IMMIGRATION AND INTEGRATION OF BLACK AFRICAN

DESCENT COMMUNITIES: THE CASE OF FINLAND

Yondo Raul
Diplomi Insinoori
Freelance writer
SMT 6 E 70
FI-02150 Bremen

November 21, 2016

Abstract
Issues related to immigration and integration are nowadays subject of more or less confus-
ing debates. Nevertheless, the range of knowledge on these topics is now quite broad, reliable
and accurate that amalgams, misconceptions and other falsehoods should no longer be. What
realities are hidden behind the term immigration ? What should a real integra-
tion strategy be? what do Finns really know about Black African cultures and
immigration to Finland? is there a Black problem in Finland? why this hatred of
frizzy-haired people? why the color before the competences at hiring? have Black
Africans comitted an offence of filthy face ? are delinquency and ethnical origins
linked?
Through a series of papers, the author will present a complex, finely-shaded panorama of the
Black African immigration and integration in Finland, out of the intellectual modes and futile
controversies. The present paper, the first of the series, will review historical and cultural facts,
concepts and terminologies, in order to explain and make understand the nature of the Black
Africans, the social dynamics of their exile and expatriation. Moreover, the paper will look into
the complexity of this migratory phenomenon: the various channels of the Black African immi-
gration, the inappropriate use of the term immigrant, the quest of identities in a country that
does not take in, the stigmatizations...and the integration policies that should aim at preserv-
ing the integrity of the immigrants in general. The last two papers will present the difficulties
for Black African graduants to integrate the Finnish labor market, as well as draft solutions, and
an in-depth analysis on the current outlooks if we do not want our environment to become
unbearable and violent in the long run. The author hopes this will be the kick-off of a frank
and opennational debate (among friends, neighbors, work colleagues, politics, social partners,
etc) that will, in the long run, allow us to rethink of a more consistent and coherent approach
to immigration and integration that will help Black Africans to combine their differences with
other racial groups in Finland, especially with the Finns, in order to be able to live together,
for a better Finland.

grym@kth.se, Tel: +358408713196

1
1 Introduction
The problematic of the Black African immigra-
tion in Finland is a phenomenon more com-
plex, more misunderstood and more unex-
plained to the Finnish public opinion that does
one only see and understands the language car-
ried by the media and political parties on this
subject. The term in itself is very ambiguous
because of its numerous contradictions, and es-
pecially loaded with a mocking connotation to-
wards the ones that it designates as members
of a minority that came to Finland to get a
better life. Saying a word on the fragile inte-
gration of Black Africans without a thorough
analysis of the whole situation will be to put
the cart before the horses; because the relation
between migration - the movement of people
from one place to another - and integration -
the process of becoming an accepted member
of a group or community, indeed a social, eco-
nomical, political, cultural and even psycho-
logical process - is not automatic. Immigra-
tion does not always lead to integration, and
this of course is not peculiar to Black Africans.
After a multidisciplinary survey of the panels
of Black Africans that are found in Finland,
the author will try to give answers to some of
the questions listed previously, as well as the
obstacles that hinder and thwart their integra-
tion processes. Furthermore, the author will
discuss the public policies and political debates
concerning the entry and settlement of Black
African populations which, for the most part,
will never leave Finland.
2 The Black Africans migra-
tion to Finland: a need for
some, a problem for the oth-
ers
Beyond what is apparent, and actually des-
ignated as such, talking about legal or illegal
Black African immigrants, the phenomenon in
a global way, is in line with an inverse stream
to the big movements of the European explor-
2
ers in Africa from the 16th century. Thus,
it is essential to climb back up of some cen-
turies in the history to understand this phe-
nomenon. From the time of the populations
until the 16th century, the Africans were liv-
ing quietly on their lands, and were not asking
anything to anyone; their ways of life, their
cultures, their religions, their teachings, the
organization of the various societies, the or-
ganization of the agricultural production, the
traditional economies based on swapping, tra-
ditional medicine, were as much domains that
had nothing to envy to the other peoples on
other continents of whom they were unaware of
the existence. Men were not living that poorly
and the sun was shining for all the Africans.
