Despite the rainy weather, more than 200 people gathered to celebrate the Norwegian Constitution Day in the Norwegian Church in Rio de Janeiro on May 17, 2016. IBP president Jorge Camargo was the keynote speaker at the traditional Norway Day business seminar earlier in the day.
«I remember the extreme happiness in the eyes of the children, the colorful traditional dresses called «bunad» and the flags. No one stays at home on May 17, and I remember how happy and proud people looked. In Norway, this is a day that belongs to the people, and mainly to the children and the experience increased our admiration for Norway», Jorge Camargo said in the introduction of his presentation to the breakfast seminar.
The top IBP executive lived in Stavanger when he worked at the Statoil headquarters and his close ties to Norway made him the ideal speaker at the breakfast seminar. The event is a joint effort by the NBCC and the Norwegian Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro and has become a tradition and important part of the celebrations of the Norwegian national day in Rio de Janeiro.
The importance of the celebrations was also something that Consul General Sissel Hodne Steen emphasized in her address to the party at Princess Ragnhild´s Church in Gávea.
This is particularly important when you are far away from home», she said. The Consul General even brought a greeting from the king and queen of Norway in her address.
Despite the rainy weather, the party at the Norwegian church in Gávea was a great success with about 200 participants. Traditional Norwegian «lapskaus» and hot dogs were served, as well as popsicles, as a kind of unwritten rule says that on May 17, children are allowed to eat as many popsicles as they want! A parade was also organized and a beauty salon and a inflatable slide were among the other attractions for the younger ones. Norwegian priest Anders Rosland was toastmaster and host of the party.
Almost 100 people started the celebrations on May 17 participating at the breakfast seminar that took place at the Hotel Windsor Atlántica in Rio de Janeiro.
From 2005-2009, keynote speaker Jorge Camargo was the country president of Statoil do Brasil. Since 2015 he is the president of IBP. As a result of the special bond Mr. Camargo has to Norway, the Norwegian community in Rio «has adopted him as Norwegian», as Consul General Sissel Hodne Steen said when she introduced the keynote speaker.
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