Land of stories and trolls

Contrary to warnings that Norway is eter nally cold, I found Stavanger airport basking in golden sunlight, the afternoon I landed there recently.

It was an unusually quiet place with just a few people around. When I went through the airport exit a slim, tall girl stood up from her seat smiling. She knew I was the expected visitor.

We boarded a van and drove about 15 kilometres into the small town. On the way we passed grasslands, fields and farmsteads as we chatted as though we had known each other all our lives.

The girl uttered her name which I could not decipher. Then she pulled out a card which read Inger Johanne Rosland. Peeping over whilst I read the card she said, "Just call me Hanna."

Hanna took me to the 4th floor of the newest hotel in the town. The cosy little room she opened with a key card was so inviting. On the TV screen flashed the greeting "Welcome to Stavenger, Sybil Wettasinghe."

On the afternoon of that day was the opening ceremony of the Stavenger International Festival of Literature and Freedom of Speech - Chapter '00 which I had been invited to attend.

On our arrival at the Stavenger Hall for the ceremony, we found men, women and children eagerly awaiting the Mayor of Stavenger, the special guest. The proceedings started amidst TV cameras and flashlights. We saw a band of young stage artistes from Scandinavia perform in remarkable grandeur. lt was described in the programme as a hypnotic, mildly hallucinogenic poetic, lyrical experience and so it was. Brisk and smart and utterly ultra modern, the presentation was in catwalk style symbolizing the new generation.

The theme of this year's Chapter '00 celebrations was story-telling. The presentation of an extremely talented story-teller from Ghana domiciled in London was captivating. Jan Blake, the story-teller is a young Ghanian. Through song, dance and mime, she narrated a charming African folktale. Her joyous expressions were infectious and the audience joined in singing the parts of the songs they grasped. Her story-telling had humour and joy.

An interesting feature of this year's programme was the introduction of the 17-year research by Professor Gaoussou Diawara of Mali, West Africa. His research proves that King Abubakar II of Mali crossed the Atlantic ocean and landed in America nearly 200 years before Columbus. Extracts of the research were presented through a slide display. 

On the third day of my visit was a country tour organized for the participants. The picturesque countryside was so similar to Aberdeenshire, Scotland where I have been on holiday a couple of times. It is said that Stavenger is the twin city of Aberdeenshire. 

The tour guide whose commentary was close to an account of historical narration, had many humorous quips to add.

Animal food in an area we passed was wrapped up to keep the environment clean. They seemed like huge white opaque balls kept in rows in the farmlands. Our guide winked mischievously at the passengers in the bus as he remarked, "The big white balls you see along the way in farmlands are Dinosaur eggs!" They are actually food for pigs.

Saturday 23 was special. It was Sri Lankan day, marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Norway. Lankan authors Romesh Gunasekera and A. Sivanandan who have made their homes in England had also been invited to the Festival '00. I was delighted to meet them for the first time. We were cordially presented to the audience by Olaf Kritiansen.

We read from our books and had a pleasant discussion with those who were present. Sri Lankans in Stavanger had been invited but were conspicuous by their absence.

Bjorn Roar Bye, a well-known film maker spoke to me nostalgically of the days spent in Sri Lanka and about his many friends over here, especially Dr. Lester James Peries and his wife Sumithra. Kari Thorsen had breakfast with me most mornings chatting away heartily about Sri Lankan culture. She is affiliated to work on cultural affairs of the Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation.

When I visited the Stavenger Children's Library, I was pleasantly surprised to come across my book Umbrella Thief still popular -10 years after its publication in Norway.

Walking in the old-world cobbled road lined with small shops on either sides, I met an old friend. My joy knew no bounds. I had known him during my schooldays at Holy Family Convent Colombo. I remember that first I used to be scared of him but later I realized his gruesome face was deceptive and I began to like him, 

Seeing him in Stavenger, I slowly walked upto him and whispered 'Hello." There was a touch of warmth in his weird grin, reminding me of my fantasy filled childhood. I stood beside him and requested Hanna to take a picture of us. He was my storybook friend, the well-known Troll of Scandinavia!

Early on Sunday morning, Hanna drove me back to the airport to bring me on my homeward journey. Once again, the sun was shining brightly. The roads were nearly deserted. The North winds danced and rolled away whispering in my ears, come back, come back.... they seemed to say. Hanna was rather sad to take leave of me. In the four days we were together, she considered me as a 'mum' from a foreign land.

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