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Family Culture
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| Songs and poetry | Pictures | Literature
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Songs
and Poetry
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BRO-Band plays at
the 2010 family reunion in Pleasanton,
California
During the 2010 family reunion, 3-2-1-3-1-4 Tor
Steinar Edland and 3-6-2-2-3 Geir Due made sure
there was a camera present at all times. Our
relatives in California had put together "The
BRO-Band", made up by members of the Bakken,
Rositano and Oftebro families. Together, they
entertained everyone with great music and great
spirits. The band members were as follows:
Vocals: Megan Rositano, Christopher Rositano,
Kirk Bakken
Percussion: Kris Oftebro, Kaitlynn Oftebro, Kyle
Oftebro
Guitar: Brian Chase
Bass: Kristina Bakken
Drums: Rikky Bakken
Keyboard and vocals: David Bakken
Part 1
| Part 2
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3-6-2-5 Olaug Oftebro
Areklett pleases us with a
poem.
Olaug is born in 1937, is married, has 3
children and 10 grandchildren. She lives in
Mandal, Norway. Olaug is educated as a
schoolteacher, and has worked in primary schools
in Oslo, in Haugesund and at Lindesnes.
Olaug has got comprehensive interests, including
literature, the Christian faith, music and
athletic sports. The athletic sports statuette
on her mantelpiece bears witness to her taste
for physical activity. Still it is her love for
singing that has characterized Olaug all the way
since childhood. In her younger days the guitar
used to be her loyal companion. She has also
been singing in several choirs, most recently
for a number of years in Mandal Kantori.
Every Christmas Olaug sends a self written poem
to family and friends. She normally writes in
the Nynorsk language (the lesser used out of the
two official Norwegian languages), and often
discusses subjects that cause one to reflect.
Click
here to read the poem
“Guilt”
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A Canadian ”Oftebro Choir”
Listen
to the choir singing in The
Lutheran Church in Preeceville, Canada.
Click here for
information about the choir.
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"Love isn't easy" by Markus
Due
17 years old,
3-6-2-2-3-3 Markus Due, Mandal, Norway, has
been a passionate brass band musician since he was
10 years old. This has led him from a trainee
position, via the junior brass band to the A-band
where he now plays for his 6th year. Trombone is
his instrument.
When Mandal junior high school offered the
students organized music teaching, with optional
curriculum and instruments, Markus chose guitar
and song as his new and extra subjects. So now the
guitar follows Markus on excursions with friends.
This always creates a good atmosphere.
But Markus also wants to write his own songs, and
when his brass band celebrated its 100 years
anniversary this year, the boys formed a band that
gave Markus’ song. Here we present his “Love isn’t
easy”.
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Songs and music by Harald
Arne Asheim
The petro-technical professor in the family,
3-2-9-1-1 Harald Arne Asheim, at University
of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, has
continued the tradition for poetry in the Asheim
clan, from his grandmother Anna Elisabeth (Rom)
Asheim. But that was not enough for Harald. He
also writes the melodies for his songs, and
presents them, backing himself on his guitar.
Many of us will remember his presentation at the
Oftebro family reunion in Lyngdal 2004, of his
ballad about our family founder, Villum Christian
Oftebro.
Click here for lyrics
and note for “Villum's ballad”
Click here for Harald's
own homepage where you can also hear him sing the
ballad.
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Tribute to
Lyngdal
We
present 2 songs and one poem paying tribute to
Lyngdal, the Norwegian village where our common
family cradle once was located, from10 Ommund C.
Oftebro, from 3-4 Anna Tonette (Oftebro) Johnson
and from 3-8 Ole Mathias Oftebro.
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Hymn
written by Reidar Oftebro
3-6-2-1 Reidar
Oftebro has done the Oftebro family great
services through his thorough work for many years
in completing the family tree. Reidar wrote also
through a long life a great number of songs,
mostly songs for use at joyful occasions in the
near family. When he retired he started painting,
and he left behind a considerable number of
paintings.
Two years before he
passed away in 2007 he wrote the hymn that we
present here.
His son in law,
(3-6-2-1-4) Odd Arve Lien has composed the
melody for the hymn.
We give a “word by word” translation into
English of Reidar’s hymn.
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Lullaby
When 3-6-2 Tobias
Oftebro and his Klara built their home in
1924 and had their first child, 3-6-2-1
Reidar Oftebro, Tobias wrote a lullaby in
text and melody that later on has lulled to sleep
his children, grandchildren and great
grandchildren.
The well-known
Norwegian church musician Trond Kverno has
harmonized the melody to be played on the piano.
3-6-2-5 Olaug
Sofie (Oftebro) Areklett has written the
English version of Tobias’ lullaby.
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Poems by Anna
Elisabeth (Rom) Asheim
3-2-9 Anna Elisabeth
(Rom) Asheim was, as a farmer’s wife at
Soma, Sandnes, Norway, very interested in the role
of the farmer’s wife in society. For many years
she was a member of the Høyland Association for
Farmers’ Wives, and for 8 years she was the leader
of Rogaland Association for Farmers’ wives.
She was a much used
lecturer, and she wrote articles for newspapers,
poems and hymns. Her poems show her strong
commitment for religious matters, for the
environment and for everyday life in her native
district.
We present here 4 of
her poems. The poems have not been translated
into English.
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Pictures and Paintings
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Paintings by Reidar Oftebro
3-6-2-1 Reidar
Oftebro has done the Oftebro family great
services through his work for many years in
completing the family tree. Reidar wrote a great
number of songs, mostly songs for use at joyful
occasions in the near family. He also wrote a
hymn, which we have presented elsewhere in the
culture column. When Reidar retired, he started
painting, and he has left behind a considerable
number of paintings. He painted mainly landscapes
and still life. He normally used acrylic paint in
his work.
 
