Every summer, indigenous peoples from all over the world gather in the Sea Sámi village of Manndalen in Kåfjord. Riddu Riđđu has grown to become one of the most significant festivals in Europe.
Riddu Riđđu is an annual music and culture festival that takes place in Kåfjord. Through music, theatre, film, art and literature, the festival aims to highlight, develop and challenge the culture and identity of the Sami and other indigenous peoples.
Sea Sami pride
In 1991, the festival was organised for the first time as «Sea Sami Cultural Days». The programme included charcoal fishing, a barbecue in the valley, an exhibition of local art and duodji and three concerts with Sami and African artists. The organiser was Gáivuona Samenuorat/Kåfjord Sameungdom, a Sami youth organisation, which was started the year before.
The young people in Gáivuona Samenuorat wanted to use the cultural days to shine a spotlight on the Sea Sami cultural heritage, which for so long had been viewed with shame both inside and outside the municipality's borders. This took place at a time when there was a great deal of opposition to the Sami, and the debates were at times very heated, both in the media and in private homes around the municipality. Through music, art and culture, the young people wanted to turn shame into pride.
Hub for indigenous peoples
Despite resistance and opposition, the festival grew in breadth and scope. In 1995, the festival was renamed Riddu Riđđu, and most of the programme was moved to an outdoor stage. Well-known Sámi artists performed at the festival, and contributions from indigenous peoples from other northern areas grew steadily.
Today, the festival is a hub for indigenous peoples around the world and is recognised as one of the most important festivals in Europe. The festival builds bridges, creates friendship, trust and respect across national borders and ethnicity. National recognition came when the festival, as one of 12 festivals in Norway, was given the status of a hub festival and thus became a permanent item in the national budget.
Watch the documentary Liten storm på kysten, NRK 2001
Watch the film Greater than ourselves, by Anita Lervoll, 2004
From Riddu Riđđu 2009
Videos, documentaries
Videos from Riddu Riđđu 2015, NRK
Documentary from Riddu Riđđu 2015, NRK
Small storm on the coast, NRK 2001
An ordinary and unusual festival, NRK
Latest articles
Small storm in Sameland, Dagbladet 2004
We had a desire to change the world, NRK 2015
20 years of Riddu Riddu, NRK 2011
Indigenous people meet in Manndalen, Aftenposten 2008
Riddu has made it easier to be Sami, NRK 2015
We are the ones who know diversity, Aftenposten 2013
