Airlift vs Luftbrücke

Logistics have seldom been more important than during the Berlin Blockade 1 April 1948 – 12 May 1949. Aptly described in the book Armageddon, the insight that a plane not being able to land should return to base immediately instead of hovering over Tegel, Tempelhof or Gatow was crucial in establishing a flow of supplies. A procedure established when it was clear that the blockade would last more than the anticipated three weeks and by the operation commander Maj. Gen. William H. Tunner,

Aircrews from the US, UK, Canadian, NZ and South African air forces flew over 200.000 flights in one year, providing to the two million Berliners up to 8,893 tons of necessities each day. I suppose they also got a lot of experience in addition.

When I visited Berlin last week I was struck by the differences in the words used to describe this situation in English and German. I must say that I'm not really sure of what "lift" stands for in this case other than taking items from one place to another, often involving vertical travel.

The German word "luftbrücke" is similar to the Swedish one "luftbro", meaning "air bridge". I think this is a better word for the situation, signifying not the transport of goods but the connection between places. I can imagine that for the people starving and freezing in Berlin, it meant a lot from a psychological perspective to have this bridge. To know they were connected, know they were not forgotten.

I also suppose that the blockade helped the german people to become something else than nazis in the eyes of the other Western countries. Now they became victims, fighting against a common enemy: the communists. When the Berlin Wall came up in 1961, this image became even stronger leading to the famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech by John F. Kennedy in 1963.

Bridges are often used as metaphors for change. A bridge brings hope, closes gaps, allows us to travel to something better. Being on the bridge makes us to see both sides. Sometimes bridges are burned, making the transformation permanent. However, another aspect of the bridge metaphor is that it points to differences, emphasising separation between the two entities connected by the bridge. It allows two people to go their separate ways, with a flimsy potential of reconnection.

With its current strong role in the EU embodied by Angela Merkel, not the least demonstrated in the current negotiations with Greece and in the dealings with Russia, it's no doubt that Germany made good use of the Luftbrücke.

From Berlin 2015

Magical Night

I remember the first time I went to see A Midsummer Night's Dream. It was in 1994 in Melbourne where I was spending my last month in Australia working on my PhD thesis. My colleagues at the RMIT had a tradition of going to this outdoor "theatre" in the middle of the Royal Botanic Gardens and they kindly asked me to come along.

We went there in the afternoon with our blankets and picnic baskets. There was a nice lawn sloping gently towards a large pond where we sat down to eat. In the trees, large black fruit bats were hanging very still.

The confusing play started and not only acting followed, but also acrobatics, torches and fireworks. The sun set and the bats begun to look for their dinner. First just a few, and then the velvet sky was filled with their muffled flapping. The air was cool but not cold and the light breeze contained faint traces of the exotic flowers around us.

I think it is safe to say that the play A Midsummer Night's Dream is all about transformation, although a huge number of various analyses have been made and it will continue to inspire aspiring literature critics for ages to come. I'm not sure I was transformed into something, but the evening definitely changed me in some way. It created a memory I will bring with me forever, I hope.

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk roses, and with eglantine.
There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,
Lulled in these flowers with dances and delight;
And there the snake throws her enameled skin,
Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in.


Australians do like their fairies. You find them on postcards, in gardens, in the house, on television, everywhere. The adorable adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie by May Gibbs are well-known and when in Australia, you soon you begin to see gumnut babies everywhere.

From Australia October 2007

Apparently this year the Shakespeare Under The Stars event switched to As You Like It, but I'm sure it was good too. Should you be in Melbourne in February-March next year, I really recommend you get some tickets!

Pleasant Street

According to professor Ebba Witt-Brattström, it's sad that Swedish people cannot make a list of classical Swedish literature that made a major impression on them, the same way people from Finland or Germany can. They cannot make a list of Swedish literature at all, unless you count recent Nordic Noir. And especially not classical books written by female writers.

