What happens when two national traditions clash? Well, that’s exactly what happened at the outset of the pandemic in Norway…
On 12 March 2020, the Norwegian government put measures in place to limit the spread of COVID-19, the most drastic policies of any Norwegian government in peacetime. Most global leaders used the ‘war’ metaphor to persuade their citizens to obey governmental restrictions in light of this new ‘enemy’. But Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg preferred a different metaphor:
The virus spreads when people gather together and are near each other. It is therefore absolutely vital that every citizen participate in a dugnad to slow the virus down. We will do this in solidarity with the elderly, the chronically ill and others who are particularly vulnerable to becoming seriously ill. We must all protect ourselves, to protect others. We will stand together during this period – not by hugs or handshakes – but by maintaining distance. This demands a lot for each and every one of us. We need to care for each other help each other as best we can. […]
In Norway we stand together when needed. We mobilize in dugnads and cooperation in small and large communities. This is more important now than ever before. The virus is so contagious that we cannot touch each other. But we will take care of each other.
Two traditions
Dugnad – said to be untranslatable – refers to a quintessentially Norwegian cultural practice: working together for the common good. Norwegians are used to raking leaves, painting fences, baking cakes, and more – all to support their local sports team, neighborhood, children’s pre-school, or some other worthy cause in which they have a stake. What’s more, dugnads are voluntary! Ummmm, except for they’re not really – woe betide the person who overtly refuses participation (check this out for more!).
Still, the upshot of all this is that Norwegians instinctively recognized Solberg’s call to dugnad, and responded with enthusiasm and pride.
But dugnads are not the only Norwegian tradition. Another national tradition is that of ‘cabin culture‘ (hyttekultur): the practice of enjoying (often primitive) cabins in the wilderness. Here Norwegians revel in the quiet of nature, play Yahtzee, and (in the winter) feed the fire so as not to freeze. A pristine example of Norwegian culture, as explained here (only somewhat tongue-in-cheek!). Family cabins are passed down through the generations, complete with nostalgic memories of cabin visits in years gone by.
Dugnad vs. cabin culture: two traditions, equally vibrant
Dugnads represent solidarity and togetherness.
Cabin culture represents solitude and independence.
Conflict
Soon after Solberg’s March 12th speech, the mayors of ‘cabin municipalities’ discovered that they had a problem. People who had suddenly been forced to stay out of the office decided to head off to their cabins instead of staying home. These mayors feared that their health services would be overrun if these people fell ill with COVID-19, and they asked the prime minister for help. Solberg, in turn, asked people to return to their home communities – a request that mostly ignored. That left the government with little choice but to implement a new law prohibiting stays at cabins outside of one’s home municipality, a ban that would last until after the Easter holidays.
Protest
“It is not the dugnad spirit that is growing in Norway, it is a panic that triggers isolationism, an attack on our democracy” bemoaned one avid cabin owner in the national newspapers. Others were quick to follow suit:
People who go to their cabins now are now committing criminal acts! Unlike most other measures to prevent infection, it seems that people are not as willing to accept the introduction of ‘cabin shame’.
Response
None of this swayed the government though. Minister of Health Bent Høier responded in kind, swiftly admonishing cabin owners who chose to defy the ban:
This is a dugnad. Now it is no longer me anymore, but we.
Police warned that they fully intended to enforce the new law, stepping up their presence in ‘cabin areas’ (read: The Middle of Nowhere, Norway).
And then scandal erupted
In April, newspapers reported that ‘Ski queen’ Therese Johaug and her partner Nils Jakob Hoff had broken the cabin ban by staying overnight at their cabin near Lillehammer. Until that point, the cabin ban had been met with opposition. But as later explained in the VG newspaper, the public treated this revelation as “almost a mortal sin in the middle of dugnad times”.
Johaug and Hoff were quick to apologize, even donating 15000 NOK to the Red Cross by way of atonement (equivalent to the fine for breaking the cabin law). Even though the incident seemed to have resulted from a simple misunderstanding, Hoff nevertheless publicly chastised himself for what had happened:
In an already incredibly challenging time, all of Norway is giving up one of the most precious things we have, the essence of being Norwegian, to prevent contagion. If anyone shirks their responsibilities in this dugnad, it renders everyone else’s efforts worthless. We have to do this together as one to reach the desired outcome. It is completely understandable that breaking the cabin law is unacceptable.
Johaug, for her part, turned into a cheerleader exhorting others to join in the national dugnad to curb the virus:
I think that people have to pull themselves together and follow the advice we get from the authorities! This is a dugnad that everyone has to participate in, as quickly as possible. This is about the common good, not what is best for each and every one of us.
From support to opposition to support
Outspoken opposition to a dugnad is pretty much unimaginable in most circumstances, unless – as it turns out – that dugnad involves a cabin ban! For many, the right to independence outweighs the duties of collective responsibility. But should that ban be flouted by a celebrity of all people – well….the tide might just turn again, in favor of solidarity.
Interested in more? Then check out “The Norwegian dugnad in times of COVID-19”: her.
