Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.05.2018, Qupperneq 13

13 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 07 — 2018
Hanna. “We have a lack of creative
possibilities because we don’t have
many people and sometimes when it
comes to funding it can be difficult to
turn ideas into realities,” she says.
Soul care
The arts are often the first to be cut and
evaporate from a community, according
to Bjarki Valtýsson, associate profes-
sor for the Department of Arts and
Cultural Studies at the University of
C o p e n h a g e n ,
and author of
the book Islensk
menningarpoli-
tik (Icelandic
Cultural Poli-
tics).
“When things
are going well
economically,
cultural activ-
ity is a surplus,”
says Bjarki, “but
these are not
life-threatening
categories, like
health. When
things get ugly
f i n a n c i a l l y ,
people tend to
think “well, we
need to take care
of our bodies,”
but they some-
times forget about their souls. That’s
an indication of how things are kind of
perceived in terms of what’s important
in society.”
In low-income places, financial
limitations often become embedded
in the mindset of people, according to
Magnús. “If they’re embedded, every
monetary value created is of more
importance, but it would be to our bene-
fit to re-educate ourselves in terms of
what is valuable and what is not in a
society,” says Magnús. “We could foster
[the arts] so much more. It is who we
are. It is part of our culture. Without
culture, what is a society?”
Possible futures
Measures are being taken to combat
the declining population. Offices like
Byggðastofnun are working to create
new opportunities; every year they
offer grants for new
businesses, focusing
on entrepreneurs aged
35 and under. Schools
like Varmahlíðarskóli
are also working to
integrate additional
art classes into their
curriculum and further-
ing their reach into the
community with music
p e r f o r m a n c e s a n d
plays.
B u t a c c o r d i n g t o
Magnús, much more
can still be done. “I
think we could do a
much better job,” he
says. “There’s still more
want and need among
young people here than
is being offered. There
needs to be a spectrum
of opportunities,” he
says, “and that just doesn’t exist here.”
Tourism may also be contributing to
the problem “With tourism now blos-
soming in the area, the focus diverts
from creative extracurricular activities
to the management of tourism or farm-
ing or the services around farming,”
says Magnús. “Though I do hope that we
do not place monetary value on every-
thing we do here.”
Community survival
The survival of a community requires
long-term vision and impetus. In
Norðurland vestra, as well as in many
rural communities throughout Iceland,
developing a wide range of employment
opportunities for university graduates
is as critical as generating interest in a
variety of subjects for students, includ-
ing the arts in schools.
“When you educate yourself, you
really want to contribute to society
through that education,” says Bjarki.
“If that is not a possibility because of a
lack of opportunities that speak to your
profession, that is going to be a problem.”
If there is an absence of a long-term
vision that prioritizes diverse employ-
ment opportunities, small communi-
ties like those in Norðurland vestra are
at risk of continued population decline.
While the inspiring, free environ-
ment of rural Iceland offers a quality of
life that is less accessible in the south,
the livelihood of its rural communi-
ties remains at risk. Children should be
given opportunities to explore a wide
range of interests in school, and univer-
sity-educated adults need opportunities
to contribute to society. But implement-
ing change is complex and challenging,
especially when it involves tight-knit
communities with deep family ties.
“Our area
needs to be
able to offer
young people
the same
opportunities
that they can
have in other
places.”
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