RUS in Jokkmokk: "Will grow as a cultural venue" 

Jokkmokk wants to grow – but in its own way. The municipality's experiences and history were always present when Jokkmokk looked ahead to 2040. Real sustainability, preserved nature and investments in culture and education were in focus during the workshop on the new regional development strategy. 

Jokkmokk's municipal councilor Roland Boman began his story about where Jokkmokk stands today with a look back. 

– We have to think about where we are going and where we have been. Nobody lives in the former community of Messaure today. But many billions have gone to the treasury thanks to those who worked there, said Roland about the community that Vattenfall had built to build the power plant dam. 

Jokkmokk municipality also includes Vuollerim, from where 10-25 percent of the country's electricity is exported.  

“The start of Swedish welfare”

– Porjus power station and the mines in Malmberget, that's the start of Swedish welfare.  

The communities that grew with hydropower have since shrunk or disappeared altogether. It is an experience to take with you for the future. 

– Now that we're talking about the new exploitation...we've already experienced this over the last 130 years. And we know that after 10-15 years it will end. 

Municipal councilor Roland Boman gave a picture of what 130 years of exploitation have meant for Jokkmokk.

Today, electrification is the answer to the climate crisis, when fossil fuels must be phased out. But for Jokkmokk, with its many hydroelectric power plants, electricity is not sustainable. It has a major impact on the environment, on the lives of people and animals. Almost dry riverbeds are part of the picture.

– The largest salmon in Europe used to spawn here. When you talk about sustainability, you have to mean sustainability all the way! says Roland Boman. 

Investing in education

As Jokkmokk looks to the future, it is investing in education: Learning centers, adult education, the Sami education center, Lapland high school, Bokenskolan. Here, there are courses in the Sami field and in electricity and energy. 

– We are well equipped for the future. Education is the most important leg we have to stand on. It creates growth, said Boman.

The lessons of history make Jokkmokk want to invest in something more than just being a raw material supplier. Instead, Roland Boman highlights culture as an area for development. Tjállegoahte, the Sápmi Writers' Centre, is an example of this.  

– Tjállegoahte is an important part of our future work when we show what is here. Tjállegoahte is already well-known and will be the guest of honor at the Gothenburg Book Fair this fall. 

The workshop on the future of Norrbotten was open to everyone and attracted nearly 30 participants on May 3.

The dialogue about the future of Jokkmokk continued with the many participants who made their way to Ájtte for the workshop.  

Silva Herrmann, energy advisor at the Lapland Association of Local Authorities, sees the municipality's training courses as an opportunity for collaboration. 

– We are undergoing major changes in the county. We have an incredibly good range of education and training and I think we would like to collaborate with other municipalities. And in that way also be part of the journey. 

The deputy chairman of the municipal board, Henrik Blind, highlighted that Jokkmokk has a highly specialized business sector. This needs to be broadened in order for the municipality to become more attractive. But he also expressed concern about what will happen to the mobile network. 

“Accessibility is not just fiber”

– What happens when the 5G network shuts down existing 3G and 4G networks? This means that you cannot live and work in the entire county, for example in Jokkmokk municipality. You can't have it so that you are lucky enough to live near a 5G network. Accessibility is not just about access to fiber. 

The statistics presented during the dialogue show that more women are now starting and running businesses in Jokkmokk. Christel Falk from the business company Strukturum highlighted the importance of courage and daring to be pioneers.  

– We have worked on targeted projects for gender equality and entrepreneurship, which has also made more people dare, she said. 

This includes the Develoop project, which was funded by EU funds. It has contributed to more companies daring to take the step of working with gender equality as a growth and attractiveness factor. 

Annsofi Ericsson Lehman and Eva Dynesius.

Eva Dynesius from the Vuxenskolan study association sees Jokkmokk's young people as role models. 

– We have creatively thinking young people who come from families where they had to arrange things themselves. We could have national UF fairs that put Jokkmokk on the map for young people in particular. 

No mass tourism

The tourism industry is important in Jokkmokk. The protected land itself becomes something to market, but tourism must be sustainable. 

– Visitors need to get to protected areas, we need to find smart sustainable transport solutions to make it accessible. We do not see mass tourism as a goal, but it should be something that provides local added value. Think about the ecology!, said Silva Herrmann. 

Evelina Nygård and Silva Herrmann dived into the workshop tasks. 

Many of the ideas surrounding culture and development that do not rely on the extraction of raw materials were reflected in the visions for 2040. One example is that last autumn the municipality of Jokkmokk said no to new mining plans in Gállok/Kallak. 

– It was a risk we took when we said no to Gállok. There was an attitude that “we can”! The challenge is to reverse the population curve and to get different social actors to take their responsibility. What helps us is the story about us, why we want to be here. Not to be a big place but to dare to be small. Tjállegoahte is important because Jokkmokk is growing as a cultural place. We create that you are where it happens, that Jokkmokk is a permissive place, said Linda Nordström who works at Jokkmokk Municipality. 

“No clear-cutting”

Elina Nygård, head of the public unit at the Ájtte museum, emphasized the preservation of nature. 
“In 2040 we have diversity, no clear-cutting, we have reindeer husbandry and clean water,” she said. 

Birgit Meier-Thunborg, regional politician for the Moderate Party, wants to see better infrastructure. 
– In the future, the Inlandsbanan will operate and run all year round. The Bothniabanan has come a long way. Infrastructure is needed for us to be able to do anything, she said. 

Looking ahead to 2040, municipal councilor Roland Boman emphasized the importance of Jokkmokk taking its destiny into its own hands.   

–What we have learned during the journey from a long time ago is to trust ourselves. The state is not the one we should lean on. The companies and ourselves together are the ones who can develop our municipality. 

Summary of recordings from Jokkmokk

Text: Sara Stylbäck Vesa and Christine Hemdal Sandling
Photo: Christine Hemdal Sandling