Dreadlocks in the Swedish government?

Dreadlocks in the Swedish government? Amanda Lind is Sweden's new Minister for Culture since January 2019. Her appointment has caused an uproar in the opposition and in conservative circles.

Why? Not because she is a woman, not because she is young (38) but because of her hairstyle !!!! Indeed, Amanda wears dreads!!!

Let's get to know him !!!!

Who are you Amanda?

  • I am 38 years old, from Luleà (a city in the far north of Sweden). I am married and have two children.
  • I am a psychologist by training and I live in Harnösänd (a town of 20,000 inhabitants 400 km north of Stockholm).
  • In 1999, at the age of 19, I became involved in politics with the environmentalists. I was a local councillor in Harnösand for 10 years.
  • I have been wearing my locks since I was 18 and I am passionate about cats.

How did you react to the controversy about your dreadlocks?

I'm aware that I have a hairstyle that stands out in such a conservative environment as politics.

But after the surprise and the usual questions about my dreads, they are forgotten and I am back to being a politician like any other. And no one thinks: dreadlocks in the Swedish government?

What do you have to do with your dreads?

They are an integral part of my being. I've been wearing them for 20 years and they are as important to me as the apple of my eye.

Moreover, locks are more than a hairstyle for me. It's a state of mind, a philosophy and a way of being that reflects my personality.

What are your objectives for this ministry?

They will be threefold: to ensure accessibility to culture for all social classes, to enable refugee and immigrant populations to absorb and appropriate Swedish culture and to strengthen the independence of investigative journalists.

What will be your focus for achieving these objectives?

My focus will be on developing libraries and media libraries throughout the kingdom.

Indeed, they play a central role in awakening and stimulating interest in reading, in opening up new horizons, in developing a critical sense, but also as a meeting place in our democratic society.

What are your favourite cultural areas?

Literature, comics, cinema and video games.

What political struggles do you carry within you?

Ecology, the defence of sexual minorities, gender equality and culture for all.

Dreadlocks in the Swedish government? An article by Lisah Sandström from Dreads Expert.

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