Kontinent Photographer Jacob Zocherman has been nominated to apply for participation in The Joop Swart Masterclass 2010, arranged by World Press Photo.

www.worldpressphoto.org

The Nordic Master Class is the first workshop of it’s kind in the Nordic countries. The purpose is to gather 16 photographers from the Nordic countries and give them the possibility to develop their photography. Each of them have to make a photostory with the overall subject The welfare states. After the workshop the final stories will be published both on a website and in a photobook. We are proud to say that all 4 of the Swedish photographers,  Linda Forsell, Casper Hedberg, Moa Karlberg and Lars Lindqvist are members at the Photojournalist Agency Kontinent.

Samples from their work.

“BEING YOUNG” Photo by Linda Forsell / Kontinent

Enskededalen, Stockholm, in the fall of 2008. There is dance on the street to the sound of music from a speaker hanging over a shoulder. Soon somebody shouts that it is time to move on to the next place to hang out on for a little while. They sit down in  a playground, lights a water-pipe and smokes. A guy raps to a beat. Some move along to a party they heard about, others crack their beers where they are. A couple don’t drink at all. Someone has an apartment where the closest friends are invited. Hasch and drugs circulate and creates two camps. After a couple of hours, someone has had to much alcohol, but the friends take care of each other.Enskededalen is situated fifteen minutes with the subway south from Stockholm city. Teenagers meet here every nigth and this is where they spend most of their spare time. They come from a large variety of different cultures, economical standards and social contexts. Several of them have difficult situations at home, some have psychological issues, others are just exhausted with life, all of them have their adolescent troubles. It is called Dalen.

“TIL DEATH DO US APART” Photo by Moa Karlberg / Kontinent

During spring 2008, Arvid Anderssons wife Ingar got so sick she had to move to an elderly home. Arvid wanted to rent the room next to her, but the municipality said no. Arvid did not have “the required need of care”. Now he lives alone in a one-room apartment in the village.

“GUNS & FINS” Photo by: Lars Lindqvist / Kontinent 

There is nearly one handgun for every two Fins. Consequently, there are more guns in Finland than in any other Western European country. Only the US and Yemen have more guns in proportion. The liberal Finnish gun laws mean that it isn’t impossible to aqcuire an AK-47, a weapon of war, if there is only a valid reason for obtaining the licence at the local police station. However, during 2009, Finland is to tighten its gun laws. This is unlikely to result in a total ban of handguns, which populist media as well as many Finns called for after the second school shooting in September 2008. The new Act is more likely to require shooters to become members of a gun association in order to keep using their guns. Many Fins already are, but have so far kept their guns in their homes and have been able to go shooting whenever they wanted to. The Finnish Minister of Justice, Tuija Brax, has been quoted saying owning a gun is no basic right. The 660 000 Finnish gun owners could hardly agree less.  

“IN DEPTH” Photo by: Casper Hedberg / Kontinent

To many Swedes welfare today has a secluded existence. Roughly 400 000 Swedes are in debt to the Enforcement Authority - Sweden has changed from a welfare society into a credit society. A common development in the wake of capitalism. In a credit society you must take risks to achieve success. For example, a bank that does not have a certain percentage of borrowers with payment problems is not a successful bank. It has been overly cautious and has thus missed profits. Banks calculate with a “loss”. Those who pay the price are the indebted. An employee at the Enforcement Authority made a metaphor: a bank robber convicted of aggravated robbery is sentenced to five years in prison. During those five years he gets food, a place to sleep and even a small daily fee. If the robber behaves well he can be released earlier and he has ”paid” his crime. But if you have payment difficulties and end up in debt your sentence is poverty, often for life, and you will be pushed off to the outskirts of society.