ILGCN'S 3rd NORDIC RAINBOW HISTORY & CULTURE MONTH -- October, 2018
Stockholm -- Preparations continue for the ILGCN's (international rainbow culture network) 3rd Nordic Rainbow History & Culture Month -- October, 2018 again in a dozen Nordic cities on both sides of the Baltic Sea -- from Umeå in northern Sweden and again in the southern Baltic capital of Vilnius in Lithuania.
The Nordic Month begins for the third time in Umeå -- this time as a "curtain raiser" part of Umeå Pride. The 2018 Month again includes the 2nd Rakvere Festheart LGBT Film Festival in the northern Estonian town of Rakvere -- this time the 2nd festival -- and for the first time, the Estonian city of Tartu -- with a focus on rainbow art and the Finnish painter/ author, Tove Jansson of Moomintroll fame.
The Nordic Month's 2018 events include the 2nd LGBT culture program at Södertälje Konsthall (art gallery) in this city just south of Stockholm and for the first time, the day-long Södertälje LGBT Film Festival at a city cinema.
At the Stockholm stage, special guests from outside of the Nordic region include Kurt Krickler of Austria, making a presentation both in Södertälje and Stockholm about early Austrian co-operation with colleagues in Eastern Europe. Others are American artist, Victor Adenian -- new LGCN culture ambassador from Colorado, the Australian ambassador to Sweden, Jonathan Kenna and a representative of the Canadian Embassy in Sweden.
Nordic speakers will include Swedish journalist Anne-Marie Sörberg, Johan Earhart of the Norwegian Bamse Bear organization, GöranStanton of the Swedish Police talking about hate crimes against LGBT people, Rolf Solheim of Norway on humanistic support of LGBT rights, Sarah Florén, chair person of Tupilak (Nordic rainbow culture workers), Ulf Andersson of Amnesty Press, Swedish veteran activist, musician and song writer, Jan Hammarlund, Anders Paulsson soprano saxophonist and diver to save coral reefs, Swedish musicians Dosan Johansson and Peter Fröberg, etc.
Outstanding immigrant/refugee input is coming from Sama Abdelsamie of RFSL newcomers and RFSL trans persons, Swedish/Iraqi artist David Amin and Belarus activists/ LGBT refugees in Sweden.
The Stockholm stage of the Nordic Month also includes the 2nd Bear International Festival October 15-18 -- discussing Bear solidarity, culture and co-operation with colleagues in Eastern Europe.
Month-long History & Culture Events in Finland
"We are so pleased that our colleagues in Finland have decided not to have only a day or two for LGBT culture and history, but a whole month-- from October 15-November 15," says Bill Schiller from the ILGCN Information Secretariat-Stockholm.
The ILGCN also plans meetings with the prize-winning Bear Park Café in the Finnish capital, Helsinki Gay Theater and a Russian-speaking meeting in the nearby city of Espo.
New for this year is an event in the Norwegian city of Bergen with the "queer training" of museum staff by the Skeivt Archive (rainbow archive) of the University of Bergen and ends in Oslo at the end of October during the Nordic Council sessions with invitations to Nordic Council parliamentarians meeting to discuss Nordic LGBT co-operation -- and support for rainbow culture and identity.
More information:
Sander Cecilia Neant Falk, Month co-ordinator for Södertälje, Tupilak facebook
