ECHOING A CALL TO ENGAGEMENT: Reflections on Democracy Action and Civic Participation

Structural Obstacles, Systemic Bottlenecks, Social Disposition

There is an understanding that Democracy is under attack, because its  fundamental principles such as full participation are under constant scrutiny.

As a matter of fact, Democracy as a conceptual  governance system by consensus of a majority has for the most being been proven to be unsuccessful as a result of elitist practices, lobby interests and shifts in the power dynamics of societies.   

On December 15th, Sitra (The Finnish Innovation Fund) organized a  “Minne Menet Democratia” event, which translates to English as “Which Way Democracy?” The event encapsulated the climax of a ten months long Democracy Workshop on democratic Bottlenecks in Finland. The Think Africa Democracy Action Team (TADAT) has been one of eight participating teams in the Sitra Lab Democracy intervention and experimentation workshops. Discourse on the direction and progress of democracy resonates with my “right advocacy” critical mindset. I am interested in echoing the voices of the voiceless in society.  The rhetorical question on the future of Democracy is relevant to highlighting the socio-political challenges associated with participatory democracy.

As a community development advocate, any discourse on participatory democracy resonates, not only because I believe in the fundamental  principle that facilitates “governance of, for and by the People” as initially envisaged by Cleisthenes. 

In retrospect, reflection and analysis of my involvement as a pioneer member of TADAT; I realized a major challenge in terms of attempting to tackle obstacles, bottlenecks and influence dispositions associated with participatory democracy as a process. 

In fact, my position on the apparent reasons and causes of the deficit in democracy is embedded in participation and directly linked to the inadequacy of inclusion of African immigrants on one hand; and on the other due to a failure in governance mechanisms, social structures and political processes.

Obviously, the fundamental factor in measuring the success, best practices and functions of democracy in Finland is inherently associated with the reluctance to fully recognize and embrace the essence of African immigrants’ contributions and inclusion to social progress. 

In terms of understanding the history of the present, past and future; it is important to allude to fact that Peoples of African descent are most vulnerable to the prevalence of racism, Xenophobia, psychosocial prejudice and ethnic stereotypes. 

Our aspirations and expectations firstly as immigrants, and secondly as ethnic minorities consist of desires to enjoy appropriate decency of humane treatment, understanding, recognition and appreciation. The lack of realization of these aspirations and desires have hitherto been a social challenge for generations. 

The contribution of African immigrants in Finland must not be limited to volunteerism or mere activism in civic society organizations or unpaid internships and professional apprenticeships.

In fact, the African Diaspora as a heterogeneous collective rightfully expects deserved equity of participation with a “level playing” game approach for opportunities to fully contribute, develop and progress within the socio-economic and political ecosystem of society.

Integration, Representation, Recognition

Integration is often confused with and construed for multiculturalism with an attached element to language proficiency. Infact, integration is a socio-cultural construct and process of navigating through society for comfort and convenience.

TADAT is a community of practice and democratic action initiative that focuses on “best practice” approach to enhance civic, political and economic representation of Africans in particular and Peoples of African descent in general.

This can be possible and successful only with a sober commitment and new paradigm shift in understanding the reality of African Narratives; not only as the most vulnerable of social groups in terms of  social interaction and human process interaction; but as key contributors, interest groups and stakeholders in society. As a matter of fact, integration of the African immigrant is far detached from any understanding and/or mastery of one specific lingua franca of our Finnish host society. 

Rationale of a Rainbow Analogy 

In November 2021, while attending a conference commemorating 30 years of Integration in Europe; I made an anology about the rainbow with regard to inclusion, cultural diversity management and the dilemma of the failure of multiculturalism in Europe.

Over dinner as we reflected on day one of the conference, a conversation erupted and I intentionally injected an analogy based on a specific fact about the rainbow. 

