Royal visit Oslo

Blog from Renno Hokwerda

We all sat down when Harald, Sonja, Máxima and Willem Alexander did so, too. We were on Fram, the ship used by renowned explorers such as Amundsen, Nansen and Sverdrup, a design famous for its ice-resistance. Nowadays it is a PR icebreaker. It's still an old fashioned ship in many ways, so the table was as playing loose and fast with the deck under its legs. The schedule wasn't wobbly at all though - 25 minutes in and out.

How did I arrive here? In October I received a phone call, if I were interested in a round table discussion about the future of the Arctic. Why not. - For what occasion? I asked. - The state visit of the Netherlands to Norway. On the other end of the line was the Arctic Frontiers conference bureau. I was on the shortlist of candidates thanks to the Arctic Emerging Leaders programme, which I attended in 2020, just before the C word C-zed the world.

So, there we were. The bomb crew found nothing but a dated ship, the souvenir shop was safe, all ready to roll. Off Fram went: "an audio-visual experience" projected onto the walls, flashy sounds and cabooms! brought us into ice Antarctic waters. A bit of an odd moment, which gave plenty of time to familiarise myself with the four special guests.

Then I got the word. 60 seconds. There we go.

"Hello, I’m Renno, NWO, working for the Netherlands Polar research Programme. As a kid, I could read atlases for hours, and especially the map of the Arctic was mesmerising. But now I have come to realise the map was wrong. THE Arctic doesn’t exist. It is so many regions, roles, functions, people, places and identities that you can’t fathom this on a single flat sheet of paper. You need to understand it as a whole. To solve the big questions of today we need to combine perspectives and cooperate, with insiders and outsiders. In my area of operation, polar science, cooperation is crucial. A good example is the Dutch-Norwegian expedition to Svalbard next summer. (Hint @SEES 2022). Although, granted, it won't ever be so magnificent as what Fram did (nod to Harald and Sonja).

Finishing off: We must realise the Arctic is a real place out there (pointing northwards), but also a place in here (heart)."

Then the seven others did their one-minute of fame speech. The melange was extraordinary: a glaciologist, the owner of a sustainable Arctic resort, a goose poop analyst (or ecologist, to fancy it up), a Saami representative and trainee in the EU, an entrepreneur specialising in chemical-free leather processing (including cod leather), a representative from the Northern Norway Youth Council, and another Groninger - who is in the Arctic Explorer Foundation, making VR experiences of polar fieldwork.

After their speeches, we all had to give a 60 sec reply. That turned out more difficult than expected, mine ticked the entire cliché checkbox, ouch. Then it was time for part II, a discussion, in which both Queens also participated. Before the royals were sent palace-ward, Marije Tempel shared a moving poem. Creativity always brings such a nice entry to serious topics!

I offered Harald my help with him standing up, as he's a bit infirm, but he firmly declined, yet it brought us in a brief conversation in Norwegian. Then Máxima and Willem Alexander came towards us and a brief informal conversation unfolded, where we talked about their visit to Antarctica and the upcoming Dutch-Norwegian expedition to Svalbard. "Good job you do there," he more-less said (you can't quote the King due to the ministerial responsibility over what he says). The court dignitaries unfortunately summoned their monarchs back to the exit, on to the state dinner. All was over in a flurry, leaving us in an anti-climax. From high level security, media and people in fancy suits and dresses to an empty building. And empty stomachs, so we headed for town and found replenishment in the Food Court.

I stayed in Oslo for two more days, visiting the Whaling museum in Sandefjord (a focal point in polar history, for better or for worse…), the forests, Vigaland park, impro theatre and a bookshop. My first time I genuinely spent time in this city. Good vibes.

Quotes

To the embassy staff: “Will the pictures be royalty free?”

To Sonja: “We might consider looking into it”.