Dr. Lisbet Holtedahl

academic head of VCS programme,
professor and filmmaker

Lisbet has done research in the eastern part of the Republic of Niger, Northern Norway, Eastern Mali and Northern Cameroon. She has explored the themes of gender, urbanisation, religion, ethnicity and visual anthropology/dissemination of knowledge. Lisbet is presently working on industrialisation and democracy. The project is called “A Castle in Africa” and deals with the most important industrialist in Cameroon and Central Africa. The aim is to understand how a young Fulbe man of slave origin has managed to create a series of agro-industries and why it is important for him to build a castle in a very poor region where the literacy level is among the lowest in Africa. The research is done in collaboration with Mahmoudou Djingui.
Lisbet comments, “If we manage to discover the motivations behind the castle we will also have managed to understand the qualities of the relations of this industrialist to the western world as well as to the local Cameroonian society”. Through a period of four years the research has been conducted through filming and more traditional fieldwork. The film is made in collaboration with Rossella Ragazzi and Enrica Colusso, teachers at the VA program. In collaboration with professor Siri Gerrard, Lisbet is also managing the Ngaoundéré Anthropos program, an inter-university program for production of knowledge and competence within the field of society and culture of the three northern provinces of Cameroon.
Lisbet says, “The philosophy of the Anthropos program, as well as the VA program, is that the enhancement of the quality of the scientific activities, research and teaching, in the South and the North, depends on the contributions of the partners. The contribution and participation of the colleagues from the South is of great importance for our university in the North”.
Latest film: “Is what they learn as important as what they forget”.
Office phone number: 77 64 43 62.
e-mail: lisbethh@sv.uit.no

Gøril Skotnes
executive manager

Merits: Gøril has a higher degree in media science from the University in Oslo. She has headed the VA programme for years. Gøril has organised a number of screenings of VA films, including being involved in the co-ordination of the NAFA festival 2000. Gøril is also responsible for the annual screening of VA films during Tromsø International Film Festival.
Spring 2002: Gøril is responsible for the co-ordination and administration, and is also in charge of the contracts between the VA programme and each student. Gøril is in addition the programme’s link with the “outside world”. If there are any general problems, contact Gøril.

Office phone number: 77 64 64 75.
e-mail: gskotnes@sv.uit.no