FR EE
Bridging Scandinavian and African interest I No.7
FASHION
Artistic creativity of African designers
CULTURE
Why more swedish investors should come to Nigeria BUSINESS
Importance of women in swahili culture PEOPLE AND EVENTS
Exclusive coverage of African Achievement Awards PEOPLE AND EVENTS
Highlights of Swedish involvement in the slave trade
Skandik Afrik no. 7
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Skandik Afrik no. 7
D Sweden to Africa pricing A3 poster.indd 1
Artnr: SE_AFR_A3_2015
8/25/15 5:09 PM
FR EE
Bridging Scandinavian and African interest I No.7
FASHION
Artistic creativity of African designers CULTURE
Why more swedish investors should come to Nigeria BUSINESS
Importance of women in swahili culture PEOPLE AND EVENTS
Exclusive coverage of African Achievement Awards PEOPLE AND EVENTS
Highlights of Swedish involvement in the slave trade
Skandik Afrik no. 7
1
Publisher Skandik Afrik Editor Kenneth Fagbe
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Contents FASHION
Artistic creativity of African designers...... 4
Assistant editor Gloria Matuka
CULTURE
Contributing editors Sofia Larsson To advertise contact: Kenneth Fagbe +46 76 210 17 66 Kenneth@skandikafrik.com Photography Nissor Addourazakov Jonny Vadman, Naomi Images, Rilwan Lawal, ac55network
Importance of women in Swahili culture... 8 Africans shine at Gothenburg Culture Festival........................................ 14 Nigeria market place: A cultural melting pot.............................. 18
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PEOPLE AND EVENTS
Sweden was involved in the slave trade................................................ 10 Exclusive coverage of Best African Achievement Awards in Denmark........... 16 BUSINESS
Graphic Design Wayne Butler Contact Skandik Afrik Delfingatan 3 c 414 75 Gรถteborg, Sweden Tel: +46 76 210 17 66 info@skandikafrik.com www.skandikafrik.com
Why more swedish investors should come to Nigeria............................. 6 MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE
Pape Diouf............................................... 13 Sahara from Kibaha.................................. 20 OPINION
The third culture kid................................. 23 LISTINGS
facebook.com/skandikafrik twitter.com/skandikafrik
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Addresses & phone numbers of all African embassies in Nordic countries.... 22
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Skandik Afrik is a company that works primarily with bridging interest between the Scandinavian countries and the African continent. This is obtained through various coverage of events and seminars within several subjects that are of interest to the Afro-Scandinavian communities. We promote Scandinavian values, better integration for Africans living in Scandinavia and also celebrate individuals that are an inspiration to others. Keep up to date by visiting: www.skandikafrik.com.
G R APHIC DESIGN & C OM M UN IC AT I O N Professional graphic design services with over 20 years in the business. Let us help you with advertising, brochures, magazines, logotypes and web in both English and Swedish. www.butlerdesign.se +46 76 824 98 12 Skandik Afrik no. 7
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FASHION I Fashion Show
Artistic creativity
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The style, brilliant colour combination with cultural integration all combined together and featured in the runway of Africa Fashion Week Stockholm 2015 where focus was on Africa fashion designers and their artistic works within the fashion industry. The initiative that was founded by Aysha Jones got a lot of boost this year with interview on Swedish Television Station, TV4 where she showcase works from Stephen Arthur from UK, Isaby Fatima (Jรถnkรถping), Gam Plus and so on. Here are some of the pictures taken at the fashion show.
of African designers Photography: Jonny Vadman Fotografi
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BUSINESS I Swedish investors to Nigeria
Why more Swedish Investors should come to Nigeria – Ambassador Svante Kilander The breakfast seminar on Business opportunities in Nigeria and how Swedish companies can take part of the developments was opened by Kaj Persson from African Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden.
I have been given a task from the Nigerian people and these tasks last for four years. During these four years l will contribute to setting the course for Nigeria.
The Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, H.E Ambassador Svante Kilander, spoke extensively on the quality of the present leader in Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari as forthright, uncompromising and prudent. He emphasized the image the president has which brings confidence to the mind of the average Nigerian. This he said reflected in his installation speech where President Buhari said “I have been given a task from the Nigerian people and these tasks last for four years. During these four years l will contribute to setting the course for Nigeria”. The Ambassador concluded that President Buhari is perceived as a man that does not compromise. The general overview of Nigeria was presented by Anthonia Adenaya
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from Business Sweden, where she highlighted some of the bilateral relations between Sweden and Nigeria with detailed statistics. On matching the strength and expertise of Sweden to the needs and opportunities in Nigeria, there are lots of opportunities within ICT, mining, agriculture, oil and gas, entertainment, transportation etc. for Swedish investors. Opportunities within the Energy and ICT sectors were presented by Håkan Lind focusing on the challenges Nigeria is facing and how Swedish companies can contribute. Within the energy sector, only 40-50% of the population has access to energy and most people in Nigeria depend on generators. He presented more facts on the entire power grind which
is under developed and needs to be expanded. This of course holds back the development of the entire country making it hard to maintain growth on 6-7% with the present distribution of electricity and in order to deal with this, a privatization on the energy sectors was implemented which are divided into three areas; generate, distribute and transmit. While the transmission is kept nationally, generate and distribution is being privatized. On power production, Nigeria has about 10,000 megawatt total install capacity for production of electricity out of which about 6,000 megawatt (60%) is accessible and might be
working while the current state of production is under 4,000 megawatt. The production is very low and hence he advised Swedish companies to contribute in this sector to generate, distribute or transmit energy for Nigeria.
exists is the logistics for gas and diesel, while the gas is burnt out at the gas fields, the pipe lines are vandalized leaving the logistics to non-existing.These problems open the gap for Swedish companies to contribute.
