Elections Abroad: Stark Contrasts Between Two Expatriations

{Left} Riots in Port Gentil, Gabon, 2009.  Photo via AFP

{Right} Elections in Norway, 2013 Photo via NTP ScanPix, Fredrik Varfjell

Monday marked the Norwegian parliamentary election.  Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg attempted to defend his reign as leader of the country against the ever-more popular Conservative party and it's leader, Erna Solberg (and a handful of other parties) although ultimately failing making Solberg Norway's second female Prime Minister.  As expats in the country, we hardly noticed election happenings.  Of course, ad campaigns were evident but obviously, never in English.  A few flyers made their way into our mailboxes and funny enough, alcohol was banned from being purchased in the shops on election day but that was the extent of the direct impact on us.  As we awaited the results Monday evening, I realized the stark contrast between our experiences of elections abroad as expatriates.

While in Gabon, we witnessed one national election.  For weeks in advance of voting, we were aware of what was taking place.  Cars with loudspeakers drove through town with someone sitting in the front, passenger seat spouting propaganda and platforms loudly through the streets.  We'd see ad campaigns albeit quite different than those in developed nations.  All media is government controlled and with the majority of local population living in poverty, advertisements on TV and the Internet were not the main form of communication.

The year before we arrived in our equatorial home, national elections sparked intense rioting in Port Gentil.  Infamously referred to as 'The Problems' by expats and locals, when Mr Bongo claimed a win continuing to keep his family in power since 1969, the opposition, based in Port Gentil, violently objected.  They believed the election was rigged and many pointed fingers at France, their former colonial power, and its oil company, Total.  The French Consulate was set ablaze and the Total Compound, residence and offices for it's foreign workers, was attacked.

What did this mean for expats?  Well, many families were evacuated via boat to Libreville.  Others were evacuated from their homes to larger boats who then dropped anchor in the ocean well away from the riots and any civilization.  Smaller companies, ours included, moved their expats to the Port which was then blocked off by the French army.  When order was restored a few days later and things calmed down, life in Gabon returned to normal for locals and expats alike but the damage would be evident for years to come.

When the elections came around while we were residents, precautions started early.  Our companies would send out bulletins with the latest news and forecasts.  We'd be advised as to their emergency evacuation plans and told to limit our mobility for the days leading up to and after the elections.  We'd stock up on food, water and gas in the event that we became trapped inside and we'd hope for the best.

This was one of those times where being an expat was scary.  The uncertainty led to fear and anxiousness as we've seen so often lately, it doesn't take much for things to turn quite violent.  Thankfully, the elections that we were present for remained peaceful and calm and our preparations and worry turned out to be unnecessary.

When I came across the first headline on Monday, I realized how oblivious I had been in terms of the entire Norwegian election.  I knew it was coming and while I generally keep up to date with current events, I hadn't done so this time around.  Abashed at my lack of awareness, it became apparent that the Norwegian election seemed to align with the plethora of stark contrasts between our two expatriations.

More information about the result of Norway's election can be found here and fellow blogger, David, wrote a great post with some election details and opinions found here.  You can also read about the 2009 elections in Gabon and the subsequent riots here and here.

A Stolen 'Scream'

Trust.

Norway is full of it.  If you say you are going to do something, no one follows up on it because you said you would do it and your word is good enough.  When a pedestrian approaches a crosswalk, they don't stop and look both ways before stepping out into traffic.  The law says that cars stop for pedestrians at crosswalks and so it's generally just trusted that they will do just that.  When I went to the optician's office to pick up contact solution the clerk asked if I was a client there because that would entitle me to a discount.  I told her, 'Yes,' but she didn't ask for my name or any sort of assurance; I was awarded the discount because she trusted what I said.  Rules are rules and people will follow them and that is how things run here.

It works here because Norwegians are generally pretty trustworthy.  If they weren't, I'm sure society wouldn't put so much faith in the value.  But, unfortunately, there will always be those who prey on this inherent sense of trust.

