a country with a notable role in the European Union. Its capital, Brussels, is the nerve center for both the EU and NATO – the two entities that Ukraine aspires to be associated with on its journey away from Russia.
Jacobs offers a peculiar historical footnote: According to him, Belgium was the first foreign investor in Ukraine when it was part of czarist Russia at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Belgian investors put money into the coal mines and steel enterprises of Donbas in the country’s east. They also funded the construction of tramways and electricity works in major cities.
Today’s investors have put money into mining, chemicals, agriculture and food processing.
“Every kid in Belgium is taught in school that Ukraine is the breadbasket of Europe,” Jacobs says.
On Nov. 15, when Ukraine holds the second round of local elections in major cities, Ukraine’s Belgians will celebrate one of their country’s main official holiday, King’s Feast. The date is the name day of Leopold and Albert on two different calendars –the German Liturgical and Roman Catholic. Five out of the seven monarchs that Belgium has had since gaining independence in 1830 were named either Leopold or Albert.
Belgium is one of Europe’s constitutional monarchies. The present king is Philippe, who was crowned in July 2013 upon the abdication of his father, King Albert II.
In Belgium, the celebration starts with a church service that is attended by every royal except for the king and the queen – as it would be considered immodest for the king to honor himself.
In Ukraine, the celebration will include a classical music concert at the National Opera House, “Classic for Peace.” Dirk Brosse, a world-renowned Belgian composer, will direct the concert. Two soloists, a Belgian and a Ukrainian living in Belgium, will perform.
Music is another art that the embassy promotes. Jacobs proudly notes that Belgium takes credit for the invention of the saxophone in the 1840s.
Speaking of the similarities between Ukraine and Belgium, Jacobs brings up the most prominent one: multilingualism. While Ukrainians speak Ukrainian and Russian, Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German.
The ambassador’s standpoint is that none of the languages a country speaks should have superiority over any other. Up until the early 20th century, the Dutch language didn’t have the same rights as French in Belgium, but the authorities have been working to ensure that every citizen feels at ease in the country, no matter what language they speak.
“That’s where we can learn from each other and encourage each other to recognize the fact of (multilingualism) and to see it not as a problem, but as an asset for a country,” Jacobs says.
Jacobs lives in Ukraine with his wife. In Belgium, she owns a small business that produces shawls, which she continues to run from Kyiv. According to Jacobs, she is now looking to add a Ukrainian touch to her products, as she did with Moroccan motifs when Jacobs was Consul-General in Casablanca in 2007-2011. The couple’s five children are grown-up and study in Belgium.
When asked what in the city reminds him of home, Jacobs takes a long pause, then confesses: the Belgian beer names on the umbrellas in the street cafes – Stella Artois and Leffe.
During his first year in Kyiv, Jacobs spent a lot of time walking around the city. “I take the metro. I exit at whatever station and walk around. So I’ve seen quite a bit of the city,” he says.
But last summer, he purchased a bicycle.
“Very Belgian,” he says with a smile. “My action radius is much bigger now. Although cycling in Kyiv is still quite a risky business. The city could do a lot to make its streets more bike-friendly.”
He usually starts his bike routes from Pushkin Park next to his residence, and goes to Podil through Babyn Yar, then to an island in Hydropark, and returns through Volodymyrsky Uzviz and the Lukianivka area.
For strolling, he prefers the areas of the city that preserved the architecture of the late 19th and early 20th century, including Andriyvskiy Uzviz.
Among his favorite places to savor Belgian cuisine, he names Antwerpen and Le Cosmopolite. According to him, the most traditional Belgian meals to try are Flemish Carbonnade, voted the most popular recipe in Belgium, the creamy fish soup Waterzooi, or Moules-frites – mussels with fries.
Jacobs says he was surprised to discover that classical Belgian waffles are quite popular with Ukrainians. He says he tried the waffles from one of the many Belgian Waffles stalls found in the Kyiv streets – and they passed the test.
“They are the real stuff,” he says.
Kyiv Post lifestyle editor Olga Rudenko can be reached at [email protected].
