A New Image of Paamiut

Do the Danes have a balanced picture of Greenland – or are we in fact influenced by prejudices of social disaster and abuse? C:NTACT studied that in a large theater project, which had its premiere there in September 2010. 60 young people from the city Paamiut created a performance based on the thoughts and dreams that occupied the local teenagers.

Since the local fish factory closed in the 90’s, Paamiut has been characterised by unemployment, abuse and social disruption. Too many of the city’s nearly 2,000 inhabitants have experienced violence, abuse or neglect on their own bodies. Despite these serious problems, the project aim was to penetrate the classic victim stories and give a more nuanced picture of life on the world’s largest island.

“It is remarkable how little we old-Danes know about Greenland. I think many find it easier to relate to Muslim immigrants than toGreenlanders living in Denmark, and that’s absurd. We should be closely linked to each other,” says Henrik Hartmann, director of C:NTACT, who hopes that a C:NTACT show from Greenland could visit Denmark in the future.

“It would give the Danish audience the opportunity to meet stories rooted in a reality they only have heard in a simplified version through media and rumors,” says the theater director.