18 YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP

18 YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP

An evaluation of the friendship link between HEIMDAL/TRONDHEIM and KEREN 1992-2010

In 1992 a committee in Heimdal (a part of the city of Trondheim, Norway), starting from a private initiative and with the assistance of the Norwegian Church Aid, came in contact with the city of Keren, Eritrea. The idea from the beginning was to create a mutual friendship link between North and South involving ordinary people in the two cities as well as authorities. A friendship committee was established also in Keren. This was the start of a lasting friendship link. The first visit from Heimdal/Trondheim to Keren was by Mr Erik Dahl in 1992, and two years later, in 1994, the Mayor of Keren, Ato Osman Mohammed Omer, and the chairman of the Friendship Committte in Keren, Rev. Ghebrehannes Mender, visited Trondheim. At that time an agreement was signed by representatives of the city authorities and the friendship committees from both cities. In the document the following was said to be the aim of the joint effort:

• to maintain a link between Keren and Heimdal, based on partnership and exchange
• to make a significant impact on everyday quality of life in the two towns
• to act as far as possible as a catalyst for wider awareness and involvement in both communities.

It is natural now, after 18 years of active friendship between Keren and Trondheim, to evaluate the work that has been done in the light of these aims. Looking back over the history of the friendship link, it seems possible to divide it into three periods: Period 1 from 1992 until (roughly) 1998, Period 2 1998-2004, and Period 3 from 2004 until the present day.

PERIOD 1: 1992 – 1998

In this first period of the friendship link the emphasis was on exchange visits, schools and kindergartens, art and culture, churches, and (towards the end of the period) sanitation.

EXCHANGE VISITS

From the very beginning visiting and getting to know each other have been driving forces and the main inspiration of the friendship link.

In this period:

1992 Erik Dahl to Keren

1994 Mayor Osman M. Omer, Ghebrehannes Mender to Trondheim

1995 artists Åse and Oluf Føinum, teacher Inger Hasselø, Jon Smidt to Keren

1996 artist Elsa Yacob to Trondheim

1997 school director Rista Ghebremeskel to Trondheim

1997 Gertrud and Jon Smidt to Keren

1997 teacher Inger Hasselø to Keren

1998 singer Abrehet Berhane to Trondheim

SCHOOLS AND KINDERGARTENS

Friendship links were very soon established between schools and kindergartens in Trondheim (Heimdal district) and Keren:

• Exchange of letters (in Trondheim: Kattem, Åsheim, Breidablikk Schools, Torvsletta kindergarten  etc. – in Keren: Semaetat and Dearit Elem. Schools, among others, St. Anna kindergarten)

• School children in Trondheim organized projects to make money for desks to schools in Keren 1996-1998
• Director Rista Ghebremeskel from Semaetat Elementary School visited Trondheim in 1997

ART AND CULTURE

Early on, contacts were made between Norwegian and Eritrean artists. Already in 1995, Norwegian glass and ceramics artists Oluf and Åse Føinum and a teacher with special interest for the arts, Inger Hasselø, met Eritrean artists in the new independent country, and Inger introduced the ”The Bird Project” at Semaetat Elementary School in Keren- In the Bird Project school children in both countries, assisted by artists, made art exhibitions on “birds”, and the exhibitions were exchanged and shown in both countries. Later Inger Hasselø introduced ideas she got from Eritrea in Trondheim schools, about creating works of art from simple materials (“Art from Waste”).

• Contact and collaboration between Norwegian artists and artists in Eritrea (Åse and Oluf Føinum, Inger Hasselø 1995)

• ”The Bird Project”: (Inger Hasselø, Kattem Elem. School, Heimdal Art Association, artists Elsa Yacob, Habteweld Misgna, Semaetat Elem. School etc) 1995-1996
• Inger Hasselø’s ”Art from Waste” Project 1997
• Singer Abrehet Berhane in Trondheim 1998

CHURCHES

Congregations in Tiller and Heimdal and the Evangelical Church in Keren became “friendship churches”

SANITATION

From about 1996 the Trondheim Sanitation Company (supported by Municipality of Trondheim) was involved in the friendship link, because of the obvious needs in Keren for better trucks and equipment for waste handling.