I must admit that although I have read a fair share of Swedish literature (although I was more into Maria Lang rather than Selma Lagerlöv but I have read Moberg, Fogelström, Bengtsson, Lindgren, Tunström, Ekman, Fredriksson, Lagerqvist, Axelsson, Strindberg, Jansson and many more), I've always been more interested in British and American literature. Very early on, I started to read the books in my Mother's bookcase and later I read the books from her book club. 

This led me to authors such as Leon Uris. I have read several of his books: Exodus, Armageddon, Topaz and QB VII. However, I think that the one that made the most impression on me was Mila 18. How to continue to fight on, even if the opposition is overwhelming and all hope is gone. How to stand for what you believe in. But also what humans are capable of just to survive. When it was published in 1961 it soon became a success, apparently forcing Joseph Heller to change the title of his debut novel from Catch 18 to Catch 22. 

Walking around modern day Warsaw I'm struck by several things. Of course, I'm impressed by the way they have rebuilt the old town making it very cosy and tourist-friendly (probably more quaint than it was before the WW2). Lots of statues of men. In the area of the former Jewish getto you find only new buildings and more are developed.

Of course you need to learn the history of your own culture and the country where you live, and reading fiction is a good way of doing that. I know that those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it. However, I think it is also very important to learn about other people and places, otherwise you will end up fearing the unknown or different, and that is probably worse.

From Warszawa 2015

Swedish Anthem

The Swedish constitution does not mention a particular national anthem. What is custom to use in ceremonial situations since the end of the 1930s is the song "Du gamla, du fria" ("Thou ancient, Thou free"). When it comes to lyrics, the song does in fact not mention Sweden. It talks about live and die in the North, refering to the Scandinavian countries which could be considered as a longing for past times (when Norway was a part of Denmark and Finland was a part of Sweden and we all shared the same union), or as a wish for the future (we often talk about attacking Norway and surrender really quickly to get the benefits of their oil reserves) or simply because it sounded grand at the time it was written.

The first verse focuses on the characteristics of the nature of Sweden and perhaps Swedes. Maybe Tim Rice picked up on this when working together with former ABBA members Björn and Benny while making the song "Anthem" for the musical Chess. This is a kind of pedagogical song, trying to describe the differences between the concepts "land", "country" and "nation", although it seems to get it a bit wrong. However, sorting them out is by no means an easy task, nor is defining how many countries exist since it depends on which country is doing the counting. Let's say it's around 195. I've been to more than 50 of them, although not all of them were countries when I visited them.

"Du gamla, du fria" is based on an old folk-ballad from the north part of Sweden called "Kärestans död" (The Death of the Sweetheart"). When the racist Swedish party "Sverigedemokraterna" tried to claim that Swedish folk music was an example of "pure" Swedish culture, the folk music community sent a very clear message that they by no means would like to be associated with that kind of thinking. The folk music festivals at Bingsjö, Boda and Delsbo in the county Dalarna made an appeal and publicly announced that folk music by tradition is inclusive and continues to mix influences from many countries and cultures. For example, a very famous folk musician, Calle Jularbo, made the accordion popular in Sweden but few people knew he was a Romani. My guess is that not that many Swedes know that Romani is an official (minority) Swedish language together with Finnish, Meänkieli, Sami, and Yiddish.

From Tjolöholm 2014

In comparison to the festivities in Norway on May 17, the celebration of the National Day of Sweden June 6 is rather modest. That could, of course, be related to the fact that Sweden has not been to war for more than 200 years and that the date refers to the time when we dissolved our union with Denmark in 1523, something we don't talk about that often. However, since it became a holiday in 2005, the festivities have increased. Now many municipalities organise that which include welcoming new Swedes. Today, around 20% of the population in Sweden were born in another country or are the children of international migrants. The Swedish Royal Family is a good example, since both the king's mother and wife was/is from Germany and one of the princesses married an American/Austrian born in the UK.

More people than I are using the Swedish Royal Family for pedagogical purposes. For example, in his blog "Rymdslottet" (The Space Castle) journalist Andrev Walden illustrates space-related facts with photographs of them talking to each other. The latest series depict Prince Carl Philip and his bride-to-be Sofia where she (having a background as a nude model/reality-show actress)  explains the role of imperfection for the existence of life on earth to him. More than 85% of the Swedish population can speak English. I really wish everybody could read Swedish, because the dialogues in "Rymdslottet" are so funny!

