In this May 11, 2017 photo issued by publishing house Max Strom, 26-year-old Mave Lochove clings to the hand of her mother, Akiki during her labour at Stockholm South General Hospital in Sweden. This image is part of a new exhibit and a book by Sweden's leading photographers, entitled 'Last night in Sweden.' (Anette Nantell/Max Strom via AP)
STOCKHOLM — Sweden’s leading photographers are launching a new exhibit and publishing a book in response to US President Donald Trump’s criticism of the country’s immigration policies.
During a rally in Florida in February, Trump said that terrorism was growing in Europe, and “look what’s happening last night in Sweden.” But the comment baffled many Swedes because there had been no extraordinary trouble that night in Sweden, a country welcoming to immigrants. Trump later tweeted more comments attacking Sweden’s immigration protocols.
Publisher Max Strom commissioned “Last night in Sweden” in an effort to present a more diverse and multi-faceted portrait of the country.
“We felt we had to react because we didn’t recognize Sweden at all in his words,” photographer and publisher Jeppe Wikstrom told The Associated Press before the opening of the exhibition.
The photos, all taken after 6 p.m. in the spring, present a diverse portrait of Sweden, from an elderly couple in their sauna to a group of scouts from Syria practicing music.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
In this May 3, 2017 photo issued by publishing house Max Strom, Birgitta, 87, and Bengt Bohlin, 86, sit in a sauna. This image is part of a new exhibit and a book by Sweden’s leading photographers, entitled ‘Last night in Sweden.’ (Moa Karlberg/Max Strom via AP)
The crowdfunded book hits the shelves on Tuesday, with the first copy sent to the White House and the next ones to all members of US Congress.
“Last night in Sweden” doesn’t shy away from complicated truths, and the book’s foreword acknowledges that following an extremist attack in Stockholm in April, it’s “hard to claim that ‘nothing happened last night in Sweden.'”
But those involved in the project hope to present a nuanced portrait of the country that transcends social statuses as well as political, social and cultural divides.
Advertisement
“When I see this exhibition and this book, I feel very proud of being Swedish,” said Anna Claren, the head of the Nordic School of Photography, who worked on selecting the photos for the book. “There are a lot of different people of course, but there is so much warmth around and among people.”
In this May 31, 2017 photo issued by publishing house Max Strom, a young boy reads from the hundreds of notes posted on the spot where a terrorist’s hijacked truck crashed into the side of a department store in Stockholm, Sweden. This image is part of a new exhibit and a book by Sweden’s leading photographers, entitled ‘Last night in Sweden.’ (Erik G. Svensson/Max Strom via AP)
We can't do this work alone.
The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident – ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded – I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.
There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.
As a Times of Israel reporter, I’m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit’s. But my colleagues and I can't do this alone. If you value work like this,please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
