Finland?s
SixDegrees
english language magazine
michael
monroe
Rocking and
rolling legend
Page 16
christine
chang
Helping Finland
retain expat skills
page 6
education
for export
Local learning
abroad
Page 12
Issue 08/2013 www.6d.fi 26.09.?23.10.2013
A
place to play
for
children
O
ffering an everyday
meeting place for
children ? including
those under one year
old ? and their families, the City
of Helsinki contains numerous
Play Parks.
Used by around 2,000
children and 600 adults daily,
these parks are a place of
play, upbringing and learning,
representing a safe afternoon
location for schoolchildren.
?In Helsinki there are almost
70 Play Parks all over the city,?
states Mikko Mäkelä from the
City of Helsinki?s Department
of Early Education and Care.
?In Play Parks there are open
activities for children and
families, including music, arts
and sports.?
Play Parks are used by around 2,000 children and 600 adults daily.
Something for everybody
Free of charge, Play Parks are for all children and are open for 7-8 hours each day. Painting
sessions are on offer for babies, as well as music and rhythmic exercises for children and
families ? even those with a child below one year of age. Also, all Play Parks have outdoor
toys for smaller children, such as sandboxes and
slides, with schoolchildren aged 7-10 arriving in the
afternoon.
Play Parks also act as a district information point.
They offer different kinds of family support, such
as maternity training groups, early support and
preventive action for families with children.
?The Parks have an integrated multicultural point
of view in all our services,? Mäkelä explains. ?For
example we have the Ota Koppi! project, together
with child health care clinics and schools, that
supports language learning and the participation
of multicultural children.?
Furthermore, did you know that every resident
has the right to have a place for their child at a
kindergarten? Day care services should be applied
for no later than four months before needed.
Applications for municipal day care, preschool
education, club activities and outsourced day care
services are submitted electronically and remain
valid for one year.
For more information on parks and services for the little ones:
www.hel.fi ? Day care and education ? Early Childhood Care and Education Department
More info (in Finnish) on Ota Koppi!: http://www.otakoppi-ohjelma.fi/
Starters
4
Issue 08 2013
Top 5
Luckan
things on our
mind this month...
Summer dreams that refuse to fade
Still after mid-September, you were able to spot
young and youngish individuals in shorts on the
streets of a Central Finland city. When you read
this, if the weather is good, have a look around:
surely no more shorts when October lands on us
? one could promise to eat one?s own at the sight
of others still wearing theirs.
Healthcare and healthcare
There is no denying it is disconcerting to see a
public health nurse do a check-up and ponder
upon laboratory tests, and less than one hour
later a private GP doing checks and spotting the
problem (sinusitis discovered with ultrasound) in
just ten minutes. Well, go figure.
Beer for brunch
OK, so this is another much-covered topic, but
nevertheless, at the sight of a young man in his
prime sipping non-descript lager on a bus stop
before half eleven in the morning, one would love
to try and talk him out of it, if there was no danger
of getting a pointed boot somewhere in the midriff. DEAR YOUTH, DON?T BINGE-DRINK YOUR
DAYS AWAY! Seeing it makes old dinosaurs hurt.
Can?t Live Without You
That is a grotesque love song title. Even ?more
horrible is that it rings true. Between 2003 and
2010, female homicide victims who were ?done
in? by their spouses or exes accounted for twothirds of all women killed in Finland (Source:
National Research Institute of Legal Policy). ?If I
can?t have you, River Styx will.? Brrrrrrrrr?
Love at the Registry Office
No chime on the church bells, instead a beep
on the queue management system: on Yliopistonkatu in Jyväskylä, you will regularly come
across couples about to take the plunge, dressed
for the occasion. The City?s Registry Office is situated there. For bystanders, all this looks more fun
than eloping to Vegas!
Mika Oksanen
Word on the
street
What?s your all-time best
travel experience?
Recently I took a very nice bike-trip around
Espoo. I went with a group of friends and we were
skateboarding and staff like that. We didn?t go too
far away because I am a really bad biker, and my
ass was hurting so much the whole time.
Nicholas (26)
My last trip to Iceland, where I stayed for three
months in the summertime. I like the amazing
landscapes there, and the weird staff you can find
in nature
Tiina (30)
I was travelling in Cuba for six weeks and that
was amazing because it?s a very nice and warm
country; people there are really friendly. It was just
great.
Teesa (22)
I have been in Asia one time for five months, and
it was a great experience. I been to everywhere
there, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, China?and
I would specially recommend Indonesia.
Lotfi (21)
Compiled by Eva Blanco.
