Blogging, Personal, Places, Sweden

Visiting A Swedish Blogger

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Yesterday, I went to see fellow blogger Nina, just 5 minutes drive away from my parents’ house.

I read her blog every week as she writes on a couple of topics I am interested in like Gotland (the beautiful island I am from), feminism, photography, home decor and parenting (well, I can learn even though I am not there yet, can’t I?). Her blog is very professional AND personal, which is a difficult combo.

As I read her blog often, I felt I already knew her!

It was a strange and wonderful feeling as I walked through her beautiful home, played pek-a-boo with her son and had a lovely discussion about everything from relationships to racism, cupcakes to career, loving to living…

It is wonderful what connections blogging can bring! Hope to see you next summer too, Nina!

See Nina’s post (in Swedish) on our meet-up here. (or pic above).

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Ghana, People, Sweden

Send Money to Internet Love in Ghana?

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I just got an email from a reader with the subject “Am I getting cheated or not?”.

As it is not the first email on this topic, I thought I’d publish my answer – minus the personal details here on my blog.
Basically, a Swedish person has gotten in touch with a Ghanaian person over Internet. They have had contact for half a year and now the Ghanaian wants to “move” to Sweden, but needs money from the Swede to do so and has even produced some kind of official document stating the sum of 2000 EURO.

Now the Swedish person is wondering what to do and asks me for advice.

Dear XXXXX,

How nice you have gotten to know someone in Ghana.

You asked for my advice and here it is. For a relationship to work, especially between someone from a rich country and a poor one, it is not a good idea to start that relationship with sending money. Internet frauds, “sakawa“, are very common in Ghana and poverty makes people sometimes follow a hungry stomach rather than a loving heart.

But even more important, I think you should meet a person who wants to “move to you” before he or she does so. The smallest problem you can come to have is that you lose 2000 EURO.

As far as I know, there should not be any demand of showing any money to a “migration office” to be able to travel, however a passport, Visa (see Danish Embassy in Ghana for detailed info), plane ticket, insurance, transfer etc is of course needed.

In conclusion, I’d recommend you to travel to Ghana (see the Official Tourism site Touring Ghana for example) and experience this green and exciting country and meet your friend XXXXX in a more neutral situation where you both can back out should expectations not be met. Also, I would recommend you to not in any circumstance send money to a person you have never met.

What do you think? Is this a sound piece of advice? Or is love bigger than the risks involved?

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Political, Sweden

Almedalen Week in Political Suit

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Almedalen Valet PotatoPotato Hampus HallbergEven though the sky is blue and the sun scorching hot, tonight, I am leaving my paradise by the sea to go to town. Why?

Today the traditional one-week event for politicians, journalists, lobbyists and other politically interested start in Visby. It is called “Almedalen Week” as the epicenter of the many meetings is the Almedalen park, where party leaders from the seven major parties give a speech each day of the week. Starting with the current prime minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, tonight.

I thought of working this week, writing some articles for alternative newspaper ETC or the online Swedish news site in English, the Local, but after dropping them an email I never really pursued it further. And maybe for the best.

Now I can attend the seminars, debates and meet-ups I want. As well as my brother Hampus Hallberg’s play, Valet, (see photo) which runs four times: Wednesday and Thursday 1 and 5 pm in Metodistkyrkan on Adelsgatan.

And in between take of the political suit and put on the bathing suit…

Program for the week here.

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Ghana

After World Cup What Is There for Ghana?

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I got this very poignant comment on my last post from fellow blogger AntiRhythm:

And that, Kajsa, is all there really is about it. The only prize in participation is not to win. When the best in the world turned up, Africa was there. And for a long time, we competed well. We were in the final 8. We were 1 kick from the final 4. Being number 1 in the football world would have had only limited (emotional) benefits. Now, let us compete favourably with the rest of the world in:

Ending poverty;
Growing our economies;
Deepening democratic values;
Restructuring education to ensure real social development;
Fighting health scourges, especially Malaria, HIV/AIDS and TB;
Eradicating neo-geopolitics (ethnocentricism)
Harnessing the powers Information Technology to accelerate development, etc.

I could not have said it better myself. All in all, there is a lot to do also after the World Cup in South Africa is over.

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Ghana

Good Losers – Ghana Exits the World Cup

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After the devastating last minutes of the game and penalty series, Facebook and Twitter explodes. So many messages, surprisingly to me, messages of unity and good will. Here are some examples:

“Please, tonight is not a night for tears. GhAfrica’s Black Stars bowed out GRACEFULLY!”

