Category: Pia Grochowski

Pia Grochowski: Shifting our focus

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Pia Grochowski 

“My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.”

These were the final words written by the late Canadian leader of the opposition, Jack Layton, just hours before his untimely death of cancer. I reflect upon these words with a desire in my heart to challenge the current status quo in Finland. While the words were part of a message towards all Canadians to carry us through period of darkness with the untimely passing of one of our leaders; these words have enormous relevance.  

I wish to question what appears to be, to me at least, too much coverage of the far right, racism, the perussuomalaiset. I question the tactics from many liberally minded people that discussions I have had always tend to fall down the path of concern for what the äärioikeus, or far right, said; many are rightfully shocked, disgusted, and concerned at the long-term implications of their dogma, their horrific ideas. Rather than despair in such statements, I feel we must look with optimism towards alternatives. To allow us to be channels wherein people with the capacity to change, with a vision for inclusion can get a voice. The more I read of äärioikeus, the more I realize how silly it all is. These individuals promote sensational ideas, which I believe will never be manifested, but can be framed in such a way that will shock and awe the public and sell newspapers. The more they are covered and discuss in the media, the more we are at risk of having them get the promotion we want. While criticizing their views, we must take care to provide a reasoned answer that defines out values and ideals with the means of seeing them through.

My plea in writing this is that we need to hear more visionary voices; we need to see more alternatives. Now is the time to act, now is the time to hope, and be optimistic. There are so many wonderful people in this country with great messages of diversity, great potential for change; why do we let a character like Soini win the walls of our facebook pages with his blatant incompetence, and subtle racism in a BBC interview. In the last presidential election an openly homosexual man, with a foreign partner came to the final round. This wouldn’t be possible without some desire of the people in this country accepting and supporting the very things the äärioikeus hopes to remove. I am becoming more inclined not let the äärioikeus use me as a channel for their voices, as I believe such spaces are better used by alternatives, reasoned voices that can offer real solutions rather than fear. I believe they have fed us with enough proof that they are no longer worth our time, our anger. I believe that we can deal with this problem; I believe that we can lead by example, we can provide ideas, we can solve problems, and we can do better.

Don’t get me wrong, covering racism is important, and some may, still, be unaware of the extent of it all; but we also need to reflect on giving more space to voices that have a vision for an inclusive, dynamic, progressive Finland. At times I worry that all these ideological extremes victimize immigrants. While focusing on all that frustrates us, all the problems, we also need to take time and focus on all that we can and will change. Love is better than anger.

Pia Grochowski: Women in sports, what’s being missed

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Pia Grochowski

As women’s rights, LGBT rights are advancing in the world, women are taking a larger role in sports. In Finland, the position of women in sports has been rather strong in athletics, in football even hockey. Finland is a nation that is advanced in terms of gender equality. If one looks at the crossover of minority women in sports, or immigrant women in sports in Finland, the discussion takes a 180-degree turn.  Immigrant women in sports is seen as a field where there is a lot left wanting. The media discussions of immigrant women in physical activity are dominated by the access of muslim women to swimming. While this cohort is rather small, there appears to be 20 articles written for every single Muslim woman needing to swim in a special circumstance. One has to ask if this is all to it?

The trouble of immigrant women in sports is that the debate and discussions have been heavily tilted in the areas of barriers and inaccessibility. Also a sizable amount of discussion has been dedicated to the inactivity of migrant women in sports and physical activities. The representation of migrant women in this sector is one that is very passive and highly complicit to heterosexist patriarchic normative stereotypes of women. The distance in representation between the activity of Finnish women in sports and migrant women is extensive. This has severe consequences for the development of immigrant women in the realm of sports and objective representation. The engagement in sports by women has been shown to elevate their status according to the United Nations. Sports is constantly documented as a pathway towards empowerment for women. Its ironic that rather than become a sector which is used to discredit stereotype of immigrant women, it has become a sector to reinforce the stereotypes. While the inactivity of some migrant women in the field sports is concerning, the extensiveness of the discussion is negative, pessimistic and problem focused. Remedying this challenge is plagued with barriers, and possibilities for empowerment are elusive.

