Category: blog

Móðurmál – the Association on Bilingualism promotes identity of plurilingual children

Renata Emilsson Peskova, modurmal@modurmal.com

Móðurmál helps educate a new generation of plurilingual children who will be able to draw on their cultural and linguistic resources in the future in various positions, as future teachers, interpreters, entrepreneurs, and leaders.

Móðurmál – the Association on Bilingualism is an umbrella organisation whose main goal is to teach mother tongues, or heritage languages, to plurilingual children. Móðurmál is based in Reykjavík, Iceland and it has over twenty years of history in engaging parents and volunteers in mother tongue instruction.

Móðurmál´s motto is “diversity, identity, respect”. Mother tongue teachers agreed at the annual conference in 2014 that these words express best what the organisation stands for. It supports and celebrates the diversity in the Icelandic society, it strengthens and promotes identity of plurilingual children as well as their parents, and it highlights that mutual respect is alfa and omega of peaceful and constructive relationships.

Móðurmál is an umbrella organisation of more than twenty language groups and schools that work independently as they develop and implement their own teaching and programs. Most of the classes are held on Saturdays or Sundays and in the school year 2017-2018 about 750 children attend mother tongue classes. The groups also meet and collaborate within Móðurmál. Each community has different needs and various resources, but the desire of parents to teach their mother tongues to their children is so strong that they join forces and together overcome time, cost, and organisational barriers. Móðurmál assists the groups and group coordinators, the mother tongue teachers, and the parents in their endeavour to sustain mother tongue teaching. Móðurmál also collaborates with many local and international organisations towards its goals.

Some of Móðurmál´s important connections are the International and Heritage Languages Association in Edmonton, Alberta, Modersmålscentrum in Lund, Sweden, the School and Leisure Department of the City of Reykjavík, the Alliance of Parent´s Associations and Parent´s Councils of Elementary Schools in Reykjavík, the City Library of Reykjavík, the Cultural Centre Gerðuberg, and the Art Gallery of Reykjavík. Individual mother tongue groups collaborate among themselves and oftentimes develop connections with embassies and consulates of their countries, as well as mother tongue schools in their respective languages around the world.

Móðurmál is important to many. It serves several functions, one of which is to help create a multicultural society, mutual understanding of various language groups who share the passion for maintaining and developing mother tongue skills of children. Móðurmál is a precious part of the Icelandic society, because it helps build bridges among languages and cultures. It creates and deepens mutual understanding of various groups and institutions. It gives power to immigrant parents. It enriches the Icelandic multicultural society and helps educate a new generation of plurilingual children who will be able to draw on their cultural and linguistic resources in the future in various positions, as future teachers, interpreters, entrepreneurs, and leaders.

Móðurmál is proud of national awards it has received in the past, namely, a certificate of recognition from the Intercultural Center in 2008, the Society Award of Fréttablaðið (newspaper) in 2014, the Parent Award of Home and School (National Parents Association in 2016) but at the same time, it is searching for more official recognition of its work. It appraises the models in Scandinavian countries and Canada as it continues to work towards sustainable, successful mother tongue education in Iceland.

Renata Emilsson Peskova is a PhD candidate at the School of Education at the University of Iceland. Her research interest lies with plurilingual children and heritage language education. She is the chair of Móðurmál – the Association on Bilingualism.

Maainâst muʹnne säämas, čâđđmam kâʹl fiʹttai

Text: Mari Korpimäki
Translation to Skólt Sámi: Anna-Katariina Feodoroff
[suomeksi]

Muʹst mõõni kuʹǩes äiʹǧǧ fiʹttjed, što päʹrnnpoodd taaurõõžži ääkkiʹʒʒe paaiʹǩi kõõskâst jie leämma dohat ǩilomettar, mâʹte meeʹst. Kuʹǩes äiʹǧǧ mõõni še fiʹttjed tõn, mõõn diõtt jiõm maainâst jiijjan jieʹnnǩiõl nuõrttsääʹmǩiõl.

Eččam šõddâmpäiʹǩǩ lij Savo čâđđmest Kaavi Rovevääʹrest da jeännam dommpäiʹǩǩ tââʹvv sääʹmsiidâst, Aanarjääuʹr saujjbeäʹlnn, Mustolasiidâst. Miʹjjid leäi luâđlaž, što kuäbba ääkk åʹrnn leʹjjiim, tõn mieʹldd mainstiim. Jõs leʹjjiim eeʹjj jieʹnn åʹrnn, toʹben mainstiim hääʹsǩes Savo-suõm di Mustolasiʹjdde go mõõniim di vaajtiim ǩiõl läullai teeʹmes sääʹmǩiõʹlle. Da nääiʹt juõʹǩǩ vuâra.

Kuhttu ääkk åʹrnn šiiʹliim kueʹl, hååidiim jieʹllʼjid, pooriim jiõčč rajjum veär, leiʹbbjiim, påǥstiim jiânnai da uus leʹjje pâi äävai kuõʹssid. Leʹjjiim kâskka ij ni mõõn – peʹce ââlda puuʹttes luâđ. Jiiʹjjesvääʹrrvuõtt leäi arggpeeiʹv da tuejj riʹjttji eeʹjj juõʹǩǩ peivva. Ǩieʹzz leʹjje paakkâs da peeivõõǥǥ, tääʹlv lääskav da muõtti.

Tõn leekk kopplõõzzâst leʹjjem päʹrnnpoddam nuõrrvuõđ äälǥ räjja.

Eman õõut peeiʹv jieʹllem moʹttji. Leʹjjem ååucad klaassâst Siilijääuʹr pââiškooulâst. Fiʹttjem, što vuäitčem leeʹd kueiʹtǩiõllsaž, mainsted kuhttu jieʹnnǩiõllam. Leša mainstem pâi nuuʹbb. Tõn nuuʹbb jiõm mainstam, leša fiʹttjem. Håʹt pâi čâđđminan.

Tän toʹlǩǩummuž leäi mâʹte pomm, kååʹtt vaaʹldi meädda vuâđ tõʹst, ǩii leʹjjem. Identiteeʹtt leäi kriisâst 15 – âkksiʹžžen tän tååʹsǩtaa še. Šõʹdde jiânnai kõõččmõõžž, snäätnteʹmvuõtt, õõmšummuš di vââʹjj še, go jie leämma vaʹsttõõzz. Jiõm fiʹttjam, mõõzz leäi nääiʹt, mõõn diõtt jiõm mainstam muu nuuʹbb jieʹnnǩiõl, sääʹmǩiõl. Mõʹnt muʹnne jie mättʼtam ǩiõl? Leäi-a vieʹrr muʹst? Jiõm-ǥo leämmaž nokk pueʹrr lebe jiõm-ǥo riʹjttjam?

Jiõm vuäǯǯam vaʹsttõõzzid kõõččmõõžžid.

Ääiʹj mieʹldd täi tobddmõõžži da kõõččmõõžži sâjja puäʹtte jeeʹres ravvšmummša kollʼjeei jurddi. Jiiʹjjes väjjaǥvuõtt kuuitâǥ tobddji mâʹte tollân vääimast. Leʹjjem seʹst pâi pieʹll ooumaž.

2010-lååǥǥ äälǥast leʹjjem vuõrâsooumaž, näittlõõttâm da vuäǯǯam pirrsam jiijjâd piârri. Jälstiim Heʹlssnest. Kuuitâǥ, pekkõʹttem õinn seämma aaʹššin go ääiʹjab. Ǩiõlteʹmvuõtt da pååđvuõtt väiʹvvee nuʹt čuuʹt, što äʹlǧǧem vueʹlljuurdeeʹl di mâŋŋa vuõssmõsân ooccõõttâd “muu jiiʹjjes oummi” årra – håʹt jiõm ni teâttam, što ǩeäk täk tuõđi leʹjje. Seʹlvvni, što Heʹlssnest leʹjje jeeʹres säʹmmla še, joba nuõrttsäʹmmla. Muu ooudâst aaʹlji leäʹđgtõõllâd ääiʹji mieʹlddsaž čuõvv.

Uus äʹlǧǧe ävvned õhttõstuejjummša City-Sámit rõ da Saaʹmi Nueʹtt rõ mieʹldd. Kauʹnnem jeärrsid muunallšem oummid da fiʹttješkueʹttem, što jiõm leäkku õhttu väjjaǥvuõđinam. Lie še jeärraz, ǩeäk lie mõõntam ǩiõllâz, da tõk oummu lie jiânnai. Fiʹttjem, što sij lie puk säʹmmla. Verddsažtuärjjõs vuäkka vuåǯǯum vuõssmõs vuâra vuõiggâdvuõđ tuužžâd oummuvuõđ, koon leʹjjem mõõntam. Jiijjâs vieʹrrdõõttmõõžž sâjja pueʹđi tieʹttemvuõtt, što vieʹrr ij ni leämma muu.

Kuuitaǥ ǩiõʹlle tillʼlõõvi ǩeeuʹsummuš tobddai. Mõõnni ǩieʹzz läʹddlaž koon juʹrddem čuõvtõssân, påǥsti muʹnne, što “Mii säʹmmlaid ton leäk, go ǩiõl jiõk maainâst.” Lij vaiggâd peälštõõttâd kõrmmlõõzzin koid ij vueiʹn pueʹttmen.

Nuõrttsääʹmǩiõll lij Unesco klasstõõllmõõžž mieʹldd tuõttsânji vaarrvuâlaž pâi nuʹtt 300 mainsteeʹjin. Jiõčč jiõm ni võl kullu tõõzz uʹcc ǩiõllmainsteeʹji jouʹǩǩe. Tän poodd muʹnne kuuitâǥ riʹjttai tõt, što mainstam, kulddlam da fiʹttjam sääʹmǩiõl čâđđminan. Âânam ǩiõl muu vääim jieʹnnǩiõllân.

Meeʹst säʹmmlain sätt leeʹd nårrjam šeämm da ouddkäddmõš väʹlddnarood juätkkjeei iʹlbbes kommeeʹnti vuâstta, leša dõõzz lij mäinn. Ij mij ǩiõl mõõntummuš leäkku mij jiijjâd vieʹrr, peʹce viõusâs assimilaatiopolitiikk, koon Lääʹddjânnmest vueʹǩǩâʹtte joba 1970-lååǥǥ räjja. Tuõđi päkksuddtummuš, assimilaatio, vaikkti sääʹmǩiõlid nuʹt, što sääʹmǩiõlid haaʹlee obbnes jaukkeed. Lekk lij, što tõʹst jie oʹnstam, håʹt jiânnai ǩeähn raʹjje. Ânnʼjõžääiʹj Lääʹddjânnam vuâđđlääʹjj 17 momeentteʹst lååkk paragraaff 3 momee’ntest, što säʹmmlain lij vuõiggâdvuõtt tuõʹllʼjed ja viikkâd ooudâs jiijjâd ǩiõl da kulttuur. Tõt lij šiõǥǥ vueʹlǧǧemsââʹjj, leša argg lij veâlâinn tuärrmõõžž.

Jiijjâd ǩiõl da kulttuur mõõntummuš lij nuʹt čiŋŋlõs da sokkpuõlvvõõǥǥâst nobba serddai trauma, što ni ǩeän ij õõlǥči tõn occnjõõššâd. Jõs äʹšš ij kuõskât tuu, ij-ǥa tuʹst leäkku tõõzz ni mii särnnamnalla, feʹrttai äšša kuuitâǥ siõhttlõõttâd ciʹsttjeeʹl – da kueʹđđed särnnmõõžžid jeärmmjab oummid.

Jåhtta maʹccem tââvvâst mååust Heʹlssna. Leʹjjem måttmid peeiʹvid muu jiiʹjjes oummivuiʹm sääʹmvuuʹdest, Čeʹvetjääuʹrest, Njeäʹllmest da Keväjääuʹrest. Ânnʼjõžääiʹj vuäǯǯam leeʹd muu tuej (http://www.kolttasaamelaiset.fi)  ooudâst  toʹben, koʹst čââʹđ njoikk seämma taaut mieʹldd muu meerain.

Meeʹst lij võl jiânnai tuejj tuejjeemnalla ǩiõl da kulttuur jeälltummuž ouʹdde. Resuursân lie kuuitâǥ raaj. Nuõrttsääʹmǩiõll lij Unesco klasstõõllmõõžž mieʹldd tuõttsânji vaarrvuâlaž pâi nuʹtt 300 mainsteeʹjin. Jiõčč jiõm ni võl kullu tõõzz uʹcc ǩiõllmainsteeʹji jouʹǩǩe. Tän poodd muʹnne kuuitâǥ riʹjttai tõt, što mainstam, kulddlam da fiʹttjam sääʹmǩiõl čâđđminan. Âânam ǩiõl muu vääim jieʹnnǩiõllân.