On renewable energy, which is seen as the future and the regulatory system in Nigeria is inclined to it, Swedish consulting firms, design and development corporation within this field will have a lot to benefit. Much of the energy today comes from nonrenewable energy sources such as diesel, gas and so on. However, one of the main problems of attaining a reliable production of what already
In his closing remarks, H책kan said Sweden has done and still is doing a lot in Nigeria within the telecommunication sector. Growth within the sector is strong and around 20 % per year. The ICT makes 8.5 % of the BNP. The reason for this growth is due to the young population combined with the competition between the operators. Photography: Rilwan Lawal
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CULTURE I Importance of women in Swahili culture
Dekula band from Stockholm
Professor Anne Kubai
Photography: ac55network and Skandik Afrik
The importance of women in Swahili culture Swahili culture and language is one of the most extensively studied cultures in Africa which is spoken by more than 150 million people predominantly in Tanzania, Kenya, Eastern DR-Congo, Rwanda and Mozambique. It is also the fastest growing language in East Africa and it is used as lingual franca in east Africa.
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his year Swahili day celebration in Stockholm focused on women in Swahili culture, their contribution and influence. The opening remark was delivered by the Ambassador of Tanzania to Sweden, H.E Mrs. Dora Mmari Msechu. She thanked the people that came for taking part in the celebration of Swahili day and also highlighted the importance of Swahili language which cut across region. She encouraged the East African diaspora to spread the Swahili language among its members and also increase the spread of the language in Sweden. Professor Paula Uimonen, an associate professor at the department of Socio anthropology at Stockholm University was a guest speaker. She spoke on women in relation to culture, education and digital media drawing experiences from Bagamoyo using the case study of Mama Yamisi on how she used the social media to grow her business and also keep her family connected. Prof. Paula has worked in Tanzania (Bagamoyo) for more than ten years and her expertise is in the field of digital anthropology. She also buttressed the importance of women in Swahili culture as not just a mother but also as an entrepreneur and contributor to the society. She finished up her presentation with an African proverb “Educate a man and you will educate an individual,
The organising committee for the Swahili day celebration 2015
educate the women and you will educate the family and by extension a nation” The guest of honour at the celebration was Professor Anne Kubai, an associate professor of World Christianity and Interreligious Relation at Uppsala University and also a senior researcher at Karoniska Institute. Prof. Anne highlighted things that matters to women in Swahili culture and that are organic and dynamic in the development of Swahili culture, such as the Kangas and Bil Kidude (Fatuma Binti Barake) in her presentation. She spoke about the “kangas” in relation to the spread in Swahili culture and pride. The Kangas as further expatiated by Prof. Anne became the object of desire and not any other things for example jewelries because the kangas became a cultural symbol for women who at that time were able to buy items that will help them claim their new identity and expression of their new status from colonial era. Today, the Kangas are worn throughout east African and in other parts of Africa by women of all faith. The Kanga play a key role in major life ceremonies like burial ceremony, marriage and so on.
The inspiration behind the vibrant textile is the cultural content that brings satisfaction to the Swahili people that wear them which often has words written on them to convey message across. She also spoke about Bi Kidude (Fatuma Binti Baraka) because of her contribution to poetry, education and self-sustainability and as a champion for human rights and gender rights through her talent and work. The Swahili day celebration also had a story telling section for children which were put together by Matilda Wallin and Petra Szabo. In his closing remarks by Swahili day organizing committee, Mr. Osore Ondusye encouraged more people to be involved in Swahili Day especially those that have interest in East Africa or Africa in general. Spread the Swahili culture and values among its diaspora and also entice the Scandinavians in order to expand the framework of Swahili. The Swahili day celebration was organized by the embassy of DRCongo, Embassy of Republic of Mozambique, Embassy of Republic of Kenya, Embassy of Republic of Rwanda and Embassy of Republic of Tanzania. Asante sana! Thanks a lot!
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PEOPLE AND EVENTS I Sweden involved in the slave trade
Sweden was involved in slave trade, deliberately avoid teaching details in school history THE SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT I HAVE IN THE GOVERNMENT IS TO FIGHT AGAINST ALL KINDS OF RACISM AS AFRO PHOBIA, ISLAM PHOBIA, ANTISEMITISM PROFESSED IN DIFFERENT WAYS Alice Bah Kuhnke, The Swedish Minister of Cultural and Democracy
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n 9th of October 1846, Sweden’s parliament decided to abolish slavery trade and a year later, the last African slaves were freed from Saint-Barthélemy, a Swedish colony (between 1st July 1784 to 16th March 1878). The island coat of arms still carries Swedish national arms, “The Three crown” till today. The day (9th October) is not only for the afro swedes but for the swedes as well, unfortunately we do not take time to reflect on that day and remember all the enslaved people. We speak about the last freed slaves, in 1847 but what is freedom? Are you free when you cannot get work to support your family not because you lack competence but rather because of your African background? Are you free when you cannot freely walk on the street
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but with the fear of being attacked? Are you free when your children go to school to read books with people that they identify with but are portrayed as less intelligent and ugly? The slave law was abolished a long time ago but I would state that the Afroswedes or just Africans in general everywhere around the world are not free. Freedom is more than that. United Nation stated in 2011 that black people were exposed to racism and afro phobia all over the world and has worse prerequisites than others. It should be clear and self-evident that black people are the most exposed group and that they have existed in Sweden and are part of Swedish history. That was the opening message delivered by Malcome Momodou Jallow at the conference held to remember and talk about slave trade in Malmö. The conference was organized by
Afrosvenskarnas in collaboration with, ABF, Malmöhögskolan, Malmö mot diskriminerin, studentkåren Malmö and Malmöstad. Alice Bah Kuhnke, The Swedish Minister of Cultural and Democracy said in her speech that part of her responsibilities in her position is to observe the different forms of racism and its historical background, and commended Afrosvenskarna for organizing the conference. She said the government is working to establish a forum where different forms of racism in history and today will be taught. This she said will be done in dialogue with all civil society organizations. In her closing statement she said “the special assignment I have in the government is to fight against all kinds of racism as afro phobia, Islam phobia, antiSemitism professed in different ways”.
