Photo by Ksenia Chernaya from Pexels

At one o’clock in the afternoon, when summer temperatures are at their highest, sun-loving Swedes take a respite and adjust the dial to Sommar i P1. Today, Sveriges radio announced the 58 Swedes who will narrate personal stories, reflections, dreams, and critiques with audiences this summer. Comedians, actors, composers, CEOs, songwriters, even an astronaut, and a chess player join the roster of 2021’s Sommar i P1. A true smörgåsbord of Swedish language speakers, dialects, and life experiences, this iconic Swedish program is a must-listen for Swedish students.

The first sommarprat (summer chat) was broadcast on Swedish Radio’s P3 in 1959. The program run every weekday from Swedish Midsommar, the 26th of June this year, through the 22nd of August. A different sommarpratare (“summer speaker”) is featured each day, pairing narration with interludes of music to cultivate an intimate 90 minutes between listeners and the program host.

Being invited to host a sommarprat is considered an honor. Film giant Ingmar Bergman, pop trailblazer Robyn, members of ABBA, literary greats like Astrid Lindgren, even IKEA’s Ingvar Kamprad and Spotify’s Daniel Ek have all held a sommarprat. In 2020, Greta Thunberg hosted her program in English called “Humanity has not yet failed.” BBC broadcasted Greta’s sommarprat introducing the Swedish series to an international audience.

Swedish journalist and radio producer Bibi Rödöö has been the programchef (Program Director) for Sommar i P1 for 25 years and is credited with its increase in popularity and diversity of sommarvärdarna (the summer hosts). The 2021 season is bookended by two Swedish musicians, both 23 years old. Benjamin Ingrosso kicks it off on Midsommar and Zara Larsson closes the season on August 22. It’s custom for each participant to wear a midsommarkrans (flower head wreath) for their press photos. View their midsummery headshots and learn about all of the hosts here. Sveriges radio assembled a 60-minute film where each of the hosts gives a short introduction to themselves and their background, here.

Below are 4 people that I’m especially looking forward to hearing from. I’ve included a Swedish excerpt taken from their respective profiles on Sverigesradio.se.

1 augusti Parisa Amiri, journalist, författare

You’ve met Parisa on this blog before with “Got a kvart? Spend it with Parisa Amiri and Jason Diakité” and I featured her in 6 Swedish Women to Follow on Instagram as well.  She’s a journalist and TV host who keeps a critical eye on pop culture and politics. Parisa will use her sommarprat to reflect on her journey in the media branch and what she’s learned about equity, justice, and identity in the process:

– Jag ska vara hyfsat ärlig om att krisa, att ha hamnat på en helt annan bana än den tänkta och att ha slut på mål efter att ha drömt om frågesport. Jag kommer också reflektera kring rättvisefrågor, identitet och fördomar och det jag lärt mig tolv år in i kultur- och medievärlden.

7 augusti Tousin ”Tusse” Chiza, sångare

If you follow Eurovision, you’ll recognize Tusse as Sweden’s representative. Finalist in Swedish Idol and winner of Melodifestivalen, Tusse will use his sommarprat to share anecdotes of finding love and support during his time as a refugee, as well as the new opportunities he was granted with life in Sweden:

– I mitt Sommar ska jag berätta om mina älskade släktingar, de som var min trygghet under tiden på flykt, och om hur de har tagit vara på de fantastiska möjligheter som Sverige har gett oss.

12 augusti Anna-Lena Laurén, journalist

This Finlandssvensk (Finnish-Swedish) journalist and author is Dagens nyheter‘s Russia correspondent. Living in Moscow, she is a 7-time author and recipient of the Guldpennan award. Her talk will address the meaning of Finnish concept and way of life “sisu,” her difficult relationship with God, and climate change:

– Jag kommer att tala om sisu och nåd. Sisu betyder att inte ge sig. Nåd betyder överraskningar där man minst anar det. Bägge har spelat stor roll i mitt liv.

Om mitt slitiga förhållande till Gud – jag är arg på honom hela tiden, men jag kan inte göra slut med honom.

Om klimatförändringen och vad ejderhonans blick har lärt mig.

15 augusti Gizem Erdogan, skådespelare

This award-winning actor is most known for her role in SVT’s Tunna blå linjen (Thin Blue Line). You’ve maybe seen her recently on the Netflix series Kärlek och anarki (Love and Anarchy). Her sommarprat will be about memories, identity, longing, and how she became an actor:

– Mitt program kommer bland annat handla om minnen och identitet. Vem är jag utan mina minnen? Vad händer om vi glömmer vår historia. Och så kommer jag berätta om varför jag till slut blev skådespelare, rastlösheten och den konstanta längtan bort.

If you are a beginning Swedish student, comprehension will be difficult here. But don’t underestimate the value of allowing yourself to just listen to Swedish in a relaxed way. Get used to the rhythm of the narration, and focus less on understanding, and more on how the words sound to you. If you’re an intermediate or advanced student, chose a sommarprat to work on and create an outline of the speech, or simply highlight words or phrases that stick out to you.

All of these episodes will available on Sverigesradio.se or Sommar i P1, wherever you listen to your podcasts!
The whole list is below! Which ones are you looking forward to?

Photo: Sommar i P1, Sveriges radio