Marit Törnqvist: Refugees’ Stories and The Big Loss

Marit Törnqvist is an award-winning illustrator and children's book author. She has been involved with children's rights and book projects around the world. In recent years, she has worked to support asylum-seekers in Sweden and the Netherlands. On International Refugee Day 2022, Marit attracted attention with the installation 'The Big Loss' outside the parliament in Stockholm, where she had captured the stories of 502 refugees that individuals and families in Sweden have lost. 

We talk about how Marit uses her work to make a difference, and how she started her journey as a changemaker. She shares her personal story of how she got involved with Afghan refugees in Sweden, and talks about the tremendous pain so many have endured since 2015. We talk about what we can do to make a difference and how artists can use their art for impact. 

Learn more about Marit Törnqvist and her work at www.marittornqvist.nl

If you speak Swedish and want to learn more about the situation for refugees in Sweden, I recommend the book Tjugofemton: till asylrättens försvar, in which I've contributed a chapter. Get it here: https://tjugofemton.se