– I belong to a generation of minority culture that has adapted to the Norwegian culture ethnically, and I personally have adapted to the culture of the “host country”. I know I’m tired of it, and I know I’m not myself in Bergen.
The clear message came from 9 Degrees North artist Meera Thiruchelvam.
During the discussion on Tuesday about Bergen as a second city, she said that being in Oslo is more attractive to her as a person and an artist than in her hometown.
-There is a larger minority culture and cultural environment that has multiple viewpoints whether regarding diversity or culture in general. I feel like I can be more honest there.
When 9 Degrees North released their new album this fall, Thiruchelvam said they wanted to hold the release party in Bergen.
– But we couldn’t build a fan base here, because Bergen wasn’t good at building a market for alternative music genres, you think.
For BA, it highlights club concepts such as Klubb Diaspora and Jungelen as arenas in which new genres can be promoted.
-I think the business world and the music industry haven’t been good at capturing regional subcultures.
Bergen municipality’s culture director, Vincent Mremba, said during the discussion that Bergen must work harder.
-We have to work hard to get her back to Bergen. This is where the heart is, and there is a lot going on in Bergen. There is an incredible amount of talent here, of high quality. There may be a few missed opportunities here and there, so we have to find ways to make it good for everyone.
– He has very few youth clubs
A former cultural worker, Thiruchelvam noted that much of the potential of young cultural entrepreneurs begins in youth clubs.
-We have very few of them in Bergen and this is a problem. Then we have a bureaucracy that is very far removed from what is happening in the field, and those who sit at the top of the bureaucracy have no experience about what is happening among the subcultures in this city.
-I know a lot of young tech entrepreneurs who work hard, but I’m not entirely sure if those sitting with grant money have a good overview of what’s going on.
She believes Bergen has missed investing in diversity in culture, and singles out the foundation Color game As an example of unilateral investment.
– In my opinion, Bergen misses the point there. Because when you invest a lot of money in presenting just one culture, without criticizing how that culture is conveyed, you create an institution that has a monopoly on the depiction of a minority culture. In this way you exclude other institutions and ways of being a minority.
Vincent Mremba disagrees with the criticism and points out that Bergen has put in place a diversity plan.
– It takes input from many quarters, and aims to achieve this plan by 2030. At the same time, we work locally so that we can build high-quality cultural offerings at the local level, and provide resources where needed.
We want to build culture from the grassroots to the top.
Watch the debate with Meera Thiruchelvam here:
Young people will fill the houses
Lars Vollar also participated in the discussion and, like Thiruchelvam, highlighted the importance of youth clubs in creating environments in which people can develop.
– It is nice to build beautiful homes, but do we have enough youth clubs? I’ll start with the basics, which is providing enough places for young people to meet. He pointed out that they are the ones who will fill these big houses anyway.
The focus is often on measurable results when funds are allocated, Vallar says.
– Cultural measures cannot always lead to a measurable result. It is important to invest in things that can convey value in themselves.
Watch the full discussion here:
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