Story- telling conveys knowledge and arouses interest

Birgit Andersson worked as a painter. Perfect for her she says. While painting houses, she was able to plan cultural activities. Having plans two and three years ahead she thinks is a matter of course. The person who brought life into cultural interest really was most likely Torgny Lindgren according to her.

Who are you ?

I am a cultural entrepreneur who has a very great interest in literature and history. A short answer for a big question.

What is your passion ?

I have always been passionate about people in Norsjö municipality discovering what we have here. Often when you talk about culture, you have been to an exhibition outside the municipality, for example in Skellefteå or the capital. I want to highlight our own cultural history right here. I was at a meeting in the town hall here in norsjö for quite a few years ago, out of the meeting, preliminary study by Torgny Lindgren’s literary landscape ahead. At that meeting, I wondered why no one did anything up about just Torgny. I often find that things are not done and wonder why no-one had made a case for his work. Then pretty quickly I realised that someone was me. I’m probably the person who would fill the literary and cultural hole.

What do you know as others do not know about Torgny Lindgren?
There are certainly several who know this, but not all. Torgny Lindgren is translated into over 50 languages. I was in contact with the publisher because I was so curious about how they deal with the dialectal words he has in his books. So how they translate them. The person I talked to at the publisher told me that they are looking for a translator, but then they must also have a person who can dialect in that particular language. This means that everyone can enjoy Torgny Lindgren’s books regardless of language. I think that is absolutely fantastic.

What does storytelling mean to you ?

It conveys knowledge and arouses interest for something that is being forgotten. I progressed over from this project with Torgny Lindgren’s to storytelling. I have attended writing courses at folk high school and university courses in writing and through this I have emerged a completely new person, a Birgit who I did not know existed before. With my work for Ord & Visors publishers, I got an education in the narrative world. It was Göran Lundin who propelled me into things that I never thought I would do. Basically I am a painter and for me it is a perfect combination, to work with my hands and then I get to create with my brain too.

What are you writing ?

I write purely narrative performances. I got an assignment in Skellefteå, it was about the touristic would be anchored in the area Nordanå through a storytelling performance. It was a tough process where I learned an incredible amount. When it was finished I wanted to do something similar in Norsjö. The result was ”the greatest of all is the hash.” To be working with local talent and highlight the municipality’s cultural heritage was absolutely fantastic.

You have also had some cemetery walks up on Näset, how did this come about ?

There was also a gap here, I saw something that someone should do. This someone turned out to be myself. It was Marianne Folkedotter, Västerbotten’s storyteller, who encouraged me. She was visiting Norsjö and had some time over so I took her to the cemetery at Näset to show and tell her me. Marianne sowed a seed in me and six months later I had a script ready. On average, there have been between 70-80 people on each hike, I thought there would be five. The best thing about this is that now things are happening up there, the grass is cut, the grounds have been set in order, the bushes clipped it simply becomes lovelier every time I’m up there and it’s important to me. I often get the question about where people are buried and usually then advise to contacting the pastor’s office in Norsjö. In the 1990s, a cemetery inventory was made, not all graves are included as some stones were already missing by then. But if you are looking for a specific grave it can be helpful.

How did the church end up on Näset ?

In the beginning, the centre of society lay in what is today Sörbyn. A local governor came to visit who thought that Näset was a good place because it would be high up. When the centre of society moved to where it is today, the church ended up left behind. All of a sudden it felt far to the church and it was simply decided to move it to the present place. It should not have done as it burnt down, so the people in Norsjö built a new one that also burnt down. Norsjö residents are a persistent people and built up the Church again and it is still standing today. I would like to emphasize the spirit of those living in the municipality, they do not give up easily.

Senast ändrad 12 oktober 2021