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We spend hours enjoying their work, but during the Coronavirus Crisis they were conveniently forgotten. What happened to the international creatives who work in Denmark?

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CPHPOST.DK 12 - 23 June 2020

NATIONAL Hitherto cautious, is the PM’s gathering increase a gamble?

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INTERNATIONAL

Seagulls and Swedes No, not noisy birds – our neighbours are wailing!

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SAY IT LOUD The risks of being a male Velocity behind virus in the queue

SPORT & CULTURE HC Andersen in disbelief at nation’s choice of best film

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Capital complaints Omission devastating for Copenhagen tourism

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In total, 199 were killed, which was far more than in 2017 and 18. “Men have a greater preference than women for fast cars and motorbikes,” explained Marianne Steffensen of Vejdirektoratet.

Boy racers IN FACT, it’s been a rotten fortnight for the men in Denmark, as it turns out they accounted for 80 percent of all road accident fatalities last year – mostly killed whilst driving alone at high speeds.

Then again ...

BUT HOLD on, ladies … don’t book that retirement home for one just yet, because men enjoy better health than you, according to a new Manual study.

Out of 156 countries, Danish men ranked 65th and the women 113th – a gender health gap of 48 spots, which was the fifth largest.

Danish women had the sixth worst ranking for female cancer rates, with barely two-thirds surviving for more than five years after a diagnosis. (BH)

E DIDN'T need another study to prove that the elderly and chronically-ill are the most at risk of dying of the coronavirus – thank you, Statens Serum Institut – but now another segment has been added to the list: the male half!

Adult males in Denmark have accounted for 42 percent of all cases and 74 percent of those admitted to intensive care.

4-5 Wastewater controversy

Elderly killer given life

OUTSIDE the George Floyd demos and continued reopenings, the biggest story of the fortnight has been the fallout following the news that the municipalities of Copenhagen and Gentofte have released 35 billion litres of wastewater into the Øresund over the last five years.

A 28-YEAR-OLD Sudanese-born Danish man from Hellerup has been given a life sentence for murdering two unrelated elderly people, aged 80 and 81, in Østerbro in March 2019. James Schmidt, who had a prior murder and rape conviction, stole his victims’ cash cards

Panda escapes

Conspiracy ... er ... theory

A PANDA escaped from its enclosure at Copenhagen Zoo on Monday. Resembling a scene from ‘Trigger Happy TV’, it wriggled up a metal pole and crept under an electric wire. An alert zookeeper then shot it with a tranquiliser dart.

CONSPIRACY theories tend to point towards deeper societal issues and failures of government that emerge during times of crisis, according to a study involving the University of Southern Denmark.

Drier than normal IT HAS never been so dry so early in the year in Denmark this century, according to the DMI's drought index. Following a wet winter, May saw minimal rainfall.

Finally back to work PUBLIC employees in the Capital Region and Zealand will return to work on Monday June 15. Several mayors had started to question what the delay was, as most public workers returned on May 27.

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LOCAL

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

12 - 23 June 2020

Exposing racial wounds old and new

ONLINE THIS WEEK COPENHAGEN Municipality recorded 3,441 rat sightings in the capital over the first five months of the year – 495 more than in the same period last year. The rise has been attributed to the warm winter, although the Coronavirus Crisis played a part as people spent more time at home.

Geranium goes green IN ADDITION to reopening on June 4, Geranium, the country’s only three star Michelin restaurant, launched a 100 percent plant-based lunch concept.

‘Angelika’ is open from Thursday-Saturday, 12:00-16:00, and bookings are required.

Carlsberg crumbling THE FACADE of the 100 metre-high Bohr’s Tower in Carlsberg is cracking up, reports Politiken.

The building was completed just three years ago. Kbhliv.dk anticipates that the owner of Bohr's Tower will sue Carlsberg Byen.

Outbreak hits dogs THE POTENTIALLY-FATAL parvovirus is spreading among dogs in Valby, reports kbhliv.dk.

Several dogs have been admitted for intensive treatment at the Valby Animal Clinic. The virus affects a dog's gastrointestinal tract. Quick treatment is vital.

Sunday’s Black Lives Matter march lived up to its billing, concurs CPH POST reporter at the scene of what could prove to be a seismic moment for diversity in Copenhagen NATHAN WALMER

T

HOUGH the issues at hand were decidedly different – Sunday, proved to be a day of dissent in Copenhagen.

Dual Protests A CROWD of over 15,000 Black Lives Matter protestors converged outside the US Embassy in Østerbro for a second consecutive weekend since the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police in the US city of Minneapolis on May 25, while a humbler though passionate crowd of would-be travellers and others strongly opposed to coronavirus travel restrictions and border closures gathered at Christianborg Slotsplads with their un-checked and carry-on luggage in tow.

While the turnout at the BLM protest tended to be younger, the age and ethnicity of demonstrators ran the gamut from older marchers ringing their bike bells in solidarity to young children picketing with signs that read: “Raising an ally”.

FREDERIKSBERG Municipality has already reached its goal to halve its CO2 emissions by the end of 2020, reports kbhliv.dk. It partly attributed its success to using more LED bulbs for road lighting.

Universal message THE RALLY began in the early afternoon outside the US Embassy where there were chants of “No justice, no peace!”, “Refugees are welcome here!”, and “Say his name: George Floyd!”

Though the protest was tak-

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SASHA KNUDSEN -@SASKJERSTI

Rats in ascendancy

Some 15,000 attended the march

ing place outside an American embassy and surrounded the events of police brutality and racism in America – the underlying message was a universal one. We have seen the protests in countries across the world stemming from the murder of George Floyd in the US – each protest holding up a mirror to their own respective societies in the context of race and injustice throughout their histories.

There was a strong sense in the air that the protestors in Copenhagen on Sunday had adopted the message in voicing their own resentment of perceived injustices and systemic racism at home as well. This was evidenced by chants and signs decrying the treatment of refugees, ‘hygge-racism’ and racial profiling in Denmark.

Spirit of John Lennon AFTER about an hour of spirited protest the marchers set off through central Copenhagen and on to Christiansborg Slotsplads for a round of speeches where coronavirus travel protesters had been just hours earlier. The demonstrations were wholly peaceful and were met with virtually no police presence in stark contrast to the video images we have seen of the heavy-handed police response to

protests in the US. Chants led by mega-phone wielding protestors were complemented by protest songs – John Lennon's 'Imagine' could be heard echoing down city streets – as sympathetic on-lookers waved supportive banners from their windows overhead.

More important matters WINDING down the streets of Copenhagen, it was hardly possible to practice social distancing – though many protestors wore masks. Racism is a menace that has long pre-dated coronavirus and needs to be addressed, though it was difficult not to consider the debate as to whether these protests could act as virus super-spreaders during the march. One protestor held a sign contending that “racism is a pandemic too!”, and at least one other held a sign arguing that racism is a greater threat to their lives than the coronavirus.

Whatever the identifiable impact the protest had on this day, the murder of George Floyd has undoubtedly shaken the collective conscience of many across the world, and if these massive gatherings are any indication, the message that Black Lives Matter appears to be resonating.

ONLINE THIS WEEK Istedgade input VESTERBRO residents have been asked for input regarding the final leg of the decade-long transformation of Istedgade (between Flensborggade and Enghavevej).

In related news, work on a 1.3 km cloudburst underwater tunnel from Vodroffsvej in Frederiksberg to Halmtorvet and Kalvebod Brygge in Vesterbro is scheduled to start imminently.

Sending them home COPENHAGEN Municipality’s Transit Program, now in its fifth year, continues to help foreign homeless people to return to their homelands. Some 1.7 million kroner will fund its 2020 efforts. On average, it repatriates 150-200 people a year.

Football pledge THE NORDEA Fund is providing Copenhagen with 3.9 million kroner to support activities and efforts to strengthen football communities over the next three years. The main focus is getting more children aged 4-8, inactive adults and girls to play.

Zoo passes for kids THERE are plans afoot to give all public school children living in Frederiksberg Municipality free passes to Copenhagen Zoo, reports Kbhlive.dk. The move will cost the municipality 200,000 kroner and encourage more teaching that involves the school.

