This blog entry is dedicated to the late Donald Fields, Helsinki correspondent of the BBC, The Guardian, and Politiken to 1988, who wrote critically about Finlandisation.
Ralf Friberg held several roles, from ambassador to the head of the foreign ministry’s press section, which closely watched what was written about Finland during the Cold War. His methods to shut them up. He was so ruthless that even one of his former colleagues gave him the nickname “Leonid.”
At one lunch meeting at Helsinki’s Savoy restaurant, Friberg suggested that before I write on the sensitive topic of Finlandisation, I should get in touch with him. I considered this outright censorship.
Details of our lunch date were published in Finland’s biggest daily, Apu magazine.
The following day after the story was published, I got phone calls from some of Friberg’s former employees who thanked me for what I did and said that Friberg was a terrible person who would go to any lengths to destroy a person’s career.
The revelation also exposed the open relationship that Friberg had with the Financial Times. He would directly complain to the editors about my writing.
The Financial Times had no problems with Finnfacts paying for their journalists’ visit to Finland as long as they published something positivve.
Groups like Finnfacts, under Matti Kohva, also monitored the foreign media. I remember an article Kohva wrote in Finn Niche, a publication edited by Olli Virtanen, in which he said his blood boiled whenever he heard foreign journalists cite Finlandisation.
Oheneba “Ohe” Poku-Marboah, a software developer with an international background, has launched a project to help immigrants learn Finnish by sharing the real experiences of people who have successfully learned to speak the language.
Oheneba “Ohe” Poku-Marboah. Photo by Olga Kryuchkova
The project was created by a developer who moved to Finland as a child and later realized how crucial the Finnish language is for integration and career opportunities.
Although he arrived at age 11 and completed most of his education in English-language schools, he said the importance of learning Finnish only became clear after graduation.
“I suddenly realized that in the real world, many opportunities require Finnish,” he told Migrant Tales. “That’s when I decided I had to take the language seriously.”
The idea for the project began in 2022 when he started reflecting on why some immigrants succeed in learning Finnish while others struggle. Conversations in everyday settings — including a chance discussion in a barbershop — helped spark the concept.
“I realized I’m not the only one who has managed to do this,” he said. “So I thought: why not let people share their stories about how they learned Finnish?”
The website, How I Learned Finnish – with Ohe, features inspiring success stories of immigrants who arrived in Finland as adults and eventually achieved a high level of fluency. The interviews are available on the website as well as on YouTube and podcast platforms.
While creator Poku-Marboah says he appreciates all the stories, three stand out for him: the language-learning journeys of Deborah Laajanen, Kseniia, and Jamie McDonald.
Those featured in the project include people who have gone on to study at Finnish-language universities, work professionally in Finnish, and even perform stand-up comedy in the language.
Laajanen, for example, entered law school at the University of Helsinki after learning Finnish in just a few years. McDonald began performing stand-up comedy in Finnish despite starting from zero as an adult learner. Kseniia describes discomfort as the engine of language learning, not an obstacle.
Poku-Marboah himself took a similar approach. At times, he told people he did not speak English, forcing conversations to happen in Finnish.
A recurring theme in the interviews is the role of identity in language learning. According to Poku-Marboah, many successful learners first made a conscious decision to see Finland as their home.
“For many people, it’s identity-based,” he said. “Once they decide they belong here and want to be part of society, learning the language becomes much easier.”
He also stresses the importance of consistent practice and immersion.
The project currently includes around a dozen interviews and has been entirely self-funded. Poku-Marboah hopes the stories will inspire newcomers navigating life in Finland.
“I felt something like this should exist,” he continued. “If someone is trying to learn Finnish, they can see how others in similar situations managed to do it.”
Despite receiving little response so far from the media he contacted, he plans to keep the project online so immigrants and students can continue learning from others’ experiences.
His message to newcomers is simple: aim high — and commit fully to life in Finland.
“We have unparalleled firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time – Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today. “I know nothing about a desalination plant. They’re complaining about a desalination plant. We complain about the fact that they shouldn’t be chopping babies’ heads off.”
We have witnessed with sadness for the past two weeks destruction and carnage peppered with generous quantities of hubris and ignorance. Much of this destructive behavior has come from the Trump administration.
The imperialistic attitude of the US and Israel has baly miscalculated Iran. They believed that a quick decapitation strike would put an end to the government in Teheran. Instead of causing an uprising, Ali Hosseini Khamenei’s death did not weaken Iran’s resolve but strengthened it.
The idea that Iran would follow the war call of Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu proves their little preparation and knowledge they have of Iran and its dynamics.
It’s not going the way that the US wanted with the global economy being hit by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, where 20% of oil passes.
“You may have a different opinion about Iran, but the racism of the West against Persians and Muslims feeds the hubris and ignorance. It explains why coverage of the war is usually biased, hypocritical, even racist.”
Kasvot peittävän niqabin ja burkan käyttöä ollaan rajoittamassa Vantaan peruskoulussa. Tämä näyttää selvältä voitolta maahanmuuttovastaiselle Perussuomalaiset-puolueelle sekä Kansallinen Kokoomus-puolueelle, jotka molemmat kuuluvat hallitukseen.
