Summary of a Successfull Year

by Theodor Sverkén Sjögren

The editor of Blaskan, mr Johan Norman, just called me and asked for some words for the June edition. He even threatened me to publish some pictures from the recent sauna night if I did not provide him with the text.


Anyway, in a house full of boxes I thought it would be a good idea to summarize, not so much the years I have spent with my family in Zambia, but the last twelve months at the Swedish School. It’s been a busy and as you already know a very successful year. Every week our members show appreciation for the activities arranged, the most important still being the Swedish lessons. During the school year 2010-2011 we have more than doubled the number of students. That is really something to celebrate!


Other events that brought a huge number of friends and members to our premises have been the Swedish Elections in September (when we also installed SVT), the Swedish week with the family day including Father Christmas for the kids and the traditional Lucia procession.


Movie nights, wine tasting, fashion shows, craft markets and the Zambian Art Week have also been appreciated, as well as starting up our newsletter Blaskan. For the future life of the Swedish School association we are also very happy to welcome Lugar del Taco and Livestock Ltd, that have already given new energy to our school.

In order to celebrate this good year, and the end of yet another school year, the board would now like to invite you and your family and friends to the upcoming Midsummer, yet another Swedish tradition with delicious food, games for kids and adults, together with good music and dancing, maybe not only around the famous midsommarstången.


See you all on June 23, and again, thanks a lot for all your support during the year!

//

Camping in Zambia?

by Bodil Sörensen

Camping in Zambia is easy and cheap. Most lodges have additional camping sites to their fancier chalets and luxury tents. When camping you still have access to everything the lodge offer like, restaurant, game drives and boat cruises.

On our first (and only so far but not the last one for sure!) we went with friends to Mvuu Lodge located on the river side in Lower Zambezi. The assigned camping site, one out of three, had a beautiful view over the river, a fireplace, ‘kitchen area’ with a sink, water toilet and hot water shower.

The staff at the lodge helped with putting the tents up, lit the fire three times a day, provided lanterns and made the dishes! This was called ‘luxury camping’ and we paid 25 USD/pppn, children half price. Usually the price for camping varies between 10 and 15 USD/pppn compared to ‘chalet price‘ 150-400 USD/pppn.

Before you go camping make sure what is included and what you have to bring. On our trip we had to bring chairs and tables, all food (because the lodge was actually not yet open for the season), charcoal and all cutlery. For two nights it was no problem bringing all nice food we wanted. We had a lovely time! The kids loved sleeping in tents and it was a somewhat new experience to hear the elephants roaming the area just outside the thin fabric tent wall.

//

Come and Chill at the Swedish School Relax Department

by Johan Norman

Worn out after a tough week at The Office? Feel like partying with some friends? Then the Swedish School is the place to be. We have a spacious and very fresh sauna situated just next to our pool. You can arrange some good Latino food from Lugar del Taco, and the bar could also be used for this kind of event.

For booking of our relax area, please contact Humphrey at 0977-85 85 41. For ordering food please contact Pablo at Lugar del Taco, see details in the add next to this article.

//

Teacher and Librarian

The Swedish School is looking for a new teacher/librarian starting from August 2011. For more information please contact

Lillian, lillian.dover@gmail.com
Ingrid, sakwanda@coppernet.zm

During the coming months we are also about to buy new books for the Swedish School library – both for the adults and the children´s section. If you have any ideas of books you would like to see in the library, please drop your suggestions in the books drop box in the adults section.

//

Visit to Nzito

If you are looking for some nice souvenirs to bring home to your friends in Europe, going out on Leopard’s Hill Road could save you some time. The lovely leather bags and printed fabrics sold at Sugar Bush every woman in Lusaka seem to be well aware of already, but there are more shops in the same area.

Kilimanjaro Café opened up just behind the American School some six months ago, and soon the Afrikolor is opening its pottery just nearby. Sugar Bush farm should already have opened the new shop and coffee shop by the publishing date of this issue of Blaskan.