Leäm proʹsttjam jiõccsan da ouddam lååʹv leeʹd mieʹldd tõin ǩiõlin mii muu njääʹlmest piâzz, tääuʹjmõsân Savo-suõmin. Tän peeiʹv piʹrǧǧääm puârast, go muu jiõččtobdd ǩeâllai. Aʹlǩǩes čuâǥǥas tõt ij kuuitâǥ leäkku leämmaž.

Äʹjstam muu čâđđmest, što jiiʹjjes määʹtǩ âʹlnn jooʹtti ǩiõllmainsteei vuäǯǯče õõutstõõzzâs tuärjjõõzz, leʹjje sij håʹt koon pääiʹǩest sij määʹtǩest. Pâi mainsteeʹl da mieʹldd ååreeʹl mättai. Smeʹllkââttam pukid säʹmmlaid ââʹjjest huõlǩâni  mainstõõllâd kõskkneez toʹben koʹst teivva, viõʹttjed ääiʹj õhttsiʹžže da čeeʼestõõllâd seämma pååʹrdest. Da mainsted kõskkneez.

Sääʹmǩiõll jeällai kâʹl. Siõmmnai siõmmnai.

Mari Korpimäki, Gaurilooff sooǥǥâst, ǩii kåčč jiijjâs sääʹmsavoneʹǩǩen, alttii eeʹjj tuâǥårra Nuõrttsääʹmkulttuurfoond äʹššooumžen. Tuejj lij jäänmõsân ougglõstuejj Heʹlssnest, leša nuʹt õõut vuâra mannust Korpimäki jeäll foond konttrest Čeʹvetjääuʹr Sääʹmpõõrtâst. Graaflaž plaaneeʹjen tuåimmjam Korpimäki tåʹbdde še jeeʹresnallšem sääʹmkampanjain, koin vääžnʼjummuš meerlažliikkõssân tåʹbdde Lähetä postikortti Sevettijärvelle – kampanjast älggam 99930 Sevettijärvi -seiddõs Facebook-seeidast, koin pâʹrǧǧe stâânâd Koillis-Lappi aazzi vuõiggâdvuõđ jiijjâz pååʹštkääzzkõõzzid.

Photo of Mari Korpimäki: Mikko Mäntyniemi
Featured photo: Enrique Mendez
Translation to Skólt Sámi: Anna-Katariina Feodoroff

Puhu minulle koltansaamea, sydämeni ymmärtää kyllä

Mari Korpimäki

kolttasaameksi / in Skólt Sámi

Minulta meni pitkään ymmärtää, etteivät lapsuuden kavereiden mummolat olleet tuhannen kilometrin välimatkan päässä toisistaan, kuten meillä. Pitkään meni ymmärtää myös se, miksi en puhu omaa äidinkieltäni koltansaamea.

Isäni synnyinkoti on Savon sydämessä Kaavilla Rovevaarassa ja äitini kotipaikka pohjoisen kolttakylässä, Inarijärven eteläpuolella, Mustolassa. Meille oli luonnollista, että kieli vaihtui mummolan mukaan lennosta lupsakkaasta Savon murteesta pehmeästi soljuvaan koltansaameen ja takaisin.

Molemmissa mummoloissa kalastettiin, hoivattiin eläimiä, syötiin omatekoista ruokaa, leivottiin, naurettiin paljon ja pidettiin ovet auki kylästelijöille. Oltiin kaukana kaikesta, keskellä ei mitään – muuta kuin puhdasta luontoa. Omavaraisuus oli arkipäivää ja puuhaa riitti vuoden jokaiselle päivälle. Kesät olivat lämpimiä ja aurinkoisia, talvet lempeitä ja runsaslumisia.

Siinä onnen kuplassa vietin lapsuuteni teini-ikään saakka.

Kunnes eräänä päivänä elämä muuttui. Olin yhdeksännellä luokalla Siilinjärven yläasteella. Tajusin, että voisin olla kaksikielinen, puhua molempia äidinkieliäni. Mutta en puhunut kuin toista. Sitä toista en puhunut, mutta ymmärsin. Tosin vain sydämelläni.

Tämä oivallus oli kuin jysähdys, joka vei pohjan pois siltä, kuka olin. Identiteetti oli 15-vuotiaana kriisissä ilman tätäkin tuskaa. Heräsi paljon kysymyksiä, epävarmuutta, hämmennystä ja vastauksien puutteessa myös vihaa. En ymmärtänyt, miksi oli näin, miksi en puhunut toista äidinkieltäni koltansaamea. Miksi minulle ei opetettu kieltä? Oliko syy minussa? Enkö ollut tarpeeksi hyvä tai riittävä?

En saanut kysymyksiin vastauksia.

Aikaa myöten tilalle tuli muuta aikuistumiseen liittyvää pohdintaa. Oma vaillinaisuus poltti silti sielua syvältä. Olin henkisesti vain puolikas ihminen.

Kielettömyys ja juurettomuus vaivasivat niin paljon, että aloin alitajuisesti ja sittemmin tietoisesti hakeutumaan ”omieni” pariin – vaikken edes tiennyt, keitä nämä omani oikeastaan olivat.

2010-luvun alussa olin aikuinen, naimisissa ja saanut ympärilleni oman perheen. Asuimme Helsingin lähiössä. Silti kipuilin yhä samojen aiheiden kanssa kuin aiemminkin. Kielettömyys ja juurettomuus vaivasivat niin paljon, että aloin alitajuisesti ja sittemmin tietoisesti hakeutumaan ”omieni” pariin – vaikken edes tiennyt, keitä nämä omani oikeastaan olivat. Selvisi, että Helsingissä on muitakin saamelaisia, jopa kolttasaamelaisia. Tielleni alkoi välähdellä satunnaista valoa.

Ovia alkoi avautumaan yhdistystoimintaan City-Sámit ry:n ja Saa´mi Nue´tt ry:n kautta. Löysin muita kaltaisiani ja aloin ymmärtämään, etten ole vajavaisuuteni kanssa yksin. Muitakin kielensä menettäneitä on, ja heitä on paljon. Ymmärsin, että he ovat yhtä kaikki saamelaisia. Vertaistuen avulla sain ensimmäistä kertaa oikeuden surra menettämääni ihmisyyttä. Itsensä syyllistämisen tilalle tuli tietoisuus, ettei syy ollut sittenkään minun.

Silti kieleen kohdistuva kiusaaminen tuntuu. Viime kesänä sivistyneenä pitämäni suomalainen puolituttu nauroi minulle ronskisti päin naamaa, että: ”Mikäs koltta sitä sinä olet, kun et kieltä puhu.” Puun takaa tulevia iskuja vastaan on vaikea puolustautua.

Meissä saamelaisissa saattaa olla patoutunutta vihaa ja ennakkoluuloja valtaväestön jatkuvia tölväisyjä kohtaan, mutta syystäkin. Eihän kielenmenetyksemme ole omaa syytämme, vaan vallalla olleen vahvan assimilaatiopolitiikan, jota Suomessa harjoitettiin jopa 1970-luvulle saakka. Käytännössä pakkosulauttaminen, assimilaatio, vaikutti saamelaiskieliin siten, että saamen kielet haluttiin hävittää kokonaan pois. Onneksi siinä ei onnistuttu, vaikka laajaa tuhoa aiheutettiinkin. Nykyään Suomen perustuslain 17 pykälän 3 momentissa sanotaan, että saamelaisilla on oikeus ylläpitää ja kehittää omaan kieltään ja kulttuuriaan. Se on hyvä lähtökohta, mutta arki on edelleen yhtä kamppailua.

Oman kielen ja kulttuurin menettäminen on niin syvä ja sukupolvelta toiselle siirtyvä trauma, ettei sitä ole syytä kenenkään vähätellä. Jos aihe ei kosketa itseä, eikä siihen ole mitään sanomista, on asiaan silti syytä suhtautua kunnioittavasti – ja jättää sanomiset itseään viisaammille.

Palasin eilen pohjoisesta takaisin Helsinkiin. Olin joitakin päiviä taas omieni parissa koltta-alueella, eli Sevettijärvellä, Nellimissä ja Keväjärvellä. Saan nykyään viettää aikaa työni puolesta siellä, missä sydän sykkii samaan tahtiin oman kansani kanssa.

Meillä on edelleen paljon työtä ja tekemistä kulttuurin ja kielen elvyttämisen eteen. Omat voimavaramme ovat kuitenkin rajalliset. Koltansaamen kieli on Unescon luokituksen mukaan vakavasti uhanalainen vain noin 300:lla kielenpuhujallaan. Itse en edelleenkään kuulu tuohon pieneen kielenpuhujien joukkoon. Tällä hetkellä minulle kuitenkin riittää se, että puhun, kuuntelen ja ymmärrän koltansaamea sydämelläni. Pidän kieltä henkisenä äidinkielenäni.

Olen antanut itselleni anteeksi ja luvan olla mukana sillä kielellä, jota suustani pääsee, eli useimmiten Savon murteella. Tänä päivänä pärjään hyvin, sillä itsetuntoni kestää. Helppo tie se ei kuitenkaan ole ollut.

Toivon sydämestäni, että omalla matkallaan olevat kielenpuhujat saisivat yhteisönsä tuen, olivat he sitten tiellään missä vaiheessa hyvänsä. Vain puhumalla ja mukana olemalla oppii. Rohkaisen kaikenikäisiä kolttasaamelaisia tarinoimaan keskenään siellä missä tavataan, viettämään aikaa yhdessä ja saikastelemaan (eli juomaan teetä) saman pöydän ääressä. Ja puhumaan toistensa kanssa.

Koltansaame elpyy kyllä. Pikkuhiljaa.

 

Gauriloffin sukuun kuuluva, kolttasavolaiseksi itsensä esittelevä Mari Korpimäki aloitti vuosi sitten Kolttakulttuurisäätiön asiamiehenä. Työ on pääosin etätyötä Helsingistä käsin, mutta vie Korpimäen noin kerran kuussa säätiön toimistolle Sevettijärven Kolttatalolle. Graafisena suunnittelijanakin toiminut Korpimäki tunnetaan myös oivaltavista saamelaiskampanjoista, joista merkittävimpänä kansalaisliikkeenä tunnetaan Lähetä postikortti Sevettijärvelle -kampanjasta virinnyt 99930 Sevettijärvi -sivusto Facebookissa, jolla pyritään turvaamaan Koillis-Lapin asukkaiden oikeus omiin postipalveluihinsa.

Kuva Mari Korpimäestä: Mikko Mäntyniemi
Artikkelikuva: Enrique Mendez

“A SÁMI-LANGUAGE POLITICAL ANALYSIS, I’m in Heaven!”

Pirita Näkkäläjärvi

“NRK Sápmi is taking part in undermining the value of the Sámi language because they don’t prioritise Sámi-language content more on their website. Internet plays a central role in most of our lives and it is an important domain, in which the Sámi language should be visible.”

I couldn’t agree more with Mr Mikkel Rasmus Logje, a young language connoisseur, who was interviewed by NRK Sápmi about a year ago.

I regularly complain on social media about the lack of Sámi-language internet news on the websites of NRK Sápmi and Sameradion & SVT Sápmi. Both of these Sámi arms of the national broadcasting companies in Norway and Sweden mostly write internet news in the majority languages, even when the topics would be of interest for the entire Sámi people across the borders.

I’m a Sámi politics buff.

I want to read in Sámi what is happening in the Sámi Parliaments in Norway and Sweden. I want information in Sámi on, for example, why Ms Marion Anne Knutsen was chosen as the Sámi of the Year 2016 – I know she dared to speak up about sexual abuse in the Tysfjord area in the Norwegian Sámiland, but it is hard for me to piece the story together based on Norwegian-language sources only.

Ironically, when a landmark Sámi court case concerning the right to reindeer-herding of a young Sámi reindeer-herder Mr Jovsset Ánte Sara ended up in the Norwegian Supreme court this winter, I was catered better by English-language news sources than our own Sámi-language broadcasters. I devoured the long stories put out by The New York Times, The Guardian and the Associated Press but was left hungry for more – especially in-depth stories written in Sámi and from our own, Sámi perspective.

Instead of getting analysis about the outcome on the state vs. Jovsset Ánte Sara, I heard Rihanna songs and light bantering about the upcoming visit of Father Christmas.

On the day of the verdict, knowing that the NRK Sámi website will not serve me in Sámi, I turned to the NRK Sámi Radio. After the verdict had come out, I waited one and a half hour by the radio, but instead of getting analysis about the outcome on the state vs. Jovsset Ánte Sara, I heard Rihanna songs and light bantering about the upcoming visit of Father Christmas. When the radio news finally started, the case was covered by 4–5 sentences.

In all of the cases above, luckily we have a small Sámi-language news paper Ávvir, which only publishes in Sámi. It has become practically the sole provider of Sámi-language news on the Norwegian side of Sámiland.

But why do I care so much about the news in Sámi, a marginal language on a global scale?

