UR (Utbildningsradion) has launched an Assyrian-language version of the series “Curious About Sweden,” which tells the story of Sweden’s history over the past 200 years to newly arrived students in grades 4–6. The series begins with the episode “Swedish History,” which is eight minutes long; the narration is in Assyrian, and subtitles are available in both Swedish and Assyrian.
Why the Series Was Created
According to UR’s own description, “Nyfiken på Sverige” is an animated series designed to give newcomers—and others who are new to Swedish society—an accessible introduction to how Sweden works. The idea is not only to convey facts, but also to foster a sense of belonging: what rights and obligations one has, as well as things like traditions, norms, and unwritten rules in everyday life. The series consists of ten different episodes covering history, democracy, the constitution, crime and punishment, school, taxes, gender equality, family, nature, and laws and traditions. The episodes are used, among other places, in elementary school, as well as in SFI (Swedish for Immigrants) classes. The series has been translated into several languages, one of which is Assyrian. Even though there aren’t many newly arrived Assyrians today, similar projects are welcomed by the Assyrian community.
Why in multiple languages?
The purpose of making the series available in the students’ own native languages is pedagogical rather than symbolic. UR states that teachers are encouraged to let students watch the episodes in their native languages whenever possible, to foster understanding before moving on to Swedish—an approach that research shows strengthens both knowledge acquisition and language development. The series is also available in Arabic, Kurdish, Somali, Tigrinya, Dari, and Spanish, all with Swedish subtitles.
The fact that Assyrian is represented as a language in its own right on UR—as part of the programming for new arrivals—means a great deal to the Assyrian language. Historically, Assyrian has not had the same official status in Sweden as the minority languages, but here it nevertheless has its own place in a production that millions of children and teachers can access via UR Play.
Although the number of newly arrived Assyrians has been small in recent years, the Assyrian National Federation recommends that all parents show these informative videos to their children. The videos are educational, informative, and easy to understand. Viewers can learn about Swedish society and history—all in just a few minutes—and in their own native language, Assyrian.
You can find the clips about “Curious About Sweden” here.
