* The town's slogan
The world looks toward Södertälje - that has been the gist of many articles in foreign media in recent weeks. Södertälje is my hometown and the place I spent 19 years of my life, so naturally I take an interest in what is written about this medium-sized town (semi-suburb) southwest of Stockholm.
The last few months Södertälje has been invaded by international journalists because the town receives more Iraqi immigrants than the whole of North America put together. Södertälje welcomed 1,268 refugees last year of which 95% were from Iraq, a figure that is expecting to rise to 2,400 this year. Here it is appropriate to mention that Sweden took in over 9,000 Iraqi asylym-seekers, or almost 50% of all Iraqis coming to Europe. The USA in comparison took 202.
The reporters are coming to Södertalje to see how the process of integration is going and how they can learn from the successes and problems of the whole experience. So far, correspondents from the BBC, the New York Times and Le Monde have reported from the city and this week, the Washington Post is to publish a major report. There is much surprise amongst foreign correspondents as to how a city the size of Södertalje can cope with the influx. There are of course many problems such as the shortage of pre-school and childcare facilities and other infrastructure.
Anders Lago, the mayor of Södertälje (whom I interviewed for once) is actually going to Washington DC on 9 April to speak in front of the US Congress on the matter. The hearing is for the Commission on Security and Co-Operation in Europe. Lago has been asked to account for the strategies Södertälje uses to meet the challenges associated with Iraqi refugees.
Before this latest celebrity factor, Södertälje was mostly famous for the two multinational companies Scania and Astra Zeneca and the tennis player Björn Borg (who happened to have gone to my old school, not at the same time though). For a longer history of Södertälje, read here, and for more info on the international character of the town, here.
Some links
SÖDERTÄLJE SPECIFIC
BBC news
NYTimes January 2008
SWEDEN GENERAL
International Herald Tribune March 2008
Washington Post March 2008
International Herald Tribune March 2008
Le Monde March 2008
NYTimes September 2007
NYTimes June 2007
NYTimes January 2007
(To read some of the articles you may need to sign up - for free.)
Där fick jag lärt mig något nytt. Fick faktiskt en fråga om just detta (inte Södertälje, utan invandring i Sverige) och där fick jag ju några nya, spännande tal att nämna!
ReplyDeleteKänner annars att jag inte alls har hängt med så bra i de svenska nyheterna på sistonde. Ska nog skärpa mig.
Kul att man kan bidra med nåt! :)
ReplyDeleteOm du vill ha de senaste siffrorna så är SCB superbra! Gå in på snabba siffror t ex eller kolla in "Befolkning".
Very interesting...I missed the coverage. It is sad how few people we take in considering the U.S. invaded the country. Even translators and others who worked with the Americans and are targeted face so many barriers.
ReplyDeleteNonna - It's the same for the UK, they have taken very few too. There will probably be even more coverage after Södertälje's mayor has given witness in the Congress next week.
ReplyDelete