Swedes of the Week

Here is the archived list of every Swede to ever be featured as The Local's Swede of the Week.

May 2013

Eurovision host: 'Not everyone has to like me'

Beyond the sequinned hemlines, Sweden's Eurovision host Petra Mede is a woman who pulled no punches as a comedian, and is now trying to balance her spunk with Saturday's demands for a happy-go-lucky pop fest, making her an easy pick for Swede of the Week.

'Politics has no place on my theatre stage'

Swedish theatre director Catta Neuding has long sung the virtues of private money in the cultural sector. She tells The Local why many of her colleagues see her as a norm-breaker.

Swedish cops bask in Gangnam Style viral glow

A Gangnam Style-inspired announcement about traffic safety that went viral on Facebook has thrust a humble group of Swedish police officers into the spotlight, making them our pick for Swede(s) of the Week.

April 2013

'I felt like a traitor when I left Tensta'

Swedish writer Johanna Langhorst is this week's Swede of the Week, after she wrote a book in defence of the Stockholm suburb Tensta, even though her family left after almost two decades when her teenage son was robbed twice.

Håkan Hellström: Indie darling to stadium rocker

Swedish singer Håkan Hellström, one of Gothenburg's favourite sons, released his seventh studio album to critical acclaim on Wednesday, making him The Local's Swede of the Week.

'Swede wows Katy Perry with jungle jingle

A hot new Swedish singer got a big boost this week from US pop star Katy Perry, whose social media shout-out helped Ellinor Olovsdotter, better known as Elliphant, reach millions of new fans, making her our pick for Swede of the Week.

'It'd be strange if I wasn't nervous': royal chef

The Swedish Royal Court has announced that Stefano Catenacci will be cooking for the royal family at Princess Madeleine's wedding this summer. The Swedish Chef is on the menu as The Local's Swede of the Week.

March 2013

Swede reveals new site in wake of online mannequin shenanigans

After her picture of a Swedish mannequin left the internet buzzing, Malmö resident Rebecka Silvekroon has seized the moment to keep the world talking about body image, making her our pick for Swede of the Week.

A writer who dared a minister to get in his skin

An open letter by Swedish author Jonas Hassen Khemiri challenging Justice Minister Beatrice Ask to "change skin" with him has sparked an unprecedented response in an ongoing debate about race and ethnicity, making him our pick for Swede of the Week.

Polemic pundit prepares for political comeback

In our series profiling Swedish newsmakers, our pick for Swede of the Week is firebrand feminist Gudrun Schyman, who wants to return to national politics to fight surging sexism and a lulling labour market.

'You can't butcher a family member'

Hot on the hooves of the Ikea meatball horsemeat hullabaloo, The Local's pick for Swede of the Week is Esprit, a four-legged 22-year-old with a disdain for donkeys who won't be appearing on a dinner plate any time soon.

February 2013

Sweden's 'snow man': I didn't want to be saved

Sweden's "snow man", who emerged one year ago after spending two months buried in a car in the country's far north, has spoken out extensively about the ordeal for the first time, making him The Local's pick for Swede of the Week.

Swede's Grammy win 'a dream come true'

Jonas Myrin took home a Grammy in Los Angeles for penning 10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord), which was awarded as Best Contemporary Christian Music Song.

Inside the Pirates' den: filmmaker Simon Klose

With a much-anticipated documentary about Swedish filesharing site The Pirate Bay set to debut at the Berlin International Film festival on Friday, The Local catches up with director Simon Klose, our pick for Swede of the Week.

January 2013

'Peeping Tom mural romanticizes harassment'

A 14-year-old student in northern Sweden made headlines after she claimed restroom art at her school "romanticized peeping". Due to her battle against bathroom sexism, Astrid Johansson is The Local’s Swede of the Week.

Online refugee greeting takes Sweden by storm

A small-town shopkeeper's folksy Facebook greeting to newly-arrived Syrian refugees kicked off a big-time media frenzy that continues to reverberate, making Bo Oskarsson of Kaxås our pick for Swede of the Week.

Laila Bagge's homeless mobile phone flap

She’s a familiar face on Swedish television, but it was her venting blog post about a homeless man's mobile phone that caught the nation’s attention this week. Laila Bagge Wahlgren is The Local's Swede of the Week.

Forty years in comics for 'leftie bear' Bamse

A brown bear in blue dungarees dubbed the "world's strongest bear" celebrated 40 years of leading the battle for a kinder world this week, despite charges of being a communist and a turn-coat capitalist. Ursus comicus Bamse is The Local's Swede of the Week.

Mikael Marcimain: 'I've never made a Palme film'

In The Local's ongoing series profiling Swedish newsmakers, we turn this week's spotlight on filmmaker Mikael Marcimain, director of Call Girl, a controversial film which earned 11 Swedish film award nominations, including best picture and best director.

2012

The Sarah Dawn Finer things at Christmas

For the festive special of our new Swede of the Week series, we take a look at singer Sarah Dawn Finer who bagged the most sought after seasonal job on Swedish television.

The man with the best memory in Sweden

In The Local's series spotlighting Swedes who have made headlines during the week, we talk to Jonas von Essen, the memory whizz who raked in three awards in London for his total recall.

The octogenarian Saint Lucia choir: still in tune

A broken lift, missing batteries, and a wobbly 83-year-old Saint Lucia couldn't dampen spirits among the members of an elderly cooperative choir south of Stockholm, The Local's Lucia-themed pick for Swede(s) of the Week.

Liberal EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmström

In a new series profiling Swedish newsmakers, The Local takes a look at Cecilia Malmström, the Swedish EU Commissioner who this week helped launch a global alliance to combat child pornography.

August Prize-winning author Göran Rosenberg

In a new series profiling Swedish newsmakers, The Local gets the lowdown on author and journalist Göran Rosenberg, who won Sweden’s most prestigious prize for literature on Monday.

Comedian Soran Ismail: 'Someone's gotta laugh'

In the first of a new series profiling Swedish newsmakers, The Local gets the lowdown on Kurdish-Swedish comedian Soran Ismail, who has been in the news recently for his starring role in the Sweden Democrat racist video scandal.