Hannah Wozene Kvam
130 FK-participants and staff from Norway and South attended the annual conference and party at MS Innvik Friday June 5th.
Ex-participant, artist and writer Hannah Wozene Kvam was the evening’s host, and introduced the program as something for the heart, mind and soul.
Dialogue for peace
The theme of the conference was "Dialogue for Peace". Geir Lundestad, director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, gave an engaging lecture: “To what extent can the Nobel Peace Prize produce peace in the world”. Lundestad emphasized that the price itself does not produce peace, but it actually serve as a microphone. The laureates are suddenly equipped with a loud speaker, and the world listens to these honored people. Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu said once that the Nobel Peace Prize opens all doors, and makes the difference.
Do things together and talk
“Always have a cup of coffee with the person you want to kill. But have the coffee first!”, said Steinar Bryn, Head of Nansen Dialogue Network. His lecture “Dialogue as a method of reconciliation and peace-building”, inspired everyone. He referred to magic stories about groups from divided societies that worked together for one week. They grew up to hate each other, but when they started to know the other part, and had a good communication and dialogue, they got a parallel story to their own, and started to respect and 
understand the others. Bryn talked about dialogue as a way of communication: The opponents need to 1. Listen, 2. Try to understand and 3. Respect the other part. We need dialogue to correct our truths, and see things from a different angle.
Films from the South
In collaboration with Films from the South, FK presented the film “Pray the Devil back to Hell” that shows how the organization Women’s Peacebuilding Network, mobilized a large group of women to stop the violence during the civil war in Liberia. Without weapons they demanded peace and refused to accept the power and the armed parties in the conflict. The film is about how a grass-roots activism may change the history.
Film from the South presents each year films from Africa, Asia and Latin-America during the Film from South festival in Oslo.
Intercultural communication
The theatre boat MS Innvik, which is located just opposite the Opera House, was a good venue for the Summer Event. Before the party and music begun in the evening a group of FK-participants performed a play about FK-exchange. The play was directed by Peter Harris, lecturer at intercultural communication at FK’s preparatory courses, and made the audience feel recognition of the feeling of being in another culture and sometimes out of the comfort zone for a while, before we learn new things about ourselves and the environment, and grow as persons.
