www.SwedishPress.com
Swedes in the French-Speaking World
February-April 2024 Vol 95:01 $9.95
01 2024
A Brief Franco-Swedish History | Strindberg's Paris | Swedes in Congo
Welcome to Vancouver
THE SWEDISH CLUB INVITIES YOU TO
Brunch at The Club
– and the Swedish Cultural Society!
Sundays | 11 AM - 2 PM $25 | All-You-Care-To-Eat Purchase Tickets Now
Svenska Kulturföreningen Swedish Cultural Society The Swedish Club, Seattle, WA
What’s going on? Visit swedishculturalsociety.com Scandinavian centre, 6540 Thomas St, Burnaby, BC
Please support Swedish Press with a generous donation to keep it publishing
Yes, I would like to donate to Swedish Press $50
$100
$250
$500
$1000
Other
NAME OF DONOR ADDRESS
CITY
PROVINCE/STATE
POSTAL CODE/ZIP
PHONE
Method of Payment:
VISA or Mastercard
COUNTRY
Cheque (Swedish Press Inc)
CARD NO.
EXPIRY DATE
NAME ON CARD
SIGNATURE
CVV
Donate online at www.SwedishPress.com • Take a photo of this coupon with your smartphone and email it to Info@SwedishPress.com • Mail this coupon with payment to Swedish Press, PO Box 1568, Ogdensburg, NY 13669, USA or 966 Terranova Dr., Orleans, ON, K1C 5M3 Canada • Call at 1 720 375 1730
Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 2
Swedish Press is the world’s leading magazine on all good things Swedish. An authority on design, business, culture and travel since 1929, Swedish Press delivers insightful news and commentary in a visually striking format. With a nod to the past, and a peek to the future, Swedish Press is your go-to source for updates and inspiration from Sweden. SWEDISH PRESS (ISSN 0839-2323) is published five times per year by Swedish Press Inc, 1801 Ford Street, Ogdensburg, NY 13669. Periodical postage paid at Ogdensburg, NY 13669 (No. USPS 005544). US POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Swedish Press, PO Box 1568 Ogdensburg, NY 13669 OFFICE: Swedish Press, 966 Terranova Dr., Orleans, ON, K1C 5M3, Canada US MAILING ADDRESS: PO Box 1568 Ogdensburg, NY 13669 WEBSITE www.swedishpress.com E-MAIL info@swedishpress.com PUBLISHER and EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kajsa Norman | kajsa@swedishpress.com ART DIRECTOR Louise Rybring | webmaster@swedishpress.com YOUTH EDITOR Noelle Norman | noelle@swedishpress.com REPRESENTATIVES Calgary: Carin Pihl +1 403 931 0370 Edmonton: Ruth E. Sjoberg +1 780 237 6730 Thunder Bay: Elinor Barr +1 807 344 8355 Winnipeg: Craig Sidwall +1 204 391 7886 SUBSCRIPTION rates per year $59, 2 years $99, 1 year abroad $185. Digital edition $39. Subscribe at www.swedishpress.com or call +1 720 375 1730. ADVERTISING Contact: info@swedishpress.com for advertising rates. SweMail TRANSLATIONS to English of the Swedish parts of Swedish Press are available free of charge every month. Visit http://biolson. atspace.cc/swemail/
CONTENTS [February-April 2024[ 4 Letter to the Editor 5 From the Publisher’s Desk Headline News 6 Scandinavians in the News 8 Landskapsnyheterna Heritage 9 An Insider’s Look at Swedish Culture: Världens bästa längdskidsparadis finns i Bruksvallarna Feature 10 A Brief Franco-Swedish History 13 Swedes Who Left Their Mark on France and the World Interview 14 Voici Gîta Paterson Culture 16 Strindberg's Paris
Interview 21 Bonjour Hej, Monsieur Gagnon! Feature 22 Île Vikström – A Swede’s Lifelong Mission to Protect an Island in Quebec Heritage 24 Chemin Swede Life in Paris 26 Noelle in Paris In the Loop 28 Calendar and Events 29 Ads and Info 30 Pastorn har ordet 31 Friends of the Press 2024
Feature 18 Swedes in Congo
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reproduction in whole or in part without written consent of Swedish Press is strictly prohibited. Unsolicited material is welcome, but never the publisher’s responsibility. Enclose stamped self-addressed envelope for return. Statements and opinions expressed by the writers and claims in the advertising are their own and do not necessarily represent Swedish Press. CANADIAN PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT No. 40010214 Return Undeliverable Canadian addresses to Swedish Press, 966 Terranova Dr., Orleans, ON, K1C 5M3, Canada.
PRINTED IN CANADA NEXT ISSUE DEADLINE: MAR. 10, 2024
Cover image: The Eiffel Tower. Photo: Noelle Norman
Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 3
Letters to The Editor Enjoy reading Swedish Press? Email us your pictures along with your name and comments to info@swedishpress.com and we’ll be happy to publish them.
A Tribute to Elmer “Rob” Koppel The Swedish Press would like to express our sincere regret for the passing of our long-term subscriber Elmer “Rob” Koppel. We’d also like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Rob for bequeathing $2,000 of his estate to the Swedish Press.
Elmer “Rob” Koppel in his forties. Photo: Private
E
lmer “Rob” Koppel was born in Tallin, Estonia on February 5 in 1935. On August 6, 1940, the Soviet Union formally annexed Estonia. Some 1,750 Estonians were killed as a result of resistance to Soviet troops. The Koppel family fled to Sweden where Rob grew up before emigrating
to Canada. Rob passed away in Toronto on December 4, 2022. He never married and had no children. While Rob devoted his career to the financial industry, administration of estates, and banking, his true love was the arts. He was actively engaged in arts, theatre and ballet and belonged to several cultural organizations. Rob was also a member of the Toronto International Film Festival and The Stratford Festival. He made generous donations to charities. At the age of 50, Rob started working in live theatre. He played in the performance AIDA, was cast in the movie Kaleidoscope, and the TV Series My Secret Identity. His most thrilling experience in show business was spending time with Elizabeth Taylor, whom he adored. He was proud to have met Director Norman Jewison and actors such as Robert Wagner, Stephanie Powers, Liza Minnelli, Kiefer Sutherland, and many others. Travel was another of Rob’s great pas-
sions and he made many trips to the USA and Europe. When his health was good and his mother Marie was alive, they used to be snowbirds, spending the winter months in Florida. Rob loved watching and attending the Toronto Blue Jays baseball games. He also loved figure skating. Towards the end of his life, Rob wrote this beautiful poem: God looked around and found an empty place, He then looked down to earth, and saw my tired face, He knew that I’ve been suffering, he knew I’ve been in pain. So he closed my weary eyelids saying “Peace be Thine”. He put his arms around me and lifted me to rest, God’s garden must be beautiful, for he only takes the best.
Thank You to the Swedish Club of Victoria for Their Generous Donation of $2,400 CAD!
T
he Swedish Club of Victoria was established in 1997 to provide a social focal point for people in Victoria, BC with Swedish connections by virtue of birth, immigration, ancestry or family links. Volunteers organized festivities in connection with traditional Swedish holidays. These events included lively dinners featuring typical Swedish delicacies and beverages, along with fun games and skits. Alas, the advent of Covid forced the Club to suspend all activities. When resuming in 2022, efforts to replace
Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 4
the aging volunteers with younger members proved difficult. Consequently, in early 2023, the Board felt compelled to disband the Club. They distributed the remaining funds among organizations that contribute substantially to the preservation and promotion of “Swedishness” in the North American context. “Swedish Press amply meets these
criteria; hence our financial contribution to your laudable enterprise. We wish Swedish Press continued success in 2024.” Swedish Club of Victoria
[
]
from the Publisher’s Desk
Quebec Could Be Swedish! Individual Sponsors
2024 TBD
TBD
TBD
Mattias Dahlstrom Birgitta Steinmetz Wayne and Shirley Metcalf Harald Johanson
Thank you for your support!
I
n 1608, the French explorer Samuel de Champlain sailed from France to what is now eastern Canada to establish a fur-trading post and further explore the region of colonial New France. He sailed southwest along the St. Lawrence River until he reached a great location for a settlement. He called it Quebec, a word widely believed to originate from the Algonquin word for “narrow passage” or “strait” used by the First Nations inhabitants of the area. However, there is also another theory about the origins of the name Quebec which has Swedish roots. In his book, Nordens fransmän (The Frenchmen from the North), author Clas Brunius elaborates on the many Nordic names in Normandy which date to the tenth century when Vikings from Denmark, Norway and Sweden took possession of this French province. The Viking chief Rollo had a habit of rewarding his men by giving them land in Normandy. Farms and estates were registered by French clerks. When they wrote down the unfamiliar Nordic names the settlers had chosen, they often received a Latin twist. The name “Kallebäck”, originally from western Sweden was transcribed in Latin as “Calidusbeccus”, later transformed into French as “Caudebec”. Ivetofta from Skåne became Yvetot, and “Kvillebäck” (Kville creek), originally from the western province of Bohuslän, became Quebec. So, it is possible that Champlain had already heard the name Quebec back home in France before crossing the Atlantic, and that the name of the Canadian province is actually the fruit of a confused interaction between a Swedish Viking and a French clerk attempting to Frenchify the Scandinavian tongue. At first glance, Sweden and the francophone world may seem quite far removed from one another. However, it suffices to scratch the surface to find countless links and odd coincidences that tie the two together. In this issue, we’ll take a closer look at some of them through an introduction to the FrancoSwedish history. We’ll also learn about Swedish connections to other parts of the French-speaking world in Africa and North America. Trevlig läsning, Kajsa
All individuals who donate $100 or more in 2024 will be recognized with their name.Silver $100+, Gold $250+, Gold&Blue $500+ and King’s Circle $1,000+
We need your support!
Please consider making a generous donation to help keep your publication, and Swedish heritage, alive. You’ll find a form on pages 2 and 29 of the magazine. Tack! Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 5
[Headline News] Scandinavians in the News Sweden’s New Astronaut By Kajsa Norman
Marcus Wandt is the third Swede in history to go to space.
