Ep 34: Anne Talsnes on memory and witness – Lessons and Learnings from Terror in Norway

We build our nations on memory but no country has a pain-free history. Yet what we choose to remember is wrapped in political perspectives, in questions of identity, and in ways of seeing. “Memory is politics. It’s a choice,” says Anne Talsnes. Anne is the Senior Advisor to the 22 July Centre in Oslo, Norway – a centre established to carry forward the work of memory and learning from the 2011 terror attacks in that country.On that date in July, 77 people were killed in a terror attack that took place, firstly outside the government buildings in Oslo, and then on the island of Utøya. Eight people were killed in Oslo itself and a further 69 at a youth camp on the island. With New Zealand’s experience in 2019 of a terrorist attack in Christchurch it’s important to listen to those who’ve had to find their way out of these blood-stained pathways. Anne joined us in Christchurch in March 2026 for our Unity Summit. We talk here on the learnings that society can share, and she offers some of her own reflections from her visit here, especially on the question of responsibilities towards those who live amongst us with incredible grief.