The autumn morning sun dispelled the rain on Saturday morning , September 25, 2021 , in the Finnish city of Turku, and heralded a beautiful and sunny day. The parking spaces were slowly filling up in front of the Ahtela camp and the number of Bosnian citizens present was growing. The hosts greeted the guests at the entrance, welcoming them.
The Bosnian Cultural Center in Finland (BKC), in cooperation with the Association of Camp Inmates in Finland , organized the seminar “Bosnians in Finland 2030”, in order to try to gather a part of Bosnian citizens in Finland with a focus on educated youth, and to discuss the strategy for preserving Bosnian culture with even better integration into Finnish society.
The participants took their seats and the seminar began at the exact agreed time. After greetings and welcoming remarks by the organizers, the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Sweden, Elvira Dilberović , addressed the attendees via video link, informing them about the current events from the Embassy. The guests of honor , Kirsti Špehar and Pirjo Šehić, addressed the audience, in their still good Bosnian language, recalling the history of the arrival of the first BiH citizens to Finland, newly released from the camps, the creation of the first BiH organizations in Finland, as well as assistance in returning after the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The next guest of honor, on behalf of the Federation of Bosnian Associations in Sweden, Muhamed Mujakić, presented the Federation and the organization of our citizens in Sweden, which was closely followed, because Bosnian citizens in Finland want to better connect with Sweden. After that, the organizations present from Finland presented themselves, and the presentation of the current situation of Bosnian citizens in Finland through the project “Bosnians in Finland 2030” .
Project Manager Neđad Jakupović reminded that due to the pandemic, this seminar was postponed and should have been held much earlier. The pandemic and the ban on gatherings were nevertheless used to better prepare the seminar and conduct an even better analysis of the current situation of our citizens in Finland, because we cannot plan the future if we do not have a realistic picture of the present. BKC has prepared a document “Bosnian and Herzegovinian citizens in Finland – analysis of the situation”, based on official data and facts, which will be publicly published. From the document it can be concluded that there was no diaspora from the former SFR Yugoslavia in Finland before – the first immigrants were Bosnian citizens who were expelled during the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period 1992-1995. years, and diaspora and immigrants in general are a more recent concept in Finland, somewhere from the 1990s. Finnish citizens, whose native language is not Finnish, are about 8% of the total population in Finland of 5.5 million, and of the total number of Bosnian immigrants citizens make up 1%, so BiH citizens are a minority in the minority . The number of BiH citizens in Finland, primarily Bosniaks, is around 3,500, and the number of Serbs and Croats is several hundred. The document also shows that the age structure of our citizens is favorable because the majority is young, that the employment rate is good and integration into Finnish society is at an enviable level. The document shows that there are not many active BiH organizations, and that it would be good to increase the number of students in Bosnian language classes in Finnish schools. It is emphasized that “BiH citizens in Finland in 2030” is actually plan B, and plan A is a return to the motherland Bosnia and Herzegovina .
After the guests’ speeches, the presentation of the organizations and the project, a lunch break was held where Bosnian specialties were offered. After lunch, the work continued in groups, on various topics related to Bosnian citizens in Finland. At the end, a report was made with suggestions for future work, which included the following suggestions, among others: to connect Bosnian citizens in Finland into a Bosnian network or Alliance, to connect more with Sweden and Bosnia and Herzegovina, to try to activate Bosnian youth more, to work on the affirmation of the Bosnian language and culture, as well as on cooperation between existing Bosnian organizations, and that our strategy must be consolidation, not fragmentation .
– In order to survive, we must be strong, and we are as strong as we are united , is the message sent by the participants.
At the end of the seminar, attendees were able to view an exhibition of paintings on the theme of “Bosnia” by Helsinki-based artist Mirza Čizmić , and the socializing continued with music until late into the night. 85 people attended the seminar, while the rest followed the seminar online. The organizers would like to thank everyone who participated in this project, everything was done on a voluntary basis and the organization was at an enviable level.
Neđad Jakupović – Bosnian Cultural Center in Finland – BKC
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