The Embassy of Finland, in collaboration with Finnagora – The Finnish Institute in Hungary and Europe House in Belgrade, organized a panel on minority languages in Finland “We are Both: Minorities in Finland between Local and Global” on Thursday, 6th March 2025, at 18:00 hrs. at Europe House.
The panel commenced with opening remarks by H.E. Mr. Niklas Lindqvist, Ambassador of Finland, who emphasized the importance of recognizing and supporting minority communities and ensuring that all individuals have the right to express themselves in their mother tongue, to pass on their cultural heritage to future generations, and to feel a sense of belonging in their societies. Dr. Riikkamari Muhonen, Director of Finnagora, highlighted the global connections and cultural richness that minorities bring to Finnish society, but also noted that while Finland has already taken several steps to improve the cultural and linguistic rights of the minorities, this work is still not finished.
Moderated by Prof. Dorijan Hajdu, the panel featured distinguished speakers Dr. Sabira Stahlberg (Finland) and Prof. Johanna Domokos (Hungary/Germany), both researchers in minority and multilingualism studies with minority backgrounds. They explored various aspects of minorities in Finland, including their status, situation, strategies, languages, cultures, and everyday life. The discussion provided deep insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by minority communities in Finland.
Following the panel, attendees had the opportunity to watch the film “Je’vida”, directed by Katja Gauriloff. It is the first full-length fictional movie made in Skolt Sámi, with only about 300 speakers in Finland.