This continent, until then calm and quiet, will
tip up its destiny in an agitation phase of which
it will lose the check from the disembarkation
of the Europeans explorers in an exploration
strategy in the form of a geographic, scien-
tific curiosity and even religious. Because from
the exploration, it will reveal itself that Africa
is abounded in interesting goods to exploit
towards Europe that began its industrializa-
tion. The discoveries will be very interesting
to all points of view, because there will be huge
profits to realize on the back of the Africans.
Africa will be pillaged, impoverished, men will
be deported as slaves to Europe and mainly
to the Americas in the fields of agricultural
productions, and today, when the Africans are
running away from this poverty that some has
created, they are treated as of immigrants.
Yesterday, France, England, Spain, Portugal
were selecting the most muscular ones, that
were deported towards Europe & Americas
and today, the selection criteria are concerned
mainly with the intellectual skills and diplo-
mas. Thus, those Africans who are rotting in
the south of Italy & Spain, in Ceuta or Melilla,
or in all the retention centers all over Europe,
not replying to the selection criteria, can al-
ways wait. European countries in general must
take the true measure of their political respon-
sibilities with respect to Africa, while adopt-
ing an immigration policy actually audacious,
while treating this phenomenon by their causes
that are of two sorts but intimately linked: the
fight against mass poverty, and unbolt the dic-
tatorships that create and maintain poverty.
Roughly speaking, the reasons for migration of
Black Africans can be divided into two main
aspects, the so-called push and pull fac-
tors. Push factors are those in their old place
which force people to move. For example,
there may be civil wars or wars in general in
the country, but political or religious oppres-
sion, climate changes, lack of jobs or simply
poverty are all important push factors. Pull
factors are factors in the target country which
encourage people to move; these include peace
and safety, a chance of a better job, better ed-
ucation, social security, a better standard of
living in general as well as political and reli-
gious freedom.
Finland, to my knowledge, has not partic-
ipated in the colonization of Africa. But,
by shutting their eyes on the domination of
certain European countries (France, Belgium,
Great Britain,...) on Africa, the Finns through
their Government, are all witnesses and ac-
complices of what is happening at the moment
in Black Africa (One could quote the stand
Finland took in the Ivorian crisis). The over-
whelming majority of the Finns believe that
they are worse off in their lives nowadays than
they were some years ago, and that they will
be worse off in the near future than they are
nowadays. They also believe that inequalities
of all types are deepening and immigration is
one of the main cause of these problems.
Without having an analytical turn of mind,
one could easily notice that the enforcement
aspects of the European immigration policies
are in general failures. Europeans politics
know it: only the development of Black African
countries will reduce the mass exodus (legal
or illegal) of Black Africans. African youth
will no longer endure the enforced idleness due
to lack of jobs, and of course, the humiliating
poverty that results. Working is live, said
the French writer Voltaire. And do we not say
that idleness is the root of all evil. There
1
Famous Cameroonian and Ivoirian soccer players
is no worse disgrace, nor worse human misery
than poverty. The migration of Black Africans
to Europe is, therefore, an escape, a vital ne-
cessity, a choice between life and death. Be-
sides, a large number of potential immigrants
do not achieve their dream destinations, or
they die along the way; given the harsh condi-
tions in which they move, they either drown
during the sea crossings, or are simply ar-
rested and brought back to the fold. In Black
Africa, every family has dreams that it may
one day have among its children a footballer
like ETOO or DROGBA 1 who would save
it from misery. While waiting, their dream
is limited to the arrival of one or two chil-
dren in Europe, where they (family members
in Africa) think, the latter will make a lot of
money. For millions of Black Africans, there is
no other alternative than the arrival in Europe,
at all costs. Those that are already installed,
while returning to their strongholds for vaca-
tion, enter their countries with nice clothes, ex-
pensive cars and in parallel buying goods and
immoderately spending a lot of money. Under-
standably, this arouses the envy of the others
to come to the dream continent. Tell them
(Europeans) we are coming, a friend of mine
said to me during my last visit to my home
country.
