Home again

I just came back from another amazing visit in Gambia. Unfortunately, the project won't be carried out this spring as planned. We didn't get the project financed, but these two weeks of holiday in Gambia gave me back my hope and strength to continue working for this brilliant project. Thanks to everyone who have inspired me, and continues to inspire me to find ways to make our dream come true!

Women's art centre, also known as Mama Africa, is one of my favorite places in Gambia. It was a real joy and very inspiring to come back there and see how it's developed in only a year, and to meet wonderful Isha Fofana, founder of the centre, again.

PP in the newspaper

There's an interview with me in an article about the project in the local newspaper, Västerbottenskuriren, today. It's not available online, unfortunately. If you found this blog through the article and want to sponsor the project, please send me an email: emma.swanstrom@bilda.nu

The Team

Linn Brodin

Linn Brodin is Project Playground's team photographer. She was born and raised in Säter (Dalarna), Sweden, and studied photography at Sundsvalls gymnasium, 1996-1999. She has worked as a photo assistant in Stockholm for a few years, and as a freelance photo journalist. Linn has brought her camera around the world on her many travels. Because of her interest in different cultures, people and travelling, I figured she would be a perfect asset in our team!

Umeå School of Architecture

Future architects? The picture was taken at Santosu nursery school in Brufut, Gambia.

I just came back from a meeting with Mette Harder, teacher and responsible for the first year studies at Umeå School of Architecture. We have now established the forms for our collaboration, and I'm really exited about it! If you read this, don't tell any of the students about this... Just kidding! I will present the project for the first year students later on this fall. The student that are interested will then create ideas for our three playgrounds in Gambia. Two students will then be named the winners of this challenge, and the prize is to go to Gambia and take part of the project for one week! Doesn't this sound great? It's still possible that these plans can change along the way, but I'm sure this collaboration will turn out great.

Umeå school of architecture: http://www.arch.umu.se/

I will further on present the Project Playground team for you.

Ready, steady, go!

This is a blog for Project Playground, a unique and inspiring project that will be carried out in Gambia in the spring of 2011. The Project is run by the Study association Bilda Nord, Sweden.

This blog will be updated by me, Emma Swanström, the producer of this project, and everyone interested in the project can contact me by e-mail with questions and opinions.

In February 2011, I will go to Gambia with a group of artists, photographers and filmmakers, to build playgrounds at nursery schools. These will be stimulating, beautiful, inspiring and pedagogic. Gambian nursery schools don't have any governmental support, and the children spend their time there under poor cicumstances. By this project, we will give them a chance to actually be kids, learn and grow the way kids do best: By playing! We will fill the walls around the schoolyard with fun, colorful, beautiful graffiti, that will serve a purpose as the schoolbooks that the schools are lacking. We will cooperate with the fantastic institution Women's art centre, where talented Gambian sculptors are residented.

Back in Sweden, we will perform exhibitions where we show our work, documented on film and photo. One of our collaborators is the festival Urkult, http://www.urkult.se/ in Nämforsen, where we will carry out one of the exhibitions. By these exhibitions, we will find sponsors for the schools, and make sure that we will make lasting difference for these children.

Other collaborators are nursery schools in Umeå, Sweden, and Umeå School of Architecture.

Welcome to the adventure of Project playground!