Frisian delegation visits the Faroe Islands

With a large Frisian delegation, managing-director Prof Nelleke IJssennagger-van der Pluijm and programme coordinator Dr Simon Halink of the Fryske Akademy and the Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism are travelling to the Faroe Islands today. In that delegation, various Frisian sectors involved in language policy, culture and research are represented. This means that in addition to political representatives at both municipal and provincial level (including the King's Commissioner Arno Brok, deputy Eke Folkerts and seven aldermen), employees of the Fryske Akademy, Museum Belvédère, the Afûk, the Statencomité Frysk, Galerie Roos van Tudor and the Stichting Film in Friesland will also take part in the working visit.

Of the 18 islands that make up the Faroe Islands, our colleagues (after landing on the island of Vágar) will visit only the island of Streymoy; the largest and most populous of the islands, where the capital Tórshavn is. This is where all the institutions and institutes are located. A visit to southern Suðuroy, where, according to oral tradition, Frisians are said to have settled in the distant past, unfortunately does not fit into the tight programme of this working visit.

Who are you going to meet there? 

Simon Halink: ‘In Tórshavn, the programme includes a visit to the Faroese minister of social affairs and culture (Sirið Stenberg), the Faroese Parliament (Løgting, and in particular its Culture Committee, with which the topics of language education and teaching will be discussed), the minister of education (Djóni Nolsøe Joensen), the mayor of Tórshavn, the Faroese Film Institute, several organisers of cultural events and the Glasir educational institute. For the Fryske Akademy, the visit to the University of the Faroe Islands (Fróðskaparsetur Føroya) and the Faroese Research Council (Granskingarráðið) are particularly important.’

How did the contact came about?

Halink: ‘The initiative for this working visit was taken by the King's Commissioner Arno Brok, who has been to the islands more often and is particularly interested in the language and cultural policy of this autonomous archipelago, which is part of the Danish kingdom. With some 60,000 speakers, all of whom are bilingual, Faroese is a very small language. But it is also a very vital language, thriving in all areas of society. From previous visits by the King's Commissioner, collaborations between Faroese publishers and the Afûk (in the field of publishing children's books) and between Faroese and Frisian metal bands have been established. Through this working visit, we want to further strengthen ties and expand cooperation in the field of scientific research.’

What can we learn from the people there and what knowledge do you bring with you to the islands?

Halink: ‘What we are mainly curious about are the interfaces between our own research areas and those that Faroese scientists are working on. In particular, we are interested in exchanging ideas on how a relatively small but vital language community can stimulate and cultivate successful academic, future-proof research related to its own language, culture and history. What are the specific problems and challenges smaller language communities face in this respect? And how can we learn from each other's best practices? In discussions with experts in the fields of bilingualism, sociolinguistics, heritage, language politics, environmental humanities, lexicography and the cultural history of smaller (language) communities, we hope for a fruitful cross-pollination between the Frisian and Faroese cases.’

What happens after this visit?

Halink: ‘It is obviously too early now to speculate on the possible outcomes and proceeds of this working visit. We are committed to an ‘open’ exploration of common interests and opportunities for cooperation and (comparative) research, and given the list of interesting interlocutors in the Faroe Islands, I am extremely optimistic about the chances!’