Kitimbwa Sabuni- presentation was focused on Sweden’s colonial time and role during slavery. He also discussed the political work for social and economic justice for people in the African diaspora, for afro swedes in particular and why it is specially hard in Sweden to raise it in the political agenda. He said Sweden has successfully grown an exceptional self-image that was neither involved nor interested in the Atlantic slave trade and colonialism. It is in Sweden, a place in the world where racism in a category is seen as integration question. Here is a summary of his presentation: - 400 years ago, Sweden was a world power and Swedish elites, saw how other countries made profits from the Atlantic slave trade. - Louis De Geer, a Swedish industrialist, made money from the iron industry. He took Sweden into the Atlantic slavery trade. Axel Oxenstierna a Swedish statesman, he had the highest political post under the Queen Kristina was persuade by Louis De Geer that Sweden should send a slave expedition. Louis De Geer paid for the expedition. In1646 the boat, Sant Jakob, was equipped and left from Stockholm through Gothenburg to African West Coast (the gold coast, Ghana). - Slavery and slave trade existed and was practiced during that time. As a result, African kingdoms were in war with each other. Those that were prisoners of war were sold as slaves to European slave owner or other slave buyers. It needs to be pointed out that the African form of slavery or forced labour was different from the one that the Europeans created called cattle slavery, when a human being is reduced to a property based on skin colour.
- The swedes managed to negotiate 260 slaves, took them in their boats to Barbados, that was a slave colony producing sugar. 150 of the 260 slaves arrived from the trip. Although 110 slaves died along the way, it was still a profitable trip and the remaining slaves were traded for sugar (there was a great demand for this at that time) that was taken to Sweden. Apart from the sugar that they profited from, samples such as tobacco, coffee, cognac products produced in Barbados were brought back to Sweden. Products from Africa were also brought to Sweden like artworks and three children. The children were placed with Axel Oxenstierna. So the rich man Louis De Geer was courting another rich man Axel by giving him three black children as a present. - Due to profit, there was an interest in continuing this form of business. In 1649 the Swedish African Company (Svenska Afrikanska kompaniet ) was established, Louis De Geer had the major share in the company with some other aristocrats. - Wanting to push the idea of slave trade further, they wanted to start a Swedish colony so that they could run their slave trade. The Swedish government knew what was going on and they were given royal privileges by the Queen Kristina, a special permit from the government to run a slave trade. The Queen Kristina wrote a letter to the King of Fetu, a Kingdom in Ghana asking for permission to build a Swedish trade fortress. Fort Carolusborg was the second largest on the African coast. Slave trade was conducted here for 13 years until the Swedes were pushed out by the Dutch and the Dutch returned it to the British. The Fort Carolusborg was renamed by the British to Cape Coast Castle (Ghana).
- Sweden contributed to the slave trade through the Swedish iron. The iron was used in all parts of the slave trade; for the equipment, chains, boats, weapons. The weapons were exported to the slave countries in exchange for slaves. African kingdoms were in need of weapons to defend their kingdom and also went to war in order to get slaves. Kingdoms needed to go to war in order to produce slaves. Saying no was not easy as there were always other kingdoms that could be approached putting other kingdoms in risk to slavery. Skandik Afrik no. 7
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PEOPLE AND EVENTS I Sweden involved in the slave trade - The slave trade gave Sweden (among others European countries) development of different financial systems. While in Africa it was a cycle of misery, violence and the loss of the most valuable which were: the young, the smartest, and the strongest, as these were the ones that they were interested in not the old or sick. - King Gustav III managed to negotiate a deal with the French. Sweden received Saint BarthĂŠlemy a West Indian island in exchange for the French to use Gothenburg harbour. That was in 1784. - At the time there were 281 enslaved Africans, the harbour was well positioned and the Swedish Indian Company (Svensk indiska kompaniet) was created to manage this. During three decades the slave trade was successful, it grew from 281 slaves to 2500 slaves. The economy was circled around the slave trade. - Apartheid was imposed on the island to maintain the social structure, it was divided into three categories, black (slaves), mixed
heritage or black that are free and the third being the white. - When history is retold Queen Kristina, Axel Oxenstierna, Louis De Geer are praised figures but the story of the African is never narrated, it as if the enslaved almost never existed. (Reference to some of the untold narrative was the story of two young kids that were brought to Sweden by a priest that wanted to continue having servants. The slaves were mistreated by the priest and wife, the town interfered and took the kids and they were sent back to Saint BarthĂŠlemy, but the kids died due to the mistreatment. These two kids are not spoken of in history) - According to Afrosvenskarna, the Atlantic slave trade can only be understood as a holocaust, a morally horrendous crime not only to those affected but to human kind. The crime is expressed in three ways; destruction of human life that has never been evaluated, destruction of culture of civilisation (in form of oral and written scripters, buildings, villages and art) and destruction of human potential. He concluded in his presentation, that Africans in Sweden were not being integrated into the society but
THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE THAT WE FACE IN TACKLING RACISM IS DENIAL THAT RACISM DOES NOT EXIST.
