There are many anecdotes about these two gentlemen and this one lady, who are the most important representatives of small East Belgium in the big world. In my work, they have hidden themselves on a map. Who can find in the north the head of the ‘Schmaubär’ with his colourful carnival cap, his long chin and his distinctive chin beard? Who immediately sees in the south the shrewd Eifel ‘Mottes’ (regional term for person from the Belgian Eifel) with his long nose, smiling as he looks at the world? Only ‘Madame Mâmdyene’, wearing an earring, looks west, and is closely associated with ‘Mottes’ and ‘Schmaubär’. All three stand for infinite banter. But they also represent identity and the awareness that borders, both small and large, need to be crossed again and again. How typical for East Belgium!
Wilfried Dahmen
Recht