Viking Magazine - June 2013 - 24

Realisme that swept through the country.
These plays and books juxtaposed the reality
of domestic life with the " what-ifs "
and called attention to the contradictions
and absurdities of " traditional " love and
marriage. One of the fi rst poetic realists
was Camilla Collett, who became known
as the " spiritual mother " of Norwegian
women's rights. Her 1854 novel, " Amtmandens
Døtre " (The District Governor's
Daughters), was to the fi rst wave of Norwegian
feminists what Betty Friedan's
" The Feminine Mystique " would be to
the second wave of American feminists in
the 1960s. Other poetic realists, Bjørnstjerne
Bjørnson, Alexander Kielland and
Jonas Lie, wrote bold novels and plays
with strong, independent female characters.
But the most powerful shot was fi red
by the master of modern drama himself,
Henrik Ibsen. His play, " Et Dukkehjem "
(A Doll's House) was so boldly feminist
in tone and plot that several major theatres
refused to stage it without rewrites.
Nationalism: Nationalism was often
the antithesis to feminism in Europe,
especially in Germany. But Norway was
one of the few places in the world where
a strong nationalistic movement actually
led to greater enfranchisement. As people
debated the value of an independent Norway-why
Norwegians should control
their own political destiny-suffragists
were able to catapult those same arguments
into a case for the voting woman.
The Health Association of Norwegian
Women: In 1896 Fredrikke Marie
Qvam founded the Norske Kvinners
Sanitetsforening, or the Health Association
of Norwegian Women. This massive
group agitated for women's suffrage, but
it also arranged charitable programs,
Actress
Gro Ann
Uthaug as
Camilla
Collette
Every county in Norway is putting on its own slate of events to commemorate
the centennial of women's suffrage, adding up to literally hundreds of
commemorations large and small. Here's a taste of the festivities.
➜ Employers across the
country are being encouraged
to serve birthday cake
at lunchtime on June 11, to
recognize the 100th " birthday "
of women's suffrage.
➜ On Women's Day, March 8,
Norges Bank released a special
10-kroner coin, designed by
illustrator Siri Dokken, into
circulation. The coin shows
four female forms with their
arms uplifted.
24 VIKING JUNE 2013
➜ Actress Gro Ann Uthaug is
traveling around the country
performing a monologue she
wrote about the author Camilla
Collett based on Collett's novel,
biography and personal diaries.
➜ The offi cial documentary of
the suffrage celebration is being
shown at numerous venues
across Norway. The fi lm, " Gulabi
Gang " (Pink Gang), features a
group of vigilante women in the
Bundelkhand region of India
who travel from village to village,
seeking revenge against known
abusers of women. The fi lm
is directed by Nishtha Jain, an
Indian woman, but fi nanced and
produced by Norwegians.
➜ The Vestlofoten women's
choir with MiN Ensemble will
perform a special cantata in
Flakstad on June 13. The performance
will include an arrangement
by Signe Lund with text
by feminist pioneer Gina Krog.
Other female composers will
be featured, including Agathe
Backer Grondahl, Barbara Strozzi,
Signe Lindemann and Brita
Falch Leutert.
such as health clinics for mothers and
children and tuberculosis information
campaigns. During the Sweden-Norway
union crisis in 1905, when Norway
declared itself independent from Sweden,
there was very real fear that the political
tension would escalate into war. The
Norske Kvinners Sanitetsforening set
up large-scale training for nurses, which
very gently tied the organization's goal
of suffrage to nationalist efforts. In this
way, Qvam and her followers were able
to quiet their critics and even win support
for suffrage from high-profi le conservatives
in the Lutheran church.
The 1905 Petition: After Norway
declared itself free of Swedish rule in
1905, King Oscar II demanded that
the country hold a plebiscite, or a
general vote on its preference of ruler.
Feminist leaders asked the president of
continued on p. 26 ...
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Viking Magazine - June 2013

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