First, Sámi languages efficiently carry information across the borders. Building common Sámi politics to preserve the endangered indigenous Sámi culture and Sámi language becomes impossible, if for some reason information does not flow across the borders. Ironically, it is Sámi broadcasters, who now stand as an obstacle for the free flow of Sámi information in Sámi across the borders.

The Sámi languages are more international than commonly understood. Northern Sámi is a language shared by the Sámi living in three countries: Finland, Sweden and Norway. Information disseminated by Sámi-language internet news helps to build the Sámiland despite the national borders of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia, that have split the Sámiland in four.

Even the smaller Sámi languages are understood across the borders. For example, the only young adults’ radio show, Finland’s Yleisradio’s Sohkaršohkka (Sugar Shock), is co-hosted in the tiny Inari Sámi language of 300–400 speakers. However, due to the proximity of Inari Sámi to Northern Sámi, the Inari Sámi co-hostess can be understood also on the Norwegian and Swedish side of Sámiland, especially as her co-hostess speaks Northern Sámi.

News providers play an important role in establishing new words and expressions in the Sámi languages.

Second, the development of Sámi languages partly relies on news providers. News providers play an important role in establishing new words and expressions in the Sámi languages.

Officially it is the Nordic Sámi-language professional and resources center Sámi Giellagáldu, the Sámi Language Spring, that is responsible for coming up with new Sámi-language words and standardizing them across the borders in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia. However, Sámi Giellagáldu needs the support of a media that regularly publishes Sámi-language news and makes the new terms visible especially online.

Without written news sources in Sámi, the development of the Sámi languages is undermined. If common terms for new phenomena (What is the tablet computer in Sámi?) are not rooted across the borders, for example the Northern Sámi language can become fragmented. Professor Jussi Ylikoski told Yle Sápmi in December 2017, that Northern Sámi may be split up into three different languages depending on the country. So heavy is the influence of the majority languages on Northern Sámi.

Finally, each language has its own way of telling things. A piece originated in a Sámi language keeps Sámi expressions, idioms and structures alive. In addition to linguistic considerations, a piece originated in Sámi also carries the Sámi worldview.

“A SÁMI-LANGUAGE POLITICAL ANALYSIS, I’m in Heaven!”, I cried on Facebook and Twitter, when NRK Sápmi published a Sámi-language commentary about the Jovsset Ánte Sara case at the beginning of year 2018.

Let’s hope for more reasons to react like this. More internet news in Sámi languages, please!

 

Ms Pirita Näkkäläjärvi is the Sámi of the Year 2017 and the former Head of Yle Sápmi in Finland. Currently she works as a strategy consultant. She holds an MSc Media and Communications from London School of Economics, UK and an MSc Economics from Helsinki School of Economics, Finland.

Photo:  Mikko Mäntyniemi

 

References

 

A new dictionary series promotes integration and cultural exchange

Husein Muhammed

The Finnish Institute for the Languages of Finland (Kotus) is preparing a new dictionary series for speakers of mainly migrant languages.

The dictionary includes some 30 000 Finnish entries with their equivalents in other languages. In addition to the basic Finnish vocabulary, the dictionary includes words, phrases and institutions relevant to immigration and integration issues, for instance “Maahanmuuttovirasto” (Finnish Immigration Authority), “oleskelulupa” (residence permit) and “kotoutumiskoulutus” (integration training).

The dictionary goes well beyond only providing Finnish entries with their equivalents in each of the target languages. The dictionary provides information on which parts of speech the entry belongs to as well as on how the word is inflected. Vast majority of entries include also examples, often more than one.

The main targeted group of users of the dictionary series are migrants who have settled in Finland and want to learn the Finnish language and culture. Special attention has been paid to words and phrases essential in dealing with different authorities, be they from the Finnish Immigration Authority, social office, municipal health center or NewCo Helsinki advising new start-ups.

Aamu substantiivi KS
subax, aroor

aamu sarastaa
waagu wuu soo beryayaa
tänä aamuna paistoi aurinko
saaka qorrax baa jirtey
lähden aamulla
aroortii baan baxayaa
eilen aamulla satoi
shalay subax roob baa da’ay
hän ajaa parran joka aamu
subax walba garka wuu iska xiiraa
tavataanko heti aamusta?
isla subaxa horeba ma kulannaa?


But traditional Finnish culture has not been neglected either. The dictionary includes also entries like “sauna” (traditional Finnish bath) and other words related to sauna, for instance “kiuas” (sauna stove) and “löyly” (sauna steam or pressure).

The dictionary’s aimed groups include not only beginners of the Finnish language, but also, among others, interpreters and translators as well as second generation migrants who want to maintain their native language. The dictionary can also be helpful in culture exchange via, for example, helping to translate literature between Finnish and the other languages of the dictionary series.

The project began with translating the dictionary into the Somali language. The second language in the row is Kurdish, more specifically Kurmanji or Northern Kurdish. But translating the dictionary into other languages has also been planned. The main criteria for choosing target languages is that the language has a substantial amount of speakers, mainly migrants, in Finland but no good dictionaries are available in Finnish and the language in question.

The Finnish entries are usually simply provided with their equivalents in the target language, but not all entries have exact equivalents. Then the entries are given various definitions in the target language.

The dictionary series is theoretically one-sided, i.e. only Finnish words are provided as entries in an alphabetical order, but not the words of the other language of the dictionary. However, thanks to the new technology, one can also search words of the other language and find them if the word is given as an equivalent of one or more Finnish words in the dictionary. Thus, the dictionary is quite useful for searching both Finnish words and words of the other language of the dictionary.

Currently, Finnish-Somali dictionary is partly available with Finnish entries alphabetically from the beginning of the letter A until “röykkiö” (heap, huddle). The Kurdish dictionary, too, will soon be partly available on the Internet, in the first phase likely from the beginning of the A to “möyhentää” (to fluff).

Users can search for words not only beginning but also including or ending in a certain letter or syllable.

The dictionary can be used free of charge on: http://kaino.kotus.fi/somali/?p=main

Husein Muhammed is a lawyer, translator and journalist, who has worked in many institutions related to migration, refugees and human rights. Currently he also works as an editor of the Kurdish dictionary at The Finnish Institute for the Languages of Finland (Kotus) and with a report about Nordic-Kurdish literature for Culture for All / Norden2020. He has written a book Yhtä erilaiset – islam ja suomalainen kulttuuri (Teos 2011) about islam and Finnish culture and many articles and columns to different newspapers and magazines.

 

What happens in Multilingual Month 2018?

Happy mother language day 21.2! Multilingual Month is about to begin! This month will offer a lot to follow for people interested in increasing their skills and knowledge about multilingualism in the Nordic countries. Our blogs focus on the other hand on issues of the Sámi languages alterning with a blog series that moves in a widely multilingual context from poets, language learning and dictionaries to creative communities. Events organized in Iceland, Finland, Sweden and Norway give ideas of the multiple ways of approaching, sharing and celebrating the lingual diversity in our actual societies. Welcome to follow,  join and contribute!

Blog posts in 2018 offer multilingual visions from Sápmi, Iceland, Norway and Finland

Our blog of Multilingual Month 2018 includes two parts. Altering with the texts about the widely multilingual Nordic region, we have a blog series curated by Helga West, reporter of YLE Sápmi, focusing on current issues related to Sámi languages. In the first blog text in this series West presented shortly themes of the blog and her ideas behind the blog series.

The other blog articles come this year from Iceland, Finland and Norway.

From Iceland’s very active field of multilingualism we have two posts. Renata Peskova’s post talks about the Móðurmál association that has over twenty years of history in finding different ways to teach mother tongues to plurilingual children in Iceland. A different story is the one of ÓsPressan, a multilingual and inclusive writing community that promotes new authors and offers platforms for creative people in Reykjavik. Anna Valdís will tell us more in her post. In regards to Iceland´s multilingual fields, we also want to thank Kristin Vilhjalmsdóttir, who has contacted us with many of the Icelandic organizations.

From Norway, Giti Nassouri from Oslo’s multilingual library gives an insight to multilingual contents from the point of view of a librarian in charge of Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi, Dutch, Greek, Dari, Pashto, Persian and Urdu book collections. In her post she will write about Indian, Iranian and Pakistani poets.

The texts from Finland come from Husein Muhammed and Ahmed Hassan with Konsta Savolainen. Husein Muhammed’s blog post presents the case of constructing a Kurdish-Finnish dictionary at Kotus, Institute for the languages of Finland, as part of a dictionary series for speakers of migrant languages. Muhammed’s work with words will continue in a report about Nordic-Kurdish literature. Konsta Savolainen and Ahmed Hassan from NordicSom organization write about the work of motivating migrant youth to become plurilingual by encouraging them to learn Swedish in Finland as the Swedish skills often offer more opportunities in Finland. A video will illustrate their post.

Events related to multilingualism in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland

Every Nordic country has different creative ideas in the interdisciplinary fields of multilingualism. In Iceland several organizations including Reykjavik City LIbrary, Óspressan, Modurmal and Vigdís International Centre for Multilingualism and Intercultural Understanding will host language related events during Multilingual Month. In Sweden, Litteraturcentrum Uppsala continues with their yearly tradition of Mother language poetry festival (Modersmålpoesifestival, Feb 28th). In Finland Helsinki cultural centres offer a series of events including a multimedia poetry night (March 17th), a fair of educational methods in multilingual contexts (Leikin sata kieltä ja tarinaa March 1st), film screening of a new documentary What language do you speak? with a discussion with the director of the film (March 6th) and a children´s exhibition about multilingual families with a rich side programme (Mennään jo naapuriin!). Libraries offer storytelling in different languages. In Norway, the multilingual library of Oslo has been active for years in creating materials for the celebration of Mother Language Day and thus contributed in making visible and easily organizable the celebration of languages.

In the context of Multilingual Month, our idea is to share different forms of working in multilingual contexts, seeing multilingualism as a richness. We will be happy to share language related events during Multilingual month as a form of making other people aware of the kind of work that is being done in other Nordic countries in this field. Feel free to post your event link to us or tell us about your ongoing projects!

During Multilingual Month 21.2.-21.3. we will share at www.multilingualmonth.org and in facebook information about different organizations that work with multilingualism. At the same time, the website will increase its link archive of Nordic organizations and projects that can offer new insights to linguistic diversity. Our aim is to contribute to the flourishing of our region as one where the freedom of expression includes also a wider choice of languages of expression. Multilingual Month is part of the project Multilingualism and Diversity as a Resource in the Cultural Field coordinated by Culture for All Service in the frame of  Norden2020.

Snaepmie – sámegielat lanjaš viiddes vierisgielat máilmmis

Briefly in English: Published On February 6, the Saami National Day, the essay by Ánne Márjá Guttorm Graven discusses the relationship of the Saami language to the dominant language as well as practical instruments for strengthening the profile of Saami languages. She is a professional of the Northern Saami language. Guttorm Graven appreciates all the small advances that raise the status of Saami languages and wants to actively contribute to this process. The text is in Northern Saami.

“Mii fertet geavahit giela vai dat eallá ja ovdána.” Dát lea diehttelas cealkka, man leat gullan juo máŋgii. Muhto leago nu, ahte mii duođas vuoruhit sámegiela árgabeaivvisteamet? Dat leat min – giellageavaheddjiid – árgabeaivválaš válljemat, mat láhčejit giellamet boahtteáiggi.

Jáhkán dávjá lea nu, ahte sis geain ii leat sámegielmáhttu, gáddet sámegielagiid oažžut buot nuvttá beare danin, go sis lea giellamáhttu. Sámegiela vuoruheapmi goit mearkkaša dávjjimusat liigenávccaid, návccaid, maid eanetlogugielahálli ii dárbbaš oba smiehtadit. Jus háliidat telefovnnain čállit sámegillii, fertet vuos viežžat liigeprográmma, sámegielat boallobeavddi, telefovdnii ovdal sáhtát čálligoahtit sámegielbustávaiguin. Sámegiella soaitá šaddat noađđin váhnemii, guhte rahčá oččodit sámegiela skuvlii dahje mánnái, guhte gártá leat áidna sámegielaoahppi olles skuvllas dahje geasa šaddet guhkit skuvlabeaivvit sámegiela dihte.

Ii leat sápmelaččaid sivva, ahte buohkat eai leat oahppan sámegiela, danin go oassi min árbbis lea hávkaduvvon. Gal mun dieđán, ahte sidjiide lea bahča, go eai ádde man birra lea sáhka, jus soapmásat sámástit ja de báifáhkka rešket. Mun ádden sii dovdet iežaset olgguštuvvon. Mii dovdat dan bákčasa ja morraša, mii máŋgasiin lea dáruiduhttima, ruoŧaiduhttima, suomaiduhttima ja ruoššaiduhttima dihtii.

Sámásteame oktavuođas dávjá gullo, ahte sámegielagat olgguštit sin, guđet eai máhte sámegiela. Jus juoga lea dušše sámegillii – de sii hilgut earáid. Giela seailluheame hárrái dákkár miellaguoddu šaddá hástaleaddjin.

