Inga-Lill Bengtsson: Inga-Lill Bengtsson: ”We don't understand everything. But we can be here for one another”
At the moment there is not much that is as usual. Well, spring, of course. The sun warms our faces. But my private life is upside down - my mother is very ill, my cat has some kind of skin disease , the water supply at my father's was cut off today.
”We've been able to send messages to one another, trying to keep our spirits up”Inga-Lill Bengtsson
And on top of all that, the horrific developments in Ukraine. Hard to understand.
I've had a good friend for the past 25 years, Tanya Tiscchuk, who is trapped in a flat in Kiev where bombs are raining down. We've been able to send messages to one another, trying to keep our spirits up.
Tanya has been interpreter every year at the Tjernobyl camp in Broby, where 40-50 children and leaders spent a month camping every summer.
Except for the past two years - because of the pandemic. And now the country is being punished so severely by a war.
Rolf Tillman was one of the people who started the Tjernobyl camp. He has confirmed that a huge number of children and young people have been at the camp in Broby. They have had financial support for their education, their families have received food parcels and other help. Now the young men are being called up to fight in the army. And perhaps they may never come back.
Sweden has never sent weapons to a country at war since World War II. So it was a historic decision to send anti-tank grenade launchers and other material. Several people who have themselves come here as refugees have asked,'Is Sweden going to go to war?'.And been afraid of the answer. No, Sweden is not going to get involved in any war. At least it is highly unlikely.
”When our part of the world is under threat from a power-hungry president, we mustn't panic”Inga-Lill Bengtsson
There is an enormous solidarity in Sweden, in Europe, in more or less the whole world,as regards support for Ukraine. We must keep on with that. Östra Göinge municipality has in broad political consensus voted to donate 100,000 crowns to the Tjernobyl Committee. Fantastic.
In other parts of the world crisis and chaos have marked daily life for many years, for example in Syria - read Sofyan Aswad's chronicle on page 20. Hesho Hama Rashid's amazing willpower and work on page 6. And much more - exciting and positive - in this issue.
Yesterday I was told that a former colleague at Kb Mosaik, Qaali Ali Shire, has been elected to parliament in Somalia. Simply amazing. For a woman to be a politician in a country where a young democracy is so vulnerable, where terror is part of daily life. I wish you good luck, Qaali, from the bottom of my heart! I'm quite sure that you. with your experience and wisdom, will make a difference. But just like everyone else you must take care of yourself and your four children.
When our part of the world is under threat from a power-hungry president, we mustn't panic. We must give support where we can, and open our doors for refugees. Talk to our children and explain as best we can. We don't understand everything. But we can be here for one another.