Just before taking off to Sugar Bush, but on the left side of the road, there is also Nzito Furniture, selling souvenirs and furniture (desks, ottomans, lamps, sun chairs, etc) mainly from old Tanzanian boats. Founder Nicola Synnerton has plans though to start producing furniture made from Zambian wood. Some weeks ago the Swedish School Association had a very appreciated coffee morning at the Nzito showroom, and we got to learn more about the history and ideas behind the company.

//

So how is Easter celebrated in Sweden?

by Liselott Rehnquist

In Sweden Easter means that the spring is finally in the air after a long and dark winter. Twigs are collected from birch trees that slowly awake from the winter and chicken eggs are painted in colourful designs. The twigs are put in big vases and dressed with colourful feathers.


Other Easter decorations include "påskkärringar" (a special kind of Eastern witches) that fly on a broom. The hearsay gives that all these "påskkärringar" are on their way by means of their booms heading to their annual meeting with the Devil at Blåkulla (eng. “The Blue Gables”).

Tradition also calls for the children to dress up as Easter witches with long skirts, colourful headscarves and painted red cheeks then they go from house to house in the neighbourhood giving away drawings in the hope of getting sweets in return. It is said to bring bad luck not to give these begging witches something to snack on to their way to the Devil. Most people obviously don’t like to take any chances with these witches but rather gather up with some extra candy to have at hand when they pay their visits.


The central role of the Easter witches gives a clear indication that the Swedish Easter traditions actually predate Christianity going back to the days when the Swedes were all pagans. Overall the Easter traditions is very much cross-cook where ancient ceremonies and beliefs have been incorporated and adopted into the more “modern” Christian context. The same kind of cross-cook is by the way very much the case for the Swedish Christmas traditions. Hence, even though Christianity has been the state religion for quite some time the beliefs held by the Swedish Vikings are still quite present in modern Sweden.

In fact, for most Swedes Easter has very little to do with Christianity or the death and uprising of Jesus. Rather, Easter is seen as an opportunity for family and friends to meet and feast on a traditional smörgåsbord of herring, cured salmon, potatoes, eggs in colourful designs, sausages, Jansson´s Temptation (potatoes, onion, anchovies and cream cooked in owen) and other kinds of food. Apart from the birch twigs you often find daffodil in vases on the dining table.


The children normally drink a special soda called “påskmust” whereas the adults drink beer and spiced schnapps. The children are also often given an Easter egg which is basically a two-pieced egg-shaped paper container with colourful decorations on the outside and absurd amounts of candy inside.

//

Afrikolor - a Zambian pottery and batik studio

by Bodil Sörensen

Since two years ago a lot has happened on the small plot opposite Farmers Market on the way to Sandy’s Creations. That’s when Franca Namwiinga Murru VonHandorf and Tyler VanHandorf came back from studies in Malta and opened up their pottery Afrikolor. Before that Franca’s mother Josephine had for thirteen years made clothes, curtains, bedspreads etc out of her own batik coloured fabrics and she is still making beautiful things in her workshop.


Over these two years a new kiln is brought up from South Africa and they are continuously improving the quality of the Zambian clay produced on their premises.

Amongst their staff they have some of Zambia’s most talented potters. They are also experimenting with colours, glazes and fireings to make new textures and designs. In June their second workshop will open up on Leopard’s Hill road close to the American International School.


You can already now take your kids and yourself to pottery classes and that will also be possible later on in their new workshop. They have a lot of different items for sale.

A big part of their production is orders from lodges and hotels for beautiful tiles in shapes of flowers etc for bathrooms and kitchens. If you have an idea on a specific design you want to have made they can do it for you, or take a class and do it yourself!



See some of their beautiful production on Facebook: Afrikolor Pottery

For more information, call: 0977 331164/79, or send a mail to: afrikolor@hotmail.com



//

The famous Swedish Library in Lusaka

by Lillian Dover

The library at the Swedish School is a major asset for those who would like to read books in Swedish. We may not have the latest books, but we have everything from the classics
to children's books. During the year we have not been able to buy any new titles due to lack of funds, but we received many generous contributions from Swedes who have been here
visiting or are moving back to Sweden.