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Watercolour paintings by Ivar
Oftebro
When 3-6-6-1 Ivar Oftebro retired, he
developed further his talent for pictorial art. He
mostly uses water paint. Through the years many in
his near family circle have had the pleasure of
receiving paintings from Ivar’s paintbrush, often
received as Christmas greetings.
We present here a selection of Ivar’s
watercolours.
 
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Multiartist 3-8-3-1 Nils Ole
Oftebro
Actor 3-8-3-1 Nils
Ole Oftebro has two strings on his bow. He
is well known both for his performances on stage
and in movies, and also his work as a TV
entertainer has made him very well known to every
Norwegian. His talent as a pictorial artist is
maybe less known, although he also within this
branch of art has reached a large audience, not
least through his illustrations in the Norwegian
magazine “Farmand” through a couple of decades.
Our column shows 3 of the pictures he presented
during the Oftebro family reunion in Lyngdal,
Norway 2004, in addition to the interview given to
the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten in 2005, in
connection with an exhibition of his
illustrations.
This newspaper article has not been translated
into English. The interview reveals that the
exhibition gives 70 portraits of members of the
social elite, from Nils Ole’s hand. The drawings
and washings have earlier been published as
supplement to interviews in books and magazines
over the years.
This article from 2005 also announces that Nils
Ole, at that time, was preparing for going to
Burkina Faso in Africa together with his family to
act in French on the stage there for 5 months,
together with local, African stage actors.
  
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Paintings by Caren (Rivara)
Vitell
1-1-11-4-2 Caren
Vitell, who lives in Oxford, Mississippi,
has made painting her career. She works primarily
in oils, painting on stretched canvas. Frequently
she builds her own stretchers. At times she builds
stretchers of arched, peaked or rounded shapes
that mimic the subjects seen through a window, f.
inst a church window.
She generally paints
landscapes, and finds herself drawn to focusing
on colour and simple forms. She enjoys
experimenting with colour and texture in her
paintings.
 
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Literature
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SECRETS &
SCANDALS - Reforming Rhode Island 1986 – 2006.
H. Philip West jr. - Providence, Rhode
Island, US.
«The specific problems and reform goals reflect
our experience in Rhode Island, but the themes
are universal»
About the author:
3-3-6-2-1 Howard Philip West Jr., born
November 13, 1941
Theologian, worked as a Methodist minister in
New York City, later as executive director of
Common Cause of Rhode Island, a non-profit
organization working for ethical reform of state
government in Providence, Rhode Island.
Particularly concerned with human rights,
volunteer social work, and advocacy for
disadvantaged groups.
See also the article “Dr. Howard Philip West”
from 2007 on Oftebro.com.
About the book:
The background for the book is an extremely
comprehensive effort to expose corruption and
illegal activities in governing bodies in Rhode
Island, particularly in the capital city of
Providence. The book thus appears as a report
from an investigative commission. Highly
detailed descriptions and a long list of
references show that this has been a
time-consuming and thorough effort over many
years.
The thorough documentation of corruption led to
the introduction of a number of measures to
clean up public administration and bring more
transparency to political circles. The book is
not an easy read, but is recommended as a guide
where similar
measures are needed. Experience from Rhode
Island shows that it is actually worthwhile to
engage in the fight against mismanagement and
economic crime. The book should be a textbook
for politicians and bureaucrats at all levels of
public administration.
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(3-7-2-1) Frank
Edward Streek,
Napanee, Ontario, Canada, with business
education from South Africa,
immigrated together with his wife Deena to
Canada in 1978. On their way
they stayed for two years in France. In Canada
Frank has been engaged
in different occupations, from breeding pigs to
financial business.
As a pensioner he started writing novels. It has
now become 10 of them.
Frank writes fiction, often based on his own
experiences in life. No
wonder that the topics often concern political
conditions in South
Africa during the apartheid regime, or incidents
and characters he
recognizes from his extensive war service at
several sectors in Africa
during World War II.
Click here
and here
for access to Napanee Guide’s review of Frank
Streek and his authorship.
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<br><i>
Watch “The Old Road” from Laudal to
town!<br>They finally made it to construct a
new one.<br>On this one the traffic runs fast
up and down,<br>but “The Old Road” is really
better to look on! </i><br>-Ivar
Oftebro<br>Retold: T.O.'))
<br><i>You ocean-grey
land Wilhelm Kragh once sang<br>bout the
Southern Coasts reefs and sea lashes.<br>But
in Southern Coast sunshine the sea and the
land <br>are ascending in bright colour
splashes!<br></i>-Ivar Oftebro<br>Retold:
T.O.'))
<br><i>At Oscar- in
Vollen, Asker, the place<br>with picturesque
huts and with outlook of grace- -<br>you here
find your table, order coffee
upon-<br>enjoying the fjord view and a crisp
napoleon! <br> </i>-Ivar Oftebro<br>Retold:
T.O.'))
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