Reykjavík Grapevine - 11.09.2015, Síða 2

2
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 1 — 2011
Chamber music ensemble Nordic Affect has
made a name for itself as an outstanding en-
semble of female players who strive to cham-
pion the works of female composers. The new
album, ‘Clockworking’, showcases new works
that combine historical performance tradi-
tions with fresh new sounds. And you can
sample it right now!
Over the course of the ten-minute “Sleep-
ing Pendulum,” composed by María Huld
Markan Sigfúsdóttir (of Amiina fame), we
hear the ghostly shimmers of string harmon-
ics, the meditative entrance and exit of bells,
and string melodies reminiscent of the tra-
ditional Icelandic music “tvísöngur.” Some-
times, the melodies interact more dissonant-
ly, and sometimes they appear quite sweet,
almost nostalgic. In this composition, María
has taken a historical lineage and swung the
style this way and that, though this “pendu-
lum” still swings quite gently.
You won't ever mistake “Sleeping Pendu-
lum” for early classical music, as it certainly
has one foot in the contemporary world.
Fleeting moments come and go in this evoca-
tive and beautiful piece, and for an album
titled 'Clockworking', it makes for a perfect
concluding moment.
Download it now etc.
2 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 14 — 2015
Hafnarstræti 15, 101 Reykjavík
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Contributing Writers:
Anna Manning
Benjamin Julian
Björn Teitsson
Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl
Gísli Halldór Halldórsson
Hannah Jane Cohen
Haukur Hilmarsson
Kári Tulinius
Óli Dóri
Paul Fontaine
Páll Ragnar Pálsson
Ragnar Þorvarðarson
Vera Illugadóttir
York Underwood
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Sam Wright Fairbanks / sam@grapevine.is
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Art Bicnick
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Hörður Sveinsson
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Jón Trausti Sigurðarson,
Oddur Óskar Kjartansson,
Valur Gunnarsson
The Reykjavík Grapevine is published 18 times a year by Fröken
ltd. Monthly from November through April, and fortnightly
from May til October. Nothing in this magazine may be repro-
duced in whole or in part without the written permission of
the publishers. The Reykjavík Grapevine is distributed around
Reykjavík, Akureyri, Egilsstaðir, Seyðisfjörður, Borgarnes,
Keflavík, Ísafjörður and at key locations along road #1, and all
major tourist attractions and tourist information centres in the
country.
You may not like it, but at least it's not sponsored (no articles
in the Reykjavík Grapevine are pay-for articles. The opinions
expressed are the writers’ own, not the advertisers’).
On the cover:
Bryndís Björgvinsdóttir
Photographer:
Axel Sigurðarson
www.axelsig.com
Thanks:
Bernharð Kristinn
SPECIAL EDITION!
PAY ATTENTION!
Hi. I’m Haukur. I edit a tourist magazine for a living. It’s a
fun magazine; it’s informative for tourists, and it has comix.
I also like to tell myself that we have on occasion managed
to be a force for good, mostly through promoting open dis-
course and providing a venue for voices that might otherwise
go unheard.
Anyway, magazine editors are mostly useless in the
greater scheme of things. Nobody cares what they have to
say. So I’m going to stop saying things, and cede this space to
an actual person of value, who does important, selfless work
of the sort that actively benefits us humans. Look!
---
The Helping Hand Of The Petite
Bourgeoisie
To those doubting we can help
refugees
By: Ragnar Þorvarðarson
Vice Chair of the Red Cross in Reykjavik
After last week, I am convinced that small actions can create
a great impact. On a Sunday afternoon near the end of Au-
gust, I saw that an old friend had set up a small event on Face-
book. She was encouraging people to pressure the govern-
ment into accepting a higher number of refugees from Syria,
in reaction to the increased numbers of refugees and asylum
seekers risking their lives to get to safety in Europe. In the
week that followed, offers to assist refugees in need have
poured in, and the government formed a Ministerial Com-
mittee to review the numbers of people Iceland will accept.
Following the solidarity on social media, the Red Cross
in Iceland saw a surge in new volunteers. In roughly a week,
1,100 people nationwide signed up to become volunteers.
Last Monday, over 200 people showed up to an open infor-
mation meeting held at the Red Cross headquarters in Reyk-
javik.
The Minister of Welfare, Eygló Harðardóttir, has al-
ready noted that Ministry officials have contacted the UN
Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to announce Iceland’s interest in
welcoming refugees from Syria. In Alþingi’s opening session
on Tuesday, Eygló said: “We can, and should help those in
need, both at home and abroad.” The social media call and
the concerned voices have obviously influenced the debate
on migration and refugee issues here in a positive way.
However, not all voices are positive, with some people
claiming that such initiatives are naive and lack practi-
cal thought. I would argue that mocking people in search
of safety or labelling the efforts of those willing to help as
“Samúðarhræsni smáborgara” (“Pity hypocrisy of petite
bourgeoisie,” as I'd translate it), which we have seen in Ice-
landic papers over the last week, does not help us tackle the
issue. I believe that with informed discussions on the topic,
we can avoid the negative voices distracting us. We need to
start making firm decisions on assisting more people, and we
need to do it in a proper way.
From 1956, the efforts of welcoming refugees to the
country have been done in cooperation between the state,
municipalities, the Red Cross and the people themselves.
It is very important that people get the support they need,
not only support to arrive here but also official support and
help with settling into a new country. Getting used to living
in a new country also needs to be supported by the work of
capable professionals, psychologist, psychiatrists and social
workers.
This week, a young man spoke with Morgunblaðið about
his experience of arriving in Iceland from Kosovo in 1999.
He explained that the empathy of Icelanders had saved his
life: “Now I understand that there was no difference between
the people in the refugee camps around me at that time, and
those dressed in suits in fancy offices across Europe. We can
all end up in difficult circumstances in life but with the right
opportunities we can all become scientists, doctors, foot-
ballers or whatever else, and live decent lives.”
The efforts that we can undertake here in Iceland are ef-
forts that will create opportunities for people who otherwise
would have none.
Responding to the increased goodwill towards accepting
refugees in Iceland, one commenter on the Grapevine’s Face-
book page asked, “So who is going to put a refugee ahead of
an Icelander?” In my mind this issue is not about helping one
instead of the other. Helping people from other parts of the
world surely does not mean that we won't help people here
in Iceland. The Red Cross is assisting people domestically in
various ways; our staff and volunteers are constantly work-
ing with homeless people, individuals dealing with mental
illness and various others in different walks of life.
All over the world, the Red Cross is helping migrants and
refugees to uphold their rights and dignity. In a few months
time we will be able to channel all the goodwill of fellow
volunteers here in Iceland in assisting refugees that will be
welcomed in the country. Let’s also not forget that there are
already people here that we can assist now.
The Icelandic society that I want to live in is built on val-
ues of acceptance and respect for people of different back-
grounds. I am pleased to see that the public discourse in this
country has been channelled into positive paths, rather than
negative ones, as we are unfortunately seeing in too many
other European countries. At the same time I believe that we
can do more to assist: We need to keep the debate alive and
pressure politicians to make swift decisions to help people in
need and react quickly to the current crisis.
I encourage you to speak up for humanity and share your
thoughts with politicians, neighbours, colleagues, family
members and friends. Allowing the negative voices to win
will surely not make our society a better place to live in.
Editorial: Haukur S. Magnússon
TRACK OF
THE ISSUE

A RARE,
ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME
OPPORTUNITY
Visit the largest man-made ice caves
and tunnel in Europe
You can choose from various
tours and book online at
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Nordic Affect
“Sleeping Pendulum”
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Comic | Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir