Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Swedish Culture Special
Photo: ©Bok-Makaren AB
Photo: Beatrice Törnros
Photo: Alfons Åbergs Kulturhus
Learn by playing For children, the chance to identify with literary characters tackling and overcoming problems can be of great value. This way, children learn how to cope with their own problems. One character that has proved significant in the context of selfidentification is Alfons Åberg (known to English-speaking audiences as Alfie Atkins). Together with his dad, Alfons invites children and their adults into his quirky, fascinating house in Gothenburg. By Pia Petersson
Children all over the world know Alfons and his dad from the books by Gunilla Bergström. The reason behind his universal appeal is pretty simple. “All children can recognise themselves in Alfons, who’s an ordinary boy living with his dad in a suburb. He’s happy and mischievous for the most part, but he can also be angry, jealous and scared of ghosts,” says Lisa Ödman, marketing and communications manager at Alfons Åbergs Kulturhus i Göteborg (Alfie Atkins’ Cultural Centre in Gothenburg). The main purpose of this creative culture centre is to promote children’s play, development and learning. Curious children can play, climb and discover in a house full of ingenious things. Children are invited to 1,400 different events and 50 | Issue 110 | March 2018
activities annually, including everything from theatre and exhibitions to interactive chemistry lessons. The lessons are offered in cooperation with Chalmers University of Technology. The first of the 26 books about Alfons Åberg was published in 1972, and since then Alfons and his pipe-smoking dad have become household names for most Swedish kids – and their parents. Author Gunilla Bergström has never shied away from including topics such as war, disability and loneliness in the stories about Alfons. With her books she has shown that through literature children can be encouraged to see both themselves and their world in a different perspective. The fact that the books about Alfons have been translated into 30 languages serves
as concrete proof that Bergström’s approach has been successful. Alfie Atkins’ Cultural Centre is a non-profit foundation, where making all children feel welcome and comfortable is key. “Our vision is to make all children feel at home here – and we mean everyone, regardless of disabilities, language, cultural background or social situation. We believe that we contribute to children’s development through play and learning,” Ödman finishes.
Photo: Tommy Holl
Web: www.alfonskulturhus.com