ULB’s honorary doctorates

Svetlana Alexievich, Belarusian investigative journalist, historian and writer

On 3 May 2021, ULB and VUB awarded Svetlana Alexievich an honorary doctorate during Difference Day, held on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day.

The universities wanted to honour an author who gives citizens and the repressed opposition in her country a voice. In her quest for the truth, she does not hesitate, at the risk of her life, to seek out facts and events that are not included in the official historiography. 

Svetlana Aleksandrovna Alexievich is a Belarusian investigative journalist, historian and writer, whose work was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2015.

Because her work uncovers myths and delusions, and is not steered by the official version of the facts, she was often criticised by the authorities, both during the Soviet Union, when she lost her job as a journalist, and later as a writer in Belarus, where her work could not be published. She therefore had to leave her country in 2000 and stayed in Paris and Berlin for a long time. In 2011, she deliberately chose to return to Belarus and became one of the faces of the democratic opposition in the country.

In August 2020, Svetlana Alexievich took part in the demonstrations against the elections manipulated by the outgoing president Lukashenko. On a free radio station, she urged the president to resign: "Leave before it is too late, before you drag the people into a terrible abyss, the abyss of civil war. Nobody wants to see blood. You only want power. And it is your thirst for power that demands a bloodbath.  Svetlana Alexievich played a leading role in the "Coordination Council", which united the opposition to Lukashenko.

In September 2020, all members of the Coordination Council were arrested, expelled or disappeared without trace after being abducted. Svetlana Alexievich was the only one still free, probably because the regime did not dare to attack her because of her international prestige. However, she was threatened and Western diplomats offered to 'guard' her to ensure her safety. While she initially intended to stay in Belarus at all costs, she decided to leave for Germany in September 2020, intending to return as soon as possible.

Aude Merlin's speech

Koenraad Tinel, sculptor and artist, and Simon Gronowski, lawyer at the Brussels bar and jazz pianist

On 22 September 2020, ULB and VUB awarded the insignia of Doctor honoris causa to two children of History, to two men who would become friends: Simon Gronowski and Koenraad Tinel. This joint insignia award ceremony took place on the Etterbeek campus of the VUB on the occasion of the VUB's academic year kick-off ceremony.

Koenraad Tinel is a Belgian sculptor and artist. Simon Gronowski holds a doctorate in law, a lawyer at the Brussels bar and a jazz pianist. The two men are close friends, which may seem surprising given their respective backgrounds. At the age of 11, during the Second World War, Gronowski escaped from the train that was taking him and his family to the Auschwitz extermination camp. Tinel, on the other hand, grew up in a Flemish family that supported the Nazis. Their exceptional friendship is a powerful symbol of hope, happiness and peace.
 

Caroline Pauwels, rector of VUB

On 8 July 2020, ULB granted an honorary doctorate to Caroline Pauwels, rector of VUB, who perfectly embodies the values of ULB as well as the struggles of the past years, most of the time involving both universities working together.

Examples include: the promotion and practice of bilingualism, especially in compulsory education and post-secondary studies; the defence of free speech, with her creation and continued support of Difference Day; the defence of academic freedom, which is so unfortunately topical with her fight to free Dr Djalali, who was sentenced to death in Iran; her extremely positive and proactive vision of the European project, embodied among other things by European University Eutopia, which she started together with her colleagues; and her strong intention to bring the two sister universities, implanted in different communities, closer together. 
This partial list illustrates the lifelong commitment and optimism of Caroline Pauwels, a woman who never shies away from public debates, even on very personal topics. 

• Browse the photo gallery of the ceremony
• Watch the video of the ceremony
• Speech by Yvon Englert, rector of ULB
• Speech by Caroline Pauwels, rector of VUB

On 3 May 2019, ULB and VUB awarded honorary doctorates to Elena Milashina and Rudi Vranckx during Difference Day, an event held in conjunction World Press Freedom Day.

• On 3 May 2018, as part of Difference Day, ULB and VUB decided for the first time to award honorary doctorates jointly, to two famous activists who have dedicated their lives to defending these values in their respective countries. By choosing Sihem Bensedrine and Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, the two institutions demonstrated their shared deep attachment to freedom of speech and opinion, civic engagement, and the defence of human rights.

• On 26 April 2018, ULB and its faculties honoured eight public figures for their work and commitment in art, academia, culture, and medico-social work.
  • Vidéos
  • Photo gallery
  • Presentation of DHC recipients and praise from their sponsors
  • Speech by Christiane Taubira

 

For this special occasion, the academic authorities wear an outfit consisting of a gown, a cap, and, for the rector, a sash. The gown and cap are inspired by the portrait of Erasmus by Hans Holbein the Younger. 
In this way, the University honours this great humanist whose encyclopedic mind and freedom of thought and speech are consistent with the core values of our University of free enquiry.

The ULB gown is black, adorned with fur for the University’s president and rectors (current and honorary), with a distinctive band of colour for the representatives of faculty authorities.

In addition to the gown, the rector wears a sash, which is a distinctive strip of cloth hung over the shoulder. The ULB sash is made of blue silk, with a highlight of white fur, a golden embroidered ‘torch’ seal, and a green and red cord that symbolizes the close and trusting relationship between ULB and the city of Brussels.

Each Doctor Honoris Causa receives the ULB sash, a diploma written and read in Latin, and a silver medal bearing the University’s ‘torch’ seal. The encomium that recounts the career and achievements of each laureate is read in French.

The University’s rector, assisted during the ceremony by the pro-rector and the former rector, gives each laureate their DHC insignia. When the formal ceremony is over, they are official members of the university community.