Death in Christiania A 58-YEAR-OLD man was found dead on May 26 in a public restroom in Christiania.

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Sunday’s Black Lives Matter demonstration saw approximately eight times more people gather than on May 31, which too congregated outside the US Embassy. And many more protested in Odense and Aarhus on June 3, despite growing fears the large crowds might spread the coronavirus. “From an infection point of view only, there is clearly an increased risk of transmission when many people are together, and maybe even singing, screaming etc,” Søren Riis Paludan, a professor at Aarhus University’s Department of Biomedicine, told CPH POST. The police are powerless to stop the ‘I Can't Breathe’ protests as it is the Danish people's right to stage political protests, according to the Constitution NATHAN WALMER

ELLA NAVARRO NATHAN WALMER

Sunday’s demonstration saw a wide breadth of different signs, from the deadly serious to the extremely humorous ELLA NAVARRO

ELLA NAVARRO ELLA NAVARRO

From thousands to hundreds, although the final destination was the same: a demonstration was held around Sunday lunchtime to protest against the closed borders. As the signs suggested, Mor is a little fed up!

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FEATURE

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

12 - 23 June 2020

Creative indifference: How the cracks of society got wider for foreign artists

An actress, comedian, artist and singer reflect on their experiences during the Coronavirus Crisis ANNA MARYAM SMITH & AMBIKA VENKATESH

I

T SURPRISES many newcomers to Denmark how seriously the country takes its art.

In total, nearly 300 creatives benefit from life-long grants that support their living costs.

Nearly 100 visual artists are supported in such a way, along with authors, composers, designers, film and theatre creatives, and architects – although earnings will often reduce the amount they are given.

Like they don’t exist BUT ONE group is almost entirely excluded – both from the grants and from the government’s recent compensation of many employers across Denmark: the international creatives.

This ever-growing segment of the culture scene has suffered immeasurably during the Coronavirus Crisis. With no

pieces. I also work as a cook two to three times a week at Mikkeller headquarters.

Name: Dawn Wall Nationality: British Profession: Actress Years in Denmark: 10 What does your job entail under normal circumstances?

Depends which one, because as an actress I don't have steady hours and I’m not theatre-based. In terms of normal circumstances, if you can say that for acting, I would get invites from casting agents, or I would approach casting agents. But because I write as well, I'm always sitting in my home office and writing different

How has this changed during the pandemic – and did you anticipate this change?

The real change for me was being sent home from Mikkeller because a lot of the time you’ll need some sort of standard general income from jobs. I’m a member of the Dansk Skuespillerforbund, which I started before lockdown. I paid quite a lot of money to be a member, but they did organise some online training. It was weird to learn a new system with Zoom, but it also helps for future castings though. Because I think a lot of casting agents will go via that route in the near future – both to save time and to protect themselves from all these weird actors with their snotty noses coming into their offices.

Have you received any funding from the government? If so, did you reach out or did they?

Luckily I was still paid for my job by Mikkeller, otherwise I would've been lot going on. Principally, I'm a musician. I perform live at different pubs and venues all over the world.

How has this changed during the pandemic – and did you anticipate this change?

The whole music thing changed with the pandemic, as no venues were open.

So, no way to make money. I kind of anticipated it, but I had no idea it would be this bad or last this long.

Name: Ray Weaver Nationality: American Profession: Musician Years in Denmark: 25 What does your job entail under normal circumstances?

Well, I'm a musician, and a voice-over artist, and a writer, and a translator, so there's a

Have you received any funding from the government? If so, did you reach out or did they?

I have not received a dime from the government, neither from the US nor from Denmark. In both cases there were benchmarks that I didn’t meet.

How have you been adapting your work

audience, their work dried up and there was no safety net.

While many of us, who are happy to enjoy their talents in fair-weather times, did our best to forget they even exist.

Tougher times than most CPH POST felt obliged to raise awareness of their plight – after all, some of this country’s

completely screwed. I did write to the government because I was concerned, and they basically said they could see on my records I would be getting paid until June, so no, essentially they weren’t going to give me anything. I’ve just bought a little apartment, so I had to get quite creative in terms of making sure that I have enough money to pay the bills and survive. I would have actually had to quit my job at Mikkeller, or for them to have fired me to leave me with no income whatsoever, in order to get help.

How have you been adapting your work during Covid-19?

Essentially just figuring out Zoom and holding meetings with directors about future projects. I feel like it was really tough when you rely on your network and are constantly picking up jobs when productions have shut down. All meetings for the future production company I wanted to work with were cancelled indefinitely. I was lucky enough to get an advert with IBM that I did during lockdown with masks and three people on set. during covid-19?

I’ve been trying to get more writing work and do more voice-overs from home. I did get one good voice-over job that I could go to the studio for, as long as we practised social distancing. I and my daughter did a couple of live streams to raise money for a mental health foundation that is run by my wife, and we did quite well the first couple of times.

But once that ran its course, and everybody and his dog was doing a live stream, we kinda knocked it on the head. But it did work for a while and we brought some money into the foundation, so that was good. There’s only so many bad videos with scratchy sound quality that people want to see.

How do you think the situation could have been handled better by the Danish government?

I don't think the government of Denmark

brightest creatives are either internationals or have been heavily influenced by them.

Between them, our actress, comedian, artist and singer have endured a tougher pandemic than most.

We asked them how their business has been impacted, what could the government have done differently, and whether the crisis indeed brought any benefits.

In cases like yours, do you think the government should have acted differently?

I don't think they should have acted differently with me particularly. Culture-wise they could've looked after artists a bit better who weren't high earners, but they didn't. But yet again I think I was essentially one of the lucky ones because I didn't really need the government to help me this time.

Have there been advantages to taking this time off in terms of your creative endeavours?

I've benefited from creatively not rushing.

But I think I would’ve been a lot more relaxed if I knew when, and if, I was potentially coming back to work. That uncertainty day after day is like being in an airport waiting for the flight home, but never knowing when you're going to leave. But there were several creative people who had the chance, and the energy, and the inclination to reach out and contact me. And I don't think they or I would've had the time to give each other the attention we deserved otherwise. could’ve acted any better – I think they’ve done an excellent job. It was completely unprecedented, so nobody knew what was and what wasn't going to work. The numbers sort of suggest that Denmark has done the right thing. For the financial numbers, we’ll have to wait and see.

Have there been advantages to taking this time off in terms of your creative endeavours?

I’ve got three or four songs written that I wouldn’t have gotten done otherwise, especially since some of them relate to the world and what's going on right now. And I think because I did get Covid-19 – I was very, very ill and nearly died – I feel differently about a lot of things. I feel differently about my time here on the planet. I’m a lot more reflective, a lot more thankful that I’m still here and that I made it through, and I think I’ll be more grateful for the gifts that I have in my life now.

FEATURE

12 - 23 June 2020

of comedians were sick of Covid jokes as it was just a buzzword on the news, but it was on the other side of the world so it wasn’t an imminent concern. Then all of a sudden it was in Denmark, and it became real.

Have you received any funding from the government? If so, did you reach out or did they?

I did not apply for government funding.

It’s unfortunate that I have lost out on profits, but I would much rather funding go to other artists and creatives in the community who are genuinely struggling.

Name: Jefferson Bond Nationality: British Profession: Comedian/Actor Years in Denmark: 4 What does your job entail under normal circumstances?

I am a stand-up comedian and actor. I perform at comedy clubs in both Denmark and Sweden (such as Comedy Zoo and Citizen and Comedy Festivals). I also perform on stage and write and produce sketches with my comedy partner, Kevin Kiernan-Molloy, for our upcoming web show: 'You Seen This?'. I am also working on a performance of 'A Midsummer

Night’s Dream' at the Botanical Gardens.

How has this changed during the pandemic – and did you anticipate this change?

Nearly everything I do needs an audience.