“Oh! asamoah…but welldone guys!”

“My head is still up! Proudly Ghanaian! Well done Black STARS!”

“THAT WAS A GREAT RIDE! THANK YOU SOUTH AFRICA, THANK YOU AFRICA.”

“If there is anything like team of the tournament (like there is man of the match), I think it should go to the Blackstars”

“I stand proud. Whatever happens”

Also, for the first time ever, Ghana is a trending topic on Twitter along with Asamoah Gyan…

Say what you want on Ghana and the Black Stars, but sore losers we are not!


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Ghana, Promoting

Ghana World Cup Winning Videos

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While I wait for the World Cup game tonight, Ghana-Uruguay, I have found these two videos to get into the (winning) mood.

1. Y? da mo ase

Ghana Black Stars! • y? da mo ase (Thank you) from MVMT on Vimeo.

2. Black Stars Dancing

I never saw myself as a fotball fan, but I suprised myself by adding a Twibbon, a little Ghanaian flag, to my Twitter icon in support.

Go, black stars, GO!

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Places, Positive, Sweden

My Africa: Swedes in Africa

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Photo credit: DN/Benedicte Kurzen

Yesterday, as a part of the South Africa World Cup report, Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter featured five interviews with Swedes living in Africa under the heading “Mitt Afrika” or “My Africa” after Karen Blixen‘s novel with the same name ( in English it was called “Out of Africa”).

I must say I enjoyed reading the interviews by DN’s Africa correspondant Anna Koblanck, (with people like me!). I especially liked the interview with the newly wed Swedish woman in Soweto, Maria Westlund Malepa.  Still, I found that some clichés were repeated about life in Africa: “I have learned how to wait”,  “Sure I am scared sometimes.. is it soldiers who had too much to drink and shoot, thieves or a new war happening somewhere?” and “the weather, the people, the colors”. But to be fair, other images were shared as well, such as Botswana/Africa being a good place to raise children and Tanzania a place to further your career.

The cap article stated that there are fewer Swedes in Africa today than earlier due to that aid agencies these days post less Swedes in Africa and make more local hires. But I wonder if this is really making the number of Swedes in Africa smaller? Is there a way to find out?

I think Swedes in Africa are more than ever before. I was recently surprised by how many Swedes actually do live in Ghana for example.  The globalization is opening up for many more opportunities. Also, people in my generation seem to to a larger extent value “experience from abroad”and then particularly from developing countries. I have the feeling we rather seek the opportunity than expect to be heavily compensated if it arises.

The mystique and lure of “My Africa” might be bigger than some think.

Also, I should stop saying I have learned how to wait in Ghana and blame Africa when I am running late to meetings!

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Ghana, Photo, Places

Ghana Scores Serbia

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An hour ago the news reached me in Sweden that Ghana scored favorites (?) Serbia in the opening game for the Ghanaian Black Stars in the South Africa FIFA World Cup. Wohoo! Go Ghana!

In my room in Sweden I imagined the celebrations going on all over the crazy fotball nation that is Ghana and was lucky enough to stumble across the lovely and vivid pics on fellow Ghanablogging blogger Nana Kofi’s photo blog.

Pic of teary eyed Black Stars fan borrowed from Nana Kofi Acquah’s post on the Ghana vs Serbia celebrations in Accra.

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Ghana, Places, Political

Have You Heard of Nigeria’s Oil Leakages?

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Veronique de Viguerie / Getty Images

While the eyes of the world are fixed on the BP oil leakage in the Gulf of Mexico outside of Louisiana, US, another much less publicized leak has been ongoing for decades in the oil rich Niger delta in Nigeria, reports the Guardian (and today Swedish newspaper DN).

The Guardian article states:

In fact, more oil is spilled from the delta’s network of terminals, pipes, pumping stations and oil platforms every year than has been lost in the Gulf of Mexico…With 606 oilfields, the Niger delta supplies 40% of all the crude the United States imports and is the world capital of oil pollution. Life expectancy in its rural communities, half of which have no access to clean water, has fallen to little more than 40 years over the past two generations. Locals blame the oil that pollutes their land and can scarcely believe the contrast with the steps taken by BP and the US government to try to stop the Gulf oil leak and to protect the Louisiana shoreline from pollution.

What can Ghana and our emerging oil industry learn from this mess?

Pic borrowed from Veronique de Viguerie / Getty Images at Pikele.

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