Fear and Falukorv

What does it take to become Swedish?
Forget the legal requirements for citizenship. What are the films to watch, books to read or places to visit to become one of the locals?

Tomas Spragg Nilsson pitched exactly these questions to complete strangers on Twitter. And when the tweets came flooding back, Tomas put them all on his #BecomingSwedish bucket list. A list he had just ten months to complete before applying for citizenship. To get a real sense of why certain activities were suggested, he sought the company of random Swedes to help cross items off the list, and help him better understand why they were considered ‘Swedish’.

The resulting adventure had Tomas travel to Gothenburg, Falun, Roslagen and the northernmost point of the country — but not to Thailand. He ate surströmming, falukorv and far too many semlor. He sang the national anthem live on radio but missed his chance to sing in a choir. He made new friends, challenged his own perceptions and stepped out of his comfort zone in ways he never quite expected.

"I think that Tomas Spragg Nilsson’s ‘Becoming Swedish’ project, and this book, give us insight into the complexities faced by migrants as they try to integrate and understand Swedish values, culture and social cues. But it is also a mirror for Swedes, providing an opportunity to see ‘Swedishness’ in a different light."
Jan Eliasson

Tomas Spragg Nilsson
Photographer and filmmaker. He was born and raised in the UK’s West Midlands, matured in Brussels and currently resides in Stockholm. In his professional life, he writes about matters of peace and security.