Your Partner

Recently, the conflicts between the genders seem to have intensified following the announcement of the results of the American election, which triggered a tsunami of misogynistic rhetoric online. Trump’s and the conservative Republican Party’s takeover in the USA is perceived as a significant setback for equality, leaving particularly many women, as well as minority groups, …

The war between Israel and Hamas stirs many emotions among people and has, in many ways, created division among the Faroese, who have differing opinions on what is currently happening in the Gaza Strip. In online debates, it seems that people just dig into their trenches, uncompromisingly shooting at each other. The disagreement serves as …

Dear Russel, Let me say right away, I’m not one to mock your newfound passion. Your love for Christianity seems heartfelt, and I acknowledge your desire to better yourself as a human being. You appear convinced that the Bible holds the key to your transformation, and honestly, there is indeed wisdom nestled within its pages. …

Writen by Scott Santens, 3 Feb 2023. Click HERE to go to this post translated to Danish. Click HERE to go to this post translated to Faroese. If there’s one thing most people don’t seem to understand about how money works that I think would really help governments work better in the 21st century, it’s …

Short Essay in the Women’s Magazine Kvinna, May 29, 2024  By Elin Brimheim Heinesen I have nearly lived for 66 years now. Looking back, it can be established that I have lived a very colourful life, both for better and worse. When you live this long, you can’t avoid facing some challenges along the way. …

  Read the whole presentation – click this link: Presentation held at G! Festival 2024: WOMEN IN MUSIC The Gender Gap in the Music Industry – What are the Challenges Female Artists Face? The presentation is about: women in music the gender gap in the music industry the challenges female artists face what can be …

In continuation of the debate about the lack of female representation at festivals in the Faroe Islands and elsewhere, many wonder why it should even be a problem. Why the heck should everything be turned into a question of gender? Isn’t it all just about good music? The desire for more female musicians on stage …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen Let’s discuss a topic that often leads to contention in the political arena: taxation, particularly when it involves property taxes and imposing higher taxes on the wealthy. Is this advantageous or disadvantageous for society? In this article, I will argue that requiring the wealthy to pay more in taxes, such as …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen Jóannes Heinesen – also known as Jóannes á Lofti or simply Beiggi (Brother) – was born on 7th April 1930 and passed away at the Sýnini nursing home in Miðvágur on Sunday, 21st April 2024, exactly two weeks after his family celebrated his 93rd birthday. Jóannes inherited the family farm from …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen Let me say this straight away. I support freedom of choice – meaning women should have the right to decide whether to carry a pregnancy to term or not. This doesn’t mean I believe abortion is good or an ideal solution, as the best scenario would naturally be for women to …

What does a young 17-year-old Faroese maid in a small village in the Faroe Islands in 1916 have to do with a revolutionary new urine-based cleaning fluid for diesel engines? By Elin Brimheim Heinesen in Berlingske Tidende, Section 4, Sunday, 16 December 2001 On 28 September, 2001, one of the world’s leading scientific journals, New …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen Read aloud at the Sirkus bar in Tórshavn during the Femifestival on 4 March 2024 In our patriarchal society, age-old norms still dictate how men and women should be. Traditional gender perceptions lead us to expect men to be strong and stoic. Consequently, many men are afraid to talk about their …

Thank you speech for sponsors by Elin Brimheim Heinesen Held at TUTL record store on 17th December 2023 “EITT DÝPI AV DÝRARI TÍД is the title of one of the most popular and acclaimed songs from the NALJA release, which Kári Jacobsen and I released in 1988. I composed the song, and my father – …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen Gentrification is a process of change occurring in numerous cities worldwide, where old, often rundown and neglected neighbourhoods are renovated and revitalised. But is this development always beneficial? This is the question, as gentrification often leads to conflicts between long-term residents—sometimes spanning several generations—and newer, more affluent arrivals. In this presentation, …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen With approximately 93% of the Faroe Islands’ exports being fish products (2021), many have the impression that the fishing and fish farming industry is almost solely responsible for sustaining the country and enabling us to survive on the islands. But is this correct? This perception is also why some believe these …

