Tom Waes presents the program and has already responded to criticism about subsidies in the past. – © Guillaume van Lethem
A Flanders Story, that ten-part documentary series on the history of Flanders, is now being targeted by The Guardian. The British newspaper wonders if the prestige project, which has received a total of about 2 million euros in subsidies from the Flemish government, is not mainly using the Flemish heritage as propaganda and thus reviving the whole discussion.
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In our country, viewing figures for “The Story of Flanders” might peak weekly, and in the UK the Guardian mainly wonders if it is propaganda for Flanders, sponsored by the Flemish government.
Read also. Tom Weiss in “A Flanders Tale” teaches us: “What does history teach us? We are big losers.”
The documentary series, divided into ten episodes of fifty minutes each, tells the story of Flanders going back 38,000 years in history. But critics don’t always agree on its historical accuracy. One such point of contention is the episode around the Battle of the Golden Spurs, in which Flemish warriors carried shields with a black lion on a yellow background, the symbol of modern-day Flanders. Elaboration, but according to historians, this has not been proven historically.
© The Guardian
Then there is the cost picture. We mentioned earlier that “The Story of Flanders” has received a total of €2 million in Flemish support, coming from various funds and departments such as education, tourism and culture. Things have gone wrong with the political opposition.
“What bothers me is that I have to hear every week that there is no money for textbooks and school meals,” says Hannelore Gaumann, leader of the socialist group in the Flemish Parliament, at the beginning of the series, words she repeated to “The Observer” when it came to their favorite projects. N-VA miraculously finds the money. I think this is about publicity for Flanders.”
The production previously rejected criticism on both fronts and now it’s doing it again. “It’s quite clearly not a nationalist pamphlet,” said writer and producer Jesse Faber. “We have tried to deal with history in a scientific way.” The episode’s criticism of the Golden Spurs fight also seems firm. The program features contributions from one of the world’s leading bodies in the event. The episode revolves around the social conflict between the working poor and the powerful elite. That was the main message of the episode.”
Read also. Why every trace of Jean Bredel is missing in The Tale of Flanders
Regarding the fact that it encapsulates 38,000 years of history in ten episodes, Faber concludes: “We made well-considered choices and didn’t take them lightly.”
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