About 40 Sámi people want the return of 600 offerings that were found at the ancient sacrificial site of Unna Sájvva. The objects, including coins and beads, are now in the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm.
Unna Sájvva is a Sámi sacrificial site in Gällivare. It is said to have been used between the 500s and the 17th century, but according to the website created for Unna Sájvva, it is also used today. It was excavated in 1915 by archaeologist Gustaf Hallström, who later brought the objects he found to the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm. Most of the artifacts are now in storage, except for about 20 that are on display in the museum’s World of Vikings exhibition. About 30 coins are also kept at the Economic Museum in Stockholm.
In total, more than 600 objects and about 150 kilograms of bone and horn were found. Among them were coins, beads and various metal objects.
In a letter to the Swedish Museum of History, the Sámi from the villages around the site have now demanded that these objects be returned. The letter refers to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which states that indigenous peoples have a right to their ceremonial objects. They also want the objects to be moved to the Ájtte museum in the neighboring municipality of Jokkmokk.
Sámi stewardship
– We think it’s important that these objects are managed by Sámi people, says Hannah Edenbrink Andersson to the tax-funded SVT. The Ájtte Museum is a Sámi museum, so we want them to be in charge.
The Gällivare Cultural Museum has also asked to borrow objects for an exhibition they plan to have in 2025, which Edenbrink Andersson is also looking forward to.
– Because Gällivare is still my home, she says. But responsibility is also very important to us.
The Swedish History Museum has already responded by appointing an administrator for the case.
In Sámi sacrificial culture, gifts are a religious act in which objects and animals are sacrificed to a being or force of nature, in order to bring about good luck in hunting and fishing, preservation of the reindeer herd, good health and prosperity, among other things. Land and water are seen as living beings and should therefore be treated with respect. The Sami faith also uses a sejte, a symbol of a divine being that watches over an area of nature or animals, which can be anything from a rock to an entire mountain.
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Muslim leader Aynur Birgalin argues that the creators of The Simpsons are using the animated TV series to “program” audiences and prepare them for real events that have not yet taken place.
For years, viewers have argued that The Simpsons has been eerily successful in repeatedly predicting world events of various kinds, highlighting in the show things that have not yet happened but have since become reality.
Donald Trump as president, flu-like pandemics from Asia, inventions that did not exist at the time, Siegfried & Roy’s tiger incident, the storming of the Capitol and the naming of future Nobel Prize winners are just a few of many more examples of this that are usually highlighted.
However, Muftin Birgalin, chairman of the spiritual administration for Muslims in the Russian republic of Bashkiria, says it is neither prophecy nor coincidence – instead, he claims that the “conductors behind the scenes” are very deliberately using the show to influence the public.
– We often hear that The Simpsons are supposedly predicting the future. But let’s think about it. Can it be mere coincidences? No, of course not, argues the Muslim legal scholar.
– These are not predictions but the deliberate work of specific forces to implant certain concepts via pop culture to test the public’s reaction and prepare people for different events, he continues.
“Not a joke”
According to Birgalin, movies, TV shows and memes are used to “program” audiences and control their thoughts. He also points to the American series Madam Secretary, which he says is “almost 90% identical” to real events in Ukraine.
The series, which revolves around the fictional US Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord, was shown in 2015-2016. One of the Ukrainian characters was surnamed Zelinsky, which is very similar to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, who was elected president in 2019.
– A coincidence? No. It is a pre-planned scenario. It is not a joke. It is not a cause for laughter, but a serious signal to think about, Birgalin says.
Critics of the theory argue that the “prophecies” in The Simpsons should rather be considered coincidences, pointing out, for example, that COVID-19 was not the first airborne virus outbreak from Asia and that Donald Trump already made an unsuccessful attempt to become president in 2000.
– If you study history and math, it would be literally impossible for us not to predict things. If you say enough things, some of them are going to overlap with reality, Simpsons producer Matt Selman has previously commented on the series’ predictions.