While I can take many turns in this discussion, and will likely do later on, I hope to focus on miss opportunities for an empowered representation of minority sportswomen in Finland. I recall a few months ago reading  the October, 2012 issue of Fit magazine. I was surprised and pleased to see the magazine featuring Jasmine Showlah, a Finnish sprinter of Ivorian background who won silver at the Finnish Championships in 2010. I was disappointed though to see rather than telling her story, which I already find inspiring considering her feats, the feature decided to direct inspiration to her rear end, “Peppu kuin spintterillä/an ass like a sprinter.” There are so many paths one can go on when interviewing a accomplished minority women sprinter: having her serve as a role-model, being a minority woman representing Finland at a elite level, tips on how to be a better runner, on how to be a better sprinter, how woman can take a bigger role in the field of athletics. All this was lost in describing how important it is for a woman to have a proper looking rear-end. There was no opportunity for a voice to be granted to the athlete here, just have her serve as a model. To put yet more salt in the wound, the main feature of the magazine was interviewing a Finnish male rockstar on his yoga habit. It’s a shame when a woman’s fitness magazine fails to advance the case for women sportspeople, let along engage in such patrio-normative representations of gender in sports.

This is just a single case, but its one of many. Not only is there an active force of representing migrant women as passive, but opportunities to engage in a discussion representing the accomplishments of even minority women are overlooked. Women make up half the immigrant population here in Finland, they face a double barrier of not only being an immigrant but also facing gender based stereotypes, and not enough is explored on why this is the case, and not enough effort is being made to rectifying the representation.

Pia Grochowski: The other side of ethnic cuisine

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Pia Grochwoski

This month Six Degrees magazine ran multiple features on the theme of ethnic food and restaurants, “Dining with an Ethnic Twist: The popularity of ethnic restaurants in Finland continues to grow swiftly”. The proportion of ethnic restaurants in Finland continues to grow, making up 20% of the restaurant sector in Finland. It is worth noting many of these restaurants are also immigrant owned. Much of this is celebrated in that locals now have the chance to enjoy ethnic food closer to home: for vegetarians like myself it can become quite easy which restaurants to select when going out. Much of this is seen as supported as a representation of multiculturalism. What however is not talked about is the segmentation of the restaurant industry. Having worked a few years in the restaurant industry in Finland myself some key elements must be discussed before this is celebrated.

First of all, the restaurant industry is highly unregulated in terms of labour laws. Non-Finns working in these industries are often not appropriately informed of their rights, many of them can spend their entire days working in a restaurant that they don’t own. When I would meet colleagues after work some of them barely could orientate themselves in Helsinki as they never had the chance to leave their workplace. Others due to limited language ability are not capable of describing the abuse they face, or learn what is appropriate and decent working conditions. Immigrants can be easily exploited in the restaurant industry. They are also less likely to have the social ties or linguistic ability to direct a complaint. I do take care to watch for key elements of labour law abuse when visiting a restaurant, low prices, a single lonely worker running the whole place can be a telltale sign.

Secondly, there is an ethnic hierarchy in the industry. Immigrants make up a large portion of the restaurant sector, but similar too many other places in Finland face a glass ceiling. If you ever have the chance to go to a restaurant in central Helsinki, be it Italian, Finnish or other; much of the front end staff (wait staff, bartenders, host and hostesses) are Finnish or white. Finns working at ethnic restaurants (other than Finnish owned ethnic restaurants) are few and far between, this is a representation of differential pay increments. Ethnic restaurants often offer lower salaries. Back room staff (cooks, chefs, food-runners, dishwashers, cleaners) tends to be more diverse. I have rarely seen anything but an African-origin dishwasher. What surprises me about many I have spoken to is how well educated they are and their high language ability in Finnish and English. They could do much more than working as a dishwashing for less than 10€ and hour. The reason why they aren’t the elephant in the room we are all speaking of. There are few exceptions, however its apparent to me that many higher end restaurants seem to prefer a white face up front.

