"For years, Francophone Belgian elites defended the principle that there were no difference between French culture in Belgium and in France. Confronted with a unified Flemish community, the idea of a unified French culture, still referring to the big partner in the south though stressing the Belgian context now, had to be valid for both Walloons and Francophone Bruxellois, so excluding a separate Walloon culture.". On the political plan, the Belgian Constitution revised in 1971 was a compromise between federalism with two and federalism with three . The former was more a response to the Flemings' wishes ; the latter corresponded more to the Walloons' wishes. Flemings would rapidly merge the two institutions, Community and Region. It was easier for them because there are more or less two hundred thousand Flemings in Brussels in front of six million Flemings in Flanders. But there are almost one million French-speaking inhabitants in Brussels in front of only 3.5 million Walloons.
Walloon language, regional varieties of French and Walloon culture
The Flemish journalist Guido Fonteyn described it as a Walloon awakening. For Dimitrios Karmis and Alain Gagnon, on the road to cultural self-assertion this manifesto has marked a powerful moment. For Emmanuelle Labeau, Arthur Masson's novels before the period of the Manifesto, are located in Wallonia, The regional varieties of French are not necessarily the Walloon dialect but Philip Mosley wrote:
Criticism from Brussels
This Manifesto was violently criticized in Brussels:
Successful or not? Now, sympathy from Brussels
According to Michael Keating, John Loughlin, Kris Deschouwer in 2003: The "single French culture" is still the official discourse, and is defended by the French community authorities The Walloon movement of today, supported by a small number of intellectual elites, defends very much the typical Walloon difference, but has not been able to mobilise for it. In December 2006, a Brussels manifesto was published partly in the same spirit as the Walloon manifesto, claiming a regionalisation, of the French Community. It was also signed by key figures of Brussels as for instance the philosophers Philippe Van Parijs and Jean-Marc Ferry, so that the Brussels manifesto has given the Walloon “regionalists" an opportunity to remind everyone that they have been calling for an end to the French-speaking Community and the transfer of its powers, especially its responsibilities for education and culture, to the Walloon Region since their 1983 "Manifesto for Walloon culture" Benoît Lechat summarized the issue: The conclusion of the Manifesto for Wallon culture was: All those who live and work in the Walloon region are undeniably part of Wallonia. All respectable human ideas and beliefs are also part of Wallonia Being a straightforward community of human beings, Wallonia wishes to emerge as an appropriate entity which opens itself to the entire world.
New debates
The Walloon Minister President started a debate about the Walloon identity on 1 March 2010 in the newspaper La Meuse. He will make the proposal to his government to rename 'Walloon Region' as 'Wallonia'. The director of the Institut Destrée commented this initiative the day after on the RTBF. He linked this initiative and the Manifesto for Walloon culture together: Le Figaro reminds the last sentences of the Manifesto for Walloon Culture : 'All those who live and work in the Walloon region are undeniably part of Wallonia.' These sentences are hopefully a reason to hope a peaceful debate...' Criticism about this new debate appears both in Wallonia and Brussels. But perhaps mainly in the Brussels' Newspapers. For instance Pascal Lorent in Le Soir 4 March 2010 writes: 'The Walloon identity doesn't exist'. And Pierre Bouillon wrote in Le Soir 6 March 2010 that the Walloon identity refers mainly to tourism, unemployment and bribery in Charleroi. It seems that the dispute between Brussels and Wallonia about this issue remains as for instance Europe since 1945: an encyclopedia, Tome I wrote it for some years: 'A Walloon identity is also emerging that exhibits at the political level the still mainly hidden tension between French-speaking Brussels and Wallonia' On the contrary, it seems to Paul Piret, journalist at La Libre Belgique, a debate on the concept 'Identity' is good about political citizenship, roots, collective project and even pride. Bouli Lanners said that his films are the reflection of the Walloon culture but with an Americain inspiration because we are overflowed by the American culture