Trigger warning: If you are curious to read about masculinity from a female point of view, then this is for you. But if you have a hard time tolerating a woman allowing herself to have an opinion about what a “real man” is, then I would recommend that you skip this article. 😉 By Elin …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen WARNING! This is intense stuff! Do you want to watch a chilling documentary about the harm that fundamentalism, blind faith, and loyalty to men who claim to be God’s chosen messengers can cause? Do you want to see what happens when a ruthless man achieves god-like status and gains power over …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen Is it necessary to identify “culprits”? Some people dislike the term “general sexist culture” because they find it too vague. They compare it to a situation where someone is assaulted during a night out, knows who did it, but instead of reporting the perpetrator, only complains about the “general culture of …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen In the past, when no one had ownership rights over natural resources, all living beings, both animals and humans, shared everything collectively. No one was prevented from taking what nature provided, just as no one stops birds from living off what they find in nature. People relied on what was immediately …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen Regarding today’s verdict on Inger Støjberg, former minister for immigration, integration and housing in Denmark. Why do so many people want to turn this case into a question of whether one is for or against child brides? No sane person supports child brides or paedophilia – of course not, but that’s …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen Belief in conspiracy theories is essentially a projection of one’s own fear. The recent rapid rise of conspiracy theories reveals how fearful and mentally stressed many are about the current state of the world, especially with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The powerlessness in the face of uncertainty makes people gravitate towards …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen What mindset most promotes or hinders development and wellbeing in the Faroe Islands? Is it the dream of the modern, technologically advanced city life, or the belief that “everything was better in the old days”? Who is right – those who want to make the Faroe Islands a hyper-modern global IT …

Long article in the Faroese newspaper Dimmalætting, April 2019 Narrated by: Elin Brimheim Heinesen Written by: Hans Egholm Elin is in balance. Currently, she is in a good place in life. She is content with her job, has a cozy home, owns a sweet dog, has lovely siblings with the world’s sweetest children whom she …

Newsletter May 7, 2020: It has been going very well collecting funds for the first music project on the website http://hopfigging.fo, managed by Íverksetarahúsið (Entrepreneur House) in Klaksvík. The music project, initiated by composer Elin Brimheim Heinesen, started on Friday, May 1st. By Thursday evening, May 6th, 105% of the requested amount of 60,000 DKK …

Column in the Faroese Women’s Magazine “Kvinna” about the Corona crisis. By Elin Brimheim Heinesen From carefree to nervous worry February 3 this year I flew from the Faroe Islands to spend a long winter holiday in Cuba with seven girlfriends. Little did we know that a month later we would return home to a …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen The wheels of society must keep turning. If they don’t, things will go wrong. In times of crisis like this, it is up to governments around the world to prove their value by taking responsibility and implementing systems to ensure that everything doesn’t come to a halt. No one should be …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen With regard to yesterday’s International Women’s Day, how far have we come with gender equality when it comes to our attitudes? Many are still clinging to old ideas about gender that prevailed in the 60s (as the advice to women in the picture to the right illustrates). It seems more than …

Article in the Faroese women’s magazine Kvinna in 2019 about Elin Brimheim Heinesen and what she has learned from life. The article in Kvinna was a bit shorter, but here is the full-length article. Facts about Elin Born: 25th June 1958 Children: One daughter, Helena, born in 1990 Marital status: Single About Family… Family means …

Speech at the climate strike on Friday, September 27, 2019 By Elin Brimheim Heinesen There is currently a vigorous debate on social media about what is myth and what is fact regarding the climate. The disagreements are significant, and it is evident that many emotions are involved. Even though some insist that what climate scientists …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen Whether we like it or not, homosexuality is a reality we cannot ignore. We can choose to accept this reality or not, but burying our heads in the sand is not helpful. Homosexuals have always existed and will not disappear, regardless of efforts to prevent these people from loving their own …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen With an election on the horizon, I want to ask some questions to all those planning to carry out their democratic duty and cast their vote. If you’re still undecided on who to vote for, these questions might help guide you to make the right choice. And if you have already …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen There is a terribly heated discussion at the moment, because a farmer is considering charging people for walking on his land. Yes, I can easily feel nostalgic like many others and think that it is a sad development that we can no longer walk freely in certain scenic areas without paying …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen I have recently seen on Facebook discussions that people are wondering about women who return to men who are or have been violent towards them. A well-known social worker and advice columnist, Tine Bryld – also known as “Denmark’s Mother” – once commented on this in a youth programme called P4 …