O
n January 18, 2024, Marcus Wandt became the third Swede in space (after Christer Fuglesang and Swedish-American Jessica Meir) as he embarked on a two-week mission to conduct Swedish and European research aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Taking off from the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the mission was a collaboration between the Swedish Space Agency, the European Space Agency (ESA), the American space companies Axiom Space and SpaceX, and NASA. Born in 1980 in Mora, Sweden, Wandt holds a degree in electrical engineering from Chalmers University of Technology and completed his officer training at the Military Academy Karlberg. He has trained as a combat pilot in both Sweden and the USA and served as a fighter pilot, squadron commander, and wing commander in the Swedish Armed Forces. When not engaged in his duties as an astronaut, Wandt works as the chief test pilot at Saab. In November 2022, he was selected from among over 22,500 applicants to join a new European astronaut group consisting of 17 individuals. In just a few months, Wandt completed an intensive training program that normally takes astronauts two full years. Wandt's mission within ESA is called Muninn, after one of Odin’s two mythical ravens tasked with flying around the world to gather information for the Norse god. Currently, the Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 6
commander of the space station is Danish ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen, who arrived in August of 2023. Mogensen's mission within ESA is called Huginn, which was Odin's other raven. Together, the two Nordic astronauts carried out numerous European and national experiments. “Space research makes a big difference for all of us on Earth, from medical discoveries and basic research about space to knowledge about climate Marcus Wandt. Photo: Axiom Space change and technobody has already occurred. The hood logical innovations. That's why I look I wear measures my brain activity forward to contributing and working while I undergo tests that challenge on various research missions on the me in various ways, cognitively, conInternational Space Station,” Wandt centration-wise, and reaction-wise,” said in an interview with the Swedish Wandt told Swedish Television in an Space Agency. During his time on the ISS, Wandt interview shortly before the launch. In addition to accomplishing his engaged in experiments on stem cells many tasks, Wandt said he hoped to for Uppsala University and on ergofind some time to just absorb and be nomics for KTH (Royal Institute of present in space. When asked what he Technology). He also participated in most looked forward to, he replied: numerous international experiments “To float down in the cupola and in microgravity with his astronaut look down to see the earth and see colleagues. the continents without any borders or “After eight to ten days in space, artificial boundaries created by us.” much of what will happen to the
Scandinavians in the News Denmark Has a New King By Kajsa Norman
Denmark’s King Frederik X has ascended the throne after the unexpected abdication of his mother Queen Margrethe II.
A
fter 52 years on the throne, Margrethe II announced her abdication as Queen of Denmark during her New Year’s Eve speech. At the age of 83, she was Europe’s longest-reigning monarch, the world’s last reigning queen, and the longest-serving incumbent female head of state. Her decision to abdicate constituted a break with centuries of Danish royal tradition and surprised the world. The last Danish monarch to abdicate was King Eric III who relinquished the crown to join a monastery in 1146, almost 900 years ago. On January 14, 2024, King Frederik X formally succeeded his mother. The official handover occurred at a cabinet meeting at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen. “To be queen and king is a link in a more than thousand-year-long chain. When one steps aside, the
Swedish Golden Globe Winner
S
By Kajsa Norman
wedish composer, producer, and musician Ludwig Göransson won the award for Best Original Score at the Golden Globes in January. Göransson won the award for his music in the film “Oppenheimer” directed by British-American filmmaker Christopher Nolan. In 2018, Göransson became the
King Frederik X and Queen Mary with their children HRH Princess Isabella, Crown Prince Christian and the twins, HRH Princess Josephine, and HRH Prince Vincent. Photo: Keld Navntoft, Kongehuset ©
next is standing at the ready. And the crown prince that now becomes our monarch is a king that we know, a king that we like, and a king that we trust,” said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who publicly proclaimed the King’s accession from the balcony of the palace. “Today the throne is passed on. My hope is to become a unifying king of tomorrow,” said King Frederik.
Celebrations also took place in Australia as King Frederik X will be ruling alongside his popular wife Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, who is now the first Australian-born Queen. The couple met at a bar in Sydney during the 2000 Olympic Games. They got married in 2004 and have four children, including 18-year-old Christian, the new Crown Prince of Denmark.
first Swede ever to win an Oscar for best music with his original score to the movie “Black Panther.” He has also won three Grammys in the past, but this was his first-ever Golden Globe award. In addition to his achievements producing music for the screen, Ludwig Göransson (who was named after Ludwig van Beethoven by his music-loving father), has produced music for renown artists such as Alicia Keys, Travis Scott, Chance the Rapper, and Childish Gambino.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 7
[Landskapsnyheterna] JÄMTLAND Det kanadensiska gruvbolaget District Metals i Vancouver som sysslar med prospektering har fått tillstånd att leta i Sveriges näst största uranfyndighet i Oviken i Jämtland.
Garrett Ainsworth, vd District Metals. Foto: SR
Det sker genom svenskregistrerade dotterbolaget Bergslagen Metals AB i tre områden i fyndigheten under tre år framåt. Detta sedan lokalbefolkningens överklaganden avvisats i domstolen Förvaltningsrätten. Fyndigheten är på 2300 hektar. Garrett Ainsworth, vd på District Metals, är förhoppningsfull inför framtida beslut från olika myndigheter eftersom Sveriges nuvarande regering ställt sig positiv till snabb nybyggnad av moderna mindre kärnkraftverk. Detta sedan sex av de tolv ursprungliga större aggregaten byggda på 1970- och 80-talen stängts av åldersskäl. Ainsworth säger att han är medveten om att alla liknande byggen möter kraftigt lokalt motstånd under parollen ”inte på min bakgård”. Men det gäller också nya vindkraftparker med mångåriga processer för att få tillstånd. Även Leading Edge i Vancouver hoppas kunna få tillstånd till att öppna en gruva norr om Gränna invid landets näst största insjö Vättern. Företaget är inriktat på sällsynta metaller som litium, kobolt, tungsten, med flera. Starkt ökad efterfrågan väntas från bland andra batteritillverkare, där en av de största, Northvolt, dragits igång i Skellefteå. Henric Borgström, ekonomijournalist Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 8
BLEKINGE I slutet av 2023 kom Högsta domstolen, HD, med sitt avgörande i Kallingemålet, en av de största miljögiftsskandalerna i Sveriges historia. HD ger de drabbade rätt till skadestånd. Det var i slutet av 2013 som förgiftningsskandalen först upptäckes. Svensk media rapporterade att 5 000 invånare i det lilla samhället Kallinge utanför Ronneby i Blekinge via dricksvattnet fått i sig den farliga kemikalien PFAS, som bland annat kan påverka levern. Kemikalierna kom från Försvarsmaktens flygflottilj F17 i Kallinge, som låtit brandsläckningsskum från övningar rinna ut i vattendrag där det sedan trängt ned i grundvattnet och vidare ut i lokalinvånarnas vattenkranar. Vattenverket i Kallinge stängdes och snart konstaterades att halterna PFAS i blodet hos Kallingeborna var bland de högsta som uppmätts i världen. 2015 startade några av de drabbade PFAS-föreningen för att få skadestånd och ersättning för sjukvård. Då var det en i styrelsen som var sjuk. Sedan dess har alla blivit sjuka i cancer och sköldkörtelsjukdomar. 174 av invånarna stämde det kommunala vatten- och avloppsbolaget Ronneby Miljöteknik. I april 2021 föll domen i Blekinge tingsrätt som ansåg att 165 Kallingebor hade rätt till skadestånd för de skador de åsamkats. Då hade några av de kärande redan gått bort. Ronneby Miljöteknik överklagade domen till Hovrätten och i december 2022 revs den upp. Hovrätten ansåg inte att förgiftningen kunde anses vara en personskada, men fallet har nu prövats av Högsta domstolen som alltså ger de kärande rätt och fastställer att förhöjda halter PFAS i blodet innebär ”fysiska försämringar av kroppen.” 154 personer får rätt till skadestånd. Bland de drabbade finns 22 barn, varav den
yngsta är nio år. Vilket skadestånd som ska betalas ut kommer att avgöras i varje enskilt fall. SÖDERMANLAND För första gången någonsin tillåts licensjakt på varg i Sörmland där Länsstyrelsen har beslutat att sex vargar i reviret Gryten ska fällas. Maximalt får 36 vargar i hela Sverige skjutas. De sex revir där jakt är tillåten är fördelade på Sörmland, Värmland, Västmanland, Örebro och Västra Götaland. Jakten pågår från den 2 januari till den 15 februari 2024. S Summary in English: Canadian mining explorer District Metals has acquired permission to prospect for Uranium in Oviken in the province of Jämtland. They will also acquire four mineral licences at the Viken energy metals deposit which is believed to be one of the largest undeveloped mineral deposits in Sweden. Residents in Kallinge, in Blekinge, who for many years drank water contaminated by the chemical PFAS, have the right to compensation, the Swedish Supreme Court has ruled. In Södermanland, the first ever licensed hunting of wolves is underway.