In William Shakespeare’s birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon, England, a much-criticized reassessment of the world-famous playwright’s cultural heritage is underway.
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has decided to “decolonize” its substantial and extensive collection of Shakespeare-related material, among other things, on the grounds that this allegedly risks promoting “white supremacy”.
It says the decision involves exploring the impact of empire and colonialism on the museum’s collections, and how Shakespeare’s works have contributed to these narratives.
The foundation believes that some items in the collections may contain “language or depictions that are racist, sexist, homophobic, or otherwise harmful”, reports The Standard.
The initiative is a result of a study conducted with Dr Helen Hopkins of the University of Birmingham in 2022. The study criticized the foundation’s attractions in Stratford for portraying Shakespeare as a “universal genius” – an idea that allegedly “benefits the ideology of white European supremacy”.
As part of the initiative, the Shakespeare Foundation plans to diversify its focus by celebrating global cultural contributions, such as Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore and Bollywood dance inspired by “Romeo and Juliet”.
Dismantling history
However, critics say the decision is part of a broader trend to decolonize cultural institutions. Concerns are expressed that such a reappraisal of historical figures like William Shakespeare could lead to the dismantling of influential white figures in the West, rather than promoting a true understanding of the complex cultural heritage.
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust stresses that the project should not be seen as a critique of Shakespeare’s work, but aims to reassess the historical context of the museum’s collections and artifacts.
However, “decolonizing” Shakespeare’s legacy risks not only losing the historical context of the world-famous poet’s work, according to analysts. It also risks distorting the cultural significance of one of the most influential writers of all time.
Brutal acts of violence and escalating racist rhetoric have led some to warn of open genocide in South Africa. This would be fatal not only for white Afrikaners, but also for South Africa as a whole.
One of the first presidential orders from the Trump administration was the US President’s addressing the plight of European-descended South Africans, also known as Afrikaners or Boers, and willingness to open up to receive them as refugees in light of their increasingly difficult situation in South Africa. However, the initiative seems to have been met with mixed reactions among the Afrikaners themselves, who generally question why they would abandon the land they had inhabited for hundreds of years in the first place, long before the United States was even an independent nation.
The Cape Colony was founded in the 1650s by the Dutchman Jan van Riebeeck and the first European settlers, mainly Dutch and French. They established themselves as farmers on the Cape Peninsula as an extension of the Dutch East India Company’s trade route between Europe and Asia.
Despite bloody conflicts with Bantu tribes expanding into the area, an advanced agricultural system developed in South Africa’s varied climate and landscape over the following centuries. In practice, an entirely new European culture, the Afrikaners, was now also emerging, from which several state formations would emerge. However, the Afrikaners would find it difficult to assert themselves against the powerful British Empire’s claims to the Cape Peninsula. The Afrikaner states of Orange Free State and Transvaal fought a dramatic conflict against Britain to preserve their self-determination, despite winning what became known as the First Boer War in 1881. Eventually, however, British military power proved too much to resist and after the Second Boer War, they were annexed into the British colonial empire in 1902.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, agriculture grew in scale, and Afrikaner farmers continued to play a key role in establishing efficient production methods, modern irrigation systems and export markets. During the 20th century, South Africa became one of Africa’s largest producers of wheat, maize, fruit and livestock – a position that is still largely maintained thanks to Boer farmers.
Thousands of attacks
Since Nelson Mandela’s ANC took power in 1994, the situation for the Boers has become increasingly precarious. In recent decades, thousands of them have been murdered in brutal attacks on their farms. These farm murders have attracted some international attention, but the South African government has often dismissed or downplayed the problem of what are believed to be racially motivated attacks.
Getting a clear picture of exactly how many Afrikaner farmers have been killed over the past 30 years is very difficult – partly because the South African government has stopped reporting the statistics separately and instead lumps them together with other murders committed in the heavily violent crime-ridden country. Instead, it is up to advocacy organizations that protect the rights of Africans to try to identify all cases and compile the statistics themselves.
