Nordic Day: The value of culture in the Nordic Region in periods of crisis – Nordic cultural co-operation in the past, present and future

What role has culture played in Nordic co-operation since the Council of Ministers was established fifty years ago? What impact has COVID-19 had on cultural life in the Nordic Region? What role will culture play in the Nordic co-operation of the future? Politicians, people from the region, and representatives of cultural life will discuss these issues in greater detail.

Cultural co-operation is a cornerstone of Nordic co-operation and is an important part of the vision to make the Nordic Region the most sustainable and integrated region in the world. The Nordic House in Reykjavik and the Nordic Association in Iceland are hosting a debate about the value of Nordic culture and cultural co-operation in the past, present and future.

Programme

• Perspective: Nordic cultural institutions – Sabina Westerholm, director of the Nordic House in Reykjavik
• Perspective: Political co-operation – Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, Minister for Nordic Co-operation in Iceland
• Perspective: Nordic civil society – Hrannar Arnarsson, chair of the Nordic Association in Iceland
• Perspective: The Finnish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers 2021– Ann-Sofie Stude, the Finnish Ambassador to Iceland

Debate

The panel will:

• Take a retrospective look at the historical value of Nordic cultural co-operation.
• Reflect on the impact of COVID-19 on cultural life and Nordic co-operation in the sector.
• Discuss the themes that culture will address and the role it will play in the Nordic co-operation of the future.

Panelists:

• Gísli Örn Garðarsson, actor and director
• Tue West, musician
• Björn Rafnar Ólafsson, student in North Atlantic Senior Secondary Class (NGK)
• Steinunn Þóra Árnadóttir MP, Member of the Presidium of the Nordic Council and board member of the Nordic Culture Fund
• Sabina Westerholm, director of the Nordic House in Reykjavik

Concluding reflections on the debate: Aldís Mjöll Geirsdóttir, President of the Nordic Youth Council (UNR).

Moderator: Sif Gunnarsdóttir, vice-chair of the Nordic Association in Iceland.

At the end, the choir Söngsveitin Fílharmónía will sing two Nordic songs.

The event will be held in the Scandinavian languages.

The event is organized as a hybrid event and takes place both via live-stream and on-site in the Nordic House (with a limited audience, pre-registration necessary – fully booked!)