Obamaism on Åland

”Obama is Åland’s man” was the lead story on the Åland Tidningen, 23rd October 2008 edition. The story, which was jointly written by Erika Elfsberg and Petter Lobråten, clearly indicated the presence of Obamaism on the Island.

Like all other parts of the word, the USA 2008 elections is also a subject of discussion on Åland. A couple of months ago, I was at the Paf Casino in Mariehamn. Surprisingly, an old man came to where I was standing and said to me;

“A black man is going to be the president of America. That is great and I am sure you like it”

With Obama, as the President of the USA, the world will surely succeed in overcoming the issue of race. Bigotry and racism among people, will become a thing of the past and as Bob Marley said, “ people will no longer be judged by the colour of their skin.”

On Åland

Not many Africans are living on Åland compared to other regions on the mainland ( Finland ). Currently there are more Kenyans, than any other nationality. Some of them are from the same tribe as Obama. They are called the Luo and are also found in Eastern Uganda and Northern Tanzania. The Luo are the third largest ethnic group in Kenya and they became so popular with the emergence of Obama and Raila Odinga, as the Prime Minister of the country’s national unity government.

Obama’s African connection

Obama’s dad was the main subject in his memoir, “dreams from my father.” He was born in Kenya in 1936 and at the age of 23 he moved to the USA to attend Hawaii University. On the 21st February 1961, he married a fellow student Ann Dunham. It was in the same year, 4th August that Barack Obama Jnr was born. In 1963, his parents divorced. It was at the age of 10 that he was lucky to see his dad again.

Barack visited his Kenyan relatives almost three times. During his last visit, he traveled with his family and donated $14,000 to an AIDS orphan care facility. He has used his personal connections to appeal for good governance in Kenya. HIV/AIDS in Africa, avian flu, the genocide in Darfur, the prospects of Africa becoming a terrorist haven, the impact of climate change on Africa, rule of law etc are issues that were high on Obama’s agenda during his last tour of Africa.

Veronica Thörnroos

Veronica is among the influencial women on the Island, who disclosed their support for Obama on the Åland Tidningen. One of the Africans I spoke to said, he wasn’t surprised with Veronica’s stand. When asked why, he responded saying:-

“She was my teacher and I can remember having very interesting and objective conversations with her.”

The same was said of Carina Aaltonen, also a popular figure on Åland.

Is racism an issue in Finnish Politics?

According to news monitored from YLE ( Finland) and the MTV channel, racism continues to be an issue in Finnish politics. The Centre Party leader Jyrki Katainen and Green League Party chair Tarja Cronberg has both called on party leaders to introduce measures in eradicationg racism in Finnish election campaigns.

In an MTV evening talk show, the chairman of the True Finns, Timo Soini was asked what he thinks of some of the racism tones on some of the writings of the election candidates. He revealed that he is not a victim of it, but argued that the issue of immigrants require discussion.

According to YLE he was also asked why the True Finns is fielding candidates who are claiming the right to hang flags bearing the Natzi Swastika or any similar excesses.

The Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen of the Centre Party was also mentioned claiming to have heard racist comments during the course of the campaign.

Within an Year

Within an Year is a book i am writing and to be published early next year. The book is more like a memoir of my one year stay on Åland. So watch out for it.

Reggae Night in Mariehamn

Plans are on high gear to organize a kind of 'get together' for Åland reggae lovers. Reggae is unquestionably a popular music on the Island, but surprisingly there is not much happening when it comes to this popular world music.

Café Bönan, is hosting this reggae get together. This event, which is expected to be thrilling, is scheduled to take place at the end of November and hopefully there will be a guest DJ from Sweden.

Reggea music is known to be an uncomplicated music that continues to be loved and appreciated by millions of people world wide. So Åland reggae lovers start warming up and lets make it happen at café Bönan on the 21st November 2008. The posters will be out with further details.

Jah Love!!!

Better Globe comes to Åland

Better Globe, is a Norwegian based international organization that is dedicated to eradicating poverty in Africa in the next 20 years. Recently, they were in Mariehamn to introduce their organization and also pave way for the establishment of a sub branch on the Island.

During a power point presentation at Café Sollen, it was disclosed that, they are involved in tree planting, agriculture and education. Better Globe intends to plant five billion trees in Africa, within the next twenty years.

As majority of Africans continue to survive on 1 US dollar a day, Better Globe is with the strong conviction that supporting farmers to earn more money for themselves, can help a lot in improving the living condition of millions of Africans. Among their plans, is to start a micro finance bank that will make money available to poor farmers.

Better Globe also believes that if children in Africa do not get free primary education, there is no way any African country will be able to eradicate poverty.

In a brief chat, the girl behind the creation of the Åland sub branch, disclosed that they are poised to attract lot of members on the Island. Already, they are on the move and the focal point person can be reached on +46 707590171. You can also visit their homepage www.betterglobe.com.

Medis on the move

It’s now almost 2 months since the Swedish for Foreigners Course (SFI) started at Medis, the national institute of the Åland Islands.

This year, close to 92 immigrants has applied for the course, which is sponsored by the local government. Åland, is gradually becoming a popular spot for immigrants, from all over the world.

The Swedish course is divided into three levels. The first level is for people who have no understanding of Swedish. Level 1 is divided into two groups, enabling the teachers to better know their students and also be able to offer adequate attention to each of them. Majority of the students in level 1 are from Thailand, Iran and Romania. There are few others from UK, Nigeria, Philippines, Latvia, Morocco, Finland and Gambia.

The main objective of the course is to help us integrate easily within the Åland community. The focus is getting the students to speak the official language, Swedish and also getting to know and appreciate the cultures of the Island.

The students are also exposed to each other’s culture. This is more like creating the opportunity, to have an understanding and appreciation of the richness of our human diversity. Already, they have watched documentaries about Wales, Romania and Thailand.

The two teachers assigned to Level 1, are Mats and Kristina, who lives in Mariehamn and Saltvik respectively. Both teachers have been described as very effective in their teaching strategies and efforts in connecting with their students.

The course is expected to end in April 2009 and the students will hopefully be absorbed in the job market.