HERITAG E
An Insider’s Look at Swedish Culture Världens bästa längdskidsparadis finns i Bruksvallarna
D
Av Svea Gossner et är allmänt känt att svenska skidlandslaget har sina träningsläger i Bruksvallarna men det är nog inte alla som vet att även andra landslag, däribland några av världens bästa, tränar i Bruksvallarna i Härjedalen, inte långt från den norska gränsen. Detta trots att det varken finns en flygplats eller tågstation i närheten. Eftersom jag älskar att åka längdskidor har jag länge velat uppleva vad det är som gör Bruksvallarna så speciellt att världseliten tycker att det är värt besväret att ta sig ända hit. I flera år har jag försökt att få med mig familjen på en resa till Bruksvallarna men varje år har jag blivit nedröstad på grund av avståndet, kylan och bristen på alternativ aktivitet till längdskidåkningen. Till sist hittade jag en skidklubb i Lund (IF Ski Team Skåne) som varje år åker till Bruksvallarna med cirka 90 deltagare av blandad nivå. Mina två väninnor och jag hade turen att få plats på detta äventyr trots att vi varken hade åkt rullskidor (skåningarnas lott…) eller hade några snabba tider i spåren att skryta med. Bussresan från Lund tog mer än 14 timmar. Lite typiskt visade det sig nämligen att Skåne, som aldrig annars har snö i december, vid just detta tillfälle hade såväl ett snötäcke som några minusgrader, vilket gjorde att resan tog längre tid än beräknat. Vi åkte alltså från ett perfekt skidväder i söder mot norr där vi visste att det var väldigt kallt och ännu
Svea vilar i kylan. Foto: Privat
mer snö. Jag sov mig igenom en stor del av resan och fick en chock när jag vaknade och såg att bussens termometer visade -27°C grader, det kallaste jag någonsin sett på en termometer. Träningslägret började direkt vid ankomst efter en fantastisk havregrynsgrötbuffé följt av en samling på temat skidteknik. Att jag från söder inte var van vid många minusgrader blev snart tydligt i spåret. Min ansiktskräm med vatten förvandlades till is i mitt ansikte och alla jag mötte kommenterade ”du är helt vit i ansiktet! Mår du bra?” För en fotonörd som jag var det också svårt att acceptera att det helt enkelt var för kallt för att kunna ta några foton utan handskar. En aktivitet som gjorde resan till Bruksvallarna alldeles unik var den kvinnliga samiska renskötaren som hade bjudits in för att hålla ett intressant föredrag om renar och hur viktigt det är att vi inte slutar äta renkött då det är samernas huvudinkomst. Efter föreläsningen
fick vi nöjet att klappa två renar som hennes make överraskade oss med. Vilken lycka för oss skåningar som högst sett en ren på Skånes djurpark tidigare! Allt eftersom dagarna gick förstod jag varför längdskidåkning i just Bruksvallarna är så populärt då allt fokus verkligen är på sport utan andra distraktioner. Det är en skön känsla att vara så fokuserad på en och samma sak. I tider som dessa när vi exponeras för så många intryck och valmöjligheter är det lätt att förstå varför Bruksvallarna är en framgångssaga bland längdskidåkare – fokus på bara just snön, skidorna och spåren! S
Svea träffar och får klappa en ren när hon är i Bruksvallarna. Foto: Privat
Summary in English: Every year, the Swedish national team and other elite cross-country skiers from around the world come to train and compete in Bruksvallarna, a Nordic skiing destination in Härjedalen. Svea braced the cold to travel there and was impressed by the many trails, reindeer, and lack of distractions. Footnote: Yvonne “Svea” Gossner är en f.d universitetsadjunkt och Swedish influencer, numera ägare av Learn Swedish Culture AB. www.learnswedishculture.com
Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 9
A Brief Franco-Swedish History
Sweden and France have developed surprisingly deep ties through centuries of political, military, cultural, and industrial collaboration. Today, Paris is home to the largest number of Swedish institutions in the world.
T
he Viking raids in western France during the 8th and 9th centuries, the plundering along the Seine, and the siege of Paris might seem a questionable start to this thousand-year-old friendship,” writes Frank Belfrage, Sweden's ambassador to France from 2001 to 2006. Nevertheless, “the warriors from the North transformed into dynamic traders and administrators, who made impactful contributions to the development of their new homeland.” With the dissolution of the Kalmar Union and Gustav Vasa's accession to the throne in 1523, Sweden turned to France in search of a new ally that could counterbalance the Hanseatic League's monopolistic dominance in Northern Europe. Trade and security went hand in hand, and in 1542, the first-ever agreement between the two countries was signed. It encompassed mutual defense commitments as well as farreaching free trade provisions. The Thirty Years' War, from 16181648, triggered new Franco-Swedish rapprochements. It may seem paradoxical that Lutheran Sweden, ruled by Gustav II Adolf, would become the close ally of the Catholic Cardinal Richelieu in this major European conflict with religious undertones. However, converging geopolitical interests prevailed. Sweden hoped to consolidate its emerging status Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 10
By Kajsa Norman as a great power, and France needed strong allies against the Habsburg rule in Central Europe.
1700s – From War to Romance
In 1649, Swedish Queen Christina invited the French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician René Descartes to share his knowledge with the Court in Stockholm. It marked the first of many successful SwedishFrench exchanges in the realm of research and science. Other prominent French philosophers of the Enlightenment era, such as Rousseau and Voltaire, also found an audience in Sweden through the efforts of Queen Christina.
Queen Christina conversing with René Descartes. Photo: common.wikimedia.org
In the 1770s, French cultural influence grew during the reign of Gustav III. The architecture, interior design, and artistic embellishments of the Royal Palace are among many examples of how the era was shaped by French aesthetics.
Exchanges in the scientific and cultural domains also inspired romances, such as the relationship between Queen Marie Antoinette and count Axel von Fersen of Sweden. Von Fersen was a welcome guest in 18th century Paris. He was a successful politician and career soldier, having served in the French army as well as in the American Revolution, where he made the acquaintance of George Washington. Von Fersen was introduced to Antoinette in 1778, and according to reports at the time, sparks flew the moment they met. In the years immediately following, von Fersen commuted between Stockholm and Paris, and in 1789 he was assigned by the Swedish king to observe and report on the developments leading up to the French Revolution. In February 1791, von Fersen and Marie Antoinette met in secret, for the last time. Von Fersen made his way to Belgium, where he tried, and failed, to help the French royal family escape. Antoinette was famously executed at the guillotine on October 16, 1793, at Place de la Révolution in Paris.
1810 – Enter the French Heir to the Throne
In 1810, the Swedish parliament unexpectedly elected the French Marshal, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, as the heir-presumptive (Crown Prince) to the childless King Karl (Charles) XIII of Sweden. After being adopted by the
king, Bernadotte took the name Karl Johan and was named regent, and generalissimo of the Swedish Armed Forces. For most of his time as Crown Prince, he acted as de facto head of state and many hoped that this gifted general, who had been named a Marshal of the Empire by Napoleon himself, would reconquer Finland from Russia. However, given his extensive military background, King Karl XIV Johan was all too aware of the devastating social and economic impacts of war. Consequently, he steered Sweden away from the various European conflicts and focused instead on developing the country’s economy and administration. As such, he is often considered the founder and architect of Sweden’s policy of neutrality.
countries with monarchies, including Sweden, officially boycotted the exposition. Nonetheless, some Swedish citizens and companies participated. For example, the exposition’s most famous structure – the Eiffel Tower – was constructed using bolts from Borgvik Ironworks in Värmland.
The Eiffel Tower constructed with Swedish bolts.
Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte – King Karl XIV Johan of Sweden. Photo: common.wikimedia.org
Late 1800s – Engineers, Poets, and Inventors
In 1889, the Paris Exhibition was held to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille, marking the beginning of the French Revolution. Because the exposition celebrated the overthrow of the French monarchy, nearly all European
Swedish products were reputed among the French for their high quality, which may explain why French author and poet Jules Verne, in his novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, had Captain Nemo's submarine, the Nautilus, powered by an engine from the Swedish Motala Machinery. In real life, Motala Machinery constructed 57 of the world's first oil tankers to be used in the Caspian Sea by the oil company Branobel, run by the brothers Robert and Ludwig Nobel. Their more famous brother, Alfred, also lived there for some time, but his main residence since the 1870s was in Paris. Alfred remained in France until shortly before his death, and the desk on which his famous will was signed in 1895 is at the Swedish Club in Paris. Founded in 1891, the Swedish
Club in Paris, or “Le Cercle Suédois,” still exists today. It was long located on Rue Chaussée d’Antin, but since 1936, the Club has been situated on 242 Rue de Tivoli, near Place de la Concorde in the heart of Paris, with a breathtaking view of the Tuileries Gardens. Rumor has it, the relocation was driven by neighbors complaining about the overbearing smell of fermented herring. Today, the bar and restaurant welcome members and their guests for Nordic-themed events celebrating Swedish traditions and culture. Thanks to its long history, the club boasts an impressive art collection. Besides Alfred Nobel's famous desk where the legendary will was signed, there's the sculpture “Grodan” (The Frog) by Per Hasselberg. It was sculpted for the 1889 Paris Exhibition and was gifted to the club the following year. Paintings by renown Swedish artist such as Anders Zorn also adorn the walls. Zorn reportedly received a mere 200 Francs for the first four etchings on display. “Yes, of course, I am Swedish,” he wrote in the guestbook, before signing it “Zorn”.
Per Hasselberg creating The Frog in his Stockholm studio. Photo: common.wikimedia.org
Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 11
Swedish-French trade expanded significantly through the industrialization period. The Swedish Chamber of Commerce in France was established in 1915, in the midst of World War I, to support Swedish companies and foster Swedish-French trade relations. “The first two Swedish multinational company establishments abroad occurred in France in the early 1900s: Alfa Laval and SKF,” notes Gîta Paterson, president of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in France. Innovation-focused Swedish companies like Ericsson, Alfa Laval, SKF, Electrolux, Volvo, ABB, Sandvik, and Atlas Copco, laid a strong foundation for the modern French-Swedish economic cooperation that would characterize the first half of the 20th century. After the Second World War, tourism grew rapidly, especially from Sweden to France, significantly strengthening the interpersonal ties between the two countries. France be-
came the world's most popular tourist destination, with Paris as the most visited city. As the world's cultural capital, Paris would eventually become the location for Sweden's only cultural center abroad, “Institut suédois,” which opened its doors in 1971. Alongside its permanent art exhibition reflecting Franco-Swedish relations over the centuries, the Institute regularly features exhibitions of contemporary Swedish art, design, cinema, music, and literature. The courtyard and garden are also open to the public and are used for some of the Institute’s cultural activities such as a summer library, open-air cinema, concerts, contemporary art installations, and open-air exhibitions. With Sweden's entry into the European Union in 1995, the political and economic cooperation with France deepened once more. France held the EU presidency in the first half of 1995, and it was President Jacques Chirac who welcomed Sweden to the European Union.
Garden and courtyard of Hotel de Marle in Paris, France, home to the Swedish institute Centre culturel suédois. Photo: common.wikimedia.org
Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 12
The 21st Century
Photo: volvoce.com
1900s – Getting Down to Business
Former Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and the French President Emmanuel Macron.
Both Sweden and France have a strong commitment to climate issues. In 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron and then-Prime Minister Stefan Löfven signed a French-Swedish innovation partnership focused on green solutions for transportation, clean energy, and smart cities. In 2024, the two countries are entering into an updated version of their partnership, developed to enhance European competitiveness, focusing on areas such as security and defence, energy, electrification, forestry, mobility, green transition and digitalisation. It takes into account new developments in nuclear energy, as well as the recent changes to the security landscape affected by the ongoing war in Europe and Sweden’s upcoming entry into NATO. Today, Paris hosts the largest number of Swedish institutions in the world. Alongside the Swedish Embassy, the Swedish Institute, Business Sweden, and the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, there is Visit Sweden, the Swedish delegations to OECD and UNESCO, two Swedish schools (including a high school), the Swedish student residence at Cité Universitaire, and the Swedish church. Source: The Swedish Chamber of Commerce in France
Swedes Who Left Their Mark on France and the World Raoul Nordling
R
aoul Nordling was born in Paris in 1881 to a French mother and a Swedish father. He spent his entire life in France, except for a brief period serving in the Swedish military. Through film and theater, he has become one of the most famous Swedes in French contemporary history. Raoul’s father, Gustav Nordling, was a successful businessman and the Swedish Consul General in Paris. The role was passed down to Raoul, who became Vice Consul in 1905 at the age of 24, Consul in 1917, and, following his father's passing, Consul General. Raoul inherited his father's business acumen, serving as the Chairman of the Board for SKF France from 1932 until his passing in 1962. He was also deeply involved in the founding of Alfa Laval France and the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in France. However, it was towards the end of World War II, during the dramatic days before the liberation of Paris, that Raoul Nordling would leave his true mark on history. As one of only two remaining foreign diplomats in Paris during the war, Nordling managed to develop a close relationship
with the German commander of the occupation forces, General Dietrich von Choltitz. In August 1944, General von Choltitz received orders to detonate the many bombs that had been planted throughout Paris, effectively destroying the city before its liberation. However, it's said that Nordling, through his personal influence and negotiations with von Choltitz, managed to persuade him to spare the city from destruction. Prior to leading the negotiations resulting in the ultimate ceasefire between the Germans and the resistance, Nordling also persuaded the German commander to hand over 3,245 French political prisoners to Sweden and the Red Cross instead of transporting them to concentration camps. In recognition of his efforts, France awarded Raoul Nordling the Croix de Guerre with Palm in 1949 and the rare title of Honorary Citizen of the City of Paris in 1958.
Alfred Nobel
O
n November 26, 1895, Alfred Nobel sat at a desk at the Swedish Club on rue Chaussée d’Antin in Paris and penned his third and final will, which would make him even more famous than his invention of dynamite. He bequeathed 33 million SEK,today the equivalent of almost 200 million USD, to the establishment of a fund, the interest on which would be used to finance five annual awards – in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace – “to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.” Alfred Nobel was born in Stock-
holm. The family was impoverished and of the eight children only Alfred and three brothers survived beyond childhood. His father Immanuel Nobel was an inventor and engineer forced into bankruptcy following various business failures. The family moved to Russia where their luck turned, and Immanuel grew successful as a manufacturer of machine tools and explosives. The family could now afford to educate young Alfred who also showed a keen interest in technology in general, and explosives in particular. Throughout his life, Alfred Nobel would travel a great deal and he became fluent in Swedish, French, Russian, English, German, and Italian. In 1873, he moved to Paris where he kept a home until 1891. A Lutheran, Alfred Nobel regularly attended the Church of Sweden in Paris, at that time led by pastor Nathan Söderblom who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1930. Nobel eventually left Paris following a dispute with French authorities, but the desk at which he wrote his famous will remains at the Swedish Club in Paris.
Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 13
Voici Gîta Paterson
Few Swedes have done more for French-Swedish trade relations than Gîta Paterson, the first female President of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in France, who has devoted her career to the promotion of Swedish relations and business developments abroad. By Kajsa Norman
G
îta Paterson was born in Stockholm but grew up in Lerum and Gothenburg. Inspired by an international environment throughout her education, her passion for foreign relations started at a young age. “I've always been interested in different cultures and cultural differences and how we can increase mutual understanding,” she says. After having studied English and German for several years, Gîta’s very first exposure to the French language, as well as to law, was at the Gothenburg Commercial High School (Göteborgs Handelsinstitut), from which she graduated before continuing with her Law School studies. International business law to support Swedish investments and company developments abroad was the early area of priority for the pursuit of Gîta’s legal studies and the platform for her future career and endeavors. She studied law at Lund University in Sweden and gained practical experiences from working in different international businesses during her summer study breaks. During one of these breaks, she also spent three months studying French at the University of Poitiers in La Rochelle. However, most of the friends she made were from England and Scotland. “So, I learned English well, but not so much French,” she laughs. After completing her L.L.M. deSwedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 14
Gîta Paterson. Photo: The Swedish Chamber of Commerce in France.
gree, Gîta received a scholarship from Rotary Foundation International for a one-year special program in international business law and management at UCLA in California, where she divided her time between the UCLA
School of Management and the UCLA School of Law. She then decided to gain some practical experience from a US international business law firm, and was offered a position as a lawyer at
a Los Angeles-based firm specializing in business law with a focus on Europe. What was meant to be a short stint lasted for nearly a decade. She continued studies in American law in parallel and would eventually start up the firm’s office in France. “I was their only European lawyer, and quickly became the representative of the International Department of the firm, attending to foreign client matters. It was an invaluable opportunity to gain experience of foreign company establishments on the US market, including complex corporate, tax, commercial, real property, securities, and arbitration matters, navigate cultural differences and build bridges between the American and the Swedish and French business worlds,” says Gîta. One European establishment of magnitude was the first French boutique center in Beverly Hills. “The principal investors and managers from France arrived and didn’t speak a word of English. My French was rather basic at the time, but as the responsible lawyer in this matter and the only spokesperson for and with the client in all business and legal communications, I quickly improved my French with the help of the client who corrected my French,” Gîta recalls. In 1987, Gîta Paterson was nominated Swedish Trade Commissioner to France by the Swedish government. She was the first female Trade Commissioner in Swedish history. After commuting a few years between the American law firm’s head office in Los Angeles and its Paris office, she then moved back to Europe to develop business between Sweden and France as the head of the Swedish Trade Council’s French office. The following
HM The King Carl XVI Gustaf, the High Protector of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in France, with the Chamber President Gîta Paterson at the inauguration ot the new Chamber premises in Paris on October 16, 2007. Copyright: The Swedish Chamber of Commerce in France. Photo: Nikolai Jakobsen.
year, she founded the SNS Center for Business and Policy Studies in Paris. “It was a new and exciting time for me. There was demand for more women in business and I received many requests to sit on boards and participate in conferences in Sweden,” she recalls. After leaving the Swedish Trade Council (today Business Sweden), Gîta was elected as a member of the board of directors of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in France. A couple of years later she was appointed as the President of the Chamber, again as the first ever female in its century long existence. In 2012, Gîta Paterson was appointed chevalier de la légion d'honneur, or Knight of the French Legion of Honor, by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and subsequently received her distinction from the French ambassador to Sweden, Jean-Pierre Lacroix. In his speech, the ambassador highlighted Gîta’s unwavering ability to advocate for the opportunities within the French busi-
ness community. Among her important distinctions she has also received HM The Swedish King’s Medal. “The French market represents a significant potential for Swedish companies. France is Europe's second-largest country and a major economy in the world,” says Gîta, adding that “the language is no longer a barrier as was often the belief in the past. Swedish-French collaborations are excellent, and France is for the fourth consecutive year the recipient country number one of Swedish investments in Europe.” Today, Gîta sits on, or chairs, a number of boards, such as the Foundation for Swedish Youth Abroad, the Swedish Chambers International, SCI, and the Swedish-French Language Foundation. She is also active as a lawyer, specializing in Swedish company establishments and business developments in France at the FTPA law firm, and the legal advisor of SWEA International which, in 2021, named her Honorary Swedish Woman of the Year. Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 15
Strindberg’s Paris Swedish novelist and playwright August Strindberg was deeply affected by Paris. Here, he wrote some of his most renowned works, but also suffered heartaches and absinthe-induced paranoia. Next time you’re in Paris, bring this guide to some of his favorite haunts. By Noelle Norman
A
ugust Strindberg was 27-years old when he visited Paris for the first time in 1876. At first, life in the French capital did not meet his expectations. Strindberg found the city to be noisy and polluted and described French cuisine as “dog food”. However, after a short séjour in the Scandinavian artist colony Grez-sur-Loing, he warmed up to the French capital, while his disgust for the “stupid and conservative” Swedish cultural life grew. In 1883, Strindberg moved to Paris with his wife Siri von Essen and their children Karin and Greta. Having insulted both the monarchy and the church back home in Sweden, he was controversial and poorly regarded. In a letter to his friend and fellow author Edvard Brandes, Strindberg wrote that by going into exile he hoped to “become a writer in earnest! Not one who does diction, but one who writes to say what he cannot speak! Ruthless!” The family’s time in Paris was marred by marital problems. His wife Siri von Essen missed Sweden and the acting career she had left behind. Strindberg was both jealous and abusive. In his short story collection Getting Married (Giftas), published in 1884, he expressed his marital frustrations. The autobiographical novel The Defence of a Fool (Le Plaidoyer d’un Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 16
fou), written in French in 1887-1888, depicts the ending of his stormy marriage with von Essen. In 1888, Strindberg also wrote his famous play Miss Julie, which he translated into French himself. In 1893, it premiered at André Antoine’s experimental Théatre Libre in Paris, where it became “an enormous sensation” according to accounts of the time. The following year, The Father, which Strindberg also translated into French, premiered at the Théatre de L’Oeuvre – where it impressed Émile Zola, one of Strindberg’s literary role models. Strindberg was becoming a recognized figure in the cultural circles of Paris. He made friends with artists like Paul Gauguin, Alphonse Mucha, and Edvard Munch, with whom he would share meals and drinks at La Crémerie on Rue de la Grande Chaumière. Strindberg and Gauguin would also play music together with the former on the guitar and the latter on the banjo. Despite his relative fame, Strindberg was always in dire economic straits and changed accommodation frequently. After a period of travels, Strindberg returned to Paris in the summer of 1894, this time with his new wife, German journalist Frida Uhl. In 1897, their marriage also fell apart. They bid their last farewells outside the Printemps department store on Boulevard
Haussmann. Strindberg spent more and more time alone, writing. The highlight of his existence became the daily visit to La Closerie des Lilas on the corner of Boulevard du Montparnasse and Boulevard St-Michel, where Strindberg would drink absinthe and read the newspaper. “At six o'clock, absinthe on the terrace of Brasserie des Lilas behind Marshal Ney has become my sole vice, my ultimate delight. Then, when the day's labors are finished, body and soul exhausted, I recuperate with the green drink, a cigarette, and Le Temps and Journal des Débats. Yet, how sweet life is when a mild intoxication draws its veil of mist over the misery of existence. […] I’m happy, purely happy under my chestnut tree behind the marshal.” However, the emotional turmoil and controversy that surrounded Strindberg, combined with his excessive consumption of absinthe, eventually became too much. Strindberg became paranoid and developed a psychosis, marked by hallucinations and delusions. The book Inferno, written in French, is a literary depiction of his religious and psychological crisis in Paris. There were, however, two places where Strindberg found peace. The first was the Luxembourg gardens, which Strindberg claimed exerted
The Luxembourg Gardens where August Strindberg used to stroll. The grave of Mathieu Orfila at Montparnasse Cemetery. The bust of August Strindberg, located behind Saint Sulphice Church, also known as Place August Strindberg. Photos: Noelle Norman
“a mysterious allure” on him. During his morning strolls, he would often wander there, drawn to the 17th century Medici Fountain. The second was the church of Saint-Sulpice, where Strindberg would sit at the foot of Eugène Delacroix’s painting of Jacob Wrestling with the Angel (La lutte de Jacob avec L’Ange). “This scene always gives me something to think about, in that it evokes ungodly notions in me, despite the orthodoxy of the subject. And when I go out again amongst the kneeling, I preserve the memory of the wrestler who stays upright despite his injured hip,” Strindberg noted. During his Inferno crisis, Strindberg was also engaged in alchemical experiments. However, nothing came of his attempts to create gold from chemicals, except for injured hands for which he had to seek medical attention. But he did not give up. At the Montparnasse Cemetery, where Strindberg loved to stroll, he would often stop by the grave of the chemist Mathieu Orfila, whom he admired greatly. In 1896, when Strindberg came across Hôtel Orfila, at 62 rue D'Assas, he took it as a sign that he was meant to live there and swiftly changed
his accommodation. Today, the house is a private residence, but a plaque on the wall serves as a reminder of the time Strindberg spent here. Strindberg’s experiments with visual art and photography were much more successful than his alchemical endeavors. During the Inferno crisis, he experimented with images of “celestial bodies”, simply laying out photographic plates on the ground and exposing them with the light of the night. He named the technique “celestography”, literally meaning to record or write (-graph) the stars or sky (celesto-). By 1897, Strindberg was doing better. He would go for long walks in Paris along the Seine and in the parks. In his diary, he noted: “I do not know of a place where you can live as calm, healthy and cheap as in Paris. Down by the Seine, opposite the Louvre next to the Institute, I pay 37 francs a month for a room on the courtyard side. After the morning coffee at 7.30, I walk along the river and go up to the Luxembourg Garden. At 9 o’clock, I am at home and at the desk. I’m locked up until 7 when I go out to dinner, which with wine costs 1 fr. 50 cents.