The books that are most popular vary depending on the current borrowers’ interests. Books that have been recommended by readers:

1. Jonas Jonasson "Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann"
2. Vargas Llosa Mario "Paradiset finns om hörnet"
3. Ray Klunn "En sorts kärlek"
4. Gregory David Roberts "Shantaram"

The Childrens’ section is very popular and it is good that our children also have access to Swedish books as a supplement to the English books they read at school. The older kids borrow everything from reference books and games to popular authors, such as Martin Widmark’s books on Lasse Majas detective agency. The younger children eagerly investigate the boxes filled with picture books every week.

We have received some new titles for the children’s library, as a contribution from the
Swedish Association. The library also offers DVDs, but are currently giving away videos and selling old books. There is also plenty of magazines awailable for kids and adults.

Welcome to the library and see what we have to offer!

//

Plates Restaurant and Wine Bar

by Peter Sörensen

As soon as you enter Plates Restaurant and Wine Bar, you get high expectations because of the fancy interior. These expectations get even higher when you get the menu and see the prices. But with some exceptions you get disappointed when you get the food. The portions are small but expensive and they are not made with that extra finesse that is indicated by the price. But there are things to order, like for example the Tuscan Liver Plate, perfect as a starter for 2 persons of you don´t care about the boring presentation on the plate.


The veg Risotto has a nice taste but could have been decorated to satisfy the eye. The service is quite standard Zambian. Sometimes it takes too long to have the food served. You wonder why there is a small plate at your place, because no bread is served and you have to ask for napkins or tissues. The feeling is that the place has high ambitions but has not yet found a theme for their food and a quality of the food that corresponds to the interior. But there are also very nice things to be said about the restaurant. They have a great wine list that covers France, Italy, Spain, Chile and four more countries, impressive. Take your friends to Plates Restaurant and Wine Bar for a glass of wine.

Food: 5/10
Service: 3/5
Atmosphere: 4/5

//

Next holiday in Mozambique?

by Theodor Sverkén Sjögren

If you are planning on going to Mozambique you mustn't miss the following;

- Maputo; a seafood platter at Costa do Sol and a snap shot of the railway station designed by Eiffel. If you prefer a burger och a pizza you must check out Mundos Restaurant. Catembe is yet another half day trip you could do, having some seafood and watching the Maputo skyline. Also the central market in the baixa is highly recommended, to get a good view of this city by the sea.


- South; Ponta do Ouro, a wonderful beach to which you must drive through an elephant park. You need a 4x4, but it will be worth it. Might be crowded with diving South Africans, but if you prefer something else you just head north ...


- North; plan for a 200 km drive to Xai Xai province and Nascer do Sol lodge. You will be surprised by the hospitality, a beach on your own and the sound of the Indian Ocean. To get here the roads are very good, but the cops bad ... so don't exceed the speed limits!


- Further up North; Pemba is close to Tanzania but also a beautiful picturesque old fishing village with nice beaches and good food.

//

"Sotambe" - Zambian Art Week has started

On the Thursday night was the grand opening of "Sotambe - an exhibition of paintings and sculptures" at the Swedish School. The exhibition will run from March 24 to 31 and is covering some of the best contemporary art in Zambia right now.

Artists showing their work are Joseph Shakulipa, Samuel Mabuku, Jeff Lungu, Jim Lungu, Rickie Lungu, Mulenga Mulenga, Tessie Lombe, Lawrence Chikwa, Sydney Siansangu, Natasha Evans and Mulenga Chafilwa.

Welcome to the Swedish School for a lunch and some very good art during the coming week!

//

Melodifestivalen 2011 at the Swedish School

In Sweden the finals for Melodifestivalen are coming up. Please join us watching the best songs and artists win during the coming Saturdays. The bar will of course be open.



