CPH Post 29 April - 20 May 2021

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FEATURE

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In the wake of the Atlanta Shootings, people of East Asian appearance share their experiences living in Denmark – good and bad

Summer schools have a proven track record in helping creatives to realise their talents. Eurovision winner Benjamin Rosenbohm is one such proud graduate

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DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH CPHPOST.DK VOL 24 ISSUE 04 29 April - 20 May 2021

LOCAL

Talk radio’s English accent Tune into community station Absalon for Anglophone content

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COVID-19 Expert warns full vaccination might take until Christmas

OSCAR

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Swimming in sewage Vile harassment of women in sport a growing problem

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OSCAR

GUEST OPINION Columnist shares lessons learned on journey from Hong Kong

17 LOCAL HISTORY

Lubricating of the 5,000 The year was 1973. New to the EU, Danfoss went recruiting in Ireland PRINT VERSION ISSN: ONLINE VERSION ISSN:

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OSCAR

In a galaxy far, far away … ... There’s an alternative Denmark that launched a vaccine program in April 2020 BEN HAMILTON

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HE GOVERNMENT has announced plans to produce its own COVID-19 vaccines in 2022.

No, you haven’t just fallen down an alternative time loop and read last April’s headline.

In its infinite wisdom, Denmark sold its vaccine-producing capabilities to a Saudi firm in 2016, but it has taken over a year for the penny to drop.

Given the recent debacles involving the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson jabs, it’s regrettable the government didn’t take this action last year.

But prescience is a preserve of the fantasy genre.

Eternally waiting NOBODY knows for sure when the population of Denmark will be fully vaccinated – much will depend on whether J&J is approved – or indeed when school-children and university students will be able to return to their studies.

This past week has seen large numbers of them congregating in cafes to study. If that’s acceptable, then why not their

classrooms, they’ve been asking.

Overall, the public have been happy with the recent reopening measures, flocking to restaurants and bars last weekend to enjoy their first proper night out since early December.

But their mood will quickly turn if a substantial delay to the vaccine program is announced.

For now, it’s just a matter of waiting.

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LOCAL

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

Prioritising pedestrians and pedal power

ONLINE THIS WEEK COPENHAGEN ranked among the bottom third in a Findboliger.dk report ranking the best municipalities in Denmark. It fared well for health, education and employment, but struggled in most other categories. The top five were Egedal, Favrskov, Gentofte, Roskilde and Solrød.

Meanwhile,the bottom two were Lolland and Brøndby.

Pick your preferred race A CONTROVERSIAL leaflet issued at Nordsjællands Hospital to prospective parents, which was removed from circulation after it was shared on the internet, offered maternity ward patients the option of not being treated by health personnel of a particular gender, religion or race. However, an academic told TV2 that it is the hospital’s right to decide who you are treated by.

THE DHL Run is scheduled to return to Fælledparken from August 30 to September 3. The event will also be held in Aarhus, Odense, Aalborg and Aabenraa.

Each participant runs 5 km and competes in a relay team of five.

Pat the elephant!

FREDERIKSBERG ice cream parlour Bon Bon Ice, which opened for its summer season on April 1, has been shortlisted for the Denmark’s Best Ice Cream Shop award.

New sorting points FROM NEXT year, 750 new sorting points for waste will be placed around Copenhagen.

LENA HUNTER

C

OPENHAGEN might have been mostly ignored by the recent ‘Denmark Forward’ plans to spend 160 billion kroner on transport infrastructure looking ahead to 2035, but that hasn’t stopped it announcing some exciting prospects over the last month.

New cycling bridge, car-free Sundays and improving the safety of the Yrsas Plads junction near Fisketorvet are at the top of its agenda.

Linking Refshaleøen A NEW BRIDGE stretching from Nordre Toldbod (behind

the Maersk headquarters building) across to Refshaleøen has been proposed.

An evaluation is scheduled to be completed sometime in the autumn of 2022.

Easing off Sundays THE TRANSPORT minister, Benny Engelbrecht, has proposed allowing municipalities to decide for themselves whether they want to have car-free Sundays from 09:00-20:00.

Engelbrecht hopes the idea will become a reality before the autumn in cities such as Copenhagen and Aarhus, but also possibly Odense and Esbjerg.

Soothing Fisketorvet AND FINALLY, the chaos at the Yrsas Plads junction near

It's been non-stop chaos

Fisketorvet, which began when an extremely wide cycle-path was introduced in a costly 2019 upgrade, will be alleviated by a further 3.5 million kroner injection to fund a two-way cycle path crossing the bridge diagonally.

The ‘transverse path’, which will be finished by December 2022, will be the first of its kind in Denmark.

Local station with English content Funded by entrepreneur Lennart Lajboschitz, Absalon Radio is growing in popularity BEN HAMILTON

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F YOU’VE recently switched on the radio in the car and been surprised to hear English-language presenters and content, don’t worry: Radio Luxembourg hasn’t launched a new service in the Øresund.

Absalon Radio is based in Vesterbro, and a fair proportion of the community station’s content is in English (although the majority is Danish) and aimed at the international community.

Varied content BASED at Folkehuset Absalon (Sønder Boulevard 73), and transmitted from its old church tower every day from 07:00 to 24:00, the content has a 'little bit for everyone'.

It targets mostly niche groups, whether it is children, young parents, quiz fanatics, plant enthusiasts, appreciators of good art and other cultural-orientated conversation, and music fans – particularly jazz!

Backing of a tiger JUST LIKE Folkehuset Absalon, which was founded in 2015 to support more interaction among people in the local community, the radio station is financially

Founded in 1998

by San Shepherd All rights reserved Published by cphpost.dk ApS. Printed by Dansk Avistryk A/S

TOBIAS PLASS

DHL Run confirmed

A month full of transport infrastructure improvements

ONLINE THIS WEEK YULIYA KURYAN

Capital near bottom

Editorial offices: International House, Gyldenløvesgade 11, 1600 Copenhagen Denmark

29 April - 20 May 2021

Abuse of rights?

CHRISTOFFER Badse, the head of the Danish Institute for Human Rights, has accused the government of abusing its power with the continuance of a residence ban in Christiania from January 7, which it only finally ended on April 21. The ban was extended over 10 times, ostensibly to curb the spread of COVID-19.

One more murder JAMES Schmidt, a 28-year-old man from Hellerup previously sentenced to life in prison for murdering two pensioners in Østerbro between February and March in 2019, has been found guilty of a further murder by the Østre Landsret high court.

Fines for illegal swims IN LIGHT of the estimated 200,000 illegal swims a year, By & Havn felt compelled to introduce fines in the Port of Copenhagen. Harbour bus operator Movia reported 100 near-collisions with bathers during 2019. In related news, there are now more opportunities to fish in the inner harbour.

Passage completed International crew installed

supported by the entrepreneur Lennart Lajboschitz, the former majority owner of Flying Tiger.

He even has his own program, which he co-hosts with psychologist Mette Thingstrup.

'Skaberkraft' seeks to inspire its listeners who might be missing drive, motivation and creativity.

A PASSAGE between the Metro and the old part of Østerport Station, where S-trains and regional trains run, has been completed.

New pastry shop COFFEE Collective has launched a new outlet in Nørrebro where the main focus is pastries. Among the line-up at Collective Bakery (Nørrebrogade 176) are some mean-looking cardamom braids.

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POLITICS

29 April - 20 May 2021

All hail Løkke's ‘Comeback Kingmakers’ Atlantic on a boat, he dropped the new party hammer in his blog for BT. “We are serious. There will come a new party that has ambitions to be a reasonable, pragmatic and non-dogmatic voice in the political landscape,” Rasmussen said.

“One that can offer progress and change in the intersection between a Blue Bloc tormented by value politics and a Red Bloc stuck in a past view of the individual and state.”

Rasmussen believes it can be a “bridge-building” party – a possible kingmaker in the same way that Radikale and more recently Dansk Folkeparti have operated.

CHRISTIAN WENANDE

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HEN LARS Løkke Rasmussen stepped down as head of Venstre in the wake of losing the 2019 General Election, Parliament lost the country’s most notable politician.

Not only had he been PM from 2009-11 and then from 2015-19, but the Blue Bloc behemoth had reigned supreme as the head of Venstre for a decade.

But now the former PM is set for a comeback, as he intends to launch a centrist new party that seeks to fill the void between the two blocs.

A formidable ballast LAST YEAR, he started a new political network ‘Det Politiske Mødested’ and now, following his participation in a reality series in which he crossed the

In disarray since he left THE BLUE Bloc has not been faring well since his departure, along with other notable MPs such as Kristian Jensen and Inger Støjberg. According to an Epinion survey for DR, it would grab just 10.4 percent of the votes in

US and Israel pressure?

Syrian double standards?

ONLINE THIS WEEK FACEBOOK/LARS LØKKE RASMUSSEN

Lars Løkke Rasmussen is on course to launch a new party

"What can I say: I've been watching too much 'Borgen'"

an election tomorrow – down from 23.4 percent in 2019.

Konservative, led by Søren Pape Poulsen, has capitalised on Venstre’s downward trajectory, moving from 6.6 percent in 2019 to 15.5 percent today.

While right-wing party Nye Borgerlige has also gained serious momentum after sweeping into Parliament two years ago.

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Don’t ever write him off!

SHOULD Rasmussen’s party

influence policy in the future, it will be seeking a reduction in business taxes to make Denmark more competitive on the global stage.

To do that, the party would require at least 20,100 voter declarations – a target that seems quite attainable given that ‘Det Politiske Mødested’ already has over 15,000 sign-ups.

No name has been confirmed, and with Rasmussen’s record, it’s impossible to rule anything out – even the ‘Comeback Kingmakers’.

Jews over Muslims

Capital feels left out

Messerschmidt charged DANSK Folkeparti (DF) party poster boy Morten Messerschmidt, its deputy leader, has pleaded not guilty to charges he received 98,000 kroner of EU funds in connection with a summer meeting in 2015.

According to the rules, EU funds are not permitted to be used, directly or indirectly, to help finance national parties. If found guilty, he could face 18 months in prison.

Protest at Jensen’s job SOME 643 employees of the Foreign Service have signed a letter of protest at the appointment of Kristian Jensen as a special envoy. Jensen’s appointment, which will see the former foreign minister charged with getting Denmark a seat on the 2025-26 UN Security Council, marks the first time a Danish politician has assumed such a position since the government changed the rules.

Khader on stress leave RETER MEN/FLICKR

ORF3US

ARNO MIKKOR, ARON URB

PIXABAY

PIXABAY

Patter of big feet

Leaving in the shadows

Inger's Islamic agenda

Regions over capital?

Accused is stressed now

AHEAD of Parliament considering a circumcision ban for under-18 boys, PM Mette Frederiksen made her position clear … again. “A ban is not the right way,” she previously declared in September following a majority vote not to support the ban. It was a notable contrast to her previous stance. “I don’t believe that religion can legitimise inflicting physical defects on one's children,” she told Kristeligt Dagblad in 2008. Now, DR has gained access to documents that shed light on the lead up to Frederiksen's decision. It's wasn't just a question of domestic policy, but of international relations. Particularly, it has become apparent, with the US and Israel. (LH)

DENMARK has become the first EU country to revoke the residency permits of Syrian refugees, insisting the war-torn country is safe to return to. However, its own embassy in Damascus remains closed "due to the current security situation". Syrians say that returning isn’t an option and rights groups have widely condemned the policy. “It’s as if the Danish immigration services have bombed my dream, just as Bashar al-Assad bombed our homes,” one of the returning Syrians, Asmaa al-Natour, told the New York Times. So how did Denmark – the first country to sign the UN Refugee Convention in 1951 – swing so far-right on immigration policy? (LH)

INGER Støjberg, the former minister for integration and immigration, has called for a circumcision ban for all boys over the age of eight days. Writing in Berlingske, the ‘løsgænger’ (non-attached – TV2’s choice of words, not ours) MP explained she had chosen the eight-day ceiling because a traditional Jewish circumcision tends to take place on the eighth day of the boy's life. Muslims, tend to get circumcised much later, and Støjberg conceded she was putting the needs of the estimated 6,000 Jewish people living in Denmark before its 320,000 Muslims – mainly due to a promise made to them after World War II, but also because they tend to be more peaceful. (BH)

MUCH OF Denmark applauded the government’s plans to spend 160 billion kroner on infrastructure looking ahead to 2035. ‘Denmark Forward’ features road and rail improvements, as well as initiatives geared towards supporting the green transition in the transport sector. However, Copenhagen Mayor Lars Weiss worries that the politicians seem to have forgotten the capital, which is in danger of becoming overly congested with cars and passengers using public transport in the future. “For the capital to function properly, it must be possible for everyone to be able to get around,” he said. The capital expects 127,000 more residents by 2050. (CW)

KONSERVATIVE politician Naser Khader is on ‘stress leave’ after a number of political commentators and colleagues contacted Berlingske to report feeling “threatened” by him over a period of “many years”. Specifically, the complaints allege that Khader contacted employers of his rivals with unfounded accusations.

For example, lawyer Tarek Ziad Hussein described how Khader told the Ministry of Justice he was an Islamist. The accusation has left a permanent blot on his record.

Khader was first elected in 2001 as a member of Radikale, which he left to form Liberal Alliance in 2007. He has served Konservative since 2009. (LH)

READ THE REST OF THESE STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

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FEATURE

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

29 April - 20 May 2021

Eight oriental-looking CPH POST readers share their experiences living in Denmark, which the majority agree could be a lot worse

ROSELYNE MIN

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ATE AT night at Copenhagen Central Station, the second lockdown is just around the corner.

It’s like half the town are enjoying one last rave. Only God knows when the next lockdown will end.

All I want to do is get home

and rest up after the long train trip.

“Konnichiwa!” comes the call across the concourse.

Hotdogs with chilli I DON’T turn at first. But the Danish guy behind me continues yelling loudly until I do.

I give him a long speech (because, surprisingly, he listens), and he apologises, saying all he wanted to do … and that’s when he hands over a hotdog.

I can’t even begin to speculate how many Tuborg he’s chugged on, looking at the eight other hotdogs in his hands.

Ignorance from within IN TRUTH, the longer this Korean has lived in Denmark, the more my resistance to racial slurs has grown to the point I can almost laugh at them.

Aggressive Chinese greetings

from random passer-bys barely even provoke me anymore.

