VUB honorary doctorates to connect the world

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel will award five honorary doctorates on 18 March. The first goes to science writer Ann Druyan, the second to artist William Kentridge, the third to politician Pierre Kompany, the fourth to unlikely friends Koenraad Tinel and Simon Gronowski, and the fifth to Antoni Ribas and Thierry Boon – world authorities in the field of immunotherapy, a ground-breaking approach to cancer.

VUB rector Caroline Pauwels: “The new honorary doctors come from a wide variety of sectors, but they have one thing in common: they connect. That’s what the world needs today, people reaching out to the other. People who look not for differences, but for similarities. People who want to listen to each other.”

The award ceremony – just like the award of the honorary doctorate for Yuval Harari that took place a few weeks ago – is dedicated to VUB’s 50th anniversary and the celebratory year 2019-2020. VUB awards each honorary title with a partner institution, emphasising its connection with institutions in Brussels, Flanders and the world. The event will be extra special because it will take place in De Munt, and world famous composer Dirk Brossé will perform as guest conductor of the VUB Orchestra. The exceptional ceremony will take place on Wednesday 18 March at the Koninklijke Muntschouwburg. Doors will open at 19.30 and the press are invited.

The honoured guests:

Ann Druyan with Erasmushogeschool Brussel

Ann Druyan is an American writer and producer of popular programmes on cosmology and science. She was married to cosmologist and science communicator Carl Sagan, who died in 1996. Druyan was creative director of the Nasa Voyager Interstellar Message Project when Sagan had the now famous photo of the Pale Blue Dot taken: a picture of the Earth from 6 billion kilometres away. At that distance, the Earth is not much more than a dot the size of a pixel. Sagan realised the iconic value of such a picture: it symbolises the enormous size of space, puts into perspective the impact humanity has on the universe, and emphasises that we don’t have a planet B. With this in mind, Druyan remains committed to science popularisation. She came up with Cosmos, a docuseries about the universe, the first series of which was broadcast worldwide on National Geographic. The new series, Cosmos: Possible Worlds, will be launched in dozens of countries on 9 March. Her belief is that as more people become interested in science, we will achieve a better, more critical society.

William Kentridge with Ghent University and the University of the Western Cape, South Africa

William Kentridge is a filmmaker, artist and sculptor. Though he was born in Johannesburg in 1955 to a white family, he was exposed from the beginning to the consequences of apartheid in his country. His father was a lawyer for Nelson Mandela, and Kentridge regularly refers in his work to this turbulent period in the history of his country. He is well known in Belgium. In 2005, he created a remarkable production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute for De Munt, and his piece Ubu and the Truth Commission was performed at Bozar. He also has a deep connection with KunstenFESTIVALdesArts.

Pierre Kompany with the Brussels Parliament

Everyone immediately associates him with his son Vincent, but Pierre Kompany is himself a special figure. Marked out by Mobutu’s regime in Congo, he arrived in Belgium in 1975 as an undocumented migrant. More than 40 years later he became the first black mayor of Belgium, in the Brussels municipality of Ganshoren. He is an indication that Belgium is gradually putting its colonial past behind it. He has never denied his origins, but speaks with great respect of the country he has made his home.

Koenraad Tinel and Simon Gronowski with the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)

Koenraad Tinel is a Belgian sculptor and artist. Simon Gronowski holds a doctorate in law, is a lawyer at the Brussels bar and a jazz pianist. The two men are close friends, which is perhaps surprising given their backgrounds. During World War Two, Gronowski escaped from the train that was taking him and his family to the extermination camp at Auschwitz when he was just 11. Tinel, meanwhile, grew up in a Flemish family who supported the Nazis. Their exceptional friendship is a powerful symbol of hope, happiness and peace.

Antoni Ribas and Thierry Boon with UZ Brussel

Antoni Ribas is a world authority in the field of clinical research into immunotherapy, specifically for the treatment of malignant melanoma. He is one of the most referenced scientists in his field. Thierry Boon, a specialist in immunology, is emeritus professor at the Université Catholique de Louvain and former director of the Brussels branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and the Institut international de Pathologie cellulaire et molecular (Institut de Duve). He is an internationally recognised authority in the field of cancer research and has won numerous prestigious prizes, including the Francqui Prize (1990) and the Louis-Jeantet Prize (1994).