Sámegielagat ánssášit birrasa, gos besset friddja sámástit.

Mun in háliit hilgut gean ge. Mus lea baicce justa nuppelágan oaidnu: háliidan sin, guđet eai vel máhte sámegiela, áddet sámegiela riggodaga. Háliidan olbmuid oaidnit, ahte lea ovdamunni máhttit sámegiela, ja dainna lágiin ražastit oahppat ja vuoruhit sámegiela.

Lea dehálaš ásahit positiiva ja eahpeformála giellaarenaid, gos beassá stoahkat gielain, leikošit ja gos riektačállin ii leat deháleamos. Jus ferte diibmobeali rahčat gávdnan dihte rivttes gehčosa sátnái, leago imaš, jus giellamokta nohká. Lea áibbas OK, ahte muhtumin šaddá boasttogeažus sátnái, go háhppilit čálista juoga. Muhtuminhan mii meaddit, go čállit maid eanetlogu giela. Mannebat ii leat lohpi meaddit sámegillii?

Jurdagiin stoahkat gielain lean ásahan sámegielat johtti snapchat-kontu Snaepmie. Gii beare sáhttá snáppet, muhto áidna eaktun lea, ahte ferte snáppet man nu sámegillii. Ii dárbbaš máhttit riektačállima, ii dárbbaš leat eatnigielat, lea doarvái, ahte lea juoga man háliida čájehit ja muitalit – sámegillii. Okta olmmoš snáppe ain hávil vuossárggas gitta sotnabeaivái, ja de sáddejuvvo snáppa viidásat, ja muhtun eará sámegielat joatká snáppema.

Dassážii eanaš snáppejeaddjit leamašan Norgga bealde eret, muhto gal snáppen lea beroštahttán maid Ruoŧa-, Suoma- ja Ruoššabealde. Eanetlohku snáppejeddjiin leamaš davvisámegielagat, muhto maiddái julev- ja lullisámegiella lea gullon. Sámegiella ii leat dušše davvisámegiella, ja livččiige riggodat gullat eanet iešguđet sámegielaid.

Dál Snaepmies leat badjel 600 geahčči.

Snaepmiein suohttaseamos lea, go olmmoš ii goassige dieđe, gii doppe ihtá ja maid mii beassat vásihit suinna. Ovdamearkka dihte Isák-artista, Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen, čájehii vahku iežas artistaeallima árgabeaivvi. Beasaimet láhka geahččat, go son ráhkkanii konsertii, go almmuhii ođđa lávlaga ja beasaimet juoba čuovvut su ilu, go lávlla viimmat ilmmai. Oinniimet, mo son lei lávddi duohken gealdagasas ovdal loaiddasteame. Son válddii min vel mielde lávddi ala, go lávllui!

Snaepmie bokte oaččut binnánaš sámegiela njuolga njeazzái juohke beaivve. Beasat oahpásmuvvat ođđa olbmuide, gullat sin árgabeaifearániid ja sáhtát ieš válljet, goas don lávkestat dan latnjii. Sis, geat leat oahpahallamin giela, eai álo leat liigenávccat, mat dárbbašuvvojit giela oahpahaladettiin, muhto Snaepmie-máilbmái juohkehaš sáhttá lávkestit, go orru rivttes bottoš.

Snáppedettiin šaddá dihtomielalažžan iežas gielas: lea bággu smiehttat sámegillii vaikko maid de leaš bargamin. Sámegiella ii galgga leat giella, mii dušše gullo, go leat bigálusat, muhto maiddái dalle, go leat hommámin feara maid árgabeaivválaš gulaš dat sámevuhtii dahje ii. Dušše nu sáhttá sámegiella gávdnat ođđa vugiid, sániid ja dadjanvugiid dán áiggis.

Luđe snapchat-áppa telefovdnii, ja čuovvugoađe Snaepmie. Ávžžuhan váldit oktavuođa muinna, jus háliidat videoid ja govaid bokte čájehit iežat árgabeaivvi eará sápmelaččaide ja searvat rájáid rasttildeapmái.

Sámiid álbmotbeaivve ávžžuhan snáppet lihkkodearvvuođaid, mat almmuhuvvojit Snaepmies. Dalle mii muittuhuvvot, man girjái lea Sápmi. Muittuhuvvot, ahte Sápmi lea doppe, gos gullojit sámegielat.

Ánne Márjá Guttorm Graven lea lohkan sámegiela Romssa universitehtas, ja bargá jorgaleaddjin, logaldallin ja giellabargin. Son lea ásahan johtti sámegielat snapchatkontu Snaepmie, ja sámegielat podkástta Sis-Finnmárkku syndroma. Dál sáhttá su gullat maid podkásttas Manin ja danin, man NRK Sápmi buvttada.

”Dat ii leat vejolaš” – Vihtta muitalusa rájáid rasttildeames

[in English]
[suomeksi]

HELGA WEST

Olbmot, geat álget ovddidit sámegielaid sajádaga servvodagaineamet, dávjá ožžot vástádussan: ”Ášši lea dehálaš, muhto dan ii leat vejolaš čađahit.”

Doaimmaheaddjin gulan fearána dávjá. Eadnái, guhte geavaha čuđiid diimmuid ovddidettiin sámegielat árrabajásgeassima ja skuvlabálga, vástiduvvo, ahte dan ordnen ii leat vejolaš, danin go sámemánát eai gávdno doarvái. Hovdii muitaluvvo, ahte sámegielaide eai gávdno bustávat ja danin neahttaođđasiid buvttadeapmi ii lihkostuva. Rávvehagas leat fuolas, oahppágo mánná ollenge suomagiela, jus ruovttus gullo dušše sámegiella. Almmái, gii gillá alkoholismmas, muitáša ásodatskuvlaáiggi, go iežas eatnigillii ii ožžon hállat, danin go stáhta vehádatpolitihka geažil sámegillii gulahallan lei gildon skuvlaásahusain.

Oahpis lea maiddái árgabeaivválaš dovdámuš das, go ii jolge sámástit oahppásiin, jus láhkosis lea oktage, geas váilu giellamáhttu. Eanetlogu giela vuoruheapmi dáhpáhuvvá gažadatkeahttá. Multilingual Month – ja Satakieli-teemamánu áigge vihkkehallat earet eará dan, mo lea rasttildit gielaid gaskkas. Máŋgasat dain, geat leat searvan teemamánnui iežas čállosiiddisetguin, čalmmustahttet, ahte sámegielaid sajádaga ovddideapmi gáibida rájáid fanaheame, juoba daid cuvkema. Muhtumin lávki ain ovddosguvlui manná álket, muhtumin das boahtá veaddjemeahttun.

Eastagat sámegielaid nanosmahttimii leat máŋggat. Váddáseamosat dain leat struktuvrralaččat, oassin historjjálaš joatkaga, árgabeaivvi dásis fas ovttaskas olbmo miellaguoddu soaitá šaddat hehtehussan.

Go mun bivdojuvvon mielde kurateret Multilingual Month -teemamánnui vihtta sámefáddásaš čállosa, in eahpidan searvat mielde. Nu máŋgii sámejietna jávohuvvo ja navden dán buorrin dilálašvuohtan loktet bajás moadde dáin jienain.

Fáttáid válljemiidda eanemus lea váikkuhan áigeguovdilisvuohta: Maid geavatlaččat oaivvilda ”vuoigatvuohta iežas eatnigillii?” Mii lea sámegielat mediaid davviriikalaš geatnegasvuohta? Naba sáhttágo eatnigiellan navdit giela, man ii máhte aktiivvalaččat? Dáid gažaldagaid lassin čállosiin čalmmustahttojuvvojit rasismma sierra hámit, fáddá, mii dávjit ah dávjit ihtá sámegažaldagaid oktavuođas.

6.2., sámiid álbmotbeaivve, almmustahttojuvvo vuosttas čálusin Ánne Márjá Guttorm Gravena vihkkehallan sámegiela gaskavuođas eanetlohkugillii ja árgabeaivvi vugiin nannet sámegielaid profiilla. Son lea máŋggabealát giellabargi. Guttorm Graven illuda buot dain smávva lávkkážiin, mat nannejit sámegielaid árvvu ja dán proseassas son iešge háliida leat mielde.

26.2. almmustahttojuvvo Pirita Näkkäläjärvi čálus sámegielat neahttaođasdoaimma mearkkašumis sámegielaid sátnevuorkái, giela struktuvrii, dadjanvugiide – daidda giela iešvuođaide, mat dollet giela eallin. Näkkäläjärvis, ovddeš Yle Sámi hoavdan, lea persovnnalaš vásáhus fáttás sihke čavga višuvdna áššis.

5.3. almmustahttojuvvo čálus, mas Mari Korpimäki smiehtada giela mearkkašumi iežas identitehttii dakkár dilis, go giellamáhttu ii leat aktiivvalaš. Liikká oktavuohta gillii sáhttá leat lágaš ja ráhkis. Korpimäki lea šaddan dovddusin hutkás sámekampaniijain, main dovdduseamosin lea Lähetä postikortti Sevettijärvelle (sám. Sádde poastakoartta Čeavetjávrái), mii bohciidahtii 99930 Sevettijärvi -siidduid Facebookas.

12.3. almmustahttojuvvo Inkeri Lokki čálus bálgás oažžut sámemánáidasas sámegielat árrabajásgeassima sihke skuvlabálga oaivegávpotguovllus. Lokki čalmmustahttá eahpedoaivvu dovdámušaid ovttasbarggus eiseválddiiguin ovddidettiin Helssega sámemánáid vuoigatvuođa eatnigielat giellabálgái. Lokki oaččui fámu iežas riekteáddejumis, man mielde su sámemánáin galggašii leat dat seamma vuoigatvuohta, man son suopmelažžan lei ožžon: vuoigatvuođa gazzat oahpu iežas eatnigillii.

19.3. almmustahttojuvvo maŋimuš sámečálus, guokte beaivve ovdal riikkaidgaskasaš rasismmavuostásaš beaivvi. Čállosiinnis Petra Laiti vihkkehallá máŋggagielatvuođa ja rasismma oktavuođa, fáttá, masa son speadjalastá iežas vásáhusaid. Njuovžilis Laiti ii jaskkot, go son fáhtte birrasisttis miellaguottuid, mat dulbmet sámiid.

”Dat ii leat vejolaš” -vástádus lea oahpis dáidda čálliide. Sii eai leat dasa duhtan. Máŋggat sis leat hástalan eiseválddiid ja ovttaskas olbmuid nearvvaid, go leat ovddidan áššiid, mat eai galgan leat vejolaččat. Muhtumat sávve sin oalát jaskkodit ja heaitit. Dávjá dákkár reakšuvnnat baicce deattuhit, ahte soames lea mearkkašahtti ulbmiliin jođus.

Čállingiellan leat davvisáme-, nuortalaš-, suoma- dahje eaŋgalasgiella. Sávan dát čállosat čájehit binnáš dan máŋggagielat árgaeallima, man siste sámit ellet beroškeahttá das, gos sii orrot.

Sávan dát čállosat čalmmustahttet čihkosis leahkki miellaguottuid, mat doibmet hehtehussan sámegielaid friddja ja rabas geavaheapmái.

 

***

 

Biennáš-Jon Jovnna Piera Helga lea freelance-doaimmaheaddji, guhte lea eret Ohcejoga Deanuleagis, Savvonis. Son orru bearrašiinnis Helssegis, gos eallá njealjegielat árgaeallima. Gielaid máilbmi, olbmot sihke čállin geasuhit su. West lea teologa. Su davvisámegielat diktačoakkáldat Gádden muohttaga vielgadin almmustahttojuvvo giđđat 2018.

*Govvideaddji Mikko Mäntyniemi lea govven West, Näkkäläjärvi, Korpimäki, Lokki sihke Laiti dáid čállosiid várás.

“This Can’t Be Done” – Five Stories Of Breaking the Saami Ceiling

[sámegillii]
[suomeksi]

HELGA WEST

People who embark on advancing the position of Saami languages in our society often face a reaction along the lines of  ”what you propose is important, but it can’t be done”.

As a journalist, I hear this story often. A mother who spends countless hours to secure Saami-language pre-school and elementary education for her Saami kids in the capital city area is told that it is impossible to organise this due to the small number of Saami kids. A head of news is told that there are no fonts available for Saami languages and that online news cannot be produced in these languages. In a maternity clinic a mother is asked, worryingly, how the child will learn Finnish if the only language that he hears at home is Saami. An alcoholic recalls his days at the residential school where one could not speak the mother tongue, because speaking in Saami was prohibited due to the state’s policies towards its minorities.