Photo Credit

Edvard Munch's 'The Scream' is easily Norway's most recognizable contribution to the Art world.  In fact, there were actually four versions made with one selling in 2012 for a cool $120 million USD.  The other three are housed in Oslo in the National Gallery and the Munch Museum.

On a quiet Sunday morning in the late summer of 2004, two masked men walked into Oslo's Munch Museum where they lifted one of the prized Screams off the wall (in addition to another work titled Madonna) and ran out to an escape car waiting on the street.  Museum goers watched in shock as the famous work of art disappeared.

Interestingly enough, this wasn't the first time a 'Scream' was stolen.  In 1994, two men climbed a ladder, broke a window and entered Norway's National Gallery in Oslo snatching another version Munch's prized art works.  Norway faced a lot of criticism about their lack of security yet despite the previous robberies, not many changes were made.  It was argued that the famous paintings were practically impossible to sell due to their international fame and thus, the expense of providing tight security was decided to be unnecessary.

After the 2004 robbery, the biggest surveillance operation in Norwegian history was underway and 2 years later, the stolen works of art were finally remanded albeit slightly damaged.  The repairs spanned 2 years and although some of the damage was irreversible, 'The Scream' reclaimed it's spot in the Munch museum.

These days, metal detectors, elaborate surveillance systems are in place and 'The Scream' sits within a heavy glass box.  While Norway remains a pretty trustworthy country, it appears they've learned that precautions must be taken when it comes to Edvard Munch and his world renowned works of art.

[If you're interested, you can read the full story in Norwegian's Online Magazine.]

The Ancient Village of Akrotiri

The purpose of our trip to Santorini was to relax and soak in some sun.  We knew we'd do a little exploring but we were also aware that this trip probably wouldn't be the cultural peak of our 2013 travels.  I was prepared to spend the majority of our time on the terrace, reading a book from a sun lounger but was quite excited when we stumbled upon Ancient Akrotiri while exploring the island.

Part of the grade 6 Social Studies curriculum in Alberta featured Ancient Greece.  In fact, up until recent years, it accounted for one third of the entire year's program.  I spent a lot of time talking about Greece and the many, many ways our society has benefited from that ancient and advanced civilization (*ahem, democracy.)

While they've traced settlements back to 4000 BCE, it was around 3000 BCE when a more substantial settlement was founded on Santorini Island.  It continued to grow and essentially became one of the main hubs of the Aegean sea.  At the end of the 17th century, a major volcanic eruption covered the entire settlement preserving the town below the new island surface for thousands of years.  Speculation says the entire event may have been the inspiration for Plato's Atlantis.

In the 1960s, the site was discovered and excavation began.  The absence of human remains have lead researchers to believe that an evacuation must have happened before the volcanic eruption and the amazingly well-preserved site has been compared to Pompeii.  It's stated that only 3% of the site has actually been excavated meaning that there will most certainly be more to see and learn in years to come.

The city itself is quite literally, fascinating.  Multiple story homes, a pretty clear grid system, an advanced drainage system, pottery & furniture all provide insight into the ancient civilization.  While it's a little difficult to see in the photos, it was quite clear onsite that this was a fully functioning and advanced city.  I was amazed to see well preserved artifacts sitting in rooms like nothing had happened - designs and paintings still fairly evident.

The majority of the smaller items have since been moved to a museum located right in Fira including enormous and elaborate wall paintings.  Tea cups and frying pans look almost exactly as they do today and dainty and intricate appliances survived the thousands of years below all of that sediment.  It really was quite an amazing site to experience.

Notes:

+The archaeological site of Ancient Akrotiri is located at Akrotiri near the Red Beach.  The site costs 5€.  The man at the gate didn't give us any information when we arrived and we had wished to either join a guided tour or at the very least, use the audio guide as signs inside are few and far between.

+The museum housing the majority of artifacts found at the site is located in Fira.  The entrance fee is 3€ and can quite easily be done in 1-1.5 hours, reading at all of the exhibits.

+All of the photos above are mine except the wall mural which was borrowed from Wikipedia.

