Riddu Riđđu Festivàl is an international indigenous festival, which takes place annually in Manndalen, Kåfjord municipality, Nord-Troms county. For more than 30 years, Riddu Riđđu has worked to create a stronger awareness and pride about the Sámi. This year's festival takes place until 17 July.
Riddu Riđđu is a gathering point for Indigenous cultures, a creative space where stories can be told. Each year Riddu Riđđu celebrates a different Indigenous people. In 2022 the festival highlights the cultural expression of the Inuit from Greenland. Artists and creators working in culture, music, handicrafts, and politics in Greenland will participate. Each one is an important voice in the story of the Inuit, and of the wider Indigenous community in the Global North.
The festival also offers a programme for youth in the ages 15-25 with concerts and workshops: the Riddu Nuorat. The programme lasts until 17 July. The programme will be in Sámi, Norwegian and English. The participants will get the opportunity to join a conversation with Márjá Karlsen, Riddu Riđđu’s Young Artist of the Year, about her creative practice.
One of participating artists is Aldar Dashiev, who is born and raised in Buryatia and is a performer of authentic Buryat and Mongolian folk songs as well as of the ancient singing style of the Sartul. He plays the Mongolian vertical wind instrument “limbe” and the transverse wind instrument “suur-limbe”, made by his grandfather and handed down to him. All participating artists of this year's festival can be found here.
In addition to the festival program in July, the organisers work hard to promote Sámi art and culture on various stages nationally and internationally throughout the year.
