Reykjavík Grapevine - Feb 2020, Page 4

What Are Icelanders
Talkin! About?
Avalanches, epidemics, bankruptcy
and a whole lot of music awards
Words: Sam O'Donnell Photos: Art Bicnick
January has been, for lack
of a better term, insane.
The month kicked off with a
series of extreme weather events.
First, massive piles of snow kept
us inside. Then, an avalanche hit
Flateyri, breaking records and
destroying homes. Later, at the end
of the month, another avalanche
occurred north of Reykjavík at
Móskar!shnúkar. One person died
in the aftermath.
Then news of the coronavirus
broke, scaring everyone in the
world. It hasn’t come to Iceland
(yet) but that hasn’t stopped people
from freaking out. The Directorate
of Health issued a list of frequently
asked questions designed to allay
the concerns of people worried
about contracting the disease. Bear
in mind that at this point you are
more likely to die of influenza than
coronavirus. That said, you should
still cover your mouth when you
cough or sneeze, and wash your
hands. That's good manners.
A large percentage of workers
in the Efling union have voted to
strike. Approximately 1,800 people
who work for the City of Reykja-
vík belong to the union, including
1,000 playschool workers and 710
caregivers. The union believes that
the workers are long overdue for
a wage correction. Unfortunately,
negotiations with the city have
broken down completely, and at
the time of writing, the workers
are still striking.
In business news, Cintamani
has gone bankrupt. The outdoor
apparel outlet has operated in
Iceland since 1989, originally from
a small shop in Akureyri. Since
then, they have grown to be a direct
competitor to 66° North. Recently,
however, times have apparently
been difficult, and the once giant
outdoor apparel line has gone bust.
Along with Cintamani, Bíó
Paradís has announced that they
can no longer afford to keep their
doors open. The cultural institu-
tion has fallen victim to the most
notorious symptoms of late-stage
capitalism: the rent is too damn
high. The indie theatre is set to
close in three months, unless a
bunch of meddling kids step in and
hatch a plan to save the cinema.
Read more about it on page 28.
In lighter news, awards season
has been kind to Iceland. Let’s
be real, though; Iceland deserves
it. Between Hildur Gu!nadóttir
taking home a Grammy, an Emmy,
a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA, Cell7
and Countess Malaise being nomi-
nated for Album of the Year by the
Hyundai Nordic Music Prize, and
many Icelandic artists going on
global tour, it’s been a great year
for music in this country, and it’s
only getting started.
4The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 02— 2020First
NEWS
Busy month for rescue workers
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The only cinema in Iceland that does not focus on Hollywood blockbusters is closing
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