Finland: The National Identity and The Nation Brand

All across the world, millions of people tune in to watch the Eurovision Song Competition. To many viewers, Eurovision is the only exposure to cultures outside their own, and thus what is shown on stage can impact how a country is viewed by millions. Thus, Eurovision serves as not only a singing competition, but as a way for countries to construct an identity to market themselves to the rest of Europe. While nation branding has benefits, many countries end up essentializing themselves, and creating a simulated version of its’ national identity. In the following blog post, I will be looking at Finland, examining what is shown on stage and if it aligns or does not align with their national identity, as well as how Finland utilizes Eurovision as a way to nation brand.

            When discussing nation branding and national identity, a clear concept of what these words mean is crucial. National identity, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is “A sense of a nation as a cohesive whole, as represented by distinctive traditions, culture, and language” (Oxford Dictionary). In a brief definition as stated by Bolin and Stalburg, national branding is “the phenomenon by which governments engage in self-conscious activities aimed at producing a certain image of the nation state” (qtd. In Jordan, 283). As previously stated in the first blog post, Finland’s national identity is constructed through their Nordic heritage and Viking culture, their homogeneous society, their strive for gender equality, and their social welfare policies. In my second blog post, I examined Finland’s Eurovision entries from 2006-2010, and looked at the diversity on stage. Overall, Finland chooses unique genres that are uncommon in the contest, showing their willingness to bring something new to Eurovision while staying true to what is currently popular in their country. However, Finland is less open to showing cultural diversity by choosing almost all Finnish performers. By looking at the cross section of national identity and diversity on stage; one can identify the alignments or misalignments with what is on stage and a country's national identity as well as their views on nation branding.

When examining Finland’s national identity and alignment or misalignment with its’ national brand on the Eurovision stage, Finland’s Nordic roots align well with the national brand. In the performances from 2006 to 2010, three out of five genres are heavy metal or hard rock. This genre is not only popular amongst Finns, but holds cultural significance as well. Finnish heavy metal is heavily influenced by Finnish culture, more specifically the Kalevala, “the basis of the epic folk poems...collected in Finland and Karelia” (Finnish Literature Society) and considered a “‘lost national epic’ of Finland” (Ethnomusicology Review). This epic deeply inspired Finnish heavy metal and the country’s love of heavy metal music. As Lucas states in the Ethnomusicology Review, “Finnish metal bands similarly began to take an interest in turning to their past, particularly the Kalevala - Finland’s national epic. Incorporating both sounds and words from the Kalevala tradition, they gradually built a robust metal sub-genre that has achieved remarkable success abroad” (Ethnomusicology Review). Finland subtly showcases Nordic culture by picking a musical genre that is not only popular in Finland, but holds significance to Finnish culture. The country also chose to enter a song that held cultural musical significance to the country in 2010, Kuunkuiskaajat’s “Työlki Ellää”. This performance and the lyrics heavily reference Finland’s Karelian influence, and the Karelian people who have deep connections to Finland as stated in Post Magazine, “THE KALEVALA, PUBLISHED IN 1835, is a huge volume of poetry based on Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology, and was the catalyst for creating a sense of national identity that ultimately led to Finland's independence from Russia” (Post Magazine). Finland’s Nordic and Viking history is an important part of its’ national identity; showcasing genres that nod to Finland’s history and culture suggest that its’ nation brand aligns well with the national identity.

Finland’s national identity is mostly well aligned with their nation brand due to their accurate representation on stage, however there is a little misalignment with the underrepresentation of minority groups. Out of all of Finland’s entries from 2006-2010, all but one of the performers were Finnish, with Susan Aho from Kuunkuiskaajat claiming to have “some Romany blood” (Eurovision TV). The representation on stage is relatively representative of the demographics of Finland, with almost all performers being Finnish. However, Finland has a population of “Swede 5.6%, Russian 0.5%, Estonian 0.3%, Roma 0.1%, Sami 0.1% (2006)” (Central Intelligence Agency) which are significantly under represented on the Eurovision stage. While the lack of representation on stage might be well aligned with Finland’s overall demographic, no representation of minority groups still presents a problem. Finland sacrifices appearing diverse and progressive by being exclusive, and unintentionally branding itself as closed minded. However, Finland still remains authentic to their own demographics, and does not try to simulate a more diverse country in hopes of appearing diverse and progressive.