Immigration is often presented as a possible
sustainable solution to social and economical
problems that undermine Finland, including
its ageing. Are Black Africans really consid-
ered as a possible immigration work force?
Are most of the Finns ready to treat Black
Africans with respect, dignity and considera-
tion? To my opinion, the answer to these ques-
tions at the moment is globally is NO. This
founds its grounds on what numerous Finns
know and think about Black Africans. We took
a sampling of 100 Finns of all age intervals,
sex and hopefully social ranks in the Helsinki
metropolitan area; and below are the answers
we got: We know the Black as a crimi-
nal, as an asylum seeker, as a liar, as a
rapist, as a footballer, as a kids maker,
3
as a KELA eater, as a lazy, as a dancer,
as a stupid, as a cleaner, as a dishwasher,
as a newspaper deliver, as a good fucker,
etc strike!!!!!! With a much larger sampling,
we would have surely gotten more interest-
ing and surprising answers. Note however
that the number of people who presented the
Black African as an intellectual (student, re-
searcher, etc) is insignificant ( 5%), which is
absurd. And One of the main target of this pa-
per is to make Finns understand that though
these terms may be partially verified, a Black
African can also be very intelligent and high
skilled; Finland is full of these kind of individu-
als, who have graduated from the best Finnish
polytechnics and universities. And it is a pity
that more than 90% of them would not even
reach the step of an interview while seeking for
a job or an internship, despite their (at least)
beginner Finnish language proficiency, because
of discrimination. This can be called an injus-
tice, a flagrant infringement of labor laws.
Finns should be educated to know that the
neekeri that collect their dishes at the
schools and companies restaurants, the neek-
eri who cleans their offices, the neekeri who
early delivers their Helsingin Sanomat or
Hufudstadbladet may be as much as, or even
more, educated than them; therefore should
be considered and treated as a full member of
the Finnish society (like anyone else staying in
Finland). It is important for most Finns to
understand that the zero Black-African im-
migration policy has no sense in these hours of
globalization and diversity. The Finnish immi-
gration and integration policy is obsolete and
is therefore impoverishing Finland.
To conservative Finns, I will say: It is use-
less to row more vigorously if the boat
is pointing in the wrong direction and to
the racists (despite the fact that in Finland, It
is still possible to use words like neekeri, even
in public media, without people being moved)
: Neekeri we are, Neekeri we will remain and
above all, as one of the famous founder of
Negritude (Aime Cesaire) said at a conference:
Well, the Negro fucks you. On the other
hand, the author is thankful to all the com-
4
pany managers, professors, who took their
courage in both hands (despite the fear of the
unknown) to give their arm to all these black-
African graduates to perform as employees or
researchers.
2.1 True Facts about the Black
African immigration in Finland
Before revealing the real facts of the Black-
African immigration in Finland, we will have
an insight in the different channels of the
Black-African immigration to Finland and
moreover the African cultures, their similar-
ities and differences; the aim being a better
knowledge of Black Africans. The similarities
of the Black African cultures are the commu-
nity spirit (which implies the importance of the
group on the individual, the search for social
cohesion being a major concern), the solidar-
ity (as a consequence of the community spirit.
it can be money, goods, moral or psycholog-
ical support,etc), the hierarchal society orga-
nized around men, an enlarged kinship (fam-
ily), the search for the causes of their mis-
fortunes (metaphysical and exogenous, the in-
dividual being a scapegoat). The differences
reside in the matrimonial strategy (endogamy
that consists of choosing your partner within
the social group to which you belong, or ex-
ogamy outside of the social group), the religion
(Animist, Christian, Muslim, etc), the level of
urbanization (depending if you live in town or
in the countryside. That affects the degree of
solidarity, the propensity to individualism, the
redefining of parental duties, etc), the food-
stuffs, the level of education (well-read black
Africans will used explanations based on a ra-
tional reasoning while illiterate will mainly use
a system of beliefs). Thus, as you may have no-
ticed, Black Africans are like anyone else.
Referring to the history of the Black African
migration to Finland, it could, roughly speak-
ing, be resumed in 5 channels:
1. The Somalian channel, the one by which
numerous Finns explain their rejection of
the Black Africans.