Sometimes the hardest barbs to deal with come from the ignorance of the people you know. But in the wake of the pandemic, awareness has been rising, and the discussion is now deemed worth addressing.

More awareness EVERYONE I meet has a varying experience, but all agree that Denmark is not the worst country to live in as an East Asian.

Nevertheless, it shouldn’t take a tragedy like the one in Atlanta to build empathy.

These real-life examples of street harassment, microaggression, coping mechanisms and efforts to make Danish society a little better show we’re on the right track, but there’s still work to be done.

Racism against East Asians is not a myth.

problem getting a job if I changed my name to Helle or Hanne. Their reasoning behind the ‘joke’ was that my name is too hard to pronounce for the parents and kids.

Heeyeon P Rasmussen Nationality: Korean Profession: Teacher ’VE BEEN living in Denmark for 15 years with my Danish husband and three kids.

Once at a job interview at a kindergarten I was told that I wouldn’t have a

I

You might catch corona AS THE pandemic dominated the world with uncertainty and fear, the situation got worse – I was waiting for a consultation at the municipality with my husband when a guy told my husband not to get too close to me because I might have corona.

It really upset my husband, but I told him to ignore it. I’m glad that it’s not as harsh here as in the States. However, I feel it in my skin that there are prejudices in Denmark too.

L

AST SPRING, shortly after the epidemic broke out in Denmark, I was walking with my friends around Lyngby Sø.

A woman immediately covered her mouth with a scarf with an expression of disgust and fear on her face when she saw us.

Cher Han Nationality: Chinese Profession: Student

No fluke WE MET twice that day, and she did the same each time.

I was really angry and didn't know how to fight back.

Worldwide feelings have intensified

Roselyne Min is a multimedia journalist from South Korea. She covered current affairs there until she decided to move to the Nordics five years ago, where she has lived in Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

Her current fields of interest are Nordic culture and politics.

Anonymous

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would call me Bruce Lee. It feels a bit weird because the intention is not bad at all, but how it comes across to me is a bit different.

However, random ‘Nihaos’ from strangers have magically disappeared since I moved to Denmark. In Germany, they happened to me a lot.

They call me Bruce Lee THERE are comments I take more as a bad joke – not necessarily offensive or hurtful. I would be lying if I said it doesn’t bother me at all. But it’s not to the extent it ruins my day.

For example, I used to have slightly longer hair and wear a turtleneck often. Some people

Raised voices I’M SURE the experience varies a lot among ethnic Asians. Although I rarely experience racism here, I grew up with it. Therefore, I will always support people who are subjected to it.

These days, people talk a lot more about it both in Germany and Denmark. It’s a race between you and the society: you become insensitive or grow resistance, or local people become more aware of racism as more voices speak up.

Nationality: Korean-German Profession: Business graduate HEN I FIRST came to Denmark, I felt a bit like an outlier as it looked very homogeneous here.

Where I come from, Germany, has relatively more racial diversity, including Asians. I rarely see any Asians in Copenhagen. Of course, I have to live with it because I decided to come to a foreign country. People in my social circle are generally supportive.

Anonymous Nationality: Filipina Profession: Journalism student S A FILIPINA who has been living in Denmark for nearly a year, I’m no stranger to the stares that remind me that I am ‘other’.

My brown skin, black hair, almond-shaped eyes and the fact that I can’t speak Danish make it very clear to locals that I’m not from here.

And that has become even clearer since downloading Tinder.

A

Inhumane approach I REMEMBER receiving a message from a man on Tinder once that read: “You’re such a beautiful mix.”

This offended me for two reasons.

Firstly his assumption seemed to be that for me to be beautiful – as he seemed to think I was – I must have been a mix of two races. It’s safe to assume he thought the other half was Danish because he wrote to me in Danish.

Secondly, the message itself made me feel more like a rare or strange animal than a human being.

ELVERT BARNES

Awareness of East Asian racism growing following Atlanta shootings

FEATURE

29 April - 20 May 2021

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years, from the BLM movement to corona racism to the unfortunate Atlanta shooting in which eight Asian women lost their lives.

I appreciate that there is a growing awareness because, especially, East Asians have been rather silent about this, preferring to reject any labelling of them as a minority.

It’s hard to talk about anything if you are not allowed to feel sorry for yourself.

So in a way, this change is liberating as people can start to share their stories openly and accept themselves as they are without being afraid.

Terkel Atsushi Røjle Nationality: Japanese-Danish Profession: Musician OR TOO long, there has been too much bullshit – like that Asians are easy to integrate into a new society ... a model minority myth. That halts you from raising your voice because you don’t want to seem like you are taking advantage of your position and playing the victim.

But now I see a positive change – a big wave of discussion regarding racism in recent

F

Switched on BECAUSE people can tell I’m very Danish, I don’t get any racism directly as an adult. This doesn’t stop me educating myself via podcasts or other mediums and talking about it though.

Among others, I can definitely relate to the discourse of young Asians living in the west and worrying about their parents’ safety these days.

Of course, nothing physical would happen to my mom since it’s not common

I Wu Ting Ting Nationality: Chinese Profession: Retail

Ahyeon Lee Nationality: Korean Profession: Design student HAVE EXPERIENCED countless incidents of microaggression from Danish teachers at school. For example, I had designed some foot-shaped stickers for a school project, and during

I

Despite the odd occurrence, most of our interviewees are happy here

here, but I know some people might say something offensive or racial – and that worries me although she is, by all means, fully integrated and fluent in Danish.

Representation is key WHEN I work, I think a lot about representation. For example, I get a lot of inspiration from East Asia and I work

with other Asian artists to show that there is an Asian artist scene in Copenhagen. I don’t think many people know that yet.

At times, though, it’s hard as some Danes are quick to judge if I show the Japanese side of me too much – “He is cheating. That’s an advantage he has” – although I’m just being myself. It’s not to brag or play the victim.

WANT TO stress that I mostly have good experiences with Danes and I rarely meet racist Danes. I also tell my worrying parents back home that Denmark is safe. It can be way worse: in southern Europe some people followed me, and I felt a lot of long gazes on me.

However, I do feel that the media use racist framing a lot and they could do it better.

Once, the Metro stopped abruptly and I tried to help an old couple who were almost falling. The wife gave me a wary, scared look. They’d probably watched some news and got scared about coronavirus and Asians.

Poor media coverage DANES are very curious, and they trust their media a lot. It annoys me when major Danish media only make fun of us and use dated video clips when reporting about China’s controversies. And then people repeat the term the media used: ‘Asian virus’ or ‘China virus’.

But I’m not a representative of China, and I’m sure this negative framing and biased representation essentially makes Asian countries (other than Japan) come across as inferior – for example, bad hygiene – and encourages uneducated people to make fun of Asians walking on the street.

Best ignored IN CHINA, we say: “If you meet a rude soldier, don’t try to talk to them. They won’t listen.” If a stranger says something racist, I simply ignore them. They are usually uneducated people and if you give them attention, they get even more animated. It helps me to quickly move on, but during corona times the unwelcome feeling has lingered longer.

It also depends on the neighbourhood.

When I moved out of Frederiksberg after five years living there, I do feel the frequency increased a lot.

the feedback session the teacher suggested some weird design idea, saying: “Why not other foot shapes such as paws of cats, dogs or … a small Chinese lady’s foot?”

I wasn’t meant to say anything during the session as it was for an exam. I was perplexed afterwards. So many teachers have assumed that I am Chinese or speak the language, although we are only ten in the cohort and they have taught us for a long time. I’ve sensed that a lot of them think Asia as a whole is just China and don’t want to learn more.

the endless chain of depressing thoughts.

At the beginning of the pandemic at Føtex an old lady yelled and swung a bag of veggies towards me to push me out of her way. I tried my best to understand the fact that she is in the risk group and fear can make people irrational. But other people who surrounded and watched us, including the staff, didn’t even bother asking if I was okay.

Not many days after I met another guy who called me “COVID-19” at the same store. I had always thought that I wouldn’t get scared and fight back when I read news about Asian Hate online. Instead, I started shivering and breaking out into a cold sweat. I couldn’t move. After a ‘white’ friend walked me home, I spent the whole day in my room thinking and blaming my origin, even my parents, and my choice to go to Føtex instead of Fakta.

If this happens to you, please don’t be alone and talk about it with your friends.

Best shared I ALWAYS advise Asian friends here to talk about it if they experience racism, instead of feeling bad about it all alone.

This is because I learned how dangerous it is to replay the trauma alone and follow

Education is key LIVING abroad and learning that I can be subjected to discrimination has taught me a lot. I believe everyone should reflect on their biases and try to learn, including us Asians or Koreans.

As a designer I give a lot of thought to this, and I have been uploading artwork on Instagram (@ahyeon_design) to introduce Asian culture, rectify wrong information or stereotypes, and educate people on Asian hate.

So far, many of my classmates have told me they have learned a lot from it. It’s important to put some effort in your own way and talk about it openly instead of hiding and hoping it won’t happen to you.

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NATIONAL

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK

AMONG the new laws that kicked in on April 1 was a ban on pepper spray and the display of tobacco products at supermarkets. Possession of pepper spray can earn you a 3,000 kroner fine – and even a two-week prison sentence in certain circumstances – while it is now only legal to show tobacco and e-cigarette products in shops if a customer asks to see them.

Massive new train deal FRENCH firm Alstom has landed a 20 billion kroner deal to deliver 100 electric train sets to rail operator DSB between 2024 and 2030.

They will replace DSB’s ageing fleet of IC3, IC4 and IR4 trains on Denmark’s national and regional grids.

Aside from being greener, the trains will be quieter and faster thanks to a top speed of 200 km/h. The deal includes maintenance.

Salmonella claims three THREE people in Denmark died between mid-November and March as a result of salmonella poisoning caused by two of Orkla Care’s ‘Husk’ herbal remedy products. However, there were no public announcements until April 9. The poisoning left 33 people ill, of whom 19 sought hospital treatment.The public are advised to discard all their Husk products.

Tougher to be a citizen INDIVIDUALS who have received either a conditional or unconditional sentence will be banned from acquiring Danish citizenship, the Immigration Ministry has confirmed. Until now, people handed suspended sentences of under a year have been able to gain citizenship after a waiting period.

Meanwhile, other criteria will make it even tougher to become a citizen.

May Day cancelled MAY DAY in Fælledparken has been cancelled for the second straight year due to corona concerns. This year had been due to mark 150 years. Instead, the day will be marked by a number of virtual events and banners.

Under your feet, but fewer of them Procreation rates are falling while the number of young adults liking with their parents is rising LAUREN BEAUCHAMP

T

HE AVERAGE woman in Denmark aged 15-49 will have 1.67 children, according to 2020 figures from Danmarks Statistik – the fourth year in a row that the rate has fallen.

end of the scale, Rebild has an average rate of 2.48.

A low rate of 1.34 (down from 1.43 in 2019) can be found among immigrant women from western countries.

Fifth of men childless OVERALL, of the 2,787,784 parents in Denmark, 21 percent have just one kid, 53 percent (1,420,665) have two, 21 percent have three, and 5 percent have four or more.

Some 20-21 percent of all men in Denmark, and 12-13 percent of all women, are childless.

ONLINE THIS WEEK PIXABAY

Since April 1

29 April - 20 May 2021

"1.67: that will do"

Ramadan still a slog MUSLIMS in Copenhagen face one of the longest fasts in the world during Ramadan, which started on April 12. The capital daily enjoys 17-18 hours of daylight, leaving Muslims with barely six hours to eat and drink, among other things.

However, by 2030, Ramadan will be taking place in the winter, by which point the reverse will be true.

Among the top beaches

was not established.

Some 64 percent resided with at least one parent in 2021 – an increase of 7 percent compared to 2011.

Among 16 to 24-year-olds, more boys than girls live at home – 64 percent compared to 53 percent.

DUEODDE beach on Bornholm has been ranked the 17th best in Europe by Lonely Planet. “Appearing like a remembered dream in the painterly pastel light of sunset,” purred the reviewer. It was the third best in the Nordics.

Tackling gambling problems Three more national parks

Bicycle thefts plummet

FROM NEXT year, a special card will be needed in order to gamble at shops. Legislators believe it will ensure under-18s don’t bet, tackle problem gambling by including maximum stakes/monthly outlays, and make it harder for criminals to launder money and fix results.

THE GOVERNMENT wants to establish three more national parks on state-owned land: two in Jutland and one on Bornholm.

Covering an area of 7,300 hectares, the three proposed parks are in Almindingen on Bornholm, Stråsø between Herning and Holstebro, and Tranum near Jammerbugt.

IN 2020, THE police registered a record low 40,642 bicycle thefts nationwide – a 12 percent decrease on 2019, a 43 percent fall on 2011, and a far cry from the 120,000 stolen in 1995, reports Danmarks Statistik. Only 1.5 percent of the thefts lead to a prosecution.

DENMARK’S 37.8-hour working week is the shortest among the OECD countries, according to a Vantage Technologies analysis.

Nordic countries filled four of the top six spots. The European average is 41.8 hours – down from 43.3 in 2000. Denmark ranked fifth for paid holidays with 36 days. Malta topped the list with 40, although Luxembourg potentially offers 43.

Netto’s climate concerns

First jet accepted

Companies accused

Banker who cared

NETTO contends that not enough is being done to make consumers aware of climate-friendly choices, and it is accordingly launching a pilot project to test out a new type of label at two of its stores. It will use a database developed by the green think-tank Concito. However, concerns have been raised that calculating footprints is prone to inaccuracy.

AT A ROLL-OUT ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas, Denmark formally accepted the first of its new fighter jets as part of a deal with Lockheed Martin. Dubbed the ‘L-001’, the jet is one of 27 F-35s scheduled to be delivered to Denmark and help upgrade its Air Force’s ageing fleet of F-16s.

However, none of the F-35s will arrive in Denmark until 2023.

THE DANISH Working Authority has issued injunctions to crane supplier Bo Nielsen and maintenance company Flias for not providing adequate protection to a repairman who died after becoming lodged in a pipe on the 'Elia' sculpture in mid-Jutland on March 23. In 2016, two people were killed in unrelated incidents at the sculpture.

RETIRED bank chief executive Erling Søndergaard is credited with granting 25 mortgages to eastern European families in Borris in Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality in west Jutland since 2010, which helped save local services such as the school. They are also credited with boosting local sport and repairing homes that might have stood derelict in a state of disrepair.