When examining gender representation on stage, Finland’s national identity does not align quite as well to their nation brand. Female representation on stage is a little uneven, with two out of five main performers being female. For a country that prides itself on gender equality, one might expect Finland to showcase more female performers in strong roles. However, the two main women performers are represented in such a way that does align with Finland’s national identity. Specifically Hanna Pakarinen’s performance in 2007, “Leave Me Alone”. In this performance, Hanna is center stage and one of the main focal points. The lyrics tell a story of a woman regaining her power by choosing to distance herself from a bad relationship and putting her own needs above the relationship. The other female performers, Susan Aho and Johanna Virtanen from Kuunkuiskaajat are also shown in strong roles. Like in “Leave Me Alone”, Susan Aho and Johanna Virtanen are the main focal points of the performance with the male backup dancers dancing around them and pining for them, giving them the power on stage.

Finland may seem as though it is trying to nation brand, but it is clear that is not its’ main focus. Although Finland unintentionally participates in nation branding, they do not essentialize themselves and do not have an identity to push onto the rest of the Europe. Overall Finland’s attitude towards Eurovision seems to be rather casual, demonstrating their comfortability with their national identity.

Finland chooses to not essentialize themselves by not overtly pushing a simplified version of Finnish culture. All displays of Finnish culture are subtle and tasteful. For example, Vikings is a sense of pride for Finland, yet only one of their entries in Eurovision from 2006-2010 references Viking culture, Teräsbetoni’s “Missä Miehet Ratsastaa”. Missä Miehet Ratsastaa was sung in Finnish, even though the majority of viewers do not speak Finnish, with the first official languages in the European Union being Dutch, French, German, and Italian (European Commission).   Thus, not a wide population of people will understand the lyrics which heavily reference Viking culture and the pride that is associated with Vikings. The staging is also quite subtle with no outlandish, or obvious references to Vikings. The only nods to their culture are the image of shipyard in the background of the performance in the very beginning. By not being overt about their Nordic history, Finland is not attempting to essentialize that part of their identity for the masses to consume. The other entry that incorporates Finnish cultural into their performance, but does not essentialize it, is“Työlki Ellää” by Kuunkuiskaajat. The song is spoken in a Karelian dialect from the Karelian people, who heavily influenced Finnish folk music. This performance is subtle as well, by having the lyrics being spoken not only in Finnish, but in a Finnish dialect that is not even widely spoken in Finland, with “the estimated number [of people who speak Karelian] 5,000” (Institute for the Languages of Finland). The performance also showcases Pelimanni and Finnish folk culture subtly. All the references to Pelimanni folk culture are aspects that the masses will not understand, mainly the use of the accordion, violin and group dancing that is important to Pelimanni music as Austerlitz states (Austerlitz, 192). By referencing different aspects of Finnish culture in a way that many people will not understand demonstrates that they are comfortable with their national identity and are not interested in Eurovision as a marketing platform.

Word Count: 1413

Works Cited

Allen, Daniel. “Russian Karelia Looks to the Past and Future.” South China Morning Post, 28 Feb. 2015, http://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1723716/russian-karelia-looks-past-and-future. Accessed 16 March 2017.

Austerlitz, Paul. “Birch-Bark Horns and Jazz in the National Imagination: The Finnish Folk Music Vogue in Historical Perspective.” Ethnomusicology, vol. 44, no. 2, 2000, pp. 183–213. http://www.jstor.org/stable/852529.

“Definition of National Identity in English.” Oxford Dictionary,

            https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/national_identity. Accessed 16 Mar. 2017.

"The World Factbook: FINLAND." Central Intelligence Agency, 12 Jan. 2017,

 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fi.html. Accessed 16 Mar. 2017.

