Emilienne is among one of the last inhabitants of Doel, in Belgium ... She stays there against all odds, alone in a village where most people have already left. Doel is supposed to disappear completely in favor of the Antwerp Port expansion. A lot of houses are already abandoned or/and demolished.
There is still a lot going on in Doel ... opposition comittees, nothing seems to be completely finalized with the dates. Well not that I could find for sure ... anyway ... these things are very complicated and my English is not good enough to go to much deeply into the details .... not to mention my Dutch)
I especially want to say some things about this very courageous woman who decides to stay in Doel till her last day ... It won't be really easy to make her move from there ... She was born there, her children as well ... she spent all her life in this village. Even after almost all of her neighbors and friends have gone ... she keeps saying nothing is gonna make her leave ... I can't tell you how much admiration I have for her.
I had the great opportunity, with my husband, to meet her, by chance while walking in the streets of Doel. She invited us to come in her house for a coffee and a chat. It was very interesting to listen to her story and learn how she was getting by when almost everything is closed ... We went a second time and she allowed us to take some pictures.
She was also the subject of a movie called "De engel van Doel ' by the Dutch film director, Tom Fassaert. The movie was screened at several independant festivals such as the Berlin International Film Festival where it won a prize for best documentary. An excellent documentary to watch about a village whose destin y is in the hands of politicians