"Cosy racism" in the Faroe Islands
In the Faroe Islands, Kalpana Vijayavarathan-R has interviewed two artist sisters who experience that their art is personal when they create it, but political the moment it meets an audience.
"For them, something is at stake simply by taking part in public life with their art", she says.
The musician makes music inspired by hip hop, pop and soul. The artist's graphic works address the feeling of being a stranger. With a father from Kenya and a mother from the Faroe Islands, the two stand out on the islands.
"Cozy racism" is a type of racism that the artists refer to. It is a form of exclusion and trivialisation of experiences with discrimination. Her sister tells of an older woman who, after seeing her pictures and hearing about the painful experiences, asked her to "just stop thinking like that". And said that she is "just like other Faroese girls".
Experiences we rarely hear about
For the artists, art becomes a way to express how they experience being part of a minority. Art becomes a way to communicate with people from other minorities. The musician says that her music becomes a place where she can share stories and experiences with other minorities that are rarely heard in the public sphere in the Faroe Islands.
Researcher Kalpana Vijayavarathan-R lives in the Faroe Islands. She comes from a minority background, and both researches and writes poetry about discrimination and racism.
Breaking with Latin American stereotypes in Norway
In Norway, Joke Dewilde and Ole Kolbjørn Kjørven interviewed a Mexican choreographer, an Italian musician and a Chilean storyteller who live in Norway. The three performed at Stoppested Verden, an annual festival in Hamar.
"At the festival, they engaged and involved the audience through dance. Gradually they made their message more nuanced, for example by talking about how central death is in Latin American culture," says Kjørven.
The artists said that it is important for them to break with stereotypical ideas about Latin American culture, such as the idea that it is only about partying and fun.
Festivals like Stoppested Verden become a safe space for these artists. The storyteller showed how the art of storytelling is connected to craftsmanship, for example using knitting yarn from Patagonia, west of the Andes in South America.
"In this way, the audience gains insight into the material and bodily aspects of how they practice their culture," says Dewilde.
The researchers write that the setting for the interview may have influenced which topics the artists talked about. At a lively festival with many happy people, it may be more difficult to talk about racism and discrimination, as the sisters in the Faroe Islands did.
Minority experiences are useful in teaching
All the researchers work with education and multilingualism. Dewilde uses the research, among other things, to discuss minority experiences with student teachers.
"In the course 'Multilingualism in School and Society' we address experiences that are directly relevant for diverse classrooms. Teachers can use pupils' minority experiences as a resource by connecting them to subject-related topics, so that it does not become so personal for the pupils," she says.
"When different perspectives are brought into teaching, all pupils get more ways into understanding the subject matter," the professor emphasises.
For pupils with majority backgrounds, this can lead to increased reflection on their own position. At the same time, the teacher must be aware and ensure that sharing experiences is voluntary and takes place on the pupils' own terms. Not all pupils or student teachers will want to talk about their experiences. Diversity and ethnicity are sensitive topics for many.
"When it is done well, it strengthens both learning and the sense of community in the classroom," Dewilde points out.
Art, Diversity and Teacher Education
"Art is everything, it's like a safe space: Minority artists' negotiation of identity and heritage across two Nordic contexts" (2026) by Joke Dewilde, Ole Kolbjørn Kjørven and Kalpana Vijayavarathan-R (photo: Stoppested Verden).
