#norwegian constitution

[useless-norwayfacts]

Gratulerer med dagen! 🇳🇴🎉

[oliviawaler]

[picturesandart]

Gratulerer med dagen kjære Norge! 🇳🇴🌿☀️ Happy Birthday Norway!

[sildesalaten]

My friend cosplaying as the Norwegian constitution at a parade on the 17th of may 2014. I'm the one with red trousers. We won a cruise trip to Denmark.

[cemetarytimes]

Norwegian constitution - the 200 year anniversary

So I've been wanting to write something considering the 200 year anniversary of Norway's constitution - that which will take place on May 17th 2014. In this event I have decided to concentrate this blog on nationalism and the plausible display of Kongolandsbyen. First, I would like to introduce the celebration taking place on May 17th in Norway every year. The Norwegian constitution was sanctioned on May 17th 1814, and this has been celebrated every May 17th since. Norwegians put on their traditional clothing, the bunad, or dress up nicely and have parades in the city whilst waving the Norwegian flag. It is a national holiday so no one, except those selling sausage and ice cream, will be working on this day and no one will go to school.  It has been widely discussed how to celebrate the 200 year anniversary and the most controversial suggestion, in my opinion, is to recreate Kongolandsbyen, or the Congo village in English in Frognerparken, Oslo. The village was put on display for the 100 year anniversary in 1914 and has been a forgotten chapter since, until recently, because it is something Norwegians are ashamed of. Not surprisingly of course, as the exhibition displayed Africans in their "natural habitat" in a way that would remind more of a zoo than a museum.  While I understand the need to remember the negative aspects of Norwegian society, I do not understand why it has to be remembered on the 200 year anniversary. Some argue that it should be recreated on this very day due to its original creation 100 years ago. But what the 200 year anniversary is meant to display is what Norwegian society is today, not what it was 100 years ago. It is about celebrating traditional culture as well, sure, but I wouldn't really include the Congo village as being an essential element of the celebration.   Another thing I would like to point out about the recreation of the Congo village is the fact that the idea of recreation came from two immigrants; a Swedish man and an African man, which makes it all the more baffling to me. Why do two foreigners see the need to, excuse my bluntness, spit on the Norwegian culture they have been invited into when we are supposed to celebrate ourselves and the positive event of getting our own constitution?  Like I mentioned somewhere above, my opinion is not that the Congo village should lay forever dusted and forgotten and that racism, as of then and as of today, is something that we shouldn't discuss. I'm simply questioning the necessity to bring it up in such a manner on this very day. The Congo village is in fact not the only thing Norway should be ashamed of in terms of the constitution. The original constitution contained a paragraph called 'Jøde- og jesuittparagrafen', in English, 'the Jew and Jesuit paragraph'. The original paragraph sounded, in Norwegian/Danish, 'Jesuitter og Munkeordener maae ikke taales. Jøder ere fremdeles udelukkede fra Adgang til Riget'. In English 'Jesuits and monastic orders are not permitted. Jews are still prohibited from entry to the Realm'.  This paragraph has long since been removed, but it's still something that isn't widely debated or remembered due to the shame linked to it. I don't think this is something to be proud of and I think it's something that should be discussed, but not on the day we are meant to celebrate. While it can be argued that this is indeed the right day to have this discussion, I must beg to disagree, and I suppose this is where the nationalism kicks in. Read with caution. I don't think it would be right to discuss it on the 200 year anniversary because what we are in fact celebrating is the fact that the Norwegian people got their basic rights protected by the constitution which was then sanctioned and signed.  Many people also feel they need to argue that we should use foreign flags in our parades on May 17th. In Ålesund, pupils with an immigrant background were prohibited from making other paper flags than the Norwegian because the flags they were making were meant to be used in the 200 year anniversary parade and the debate was on the roll.  Norway is a multicultural society who has accepted and continues to accept many immigrants, coming from all over the world. I don't think most Norwegians are against anyone's rights to express their culture or religion, and we have built several Catholic churches, Synagogues, Mosques and so forth so that cultural minorities may practise their culture in their respective places. But I have to agree with professor Thomas Hylland Eriksen who states; "Det er misforstått multikulturalisme å bruke andre flagg (i 17. Mai toget)", in English, "it is a multicultural misconception that we should use other flags (in the May 17th parade)". Because why should we use other flags? This is Norway's day and the appropriate thing is to wave the Norwegian flag in the parade. How would a Muslim feel if I were to bring my statue of Jesus into his Mosque, wanting to celebrate Ramadan?  The surprising thing is that most immigrants have no problems using the Norwegian flag (in the parade), but the common ethnic Norwegian has problems accepting the fact that immigrants are not allowed to use their respective flags in the parade. The question 'why' is simple to answer; nationalism is related to something ugly, and some people fear nationalism due to it being compared to fascism and nazism. People are afraid of speaking what is considered negatively against any form of multiculturalism.  But Norwegians; allow yourselves this one day of nationalism, this one day of celebrating what is Norwegian. Sing Ja vi elsker with a glad heart and carry your Norwegian flags proudly. For while we do have things to be ashamed of, we also have a lot to be proud of.