Common to these murders is that they are often marked by extreme violence, torture, and abuse, leading to theories that the motives go far beyond ordinary crime – suggesting instead that they stem from hatred and resentment directed at the Afrikaners. Analysts also argue that the racially charged rhetoric from certain political leaders, such as the communist leader Julius Malema, has contributed to creating a highly dangerous environment for the Boers, with many warning that the situation risks escalating into an outright genocide.
PLAASMOORDE: SOUTH AFRICA’S SOMBER TRIBUTE TO FARM ATTACK VICTIMS
Nestled on Ysterberg’s slope between Mokopane and Polokwane, the Witkruis Monument, also known as Plaasmoorde, features 3,000 crosses honoring victims of South Africa’s farm attacks.
The escalation of incitement and violence, which has already put many white farmers under increasing pressure to leave their farms or move abroad, has also had a concomitant impact on South Africa’s food production and economic stability. In fact, the expertise and knowledge of farmers is considered invaluable to the country’s economy, especially given that the agricultural sector employs millions of people and accounts for a significant share of South Africa’s GDP.
Expropriation and discrimination
Alongside the escalating cycle of violence, the South African government has implemented a series of bills and policies aimed at redistributing land from white farmers to black South Africans, often without compensation. The expropriation of land that has been farmed by Afrikaner families for centuries has raised growing concerns both inside and outside the country. Afrikaners run most of the country’s large-scale farms, which account for 95% of domestic production of essential foodstuffs. These include maize, wheat, fruit, vegetables and other crops that are central to both the local market and exports.
South Africa remains largely self-sufficient in food, but imports of some products have increased. At the same time, virtually all attempts to ‘redistribute’ land to black farmers have failed and only a very small proportion of black commercial farmers have managed to become profitable. If Afrikaners continue to be marginalized, attacked and murdered, the consequences could therefore be disastrous, not only for themselves, but for the food security and economic stability of South Africa as a whole.
Why should White people care about the White South Africans???
Plays clip of South African political leader Julius Malema shouting “Kill The Boer.” (White farmer) to the thunderous applause of thousands of people….
Despite the increasingly hostile environment, many Boers persist in cultivating the land and contributing to the country’s food security, but many experts and analysts warn that South Africa is heading for a similar fate to Zimbabwe, where similar policies by President Robert Mugabe, harshly targeting the white population, led to an internationally publicized collapse of agriculture, food shortages and economic crisis.
Afrikaners see South Africa as their natural home and have lived there longer than many European nations have existed and, contrary to popular belief, even before Bantu expansion reached the region. Many of them naturally do not see leaving South Africa as an option, but simply want to live their lives in peace, without discrimination or bloody attacks.
– We are not going anywhere. Our members work here, and want to stay here, and they are going to stay here. We are committed to build a future here,explains Dirk Hermann, Executive Director of Afrikanderfwerket Solidarity.
– We have to state categorically: We don’t want to move elsewhere, adds Kallie Kriel, Executive Director of the advocacy organization AfriForum.
There has been speculation that Elon Musk, with his African origins and his role in the new US administration, was instrumental in Trump’s presidential order to open the door to Africans. However, if the US really cares about their future, it is not enough to open the doors, they also need all the support they can get to close their doors against further escalating racism and brutalization within South Africa’s borders.
Tomorrow, Sunday, marks the beginning of Shrovetide (Fastlagen) followed in the week by Fat Tuesday (Fettisdagen).
In the old days, there were stories about Shrovetide and the celebrations on those days. “In olden times, Lent was celebrated for several days in a row” and people “drank day and night” before Lent. The festivities, unlike Lent itself, were not a church celebration but a “tolerated collection of antics”.
Today, Shrovetide buns, or semlor in Swedish, remain a strong tradition in Swedish society.