Simon Woolley, the cofounder and director of Operation Black Vote in UK
were being integrated permanently to low class and also wondered why the Swedish government has not gathered any statistics that show the ethnic irregularity when it has statistics on everything and yet no statistics on Afro-Swedes. Simon Woolley, the cofounder and director of Operation Black Vote in the United Kingdom said in his speech that Africans in Sweden will have to challenge the mindset of people that sees black, Latino, Chinese or coloured people as inferior, not good enough or undeserving. The biggest challenge that we face in tackling racism is denial that racism does not exist. He said he was surprised when he heard that Sweden does not monitor ethnicity and in doing so it cannot tackle the problems that they do not see. He compared it to ignoring gender inequality. He advised that Afroswedes should demand in a strong, resolute and united entity for justice and equality by tackling injustice. When you demand justice and equality, everybody benefit. We have to take Sweden or institution beyond their prejudice to see colored people as human being.
Kitimbwa Sabuni
Photography: Naomi Images 12
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MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE I Pape Diouf
Pape Diouf Pictures from Pape Diouf concert at Inkonst, Malmö.
Photography: Naomi Images
LISTINGS I Restaurant guide Skandik Afrik guide to African restaurants in the Nordic countries: SWEDEN Stockholm Jebena Eritrean Cuisine Kungsklippan, 112 25, Stockholm +46 8650 4250 Abyssinia Restuarang Karlbergsvägen 46 B, Stockholm +46 833 0840 Gojo Restaurant Ringvagen 161/Renstiernasg. 48, Stockholm +46 8641 0496 Mama Africa Restaurang & Bar Danmarksgatan 1, Kista +46 8752 8113 Ethiostar Saltmatargatan 19A, Stockholm +46 830 5044
Göteborg Restaurang Simba Sankt Eriksgatan 3 Göteborg +46 3113 0002 Resto Pilipili Svartedalsgatan 2, Göteborg +46 3153 0580 Malmö Calabass Amiralsgatan 18, Malmö +46 40611 1640 Taste of Africa Gilleråsvägen 59 Hedesunda +46 2916 1025 NORWAY Oslo Restaurant Marrakech Hieronymus Heyerdahls gate 1 Oslo +47 2241 3001 Bergen Horn of Africa Strandgaten 212, Bergen +47 9076 0162
Selam Restaurant and Café Korskirkeallmenningen 5, Bergen +47 5531 0130 Stavanger Mama Afrika Hetlandsgata 6, 4012, Stavanger +47 4771 0999 DENMARK Copenhagen Ma’ed Ethiopian Restaurant Griffenfeldsgade 7, Copenhagen +45 3184 2453
Hakuna Matata Restaurant Bulevardi 10 Helsinki +358 44 310 1031 Safari Kitchen Hämeentie 94, Helsinki +358 46 909 4891 ICELAND Teni Ethiopian Restaurant Skulagata 17, Reykjavik 101 +354 533 1220 Minilik Ethiopisk Veitingahus Hlidasmari 15, Kopavogur, Reykjavik 201 + 354 695 3851
Lalibela Etiopisk Restaurant Jagtvej 43, Copenhagen + 45 3583 8000 FINLAND Helsinki Kuningatar Saba Mechelininkatu 8, Helsinki +358 50 433 4546 Skandik Afrik no. 7
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CULTURE I Gothenburg Culture Festival
Africans stand out at the Gothenburg Culture Festival
Dembo the root man
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Lamine Cissokho
One of Scandinavia’s biggest cultural festival took place in Gothenburg between 11th to 16th August with different stakeholders showcasing their products to over one million visitors that came to watch different attractions like known artists, local bands, circus, designs, films and so on. During the period, Africans cultural values through music, arts, handcraft, workshops for kids and live shows with various main artists from Gothenburg was put together by African Market Place, World Music Culture Club and Planeta Jam Stage. One of the group that took stand to sell African products were artist Daddy Musesa, who came there with his art work and also did live painting. INI DESIGN, displayed different African products ranging from hand bands, bracelets, handbags etc. DenisÄngelProjektet and Göteborgs Afrikagrupp were also part of the group that had a stand at Kungstorget where the live performance took place. Some of the artists that performed were Edo Bumba group, Dembo the root man with support from David Bäck and AfroTwinZ, Lamine Cissokho, Anna Ottertun, Asanda Mqiki, and many more.
Photographs: Nissor Addourazakov Skandik Afrik no. 7
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PEOPLE AND EVENTS I Best African Achievement Awards Denmark
Celebrating African achievement The 6th edition of the Best African Achievement Awards in Denmark came with funfair and appreciation of African descendants contribution to the Danish society. The theme of this year was “African Dream� in reference to the virtue and quality set by the adored late South African leader, Nelson Mandela.
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C
elebrate Africa is a platform in Denmark that facilitate integration among Africans and Danes, where people can be inspired through the contribution of role models from the African and Danish community. The award is given to appreciate individuals or organisations for their contribution through their work to promote Africa as a continent, contribute to the economy of Denmark and inspire others in the following areas: Entrepreneur/Business, Sport, Academic, Art and Craft and Community work. The award also emphasized and focuses more on the positive values of the African in Denmark and gears others into acting rather than dreaming. The list of selected contestants and winners of each category award is presented below: The Creative Artist award was contested among OKANA, clothing brand (Central East-African region), NiNi Brothers, dancers (Burundi) and Lisley Lichele Nduta, makeup artist (Kenya). This category was won by NiNi Brothers. John Nini and Eddy Nini are known for their dancing skills and expression from Africa on TV2 program of “Denmark got Talent 2015” Ahlam Chemlali, Human rights activist (Morocco) won the category of Young Achiever. Among the contestants in this category were Precila Birungi Kristiansen (Uganda) and Dennis Twum, Children’s Rights Advocate (Ghana).