We also know about the everyday feeling that it is not polite to speak Saami with a Saami-language acquaintance if there is even a single person around who does not know the language. The fallback to the dominant language in such situations often goes without any questioning. During the Multilingual Month and Satakieli theme month we explore, among else, the experience of operating between different languages. Many authors of Saami-themed texts highlight how an unusually big leap has been taken to improve the position of Saami languages. Sometimes this step is easy to take, at other times insurmountable.

Can one consider a language a mother tongue when one speaks it only with one’s heart?

There are many obstacles to the blossoming of Saami languages. The hardest obstacles are structural, some have historical roots and are often related to the attitudes of individuals.

When I was asked to curate the five Saami-themed essays for the Multilingual Month, I did not hesitate for a moment. So many Saami stories have been untold and I saw this as an excellent opportunity to draw attention to some of them.

My choice of topics has been guided by their topicality. What does ”the right to mother tongue” mean in practice? What is the responsibility of Saami-language media towards Saami languages? Can one consider a language a mother tongue when one does speak it only with one’s heart? In addition to these issues the essays discuss expressions of racism, a subject that is increasingly often raised in the Saami context.

Content of the blog series

On February 6, the Saami National Day, the first essay by Ánne Márjá Guttorm Graven will be published, discussing the relationship of the Saami language to the dominant language as well as practical instruments for strengthening the profile of Saami languages. She is a professional of the Northern Saami language. Guttorm Graven appreciates all the small advances that raise the status of Saami languages and wants to actively contribute to this process.

On February 26 we will publish the essay by Pirita Näkkäläjärvi about the significance of Saami-language online news and its impact on Saami vocabulary, structure and expressions – i.e., everything that keeps the language vibrant. As a former chief of Yle Sápmi, Näkkäläjärvi has personal experiences and a precise vision on this subject.

The text to be published on March 5 by Mari Korpimäki, who identifies herself as a Skolt Savonian, discusses the meaning of language for one’s identity in a situation where the language is not actively practiced. Despite this, the relationship to the language can be affectionate and close. Korpimäki is known for her insightful Saami campaigns, of which the most significant is the civic campaign “Send a postcard to Sevettijärvi” which has led to the 99930 Sevettijärvi website.

On March 12 we will publish the essay by Inkeri Lokki about the struggle to secure Saami-language pre-school education as well as schooling for her kids in the capital city area. Lokki describes the baffling moments when interacting with officials, while promoting the rights of Helsinki’s Saami to education in mother tongue. Lokki has been guided by a sense of justice to ensure that her Saami children would have the same right that she has been able to enjoy as a Finn – the right to study in one’s mother tongue.

On March 19, two days before the international day against racism, the last essay in this series will be published. In it, Petra Laiti talks about the relationship between multilingualism and racism – a topic about which she has many personal insights. The articulate Laiti who is also known as the Chair of the Finnish Saami Youth Organization, does not remain silent when facing discriminating situations towards the Saami.

The response ”This can’t be done” is familiar to all of these authors. They have not accepted this answer. Some of them have tested the nerves of officials and fellow citizens while advancing something that was supposed to be impossible. In the process, some of them have been asked to fall silent or have faced wishes that they would stop their pursuits. Often precisely such reactions reveal the necessity of their work.

These essays will be published in Northern Saami, Skolt Saami, Finnish or English. I hope that they will shed light on the multilingual reality that the Saami experience irrespectively of where they live.

I hope that the essays will reveal hidden attitudes and stories that prevent a full blossoming of Saami languages.

 

Helga West, originally from the Teno river valley of Utsjoki, is a freelance journalist. She lives with her family in Helsinki, in a daily quatrilingual environment. She is fascinated by language phenomena, stories of people and writing. She is a theologian by training. Her Northern Saami debut poetry book Gádden muohttaga vielgadin (“I Thought Snow Being White”) will be published in spring 2018.

 

* Mikko Mäntyniemi has taken photos of West, Näkkäläjärvi, Korpimäki, Lokki and Laiti for this series.

Translation from Finnish to English: Oliver Loode

 

 

NolitchX: Den okända mångspråkiga nordiska litteraturen

Summary in English:

NolitchX is a literary project that aims to make visible the works of immigrant language authors residing in the Nordic countries. NolitchX creates networks of contacts and collaborations, produces multilingual literary events and coordinates translations and publications to find alternative ways for immigrant language writers to work professionally and to meet the readership in the same geographical region where they live. NolitchX defends the right of every writer to use his or her mother tongue or whatever language he or she chooses to create literature in. From a democratic viewpoint, it is important that all the voices of all the languages present in the Nordic region today are heard, and NolitchX is convinced that any kind of influence between literatures of different languages can only be fruitful.

 

NolitchX: Den okända mångspråkiga nordiska litteraturen

NolitchX, en förkortning av Nordic Literatures in Change and Exchange, är ett nytt nordiskt litteraturprojekt som arbetar för att skapa kontakt- och samarbetsnätverk för att synliggöra den nordiska litteratur som skrivs på invandrarspråken1 genom översättningar, mångspråkiga multimediala litteraturevenemang, publikationer och samtal. Som projektnamnet NolitchX antyder när det uttalas högt, är verk skrivna på invandrarspråken en okänd faktor, the knowledge X, i de nordiska ländernas litteratur. Enligt NolitchX är det hög tid att omdefiniera begreppet “nordisk litteratur” så att det också omfattar den litteratur som är skriven på invandrarspråken.

På grund av olika typer av migration, växer hela tiden gruppen av invandrarspråksförfattare i Norden, men detta faktum syns sällan på de nationella litteraturscenerna. Kulturpolitiken, starkt rotad i idén att den nationella identiteten står i relation till huvudspråket i varje land, erbjuder få eller inga stöd till översättningar till de nordiska språken av verk som skrivits på utländska eller invandrade språk, utan resurserna går främst till att sprida de nationella litteraturerna utomlands.

Av den här anledningen vill litteraturprojektet NolitchX synliggöra invandrarspråksförfattarna och deras verk genom översättningar, publikationer och mångspråkiga multimediala litteraturevenemang. NolitchX håller på att bygga upp nätverk av författare, översättare och andra kulturutövare för att skapa strukturer för samarbeten och kontakt över nationsgränserna som tar till vara närvaron av olika språkliga grupper i de nordiska länderna. Målet är att invandrarspråksförfattare och översättare ska kunna arbeta professionellt samt komma i kontakt med och bli lästa av läsare som bor i samma geografiska region som dem själva.

NolitchX stödjer alltså rätten att skriva på sitt modersmål, på det språk en har formats som författare eller på det språk som en författare väljer att skriva på oavsett anledning. Vi tror att det ur en demokratisk synvinkel är viktig att alla röster som finns representerade på en plats får höras och vi är övertygade om att om litteratur som är skriven på andra språk översätts kommer den att ha ett positivt inflytande på litteraturen som skrivs på huvudspråken i Norden och främja kreativiteten.

Projektet NolitchX:s rötter finns i Finland, där poeten Roxana Crisólogo för fyra år sedan började kartlägga författare i landet som skriver på andra språk än finska och svenska, samt att under namnet Sivuvalo skapa ett nätverk av författare som idag tillsammans anordnar översättningsworkshops, uppläsningar och publicerar böcker. Två år efter grundandet började Sivuvalo, tack vare poeten och grafiske designern Daniel Malpica, att producera mångspråkiga multimediala litteraturevenemang, Mutant Language/Mutanttikieltä, som numera har en stor publik. Genom NolitchX exporteras nu Sivuvalos aktiviteter till övriga Norden, men för att hedra projektets finländska rötter producerar NolitchX den första nordiska multimediala poesikvällen, Satakieliklubi Nordic Multimedia Poetry Night, i Helsingfors den 18 mars.

Kontakt: nolitchx@gmail.com och sivuvalo.project@gmail.com

Läs mer om NolitchX och Satakieliklubi Nordic Multimedia Poetry Night på https://nolitchx.com och https://sivuvalo.com/.

1 Invandrarspråk, ett begrepp som främst används i Sverige, omfattar de språk som finns i Norden sedan 1900-talet och som inte är officiellt minoritetsspråk i något av de fem länderna.

*

Roxana Crisólogo, Koordinator för Sivuvalo och NolitchX i Finland

Petronella Zetterlund, Nordisk koordinator för NolitchX

Om Roxana Crisólogo

Jag är peruansk-finländsk poet och kulturproducent, bosatt i Helsingfors, Finland. 2013 grundade jag det mångspråkiga projektet Sivuvalo, som nu är en del av projektet NolitchX.

Om Petronella Zetterlund
Jag är tvåspråkig svensk som lika gärna pratar spanska som svenska. I hela mitt liv har jag varit intresserad av litteratur och olika språks uttrycksmöjligheter. Därför är jag idag glad att kunna kalla mig, utöver nordisk koordinator för NolitchX, översättare, litteraturforskare och redaktör.

Om projektet NolitchX
Projektet NolitchX Nordic Literatures in Change and Exchange startade i januari 2017 och har stöd från Nordiska kulturfonden och Nordisk kulturkontakt. NolitchX utgörs av medlemmar i fyra nordiska länder: Lalo Barrubia (spanska), Azita Ghahreman (persiska) och Petronella Zetterlund (svenska-spanska) från kulturföreningen Tre Tärningar i Malmö, Sverige; Roxana Crisólogo (spanska) och Daniel Malpica (spanska) från det mångspråkiga litteraturprojektet Sivuvalo i Helsingfors, Finland; Elizabeth Torres (spanska-engelska) från galleriet och studiokollektivet Red Door i Köpenhamn, Danmark; och författaren och översättaren Mazen Maarouf (arabiska), bosatt i Reykjavik, Island. NolitchX letar samarbetspartners i Norge inför 2018. Nätverket av invandrarspråksförfattare och översättare omfattar redan under projektets första månader närmare 150 personer från olika språkgrupper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reading by listening – a Nordic collaboration produces talking books in Arabic and Sámi

In the Nordic countries, the need for talking books in other languages than European languages has increased during the last few years. Due to the amount of refugees coming to the Nordic countries, a cooperation concerning the production of talking books in Arabic and Sámi languages started in 2015. The involved libraries are Celia in Finland, Nota in Denmark, NLB in Norway, Hljodbokasafn in Iceland and MTM in Sweden. They are all focused in accesible literature and publishing. 25 talking books in Arabic and 6 in Sámi will be produced in this project by spring 2017. 

According to Statistics for the Northern Countries, we anticipate that up to 20% of the population in each country have a foreign background.  Approx. 6-8 % of the total population in the Nordic countries have some kind of reading impairment. This indicates that a large group of the population with a foreign background need accessible media. Many refugees  coming to the Nordic Countries have Arabic as their native language.

These facts made it clear that we would have to find ways to increase the production of talking books in other languages than the national languages and English. The idea to cooperate with the other Nordic libraries was discussed among the libraries and was soon decided upon.

After analysing the demand for foreign language we decided that the project should focus on producing Arabic titles. This resulted in an agreement to produce a total of 25 talking books in Arabic, both for adults and children, by spring 2017. The great advantage of this project, besides satisfying the users´ needs of these titles, is that the libraries share the cost of production. Each library will produce 5 titles and will gain 25 titles. 

In addition to the Arabic titles we will also produce 6 new titles in the Northern Sámi Language. Sámi is a minority language and it is important that we contribute in making Sámi titles available for persons with print disabilities.

Our experience is that it is both nice and intellectually stimulating to be able to read the same book in different languages.  

MTM (Swedish Agency for Accessible Media), Nota (the Danish Library and Expertise Center for people with print disabilities) and NLB (Norsk lyd- og blindeskriftbibliotek) are also part of the TIGAR-service. The TIGAR service (Trusted Intermediary Global Accessible Resources),  makes it easier for participating institutions to search internationally for books in accessible formats, and to exchange them across national borders. It currently contains titles in accessible formats in some 55 languages. Participation in TIGAR is free of charge; there is no membership fee or financial contribution required from a participating institution or end-user.

TIGAR is a part of the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC). The ABC aims to increase the number of books worldwide in accessible formats – such as braille and audio – and to make them available to people who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled. The ABC is a multi-stakeholder partnership, comprising World Intellectual Property Organization WIPO; organizations that serve people with print disabilities; and publishers and authors.

Written by Junko Söderman and Kristina Passad from MTM, Swedish Agency for Accessible Media and Kari Kummeneje from NLB, Norsk lyd- og blindeskriftbibliotek. Other participants in the project have been Eeva Paunonen,  Eva Hellén, Tove Elisabeth Berg, and Hafthor Ragnarsson.

 

 

Links:

http://www.mtm.se;
http://www.legimus.se
https://www.celia.fi/eng/
http://www.nlb.no
https://nota.dk/om-nota/english
http://www.accessiblebooksconsortium.org/tigar/en/

 

Den postkoloniale virkelighed – velkommen ind!

Greenlandic multilingual culture and literature seems to be little known in the Nordic countries and that might be symptomatic of our distant relationship to our colonial past – but why not make up for it by reading a couple of new Greenlandic authors? Read more about Niviaq Korneliussens’s Homo Sapienne and Sørine Stenholdts Zombieland on the website of Nordic Council.

