Lögberg-Heimskringla - 22.05.1998, Blaðsíða 1

Inside this week:
17th Vatnabyggö Þorrablót...............2
Lillian Lois Olafson crowned Fjallkona
for íslendingadagurinn '98............3
New lceland’s shores under seige........4
Children’s Corner.......................6
Calendar of Events......................6
A 19th Century New lcelander writes
home... (conclusion).................7
112Argangur “The oldest ethnic periodical still publishing in Canada” Föstudagur 22, mai 1998 Númer19
112thYear Publications Mail Registration No. 1667 Friday, May 22, 1998 Number19
eimskrmgla
The lcelandic Weekly
Lögberg Stofnað 14. januar 1888
Heimskringla Stofnaö 9. september 1886
A Smorgasbord of Cultural Events for the Year 2000
Left to right: Einar Benediktsson, Kristín SifSigurdardóttir and Neil Bardal
at the Lögberg-Heimskringla ojfice on May 8, 1998.
Thanks to the bravery of our seafar-
ing ancestors, the history of rela-
tions between Iceland, Canada and
the USA dates back 1000 years. “Today,
relations between the countries are good,
but we would like to make them even bet-
ter in the future and reach the younger gen-
erations,” said Mr. Einar Benediktsson, Ex-
ecutive Director of the Millennium
Commission of Iceland. “It is nice to know
about the great poets of the past, such as
Stephan G. Stephanson, but how can we
make Iceland ‘cool’ and attractive to new
generations?” Benediktsson and his Execu-
tive Assistant, Kristin Sif Sigurðardóttir,
visited Lögberg-Heimskringla on May 9th
to report on the projects chosen by the com-
mission for inclusion in the millennial an-
niversary celebrations of LeifurEiríksson’s
discovery of North America.
Mr. Benediktsson and Ms. Sigurðar-
dóttir were on their way to the Icelandic
National League convention in Brandon,
Manitoba to present information on the
millennial celebration projects that have
been selected to date. Ms. Sigurdardóttir
had prepared a briefing on the project plans
which she intended to share with conven-
tion participants, the details of which are
also found in this issue of L-H. Follow-
ing the convention, Mr. Benediktsson
plans an extensi ve tour of the US to intro-
duce these projects, listen to new propos-
als and gather support for them.
As Benediktsson explained, at the
beginning of the year the Prime Minister
of Iceland appointed a special commission
called the Leifur Eiriksson Millennium
Commission oflceland. The commission
was given a mandate to elicit and review
proposals made to the Govemment of Ice-
land for the funding of events that are
suitable for commemorating the lOOOth
anniversary of the discovery of North
America by Icelandic seafarers. A public
call for proposals was made in order to en-
courage ideas and suggestions for events
which could be staged in the United States
and Canada. In response, a great number
of legitimate proposals were received. It
then became the task of the commission to
review and finalize those proposals that
were forwarded to the govemment. This
stage has now been completed.
According to Benediktsson, “The guid-
ing principal of this commission is to cre-
ate, through these activities in the year2000,
and even before then, more durable ties with
our friends in North America, and partícu-
larly the people of Icelandic descent. This
is the main criterion upon which the selec-
tion of events was based.”
The project proposals chosen to com-
memorate this milestone in history can
only be described as a smorgasbord of
cultural events, as there appears to be
something to appeal to all tastes. Among
the projects.now under consideration are
films and documentaries on such topics
as the early expeditions to “Vinland” and
the historic period of the settlement of
North America by Icelandic immigrants,
which will, no doubt, hold broad appeal.
An event is being planned, which will be
sure to claim intemational attention —
the voyage of the Viking ship replica
Islendingur, which is to set out from
Breiðafjörður, Iceland in June of the year
2000. The ship will sail to Brattahlið in
Greenland, which was the route taken by
‘Eirikur the Red’. From there, it will sail
to L’anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland,
and then onward to Nova Scotia and New
England. It is to complete its voyage upon
reaching New York. Another event is being
Continued on page 2
Millennium Celebration Programs
Kristín Sif Sigurðardóttir serves as
an Executive Assistant to Einar
Benediktsson, Executive Direc-
tor of the Millennium Commission of Ice-
land. She talked to Gunnur Isfeld at the
Lögberg-Heimskringla office about the
projects chosen by the commission for
government funding, as well as others
which are yet to be bom.
Ms. Sigurðardóttir said there would be
a diíference between those programs brought
to the United States and those brought to
Canada as there are different interests in each
country. The programs which have been cho-
sen are not ready-made, and Canadian and
American input will be sought.
Among the programs on the Millen-
nium Commission’s list are the following:
•An Icelandic men’s choir is to visit
Canada in the year 2000.
• There will be a very interesting theatre
production on “ferðir Guðríðar” Guríður’s
Joumeys, based on the story of Guðríður
Porbjamardóttir, who, with a very inquir-
ing mind, is
one of Ice-
land’s most re-
m a r k a b 1 e
women on reg-
ister.
•The sponsor-
ship of an exhi-
bition of paint-
ings by Ice-
landic artists.
•An introduc-
tion to Icelan-
dic literature,
(i.e. a literary week is to take place to
introduce Icelandic literature). Icelandic
literature is becoming better known in
Europe as very thought provoking, and
publishing houses in the United States
are waking up to this interest.
• A musical event called “Ljóð og Jazz —
Poetry and Jazz.” This will consist of an
entertaining evening of both jazz and
poetry in Icelandic and English.
•An introduction to Icelandic films
which have already premiered, as well
as films sponsored for completion in the
year 2000 and which touch on either the
history of the Icelandic emigration to
America or the discovery of North
America by Icelanders.
• An extensive use of the intemet for cross-
Atlantic pen pals.
•A translation of two very interesting
books, “Vínlandsgátan — The Vinland
Riddle,” by Páll Bergþórsson, and “Nýja
ísland — New Iceland,” by Guðjón
Amgrímsson.
• The Snorri Program, which is a program
done in cooperation with the Nordic So-
ciety. It is a student exchange program
that has been implemented by the Nor-
dic Society, and which includes a six-
week stay in Iceland for young people
aged 18-20. No in-depth study in the Ice-
landic language is required; rather, it will
offer an introduction to Iceland as a
modem society, and will provide students
information on where in Iceland their
family came from.
“Some of the film projects being spon-
sored will not premiere in the year 2000,
but later; but most of them will. All the
projects give a very good overview of Ice-
landic film-making, which has seen much
improvement in recent years. There is
great interest in the education of Icelan-
dic film-makers and the quality has greatly
improved,” said Kristín.
Sigurðardóttir added that, regarding
the programs selected for govemment sup-
port, the staff at the Millennium Commis-
sion had sought to strike a balance between
those proposing single events and perma-
nent productions, and said that funds had
been requested for projects which may not
have come on the table yet, but may still
come from Canada and the USA.
We wish Kristín Sif Sigurðardóttir
well in the endeavour she is undertaking
on behalf of the Leifur Eiríksson Millen-
nium Commission of Iceland. □ (- G.I.)