More trails to walk

Leaving school early

Major Facebook leak

Ravaged by birch pollen

THE NATIONAL rambling association, Dansk Vandrelaug, has struck a deal with Google Maps that has resulted in 288 more hiking trails becoming visible on its digital map. Dansk Vandrelaug wants the public, who have become rambling mad during the pandemic, to steer away from well known trails such as Dyrehaven and Møns Klint, as they have seen far too much action.

IN 2020, A DANMARKS Statistik assessment of all 25-yearolds revealed that 58.1 percent of ‘indvandrere’ (immigrants of non-Western countries and their descendants) completed their education at the age of 15 or 16 – the lowest rate since 2013.

Nationally, the figure was 79.9 percent – a repeat of previous years, but a steady improvement on 75.7 percent in 2010.

AROUND 15 percent of the country’s 3.7 million Facebook users have had their sensitive information leaked. In total, the personal data (including telephone numbers) of 533 million people worldwide, including 600,000 in Denmark, was leaked on an online forum in early April. Facebook users have been warned to be vigilant when answering messages.

HIGH BIRCH pollen counts rampaged eastern Denmark on April 21. Initially stalled by a cold snap just after Easter, the returning sunshine generated a particle count of 1,752 per cubic metre – the highest count since 2014 – followed by 720 the next day. A fifth of the population are allergic, and over half are susceptible to food allergies during the season too.

Varies across Denmark THE NUMBERS vary wildly according to which municipality the women live in.

In the Capital Region, the rate was 1.61, and in Lolland as low as 1.37, but at the other

More living at home WHETHER there’s a link to the increasing number of young adults (18-21) who live at home

Shortest working week

INTERNATIONAL

29 April - 20 May 2021

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JEPPE Kofod, the foreign minister, recently held talks with Chinese ambassador Feng Tie to voice his displeasure at the sanctions his country has imposed on European individuals and organisations who have criticised the use of forced labour to produce cotton in the Xinjiang region. Tie was later unapologetic in a TV2 interview.

Fewer asylum departures AS OF APRIL 2020, there were 1,100 rejected asylum-seekers in ‘exit positions’, reports Politiken, but only 67 were successfully sent home last year, compared to 200 a year in both 2017 and 2018 (not including voluntary departures) – a slowdown mostly blamed on corona. In related news, a storm is brewing over the future of Danish-born, Somali heritage, Syrian-based twin sisters who lost their Danish citizenship last October.

Mette at big meeting PM METTE Frederiksen was among 40 world leaders at the Leaders Summit on Climate last week following an invite from US President Joe Biden. In related news, Denmark has again called upon its fellow EU members to outline ambitious 2030 energy goals, its government has joined a European renewable hydrogen scheme, and Scotland has cited Denmark as an inspiration for its switch to district heating networks.

PM addresses Raisina METTE Frederiksen addressed India’s annually-held Raisina Dialogue conference in mid-April – which was held online due to corona restrictions. She told listeners that Denmark’s green transformation was “no fairy tale” while Indian PM Narendra Modi said India had “walked the talk” by helping vulnerable nations to get COVID-19 vaccines.

Co-operation with Dutch DENMARK and the Netherlands have entered into a co-operation agreement pertaining to climate-friendly agriculture.

ONLINE THIS WEEK UNITED NATIONS PHOTO/FLICKR

Displeasure at China

IS children progress expected in May PM and government remain opposed to return of their mothers, but appear more open to receiving their kids BEN HAMILTON

P

M METTE Frederiksen and her government remain opposed to six Danish women, who voluntarily travelled to the Islamic State's terrorist caliphate in the mid 2010s to be with their IS warrior partners, returning home from two camps in the north of Syria.

However, in late March it was announced that a working group has been established to decide whether the six women's 19 children (ages 1-14), who all have a solid claim for Danish citizenship, can be evacuated in the near future.

A majority consisting of the government, SF, Radikale, Venstre, Konservative and Liberal Alliance backed the plans, and the working group has been given until May 15 to make its recommendations.

"Conditions in the camps have deteriorated sharply over the past few months. We must see how to help the children without the parents within the conventions," commented by the foreign minister, Jeppe Kofod.

7

Busy across the Øresund LAST YEAR saw a spike in the number of Swedes applying to become Danish … and vice versa. Some 211 Swedes applied for Danish citizenship last year – an increase of 66 percent on 2019.

Meanwhile, 222 Danes applied for Swedish citizenship last year – a jump of 55 percent. Both countries have registered over 40 applications over the first two months of 2021.

Ukraine reassured Childhoods shouldn't be spent in camps

born in Denmark and have an automatic right, eight had at least one Danish parent at the time of their birth, and one is an orphan.

So far, it is a matter that has divided public opinion in Denmark, where the issue has been hotly debated.

ans and Iraqi refugees – of whom over 80 percent are women and children. It has reported 40 killings so far this year.

Hotly debated THE CITIZENSHIP of three of the mothers has been revoked, while the three Danes have been consistently refused assistance by the Danish Foreign Service.

Nine of the children were

At great risk in the al-Hol camp IT HAS long been feared that their children are extremely vulnerable at the camps. Should IS take them into its care, it has been argued in the media that this could have serious future repercussions for the children’s welfare and increase the possibility of them one day seeking retribution against Denmark.

Nine of the children live in the al-Hol camp with two of the women, and ten children live in the al-Roj camp together with the other four women.

The al-Hol camp is described as being particularly unsafe. Its tent-like accommodation currently houses about 60,000 people – mostly displaced Syri-

No support from the left THE GOVERNMENT has little support from the left. Its support parties Enhedslisten, Radikale and SF all disagree with the PM and contend that the mothers and children should be allowed to return to Denmark.

However, Frederiksen regards them as a security risk. After all, "they turned their backs on Denmark", she reasons.

Radikale is the most vehemently opposed to the PM’s stance, and its leader Martin Lidegaard has even threatened to withdraw its support from the government should it not act with propriety.

The government has taken children out of the camps before. On two occasions, in June and December 2019, a child was delivered into the hands of the Danish authorities because it was ruled to be in their best interest.

Belarus support

Greenland’s youngest ever

Afghanistan endgame

THE FOREIGN Ministry will no longer use ‘Hviderusland’ when referring to Belarus in official settings. Sweden and Germany also recently switched to using ‘Belarus’. In related news, Denmark is one of the leading countries on board with the International Accountability Platform for Belarus, which has now launched with the support of 19 European countries.

MÚTE INEQUNAALUK Bourup Egede, 34, was confirmed as the new premier of Greenland on April 16, succeeding Kim Kielsen, who lost his chairmanship of Siumut late last year, but continued to lead his country. Ten days earlier, Egede’s party Inuit Ataqatigiit won the Greenlandic elections and then successfully negotiated to secure a majority to lead the Naalakkersiusut.

DENMARK has confirmed it is withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan, following a US pledge to leave by September 11. Its military, which recently confirmed 700 soldiers would be vaccinated against COVID-19, has been a fixture there since early 2002. In related news, Denmark has confirmed plans to redeploy a transport aircraft to help the UNled MINUSMA mission in Mali.

AS TENSIONS continue to mount on Ukraine’s eastern border with Russia, the foreign minister, Jeppe Kofod, has assured his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba that his country doesn't stand alone. Meanwhile, Russia has denied escalating tensions, shooting down claims it is eyeing a war with Ukraine.

Perils of voting in UK BRITISH citizens living abroad, who are not residents of the UK for tax purposes, can qualify to vote on an “indefinite basis” in future elections, according to the 2021 UK Budget. However, it could “cause problems in the future and mean they are liable for UK taxes and in particular inheritance tax”, Blick Rothenberg adviser Robert Salter warned the Financial Times.

Among the savviest DANES are the world's ninth savviest shoppers – or at least among the wealthy OECD nations - according to discount site Savoo. They generate a relatively large number of flea markets, Etsy listings and Google searches for discount codes. Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Ireland topped the rankings.

Two WWII bombs found TWO UNEXPLODED bombs weighing over 60 kilos, 29 metres below sea level, have been found at the Fehmarn construction site in southern Denmark where a link to Germany is being constructed.

The bombs were discovered by the Kemara, a mini crewless submarine, on the seabed.

8

COVID-19

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HUNDREDS of thousands of people have been visiting bars and restaurants since they reopened last Wednesday. However, spokesperson Kristian Nørgaard told DR he hoped the interest could continue, as “the amusement parks are struggling to attract guests”. Elsewhere, the latest reopenings have signalled an end to most home-schooling and a rise in the gathering limit to ten indoors and 50 outdoors, with more to follow on May 6 (25 & 75) and June 11 (100 & 100).

Indian variant threat STATENS Serum Institut recently identified 11 cases of the Indian variant of corona. The B1617 – which shares one of its two mutations with the British variant, which accounts for 96 percent of all infections in Denmark - has shown signs of resistance to antibodies. However, the 11 cases were linked to just one or two outbreaks, so there are hopes it will be contained.

Vaccine aid THE GOVERNMENT has set aside another 50 million kroner for COVAX, an international vaccine co-operation encompassing 191 countries – 99 of which are self-financing like Denmark, and 92 of which are classified as lowto-middle income countries.

Masks here to stay PROFESSOR Jan Pravsgaard Christensen, an expert on immunology at the University of Copenhagen, predicts that facemasks will need to be worn in many areas of Danish society – even after the last person has been vaccinated.

Engines tested well BAR A FEW hiccups related to traffic, parking, IT and the public turning up too early for their appointments, 100,000 were successfully vaccinated at 68 centres on April 12 – a testing of the engines ahead of the big challenge: protecting the 3 million people under the age of 65 with no special circumstances.

Waiting until Xmas warns expert

ONLINE THIS WEEK PIXABAY

Hurrahs at the bar

29 April - 20 May 2021

Decision to discard the AstraZeneca vaccination and uncertainty over Johnson & Johnson leaves Denmark facing a huge shortage of jabs BEN HAMILTON

T

HE BIG question most unvaccinated Danes are asking each other around the water cooler this past fortnight is: “Knowing what you know, would you have the AstraZeneca (AZ) or Johnson & Johnson (J&J) jabs today if you could."

Crucial US report ON APRIL 13, Denmark became the first country in the world to completely discard AZ in light of the confirmation of the European Medicines Agency that it can cause blood clots.

Within hours, the US suspended deliveries of its J&J single-jab vaccination to the EU after the discovery of similar blood clots among at least six recipients in the US where 7 million received it.

The US Drug Administration is currently conducting studies with news thought likely in early May, and much will depend on whether the J&J deliveries resume. Denmark is expecting over 8.2 million of them.

Few have a good view of the complete picture

and Microbiology at the University of Copenhagen told DR. "But then I think we will not be completely vaccinated until the end of 2021."

Let us decide!

WHEN YOU live in a country where the welfare state is so supportive from cradle to coffin, complaints about the Nanny State are hard to take seriously.

Nevertheless, Lone Svanekaer, a care worker, argues she should be able to choose whether she can have the AZ jab, not the government, reports DR. “Yes please, just send me a new message in e-Boks. It must be soon,” she wrote on Facebook, pointing out that she’d already had the first AZ jab, and that it had gone splendidly.

Blue bloc politicians support the view that the public should be able to choose for themselves – particularly if they have already had the first AZ jab.

However, the Danish Medicines Agency has processed 27 reports of blood clots among people in Denmark who have been vaccinated with AZ, although only two have been certified.

Overall, 149,000 people in Denmark received the first AZ jab, and fully vaccinating them is a priority of the government.

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic and Latvia have expressed an interest in acquiring Denmark’s AZ doses.

Christmas most likely IT HAS led to one expert warning that it won’t be until Christmas until Denmark is fully covered.

“We can get to the finish line with Pfizer and Moderna," Professor Jan Pravsgaard Christensen from the Department of Immunology

Risk is disputed ACCORDING to the Sundhedsstyrelsen health authority, one in 40,000 risk being affected by a rare condition in connection with the AZ vaccine.

More Pfizer jabs BUT THERE was some good news last month: Denmark can expect to receive an extra 650,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine before the end of June thanks to a EU deal involving 50 million.

The delivery, originally earmarked for the fourth quarter, has been pushed forward, and it takes the total number of Q2 Pfizer/ BioNTech vaccines being delivered to the EU to 250 million.

The health minister, Magnus Heunicke, is excited that the delivery will help Denmark reach its goal of vaccinating all people over the age of 50 as quickly as possible – “an important milestone in the reopening agreement”.

Side-effect study

Against the vaccination

Catching it twice

TRYGFONDEN has granted 2 million kroner to BiCoVac to investigate the side-effects of the vaccines being administered in Denmark.

The research, which will end up involving 1 million vaccinated people in Denmark between the ages of 16 and 64, will be led by two associate professors at Aarhus University's Department of Public Health.

A THIRD of Danes would reject the chance to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to a new Megafon poll for TV2 carried out in mid-March. Meanwhile, twothirds of the population approved of corona passes being necessary to visit personal service proprietorships, according to a Voxmeter survey for Ritzau in early April.

PEOPLE over the age of 65 are more susceptible to catching the coronavirus twice, according to Statens Serum Institut study of 11,000 infected people in Denmark. It found that among the over-65s who stopped taking precautions, the chances of catching it again were 53 percent, compared to 20 percent among the under-65s.

Happier at work EMPLOYEES of Copenhagen Municipality are happy despite the disruption caused to their jobs by the coronavirus, according to a new survey. Out of a maximum score of 7.0, the average employee assessed their well-being and motivation to be 5.7. In fact, in 2019, the score was 5.6. In total, Copenhagen Municipality has just over 38,000 employees.

More travel ops SINCE April 21, it has been possible for people in Denmark with remote properties in other Nordic countries, along with business travellers, to leave and return home without the need to isolate – one of four phases announced by the government. Three more phases will open up further opportunities – particularly for those who have been vaccinated.

Fake pass concerns THE HEAD of sundhed.dk, Morten Elbæk Petersen, contends that the public are too honest to use a corona pass. However, Peter Kruse, the founder of IT security company CSIS, contends that it “does not take a genius” to reuse the result of an old test to make it look valid.

Seven from six ROBINTECH has developed a new method that can extract seven doses out of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine instead of six. The method controls the air intake in the vial, its angle during extraction, and from where the vaccine is drawn from.