The Sport person was contested among Lebogand Phiri, football player (South African), Bryan Mathew Odour, handball player (Kenya) and Poine Sisto, football player (Southern Sudanese). Lebogand Phiri won the sport person. He is a South African international footballer and is currently playing for Danish club Brøndby IF in a midfield position. African Business/Project was won by Lars Papis, founder of Bluephone (Senegalese/Danish). This category was contested with him by Husi Mugwaneza , owner of HM food (Rwanda) and Yusufa Sey, Co-Founder and CEO Athgene (Gambia). Skyjuice Production won the African promoter among other promoters which were AVH Productions and Shelby Production. The Upcoming artist award was contested among Justin Swayzy, ZiE, Sophie Ziedoy and Anton Eger. Sophie Zeidoy (Eritrean/Danish) and Ida Ambrose (Gambian/Danish) . The latter won the award in this category. She has performed for several years on the Danish music scene. The African Artist/Musician was contested among Miriam Mandipira (Zimbabwe), Wafande (Tanzania/ Denmark) and Barbara Moleko (South African/ Danish). Barbara won under this category. Said Abdirahnman Hussein (Somalia) won the community leader category. Among the contestants in this category were Couleur Café and Touch of Africa.
Photography: Naomi Images
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CULTURE I Nigerian market place
The Nigerian market place was first of its kind to have taken place in Gothenburg for the last twenty years, where Nigerians with support from other African countries like the Eritreans, Ghanaians, Cameroonians and Gambians gathered together to present their culture and its values to the people of Gothenburg.
Nigerian market place: N Papa Theo from Ghana
igerians living in the western part of Sweden (Västra Götaland) are from multicultural background. These cultural values are exhibited through their day to day activities which can be through food they eat, ways of communication, mode of dressing, traditional belief or ways of greeting people. The Nigerian Market Place was a good platform to share some of these cultural values with other cultures or the host community which are interested in a multicultural integration. Just like in a typical African market scenario, there was an open display of wares like artifacts, beads, African food, artwork and decorative materials for sales at the Nigerian market place. There was also basic teaching on the use of talking drums by the music pedagogue and dancer from Ghana, Papa Theo. There was also display of West African dance with support beat from Dembo Jatta group from Gambia. Part of what to learn from the two day market place was how to tie headgear (Gelé) a
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popular West African tradition for women to have whenever they are going out. There was also a short drama of how a naming ceremony is normally conducted in the western part of Nigeria. The Eritrean Family Association group from Kortedala was there to teach people how to dance to Eritrean music and brought some Eritrean foods for sale. It was a good start for cultural integration and awareness in Gothenburg with the participation of the following people: African way, Ini design , Yeye Oge fashion, Afrika hjälpen, Prosofor Cameroon, Eritreanska familjen förening i Kortedala and Skandik Afrik. However, the Nigerian market place if better planned and organized in future with all stake holders on board, it could record a better success. It has a potential of getting bigger and popular within the Gothenburg municipality.
a cultural melting point Eritreans displayed their culture through food
Photography: Nissor Addourazakov
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MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE I SarahA
What’s up with your name? It’s a wordplay because Raha means joy and Sara is my name, so I used it for interviews in Tanzania, because I am from Kibaha in Tanzania, so it was like a rap thing. SaRaha from Kibaha.
What do you do as a musician?
Saraha from Kibaha Photography: Saraha/Sofia Larsson
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When I came back to Sweden my song “Mbele Kiza” came up on the P4 playlist and then on “Svensktoppen” (The Swedish chart). So P4 the radio channel contacted me and asked if I could be a jury member of the music competition “Swedish charts next!” It is difficult to survive as a musician in Tanzania. Copyright doesn’t really exist and no professional record company, so it’s easier to alternate between two countries, so that’s why I’m in Sweden now. But when I’m in Tanzania I work on new songs and this is also where my audience is. People recognize me on the streets and there are few who haven’t heard my music or watched my videos. In Sweden, few people know who I am, even though many have heard me on the radio.
Tell us about some highlights in your career. My first big gig was when I got the opportunity to perform at the Miss Tanzania 2011 in front of millions of TV viewers, it was great! The following year I performed at the Kilimanjaro Music Awards (The Tanzanian equivalent to the Grammy Awards) with an even larger audience, and then I was also nominated for best video. It is probably among the most dazing and exciting experiences I have had...
Why a career in East Africa?
Why is it like this, you think?
The career chose me, you could say! I spent a large part of my upbringing in Tanzania and Zimbabwe, because my parents were working with development. When I was in Tanzania in 2009 I realized there was an intense East African pop music industry and fell in love with the music. I moved there 2011 to focus on it full time.
There is this attitude which consolidates the differences; that African music is seen as something different. In the Western world it is very easy to come out as a musician on Spotify, whereas in many countries like Tanzania, there are no agreements with Spotify, so then as a musician you can’t become part of that system. You are excluded. It is about outdated copyright laws. The same with YouTube, it is possible to contribute with a movie clip but to get paid as a musician is almost impossible.
Do you collaborate often with other musicians in East Africa? In my genre, it is customary to do featurings (songs together), and there are several ways of doing it. Either we write something together, or we offer each other parts to sing of each others’ songs. In Tanzania, the producers have a greater role in creating the songs and artists and producers often cooperate. A producer often has their own unique sound, and as a musician I contact a specific producer depending on the style I want.
