Belgian folklore events could lose Unesco status for not including women

Belgium's famous carnivals and folklore festivities are coming under increased scrutiny for being exclusively male-dominated.

The carnival season starts in earnest with the flagship Binche and Malmedy carnivals the Sunday before Shrove Tuesday and continue to a plethora of events for La Laetere, including at Andennes and La Louvière, and finish with Ath’s giant festivities at the end of August and Soignies’ Simpélourd in October.

But at these popular events it is exceedingly rare, if at all, to find a female "Gille" for example, with their iconic costumes and orange baskets, especially in major carnivals such as the Unesco-recognised Binche and Malmedy.

Now all this may have to change. If the organisers of key carnivals such as Stavelot or of other folklore highlights like Mons’ Doudou (in May) do not sign an ethical charter that commits to mutual respect, cultural diversity, the participation of young people and gender equality, they risk losing their title as “intangible cultural heritage” and the subsidies that go with them.

The tide is already turning towards more diversity, said Guillaume Soupart, member of the Fédération-Wallonie-Bruxelles parliament. He asked Wallonia’s minister-president in charge of culture Élisabeth Degryse (Les Engagés) if more progress was on the cards.

“The Association for the Defence of Folklore (ADF) decided to grant a request from a women’s society to participate in Shrove Sunday in Binche. As this day is traditionally reserved for men, the decision has sparked much debate in the town,” he said, adding that “some people believe that traditions are immutable”.

“In Mons, the place of women in the Combat dit Lumeçon is also sometimes called into question, despite the fact that the city’s patron saint is a woman.”

In her written answer, Degryse said: “Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a living heritage, passed down from generation to generation through gestures, know-how and craft practices, symbolising the richness of our cultural and social values.

“The need to evolve is enshrined in the definition of ICH. Compliance with an ethical charter is a sine qua non for recognising elements of our ICH as ‘emblematic elements’ of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and for obtaining a subsidy for their preservation.”

This money can be granted to help the “transmission, promotion, research and equipment” of the folkloric element of an event.

In total, between 2022 and 2024, the minister’s office confirmed that just over €65,000 has been granted for the whole of the FWB.

In Hainaut, the Binche carnival, Mons’ Doudou and Marches de l’Entre-Sambre et Meuse have obtained the title of "emblematic element", so in theory would be entitled to subsidies.

But when contacted by RTBF, organisers said they had never received funds to organise their events. So if they decided not to sign the charter, they would not lose out financially.

The postdoctoral researcher and anthropologist Manon Instasse said: “Of the 60 or so properties listed as intangible cultural heritage in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, around 30 are affected by ethical issues and will have to face up to the question of change over the next five years.

“Change is inevitable. We just need to find the right ways of implementing it.”