Consent to Tea

It took me a long time to like tea. Even to this day, I prefer tea that tastes something other than just tea. I simply hate "Earl Gray" and "English Breakfast Tea". Although I today actually have found a number of teas that I like, such as the Chilli Chai Tea Pig (first encountered on a trip to Anglesey in Wales a few years ago) and tea from Kenya (although it requires new equipment since it's grounded), I'm a bit concerned that I actually started drinking tea as a way to fit in. It was a bit too much to not drink coffee, or tea, or alcohol. In the beginning, I simply did not fancy tea.

From Copenhagen Feb 2012

Tea can also be used as a metaphor. You've probably heard the expression "it's not my cup of tea" but there are others. In a blog post at MetaFuture.org, Marcus Bussey writes about the connotations associated with a tea bag:

"Tea is murky water. As a metaphor it is also ambiguous. On the one hand it is a symbol of colonial power. Many millions over the centuries have laboured, warred and died because of tea. The humble cup of tea is not so innocent.

Yet tea is also a symbol of refinement and stability. It represents both tradition and continuity, propelling us into a future that is safe and reliably familiar. The tea bag makes this future more accessible and manageable."

I must admit that I use tea bags. Sometimes. But most often I use some kind of infuser. I'm not sure about what that says about me. Perhaps that I'm both traditional and progressive? I'd like that.

A rather recent addition to the set of tea metaphors is the "consent explanation" that has become viral and now even been picked up by Caitlin Moran. It all started as a blogpost by Rock Star Dinosaur Pirate Princess on March 2, where the author Emmeline May expressed concerned about the consent debate in the UK and decided to explain what's it all about using tea as a metaphor. It was then quickly picked up by many people, making the number of views rise from 13 to 30.000 a day in less than a week.

It probably helped that animator Rachel Brian and cinematographer Graham Wheeler from the animation company Blue Seat (with the appropriate tagline "educate with humor") brought it all to life with a simple, yet efficient movie. Maybe a little bit like putting the tea into a tea bag.

Lots of people commented on the blog post, which in turn made Emmeline May reflect in an additional post:

"To have people say they enjoyed your words, to see them shared over and over and to see people going YES, THIS was bewildering and wonderful and strange. But those messages telling me that I didn’t just write something funny or clever but that my words actually had real impact for people; to know that my brain ramblings have affected people, touched people and even helped them is an extraordinary feeling, and one I will treasure, even if no one ever reads this blog again"

Her work has definitely proven that metaphors are very powerful indeed, in many ways. From now on the phrase "Would you like a cup of tea?" may be considered ambiguous. Similar to the phrase "I'm gonna make myself a cup of tea", which is what I'm going to do right now.

Birds of East Africa

During my first trip to Nairobi in 2009, I bought the novel "A Guide to Birds in East Africa" by Nicholas Drayson at my hotel: The Fairview (said to be the most secure in town, since it is located opposite the embassy of Israel). Although this book, and the sequel "A Guide to the Beasts of East Africa" contains lots of information about the wildlife in Nairobi and its surroundings, they are basically heart-warming feel-good books about middle-age love and culture clashes.

From Nairobi February 2009

Although I spent most of the time indoors during my latest visit to Nairobi, due to work and rain, I managed to get an early morning walk in the valley bordering IRLI. I saw and heard a lot of birds: swifts, bustards, green pigeons, orioles, swallows, sunbirds, sparrows, wagtails (what an excellent name in English!) and many more. Unfortunately, I had not brought my Nikon with me. Next time I'll do that, and also make sure to visit the Arboretum.

From Nairobi March 2015

Missing Rain

The weather in East Africa is changing and becoming more difficult to predict. For example, the temperature in Kenya is rising. According to an ILRI report, climate model simulations under a range of possible greenhouse gas emission scenarios suggest that the median temperature increase for Africa is 3–4°C by the end of the 21st century, which is roughly 1.5 times the global mean response. At the same time, the rain is becoming more intense, threatening to destroy crops and wash away nutrition. As a result of climate change, Kenya could see significant areas where cropping is no longer possible and the role of livestock as a livelihood option increases.

