Tuesday, 3 March 2009

Bush sin draum


"Her ser vi George W. Bush. Han har nettopp vakna og ser seg rundt med eit påtakeleg overraska uttrykk i auga, han forstår rett og slett ikkje kvar han er, for rundt senga hans er det heilt mørkt, den smale senga hans med kvitt sengetøy strekker seg langt framover, kanskje tjue meter framover, som ein molo som smalnar ut i havet, George W. Bush set seg opp i senga og virrar med hovudet, han løftar på dyna si og ser at han ligg med ei lita lefse av ei bok mellom beina, han tek den opp og ser på den: Golf Can't be this Simple, står det, og han hugsar det brått, ja, denne las han jo i før han sovna, han skal jo ut å spele golf mot far sin i dag, men no ser det ut som om han har hamna på ein plass han ikkje veit kvar er, han reiser seg og byrjar gå bortover sengemoloen, og han ser så skrøpeleg ut, brått, der han går i flanellspyjamasen sin med eit litt vaktsamt kroppspråk, what in God's name is this, tenker han (for han tenker naturlegvis på amerikansk) når han kjem fram til enden av moloen: for ned frå sengekanten går det ei trapp, ei smijarnstrapp rett ned: well I don't have a choice, do I, seier Bush og byrjar klatre nedover. Plutseleg ser han at det renn glødane lava på alle kantar, det berre kom fossande, som eit sceneteppe frå alle kantar, og han ser at han sjølv går som ei slags trakt nedover og nedover: han ser ned, han ser grønt gras der nede og kjenner at han blir letta, for no byrja han å lure kraftig, eit par sekund, på kvar det var han var på veg, men grønt gras er bra, det er ikkje grønt gras i helvete, og di nærmare han kjem, di meir går det opp for han kvar han er, og det er som om han blir fylt, sakte, av ei slags indre ro, for graset strekker seg utover og utover, kan han sjå, til endelause sletter, I see the valley of peace below, tenker Bush, of peace, akkurat dette, of peace, fyller han med ein slags audmjukskap, som om heile han er berre varme tårer, han trakkar ned på graset og forstår: han er i verdas inste, i jordklodens midte, og han kjenner seg fylt av ein fred han nesten ikkje trudde var mogleg å kjenne, den berre renn ut i kvar minste atom av kroppen hans, it's almost as if I could float, tenker Bush, what if, tenker han og prøver å legge seg bakover med hendene ut, som i vatn, og sanneleg: når han løftar beina, så flyt han! What the heck, I'm floating! ropar Bush, og så vaknar han og ser at han slett ikkje er i jordas midte, han er slett ikkje flytande, han er i den vanlege senga si, i det store kvite huset, og han har truleg daska kona si, den vesle, kvite kona si, i ansiktet då han strekte armane ut, men utan at ho vakna, heldigvis, ho ligg ved sida hans og søv. Han stryk seg over panna, for dette var den mest utrulege draumen han nokosinne har hatt. Han ser bort på nattbordet, på Golf Can't be this Simple, som han har fått i gåve frå kona si, og tek i den som om den var eit objekt han ikkje har sett før, eit draumeobjekt som kan gi han uante opplevingar."

Frå Gunnhild Øyehaug si bok
Vente, Blinke: Eit perfekt bilete av eit personleg indre (2008)

Fantastisk! Ej flira så ej grine! :)

Saturday, 28 February 2009

Loneliness?



its been a long time since we last sat down, just my blog and I. my blog, loneliness and I.

I really do feel lonely. for over four weeks we have had visitors from norway - and its been some fantastic weeks! so many great memories, endless fun and experiences. the house is 'empty' now - and my brother markus, my friends stine and marte, my dad and thor are all safe and sound back in cold winter norway (may strength be with you, I am not very envious!). its been more than a pleasure to have them here with us and I just wish they could stay here, live here, so that we could have more time together!

Align Left

I really love living here in south africa, with the crazy beauty, the madness, the enormous contrasts! to live in a society with harsh realities and challenges humbles me every day, every day! I learn so much, every day, and hopefully my guests learned and realised alot being here. however the distance to my loved ones back home is way too far! it was really hard saying goodbye... on the other hand I really appreciate that they wanted to come and visit me here, so they could get a little taste of this fantasic country, all the way at the southernmost tip of africa! :)

now its back to reality, back to my studies! I am in my last semester of my masters degree - yikes! its going to be an exciting semester, and in september I have to become a grown-up, get a job and start having responsibilites. or maybe not? time will show ;) is grown-up life overrated?




Wednesday, 21 January 2009

Shake your chains!


