By 2019, in all countries in Europe where Roma live, a number of publications for children varying from materials to support the education of the Roma to original books by Roma authors with tales, short stories, poetry and educational materials have appeared. These are primarily bi-lingual books written in Romani and/or in the language of […]
Romani publications for children in the nordic countries Read More »
Immigration and globalization have broadened the definition of Finnish literature that was traditionally defined as a piece of literature written by a Finn in Finnish in Finland for Finns. As a result of immigration to Finland, some immigrants have produced and continue to produce literary works that deal with Finnish culture, society and history in
Multilingualism and polyphony in immigrants’ literature in Finland Read More »
Blog-entry by Tania Nathan The effects of our globalising world has been that of gain, and loss. There is no denying the gains some have seen from our shrinking borders, but that too has not been without costs. With increased migration, comes the intermingling of cultures, and a certain amount of conflict. Some parties insist
Will learning the language of the country one inhabits lead to seamless integration? Read More »
Blog-entry by Sebastian Drude The year 2019 is the ‘International Year of Indigenous Languages’. On this occasion, you may have wondered, “what exactly is an indigenous language”? So, what exactly is an indigenous language? Starting with the expression itself, there are two words, and the meaning of each, “indigenous” and “language”, seems at first straightforward.
Indigenous Languages Read More »
By Gáppe Piera Jovnna Ulla / Ulla Aikio-Puoskari [in Finnish] In 1992, Michael Krauss issued a warning that came to be observed worldwide. Krauss’ message was that during the next century, 90% of the languages still spoken by mankind will disappear unless there is a decisive change working towards their survival. The majority of the
Wouldn’t it be better, if we all spoke the same language? Read More »
This article written in Northern Sámi explores and discusses the content of a recently published report A Writing Hand Reaches Further, “Čálli giehta ollá guhkás”: Report on the recommendations for the improvement of the Sámi literature field. It suggests concrete ways to improve the visibility and dynamics of the Sámi literary based on the recommendations by
Text: Ahmed Zaidan My Finnish language is like a hotel by the highway, while my Arabic is like the city of Tokyo, and my English resembles the city of Turku. Language is a city full of alleyways and small details. Poetry is the old town in the city of language. Some languages in us form
Language is a City Read More »
Text: Giti Nassouri Persian and Indian culture have been two of the oldest and most fertile grounds poetry. Poetry is visible in the lives of different social classes. More than being the preoccupation of a social and cultural elite, poetry has been the means through which the ordinary people living in these cultures made their
Iranian, Indian and Pakistani poets between mysticism and self-realization Read More »
Text: Petra Laiti The question I get asked most by a mile is how being a Saami is visible in my life. In this essay I ponder why basic questions about one’s Saaminess are not only hurtful but also echoing underlying structures of Finnish society. The question “how you can tell if you’re a
Basic questions about saaminess reveal not-so-hidden racism Read More »
Text: Ahmed Hassan and Konsta Savolainen Translated from Finnish into English by Outi Korhonen In the activities of NordicSom we focus on constructing issue-based Nordic collaboration in such a manner that ethnic background does not define the activities. Understanding the significance of multilingualism is one possible channel to influence. In this context our partner Svenska nu motivates and inspires Finnish
Nordicsom brings new insights to bilingualism in finland together with svenska nu Read More »