Otherwise it’s just me alone in a room being mental and scaring my neighbour’s cat. This year I was invited back to Lund Comedy Festival to perform a show, as well as performing 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ during the summer. These things have now been put on hold, or are in a state of uncertainty. I think for the longest time, particularly in the comedy scene, that Covid-19 seemed to be treated as just a premise for jokes. Ironically, by March a lot some adventure guide work. As a creative designer I make and sell things to shops, but there are many orders that were cancelled months ago. My third basket has been working on film productions, a few gigs a year in Iceland, which ground to a halt during the last few months, although it seems to be picking up a bit now.

Name: Hrafnkell ‘Keli’ Birgisson Nationality: Icelandic Profession: Artist, Designer and Adventure Guide Years in Denmark: 12 What does your job entail under normal circumstances?

I have my eggs in a few different baskets.

At this time of year I would be doing

How has this changed during the pandemic – did you anticipate this change?

It was an abrupt kind of change. I guided a small trip in Iceland at the beginning of March, and that was the last group that travelled. There were some trade fairs I exhibit at, but after March everything was cancelled. You stay with your current clients and suppliers, and no new products are being picked up, which must be very difficult for some creatives. My focus now is on self-initiating projects, and I recently got some small funding to do some research on mountain hiking huts with my colleagues in Iceland.

Once the lockdown hit did you start to make long-term changes to the way

How have you been adapting your work during Covid-19?

I started doing a satirical news program on my Facebook and Instagram pages to try and keep myself sharp, which I found very entertaining. It kept me productive by getting one person to smile or at the very least breathe air a little more forcefully out of their nose.

How do you think the situation could have been handled better by the Danish government?

I must confess that when the lockdown happened I considered it an over-reaction.

But, you look around the world, first you ran your businesses?

I started saying maybe I’ll go to school again to study, or do a PhD, which I’ve been considering for a long time.

It changes your mindset: you start working and thinking of new options.

You might regard it as a temporary situation, but you have to adapt to it somehow and look in different baskets and see if there’s anything to quickly focus on.

Have you received any funding from the government?

I would have been able to get some funding from the government, but the problem with my business is that funds are very low during the first months of the year, so that wasn’t an option. I had to accept the support fee from the government at a very low rate. Luckily I got some funding from the Danish Arthall which has helped me make it to the summer. But that wasn’t corona-related funding – it's because I’m a good creative thinker, hopefully!

In cases like yours, do you think the government should have acted differently?

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with Italy and those poor people who had to die alone in those hospital beds, it was just heartbreakingly surreal. I personally think Mette Frederiksen and the government handled the crisis incredibly well, as well as the people of Denmark for taking it so seriously.

Have there been advantages to taking this time off in terms of your creative endeavours?

I think the first week of quarantine was amazing. It was like a holiday. It meant I could catch up with friends back home in the UK, I could concentrate on other projects that I would have put off, and I could relax without feeling guilty. But then slowly it started to wear me down.

I get very restless when I am idle because I love my job, so being unable to do something that makes you feel useful is a terrible feeling. There was this constant voice in my head that said I should be using my time more productively – so much so that at one point I had written close to 12 pages of new jokes, I had written and organised as many comedy sketches and filming dates as I could, and my apartment was so spotless that I am pretty sure I could've seen the Coronaviirus if it was floating around.

I would say there are a lot of people like me. I don’t think that the government had any plans for creatives here. I know in Iceland the art foundation created a monthly art salary. It’s always difficult to support these niche people that survive off different baskets. Me, as a guide, specialised in one place in the world that you can’t travel to – it’s just not going to happen. Because income is not linear, it's the seasonal businesses that are vulnerable. For the next crisis, I’m sure there will be a better plan.

Have there been advantages to taking this time off in terms of your creative endeavours?

I think you could absolutely say that a crisis like this, and the same could be said of the Financial Crisis 12 years ago, triggers a lot of new initiatives. Because there were so many businesses that went down the drain, people had to rethink how they survive. And this is why it's so important to support creatives at this time, because they will get us through this crisis, just like they did then. You have to come up with new ideas, and that counts for all businesses – not just creators like myself.

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NATIONAL

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Hit me on 10: Bravo or Bust!

AT THE time of going to press on Wednesday, Ahmed Akkari was scheduled to announce the name and policies of his new centre-left political party at a press conference in Kongens Have. In 2005 Akkari was one of three men who drew the Arab World's attention to the Mohammed Cartoons, although he later said he regretted his actions. His co-party member Hanna Ziadeh says it will be a centre-left party, and that may also be included in the name (NCV).

ONLINE THIS WEEK WONDERFUL COPENHAGEN

New party is no cartoon

12 - 23 June 2020

Railway black hole THE TRANSPORT Ministry concedes that the public don’t enjoy travelling on trains as much as other nations. Despite spending 132 billion kroner since 2009 on what it calls a “black hole”, it accepts that the railways are in a relatively poor condition. However, it remains hopeful that new electric trains and better signalling can improve the situation.

Graduate green light THE CORONAVIRUS will not stop the class of 2020 from honouring the tradition of celebrating their graduation by riding around on open-backed trucks at the end of June. The government gave the students the green light on the condition that they take precautions and celebrate in small groups.

State wants marriage ban THE GOVERNMENT is seeking to ban religious marriages involving minors and to increase the maximum sentence for forcing them to do so to two years. Civil marriages involving children are prohibited, but not marriages that only involve a religious ceremony.

SOME 48 percent of Danish households sort their rubbish, according to EPA – a keen rise in recent years. In related news, a co-ordinated rubbish collection in Copenhagen and Frederiksberg will take place on June 13 from 10:00 to 13:00, according to kbhliv.dk.

Footballer on the roof KONDITAGET Lüders, a parking garage developed by By & Havn in Aarhus, has won the Danish Design Award in the category 'Liveable Cities'. It offers a public space of 2,400 sqm to gather, play and exercise on the roof.

Laughing gas limits PARLIAMENT has passed a law banning the sale of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) to people under the age of 18. Adults, meanwhile, are only permitted to buy two cartridges at a time. Inhaling nitrous oxide can cause dizziness, unconsciousness and even death.

More sorting rubbish

Paludan riot shooting

Time to hit the boardwalk like we're Miami Vice

PM finally raises the public gathering limit, but will it end up haunting her?

AYEE MACARAIG

Y

OU NEVER stick on ten, most experienced blackjack players will tell you, but Danish PM Mette Frederiksen has regularly defied expectations during the Coronavirus Crisis, mostly keeping her cards close to her chest.

It was somewhat of a surprise, therefore, when the media learned on Tuesday that she intends to increase the size of permitted gatherings to 100 from July 8 – just a day after announcing their rise from 10 to 50 from June 8 onwards – along with greater freedoms for restaurants, Superliga games, culture events and conferences provided people sit down.

On August 8, they will rise to 200 – coronavirus permitting of course, as Frederiksen will quickly reimpose the limits should case numbers start to spike again.

Fitness centre surprise PHASE 4 in August was supposed to include the reopening of the fitness centres, swimming pools and sports clubs, but that

was this week brought swiftly forwards.

Since Monday, they have all been permitted to open, providing social distancing rules are adhered to (two metres distance for physical exertion), and machines and equipment are regularly cleaned.

Nevertheless, the country’s biggest chain, Fitness World, which has more than 470,000 members, has not reopened yet.

Sports clubs, meanwhile, can compete again, but only if teams do not gather before or after playing, keep a two-metre distance and clean their equipment frequently during use.

Too much too soon?

BUT IS it too much too soon?

A joint study by Lone Simonsen of Roskilde University and Kim Sneppen of the Niels Bohr Institute argues that the key to its success has been banning super-spreader events where thousands gather.

Other healthcare experts are worried too, urging the government to prepare a national plan for a new wave of the coronavirus, warning that acting after an increase in hospital admissions would be too late.

In response, the minister of health, Magnus Heunicke, said that the government is closely monitoring indicators such as the R rate, the average number of people that a person with the virus infects, which is well below 1.0.

Fatalities still short of 600 IN RELATED news, the government and municipality association KL have agreed on an additional 1.5 billion kroner in funding for municipalities next year in a bid to boost welfare after the Coronavirus Crisis, while the regions will get a 3.1 billion kroner compensation package.

