“Explaining is not defending”, said Russia researcher Julie Wilhelmsen upon receiving the Fritt Ord Foundation Prize for 2023 on Thursday evening. The prize was awarded to her for contributing expert knowledge to the heated public debate both before and after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In so doing, she has demonstrated the importance of daring to speak out and exercise academic freedom of expression in practice.
The grants can be awarded to critics who work in any field related to literature, art or culture. The grants are intended to result in the production of concrete, ongoing reviews throughout the year; the goal is to help improve the quality and professionalism of a number of Norwegian critics each year. The Fritt Ord Foundation would like to give more critics better opportunities to pursue their profession and to spend more time cultivating it.
The Fritt Ord Foundation Prize for 2023 is awarded to Research Professor Julie Wilhelmsen for the nuanced specialised knowledge she brought to the heated public debate both before and after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In so doing, she has demonstrated the importance of daring to speak out and exercise academic freedom of expression in practice.
How are European museums under pressure? Freelancer Lene Christensen furnishes an answer to that question in the journal Museum. What is it like to be a physical education teacher, or to drill a tunnel or operate a petrol station? Freelancer Siri Helle is exploring the question for Dag og Tid. Here is a list of the journalism projects that Fritt Ord has provided support for in February.
At 6 p.m. on Thursday, 16 March 2023, at Fritt Ord premises at Uranienborgveien 2, Oslo: The Norwegian Journal of Photography and Fritt Ord invite the public to attend a seminar featuring photographer Laia Abril. For quite some time, the Spanish photographer has worked with the project “A History of Misogyny”, a trilogy, together with the books “On Abortion” and “On Rape”, and the final volume, planned for this year: “Mass Hysteria”.
The Freedom of Expression Foundation Tribute is awarded to actor and activist Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen (24) for her efforts to protect a minority and the indigenous rights of the Sámi.
24 February 2023 marks one year since Russia attacked Ukraine. The war has left its mark on Fritt Ord’s support for art and journalism in the past year. Fritt Ord has also provided funding for commemorations of the one-year anniversary.
Following the Ministry of Culture’s decision to move responsibilities from Medienorge to the Norwegian Media Authority, the Tinius and Fritt Ord foundations are joining Amedia to ensure funding for the Medianorge knowledge base at the University of Bergen for the remainder of 2023. The support totals MNOK 2.
Journalists, writers, film-makers, artists and culture critics from Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Estonia, among others, discussed decolonisation, life in exile, and media cooperation across the dividing lines of war at the Fritt Ord Foundation’s premises.
In collaboration with the ZEIT Foundation of Hamburg, the Fritt Ord Foundation has allocated the Free Media Awards annually since 2004 to Eastern European journalists and media that defy every obstacle to tirelessly ensure independent press coverage. Russia’s war against Ukraine and the subsequent wave of disinformation clearly demonstrate the need for independent reporting in the region. Journalists and media in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine that promote freedom of the press through their investigative and independent reporting are eligible to be nominated for the Free Media Awards.
Fritt Ord announces grants earmarked for artists under the age of 35 who would like their satirical drawings to reach a wider audience.
“The African art scene is an undiscovered treasure trove”, according to art critic Grace Tabea Tenga, recipient of a travel grant to visit South Africa. Since the ‘Black Lives Matter’ demonstrations in 2020, African art has become an important part of the ongoing showdown with many kinds of racism. The projects that received funding from Fritt Ord in November also include a podcast about the history of Norwegian Black Metal. Here is the list:
Originating with a Facebook forum, the Iranian Solidarity Forum blossomed into an organisation in just a few short months, and has received NOK 250 000 in support from Fritt Ord. “There is a revolution taking place in Iran, not just a rebellion”, explains the driving force behind the initiative, Sharam Alghasi.
In the North, the Independent Barents Observer is defying Russian censorship in an effort to reach Russian readers. Seeking to reach young readers, Fremtida.no is launching a new series of articles about power. These journalistic projects were granted funding by Fritt Ord in December.
How can journalists, writers and artists continue to work during a brutal war of aggression? Ukrainian journalists and cultural personalities were gathered in Oslo in December to discuss this question.