The Norwegian Printing Museum

Lately, I've been making the museum rounds throughout Stavanger and have been pleasantly surprised at the variety in our little city.  When the PWC sent an email out organizing a trip to the Norwegian Printing Museum, I'll admit, I had no idea it existed but I was intrigued.  The benefit of visiting with the PWC is the admission is usually discounted and they often arrange for a private, guided tour which in this case, was quite essential to really appreciate the exhibition.

As we arrived, we were greeted by an older Norwegian gentleman who explained, "Us old guys all used to work in the printing business.  Now we're retired but we'll show you around."  He won me over quite quickly. There was something so endearing about these men who had long moved on from the printing press yet still came around to maintain the equipment, work on a few pieces as a hobby and impart their knowledge to those who visited.

The building itself was beautiful in it's industrial glory.  Old wooden floors combined with steel supports enveloped the enormous iron machines and the smell of ink permeated the air.  The windows on the far wall peered right out onto the water and sent rays of light through the entire space.  It's almost hard to believe that it was once a simple storage space for the canneries in the early 1900s.

Stavanger had a very lively printing industry due to the abundance of canneries in the area (of course, the cans needed labels.)  Lithography was the trade of choice for labels.  The pictures and text were drawn by hand on large and heavy pieces of limestone.  Multi-coloured labels followed a careful process - each colour was hand sketched on the limestone, pressed, dried and then the next colour, on a separate lithograph, was applied.  In total, over 30 000 lithographs were made in Stavanger for the canning industry alone.

The rest of the museum was dedicated mainly to letterpress which honestly, was quite fascinating.  Up until the 1980s, letterpress was the main method of newspaper printing in the area and what an intricate and I imagine, strenuous, process.  Typesetting was done completely by hand, letter by letter, word by word almost as if arranging a puzzle daily in order to put the newspaper to press.  In 1900, the first typesetting machine came to Norway which basically works like a computer keyboard except working manually to put a cast together shaping a line of text in metal.

We were lucky enough to watch it all come together as the machine clunked and the metals tinged eventually forming a phrase.  The gentleman was kind enough to make a souvenir of sorts for us as we oohed and ahhed at the process.

The Handmade Typecast

It was really quite amazing to see the precision and effort that went into printing and while I love how technology has opened up so many opportunities for us, it made me sad to think of this massive industry and art that is practically extinct with the use of the computer taking it's place.

The Handmade Print of the Norwegian Alphabet I bought at the end of the tour.  

The tour was really quite eye opening for me and as a lover of the written word, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by the letters surrounding me, each of them being created with so much time, effort & care.

A Look At Stavanger's Museums

Museums are something we tend to visit when we're away from home and they often slip from our minds when we're looking for things to do when we're not travelling.  Despite it's small size, Stavanger has a pretty great array of museums to visit.  With Jeanie's visit and the PWC, I've been able to check quite a few out but I look forward to exploring them all while we're here.

*Stavanger Museum - Housing both cultural and natural history, the Stavanger Museum has been open to the public since 1893.  Here we can learn the history of our city and see what life was like here hundreds of years ago.  It's also home to the Children's Museum.
Tuesday-Sunday 11:00-16:00

