Umeå hosts the Swedish ICORN Network Meeting

The meeting opened with an evening concert at Väven, Umeå’s Cultural Center, with performances by musicians previously in ICORN residence in Umeå. Among those on stage were musician Basim Jamal from Iraq, now in residence in Luleå, and the Kurdish music duo Hero & Frya. Jamal’s performance featured music from various world traditions, while Hero & Frya played their Kurdish-language songs embodying hope and resilience

Thursday began with a workshop led by the cultural organisation Nätverkstan titled ‘The Art of Living on Art’. Co-facilitated by hip-hop artist Khaled Harara, formerly an ICORN resident in Gothenburg, the workshop focused on practical tools for artists to support and sustain themselves through their creative work in Sweden. Simultaneously, NM attendees could also participate in an ‘Art Walk’ around central Umeå, exploring the city’s art scene, local democracy, and gender equality initiatives.

After lunch on Thursday, the meeting was formally opened by Helena Smith, Chair of Umeå’s cultural services committee and another performance by Hero & Frya. Presentations with practical updates came from Karin Hansson, National ICORN Coordinator in Sweden, and Leif Mårtensson, Umeå’s ICORN Coordinator, as well as from ICORN Secretariat representatives.  A parallel session titled ’Littfest översätter/ Littfest Translates’ was led by Elenore Nordström of Umeå’s Littfest literary festival.

The afternoon featured presentations, discussions, and workshops, including reflections on the 2024 ICORN General Assembly by Jonas Kongstad Østergård, ICORN coordinator in Copenhagen, and writers, artists, and journalists in the network. Highlights included journalist and writer Parvin Ardalan’s project ’Women Making History’, and translator and writer Mahsa Malekmarzban’s project on immigrant women in Linköping, her ICORN City of Refuge. Journalist Azhar Al-Rubaie from Iraq, currently the ICORN resident in Malmö, delivered an in-depth presentation on his award-winning journalistic coverage of Iraq’s climate and environmental emergency.

A panel discussion on the topic of enhancing cooperation and support in the Swedish ICORN network featured ICORN coordinators Johanna Lindström (Region Västra Götaland), Malin Schiller (Gothenburg), and Catharina Andersson (Östersund). The day concluded with greetings from Gävle, set to host the Swedish ICORN NM in 2025.

Reflecting on the event, Umeå’s ICORN Coordinator Maria Nordenback noted:

‘Summing up the two days, what I bring with me from the network meeting are the round table discussions on how to promote collaboration within and beyond the network. Not least when it comes to continuing good relationships even after the end of the ICORN residency. We need each other’s support to be able to expand collaboration with other cities, regions, and organisations in Sweden.’

The final day of the gathering begam with an update by the Swedish Arts Council on its project grant for ICORN. Next was a panel titled ’ How can we work to include ICORN artists better in the Swedish cultural infrastructure’, with cultural organisations Konstnärernas Riksorganisation, Litteraturcentrum Uppsala, and Konsten att delta.

The day continued with a discussion between Swedish Parliament members Lawen Redar (S) and Christer Nylander (L), on the Parliament’s work with ICORN and the importance of the network in Sweden and beyond. Additionally, Swedish PEN presented the initiative ‘Banned Book Week’, while Reporters Without Borders discussed the 2024 World Press Freedom Index.

The meeting concluded with round table discussions among ICORN coordinators, politicians, writers, artists, journalists, and professional organisations. Topics included collaboration strategies, challenges, opportunities, and inspiration for Cities of Refuge.

This article was co-written by Maria Nordenback, ICORN coordinator in Umeå.

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