Isabel and Mina from “Sommerhytta”: – Afraid of the reactions

– One of our first reactions to being on “Sommerhytta” was fear of the reactions from the viewers – both on the basis that we are women, but also because we have a slightly darker skin color than the majority in Norway.

– We were afraid that someone would not like that we are involved, reveals Isabel Mikkelsen Sowe (29) and smiles.

Participating in “Sommerhytta” 2024

Isabel and Mina Bonful (29) are one of the four contestant couples who are fighting to win a cabin in Kungsvik in Sweden in the seventh season of “Sommerhytta” on TV 2.

– I have a background from Norway and Gambia, and Mina has a background from Ghana, but we both see ourselves as Norwegian. Considering that I have a slightly lighter skin colour, I know that there are forms of racism that I escape, but that maybe Mina does not, says Isabel.

Mina always thinks about how new people will perceive her.

– You are probably influenced by both what you have experienced and what friends and people around us have experienced. It shapes your everyday life and way of thinking. I often catch myself overthinking. Then from two perspectives, both my own and the one I meet.

The girls find racism and discrimination a challenging topic. It is difficult to know where to start, or what to talk about because the topic is so big. But the anxiety about how people will see them based on their skin color is inherent anyway.

– Some are probably wondering why we think like that! Maybe some people think it’s strange. I choose to believe that very few people mean or think anything bad about us. There is still something that comes with us in our rucksack, as well as experiences we have taken with us throughout life and experiences friends have made that it is difficult not to adopt, says Isabel.

Also read: “Sommerhytta” 2024: This year’s participants dread this

Dreaded the visit

During “Sommerhytta”, there was one week in particular that the friends dreaded.

– We were a little nervous about when the cabin neighbors would come to visit. We thought about everything from the fact that they don’t vote for us because they don’t like the way we look – to the fact that they don’t like the way we are – to the fact that some people might have prejudices that mean they don’t want us on their cottage field. It may sound silly, but for us it was real, says Isabel.

Although Mina has experienced discrimination, she does not necessarily think it was intended as such from the other’s perspective.

– I have experienced racism, but I cannot say with certainty whether it was the intention of the person in question, says Mina and thinks about it before continuing:

– I always try to be positive and think that everything is going well. I don’t know if I should say it’s tiring, but thinking things through from multiple perspectives has become normal for me, and probably for you too, says Mina and turns to Isabel, who nods.

Also read: Sara and Ibrahim from “Sommerhytta”: – I’m still a little tired

Went to Nydalen upper secondary school

We meet the girls at Isabel’s home on Carl Berners plass in Oslo. Both grew up nearby. Isabel at Grünerløkka – Mina at Tøyen just a stone’s throw away.

Mina still lives in the apartment she grew up in, while her parents moved to another place in Oslo. The girls are exuberant and cheerful. They have known each other since their first year at Nydalen upper secondary school in Oslo.

– I remember thinking that Mina was fun, that there was always life around her.

– The same with Isabel, she was always bubbly and very pretty, says Mina.

When the girls began additional studies to gain study qualifications, they finally ended up in the same class.

– Then we hung out together every day after school. What did we do? We slept and ate, I think, says Isabel. Both girls laugh heartily.

Since high school, the girls have been in the same girl group. They are together for birthdays, 17 May, Christmas parties and whenever they can in everyday life. They are friends who trust each other.

– Mina is someone I know I can talk to. I feel I can tell her everything, says Isabel.

An incident a few years ago made Mina really feel how much Isabel means to her.

– After a bad incident, I withdrew a bit from everything and everyone, but then I realized that there were some of my friends I couldn’t lose. Isabel was one of these. I therefore took action and spoke to her, recalls Mina.

Read also: (+) The ex-wife believes that she has the right to take over the cabin. Is she trying to trick me?

Shared double bed for 10 weeks

It was just before “Sommerhytta” Mina had a serious talk with Isabel, and in many ways “Sommerhytta” marked a new start for the friends.

– I plucked up the courage and told Isabel how the incident had affected me. I think it was decisive for how the ten weeks together would turn out.

The collaboration during the cabin project was virtually problem-free for the two Oslo girls.

– We are both very afraid of spiders, so we slept in the same double bed for 10 weeks. We were together from morning to night. It went surprisingly well.

– There were times when we perhaps needed a little break from each other, and then it happened naturally. Then I went and worked in one place, and Mina in another. We didn’t have to say anything, it just came naturally, says Isabel with a smile.

In retrospect, both think the experience was fun, but both admit they didn’t know what they were getting into.

– We knew we could win a nice cabin, but we had no idea the extent of the work. It was kind of like, “Oh shit, are we going to do all this?” It was overwhelming. TV 2 needs to calm down, Isabel jokes and laughs.

– When I look back, I think it was great fun, but then and there it was really tough, Isabel concludes, while Mina nods contentedly.

This case was first published on 25/04 2024.