Welcome! Newsletter number 52.
Plenty of talks packed into last month. First, I joined folks from Stop Cop City United in New York online to discuss the progressive merits of soccer (as we all know, there are many). They’re running a great project! Then I did two presentations of Frihetens fönster together with Dharana (coeditor). We were in smaller Swedish towns (Norrköping and Södertälje), and while turnout was limited, we met some nice people. I presented From Hash Rebels to Urban Guerrillas in two bigger Swedish towns (in fact, the biggest: Stockholm and Gothenburg). Older audiences than usual, the book seems to draw people who can remember the era – mind you, there were younger folks keen on revolutionary history, too! The last week of the month, I spent in Germany. I gave a talk to members of Athletic Sonnenberg, a progressive sports club in Chemnitz; small crowd but very nice reception, including a guided tour of the city (it was indeed my first visit). In Leipzig, I facilitated a lively discussion about anarchist publishing. It was part of the “Fridays for Anarchy” series organized by Jonathan Eibisch; the theme was chosen because the Leipzig Bookfair was on that week. The bookfair was the anchor of the Germany trip; I went because this year’s guest country was Norway. Unsurprisingly, there was nothing in the official program about the colonization of Sápmi, so we did side events shedding light on some of the chapters of Norwegian history that the officials love to hide. I gave talks about Indigener Widerstand in Zeiten des Klimawandels (a German booklet largely based on the introduction to Liberating Sápmi) in both Leipzig and nearby Dresden.
Apart from the talks, I used the travels in Germany for numerous meetings and discussions about future projects (some already agreed upon, some not). At the bookfair, I met many friends and colleagues, and during a stopover in Berlin, I chatted to junge Welt editors about perhaps starting to write for the paper again. Nothing has been decided, as the reasons that caused me to pause my contributions have not yet been resolved, but maybe we’ll find a way to do so. I miss writing for the sports pages a lot, and the paper has always been very supportive in chronicling Sámi resistance.
An interview I gave to Gateavisa, the legendary Norwegian underground magazine, was published in their latest issue. Radio Corax in Halle did an audio review of Indigener Widerstand in Zeiten des Klimawandels. I commented on Kajsa Ekis Ekman losing her second court case against the SAC newspaper Arbetaren (a sad story, in many ways).
Now, if you thought you’d get away without a few words on Melodifestivalen, you were wrong. For those not in the know: Melodifestivalen is the TV show in which Sweden’s entry to the Eurovision song contest is decided. It’s a huge thing in Sweden, stretching over six weeks. Quite a few people seem perplexed that I watch, but hey, we got family. Every year, there are two or three out of the thirty songs competing that I find curious, for one reason or another. Usually, they are gone after the first round. This year though, miraculously, one of them won. And while I’m a fan of “Bara bada bastu”, the winning song of the Finland Swedish comedy trio KAJ, I’m an even bigger fan of some of their earlier work, most notably “Kom ti byin”. Trite? Maybe, but my kind of humor. The reactions of the Swedish pop star greats who lost out to KAJ were pathetic by the way, taking sore losing to a whole new level. Quite Swedish, I’m afraid.
In other news: There’s a new writer in town you all need to take notice of. He goes by the name of Tomas Rothaus, and there’s a fundraiser to support the publication of his first book, Another War Is Possible: Militant Experiences in the Antiglobalization Era. It’s brilliant. Supporting the fundraiser is optional, reading the book is not. You really should.
Sadder news relate to our cherished radical hip-hop duo Drowning Dog and Malatesta. Due to serious health issues, they’re in a difficult spot and need all the support we as a community can muster. Check out their music, download, order, whatever. Beautiful people.
More next month. Stay safe!