 2. The Academic channel, that will surely
in the future, trigger the awareness of the
Black community.
3. The Workers channel, relatively low or
insignificant.
4. The Migration of spouses and children,
on behalf of family reunification. Within
this group, one can also quote the adop-
tion track.
5. The Asylum seekers or illegal immigrants
channel.
The half-breeds community is setting up grad-
ually.
Despite the appearance, the opinion of the me-
dia and the Finns speech on the Black African
immigration in Finland sails between mytho-
mania and phantasmagoria. This partly ex-
plained the grounds of the repugnance Africans
are facing daily. The discrepancy between
the wild imaginings of certain political par-
ties and the real statistics is considerable. As
an example, in 2009, according the Finnish
immigration service (Maahanmuuttovirasto),
4335 asylum seekers were registered, among
which 34.72% were Black Africans (Somalians
included) and 6.1% (Somalians excluded, i.e.
sub-Saharan Africans). Moreover, explicit sta-
tistical data can be found on the website of the
Finnish Immigration Service (www.migri.fi),
though it is impossible to have an approxi-
mation of the African half-breeds population,
nor the Blacks with the Finnish nationality.
In general, we are very far from the apocalyp-
tic predictions that ones have in mind about
Black Africans in Finland, though their soar-
ing birth rate. The black African immigra-
tion is just victim of its spectacular nature
(with those images of pirogues overflowing and
corpses of death migrants that have grounded)
and is trapped in a hackneyed or stereotyped
perception marked by the chaotic pass of the
reciprocal interactions between the Finns and
the Somalis. People tend to forget that this im-
migration is by far outclasses by the Asian one.
Indeed, what represents a handful of Black
5
Africans in the Finnish migratory flux, if not
a nanophenomenon? Furthermore, The Black
African immigration is also victim of the fact
that Black Africa is a sub-continent with a low
geopolitical value. The real query is to guess or
define what is the impact of the Black African
immigration on the growth and development
of Finland.
2.2 The nineties and the Somalian
breaking
The 90s were a turning point for Black Africans
in Finland. Their perception by the Finns will
be modified with the arrivals of thousand of
Somalis. That perception, unfortunately neg-
ative, will set up itself progressively. Indeed,
the common sense and opinion construct the
image of a group through processes, focusing
attention on particular phenomena displayed
by that group. Thus, phenomena such as
polygamy, excision, apparent disengagement of
parents in the education of their children, the
status of the woman, the respect of the laws
and regulations, the lack of thruth communi-
cation and explanations related to that immi-
gration from the Finnish government and me-
dia, the fear of the unknown (from the Finns
part) will consist of immediate causes of fric-
tion between the Finns and the Somalis. The
emergence of this conflict and its hardening in
certains Finnish towns (Mikkeli, Joensuu, etc)
will expressed itself in the form of ethnicity and
violent altercations. This will create a break,
a social unrest and will lead to a very fragile
integration of the Black Africans in general in
the Finnish society.
Nevertheless, many Black Africans will tell it
to you. If they feel somehow secure nowa-
days, if they are less victims of racist attacks
(be they verbal or physical), it is actually
the fruitsof the retort (usually physical and
swift) of the Somalis to these attacks.
2.3 And if the problem was not the
Black African immigration, but
the finnish immigration policy
and the integration strategy?
The misery of the world remains in the
South. All the International Agencies agree
by saying that we need more, not less immigra-
tion, for both economic and demographic rea-
sons. As for the integration of immigrants, the
real problem is the policy that makes the im-
migrant a problem, the use of immigration
for political aims. We must denounce here the
denial of reality by numerous politics and an
important majority of the Finns.
A Black African, isnt it, is surely not smart,
nor cultured. He certainly has some good
sides: he is cheerful, childlike, good at sports
and dances (wild and rhythmic), but is espe-
cially a third-world citizen that compensates
his lacks by an oversized limb....everybody
knows it. I guess this is likely what many
Finns are thinking. And if the black was noth-
ing more than a white man with black skin?
Think about it!
In Finland, Black African intellectuals are fed
up of amalgams, fed up of the uproar and the
politician treatment of such a sensible topic as
Black African Integration in the Labor market.
