People

Meeting Anna Koblanck

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Photo: Fiona Leonard

Yesterday, I had the privilege to  meet with acclaimed Swedish journalist Anna Koblanck.

For an “Africa-nerd” like myself, she is a household name as a writer for Swedish newspapers DN and HD as well as an Africa commentator on Swedish radio.

For instance, she wrote this newspaper article on before the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 and I blogged about it.

This time, Koblanck is traveling Africa for a non-journalistic project which I am guessing is not official just yet.

Thanks to our mutual friend Fiona we were introduced and met up for a few hours over coffee (what else?) for a talk about writing, South Africa, Ghana and Sweden, migration, what kind of meat goes into a Ghanaian soup (Answer: all), not identifying as an expat, travels home and elsewhere.

My  daughter was also gracing the occasion and I think all four of us had a good time!

 

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Ghana, Personal, Sweden

What to Bring from Sweden

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I have been quiet here for a while, mainly because I am starting to say goodbye to life here in Sweden. As a part of that process, I have to decide what to take with me from Sweden to Ghana.

My first year in Ghana, that list was quite long. Edibles like kaviar, nyponsoppa, knäckebröd, and then loads of books formed a substantial part of my luggage. With time, the list has grown leaner both because I have learned to live without certain items (kaviar, nyponsoppa), but also because many items can now be bought in Ghana (knäckebröd, for instance – I buy the Ryvita bread at any supermarket).

This time, I am traveling with a Kindle in my bag, so most of the books I’d like to read carry no physical weight. (I’m still in awe, isn’t this amazing?)

This year, I think the list is down to:

  • Cheese and Coffee – the amounts and qualities I need cannot be found within my budget in Ghana
  • Swedish candy (Although, now I can apparently order it from Candy from Sweden)
  • Swedish Home Decor magazines (with that special blend of Scandinavian design and IKEA).

But of course, what I most want to take with me, I can’t. In my case – my Swedish family and then the bandwidth…

What do you have to bring from home when you travel?

Pic from Candy from Sweden

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France, Ghana, Personal, Places, Sweden

Update: Nana Konadu, Sweden and Ethics

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So I was planning this great exposé about that Ghana now has a female running for the flagbearer of the ruling political party – aka this is as close as Ghana has been to a female president. On this issue, I have interviewed people, I have thought about it from several angles, but I somehow cannot get a good post out of it!

At the same time, I have now temporarily relocated to Sweden, which meant some serious packing, saying farewell to friends and family and stressing in Ghana! In Sweden, it has meant some serious adjusting, saying many hellos to friends and family and trying to wind down…

Next week, I will go to the city of Marseille in France for this symposium  on ethics. Lets see if I can do some blogging from there…If I can’t, it means another week of no posts here while I am sipping a café crème in the warm winds from the Mediterranean sea attending a symposium!

Pic of Nana Konadu Rawlings from GNA.

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