Some visits feel as though no time has passed since the last one. That’s exactly how it was recently when our good friend Nadja popped round to our studio in Dalsland. Nadja is a documentary filmmaker and has been working for years for ARD, ZDF, NDR, SWR, ORF and ARTE – she has made a name for herself with, amongst other things, Der Islam der Frauen (Women’s Islam), in which she profiles Muslim women seeking their own path to emancipation within Islam, as well as with the web series Arabellinnen – Frauen des Arabischen Frühlings (Arabellinnen – Women of the Arab Spring) and portraits such as Der Unbequeme – Der Dichter Günter Grass (The Uncomfortable One – The Poet Günter Grass) or Der Traum des Dirigenten Kent Nagano (The Dream of Conductor Kent Nagano). Topics such as the Arab world, religion and social change have therefore long been a part of her work.
We discussed the state of the world at length, as old friends do, and Nadja told me about her new film project, which will explore sexuality in Islam – a topic that builds on her previous work and, with her keen sense of nuance, tackles a subject laden with taboos.
In between our conversations, we naturally got out too: a trip to Håverud with its famous aqueduct lock, and a visit to the Dalsland Art Museum, which consistently showcases interesting works. The sculpture park is also always lovely to wander through.
Our neighbours were also invited over in July – and as we’ve recently installed a new fire alarm system, we took the opportunity to briefly explain our fire safety plan and the system itself to them. After all, they’re the first to be notified should I ever be away. That’s how we look out for one another, in the truest sense of the word.
Just as the meeting was getting underway – as often happens in Dals Långed – the power cut out for half an hour, so we were able to conduct the introduction under real-life conditions without further ado. It doesn’t get much more practical than that.