(left to right) Liselott
Sundbäck, Tina
Rehnström, Ann-Jolin
Grüne (Arbis) and
Anders Derefalk.
Where to find Swedish in the
Capital Region?
Y
ou may remember that the last issue of 6D shed light on
the Finland-Swedish population and Swedish language in
Finland. Now you might be wondering where and how to find
Swedish in the Capital region. Well, stay tuned! There are actually
several Finland-Swedish actors working for a more multicultural
Finland-Swedish society, with the two major ones to keep an
eye out for being: Luckan - The Finland-Swedish Information
and Culture Center and the Swedish Adult Education Center in
Helsinki (Helsingfors arbis).
In 2008, in order to meet growing demand from the immigrant
population for Swedish integration, as well as enquiries about
work, study and free time opportunities in general, Luckan opened
an information point in Forum, Helsinki.
Offering a one-stop shop for information and advice, recent years
have seen Luckan expanding into the field of integration. Looking
beyond the information and advice desk, here job hunting courses,
language cafés and excursions are also arranged. Furthermore,
you can also call on a personal mentor to help you getting settled
in society; someone who shares your field of education, work
experience or hobbies. Thus the tricky task of creating your
network here has begun!
In addition to being the leading Adult Educations Center
providing Swedish courses, Arbis pioneered the first integration
programme in the Capital region in Swedish that emerged in 2012.
Last year 12 students took part in the programme and this year
the number increased by 20 new students. Self-motivated studies,
the programme includes Swedish and Finnish language training,
Finnish history and society as well as career and study counseling.
Both Luckan and Arbis has taken active roles in opening up the
Finland-Swedish community to international folks in recent years.
A valuable tool in this is the Courses, Social Life and Programmes
manual that gives information on where to find language courses
and associations in Swedish. You can grab a printed copy from
Luckan. Together with Arbis and Luckans services, the manual
functions as a door opener to the Finland-Swedish society in the
Capital Region. Step inside, it?s cosy here!
Want to know more?
Check out:
?
?
?
bridge.luckan.fi
fika.luckan.fi
arbis.hel.fi
Finnish After Dark
Learning the Finnish they don?t teach in school
David Brown and Mimmu Takalo
Finnish: Mummotunneli
English: The Grandma Tunnel (literal)
It is nice that older people have somewhere to go at night, even if the idea of people our parents? age getting laid is not something
we want to think about too closely. For years Mummotunneli has been the place to go on a Saturday night if you are over 40, single,
and not particularly fussy. A cluster of vaguely pleasant bars off Helsinki?s Mikonkatu do a good trade in cheap champagne, largely
paid for by men who should know better. Any woman under 30 appearing will get free drinks all night, but may have to pay to have
the saliva cleaned from those shoes.
?
?
?
?
Mennääks bilettään huomenna?
Joo, mut ei mihinkään Mummotunneliin tällä kertaa!
Miks ei? Viimekshän oli tosi hauska ilta. Me oltiin varmasti nuorimmat muijat siellä!
Joo, mut kaikki äijätkin oli jotain viiskymppisiä...
?
?
?
?
Are you going to that party tomorrow?
Yes, but we?re not going to the Grandma Tunnel this time!
Why not? It was fun last time! We were the youngest people there!
Yah, but all the guys were in their fifties!
Starters
5
SixDegrees
What?s in a name?
puuikibeach
Banafsheh Ranji
Finnish names, like other names around the world, have interesting meanings and origins. The
origins mostly vary among Greek, German, English, Estonian and Finnish ones.
In terms of the names with Greek origin, Kari is a male name and shortened from the Greek Christian
name Makari, which in turn originates from Greek Makarios which means ?happy? or ?blissful?.
Katariina, a female name, comes originally from the Greek name Aikatherinee, meaning ?always pure?.
Pekka, a male name, is derived from the old Finnish name Petrus, which in turn comes from the Greek
name Petros and means ?rock?.
For the names with Finnish origins, Uljas is a female name and means ?gallant? or ?valiant?. Seppo,
a male name, comes from the Finnish national epic Kalevala and is an alternative spelling of the
word seppä, a smith. Urho is a male name and comes from the Finnish word urhea, which means
?courageous?.
There are also some names that have other origins than Finnish and Greek. Kai is a popular name
that originates from the Roman first name Caius, which in ancient Latin was pronounced Gaius. Sirja
is derived from the Estonian name Sirje, which in turn comes from a traditional poem. Tony, a male
name, is originally an English name shortened from Anthony.