The Center for Diagnostics at DTU, which has been carrying out coronavirus tests for hospitals in the Capital Region, has raised its daily capacity from 1,500 to 5,000.

Three out of four international students at the University of Copenhagen have felt anxious during the Coronavirus Crisis, a new study reveals.

Tivoli (June 8), the Round Tower (June 5) and Canal Tours (June 8) have all reopened.

As of Tuesday, there have been 593 deaths caused by the virus from 11,962 cases, according to SSI figures.

A MAN ARMED with a knife was shot in the leg by police protecting the failed, racist politician Rasmus Paludan in Gellerupparken in western Aarhus last Friday. Following the incident – another of the lawyer’s acts of provocation – 50-100 young locals threw stones and aimed fireworks at the police.

Going twice ANOTHER collection of Prince Henrik’s artwork collection will go on sale on June 17 via the website of the Bruun Rasmussen auctioneers – this time 19 sculptures that include some pretty abstract depictions of people and animals.

Less alcohol drunk SOME 60 percent of Danes consumed less or much less alcohol during the Coronavirus Crisis, according to a study by the National Institute of Public Health. Youth drinking was particularly hit as it became harder to see one another.

Loving the festivals AROUND 920,000 Danes attended music festivals during the spring and summer of 2019 – an 11 percent increase on the previous year, according to Danmarks Statistik. Had the Coronavirus Crisis not taken place, attendance would have probably surpassed 1 million in 2020. Most festival-goers are aged 16-24 and students.

12 - 23 June 2020

ONLINE THIS WEEK

The sound of a neighbour crying КИРИЛЛ ВЕНЕДИКТОВ

IS’s dangerous new ally

INTERNATIONAL

DENMARK is strengthening its stabilisation efforts in northeastern Syria and Iraq with a 31 million kroner healthcare package. The foreign minister, Jeppe Kofod, confirmed the funds after a recent virtual meeting of the coalition against IS. “IS has found an unexpected and dangerous ally in COVID-19,” explained Kofod.

African funds DENMARK is funding two initiatives in African countries to curb the flow of irregular migrants before they reach Europe’s borders: a border management centre in Tunisia (26 million kroner over three years) to fight human traffickers and smuggling networks, and a Rwandan transit centre (23 million).

Frugal considerations THE EUROPEAN Commission has disclosed plans for a 750 billion euro aid package, 'Next Generation EU', which will be used for sectors severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Denmark, as part of the Frugal Four, wants any aid needs to be a loan, not a grant or a mutualisation of debt.

Gangster nabbed in Dubai A DANISH citizen suspected of being a leading figure in gang-related crimes in Sweden and Spain has been arrested in Dubai. The 23-year-old evaded Spanish police during raids in November 2018, before fleeing to Dubai, where he was eventually apprehended whilst taking out the rubbish.

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ONLINE THIS WEEK WHO concerns DENMARK’S foreign minister, Jeppe Kofod, has expressed his concerns regarding US President Donald Trump’s plans to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization, arguing that it will impact developing countries. “We need a strong, active and efficient WHO now that we are in the midst of a global pandemic,” he told TV2 News.

Denmark’s Dr Death

"Please can we go to Denmark. Everyone else is going"

On the other side of the Øresund, the Swedes can’t believe they’re being locked out NATHAN WALMER

F

OLLOWING Denmark’s decision to open its borders to people travelling from Iceland, Norway and Germany from June 15, but not Sweden, that country’s foreign minister, Ann Linde, has again urged Denmark to open up.

Linde argues that nearby Scania has a comparable infection rate to Denmark’s Capital Region, and that the closed borders have frustrated many of the people living there – particularly as Danes are permitted to cross the Øresund.

More rail services IN FACT, since June 8, more rail services have been running across the Øresund, with plans to gradually return to the pre-crisis schedule of one train every 20 minutes from 04:00 to midnight, as well as reintroducing the direct service from Copenhagen to Gothenburg.

Danish passengers are required to book seats in advance via DSB’s app, ticket machines or the website in order to ensure proper distancing between fellow passengers.

Children infected NEVERTHELESS, Sweden still presents a risk to visitors from Denmark. Just last week, it was revealed that five students at

Roskilde Cathedral School contracted the coronavirus during a trip to Sweden over the Ascension Day bank holiday weekend.

The school, which according to its administrators did not organise the trip, has cancelled all physical classes until June 12.

A poor approach AND SWEDEN'S former state epidemiologist, Annika Linde, has condemned the country’s current approach to the coronavirus.

Linde told Berlingske that Sweden, where the per capita coronavirus death rate has been four times higher than in Denmark, “could have slowed the spread of infection and bought some time” if it had taken action like Denmark.

CARL VÆRNET, the infamous Danish doctor who conducted experiments on gay people in concentration camps during World War II, is back in the news following Argentina’s decision to feature its first ever minister of health, Ramón Carrillo, on a new 5,000-peso note. Carrillo was responsible for hiring Værnet after the war in Buenos Aires.

Danida review DANISH funding is spent on projects distinguished by high-quality research and relevance to the challenges faced by emerging countries, concludes an evaluation of Danida’s support by consultancy company FCG Sweden.

Websites blocked THE GOVERNMENT will block the websites of companies that sell products that do not comply with EU and Danish safety rules, thanks to a new law passed last week that was chiefly concerned with the suppliers of dangerous products.

8

SCIENCE

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Living longer, but not necessarily healthier

ONLINE THIS WEEK PIXABAY

Huge fuel plant planned

12 - 23 June 2020

LEADING companies in Denmark, including SAS, Mærsk, CPH Airport and Ørsted, have pooled resources in a bid to produce an industrial-scale sustainable fuel plant in Copenhagen. The effort – which aims to produce green fuel for road, maritime and air transport – has a vision to become one of the world’s biggest plants for electrolysis and producing sustainable fuel.

TICK-BORNE encephalitis, a virus contracted through tick bites, is becoming more prevalent, according to University of Copenhagen experts. Symptoms include a flu-like illness and, in some cases, brain inflammation. Common in Bornholm, it has spread more to other areas in the last decade. Vaccinations are available via a GP.

A RECENT research project at DTU introduces a new method to design suspension bridges and many types of big building in a more climate-friendly method using fewer materials. New designs using cross-beams reduce the required materials by 14 percent and the CO2 emissions generated in production and transport of concrete and steel by up to 30 percent.

CUCKOO chicks have an innate, internal GPS that enables them to instinctively know where to fly to without having been there before, according to a University of Copenhagen study that attached tiny transmitters to the birds to track their migration via satellites. Even when moved 1,800 km off course, a young cuckoo could still find its way to a special wintering site in Africa.

Monitoring our water DTU'S ENVIRONMENT department has taken charge of a project to place sensors in seawater, lakes, and fjords to record pollution levels, producing data that will be widely accessible for businesses and the public. DTU hopes to test it out on the coastline this summer.

Music no longer sacred AN EDUCATION in music is no longer accessible to all children, according to a study by the Danish School of Education at Aarhus University, which concludes that politicians need to do more to address the disparity. It would seem that music is no longer a priority.

USING old DNA samples, research involving the University of Copenhagen has found evidence of at least three waves of early migration to the Caribbean from different parts of the American mainland: two from North America and one from South America. The researchers claim their results debunk the theory that large bodies of water were barriers to early humans.

Tick virus threat growing

Eco-friendly construction

Cuckoo’s innate GPS

Caribbean study

New nitrogen measures Eating less and leaner, and a whole lot greener, is the key

Education is playing a huge role in giving us longer lives

EOPLE in Denmark are living longer, and it would appear we have education to thank.

It has played a huge role in making people aware of what foods to avoid should they wish to cut down their cholesterol, as well as radically improving the way people with diabetes are treated.

fallen by 19 percent in Denmark since the 1980s, according to a new international study published in the scientific journal Nature.

Danish researchers conclude that healthy lifestyles have dramatically reduced the risk of many Danes dying prematurely of cardiovascular disease or blood clots.

