My editorial in the Stavanger newspaper

A week ago Stavanger’s newspaper, Aftenbladet, featured a two-page special section on schools in Stavanger. The article discussed the decision by the local government to give more money to schools categorized as having “the worst living conditions” in the city.

The small box in the lower left-hand corner of the infographic states that the lowest index (lightest colors) denotes the best living conditions, while the highest index (darkest colors) denotes the worst. Below this the newspaper informs that the survey, completed in 2012, was based on the following factors: percentage of children, percentage of non-Western immigrants…

And that is where I stopped, mouth open in a pre-scream. I immediately grabbed my phone, took a picture of the newspaper page, and posted it to my Facebook page with the comment: “Oh no you didn’t, Stavanger kommune!”

But I felt it wasn’t enough just to rant to all of my friends on Facebook, preaching the converted, as it were, and so I wrote an editorial for the newspaper which was published on Saturday . The English translation follows.

“Stavanger: Storhaug raises my living conditions”

When we moved to Stavanger from Bergen with our two young children we were not forced to live in Storhaug; we chose to live in Storhaug. I admit that I did not fall immediately in love with the area. Its run-down buildings seemed dreary, and I didn’t think there were enough trees, but I did appreciate that it was within walking distance to town. The fact that a large number of my colleagues at the University of Stavanger lived in Storhaug was also a good sign.

Our first week in Storhaug convinced us that we had made the right decision. We do not love Storhaug for its buildings but for its people: dark brown, light brown and various shades of pale. Storhaug is alive. It is a place with friendly neighbors, and not the type of area where people lock themselves up in their houses and don’t speak to others. I was angered, but also confused, by the categorization of Storhaug as having the poorest living conditions in Stavanger.

In his autobiography Nelson Mandela wrote, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” It is absurd that in 2014 we are still categorizing people by their ethnicity and race, that it is still ok to make claims about what is “best” or “worst” based on skin color or ethnicity or nationality. But I am in agreement with Mandela that love comes more naturally to the human heart, and so I would rather share my love and gratitude for the people of Storhaug who raise my living conditions on a daily basis.

Thank you to my Pakistani neighbors for being among the first to stop by and say hello when we moved in. And thank you to your son for his kind smile when we pass in the morning on the way to school and work. Thank you to Sandra, an assistant at Storhaug school. My daughter adores you for your kindness and warmth. To the Romanian who lives next door to us with the Hollywood license plate and colorful flowers around his home: you once shouted to me with an enormous smile, “Music is LIFE!” Thank you for adding vibrance to our street and to our lives. Thank you to the Turkish shop owner who introduced me to the best yoghurt I have ever tasted. Thank you, too, for giving my daughter a chocolate. You made her feel special. I would also like to thank the Somalians who live behind us. In the evenings you sit outside and speak animatedly to one another, and although the stories you tell are not in a language I understand, your laughter reminds me that life can be good, even on tough days. Thanks to all who have moved here from near and far away and have chosen to share their lives with us in Storhaug.

It is true that I have only lived in Stavanger for six months, but my experience is that Stavanger is a wonderfully diverse, lively, cosmopolitan city, and Storhaug contributes to this. To the Municipality of Stavanger: I believe you owe an apology to the people who comprise your city, but I also believe you have a serious choice to make for the future. You can be a town of suspicion and fear that views people from other countries as a problem, or you can embrace your immigrant identity with excitement and love, recognizing that whether or not we have Norwegian citizenship, we immigrants are members of the Stavanger community who create the tapestry of culture, traditions and beliefs that is Stavanger.

I am pleased that the city government wants to give more money to the schools in the downtown area, but I want them to do it for real reasons such as poor results which show that students in those schools need extra help – students who are Western immigrants and ethnic Norwegians, too. And maybe if the criteria were changed a bit and intercultural education (something I value for my children) were considered, some of the schools out in Madla and Hinna would also need extra funding.