The Dragør-based firm estimates it will increase Denmark’s COVID-19 vaccine capacity by 270,000 vaccinations for April and May alone.

Busiest test centre SINCE early April, the biggest and busiest centre offering Copenhageners to get a quick COVID-19 test has been at Fælledparken. Located along Blegdamsvej, the entrances are at Rigshospitalet and Trianglen.

The centre is open every day from 08:00 to 20:00, no appointment is necessary, and all tests are free.

SCIENCE

29 April - 20 May 2021

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FUNDING is in place for a new Danish research ship that can withstand Arctic conditions and be powered by green propulsion technology thanks to donations from the state (170 million kroner), DRU (100) and AP Møller Foundation (50). The vessel will support research in oceanography, marine geology, fisheries and climate, whilst aiding the study of ocean circulation.

Quickest from A-B UNIVERSITY of Copenhagen researchers have developed an algorithm hailed as a holy grail. It can deduce the quickest journey from A-B, assessing roundabouts, traffic lights and other elements to pinpoint the exact course.

Jaguar-eating snake A GREEN anaconda, the world’s largest snake, arrived at Odense Zoo last week. Currently 4.5 metres and 70 kilos, it can reach 9 metres and 250 kilos. In the wild, they can eat animals as large as jaguars. It will be unveiled when the zoo’s Tropical House opens on May 21.

Suited to Denmark OAK TREES from North America, Korea and Japan have a better chance of surviving here than trees from southern Europe, according to a University of Copenhagen study. Knowing their limits make it possible to move species of tree internationally to help avoid a mass extinction.

World Economic Forum report places Scandinavian trio in top three IRENE HELL

D

ENMARK has ranked third in the World Economic Forum’s report ‘Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2021’. Out of 115 countries, it only trailed Sweden and Norway. Since the report’s debut a decade ago, Denmark has never ranked lower than fifth.

The report investigates to what degree countries have an environment that is conducive to energy transition - moving away from fossil fuels towards renewable sources ... and doing so efficiently.

The report lauded Denmark for its energy transformation over the past ten years: particularly its long-term planning, sustained investment in R&D, community participation, and grid integration with neighbouring countries.

Denmark offers an almost ideal environment to maintain its leading position in the area of energy transition.

“Denmark provides a robust enabling environment for energy transition, which includes a stable policy environment, active consumer engagement, an abundance of skilled workforce to shape a new energy landscape, and a robust institutional framework,” Harsh Vijay Singh, the project lead at the WEF’s System Initiative on Shaping the Future of Energy, told CPH POST. “Over the past decade, Denmark has rapidly scaled the share of electricity generated from renewable energy, while also reducing the share of fossil fuels. Public-private participation on the development of clean energy technologies (particularly wind energy), ambitious policy goals, and sustained levels of investment have been instrumental to this effort.”

ONLINE THIS WEEK PIXABAY

Funding ready for ship

Third best for energy transition

9

Green efforts in spotlight

Numerous contributors ACCORDING to the WEF,

Microchip energy solution IN RELATED news, the DTU is carrying out a project to produce microchip technology that

will revolutionise energy usage in devices such as electric cars, PCs and chargers.

DTU Elektro’s spin-off Skycore Semiconducts has streamlined the initiative, which will develop technology in high voltage ranges to enable a universal microchip that can be added to power converters, which will, for one, accelerate the transformation from solar to green energy.

Researcher Pere Llimós Muntal contends that microchips and power electronics are the future of technology “for which we will see a large market”.

New organic food centre

Squits of the beetles

New AI research centre

A NEW INNOVATION centre for organic food in Aarhus will help maintain Denmark’s position as a trailblazer in the industry. Located at Agro Food Park, 40 million kroner has been initially earmarked for the ‘Innovation Centre for Organic Agriculture’, which will focus on research and collecting data and knowledge relating to organics.

Operations will begin on July 1.

A UNIVERSITY of Copenhagen research team have created an insecticide that targets only beetles.

It stimulates the kidneys so they urinate all the fluid out of their body, killing them instantly. In related news, startup BioPhero, which specialises in replacing chemical insecticides with insect pheromones, has just received 14.2 million euros in funding.

SOME 352 million kroner in funding is being set aside for a huge AI research centre - the result of a collaboration between the country’s leading universities and funds. The goal is to transform Denmark into a global leader within AI. According to DTU, the centre’s focus will be on implementing AI to help solve some of the big challenges facing society.

Rewriting marine history A STUDY of ancient Chinese rocks by the University of Southern Denmark contends that algae, which supports life by circulating carbon and nutrients in the ocean, evolved 600 million years earlier than previously thought: in around 1.4 billion BC! “With this discovery, we’ve rewritten the history of the sea," said Don E Canfield, research leader at SDU.

Signed up a rock star DTU HAS recruited Bernard Henrissat, a rock star enzyme researcher with a portfolio of over 520 original peer-reviewed publications. In related news, DTU environmental researchers have discovered a new class of enzymes, ‘AA7 dehydrogenases’, which show "great potential" in biomass degradation.

Tracking the Viking Age AN AARHUS University study of old-Norse metalworking and crafting in Ribe helps to chart the development of the Vikings through the 700s and 800s. “It is in the real Viking Age in the 800s when you have very precisely alloyed metal from Central Europe,” confirmed researcher Søren M Sindbæk.

CT on wheels RIGSHOSPITALET has got its hands on a mobile CT scanner.

The first of its kind, the 'donut on wheels' is small and compact, but has the same neuro-scanning functions as a standard scanner.

10 CULTURE

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Rewriting Danish Oscar history

ONLINE THIS WEEK DFI.DK

Funding for schools

29 April - 20 May 2021

Stage fright show

THE CULTURE Ministry has pledged 20 million kroner to bringing music back to schools, along with other cultural endeavours such as theatre and the visual arts.

Backed by all the red bloc parties, the 2021-22 Finance Act provision aims to enable more access and encourage more participation.

Schools need to apply and collaborate with their local municipality.

NEW DR series 'Den store premiere' teaches famous Danes how to act, preparing them for a role on the stage. Among the contestants are swimmer Jeanette Ottesen, former politician Manu Sareen and Caroline Wozniacki’s brother Patrik, who DR generously described as first and foremost a former professional footballer. Thure Lindhardt is one of the coaches.

Cyclist congress postponed

Distortion cancelled

THE EUROPEAN Union Cyclist Congress in Odense might have been cancelled, but the city has been assured it will host next year’s event. Some 40-50 nations will attend from 5-6 March 2022. Other events to be cancelled recently include Distortion, Copenhell and the Copenhagen Marathon

DISTORTION, which was due to take place during the first week of June, has been cancelled. Organisers blamed the difficulty of requiring corona passes. Its last edition was in June 2019. However, its mini late-summer festival Karrusel is going ahead on Refshaleøen from August 26-28. For ticket information, visit karrusel.dk.

Mads to take on Indy MADS MIKKELSEN will reportedly join Harrison Ford, who is now 78, and Phoebe WallerBridge in the latest Indiana Jones escapade. The fifth edition, the first to not be directed by Steven Spielberg, will be released in July 2022. In related news, Mikkelsen’s ‘The Billion Dollar Spy’ co-star Arnie Hammer has been dumped by Walden Media, leaving the project in limbo.

Sequel to WWII film ANNE-GRETHE Bjarup Riis is directing a sequel to her popular 2012 film ‘Hvidsten gruppen’, which concerned a group of WWII resistance fighters in the Jutland village of Hvidsten Kro. Following its climactic mass execution, ‘Hvidsten gruppen 2: De efterladte’ will continue the story from the perspective of the women left behind. Filming began on April 12.

Finally landed it FOLLOWING three consecutive X Factor wins for its most celebrated judge Thomas Blachmann, his rival Oh Land finally stopped the rot in April – her first win in her third season. Her under-25s starlet Solveig Lindelof took the crown.

Most of the cast ended up celebrating in the hills of ... Hvidovre

‘Druk’ named ‘Best International Feature’ and Mikkel EG Nielsen takes home ‘Best Editing’ award, as Denmark narrowly missed out on triple haul BEN HAMILTON

D

ENMARK on Sunday night set Oscar history with its first ever two-statuette haul.

‘Druk’ (‘Another Round’) grabbed the award for ‘Best International Feature’, while Mikkel EG Nielsen won the ‘Best Editing’ prize for his work on ‘Sound of Metal’.

Danish filmmaker Elvira Lind, who is the wife of Hollywood star Oscar Isaac, had been in strong contention to triumph for ‘The Letter Room’ for ‘Best Live Action Short’, but instead the film went to ‘Two Distant Strangers’, a timely entry about police brutality towards American black people.

Nevertheless, for little Denmark it is an unprecedented achievement, as its previous 11 Oscar wins all came in different years.

Dedicated to daughter AS HE PICKED up the award in LA dressed in a splendid white suit, Druk’s director Thomas Vinterberg quipped: “This is bigger than anything I could have imagined – apart from the fact that I have always

imagined this.”

But then his speech took a more poignant tone with his tribute to his daughter Ida, who died in an accident shortly after work on the film began.

"This is a film about letting go of control in life as I lost control in my own," he said. "We ended up making this movie for her as a monument. If she had been here today, she would be clapping and cheering. Ida, it's a miracle that this just happened.

This one's for you.”

The rest of the ‘Druk’ entourage watched on from a party organised by producer Zentropa, which has now won two Oscars from five nominations in the category, in Hvidovre.

Debt to the deaf MEANWHILE, Nielsen wrote Oscar history by becoming the first Dane to pick up the Academy Award for Best Editing for his work on 'Sound of Metal'.

“Thanks for letting me go on this life-changing journey. It's been like following a rainbow for me,” he said.

Nielsen thanked his family and the deaf community for helping to realise an ambitious project that received six nominations and also won for ‘Best Sound’.

More wins that Sweden THE TRIUMPH of ‘Druk’ has elevated Denmark to fourth

place on the all-time list of winners in the International Feature category, which until recently was known as ‘Best Foreign Language Film’.

Only Italy (11), France (9) and Spain (4, but with more nominations) stand above it.

Sweden (3, more noms) now slips to fifth place.

With four wins in the category – thanks to Hævnen (2011), Pelle the Conqueror (1989) and Babette’s Feast (1988) – it has tied Italy as the country with the most wins since 1988.

In total (discounting Viggo Mortensen and Lars von Trier’s dubious nod for ‘Best Song’ alongside Björk in 2000), it has been nominated for 39 Oscars and won 13 – an impressive one from three return.

2014 forgotten IT’S A SWEET moment for Vinterburg, who was shortlisted for his work on the film but never fancied to win, as the last time Denmark had three strong contenders, it was another of his works, ‘Jagten’, leading the charge.

In 2014, it was joined by documentary ‘The Act of Killing’ and short film ‘Helium’, but in the end Denmark only went home with one for the latter.

On Sunday night, though, Vinterburg added his name to the neverending story of ‘Once upon a time in Hollywood’.

Sacked dance coach dies IN THE hours following Det Kongelige Teater’s (KGL) decision on April 16 to cancel the May 2022 ballet 'Frankenstein', the 35-yearold internationally-acclaimed choreographer, Liam Scarlett, lost his life. Just one day after publicly sacking the Brit for "unacceptable behavior", KGL head Kasper Holten noted how touched the theatre was at the news of his death.

Emperor’s new digs HC ANDERSEN'S House, a new museum in Odense, is set to open its doors for the first time on June 30. Using state-of-the-art technology and scenography to bring the author’s universe alive, two-thirds of the 5,600 sqm museum is underground, including a wonderland universe for children, while outside is a magical labyrinth garden.

Drain some Thrones MIKKELLER will produce a series of ‘Game of Thrones’ beersto celebrate the TV show’s 10th anniversary. Up to 15 will be released, including three in 2021.

The first, the ‘Iron Anniversary IPA’, is available in Denmark, Sweden, the UK and the US, as well as on Mikkeller’s webshop.

SPORT

29 April - 20 May 2021

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UEFA HAS confirmed that fans will be able to watch four matches at Parken during the Euro 2020 tournament – 12,000 per game, according to the government. Denmark faces Finland on June 12, before also taking on Belgium and Russia. Parken will also host a last-16 fixture.

Sound WC start DENMARK has a 96 percent chance of reaching the 2022 World Cup, according to stats firm Gracenote. The bookies rate them a 90 percent chance. In their first three games, Denmark beat Moldova at home, and Israel and Austria away, scoring 14 goals and conceding none. Defender Jens Stryger Larsen is now undefeated in 33 internationals. Denmark’s away game in Scotland is the only remaining fixture they would not be absolute favourites to win.

On song in Europe DENMARK has secured 14th spot on the UEFA coefficient list for the 2022/23 season, which means the Danish champions will enter the Champions League qualification in the third round instead of the second, leaving four other Danish teams in contention to reach a European group stage.

Under-21s in quarters THE DANISH under-21s will play Germany in the quarter-finals of Euro 2021 after winning their group with victories against France, Iceland and Russia. The knockout games will be played May 31-June 6.

Harder equals record DANISH forward Pernille Harder has equalled the goal record for the Danish women's national football team. Her 65 goals matched Merete Pedersen's record (1993-2009).

200m record smashed TAZANA Kamanga-Dyrbak, 19, has broken the Danish men's track record for the 200 metres with a time of 20.48 seconds set in Zambia. The previous record was set by Jens Smedegaard in 1979.

In the world of sport, offensive chants, slogans or banners are often subject to media scrutiny.

But abuse in the virtual realm can be even more insidious LENA HUNTER

F

OR OLYMPIC gold medal-winning swimmer Pernille Blume, champion dressage rider Cathrine Dufour and national team handball player Anne Mette Hansen, online harassment and abuse have become daily occurrences, reports DR. Though fan culture is largely supportive, the virtual realm can be a darker space. The three Danish athletes each have over 350,000 followers on Instagram – where much of the negativity takes place.

Despite their sporting triumphs, Blume has been sent death threats, online trolls have accused Dufour of animal abuse, and Hansen has deleted her Facebook account due to offensive messages.

“Disgusting comments” “IT’S ACTUALLY really scary,” says Blume. "The tone on social media has become too violent."

Some of her worst abuse followed the European Championships in 2018.

“I chose to swim my 100-metre semi-final in a different style.

I got sent death threats. They said I should be deported and immediately removed from the world of sports,” she recalled.

“It hits hard – no matter how thick-skinned you are.”

