The "Famous" of Uccle Carl De Moncharline, the cultural activist

EDITORIAL A Belgium that rights wrongs? With its universal jurisdiction law, did Belgium aim too high? Did it want to lecture the whole world? Was it being pretentious? Like all laws, this ethical law could give rise to abuses, and those who are surprised by this should think of all the frivolous, even whimsical complaints that clog our courts. That is not the issue. Furthermore, provisions can be made to discourage "opportunistic" complaints. If this law was amended a first time, before becoming a subject of government negotiations, it is because it clashes with powerful interests. We must re-read La Fontaine and remember that "might makes right". The United States decided to make the whole world understand that they are indeed the strongest. Wounded by the terrible bite of September 11, this giant can no longer bear the slightest mosquito bite. Such is the reality today. All is grist to its mill. Barely embarrassed by the absence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, here it is threatening Iran. But the mosquitoes are multiplying and becoming more and more agitated (see "The Lion and the Gnat", another fable by La Fontaine). Isn't the giant in the process of committing "slips"? In Afghanistan and Iraq, the Americans were targeting dictatorships: they had an undeniable argument. By pressuring Belgium to amend its law, haven't they begun targeting democracies? Let us hope that the Belgian case is not a dangerous precedent, and in an increasingly unipolar world, let us hope that Europeans wake up and that their Union quickly becomes a real political union. Charles-Antoine de Trazegnies summary Municipality .......... 6 Environment .......... 9 The Famous of Uccle .......... 10 Fort-Jaco .......... 11 Summer wines .......... 14 Exhibitions .......... 16 Concerts .......... 17 Shows .......... 18 Escapes .......... 19 Workshops .......... 23 Books .......... 25 Cinema .......... 26 Restaurants .......... 28 Multimedia .......... 33 CD/DVD news .......... 36 Bravo Services .......... 37 Monthly door-to-door paper printed in 50,000 copies really distributed in Uccle, Linkebeek (partial), Ixelles (partial), Forest (partial) and Rhode-Saint-Genèse (partial), and published by: RVJ Editions sprl Drève Pittoresque 92 1640 Rhode-St-Genèse Tel. 02 358 20 12 Fax 02 358 17 37 info@bravouccle.be Responsible publisher Martine KINZINGER info@bravouccle.be Editor-in-chief Charles de TRAZEGNIES charles@bravouccle.be Commercial Director Jerry DUBOIS jerryd@bravouccle.be Commercial Delegate Damien BECK damienb@bravouccle.be Secretariat Danièle GRIMMIAUX danieleg@bravouccle.be Collaborators Daniel BASTIÉ Stéphane LÉMERET Michel FEYS Jean MONTAGNE Jean-Marie PIERRARD Production Double clic- graphic studio doubleclic@skynet.be Printing Remy Roto s.a. Distribution SPAN Diffusion Annual subscription For people not living in our distribution area, €22.31 to be paid to account: 310-0369654-73 of RVJ Editions sprl He has won great victories with the success of the "Brussels Rollers" operations and, most recently, "Immeubles en fête". In a few years, Carl De Moncharline has become a major figure in Brussels life. Never short of ideas, this former bad student converted into a workaholic seeks to impose his vision of a multicultural, open, active and tolerant city, and he is on the verge of achieving his goal. We met this adopted Ucclois (he splits his time between Brussels-City and our municipality) who moves faster than his shadow. Bravo Uccle: Carl De Moncharline, when did you become a "cultural activist"? Carl De Moncharline: I was born to artist parents. My father is the sculptor Mon De Rijck and my mother, Charline Mahy, is a painter. I have always been surrounded by people looking for new paths. My father, who was director of Château Malou, invented the concept of the art loan gallery; one of my uncles who was a businessman gave me valuable organizational advice; my homeopath stepfather taught me rigor. At 18, I launched a campaign entitled "Barbares, changez !" [Barbarians, change!] to react to the fact that there were no public trash cans in Brussels. With 300,000 francs that I had saved by working left and right, I created sticker panels that I placed on traffic lights. A first controversy followed for illegal posting. People thought the far right was coming back! But the press supported me, especially television, which showed posters of politicians that were still there four years after the elections! And my campaign hit the mark since the region organized a trash can contest. Bravo Uccle: Did you participate in it? Carl De Moncharline: Previously, I had proposed a project for a selective sorting European trash can with cultural display (my eco tendency), but I refused to participate in the contest. We then saw the appearance of the famous brown trash cans with golden hoods that can be found everywhere today. Bravo Uccle: What was the next campaign? Carl De Moncharline: In 1991, after working for two years for the Brussels Film Festival, I was hired by the Mirano as artistic director and I entered nightlife. It must be said that I was already working in the evening for trendy bars. At the Mirano, I created stage designs, a rotating dance floor. At the same time, I organized "Who's Who's Follies" in Brussels and Paris in famous clubs like the Palace, the Bataclan, Les Bains, the Queen... I was then seen at the emergence of House music and Belgium was one step ahead of France. House was a tribe, it was a whole generation that recognized itself in this music. Bravo Uccle: From "Who's Who's Follies", you moved to "Who's Who's Land"? Carl De Moncharline: I found an old abandoned theater on Rue du Poinçon and turned it into the biggest club in Belgium. But developers designed a real estate project in the neighborhood and, from that moment, I had trouble. I won't go back over this sad episode. Be that as it may, despite our good will, "Who's Who's Land" was closed. Subsequently, I took care of the communication strategy of the PS with a view to the municipal elections. I wanted to get involved in the political arena to promote my vision of the city. It was in the wake of this that I got the idea to create the Roller Parade. Bravo Uccle: You are registered as living in Brussels-City, but you live mostly in Uccle. What do you think of our municipality? Carl De Moncharline: It is a very beautiful municipality, but one that is not very dynamic. It lacks a youthful spirit, culture and popular festivals. It's a pity, because it has many assets. 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