And that slaughter to the Nation
Shall steam up like inspiration
Eloquent, oracular;
A volcano heard afar

And these words shall then become
Like Oppression's thundered doom
Ringing through each heart and brain
Heard again - again - again

Rise like lions after slumber

In unvanquishable number
Shake your chains to earth like dew
Which in sleep has fallen on you
Ye are many - they are few


Percy Bysshe Shelley - The Mask of Anarchy (1819)


Friday, 16 January 2009

Sunday, 11 January 2009

"freedom vs security"


as we speak the world is witnessing one of the most brutal and disproportionate military actions by Israel against Palestine in decades - a "strategic act" as part of their 60 years of suppression of the Palestinian people. 875 Palestinians are killed, including women and children, fathers, grandparents, whole families - all innocent people, including the people fighting with military means for their freedom - and remember; the Palestinian people have fought for their freedom for decades. what does that do to them, as a human beings? there is no way I can imagine. I only know that the more I learn, despite differences, I see more and more similarities between the apartheid state and Israel.

13 Israeli people have died as a result of Hamas' rockets. (dont get me wrong - I do not blame all Israelis, nor do I mean Israelis are "guilty"). however, despite the disgusting attacks on a starved and caged Gaza people around the world still, frenetically, try to legitimate Israels completely disproportionate acts! there is no logic in the attack on Gaza and no way in heaven that these actions will lead to a more secure Israel in the long term! let us continue to speak out against Israels occupation and colonisation of Palestine!

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the world is full of contrasts and contradictions. almost on a daily basis I find myself dizzy because of the beauty and the brutality which our world consists of and the contrast between them. the nexus between beauty and brutality. they are so close, yet so far from each other.

as the conflict is raging in Gaza I have celebrated a beautiful and priviliged christmas and new years here in Cape Town - free from brutality, but packed with shared moments with amazing friends, crazy fun and encounters I will keep close to my heart for a long time!




in my deepest solidarity with the Palestinian people,
the Congolese people, the Zimbabwean people
and all other facing hardships -
lets not forget about them! -
I wish you all a peaceful, fun and prosperous 2009!
remember - life is yesterday, today and tomorrow! ;)


Tuesday, 6 January 2009

I am a Palestinian


I am a Palestinian. Hath not a Palestinian eyes? Hath not a Palestinian hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Jew is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that ... the villainy you teach me, I will execute; and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.


Shakespeare inspired extract from "From the Ashes of Gaza" by Tariq Ali



wake up to the reality!







this is the reality. this is the reality, my friends.

in solidarity with the palestinian people and against the oppression they have suffered for decades, I am quite outspoken about my views of the asymmetric conflict going on in the middle east.from the al-naqba of 1948 (the palestinian exodus) to the israeli occupation of palestinian territories and the refusal of going back to the 1967 borders, the continous colonisation of land, which by international law belongs to the palestinians, the completetly inhumane conditions of gaza, and also the west bank - it is so clear to me that this is the worst breach of all international and humanitarian law, including UN Security Council Resolutions, and the greatest social, economical and political crisis of our time.

and let me not even get started with "the war on terror". what is terrorism anyway? is "terrorist" a useful term for us to understand what is going on in the world? no, it is not. one can speak about asymmetric warfare, of the weapon of the weak, contextualise and analyse, look at the difference between the "two actors" (palestine and israel) in this war (even though the picture is much more complex) and the picture becomes very different to what is portrayed in biased western media. the othering of muslims and arabs as more "barbaric" than "us", the rest, is an absolute disgrace in the name of humanity and solidarity and demonstrates ignorance and the lack of knowledge and understanding about what is going on in the world. if you uncritically believe what you read about "terrorism", about extremism and "the muslim threat" in the new york times, in vg, in the cape times or wherever it is - think again!

let me stop now, cause I could go on for pages. the bottom line is:

one of the facebook groups I joined, in solidarity with the palestinian people, and in the context of the grotesque invasion of the gaza strip the last weeks, is called "End the Siege on Gaza Now". the group has over 38.000 members (!!!), and the group provided very good information on what is going on (most people do not know what is really going on!), and the historical context of it. however, I have seen that there has been threats of closing down groups that operate in solidarity with the palestinians on facebook, and people have luckily spoken out and tried to prevent this from happening.

however - today, the group "End the Siege on Gaza Now" was hacked into by the "Jewish Internet Defense Force" and closed down with the message "Closed. Israel for life x".

(wtf!!! these people are out to close anything that criticizes israel, claiming that these groups, such as End the Siege on Gaza now, are anti-semitic, anti-zionist, racist and extremist!!),

do you get the picture? wake up! engage! we are living in the history books as we speak, all of us!

if you are confused, read a little about "Palestine, Israel and the Occupied Territories" here


om du er norsk og forvirra, les en kort bakgrunn for Palestina/Israelkonflikta her