Willem Vermandere (1940 in Lauwe, Belgium) is a Belgian
singer, Flemish cabaret artist, writer, sculptor, guitarist and painter. His
songs are written and sung in the dialect of the South of West-Flanders in
Belgium.
Vermandere studied Religion at Ghent and has been a teacher
at Nieuwpoort. Although he is most known for his music, Vermandere is more
active as a sculptor. His poetic repertoire expresses criticism on society and
his performances are a mixture of seriousness, sadness and fun
In 1993 Vermandere wrote the song "Bange Blanke
Man" ("Frightened White Man"), a song criticizing racism and
xenophobia in a multicultural society. When performing at the Grand Place in
Brussels in 1992, Vermandere was physically assaulted by members of the
far-right party Vlaams Blok and became a subject of hate mail.
In 2000 he was bestowed with the title of honorary citizen
of Veurne, where he currently lives in the suburb of Steenkerke. In 2009 the
Flemish ‘Radio 2’ station nominated him as a member of the Gallery of Honour.
Dank Frans
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