Cultural programme in Nordiskt Forum

Ane Brun, Virpi Pahkinen and the Vagina Monologues – Nordiskt Forum’s cultural program is out now

Fourteen acts are already fixed – and there are more to come in the spring. During the largest feminist meeting to take place in the Nordic region in the past 20 years, visitors can enjoy music, theatre, art and film.

Nordiskt Forum is now releasing the first cultural acts in the Nordic region’s most comprehensive gender equality program. Among the acts are big names like the musician Ane Brun and the dancer Virpi Pahkinen, the artists Cleo & Kristin Amparo and Broke ‘N Tipsy, who recently released the EP Vem e Han, as well as names that are less well known to the Nordic public, such as the comedian Shazia Mirza.

– I am pleased that we have managed to put together a broad program with exciting, top-notch elements of humour, music, singing, theatre, dance and more. When discussing such difficult issues, art and culture are also needed as a means to challenge, confirm and provide other perspectives. Having many different cultural expressions and making sure that every Nordic country is represented were important considerations when we added the cultural elements to the program. The ambition is that all the participants of Nordiskt Forum will have the opportunity to engage all of their senses and their minds. Culture can contribute to that, says Lena Wolmner, Cultural Producer of Nordiskt Forum.

The objective of the Nordiskt Forum conference is to take the pulse of current gender equality policy and to call for action. The UN has not organised a global conference on gender equality and women’s rights in the past 20 years. Nordiskt Forum is talk and debate, education on how to work with gender equality and women’s rights, literature, music and cinema. A large event area is being built in and around Malmö Arena and MalmöMässan. The conference’s program and discussion points are based on the CEDAW Convention and the Beijing Platform for Action. The goal is to formulate new, concrete demands, proposals and strategies that will be handed over to the Nordic governments. Nordiskt Forum Malmö 2014 is organised by 200 organisations from the Nordic Women’s Movement in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

– Nordiskt Forum is completely unique. We are happy to be a broad feminist meeting point with space for talks, discussions and scenes with different cultural expressions. A meeting of this kind has never been organised before and we are equally proud to present key speakers like Margot Wallström and influential artists like Ane Brun, says Caroline Matsson, Conference Manager of Nordiskt Forum.

Facts:

Where: The conference will take place at Malmö Arena and MalmöMässan.

When: 12-15 June 2014

How: For more information and tickets, www.nf2014.org

Follow @NFM2014 on Twitter

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Fixed cultural events:

Ane Brun, musician (SE), Virpi Pahkinen, dancer (SE/FI), Mina vackra ögon, theatre performance produced by Blaue Frau (FI), Cleo & Kristin Amparo with Broke ´N Tipsy, music artists (SE), Kriget har inget kvinnligt ansikte, a theatre performance produced by Hedda Krausz Sjögren (SE), Shazia Mirza, stand-up comedian (UK) The Vagina Monologues, theatre performance with Rudo Chigudo (ZW), Beatrix & Jenifur of Eat It, comedy performance by Ruby Rose (SE/USA), Sanne Søndergaard, stand-up comedian (DK), Queendom, music group (NO), Lay Low, music artist (IS), Tantorkestern, music group (SE), Stockholm Konstsim Herr, dance performance (SE), Vegakören, choir music (SE).

A selection of the speakers at Nordiskt Forum:

Some of the speakers are Gunhild Stordalen, Chairperson of the Norwegian Stordalen Foundation, Anna Serner (SE), CEO of the Swedish Film Institute, Margot Wallström (SE), Diversity Director at Postcode Lottery, former First Vice President of the European Commission, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir (IS), the world’s first democratically elected female head of state and Iceland’s first female president, Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson, Chairperson of LO (the Swedish Trade Union Confederation), Sofi Oksanen, author, Alexandra Pascalidou, journalist and author, Claes Borgström, lawyer and former Equality Ombudsman and Annika Winsth, Chief Economist for Nordea.