The study involved 1,000 researchers who assessed the data of 102.6 million people in 200 countries across a 39-year time period from 1980 to 2018.

Cutting down cholesterol CHOLESTEROL levels have

Fewer diabetes deaths MEANWHILE, the number of

people in Denmark with diabetes has risen sharply compared to 25 years ago, but fewer people die from the disease, a Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen study reveals.

Some 285,000 people in Denmark have diabetes - of which 90 percent have type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease - which means that numbers have quadrupled since 1995.

While researchers cannot determine the exact cause of the spike, they said that increased physical inactivity, higher levels of obesity, an ageing population, and improved and earlier testing are the most likely factors.

Hold off North Sea!

Hospital link to bones

New organic target

IN A NEW report, the Climate Council recommends that no more permits should be issued for drilling and exploration work in the North Sea, even though Denmark will lose billions of kroner. As things currently stand, companies hold permits to drill until 2050, and a new tender is underway to issue permits until 2055. Four oil companies have expressed an interest.

EXPERTS believe the remains of 15 people discovered during the construction of the new Statens Naturhistoriske Museum in Copenhagen are centuries old.

The bones, they suggest, most probably stem from one of the city’s former hospitals – possibly in connection with pathological studies carried out by the Royal Surgical Academy 250 years ago.

ORGANIC arable land now accounts for an area the size of Funen – a doubling in size from 150,000 to 301,000 hectares over 12 years. The food and agriculture minister, Mogens Jensen, has set a new goal to double again. However, some academics have voiced concern that this could lead to an over-supply of organic products that would push prices down.

VALMIRA GJONI

P

THE GOVERNMENT will strengthen efforts to limit nitrogen emissions from agriculture – a decision intended to protect the aquatic environment. The UN warns that human nitrogen additions to the soil in the form of fertilisers reinforce the greenhouse gas effect.

Recycling drive THE ENVIRONMENT Ministry is pushing for a bill that would provide incentives for companies to use recyclable packaging to reduce waste that ends up being incinerated. It contends that only about 20 percent of Danish plastic packaging waste is recycled.

According to the environment minister, Lea Wermelin, Danes throw out the most waste per capita per year in Europe.

Capturing CO2 AFTER several years of research, scientists at DTU Bioengineering have identified a number of enzymes that can capture CO2 and transform it into sustainable chemicals with the use of electricity from the wind turbines. The specific enzymes can effectively convert carbon dioxide into formic acid and then into methanol.

SPORT & CULTURE

12 - 23 June 2020

ONLINE THIS WEEK Paedophile controversy

HC Andersen spinning in his grave!

A BOOK that has caused considerable controversy since its release in French in January, Vanessa Springora’s 'The Consent', has been published in Danish. It is based on the author’s sexual relationship with author Gabriel Matzneff, now 83, which started when she was just 13 and he was 50.

In the Cannes TWO DANISH films have been entered into the 2020 Cannes Film Festival: Thomas Vinterberg's ‘Druk' (‘Another Round’), which stars Mads Mikkelsen as an alcoholic teacher, and Danish-French filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen's animated documentary 'Flee', which concerns a Afghan refugee who conceals his homosexuality from his family back home.

No positive tests NOT A SINGLE Superliga or First Division player tested positive for coronavirus in late May, despite 1,019 tests being conducted. League action then resumed on May 28.

Poulsen’s big 250 YUSSUF Poulsen has now played a club record 250 games for Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig – a club founded in 1990. Poulsen, who scored and got injured in his 250th game, has now netted 63 times for Leipzig since joining them from Lyngby in 2013.

Back with Everton

Warning for bookstores BO DYBKÆR, the head of the Danish bookstore association, has warned that a deal struck by Danish publisher Gyldendal with Book Depository could set a dangerous precedent for his members, as it is owned by Amazon. “It sets out to be dominant in all of its markets,” he told DR radio.

ONLINE THIS WEEK

9

Hell freezes over: anyone but 'Beauty and the Beast'!

‘Frozen’ the most popular film in the world, but not in Denmark!

It’s kind of a tie ...

IN SIMILAR fashion to the all-conquering Kong, the 1991 cartoon and 2017 live action versions of 'Beauty and the Beast'

collectively account for Denmark's favourite film, according to a Disney+ survey based on data from Google.

'Frozen' is the most popular film in Norway and Finland – after all, the countries pretty much share the main characters' final destination – but not Denmark, the home of the writer of the original fairy-tale.

'Beauty and the Beast' was written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve.

Queen's gay morfar series

Skates on for florist

Inspired by Zlatan

SWEDISH national broadcaster SVT intends to make a TV series about a homosexual relationship between Sweden’s King Gustaf V, the great-grandfather of Queen Margrethe II, and Kurt Haijby, a restaurateur 36 years his junior.

Gustaf, the father of Queen Ingrid, died in 1950 aged 92 when Margrethe was ten years old, thus outliving her own grandfather.

STARDOM beckons for award-winning Danish florist Yan Skates, 52, who has landed a main presenting role in the new Netflix gardening show 'The Big Flower Fight'. Skates, who moved to London in 1992 and has been a florist since 2000, is co-fronting a show challenging aspiring flower arrangers in a similar vein to ‘Project Runway’.

BESIR Zeciri, a 29-year-old Danish actor with Balkan roots who has been acclaimed for his role in the Danish gangster thriller ‘Kød & Blod’, has told DR how Zlatan Ibrahimovic helped him to achieve success in his profession. “It was so insane: it lifted me,” he said. “If he can overcome so many challenges and become such a big star, so can I.”

BEN HAMILTON

A

PPARENTLY 'King Kong' is the most popular film among chimps.

It would have been 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' – anything involving primates killing humans, basically – but Hitler's favourite film of 1933 racked up more points thanks to its 1976 and 2005 remakes.

Of course, the 1933 and 2005 films conclude with the memorable line "It was beauty killed the beast", which lends us a neat segue to glide into the breaking news that Denmark's most beloved film is not 'Frozen', even though most of your neighbours' children would beg to differ.

HUMMEL has agreed to a threeyear technical sponsorship deal with Everton – its first contract to outfit an English Premier League side since its agreement with Aston Villa expired in 2007.

Angry at 'X Factor' CH10 IS ANGRY with TV2 show ‘X Factor’ for presenting her song 'Karma is a Bitch' as the first release of the program’s runner-up, Mathilde Caffey, without consulting her.

The singer, who wanted the song to launch her career, was aggrieved as “it was presented as if Mathilde Caffey had written this song with her producer”, she told DR.

Ajax wants Dane AJAX IS on the verge of snapping up Danish player Eskild Munk Dall, 17, from Silkeborg IF in a deal worth between 3 and 5 million kroner, reports Ekstra Bladet.

Dolberg wins award FRENCH club OGC Nice has named Danish national Kasper Dolberg as its player of the year.

The Dane netted 11 goals in 23 league matches.

10 BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK

12 - 23 June 2020

Copenhagen deprived of tourism capital PIQSELS

GDP downturn THE FINANCE Ministry is forecasting an economic downturn for Denmark in 2020 worse than the financial crisis of 200708. GDP is expected to fall by an estimated 5.25 percent due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. However, 4 percent GDP growth is expected in 2021.

MATAS received 13 million kroner in employee wage compensation, but has returned it to the government after only suffering a small drop in sales and earnings during the first three weeks of the lockdown. Matas was included in the group of ‘socially needed’ stores during the crisis, which enabled 240 stores to remain open. “We don’t need the money,” noted Matas.

Asian ambition ROYAL Greenland has furthered its online Asian market ambitions by buying a 20 percent stake in a Chinese e-commerce company that specialises in selling food to private consumers. Selling the likes of prawns, halibut and so-called Danish caviar, the company hopes to increase the number of its Chinese and Japanese customers.

Podcast investment

More compensation?

AHEAD of the wage compensation aid packages ending on June 8, the government was strongly considering extending the length of the aid packages to August.

Dansk Industri, Dansk Erhverv and Horesta have all been fiercely lobbying. An announcement is expected imminently.

Jogging along THANKS to the increased number of people running for fitness, the jogging retail site Løbeshop. dk has hired 15 new employees over the past three weeks in order to keep up with the demand.

