Swedish exhibition explores life of 18th-century Black diarist

Born into slavery, Gustav Badin became part of Swedish royal court and left legacy of books and letters In 1760, a Black child around 10 years old arrived at the Swedish royal court as a “gift” to the queen. Adolf Ludvig Gustav Fredrik Albrecht Couschi, who became known as Badin (derived from the French for joker or prankster), later held titles including chamberlain, court secretary, ballet master and civil servant. He is thought to have been born into slavery between 1747 and 1750 in the fo...

By Miranda Bryant Nordic correspondent