The “disgusting comments” have made her so anxious that she now deletes any messages immediately.

Delete them all!

FOR HANDBALLER Hansen, 26, who plays for Hungarian club Györ, the only solution was to delete all her social media accounts.

“I deleted my Facebook app during the European Championships for the sole reason that I didn't want to see the comments.

I don’t even look at pictures on the women's national team's own

ONLINE THIS WEEK FACEBOOK/ HÅNDBOLDDAMERNE

Parken confirmed

Today’s inbox: Threats, harassment, filth

11

DBU loses sponsor DENMARK'S national football union, the DBU, will be searching for a replacement for its sponsor Arbejdernes Landsbank due to a conflict sparked by the Quick Loan Act, which bans loan providers from advertising next to betting companies. Oddset also sponsors DBU.

FCN’s new record The stories they could share

page because I don’t want to read those hurtful things,” she said.

Hansen is used to having her performance evaluated – but slurs on her fan page like “you unsportsmanlike bitch” and “you don’t belong on the national team” are another story.

“On good days you can handle it, but if you've had a bad day, it's hard. Most athletes are super self-critical. They know only too well if they’ve performed poorly. You don’t need to read 15 strangers’ word-vomit,” she said.

The women's national team have begun advising players to avoid too much phone time in the lead-up to big matches.

Anti-LGBT insults DRESSAGE rider Dufour began sharing ‘behind-the-scenes’ posts to give something back to younger riders. But the cyber abuse she received put her off.

“I’ve been called an animal abuser. And I've had messages about my sexuality,” says Dufour, who got engaged to girlfriend Rasmine Laudrup after winning the Danish Grand Prix Championship last year.

“I can shake off comments about my relationship, but accusations about how I treat my horses really hurt. I'm doing all I can – day and night – to make my animals feel as good as possible,” she said.

Tackling the trolls RATHER than combat the messages online, she takes a head-on approach: “I contacted a girl who had been extremely harsh over a long period on Facebook.

She was sending me pictures every week for a few years and was really rude.”

“They’re completely different when you get them on the phone.

They lie down and apologise. I’m not calling to have a discussion; I’m calling to tell them that their messages hurt,” she added.

A morbid fascination A WELL-DOCUMENTED rise in online abuse has followed fan-culture’s shift onto social media, according to Christian Mogensen from the Center for Digital Pedagogy. “[Social Media] creates a distance where normally unacceptable language is used to talk to athletes,” he contends.

“We have a morbid fascination with the comments section, so many platforms are extremely bad at regulating them. We’re quick to break out the popcorn when someone’s getting flamed."

If you’re receiving threats, Mogensen has one piece of advice: report it to the police.

Time to speak up FOR BETTER or worse, social media is a part of the modern sporting landscape, and sadly the three Danish sports-people’s experiences aren’t unique.

"It shouldn’t just be swept under the rug. People have to know this is happening,” said Hansen.

By speaking up, they hope to spotlight the darker aspects of online sporting culture, and the real-life effects of online hatred.

“It’s about articulating the problem” they agree. "So we can start to fix it."

FC NORDSJÆLLAND has broken the Superliga record for the youngest line-up. The average age against AGF on April 4 was 20 years and 20 days. The oldest record, 31 years and 30 days, was set by OB in 2003. In other footy news, Daniel Agger is the new coach of First Division side HB Køge, and Patrice Evra recently talked to BT about his new life in Denmark.

Cyclists on top KASPER Asgreen secured one of the top results in Danish cycling history on April 4 when he won the Tour de Flanders. The 26-yearold won a close sprint against Dutch powerhouse and race favourite Mathieu van der Poel.

Almost equally impressive was the victory of Jonas Vingegaard, 24, in the Italian stage race Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali.

Major result!

NANNA Koerstz Madsen, 26, recently tied the best ever result for a Danish women’s golfer in a major.

She finished third at the ANA Inspiration tournament in California – the same as Iben Tinning at the 2001 Women's British Open.

Rune rues Ruud rout HOLGER Rune lost 2-6, 1-6 to Norwegian star Casper Ruud in the first round at the Monte Carlo Masters. The 17-year-old Dane is ranked 322 in the world and could not compete with the world number 27.

More like curdling THE MEN’S curling team finished third-last at the World Championships in Calgary in April, severely hitting their chances of qualifying for the Olympics.

12 BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK

SIX MORE charges have been made in relation to the exploitation of a share dividend loophole that defrauded the Danish state of 12.7 billion kroner between 2012 and 2015 – a case now commonly known as the European Cum-Ex scandal. Five Brits, including alleged mastermind Sanjay Shah, and three Americans stand accused of defrauding over 10 billion kroner.

Lundbeck loses appeal LUNDBECK has lost an appeal at the European Court of Justice in relation to charges it formed a cartel with four other pharma companies regarding generic antidepressants they based on Lundbeck’s drug Citalopram, for which the original patent expired two decades ago.

Lundbeck was fined 697 million kroner, and the four companies 388 million.

Links to Myanmar military JEPPE Kofod, the foreign minister, is upset that two factories used by Bestseller in Myanmar have strong ties to the country’s military, according to a UN report cited by Politiken.

Bestseller uses three in the military-controlled industrial zone Ngwe Pinlae, and two have clear ties to Myanmar Economic Holdings, a company owned by the military. "I think it is very problematic," said Kofod.

House prices soaring amid record sales However, with supplies dwindling, surpassing 2020 looks unlikely

ONLINE THIS WEEK BOLIGSIDEN.DK

Six more charged

29 April - 20 May 2021

CHRISTIAN WENANDE

D

ENMARK’S housing market saw a record high number of homes sold in March.

Figures from Boligsiden.dk showed that 13,370 homes were sold, which is a record for a single month and almost twice the amount sold in March 2020.

Sales of apartments, villas, summerhouses and other housing types all shot up by 86-109 percent compared to last year.

COPENHAGEN is the seventh most likely city in the continent to be the headquarters of somebody on the Forbes Under 30 Europe list. In total, there are eight Danes on the exclusive list, but many more use Copenhagen as their base.

That’s eatertainment

Your shack is now worth a stack

Reminders of 2008 IN RELATED news, the aver-

age homeowner in Denmark is 200,000 kroner better off since the Coronavirus Crisis started, reports Boligsiden.dk.

As of March, house, flat and summerhouse prices have risen by 12, 14 and 19 percent respectively over the last year.

Søren Kristensen, the chief economist at Sydbank, has warned TV2 that the property price rises remind him of the climate before the 2008-09 financial crisis.

No fun for Lego owner

Bank’s CEO resigns

In the dragon’s lair

LEGO’S main shareholder, the KIRKBI Group, has reported a dip in revenue from the Legoland themeparks in 2020 from 16.9 to 6.4 billion kroner. It’s been bad timing as it increased its stake in the parks’ owner Merlin Entertainments to nearly 50 percent in 2019.

CHRIS Vogelzang last week resigned as CEO of Danske Bank as he is under investigation in the Netherlands for possible money-laundering offences carried out during his time as head of ABN AMRO. He resigned “in light of the special situation Danske Bank is in”.

His replacement is Carsten Egeriis.

BESTSELLER owner Anders Holch Povlsen has bought a 25 percent stake in the online company Coolshop through his investment company Brightfolk. Coolshop is co-owned by Jacob Risgaard, a regular on the Danish version of ‘Dragons’ Den’.

Changed priorities CURT LILIEGREEN, the head of housing think-tank Boligøkonomisk Videncenter, contended that the development is unsurprising given that the priorities and preferences of many have changed during the Coronavirus Crisis.

“Housing deals don’t occur spontaneously. It started to ac-

Copenhagen among elite

celerate at the end of 2020 and the development can really be seen now,” he told TV2.

Liliegreen expects prices to keep rising as supply is dwindling, so it is doubtful whether last year’s record of 107,000 home sales – by far the highest since Boligsiden began recording data a decade ago - will be beaten.

SWEDISH sports bar chain O'Learys, whose only Danish outlet is at Copenhagen Airport but for years inhabited a corner at Copenhagen Central Station, intends to open 25 new locations in Denmark by 2025.

It calls its line of business “eatertainment”.

Unemployment up UNEMPLOYMENT rose in February by 3,800 people to 131,700 – 4.6 percent of the workforce. In related news, the country’s GDP rose by 0.7 percent over the fourth quarter of 2020 to cement a fall of 2.7 percent over the whole year.

Victims of fraud PEOPLE in Denmark are among the biggest victims of card fraud in Europe, according to a report compiled by Uswitch. People in Denmark lost 7,274 euros per every 1,000 inhabitants in 2020, placing the country third in the rankings behind the UK (10,414) and Ireland (7,949).

Some 51 per 1,000 people in Denmark were victims – the fourth highest return.

BUSINESS OPINION

29 April - 20 May 2021

UNION VIEWS

A

FTER A year of coronavirus and lockdowns, online leadership is gradually becoming very natural to most of us, and you have probably established your own virtual leadership style.

But everything online can

Steen is senior advisor at Djøf, the Danish Association of Lawyers and Economists. He is a blogger and manager of various projects aimed at generating jobs in the private sector. In this column he writes about trends and tendencies in the labour market. Follow him on Twitter @SteenVive. stall – including your online management skills. Every so often you may need to press F5 and refresh.

Here is my take on five issues

SIGNE BIERING NIELSEN GET YOUR BIERING’S After 20 years in the Danish diplomatic service, including stints in India, China and Israel as deputy ambassador, Signe Biering Nielsen is turning her diplomatic binoculars onto the (in her view) intriguing Danes. She is an executive advisor and coach with a focus on internationals in Denmark. See LinkedIn and Instagram for more details.

I

RECENTLY interviewed 15 international employees at Danish companies to hear NEXT ISSUE

Welcome Onboard!

Danish Capital in 2019

Naturally resilient THE FIRST thing that struck me was how resilient they are. Internationals don’t make a big deal about uprooting their family and starting over in another country, and they do not shy away from challenges.

They have experienced personal hardship and emotional rollercoasters before – simply due to moving around – so corona is just another challenge.

All 15 of the internationals did not point to corona as having a major negative influence on their personal situation, even though many of them had not seen their families for two years.

1/ Keep up to date WHEN YOUR colleagues are scattered, it is harder to keep each other up to date. This challenges how information is shared by the employees in a department. Communicating both ways is key.

2/ Celebrate victories MANY OF us have been accustomed to having a small celebration each time a major task is accomplished. As a leader, it is important to support the culture that was working well

cluded in Danish social circles – neither before nor after the arrival of corona. Fourteen of the interviewees mentioned a feeling of not fitting into groups of Danes.

Danes have close-knit friendship circles (‘the Højskole friends’, ‘the soccer team’, ‘the Uni-friends’), and the internationals are not invited – not into the groups, on walks, for barbeques or online Friday drinks.

Neither are they welcome at julefrokost, Christmas, New Year or Easter. For Danes this is not surprising – these are ‘private’ events. For internationals it seems a bit … cold.

before we were forced into new ways of working. Remember to celebrate together, digitally.

3/ Be present THE HOMEWORKING/HYBRID form of work, especially when feedback is given, calls for new routines in your management role. For some, a weekly 1:1 is the solution – for others more thorough feedback is needed.

job satisfaction.

4/ Support job satisfaction ALLOW employees to share their results. Remember that individual praise makes us feel recognised and part of something important. Praise enhances

5/ Well-being essential AS A MANAGER, your role extends to ensuring the well-being of each member of your team.

Keep an eye on their physical, mental and social health.

Press F5 to refresh!

PIXABAY

first-hand about their experiences in Denmark during the 2020-21 corona lockdown.

that often benefit from being revisited.

13

It's "the world is your oyster" kind of attitude

met with anyone for eight weeks at that point.

When asked directly, 13 of the internationals mentioned increased loneliness as a consequence of corona.

ing them a challenge.

None of the internationals I interviewed had actively asked for any form of assistance from their employer (to create online networks, initiate walks in the park, mentorships etc).

Closed circles AT THE same time, when diving deeper, corona did seem to exacerbate some of the trends we already know from previous studies – and from my personal experience as a leadership coach to internationals.

Internationals do not feel in-

Increased loneliness FOR THIS reason internationals have felt an increased loneliness due to corona – beyond being socially-distanced. They often have a large circle of acquaintances, but few close friends.

When social groups were limited to the five closest acquaintances, one interviewee said: “I guess I just ended up being number six.” She hadn’t

Bear it alone INTERNATIONALS are not used to complaining. They see themselves as self-sufficient and adventurous – the qualities that enabled them to leave their home country in the first place.

They are unlikely candidates for victimhood – and are not about to ask for support from their employer. This makes help-

Take an interest!

I BELIEVE both companies and employees need to talk more about these challenges.

Granted, employers aren’t obliged to fix these issues – but taking an interest is the right thing to do.

And it may even make their international talent happier.

IN 2 ISSUES

IN 3 ISSUES

IN 4 ISSUES

IN 5 ISSUES

Fit For Business

The Valley of Life

Just Say It As It Is

Startup Community

UK-DK Trade

Global Denmark

Give Yourself a Chance

FLICKR/EARL

STEEN VIVE

14 OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

29 April - 20 May 2021

ADAM WELLS

World's longest wait for table

T

HIS WEEK we readopted the habit of eating out.

This time, though, the experience includes distancing, masks, reservations and Corona passes. Nevertheless, it is a giant step back to normal, which for months was a no-go.

Proof politicians like sport POLITICIANS are daring to demand even more liberal opening measures, thus opposing a government that has reigned as an absolute powerhouse since March last year.

However, the country is not recovering – it was in good shape all the time. The economy was, and is, healthy. Unemployment is exceptionally low. So happily, we are marching on.

The political picture is still blurred. Harsh measures against foreigners are again a popular sport. Hardliners are tighten-

Always the green agenda THE #METOO movement has taken its toll and seems to be fading away, albeit with a mayor and party leader in its wake. Now we are chasing dirty jokes and foul language – not a big loss as the witchhunt element has calmed down.

The main political issues post-Corona are infrastructure. The government has just proposed an ambitious plan for the next decade in tune with its green agenda, which nobody ever stops advocating these days.

Infrastructure always costs more than expected, but always pays off in the end – with the odd public transport exception.

