Exhibition Dedicated to the Life and Impact of Vigdís Finnbogadóttir

An exhibition dedicated to the life and impact of Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, the former president of Iceland and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Languages, will open this year at the old Telegram Centre next to Veröld – House of Vigdís. Suited to all age groups, the exhibition will present the multifaceted influence that Vigdís Finnbogadóttir had in relation to gender equality, environmental issues, peace and languages, both in Iceland and abroad.

A declaration of intent regarding the exhibition between the Government of Iceland and the University of Iceland was signed at an event held on the occasion of the University’s 110th anniversary on June 17, 2021. Last year, the University of Iceland and Vigdís entered into an agreement whereby Vigdís Finnbogadóttir handed over to the University and the Vigdís International Centre, various items from her presidency, such as letters and documents, gifts from foreign heads of state, art objects and clothing as well as other  personal possessions. In the past months, the exhibition has been diligently worked on and is now scheduled to open in September. The exhibition curator is Sigrún Alba Sigurðardóttir.

The exhibition will be closely related to the activities of the Vigdís International Centre of Multilingualism and Intercultural Understanding. “The centre’s main goals oare to promote multilingualism in order to increase understanding, communication and respect between cultures and nations, and to promote research on mother tongues as part of general human rights. Since 1999, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir has been a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Languages, but the role of a Goodwill Ambassador is to draw attention to the importance of languages ​​for cultural diversity and to protect the languages ​​that are under attack,” says Ann-Sofie Nielsen Gremaud, chair of the Vigdís International Centre.