Jordan, Paul. “Nation Branding: A Tool for Nationalism?” Journal of Baltic Studies, vol. 45, no. 3, 2014, pp. 283– 303.

Kuunkuiskaajat. “Työlki Ellää,” music and lyrics by Timo Kiiskinen. Norway, Eurovision Song Contest, 2010.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oicT3jWtsc4 Accessed 16 Mar. 2017.

“Kuunkuiskaajat - Työlki Ellää (Finland 2010).” Eurovision.tv, www.eurovision.tv/page/history/year/participant-profile/?song=24943. Accessed 16 Mar. 2017.

“Languages of Finland - Institute for the Languages of Finland.” Kotimaisten Kielten Keskus, 14 Dec. 2016,

http://www.kotus.fi/en/on_language/languages_of_finland. Accessed 16 Mar. 2017.

Lordi. “Hard Rock Hallelujah,” music and lyrics by Mr.Lordi. Azerbaijan, Eurovision Song Contest, 2006.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAh9NRGNhUU Accessed 16. Mar. 2017

Lucas, Olivia. “A Finnish Medley: Forging Folk Metal.” Ethnomusicology Review, vol. 18, no. 2, 2013,

            http://ethnomusicologyreview.ucla.edu/content/finnish-medley-forging-folk-metal. Accessed 16 Mar. 2017.

“Official Languages of the EU.” Education and Training, Europa,

            http://ec.europa.eu/education/official-languages-eu-0_en. Accessed 16 March 2017.

Pakarinen, Hanna. “Leave me Alone,” music and lyrics by Martti Vuorinen, Miikka Huttunen, and Hanna Pakarinen. Finland, Eurovision Song Contest, 2007. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ibC5pps0dA Accessed 16. Mar. 2017

“Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura: KALEVALA.” Finnish Literature Society,

http://neba.finlit.fi/kalevala/index.php?m=154&l=2. Accessed 16 Mar. 2017.

Teräsbetoni. “Missä Miehet Ratsastaa,” music and lyrics by Jarkko Ahola. Serbia, Eurovision Song Contest, 2008.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-nbF9dxbJ0 Accessed 16. Mar. 2017

Finland...What Does It All Mean?

On the Eurovision Stage, much can be revealed about a country, whether it be a glimpse of their culture, or their popular music. Looking into the deeper meanings of the songs performed not only gives the audience a image of the country, but can also reveal their stance on diversity.

Upon first glance, it is easy to write off Lordi’s “Hard Rock Hallelujah” (2006) performance a simple heavy metal song. However, when paired with the stage and the costumes, it suggests the band is actually God’s Punishers who have come to punish those who did not follow the Lord’s word. Their performance opens up with two spinning orbs on either side of the stage depicting a possible vortex from hell. Following the vortex, the stage turns from blue to what appears to be a fiery tornado behind the band. The staging combined with the opening verses’ lyrics “The saints are crippled/on this sinner’s night/lost are the lambs with no guiding light”, suggest that The Day Of Reckoning is upon Earth. No saints can help the “lambs with no guiding light” which in this case, are sinners. The combination of the lyrics and costumes imply that the band members are neither angels nor demons. Instead, they are their own class of creatures who punish the Non-Believers. This is displayed through the band’s costumes where all members appear to have rotting flesh, dressed in medieval clothing, and look to be otherworldly. This is also implied when the main singer bares his wings during the lyrics, “Not quite an angel/Or the one that fell”. Lordi’s live performance heavily suggest that they are bringing The Day of Reckoning to Earth, and the band is here to punish the sinners of the world. The lyrics in the second verse also suggest this theory, “The true believers/thou shall be saved/brothers and sisters keep strong in faith” and the lyrics in the chorus, “All we need is lighting/with power and might/striking down the prophets of false”. These lyrics clearly enforce the theory that Lordi’s performance is about Hell coming to Earth.

