ABOUT US

Iscandula

The ‘Iscandula' Cultural Association was formed in 1985 by a group of intellectuals and artists. ISCANDULA is the natural successor of the research carried out by Prof. Dante Olianas on the material collected by Danish anthropologist Andreas Fridolin Weis Bentzon in Sardinia, in the 1950s-60s.

In 2010, Iscandula was granted the status of Legal Entity and in the same year it was listed as ‘Cultural Institution of Special Importance in the Region' by the Department for Culture of Sardinia's Regional Administration.

In October 2011, the association set up the Bentzon Research Centre, whose Scientific Committee includes:

- Dante Olianas, President;
- Nina Bentzon Ehlers, Bentzon's niece;
- Jørgen Sonne, poet and friend of Bentzon's;
- Birgitte Sonne, professor of Eskimo studies at the University of Copenaghen and friend of Bentzon's;
- Peter Jan Crawford, professor of Visual Anthropology at the University of Tromsø (Norway) and “externally attached staff” at the Freie Universität in Berlin;
- Lene Halskov Hansen, composer and member of the Folkemindesamling;
- Lone Elisabeth Olesen, linguist, researcher and expert of Language and Culture of Sardinia;
- Angelo Pisanu, musician and ethnomusicologist, Corsican music specialist;
- Umberto Cao, anthropologist and researcher;
- Giuseppe Orrù, music teacher, musician and expert of Sardinian organology;
- Sebastiano Perra, musician and expert of organology of Sardinian musical instruments.

Iscandula is the holder of exclusive rights on the works and materials left by Danish anthropologist A. F. W. Bentzon and, as such, it plans to publish and disseminate all his works, where its financial resources allow to do so.

Iscandula has been formally authorised by Bentzon's heirs to use the name A. Bentzon and to name the future ‘Bentzon Foundation' after him.