Jeg underviser i efteråret 2014 på Lunds Universitet. Min kollega og jeg holder et kursus der hedder Flersproglighed i nordisk samtidslitteratur. Jeg har inviteret den grønlandske digter og performancekunstner Jessie Kleemann til at gæsteforelæse om grønlandsk sprog og litteratur og hendes egen praksis. Jessie skriver poesi på grønlandsk, engelsk og dansk – nogle gange på én og samme tid. Jeg spørger om hun vil læse en tekst op på grønlandsk. Hun ser lidt overrasket ud, men gør det med glæde. Jeg iagttager mine studenter imens. De ligner nogen, der har set et spøgelse. Og selvom Jessie kunstnerisk identificerer sig som qivittoq (en fjeldgænger, et spøgelse) – så er det ikke derfor. Det grønlandske sprog er tydeligvis et chok. De havde åbenbart ingen anelse om, hvordan det lød, hvordan det snor sig i øjensynligt meget lange, bløde vokalsammensætninger, hvor fremmed det er, at man ingenting forstår. Og jeg må erkende at jeg endnu engang bliver rystet over, hvor ufattelig lidt de som taler de store skandinaviske sprog véd om de nordiske minoriteter og minoritetssprog. Og jeg tænker også at den uvidenhed – den fremmedhed overfor de folk som vi selv har undertrykt – er et symptom på en afstand som vi skandinaver åbenbart har meget let ved at etablere mellem os og “de andre”. En afstand, hvis ødelæggende konsekvenser dagligt træder tydeligere frem.

At Jessie Kleemann skriver på flere sprog for at udtrykke en grønlandsk erfaring er der for øvrigt ikke noget mærkeligt ved. Grønland er per definition et flersprogligt land. De fleste grønlændere taler grønlandsk og dansk – men der er også en del grønlændere som af forskellige grunde ikke taler grønlandsk. Det er et mindre kendt – og i nogen grad traumatiserende – faktum. Grønlandsksproget litteratur er – i lighed med mange andre oprindelige folks – relativt ung. Men Grønland har altid haft en stærk poetisk tradition.

Jeg hørte for et par år siden de unge forfattere Niviaq Korneliussen og Sørine Stenholdt berette om en i høj grad levende fortælletradition: De fortalte om, hvordan de bedste fortællere trækker fulde huse når de kommer til bygderne – hvis de da ikke kommer ud af radioen – og henrykker folk med deres spændende historier. Jeg spurgte nysgerrigt til, hvad fortællingerne handlede om, og så grinede de og svarede: Det kan ikke oversættes, det er en grønlandsk ting. Og godt det samme. Men jeg glæder mig så desto mere over at selvsamme Niviaq og Sørine generøst har udgivet deres debutbøger på både grønlandsk og dansk, og således i dén grad – og ufattelig kærkomment – inviterer hele Norden ind i de grønlandske unges hverdag. Niviaq Korneliussens Homo Sapienne (2014) og Sørine Stenholdts Zombieland (2015) tager modigt livtag med emner, der er alt andet end nemme: homoseksualitet (som virker mere tabuiseret på Grønland end andre steder i Norden), grønlandsk identitet, alkohol, vold og korruption. Og de gør det fra deres eget ståsted, fra det perspektiv som er deres, hvilket er en af de gaver litteraturen kan give os.

Og der er mere, hvor det kommer fra. Læs mere om forfatterne og anden ny grønlandsk litteratur her og her om Jessie Kleemann og andre interessante grønlandske kunstnere. 

 

mig

Elisabeth Friis

Docent i litteraturvidenskab, Lunds Universitet. Arbejder med forskningsprojektet: Multilingual strategies in Contemporary Nordic Literature.

 

 

Foto: Milik Publishing

Orden i Norden / Sanat Pohjolassa

 

Hur förstår vi varandra?

När jag läser tidningar, ofta på nätet dessa dagar, är det slående hur ord och halva meningar plockas ur sina sammanhang för att tjäna som opinionsbildning. Och hur snabbt vi som läsare och lyssnare blivit nöjda med slagord och halva sanningar.

Berättandekulturer där den som yttrar och den som tar emot faktiskt befinner sig i samma rum och kan fråga, svara och kommunicera med varandra har blivit alltmer nischbetonade. Samtidigt har mångspråkighet blivit en vardagsrealitet i Finland och i Norden.

När det gäller att förstå varandra är orden bara en del av berättandet – kroppsspråk, röstmelodi, pauser och tempo – allt detta är också en vital del av samtalet (hela 90 procent av förståelsen kommer från det non-verbala uttrycket, har jag läst på Facebook…).

Berättande i samma rum är med andra ord bättre på någonting som det skrivna ordet är sämre på, nämligen att skapa förståelse också där det gemensamma språket är på olika nivåer, från nybörjarspråk till modersmål, och där berättandet också kan vara på olika nivåer, från konst till försiktigt letande efter ord. Den gode berättaren, och den gode lyssnaren, är inte nödvändigtvis alls den som kan det gemensamma språket bäst.

På Nordisk kulturkontakt kallar vi vår satsning på berättande och ord under våren för ”Orden i Norden”. Vi hoppas och tror att berättarstunder skall bidra till förståelse, men också ge en möjlighet för berättaren att sätta ord på sin egen historia. Tanken är att lyfta fram hur spännande och berikande olika kulturers berättande kan vara. Vi berättar samiska, romska, ja även nonsens-sagor på Nordisk kulturkontakt under våren.  13 maj vill vi också lyfta fram berättande på de fem mest talade språken i Finland näst efter finska och svenska. Då berättar vi på ryska, estniska, arabiska, somaliska och engelska.

Är det vår uppgift som nordisk kulturinstitution?

Ja, det tycker vi. Nordiskt ministerråd har i sin nya handlingsplan sagt att Norden skall vara världens mest integrerade region. Om vi vill följa det slagordet är samtal och utrymme för alla invånare, nya och gamla, en nordisk angelägenhet.

Därför är vi också riktigt glada för att delta i flerspråkighetsmånaden Multilingual Month, som i år firas för första gången gemensamt i Norden och som har firats i Finland sedan 2015 under namnet Satakielikuukausi.

Hedvig Westerlund-Kapnas
Seniorrådgivare
Nordisk kulturkontakt

—

Miten hyvin ymmärrämme toisiamme?

Kun nykyisin luen lehtiä ja internet-uutisia, hämmästyn usein sitä, miten sanoja ja puolikkaita lauseita poimitaan asiayhteyksistään erilaisten mielipiteiden tueksi. Olen myös hämmästynyt siitä, miten lyhyessä ajassa me lukijat ja kuulijat olemme ryhtyneet tyytymään iskulauseisiin ja puolitotuuksiin.

Suullisen kerronnan kulttuureille on tyypillistä kertojan ja kuulijan samassa tilassa oleminen, kysymysten esittäminen ja niihin vastaaminen kasvokkain sekä ylipäätään suora viestintä toisen kanssa. Nämä kulttuurit ovat käyneet yhä harvinaisemmiksi. Samaan aikaan monikielisyydestä on tullut arkitodellisuutta sekä Suomessa että Pohjolassa.

Kun tavoite on toisen ymmärtäminen, sanat ovat vain osa kertomusta. Kehonkieli, äänenpainot, tauot ja rytmi ovat myös tärkeä osa keskustelua (olen itse lukenut Facebookista, että jopa 90 prosenttia ymmärryksestä on sanattoman viestinnän aikaansaamaa).

Suullinen kerronta on toisin sanoen kirjoitettua sanaa tehokkaampi viestinviejä silloin, kun yhteinen kieli on eritasoista, tai silloin, kun itse kerronta on eritasoista, todellista sanataidetta tai vain varovaista sanojen etsintää. Hyvä tarinankertoja ja hyvä kuuntelija eivät välttämättä ole samoja kuin ne, jotka osaavat yhteistä kieltä parhaiten.

Olemme Pohjoismaisessa kulttuuripisteessä antaneet tämän kevään sana- ja tarinankerrontapanostuksellemme nimeksi ”Sanat Pohjolassa”. Toivomme ja uskomme, että tarinahetket voivat, paitsi edesauttaa ymmärrystä, myös tarjota kertojalle mahdollisuuden keksiä sanat omalle tarinalleen. Ajatus on nostaa esiin sitä, miten jännittävää ja rikastuttavaa erilaisten kulttuurien tarinankerronta voi olla. Kevään aikana kerromme tarinoista saameksi, romaniksi ja jopa ”hölynpölyksi”. Lauantaina 13. toukokuuta tuomme esiin tarinankerrontaa Suomen viidellä puhutuimmalla kielellä suomen ja ruotsin jälkeen. Silloin kerromme tarinoita venäjäksi, viroksi, arabiaksi, somaliksi ja englanniksi.

Onko tämä tehtävämme pohjoismaisena kulttuuri-instituutiona?

Mielestämme kyllä. Pohjoismaiden ministerineuvosto toteaa uudessa käsikirjassaan, että Pohjolasta on tuleva maailman integroitunein alue. Jos tavoitteemme on seurata tätä ohjetta, silloin kaikkien Pohjolan asukkaiden, niin uusien kuin vanhojen, on saatava tilaa omalle ilmaisulleen ja päästävä mukaan keskusteluun.

Olemme tästäkin syystä iloisia saadessamme osallistua monikielisyyskuukauteen Multilingual Monthiin, Suomessa vuodesta 2015 alkaen Satakielikuukautena vietettyyn kuukauteen, joka leviää tänä vuonna ensimmäistä kertaa koko Pohjolaan.

Hedvig Westerlund-Kapnas
Vanhempi asiantuntija
Nordisk kulturkontakt / Pohjoismainen kulttuuripiste

Foto/Kuva: Mikaela Wickström

Centre for Literature in Uppsala is a diverse multilingual writing platform

I want to remind the reader of two people in exile in 1930s and 1940s in Sweden. The first one is Kurt Tucholsky – who committed suicide as an outcome of serious depression when he was waiting for a decision from the Swedish migration authority. The other one is Bertolt Brecht who was in exile in Stockholm for one year in 1941. After occupation of Denmark and Norway by the Nazi force, he had to leave for Helsinki and then to USA. Both were from Germany and were very talented writers.

Now let me focus on my ICORN-residency in Uppsala 2009–2011. During my residency years I co-operated with Studiefrämjandet (an NGO for the promotion of culture and informal learning) and together we introduced writing workshops that involved published and unpublished writers, literary festivals, the presentation of short plays, poetry on bus and publishing anthologies. In addition to these collective efforts, I took part in literary, cultural and public debate in newspapers, radio and at universities. Thus we achieved a ‘win win’ situation revitalizing Uppsala’s literary scene through ICORN residency system. There is no short cut to being a writer and to doing something good for the community. I approached people very humbly. Sometimes I did not even get any response to my e-mails. I did not take them personally. First I am a human being, then a writer or a guest writer. If this becomes one’s way of thinking, then it is possible to achieve something collective.

The educational association, Studiefrämjandet summarized my activities for a project called Literature Centre in Uppsala City and Country. This model is now a permanent part of Studiefrämjandet in Uppsala and it has been followed in other parts of Sweden notably as well as other foreign cities for instance Oslo, Belgrade and Dhaka.

The concept Litteraturcentrum Uppsala was a result of my literary activities together with Studiefrämjandet during my writer in residency 2009–2011 and from the beginning a cooperation between Studiefrämjandet, the region and municipality of Uppsala, the libraries, Swedish PEN, Swedish Writers’ Union, Swedish Academy, Swedish Arts Council, the civil society and literary enthusiasts.

Four people on stage reading manuscripts
Litteraturcentrum created new short plays for Teater Blanca, Uppsala.

Litteraturcentrum Uppsala  is building networks and bridges between actors for the purpose of supporting local readership and the regional literary scene. The centre is based in Uppsala, and are a part of the culture plan of 2013–14 and 2015–2017 of the Uppsala region.

We are interested of both the artistic and social effects of literature. We work locally, regionally, nationally and internationally, and have established productive partnerships with several organizations. Our centre is now a platform for both professional and amateur writers in diverse mother languages. It is a meeting point for native, foreign, immigrant and exiled writers. We publish more than a hundred writers a year in our literary anthology from our creative writing workshops every year. We host more than a hundred literary events a year.

Our centre in Uppsala together with Litteraturcentrum in Tranås, Litteratur resurscentrum in Norbotten and similar project in Jämtland-Harjedalen is now Sweden’s international literary checkpoint when we have growing network and exchange with different continents. All are welcome on board of reading and writing in diverse languages in defense of free word and free thought.