At 8 o‘clock, I am usually home again, and at ten o’clock I am in bed. This is how my life has gone during these three autumn months, during which I wrote the second part of Inferno. And it has been fourteen days without me speaking.” Beyond his literary legacy, Strindberg was also a talented painter. His depictions of stormy skies and troubled seas, executed with a palette knife and fingers, had an expressionistic quality that earned him recognition after his death. In 1960, Strindberg’s visual art was shown for the first time in a major exhibition in Paris. In the spring of 1898, August Strindberg left Paris for the last time. On May 14, 1912, he passed away in his home in Stockholm. However, in Paris his legacy lives on. In 2017, a bust of the author (originally created by the sculptor Carl Eldh in 1905) was erected just behind Saint Sulphice Church in the 6th arrondissement – where Strindberg used to sit and admire Delacroix’s painting La lutte de Jacob avec L’Ange. Henceforth known as Place August Strindberg, it pays tribute to the Swedish novelist and his life-long love affair with Paris. Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 17
Swedes in Congo
During the bloody civil war in Congo from 1960 to 1964, over 6,000 Swedes were deployed to enforce the will of the UN. The fighting was at times very intense, resulting in the deaths of 19 Swedish soldiers, as well as the murder of Swedish UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld. By Kajsa Norman
T
he Belgian colony of Congo gained its independence on June 30, 1960. However, the inhabitants of the new state were deeply divided. Within a week, the situation became critical. The mineral-rich southern province of Katanga, home to most of the country’s vast deposits of ore (including the uranium ore used to make the Hiroshima bomb), seceded, sparking a violent conflict that would pit the republic’s new central government against Katanga’s separatist forces. The separatists, in turn, received covert military and technical backing from the Belgian government, Western mining companies, European mercenaries, the CIA, and others interested in wielding influence over Katanga’s resources. Patrice Lumumba, the republic’s first democratically elected prime minister, appealed to the Soviet Union for military support, prompting Western powers to align in support of his opponent President Joseph Kasavubu in the internal Congolese power struggle. In New York City, Dag Hammarskjöld, the Swedish Secretary-General of the UN since April 1953, was concerned that the involvement of the superpowers would cause the Congolese conflict to escalate and become a proxy battle allowing the Cold War to take root in Central Africa. He also believed that Katanga’s secession Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 18
KATANGA Today, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has a population of around 112 million, making it the most populous officially Francophone country in the world. It is also the second largest country on the African continent (after Algeria), covering a land area exceeding that of Sweden, Norway, Spain, France, and Germany combined.
would pose an existential threat to Congo. During his tenure as UN Secretary-General, Hammarskjöld had worked hard to make the UN more effective, and he consistently emphasized that the UN’s raison d être was to protect small nations from abuses by superpowers. This made him unpopular with both the USA and the Soviet Union, whose leader Nikita Khrushchev unsuccessfully tried to have Hammarskjöld removed. During the Suez Crisis in 1956, Hammarskjöld first began to advocate for the UN to intervene and pacify conflicts by deploying its own troops, provided by member states. Thus, the peacekeeping “blue helmets” were created.
Four years later, Hammarskjöld first invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, which states that: “The SecretaryGeneral may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.” Hoping to restore peace and order in the vast country, Hammarskjöld launched a UN Operation in Congo (ONUC). UN battalions consisting of 4,000 soldiers from Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Morocco, and Tunisia were deployed. The UN intervention in Congo began with peacekeeping ambitions but the troops became increasingly dragged into the conflict. However, Hammarskjöld did not want the UN to withdraw from Congo, fearing that
Left photo: Major General Curt Göransson salutes the Swedish flag and the Swedish UN troops on his arrival in Elizabethville, Congo. Next to him is Colonel Jonas Wærn and Colonel Olaf Egge (with dark glasses). Middle photo: Swedish ONUC peacekeeper in the Congo. Right photo: Swedish troops plan offensive actions for Operation Grandslam, 1963. Photos: commons.wikimedia.org
ethnic violence would then explode. Instead, reinforcements were needed, he argued. On July 17, 1960, Hammarskjöld requested the Swedish government to transfer the Swedish UN battalion in Gaza to Congo. It arrived in Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) on July 22, and in August, the Swedish battalion was transferred to Elisabethville (now Lubumbashi) in Katanga, where it focused on city surveillance, rural patrols, and escorting trains of refugees. In September 1960, the Congolese crisis intensified. Different political factions, each with its own military forces, and the army under General Joseph Désiré Mobutu (later known as dictator Mobutu Sese Seko), struggled for influence. Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba was kicked out of office and on January 17, 1961, he was assassinated (with the help of Belgium and the CIA). In February 1961, the Security Council granted ONUC the mandate to use necessary force to prevent a full-scale civil war in Congo. It would take until the summer of 1961 before the nearly year-long constitutional crisis was resolved. In late August, Cyril Adoula was appointed Prime Minister by President Kasavubu, and he later received support from both chambers of the reunited Congolese Parliament. However, the most difficult task
remained. The breakaway province of Katanga had to be reintegrated into Congo, a mission assigned to UN forces from Sweden, Ethiopia, India, and Ireland. They had to face Katanga's gendarmerie led by white officers, many of whom were mercenaries. In September 1961, Operation Morthor commenced. Under this operation, UN forces arrested several mercenaries, occupied strategic positions, and tried to secure control over Elisabethville. This resulted in an open conflict between the UN and Katanga's gendarmerie. The operation angered both U.S. and British authorities, who had not been consulted beforehand, as well as the mining interests backing the Katangese rebels. In the hopes of mediating an end to the conflict, on September 17, 1961, Hammarskjöld traveled to meet with separatist leader Moïse Tshombe. However, he never arrived. Around midnight, his plane crashed near the Congolese border. Hammarskjöld and 15 other people died in the crash, the cause of which could not be determined at the time. Hammarskjöld’s mysterious death fueled countless conspiracy theories and inspired many books. While nobody could be held accountable, many leads pointed to a European mercenary group employed by a Belgian mining com-
pany which feared Hammarskjöld’s peacemaking would jeopardize their business interests in the mineral-rich state of Katanga. In 1992, two of Hammarskjöld’s top advisors, Conor Cruise O’Brien and George Ivan Smith, wrote in the Guardian that they had evidence that their boss’s plane had been shot down by mercenaries in the employ of Belgian, American, and British mining interests. However, it would take years before a proper investigation was carried out. In 2013, the Hammarskjold Commission concluded in its final report that “[t]here is persuasive evidence that the aircraft was subjected to some form of attack or threat as it circled to land at Ndola.” In 2014, newly declassified documents also revealed that a former U.S. Air Force Security Service officer overheard transmissions of an attack the night of the crash, indicating that the plane was shot down. The recordings were sent to Washington and two days after Hammarskjöld's death, former U.S. President Harry Truman insinuated to reporters that the Secretary-General had been assassinated, saying he “was on the point of getting something done when they killed him. Notice that I said ‘when they killed him.’” However, the U.S. Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 19
Portrait of Dag Hammarskjöld, Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1953 until his death in 1961. Photo: UN Photo/JO
has declined to provide investigators with transcripts of the recordings which are deemed to be classified. On November 24, just over a month after Hammarskjöld’s death, the Security Council explicitly supported ONUC to apprehend mercenaries and reunify Katanga with Congo. For the first time in its history, the UN shifted from peacekeeping to outright peace enforcement. Katanga gendarmes set up roadblocks inside Elisabethville. Several UN soldiers were arrested, and some of them were killed or injured. Open clashes broke out on December 5, and both the Irish and Swedish units were surrounded by the gendarmerie but managed to hold their positions until reinforcements were flown into Elisabethville from other parts of Congo. During Operation Morthor, ONUC's efforts were partially disrupted by Katanga's planes flown by mercenaries. Therefore, Sweden, following a Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 20
request from the UN, sent five J 29 fighter planes (“Flying Barrel”) to Léopoldville in October 1961. Alongside air forces from Ethiopia and India, the Swedish jet planes operated during the December battles. Almost a year of negotiations ensued before the situation deteriorated again in December 1962, with Katanga's gendarmes repeatedly firing at UN troops. ONUC then launched a strong counter-offensive. By now, the air force had received reinforcements in the form of the Swedish F 22 Kongo squadron. In December 1962, the strengthened UN air force swiftly eliminated Katanga's air force, gaining full control of the airspace. By December 30, 1962, they had complete control over Elisabethville. After several setbacks, Katanga's defense collapsed. On January 14, 1963, separatist leader Moïse Tshombe informed the UN that his government was ready to cease the
secession, guarantee full freedom of movement for ONUC troops, and accept the UN chief's plan for national reconciliation in Congo. Thus, the most crucial part of the Congo mission was over. However, UN forces stayed on for over a year, until June 1964 – partly to oversee the process as Katanga re-entered Congo and partly to train the government army. The last Swedish battalion left Congo in mid-May 1964. By then, 6,332 Swedes had served in ONUC. As UN forces began to withdraw, other regions in Congo exploded into violent uprisings and massacres. However, the rebel movements were deeply divided internally. Ministers were dismissed and replaced at a furious pace until army chief General Mobutu Sese Seko seized power on November 24, 1965, in a military coup. He would rule Congo (renamed Zaire in 1970) as a dictator until 1997.
