Finnish media attacks Christmas school play with black character
Finnish news media has come out against a children's Christmas play because of traditional black character.
Published: December 21, 2017, 8:19 am
An innocent traditional Finnish Christmas performance in Jysk, is being attacked by leftists because it features a black person played by a white actor.
The play is based upon the gospel of Matthew telling of the Wise Men’s journey in the Bible to honour the newborn child Jesus, and of King Herod, who orders his soldiers to murder all of the young Jewish boys in the hope of killing the one newborn.
The Finnish state broadcaster article on the Christmas play, Tiernapojat, noted that the character playing the King of the East – thought to be of dark complexion – darkened his face. The piece also criticised other cultural Christian traditions using “black face”.
The play is presented at Christmas all over Finland. Its roots are in medieval mystery performances. In other parts of Europe, presentations are mainly related to the Epiphany. The tradition in Finland came from Sweden.
In Oulu, the Tiernapojat has been organized since 1933 and a foundation has been set up to maintain the tradition. The most talented people are generally seen in the Christmas play performed at Finnish schools.
Most readers will be familiar with Black Pete of the Netherlands, a character that helps Santa deliver presents to the children for Christmas.
Black Pete has been regularly attacked by leftists in the Netherlands and the negative reports of “racists” has made its way into the international press.
As in Holland, Zwarte Piet, a local Christmas tradition, is being tarnished in Finland by Yleisradio Oy, the Finnish Broadcasting Company which is Finland’s national public-broadcasting company, YLE.
YLE has interviewed a feminist music teacher, Minja Koskela, and Muslim activist, Marya Abdulkarim to deliver what they believe is the coup de grâce to the traditional Christmas play.
According to the music teacher, Koskela, Tiernapojat should no longer be performed in schools. “Blackface is a racist practice, it has racist roots, and even if it is not understood as racist, it still is. Period.”
Koskela is a self-proclaimed feminist, teacher, blogger and researcher who wants to end gender roles in school.
“Cultural connotation is a new concept in Finland too. It has become a part of the social debate only in recent years. It is understandable that the discussion is slow,” says Koskela.
“As for the school world, the new, newly introduced curriculum has clear guidelines on what values should be taught. It clearly states that multiculturalism and the diversity of pupils’ backgrounds must be taken into account,”she added.
Marya Abdulkarim, a national Muslim activist, says blackface mocks the position and characteristics of the subordinate. It caricatures minority representatives. The tradition is based on abuses of power and oppression, according to Abdulkarim.
Abdulkkarim is a Muslim rights activist who insists that Finland is inherently racist.
The brunt of the YLE article focuses on the Dutch tradition of Black Pete suggesting guilt by association, even though there is no connection between the black king, and Black Peter.
There seems to be a political agenda at the expense of Finnish children by portraying them as “racists” because they enjoy rehearsing the lines and acting for audiences during Christmas,
In Finland, the proportion of dark-skinned people has been negligible.
All rights reserved. You have permission to quote freely from the articles provided that the source (www.freewestmedia.com) is given. Photos may not be used without our consent.
Consider donating to support our work
Help us to produce more articles like this. FreeWestMedia is depending on donations from our readers to keep going. With your help, we expose the mainstream fake news agenda.
Keep your language polite. Readers from many different countries visit and contribute to Free West Media and we must therefore obey the rules in, for example, Germany. Illegal content will be deleted.
If you have been approved to post comments without preview from FWM, you are responsible for violations of any law. This means that FWM may be forced to cooperate with authorities in a possible crime investigation.
If your comments are subject to preview by FWM, please be patient. We continually review comments but depending on the time of day it can take up to several hours before your comment is reviewed.
We reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, contain slander or foul language, or are irrelevant to the discussion.