Which brings me to my final point. While there are some few changes being made up front: what is clear here, and what can’t be ignored is a clear barrier to immigrants in this sector-like many others. Many, if they want to advance in the sector would have to start their business: and hope it’s a success. This is facilitated by starttiraha, its one of the few avenues that is clearly open for immigrants to escape the dead end jobs in the restaurant business. The large portion of kebab shops for example aren’t are manifestation of Finnish demands for lean cuts of meat on bread: but rather a representation of a large portion of immigrants, particularly from the Middle East, unable to access decent employment by other means. Popularity and an interest in ethnic food make the starting up of ethnic restaurants more likely to be a success or lead to a sustainable livelihood.

Before celebrating the creation of ethnic restaurants, one should look at the social forces behind the fact that 3% of the population makes up 20% of a particular sector. One that is well documented to be one of the most exploitive.

Pia Gro: So WHY are you here? The case of including Diversity

Posted on by Migrant Tales

By Pia Gro

I was born a Finnish citizen, yet I was born in Canada. This idea seems to confuse many people. I acquired two citizenships automatically at birth as a consequence of Jus Sanguinis (Citizenship inherited through family ties) and jus solis (citizenship granted by virtue of being born in a land). I lived in Finland for over six years-what feels like my entire adult life, learned the language, also made attempts at learning Swedish) worked, studied, volunteered, ran marathons both domestic and at home under the Finnish flag, and donated blood in this country. Time and time again people ask me when do I expect to return to Canada. I’m confused and sometimes frequently insulted by this question. I can’t help it I am-though I try not to be, it stopped being tolerable after the fifth year of living here. I could speculate about returning to Canada, but my life is in Finland, I wouldn’t know what to return to. On the few occasions I have come back I feel completely alienated and separated of everything. I find it strange that people can’t understand why. I have lived abroad for so long I can’t even legally vote in Canadians elections anymore. It feels after dedicating all I can of my life and soul to Finland, I’m still seen as a tourist, just enjoying life, going to tuomiokirkko and taken tourist snaps on a daily basis, and filing in postcards at café’s.

The sting of this of these questions come from the suggestion that I’m not included, in spite of participating politically, economically, socially, educationally in society, its not taken seriously. The question is to what extent do immigrants, mamu’s, second generation Finns, migrants, ex-pats have to participate in society until they are included, how does one escape the fringes of society.

People, upon hearing that I truly love being in Finland and feel at home here, grill me on many every aspect of my life: who I’m in a relationship with, have I dated Finns, where my family lives, how old was I when my mother died, who is my family is still alive and where are they, is it really colder in Canada, why am I studying here, and the classic: do I feel more Canadian or more Finnish. (Keep in mind people ask me this question even before I know their first name, like being different here means all aspects of your private life become public). The last question, on what am I, always leaves me in an identity crisis. Sometimes I feel I have to jokingly comment that if I were to answer that I would need to spend a night crying under a table in my underwear in order to finally come up with an answer. This is a euphemism of mine for saying that there is no right answer: it doesn’t work that way. I do feel very Finnish, and I am, but I am still often seen as the Canadian.

Sometimes I get exhausted answering these questions and wonder whether to take the questions as plain curiosity or an interrogation to my allegiances. What more do I have to prove? I feel constantly forced to push my Finnish identity more and more, I’m even considering taking on my mother’s maiden name so I can have a, “so now do you believe moment?” I get also frustrated when people act surprise that I vote in elections. People were surprised I was able to vote in municipal elections-and one don’t even need citizenship to vote in that. Others, including some family members of mine, act offended as a way of saying I’m not Finnish enough to have a say in their politics, like my votes will destroy their system. Of course I vote: it’s my civic duty. Even before I moved to Finland voting papers would be sent to my home, as they are to many Finns living abroad. One thing I always loved about Finland is how organized their diplomatic missions were at organizing oversea votes.

