An oil city, a city of food, a university city and an international city of freedom

Stavanger: an oil city, a city of food, a university city and an international city of freedom

KEY CARD AND CARD HOLDER WITH CORD
In the summer of 2024, Brit Sissel Todnem scans her key card for the last time after 44 years at the oil and energy company Equinor. After starting as a technical draughtsperson, she is ending her career as personal assistant to the CEO.

MICROPLANE GRATER
For the TV chef and cookbook author Kjartan Skjelde, this kitchen utensil symbolises how, in the 2000s, Stavanger became an international city of food.

LETTER TO MOTHER
In the 2000s, two of every ten inhabitants in Stavanger have their origins in a country other than Norway. One of them was the city of freedom author Chenjerai Hove from Zimbabwe. In Stavanger, he became a citizen in a diverse city, describing the people as he saw them. Read the text of ‘Letter to Mother’, in which Chenjerai Hove reflects on how people in Stavanger view the rain, their wealth, and relationships between men and women.

T-SHIRT FROM FRESHERS’ WEEK
Simeon Vyizigiro from Halden remembers Freshers’ Week as one of the most enjoyable periods during his time as a student in Stavanger. In 2005, Stavanger finally became a university city after many years of campaigning.