Last week, it became clear that Kiruna and Uppsala will agree to become European capital of culture in 2029.
– Already five years ago when we started this project, we said that this is not something we do because we deserve to be, but because we actually need it. With that starting point, you have many more layers to look at, says Patric Kiraly, project manager in Uppsala.
So what advantage does Uppsala have over Kiruna in terms of culture. It’s not something Kiraly wants to talk about very much at the moment.
– It’s a question we’ve been asked for quite a few years and my honest answer is that I don’t answer it. It is too early to answer what will actually be shown or happen.
While competing against Kiruna, he also pays tribute to the competitor.
– I am a big friend of Kiruna’s approach and the ambition that exists. We follow Kiruna’s development carefully, but Uppsala has worked on the issues for over five years and really studied in depth how this project has developed. We notice that we are relevant and add something to the European dimension. I know we are ready to take the next step, says Kiraly.
“Kiruna is doing very well”
Emilia Töyrä (S) is chairman of the culture and education committee in Kiruna.
– Kiruna has everything that we have today, but also everything that we see has the potential to be until 2029, and there work is underway to focus on what is unique.
And regardless of how Kiruna does, Sami culture will be an important part of the application, Töyrä believes.
– It is something that is truly unique and the large cultural institutions that are here are Sami, and it is incredibly important to bring the Sami that we are marked by in our everyday life already, says Töyrä and sends a pass to Uppsala.
– For us, it will actually be an advantage because we are unique from a Swedish perspective, where Uppsala is the image of Sweden more clearly, while we are the image of the north. I think that Kiruna stands up very well against Uppsala there.