They are surprised of not being involved in de-
bates related to immigration and integration.
There is always a risk of communitarianism
or assimilation from groups who feel excluded.
We cannot say Black Africans have an envi-
ous status in Finland, regardless the liabilities
of each and everyone. The solution lies in the
need to enact clear laws to ensure equity and
equality of chances. We must not confuse com-
munity (a group made of members with similar
characteristics) and communitarianism. What
is also needed is an affirmative action through
mass education. People must be educated and
must trained themselves to know that Black
does not mean any negative connotation, that
with equal educational backgrounds, everyone
(including Blacks) should aspire to the same
consideration when seeking for a job. By deny-
ing the reality and poking up frustrations, the
6
Finnish politics and government are therefore
entertaining a clear mismatch between their
immigration and integration policies, and are
brooding a social bomb that may explode in a
couple of years. Remember the riots in Los An-
geles in 1992, during which African-Americans,
who felt disadvantaged, ransacked and burned
the town or more recently the dramatic riots
that engulfed France in November 2005 and in
2007. Because as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther
King said: A riot is the language of the
unheard. But I wish, we would not reach
such a step. The point here is to design strong
policies to support integration of immigrants
in general, instead of continuing to form intel-
lectuals that will become socially soured.
In conclusion, it then becomes obvious that
there is Black problem in Finland. Further-
more, the Finnish politics and parliamentari-
ans (from the left, right, center, etc) are not
stranger to these problems. They have never
developed a consistent strategy and concept
on how to cope with the huge challenge posed
by the integration of thousands of culturally,
socially and linguistically foreign men and
women into this countrys increasingly com-
petitive economy and society. Worse, for years
they have denied a reality and only lately al-
lowed for an open political debate about the
questions, the problems and challenges linked
to the immigration and integration of immi-
grants, and of Black African in particular who
are not only discriminate because they are for-
eigners, but also because of their skin color.
I hope this paper will inaugurate a new stage
in the approach of the Black African immigra-
tion in Finland. Roughly speaking, the latter
is increasingly reduced to the image of the il-
legal immigrant or the criminal. The focus
on Black African immigration in particular has
built a broad consensus among various politi-
cal conceptions, sometimes divergent on issues
related to foreigners. Curiously this carica-
ture has produced a widening of the audience
groups and political parties that tend to make
immigration a major theme of Finnish polit-
ical environment and immigrants scapegoats.
It is important for Finns to understand that
the equation poverty = Black African emi-
gration to Finland is not demonstrated, that
it is not the most wretched that emigrate. To
migrate legally or illegally, you need money,
thousands of Euros.
Thus, mainly trying to buckle down the de-
nunciation of an illegal immigration in gen-
eral that should be suppressed while inte-
grating legal Black African immigrants be-
comes a political trap that allow to impose
on all protagonists of the Finnish public life
(wether anti- or pro-immigration) the frame-
work and rules of a political debate; polit-
ical debate within which fierced xenophobes
and numerous sincere democrats are sinking
into a logic of demonization of the immigra-
tion, in particular the Black African one, with
as a direct consequence the hardening in the
grant of visas to persons with Black African
origin. This explains for example the dras-
tic decrease in the intake into Finnish univer-
sities and visas grant to students from sub-
Sahara African countries. In order to tackle
the problems of immigration effectively, inte-
gration policies and institutions need to be fo-
cused in areas which experience most immigra-
tion. The variety of experiences with immi-
gration depends on the existence of vital local
traditions and the capacity to accommodate
differences with a widespread tolerance, some-
times verging on indifference. How much Black
African immigrants and Finns must adapt to
each other is not clearly defined, but a purely
theoretical definition could be detrimental.
While it has become commonplace to index the
immigration of African descents as being one
of the main causes of the ills of Finland to-
day (delinquency, crime, etc), it seems, and I
believe that it is necessary to go through and
say without fear that the future of Finland will
also be written with people of African origin,
some like it or not.
