Webinar – Nordic Literature by Minority Stories
Date: Monday, January 27, 2025
Time: 13:00 – 14:00 (Norwegian time)
The Importance of Representation to Fight Prejudice
In this webinar four minority authors, residing in Norway, Hassan Ali Syed, Marta Mboka Tveit, Salamatu Winningah and Cherihane Chehade, will offer insights into their work, present their books and share their journeys to become published authors in Norway.
Hassan Ali Syed, Marta Mboka Tveit, Salamatu Winningah have published their books through the publisher BedreVi (https://www.bedrevi.no/), and their books have been used to engage children during reading sessions as part of the Lifting Minority Stories project. BedreVi’s following statement on their website is one that we share, and which underlines the importance of Demos Culture – Lifting minority writers:
“It is essential that children and young people with a cross-cultural background can recognize themselves in literature, through characters, environments, and settings that reflect their various cultural perspectives. This is important for their identity development and to promote the normalization of cultural diversity in our society. Our mission is to encourage more individuals with minority backgrounds to write and publish children and youth literature.»
Cherihade Chehade has gone a separate route, and published her book herself. In the webinar, we will touch on the subject of challenges and pitfalls minority writers encounter when publishing their work.
Read more about the authors below, and make sure to register by clicking on this link: https://forms.gle/pohY9nmCxP4Tqr8G7
This event is part of Lifting Minority Stories, funded by Nordic Culture Point. It’s implemented in cooperation of Cooperative 3E, Kotte, MiR and Slaturhusid Performance Art Center. The workshop will be in English.
About the authors:
Marta Mboka Tveit is a 34-year-old Ph.D. research fellow in cultural studies at the University of Oslo, who is making her debut as a children’s book author this fall with Krussedullehår. With a childhood that spans across multiple continents, including Zambia, Pakistan, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania, she has been deeply influenced by a diversity of cultures, which is reflected in both her academic and creative work.
Hassan Ali Syed is a 31-year-old teacher and senior adviser from Oslo, who has debuted as an author with the poetry collection Jhula – Emotions in Swing. With a background as a teacher and a strong commitment to youth issues, Syed explores complex emotions such as friendship, love, grief, longing, equality, and exclusion.
Salamatu Winningah Salamatu Winningah is a resident of Bodø who grew up in Drammen and has roots in Ghana. In 2021, she made her debut as a children’s book author with the book Mommies’ magical secret. Her experiences from both Ghana and Norway have shaped her strong social engagement, and she has long been active in local politics and public debate. Winningah is passionate about integration, inclusion, and representation, and this commitment is an important driving force behind her work with children’s books.
Cherihane Chehade
Cheriahane Chehade is originally from Lebanon but grew up in Fredrikstad. She has written the book Caught Between Two Worlds, which deals with what happens to children when parents get divorced, the stigma that has existed and still exists in some communities for women when families are separated, and how many cultures blame the woman when a family breaks up. The book also addresses what it’s like for children to live with relatives abroad without their parents. Parents often think it’s good for children to stay with relatives, but it can be difficult when they have grown up in Norwegian society, with a different culture.