All this is a daily part of my life, it does leave me a reclusive, and I don’t always like meeting new people, as I’m tired of explaining my life to everyone. But I feel I don’t really have a right to complain: not every girl decides to move permanently to the other side of the world on her own at 19. I try to be proactive and patient, but I do find it confusing, and try to not be offended and tired by it. My plight is a joke in comparison to those who are faced with real and often violent cases of racism. I wonder whether I really have a reason to complain, these days I start informing people on diversity and it’s perfectly normal to live in a country where one is citizen. I just suffer from the systematic form, I’m overlooked for jobs, and employement as I’m seen as a risk, I could leave at any moment. Doesn’t matter if I stayed here for more than six years working in some of the most abusive and oppressive environments to make ends meet, if I were to actually get a real job I’d just flee. Its better to hire the Finn that does nothing but complains about the country and plans to move to France the first chance they get-the winters are easier there.

In Canada such discussions, the questions that is, would be considered offensive and ignorant, it’s a nation where it’s normal and encouraged to have multiple identities (and homes) in the world. Yes, one can be in two places at the same time, and with newer media it’s easier than ever. However it doesn’t mean one is any less of a citizen because of that: home often is where my feet lay.

The main part of this discussion is that as tired as I am of this. As offended as I get: none of this is a problem. It’s not meant to be offensive, but its just something new. I’m chasing rats in my head at every question pondering my background I blessed to come from such a multicultural country, and family that I do think twice about the issues. I believe in diversity, I believe it with all my heart. I call it a belief, because I feel sooner or later whether someone likes it or not diversity will come knocking at your door, at your work in your family. It’s pointless and perhaps harmful in the long run to resist diversity. I’m just wondering, as I’m trying to explain with my own case, when will diversity be considered normal?

Pia Grochowski: Reflecting on prejudices

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Pia Grochowski

A few weeks ago I attended a course on global dialogue in Hong Kong and the question was posed to the participants, “is it possible to not have any prejudices?”

Many of us like to think of ourselves as above racism, above ethnocentrism, without prejudice. Many consider racism to be a thing of the past or something experienced elsewhere, we are post-racism. Others among us admittedly are, claiming to express some prejudiced beliefs, or legitimizing our actions. Some of us rationalize racism with commentaries along the lines of, “I’m not a racist but….”, or “I have a friend who is of (this or this ethnic group)”. With all these commentaries I am left wondering where is the line being denial and being. I spoke to many people from various countries and its these perceptions are just as harmful as racism as it shows a lack of self-awareness vis-à-vis the problem: denying, or failing to recognize racism is as harmful as racism in itself.

Going back to the previous question on whether its possible to not have any prejudices, my reply was that it’s not. People have prejudices, people are judgmental: prejudices and beliefs are a means through which we make sense of our external world. We categorize people; we categorize groups based on previous experiences. It’s a defense mechanism and also a way which we learn to navigate through social interactions. “But,” I continued my response, “but it is always possible to challenge our prejudices, to not act on them, and to give people the opportunity to express their own perceptions and voices and to change our beliefs”. The effort to challenge our beliefs, to be open-minded and accepting prevents those of us who are prejudiced from becoming racist. We may be prejudiced, we may hold ethnocentric beliefs, the things that turn us into racist is the close mindedness to not challenge them.

Reflecting on this, I am once again overwhelmed with the debate on racism that has been reignited in the Finnish media following the Abu-Hanna article. I could add so much more on how my friends or I have experienced racism in this country, but I feel in the face of mounting racist’s incidents no more evidence is needed, change is the only thing that is needed.

I hope from the discussion created from the article people start to think twice about their beliefs and actions. People will try and speak out and be more honest about the racist acts they witness, and start to deal with the issue of racism is a more directed manner. I have seen protests against racism, flash mobs against racism but I really wonder to what extent these work to really deal with racism. Will a flash-mob against racism teach a racist person to challenge their beliefs or will it make them defensive, insecure or attempt to deny them. Dealing with racism, in a multicultural society as Finland is becoming more and more by the day, requires both outward and inward reflection: will we dare as individuals to challenge our beliefs? I could write endlessly about this topic, but for the meantime I find it best to keep it simple. I’m asking for people to start reflecting on their own beliefs and work within themselves to remedy this situation. The discussion is ongoing but are we creating change, Gandhi is famously quoted for saying, “”Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”