As an African immigrant in Finland, I watched in exasperation how immigrants who received an education from the Finnish Educational System continued to face isolation and exclusion from jobs and opportunities. There was a blatant disconnect between the Universities, the students from Africa, and the integration or inclusion of these students in their municipalities of residence and study. It saddened me to see African students with Masters and Doctorate degrees working below their education levels and skills because the Finnish society had not included students in integration plans and policies.
It was appalling that many Finnish people lumped educational immigrants together with asylum seekers and refugees (this is not a patronising comparison. Instead, it is to show that there is a large group of people who are amongst the African population in Finland constantly being overlooked). The ‘earworm’ statement that African immigrants, no matter how educated, were only suitable for cleaning jobs in Finland continued to be a broken record in discourse among the African student community.
As the discontent grew with the work search, I sought to understand the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of the Finnish system, more like looking for an explanation devoid of the commonplace twin semantics of ‘r*c*sm’ and ‘discr*minat*on’. With this search came the need to find people with the common interest of changing the narrative of the African immigrant in Finland.
This led me to Think Africa ry. I attended a panel discussion on how Finland can improve its Africa-related programmes. It was refreshing to hear an intellectual like Takura Matswetu speak from a place of strength and positivity. It was refreshing to listen to him talk glowingly about the Africans in Finland. He was clear on the need to tap into the wealth of education, skills and information housed in Afara Consulting, a Think Africa initiative. I quickly signed up and eagerly awaited the beginning of opportunities to work with other people interested in helping the African immigrant in Finland.
Without fail, there came the Sitra Call for applications for the “Sitra Lab Training Design Workshop “Bottlenecks to Democracy“. In writing the application, several thoughts ran through my mind, ‘what are the bottlenecks to participatory democracy for Africans in Finland?’ ‘Will participatory democracy change the plight of the African immigrant in Finland?’
The application process opened my eyes to the depth of the problems faced by African immigrants, who are not Refugees, Asylum seekers or spouses of immigrants. I realised that the immigration policies in Finland are better suited to a defined category of people- immigrants from other European countries, Russia, Asians and of course, Asylum seekers and refugees; yet, nothing exists for African immigrants who come for educational reasons. It begs the question why universities seek internationalisation of their courses yet cannot broker opportunities for students who graduate from the institutions? BUT….I digress.
To better understand the mindset of African immigrants as it relates to democratic participation, a short survey was conducted by the application team. The response from the African community was minimal; however, the survey showed that even those who had spent a considerable length of time in Finland did not think voting or participating in democratic and civic activities was of any interest to them due to the somewhat inimical immigration policies and the bottlenecks from Migri. Suppose the struggles of educational immigrants have been sidelined in integration policies, and these people have resorted to working beneath their qualifications as cleaners. In that case, participation in democracy will be the last thing on their minds. Again, democratic participation in African countries is unfortunately beset with corruption and falsehood, which may also be a reason why African immigrants seem not to be interested in participating in democratic processes.
My anecdotal remarks are, in my opinion, well-timed. Finland is one of the few countries in Europe which grants non-citizens the right to vote in municipal elections after living in the country for two years. As a developed country, citizens are expected to exercise civic agency through participating in established political processes and procedures, such as elections and political debates. However, participation from the African immigrant community has been limited due to language constraints and a disconnect from the political climate of municipal elections. During the 2017 elections, most of the debates and information were in the Finnish language, further decreasing the interest in civic activities.
Indeed, the Call for application for the “Sitra Lab Training Design Workshop “Bottlenecks to Democracy” was timely. The Think Africa team decided it was time to address the disconnect and alienation from representative democracy in Finland. It was time to step in and bridge the gap where African immigrants, who were not Refugees or Asylum seekers, were adequately included and represented with meaningful avenues for participation in society. In the words of Papacharissi, “if we want lively citizens, we have to offer engaging opportunities of interaction” (Papacharissi, 2021).
The Team worked assiduously to write the application and prepared hard for the interview process after receiving the good news of being one of the shortlisted teams. The fear and uncertainty set in when we received word that we would be part of Sitra Lab training. This was the first step in the journey to inclusion, and the dreaded imposter syndrome rears its hydra head. The Team can ‘talk the talk’ and obviously know the problems; but, can we ‘walk the walk’ too? Will we be able to make a change? Are we equipped to take up the gauntlet? The answers to these questions will be uncovered during this journey to helping fellow African immigrants in Finland.
I know it will be a long road to achieving our dreams for the many African immigrants in Finland, especially the educational immigrants who have fallen and are falling within the cracks. I am sure of this though, the Think Africa Democracy Action Team is committed to doing what is necessary to help out.
Written by: Simply Farrah
PS: lookout for the launch of the Harambee Podcast coming soon to all streaming platforms. Watch out the Think Africa LinkedIn and Facebook pages for updates.
Simply Farrah is a Doctoral Researcher who researches topical issues on migration, integration, conflicts and peace studies in Finland. She is a volunteer with Think Africa and a member of the Think Africa Democracy Action Team (TADAT).
Ref.
Papacharissi, Z. (2021). After Democracy: Imagining Our Political Future. Yale University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1dv0vnc
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.
I absolutely loved reading this piece. Your writing echoed the exact thoughts and questions iv had since i moved to Finland. Great piece i will reference in my own studies 🙂