Translation into English of a Faroese article written by Mildrið Jacobsen. The article was published in the Faroese newspaper Sosialurin on 18 January 2018. The topic is #MeToo Faroese women are hesitant to use the #MeToo tag on their social media profiles. This is not because the problem of sexual harassment is less prevalent in …

Translation of the Swedish article by Maria Sveland “#MeToo and the Backlash”: https://www.etc.se/kronika/metoo-och-bakslaget If there is one thing feminists can be certain of, it’s that all their successes will face resistance. The setbacks can vary in form and effectiveness, but attempts to hinder progress are as guaranteed as the fact that the so-called “Kulturprofilene” linked …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen I don’t know what others think, but I nearly choked on my morning coffee when I heard a column on the radio this morning, supposed to be funny. The piece went to great lengths to mock and belittle the #metoo movement, making fun of the women who have put the hashtag …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen Those who ask such a question, simply lack a deep understanding of the unique living conditions in countries such as the Faroe Islands. They fail to grasp the fundamental reasons which enable residents to inhabit these remote places with a harsh, sub-Arctic, oceanic climate with very little arable land—not least, why …

The article appeared in the Faroese magazine Kvinna in February 2017 By Elin Brimheim Heinesen The internet has given women today the opportunity to express themselves in countless new, individual ways. Women are communicating to an extent never seen before. This new reality has led to what we call “the fourth wave of feminism” and …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen Yesterday, the 19th of November, was International Men’s Day – a global day of recognition for men. I have seen people on Facebook debating whether men actually need such a day, considering men do not “whine” like women… Hmm, that depends on one’s perspective. I believe that just as men often …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen and Jens Pauli Heinesen In 1984, my father, the Faroese author Jens Pauli Heinesen, published a book called “Supplement to 1984”. The book was a collection of articles about “The Totalitarian State”. The year referenced the famous book by George Orwell “1984” from 1949 about a dystopian future where “Big Brother …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen As long as it is relatively expensive to transport people and goods between the Faroe Islands and the outside world, it will be very difficult to attract more people to the Faroe Islands and thus create a large enough basis for increased activity in the country. But if we increase transportation …

People have asked me, “Why are you so against the Grind Law ” (pilot whale law)? Isn’t it more important to consider the Faroese themselves, instead of focusing so much on tourists and foreigners? Do you have a problem with the Faroese people killing pilot whales or what?” No, I have nothing against the Grind …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen As far as science has established, humans are essentially predators among other predators and have always been so. However, today humanity has become so arrogant that we believe we have “evolved” away from our predatory nature, to the point where many now think it’s a good idea to deny our meat-eating …

by Elin Brimheim Heinesen “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” That is how it began according to John 1:1 in the Bible. And therein lies a deep truth. For without words, one cannot tell a story. Without words or signs, there would be no …

As simple as the sentence in this header may sound, the more difficult it seems to many to comprehend what it really means. I came to think about that, when I tried to answer some questions I got today in an E-mail from an Australian journalist, asking me: 1. Do Faroe islanders consider pilot whales …

Leaders prone to psychopathy engage in promoting fanaticism and extremism. Psychopathic behaviour is characterised by the use of emotional manipulation, intimidation, bullying, terror and fear-mongeringm but also charm and flattery in order to gain power and control over others. This article deals with psychopathy, originally among religious leaders, who gather devoted followers to form religious …

OBS! The author of this article, Ford Elms, New Foundland, Canada, has allowed me to copy and publish it here: In a tradition going back more than a thousand years, the Faroese renew their connectedness to their history, their culture, their communities, and the natural world around them. The pilot whales return to the Faroe …

by Elin Brimheim Heinesen  In the old days the Faroese killed pilot whales, because they needed the food. Nowadays the Faroese still kill pilot whales – not only because they need the food – but also to prove to them selves that they are Faroese. What people eat becomes intrinsic to their identity as people. …