Ulla is a female name derived from Ulrika, and Danish and German sources mention Ursula as
its root. Pirjo, a female name, originally is from Birgitta, which is an alternate spelling for Brigida,
meaning ?strength, power and highness?. Brigantia was an Irish goddess of fire and light.
Meanwhile, a total of 96 new names are set to enter the annual calendar of name days in 2015
offereing parents a whole swag of possibilities in future to dub the apple of their eyes.
Most popular baby names in 2012
Girls
1. Ella
2. Sofia
3. Emma
4. Aada
5. Aino
Boys
6. Venla
7. Helmi
8. Emilia
9. Siiri
10. Sara
1. Onni
2. Elias
3. Eetu
4. Leo
5. Aleksi
6. Niilo
7. Veeti
8. Oliver
9. Joona
10. Eino
Finnish
heavy
weights
Recent news has it that Finns
are now the most overweight of
the Nordic nations, just ahead
of Iceland, YLE reports. Those
living in proximity of Helsinki
boast the slimmest waistlines
in the country, things loosen
up beyond the Capital Region,
with the largest residents living
in the northern and eastern
regions of the country.
Every fifth Finn is obese,
with a Body Mass Index
(BMI) located north of 30.
Anyone with a score over 25 is
considered to be overweight.
Worryingly, the same statistic of
one in five being overweight is
evident with local school kids.
2
3
4
5
10 October is the birthday of the national writer Aleksis Kivi,
and is also celebrated as the Day of Finnish literature.
Sarrah Kassem
While many travel to Luxor and
Aswan to experience ancient
Egyptian civilization and others turn
to Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada for some Red Sea diving and
snorkeling, the historic city of Cairo has histroically been a popular
stop on any vacation. One must only learn to navigate through
Egyptian traffic to take a trip through history, as the city now
houses around 18 million inhabitants and was recently ranked
number one on the list of cities that never sleep.
Cairo is home to the Great Pyramids of Giza (Khufu, Khafre and
Menkaure) and the Sphinx, the step pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara
and the Red and Bent Pyramids at Dahshur. Many have enjoyed
taking a camel or a horse ride from there through the desert. It is
then best to finish off the chapter of ancient Egyptian civilization
with a visit to the Egyptian Museum in the heart of Cairo, as it
displays statues, weapons, jewelry (also Tutankhamun?s gold
belongings), daily items and mummies of common ancient
Egyptians and royal pharaohs.
1
7
Cairo
James O?Sullivan
How well do you know literature in Finnish?
6
Tell me about your
city...
?
Local names have a variety of origins..
1. book
5. read
2. library
6. poem
3. fennoman
7. language
4. literature
One can then move through history by taking a trip through
Old Cairo, in which Coptic, Jewish and Islamic history can be
observed. There one can visit the Ben Ezra Synagogue, the 4th
century Coptic Orthodox Hanging Church and 7th century Amribn-el-As Mosque. Afterwards one can take a short taxi ride to
the Saladin Citadel and the Azhar Park, a beautiful green area
amidst urban Cairo. Close to the area is the Khan El-Khalili souq,
a market that has existed for more than seven centuries back at
the time of the Turkish ruling Mamluks. This is where one can buy
the best souvenirs and enjoy some good Egyptian food. One can
then end the historic trip with a stop at Tahrir Square (Liberation
Square) which can be added as a must-see location after the
demonstrations against President Mubarak and later Morsi.
Cairo, however, is not just beautiful for its history, but also for
its atmosphere. So make sure not to forget to enjoy the city on
a felouka (boat) ride through the world?s longest river, the Nile.
One can then go to the island Zamalek to visit the Cairo Tower
for a great view over the city and later on enjoy a nice dinner and
Egyptian music by the river at night.
Test your knowledge of Finnish vocabulary by using the local equivalent.
Puzzle by Eva Peltonen. Solutions on page 23.
Grande Finale
4.10. Savoy-teatterissa
Liput 12/8 ? www.lippupalvelu.fi
caisa.kulttuurikeskus
yhteistyössä
6
We Met
Issue 08 2013
The
Taiwanese incantation
Although she has recently dedicated her career to conducting policy research on the
quality of life of the foreign community in the Central Baltic Sea Region (CBSR), these
days, Christine Chang doesn?t feel that much of an expat here anymore.
Text Eva Blanco, images Thomas Poole
C
HRISTINE Chang is still undecided: the pink
dress or the black dress? The first one is
colourful and bright. Certainly it will stand
out in the forest, where we have decided to carry
out her photoshoot. However, the second one,
ankle-long and plain, except for a couple of floral
details popping out in salmon and green that
add a touch of sophistication to this traditional
Chinese garment, is more her. Both have been
tailor-made in Taiwan. While the pink one was
ordered when she was in her early 20s, the black
number seems to be a more recent acquisition.
