| S6 4hr History |
Last
update -
05 May 2023 |
Official European
School History S6 Syllabus:
English,
French,
German |
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Optional Theme - 6.4B Culture and Society before
1945 -
syllabus |
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The world that we live in today seems
to be driven by oil and computers. Not so long ago
however, coal played the most important role. In my
research project, I looked at the negative sides of coal
mining in regard to the mine workers in Belgium and at
what those men, women and children had to endure for the
sake of progress.
As the great times of coal mining do not date back that
many years, I immediately thought interviewing a former
mine worker would be the best way for me to get some
answers. But first, I had to get an overview of the
topic, which is why I started researching on the
internet. As I already knew, there was a significant
amount of old coal mines now open to the public in the
regions of Charleroi and Liège. I decided to take part
in a guided tour through the mine of Blegny, close to
Liège. The visit provided me with some useful
information and helped me get a first impression of the
conditions inside the mines.
Through my internet research, I also found and ordered
Francis Groff’s book “Au Coeur du Charbon”, which
explains the history of Belgian coal mining in a very
structured and comprehensive way. I then decided to
contact the author to ask him if he knew any former
mineworker I could interview.
He gave me the contact details of Mr Sergio Aliboni,
president of the Amicale des Mineurs des Charbonnages de
Wallonie and soon we had fixed a date we could meet on.
We met on a weekend at the old mine of le Bois du Cazier
close to Charleroi. The interview which lasted over an
hour was a great success, as Mr Aliboni revealed to me
what he thought about his time in the mine and how he
felt about it. Given he was not afraid to show his
emotions, he could make me feel what he felt to a
certain extend.
Having finished my project I now know that mine workers
were exploited and did not get the recognition they
deserved. Nevertheless, they felt proud they were able
to give humanity the coal necessary for progress and
that they could provide their children with an
education, something most mine workers did not get.
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