PERIOD 2: 1998 – 2004

In this period the friendship link was very active. In Trondheim several institutions outside of Heimdal, like Ringve Secondary School, Sør-Trøndelag University College, the Trondheim Sanitation Company and the Regional Hospital in Trondheim were involved in the friendship, and so the name was changed to Friendship Trondheim-Keren. In this period many young people from Trondheim received lasting impressions of Eritrea and Keren, through the contacts between Keren Secondary School, Ringve Secondary School and the teacher education at HiST (Sør-Trøndelag University College). This was, however, also the period of the new conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which made return visits from Keren students and other young people to Trondheim very difficult. It was also a period when we learnt a great deal about sanitation and water supply in the two cities.

EXCHANGE VISITS

In this period:

1999 Britt Arnhild Lindland, Ingebjørg Meling, Terje Christiansen, Jon Smidt to Keren

1999 Mayor Zahra Jaber to Trondheim

2000 Rev. Zere Bekit, teacher Habteweld Misgna to Trondheim

2001 artist Ermias Ekube to Trondheim

2001 Britt Arnhild Lindland, Rev. John Olav Gundersen to Keren

2001 teachers Anders Gjervan, Tor Kaalvik, Karin Ingimundar, Jon Smidt to Keren

2002 Mayor Liv Sandven, Erik Dahl to Keren

2002 Mayor Tesfay Tecle to Trondheim

2002 engineer/dam expert Einar Tesaker to Keren

2003 Jan-Feb: six student teachers from  HiST + Jon Smidt, Harald Lauglo, Bente Moen (HiST teacher education staff) to Keren

2003 March: six students from Ringve Secondary School + teachers Anders Gjervan, Tor Kaalvik to Keren

2003 May-June: teachers Mesfin Mehari, Tesfeyohannes from Keren Secondary School to Trondheim (Ringve)

2003 Sept: a delegation (10) from HiST (Sør-Trøndelag University College), headed by HiST Rector Torunn Klemp + Jon Smidt to Keren

2003 Nov-Dec: eight student teachers from HiST, among them two deaf students, + faculty Guri Amundsen to Keren

2004 seven staff members from different health faculties at HiST to Keren

2004 six student teachers from HiST to Keren

SCHOOLS

• Letters were exchanged and gifts sent between several different elementary schools in Trondheim (especially Heimdal district) and Keren.
• Ringve Secondary School established a link to Keren Secondary School, and from 2001 this link was included in a special school exchange programme, sponsored by NORAD to assist the exchange of students and teachers between countries in North and South.

TEACHER EDUCATION

The Faculty of Teacher Education at Sør-Trøndelag University College (HiST) was very actively involved in the friendship link from 2001, and very soon after this, the leadership of the college and several other faculties were drawn into the work and looked for possible collaborative projects.

• Jon Smidt and student representative Karin Ingimundar 2001
• 3 groups of student teachers had practice periods at Keren Secondary School 2003-2004
• HiST leadership (rector, deans from many faculties etc) to Eritrea 2003
• Staff from different health faculties at HiST 2004

SANITATION

The involvement of the Trondheim Sanitation Company (and the Municipality of Trondheim) led to the sending of three sanitation trucks to Keren 1998-99. In 1999, Terje Christiansen from the Trondheim Sanitation Company visited Keren to hand over the trucks and learn about the handling of waste in Keren.

WATER

In Keren a water supply committee was working to solve the water supply problems. In 2002, Einar Tesaker, who is an international dam expert and a member of the friendship committee in Trondheim, was invited to Keren to give advice about dams etc.

DEAF SCHOOLS/SIGN LANGUAGE

A strong link was built between the Evangelical School for the Deaf in Keren and Møller Competence Centre and School for the Deaf and the Department of Interpreter and Sign Language Studies at HiST, leading to several projects and visits in the following years.

• Director Zere Bekit to Trondheim 2000
• Two deaf student teachers and Guri Amundsen from HiST to Deaf School in Keren 2003

CHURCHES

In 2001, Deacon Britt Arnhild Lindland and Pastor John Olav Gundersen from Heimdal visited Eritrea, sponsored by the NCA (Norwegian Church Aid).

HOSPITALS/HEALTH EQUIPMENT

Containers with health and hospital equipment were sent to Keren 2002-2004

ART AND CULTURE

• Artist Ermias Ekube worked in Trondheim for several months in 2001 and inspired artists and school children in Trondheim through his work.
• Erik Dahl edited and published the first book about the friendship link (Med hjertet i Keren, English edition: Mehzenet – Friendship link between Keren and Trondheim) in 2002.

CITY ADMINISTRATION

Around the 10 year anniversary of the friendship link, in 2002, official visits were made by authorities in both cities, Mayor Liv Sandven to Keren and Mayor Tesfay Tecle to Trondheim, and there were celebrations in both cities.

