Hopes of a color-blind world are slowly being realized – not only in the White House, but in Sweden too. Nyamko Sabuni came to Sweden as a refugee. Today she is the minister for integration and equality. Writer and journalist Alexandra Pascalidou reports on racism in Sweden.
Alexandra Pascalidou draws on her experiences of growing up in Sweden in her writing. Foto: Niklas Larsson/Scanpix
When I came to Sweden as a six year old I was labeled the “licorice kid.” A wog. An immigrant girl. Sometimes I was even called turkburk, a “Turk jar,” despite the fact that my country had been occupied by the Turks for 400 years and Greek children grew up with an innate fear of the Turkish. The “new country” made no distinction between us. We lived in large concrete blocks the state quickly erected for immigrant workers. There, the fear of Turks was slowly but surely cured.
Changing society
Not a day passes by when I don’t question my reactions to people I meet. Since childhood I have been trained to see myself through the eyes of others. These days, I am one of the “in-crowd.” I am one of the privileged white, Christian, European immigrants. Moreover, I have the luxury of expressing myself through writing. I am also Sweden. The statistics speak for themselves — the darker the skin, the more difficult it is to find work, good housing, fair treatment, good healthcare, and so on. This is nothing new. Racism exists everywhere in one form or another.
Nyamko Sabuni came to Sweden as a refugee. Now she's the minister for integration and equality. Foto: Pressbild Folkpartiet
'The world's conscience'
Between 1945 and 1986, while the rest of Europe shored its ruins after the war, we cultivated our prosperity and goodwill. We became the world’s conscience. Our prime minister, Olof Palme (in power from 1969-76 and 1982-86), demonstrated hand-in-hand with my aunt, who worked as a cleaner, against the Greek junta. He spoke out against racism on the radio. Slowly, but surely, the idea of a Sweden without prejudice was created — a country with a difference. Sweden was marketed as a pioneer in terms of welfare, democracy and human rights. We condemned the Vietnam War, segregation in the United States and apartheid in South Africa. Criticism of other countries has often been harsh, while, at the same time, our history was kept hidden in a dusty little box in the attic.
These days we like to talk about cultural differences. And they do exist. The problem arises when we stereotype people and entire communities while pretending to tolerate the multicultural society in which all physical attributes that differ from the blond and blue-eyed are renamed cultural differences. Cultural differences are forcing doctors and teachers to drive cabs, empty trash cans, scrub floors and stamp bus tickets. We have perhaps the most highly educated dishwashers in the world, while immigrants are vastly underrepresented in the media, political assemblies, decision-making bodies and boardrooms. Segregation is increasing. There are children living in Sweden who never come across a “real” Swede in their day-to-day life. Racism is the greatest challenge of our time. The riots in Paris, Athens and Malmö all had one thing in common, namely that frustrated refugees took out their anger on a country that does not want them.
Sweden is becoming a more integrated society — even in the suburbs. Foto: Björn Lindgren/Scanpix
Grounds for optimism
Despite the gloomy picture I have painted, there are rays of hope. People fall in love, move in together, multiply and work across ethnic and religious boundaries. Swedes travel all over the world. And Sweden is a model country when it comes to accepting refugees. Asylum seekers do not have to sleep in cardboard boxes in a garbage dump. Society is striving for integration, and there are bodies that monitor the rights of those who are discriminated against. Within the public sector, there are plans afoot to promote diversity. And a few highly skilled immigrants have reached the top of their profession. Within the private sector there are several organizations fighting racism in Sweden. The largest and most influential is the Center Against Racism (CMR), which seeks to raise public awareness of institutional racism and discrimination. With a general election coming up in 2010, CMR is planning to mobilize a campaign on behalf of its 80 member organizations that will call for changes from all parties.
Combating racism requires endless optimism and faith in the future. (We wouldn’t have the strength to continue fighting otherwise.) Hopes of a color-blind world are slowly being realized. There is a black man in the White House. In Sweden we have a black minister for integration and equality, Nyamko Sabuni, who came here as a refugee. She is also Sweden. Their skin color does not affect their policies. Their skin color is no guarantee that they will fight racism and inequality. However, their skin color affects our perception and attitude toward “the others.” Black is no longer associated only with evil, dirty, dangerous. I dare say that there is a political will, behind the silence, for a fairer world where people can be more than wogs — for we are all Sweden. And although it is a challenge to keep raising questions of racism and discrimination in Sweden, it does not prevent us from continuing to fight for a society that is characterized by equality for all in practice as well as theory.
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Alexandra Pascalidou
Alexandra Pascalidou is a journalist, TV presenter and author of four books. She made her debut with the critically acclaimed Bortom Mammas Gata (Beyond Mother’s Street) about growing up in Rinkeby. It was also a hit in her native country, Greece. For her latest book, Taxi, she interviewed taxi drivers the world over. Alexandra has worked as a TV presenter in Sweden and Greece, covering the 2004 Olympics and the Eurovision Song Contest for both countries. She is a columnist for the free daily newspaper Metro, among others.
The author alone is responsible for the opinions expressed in this article.
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