Taikon

90 min. | In Swedish with English subtitles

Born in a Swedish camp in 1932, Romani activist and author Katarina Taikon altered the course of Sweden’s history. This documentary tells the story of a young girl who was denied education, but went on to become a leading author and human rights activist. It is a dramatic and vivid portrait of one of the most important advocates of human rights in 20th century Europe, set against the backdrop of the developing Swedish welfare state.

“I don’t know how people will react to my book; all I know is that it’s the beginning of a long struggle.” With those words Katarina Taikon stepped into the limelight. The year was 1963 and her first book, Gypsy Woman, had just been published. This was also the start of her lifelong struggle for equal rights for Sweden’s Roma, aiming to provide access to education and the closure of the tent and caravan camps where the Roma were forced to live. The film, directed by Gellert Tamas and Lawen Mohtadi is based on Mohtadi’s acclaimed biography, Katarina Taikon, The Day I Will Be Free.

A Q & A session with Director and Biographer Lawen Mohtadi and Angelica Ström, Katarina Taikon’s daughter, will follow the screening.

Purchase tickets here.

From Scandinavia House.