Mention a strong cultural experience you have had.
– One of the strongest was probably a Thåström concert in Gothenburg. He is one of the best we have. And it was at home!
What music do you listen to to get energy?
– Mest r’n’b. I’m omnivorous in the genre. Everything from Michael Jackson to Beyoncé.
Which young and promising cultural creator do you want to strike a blow for?
– Alice Dadgostar. Her second novel “Make Me Deserving” has just come out. I highly recommend it.
What’s on your “reading” pile right now?
– There is a lot there. Most boring political reports, of course, but if it’s fiction you are thinking of, I know that Knausgård’s two most recent, “The Morning Star” and “The Wolves from the Forest of Eternity”, are in the pile. Hope to catch up with both this summer.
Who do you choose as Minister of Culture?
– Babben Larsson.
What makes you laugh in a cultural way?
– I love just about everything Larry David does.
Which fictional character do you most identify with?
– Hard question! It must be Selina Meyer from the TV series “Veep”.
What cultural habits or interests did you get from your parents?
– Both have been culturally interested in their own way. My father was a visual artist and my mother read a lot and watched a lot of film and theater. I have had it with me since I was little and that is of course an advantage.
Did the pandemic bring anything good for cultural life and what?
– At least I think the pandemic brought more attention to the important function of culture. Despite the serious situation that culture has been in – and still is in – due to the pandemic, I hope that more people will care about the existence and conditions of culture in the future. The pandemic, for example, gave us greater insight into the precarious working conditions that prevail in cultural industries and the shortcomings that exist for cultural workers in the social safety net.
Which cultural area deserves more attention?
– I probably think that the many anonymous cultural creators who struggle for low remuneration and without security should be given more attention, not least by politics.
Which cultural figure has been most important to Sweden?
– Everyone here answers Astrid Lindgren, right? Hm, there are so many who have meant a lot, always hard to choose one. But Vilhelm Moberg is one of those who has been important for us to understand ourselves, who we were and who we are today.
What is the worst cultural experience you have had?
– When Birgit Friggebo and Carl Bildt sang “We shall overcome” in Rinkeby Folkets Hus in 1992. It did not go well.
What was the last cultural event you went to?
– I was at the book release for Annie Reuterskiöld’s autobiographical novel “When you die I will be close”. Have not had time to finish reading yet, but it is a beautiful book about her relationship with her mother who suffers from dementia already at the age of 62.
Do you prefer audiobooks or paper books – and why?
– Paper books. Of old habit probably.
How many streaming services do you subscribe to?
– Only two actually! You have to clean out a little sometimes. HBO and Netflix. I like to watch series when I’m free – I like to watch “And just like that” or “Curb your enthusiasm”. Otherwise, I like to watch SVT Play – extra fond of “Married at First Sight”.
What role should public service play in the future?
– Public service plays a very important role in democracy. We in the Left Party want a broad radio and television in the service of the public with a range that allows those who want to be able to do without commercial channels and expensive subscriptions and still have access to information, news, entertainment and education.
How active should the state be regarding the content of culture?
– For me, it is important to resist the forces that want to use cultural policy as a tool to push through their political goals, and that try to use politics to get rid of thoughts or expressions that you do not like. A strong society has room for different expressions, and the responsibility of politics is to ensure that it is not restricted. But it is also about making sure that culture is included. Not everyone has had culturally interested parents. The school, libraries, museums, cultural school, public service and state cultural policy must ensure that performing arts, visual arts, music, literature and journalism become possible for everyone to not only consume but also to engage in.
What cultural heritage policy do you and your party want to pursue?
– And poems. We want the free admission to the state museums to be extended to the whole country. We want our museums and archives to have increased resources to take care of the collections and carry out their mission with contemporary documentation. Cultural environments are important places for learning and experiences and also need to be made accessible and equipped. We also propose a cultural boost for the school so that students can take part in the cultural heritage.
Which country do you see as a role model when it comes to cultural policy and why?
– I think both Sweden and Norway are role models when it comes to a strong state cultural policy that aims to ensure everyone’s access to art and culture – it is an important democratic principle that culture should be accessible to all.
Told to Kajsa Haidl.
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