The world seems to be in good shape. However, we need to address the migration problem at large. We cannot, given our strong welfare foundation, morally defend the way we ignore desperate people who are prepared to risk everything for a better life. (ES)

Early Rejser Adam is a nanny, a multi-sports fanatic and a budding ultra runner. He was faster off the mark than his fellow Brits, quitting England for Denmark moments before they voted to stay out of Europe. When he isn’t caring for kids, screaming at a screen or tearing up his feet, he writes unsettling poetry and prose.

T

FLICKR/EUGENIO HANSEN

Back to the new normal BIG SHOPPING centres are back in business again, and vaccinations have relieved the elderly from fear and isolation.

Flock immunity is in sight.

Some hysteria concerning certain vaccination types aside, the coming summer will see the beaches and museums full again.

The pandemic is not over worldwide, but it will be under control and we will sit down and consider what we learned.

Distance learning in the public schools and further up the education ladder is here to stay.

Businesses and institutions are reconsidering their need for office space, as IT has made it possible to perform despite the lockdown.

Business travel has been reduced to almost zero and will remain considerably reduced in the future, saving both time and money.

ing the conditions for obtaining Danish citizenship, although the regulations involving masks and handshakes will probably not be enforced for a while!

The repatriation of Syrian refugees who have been here for several years and are fully integrated should be reconsidered. They are assets, not liabilities. Stronger measures at petty crimes are also targeted against immigrants and their descendants.

And talking of sport, just like with professional football the politician transfer window has been wide open.

Venstre has lost former PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen to what may be his own new party. Britt Bager has joined Konservative, joining the earlier move by Marcus Knuth, meaning that the party is now bigger than Venstre in the polls.

HERE I was. Five years in Denmark. A Copenhagen homeowner with a kid on the way. A job, hobbies and friends to cherish. And doubts weighing heavy on my heart.

Learning it like a native WHY HADN'T I learned Danish yet? How integrated into society would we ever be without it? Should we pack our bags and reboard HMS Britannia? She may be rudderless and headed for the rocks, but we'd understand what her crew of fools were saying as she sank.

Now here I am, a week later, my doubts forgotten. My phone’s lighting up with a familiar message from a new friend. ‘Hi! It’s Duo. It’s time for your daily language lesson.’ I jump to it. It all just clicks now somehow. I’m thinking and speaking like a native.

Not a native Dane, obviously. I’m talking Esperanto, the constructed auxiliary language with a phonetic writing system, regular rules and pronounceable vowels. But Esperanto’s logic aside, what’s the logic in learning it for a dad-to-be in Denmark?

Rule Britannia then?

“DANES talk like they have potatoes in their mouths,” is a common, comical observation that has serious implications.

Spoken language diverging significantly from its written form is a path to extinction.

Spoken Danish has rapidly evolved in recent decades, and phonetic distinctions one expects from reading it are no longer there when it’s vocalised.

Those who overcome this, and other difficulties, to learn Danish – from native sons to diligent immigrants – will in-

Entranceranto? After Brexit, the EU will be looking for a new language

creasingly find they don’t need it.

English’s power is growing, not just through imported phrases but in being seen as a more valuable alternative to Danish. Most university courses and published research are in English, and Danish businesses are shifting to English to boost their global relevance. This voluntary domain loss and taste for swallowing syllables means the Danes are eating their own.

Esperantover?

ESPERANTO knows all about losing out to English. LL Zamenhof invented Esperanto in 1887 as a simple, universal second language that could remove barriers and ease tensions between nations. But tragically, such nationalistic tensions saw Esperantists interred and murdered by Nazis and Stalinists.

Esperanto survived to be rendered obsolete by the emergence of English as lingua franca. But it’s not dead yet. The internet gave it new life, and though we have little use for a universal language, its simplicity makes it universally useful.

Learning to learn WE DON’T teach children the recorder because we want a world filled with recorder

players, but because we want to introduce them to music without boring or frustrating them to death. Its size and simplicity mean you can manage it with tiny hands and produce pleasing sounds quickly.

Esperanto is the recorder of languages. Numbers are a breeze - count to 10 and you can count to 100. Building vocabulary is a fast, multiplicative process thanks to regular relationships between roots, prefixes, suffixes and word class – learn one word, learn many. Creative, engaging language use is possible earlier than with other languages, where interest can wane during the prolonged stage of memorising words and rules.

As with music, it’s important to introduce language learning in a way that encourages continuing interest and engagement.

Danish is a bassoon. Hand it to someone too early and they'll be forever put off by its complexity and the awful sound it makes. I should know.

The logic of me learning Esperanto is to learn how to learn a language, and to learn to love it.

And to have a recorder I can introduce my child to before they get handed a bassoon. Assuming Danish can survive that long ...

OPINION

29 April - 20 May 2021

VIVIENNE MCKEE

NEXT ISSUE

Crazier than Christmas 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. on my way to collect an adorable 12-week-old Bichon Havanais.

The price was astronomical. I could buy diamonds for the same sum. Don’t they say: “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”?

Not dogs! But I couldn’t wait to cuddle my new companion.

Little did I know then that my life would change completely. With the fluffy ball of puppy wrapped in a blanket on the seat of my new car, his EU passport tucked in my pocket, I rushed home.

At a traffic light, he whined sweetly, and promptly threw up.

I was so distracted, that I banged into the car in front of me. After telephone numbers were hurriedly exchanged, I jumped back into the car to find that my bundle of joy had peed on the seat.

New canine, new chapter

O

NE WOULD have to be blind not to notice all the ‘pandemic puppies’ (or ‘virus hvalpe’, as I call them) in Copenhagen during this last year. It is clear that these hordes of cute four-legged pooches pulling on leashes in parks and along our streets are a phenomena impossible to ignore.

Puppy love AS A DOG-LOVER, I have sighed over the many canine cuties on websites – an activity that a friend describes as “indulging in puppy porn". Nevertheless I have resisted the temptation to get a dog for two reasons: my profession in the theatre, and my obsession with travelling. My need for dog companionship has been best served by looking after friends’ dogs.

But Corona changed everything. During the second wave, I suddenly cracked.

I woke up early one morning and I realised that I had no reason to get out of bed. I had no theatre work, no pressing commitments and no possibility of going abroad. It was depressing until I came up with the obvious solution. Of course! I must get a puppy who would make me wake up every morning with a smile on my face.

Full of enthusiasm, I leapt out of bed and checked various websites, eventually landing on gipote.dk. I expected to have to wait months, even if I chose to adopt a rescue dog. But it was my lucky day.

Potty traveller A MERE four hours later I was

15

Putty in its paws I WON'T bore you with all the trials and tribulations of the following six months, but it was tougher than I expected.

The list is obvious to me now, but it wasn’t then. Damage to carpets, chewed furniture, vet bills, puppy training, walking in all weathers, an end to spontaneity, and the realisation that my flight-hopping days were over.

Having a puppy in my life has been more dirty, smelly, frustrating, expensive and time-consuming than I expected. But it has also been more fun and rewarding than I could ever have imagined. I’ve even made new friends of other dog-owners who, unlike most Danes, are keen to stop and chat.

But perhaps best of all: I now wake up every morning with a smile on my face when I see his furry face peering lovingly at me from his basket.

Mishra’s Mishmash MRUTYUANJAI MISHRA

Straight Up ZACH KHADUDU IN 2 ISSUES

The Road Less Taken JESSICA ALEXANDER

An Actor’s Life IAN BURNS IN 3 ISSUES

Englishman in Nyhavn JACK GARDNER

Living Faith REVD SMITHA PRASADAM

IN 4 ISSUES

Mackindergarten ADRIAN MACKINDER

Green Spotlight SIBYLLE DE VALENCE IN 5 ISSUES

A Dane Abroad KIRSTEN LOUISE PEDERSEN

Straight, No Chaser STEPHEN GADD

16 GUEST OPINION THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

MANEESH VENKATESH

D

URING a deadly pandemic, amid limited employment opportunities and a crumbling market, is it necessary to separate families?

Warmth of the people I FIRST came to Denmark in 2018 to visit my family on a college break. Walking the cold streets lined with coloured houses, I fell in love with the city. I was enchanted by everything: the experimental gastro foods, the ‘hygge’ in the winter and the warmth I felt even in the freezing cold because of all the people. In the three years that followed, I came to Denmark every autumn and summer break.

As college came to an end, like most graduates I was faced with the impending prospect of my ‘future’. However, not even in my wildest dreams did I think there would be a pandemic, throwing even my cursory plans out of the window.

Surprise rejection AFTER a strict India lockdown, I reunited with my family in Denmark; however, there was a caveat. With my passport, I could only stay for 90 days, even though both my parents and my sister had been residents of Denmark for the past four years.

We thought it would be fine because I'd get an internship and be able to stay with them through a work/internship visa.

So I reached Denmark, found an internship and applied for a visa allowing me to stay with my immediate family.

However, in February, I heard back that my application was rejected, leaving me with only six days to leave the country and deal with all my plans changing again.

Corona smokescreen THIS THREW me because I had for sure thought I was going to be able to stay with my parents. I had six days to pack all my things and find another place to live.

Girl meets Dane story NABEELA AKHTAR

S

O YES, I met a Dane and moved from born-andbred West London to Copenhagen.

Boy ... it was special!

I FIND a lot of expats I have met have moved over for good old love. I mean, I’ve always noticed Copenhagen as a destination on travel websites, but never ventured out here until I met the boy.

I ended up visiting Copenhagen during the summer of 2019, and god, do they do summer well!

Beautiful, early sunrises and late sunsets, Scandinavian fashion and the culinary scene – it was all top-notch.

The thing I noticed the most were the smiles and walking pace of the people here - particularly compared to where I just came from: London! Their chillness was infectious, and I noticed myself

slowing down.

Piccadilly to the circus SO, ON THE way back, when I hopped off the plane at London Heathrow and onto the Piccadilly line to head home, I noticed the glumness of people even more. I also found myself speeding up again, even though I was consciously telling myself: Nabeela, slow down!

But it wasn’t until I reached my local station in Ealing and hired a Lime rental bike to cycle home – encountering the feeble infrastructure for biking, along with all the potholes and aggressive drivers! – that it hit me. What is the rush?

Right there, all I wanted to do was go back to where I can walk at my own pace.

Living in a paradox I WAS ALSO at the point in my life when I was craving a

I was a non-working, barely graduated student with no income, although I was still in a better position than the millions of immigrants who come into the EU and are harshly turned away.

I was rejected under the pretext of COVID-19 laws.

However, I had already been in the country for the previous six months while my application was being processed. If the intention was to prevent the spread, would it not make more sense to stay where I was?

World’s most hostile WHILE I understand what these laws are trying to enforce at some level, I think they are lacking a human aspect. It’s hard to understand how having both parents and my sister as residents did not qualify me for family reunification or even a work visa.

Even after all this, I can write this article and have a comfortable place to stay because of my privilege. My situation pales in comparison to others who do not have the back-up options I had, and I can't imagine what new challenge. I abide by the old adage: change begins at the end of your comfort zone.

Also, who was I kidding? My time in London was finito. I was getting tired out working for a ‘Big 4’ consulting firm, grinding out the daily, hourly commutes - and then I get here, and my whole life felt like a paradox!.

Moving on, everything is new: challenges, country, city, language and humour. Oh, and even the PANDEMIC! Never quit talking!

NOW SOME might resonate, and some may not. I mean it’s been no easy feat settling here.

First there was the whole ‘Tinder friend dating’ – trying to really find the people you have that chemistry with, but platonically!

So many short-lived relationships!

However, despite the pandemic I did find a good crowd … although it did take me shy of nine months! It can be hard to integrate with Danes, but Nabeela’s advice is

PIXABAY

Where do we draw the line?

29 April - 20 May 2021

Family detected, but still rejected

they must be going through.

Denmark was ranked the happiest country in 2011 and 2012, and since then it has maintained a spot in the top five.

However, where is that happiness and joy for the people who want to move this country? World’s most hostile country would a more apt description.

Sometimes, I think immigration laws forget to look at individuals as people and get caught up in an ‘us’ vs ‘them’ mindset. Don't you?

work with the lessons he’s learned.

Rarely quiet about his opinions, he has a passion for international relations. Get in touch on Instagram via @maneesh.venkatesh.

Maneesh, 22, loves writing and painting in his quest to instill his really put yourself out there, keep connecting, and get creative about meeting prospective friends!

Whatever you do, keep making conversation; honestly, Danes are the nicest people!

And don’t stop walking!

YOU MAY think how on earth do I do that. Well, MeetUp.com is an excellent place - there are loads of events there, and I met a great cosmopolitan group of people. I admit some are very network-based, but you won’t know they are until you go!

Also, I had one friend who I met at an event on the app, who in turn turned into many friends, so do not be picky! Go on yet another walk/meet-up in the park, host dinners or brunches (I have done a few myself) or grab a coffee – you’ll be surprised by all the kindred spirits who love to meet new people.

Top tip: meet up with your language school class-mates.

I mustered up the courage to

message one of the girls: “Hey, want to grab a coffee sometime?” and she responded very positively. Meeting her opened up her circles, including many Danes.

Being proactive, available, reliable and, most importantly, excited are all things that work in your favour! I promise you Nabeela is an expat originally from London now living in Copenhagen. She likes to write about her adventures here, personal growth and how that can support others when navigating a new place.

Catch up with her latest news via Instagram @nabeela.akhtar

GUEST OPINION

29 April - 20 May 2021

WINNIE TANGO

M

Y CLIENTS in Hong Kong told me before I moved to Denmark: wherever you are, you will create new things. It was a compliment that I often remind myself: “I can do it.”

But sometimes I ask myself whether Denmark is a good place for an expat to be an entrepreneur?

Looking out onto the horizon, do you see limitations or opportunities? How can we make a difference to achieve what we want?

Coping with a new language in a limited market with conservative banking, whilst developing a network and resources … you will always hear a familiar negative voice as you face the challenges on your journey – don’t let them be your limitation!

Learning in Legoland WHEN I arrived in Billund, the small Lego town with a population of only 6,000 (in fact smaller than the skyscraper where I lived in Hong Kong!), I worried at the beginning, but I soon became optimistic and saw the difficulty as opportunity.

I realised that I needed to offer something Lego could not offer and find the gap in the market. After all, it’s not until you’ve taken that first step out of your front door that you can see the state of the roads.

I recalled a memory of being eight years old and attending piano class. Back then I told myself I wanted to be my own boss and have a better concept than the one presented to me. Since then I have always wanted to create something better.