B&O chair dies BANG & Olufsen chair Ole Andersen, who once held the same position at Danske Bank, has died aged 63.

Sustainable cartons ARLA HAS launched a plantbased carton for its A38 range of yoghurts. Its production only uses wood and plants, thus leaving out the bleaching process and the white chalk layer that is usually applied to common white cartons. Some 16 million cartons of the product are sold every year, and the move should cut 128,000 kilos of CO2 emissions.

“We don’t need it”

83NORTH, e.ventures and Danish Heartcore have injected 112 million kroner into Danish-founded podcast service Podimo.

Deloitte predicts the podcast market will increase by 30 percent in 2020, and the 83North contribution will help Podimo shape the future of podcasts in Denmark and the rest of the world.

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Your own Lamborghini Finally locals will be able to get a good seat. Hope they're happy!

Elsewhere, Jutland is bouncing back in fine style AYEE MACARAIG

D

ANSK ERHVERV has criticised the government’s restrictions on the reopening of Denmark’s borders from June 15 – particularly the exclusion of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg from sites where tourists can spend the night, due to those municipalities having a greater prevalence of coronavirus.

The Danish chamber of commerce’s head Brian Mikkelsen called the capital “the biggest magnet in Danish tourism” and the rules for reopening “ambiguous”. Wonderful Copenhagen believes 1,400 jobs could be at risk in the capital.

Business has also been backed by the people, as hundreds gathered on Sunday to protest against the border situation.

From next Monday then!

FROM NEXT Monday, tour-

ists from Germany, Norway and Iceland will be able to visit the country, providing they will stay for a minimum of five nights, which the police warn will cause long queues at the borders. All other tourists are excluded until the end of August.

The justice minister, Nick Haekkerup, explained that the government wanted to ensure that it is able to control the risk of infections whilst kickstarting the tourism industry.

However, he has admitted that some visitors could cheat the restrictions by visiting the capital even though they have booked stays elsewhere.

No complaints in Jutland NOBODY is complaining in Jutland, though. Holiday home websites have seen huge traffic since the announcement, with thousands of Germans booking trips this summer.

Business was already good as eight out of ten people residing in Denmark are looking to spend

their holidays at home this year, according to a Voxmeter survey.

And the media is currently awash with campaigns, from VisitNordvest Jutland’s offer to explore the area on Puch Maxi motorbikes, to VisitFyn’s enticing slogan “Fyn skal det være” (Funen it must be).

Something in the air again SHOULD you want, SAS will even fly you to Jutland, as it has resumed its domestic flights between Copenhagen and Aarhus – a route suspended from March 29 to June 2 – and also Aalborg.

SAS, which recently cut 1,700 employees in Denmark out of 5,000 worldwide, is also reopening routes from the capital to Chicago and New York from June 10, as well as services to Amsterdam, Bergen and Stavanger from June 8.

In related news, Northern Jutland airline Great Dane Airlines is opening services from Aalborg to Málaga and Mallorca from July 4.

LEGO FANS can now own a Lamborghini – in miniature.

The toy manufacturer on June 1 launched a 1:8 scale model of a Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 – a sports car so exclusive that only 63 were ever made. Lego’s model comes in a lime-green colour with elegant golden rims, and it consists of 3,696 elements.

Boost for retail THE RETAIL industry saw sales rise between March and April by 0.4 percent. Dansk Industri says it is an encouraging sign that consumer confidence held firm in the face of the Coronavirus Crisis, and that many people spent money in shops that they would have normally paid for holidays, restaurant meals and hotel stays with.

Fewer eastern Europeans THE NUMBER of Eastern-European workers in Denmark appears to be declining for the first time since the Financial Crisis. Some 140,102 eastern Europeans were employed in the year ending March – 190 fewer than the year before.

Danish will look fantastic on your lips

Kiss bad language learning goodbye We have been teaching foreigners the beautiful language of Danish for more than 40 years. So, if you are looking for high-quality learning, outstanding teachers and fast progression, Studieskolen is the place to go. Right in the center of Copenhagen.

Choose from a variety of classes at Studieskolen.dk Check out how we look on SoMe

12 OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

12 - 23 June 2020

difficult to fundraise as a startup. And maybe you have felt it already. Maybe you were in the middle of fundraising when the Coronavirus Crisis struck? Or maybe you were preparing to raise funds? Or maybe an investor pulled out last minute? Well here is your chance for extra support.

THOMAS HØRSTED

Thomas (@thomas_hors) is the former co-founder of Startup Guide – The Entrepreneur’s Handbook and a former startup scout for IKEA Bootcamp. He is currently the COO for Tiimo, a Danish startup delivering an assistive app to kids with ADHD, autism and brain damage. He is also a limited partner and investor in The Nordic Web Ventures, which invests in early-stage Nordic startups.

T

ODAY, I am dedicating this space to a volunteer project that I am a part of called Corona-Funding. It is a non-profit initiative to provide support to impacted startups in Denmark.

The angels have fallen FEAR, uncertainty and doubt is part of any recession. And that is especially true when it comes to startup funding. Corporate venture capital programs shut down, business angels stay on the sidelines, VC funding dries up, and money is no longer being ploughed back into new investments.

Investors have already changed their mindset and approach and will reduce their investments in 2020. And that will ultimately kill startups, innovation, solutions and impact.

It should be expected that for multiple months it will be very

Enter the heroes I AM A PART of a volunteer project, corona-funding.org, which is a non-profit initiative to assist impacted startups in Denmark with fundraising. It was launched by a group of experienced entrepreneurs and business leaders who collectively have a substantial fundraising track record. With more than 20 volunteers now, all passionate about supporting and giving back to startups, we are all offering our time during this new turbulent and uncertain reality.

The concept is really simple: we gather a pool of strong investment cases, all with relevant impact for people and planet; we assess their potential, their business models and extent to which they are being impacted by Covid-19; we present the most viable cases to their network of angel investors and VCs via online events; we take no fees or any other payment and everyone involved is working on a volunteer basis; and we work to keep the dialogue between startups and investors going so that seeds are planted and relationships built.

So if you are a startup based in Denmark with a focus on creating value and impact for people and the planet, which is also inherently a healthy business but in danger of running out of capital due to the coronavirus – then apply today. We will do our very best to help.

Stay safe and stay well!

Mishra’s Mishmash As a regular contributor to the Times of India, the country’s largest newspaper, Mishra is often soughtafter by Danish media and academia to provide expertise on Asian-related matters, human rights issues and democratisation. He has spent half his life in India and the other half in Denmark and Sweden.

FUNKMONK

STARTUP COMMUNITY

MRUTYUANJAI MISHRA

I

N THE WAKE of the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, it is expected that some sweeping changes will be made to policing in the USA. Police reform needed PROTESTS against police brutality have not just spread to most cities in the USA but now even to most European cities, including Copenhagen, which witnessed an unexpectedly large crowd of 15,000 people gathering in front of the US Embassy on Sunday, from where they marched towards Parliament in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The concept of policing in most of the Western World does not harmonise with the ideals of respect and dignity enshrined in many human rights conventions.

The police and law enforcement authorities have for far too long acted as a military force, ready to descend on common people as if they are enemy combatants. This has resulted in far too many innocent young black lives being lost in the US in police confrontations.

Many Americans now want national police reform. They want a more vigorous screening of new officers to weed out the racists and those prone to violence – which if necessary should be the last resort, not the first. Furthermore, they want the system to quickly dismiss officers guilty of misconduct and make it impossible for them to find work elsewhere.

And it would appear changes are needed in Denmark too.

Not exactly exemplary COPENHAGEN’S hosting of the 2009 climate summit served to remind the world that Den-

Racism and the police: like they're a team

mark’s police force can be brutal too. While a storm over officers refusing to display their IDs did little to restore their reputation over the following years.

Many find the Danish police intimidating – for example, do they really need fully-loaded weapons when enforcing social distancing measures – while politeness wouldn’t go amiss when dealing with the public either.

And they too have a poor track record when it comes to policing minorities.

