"We want Riddu Riđđu to be a safe space"

Currently the Indigenous Peoples festival Riddu Riđđu Festivàla is taking place in Manndalen, near Tromsø in northern Norway. The festival started yesterday, Wednesday July 10, and lasts for four days.

For more than 30 years, Riddu Riđđu has worked to create a stronger awareness and pride about the Sámi. The festival started as a local event, and has over the years grown into a meeting place for minorities and indigenous population groups from all over the world.

Every year Riddu Riđđu celebrates a different Indigenous People through their “Northern People of the Year” programme. This year, the festival honours Queer indigenous people and have gathered artists and cultural practitioners from Kalaallit Nunaat, USA, Canada and Sápmi.

Riddu Riđđu includes a wide range of activities, such as musical performances, art, indigenous films, a children’s festival, art exhibitions, various courses, seminars and fairs. Each year, various indigenous artists from all over the world visit the festival.

Sajje Solbakk, chief of the festival, and Bente Skovang, director of the board, said in their opening speech that the fight for the Sámi People’s rights to practice their culture continues. Photo: Olesia Krivtsova

Opening ceremony

In the speech during Thursday’s opening ceremony, Sajje Solbakk, chief of the festival, and Bente Skovang, director of the board, said that the fight for the Sámi People’s rights to practice their culture continues.

They said the threat of new wind power farms on reindeer husbandry land in Fosen, close to Trondehim in central Norway, exists. Other topics of worry for the Sámi that the speakers brought up is the government’s decision to electrify Melkoya, the fjord fishermen not having their rights recognised and the ban of traditional salmon fishing.

In 2021 the Sámi had a historical victory in court against the Norwegian state regarding an onshore wind farms in Fosen. According to the judgment the wind farms, which by then were fully operating, violated the Sámi’s human rights.

The speaker finished their speech by stating that now is a crucial time for Sapmi.

“We are in a crucial time in Sapmi, where it’s more important than probably ever that we hold hands, resist together and give each other the space needed for us to heal. As a Sámi festival this is a space we can offer, and that is what we want Riddu Riđđu to be – both for ourselves, our relatives and our allies”, said Bente Skogvang.

The story

It all started in 1991, when some local young Sea Sámi People gathered for a barbecue. They talked about identity, their roots and why being Sámi was connected to shame.

The youth didn’t want to continue to hide their Sámi background and identity, and instead decided to be proud of their Sea Sámi background. Through music and culture they wanted to turn shame into pride. Thus, the annual Riddu Riđđu festival was born.

People participating in a leather pouch sowing workshop. Photo: Olesia Krivtsova

The festival met opposition from both sides. The local population felt the festival focused too heavily on Sámi culture, while others thought the Sámi wasn’t represented strongly enough. Families were also split when some members recognised their Sámi heritage while others denied it.

Despite the initial resistance, the festival continued to expand in both breadth and scope. Over time, the opposition diminished.

Additionally, the festival gained support and recognition from local authorities, the public, and artists. In 2009, Riddu Riđđu achieved national recognition when it was designated as one of Norway’s 12 hub festivals, securing a permanent place in the state budget.