Islamofobiaa tutkiva tutkija Farid Hafez kirjoitti sähköpostiviestissään: “On selvää, että kasvot peittävän hunnun kielto toimii esivaiheena laajemmalle hijab-kiellolle, koska se luo ennakkotapauksen. Kun tällainen kielto hyväksytään, hijab-kiellon laajentaminen voi edetä peruskouluista toisen asteen kouluihin, lukioihin, yliopistoihin ja julkisiin virastoihin. Tämä on ollut julkilausuttu tavoite Itävallassa.”
Olemmeko Suomessa samalla liukkaalla tiellä?
Suomen muslimiforuumi vastusti kieltoa viime vuonna antamassaan lausunnossa: “Suomen tulee olla maa, jossa jokaisella on oikeus uskonnonvapauteen ja yhdenvertaisuuteen ja jossa vähemmistöjen symboleja ei käytetä poliittisina aseina. Tarvitsemme enemmän vuoropuhelua ja ymmärrystä – emme populistisia kieltoja, jotka vain jakavat yhteiskuntaa.”
Puolueiden kuten Perussuomalaiset ja Kansallinen Kokoomus käyttämät perustelut uskonnollisen pukeutumisen kieltämiseksi kouluissa eivät liity tyttöjen “vapauttamiseen”. Päinvastoin, ne paljastavat suvaitsemattomuuden synkemmän puolen.
Olen ottanut yhteyttä Vantaan kaupunkiin ja kysynyt, kuinka moni peruskoulun oppilas käyttää niqabia tai burkaa. Lähetin kysymyksen torstaina, mutta vastausta ei ole vieläkään tullut.
Vantaan perusopetuksen johtaja Ilkka Kalo on perustellut niqab-kieltoa turvallisuussyillä sekä opettajien käytännön tarpeilla. Kalon mukaan vain muutama oppilas on saapunut kouluun kasvot peittävissä vaatteissa.
The decision to ban face coverings at Vantaa comprehensive schools appears for some as a slippery slope to more bannings. Moreover, it is like a long concerted plan by anti-immigration parties like the Perussuomalaiset to chip away at cultural diversity at the cost of white nationalism.
The decision by the City of Vantaa reminded me of one in a small town in Spain that prohibited the niqab because one, yes one, woman wore the niqab.
The Finnish Muslim Community spoke out against the ban in a statement last year: “Finland must be a country where every person has the right to freedom of religion and equality, and where the symbols of minorities are not used as political weapons. We need more dialogue and understanding, not populist bans that only divide society.”
ilkka Kalo, director of basic education in Vantaa, said the decision to ban the niqab was due to safety requirements and the practical needs of teachers.
“For safety and identification reasons we must know who is present in schools,” Kalo was quoted as saying in Helsinki TImes. “Teachers also have a duty to assess pupils, and they must be able to recognise them.”
For me, the attack by the US and Israel against Iran has reinforced hypocrisy, showing the subservience of the European Union and countries like Finland. The hypocrisy is obnoxious. The biased coverage of the Western mass media means there will be a reckoning in the way of a huge loss of credibility and readers.
A case in point is the killing by a US Tomahawk missile of about 175 children at the Minab school in Southern Iran. “Investigations” are still pending, claims President Donald Trump ridiculously suggesting that it could have been the Iranins who targeted the school.
Below are the pictures of the children that were killed by the missle strike.
Source: Facebook
Benjamin Netanyahu said he waited 40 years for the United States to launch this bloody and disastrous war. I believe that it will end poorly for the United States and Israel. What we saw in Gaza we are today seeing in Iran and Lebanon. Both countries have blown to smithereens post law architecture.
One of the interesting questions is what are the real casualty figures in Israel and US soldiers. Some claim that there are as many as 1,000 US service people deaths.
The reason why the US is hiding the real number of deaths is clear because of the shock it would have on public opinion.
Even if Iran is pounding Israel relentlessly, some claim that Tel Aviv looks like war-ravaged Gaza.
When US Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave his speech at the Munich Security Conference on 14 February, if anything, Rubio’s speech resembled MAGA, white supremacist, foreign policy, where the US and Europe would look on proudly on their colonial past.
Rubio´s speech takes on an even more sinister aspect if we consider that the US planned to start a war with Israel against Iran a week and a half later, on 28 February.
In light of the latter, this part of Rubio´s speech is chilling: Rubio called for a strengthened partnership with Europe, urging leaders to reject cultural shame and take pride in their shared Western heritage.
In light of the latter, this part of Rubio´s speech is chilling: Rubio called for a strengthened partnership with Europe, urging leaders to reject cultural shame and take pride in their shared Western heritage.
The statement by Rubio explains the reasoning for attacking countries like Iran and why it’s ok to pillage other countries and exploit their resources.
Anyone who has read European colonial history knows there are many holes in Rubio’s assertion. It reveals why we can close our eyes to the genocide that is going on in Gaza and justify it with our silence.
It is incredible how the Trump administration can get away with anything with the help of semantics. It’s not called war anymore, but “a special military operation,” a drug bust, kinetic action, or regime change is called law enforcement.
