Sat, Jun 28, 2008
Kobra travels to Ethiopia: a country in the middle of one of Africa's most intense conflict zones right now and where the culture constantly operates in a gray zone between freedom and censorship. We accompany the Swedish-Ethiopian artist Loulou Cherinet, both in the studio and at the opening in Sweden, and on the streets of the capital Addis Ababa. We meet the country's only female stand-up comedian Hibbest Asseifa and Ethiopia's biggest reggae star.
Mon, Mar 9, 2009
Murder, crime and conspiracies characterize the new image of Sweden that is now being spread throughout the world. A drunk Wallander and an introverted data hacking Salander are the new role models that replace Olof Palme, Björn Borg and ABBA. "Kobra" meets the English Wallander, actor Kenneth Branagh, who talks about his fascination for Swedish detectives and the English jealousy against Sweden. Noomi Rapace meets French author Guillaume Lebeau, who has written his own continuation of the Millennium series. Also: Behind the scenes at the world premiere of "Men who hate women" in Paris where expectations of the film are huge and so concerned analyzes from London where you track the Swedish downfall.
Mon, Apr 20, 2009
Istanbul - a city in change. The Turkish author Mehmet Murat Somer has achieved international success with his books about a detective who is a transvestite. For Kobra, he shows off his favorite neighborhoods. In addition, one of Turkey's most noted artists, Kutlug Ataman, and the writer Perihan Magden, who was put on trial for his sharp columns.
Mon, Apr 27, 2009
"Self-portrait or Narcissism?" - Never before have we taken as much self-portraiture as we do now. In the mobile camera lens, we have elevated ourselves to icons. This week's program is about self portraiture and the way we want to present ourselves. We go to Vienna and meet Hermann Nitsch, one of the Vienna group's leader of the art group, known for their pioneering perversions in the 1960s.
Mon, Oct 5, 2009
A dive into the royal cultural taste, an examination of Prince Charles' ravages and then a trip to Norway to gain perspective on the question why the Swedish cultural elite is so devoted to the Royal House. Also, meet artist John E. Franzén known for his raw Hells Angels painting as he was chosen to paint the official portrait of the Swedish Royal family.
Mon, Nov 23, 2009
Author Dan Brown tried to break through as a crooner before his book "The Da Vinci Code" became the best-selling book of the 21st century so far. In "Kobra", he talks about the moment when he understood that everything was going to change. Art student Anna Odell about the scandal headlines in the media, and how her breakthrough affected her - before she even graduated from art school. And so about the breakthrough of an entirely new literary genre; the mobile short story. Jane Magnusson meets Hikari Ishidaira - whose first mobile short story became a bestseller.
Mon, Apr 12, 2010
Who is afraid of AIDS? When Andreas "Alcazar" Lundstedt received the HIV message, he was sure he was going to die. In Kobra, he talks about the fear, prejudice and secrecy, and why he didn't dare tell anyone for ten years. Alexandra Charles about her close relationship with Sweden's first celebrity who admitted he had AIDS, Sighsten Herrgård. And then the author Anna-Maria Sörberg about why the fear of "HIV men" is still so strong.
Tue, May 11, 2010
In one of the world's most dangerous countries, Pakistan, the cultural elite live behind high walls guarded by armed guards. Kobra's reporting team grew their beards and went to the cultural city of Lahore - and were taunted by superstar Ali Saleem, who made TV success as a transvestite. Author Mohsin Hamid wrote the hit book The Reluctant Fundamentalist and became a name on everyone's lips. Now he has left the safety of London and moved back to his turbulent homeland. And then the Swedish pop star Viktoria Bergsman who was influenced by the local music and recorded her latest album in Pakistan.
Mon, Mar 28, 2011
About sex-rock. Ever since the 1960s performers like Johnny Bode, Eddie Meduza and the band Onkel Kånkel have popularized songs about cock, pussy and other politically incorrect topics, and created a genre of their own. Kobra follows Lilla Lovis, the latest starlet in the sex-rock and explores why this music has such a strong hold on the soul of the people.
Tue, Oct 29, 2013
"New diplomacy" - New wars and new conflicts require a new diplomacy. So-called "whistleblowers" such as Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden have shown that when the old structures do not work, the third party - the people - can step in. Kobra meets whistleblower Kathryn Bolkovac who exposed UN-related trafficking in Bosnia and gets advice from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's "tech guru" Alec Ross.