How is your music relevant in Sweden? My music is created for local audiences in East Africa, but Africans all over the world can appreciate African music wherever they live. African pop music catches very little attention from the Western music industry. It is often categorized as “world music” which is both a strange and problematic concepts as it gives an image of something exotic and strange. There is a lot of talent and professionalism in the African music industry, and African popular music could contribute enormously to Western music if the opportunity to compete on more equal terms existed.
Swahili is like your second language along with English, how come? I do not really remember because I was only two years old when I moved to Tanzania for the first time with my family. I have moved back and forth throughout my childhood between Sweden and East Africa and Swahili has become part of my life and a way of expressing myself.
Do you have a boyfriend? Yes! I have been fortunate to meet someone who shares my experiences of belonging to different cultures and who lived in different parts of the world. I think it is important to spend your time with someone who can understand your desire to explore new things and push the boundaries in a creative profession. To know more about Sara Larsson: www.sarahamusic.com
The song Mbele Kiza of Saraha is a ”Bubblare” (new song) on the Swedish charts in March 2014, and the expression “Mbele Kiza” comes from an old proverb about East African men’s irresponsibility towards women. To persevere past the senselessness of the love relationship you need to get past the darkness; Mbele Kiza. Tanzania Music Awards: This event is held annually in Tanzania since 2010. It is also called the Kilimanjaro Music Awards after the sponsor Kilimanjaro premium lager. The awards were established in 1999 by the Tanzania National Arts Council (Basata) under the Ministry of Education and Culture.
Miss Tanzania: This is Tanzania’s national beauty contest where the winner will represent the country in Miss World. The reigning Miss Tanzania is Lilian Kamazima. Miss Tanzania started in 1967 but was banned in 1968 after the ruling party’s youth organization said that it was not compatible with Tanzanian culture. In 1994 beauty contests were allowed again. Nancy Sumari 2005 was among the top 6 finalists and was also crowned Miss World Africa.
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LISTINGS I African embassies List of African Embassies and Consular Offices in the Nordic countries ALGERIA Embassy of the People’s Democratic Republic Algeria in Denmark Hellerupvej 66, 2900 Hellerup Copenhagen Tel: +45 3 311 9640 www.algerianembassy.dk Embassy of the People’s Democratic Republic Algeria in Sweden Danderydsgatan 3-5, Sweden Tel: +46 8 679 9130 www.embalgeria.se ANGOLA Embassy of Republic of Angola in Sweden Skeppsbron 8, 111 30 Stockholm Tel: +46 8 24 28 90 www.angolaemb.com BENIN Embassy of Republic of Benin in Denmark Skelvej 2, DK 2900 Hellerup Tel: +45 3 968 1032 www.ambabenin.dk BOTSWANA Embassy of Republic of Botswana in Sweden Tyrgatan 11, 10041 Stockholm Tel: +46 8 5452 5880 www.botswana.se BURKINA FASO Embassy of Burkina Faso in Denmark Svanemollevej 20, 2100 Copenhagen Tel: +45 3918 4022 www.ambaburkina.dk BURUNDI Embassy of Burundi in Norway Oscars gata 57, 0258 Oslo Tel: +47 2138 5782 www.burundi-embassy-oslo.org CAPE VERDE Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Cape Verde in Finland Hanikka 51, 02360 Espoo Tel: +358 4 0500 6949 CAMEROON Honorary Consulate of Cameroon in Denmark Illumgaard, Hveensvej 6, 2950 Vedbæk Tel: + 45 2085 2000 www.cameroonconsulate.dk Consulate General of Cameroon, Sweden Budcentralen (The Bonnier Building) Lokstallsgatan 9, 113 21 Stockholm, Tel. +46 822 5144 www.cameroonconsulate.se CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (No Embassy in Nordic countries) CHAD Consulate of Chad in Denmark Vassingerødvej 9, 3540 Lynge Tel: +45 4816 3200 COMOROS (No Embassies in Nordic countries) CONGO REPUBLIC Embassy of Congo (Republic) in Sweden Västmannagatan 15, 111 24 Stockholm Tel: +46 830 0590 CONGO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF Embassy of Congo (Democratic Republic) in Sweden Stjärnvägen 2, 7th floor, 181 23 Lidingö Tel: (+46) 8765 8380 COTE D’IVOIRE Embassy of Cote d´Ivoire in Denmark Gersonsvej 8, 2900 Hellrup, Copenhagen Tel: +45 3962 8821 www.danemark.diplomatie.gouv.ci DJIBOUTI Honorary Consulate General of the Republic of Djibouti in Finland Suomenlinna B 10, 00190 Helsinki Tel: +358 5063 304 EGYPT Embassy of Egypt in Denmark Kristianiagade 19, DK – 2100 Copenhagen Tel: +45 3543 7070 Embassy of Egypt in Finland Kuusisaarentie 4 , 00340 Helsinki Tel: +358 9477 7470 Embassy of Egypt in Norway Drammensveien 90A, 0244 Oslo Tel: +47 2256 2268