All of this screams of a huge disconnect between the police and the local communities, as if the officers don’t think it’s worthwhile involving themselves in such matters?

Paludan’s provocation IT CAN all get a bit baffling: like the public doesn’t really know whose side the police are on.

Take the case of the racist politician Rasmus Paludan, who luckily did not get enough votes to enter Parliament last year. His weekly and monthly demonstrations to burn the holy book of the Muslims, the Koran, or play football with it – all to provoke violent reactions – had cost the Danish state 114 million kroner up until the end of 2019.

His demonstrations have been allowed to continue with a heavy

police presence. They show up together in communities looking like a united force. One of the latest such protests resulted in the Danish police shooting the leg of a Dane who came armed with a knife.

Why have the Danish politicians not yet taken these intermittent and incessant provocations by Paludan seriously?

DF in denial DANSK Folkeparti vice-president Søren Espersen recently walked out of a radio program because he point-blank refused to accept the premise that there was racism in Denmark.

Curiously, DF is a huge supporter of the police. Its continuous demand to every government it has supported has been the allocation of unconditional funding, with preventative community work always low on the agenda.

Surely this money would be better spent on education, so that young children can learn the social skills to navigate the future society of this country as it becomes evermore ethnically diverse.

With America poised to make changes, it is incumbent on countries like Denmark to improve its record instead of denying that there is no structural racism in Denmark.

OPINION

12 - 23 June 2020

VIVIENNE MCKEE

13

NEXT ISSUE

Crazier than Christmas

The Road Less Taken

Vivienne McKee, Denmark’s best-known English entertainer, is this country’s most beloved foreign import. Over the last 36 years, hundreds of thousands of Copenhageners have enjoyed her annual Crazy Christmas Cabaret show at Tivoli, marvelling at her unique, wry Anglo wit and charm.

JESSICA ALEXANDER

An Actor’s Life IAN BURNS

PIXABAY

L

ET’S CALL it a lockup. It’s more positive.

Apparently a lockup is the slang word for a prison, while a lockdown is the confinement of people for security reasons.

New words and phrases explode in times of social crises, and one has to catch on quickly or be caught out.

When the word ‘Brexit’ sprang out of nowhere four years ago, I thought being a Brexiteer sounded more positive than being a Remainer, but I quickly learned to get my words right on that one.

Anyone for Pandemic?

AND NOW, in less than three months, we have created new words that we use on a daily basis. I found a board game called Pandemic to play, but I could not play it while ‘self-isolating’.

Instead I could join a ‘Zoom Party’ (a web-based video meeting) or a webinar (online seminar) – that is when I am not WFH (working from home).

When I do play, I must remember ‘social distancing’, and when I go to the shops to get snacks, I must ‘hold afstand’.

One day can be a ‘blursday’ (an unspecified day because of lockdown’s disorientating effect on time), so I might have recourse to do a bit of ‘Zoombombing’ (hijacking a Zoom videocall) or making a ‘TikTok’ (a Chinese video-sharing service).

Hmm … haven’t the Chinese done enough sharing lately?

Get me outta here!

THIS NEW vocabulary has come to be shorthand for talking about coronavirus-related issues and a way to laugh at the way the world has changed.

IN 2 ISSUES

Englishman in Nyhavn JACK GARDNER

Green Spotlight SIBYLLE DE VALENCE IN 3 ISSUES

Mackindergarten ADRIAN MACKINDER No Ludo lockdowns here: why playfulness is key

My phone bleeps all day long with jokes and hilarious videos sent to me from all over the world. For example: a man talking calmly on Skype and saying how wonderfully well his wife is managing, knowing she is in the kitchen listening. But the signs he holds up say: “She’s nuts! Get me outta here!”

Is it appropriate to laugh when so many are dying of the disease? Well the jokes are not about the virus itself, but about our hugely altered lifestyles. In the midst of this global pandemic, many millions are finding that laughter is a relief valve.

Staying positive WHEN I performed my standup show live (!) in a car park to just 10 people and 20 illegally lurking bystanders, I asked if they could mention any positive changes during the lockdown.

One reply was: more time with my family. Well, I said, the coronavirus has achieved

what no female has ever been able to. It has cancelled sports, closed all the bars and kept the guys at home.

Another reply was: less traffic.

That’s true ... except for the great exodus on Fridays and the great return on Sundays. More time to clean the house was another. Well my body has absorbed so much soap and disinfectant lately, that when I pee, I clean the toilet.

A guy in the front row said that when he sneezed in the bank, it was the most attention he had received from the staff in the last ten years. I couldn’t resist adding that my brother had told me that before the coronavirus, he used to cough to cover a fart, and that now he farts to cover a cough.

No matter how hard it gets, there’s always humour. So, even though it’s difficult to be positive during these difficult times, let’s try to keep a smile on our faces. That’s the way to make a lockdown into a lockup.

Living Faith REVD SMITHA PRASADAM IN 4 ISSUES

A Dane Abroad KIRSTEN LOUISE PEDERSEN

Straight, No Chaser STEPHEN GADD IN 5 ISSUES

Straight Up ZACH KHADUDU

Early Rejser ADAM WELLS

14

EVENTS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

12 - 23 June 2020

Cosy evenings at KU.BE June 17, 17:30; KU.BE, Dirch Passers Allé 4, Frederiksberg; 84kr, kube.frederiksberg.dk Join the long dining table at the KU.BE cultural centre for a shared dinner in a warm atmosphere. The evening’s setup is a long table dinner where you get together and share food cooked with a focus on ecology and health. (VG)

Sabar in the park June 13, 20 & 27, 11:00-13:30; Edel Sauntes Allé 23, Cph Ø; 100600kr, MobilePay 2621 9667 Embrace the rhythms of the energetic traditional west African dance ‘sabar’. In association with Mbaye Art from the artistic Guèdiawaye area in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, Sab’Art welcomes everyone to its outdoor Saturday sessions in Fælledparken. (VG)

Cinemateket: Fellini 100 years June 12-Aug 29, various times; Cinemateket, Gothersgade 55, Cph K; 80kr, dfi.dk In celebration of the centenary of the Italian director Federico Fellini, Cinematiket presents some of his masterpieces with English subtitles. Among others, La strada, La Dolce Vita and Amarcord will be screened. Cinemateket has a handy program. (VG)

Danish on a Sunday June 14 & 21, 14:15; Cinemateket, Gothersgade 55, Cph K; 80kr, dfi.dk ‘Danish on a Sunday’ is back at Cinemateket screening – a normally fortnightly screening of a Danish classic with English subtitles. In June over consecutive weeks, ‘Daniel’ (2019) and ‘Photographer of War’ (2019) will be screened. (VG)

Jazz concert in the garden June 11, 14:00-16:00; Kulturhuset Pilegården, Brønshøjvej 17, Brønshøj; free adm, billetto.dk Enjoy a playful afternoon to the swinging jazz sounds of Bossanova and samba rhythms.

The Jazz Lounge band presents a hand-picked selection of jazz standards in Kulturhuset Pilegården’s garden. Registration is required. (VG)

Street sport for girls June 12, ends Sept 25, 16:1517:45; KBH+, Emblasgade 175, Cph Ø; free adm KBH+, a platform for development and active youth participation, invites all girls aged 13-18 to try different street sports every Friday from June 12. Enjoy roller skating, hip-hop and basketball for free with instructors and equipment provided. (VG)

Sci-fi Sunday: The Twilight Zone June 14, 19:00-21:00; Husets Biograf, Rådhusstræde 13, Cph K; 70kr, billetto.dk Re-enter ‘The Twilight Zone’.

Husets Biograf presents three of the very best episodes of Rod Serling’s groundbreaking sci-fi series, which changed TV forever in 1959. ‘The Brain Center at Whipple’, ‘Trade Ins’ and ‘The Prime Mover’ are the selected episodes. (VG)

Reffen silent summer tour June 13-14, 11:30-01:00; Reffen209, Refshalevej 209A, Cph K; 80-250kr, tikkio.com Join the first summer silent tour on a full day of silent events at Reffen209. The day starts with ‘Cacao Ceremony: Between us’, a playful exploration of solitude, continues with music or meditation via headphones, a ‘silent chill-out zone’ and a silent disco.

