Another Sami
Another Sami is a documentary musical about identity, Norwegianization and the complex reality many people grow up with in Finnmark.
The performance is based on Håkon Vassvik's upbringing in Gamvik on the Nordkinnhalvøya Peninsula, a place where the Sami language and culture were almost wiped out in just a few generations.
On stage he is joined by his cousin Torgeir Vassvik and violinist Kari Rønnekleiv. Drums, yoik, guitar and violin lift the story into a musical landscape where tradition meets contemporary times.
Premiere: August 24, 2013, Det Andre Teatret, Oslo
The performance toured throughout the country with Den Kulturelle Skolesekken until 2017.
Script developer: Håkon Mathias Vassvik Composer: Torgeir Vassvik Performers/musicians: Håkon Mathias Vassvik, Torgeir Vassvik, Kari Rønnekleiv Dramaturg: Kristin Bjørn Set design and costumes: Joachim Brodin
Scenographic assistant: Barbara Kapelj Osredkar Producer: Annika Ostwald and Kristin Bjørn Supported by: Arts Council of Norway, Fund for Sound and Image and Fund for Performing Artists.
RECEPTION
The performance was perceived as both playful, knowledgeable and unusually honest.
The Cultural School Backpack summarized it this way:
“Another Sami plays with rituals, roles and clichés […] with both pride and irony, and with great knowledge, musicality and empathy.”
