My profile (in Danish) for the Danish Union of Journalists' Freelancer Database
Member of the Danish Union of Journalists.
I was born in 1971, and I grew up on a farm in rural Denmark, on the island of Lolland. I left high school (gymnasium) in 1990, and graduated as a teacher with majors in Art and English from teachers' training college in 1997, including a semester as an Erasmus student at Westminster College in Oxford.
After the war in ex-Yugoslavia I volunteered to work with refugee children from Srebrenica in 1997. In 1998, I volunteered on a work camp for a summer in Croatia. In 1999 I engaged in different organisational work and peace-building activism in Denmark supporting youth in the former ex-Yugoslavia.
In 2000, I moved to Belgrade to set up a civic initiative called Next Stop Serbia, promoting breaking down stereotypes between Serbs and Danes. The response from the Serbs was overwhelming. I had evidently brought my own personal stereotypes, and had for example never expected that I would make strong personal relations. But I did. I realised that you don’t always have to have a plan, but ‘being together’ may just be what it is.
My first journey to Africa was to Zimbabwe and South Africa in 2003, where I went by cargo plane with my South African partner back then. Ian was one of a kind - one of the most wonderful and kind persons in the whole world. Sadly no longer with us.
I lived 2 years in West Nile working for a local South Sudanese NGO -during a time where all changed with the peace then in Sudan. My first job in development placed in the field, and I feel fortunate it was northern Uganda where I had space to learn about setting routines, changing tyres, driving in red mud and trusting people to whom I was a stranger. I've been fortunate to connect to West Nile later during work assignments.
In 2004, I visited Tanzania on a work-related study trip. I was supposed to only stay for 10 days but I turned it into 8 weeks. I've never since been fond of leaving Tanzania.
In 2007, I moved to Dar es Salaam to work as an information officer for a Danish NGO. Part of the job was to produce material for information and campaign work in Denmark, including several national campaigns. Another part was to work with local partner organisations in Tanzania in regards of capacity building and training on communication tools and strategic planning.
Since 2011, I've worked independenty in Africa and Europe. I have worked with activists in Nairobi, community radio and smartphones in northern Uganda and South Sudan, and I've written about fashion, art, culture and politics in Africa. I've made an effort in applying experience from Africa and the Balkans such as challenging narratives and imaginaries perceptions of Africa in public debates, learning sessions etc.
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