The Lundian An International Magazine Vol. 26/No. 170, Autumn 2014 FREE NEWSLETTER WELCOME TO LUND For Members of The EnglishSpeaking International Community in Lund and their Friends, Near and Far. Some Important Dates and Days No major holidays in Sweden in the month of August – September. Festivals: August 15 – 22: Malmöfestivalen September 14: General Elections in Sweden September 20: Kulturnatten in Lund: 30th Anniversary. October 24: United Nations Day Source: Wikipedia, Lund and Malmö Kommun Elefanten i rummet: Afrofobi i närbild. English Internationals nya projekt (2014 – 2015) vill fortsätta med ett forum där fokus ligger på att förstärka arbetet med att motverka diskriminering av den afrikanska diasporan i Sverige. Ett viktigt mål med projektet är att ta fram en kvalitativ studie av levnadsstandarden för afrosvenskar i Sverige. Denna del av projektet kommer att bli ett tillägg till den kvantitativa och kvalitativ forskning som vi har redovisat i vår tidigare rapport om den afrikanska diasporan i Sverige, och den Mångkulturella studien av afrofobi. Vi skall sprida en omfattande enkät med frågor om hur målgruppen upplever sitt förhållande till vissa av samhällets institutioner. De flesta sådana institutioner har inte någon aktuell forskning om diskriminering av afrosvenskar pga Sveriges avsaknad av termen ”ras” som diskrimineringsgrund sedan 2009. Projektet syftar till att motarbeta okunnigheten om, och diskrimineringen av afrosvenskarnas situation i dagens Sverige och minska afrofobin i landet. Dessutom vill vi förbättra kunskapen om afrosvenskarnas rättigheter och rutiner i deras kamp mot Se sidan 3 Lund, situated in the centre of the attractive and expansive Öresund region in southern Sweden, is one of the oldest cities in Sweden with a history more than one thousand years old. Over the centuries it has earned a reputation for being a place where people meet, and, today, more than ever, Lund is a meeting place for ideas and creativity. Here, the university, science-park, multicultural atmosphere and historical surroundings make up a unique combination. This, along with its central situation, has turned Lund into an international city where ideas are born - ideas that build enterprises and achieve success both nationally and internationally. Culture and leisure: Lund offers a rich selection of leisure activities, from swimming and fishing to youth recreation centres, community group activities and much more. Lund also provides a broad range of cultural experiences in art, music, dance, theatre, literature and film. If you want to know more about events in the city, the Tourist Office always has up-to-date information on current and forthcoming events and activities in Lund. They also publish In Lund, a free, monthly brochure, which is available at the Tourist Office and in pdf format. You can view activities and events for and by students of Lund University at Löpet, and information about planned activities organized by Lund's public libraries in their events diary.Information about current cultural events can be found on Kultur i Lund web pages, www.lund.se The Cultural and Leisure Services Department is responsible for cultural and leisure matters in the City of Lund. Lund and the Environment The City of Lund is actively pursuing several programmes designed to achieve long-term sustainable development and takes environmental protection very These efforts involve many of the City departments and span across multiple areas of operations. XXX Inside this Issue … Front Page: Calendar of Events Page Two: Editorial / Opinion Page Three: På lätt Svenska Page Four: Media Watch: Books, Films, Radio. The Lundian Magazine Editorial Will “Race” Affect the Swedish Election? Lund, 30 July. With less than six weeks to go, we urge voters to demand of their parties that they take special measures to ensure that all persons living here will receive equal justice and equal rights with others. This is especially important in this year’s election with all the right wing and pro-Nazi sympathizers entering politics. The party or parties hoping to win this year’s election will have to demonstrate that they have the strongest position on the human rights of the people – all the people. Sweden is well known and respected worldwide for its human rights policies and programmes in far-away places such as Zimbabwe and Indonesia, but the challenge of compliance with human rights treaties at home will be the determining factor in this year’s election. At risk is the collapse of Sweden’s highly respected domestic human rights culture which is already under heavy criticisms by the major international treaty monitoring bodies and governments