All of these semantic tricks are used in the US to bypass Congress.
Our leaders in Europe are a sad joke. France’s Emanuel Macron’s approval rating is around 16%, Keir Starmer with 18%, who is below Feerich Merz of Germany’s 26%. Trump has about a 38% approval rating in the US.
As you can see, we are being led by leaders who not only lack spine but are highly unpopular.
While I do not know, Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and President Alexander Stubb probably gave Rubio a standing ovation in Munich.
Shame on them, except for Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who defied Trump’s and Israel’s illegal war in three words: No to war.
I am still recovering from the devastating news that the US and Israel had started a war against Iran. Even after four days of hostilities, we still don’t know why the US and Israel are at war against Iran. We also learned about the fake negotiations between Iran and Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff whose aim was only aimed at buying time in order to carry out their aggression.
Apart from the bomings we saw the real face of the war monster when bombs killed 175 girls at a school. The death and the monstrous consequences are overshadowed by the hypocrisy and power hungry like Reza Pahlavi, who believes that Iran will return to the murderous and repressive days of his father, the Shah, Mohammad reza Pahlavi, who was deposed in 1979 by the Iranian revolution.
The deadly attack, which has been condemned by the UN, took place at a girl’s primary school in Minab southern Iran.
His reign was karma for many for helping to overthrow in 1953 with the help of the CIA and MI6 by overthrowing the then Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh.
See the documentary below If you want to see a good account on the Shah’s rise and downfall from power.
One matter that the documentary raises is if the Shah’s son will rule like his father.
Apart from being an illegal war, we are getting updates, which appear like warfare porn, from Trump and his henchmen like Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Even if it is difficult to predict the outcome, one matter is for certain: war moves in heavy steps without any consideration for life.
The million-dollar question the media and politicians should be asking is this: why are we going to war with Iran?
I don’t need to be a clairvoyant peering into the future to see what such a war would bring. If it is instigated, it will mean devastation for Iran and serious danger for other countries in the region, including Israel itself.
Moreover, little room has been left to peace, which is seen as a obstacle.
The million-dollar question the media and politicians should be asking is this: why are we going to war with Iran?
I don’t need to be a clairvoyant peering into the future to see what such a war would bring. If it is instigated, it will mean devastation for Iran and danger for other countries in the region, including Israel itself.
The Iran crisis is Trump’s own making.
It is also disturbing to see how the EU follows the US and Israel blindly. No objection, just standing ovations like we saw in Munich durng Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech.
The hubris of Trump and Israel is so immense at this moment that it risks exploding in their own faces.
Sorry, Trump—Iran is not Venezuela. And sorry, Netanyahu—your vision of a “Greater Israel” stretching all the way to the Nile is a costly pipe dream that can push the world into a nuclear Armageddon.
The hubris of Trump and Israel is so immense that it risks exploding in their own faces.
Sorry, Trump—Iran is not Venezuela. And sorry, Netanyahu—your vision of a “Greater Israel” stretching all the way to the Nile is a costly pipe dream.
Gunboad policy will not work because sooner or later it will backfire.
We’ve seen how a 1953 coup toppled Prime Minister Mohammad Mossaddegh, backed by foreign oil interests and Western governments. His move to nationalize Iran’s oil industry proved unacceptable, and the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was consolidated in power until he was overthrown in 1979 by the Iranian Revolution.
Seemingly ignoring this history, the United States is now seen by critics as provocative toward reinstating the Shah’s eldest son, Reza Pahlavi—a figure with limited domestic support but one who would likely receive backing from the US and Israel.
Otsikoi Yle: “Kadonnut lapsi joutui rasistisen somevyöryn kohteeksi Rovaniemellä – asiaan puuttuivat poliisi ja kirkkoherra.”
Yle jatkaa: “Katoamisilmoituksen ja sen saaman ikävän huomion jälkeen Lapin poliisilaitos päätti julkaista vielä toisen päivityksen, jossa selitettiin, minkä takia keskustelu suljettiin.
Aiemman julkaisumme kommenttikentässä esiintyi rasistista ja syvää kielenkäyttöä, mikä on tuomittavaa kaikissa tilanteissa, mutta etenkin silloin, kun se kohdistuu alaikäiseen lapseen, poliisi toteaa Facebook-päivityksessä.”
Rovaniemellä on kolme kansanedustajaa: kokoomuspuolueen Heikki Autto, sosiaalidemokraattisen puolueen Johanna Ojala-Niemelä ja perussuomalaisen Sara Seppänen.
Saamelaisten pukujen kulttuurisen omaksumisen lisäksi Seppänen on alla olevan kuvan kaltaisen maahanmuuttovastaisen retoriikan innokkaan äänekkäin levittäjä.
Sen pitäisi kuulua: Rodullistetut vähemmistöt ovat oikeutettuja olemaan joutumatta rasististen poliitikkojen kohteeksi. Lähde: Facebook
Älä odota Seppäsen sanovan sanaakaan kotikaupunkinsa lapsia kohtaan suunnatusta vihapuheesta. Hänen mielestään on ilmeisesti hyväksyttävää levittää rasismia lapsia kohtaan.
