Henri and the Islands

A 15-year-old boy named Henri rides his bicycle through his village. Herstappe, he explains, is the smallest village in Belgium, with only 82 inhabitants. Each day, Henri rides around and talks to everybody. Apparently, he's the only one who has any contact with his neighbours. The fact is, in Herstappe people hardly talk to each other. According to Henri, everyone lives with his dog on his own metaphorical island. Alderman Leon knows a lot about Herstappe, Henri says. And he's right: "There's no butcher here, no baker, no doctor, no lawyer, there's no big department store, no sports field, no cultural centre: actually, there's nothing at all!" Leon explains. Sure enough, there isn't much activity in the empty streets. Henri can say something about every villager, but the young citizen of Herstappe doesn't know everything. "When I go to bed, my dad has to go to the council meeting. They discuss complicated things there."Like the purchase of a new flag, which is the second item on the agenda. After all, no matter how small the village is, bureaucracy is deeply embedded here, too. While Henri takes us along on his bike route, an animation demonstrates once again how tiny this community really is, and how striking its islands are.