Arnulf Åsmansson originally comes from northern Syria and came to Sweden during the large wave of refugees in 2015 when he ended up in a small community in Västergötland.
Last summer he moved to a small village without Överkalix after previously living in Uppsala.
– I found love in Överkalix, he says with a smile when SVT Sápmi meets him.
Åsmansson learned Swedish by reading children’s literature from, among others, Astrid Lindgren and today he knows over 20 languages, one of which is Northern Sami.
– I wanted to learn everything about Sweden and then I also wanted to learn more about the Sami. That’s why I learned Sami, he says.
Works as a language teacher
After high school, he applied to the linguist program in Uppsala and got in. Now he works as a teacher and teaches Swedish as a second language, Arabic and Northern Sami.
He also holds courses in Sami for adults organized by the Ängeså Sami Association.
– It is good that I can help and teach Sami to people who want to speak the language. I think everyone has the right to learn the language of their ancestors, he says.
See the full report with Arnulf Åsmansson in the clip above.