Iceland review - 2019, Blaðsíða 51

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Iceland Review
has had a distinctly empowering effect on the residents
of Borgarfjörður eystri, who see their participation in
the project not as an indication of their village’s weak-
ness, but merely as an opportunity to solve practical
issues by coming together and fostering communal
spirit. This outlook has had a resounding impact on the
town, both practically and socially.
“A lot of good has come about in Borgarfjörður,”
admits Alda Marín, a resident and one of the town’s
project managers. “And a lot of that success has to
do with the residents’ willpower and perspective.
Disadvantages can also be opportunities, and vice
versa. It really all depends on how you look at the cards
you’ve been dealt.”
In the wake of the closure of Borgarfjörður eystri’s
grocery store – the only grocery store within a 70km
(43mi) radius – it became clear that something major
needed to happen if the town had any chance of sur-
viving. Putting any bruised pride aside, the residents
of Borgarfjörður immediately saw their store’s closure
and the Fragile Villages programme as a chance to unify
toward a shared goal; and so, after their initial commu-
nity meeting, they decided to crowdfund a new store.
For Óttar Kárason, one of Borgarfjörður’s project
representatives and longtime resident of the town,
fostering a positive attitude was critical to the success
of the new store. “I can feel a shift in how people think
about this community, and that’s really gotten things
started,” he says. “There has always been a lot of social
thinking in Borgarfjörður and the town’s spirit has
always been very good, but now we’re prioritising the
needs and wants of the society in bigger ways than we
ever have and seeing clear results.”
Working together
Beyond starting their own grocery store, the residents
of Borgarfjörður also took it upon themselves to pave a
section of the road leading to their town after contin-
uous delays and empty promises made by the govern-
ment. Serving as a gesture of resistance and a clear
sign that residents would not allow things to carry on
as they had been, the paving was coupled by a letter
sent to the government, who took the town’s message
to heart and is now planning on paving the entire road
this autumn.
Unfortunately, such impetus is not the case in all
fragile villages across Iceland; funds and support
provided by the programme can only go so far without
a drive to use them wisely, and it can be extremely
difficult to succeed without having a strong commu-
nity bond. “There’s so little I can do here by myself,”
Alda Marín admits. “I’m here to assist people and
answer questions, but that’s really it. It’s my job to help
people figure things out, not to figure it out for them.
Thankfully, in Borgarfjörður there is a genuine interest
and will to work on the project and use the tools they’ve
been given to move forward.”
Collective mindset
What might be at the heart of Borgarfjörður’s suc-
cess? According to Óttar, it’s the town’s distinctive
social thinking that allows their growth – a mindset
that evinces itself beyond the walls of each community
meeting and becomes a part of everyday life. “When we
started to pave our road, 60 people showed up. That’s
more than half our population. Then, when we began to
plan the new grocery store, every resident chipped in
and now it’s running well. If there’s a school play, or an
event at the church, maybe 80% of the population will
show up. When something’s going on, everyone will go.
That’s what we do.”
More common to Asian cultures, collective mindset
(versus individual) has allowed strong family focus and
highly organised, efficient societies. But in a coun-
try like Iceland, where individual freedom and one’s
willpower is so deeply valued, an odd juxtaposition
arises within small villages, where it ironically becomes
essential to put collective interest over individual in
order to thrive as a community. Icelanders are proving
their versatility in the face of hardship – and seeing
results. The question remains, however, whether or not
the communal drive to develop fragile communities,
and the programme itself, can withstand the test of
time.
Work in progress
As a fairly new endeavour, the Fragile Villages project
is still very much a work in progress. And like all works
“I CAN FEEL A SHIFT IN HOW PEOPLE THINK
ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY, AND THAT’S
REALLY GOTTEN THINGS STARTED. WE’RE
PRIORITISING OUR NEEDS AND WANTS
IN BIGGER WAYS THAN WE EVER HAVE.”