Tickets are sold individually. (VG)

English stand-up open mic June 24, 20:00-22:00; MellemRummet, Ravnsborggade 11, Cph N; free adm Enjoy English comedy at the MellemRummet cafe and support their cause. Established in 2010, the volunteer-manned café donates all its profits to supporting social change and sustainability through the work of Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke, ActionAid Denmark. (VG)

ALICE Summer Series June 12 & 13, 17:00-21:00; Alice Cph, Nørre Allé 7, Cph N; 100kr, billetto.dk The music venue Alice, and the Union cultural centre present a number of concerts in a courtyard in the heart of Nørrebro.

Dive into the electronic sounds and classical music with Josefine Opsahl and Sofie Birch or award-winning folk and roots band Basco. (VG)

Nick Cave exhibition ongoing, ends 13 Feb 2021; MonFri 10:00-19:00, Sat 10:00-18:00; Christians Brygge 8, Cph K; 90kr, billetlugen.dk The Royal Danish Library is back with Stranger Than Kindness, an immersive exhibition on the fascinating artistic life of Nick Cave. Covering his life from childhood in the 1960s, visitors follow his development.

Pre-bookings are required. (VG)

Live from Kristian’s living room June 14, 21 & 28, 21:00; online on Facebook; donation based, Mobilepay 3028 1519 Immerse yourself into some Danish folksy fiddling every Sunday evening in Kristian’s living room. Kristian Bugge performs everything from wild polkas and jigs to lyrical waltzes, fiery reels and happy hopsas, plus the exotic ‘Sønderhoning’ dance tunes from the famous Fanø island! (VG)

Moldovan Wine Tasting June 13, 19:00-22:00; Moldo Vin, Skydebanegade 1, Cph V; 150kr, billetto.dk Taste some of Moldova’s richest wines at an event full of surprises organised by Moldo Vin. Taste award-winning Carpe Diem wines of different varieties while travelling through the country’s wine history with sommelier Corneliu Tiulenev. Special prizes and discounts all night! (VG)

Hello Denmark ongoing, ends Nov 1, 10:0018:00; DAC, Bryghuspladsen 10, Cph K; 50-95kr, billetto.dk Praised as being the happiest country in the world, the Danish Architecture’s exhibition ‘Hello Denmark’ seeks to discover what the Danish recipe for success.

Find the exhibition in the centre’s Golden Gallery and explore the strong values shaping the Danish way of life. (VG)

Speak, Speaker June 11-13, 15:00-18:00; Korsgade 14, Cph N; free adm Discover the magic of storytelling in a one-on-one event hosted by the House of International Theatre and Teater Bæst.

In an interactive play, storyteller Joseph Sherlock will improvise a mythical story based on objects the audience designates. The audience are no more than seven people at a time. (VG)

Stream KGL opera and ballet ongoing; Available online kglteater.dk; free adm Shuttered for months, the Danish Royal Theatre presents free streaming of operas and ballets via its website. (VG)

Taste the waste – takeaway June 13, 17:00-20:00; One Bowl, 205 Borups Alle, Cph NV; pay as you feel One Bowl and Foodsharing Copenhagen are teaming up to make great plant-based meals. (VG)

Globe Pub Quiz June 4, 19:30; The Globe, Nørregade 43, Cph K; 30kr The Globe winners get 1,000 kroner. There will be a maximum of 20 teams and registration is required. (VG)

Open mic: The laughening June 14, 20:00-22:00; 1420 Bar, Griffenfeldsgade 20, Cph K; 50kr, billetto.dk Enjoy six comedians on stage, have a drink or ten, and finish the weekend in style. (VG)

Friday bar: Big talk June 19, 16:00-21:00; think. dk, Æbeløgade 4, Cph Ø; free adm, sing up martin@think Discuss politics, religion, ecology and gender issues while enjoying a fairly priced drink. (VG)

zombi child film of the month Our Film of the Month is the mysterious and surprising arthouse horror film ’Zombi Child’ by Bertrand Bonello (English subtitles).

We present some 50 films with English dialogue or subtitles every month.

See what’s on at cinemateket.dk or visit us in Gothersgade 55.

ENGLISH JOB DENMARK Recruitment Announcements Part of The Welcome Group PLM SOFTWARE DEVELOPER, MAN ENERGY SOLUTIONS

Looking for an experienced PLM Software Developer that can strengthen the team with vast PLM software skills and a deep understanding of what is the best for the business.

Location: Deadline: Contact:

Copenhagen 26 June 2020 Hans Michael Pedersen, +45 24 83 86 76

MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT, PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTION, LUNDBECK

You will plan, prepare and participate in the strategy process, meetings and related activities to ensure alignment between the corporate strategy and the strategy in the area.

Location: Deadline: Contact:

Valby 23 June 2020 Bo Hilligsøe, SVP, bhi@lundbeck.com

PROGRAM MANAGER FOR SCHOOL OF HEALTH INNOVATION, UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN (SUND DEPT)

You will take a leading role in securing the successful implementation, development, planning and execution of courses, and represent SUND in the partnership.

Location: Deadline: Contact:

Copenhagen 25 June 2020 Nadia Storm, nadia.storm@sund.ku.dk

To advertise your vacancy here and reach 60,000+ readers weekly, contact: info@englishjobdenmark.dk or call 6070 2298.

For more information about what we can offer: https://englishjobdenmark.dk/

ENGLISH JOB DENMARK

TEAM LEAD FOR LABORATORY & PILOT PLANT, ØRSTED

DIGITAL PRODUCT DESIGNER, ELOOMI

Location: Deadline: Contact:

Location: Deadline: Contact:

You’ll be responsible for the operation of laboratories and analyses as well as pilotscale testing.

Ballerup 23 June 2020 Majbrit Hjerrild, Department Manager of Renescience Technology, +45 99 55 56 30

GROUP SUSTAINABILITY PARTNER – BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE, ROCKWOOL

Your mission is telling the story about who we are and how we enrich modern living.

Location: Deadline: Contact:

Hedehusene 23 June 2020 Anthony Abbotts, Director of Group Sustainability, +45 41 96 30 25

GLOBAL MEDICAL AFFAIRS MANAGER, ALK

You will be responsible for designing and leading all aspects of medical-scientific communication strategy, and facilitating exchange of information and best practices throughout the affiliate medical organization.

Location: Deadline: Contact:

Hørsholm 30 June 2020 Dr Christopher Burtonat, cbudk@alk.net

SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION ASSISTANT – STUDENT POSITION; VELUX

You will work with marketing and communication tasks like content creation, copywriting, community management and performance reporting.

Location: Deadline: Contact:

Hørsholm 30 June 2020 Mariann Eliassen, +45 28 55 50 40

Join the team in Copenhagen and continue the development of our innovative and successful SaaS solution.

Copenhagen When filled Susie Sandberg, Head of Recruitment, susie@eloomi.com

IT CONSULTANT FOR OUR GROUP ERP SYSTEM MS DYNAMICS 365, DFDS

You will be part of a team of skilled IT consultants, who have years of experience in technical support and maintenance of our current Finance systems, including Visma and CapNordic.

Location: Deadline: Contact:

Copenhagen When filled Brian Nielsen, +45 20 12 01 31

DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER, SPECSAVERS

You will be responsible for developing our online offer across all digital touchpoints in the most efficient way.

Location: Deadline: Contact:

Copenhagen When filled Marianne Selch, Senior Talent Acquisition Partner, +45 51 56 37 92

LIVE Q&A SESSION WITH A RECRUITER

Join us on Facebook in the recruitment group English Job Denmark every Thursday at 12:00 noon, where an experienced recruiter will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about gaining employment in Denmark. To take part, simply join English Job Denmark & be ready with your questions.

Contact us for more information: info@the-welcomegroup.com

Working together with internationals and companies to better understand the needs of one another.

The Welcome Group has created this page and provides additional services, including an online community supporting employment for internationals on Facebook.