TEXT AND PHOTOS BY SANNA SJÖSWÄRD - BILDBYRÅN SILVER
I was born in Iran in 1973. My biological mother was unable to take care of me, so I was placed in a children’s home in Tehran when I was just a few months old. I lived there for the first four years of my life, and then in 1977 I was adopted by my Swedish parents.
In 2000 I went back to Iran. I found my birth mother, Sedighre, by taking out an ad in a local paper. I discovered that I had two sisters and that we had lost our biological father, Abolfazi, to an addiction. He died in ’92.
My parents met at a very young age. She was 18. My father started abusing drugs and alcohol soon after. He used to lock Sedighre up in a room and go out for the night. When he came back in the morning he would unlock the door. My mum told me she was very afraid toi be alone.
I’ve been back many times, and during one trip, one of my sisters got married. I took these photos during the wedding.
Sanna just published a book called Roots. It’s about her going back to Iran to find her biological mother. To look at it, go to Sannafoto.se.
