Anders Jahres kulturpris handed out

– No one in Norway is this famous in the world and meant this much, both politically and artistically, as Mari Boine.

Åse Pulk

Mette Ballovara

Published 04 09 2009 10:16 h.

This is what the chairman says at the prize-giving ceremony of the Anders Jahres Kulturpris, Åse Kleveland.

Anders Jahres kulturpris is the biggest award that an artist can receive nowadays in Norway.

– Enormous recognition

With king Harald amongst the guests, Boine and ballet artist Espen Giljane were presented the prestigious cultural award Thursday in Den Gamle Logen.

– This is a huge recognition and I hope this can make way for other Sami artists too, Boine says.

Both prize winners receive 500.000 crowns each.

this is the first time the prize went to artists in ballet or in Sami music.

Renewing and revealing

The jury consists of Åse Kleveland (chairman), Bentein Baardson, Øivin Fjeldstad, Nina Sundbye and Kjetil Trædal Thorsen. The motivations why Boine and Giljane received the award this year run like this:

In their respective domains the prize winners have been acting renewing and revealing, also where it concerns the communicating of it. In this way they have contributed in an adequate amount that their artistic expression has reached a bigger audience, to far outside the boundaries of Norway. With that their effort  has a community serving meaning on top of their performance as a oneman/onewoman artist.

Mari Boine is one of the Norths prominent representatives for the Sami culture, with strong roots in both the language and the musical tradition.

Espen Giljane is a striking person within the Norwegian ballet and within the renewed Norwegian choreography. Both have been pioneering in their domain and have received international acknowledgement. 

Boine thanked for the prize by singing the title song of her new CD, Sterna Paradisea. She also performed a song together with the joik singerin Inga Juuso.

Photo: Mette Ballovara/NRK 

Mari Boine and Espen Giljane. He received the award for his progressive contribution to the art of ballet.

Photo: Mette Ballovara/NRK

Source: http://www.nrk.no/kanal/nrk_sami_radio/1.6760453