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Embassy of Egypt in Sweden Strandvägen 35, 10440 Stockholm Tel: +46 8459 9860 EQUATORIAL GUINEA (No Embassy in Nordic countries) ERITREA Embassy of State of Eritrea in Sweden Stjärnvägen 2B, 4th floor, 181 23 Lidingö Tel: +46 8441 7170 www.eritrean-embassy.se ETHIOPIA Embassy of Ethiopia in Sweden Birger Jarlsgatan 39, 111 45 Stockholm Tel: +46 8 1204 8500 www.ethemb.se GABON Consulate of Gabon in Finland Hauhontie 4 F 32 b, 00550 Helsinki Tel: +358 46 810 0230 GAMBIA Consulate-General of the Gambia in Denmark C.F.Richs Vej 17, 2000 Frederiksberg Tel: +45 4082 8677 GHANA Embassy of Ghana in Denmark Egebjerg Alle 13, Dk-2900 Hellerup Copenhagen Tel: +45 3962 8222 www.ghanaembassy.dk GUINEA (No Embassy in Nordic countries) GUINEA-BISSAU Consulate of Guinea-Bissau in Sweden ELFA Holding AB, Banvaktsvägen 20 171 48 Solna Tel: +46 8735 3669 KENYA Embassy of Kenya in Sweden Birger Jarlsgatan 37, 103 95 Stockholm Tel: +46 821 8300 www.kenyaembassystockholm.com LESOTHO Consulate of Lesotho in Denmark Store Kongensgade 30, 1264 Copenhagen K Tel: +45 3311 1740 Consulate of Lesotho in Sweden Ankarvägen 6,181 43 Lidingö Tel: +46 705 200 191 LIBERIA Consulate General of Liberia in Norway Dronning Maudsgate 10, Postboks 1369 Vika, 0114 Oslo Tel: +47 2323 9090 LIBYA Embassy of Libya in Denmark Rosenvaengets Hovedvej 4, 2100 Copenhagen Tel: +45 3526 3611 MADAGASCAR Consulate of Madagascar in Denmark Lindevangs Allé 3, 2000 Frederiksberg Tel: +45 3355 0090 www.madagaskar.dk MALAWI Consulate of Malawi in Finland Melkonkatu 4 C 58 , 00210 Helsinki Tel: +358 40 087 3208 Consulate of Malawi in Sweden Boregatan 3, 217 74 Malmö Tel: +46 4016 2695 MALI Consulate of Mali in Sweden Hökarängens gård, 128 69 Sköndal Tel: +46 706 558 100 www.maliskonsulat.se MAURITANIA Consulate General of Mauritania in Denmark Strandboulevarden 6, 3rd floor, 2100 Copenhagen Ø Tel: +45 3322 3361 MAURITIUS Honorary Consulate of Mauritius in Denmark Harevaenget 75, 6000 Kolding Tel: +45 2071 3060
Honorary Consulate of Mauritius in Finland Itainen Puistotie 11 A 4, 00140 Helsinki Tel: +358 9 664 845 Honorary Consulate of Mauritius in Norway Lökkalia 12A, 0783 Oslo Tel: +47 2255 4050 Honorary Consulate of Mauritius in Sweden Slottsbacken 2, 111 44 Stockholm Tel: +46 8796 9592
Embassy of South Africa in Sweden Fleminggatan 20, 4th floor, 112 26 Stockholm Tel: +46 824 3950 www.dirco.gov.za/sweden
MOROCCO Embassy of Morocco in Denmark Øregårds Alle 19, 2900 Hellerup Tel: +45 3962 4511 Embassy of Morocco in Finland Pohjoinen Makasiinikatu 7 A 7, 00130 Helsinki Tel: +358 612 2480 Embassy of Morocco in Norway Holtegaten 28, 0355 Oslo Tel: +47 2319 7150 Embassy of Morocco in Sweden Kungsholmstorg 16, 11221 Stockholm Tel: +46 854 551 130
SUDAN Embassy of Sudan in Norway Holtegaten 28, 0355 Oslo Tel: +47 2139 6360 www.sudanoslo.no
MOZAMBIQUE Embassy of Mozambique in Sweden Sturegatan 46, 4th floor, 114 36 Stockholm Tel: +46 8 666 0350 www.embassymozambique.se/us NAMIBIA Embassy of Namibia in Sweden Luntmakargatan 88,113 51 Stockholm Tel: +46 8 442 9800 www.embassyofnamibia.se NIGER Embassy of the Republic of Niger in Denmark Niels Juels Gade 5, 1st floor, 1059 Copenhagen Tel: +45 4422 0990 www.niger.dk NIGERIA Embassy of Nigeria in Sweden Tyrgatan 8, 114 27 Stockholm Tel: +46 824 6390 www.nigerianembassy.nu RWANDA Embassy of Rwanda in Sweden Barnhusgatan 3, 3rd floor (Block B), 111 23 Stockholm Tel:+46 850 001 970 www.rwandaembassy.se SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE (No Embassy in Nordic countries) SENEGAL Senegalese Honorary Consulate General in Sweden Östra Hamngatan 19, 404 27 Göteborg Tel: +46 3181 0500 SEYCHELLES Honorary Consulate of Seychelles in Finland Kalevankatu 47 A 9, 00180 Helsinki Tel: +358 405 150 696 Seychelles representation in Sweden Döbelnsgatan 11 A, 903 30 Umeå Tel: +46 9012 2512 SIERRA LEONE Consulate General of Sierra Leone in Sweden Verkstadsgatan 4, 233 21 Svedala Tel: +46 4040 2610 SOMALIA (No Embassy in Nordic countries) SOUTH AFRICA Embassy of South Africa in Denmark Gammel Vartov Vej 8, DK-2900 Hellerup Tel: +45 3918 0155 Embassy of South Africa in Finland Pohjoinen Makasiinikatu 4, 3rd Floor, 00130 Helsinki Tel: +358 968 603 100 www.southafricanembassy.fi Honorary Consulate of South Africa in Iceland Borgartun 35, 105 Reykjavik Tel: + 354 591 0355 Embassy of South Africa in Norway Drammensveien 88C, 0244 Oslo Tel: +47 2327 3220 www.dirco.gov.za/oslo
SOUTH SUDAN Embassy of South Sudan in Norway Prinsessealléen 2, 0276 Oslo Tel: +47 2244 9939 www.embrss-norway.org
Embassy of Sudan in Sweden Stockholmsvogen 33, 181 33 Lidingo Tel: +46 8611 7780 www.sudanembassy.se SWAZILAND Swazi Honorary Consulate General in Norway Slemdalsveien 97b, 0373 Oslo Tel: +47 2249 1027 TANZANIA Embassy of Tanzania in Sweden Näsby Allé 6, 183 55 Täby Tel: +46 8732 2430 www.tanemb.se TOGO Consulate of Togo in Denmark Nyhavn 31 K, 1051 Copenhagen K Tel: +45 3393 8474 TUNISIA Embassy of Tunisia in Finland Rauhankatu 1 B 17 , 00170 Helsinki Tel: +358 9 6803 9614 Embassy of Tunisia in Norway Drammensveien 82C, 0271 Oslo Tel: +47 2241 7200 www.tunisiaamb.no Embassy of Tunisia in Sweden Narvavägen 32, 11522 Stockholm Tel: +46.8 5458 5520 UGANDA Embassy of Uganda in Denmark Sofievej 15, DK-2900 Hellerup Tel: +45 3962 0966 ZAMBIA Embassy of Zambia in Sweden Gårdsvägen 18, 3rd floor, 169 03 Solna Tel: +46 8 679 9040 www.zambiaembassy.se ZIMBABWE Embassy of Zimbabwe in Sweden Herserudsvägen 5A, 7th Floor, 181 34 Lidingö Tel: +46 8765 5380 www.zimembassy.se
Third culture kid I OPINION
The Third Culture Kid