Hanna Pakarinen’s “Leave Me Alone” (2007) at first could seem like an average revenge anthem, however the song could actually be about being the “other woman”, and the hurt she feels while the other partner is unaware of the infidelity. This is suggested by the second verse, “But what if I stay and wait till she comes home/she don’t even know/she loves you in vain”. In addition to being the other woman, the song implies the singer could be involved with witchcraft to get revenge on her cheating partner. This theory is enforced by the mysticism suggested by the staging of the performance. Hanna is surrounded by fog, and when going into the main chorus, the background changes has dark creepy forest imagery while the image of the moon flashes behind her. There is also an image behind when she goes into the chorus which shows a swirling symbol of some kind, moving upwards as she sings. The pattern behind her also closely resembles the tattoo the singer has on her left arm, which could suggest her power coming up from inside her through her anger. The witch theory is also enforced by the switch in tones at the end of the performance. Moving out of the chorus, Hanna starts out singing “I wanna/I wanna wake you”, then directly after this lyric, dark forest imagery is shown, and her tattoo image is behind her for the first time. The last time she sings this line, she cries, “I gotta/I gotta hate you”. Right after this, the background switches to flames, with what looks like fire behind the forest imagery as sparks and fire appear. The sudden switch in lyrics and staging suggests a transformation, or a spell being cast, as the shift in imagery and tone holds more power than the rest of the performance.

Finland’s 2008 band may seem like another finnish heavy metal band with another heavy metal song, however, the staging, paired with the water imagery in the lyrics allude to the band singing about the honor of Vikings. Teräsbetoni’s “Missä Miehet Ratsastaa” (2008) opens up by belting out what seems to be a battle cry before going into the verse. As they sing, the imagery of what appears to be a shipyard stands behind them, highlighting the importance of ships. The lyrics, loosely translated to English, alludes to the honor of sailing, “Let the storm and the wind/and changing warm iron stove/is an honor and manhood/to perform an obligation to” (Eurovision TV). The verse suggests that dedicating your life to the wind and storm is an honor and a display of manhood. The chorus also boosts this theory with the lyrics, “Where the men ride/there the sheep do not rove/Where the men ride/there the wolves howl” (Eurovision TV). This implies that men worthy of being vikings are the wolves, and the sheep are those who were brave enough to be a Viking. The wolves howling also allude to the Viking’s battle cry. This theory is further enforced by the last lyrics of the song, “No one can avoid the pain/and just float in the stream of life” (Eurovision TV). The vikings are not simply floating in the stream, rather taking matters into their own hands, taking charge of their fate and pillaging through the wind and storm.

Finland’s entry for 2009’s Eurovision Song Contest is a drastically different tone and genre than the previous three years. Waldo’s People’s “Lose Control” (2009) may seem like a meaningless pop song, but on a closer look, the song actually suggests a loss of control over one’s life. The lyrics enforce this theory with the lines from the chorus, “Is it all a fantasy/I don't wanna live a lie/Is this my reality” as well as the lyrics to the second verse, “I’m on a critical mission got my destiny in my hands/Like peter piper I take control put a spell on the mass”. These lyrics suggest that the singer’s life is not the way he had dreamt it would be. Throughout the song the singers refer to themselves losing control, implying that they are losing control of their life. The stage also helps boost this theory with the onset of what appears to be trashcans on fire, and two fire dancers. Trashcans on fire are often thought of during riots, or unstable situations, thus the trashcans could represent the chaos of losing control over your life. The fire dancers are literally dancing with fire which could symbolize the danger of playing or making risky changes with your life. There also appears to be a train moving across the monitors around the stage, which could symbolize movement from one place in life to another, as trains are used for transportation. The singers are trying to get to another place in their life.

