Message from Bruce Karstadt, ASI President & CEO

Music has long been a gateway into understanding Swedish life and it has been part of ASI’s cultural fabric from its earliest years. We’ve hosted countless performances of music drawn from Sweden’s folk music, choral and song traditions by both our in-house performing groups and by visiting ensembles. These traditions continue to be revered both in Sweden and here in Swedish-America and remain an important part of our program calendar today. The music scene in Sweden is quite complex. Today, Sweden is the world’s third largest exporter of pop music, with Stockholm and Los Angeles considered the twin capitals of international pop. Its influence on the music scene is quite amazing and due not only to performers but also to the many songwriters and producers coming from Sweden. It’s also well known for its electronic music and progressive jazz scenes. Sweden’s music and cultural life is influenced by its growing diversity. Twenty-five percent of Sweden’s population has roots outside of Sweden, among them an Afro-diaspora community from which many talented musicians and artists have emerged who identify as both Swedish and African and whose cultural vitality reflects that identity. Many of Sweden’s ethnic minority groups have lived in the country for at least two or three generations, and so our programming should reflect how they contribute to all aspects of society. With that in mind, we’re hosting a conversation on October 19 with Dr. Ryan Skinner and Jason Diaketé (better known by his stage name, Timbuktu). The focus of this conversation is a new book by Ryan entitled Afro-Sweden: Becoming Black in a Color Blind Country (University of Minnesota Press), which traces the evolution of the African and Black music community in Sweden. We’re excited to host the launch of this book for several reasons. It’s an important scholarly work which we supported by providing Ryan with a Malmberg Research Scholarship grant in 2015. We’re equally honored to welcome Jason for his first visit to Minneapolis. Jason is a rapper and hip-hop artist who has won several of Sweden’s highest music awards. In 2020, he also published a well-received memoir, A Drop of Midnight, about his own and his family’s history – from South Carolina slavery to twenty-first century Sweden. We’re eager to learn from Ryan and Jason and to draw upon them for insights into the complexity of a modern Swedish society with difficult dynamics around race and ethnicity. ASI will be offering a rich variety of programs in the coming weeks which are detailed both here and in our recently released Catalog. Our offerings reflect our vision to be a gathering place for all people that draws upon our ties with Sweden to help us understand our heritage in relation to others. Members, donors and volunteers make generous contributions to enable these programs, which are developed by a remarkably creative staff and supported by thoughtfully engaged Board members and collaborative community partners. Thank you for helping us make a deep impact upon our community and to serve an ever-widening audience. Thank you – and I hope you will be able to join us in the weeks ahead for many special occasions with family and friends.

Bruce Karstadt, ASI President & CEO