*Stavanger Art Museum - The art museum has a really great location on the edge of the Mosvannet, a lake not far from the centre of town.  The museum showcases a few Norwegian artists but it also welcomes smaller exhibitions from other artists.
Tuesday-Sunday 11:00-16:00
*Stavanger Maritime Museum - Currently closed until May 15, 2013 for renovations, this museum is next on my list to visit.  It's home to many maritime related artifacts and 2 sailing ships dating back to 1848 and 1897.
Tuesday-Saturday 11:00-16:00
*The Norwegian Canning Museum - This is a favourite to most who visit.  Before oil, canning was a major industry in Stavanger which was home to some 130 canneries.  The museum is located in Gamle Stavanger and housed in a former cannery.  Many of the machines are still in working condition and visiting is really like stepping back in time.  Guided tours are offered and they are essential to really experience the exhibit at its best.  The first Sunday of the month they fire up the sardine smoking as it would have been done in the early 1900s.
Tuesday-Saturday 11:00-16:00
*Utstein Monastery - Norway's only preserved monastery is located about a 30 minute drive from Stavanger.  Historical records date the site back to the 9th century although construction of the main building began in 1260.
The museum closes during the winter, reopening in March on Sundays and at peak times is open daily. Check the hours here.
*Ledaal - Ledaal is a mansion and royal residence built in 1799.  Originally built as a summer residence, it's now a museum as well as a royal residence and is occasionally used for official functions.  This is set to be our next field trip with the PWC.
Open Sundays mid-August to mid-June 11:00-16:00
Open daily June 15-August 15 11:00-16:00
*Breidablikk- Often visited when touring Ledaal because of their close proximity, this is a former shipowner's residence.  Apparently quite well-preserved it provides insight into home life in Norway in the 1800s.
Closed January-June 15
Open daily June 15-August 15 11:00-16:00
Open Sundays August 16-December 31 11:00-16:00

*The Norwegian Printing Museum - Stay tuned for a blog post on this one - it's tied for a favourite with the Canning Museum.  This is a must for anyone interested in typography and printing presses.  Many of the machines are in working order and it's quite amazing to see the intricacies that made a newspaper and labels early in the 20th century.  Retired printing professionals keep the machines in working conditions and if you're lucky to catch them on special occasions or tours, they'll demonstrate how they work.
Open Sundays January 1-June 14 11:00-16:00
Open daily June 15-August 15
Closed August 16-December 31
*Stavanger School Museum - This one is only open under special arrangements but is located in a former school and focuses on, you guessed it, school history.
Rogaland War Historical Museum - Originally a privately owned collection of World War II memorabilia, it's now a museum housed in former Nazi camp near Sola airport.  The exhibit is in Norwegian but it's worth it to try to arrange a guided tour in English to see Stavanger's role in WWII as well as life under the occupation.
Open Sundays 12:00-16:00 May-November

Via Visit Norway

Norwegian Petroleum Museum - This is probably Stavanger's most popular museum.  It sits right on the water downtown and is really quite an impressive exhibit.  Beginning with general history as to where oil comes from, it goes on to show Norway's oil & gas history, then breaking down the process of offshore drilling and finally, it looks at environmental impacts.  The best part of this museum is how interactive it is - to scale offshore platforms allow you a close up look, interactive touch screen displays, a 3D movie theatre and you can try your hand at a few drilling tasks.  There's also a really great restaurant housed right in the museum building but it can get busy, particularly for dinner.
Open daily 10:00-19:00 June 1-August 31
Monday-Saturday 10:00-16:00 September 1-May 31
Sunday 10:00-18:00 September 1-May 31
Museum of Archaeology - As one might guess, the museum of archaeology has some really, really old artifacts in it.  It traces back life in Rogaland to the Bronze Age and really offers a glimpse into how Norway has progressed into the modern world.
September 1- May 31 Tuesdays 11:00-20:00, Wednesday-Saturday 11:00-15:00, Sunday 11:00-16:00
June 1- August 31 Monday-Friday 10:00-17:00, Saturday-Sunday 11:00-17:00

Joe has been a bit jealous as of late because I seem to do all of the exploring while he's at work so I've started going back to the museums with him on the weekends.  It's something we need to remind ourselves to do on those rainy days.



Tips
+Those marked with an * are part of the MUST group.  You can buy yearly passes which are worth the cost if you plan on visiting most of the museums.
+Tourists can also purchase the Fjord Pass which offers discounts on many museums all over Norway (in addition to discounts on hotels, rental cars and other activities.)
+Operating hours are drastically reduced outside of high season here so it's in your best interest to double check before you plan your trip.
+The Canning Museum & Printing Museum are best seen on a guided tour - check out when they're scheduled and if it's during low season, ask at the counter as sometimes they're happy to take you around on your own.