Indignation in Sweden after ABBA has caught the list of national treasures made up by the government but Ikea

The beloved character in the books and designs for children Pippi Sosețica, IKEA and the Nobel prize are among the 100 works, brands and ideas considered defining for what it means to be Swedish, according to a Cultural Heritage List presented by the government, reports Reuters.

The preparation of such a list was part of the electoral manifesto of the right-wing coalition in the government of 2022 and represents a favorite project of the Nationalist Party and Anti-Immigration Swedish Democrats, which are not part of the Government, but supports it in Parliament.

However, some Swedish institutions and minority groups, including the Swedish Academy – the one who awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature – and representatives of the indigenous population Sami, have criticized the initiative as too restrictive and exclusive.

All the elements of the list must be at least 50 years old, which means it does not include the Pop Abba band, one of the most popular cultural “exports” of Sweden, but it also excludes the contributions of naturalized Swedes. Most of the immigrants arrived in Sweden after 1975.

“I think it is very natural, it is about human nature, to love the lists,” Lars Tragardh, historian and chairman of the Cultural Canon Committee, who made this list, told a press conference.

A canon, in the original sense of set of rules or collection of sacred books accepted as authentic – such as those composing the Bible – means a widely accepted normative list. Similar projects were carried out in Denmark and in the Netherlands.

A controversial list

The Swedish list includes the 1957 classic film of Ingmar Bergman, The seventh sealsthe rebellious book character PIPPI Sosețica and the practice of Allemansrätt – a right of people to travel on private lands, to be temporarily there and, for example, to collect berries, mushrooms and other plants.

The Swedish Academy refused to get involved in the project, launched by the government in 2023, declaring that it is divisive and puts the ideology before the literature.

The association representing the indigenous population of Tornedalen, northern Sweden, was complained that it was not allowed to participate in the project, which he described as “a continuation of oppression”.

The Swedish writer of Iranian origin Shora Esailian told Sydsvenskan that the state establishment of canons about being Swedish would not help to create “a welcoming and equal society.”

But the Minister of Culture, Parisa Liljestrand, said that this canon was misunderstood.

“Our approach has always been that a Swedish cultural canon should be a living and useful tool for education, community and inclusion,” she told the press conference on Tuesday.

The canon comprises 50 cultural artifacts, including novels, films, plays and musical compositions, as well as 50 elements in the society category, extracted from religion, law and economy, along with inventions, places or individual events considered essential for the Swedish public life and for the self -understanding of the nation.