«We celebrate freedom, diversity, and equality with the photo exhibition Choose Life.»
– I am very proud. Proud, strong, and visible,” says Helle-Viv Helle Magnerud.
The grandmother, mother, punk, member advisor at Uloba, and on this occasion model, sits in front of a large poster with a photograph of herself. The exhibition is placed right next to Oslo City Hall. While people in traditional Norwegian attire and those ready for confirmation festivities hurry past, she raises her clenched fist with the index and pinky fingers raised high in the air. Then she opens her mouth in a silent roar.
– Assistance is everything.
– BPA (Citizen directed personal assistance) is, and means, everything, she says.
Without assistance, she couldn’t be an active grandmother to her grandchildren. She also couldn’t actively participate in society, she believes.
Another one of the four models rolls by. Bihayo Mwende Kashindi strikes up a conversation with several people who stop to look at the exhibition.
– This is fun, but also a bit scary!” he says, laughing.
The photos were taken by photographer Agnete Brun, and the project is a collaboration between the photographer and Uloba.
– Taking these photos was a hugely enjoyable process, but also a lot of work. Everyone pitched in!” says the photographer.
During the first hour at City Hall, 1500 people passed by, and 150 slices of cake were handed out.
– Pop-up exhibitions like this create important meeting points. Helle-Viv is the outspoken grandmother, and she’s a cool lady, wheels or no wheels. So are all the models, cool, ordinary people. By being here today, we can capture people’s attention, offer a piece of cake, and have a chat with the passers by, says Stig Morten Skjæran, head of personal assistance at Uloba.
International Awareness Day
It’s no coincidence that this Sunday, May 5th, Uloba serves cake at the exhibition. May 5th is the European Independent Living Day, a day of protest and visibility. For people with disabilities, and for the Independent Living movement of which Uloba is a part.
– May 5th marks an important day for our international movement. For us, the day is about what we always stand together and work for: Our fundamental human rights as the world’s largest minority, says Secretary-General Vibeke Marøy Melstrøm.
– It is crucial to work towards being able to choose the life we desire, as these photographs illustrate. It is important for achieving a diverse society and for the disability rights struggle, she says.
The most important thing for the Norwegian Independent Living movement now is to make BPA (Personal Assistance Scheme) the equality tool it was meant to be.
– This concerns out future. Our citizen-directed assistance (BPA) must be taken out of the Norwegian healthcare legislation and the responsibility for granting our assistance no longer lie within the municipalities. It must instead be regulated in an Act of its own and the responsibility of ensuring that we receive our assistance lie within the state. The CRPD, our human rights convention, must be incorporated into the Norwegian Human Rights Act, says the Secretary-General.