All that art can save
Roger Sevrin Bruland leader Førdekonferansen 2022 - which is titled: Art in Crises
Closed doors, empty halls. Little income, a lot of isolation. One would think that a worldwide pandemic could force art to its knees. After the reopening, we see on the contrary that art has enormous survival power. This year, Førdekonferansen Thematize how art can save us in crises, both as individuals and as a society, both as audiences and performers.
When Minister for International Development Anne Beathe Tvinnerheim opens Førdekonferansen , the world is struck by yet another crisis. The war in Ukraine has put world peace at risk. We have been scared this winter. Evening after evening we have followed the reports from the Ukrainian border, where Roger Sevrin Bruland has told of the unimaginable, but also of the indomitable. From all walks of life and professions, Ukrainians have armed themselves and taken their country to defense, including the artists. At the same time, the songs fly across the borders.
The world web makes solidarity tangible and unifying. Silently, artists in country after country protest in the strongest possible way. We hear the Ukrainian national anthem every day, played on all kinds of instruments, in all kinds of rooms. From small kitchens to large concert halls. From a fragile child's voice in a bomb shelter to a powerful choir on the roof of the opera house.
Elsewhere, the arts face even worse conditions. The Afghanistan National Institute of Music is no longer in Afghanistan. The entire music institute has fled to Portugal after the Taliban took power in the country. Ahmad Sarmast is the founder and director of the center, and talks about the work of securing education for students in music and art, despite the difficult situation the country has once again found itself in. Margunn Indrebø Alshaik will explore how art can still contribute to bridge-building, reconciliation and freedom of expression. She works at the UN Development Program in Botswana. From an educational and research perspective , Oded Ben-Horin from the University College of Western Norway will delve into the possible role of art as a bridge-builder in future conflicts and crises.
The conference also features writers, musicians and visual artists. All of them have in common that exile has been necessary and guiding for their artistic creations. How can one still hold on to one's own identity and continue to be creative?
In many countries, artists risk being imprisoned for peaceful expression. Agnete G Haaland is deputy leader of Norwegian PEN and will discuss how we can help strengthen freedom of expression when it is being suppressed. Gunn Karoline Fugle, Siw Førde and Inge Nordhaug have various specializations in child psychiatry. In Botswana, they lead a project where music helps children who have lost their parents to HIV and AIDS.
Everyone has the right to participate in cultural life and to experience art. This is stated in Article 27 of the internationally recognized Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN in 1948. Access to art and culture is no less than a fundamental human right. In crises, we come closer to understanding why this must be so and how essential art is, both in the foundations of our society and in ourselves.
Such insights will Førdekonferansen explore and deepen through journalistic, academic, political and, above all, a range of artistic perspectives.
Førdekonferansen hosted by Førdefestivalen in collaboration with Vestland County Council, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Sunnfjord Municipality, Tekstallianse and Kunsthall 3.14. The conference is supported by the Arts Council of Norway.