[Interview]
Bonjour Hej, Monsieur Gagnon! Meet Charles G. Gagnon, the Honorary Consul General at the Swedish Consulate in Quebec City.
T
he first Swedish consulate in Canada was established in Quebec City in 1850. By the end of the 19th century, there were Swedish vice-consulates all along the St Lawrence River. Commercial ships from Sweden did timber trade along the river, so at Montreal, Saguenay, and many other places along the south shore where river drives could bring logs from the interior to the coastline, there was a vice-consul”, says Charles Gagnon. “The consul in Quebec City was responsible for the supervision of all these vice-consulates, but in the early 20th century, when there was no longer a need for their services, they were abolished.” Today, the consulate's role includes providing consular services and assistance to Swedish citizens and businesses, and generally acting as an antenna for the Swedish embassy in Ottawa to which it reports. Born in Rimouski and raised in Quebec City, Gagnon is a business lawyer who was appointed as Swedish Honorary Consul General in November 2015, succeeding his colleague and partner at the law firm, the late Paule Gauthier, who acted as Honorary Consul General for more than 21 years. The meeting room at the law firm where Gagnon deals with consular matters has been named after her. Gagnon estimates over a thousand Swedish nationals live in the province of Quebec, with about 80 percent of them in Montreal.
By Kajsa Norman “The unofficial information we have is mostly based on national surveys made from time to time by the Government of Canada which include questions about nationality and spoken language, but since we can’t keep personal records by law, we don’t know exact numbers. We meet some of them when they come here for the delivery of passport or to vote at Swedish elections,” he says. “We have some Swedish students at Laval university, but most Swedes who live here are either dual citizens or married to a Quebecer. Some come for work for a limited time at one of the Swedish companies with a presence here.” However, the widespread use of online services is making it harder to stay informed about who has ties to Sweden. “There was a time when everybody came to the Consulate because everything was on paper, but now so much information is available online that we miss that direct connection, particularly with young people,” says Gagnon. He believes there are many similarities between Quebec and Sweden. “In Quebec we like to think of ourselves as the European gateway to North America and I would say that Quebec is the province in Canada that is most like Sweden. The size of the population is comparable, about 8.5 million versus 10 million. The wildlife,
Photo: Marc-Antoine Hallé
the trees, and nature are reminiscent of Sweden. There are also many cultural similarities noticeable in the attitudes of the people,” he says. Gagnon has visited Sweden twice and is planning to return. “When becoming consul, I was already familiar with Sweden in general, but what surprised me was that people were less introverted than I had expected. There is a stereotype about Swedes as being very reserved and that it takes time to get acquainted with a Swede. I have not found this to be true. On the contrary, I’ve found Swedes to be very friendly from the beginning, so in that sense it has been easier than expected to get to know people and connect.” Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 21
Île Ronde, the small island in the centre. Photo: Nature Conservancy of Canada.
Île Vikström – A Swede’s Lifelong Mission to Protect an Island in Quebec At the age of 93, Thor Vikström, a Swedish entrepreneur living in Quebec, donated the island Île Ronde to the Nature Conservancy of Canada to preserve it as a habitat for birds and vulnerable turtle species. "It's just a good feeling in my heart. I know this will be there forever," he told CBC News. By Kajsa Norman
I
n 1962, Thor Vikström moved to Canada from Sweden with his wife and their first-born son. They settled in Quebec where they eventually founded Scanada, a successful family company in the hydraulics industry. As an entrepreneur, Vikström was a specialist in slipform technology, used to build highrises, towers, and agricultural silos. He was consulted on prestigious projects such as the construction of the CN Tower. The family settled in a riverside home in Laval, Quebec. From their Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 22
window, they overlooked Île Ronde and for over 50 years, Vikström watched the seasons change. He particularly cherished springtime when the wood ducks would call after their ducklings. Nestled between the two major cities of Montreal and Laval, Île Ronde is located in the middle of Rivière-desprairies, near Lake of Two Mountains, where the Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers meet. As the cities grew, many of the shores nearby were built up and lined with concrete walls, making
them inaccessible to turtles. In the late 1960s, Vikström purchased Île Ronde with the intent of protecting it and he has owned and cared for the land ever since. Despite many offers from urban developers, Vikström has consistently refused to sell. “I bought the island because I couldn't see it destroyed,” Vikström said in an interview with CBC News at his home in Laval, Quebec. “Nature was more important than some stupid money in my pocket. I
The island is home to the northern map turtle, a species that is federally designated as being of special concern and as vulnerable in Quebec. Photo: Nature Conservancy of Canada.
Thor Vikström from Sweden, immigrated to Quebec in 1962.
said, 'This is something [that's] got to be preserved,' and I kept my word.” Now, nature lovers thank him as the seven-acre island is a nearly untouched habitat in the middle of an urban centre, its natural shoreline intact and its forest and marshland teeming with biodiversity. Vikström’s donation to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, a private, not-for-profit organization, ensures the island will remain protected for future generations. “I trust my children; I'm sure they'll protect the island. But what happens after my children [are] gone?” The island is home to the northern map turtle, a species that is federally designated as being of special concern and as vulnerable in Quebec. It is named after the patterns on its shell which resemble a map. “Turtles don't climb concrete walls really well, so having access to the natural shoreline will give them natural nesting sites, as well as bask-
“This species is remarkable for its bark that literally peels off the trunk. It can be seen throughout the forest made up of maple hickory stands that cover the entire area around the Lake of Two Mountains. It is really a priority for the Nature Conservancy to ensure the protection of these tree stands,” said Bonin. The conservancy called the donation of Île Ronde, henceforth known as Île Vikström, terrific news, saying that it sends a message of hope. “For us it is an exemplary gesture. I hope that this act of the Vikström family, the leadership of Thor, will inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs, the next generation of winners, to also contribute to the protection of our beautiful nature for future generations,” said Bonin. “This island is more valuable than millions of dollars, because its nature is irreplaceable. That is why I have always refused to sell it. Now I know that it will be protected forever,” said Vikström, wiping away a tear.
ing opportunities, which is essential for their living,” biologist Sébastien Rouleau told CBC. He researches map turtles and coordinates research and conservation at the Zoo Ecomuseum in SainteAnne-de-Bellevue, Quebec. Rouleau said the donation of Île Ronde, with its natural shoreline, is particularly great news for the turtles, which are sensitive to human activity. “The turtles use the banks and rocks to warm up in the sun and when the time comes, they head up onto the beach to lay their eggs. Especially on the sides most exposed to the sun,” said Joël Bonin, associate vice-president for the Nature Conservancy of Canada in the Quebec Region. Île Ronde is mostly forested, with a small marsh in the middle. It is also home to a variety of waterbirds, including wood ducks, American pigeon, and gadwall, as well as a unique tree species, called the shagbark hickory.
Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 23
H ERI TAG E
Chemin Swede Memories from Swedeville, QC By Jim Knutson
S
wedeville was the area up around the old Knutson sawmill, about a mile out of Waterville, Quebec. It consisted of the Nilssons, the Bergstrands, the four Knutson families, and the Reeds and Topes, who had married Swedish wives. For some reason, the townspeople called it Swedeville, even though it was almost half Norwegian. No one knew the difference, I suppose. Anyway, the name stuck. Today the road sign reads Chemin Swede. Growing up there in the 1940s, life was centered around the sawmill. It was run by a steam engine, and that was pretty exciting to see. Also, it smelled good; the
Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 24
Illustration: William Cripps, Stanstead Journal, August 16, 1951
steam and the oil and the smoke. Frank and Olaf Knutson ran the machinery, with the help of Faba Wahlgren. John Knutson ran the business affairs. Their father Johan generally kept an eye on the “boys” even though they were grown men. He also kept an eye on us children, to try to keep us out of trouble. There were plenty of ways for curious children to get hurt in that place. You could get cut, bruised, burned, scalded, pinched or punctured and we tried them all. It's a miracle we grew up with all of our fingers, eyes, teeth and limbs. At one time, Swedeville had extended all the way to the western edge of Waterville. Every piece of property
had been settled by a Swedish family. There were Carlquists, Andersons, Svensons, Hansons, Karlssons and many more in Waterville itself. They arrived in the late 1800s, largely due to the efforts of Charles Olaf Swanson who had come here from Sweden in 1869. He was said to be an agent for the Dominion government and actively recruited emigrants from Sweden and Norway. They came here because, like most emigrants, there was no place for them in their homeland. No land, no inheritance, no job, no hope. In Canada there were jobs. Not great jobs, mind you, but at least a means to a better life than they had known. Generally the young men found factory or trade work, which enabled them to save enough money to buy land after a few years. Land was the only security they understood. The young women found service work on farms. Within a few years, most were married and raising families. Large families too. It was not uncommon to have at least five children. Some had eight or more. But survival rates were poor, and not all of those children lived to grow up. The usual childhood diseases and accidents took their toll. The flu after World War I was especially cruel. Some of the dead lie in an old overgrown cemetery east of Waterville along the railway tracks. Some are in Greenwood Cemetery, which opened in 1898, and a few in the Anglican cemetery. Death lurked everywhere, it seemed, so we grew up with quite a number of taboos. Don't swim within an hour of eating a meal, never drink milk and eat chokecherries, never eat green apples, keep your fingers out of your mouth, especially at the fair, keep off railway bridges, keep away from wells, don't jump into a hay mow. Each of these lessons had been learned the hard way in some family or other. The Waterville Swedish community lasted about two generations. At least half of the original immigrants married other Swedes, or Norwegians. Many Swedes married English. A few married French. The latter usually meant a change of religion for one of the parties, a serious matter in those days. The Scandinavians were mainly of Lutheran origin, but tended to leave that church behind when they emigrated. The Congregational Church was more to their liking. Here was a church where they could be in charge. It is not an exaggeration to say that the Swedish people and their descendants were the backbone of the Waterville Congregational Church, (now the United Church). Several of the present members have
Swedish roots. What were the people like? Well, as in any community there were the saints and the sinners. Whenever a child was born, there was only one person to call, Mathilda Nilsson. If she couldn't handle it, the doctor probably couldn't either. Her son Stuart had a similar gift, with animals. Sad to say, Stuart became a miner, and one day lost his sight in a dynamite blast. Johan Knutson and his brother Mathias lived across the road from each other, and generally were of opposite minds on everything else as well. During World War II, Johan would report some piece of news he had heard on the radio. Mathias was doubtful. So he bought a bigger radio. Bigger radio, better news. That was the idea. Nathaniel Bergstrand was a granite worker. He made monuments and did lettering. One time at Barnston Cemetery he bent down to commence work on a stone, and sat directly on a broken bottle that someone had left flowers in. It is better imagined, than described. It is a wonder he didn't bleed to death. Somehow he managed to get to the hospital and get sewn up. His car seat was forever stained. Faba Wahlgren drank a lot. He also sang and played the accordion. But never at night. Black air was bad for the reeds, he said. One of his songs was about Jonah and the whale. This was not a song you would sing in church. He would sing a little and then translate into English. I don't remember what it was all about, but we laughed along with him. The humour must have been in the telling. The Swedes are gone now. Fifty or more of them are buried in Greenwood Cemetery. Entire families have moved on, mostly to Ontario and USA. Only a few descendants are still in this area. Just as in Sweden over a century ago, we miss the ones who have gone. In Sweden, many a Church record shows simply “til Amerika”. Gone to America. Swedeville was but a temporary stop on that jourWaterville United Church. ney.
Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 25
[Life in Paris]
Noelle in Paris
Learning how to kiss, or do “la bise”, is essential if one hopes to get by in France. Since August of last year, I’ve been living as a Swedish STS exchange student in Poissy, just outside Paris. Here’s how I’m adjusting to life with a French family. By Noelle Norman
S
Noelle together with her friends. Photo: Private
trangers in swim trunks and bikinis lean in to kiss me. I am very uncomfortable. It is one of my first weekends with my French host family and we’re attending a pool party. La bise, the classic French greeting, is a science in and of itself. In its basic form, a person gently bumps cheeks with another person while making a kissing sound (basically like an air kiss). However, the exact procedure depends on the person and region in which la bise is performed. Some don’t make the kissing sound. Some actually kiss the other person’s cheeks. Some do it once, others twice, others three Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 26
times. In most parts of France, the right cheek is first, but in the South-East it’s the left cheek first. This knowledge is all very essential to avoid the bunglingness of when one person swerves right and the other left, making for an almost real, lips-to-lips kiss. Despite having been instructed on all of this, I am at a complete loss when these half-naked strangers approach for what seems to me a much too intimate greeting. Luckily, we have just arrived at the pool, and I am still fully clothed. I blush at the mere thought of having to do this donning a bikini. As an exchange student on the
Classic Program, one never knows exactly where in the host country one will end up. I was placed in Poissy, a calm little town on the outskirts of Paris, in a comfortable white house with a red gate and a garden with chickens. I live with a caring family with three teenage children, two of whom live in their own apartments during the week but return home on weekends. It’s a double placement, meaning that another exchange student, Alicia from the German part of Switzerland, is also living with the family. We’re roommates, providing friendship and support as we both adjust to the rhythms of French life.
Poissy turned out to be the ideal location – only 30 minutes by train to the heart of Paris, but still far enough to sleep surrounded by quiet streets and the luxury of a horse nearby whenever we feel like going for a ride in the forest. On weekends, I like to head to Paris with friends as often as possible. One particularly memorable visit took place during Paris Fashion Week in early October. While my friend and I didn’t have tickets to any fashion shows, there were people donning outrageous outfits everywhere and we even spotted a couple of celebrities just wandering around town. Despite a great placement and plenty of warnings, the extent of the cultural shock I experienced initially took me by surprise. I’ve had to get accustomed to seemingly unreasonable mealtimes (like dinner at 10 pm), school days from 8 am to 6 pm, small manual cars, and an entirely new way of dressing, to name a few. However, as my host family keeps reminding me, there is an IKEA not too far away if I ever get too homesick. In Sweden, we call teachers by their first names as they are seen as the student’s equal. Here in France, I call my teachers by Monsieur or Madame followed by their last name. While that is nothing new for North Americans, what surprised me is that the teachers use the polite vous form with students as well, stressing the distance between the teacher and student. Most French teachers are pretty strict, but the friendly and supportive students at my high school make up for it. Once in my philosophy class, I had to read a very complex text out loud, and I stumbled over the passage with dubious pronunciation. When I finally reached the end, the teacher asked me to explain the passage to the class. When I had
Top left: Alicia and Noelle taking the family horse for a stroll. Top right: At a café in Paris with friends. Bottom: At a pool party with friends of the host family. Photos: Private.
finished speaking, the class burst out in applause. The support of my classmates really lifts my spirits. My French is actually progressing at a rapid pace. I’m adopting some of my favorite argot (slang) from my peers and learning how to better express myself like a native in this foreign tongue. However, as my host family jokes, I will only ever master impeccable French accents and pronunciation once I learn to enjoy eating moldy cheese, a distaste for which I have yet to overcome. In this new life, I venture to try things I have never tried before. My host family is very involved with scouts and the MEJ (a Catholic organization for children), so now I’ve become involved too. I’ve started playing volleyball and have made good friends there. My host mom and Alicia play a lot of tennis, so I try to play tennis as well
(despite mediocre hand-eye coordination). As a general rule, I have tried to abandon old conceptions of ‘I like this’ or ‘I don’t like this’, and I challenge myself to say yes to every opportunity and give everything a try just to see how it goes. So far, it has been going well. While tough at times, I would encourage any teenager who has the opportunity to take part in a student exchange. For me, it has been a very empowering feeling to learn that I can start afresh in a new country, at a new school, and in a new language, and still be able to build a good life for myself from scratch in a fairly short time. And if I can do it, so can you! STS Education Group is a Swedish organization working with cultural exchange since 1958. STS offers high school exchange programs for students aged 14–18 years. The programs last 3–12 months and are offered in 21 countries worldwide. Please visit www.sts-education.com for information and inspiration.
Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 27
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
26
Calendar & Events
28
30
32
34
36
A guide to fun and interesting Swedish events outside Sweden
66
64
62
60
58
56
54
66