On the eve of the first day of Lent, it is traditional to practice the old Shrovetide customs, which hardly exist today. Fat Tuesday, or White Tuesday, is the last of the three days of Lent and traditionally falls on the Tuesday 47 days before Easter. This means it can occur between February 3 and March 9. It is preceded by “Pork Saturday” and “Pork Sunday”, followed by “Blue Monday”.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. In Catholic churches, the priest traditionally draws a cross on the forehead of the faithful – a way of reminding them of their own mortality, but also of the resurrection.
Churchgoers in Strasbourg receive “ash crosses” on their foreheads. Photo: Claude Truong-Ngoc/CC BY-SA 3.0
Festivities
The Swedish word for Lent, fasta, comes from the German “fastelabend” or “fastelanen. Although Lent is a Christian doctrine, Lent as a celebration does not have an exclusively “ecclesiastical core”. In the past, the celebration around it was a kind of “tolerated collection of antics to compensate for all the merriment that was not allowed to be breathed during Lent”.
“In olden times, Shrovetide was celebrated several days in a row” and could last a week. People would play “Tuesday games”, and Lenten reeds, which was common in the past, refers to “whipping” each other with reeds, which is why we have Easter reeds today. It is supposed to be a symbolic reminder of Jesus’ suffering and to provide penance, which is said to trace “back to pagan Roman times”.
But it was the “fasting races” that gave it its character, it is said. People dressed up in masks, men in women’s costumes and women in men’s costumes, would run through the streets and engage in “all sorts of antics and madness”. There were also races between men and women, with the women running only in ‘bare linen’, which is said to have been common at least in Skåne in the mid-18th century. However, this was considered somewhat indecent and laws were later introduced to restrict the practice.
Predicting the weather
In the pre-industrial farming society, the three days of Shrovetide were considered by many to be good days for predicting the weather. For example, long icicles on the night of Shrove Tuesday were a good sign that straw and flax would grow long. If the day of Lent was clear and sunny, there would be a good grain harvest. If, on the other hand, it thawed with a drops of water falling off the roofs’ edges on Fat Tuesday, the cows would milk well during the summer and the grain would be as big as the water droplets.
Fastlagsbullarna still lives on
Today, the Shrovetide buns, fastlagsbullar or semlor in Swedish, is a tradition that remains strong in Swedish society. In 2022, for example, around six million buns were sold on Fat Tuesday, and it is said that over 50% of Swedes eat a bun on that day.
They are also known as “fettisdagsbullar” (Fat Tuesday buns) and have their ancestors in “hetvägg”, which refers to hot, cooked wheat buns. The word “hetvägg” comes from the German “heisse wecke” meaning hot rolls. Later, semla was served in hot milk.
It was not only eaten as a fasting bread, but also after a large and fatty meal. In Dalarna, for example, “root vegetables and potatoes and meat and pork were eaten”, according to the records of the Nordic Museum. On Öland, Gotland and in Småland, ‘kroppkakor’ with meat and pork inside were eaten instead. In Uppland, Södermanland and Värmland, people ate fettisdagskött, which was boiled pig’s feet.
The word semla comes from the German “semel” and the Latin “simila”, which means fine wheat flour. The semla we eat today, with almond paste, cream and icing sugar, has been around since the 20th century. Variations of semla are also eaten in Finland, Norway, Denmark and Germany.
Rules about semlor
When King Adolf Fredrik died on Shrove Tuesday, February 12, 1771, it was believed that he died from eating too many “hetvägg”. The poet Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna suggested that Fat Tuesday should be banned and “hetvägg should be banished from Sweden for having committed regicide”, according to the Nordic Museum.
However, other accounts claim that hetvägg was only one of many dishes the king consumed that day, and that he also ate turnips, sauerkraut, lobster, caviar, meat, and drank a lot of champagne before suffering stomach cramps and dizziness.
It is said that Adolf Fredrik ate himself to death on semlor. Painting: Antoine Pesne
Until the early 1960s, semlor could only be served on Tuesdays in cafes and pastry shops. It is believed that these laws were introduced in the 20th century because of the shortage of cream and sugar in the post-war period.