abroad. The current conservstive government wants to abolish the term “race” from its vocabulary, a move that is not favoured by many who are affected by racial discrimination. A better word to remove would be “utlänning”, which literally means “foreigner. But do protestors votes matter? It remains to be seen. To win this year’s election, politicians need to convince voters that they will provide protections based on the rights and principles of the core international human rights treaties if they are voted into power. This is extremely important because non-democratic politics and ideals are gaining ground in Sweden today. Although praised for a number of measures adopted by monitoring bodies such as ICERD, the criticisms by those bodies and many members of Sweden’s vulnerable groups are seriously dissatisfied with the slow pace of adopting many of the principles of non-discrimination by previous governments. High on the list of issues that need to be resolved by wanna-be national politicians are the rights of LGT persons, children, undocumented migrants, Moslems and ethnic (or racial) minorities – especially AfroSwedes and the Roma. These and many other issues need to be resolved by whichever incoming politician wins the election. The date for this year’s election is September 14. Even if you can’t vote -- don’t miss it ! More Books to Read: A Swedish Dilemma (ISBN 0-7618-3151-7), University Press of America, Lanham, MD, and Afro-Nordic Landscapes ( ISBN13: 978-0-415-89743-3). No More “Race” in Sweden. Stockholm, 30 July. The current Swedish government wants to discard the concept of race altogether from Swedish legislation. That same day, the government appointed a Special Investigator on the question that will be led by Senior Judge Erica Hemtke. In support of the announcement, the Minister for Integration, Mr. Erik Ullenhag (photo) said that he has long wanted to remove the concept of race, because it was based on the idea that there are different races and facilitated the risk of spreading prejudice. He added that other countries, such as Finland, France and Austria have already abandoned the concept. But he noted that even among anti-racists, there are those who want to use the term which he thinks is unfortunate. He added: “I do not share the group-think behind the current rasification debatten [now raging] in Sweden. The best way to combat xenophobia and racism is to see people as people, not to say that it has some properties just because they belong to a certain group.” The Minister further stressed that racism and xenophobia will still be hit by legislation even after removing the word race from law. He admitted that, while scrapping the concept of race may not end racism, he believes it is a key "piece of the puzzle". The appointed investigator will also look at heightened criminal protection for transgender people. Among other things, she will see if transgender people are covered by the rules on hate speech and will also look at the expression and definition of gender identity in Swedish regulations. The deadline for the final recommendations by the judge is December, 2015. The Lundian is published by The English International Association of Lund, Sandgatan 2, 4th floor, 223 50 Lund (By appointment only!) Phone: +46 70 654 2126 +46 46 222 1229 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.thelundian.com Publisher and Managing Editor: M. A. Robinson Diakité Copy Editor: Jack B. Nimble Photo Editor: Monique Fransen Art Director: Monique Fransen Also Special thanks to Lund’s High School Spyken, to Lunds County, the Board of E.I., Lund University information personal and many, many others. ISSN: 1404-9511 2014 © English International 2 The Lundian Magazine Local News… På lättsvenska What Ever Happened to LIFS LIFS – Lund’s Immigrant Association’s Umbrella Organization, was originally founded back in the midSeventies, but since then changed it’s name in the 21st Century. It’s main principles were to cooperate with the County board of integration and others in the promotion of the core values of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. But recent disputes within the organization have damaged the organization. Luckily, a new board has emerged, but there are still some old problems lingering. The Lundian interviewed its new Chairman, Mr. Luigi Zito (see photo), and heard his version of what is happening. Here’s what he said. The Lundian: What is going on with LIFS today? LIFS Chairman: “LIFS now has a new Board of Directors with new members and new ideas for promoting integration in Lund. The new “star” association is Cornerstone, a newly formed NGO with volunteers who are working hard to make