Anisur Rahman

 

Anisur Rahman is Uppsala’s guest writer 2009–2011 in the ICORN system and currently project leader for Litteraturcentrum Uppsala, Studiefräjandet Uppsalaregion, http://www.litteraturcentrum.se/

Anna Enemark: Norden er så rig på sprog

Summary in English:
Nordic Region is so rich in languages

The Nordic Council of Ministers has a vision of strengthening the understanding of Scandinavian languages to create contact, sense of community and mobility between people in the Nordic countries. More than 200 languages are nevertheless spoken in the Nordic countries, and many people are bilingual or multilingual. The Nordic cooperation on languages must reflect this issue: Language and literature have always been a unifying force in the field of culture, and the growing multilingualism in the Nordic countries offers possibilities as well as opportunities.

In Nordic Language Coordination, we operate on the mandate of Nordic Council of Ministers, and in September we are planning a Nordic Language Festival to celebrate the diversity of languages in the Nordic region, as well as the uniqueness of being able to understand the language spoken in our neighboring countries – which is a fact for approximately 25 million people across the Nordic countries. Join the festival! http://www.sprogkoordnationen.org/  

Norden er så rig på sprog

’Flerproglighedsmåned’ er ikke et ord, der umiddelbart findes på dansk. Men meningen er klar: En hel måned med fokus på sproglig mangfoldighed. Kultur for alla sætter nemlig i år gang i Multilingual Month, som opfordrer alle organisationer i Norden til at fejre den sproglige mangfoldighed fra den 21. februar til den 21. mars.

Jeg er leder i Nordisk Sprogkoordination, og vi tager handsken op og arrangerer en Nordisk Sprogfest: I 4 dage går vi på opdagelse i, hvordan sproget spiller ind på vores relationer til hinanden i Norden og skaber både fællesskaber og fordomme, inkluderer og ekskluderer, ligestiller og skævvrider – kort sagt, hvordan vi aktivt kan bruge sproget som værktøj til at skabe fællesskab og identitet.

Sprogfesten løber først af stablen 18.-21. september, men vi er allerede nu godt i gang med forberedelserne: I samarbejde med Kultur for alla planlægger vi blandt andet et seminar om minoritets- og indvandrerlitteratur i Norden: Hvilke mulighed har forfattere for at arbejde på deres eget sprog, når det ikke er et nordisk ét af slagsen? Hvordan ser det ud med læserens ret til at læse tekster på sit eget sprog? Og er det holdbart, at Nordisk Råds litteraturpris udelukkende beskæftiger sig med tekster skrevet på nordiske sprog?

I forlængelse af seminaret er der smagsprøver på flersproglig litteraturoplæsning: Det litterære felt i Norden bliver mere og mere mangfoldigt, og mange af Nordens forfattere skriver på andre sprog end de nordiske. På Sprogfesten skal vi derfor høre oplæsning fra værker på originalsproget, mens teksten samtidig oversættes på storskærm.

Jeg glæder mig rigtigt meget til festen, fordi den giver os mulighed for at fejre et nordisk sprogsamarbejde, som er relevant for alle i Norden. Vi skal styrke og udbygge det sproglige fællesskab, der ligger i, at 25 millioner mennesker i Norden i princippet kan kommunikere med hinanden ved hjælp af dansk, norsk og svensk. Det er en ret unik situation, som giver os rige muligheder for at arbejde og studere i de øvrige nordiske lande, og for at dele kulturoplevelser, der styrker vores følelse af nordisk samhørighed. En samhørighed, der vel at mærke ikke kun er forbeholdt de, der har et nordisk sprog som modersmål. Vi taler mere end 200 forskellige sprog i Norden, og antallet af sprog stiger fortsat, ligesom mange nordboere er flersprogede.

Sprogsamarbejdet på tværs af de nordiske landegrænser skal også reflektere denne mangfoldighed. Sprog og litteratur har altid været en stærk samlende kraft i kulturelle fællesskaber, og den voksende sproglige mangfoldighed i Norden giver os udfordringer såvel som de mange muligheder, vi fejrer til september. Det bliver en god Sprogfest, og du er inviteret med!

Læs mere om Sprogfesten på www.sprogkoordinationen.org

 
anna-002Om Anna Enemark

Leder af Nordisk Sprogkoordination

’Sproget er det hus, vi alle bor i’ sagde filmskaberen Jean Luc Goddard. Det er mit yndlingscitat, for uanset hvilket sprog, vi taler, er vi fælles om at sprog er en vigtig del af vores identitet og har en afgørende betydning for vores liv og mulighederne for at interagere med andre mennesker.

Om Nordisk Sprogkoordination

I Nordisk Sprogkoordination har vi ansvaret for at understøtte Nordisk Ministerråds sprogpolitiske mål. Sprogkoordinationen finansieres af Nordisk Ministerråd, og i 2017 har Norge formandskabet. Et tilgængeligt og inkluderende kulturliv samt sprog som nøgle til nordisk samhørighed og mobilitet er blandt prioriteringer. Læs mere om det nordiske sprogsamarbejde på www.sprogkoordinationen.dk

 

 

 

Things we don’t know about our language diversity – revisiting non-dominant language writers’ possibilities in the Nordic Countries

Last year Culture for All Service published a report about the position of non-dominant language writers in the Nordic organizations that support literature. The question was whether writers who write in other than the dominant languages of the country could apply for the state grants for writers, for translation support and for the membership in the writers’ unions. Some details have changed since then and others keep changing. With Nordic collaboration, the grade of inclusion can be raised by sharing the multilingual practices and expertise. A lot of basic knowledge about our language diversity is still lacking.

 

We do not know enough about our non-dominant languages

The term used in the report, ‘non-dominant languages’, includes both the officially recognized, traditional minority languages and the languages that have arrived more recently with the immigration.

Some of the traditional minority languages are included in the European Charter of Regional and Minority Languages and have a certain grade of protection, at least officially. The practical situation of these languages varies a lot from one country to another [1] and even between minority languages in the same country [2]. The situation of the immigrant languages is even more ambivalent. In most Nordic Countries, no statistics are available regarding the mother language of the inhabitants [3]. This increases the invisibility and the lack of power of the immigrant languages. In this case, Finland is an exception, probably due to the long history of national bilingualism which has caused political interest in language-related information about the population [4].

Though bilingualism in Finnish and Swedish has been successful in Finland, the supporting practices for other minority languages are more visible in the Sweden’s art support system. A wider look at the cultural support shows that the tasks of art administration are also different in each country. The operations that in some cases are in Sweden in the hands of the art and culture administration, in Finland are or have been taken care of by the Ministry of Education and Culture. Thus, the results can be misleading if one looks only one sector of the cultural field. A positive encounter in the Ministry of Education and Culture showed that the work for Roma language has taken great steps forward, including bilingual publications of children’s literature in Finnish and Roma language [5], even though from the art administration’s side Roma language literature continues being practically invisible. 

What can we learn from our Nordic neighbours?

A comparison in a Nordic context was useful for many reasons. Each country had their areas that offered possibilities of learning from others. Doing the report required repeated contacts with representatives of the organizations, and they contributed generously to the work. This, and the seminar Literature without Borders organized in Helsinki on March 18th 2016, promoted information sharing on language practices also directly between the organizations. A surprising observation was that in each of the three areas in focus (state grants, translation support and memberships in the writers’ unions), a different Nordic country was most in need of more inclusive practices.

In several cases the information received from the staff and from the website of the organization was contradictory. This caused important updates in the public communication of the organization, and in some cases, even changes of the rules themselves as the representatives of the organizations became aware of exclusive practices.

Both power and expertise are needed for a change

In many cases, exclusive language practices are not easy to change. The terms of use of the public funds are often partly defined by the government, not by the organizations themselves. In case of the writers’ unions, the private funding can create other problems. An example are the writers’ unions in Finland. Finland is the only Nordic country where the writers’ unions limit the membership based on the original writing language of the literary works. There is a separate union for the Finnish language writers and Finland Swedish writers. Neither of the two accepts writers that write in other languages.  The Finnish Writers’ Union has stated that a great part of their applicable funds come from testament donations that have been defined with a specific language criteria and these wills are impossible to change. The director of the union sees that if non-Finnish language writers were able to join, this would create inequality inside the organization.[6] Now the inequality remains between the ones who can be included and the ones who are completely outside. But what happens when the world changes? If a criterion defined a hundred years ago is not fair in today’s society, what comes first: the last will of the past donator or the actual need for equal opportunities?

If and when the moment of change in the writers’ unions arrives also in Finland, the neighbouring countries have solutions to offer again. The Norwegian Authors’ Union has clearly defined their entrance practices in the cases of non-dominant language writers and generously shared this information [7]. The Swedish, Danish and Icelandic writers’ unions have opened their doors for other language writers and even started interesting interlingual collaborations that have benefited also the national language writers.

The experience of the organizations that have opened their doors to new languages demonstrates that the change towards inclusion is not only a question of power but also a question of expertise. When these two are present and combined with the ideal of equal opportunities, new possibilities appear.

Is there a transit gate for Sámi literature?

The question of how to deal with the unknown is relevant to all expert organizations. One example is from Norway. When comparing the situation of the export organizations, it appeared that NORLA, the export organization of Norwegian literature, does not include the literature written in Sámi in its regular support forms even though Norway is the country were clearly most of the Sámi literature is published. NORLA has shown willingness to change this policy in a meeting where we discussed the importance of this rule [8]. But how can an organization whose expertise is specifically in literature and language, work with a language that the experts do not understand? Could the neighbouring countries offer solutions? The literature export organizations in both Finland and Sweden include Sámi language literature in their work. Still, as the lit-export organizations support the literature published in the specific country, especially in case of Finland this inclusion remains an (officially) unreachable possibility as there are no more publishing houses that publish in Sámi in Finland. Even in the case of Sweden, many of the Sámi writers publish in Norway. Awareness of the co-effects of the different organizations is not easy to reach nor resolve inside one organization.

Rationally and ethically based exceptions of the rules are one way to make space for inclusion when these kinds of dead ends appear. A better way for all the parties involved is to change the rules, or at least the way of communication, so that all the possible applicants know that there is margin for the exceptions. In the ideal situation, a decision-maker should also be able to give feedback for the organization’s governing body or, if necessary, the monitoring organization, if individual cases show problems that cause unequal treatment of the applicants.  The changes of exclusive rules should be done and approved in all the necessary levels.

Languages, state grants and compensation for public lending

What comes to state funds, most Nordic Countries offer state funds that are applicable for non-dominant language users as well. Here, the exception to the rule is Denmark, where Danish language is a necessary criterion to receive the state grants for literature, excluding a small fund for migrant writers. Contrary to common international practice, the limitation concerns even the Public Lending Remunerations, funds that are paid for writers for the use of their works in the public libraries as a compensation of the respective loss of income from the book market. In a report from 2002, European commission mentions Denmark and other Nordic Countries in their PLR report: “In Denmark, Sweden and Finland, there are concerns that the PLR may be applied in a discriminatory way, granted only for national or resident authors (Sweden) or for items published in the national language (Denmark, Finland)” [9]. Since then the PLR rules in Finland and Sweden have been changed, but Denmark still maintains the national language rule [10].

These examples show that the situation varies across countries and organizations. In most of the cases the borders that exclude language diversity are not caused by ideologies  or intentional action, but by co-effects between different organizations or sectors, or lack of multilingual expertise and practice. We can learn a lot from our neighbouring countries by sharing the successful solutions of structural inclusion of language diversity. We should also work harder to find the expertise that lies in the different language speakers among us, but still too often outside the decision-making organizations.  

outi_korhonen_verkkoonOuti Korhonen is the coordinator of the project Multilingualism and diversity as a resource in the cultural field – employment and integration through literature in the Nordic Countries. The project supports the inclusion of non-dominant language literature in the Nordic literary field from the point of view of both authors and readers. The project is run by Culture for All Service.

 

 

[1] Sweden is the only Nordic Country that has included a language-specific support for literature written in all the official minority languages both for state funds and for books. The support system has got good results; see e.g. Maria Ågren, Kulturrådet, 2015.

[2] Differences between languages; see e.g. European Council’s report on the application of the  EUROPEAN CHARTER FOR REGIONAL OR MINORITY LANGUAGES in Finland (pdf), available on Finnish Foreign Ministry’s website.

[3] Statistics Norway: no statistics on the amounts of language speakers. Lack of statistics confirmed by Elsa Granvoll, Statistics Norway’s Information Centre (e-mail January 18th 2017).
Statistics Denmark: no statistics on the amounts of language speakers. Lack of statistics confirmed by Dorthe Larsen, Senior Head Clerk, Population and Education (e-mail January 19th 2017).
Sweden, see e.g. Mikael Parkvall 2016: Sveriges språk i siffror: vilka språk talas och av hur många?

[4] Statistics Finland 2013: Population with foreign background 2013, p. 19

[5] Newly published collection of three children’s books in one edition: http://verkkokauppa.oph.fi/Rassako-reevos-Yoekettu and newly published children’s poems: http://verkkokauppa.oph.fi/Lokko-lamjaha-Kevein-askelin

[6] Jyrki Vainonen, director of Finnish Writer’s Union, YLE Radio interview with Jani Tanskanen June 20th  2016.