Before Denmark, I was used to being self-employed. It’s exciting to monitor your progress: increasing sales, hitting targets, creating a business. I get a big sense of satisfaction when I see the figures are moving in the right way.

Family first and foremost AS A MOTHER, I have taken full control of my destiny, as I

want to ensure I can give my daughter a good life. Having sole custody is a big responsibility that I take very seriously.

Furthermore, I want to be a proud foreigner: a role model who has built up her own business in what can be a challenging country!

So naturally, I need to run a profitable business I can control.

With more earnings comes more freedom!

We all have different formulas and goals as to how we can find our path. And here are some of my thoughts and experiences that I hope will be useful, and perhaps even inspiring, to CPH POST readers.

Think big: desire it all THERE are many challenges when establishing yourself in a new country. You must be a bit crazy to pursue a big dream of what you want to achieve. Seeing the big picture is the fuel you need to overcome the challenges along the way.

And you really need a big desire to make it happen. If you’re lacking in passion and not excited when you need to think on your feet, you’ll too easily give up when faced with challenges.

Your passion will shine through: when you grow the business, when you make customers happy and when you have breakthroughs. Sometimes, I would even find myself screaming in the middle of the night when a new idea came to me.

Entrepreneurs are a crazy breed!

True, all such obstacles, along with voices of negativity, will frustrate you at times, but you can always depend on your big desire picking up again and saving your dream.

Get excited to create ideas.

It's exciting to see the growth of business. Get excited by happy customers. This drives me to be curious to learn and to improve.

Nothing can kill my attitude.

THIS IS essential. You will be surprised by how many people respond to a big heart - sometimes in the most unexpected situations.

Sometimes people helped me without even asking for anything in return. When I asked why, they told me they would not have helped me if I had been a complainer and too quick to give up. They wished the best for me because they could see that I am a fighter – particularly when the going gets tough - and they really wanted me to succeed.

Look out for my future articles in which I will share some of the many challenges I have overcome. Sometimes making it as an entrepreneur is like playing a game: we need to win the battle and move to the next level.

Filter the negative voices NOT EVERYONE can be an entrepreneur. Not everyone has your desire to achieve something big and crazy. Remember: their limitations are not your limitations.

Those negative voices will tell you a lot: there is no market, it’s too difficult, it's impossible, the competitors are offering lower prices, no-one has done it before, someone has tried already but failed etc …

But remember, you (yourself ) and you (your products or service) are different from others.

Choose a value that accurately reflects your quality, don’t pick the lowest possible price to chase the market. Look out for some of my examples in future pieces.

Be different YOU MAY have heard about Janteloven. As an expat to start up here, I would say the opposite is needed. You need to be different: to stand out and be a bit crazy.

Sure, we should be humble and open to learning new things – especially now everything is becoming digital - but don’t follow Janteloven to the letter if you want to be an entrepreneur.

Even if you want to expand your Danish network, competing with years-old relationships, from friends to business partners, be yourself and be different. Authenticity is likeable – it is a way to attract new friends or business and to forge lasting relationships.

Finding a home in Denmark

I repeat: don’t fall into the trap of Janteloven – I hope all the Danes out there will forgive me!

Make Danish friends THROUGH my divorce, starting up and expanding and corona, I have of course faced many different challenges. And along the way I really appreciated the help from friends, network and family.

Some of it was unexpected and touching. Remember that all the angels are shining stars for you, so be grateful for all the help and put your heart into it.

Step out of the door to expand your network, and remember it’s really important to have Danish friends – in private as well as in business.

Be resilient!

I WAS SO proud when I quickly expanded in my first year in 2019 after starting from scratch.

It went pretty fast as a startup.

I told myself: “Viola – I did it!

I’m going to have multi-million revenue in two years.” To start up – it’s a good number in Denmark.

Well, I must admit that corona has postponed some of my plans as well as the millions in revenue. But when things happen fast, you need quick solutions.. As an entrepreneur you have to be able to make quick decisions – especially when it’s a startup. Now things are under control, I’m expecting to take off like a rocket.

What next, crazy lady?

CORONA can’t stop me. I’m sure I can create another exciting

business, more scalable in size and volume with less geographical limitation – and more digitized.

It must be a business that brings social value – for the environment, for the advance of medicine. The more we can contribute, the healthier the world and society will be.

Due to the violent nature of my upbringing, I’m most drawn to helping disadvantaged children.

I once organised a charity event and donated all the proceeds to an orphan organisation. It was not a huge amount, but it was a start. Also, money is not the only way to help.

There are more things I would love to share with you about my journey. Looking forward to the next article !

Originally from Hong Kong, Winnie arrived in Denmark in 2017 with her young daughter to start a new life free of a marriage dogged by familial violence. Her goal in Denmark was to become a successful entrepreneur and influencer, but to also give value to society beyond business. She adheres to a simple philosophy: if you can dream about it, you can create it. Find ‘Winnie Tang Tango’ on LinkedIn.

WINNIE TANGO

Fight for it! Navigate the path!

17

18 COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

29 April - 20 May 2021

How a week of sustainability could equal a lifetime of prosperity Copenhagen Business Academy students show pre-teen children at International School Hellerup how a few changes can go a long way DAVE SMITH The week following Easter is short.

Maybe that’s why students from the Copenhagen Business Academy chose it to carry out a sustainability experiment involving grades one to six at International School Hellerup.

For four days, children like Anya (pictured) were encouraged to think about their daily actions. They recycled their trash, ate vegetables, cleaned their local environment, planted seeds for future food, ditched the car and cycled to school (Remember! It was cold!) and remembered to turn off the electricity and tap when they weren’t using them.

The week exceeded expectations, according to co-organiser Sokol Aliaj Juul Jakobsen. “The event went so well, much better than expected, and the kids were so involved,” he enthused.

Sokol and his colleague Tiago provided the theory

The kids were split into teams, and at the end of the week the best-performing outfits got to divide the loot.

Among the sponsors providing t-shirts and other products were flour producer Agrain and Gorm’s pizza chain, which treated the triumphant children to some free cookery lessons. Mum and Dad must be over the moon!

And then the kids put it into practice

Look at all those lovely prizes

From planting flowers and cycling to work, to taking the trash out and eating healthily, it was an experience that will stay with the kids … hopefully for the rest of their lives

20 LOCAL HISTORY THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

29 April - 20 May 2021

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: How the EU moved the goalposts for the Irish

FRANK SONDERBORG

T

HE CELTIC Tiger economy sizzled with enough ultra-violet rays to tan a nation of reluctant pale-skinned knackers.

It vibrated, trembled and quivered like a gold-plated Harcourt Street hooker’s dildo. Then the ‘Bankers, Fat Cats and Politicians’ combined to send it off a cliff quicker than you could say: “Subprime evaporation of liquidity”.

Back in that ‘Yellow Brick Road’ year of 1973, Ireland was EU and Europa-bound.

Pub crawl recruitment SOMEONE had spotted a headlined advert in one of the papers promising “Jobs in Denmark”.

Danfoss, one of Denmark’s finest, were looking for factory workers, and a group of lads from The Goalpost pub had gone to investigate.

Later, Gaybo and Wacker regaled us with tales of the interview.

At the Shelbourne Hotel, they watched the ‘Introduction to Danfoss’ slide-show before signing up, leaving behind mountains of cigar and cigarette ends, along with a back room full of empty Carlsberg bottles.

Everyone pretty much signed up, and they were all off in July.

Mickser, Chas, Jem and even Wacker. I was stunned.

“Wacker is going?” I asked.

The full whack again NOW WACKER was the original ripped Cro-Magnon man – an overabundance of muscles and body hair, topped off with a werewolf face; the definitive case of arms and the man.

When he came over to our table, he was all excited about the EU dream trip, his pockets stuffed with cigarettes and cigars.

There’s another interview, he told us: “Ta-marrr-ra”.

I wanted in and agreed to go

to the Shelbourne Hotel and see what the story was. Wacker and Gaybo agreed to go again – as our tour guides.

Enough Turkish delight WHAT POSSESSED Danfoss to go headhunting in Ireland will forever be shrouded in the mists and fog of EU commerce.

I heard later from a mot (Irish for a friend’s girlfriend) in a Copenhagen bar, whose father just happened to be a director at Danfoss, that there’d been a boardroom meeting about the future of the guest-worker program.

They didn’t need anymore of the ‘Johnny Turks’ who had been arriving in Denmark was the general consensus. So who else?

It came down to a choice between Irlande or Italia. Ireland was the number one choice, because the Danes and the Irish were very similar. We had, it seemed, the same type of bar room humour.

Danish whispers BUT BACK to the story, which finds our heroes outside Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel one Sunday afternoon ... after the pubs had shut.

We didn't look like a party of international businessmen looking for international accommodation.

Not with Wacker leading the way, like Davy Crockett or, to put it more graphically, Davy doing his impersonation of the missing link.

“Diz way lads, up daa stairs,” said Wacker, our frontier guide for the evening.

The interview was more of a massed Moonie wedding type of thingy. There was a big conference hall full of eager faces. I could hear the same advice being given in loud whispers around the room: “When the Sergeant Major says it’s time for a tea break, head for the back of the hall.”

There were four big Danes standing in various poses around the room. A ramrod straight man stood in front of a large screen.

“The Sergeant Major,” whispered Gaybo.

“Good afternoon gentlemen, I seem to recognise a few familiar

faces here today,” he said, looking down at Wacker and Gaybo.

“There are cigarettes and cigars here for those who smoke.

Just help yourselves.”

Wacker was up and over the table, armed with a plastic bag.

Just like yesterday THE SLIDE-SHOW got started amid the noise of rustling plastic bags and the Sergeant Major droning on and on about Danfoss and the rise from rags to riches of its founder, Mads Clausen. Then from riches to mega riches.

He kept smacking the screen with his stick to make some obscure point and, I suppose, to keep us awake. What Danfoss was, or made, went right over our heads.

He smacked the screen a last time, and then the lights came on. The whole room was tense, waiting, for the magic words.

“Now,” he said, “I think it’s time for a ...” He never finished the sentence, as he was left talking to an empty room.

“I see some of you know the way.”

Sold out sharpish INSIDE that magical room, cases of Carlsberg Special brew were being emptied as quickly as the barman could open them. Available glasses were going into plastic bags and the beer was going down a horde of thirsty throats.

The combination of Sunday with the pubs closed and free beer was just marvellous. I drank four and was feeling dizzy.

Wacker was up to ten and going strong. There seemed to be lots of Irish soldiers there milling around, heads back guzzling.

“Okay, chaps,” said the Sarge.

“Tea break’s over.” But he was ignored by the mob until the barman called “Sold out”.

‘Big D’ wherever it might be WE LURCHED back to our seats. The Sarge pointed once again at the table, indicating the cigars and cigarettes. But the table was empty. Nothing – not a sausage, not a dicky bird.

“I see we have a few heavy

IRISHELECTIONLITERATURE.COM

Ireland’s entry into the European Union overnight expanded its working men’s professional horizons, as well their knowledge of Danish girls and beer

smokers here today,” was the Sarge’s jokey response. “We better fetch some more.”

I managed to get a few this time before the lights were dimmed and the slide-show resumed. This time the Sarge was droning on and on about Nordborg, that sun-blessed holiday home town of ‘The Big D’.

There were pictures of suntanned, sexy, miniskirted females, biking through fabulous green forests. Here were sailing boats, a wonderland of windmills and smiling people just waiting to share a story, shag, or joke with their cultural soul brothers.

I could not guarantee it, but I’m sure that nobody, but the Danes present, knew where Denmark was located on the map of Europe.

Best Sunday ever BACK THEN, all we knew about Denmark was the bacon.

We sat staring at Sarge, our pal, our bellies full of Denmark’s finest beer – a warm afterglow lighting up our faces.

Everybody was a hero. Wacker was my pal, and all the Moonie interviewees ... my pals.

The Sarge was going on about wages and conditions in the factories. Nobody gave a hoot.

“Any questions?” the Sarge asked. A soldier stood up, a bit woozy on his feet: “Is there any chance of overtime?”

That cracked us all up. Jayzus, he hadn’t even signed up, and he was after the ‘overtime blue’.

The question caught the Sarge on the hop. He turned to a chap who went by the name of Jensen.

Stepping forward, Jensen said: “There are limited possibilities for overtime.” We all gave a great cheer.

“Any more questions?” Another soldier asked: “Any chance I can borrow a pen?” Once again, we all cracked up.

“Certainly,” said the Sarge, waving his gold Parker pen. I think everybody signed up – even Wacker for the second time.

Leaving a memento DANFOSS ended up with lots

Flag that country!

of signed contracts not worth the arse paper they were written on.

My memory of that parting, as we all ebbed out, was the sound of a soldier puking his ring up over the hotel’s luxury carpet.

And just as we were going out the double doors, I could hear the Sarge, in an extreme pleading manner saying: “Hello! Excuse me! Gentlemen! Has anyone seen a gold Parker pen?”

Frank Sonderborg was born in Ireland, lives in the UK and does his best to write interesting stories.

This particular tale is based on his experience at a Danfoss recruitment drive in his home town in Ireland in the early 1970s. His short stories have appeared in various UK and US publications. He is currently working on a fictional book about the Irish War of Independence.