PERIOD 3: 2004 – 2010

In the third period of the friendship link most of the exchange visits have been connected to one or more of the following areas of interest: school exchange (on secondary school level), city planning, especially sanitation and waste handling, deaf schools/sign language, hospitals and health, and book projects.

EXCHANGE VISITS

In this period:

2004 Dr. Leul Banteyrga, Abubeker Berek, Saba Tecle (NCA) to Trondheim

2005 Dr. Terje Skjærpe to Keren

2005 six Ringve students + teachers Anders Gjervan, Tor Kaalvik to Keren

2005 Deaf School teacher Besserat Tekleab, deaf student Yodit Debesai to Trondheim

2006 Jon Smidt to Keren

2006 eight Ringve students + teachers Anders Gjervan, Tor Kaalvik to Keren

2006 Dr. Terje Skjærpe to Keren

2006 Director Zere Bekit to Trondheim (studies)

2007 Marte Taylor Bye, Erik Dahl, Kathrine Hestø Hansen, Olav Jørum to Keren

2007 Marte Taylor Bye, Elin Venås, Annbjørg Nordbø + sign language interpreters to Keren

2007 Dr. Terje Skjærpe to Keren

2007 Dr. Leul Banteyrga to Trondheim

2008 Guri Amundsen, Marte Taylor Bye, Jon Smidt to Keren

2008 Dr. Terje Skjærpe (twice) to Keren

2008 Medical students Håvard Otto and Sverre Georg Sæther two months in Keren

2009 Mayor Tekie Keleta, Rev. Zere Bekit to Trondheim

2009 Jan Bojer Vindheim, Lars Volden, Aage Heie to Keren

2010: Guri Amundsen, Petter Kjørstad, Marte Taylor Bye, Georg Bjerkli, Kjetil Skarpeid + sign language interpreters to Keren

SCHOOLS

There were school exchange visits from Ringve Secondary School to Keren Secondary School in 2003, 2005, 2006.

CITY PLANNING/SANITATION/WASTE HANDLING

• Engineer Abubeker Berek from the Keren City Administration came to Trondheim in 2004 to learn about city planning, water supply and waste handling.
• The waste project called  ”Landfill Keren”, sponsored by  the Norwegian Church Aid, was launched in 2008-09, leading to a thorough report about sanitation and waste handling in Keren.

DEAF SCHOOLS/SIGN LANGUAGE

The collaboration between Interpreter and Sign Language Department at HiST, Møller Competence Centre for the Deaf and Evang. School for the Deaf in Keren continued:

• Teacher Besserat from Keren Deaf School and deaf student Yodit visited Trondheim in 2005
• Deaf teacher Elin Venås from Møller School for the Deaf and deaf student Annbjørg Nordbø visited Keren in 2007
• HiST teacher Guri Amundsen and others organized workshops for the development of teaching methods for the deaf.
• Deaf School Director Zere Bekit studied the teaching of sign language at HiST 2006
• In 2004-2006, a project to find drinking water for the Deaf School in Keren was organized with the NCA.

HOSPITALS/HEALTH EQUIPMENT

The visit by Medical director Dr. Leul Banteyrga from Keren Hospital to Trondheim in 2004 led to the strong engagement of heart specialist Dr. Terje Skjærpe and others from the University Hospital of St. Olav in Trondheim. Dr. Leul returned to Trondheim in 2007 and made new contacts. From 2005, Dr. Terje Skjærpe organized his own project to provide ultrasound equipment and training for hospitals in Asmara and Keren. One offspring of his project was the ultrasound investigation of pregnant women in Keren conducted by medical students Håvard Otto and Sverre Georg Sæther in 2008.

CULTURE: BOOK PROJECTS 1 and 2

• Erik Dahl and Marte Taylor Bye edited and published a second book about Eritrea, involving writers and translators in Eritrea as well as in Trondheim. The book, Når kamelen smiler/Let the camel smile, was published in Norwegian first and then translated into English and Tigrinya (2007), and the English version was allowed by Eritrean authorities to be distributed in Eritrea.
• A new plan is to make a book with stories from childhood in Eritrea, to be published in English and Tigrinya and used as reading material in schools. For this purpose writing workshops were organized at Mai Nefhi (EIT) and in Keren in 2008 and a new one is planned for May 2010.