CHICAGO Swedish American Museum 5211 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60640 Tel: 773-728 8111 | info@samac.org www.swedishamericanmuseum.org Sign up for the events on website. See the webiste for our Swedish Language classes. Feb 15 – Thur 5:45pm: Dinner & A Movie Ongoing through Mar 3 – Exhibition: Some of My Own by Jenny Mörtsell. Ongoing through Mar 30 – Exhibition: What You See Is What You Get, by Johan Wahlstrom. DETROIT Swedish Club of Southeast Michigan 22398 Ruth St, Farmington Hills, MI 48336 Tel: 248-478-2563 | www.swedishclub.net We have monthly meetings and meals at 1:00 on Sundays, unless the Sunday falls on a holiday weekend and then we gather on the second Sunday of the month. For those of you who are interested in "brushing-up" on your Swedish language skills, language classes are provided at the Club. MINNEAPOLIS American Swedish Institute 2600 Park Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55407 Tel: 612-871 4907 | www.asimn.org Feb 3-May 26 – Exhibition: Artic Highways: Unbounded Indigenous People. A special traveling exhibition featuring the artwork and duodji handcrafts of 12 Indigenous artists from Sápmi and North America. PHILADELPHIA American Swedish Historical Museum 1900 Pattison Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19145 | Tel: 215-389 1776 | info@americanswedish.org | www.americanswedish.org There is always something going on at the American Swedish Historical Museum. Feb 10 – Sat 11am: Semlor & A Movie Ongoing through Feb 18 – Exhibition: Karin Larsson: Let the Hand Be Seen Mar 9 – Sat 7-10pm: extrABBAganza! ABBA Dance Party Upcoming Mar 15 - Sept 22– Exhibition: Swedish Folk Weavings for Marriage, Carriage, and Home 1750 to 1840. 8
10
12
Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 28
14
16
PORTLAND Nordic Northwest Nordia House, 8800 SW Oleson Rd., Portland, OR 97223 | Tel: 503-977 0275 www.nordicnorthwest.org All events please register on website. Feb 11 – Sun 2-5pm: Fastelavn: Nordic Kids Carnival Feb 13, 27, Mar 12 – 10-11:30am: Nordic Coffee Hour Ongoing through Apr 24 – Exhibition: Sauna is Life: Sauna Culture in Finland SEATTLE Swedish Cultural Center 1920 Dexter Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109 Tel: 206-283 1090 | www.swedishclubnw.org info@swedishculturalcenter.org Fridays – 2nd Fri. of the month: Maker's Morning Fridays at the Club – 5pm Happy Hour/6:30pm: Dinner in the dining room Brunch at the Club – Sun 11am Mar 3 – Sun 8am-1pm: Pancake Breakfast Buy tickets online. National Nordic Museum 2655 NW Market Street, Seattle, WA 98107 Tel: 206-789 5707 | nordic@nordicmuseum.org www.nordicmuseum.org. Various events – in-person or online. Please visit our website for updates. Buy tickets or register online. Feb 16 – Fri 6:30-9pm: Northern Lights Auktion Kick-Off Party Feb 20 – Tue 11am-2pm: Family Art Day: La Vaughn Belle Feb 22, Mar 14 – 6pm: Fact & Fiction: The Lord of the Rings Ongoing through Mar 10 – Søren Solkær: Black Sun WASHINGTON, DC Embassy of Sweden 2900 K Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20007 Tel: 202-467 2600 | www.swedenabroad.com ambassaden.washington@gov.se Visiting and telephone hours: Mon-Fri 9am4pm (closed for lunch 12-1pm)
OTTAWA Embassy of Sweden 377 Dalhousie Street, Suite 305, Ottawa ON K1N 9NB Tel: 613-244 8200 www.swedenabroad.se/en/embassies/ canada-ottawa/ General inquiries: ambassaden.ottawa@gov.se Work and Residence Permit Inquiries: sweden.ottawa.permits@gov.se Visiting hours: Mon-Fri 9am-12 noon. Phone hours are: Mon-Fri 10am-12 noon TORONTO Swedish Lutheran Church New address: 1847 Bayview Ave, East York, ON, M4G 3E4 toronto@svenskakyrkan.se Tel: 416 486-0466 Please visit www.svenskakyrkan.se/toronto Mobil präst i Nordamerika: Maria Scharffenberg; e-mail: maria.scharffenberg@svenskakyrkan.se VANCOUVER Scandinavian Community Centre 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC V5B 4P9 Tel: 604-294 2777 | info@scancentre.org www.scancentre.org Please visit our website for more info and to see our events. WINNIPEG Swedish Cultural Assoc of Manitoba Scandinavian Cultural Centre 764 Erin St, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3G 2W4 Tel: 204-774 8047 www.scandinaviancentre.ca Event registration by email at: svenskclub17@gmail.com Skiing Mondays – 1:30pm in Kildonan Park Mar 17 – Sun 10:30am-1pm: Brunch hosted by SCA May 12 – Sun 10:30am-1pm: Mother's Day Brunch hosted by SCA June 15 – Sat: Midsommar at American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis
64
62
60
58
56
54
18
20
22
24
26
28
30
32
34
36
[Ads] and Info Swedish Press Classified BC Organizations Scandinavian Business Club Monthly meetings feature business speakers. Guests and new members welcome. Call SBC: 604-484-8238. Visit us at www.sbcbc.ca Scandinavian Community Centre Scandinavian Community Centre Beautiful setting for weddings, parties, birthdays, meetings and seminars. 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC info@scancentre.org Tel: 604-294-2777 www.scancentre.org Svenska Kulturföreningen Ordförande Niklas Z Kviselius 604-218-7528. Kassör är Kristin Josefsson, 604-537-0557 www.swedishculturalsociety.com. Email: swedishculturalsociety.ca @gmail.com Swedish Canadian Village Beautiful Assisted Living Residence & Senior Subsidized Apartment Buildings Located in Burnaby, BC. Tel: 604-420 1124; www.swedishcanadian.ca. Email: info@swedishcanadian.ca
Classified
Swedish Heritage in BC 1812 Duthie Ave. Burnaby BC. Laila Axén Tel: 604-526 7464. Visit us at www.swedishheritageinbc.org. E-mail: swedishheritagebc@gmail.com
Advertising Sales Reps wanted Swedish Press is looking for full or part-time advertising sales representatives. For more information: info@swedishpress.com
Sweden House Society President: Rebecca Keckman Vice President: Dorothy Carlson Treasurer: Carole Walkinshaw, Email: swedenhousechair@gmail.com
Swedish Press Classified Ad Rate is as low as 2 dollars per word (minimum $25/ad or $100 annually). Send your ad to: info@swedishpress.com
A SWEDISH AFFAIR High-quality Scandinavian gifts, crafts, and decorations Shop in-person or online
1400 Colonial Blvd, Order now www.swedensfinest.com Ste 53 Fort Myers FL 33907 888.867.9567
Washington Organizations Nordic Museum has moved to a beautiful, brand-new building! In Seattle, 2655 N.W. Market St., Ballard; 206-789 5707.
Genealogy research Virtual Swedish classes, book club, genealogy club
Swedish Club 1920 Dexter Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98109; Tel: 206-283 1090. Open Wednesday evenings for supper and games, Friday for lunch and dinner. Pancake breakfasts on first Sundays of the month. Rental venue for meeting, parties, etc. www.swedishclubnw.org
swensoncenter.org
Yes, I would like to subscribe to Swedish Press Start or renew my Swedish Press subscription Buy a subscription for a friend Print 1 year $59 2 years $99 Print-Overseas 1 year $185 Digital 1 year $39 Yes! I would like to donate to uphold Swedish heritage and promote Sweden’s global impact to a growing audience. $50 $100 $
Need a Dala Horse or Tomte? Check out the great selection of Scandinavian gifts, imports and goodies in our catalog or at:
www.hemslojd.com
800-779 3344 or 785-227 2983 PO Box 152 • 201 N Main St Lindsborg KS 67456 USA
NAME OF SUBSCRIBER OR FRIEND ADDRESS
CITY
PROVINCE/STATE
POSTAL CODE/ZIP
PHONE
DONOR’S NAME Method of Payment:
VISA or Mastercard
COUNTRY
DONOR’S EMAIL Cheque (Swedish Press Inc)
CARD NO.
EXPIRY DATE
NAME ON CARD
SIGNATURE
CVV
Subscribe online at www.SwedishPress.com • Take a photo of this coupon with your smartphone and email it to Subscribe@SwedishPress.com • Mail this coupon with payment to Swedish Press, PO Box 1568 Ogdensburg, NY 13669, USA or 966 Terranova Dr., Orleans, ON, K1C 5M3 Canada • Call at 1 720 375 1730
Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 29
[
]
Pastorn har ordet
Svenska kyrkan i Paris Äldst i världen
S
venska kyrkan i Paris är den äldsta utlandssvenska församlingen i världen. – Den härstammar från 1620-talet så det är många generationer svenskar som funnits här, säger Maria Olofsdotter Bråkenhielm som är församlingens kyrkoherde. Det senaste århundradet har församlingen hållit till i samma byggnad på 9 Rue Médéric i Paris. – Kyrkan är byggd av svenskt material och av svenskar. Byggnaden ägs dessutom av trossamfundet Svenska kyrkan på nationell nivå i Sverige så när du öppnar grinden här så kan man säga att du kommer in i Sverige, förklarar Maria. Hon kommer ursprungligen från Värmland där hon jobbade i Karlstads domkyrka som biskopens kaplan innan flytten till Paris hösten 2019. Maria är gift med Joakim Bråkenhielm som är komminister i samma församling. Han växte upp som utlandssvensk i Paris med svensk mamma och fransk pappa och har därmed haft anknytning till svenska Sofiaförsamlingen i Paris i hela sitt liv. Även Maria Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 30
digt viktigt när man hamnar i trångmål var en återkommande besökare i 20 eller svårigheter. Man kan inte alltid års tid innan hon tog över rollen som åka hem så ofta som man skulle vilja kyrkoherde. och många saknar sina föräldrar eller – Det var hemma fast borta samtidigt eftersom Joakims familj finns här, mor- och farföräldrar. Här kan de få kontakt med någon äldre som kan säger Maria. komma att spela en roll i deras liv, För närvarande består församlinsäger Maria. gen av omkring 400 hushåll och man Hon berättar även att församlinhar även en hel del franska besökare. gen gärna bjuder in gäster från andra – Det kan vara folk i kvarteret som trosinriktningar. vill uppleva något annat. Ofta säger de – Vi lever i Nathan Söderbloms att det mesta känns bekant förutom anda. Han var ju kyrkoherde här i Pardet faktum att vi har en kvinnlig präst, is innan han blev ärkebiskop i Sverige. skrattar Maria. Han sa lite förenklat att om inte vi De uppskattade gudstjänsterna företrädare för olika religioner pratar innehåller mycket sång och musik med varandra kommer det aldrig att vilket förmodligen bidrar till deras bli fred så vi måste leva som vi lär. S popularitet. – För oss är det viktigt. Kören utgör en stor del av vår ungdomsverkSummary in English: The Swedish congregation samhet, men det finns också en kör för in Paris dates as far back as the 1620s, making it the oldest Swedish congregation in the world vuxna och en barnkör, säger Maria. outside of Sweden. Traditionerna betyder nästan mer när “When you’re mourning or find yourself in man inte är i hemlandet, menar Maria distress, it means a great deal to be able to receive support in the language of your heart," som gärna vill fortsätta sin karriär says Pastor Maria Olofsdotter Bråkenhielm. inom utlandskyrkan. – Det är ett sådant viktigt ambassadörskap och man får göra lite av allt. I utlandet är Svenska kyrkan som ett fönster för Sverige. Men resurserna är knappa. Jag önskar att man kunde förstå hemma i Sverige hur mycket utlandskyrkan betyder. För många är kyrkan den enda plats där de pratar svenska. Här kan de prata sitt hjärtas språk och finna gemenskap Maria och Joakim tillsammans med Johanna Holmlund Lautmann, över generationsbiträdande avdelningschef på Svenska kyrkan i utlandet. gränserna. Det är väl- Foton: Kajsa Norman
Friends of the Press 2024 Silver
Gold
Gold & Blue
King’s Circle
Illustration: Tone Gellerstedt, Isof
Photo: Per Bifrost/imagebank.sweden.se
Supporting Swedish Culture in North America Sponsorship: Subscribe@SwedishPress.com
[Swed sh Press] N Y A
i
S V E N S K A
P R E S S E N
E S T . 1 9 2 9
1.720.375.1730 | www.SwedishPress.com Swedish Press | Feb-Apr 2024 | 31
A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES Swedish curriculum High School programmes IB Diploma Programme and IB Career-related Programme Business Management programme as bilingual Swedish/English
NEW!
IB Careerrelated Programm e
DISCOVER SSHL
FLEXIBLE BOARDING SSHL is a Swedish boarding school with an international outlook. We offer our students a unique blend of Swedish and international culture, academic excellence and first-rate student support. SSHL challenges and inspires students from over 45 countries. Our alternatives for boarding are: Full Time Boarding - for students who can't easily return to their families on weekends Traditional Boarding - travel home some weekends Weekly Boarding - travel home every weekend
At SSHL, we specialise in providing high quality education to students from around the world. We believe that committed teachers, a focus on the individual and a supportive learning environment all contribute to academic achievement. The school is located near Arlanda Airport, in a serene environment with abundant opportunities for recreational activities. Come visit, try boarding, or book a virtual tour. Welcome! sshl.se/visit
sshl.se
sshl.se/try-boarding