The Stieg Larsson Prize was founded in 2009 in memory of this journalist and
author of the successful Millennium series. The prize is worth 200 000 Swedish
crowns (just over ¤20 000). The 2015 prize went to the Chinese author and
journalist Yang Jisheng, with the jury motivation:
"Author and journalist Yang Jisheng is awarded the Stieg Larsson
Prize 2015 for his determined and courageous investigative journalism.For
several years, Yang Jisheng mapped the impact of the widespread famine, caused
by the the Chinese Cultural Revolution and which led to the death of thirty-six
million people. His research is presented in the ground-breaking book
Tombstone, in which Yang Jisheng
methodically and openly challenges the official history of the Chinese regime
and gives voice to the victims of the catastrophe. In true Stieg Larsson
spirit."
More:http://www.stieglarssonfoundation.se/the-annual-stieg-larsson-prize/
http://www.norstedtsagency.se/news/2015/Yang-Jisheng-wins-the-Stieg-Larsson-Prize/
In later years this prize has been presented in cooperation with Teskedsorden
(The Order of the Teaspoon, http://www.teskedsorden.se/ , a non-profit
organisation promoting tolerance and diversity) who yesterday held a big gala
in the Eric Ericson Hall in Stockholm. Several hundred people were present,
including Yours Truly.
Master of ceremonies was the artist and singer Lill Lindfors, who also
together with Anders Linder began with singing "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" before
the ceremonies. Beside presentation of tha activities of Teskedsorden, other
items on the program were more music, by Kristin Amporo, David Lindberg and
Sofia Jernberg, and actor Jonas Karlsson reading from Amos Oz's How to Cure a
Fanatic. A group of actors read excerpts from the #Minflykt ("My Escape")
project, a topic very relevant with today's refugee situation in Europe and the
Middle East. Jonas Karlsson also read a Swedish translation of the Stieg
Larsson Prize speech by Yang Jisheng, saying among other things that love
transcends time and space, demonstrated by how the victims of the Chinese
famine were now honoured half a century later and in a far away place like
Stockholm. We held a silent minute for the famine victims.
We also heard a panel discussion with Jason "Timbuktu" Diakité (bestselling
artist) and Mona Sahlin (former minister, Social Democrat chair and now the
government's coordinator against violence-inspired movements). Sahlin meant
that exclusion in society was a force behind movements like the (so called)
Islamic State. "Timbuktu" talked about a recent trip to the US, where he noted
what he called an ongoing "re-segregation" in the South.
The Teskedsorden Scholarship went to Filip Hammar, Fredrik Wikingsson (TV
personalities), Karin af Klintberg and Anders Helgeson (film directors) for the
documentary film "Trevligt folk" ("Nice People"). Swedish info:
http://www.teskedsorden.se/filip-och-fredrik-far-teskedsordens-stipendium-2015/
"Trevligt folk" is an interesting film and integration project, dealing with
creating a national team for Somalia in the winter game called bandy! And then
sending this team to the bandy World Cup! Bandy resembles icehockey, but is
played on a big field, with more players in a style more like soccer. It is a
popular game in Sweden and northern Europe and the point with creating a bandy
team among Somalian immigrants is to promote their integration in Swedish
society and increase contacts between Swedes and immigrants. Here's a trailer
for the film and a TV report about Somalia Bandy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mnq4pfGCK1E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p07ytfH0JI
Some of the players in the Somalia Bandy team were there and I talked with a
couple of them afterwards. They said the project had been a big success, and
the bandy players had become popular, almost folk heroes, in their hometown
Borlänge (where the team is based).
The evening ended with mingling, food and some wine. Suddenly Joakim Larsson
(Stieg's younger brother) approached me. He remembered me from the two previous
Stieg Larsson prize events I've been to. We talked a little. He said it had
been a bit difficult and costly to get Yang Jisheng to Stockholm, but it was
worth it. He was also grateful for being able to have the prize ceremonies in
cooperation with Teskedsorden, which gives it status and a fine frame.
I managed to exchange a few words with Yang Jisheng (trough an interpreter)
and asked if he had had any problems with the Chinese government about about
his work and receiving this award. He said he hadn't. Sweden is seen as a
friendly, neutral country in China, or "mostly harmless" as Douglas Adams might
put it. There seem to be a new openness in China today about some bad policies
under earlier leadership (but you still need to balance on a razor's edge
sometimes). He also said that Stieg Larsson is known in China, his books have
been translated, but he has not yet become that Big Name he is in many other
parts of the world.
David Lagercrantz (author of the new, fourth Millennium novel) was also there
and I managed to exchange a few words. He recently announce that he would write
two new books in the series, and I asked if the plot of the two books would be
connected. He couldn't reveal anything, but his face hinted that the two new
books might be connected...
--Ahrvid
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