Ednama Sjatto travels to Slovakia

The old silent film Growth of the Soil from 1921 has been given new Sami music. The film is based on Knut Hamsun's Nobel Prize-winning novel, Growth of the Soil (1917).

Under The Hamsun Days on Hamarøy last summer the commissioned work Ednama sjatto / Growth of the Soil premiered LIVE at the opening of the festival. On March 17th, the work will be performed for the second time. It will take place at the cultural stage “Hviezda” in the city of Trenčín in Slovakia. Trenčín is the European Capital of Culture in 2026, as Bodø was last year.

“Powerful and magical”, “a masterpiece”, were words that were repeated after the premiere at the Hamsun Center on August 4, 2024. Principal composer Svein Schultz and his star team consisting of Lávre, Ronja-Katrin Larsen, Aleksander Kostopoulos, Ole-Jørn Myklebust, Stein Austrud and Kristian Svalestad Olstad and David Solheim were praised by a delighted audience. While the film rolled on the screen behind the musicians, the commissioned work Ednama sjatto was performed. The combination of silent film in black and white with a modern Sami musical expression makes the experience three-dimensional, one audience member said.

Many people think the novel Growth of the Soil has a racist slant to the Sami. The Hamsun Center started the project with new Sami music for the old silent film, as part of the reconciliation work that is ongoing throughout the country. When Ednama Sjatto is performed in Trenčín, the old silent film has been subtitled in Slovak. The project Ednama sjetto will be performed with an introduction and an after-talk.

The silent film Jánošík (1921) has also been given new music. The Slovak silent film, made by Slovak emigrants in the USA, is a prequel to Ednama sjatto. This film will also be performed LIVE by Norwegian Nils Petter Molvær on trumpet, composer and instrumentalist Dávid Kollár and Tomáš Mutina on electronica, both from Slovakia.

The project "Culture Connects-Trebø More Culture" is a collaboration between Bodø2024 and Trencin2026. Financed with financial support from the EEA. The Hamsun Center is one of the main partners in the TreBø project together with Bodø2024, UKM Nordland and Stormen Library. The project will contribute to the development of culture and art, competence and increased knowledge.