NOAA Predicts Zero Sunspots for Almost the Whole 2030s
CLIMATEThe United States' government scientific organization, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), predicts zero sunspots from 2031 to 2040. This is an extreme situation that has not occurred in as long as humanity has been counting sunspots, and it leads us into uncharted territory in terms of our solar system. However, this prediction aligns with the warnings of the world-renowned solar researcher Valentina Zharkova for many years, who indicated in 2019 various signs of this catastrophic phenomenon, including the extreme hailstorms we have seen in Europe and the world this summer. The forecast and various observations this year give cause for very significant concern. In this unique analysis, Free West Media explains why.
European Nationalist Parties Forge Cooperation Ahead of EU Elections
EUROPEAN ELECTIONSOn Saturday, August 26, representatives of six European nationalist parties gathered in Budapest. The meeting was initiated by the Hungarian party Mi Hazánk and took place in the national parliament. Representatives of the parties signed a joint declaration that not only reaffirms the parties' friendship but also their unity on a range of complex political issues. A surprisingly clear and radical manifesto was established. The hope is that this cooperation will lead to success in the EU elections and eventually result in the formation of a group in the European Parliament. For Swedish nationalism, this meeting marks a success as Sweden, for the first time, has a party represented in a leading nationalist cooperation in Europe. Free West Media was present at this historic event.
Turkey Believes Sweden Hasn’t Done Enough
Sweden will have to wait a bit longer for NATO membership, according to Turkey's Justice Minister Jilmaz Tunc. First, Sweden must extradite the "terrorists" Turkey wants and stop the desecration of the Quran.
Swedish Weapon Takes Down Russia’s Best Attack Helicopter
The Russian attack helicopter Ka-52 is considered one of the world's best and has struck fear in Ukraine, where it has hunted down tanks and other armored vehicles, often beyond the range of many light anti-aircraft systems. However, it has met its match in the Swedish air defense missile system RBS 70, which has quickly led to significant losses for the Russian helicopter forces.
Strong Confidence in German AfD
Alternative for Germany (AfD) held a party conference on July 29-30 to select candidates for the upcoming EU election next year. EU Parliament member Maximilian Krah, belonging to the party's more radical, ethnonationalist faction, was appointed as the top candidate. The party's two spokespersons delivered powerful speeches criticizing the EU's failed migration policy and trade sanctions that isolate Europe and Germany from the rest of the world. They argued that it's time for the EU to return a significant portion of its power to national parliaments. However, they have dropped the demand for Germany to exit the EU.
The Establishment Wants to Ban Germany’s Second Largest Party – for the Sake of Democracy
The rising popularity of AfD has raised strong concerns within the establishment. Despite lies and demonization in the media and isolation from the overall political establishment, the party continues to grow. Certain representatives of the party are accused of becoming increasingly "extreme," and in an unusual move, the influential weekly newspaper Der Spiegel demanded that AfD be "banned."
Dutch FvD break through the media blockade
What is happening in the Netherlands? It is often difficult to follow events in other countries, especially when distorted by system media. We give Forum for Democracy (FvD) the opportunity to speak out on the political situation in the Netherlands and the staunch resistance they face in trying to save the country.
The Ursula von der Leyen Affair
After a criminal complaint in Belgium against the President of the European Commission, the so-called SMS-case, now takes a new turn. The judge responsible for the investigation will likely gain access to the secret messages exchanged between Ursula von der Leyen and Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, at least if they haven't been deleted.
Publisher of Unique Literature Worldwide Blocked by International Distributor
Arktos has distinguished itself by publishing groundbreaking philosophers and social critics. Now, the publisher's international distributor has abruptly terminated the cooperation, and more than 400 already printed titles cannot reach their audience. There is strong evidence that the distributor has been under pressure, something that has also happened in Sweden. We have spoken with Arktos founder Daniel Friberg about the ongoing struggle for freedom of speech in a shrinking cultural corridor.
Care prompts bishops to criticize transgender ideology
The Catholic bishops of the Scandinavian countries presented an open five-page letter criticizing transgender ideology on March 21, just before Easter. The document primarily expresses care and advice and was read aloud in Catholic churches in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland. Cardinal Anders Arborelius, Bishop of Stockholm, is one of the signatories of the document.