The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

The opening of the new Hergé museum in the Belgian city of Louvain-La-Neuve, which took place on Monday, probably was a little less glorious than its organizers would have hoped for.  The event was considered important enough by quite a lot of international media to send reporters over (see the earlier link to the BBC video report – Joe).  However, all excitement about the new museum quickly turned into frustration when it turned out that no photography or filming was allowed inside museum and that Fanny Rémi and Nick Rodwell, the people behind Moulinsart, didn’t feel like being interviewed.  And to top it off, none of the representatives, except Joost Swarte, appeared to be able to speak any other language but French.

(one of the few pics allowed of the new museum, borrowed from BoDoi’s article)

That atmosphere of frustration and anger is apparent in a lot of the reports of the event that were published in various media on Tuesday.  For the RTBF, the French-speaking official Belgian broadcaster, it’s all just one more example of the fanatical jealousy with which Hergé’s heirs guard his legacy. Swedish journalist Rolf Fredriksson is quoted by ActuaBD saying, “We were invited to cover this opening, and my team and myself are all Swedish: cameraman, sound engineer, editor … We [came] here without having been warned that we are prohibited from filming and taking pictures inside the museum! How can I report properly  in these conditions? Will Moulinsart reimburse me the costs of the television crew that I brought along ?”  Twenty journalists then left the press conference.

Actu24 summed it all up in a rather hilarious television report, aptly called an Anti-reportage by BoDoï (which even with the most basic grasp of French you’ll get their sarcastic point in their brief video! – Joe). You can expect a real report on the museum in the near future.  Rather than take on what other people think of the exhibition itself, I’d rather see for myself.  So, stay tuned…