– To live in a conflict of loyalty with your own country We, who read this magazine sometimes have one thing in common; we have grown up in different cultures. In English it is called TCK, an abbreviation of Third Culture Kid. We have followed our parents abroad and during our formative years we have grown up in a different cultures and this will affect our identity for the rest of our lives. I’m not sure why this concept is so unknown in Sweden, but probably it is due to a low rate of immigration since Sweden is situated on an isolated peninsula, and because it has been socially unacceptable to stand out too much. The TCK’s parents are often called “expatriates” either they were diplomats, missionaries, or was out on a business trip. Nowadays it is cheaper to fly and the short-term assignments have increased. Children of “expatriate” will have grown up in a diverse number of countries during their formative years, and it is no longer unusual. The concept “expatriate” is also questioned, for example in the article “Why are white people expats When the rest of us are immigrants?” in TheGuardian (Mrs. Koutonin editor of SiliconAfrica.com and activist for “Africa Renaissance). I came “home” or back to Sweden twice. It was too seldom for my class mates to accept my foreign influences and yet I had words in my vocabulary that none of them knew. But twice was also enough for me to be having a strange dialect, to seriously wonder why people complained about the school meals, or to be hopelessly left behind in popular culture. I learned that I had to split myself into a Swedish self and that other self that I tried not to mention so often. As I got older, I thought it would be easier, but discovered that acquaintances could be provoked
if I tried to talk about how it felt to have two cultures. I shouldn’t try to stick out or believe I was something special. As an adult, people began to ask the question “where do you feel most at home”. I experienced this as something they needed for defining me as a proper Swedish if I had mentioned my background. If I was with a friend who was Swedish but had dark skin, I never got the question “where have you grown up” as my friend could get, even though he or she may never have been living abroad. Today in Sweden we have a growing number of people who are TCKs or that will become TCKs if their parents return to their home countries. According to SCB some years ago (Swedish Bureau of Statistics) returning Swedes was the largest group of immigrants in Sweden. I have noticed that this is also provokes many Swedes, to call yourself an immigrant when you look like a Swede and have a Swedish passport. There is a lot of research on TCKs. As a TCK there are many advantages like the ability to adapt and a socalled cultural intelligence. But also disadvantages in the form of dual loyalties, rootlessness and a confusion of identity. You may experience grief during the reintegration process and depression may follow. TCKs also generally have a difficulty to create close relationships since they are accustomed to breakups. In the 80s no one talked about religion or politics. It was too unusual if someone had been anywhere else than the Canary Islands or Mallorca. According to research TCKs need a lot of support in school and this was quite unknown when I grew up. There are also differences within the TCK world. Military Child or “military brats”, have often spent most of their growing up on a military base unlike the MK’s
(Missionary Kids) who often have a close contact with the locals and have spent a lot of time in just one country. Some of my friends spent their first years only with the family’s African nanny and some had to get to know their parents anew as they returned home during their school holidays. Diplomat Children (Foreign Service brats) are often moving from country to country. TCKs are often more mature than their peers but have more difficult to focus on their life goals when they are in the 20s. They are four times more likely to have a bachelor’s degree than ordinary children. They focus later in life on international careers, they learn languages in depth and they often work in sectors with relatively low wages, such as aid organizations. They often work in education, business management, start a business or acquire very highly skilled positions. While our parents, the “expatriates”, have been enjoying the experience of different cultures because of “the right of expatriation is a natural and inherent right of all people as indispensable to the enjoyment of life, rights, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (free translation of The US Expatriation Act of 1868s foreword) I wish that all of Sweden’s Global Nomads or TCK’s, will get rid of any depression and identity crises, succeed in their careers and experience happiness as long as they are in Sweden or in their return country. One way to “find yourself at home” with this kind of identity is to join various like-minded groups in Sweden such as www.internations.org or on Facebook e.g. Gothenburg Expats. Malmö Meet-Up International for example, has over 600 members. / Sofia Larsson
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