Sliteneliten invites you to an agricultural insurrection

As requested from Norsk bonde- og småbrukarlag (Association for Norwegian farmers), Sliteneliten has released the song «Bondeopprør» (agricultural insurrection). What lies behind this protest song? Tuntreet did some digging.

Journalist: Othelie Eliassen

Translator: Thea Skamskott

Illustrator: Anne Trætteberg Reitan

Sliteneliten describe themselves as a “politic telegram” on Facebook, and are an Oslo-based band made up of six members from both the city and the countryside.

It is not surprising that NBS asked this exact band to make their protest song. The band seems to have personal connections to the theme. A good example is the chorus, which goes “Now we raise our pitchforks and demand what we are denied. Bread and cake for the people, but we want real conditions.”

The origin of the agricultural insurrection

This movement was created by a small group of young farmers, dreaming of a sustainable future for Norwegian agriculture. They want to correct what is described as an error in the government’s numbers, which makes it impossible to run a farm safely and responsibly while also making a profit. It is stated in the song: “There is no joy in producing your own food, when what follows is meager earnings served on dirty dishes”. If we continue like this, Norway could end up without our own food production. One of the young farmers, Tor Jacob Solberg, explains that “farmers have never before worked this much, and gotten this little in return,” in a debate at NMBU hosted by Jordbrukarlaget earlier this year.

The agricultural insurrection is meant to gather those who wish to prioritize farmers in the same way that every other workspace is prioritized. It is meant to show how much people care about secure food production, and that a farmer should have sufficient salary and pension to live a normal life.

Sliteneliten also make a point of what the consequences are for the rest of the country. The song’s second verse goes “Farms are shut down, Norway turning overgrown. Food security gets crossed out by a fine fountain pen. Big farm benefits are nowhere to be seen. We need policies that keep the agriculture alive”.

The future

Last year, the agricultural insurrection led to a break in the negotiations of The Agricultural Settlement. The break turned out to be the starting point for serious discussions for the insurrectionists. Sliteneliten commented on these politics happening through the final verse “throw out undemocratic agreements constructed behind closed doors, this is our future we’re talking about”.

If you want to know more about the movement, you can search #Bondeopprør on Facebook or find the petition at opprop.net. I also recommend listening to Sliteneliten’s “Bondeopprør”, for a fiery summary of the movement and all the emotions that lie behind it.