The clumsy compliment “Jij bent één van de goeie, hé.” (translated: “You’re one of the good ones, huh.”) is a saying that sounds familiar when talking about Belgians with a migration background who are fully integrated –or at least, act and live as expected of “a real Belgian”. Brand new podcast “Eén Van De Goeie”  engages with Belgians with a migration background and explores the myth of the good migrant.

In Belgium, 1 in 5 Belgians (20.6%) has a foreign background (Statbel, 2022) and that comes with its challenges: partly due to tensions in upbringing and family life, but also due to the urge to integrate. Nowhere fully at home, nowhere fully able to be yourself. Not Belgian enough for the ‘real Belgians’, and too Belgian for certain family members. Growing up between two cultures is often a real quest and the brand new podcast “Eén Van De Goeie” puts that quest in the spotlight.

Not only is the hypocrisy of what is expected of the integration process in Flemish society exposed, but also the image of the good migrant is analyzed through various interviews.