contributions to continue with activities promoting integration and understanding between cultures in Lund. Activities include maintaining a recording studio, promoting world-wide social and food cultures with people from all the world’s countries living in Lund, youth, students, migrants, first and second generation Swedes. “ Lundian: How is all this working today. LIFS Chairman: “Unfortunately LIFS has inherited a bad economy from the earlier Boards, and we now have little funds to continue planned activities. We inherited a negative debt that is difficult to get rid of. One of our aims is to stay put in the small house we have, but to do that we are willing to share it with other organizations. But first the debts have to be cleared – and that’s a problem. We’re in a “Catch 22” situation right now and we hope that Lund’s County officials will make some decisions that will enable is to keep LIFS going. Then we’ll get our new activities going. “ XXXX The English International Association of Lund (EIA) was founded in 1987 in Lund, Sweden by a group of international researchers, foreign students their Swedish friends and sympathizers. It was based on solidarity with the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Two important groups we are concerned with are migrant workers and ethnic minorities as defined in UN, regional, ILO and other instruments protecting the rights of those, regardless of their original status. th The association maintains an office on the 4 floor of AF-Borgen and persons who wish to join and take part in activities are welcome to visit. Leave a note with your contact information if we are not in for the moment. We shall contact you. Contact info: www.thelundian.com. Från sidan 1 – om Afrofobi rasism och diskriminering. Projektet är av allmänt intresse pga att kampen mot diskriminering i Sverige ligger i de internationella fördragen, EU-direktiv, den svenska grundlagen, inhemska lagar som BrB (1971), Arbetsrätt och Civilrätt (Diskrimineringslag (2008:567). Se också Afrikanska diasporan i Sverige, utgiven av The English International Association, Lund 2009 (www.thelundian.com/Särskilda rapporter). Lunds Integrationsoch Mångfaldsrunda uppmuntrar och stödjer arbetet för allas lika värde och en välkomnande stad i enlighet med lagstiftning, överenskommelser och handlingsplaner som vårt land och vår kommun har anslutit sig till. Rundan byggs upp av olika steg fördelade över året: processutveckling, inspirationsforum, planering, arrangemangsvecka, reflektion och nystart. Här kan de medverkande både uttrycka egna erfarenheter och se världen ur andras perspektiv, för att tillsammans utforska nya vägar till inkludering och jämlikhet. Rundan erbjuder inspiration, kontakter, samtal och tillfällen att skapa aktiviteter som vidgar normer och främjar jämlikhet mellan människor med olika erfarenheter. Alla erfarenheter kring t.ex. etnicitet, kön, ålder, sexualitet, funktionsförutsättningar och trosuppfattning, är lika värdefulla. Med stöd av Rundan kan olika förvaltningar, organisationer, företag och ideella föreningar, knyta an till gemensamma, gränsöverskridande och årligt återkommande sammanhang i Lund. Rundan ger möjlighet att kraftsamla och visa upp något av allt det som sker i kommunen och ta del av goda exempel. Den erbjuder en struktur utifrån vilken arbetet kan utvecklas och förbättras. Info: 046- 35 50 00 Barnbok 2013 “Kor kan drömma” Kor kan drömma är den tredje I en serie konstbarnböcker om Sam på Wanås som upplever konsten och parken I verkligheten och fantasin. Varje år tar nya skribenter och konstnärer sig an barnboksexperimentet. 2013 är det konstnären Maria Bajts och musikern Jason Diakités tur. Maria Bajt är konstnär och är verksam I Berlin och Stockholm. Jason Diakité är musiker och textförfattare och är verksam I Stockholm. ISBN 978-91-977558-70 Wanås Konst 3 The Lundian Magazine Miscellaneous – Radio, TV, Books and News Radio Galen Studio, AF, Lund. We’ve just done another radio broadcast. Arthur, Daniel and Urban. Podradio. BOOKS TO READ THIS AUTUMN Here are some more books worth reading this summer. Some are available at local libraries in Lund, Malmö and other cities. All of them will give insights into life in Sweden. Enjoy them. Some are in Swedish. Tusen år av invandring: En svensk kulturhistoria (1992). Immigrants have been arriving in Sweden since the end of the Stone Age. If you read Swedish, this book is a very good historical account of migration to Sweden. During recent years immigrants themselves have written a number of books and made films. The growing list is too long to be published here, but the few mentioned below are well worth your while to read. Some are in Swedish. Afro-Nordic