The Swedish and Danish foreign aid agencies have funded the development of The Kenyan National Climate Change Response Strategy. The recommended actions range from adaptation and mitigation measures in key sectors, to necessary policy, legislative and institutional adjustments, to ways of enhancing climate change awareness education and communication in the country, to necessary capacity development requirements, and to ways of enhancing research and development as well as technology development and transfer in areas that respond to climate change, among many others.

According to The Adaptation to Climate Change and Insurance (ACCI) Project, a bilateral Project between the Kenyan and German Governments, rain-fed agriculture, which accounts for 98% of the agricultural activities in the country, is the backbone of Kenya’s economy. It is very vulnerable to increasing temperatures, droughts and floods, which reduce agricultural productivity. Increasing temperatures are also likely to affect the growing of major crops in the country and threaten the livelihoods of farmers and processors.

A very good illustration of the predictions have been put forward by Chris Funk in his article Current Climate Trend Analysis of Kenya.

The World Bank has gathered a lot of statistics concerning the weather that you can play around with, but how about predictive tools?

The climate change of course also means that the market for weather prediction software is growing. This is something the Swedish start-up Ignitia is taking advantage of. The CEO Liisa Petrykowska, is one of only seven Swedish Ashoka fellows. Together with four other researchers, she developed a model that using data from satellites from Eumetsat, Nasa och Noaa provides a very accurate prognosis.

"Noticing that global models for weather predictions were made from simple algorithms, the research team quickly realized that part of the solution would be to calculate a different, unique algorithm for the tropics. Using the convective process—a process that wasn’t naturally used to predict weather but rather measured the moisture in the air—in addition to the same satellite images and geo-stationary data that had previously been available, the team put together different equations that represented the reality of the region. Factoring in pressure and temperature differences, Liisa’s scientific team was able to create a new algorithm that predicted tropical weather with an 84% accuracy—a rate that had previously been unheard of for the region." Ashoka

According to Dagens PS, this can be compared to the accuracy of the African television (30%) and the BBC (39%). The company has received support from the Swedish innovation funding agency Vinnova and the incubator STING. It has also been featured in a lot of Swedish media such as Ny Teknik and Dagens Industri.

Not only the technology is novel, she has introduced a new business model as well, adjusting to her main customers (low-income farmers):

"Liisa’s business model includes three ways in which someone can receive the text message weather forecasting service—direct payment, corporate payment, and third-party reselling. First, individual farmers can subscribe directly to the service. Liisa uses a very low pricing model, costing approximately .026 cents per text message. Thus, farmers who subscribe individually pay less than $1/month and an average of $5/season. Second, corporations or organizations can subscribe to the service. Within a short period of starting the SMS service, Liisa already had seed companies, pesticide companies, USAID, and IFDC (International Fertilizer Development Center) wanting subscriptions to the service. Third, Liisa’s strategy also includes third-party reselling. For example, farming co-operatives can subscribe and then re-sell the information." Ashoka

According to Epoch Times, one of the "secrets" behind Ignitia is to help farmers overcome their suspicion of science and their faith in the weather gods. Apparently, Liisa suggests to use the traditional methods in combination with the app, although only sacrificing half a chicken.

From Nairobi March 2015

I think the story of Ignitia is very good when it comes to how to go from research knowledge to impact. Cross-disciplinary research team, novel use of existing knowledge assets in combination with new knowledge, iterations, proof-of-concept trials, close conversations with potential users, collaborations with international organisations, patient investors, use of mobile technology, novel business models together with a social impact ambition paves the way. Should you like to have a go at getting a piece of the action yourself, USAID has put together information on current ICT weather apps and recommendations for practitioners.

By coming to Nairobi in May, I apparently came in the month with the most rainfall, and for sure, I got wet. This is what Expert Africa calls The Long Rain, with the shorter version occurring in November-December (note to self: try to avoid going back to Nairobi then, since I've had enough of rain in Sweden).

It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had Toto, "Africa"