Sisu / Language & Comics
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During a full day at The Nordic Watercolour Museum, we will explore comics as a means of telling stories about heritage, belonging, and experiences that move across languages and countries. Just as a picture book can convey a story through images without being limited by spoken language, so too can comics.
Sweden and Finland share a long and intertwined history, and for several centuries the countries were one united kingdom. The past century has seen war and migration, events that continue to be reflected in both stories and demographics. Today, Finnish and Meänkieli are recognised as national minority languages in Sweden, while there are regions in Finland where Swedish is the majority language.
Using comics as our starting point, The Nordic Watercolour Museum, together with the Swedish Comics Association, invites you to a day of lectures, talks, and workshops. Participants include Ali Jonasson, Mats Kejonen, and Meri Alarcón, among others. It will be a day of stories about heritage that cross borders and languages. Come to explore identity through creative drawing or simply to listen to the stories of others.
PROGRAMME
11.15 am–12.15 pm
Lecture with Ali Jonasson: The History of the Finnish in Sweden
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12.00 noon–2.00 pm
Workshop: Text Workshop with Meri Alarcón
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1.00–1.30 pm
Reading of ARV with Teater Spera
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1.00–2.00 pm
Workshop: Explore Your Identity Through Comics with Mats Kejonen (pre-booking)
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2.00–3.00 pm
Guided Tour with Finnish Interpretation
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3.00–4.00 pm
Panel Discussion: Sisu and the Fight for One’s Language. Participants: Ali Jonasson, Meri Alarcón and Mats Kejonen, with moderator Miku Maria Gustavsson, Chair of the Swedish Comics Association
This event is organised with support from the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Foundation, and in collaboration with the Swedish Comics Association and the museum's Friends Association.
Tip!
There's a lot to discover at the museum on 11 April! On this day, we're also hosting a Trade-in Day as well as our annual Easter Holiday Workshop.
Participants
Ali Jonasson
Ali Jonasson (born 1984 in Gothenburg) is a writer, poet, translator, and lecturer with a strong focus on national minority issues, language policy, cultural heritage, and class struggles. With roots in Swedish-Finnish, Sámi, and Lantalaisian traditions, he carries a multi-layered identity that affects both his writing and public engagement. Growing up on Hisingen in Gothenburg has strongly influenced his work. As a lecturer and former researcher in religious studies, he highlights the role of national minorities in Sweden and their right to language and culture. He has co-authored “Finnkampen: The Illustrated History of Swedish Finns” with illustrator Mats Kejonen.
Participants
Meri Alarcón
Meri Alarcón (born 1981) grew up in Kiruna and is now based in Gothenburg. She works as a poet, writer, and translator, with a literary voice shaped by experiences of place, belonging, and multilingualism. Her work sits at the intersection of language, identity, and literature, with a particular focus on Meänkieli – one of Sweden’s national minority languages. Through her writing and work as a translator, she contributes to strengthening and highlighting Tornedalian perspectives in contemporary literature. Alarcón is one of four editors of the Tornedalian literary magazine “Meänmaa“ and is actively involved in developing the literary conversation around language, culture, and minority issues.
Participants
Mats Kejonen
Mats Kejonen is a comic artist and illustrator trained at Malmö University and Kvarnby Comics School. In 2024, he published his first book, an illustrated version of Marx and Engels’ labour movement classic “The Communist Manifesto”. Last year, Mats co-created the comic book “Finnkampen: The Illustrated History of Swedish Finns” with Ali Jonasson. Across 368 pages, the book traces the history of the eastern part of the Swedish kingdom – what is now Finland –, from skull measurements and labour immigration to today’s cultural revival and official recognition.
Participants
Miku Maria Gustavsson
Miku Maria Gustavsson is an artist and communications strategist, running her own company for 20 years. She is passionate about the intersection of image and storytelling, working with it in a variety of contexts. Her artwork has been published in magazines, and she has extensive experience on stage and in the media. Miku also reviews comics, serves as Chair of Seriefrämjandet (“the Swedish Comics Association”), and will be moderating the programme of the day.
