I'm in Kirkenes, 20 miles from the Russian border and so far east in Northern Norway that I'm on the same longitude line as Alexandria and Istanbul. I have rarely met more welcoming, friendly and smart, co-operative people. "The further north you go the better east-west co-operation become" – Russia's Foreign Minister observed in Kirkenes recently – and he's right. You know all that stuff about people getting colder and more defensive and almost less civilised and outgoing the further north it gets? Or colder the closer they get to "cold" Russia – forget that southern-based propaganda and self-hating nonsense.
I'm just back from "downtown Kirkenes" (population 3016 in 1996) to hear about the amazing Border Crossers – Norwegian sportsmen who've cheerfully ignored the border controls for decades to keep contact and competition with their neighbours alive. As you can see I came back somewhat excitable with some presents -- a winner's medal from the recent Cross Border Barents Olympics, and a Russian swimming cap.
The occasion for this visit is the Barents Spektakel – a four days arts event in the world's northernmost town. Their opening concert was quite simply the best cultural event I have ever attended.
If art is about transformation, then I am completely changed.
I watched in amazement as Russian singer, Stepanida Borisova from Far Northern Yakutia turned from small woman with innuit features into torch-singing, Valkyrie-like Arctic diva. Her shamanic incantation – backed by Norwegian and Finnish jazz drummers and percussionists is the most amazing performance I've ever seen in my life. And she's on again tonight. I have made it my mission to get her into this year's Edinburgh Festival. Help gratefully received and here's a badly shot video of her in action.
Twelve indigenous Arctic artists performed from three different stages around the auditorium allowing a seamlessly transition from one haunting sound to another, without the disruptive effect of a presenter or MC. The result was a transportation to life on the ice – on both sides of the old Iron Curtain and both sides of the Atlantic. Olga Letykai Csonka was on next – a fur-swathed, face-painted, petite black-haired woman who used her voice, throat and chest to mimic every bird, bear and human emotion whilst dancing in soaring, swooping sensuous movements around the stage like a tumbling eagle.
The massive auditorium itself tells an unbelievable story. The mountain hall was first excavated by the Germans in the Second World War as a bunker. It was then extended by the townspeople, to guard against possible Soviet nuclear attack and it is now playing host to Russian artists, united across language barriers and geography by the Foreign Ministry of the Norwegian government in a hall that was built to keep them out!
Anyway, more later. But if you are interested in the festival check out the Barents website www.barentsspektakel.no/eng
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