7
3 Black African Immigration
in Finland: An Illusion of
Integration
For nearly twenty years, the official policy of
successive governments in Finland with regard
to immigration, is integration. It is around
this concept that were conducted numerous
national or local public policies: urban poli-
cies, housing, school, fight against exclusion,
communities social integration strategies, etc.
Hundreds of reports have been accumulated,
hundreds of associations were subsidized, hun-
dreds of thousands of euros have been spent.
For what results?
Asking the question is legitimate. Because
that word integration, constantly repeated, is
not just a slogan. It is also a concept that
has a meaning in sociology: The fact that the
minorities through their choices, preferences,
attitudes, behaviors and opinions get close to
the majoritory, i.e. the Finns.
What about the Black African commu-
nity?
Just observe the Finnish society to acknowl-
edge what is obvious: immigrants from Black
Africa are very far from being integrated. On
the contrary, the reality is that of a minor-
ity that makes itself more and more visible
through behaviors and choices that daily move
it away from those of the Finns.
The present study will make no value judg-
ments: it wont be to stigmatize Black African
immigrants who show a well explainable and
growing attachment in their native cultures,
nor to condemn Finns that could be guilty of
preferring, not without reason, the proximity
of their likes in the choice of their houses loca-
tions, their leasures or their work colleagues.
In contrast to preconceived ideas conveyed
by the media and some political parties, our
analysis will be based on experimental steps
and true facts. The conclusion will be drawn
both from a qualitative assessment of situa-
tions but also, whenever possible, on an objec-
tification, quantification of the observed phe-
nomena: most often from official documents
and sources close to Black African immigrants
networks, without refrain to use other sources
of evidence.
3.1 Black Africans in Finland: A mi-
nority more and more important
and observable
An observable community is a community
not belonging to the autochtonous population
(Finns), that is different from the latter by its
skin color, by the behavior it adopts and the
practices it externalizes. The multiplication of
places of worship peculiar to Black Africans,
the frequent presence of more and more women
wearing the Islamic veil, the recent boom of
mixed Afro-Finnish couples that led to an ex-
ponential increase of the number of mixed race
children, the multiplication of African stores
are some factors, that support the authors as-
sertion. The objection that these observations
should be kept on the sidelines is not admissi-
ble:
First, because the very concept of ob-
servable minority refers to a sense: the
eyesight, and therefore a subjective per-
ception that is an element of reality.
Then, because it is possible to objectify,
albeit imperfectly, these observations.
3.2 The ambiguities of the economic
and social integration
De facto, numerous Black African immigrants
are participating to the development process
of Finland. Plenty of them are found in news-
paper delivery, dishwashing, cleaning, nurs-
ing and their presence is slightly increasing in
the domain of IT. Governmental statistics pre-
sented a high ratio of Black African within the
labor market. However, this view deserves to
be doubly qualified:
First, because the full participation of
immigrants in the development process
does not necessarily mean their com-
plete integration: Quite the contrary, the
8
Africanization of behaviors, the bridal
strategies (choice of African partners
while one want to get married for real)
also concern a great number of Black
Africans experiencing academic or pro-
fessional success.
Secondly, though many Black Africans
are known to be economically inte-
grated through the secondary type of
jobs they are doing, the ratio number
of Black Africans doing a skilled job
over Black African degree holders is ex-
tremely low; and one may even say the
more skilled a Black African is, the less
chances he will have to be hired.
3.3 And What About the Respon-
sibilities of the Black Africans
with regard to the Present Sit-
uation?
I am from here (Finland), but I am coming
from there (his home country in Africa), said
one black African to a Finn, after the latter
ask him where he was from. Original answer,
isnt it? But what are the black Africans really
doing to integrate the Finnish society? Are
they faultless with regard to their fragile in-
tegration? Why the Black African intellectu-
als dont go back to their home countries after
graduation? etc.
