#seamestranger

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Immigrants in Courtrai

There are more than 8000 immigrants living in Courtrai. Daniël left Poland six years ago after he spoke with some family members who already lived in Belgium. They told him Belgium was a good country. “My situations is a little different than of most Polish people. I didn’t come here for work, but because my family advised me to come to Belgium,” said Daniël.

Daniël didn’t need much time to get used to Belgium. “I don’t think Belgian culture is much different from other European countries,” he said. He owns a Polish speciality shop in the center of Courtrai and tries to get to know every part of the Belgian culture. “I put a lot of energy in knowing the culture. I spent a lot of time in talking to people, in trying to understand the issues of a country. So I think and this might sound strange, that I know Belgium better than Belgian people,” he laughs.

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“ When it was the first black person in town,  people probably looked in a special way to him. But however, I don’t think that they reacted strangely,” said Ivan. 

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“It must have been around the 60’s. But also later, the first foreign soccer player who came here. And it probably was a Zairian, in the past it was Congo, so in fact he was a Congolese. And the first black soccer player in Belgium was also around 1960.” Ivan was only a child when he saw the first African immigrant in his town.

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Group 4 

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When I sit on the bus and there is somebody coming to sit next to me… I always ask: “Which country are you from?”

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What I’m talking about,  was 30 or 40 years ago. But when I see these kinds of people I always think about my grandson. He has returned to Nigeria and he has two children: Walter and Jaqueline, he named them after my husband and me. 

Jaqueline from Kortrijk, who hosted several children over the years.

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Of course there are some differences between the European Countries, but to say the differences you have to generalize and then it can get close to racism

Daniël from Poland

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Immigrants in Courtrai

There are more than 8000 immigrants living in Courtrai. One of them is Habon, she has lived in Belgium for more than twelve years now. Before she left Djibouti, an East African country, and came to Belgium, she had travelled to France and done a lot of research on her new home country. “There are many things in Belgium that are different than in Djibouti, but nothing surprised me, not the rain, nor the snow,” said Habon.

Even though Habon has lived in Belgium for a decently long time, she has no aspirations to remain in Courtrai. “I would like to return to Djibouti; but I have some problems there and therefore I can’t return yet. I have many difficulties  but it’s my life, and I don’t quite feel like staying in Belgium for the rest of it,” she said.