Let me tell you the story of the man in the desert. This is a true story. No, not entirely, but almost. This is a tale I came up with many years ago, inspired by a dream I had, where I had thought to make a fun story out of it, because it was a …

The giraffe Marius is killed – and the world is in uproar. But what is the world truly raging about? In the aftermath of all the outrage over the killing of giraffe Marius, one could ask: Was it a sick act to kill the giraffe – or is it the world that is sick? Is …

By Elin Brimheim Heinesen A quarter of the total Faroese exports may be affected by the restrictions if the European Union’s sanctions against the Faroe Islands are implemented. This seems like quite severe punishment for a very small and economically vulnerable nation in the North Atlantic, totally dependent on its fishery. But according to the …

Letter to my daughter about God. by Elin Brimheim Heinesen My beloved daughter, I remember you once asked me, “Mom? Are you religious? Do you believe in God?” I wondered why you doubted it. After all, I prayed the Lord’s Prayer with you throughout your childhood. I have sung hymns with you. We haven’t been …

Leadership is a difficult art. Here are some good advice for you, who have either taken on or been given the role as leader for a larger project, and maybe have never really tried it before. What should you consider? © Elin Brimheim Heinesen, 2003 THE PROJECT Understand that successful project completion requires good planning …

Well, this really takes the biscuit! This morning a number of Faroese websites were hacked by some people who call themselves Anonymous Australia in an attempt to harm the Faroese because of their pilot whaling practice. Now these people are threatening to do the same to a number of other Faroese people and institutions – including me! …

I was born in the late 50’ies in the Faroe Islands. At that time we pretty much had a subsistence way of life in this remote place on earth with a hostile climate and an environment that humans could never hope to survive in without eating animals. In winter, our region is stormy and dark …

People who are against pilot whaling in the Faroe Islands often refer to the following 12 reasons for why pilot whaling should stop. Here is why 10 of them fail and why 2 are partially right / partially wrong. 1. The Faroese should stop killing pilot whales because the pilot whales are endangered. The pilot …

A comment by Elin Brimheim Heinesen to the discussion triggered by the TV series on Animal Planet “Whale Wars – Viking Shores”. I wish this issue was simpler, but it’s not. I’m Faroese and I do not condone pilot whale killing in the Faroe Islands unconditionally. I’m absolutely opposed to unnecessary cruelty and the killing of animals …

The Faroe Islands Podcast has been named “European Podcast of the Year” in the non-profit category by the European Podcast Awards. We were also named the best non-profit podcast in Denmark (for reasons of judging, that was considered our country of origin… long story). More than 2,000 podcasts were nominated, so the team is very …

Stormy night, 24. nov. 2011: This is the sound in my living room (down in the basement!) while the hurricane Berit roared outside. The rattling noise comes from the hood in my kitchen. Luckily there was no damage to my house (as far as I know… haven’t checked my roof properly yet). My thoughts are …

I’m not insensitive to animal suffering. I do understand why outsiders are concerned about pilot whaling in the Faroes. But in spite of this, I do not condemn pilot whaling completely. This might seem contradictory to people, who think pilot whaling is absolutely appalling and should be banned right away. But I have some compelling …

Paul Watson and his Sea Shepherd activists, as well as others have declared war against the Faroese whalers and announced that they will be present in the Faroes in the summer 2011 to stop any attempt to drive or kill pilot whales. The Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove” about dolphin slaughter in Taiji in Japan, has …

I have in former blog posts tried to explain the Faroese tradition of pilot whaling. Let me state right away: The main purpose of this blog post is not to defend pilot whaling as such. It is not to prove anyone neither right nor wrong. It is only to question the rhetorics of extreme anti-whaling activists. …

This is a response to a comment made by an anonymous reader to my blog post: “The Global Disney World” (http://elinbrimheimheinesen.blogspot.com/2010/09/global-disney-world.html). Dear Anonymous, Thanks for a thoughtful reply. I appreciate your reflections to my blog post “The Global Disney World”. I’d like to make some comments to your thoughts – and ask you some questions, because I’m not …

