Barents cooperation takes place in many areas. During the Finnish Presidency, the Prisoners of Ice - a historical comics about the explorer Willem Barents (c. 1550 - 1597) will be published. The comics is a black-and-white 42-page follow-up story that will be published from February 2022 until October 2023. The English-language comics will be published on the Finnish Foreign Ministry’s BEAC Presidency and the International Barents Secretariat (IBS) websites and on social media channels. The final product will be presented by the end of the Finnish BEAC Presidency in October 2023. The comics is made by journalist and maritime history enthusiast Pekka Pohjolainen.
The comics tells a story of Willem Barents' third expedition to the Northern seas in 1596-1597 when he and his expedition went to find the Northeast Passage, discovered Bear Island and Svalbard, and had to spend the winter of 1597 at Novaya Zemlya after his ship got stuck in the ice. Through the comics the story of Willem Barents and his expedition, the Arctic nature and themes related to the current Barents co-operation and the Finnish BEAC Presidency program are reflected.
View all comics on the Barents cooperation Flickr account.