February 12 (Scandinavium, Gothenburg), from 19 hrs until late
February 19 (Cloetta Center, Linköping), from 19 hrs until late
February 26 (Malmö Arena, Malmö), from 19 hrs until late
March 5 "Second Chance" (Nordichallen, Sundsvall), from 19 hrs until late

March 12 "The Final" (Globe Arena, Stockholm), from 19 hrs until late

Welcome to the Swedish School!

//

Movie Night - "Bröderna Karlsson"

On Tuesday February 8th we are showing the Swedish Movie "Bröderna Karlsson" ("The Karlsson Brothers), a comedy from 2010 by famous Kjell Sundvall.

Starring Tuva Novotny, Jessica Zandén, Björn Bengtsson, Vanna Rosenberg, etc. English subtitles. Approx 1 h 40 min.

Starting 18.30 at the Swedish School. This event is for free.

Welcome!

//

Lugar del Taco - Menu

Appetizers

Tortillas chips and guacamole K15000
Nachos Platter K20000
(Tortilla Chips with warm melted cheese, refried beans, guacamole and pico de gallo)
Empanadas K15000
(Three cheese or two beef in a fried flour shell)Black bean soup K20000

Salads

All salads come with fresh baked roll and your choice of dressing (Italian, Thousand Island, Ranch or Oil &Vinegar)
Taco salad K30000
(Lettuce, tomatoes, black bean and corn salsa, and strips of grilled chicken, grilled steak or vegetarian)
Chef salad K30000
(Lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, boiled egg and ham with Thousand Island dressing)
Greek salad K30000
(Lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, black olives and cheese)
Tuna salad K30000
(Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and boiled egg topped with tuna fish)

Lunch Dishes

Burrito Platter K35000
(Two soft flour tortillas stuffed with refried beans,cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, lettuce and your choice of chicken, beef or vegetarian with sides of rice & beans and guacamole)
Pupusa Platter K35000
(Two bean and cheese pupusas (fried corn flour) with sides of cabbage salad, salsa and guacamole)
Tamale Platter K25000
(One corn flour wrap stuffed with rice, potato, tomato, onion, green pepper and your choice of chicken, pork or vegetarian served with a side of salad and pico de gallo)
Mushroom & Cheese Quesadillas K25000
(Two soft flour tortillas baked with melted cheese and sautéed mushrooms)
Chicken Quesadillas K25000
(Two soft tortillas baked with melted cheese and seasoned grilled chicken)
Swedish Meatballs K35000
(Meatballs served with mashed potatoes and salad)
Quiche (Tuna, Ham or Veggie) K20000
Desserts
Apple Pie K15000
Angel Cake K15000
Cheese Cake K15000

Drinks

Soft drinks (Coke, Sprite, Fanta) K5000
Bottled Water K5000
Juice (Orange, apple, lemonade) K7000
Coffee or Tea K5000
Wine (Red or White) K15000
Beer (Mosi or Castle) K10000
Margarita K20000

//

Swedish School looking for Teacher Assistant

The number of kids and adults that are studying Swedish at our school is growing. We are currently looking for an assistant to the teachers Ingrid and Lillian. Are you interested? Do you know of anybody who might be?

Please send an e-mail to swedishschool@gmail.com or contact any of the teachers in person.

//

Garden Route - a Neclace of Precious Gemstones

by Bodil Sörensen


The ‘real’ Garden Route stretches from Heidelberg to Storms River but even the South Africans argue a bit about the start and stop. The Garden Route is just a small part of the fantastic coastline of southern South Africa. The area in between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth is like a beautiful necklace filled with spectacular, precious gemstones. We have had the opportunity to visit some of them.

STRAND and GORDON’S BAY - We just passed through these small sea side towns beautifully located by the coast. Going towards BETTY’S BAY the road is literally built on the cliffs of the coastline. In Betty’s Bay you can visit a large population of the South African penguins.

HERMANUS is the place to be if you want to go whale watching either from the nice walk on the shore or from a boat in the bay. In GANSBAAI you can choose from a number of companies that can take you diving with sharks.

