Carsten Thomassen Library at the National Institute of Management and Administration in Kabul

Ceremony for the establishing of Carsten Thomassen Library at the National Institute of Management and Administration in Kabul, Afghanistan, 8 October 2008. (In memory of journalist Carsten Thomassen).

The Minister’s talking points
Check against delivery

 

(Ministers, Excellencies, dear friends)

• For those of us who experienced the events here in Kabul at the Serena Hotel on 14 and 15 January (2008), the death of Norwegian journalist Carsten Thomassen is permanently imprinted on our memories.
• I will carry it with me as long as I live. And so, I’m sure, will the members of the press and the international security forces and the hotel employees who fought to save Carsten’s and the other victims’ life. All of them (you) showed great courage.
• Carsten Thomassen was a skilled communicator. He conveyed what he saw and what he heard – both in Norway and abroad – from his perspective as a very knowledgeable and accomplished political journalist. Whether he was talking to politicians in the Norwegian Parliament or to local people in an Afghan village.
• Critical journalism was Carsten’s métier. His task was to delve beneath the surface, to look beyond the official versions of events, to listen to untold stories. Therefore, Carsten’s words made a lasting mark. He lived his life in accordance with his deeply held conviction:
• That a free press and critical journalism are cornerstones of any democracy.
• That people should be given the space, opportunity and facts they need to be able to think for themselves.
• That there should be no monopoly on the truth.
• That independent communicators – like him – have a vital function in society.
• As Foreign Minister I had great respect for Carsten’s insight and his integrity. He was also an important part of the mosaic of Norwegian democracy. His writing lives on – as is the case with other journalists, correspondents, writers, authors, translators and storytellers. Communicators.
• Thus, it is an overwhelming task to honour Carsten’s memory here today, but I take courage from the fact that Carsten’s family have welcomed this initiative.
• And the Government of Afghanistan’s decision to name the library at the National Institute of Management and Administration (NIMA) in memory of Carsten, is a fitting tribute to his life and work. I would like to thank you in particular, Mr Mohammad Hanif Atmar (Minister of Education), for making this possible.
• Although the library has not yet been built, its collection has been started. I have brought some material – just a few books, a symbolic gift – to satisfy the interest in Norwegian authors, authors like Henrik Ibsen [Peer Gynt] and Per Petterson [Out Stealing Horses], as well as some books in the field of Humanities and Political Sciences, for example works on globalisation and labour rights [Christine Kaufmann] and on What Democracy Is For [by Stein Ringen], to mention but a few.
• NIMA will play a key role in the development of Afghanistan, and Norway will remain a committed partner.
• It is my sincere hope that the dedication of this library to Carsten Thomassen’s memory will remind all the students at NIMA, including the 2 450 who are already there, of the importance of independent media and freedom of expression, the importance of basing knowledge on facts and experience, and the importance of understanding how information and knowledge impact on people – on women and men, girls and boys – all members of society.