Chang feels the latter represents reaching a stage
of maturity in her life. In the end it is suggested
she should try both, and let the camera decide ?
just to subsequently find out that, by the hand of
fate, it will be her great sense of humour, moreso
than the dresses, that captivates the lens.
The manager of the Expat-project, a twoyear EU-funded initiative that seeks to retain
foreign skills in Finland, Chang sits down with
SixDegrees to share her thoughts on a wide range
of topics, including the immigration policy in
Finland and her own adaptation process to the
country ? a fascinating journey that ends with
her surrounded by the Finnish wilderness, the
place to which she now belongs.
When did you come to Finland?
I moved to Finland in 2006 for love. I met a
gorgeous Finnish man. After two years of a long
distance relationship, we realised that one of us
had to move if we want to be together, and then
here I am. It was a quite big cultural shock when I
got here! [laughs] I come from a culture based on
collectiveness: we spend a lot of time surrounded
by friends and family. So just after moving
to Finland everything was good and nice, it
happened to be summertime and the world was
fantastic. Of course, then the winter came and it
also took me some time, nine months concretely,
to find a job. It was a bit of a struggle the first
couple of years until I settled down here.
What is your professional background and
education?
I studied journalism for my bachelor?s, and I then
changed to international politics for my master?s
degree. My thesis was about Finland and the EU?s
relationship in terms of how Finland has taken
advantage of its leverage in the international
arena. By the time I decided to focus my thesis
on Finland I was already dating my partner. Also,
my thesis advisor was a prestigious authority on
small state diplomacy. He suggested that I should
concentrate on Poland or Finland. I thought the
latter was a better option given that I already had
some personal connection with the country.
Do you see some similarities between
Finland and Taiwan?
Yes, I do. Finland has been a quite popular case
for Taiwan to look at the small state diplomacy,
because we both have been occupied by strong
states and have had to survive surrounded by
big powers. Finland has had to struggle quite
hard if you look at its history, such as when the
country had to go through the Winter War and
the Continuation War. And it succeeds through
endurance of its people, strong leaderships and a
flexible diplomatic approach.
Date and place of birth: Born in Taiwan, and age
is a woman?s secret..
Family: I have one beautiful two-year-old boy,
a male golden retriever and a Finnish man at
home.
Education: Master?s degree in international
affairs.
When I was a small girl I?wished to become a
president.
The best part of being an expat is?you can be
who you are and ignore what other people think
of you.
My breakfast consists of?coffee and rahka.
A book that I especially enjoyed recently is?
The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho.
You know that you have become a Finn when?
you can stay isolated in a cottage for three weeks
in a row.
How did your first years in Finland pass by?
What did you miss the most from Chinese
culture?
The change of life itself is not terrifying, but
ignorance is. As I said, back home people normally
spend a lot of time with friends, colleagues and
family, so the social life was one of the things I
really missed. Having said that, in the first couple
of years, while I was still trying to establish myself
here, I naively thought that friendship comes as
a result of fate, as we Taoists believe. At that time
I didn?t wonder how that would work when I
basically have to start everything from scratch in
a new country. Consequently I ended up feeling
lonely and losing confidence in myself as I didn?t
have any close friends. I was holding onto a life
that was 8,000 kilometres away from Finland and
forgot that my life is here.
How did you manage to land your first job
here?
I was really lucky. I went to an international
conference on the topic of globalisation in
autumn 2006. And, guess what, I was the only
participant from Asia in the room. During
the event, a very interesting and wise man
approached me and asked what I was doing there.
He introduced himself ? Jan-Henrik Johansson
from Uudenmaanliitto (Uusimaa Regional
Council) who later shed lights to me to land
my first job in Finland and from there I became
one of his colleagues in the Council. Jan-Henrik
retired a couple of years ago but I have been very
grateful for his kindness and mentorship which
helped me to make up the gap of transition
from Taiwan to Finland. If every foreigner could
find a mentor like him ? to generously teach a
newcomer about the Finnish culture, system and
profound professional knowledge ? I am sure
expats? on-boarding experience will be much
more efficient and easier.
Tell us about the Expat-project you have
been involved with.
The issue of labour immigration is becoming a
hot topic in Finland in recent times due to the
increasing number of immigrants who come
here to work and study. Our interest was to gain
more knowledge on the issue from the expats?
perspective; how they perceive the quality of life
in the region and which kind of services have
been established for them. The Expat-project has
conducted a lot of research. We have done case
studies on the best examples of talent retention
services, for instance from Holland, Sweden and
Canada. We also have workshops to collect inputs
for service development from internationals.