The most southern part of Africa is CAPE ARGULHAS. It is a quite rough and windy place but worth going to if you want to tick that of your to-do-list! We stayed for one night in ARNISTON close to Cape Argulhas and it is a beautiful little fishing village with some really nice beaches and a cave to visit. From Arniston there is a long drive to reach the ocean again at Mosselbay. The drive is nice though and goes through farmlands with a lot of sheep and ostriches.


WILDERNESS is a very nice sea side town past the bigger town GEORGE. Wilderness has great beaches and very nice dining. The first time we were in this area we flew back from George and the second time we started out in George. It is a small airport and everything is close and easy when it comes to check-in/departure and leaving/picking up rental cars.

KNYSNA is just wonderful! The little town is located on a lagoon. Go to the HEADS for lunch and you will have a wonderful view of the gap and the cliffs where the ocean meets the lagoon.

PLETTENBERG BAY offers plenty of beaches and nice restaurants. We stayed in KEURBOOMS RIVIER, close to Plett and KEURBOOMS STRAND, in a small compound called Silver Ranch. The house that we rented was very nice and sleeps ten. In the middle of the compound there is a fenced in area with springbok and some geese and it also has a common pool and a small playground. We spent some six nights here and the kids had a great time. Some of what we did was, going to different beaches, for example NATURE’S VALLEY and ROBBESBERG’S BEACH. We went to JAFFREY’S BAY which is the ‘capital’ of surfing. On the same day we went to FRANCI’S BAY where it looked like all the cool surfers grandparents live, very posh, nice and tidy! This whole area offers a lot. You will find nice beaches, good food and a lot of outdoor activities. One really nice thing we did was renting a boat and cruise the Keurbooms river. It had sweet water and a lot of small sandy beaches along the five kilometres we went up the river.


I would say, if you go to this part of the world you will minimize the unpleasant surprises a vacation sometimes might have and maximize everything positive you would like to fit into one.

//

School Start - Wednesday 19 January

Happy new year to all of you.

This is just to remind you that the school activities at the Swedish School starts this week.

Looking forward to seeing you all again.

//

Movie Night - Tonight

Tonight, at 18.00, we are showing the Swedish movie "My life as a Dog" ("Mitt liv som hund").

My Life as a Dog is a 1985 Swedish drama film directed by Lasse Hallström, based on a novel by Reidar Jönsson.


It tells the story of Ingemar, a young boy sent to live with relatives. When they start fighting over him, he grabs onto Saga's leg and starts barking like a dog ...

//

Swedish Week; Family Day, Santa and Lucia

The Family Day at the Swedish School on December 11 became a very big success, not only because of the wonderful weather, but thanks to all families attending this part of the Swedish Week and all people working hard with the preparations. Thank you everybody!

The kids loved the work shop, preparing Christmas decorations etc. The adults loved the market buying gifts for the upcoming holidays.

Since all kids had been very kind during the year Santa Claus arrived from nowhere to the Swedish School in Longacres, Lusaka, Zambia, and gave all children well appreciated gifts. This year no kids got scared, but the secret about the man with the white beard still wasn't revealed ... at least not to the youngest part of the community.

A lottery was held to raise money for the sister school in Ndola, the Dag Hammarskjold Memorial School. More about this will be published in the upcoming issue of our newsletter Blaskan, send out beginning of January 2011.
Finally the teachers of the Swedish School, Lillian and Ingrid, together with the kids taking Swedish at the school performed some traditional Christmas carols in the Lucia procession.


//

Pictures from Western Province

The Swedish School is now proud to be selling the photographs of the exhibition "Mobility in the Margins", shown at Zebra Crossings Café the first week in December 2010, as part of the Swedish Week. The pictures covered young people’s mobility in the western province of Zambia as interpreted by Swedish anthropologist, Michael Barratt and photographer Rose-Marie Westling.

If you are interested in buying any of the pictures, please contact swedishschool@gmail.com or theodorsjogren@hotmail.com and we will give you more information on prices and sizes.

More information about Rose-Marie Westling can be found at her website, www.rose-mariewestling.se

//