Creative Cities Seminars at Sweden's Folk & Kultur 2026 to Focus on Culture and Freedom
Folk & Kultur, organised by the non-profit association Kulturlyftet — Culture Across the Country, took place at Munktellstaden in Eskilstuna 4–7 February 2026. The City of Literature Gothenburg and UNESCO’s Creative Cities in Sweden jointly hosted a Creative Cities discussion series on 5–6 February, which this year highlights culture and literature in a time of great political change, viewed from three perspectives and across two timelines: the present and the future. Becoming a UNESCO City entails a commitment to working for culture, and for culture as a lever in the pursuit of a sustainable society:
“This may be the most important and most urgent programme series we have been involved in organising at Folk & Kultur so far, as it is in line with our commitment to freedom of expression within UNESCO’s international cooperation.” said Joakim Albrektson, Chief Coordinator for the City of Literature Gothenburg.
UNESCO Creative Cities Seminars at Folk & Kultur 2026
Initiating the series was a global outlook, where representatives from Cities of Literature in the USA share their experiences of a country undergoing rapid change.
Freedom in the Free World? A Live Report
The United States is leaving UNESCO — the UN’s organisation for education, science and culture. Programmes related to diversity, gender equality and inclusion are being cut. Support for the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Agenda 2030, is being withdrawn.
What is it like to live and work for culture in the USA today, in 2026? We receive a live report from the Cities of Literature Iowa City and Seattle, the City of Music Kansas City, and the City of Gastronomy San Antonio.
Participants also included Stefan Hansen, Swedish Cultural Counsellor in Washington, D.C., USA; Maria Wilenius, Secretary-General of the Swedish National Commission for UNESCO; and Joakim Albrektson, Focal Point for the City of Literature Gothenburg.
The conversation was followed later the same afternoon by a closer look at the present, based on a Swedish and European cultural context:
Art and Politics in the Age of Autocratisation
What lessons can we draw from developments internationally? What do global trends, and autocratisation mean within our own context?
What steps do we need to take to safeguard freedom, democracy, and the independence of culture?
Participants included Maria Wilenius, Secretary-General of the Swedish National Commission for UNESCO; Kajsa Ravin, Director General of the Swedish Arts Council; Helge Lunde, Executive Director of ICORN; Ola Larsmo, author; Fredrika Lagergren Wahlin, political scientist at the University of Gothenburg; Stefan Hansen, Swedish Cultural Counsellor in Washington, D.C., USA; and Lena Ulrika Rudeke, University of Gothenburg and Coordinator for the UNESCO City of Literature Gothenburg.
After the present, tomorrow. The concluding seminars focused on the Creative Cities of the Nordic and Baltic regions — where the City of Literature Gothenburg has close cooperation with other Cities of Literature through the literary exchange Closer Together — exploring how creativity can be used for sustainable development.
Democracy driven by Creativity – Creative Cities in the Nordic and Baltic regions
How can Nordic and Baltic experiences be used to promote creativity as a driving force for sustainable development, democracy, inclusion, and freedom of expression? Perhaps even in future preparedness efforts?
Participants included Thérèse Amnéus, Deputy Secretary-General and Head of Sweden’s Creative Cities, Swedish National Commission for UNESCO, along with the focal points — the chief coordinators — of all Creative Cities in Sweden: Joakim Albrektson, City of Literature Gothenburg; Theresia Grön, City of Gastronomy Östersund; Karin Runevad, City of Literature Lund; and Sandra Wall, City of Music Norrköping.
Creative Industries as an Important Part of Sustainable Development
Becoming a UNESCO City is about a commitment to work for culture and to use culture as a lever in the pursuit of a sustainable society. This is reflected in the programme at Folk and Kultur, said Thérèse Amnéus, Deputy Secretary-General and Programme Manager for Sweden’s Creative Cities at the Swedish UNESCO Council:
"We live in a time when freedom of expression is under pressure around the world. For this reason, we must jointly strengthen and safeguard the progress in human rights that has been made since the end of the Second World War. UNESCO’s Creative Cities in Sweden are driving the development of creative industries as an important part of sustainable urban development. At the same time, they actively work to promote freedom of expression and to strengthen the opportunities for artists a to pursue their work. Through international, regional, and national networks, space is created to raise important issues and to focus on dialogue and collaboration. Particularly exciting is that UNESCO last autumn appointed Lund as Sweden’s second Creative City of Literature—giving us an even stronger presence at this year’s Folk and Kultur."
Collaborative Partners of Gothenburg City of Literature at Folk & Kultur
In addition to the UNESCO discussions, collaborative partners of the Gothenburg City of Literature participated in the programming at Munktellstaden in Eskilstuna in several ways:
Together with Folkuniversitetet, the Swedish Bible Society, and the Swedish Academy, Gothenburg Book Fair and the University of Gothenburg raised the question of What is popular education in today’s society? On encounters that create change, organised in connection with the upcoming Bildung-theme at the Gothenburg Book Fair 2026.
What happens when people meet and learn together? The seminar gathered stories from individuals whose lives have been shaped by experiences in popular education and explores its significance — for the individual, for society, and for a strengthened democracy.
The cultural administrations of Gothenburg and Västra Götaland, together with the Faculty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts at the University of Gothenburg, also came together in a programme series aimed at contributing to an open, inclusive and vibrant democratic cultural life. Highlights include Collaboration as competence, a discussion particularly relevant to the City of Literature Gothenburg — itself a form of collaboration where public institutions and the independent cultural sector meet and connect to a larger ecosystem.
The survival of the performing arts in the labyrinth of power – together for the performing arts of the future addresses the conditions of literary performance and asks how to create a sustainable and vital performing arts scene in a region where responsibility and resources are shared between the state, region, municipal federations and municipalities. What is the relationship between creativity and bureaucracy, culture and administration?
The University of Gothenburg, together with ICORN (International Cities of Refuge Network), Danish PEN, Norwegian PEN, and Folk och Kultur, also organised Cities of Refuge as a Defence against Authoritarianism, Disinformation and Restricted Freedom of Expression – Locally and Globally.
How can cities and regions, through their work with cities of refuge, develop their own efforts in the fields of democracy and human rights? How does the commitment to being a city of refuge help counter forces such as increasing authoritarianism, disinformation, and restrictions on freedom of expression?
About UNESCO Creative Cities in Sweden
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network was established in 2004. Becoming a UNESCO City entails a commitment to working with creativity as a tool for sustainable development, both locally and internationally. The network includes 408 cities from 100 countries worldwide, 63 of which are Cities of Literature.
From 2026, Sweden has four Creative Cities:
Östersund, Creative City of Gastronomy;
Norrköping, Creative City of Music;
City of Literature Gothenburg; and
City of Literature Lund.