CHURCHES

• Congregations in Tiller and Heimdal and Evangelical Church in Keren are still “friendship churches”.
• Rev. Zere and other guests have visited churches in Heimdal several times.
• There have been collections in churches for the Evang. Church and Deaf School in Keren.

Evaluation

To what extent do these efforts and activities meet the expectations represented in the agreement of 1994?

Aim 1: to maintain a link between Keren and Heimdal, based on partnership and exchange

It must be fair to say that we have been able to follow up this aim to a considerable extent. The friendship committees in the two cities have been in close contact without interruptions for all these years, many people have visited the other city and made strong and lasting connections on the personal side, and we have most certainly got to know a great deal more about each other – history, nature and geography, political and social conditions etc. Although, for political and other reasons, there have been more visits from Trondheim to Keren than the other way, yet there have been visitors from Keren to Trondheim also nearly every year. The friendship link is well established and recognized by the authorities in both cities, although there is a basic difference in the organization of the two committees, as the Keren committee is an officially appointed committee, while the Trondheim committee is based on a private initiative, a fact which is important to keep in mind in the evaluation of the friendship link.

Aim 2: to make a significant impact on everyday quality of life in the two towns

It is more difficult to assess the friendship link in relation to this aim, partly because it may be interpreted in different ways. Clearly, we have not been able to change living conditions for people in the two cities on a large scale. However, considering that both committees have limited resources, the Keren committee because of the economical challenges of the new country, the Trondheim committee because it has no resources of its own to draw on and must rely on applications for funding from various sources every year, – with this taken into consideration, we can see that quite a lot has been done that could in some way make an impact “on everyday quality of life in the two towns”. In Trondheim the impact has probably been mostly in schools, teacher education and churches, and there have been important cultural impulses through artists from Eritrea. As for the impact on everyday life in Keren we must leave the evaluation of that to the Keren committee, but certainly the account of our mutual history shows efforts within fields as education, sanitation, sign language, water supply and health.

Aim 3: to act as far as possible as a catalyst for wider awareness and involvement in both communities

Again, we must leave the evaluation of the impact in Keren to the Keren committee, but speaking for Trondheim, we can safely say that the friendship link has been a “catalyst for wider awareness and involvement”, especially in schools, teacher education and churches, but also among politicians and administrators in the municipality of Trondheim and in other groups, organizations and institutions, for instance the University Hospital of St. Olav. Although the working committee in Trondheim is not very large, we have over the years made many connections and cooperated with numerous groups and parties, also outside of Trondheim, and so we have in some respect been ambassadors of Keren and Eritrea. We have also cooperated nationally in many of our efforts, especially with the Norwegian Church Aid, and our exchange projects have been supported by Friendship North/South, an government-sponsored organization devoted to assisting and supporting friendship links like ours. We have even been in dialogue with the Norwegian government and members of parliament and may have influenced the decision to have a Norwegian embassy in Eritrea. It is also important to say that there have been Eritreans represented in the committee almost from the start, and that we have been able to build connections also to the Eritrean community in Trondheim, and this connection has also contributed to wider awareness and involvement.

Final words

As can be seen from the above, a great many people have been involved in the friendship link between Keren and Trondheim over the years, and it has been fruitful and rewarding in many different ways. Of course, there has always been the issue of the special needs of Keren, a city in a country with great challenges in all fields, and there always have been and always should be discussions about what and how much can be expected from a link like this when it comes to solving the larger problems of Keren. Again it must be remembered that the friendship committee in Trondheim is a private committee without any funds of its own, and that the primary aim of the friendship link from the beginning was to establish mutual understanding. Obviously, however, as friends we cannot be blind to the concrete challenges and needs of the other, and so, as far as we have been able to go, we have involved ourselves in certain projects, in health, sanitation etc, which also have proved to be very rewarding and interesting experiences for the Norwegians involved. Nevertheless, with the experience of 18 years of friendship in mind, we believe that it is important to keep the mutual personal connections at the centre of the friendship link, even in the future, based on the idea of mutual solidarity and understanding between people in different parts of the world.

As we look towards the future, we must hope that the political challenges in Eritrea will not interfere too much with our long-lasting and well-rooted friendship. In Trondheim, we know that even if we cannot hope for economical support on a large scale from the Municipality, the city authorities have a positive view of our work and will support us on a smaller scale as long as we are able to keep up the mutual connections the way we have done up to now. And so we may hope that the friendship link between Keren and Trondheim will exist and develop for many new years.

Trondheim, April 24, 2010,

The Trondheim-Keren Friendship Committee

Jon Smidt (chairman)