EVENTS

29 April - 20 May 2021

21

Critical Edges Seminar

Dawn of the Universe

Evening for Woody Allen fans International Evening

Watch sanctuary

May 4, 16:00; online at Critical Edges; free tickets via Eventbrite Are you looking to understand what neoliberalism means and how it affects education and student life? This seminar series will discuss the consequences of neoliberalised education. (NJB)

May 11, 18:00; Huset, Rådhusstræde 13, 2th, Cph K; free adm In May sci-fi fans celebrate Star Wars Day! So the organisers thought it was finally time to learn about what was happening a long, long time ago in galaxies far, far away. Professor Charles Steinhardt will talk about the beginning of the universe and the Big Bang! Dr Iary Davidzon will look at how galaxies evolve. (NJB)

May 13, 19:00-22:00; Husets Biograf, Rådhusstræde 13, 2th, Cph K; 90kr Get ready for a night with Woody Allen and jazz. Start the evening with live hot jazz from the gypsy jazz quartet GITANES, who will play songs from Woody Allen films. After that, you will be invited to the screening of Woody Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris’. (NJB)

May 4, 19:00-21:15; online at Greenpeace Lokalgruppe København; free adm The team behind Greenpeace Copenhagen Group is organising a very special and interesting online screening of the documentary film ‘Sanctuary’. This film is showcasing stories of changes, challenges and hope for the oceans and marine life around the world, but especially in Antarctica. (NJB)

Louisiana reopening

May 15, 09:00-18:00; online at Big Event 2021 Live; free adm Challenge yourself to a 3 km, 5 km or 8 km run. Sign up and then complete the challenge at your own residence when it suits you. (NJB)

CPH Democracy Summit May 10, 13:00 – May 11, 17:15; online at Alliance of Democrats; free adm The Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2021 will draw participants – from business executives and political leaders to activists and other democracy supporters – to discuss the future of global democracy, US leadership and post-COVID recovery, technology and democratic trust. (NJB)

Night Terrors Film Festival May 14, 19:00-22:45; Husets Biograf, Rådhusstræde 13, 2th, Cph K; 70kr There will be a short intermission about halfway through the program. All the screenings will either be English language or subtitled in English. (NJB)

CPH:DOX: ‘Writing With Fire’ Apr 22-May 5, online at cphdox. dk; free adm The CPH:DOX festival is excited to present the Sundance Film Festival winner to an European audience.

In a cluttered news landscape dominated by men emerges India's only newspaper run by Dalit women.

Chief reporter Meera and her journalists break traditions, redefining what it means to be powerful. (NJB)

ongoing; Gammel Strandvej 13, Humlebæk; from 120kr The reopening of Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is flanked by two striking and wide-ranging exhibitions. In the South Wing, enjoy the biggest international presentation so far of Arthur Jafa, one of the most important figures in contemporary art. In the West Wing, don’t miss the crossover exhibition ‘MOTHER! Origin of Live’, a mixture of art, cultural history and science that focuses on the mother figure.

(NJB)

Enter the world of 3D May 10, 18:00-19:30; online event; free adm Are you dreaming of a career within 3D? Join and learn about the 3.5-year, SU-approved educational program '3D Digital Artist'. A livestream by current Truemax students and staff will introduce you to the 3D Digital Artist, which will answer what questions you may have.

(NJB)

Nordic Race

Nordic Noise May 7, 17:00 – May 8, 23:45; Øresundsvej 6, Cph S; from 350kr The Nordic Noise festival was established in 2013 and is today considered one of the most important rock/metal festivals in Denmark. Over 10.000 people have attended the festival and artists like Candlemass andDenner/Shermann have performed over the years. (NJB)

BlaBla Language Exchange May 6, 19:30-21:30; Online at Big Event 2021 Live; free adm How the events work. It's very easy.

The events always start in English and/or the local language. Then, once two or three people want to speak the same language, it will be possible to create a new linguistic group. For example if two or three people wish to speak French, a group in French will be created. (NJB

May 11, 17:30-20:30; online at iuno.law, free adm François Zimeray will share interesting stories from his life as an international lawyer and give advice to the law students who dream of an international career. (NJB)

Philosophy as a Way of Life May 8, 16:00 – May 9, 20:00; online at Bodhi College; free adm From India to Greece, since ancient times, philosophy has been understood as a way of life - to be practised through rigorous self-examination and ethical living. Over this weekend, learn some of the striking parallels between the practices of early Buddhism, as found in the discourses of the Pali Canon, and those of Hellenistic philosophy as presented in the teachings of the Sceptics, Epicureans and Stoics. (NJB)

World virtual beer beaters May 8, 14:00-18:00; online at Tivoli; free adm Join in on this world record attempt. Live from Plænen in Tivoli, enjoy beer tasting, music and entertainment, along with a large number of famous guests.

A place in Guinness World Records is up for grabs! (NJB)

Egyptological Conference May 4, 21:00 – May 6 12:00; online at Egyptological Conference in Copenhagen; free adm The theme of this year’s conference is trade and administration in Ancient Egypt. Send an email to ecc.ucph@gmail.com with a request to register. (NJB)

Critical Post humanities April 29, 12:00-14:00; online event at Watch Live Events Streaming Online; free adm This lecture rests on the assumption that a contemporary posthuman scholarship in the Humanities is a convergence phenomenon unfolding at the intersection between post-humanism on the one hand and post-anthropocentrism on the other. The former criticises the idea of ‘Man’ as the allegedly universal standard-bearer for human-beings, whereas the latter objects to species hierarchy and human exceptionalism.

(NJB)

Drop-in meditation May 3, 17:00-18:30, online event at Copenhagen Insight Meditation; free adm Each session contains the following elements: 40 minutes of meditation, a tea break and stretch, dialogue, exchange and study about meditation, and everyday life with meditation and insight. (NJB)

22 ON SCREENS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

29 April - 20 May 2021

Lean on time, epic in no way: Lawrence of Arabia’s of a dying breed BEN HAMILTON

N

ORMALLY by the time the Oscars come around, you’ve seen at least half of them.

And that’s normally by the end of February. But this time around, in late-April, we had to take the Academy’s word for it that its shortlist were any good. Beyond Mank and The Trial of Chicago 7, which were both released on Netflix late last year, it’s been pretty much impossible to see any of them.

I dunno, the Oscars … they’ve kind of lost their way. The number of Best Film nominees has doubled, but the quality has halved.

Some say the selection is better, like more diverse, but the award show’s ratings suggest fewer people are interested. It kind of reminds me of one of my biggest gripes: experts advising me to tailor newspapers to people who don’t read newspapers.

Length always counts TRUTH is that an Oscar nomination used to provide you with a guarantee the film would be substantial – and while that would normally apply to budget and worthiness, my primary concern was running length because I tend to trust in long films. It’s hard to make a film of significant consequence in under two hours, but that’s the average length of most nominees over the last decade.

In the 1990s, the average length of a nominee was 154.5 minutes – to save you looking it up, the first Lord of the Rings film was in 2001 – a ten-year period only sur-

passed by 1956-1965, when the average length was 162.8 minutes.

Mr Lean was anything but on his running times!

In around 2015, a rot started to set in. Shorter films, across a wider selection of genres, were being favoured. Suddenly the ordinary were being billed as extraordinary. For films released in 2017, I thought only two were exceptional (Dunkirk and Lady Bird), and for 2018, just one: Roma. The winner for that year, Green Book, represents a nadir I hope won’t be revisited, as 2019 sparkled in comparison.

The next month or so will confirm whether 2020 has continued with the recovery – it must have been hard with corona. But seriously, the aforementioned two I’ve seen so far have been routine, but little more. In truth, when Mank ended I wondered if I had somehow slept through the exciting bits. I hadn’t.

Decent opening day THANKS to the closure of the country’s, and most of the world’s, cinemas until May 6, there’s an avalanche of Academy fodder heading our way, starting with Minari (89 on Metacritic), Nomadland (93), Sound of Metal (82) and Promising Young Woman (73) on opening day.

All four look highly promising, although you’d suspect history is going to be kinder to Minari and Sound of Metal due to their technical excellence.

Nobody likes a perennial winner, and it seems kind of unfair

that Frances McDormand has received three Best Actress Oscar nominations (albeit with three supporting nods) and won the lot, while Glenn Close has four (with four more supporting) and never got a scrap (although Nicolas Cage’s is apparently up for sale so he can buy himself a decent role).

But when you weigh it up, we should all be saluting McDormand’s success. That an ordinary looking woman has done so well in an industry dominated by the ethereal is a triumph. If you don’t like McDormand, you’re probably just lookist, although a strong case can be argued that she’s had nepotistic favour from her husband Joel Coen, as he provided her first two screen credits.

Guy Richie and other crap SO WHAT else can we look forward to coming out over the next three weeks?

Also hitting the screens on May 6 are Chaos Walking (38), Godzilla vs King (59) and Once were Brothers (61) – the latter being an average documentary about the musical career of Robbie Robertson and The Band, who are credited with being the originators of the Americana genre. Furthermore, Robertson is Martin Scorsese’s biggest music collaborator.

From May 12, we have Blackbird (53), which is a remake of the Danish film Stille hjerte, The War with Grandpa (34), The High Note (58), Guy Richie’s latest offering Wrath of Man (Not Released Worldwide), which stars

Like waiting for a bus ... there'll be another Oscar in a minute

Jason Statham as a heist specialist, and Spiral: From the Book of Saw (NRW), the ninth instalment of the franchise, this time starring Chris Rock as Samuel L Jackson’s shady son.

And then from May 20, we’ve got Ammonite (72), Mortal Kombat (44), Nobody (63), The Unholy (36) and The United States vs Billie Holiday (52), for which Andra Day was Oscar-nominated for the lead role.

Romantic drama Ammonite pairs Kate Winslet with Saoirse Ronan – a love affair between a palaeontologist and a geologist, but it’s not as dull as it sounds. Equally unlikely is the casting of Bob Odenkirk (Saul from Breaking Bad) as an action hero in Nobody, but he’s up to the task, according to the reviews.

Lose yourself in Kate’s world WINSLET is in the pick of the TV series doing the rounds at the moment, Mare of Easttown (81; HBO Nordic, since April 19), but while she hasn’t been this good for a while, it’s the convincing small town setting and characters that make it stand out from other similar series.

A close pick is the miniseries The Serpent (59; Netflix, since

April 2). Given its popularity, its watchability is hardly a secret, although its low rating is more related to its narcissistic central character’s unpleasantness and happiness they’ve made a series about him, than its quality.

Shadow and Bone (71; Netflix since April 23) and The Nevers (58; HBO Nordic since April 12) look a bit childish, but clearly have their fans. Love Life (54; HBO Nordic from May 28) is also an acquired taste, mostly depending on whether you can stomach Anna Kendrick agonising over lots of guys.

Returning series include Pose (S3; May 3), In Treatment (S4; May 24), The Chi (S3; May 24), Black Monday (S3; May 24), The Handmaid’s Tale (S4; April 29) and the adorable Mr In Between (S3; April 26) on HBO Nordic, along with The Kominsky Method (S3; May 28) on Netflix.

If there is a potential binge-fest out there, it’s the Polish series Sexify (Netflix from April 28) – a Kinsey for the online generation, which looks like it’s been decently made.

So if you watched 365 Days for even 365 microseconds, expect Netflix to bombard you with 365 recommendations a day until you see it.

cinemateket reopens on may 6 We are happy to be welcoming you again at Cinemateket from Thursday, May 6. Look forward to CPH:DOX, VOID Animation Film Festival, Tim Burton, Spanish Film Weeks and much more...

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 LIFE SCIENCE DATA CONSULTANT; NNIT

NNIT Life Science technology will bring you the opportunity to work with complex projects, vast development opportunities and inclusion into a dedicated Life Science Technology group working with Clinical and Safety across the globe.

Location: Copenhagen (Soeborg) Deadline: ASAP Contact: NNIT (application via website)

PRODUCTION MANAGER ONBOARDING SPECIALIST; DELOGUE PLM

Have you worked as a Buyer, Production Manager, or similar in the apparel industry?

Then join us on our journey to revolutionize how people work with product development in the fashion industry.

Location: Copenhagen Deadline: 11 May 2021 Contact: Troels Christensen, tc@delogue.com +45 22 69 68 53

ASSEMBLY WORK; TEAMVIKAREN

We are currently looking for more skilled and preferably experienced production workers, who can work independently, in a structured and efficient manner.

Location: Herning Deadline: ASAP Contact: Teamvikaren HERNING, fatima@teamvikaren.dk +45 70 27 76 75

To advertise your vacancy here and reach 60,000+ readers weekly, contact: info@englishjobdenmark.dk or call 60 70 22 98.

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

ENGLISH JOB DENMARK

QUALITY CONTROL; TEAMVIKAREN

For a company in Horsens, we are currently looking for motivated employees to do quality control of iron and metal items.

Location: Horsens Deadline: 17 June 2021 Contact: Majken Lorentzen, Personalekonsulent, +45 70 27 76 65

CLEANING ASSISTANT

We are looking for a cleaning assistent to work in Skanderborg and Silkeborg as soon as poosible.

Location: Skanderborg / Silkeborg Deadline: ASAP Contact: Bill Skembes, billskembes@hotmail.dk

GLOBAL CATEGORY MANAGER, WAREHOUSE TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS; PANDORA Do you want to develop and execute the Category Strategy for Warehouse, Transportation & Logistics and work together with a cross-functional team of people from different backgrounds? If so, look no further!

Location: Copenhagen Deadline: 16 May 2021 Contact: Christian Lindholt Andersen, Global Recruitment Manager, +45 31 26 58 00

DIGITAL COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST; CONAXESS TRADE GROUP

Are you interested in playing a key role in strengthening a digital position for Conaxess Trade? You will play an important role in fulfilling our digital ambitions and strengthening brand awareness and engagement across digital platforms.

Location: Copenhagen Deadline: ASAP Contact: Partner Brian Frode, +45 71 74 74 78

SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER; LEGO RETAIL MARKETING (12 MONTHS)

Do you have a strong passion for retail and do you want take part in shaping the global marketing strategy for LEGO Retail?

Location: Billund Deadline: ASAP Contact: LEGO (application via website)

HEAD OF COMPLIANCE PROGRAMME OPERATIONS; MAERSK

To lead the teams responsible for the Compliance Programme Operations.

Location: Copenhagen Deadline: 5 May 2021 Contact: Philip Hani Als Shehadeh

CREATIVE CONTENT PRODUCER; DYNAUDIO

Do you want to join a creative marketing studio at one of the world’s most famous loudspeaker manufacturers? Dynaudio, the legendary Danish speaker maker, is looking for a new Creative Content Producer to work at our HQ in Skanderborg, Denmark.

Location: Skanderbord Deadline: 31 May 2021 Contact: Jacob Thorn, HR Consultant, +45 87 93 62 35

GRADUATE - FAST TRACK TO YOUR FIRST JOB 2-DAY COURSE This focused online course is aimed at Graduates & is designed to introduce you to the fundamentals of transitioning into employment. The short course will help you gain essential skills & give you advice to build you profile and communicate effectively to hiring managers.

For more information & to register: https:// twg-academy.com/event/graduate-fasttrack-to-your-first-job-june/ Visit: englishjobdenmark.dk Join the community (with 20,000+ others) English Job Denmark Club

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.

Keep your distance

Keep a distance of at least 2 metres to others

07.01.2021

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