Thomas Sarri
Head of and Editor in Chief, Sveriges Radio Sameradion
Born 1972 and raised in Kiruna and the village of Nikkaluokta. Thomas Sarri did not inherit his Sámi language from his parents. They belong to a generation that faced racism because they couldn’t speak Swedish, and they didn’t want him to experience the same. However, his grandmother spoke only Sámi, so he learned the basics of the language from her. In adulthood, Sarri reclaimed his Sámi language through university studies and his work at Sameradion.
Thomas Sarri works for Sameradion, the Sámi languages radio department of Swedish public service broadcaster Sveriges Radio (SR). He initially started at Sameradion as a news reporter and later on various projects across different radio formats. In the last ten years before becoming the channel manager, he was head of newsroom.
In 2012, Sarri received the Sámi Journalism Award for exposing how politicians in the Swedish Parliament influenced a state-commissioned investigation, highlighting one of the major challenges for the Sámi elected body, the Sámi Parliament: insufficient self-determination.
In 2019, he produced the Sámi podcast Duohta Ivnnit, (True Colours) which addressed taboo topics within the Sámi community. The podcast received the Silversleven Journalism Award from the Publicist´s Club in Northern Sweden.
In 2022, Thomas Sarri became the Head of Sameradion.
He currently lives in the city of Umeå with his wife and three children.
