2_2_ScanMag_62_March_2014_Text:Scan Magazine 1
28/2/14
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Clockwise, from top left: Nässelfrossa is one of the larger cultural events in the county of Blekinge in the south of Sweden, with around 150 events across eight days. Photo: Ylva Silverbern. The old school in the parish of Jämshög, where both Harry Martinson and Sven Edvin Salje, also a famous author, got their primary school education. Photo: Åke Bondesson. Famous author Harry Martinson’s belongings on display in his old school, which now serves as a museum in his and Sven Edvin Salje’s honour. Photo: Åke Bondesson. The Dutch artist Anja Roemer working with a sculpture for Diabas Sculpture Centre. Photo: Roel Faassen.
A small town with a big love of culture With a modest population short of 13,000, Olofström is for many people mainly known as a big player in the Swedish automotive industry. But last year, the small Swedish town was awarded a prize for being the cultural municipality of the year. By Elin Berta
The birthplace of Swedish author and Nobel Prize winner Harry Martinson, Olofström has a strong literary identity and a long narrative tradition. The old school in the parish of Jämshög, where both Martinson and Salje, also a famous author, received their primary school education, now serves as a museum, telling the story of the their lives. “This year we are arranging a festival in the honour of Sven Edvin Salje, celebrating what would have been his 100th birthday,” says Anna Lundholm, secretary of culture at Olofström council. The strong tradition of storytelling is expressed further by the annual festival Nässelfrossa, firmly rooted in the local heritage and attracting thousands of visitors during one week in June. In addition,
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the new event Berättarkraft, also a literature and narrative festival, aims to encourage literacy promotion and creative activities in the schools of Olofström. Throughout the year different fellowships organise a large number of performances and concerts, and as an extension of the narrative tradition the folk music festival Midvinterton has become a popular feature that attracts people from all over the country. “We believe that everyone should have the possibility to enjoy culture. For instance, our goal is to allow every child in our preschools and all students in primary school to experience professional performing arts twice a year,” says Lundholm. Olofström has been an industrial community since the beginning of the 1900s.
“I think it’s important to cherish the cultural heritage of a community, and to do so by putting it into a modern context,” Lundholm continues. With the innovative project Art & Technology, both European and regional artists work together with local technology companies to develop new products, and the goal is to create new job opportunities in local businesses. “We are brave enough to think outside the box and take pride in local strengths. I find it encouraging that even those projects that aim to create more jobs and economic growth are investing in encounters between culture and business.” For more information, please visit: www.visitolofstrom.se