Hälsningstal vid välkomstmottagning på Världskulturmuséet för delegater vid konferens mellan Europeiska städer inom Urbanprogrammet; Inclusive Cities, Conference for dialogue on Urban Issues.
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Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests!
On behalf of the City of Göteborg and the Committée for Urban Issues in the City Council of Göteborg I would want to wish you all very welcome to our city and this as I hope interesting conference.
Göteborg is a city built by immigrants in the 17th century to be the port to the world for Sweden. In those days a regional Empire surrounding the Baltic Sea.
Dutchmen, Englishmen, Scotsmen and Germans changed the swamplands beside the Göta River to a prosperous trading city.
During the 18th century the trade with China from here was the major income for all of Sweden.
In the 19th century the emigration from the poverty and lack of personal freedom in the countryside of Sweden mainly went with the boats to America from here.
In the 20th century the industries and today the High-Tech and the Universities need people from abroad to be able do their job and by so create the wealth for all of us.
Göteborg has then, as many cities, been the centre of multiculturalism, immigration and emigration. This is more true than ever in our global world.
Making the best of each others possibilities in a multi-cultural society is the key to success in the world of today. All other roads will lead in the wrong direction, on roads no longer possible in an interlinked world.
The question is if we can create a society of hopes and justice for all, or get stuck in degenerating societies of dispare and injustices for some, in the end badly affecting us all. The question is if we will have cities of human, social and economic growth or its opposite.
That is why we are here today. Not maybe the next few hours, but the two coming days and the years to come.
We have a common task to create a brighter future for more people in our cities. To empower people in all aspects of our daily-life, being included not excluded.
This is easy-said, but more difficult done. In fact not even that. Multiculturalism, immigration, empowerment and so forth are even difficult words to say. At least for me I have to admit. So how difficult is it not then to make real.
I am therefore very pleased to greet you to Göteborg and I hope we for our part in the discussions and seminars will get some good ideas from your experiences in your cities and that you in return will bring back the same to your cities from us and what we do here.
To put forward the fact that the world of today is a world that has to be seen from inside and out wherever you are, the minority here may be the majority somewhere else and we are all linked together by our history and by our way of living, trading and moving around, we choosed to place our reception here in this building, our Museum of World Culture, about wich you now will get some more information.
Once again, very welcome!
Mikael Janson