Finland brought another different genre into the Song Contest in 2010. Kuunkuiskaajat’s  “Työlki Ellää” (2010) is a Karelian/Finnish folk song and an ode to Finland’s Karelian folk influence. Työlki Ellää is heavily influenced by Pelimanni, a type of Finnish folk music (Austerlitz, 185), which in turn was influenced by the Karelian people (Ramnarine, 36). This theory is suggested by the instrumentation on stage. Originally, Pelimanni was a type of social dance music performed solely by a single violin (Austerlitz,188). However, it later evolved to carry multiple musicians and group dancing (Austerlitz, 188), which included the accordion, an instrument also featured in Pelimanni (Austerlitz, 192). Kuunkuiskaajat’s performance features two instruments being the violin and accordion which could be a reference to Pelimanni music, as main instruments used are also the violin and accordion. The song is also in an “Karelian dialect, which is spoken in Eastern Finland” (Eurovision TV) further suggesting the Pelimanni/Karelian influence. Further the song also references Pelimanni song in the lyrics,“I´ll give a penny for the pelimanni with tattered trousers” (Lyric Translations). The choreography during the performance could also suggest a Pelimanni influence, as everyone on stage dances with each other, like in Pelimanni music.

Finland’s Eurovision entries from 2006-2010 are quite telling about the country’s stance on diversity. Finland shows an immense amount of musical diversity by choosing unconventional and out of the ordinary genres for 3 out of their 5 performances. Heavy metal, hard rock, and folk music are genres that are much less performed in Eurovision than the pop genre. By picking genres that are not as popular to the public, but rather popular in Finland (Finnish Music Quarterly), suggests that the country is trying to bring a unique perspective into Eurovision, while keeping with what is true to Finland. This alludes to Finland being a more diverse country in terms of music tastes and styles, the wide variety of music genres and performance styles suggest the country’s wish to show the rest of Europe all different types of music. However Finland does not display diversity in terms of the performers. Although Lordi’s identities are unknown, only one performer, Susan Aho of Kuunkuiskaajat claims to have Roma blood (Eurovision TV). All of the other performers are all based in Finland (Eurovision TV). The lack of cultural diversity shown suggest that Finland is not as open to showing the rest of Europe other performers other than Finnish based bands.The country does not seem to feature a variety of cultures on stage. Most of the entries seem to be heavily influenced by Finnish culture, the one exception being Finland’s 2010 entry which is influenced by the Karelian people. Featuring a song in a dialect that is not as widely spoken shows a little cultural diversity, however under representing minorities suggests that Finland is not as open to showing cultural diversity to the rest of the world.

Word Count: 1650

Works Cited

Austerlitz, Paul. “Birch-Bark Horns and Jazz in the National Imagination: The Finnish Folk Music Vogue in Historical Perspective.” Ethnomusicology, vol. 44, no. 2, 2000, pp. 183–213. www.jstor.org/stable/852529.

Kuunkuiskaajat. “Työlki Ellää,” music and lyrics by Timo Kiiskinen. Norway, Eurovision Song Contest, 2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oicT3jWtsc4 Accessed 14. Feb. 2017

“Kuunkuiskaajat - Työlki Ellää (Finland 2010).” Eurovision.tv, www.eurovision.tv/page/history/year/participant-profile/?song=24943.

Lordi. “Hard Rock Hallelujah,” music and lyrics by Mr.Lordi. Azerbaijan, Eurovision Song Contest, 2006. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAh9NRGNhUU Accessed 14. Feb. 2017

“Original Lyrics.” Original Lyrics | Teräsbetoni - Missä Miehet Ratsastaa - Finland 2008 | Eurovision.TV, www.eurovision.tv/event/lyrics?event=1468&song=24487.

Ramnarine, Tina K. Ilmatar's Inspirations: Nationalism, Globalization, and the Changing Soundscapes of Finnish Folk Music. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2003.

Pakarinen, Hanna. “Leave me Alone,” music and lyrics by Martti Vuorinen, Miikka Huttunen, and Hanna Pakarinen. Finland, Eurovision Song Contest, 2007. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ibC5pps0dA Accessed 14. Feb. 2017

SpringVesnaadmin@lyricstranslations.comAdministratorProfessional Translator Lyrics & Translations ~ Prevod pesama. “Eurovision 2010 Finland: Kuunkuiskaajat – Työlki Ellää.” Lyrics & Translations ~ Prevod Pesama, 24 July 2010, lyricstranslations.com/eurovision-lyrics/eurovision-2010-finland-kuunkuiskaajat-tyolki-ellaa.

