By Juliet White ’23
Gustavus Adolphus College’s 2021 Out of Scandinavia Artist-in-Residence Program will host Swedish author and filmmaker Lawen Mohtadi. Mohtadi will be in Saint Peter for a full week of programming from Friday, Oct. 15 to Thursday, Oct. 21.
Lawen Mohtadi is an active influencer in social and cultural journalism in Scandinavia. Her best-known work is her acclaimed 2012 biography of the Roma civil rights legend and beloved Swedish children’s author Katarina Taikon (1932-1995), which Mohtadi adapted into a documentary film, Taikon: The Untold Story of a Roma Freedom Fighter, in 2015. Taikon was a Swedish activist for human rights who fought for the rights of the Roma people who were left outside of every discussion, progress, or movement in the rest of society.
“We always select someone who is an accomplished artist, who is eager to engage with students across the college in a variety of ways, and whose work speaks to important issues we cover in our courses,” Ursula Lindqvist, Associate Professor of Scandinavian Studies and Director of Comparative Literature, said “Lawen hits all of these points: She is a well-known writer, filmmaker, and cultural influencer in Sweden; she connects well with multigenerational audiences, and her work highlighting the humanity of stateless people and immigrants, especially women, is a tremendously important topic both inside and outside the classroom today.”
On Thursday, Oct. 14, Mohtadi will give a film screening and lecture at 6 p.m. at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. Then on Saturday, Oct. 16, Mohtadi will participate in an inter-generational “Meet the Author” event at the Saint Peter Public Library at 10:15 a.m., when she will talk about Katarina Taikon and read aloud from an English translation of one of her “Katitzi” children’s stories. Copies of Mohtadi’s book, The Day I Am Free / Katitzi, will be available for purchase and signing by the author. The final public event is on Monday, October 18, when Mohtadi will offer a film screening of her documentary film, Taikon: The Untold Story of a Roma Freedom Fighter, at 5:30 p.m. in Cec Eckhoff Alumni Hall at Gustavus, followed by a 7 p.m. lecture and Q & A. This event also will be live-streamed.
“Taikon: The Untold Story of a Roma Freedom Fighter is a powerful film, and it’s a rare treat to be able to watch it on a big screen and to engage in a Q&A with the filmmaker,” said Lindqvist.
All of these events are free and open to the public. To find out more, please visit the Out of Scandinavia website.
The Gustavus Out of Scandinavia Artist-in-Residence Program is proudly supported by the Marguerite Olson Pratt Out of Scandinavia Artist-in-Residence Program Endowment Fund established by Charlotte (Pratt) ’86 and Henrik ’88 Nordstrom of Minneapolis, Minnesota in honor of Charlotte’s late mother Marguerite, member of the Gustavus Class of 1953, life-long educator, and avid promoter of all things Nordic.