[7] Thanks to Kerstin Bennett’s help, see Outi Korhonen and Rita Paqvalén 2016: Wandering Words – Comparisons of the Position of Non-dominant Language Writers in Nordic Organizations,  p. 14-17

[8] Meeting in Oslo in January 11th 2017, Director Margit Walsø and Senior Adviser Oliver Møystad from NORLA and Rita Paqvalén and Outi Korhonen from the project Multilingualism and Diversity as a Resource in the Cultural Field.

[9] European Commission’s Press Release. Brussels, September 16th 2002: Public lending right applied inconsistently across the EU, says Commission report.

[10] PLR International 2012: PLR in Denmark.

 

Photo: Sarah Scicluna (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Reflections on multilingualism in society

Regardless of the causes for the movement of people from one country to another during the past few decades, there have been hundreds of thousands of foreigners residing in every European country.  As a result, every European or Nordic country has become a multilingual society with increasing demand for access to books in foreign languages. The multilingual aspect of European societies encourages native Europeans as well as their new countrymen to learn new languages in order to see the world from another perspective and get to know others cultures and literature.

As an individual and a librarian in Norway, I would like to share my experiences of multilingualism. As an individual, I am originally from the Khuzestan province in southwest Iran in a neighborhood that people spoke mostly Persian and Arabic, but also Turkish, Kurdish and Armenian.  At my primary school, I became familiar with the difficulty the schoolchildren with other mother tongue than Persian had with learning Persian, which is the official educational language in Iran. However, my interaction with the schoolchildren with other mother tongues than Persian gave me the opportunity to get to know other languages than Persian.

As a librarian for multilingual collection, I have noticed the need of library users for reading materials and their enthusiasm toward books, films and music in different languages, which encouraged me to serve them earnestly and follow their intellectual needs.

I would like to mention that Oslo Public Library played a significant role in the integration of immigrants to Norway since the late 1960s. The first immigrants to Norway who came from Pakistan could use the Urdu book collection provided by Oslo Public Library in the early 1970s. Ever since, the book, film and music collections of Oslo Public Library expanded in accordance with the increase of the immigrants residing in Norway.

In 1983, Oslo Public Library (Deichmanske bibliotek) established a section for literature for immigrants. Later in 1996, the section’s name was changed to The Multilingual Library.

Every language is the source of stories, knowledge and insight. The consequence of the loss of every language is poverty in human culture and civilization and our digital world lead the young people to forget this obvious fact. To remind young people of the value of preserving different languages as various sources of knowledge is not an easy task. Libraries with multilingual collections are the most relevant places in which people from different cultures and language get to know their cultural heritages and transmit them to the next generation. Libraries are the main places, which distribute equally knowledge between people from different classes, cultures and backgrounds, thus alpha and omega of every democracy.

In addition to being a place for lending books, libraries are good meeting places for people with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Our recently transferred book and film collection to National Library of Norway includes 69 foreign languages. 

For more information, see:

 

100217_giti_nassouri

Giti Nassouri is a librarian at the National Library of Norway. For many years, she has worked at the section for multilingual library at Oslo public library (Deichmanske Bibliotek). There she was in charge of Bengali, Hindi, Panjabi, Dutch, Greek, Dari, Pashto, Persian and Urdu book collections, which has been transferred to the National Library of Norway.

 

Photo: Stewart Butterfield (CC BY 2.0).

 

Call to action: Multilingual Month invites to celebrate the diversity of languages in the Nordic countries

Multilingual Month, a month celebrating multilingualism and language diversity, will take place between February 21st, the International Mother Language Day, and March 21st, the World Poetry Day and the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The first Multilingual Month gathers organizations, people and events all over the Nordic countries. We warmly welcome all organizations to join us and celebrate language diversity!

Why Multilingual Month?

Language is a powerful tool for creating a sense of security and belonging. It is a part of our identity and the precondition for all communication. How do languages sound, feel and taste like? How do they affect our identities and the way we see the world around us?

The history of the Nordic countries is multilingual and the multilingualism of the Nordic countries include both national and traditional minority languages, and languages, that the more recent immigration has introduced. Multilingual Month brings forward this diversity and encourages everyone to make everyday life even more multilingual.

How to contribute

Culture for All Service invites educational institutions, libraries, NGOs and all other organizations across Nordic countries to join the first Multilingual Month by the following ways:
  • Organize a poetry reading, meeting with writer, workshop, lecture or discussion or any other multilingual event between February 21st and March 21st. If you are hosting an event related to multilingualism, please tell us about it through the link below or in social media using hashtag #multilingualmonth.
  • Contribute to challenges that will be published twice a week on our Facebook page and Twitter account during the Multilingual Month. Learning languages is all about small acts and having fun!
  • Share a best practice, tell a personal story related to languages in your life or start a discussion with hashtag #multilingualmonth.
Multilingualism and language diversity are central in the work of many organizations and projects through the whole year. You can also tell us about these continuous activities as one of the goals of Multilingual Month is to promote cooperation between actors in Nordic countries. We will list participants and other Nordic organizations working with language diversity in the Links section.

If you organize your own event during the Multilingual Month, we encourage you to use the logos provided on our website.

About us

Multilingual Month has been celebrated in Finland as Satakielikuukausi (Month of a Hundred Languages Festival) since 2015. This year the Finnish National Agency for Education invites Finnish schools to organize their own events.

Multilingual Month is coordinated by Culture for All Service as part of the project Multilingualism and Diversity as a Resource in the Cultural Field. The service offers information and support in questions related to diversity and accessibility and is located in Helsinki, Finland. In Finland Multilingual Month is celebrated as Satakielikuukausi and it is coordinated by Cultural Centre Caisa.

Feel free to spread the word!

 

Oona Simolin
Planner
Culture for All Service
Pictures: Anton Vakulenko (CC BY-SA 2.0) | Anthony Jackson (CC BY-SA 4.0) | Quinn Dombrowski (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Non-dominant language literatures and equal opportunities; writers’ or readers’ needs?

Katarina Taikon (1932-1995) wrote books in Swedish for both adults and children and defended the rights of Romani community.
After her times, language-specific support has contributed to the development of literature written in Romani language in Sweden.
The state support structures of the Nordic Countries for literature written in minority languages vary considerably. How should the concept of equal opportunities be understood in this case?
Photo: Björn Langhammer, press material from triart.se

Equal opportunities for writers

One way of understanding equal opportunities in case of state grants and subsidies for literature is that each writer should be evaluated with the same criteria. If a writer’s writing language is not understood by the evaluators, a fair evaluation requires exterior experts that have the sufficient language skills.

Most of the Nordic public funding bodies accept the idea of opening their support forms also to literature written in other than the dominant languages. The Arts Councils have adjusted their application criteria to welcome language diversity at least theoretically or partially. Still, there are many questions to be resolved in the multilingual practices.

If there are no applicants who write in other than the dominant languages, the question of non-dominant languages may seem to be irrelevant. But what happens if we think of the readers and language communities?

Equal opportunities for language communities and readers

Books in Sami at Turku Book Fair
Books in Northern Sámi at Turku book fair 2015. Photo: Outi Salonlahti

Arts Council Sweden offers specific support forms for the literatures written in regional or minority languages. These languages are only part of the non-dominant languages, being languages that have a historical presence in the country. Their position is defined in the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and they are different in each Nordic country. Recently arrived immigrant populations’ languages are not included in this charter, so many of the biggest language populations remain outside this special protection. This is the case of Arabic, Somali, Kurdish and Estonian, among hundreds of other languages all over the Nordic Region.

The idea of language-specific support focuses more on the language communities than individual writers. Literature is then recognized as a necessary tool in the maintenance and development of a language. Language-specific support makes sure that these literatures – and languages in their maximum richness of expression – can exist. Here, the way of understanding ‘equal opportunities’ emphasizes the point of view of the readers. Each child, independently of the language, should have a possibility to read and listen to literature in their mother language and thus develop a rich language. Taking it further, the same applies to adults. Considering the real language diversity in the Nordic Countries today, this objective is hard to reach but worth pursuing.

Literature uses language, a collective creation of expression, as its material. At the same time, literature recreates the language, renews its toolkit of expressions and develops its richness.

Intrinsic or instrumental values?

But if literature is considered a tool for developing languages and maintaining language communities, is its evaluation then based on instrumental criteria instead of understanding literature as an art form with an intrinsic value?

In Sweden’s case it seems that the solution to this question has been to accept different parallel logics that respond to different needs

The state grants for individual writers are administrated by another organization, Swedish Authors’ Fund (Författarfond) that receives its funds from Swedish Arts Council. In its work the emphasis is on individual writers and their work’s artistic quality. Also the languages in which the organization informs about their support forms reflect more the sizes of the language populations than the historical presence of the languages in the country. Information is offered in Swedish, English, Spanish, Persian and Arabic.

A successful example of language-specific support: the case of Romani language in Sweden

Books_in_Romani
Covers of Books in Romani language available in Sweden http://modersmal.skolverket.se/romani

Seeing the situation from outside, it seems that the results of the Swedish policy have been successful. For example, in case of Romani language, a great amount of books has been published thanks to the language-specific state support. These books are also used in the mother language classes for Romani speaking children.

A growing literary tradition creates possibilities for individual artists to raise from this language community. The literary pioneers in Romani language may as well be translators who work to widen the expressions of the written forms of a language that has mostly been used orally.

Part of the essence of literature is always its collective nature. Even in case of writers who more or less fit into the old times’ stereotype of an individual artist immersed in their own creation, the writer always works with language which is a collective, permanently changing, both historical and contemporary creation formed by the past and actual language communities.

The parallel logics that support both the language communities and individual writers, can work for the benefits of both readers and writers, crossing from one side to another. There is no literature without a rich written language. There is no rich written language without literature.


*

 

Text: Outi Korhonen 14.7.2016

Blog post in Finnish at Culture for All Service: Vähemmistökieliset kirjallisuudet – eroavatko kirjailijoiden ja lukijoiden oikeudet?

Links:

The presentations of the seminar Literature without borders 18.3.2016

The seminar Literature without borders – Kirjallisuus ilman rajoja – Litteratur utan gränser –  took place on March 18th 2016 at Nordic Culture Point, with full audience consisting of writers and specialists of literature from different Nordic countries. The speakers and audience discussed topics like the position of non-dominant language authors in the Nordic Countries, safe havens and other initiatives to promote freedom of expression; the position of Sámi literature, diasporic literatures, and questions of evaluation in the language wise diverse literature field.

The seminar was organised by Culture for All Service, The Finnish Critics’ Association, The Finnish Reading Centre, Finnish PEN, The International Cultural Centre Caisa, The Nordic Culture Point and Sivuvalo Project in the premises of Nordic Culture Point Helsinki.

The seminar presentations are online, link to the full programme below:

 

Opening

Annika Nummelin & Mikael Höysti:  https://youtu.be/1xPzSmzbCgQ
Rita Paqvalén, Culture for All Service:  https://youtu.be/BQU0E2HI-Qs

Non-dominant language writers in Nordic literary institutions 

Outi Korhonen, Culture for All Service:
seminar presentation: https://youtu.be/W8iYDUvEN24
link to the report: Outi Korhonen & Rita Paqvalén: Wandering Words. Comparisons of the Position of Non-dominant Language Writers in Nordic Organizations 

National and language borders in Nordic literature from a historic perspective

Heidi Grönstrand, The project Multilingualism in contemporary literature in Finland:  https://youtu.be/yu1IqdCb878

Panel I: Evaluation and multilingualism

Panel participants: Maili Öst (SARV, The Finnish Critics’ Association), Malin Kivelä (Society of Swedish Authors in Finland), Jesper Söderström (Sveriges författarfond), Kerstin Bennett (Norwegian Authors´ Union) & Niels Ivar Larsen (journalist, Dagbladet Information). Moderator: Elisabeth Nordgren (SARV, The Finnish Critics’ Association):  https://youtu.be/Fcc_jofJBCM

The Sámi literature as an example of transnational literature

Vuokko Hirvonen, Sámi University:  https://youtu.be/oSVlr7rnOME

Statements by the writers

Polina Kopylova:  https://youtu.be/6FKB-YMnCYE

Manal Al Sheikh:  https://youtu.be/9a7odqUECRQ

Inger-Mari Aikio:  https://youtu.be/VUg_GaM5xrk

Panel II: How to live and work in exile, often still under threat

Panel participants: Thomas Wallgren (Helsinki City Council), Anisur Rahman (ICORN/ Uppsala), Manal Al Sheikh (ICORN/ Stavanger) & Mazen Maarouf (ICORN/ Reykjavík). Moderator: Iida Simes (Finnish PEN)
https://youtu.be/7wGxzMZxtkI