Here follows a message from Ambassador Brattskar to mark the event:
This year marks the 100th death anniversary of the famous Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. An extensive programme commemorates his life and works all over the world. Several of Ibsen’s plays as well as his poems have now been translated into both Sinhala and Tamil for the first time, and some of his plays are being staged in Colombo and in other places in Sri Lanka. I am particulary glad to see one of my favourite plays, Hedda Gabler, staged in Colombo tonight.
Ibsen is still among the most well-known and influential playwrights in the world. Every evening an Ibsen play is staged in a theatre somewhere around the globe. And tonight he is with us – in Colombo!
It has given me great pleasure to see how much interest Ibsen still evokes in Sri Lanka, and I am very pleased that the people of Sri Lanka now is given an opportunity to get to know Ibsen and his works better and thereby to enhance their understanding of Norwegian culture. It is important for us to show to the world that Norway is a modern country where culture is an important part of everyday life, and at the same time prove that Ibsen still may have a lot of impact in the modern world, both for the public at large and for artists and academics.
I would like to thank the Platform For Alternate Culture for their enthusiasm and professionalism in organising tonight’s event. I hope you will all gain both understanding and inspiration.
Yours sincerely,
Hans Brattskar
Ambassador