On Tuesday night, Ollie Baus died. The artist was 76 years old, and was sleeping with some of the people closest to him.
The death has naturally affected both the Norwegian people and Paus’ colleagues, and there is no doubt that Paus will be remembered as someone who left a real mark on the music industry in Norway.
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– He should be praised for everything he did. It’s really unique. No one else has done what he has done, says Asie Cleveland, 74, when Netavisen meets with her regarding the theme award on Wednesday evening — where she will be presenting the award herself.
Cleveland, who in addition to being a prominent figure in the music industry is also a former culture minister, believes, among other things, that Baus deserves to be honored in the form of a funeral at state expense. It is an award given by the government, and it is not yet known whether Baus will receive it or not.
But if it were up to Cleveland, the answer is clear:
– He’s qualified, I mean it. But then there are certainly many considerations to make. “But I would be very surprised if he didn’t get this honor, I have to say,” she says.
– naturally
Funerals are held at state expense for, among others, great statesmen, politicians, soldiers and cultural workers such as writers, actors, composers and athletes.
As mentioned, who gets the honor of such a funeral is up to the government. Since the program was introduced in 1881, more than a hundred people have been so honored, but there are few fixed rules about what it takes to “qualify.”
Read also: No one has taken the pulse of Norwegian social life like Ole Paus
For his part, Rødt politician Mimir Christianson (37) believes Paus fully deserves it.
– It goes without saying that he should get it. He meant a lot to a lot of people, and did so for many years. So I think it’s strange that Norway is not able to treat someone like Ole Baus, as he pointed out before the theme awards ceremony.
Kristjánsson is supported by Subjekt Editor Danby Choi (30).
– I can understand very well that there is a desire to arrange a funeral at state expense, and perhaps I am fundamentally positive about this. This is a very important man for Norwegian cultural history,” Choi tells Netavisen.
Netavisen has not yet received any response from the Prime Minister’s Office regarding this issue.
Evoked reactions
The first person to be honored with a funeral at state expense in this country was the politician Thomas Cuno. He died in 1881, then the last of the Eidsvoll men.
In January this year, comedian, writer and speaker Shabana Rahman was beheaded in Oslo City Hall at state expense.
Read also: Ole Paus was praised: – His voice will be missed
As mentioned, there are no fixed rules for who is bestowed this honor. It is the government that makes such a decision on a case-by-case basis, and it has been debated several times in the past whether a person should get it or not.
Among other things, when pop legend Jean Teigen died in February 2020, the government decided that he should not be buried at state expense. The same was true when Ari Behn died in 2019.
When Harald Hyde Steen Jr. He passed away in 2008, the FRP parliamentary representative Ulf E. Knudsen publicly announced and demanded that the actor be buried at state expense.
The result was that the then Minister of Culture and Church, Trond Jeske (57 years old), threatened to stop the entire scheme.
– I think it was tasteless and not worthy of Knudsen. “I realize there could be a public debate about this, but politicians would have to be too smart not to get involved,” Jeske said at the time.
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