The obsession of the I am, I remain is very
widespread in the Black African community
overseas (outside Africa). The reason is sim-
ple: many black Africans show little excite-
ment and interest at the prospect of return-
ing to politically and economically unstable
countries. Moreover, returning home may be
seen as a failure, unless you may have got-
ten a job that will financially allow you to take
care of your enlarged kinship. Until recently,
African governments did not seem to be exces-
sively concerned about the lack of skilled la-
bor, while development funding agencies often
aggravated the problem by requiring recipient
countries to hire expatriates as a condition to
grant the loans. In addition, politicians were
telling their compatriots who have chosen to
work and live abroad that they were not patri-
ots. But the soaring of emigration of the few
skilled workers and the serious shortcomings of
the continent in terms of human resources have
led many to change their minds. However,
these statements of interest must be trans-
lated into actions and deeper issues must be re-
solved before the brain drain can be stemmed.
Africans are eager to return home and partic-
ipate in its development, but their aspirations
are seriously compromised by careless govern-
ment whose priorities ignore their welfare
Programs to fight against the brain drain do
exist and are intended to repatriate African in-
tellectuals in their home countries or to bring
them in other African countries. The chal-
lenge for the organizations involved in these
returns, is to attract a greater number of can-
didates. The Program of reintegration of qual-
ified African citizens managed by the Interna-
tional Organization for Migration (IOM), from
1983 till nowadays, has managed to bring back
less than 5000 people in 11 African countries
participating in the program. But the big
problem is that such a program is very ex-
pensive. Some African expatriates may wish
to repatriate all their family members. Others
may request salaries comparable to what they
(may) earn in countries where they emigrated,
together with state-of-the-art technological re-
sources. Another difficulty lies in the fact that
repatriation does only bring back the expatri-
ate, not the network of resources to which it is
attached.
Roughly speaking, Finland has an almost zero
profitability arising from the investment that
is made on black African students. The lat-
ter study for free and the final recipients are
more often Canada, USA, Great Britain or
Germany. Only a few numbers of black African
graduates get a job in Finland or return to the
fold. A great majority is channeled towards
dishwashing, newspapers distribution or clean-
ing (no matter the academic level, i.e. Bache-
lor degree holders, Master degree holders, En-
gineers, Ph.D.). A study has demonstrated
that a significant amount of these graduates ig-
9
nore the basics and the tricks about job hunt-
ing in general (CV and Cover letter editing,
attitude during jobs interview, the specificities
of the Finnish labor market, ). Worse, plenty
of them do not even visit the labor office before
or after graduation. WHY?
The problem with a large majority of blacks in
Finland is that they have not yet found their
place in the Finnish society, because they have
not yet been able to conquer it and because
they believe that someone will serve it to them.
Such a degree of laxity is reprehensible because
even the idea that the Finns and their govern-
ment are the only one who should think of and
resolve the problems of integration of the black
Africans is completely absurd. Africans should
not be away from the debate, therefore the
need of African intellectual associations. For
more than two decades, African associations
have mainly resumed themselves to tribal and
cultural associations, whose primary aims are,
respectively, to promote ethnicity and to dis-
play the physical abilities of their members in
so called African dances (not a bad thing in-
deed), or to serve some kind of personal inter-
ests which I prefer not to mention here. I am
of the opinion that the times of the slave trade
are bygone days, where dances were the only
moments of joy, freedom and reverence. To-
day, the fight is different, is intellectual and re-
quires an active participation of all the people
with Black origins living in Finland, including
the half-breeds and all the Finns who share our
pain and worries. The pride of the black race is
at stake. Moreover, one is entitled to call into
question the social role of thereligious lead-
ers in the emancipation of the African dias-
pora in Finland, just like Minister Louis Far-
rakhan Muhammad, Dr.Rev. Martin Luther
King or Jessy Jackson in the USA. It is not
surprising that, to avert the financial and spir-
itual poverty that marginalizes their congrega-
tions, many individuals of African origin have
found vocation as pastors for the sole purpose
of providing for their needs, vegetating in a life
of humiliating expedients (swindle, traffics on
worships fees, drains on collections and tithe,
). Finland is nowadays a new market cov-
eted by spiritual barons followers and African
evangelists, who claim to fight poverty in favor
of prosperity, with real fake miracles and wild
dreams. I will remind it again, as the African
proverb says: When you do not know where
youre going, look where you came from. As
John Ruskin said: What we think, or what
we know, or what we believe is, in the end,
of little consequence. The only consequence is
what we do.