The Faroese are currently facing a crisis as a significant portion of their meat supply, specifically pilot whale meat, has been declared unfit for human consumption. Despite warnings against consuming pilot whale meat, many Faroese are reluctant to abandon the practice of pilot whaling, as they have long relied on it for sustenance. The thought …

Today I said goodbye to Threes Anna – a Dutch writer and film director (view her website here: www.threesanna.com). She leaves tonight with the ferry Norrøna after having done research for three weeks in the Faroe Islands for a future novel. Threes Anna and I have met four times while she was here – and …

Some people outside the Faroes think that Faroese people are senseless primitive murderous inbred drunken brutal beasts who once a year kill thousands of intelligent dolphins for fun as a ‘coming of age ritual’ just to leave most of the whales to rot on the beach and feeding the rest of the poisonous meat to …

Before I made the video “Where Nature Rules” (which won 3rd prize at the international Film Award Ceremony Golden City Gate at ITB in Berlin 12. march 2009) I sketched up some thoughts on what it was I wanted the little film to express. In the film I narrowed the text down quite a lot …

I believe that humans are very much like toilets. People have to take so much shit. Your feelings and tears are like the water in the cistern. You need water to flush the shit out continuously, or else the shit will pile up inside you. If too much time goes by and you don’t flush, …

Do you want to step aside from your usual routines, slow down and get away from a world that spins faster and faster? Do you want to trigger your imagination and creativity? Do you want to travel to the perfect place for coming to your senses and feeling alive? Then – go to the Faroe …

The Faroe Islands are at a crossroads. Do we want to be a modern globalised society or do we want to hold on to our traditional way of life? Or… is it possible to combine these two? A presentation held by Elin Brimheim Heinesen for Heads of Diplomatic Missions in Iceland, 23 May 2009 We …

With former US president Bill Clinton and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore in the country’s guest book, international media coverage could be causing the Faroes to emerge from obscurity—clearing the way for effective nation branding. Búi Tyril talks to Elin Heinesen, Managing Director of SamVit, Faroe Islands Enterprise, and others. By Búi Tyril, Faroe …

Interview with Ms. Elin Brimheim Heinesen, Managing Director of SamVit – Faroe Islands Enterprise By Búi Tyril, Faroe Business Report 2008 Their outlook is increasingly global yet people in the Faroes are proud of their national identity—after all, the unique Faroese culture is alive and kicking, their islands are truly beautiful, and their fishing is …

The Faroe Islands have suddenly received a lot of media attention – why has this happened? Interview with Elin Heinesen, Managing Director of SamVit – Faroe Islands Enterprise (Faroe Islands Trade & Tourism Council) 4. March 2008: – These are really exciting times in the Faroe Islands. Never before in all of history, have the …

It’s so simple. It seems to me that my life has been a slow awakening from a dream world to reality. For many years I had this illusion that what existed in my mind was the reality. My thoughts were not necessarily untrue, but they did not reflect reality as it is – only my …

The recent merger of the Trade Council and the Tourist Board into one Trade & Tourism Council is likely to remain high on the new managing director’s agenda for a while—but it doesn’t stop her from bringing scores of innovative ideas to the table. By Búi Tyril, Faroe Business Report 2007 It was widely seen as signifying at least a generational change, if …

If branding the Faroes involves setting up some spectacular tourist attraction, Elin Heinesen presented what could become the ultimate experience for domestic and foreign visitors alike—a marvel of a Cold War museum offering a majestic view of the mountain tops. By Búi Tyril, Faroe Business Report 2007 Before she had even started in her new …

As people living in an increasingly globalised environment the Faroese, much like the rest of the world, need to embrace change to whatever extent necessary. The ability to cooperate effectively and develop strong networks is becoming more important. And still it is crucial for us to hold on strongly to our unique identity if we …

Tourism is now the fastest-growing industry in the Faroe Islands. We therefore need to prepare to meet increasing demands. Our strategy is to build on our strengths and to focus on developing a lucrative tourism which at the same time is sustainable and does not affect our nature and culture in a negative way. By …