“ At a school in the Finnish city of Espoo, an 11-year-old girl of Ukrainian origin was forced to sing “Kalinka” during a music lesson. This case caused the indignation of the child’s mother and the Ukrainian community, once again raising the issue of the normalization of the culture of the occupying country in Finland. Source: Yle Details: The incident took place at the Storängen school in the city of Espoo. According to the girl’s mother, musician Iryna Gorkun-Silen, her 11-year-old daughter Nicole, who was born in Finland, said that during the music lesson, the teacher introduced the class to Russian culture. All students had to sing the song “Kalinka”. Verbatim: “Nicole explained that she is Ukrainian and does not want to use the Russian language. To this, the teacher replied that “we don’t talk about the war at school”. Details: According to the mother, the child realized that she would get a bad grade for not completing the task, and therefore she was forced to sing, which became a deeply traumatic experience for her. “What if there was a Ukrainian child in her place, whose parents died at the hands of the Russians?” – asks the mother a rhetorical question. She also expressed surprise as to why the introduction to the musical cultures of the world started with the Russian, calling it the normalization of the situation. The fact that the song “Kalinka” gained worldwide popularity – a powerful symbol of the Soviet, and now also the Russian, militarist ideology – the school director Ellinor Hellman refused to comment on this limited to the formal statement that the school adheres to the national curriculum, and teachers are encouraged to respond thoughtfully to the needs of the entire group. Instead, the Finnish National Board of Education has recognized that certain content can cause strong emotions. Management lawyer Heidi Ruonala has pointed out that the teacher has pedagogical freedom and the opportunity to show an alternative task the tip of the iceberg of systemic problems faced by Ukrainians in Finland. The head of the Association of Ukrainians in Finland, Vasyl Hutsul, said that the community is “deeply upset” and that this situation raises the question of the advisability of promoting Russian culture in schools. As the representatives of the Ukrainian community explain, the problem is much broader: most services for Ukrainian refugees are provided in Russian, and there are almost no Finnish courses with Ukrainian translation. translators are often replaced by Russian ones. “Even though Ukrainians understand Russian and can speak it, it is traumatic for us, because it is the language of those who are killing Ukrainians now. This is not obvious to the Finns,” says Gorkun-Silen. Eylina Husatynska, an expert from the “Culture” Foundation, emphasizes that for Ukrainians the Russian language is not neutral – it is the language of violence, war and centuries of Russification. “The Russian language carries a historical and symbolic load – a trace of Russification and the displacement of Ukrainian identity. Without realizing this, it is easy to inadvertently reproduce the old colonial model, where Ukrainian culture once again finds itself in the shadow of the so-called common post-Soviet space,” she emphasized.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Iryna Gorkun-Silen. Screenshot Source: Yle
Details: The incident happened at the Storängen school in the city of Espoo. According to the girl’s mother, musician Iryna Gorkun-Silen, her 11-year-old daughter Nicole, who was born in Finland, said that during the music lesson, the teacher introduced the class to Russian culture. All students had to sing the song “Kalinka”.
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Literally: Nicole explained that she is Ukrainian and does not want to use the Russian language. To this, the teacher replied that “we don’t talk about the war at school.”
Details: According to the mother, the child realized that she would get a bad grade for not completing the task, and therefore was forced to sing, which became a deeply traumatic experience for her.
“What if there was a Ukrainian child in her place, whose parents died at the hands of the Russians?” – the mother asks a rhetorical question.
She also expressed surprise as to why familiarization with the world’s musical cultures began with Russian, calling it the normalization of the aggressor. The fact that the song “Kalinka” gained worldwide popularity in the performance of the choir of the Soviet Army – a powerful symbol of the Soviet, and now also modern Russian militarist ideology – adds to the cynicism of the situation.
The school’s principal, Eleanor Hellman, declined to comment on the case, limiting herself to a formal statement that the school follows the national curriculum and that teachers are “encouraged to respond thoughtfully to students’ questions, taking into account the needs of the whole group.”
Instead, the National Board of Education of Finland recognized that in the context of war, certain content can cause strong emotions. Management lawyer Heidi Ruonala noted that the teacher has pedagogical freedom and the opportunity to show flexibility by offering an alternative task.
This case turned out to be only the tip of the iceberg of systemic problems faced by Ukrainians in Finland. The head of the Society of Ukrainians in Finland, Vasyl Hutsul, said that the community is “deeply saddened” and that this situation raises the question of the feasibility of popularizing Russian culture in schools.
As representatives of the Ukrainian community explain, the problem is much broader: most services for Ukrainian refugees are provided in Russian, there are almost no Finnish courses with Ukrainian translation, and Ukrainian translators are often replaced by Russian ones.
“Even though Ukrainians understand Russian and can speak it, it is traumatic for us, because it is the language of those who are killing Ukrainians now. This is not obvious for Finns,” says Gorkun-Silen.
Eylina Husatynska, an expert from the “Culture” Foundation, emphasizes that for Ukrainians, the Russian language is not neutral – it is the language of violence, war and centuries of Russification.
“The Russian language carries a historical and symbolic burden – a trace of Russification and the displacement of Ukrainian identity. Without realizing this, it is easy to inadvertently reproduce the old colonial model, where Ukrainian culture once again finds itself in the shadow of the so-called common post-Soviet space,” she emphasized.