Teräsbetoni. “Missä Miehet Ratsastaa,” music and lyrics by Jarkko Ahola. Serbia, Eurovision Song Contest, 2008. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-nbF9dxbJ0 Accessed 14. Feb. 2017

“Teräsbetoni - Missä Miehet Ratsastaa (Finland 2008).” Eurovision.tv, www.eurovision.tv/page/history/year/participant-profile/?song=24527.

Välimäki, Susanna. “30 Years of Music in Finland.” FMQ, Finnish Music Quarterly, 1 Apr. 2015, www.fmq.fi/2014/09/30-years-of-music-in-finland/.

“Waldo's People - Lose Control (Finland 2009).” Eurovision.tv, www.eurovision.tv/page/history/year/participant-profile/?song=24721.

Waldo’s People. “Lose Control,” music and lyrics by A. Lehtonen, Karima, Waldo, A. Kratz-Guta.

Russia, Eurovision Song Contest, 2009. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-Wr0z1_quw

Accessed 14. Feb. 2017

Uniquely Finland: What Makes Them Finland?

Finland, the winner of the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with their song, “Hard Rock Hallelujah” by Lordi, has always been known for their unique heavy metal music genre. However, there is to Finland than just their unconventional music. Although one’s country cannot be so easily defined into one central identity, these are only a few of the many defining aspects of Finland’s National Identity including; their nordic background, their pride in striving for equality for all, their prioritization of gender equality, and a homogenous society.

Finland is one of the five Nordic countries, located between Sweden and Russia. Due to their nordic background, nordic cultural has had an lasting impact on Finnish culture, becoming a central part to the Finnish identity. Finland’s nordic culture is still relevant in modern day times and has created various superstitions amongst Finns. One of the most popular and largest festivals of the year in Finland is Midsummer’s Day. On this day, a number of traditions take place displaying their nordic roots, including setting a bonfire,  which is “the central part of the Midsummer tradition is the Midsummer kokko (bonfire). This practice has taken rituals of nature worship concerning fertility, purification, prosperity, and banishing of evil spirits in northern and eastern Finland” (World Trade Center, 21).  In Finland, Midsummer’s Day is an official holiday showing the importance they put to their nordic cultural background. However, that is not all that the Finnish base their identities’ off of.

Finland’s national identity also centers around their pride for striving for equality, which is displayed through their progressive social services. For example, in a comparative sociology article, the authors stated,“They [Purhonen et al.] also describe the foundation of the kind of strong social democracy which has come to exemplify the Nordic states, in which notions of equality and a narrowing of income differentials remains a motivation for political decision-making” (Wright, Purhonen, and Heikkilä, 335). Finland’s focus on creating an progressive welfare state is an unique quality in Finnish governmental systems that the majority of Finns take pride in. Finland’s commitment to equality for all has been displayed through their consistent forward thinking policies. In fact, the World Trade Center had reported, “In 1906 Finland was the first European country to give its women the right to vote and to run for elected office” (World Trade Center, 24), a progressive policy at the time. This also shows how Finland’s national identity is centered around gender equality. This is displayed in not only through their country being the first European country to allow women to vote, but in Finland’s policy on parental leave. The World Trade Center also reported that “Parents are also eligible for full or partial childcare leave until a child turns three. During this leave, the jobs of the parents are secure and they are given a home care allowance...and receive an allowance to cover part of the private day-care expenses” (World Trade Center, 24). By putting such a progressive policy in place, they demonstrate their respect for women, as well as their prioritization of families/parents. Finland’s policy allows women and parents to pursue and maintain a career while still upholding a family. The prioritization  of women and families is a strong point in their national narrative. The idea of nurturing others is a strong link in developing what is now the Finnish welfare state. Marakowitz stated, “The imagery of female as caretaker/nurturer resonates in Finnish welfare state ideology. Extensive social support...is a key element of the ideology” (Marakowitz, 56). Although Finland prides themselves on their progressive welfare state, the recent recession has called into question whether they can continue these social services, and the redefining of “Finnishness”. BBC reported, “‘We're now being told that this [welfare state] is no longer possible. A major shift has taken place in the rhetoric of how we describe Finnishness,’ he [Kangaspuro] states”(BBC). Despite their current redefining debate about their national identity, Finland will always take pride in their forward thinking social policies.

