What is Lávdan Sámi Arena

Lávdan Sámi Arena is an arena for Sámi civil society to meet across sectors and state borders, to discuss issues that are relevant for Sápmi, and work towards developing a better Sámi future. 

Lávdan Sámi Arena is being arranged as a part of the Interreg Aurora funded project ReCap ASáp: Regaining capacity in a changing Sápmi, which is led by the Saami Council and Suoma Sámiid Guovddášsearvi. The project aims to strengthen the Sámi civil society, and build capacity to actively participate in decision-making processes that affect Sápmi. Read more about the project HERE. 

The planning team for Lávdan Sámi Arena consists of the ReCap ASáp project team.

Lávdan Sámi Arena draws inspiration from Almedalsveckan in Sweden, SuomiAreena in Finland and Arendalsuka in Norways, in the sense that Lávdan Sámi Arena is an umbrella event. Civil society organisations and institutions are invited to arrange events on topics and issues that are relevant for them. Lávdan Sámi Arena helps facilitate these events, as well as encouraging cooperation between different organisers.

All of the events fall under the Lávdan Sámi Arena umbrella, and registering for Lávdan Sámi Arena gives you the opportunity to participate in a multitude of events. Some events do have specific target groups, or are intended for invited parties. This is clearly marked in the relevant events.

The cross-border perspective is important for Lávdan Sámi Arena. Organisations and institutions from either side of the borders are invited to attend. We also encourage cross-border cooperation for the events.

Lávdan (noun): spread out, letting eallu graze under a determined area and limited time. The noun of Lávdat (verb): to spread out.

The opposite of lávdan is bieđganit, to scatter. While “scattered” and “spread out” might seem similar, lávdan is the result of gathering the herd and lets them spread out in a safe environment, whereas bieđganit is the result of fright, and it happens without control, each one on their own. Gathering after bieđganit is hard and challenging.

Lávdan is also a concept that has previously been introduced to describe Sámi civil society, such as during Tråante 2017, where associate professor Mikkel Nils Sara held a TED Talk explaining the concept. If you imagine Sápmi as a grazing area, and its people as the herd, then we are lávdan, spread over the entire area. Each area is a little bit different, and the different needs means that we have different ways of fulfilling our needs. When it’s peaceful and harmonious, you are able to develop. But when something happens, either positive occasions such as Easter, or negative occasions like protests, we all come together and gather. This is how Sápmi works. Usually, we are spread out, but when it is needed we gather. It is a microcosmos of this that LÁVDAN SÁMI ARENA seeks to create.