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A lecture that tells ‘all’ about Belgium in one hour!

History, geography, politics, science, economics, culture, sport and food and drinks. ‘Everything’ in one hour is a bit ambitious (even though Belgium is a small country), but Harry is able to address all the topics mentioned above in that short period and to give foreigners a rather clear image of the versatility of this small kingdom.

He does this in an exciting and humoristic manner that makes it attractive to listen to. Foreign tourists who are passing through Belgium, expats who plan to stay for months, and Belgians themselves will be surprised by what this small country has to offer.

He also helps eradicate several myths that exist outside Belgium, such as:

- Walloons and Flemings are at each other's throats

- that tulips come from Amsterdam

- that Hercule Poirot is a Frenchman

- that Belgians live on only chocolate and beer

-etc.

Profile

Harry was born and raised in Belgium, has travelled from one corner of the country to the other for business, has always been interested in history, culture and ‘people’. He loves being able to teach people about this special and very young country in a relaxed and varied manner via storytelling.

Formulas

One-hour talk or longer if desired.

The topics mentioned in the first paragraph are the base of the story but, depending on the target group, Harry will adapt the illustrative anecdotes to suit the audience.

If the audience consists of American tourists (e.g. on a cruise ship), he will explain that the Battle of the Bulge was a turning point in WWII thanks to US troops or that Inbev purchased Budweiser.

If the audience is French then they'll hear that Napoleon was an occupier but that he also did a lot of good things for our regions and that Gustave Eifel didn't only build the Eiffel tower in Paris, he also built the original bridge in Temse.

If Brits listen in, then Harry will underscore their heroic performances during WWI (with poppies) and they'll also learn that our first king was the uncle of Queen Victoria.

The Dutch will learn that their national anthem ‘Wilhelmus’ was written by the mayor of Antwerp and that the Dutch were a textbook example of integration when hundreds of thousands of Belgians sought refuge in the Netherlands after the Spanish Fury and during WWI.

(Harry can also make alterations for other nationalities.)