Excerpts from article in Billed Bladet #06, 2011.
En oase af kærlighed - An oasis of love.
Written by our reporter in Bahrain Annelise Weimann.
Billed Bladet will come up with an extensive coverage of the official visit in the next issue, so this week I'll focus on the pressmeeting. Which is interesting as is shows how QMII is able to dodge potentially controversial issues. - Issues, that is, for those who are looking for issues...
The pressmeeting took place on Mary's birthday.
Q: Have you phoned home to the Crown Princess and congratulated her?
- "Actually, I must admit I haven't. But we did leave presents for her before we went to Bahrain".
Q: Have you been in contact with the CP familiy and heard how the twins are doing?
- "Well, we've just been away for three or four days and the children are after all only a month old. They'll probably do fine without us calling".
Q: But surely a lot of things can happen in three or four days with children that young?
- "There sure can, but no. I don't call home to inquire about the twins. I've never done that with my grandchildren".
Q: So you are not a hen-grandmother, who call home all the time?
- "I may be a hen, but not in that way".
Q: What do you think of Bahrain, Queen Margrethe?
- "The first thing that catch the eye is a developed city with high rise building and a developed roadsystem. At the same time it is for me incredibly exciting to go somewhere where the past is just below the surface of the ground and which at the same time is so immensely old and so very unusual. (*) And the fact that Danish archaeologists (**) have taken part in the excavations for several years, I think is very amusing. (***) I feel pride on behalf of Danish archeologists. They were genuine pioneers here in Bahrain. At the same time I believe it plays a big role for the country to know it has so deep roots".
Q: Do you yet again feel a desire to get involved with archeology and take part in the excavations yourself? (****)
- "The problem with taking part in excavations is that you do absolutely no good at all, if you only take part for two or three days. Then you are either in on it, or in the way. I prefer to stay out of the way".
In Bahrain, the King and his family control most of the executive power, which is of course different from DK and to that QMII said:
- "I think Bahrain is a less closed country than certain other countries and it is my impression that they seek to have a level of democracy, which certain other countries certainly don't have in a similar manner. I believe the King is an extremely responsible man, who is trying to avoid his country getting in serious troubles. I also believe it's an advantage for Bahrain not to have too much of an oil-economy. Everyone really has to work in order to keep the wheels turning. You can't just lean back and let the pumps do the job, like in certain other places".
Q: How do you view/think of the role of women in Bahrain?
- "I think it's pretty open. Women can vote and (they) can be elected for the Parliament and many women work and have a distinguished career. It's not a closed society, compared to other parts of the world".
During the visit QMII was invited to lunch with the King's First Wife, Princess Sabeeka, who live with 75 other women in a palace where men are rarely allowed to enter.
Q: How was the mood at this womens-meeting you attended?
- "You know what, that wasn't a womens-meeting. It was a lunch - for ladies. That sort of things still exists". (*****)
Q: How did you experience it?
- "It was pleasant and easy, because it was very informal. The mood was very free. I spoke with many of the ladies and they all spoke excellent English. So it was very easy to talk. They knew something and they had something to say. It was certainly not a chirp-chirp-ladies-lunch".
- More about Bahrain next week.
(*) Traces of an almost unknown civillisation are being unearthed in that part of the Arabian peninsula these years.
(**) The involvement of Danish explorers and now archaeolgists working in this part of the world goes back to the 1700's.
(***) Morsomt or pudsigt = amusing, is a typical expression for QMII. Comparable to "fantastic" among younger members of the DRF.
(****) QMII has more than once stated that if she wasn't a queen , she would have become an archeologist. She also took part in excavations in Egypt when she was young. - That fact was mentioned in a popular song from that period: Det er ikke til at se, hvis man ikke lige ved det. - Ask fasterB for more details.
(*****) Another wonderful retort from QMII
I'd say that at any given pressmeeting QMII supply half the combined brain capacity.