Terje Bratberg: Minorities give the city flavor
Historian Terje Bratberg has long been interested in Trondheim's minority history. For him, the Jewish Cultural Festival Trondheim is an essential arena – because it gives the city a richer and broader perspective.
photo and text: Martin Farstad Borg
Personal significance
Bratberg does not hide the fact that the festival means a lot to him, both as a professional and as a committed resident of Trondheim. He sees the festival as an important part of the city's identity.
The history of minorities
He describes how his interest has gradually moved towards minority history – a field he believes is crucial to understanding the city as a whole.
"I'm interested in most aspects of the city's history. The East has become more and more interested in minority history."
For Bratberg, this perspective is crucial for understanding Trondheim as a whole.
City walks as communication
Bratberg tells how, together with colleagues, he developed city walks that brought history alive for the audience.
"That's why I, together with Ralph Buchmann and Daniel Johansen, created Jewish city walks during the Culture Festival."
In this way, history was not only told, but also experienced – which reinforced the experience that the contributions of minorities are an integral part of the city's heritage.
The salt in society
He draws a parallel between the role of minorities and the salt in food – small in quantity, but crucial to the whole.
"One of the reasons why we should care about the history of minorities is that they form a salt, a society that we can use to experience things and gain a greater and broader understanding of both the minorities and the larger society."
This metaphor shows why he sees the festival as more than a cultural event – it is a source of depth and perspective in society.
An essential festival
Bratberg sees the festival as a unique platform for bringing to light stories that would otherwise be overlooked.
"That's why I believe that the Jewish Cultural Festival is absolutely essential."
Bratberg sees the festival as absolutely essential – and this year's full program and good support from the audience confirm that the story he calls for is being told. This is how minorities' place in the city's narrative is put on the map, year after year.
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