I exhibited that no individual color can on its own be independently considered a rainbow in isolation. The rhetorical question that I posited was whether or not a single color may be considered as a rainbow? In other words; what is the basis of our perception of a rainbow? Does an understanding of the rainbow require and entail entirely the combination of eight distinctive colors or can one single color constitute the rainbow; what do you think?

In fact, the rainbow is because of its unique combination of colors. Therefore, the prerequisite is that each individual color must concomitantly exhibit a unique and particular uniform to translate into a rainbow. 

Likewise, is social integration; a process of navigating through diverse pockets of opportunities and possibilities, especially  within the socio-economic and political ecosystem of human process interaction.

Similar logic applies to democratic and civic participation of African immigrants, especially in terms of  capacity building, competence development, professional expertise and a possibility for meaningful impact and contributions to society.  This is a vital measurable indicator of success  of integration in a host society. Finland is no exception in this regard. 

Do We belong?

The notion of belonging is subjective and associated with an individual assumption or group´s perception. For instance, any  possibility and easy opportunity for employment is an essential criteria for measuring a sense of belonging to a host  society. 

My personal observation in this regard is that we may momentarily belong depending on our individual or group circumstances.

During my earlier integration trajectory; I experienced many uncertainties as a result of disappointment and high expectations. In fact, I am often compelled to harbor rational opinions, and notions confirming experiences of exclusion and being sidelined from opportunities for one subjective reason or another. 

At various points in time, my lived, absorbed experience of not fitting or belonging in terms of exclusion from pockets of opportunities such as the right to equal opportunity of employment or an acceptable practice of social cohesion as well as utilization of acquired skills and competence for useful impact and potential contribution to society.

I do subscribe to the notion that a host of significant attributes propel and/or facilitate integration; while at the same time impedes progress to integration. Such attributes range from belonging to a dynamic community, access to civic participation, possibility of political and democratic representation, access to employment and education and relative sufficiency of language proficiency among other factors. See the diagram below):

Hitherto, language has been used as a tool for excluding contributions of minority segments of immigrants in Finnish society. The call for change to this unjustifiable social construct is overdued. 

I believe that the use of language as a measure for full integration is absurd and indeed a systemic orchestration for social exclusion.

Challenges of “bottlenecks”

Evidently, the ideals of Democracy; however innovative, have not been fully achieved. Apparently, no country can claim to be fully and/or absolutely democratic; especially in representative terms. 

Despite comparative differences in various practices, structures and systems of governance; the realization of Democracy is an unfinished business and work in progress. 

In terms of constructive and critical evaluation; Democracy does not only serve to be a crucial indicator of “good governance”, but rather as an accurate tool of measure and valid admission that the Finnish political landscape and political decision-making process is marked by inherent flaws; specific and true in terms of inclusion, social integration, political representation and democratic engagement. 

The potential magnitude and impact  probability of an African Immigrant population of 54 thousand, supports the notion that the current level of  representation of African immigrants within the Political landscape of Finland is uneven, disproportionate and disconnected with the reality of our inclusion. This is a peculiar fact; especially considering the  various pockets of integration opportunities vis-à-vis the actualization of African immigrant professionalism, expertise and social capital. 

However, for the first time in the history of Finnish Municipal Elections; we witnessed an interesting increase in the level of aspiring candidates of African descent in Finland. Nonetheless, I think that the level representation and Inclusion of Africans and Peoples of African descent are significantly insufficient.

In reflection, one would arguably assume that this should serve as an opportunity for impact and change action in terms of behavioral transformation, change of attitude, and shift of mindset.

The Call To Action

Any “Call to Action” must be embedded to represent a “rights-based  advocacy” approach, attitudinal shift and mindset change. My call to Action as a member of TADAT stemmed from a burning aspiration to impact change. My personal goal is to influence a smart and innovative paradigm shift in the appreciation of contributions made by people of African descent. Based on my staunch desire for system change and a personal clarion call for action to actualize My Power to Empower the African Diaspora and assist in transforming it into a  Community of Practice of empowered Integrated African immigrants…

My pragmatic and instrumental attempt to impact behavioral transformation, affect attitudinal and Mindset shift toward a new paradigm default mentality of recognition, appreciation and contribution to society.

