Blackness continued...

Hi guys! I hope your day has been wonderful. Mine was quite hectic and it´s only now I feel I can sigh of relief. I am so glad the day is over you can not imagine.

So once again I would like to say it´s really amazing how much response I am continuously getting from you and the feedback is awesome! Thanks once again, for all your support. Before I continue with this week´s theme I would like to answer a question that has been reoccurring a number of times since I launched the blog. These are some of the comments I got regarding the issue:

"Good start. Please let us know how people react to black people there ........".

"What is the general attitude towards black people? .......... are you accepted or are you seen as a species exhibit?"

This is apparently a concern that most of you have regarding Sweden. To clarify I would like to say that what I say here and now is based only on my experiences about the Swedes so far. So if you maybe ask someone else they will probably relate another point of view regarding this matter.

To really understand this issue it might help with some background information about Sweden´s immigration history. Sweden does not have a long history of black immigrants due to its geographical location and its non-colonial history. However, immigrants have come to Sweden and they have mainly come from the Baltic states. So, Sweden is used to taking care of foreigners and a system has been established to help all who have newly arrived to integrate into the country. Well, I can not compare this system to the other European countries´ since I have no access to their integration policies. What I know for a fact though is, that Sweden has taken in most foreigners i.e. Iraq refugees compared to the rest of the EU countries all put together. This says that Swedes are alien friendly.

I would like to say that I have not experienced any racial prejudice towards me from a Swede because I am black. However, I have had encounters with other non-black foreigners and those have in way tried to put themselves above me as a black person by saying that I as black have the tougher situation in Sweden compared to them. I disagree totally with this, because there many blacks who have worked hard and have established themselves in the society. What I have realized in Sweden, regardless of what many say, it is like this, as long as you are determined and you know your facts the doors are unlimited despite what your background is.

What I would like to point out lastly is that how you dress and present yourself is very , very important as a black person. In this aspect a Swede can get away with a scruffy , shabby look, however not a black person. It is unfortunately like this, however as a shabby black person you give Swedes the impression that you have struggled and still is struggling either financially, emotionally or psychologically. I think this is influenced by the pictures shown of Africa in the media. This is not a fact however it´s just a quick link they make, I presume. So now if you would like to get a more positive response, I recommend a clean, neat and well arranged appearance for every black person . You definitely need to be an African with Style. This beats the hurdles that make come with a pre- judgmental attitude.

African-Swedish Marcus Samuelson a grounder and shareholder in Aqua white (exclusive restaurant)

On an overall I would like to say Sweden has a lovely system for foreigners, and I would hesitate to move here if the chance arose because a lot has been done to make foreigners feel at home. As a black you need to prove yourself though, compared to a Swede.

Hope you liked this, do you agree or disagree? Write in and comment on your own experiences.

P/S I will continue with the article on job hunting in SWEDEN tomorrow