So to my African mates I will say weve not got
time to clown around. By working together, we
can achieve a common vision for the emergence
of a new elite of black Africans in Finland and I
am absolutely convinced that together we can
get it right. INDEED WE CAN.
For my BROTHERS2
The integration is primarily personal. No Finn
forced us to come to Finland. For most of us,
we came here on our own free will. We have
duties and obligations towards this society and
we must be respectful of its values, while main-
taining and respecting our cultures, which are
also our identities. Many of us are ashamed
of what we are, I mean neekeri: shame on
them. If you want to stay in Finland, then
speak Finnish, because we will likely disap-
prove the attitude of a foreigner moving into
our countries and denying to or persisting
in not to speak our languages or to respect
our ways and customs. It would be disrespect-
ful. Let us not throw a line to our detractors
and critics, let us put the odds on our side
and may God the almighty be on our side, be-
cause only he knows why he has guided us so
far. Let us gather and aim at a common goal:
our integration, the promotion of the Black
man label. Let us not forget where we come
from, not forget our values (solidarity, com-
munity spirit, social cohesion, mutual support,
love and respect of the stranger, ); qualities
that should logically facilitate our integration.
It is our duty to ensure the transmission of
these values to future generations. Despite the
numerous problems we experience daily due to
2
Black Africans
10
our skin color, we must remain worthy sons
of our continent, Africa. Intellectual qualities,
we definitely have some, because under similar
academic conditions, we are able to perform
like anyone else. We are very far from what
certain individuals would like to present us, an
inferior race with low IQs. We have a lot to
offer to Finland and I hope we will be given
a chance to prove it in other fields than dish-
washing, cleaning or newspapers delivery.
4 Discussion and Concluding
remarks
Although Finland has integrated and contin-
ues to integrate successive waves of migrants
from diverse backgrounds, we are given to see
that the integration of people of African ori-
gin remains a sensitive issue that deserves a
deeper analysis because of the double discrim-
ination faced by the concerned : Discrimina-
tion as a foreigner, discrimination due to the
skin color. However, the author would like to
remind that the phenomena of black African
migration to Finland are closely linked to eco-
nomic and political problems, and most often
correspond, despite their size, to individual de-
cisions rather than political strategies.
In terms of integration, the author wishes
to emphasize that under this very term,
approaches, policies and various stakes are
openned to misinterpretation: foreigners wel-
come, the insertion of people of foreign origin,
the fight against discrimination,
How to tackle the integration of people
with Black African origin? is Integration
a public policy or a cultural, historical,
social process?.... which has two dimen-
sions, individual or collective, or both?
What meaning should we append to the
word Integration? For some, it is mixed up
with assimilation as if the Finnish society is
not been shaped through successive gener-
ations of immigrants. For others, a position
shared by the author, integration is the ability
of a community to ensure its cohesion by bring-
ing together the different elements that com-
pose it around common values and standards,
thus giving the means for everyone to find his
place in the community and be a full and ac-
tive player. This definition opens prospects of
recognition by the Finnish society, of the speci-
ficities and differences, provided that the rules
of general interest are respected by all. It al-
lows respect for foreign cultures and mutual
enrichment while striving continuously for so-
cial cohesion. Forms of integration are chang-
ing between generations: For the first genera-
tions it has mainly be economic but not social
or cultural, while for the future generations it
will be social and cultural, not economic. ...
hence the need to be careful on these issues
and not to generalize. Hence the need of a
real national integration strategy.
It will be of great interest to review some con-
11
ditions of the Living together theory within
a multicultural environment. The grounds of
an integration strategy are based on the know
and recognize. At first sight, it seems the
Finnish model society is based on a mixed
development but rejects the idea of recognition
of Black African minorities and community
development. Yet, it is clear that integration
is a process and that, as such, it takes time.
It is about finding a new balance between the
recognition of cultural differences, the respect
of the principles of the Finnish society, the be-
longing to the same society and the contribu-
tions of each racial group as enrichment fac-
tors. Therefore, there is a strong need to re-
think and develop new ideas on the concepts
of immigration / integration and their trans-
lation in terms of public policies: One must
leave the stereotypes!