ITM Diagram created by Cucu Wesseh for the Kerava Center of Expertise & Development for Immigrant Competence.

An empowered and integrated Immigrant should have the possibility to access socio-economic opportunities. However, the success of integration and empowerment depends on the responsiveness of a host culture to cultural diversity and a commitment to change. Another prerequisite for integration  success is that each individual immigrant adopts a responsible, flexible, proactive, engagement  approach to achieve self-actualization. 

Lessons From Sitra Lab System Change Workshop

Finland currently has a remarkable and significant reservoir of untapped African immigrant social capital. 

African immigrants constitute a heterogeneous group of individuals. To address our unique needs requires not only a pragmatic, but a concommitant approach and solution orientation to the problem. However, the current scenario of underutilized and untapped African immigrants’ social capital is not limited to economic progress and/or social integration policies or the lack thereof. Infact, there exists evidence and theoretical hypotheses, which validates the essential notion of structural and systematic bottlenecks that are counterproductive;  and do not provide sustainable outcomes from current practices and policies of diversity management, equity and inclusion.  Hence; the need for a call to action to echo the voices of the voiceless communities in society. 

Personal experience and observation gathered from the Sitra Lab System Change training sessions further amplified views of critical race theory, ethnicity, and phenomena of the “Social Iceberg” model. and exposed the fact that orchestrated barriers such as language proficiency and ethnic othering are often instrumental tools used to either intentionally and/or unintentionally “sideline” vulnerable voiceless minority segments of the Finnish society. 

As a member of the TADAT during the Sitra Lab systems change training; it became vivid and apparent that the prospect and progress and socio-economic advancement of African immigrants and other significant minority groups are inhibited. Thus, the existance of a social category of voiceless segment of society.

Peoples of African descent constitute the most affected and disadvantaged demographic segment of Finnish society specifically in terms of  democracy, inclusive civic participation and political representation. Evidence-based research reveals various unfortunate and disappointing scenarios of unutilized immigrant talents from sub-Saharan African in Finnish Society.

This existential phenomenon is due to and often referenced as the results of an inability, unwillingness and lack of intention and commitment to maximize academic skills-sets and professional expertise of African immigrants.  In other words, I underwrite the notion that  African Immigrants are underrepresented in the Finnish Political landscape.

The dilemma of social exclusion of highly qualified African immigrants; most of whom are female, refugees and students is prevalent in Finland.

This practice is phenomenally the failure of corporate actors to advance a robust policy of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the labour market.

I candidly believe that any such practice of sidelining “positive” social capital is counterproductive, because of its inhibiting non enabling characteristics, unequal opportunities, equity of participation in employment, and a “level playing” representation of the African Diaspora in Finland.  

We need a movement; equipped with vigor, commitment and determination for better economic contribution, competitive advantage, growth and progress in Finland.

Recommended Reading

Birth of Democracy: The Athenian Aristocracy (agathe.gr)

Democracy from the past to the future (Birth of Democracy: Democracy from the Past to the Future (agathe.gr)

Why The Founding Fathers Despised Democracy (Why The Founding Fathers Despised Democracy – Jim Huntzinger (townhall.com)

Sokrates (Birth of Democracy: Sokrates (agathe.gr)

https://harappa.education/harappa-diaries/iceberg-model-of-culture-and-behavior/

Written by: Cucu Twegbe Wesseh

Mr. Wesseh is a community educator, psychosocial career counselor and youth worker, specializing in empowerment and focus group facilitation. Cucu serves as Community Lead on the Think Africa Board and a member of the Think Africa Democracy Action Team (TADAT).

Views Disclaimer: As a personal journey and reflection piece, the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the blogpost belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to Think Africa, or Think Africa Democracy Action Team.