Landscapes: Equality and Race in Northern Europe (In English) challenges a view of Nordic societies as homogenously white, and as human rights champions that are so progressive that even the concept of race is deemed irrelevant to their societies. The book places African Diasporans, race and legacies of imperialism squarely in a Nordic context. How has a nation as peripheral as Iceland been shaped by an identity of being white? How do Black Norwegians challenge racially conscribed views of Norwegian nationhood? What does the history of jazz in Denmark say about the relation between its national identity and race? What is it like to be a mixed-race black Swedish woman? How have African Diasporans in Finland navigated issues of race and belonging? And what does the widespread denial of everyday racism in Nordic societies mean to Afro-Nordics? This text is a must read for anyone interested in issues of race in the Nordic region and Europe at large. As Paul Gilroy writes in his foreword, it is a book that "should be studied with care and profit inside the Nordic countries and also outside them by the broader international readership that has been established around the study of racism and 'critical race theory'." (http://www.routledge.com.) Somalis in Malmö (in English) is a non-fictional account of Somalians living in Malmö (2013) that was published by the Open Society Foundation London. It is in English and is part of a series on minority communities in Europe. Available on: opensocietyfoundations.org. Egna Roster Egna Bilder (EREB – in Swedish) is a beautiful book that contains interviews of Somalis in Malmö, many who have never been in their homeland. It contains interviews with members of an older generation of Somalis who are telling the youth about the history of their culture and homeland. Published by Hidde Iyo Dhaquan, Lars Åberg and a group of Swedish and Somali editors, the book is part of a project that aims to revise the collective memories of Somalians living in Malmö. and provides an exhibition that will run until 29 June 2014. The book can be purchased through Bokus and Adlibris. Information about the book and the project are at [email protected]. . Films on TV: A documentary film about Afro Swedes aired on STV2 on two occasions during March. Entitled “RASKORT” (the Race Card) it interviewed a number of well known Afro Swedish anti-racist activists around the question of what it is like being Black in Sweden and what their experiences were. The film is an eye-opener on Afro phobia in Sweden and is a MUST SEE. The filmmaker, Othman Karim, is an internationally known Afro Swedish prizewinning filmmaker. www.svtplay.se/sok?q=Raskort. Lund’s ‘Internationella’ 1959-1976 is about the community of foreign and Swedish students who lived in that first international house for students that is still affectionately referred to as “Internationella”. It is largely in English with articles in Swedish by persons who lived there until it closed in 1976.To obtain a copy, see the website: www4.lu.se/mediatryck/bok-kompediefoersaeljning. Afrofobi, En kungskapsöversikt over afrosvenskars situation I dagens Sverige. Editor: Tobias Hübinette. This is a report about the marginalization of Afro-Swedes in Sweden. It was commissioned by the Minister for Integration, Mr. Erik Ullenhag (Ministry of Employment) and provides a systematic review of the current situation on afrophobia experienced by Swedes of African descent in Sweden. It is based on existing statistics and current research. Published by Mångkulturellt Centrum, Botkyrka. www.mkc.botkyrka.se BUY THIS BOOK: Lunds Historia – staden och omlandet (in Swedish), by history professor Sverker Oredsson. It is the third of three-volumes on the history of Lund. This one deals with Modern Times (1862 – 2010). Available at Gleerups and other bookstores in Lund. UN News New York. On December 19, 2013, the UN General Assembly issued a draft resolution establishing an International Decade for People of African Descent. The decade starts on January 1, 2015 and ends on December 31, 2025. See General Assembly Resolution A/68/L.34. Source: www.ohchr.org. Join The Lundian on Facebook Why We Publish in English Though Swedish is clearly the first language of Lund (after all, we are in Sweden), English has always been the lingua franca of the non-Swedish academic community. This is why The English International Association of Lund publishes this newsletter with tips and information for readers in English. Readers’ probona articles and opinions are welcome. Send an inquiry to [email protected]. We publish articles in Swedish or English and have a website: www.thelundian.com. Volunteers Welcome. 4