Yesterday I was in Oslo near this place and as always I went by. These were my thoughts of and about that day: July 22, 2011: “Anders Breivik blows up a bomb in Oslo and travels on to Utoya to cause a massacre among mainly young people”

The bomb went off, near the Adventist church ‘Betel’, the church where I was yesterday morning and have been several times in the past. Utoya, the island where Breivik’s shooting took place, is a stone’s throw away from the Adventist secondary school “VGS Tyrifjord”. And I, I was just at home that day in 2011. I heard the news and I had to cry. What was going on in “my Norway”. Were acquaintances involved, were they injured or worse? I was in the dark for a few days. Then I heard through the grapevine that no one from my environment was directly involved. Well, friends and acquaintances of… unfortunately they were.

Every time I am in Oslo, I pass this place. I pause for a moment to reflect on this terrible day. Today, my fear of a repeat is greater than ever. The far right is advancing in many places around the world. It makes me sad. And when I stand by the wall with names, I read through the names. I see some familiar names, but mostly I see the ages… 16, 17, 23, 19: Murdered in the prime of their lives…

I speak to a young couple who also literally stand still for a moment. She is a journalist and was involved in a story about this day. Together we wipe away a tear, share stories and emotions. She mainly talks about the strength that has emerged from this. The helpfulness of people around the island. The heroic behavior of local residents who evacuated young people with their boats, risking their own lives. How wonderful to see such a young couple here again and to be able to share this. For her it was not just a story, it was more, much more. That makes me feel good and gives me hope. When I wait a moment after they have left to have a moment alone, I also turn around and walk away. In the middle of a construction pit, this temporary memorial stands four upright. The future is being built around it. In that future, there is room for this story again. And actually, I think that is a very beautiful image at this moment. Even though the world is in ruins, a future is being built where there is room again for a day like this to never happen again.

A little further on I find the column that used to be in the middle of the square, at a bus stop, if I remember correctly. The wall is broken into thousands of pieces but held up against the force of the bomb. In the column the newspaper of July 22, 2011, still there and will not be changed anymore. This will also remain, as a tribute to the young people (and others) who died that day by extreme right-wing violence or were marked by life.

I raise my eyes one more time, to a beautiful blue sky, I look through the wall at the work and hope that the renovation will soon be successful: Both in the construction pit and in the world!

I am hopeful, but there is much work to be done….