Another core part to the Finnish identity is their homogenous society. Finland has fought hard to become a sovereign nation. With Sweden ruling over Finland from the 12th to the 19th century, to fighting the Russian rule in the 1800’s, and finally fending off their borders from the Soviet Union during World War 2 (Central Intelligence Agency),  maintaining a homogenous national narrative is incredibly important to the Finns. Due to Finland’s homogeneous society, and their recent independence, with Finland officially became their own sovereign nation in 1917 (CIA), protecting their national identity has become a priority. With the current influx of immigrants entering Finland, the topic of immigration has become an increasingly sensitive subject debated amongst the Finns. BBC reported that the “Finance Minister Alexander Stubb tweeted: ‘Multiculturalism is an asset. That's all I have to say.’ Mr Sipila wrote on Twitter that he wanted "to develop Finland as an open, linguistically and culturally international country" (BBC).  However, after making that statement, he received massive backlash, “he came under heavy criticism and, in what Finnish newspapers noted was a significant swing, he changed course in an interview on Monday” (BBC). The incoming and acceptance of immigrants into Finland has been a source of fear for a lot of Finns. Finland has started othering immigrants and minority groups in order to help solidify their sense of national identity. BBC stated, “In one protest against a new refugee centre last week, one demonstrator said: ‘Everything has been taken from the unemployed, the poor and the sick. But the coffers are empty. If these centres open, our taxes will go up’”(BBC). Finland’s national identity is centered around their homogeneous society, thus many Finns fear their homogenous society is being threatened. BBC reported that, “Among the most common concerns held by Finns, the state broadcaster says, is that: accepting more refugees leads to more crime, asylum seekers do not look to learn Finnish, reception centres are too expensive. These are concerns, it says, that are generally unfounded but widely shared” (BBC). A fear that the incoming citizens will not learn Finnish is a way Finland is othering these refugees. Although Finland has stayed a homogenous society, many Finns are excited to welcome others into their culture.

Finland has always been a unique country, with a rich, diverse national identity to complement it. It is hard to boil an entire cultural and society down to a singular national identity, however their nordic background, strive for equality,prioritization of gender equality, and a homogenous society is only a few aspects of what makes Finland unique.

Word Count: 1098

Works Cited

Marakowitz, Ellen. "Women's Studies International Forum." Journal - Elsevier. Elsevier Ltd, 26 Feb. 1999. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.

"Migrant Crisis: Finland's Case against Immigration." BBC News. BBC, 09 Sept. 2015. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.

Teivainen, Aleksi. "“Finland Has Lost Its Way on Several Issues”."Helsinki Times. Uusi Suomi, 10 Feb. 2016. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.

"The World Factbook: FINLAND." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 12 Jan. 2017. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.

World Trade Press. Finland Society & Culture Complete Report : An All-Inclusive Profile Combining All of Our Society and Culture Reports (2). Petaluma, US: World Trade Press, 2010. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 24 January 2017.

Wright, David, Semi Purhonen, and Riie Heikkilä. "Comparing "Cosmopolitanism": Taste, Nation And Global Culture In Finland And The UK." Comparative Sociology 12.3 (2013): 330-360. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.

Welcome!

This blog is for all fans of the Eurovision Song Contest who would like to know a little more about the countries that enter in the Song Contest. More specifically I will be taking a closer look into Finland and their participation in Eurovision. Feel free to leave comments, feedback is always welcome!