Then, one of the things that has given a common
and solid structure to the different investigative
tools we have used is Maslow?s hierarchy of needs.
We tried to catalogue the services available for
the expat community according to their own
needs ? from the most basic physiological ones
to the most sophisticated, such as self-esteem or
self-actualisation. We were curious to see how far
our society can go to guarantee the fulfilment of
all of them.
The Expat-project also developed a survey
to measure the degree of satisfaction expats
have with the services available for them
in the Central Baltic Sea Region (CBSR).
It revealed that a majority of the foreign
respondents feel like outsiders in Helsinki.
What do you think about this?
Actually, it?s not just in Helsinki. When we
take a close look at the results from all cities of
different size and characteristics, there are a lot
of similarities among the answers we collected.
Whether in Stockholm or Tallinn, everybody
is encountering the same problem. Comparing
these results we realised that, when it comes to
Maslow?s pyramid, the weakest part is always the
level containing the social needs and belongings.
Almost every single expat who responded to the
survey doesn?t feel they are part of society.
How important is it for public authorities to
help expats improve their feeling of social
belonging?
Nowadays most of the countries that concentrate
a higher population of immigrants have
more advantages in economic development
demography in comparison to those that present
a homogeneous community. These countries
achieve better with utilising international knowhow on the grounds of an open-minded attitude
to immigration through acceptance and tolerance.
As a foreigner you can have a great job or a
big house, but if you don?t see yourself actively
contributing to the social arena in your country
of residence, or feeling accepted by others for
who you are, then as a whole, your quality of life
won?t be good and you will remain an outsider.
While examining current immigration policy
in Finland, certainly language and employment
are priorities as language is the key to a culture
and employment generates economic benefits
to the expats themselves and to the society. As
for governmental intuitions, one should keep
in mind that a better immigration policy is not
only related to economic factors. Countries that
succeed in attracting global talents embrace
and celebrate the diversity of society and also
support expats to build their social connections
and networks in the local community with the
immigration policy.
Considering the knowledge of English being
widely spread among the locals, to what
extent would you say that learning Finnish is
important for integration in the country?
Well, somehow this question brings to my mind
the chicken-egg dilemma [laughs]. Actually,
in our questionnaire outcome we have found
correlations between the language abilities and
the perception of life quality. Those foreigners
who rated their language skills higher turned
out to be happier. On the other hand, while we
are talking about the internationalisation of
companies or industries, I would encourage
companies to hire internationals even though
they cannot speak Finnish. The local language
should not be a prerequisite for finding the right
employee, it is compensated by their global ? or
local ? know-how. However, when it comes to
feeling more deeply connected to society, feeling
you are actively contributing to the public sphere,
then I personally believe that for expats, learning
the language is a must. In my own case I am
constantly struggling with Finnish, but I can see
all the benefits coming from that struggle: little
by little, I start to understand Finnish humour,
and who said Finns don?t tell jokes? [laughs].
What would you say are the most interesting
conclusions of the two-year research
developed by the Expat-project?
In Finland, social integration hasn?t been one of
the priorities in the political agenda so far. As
a result of the project we have discovered weak
communication and coordination among the
actors contributing to the network of services
and soft-landing services for foreigners. There
is also a significant lack of connection among
locals and internationals.
So, one of the things that I would like to see
is the issue of talent retention being more and
more present within the public sphere. Hopefully,
the conclusions of the project will be taken into
account by the political authorities and they will
grant it the relevance that it deserves at the policy
level too. We need to conceive a holistic approach
to it: from the moment somebody decides to
move to Finland, what kind of services he or she
would need and how we should organise our
services to support their long-term stay so they
can live here happily ever after.
Immigration policy and integration services
constitute a complex ecosystem. It?s not easy to
coordinate a joint effort with all the government
institutions, employers and the third sector,
among others. But it needs to be done in order
to facilitate the retention of foreign talent and
expertise in the country. Finland has to be
proud of those people who decide upon it as a
life destination. In that sense, we need to think
of how to provide a softer landing for them. In
We Met
7
SixDegrees
?A
s a foreigner you can have
a great job or a big house,
but if you don?t see yourself actively
contributing to the social arena in
your country of residence, then as
a whole, your quality of life won?t be
good and you will remain an outsider.?
order to be more efficient, services should be
customised depending on the reasons that the
person has for moving. The world is constantly
changing, and so is Finland. It?s time for us to
catch up and react to it.
Excluding all these bureaucratic aspects,
what part of the integration process relies
solely on the attitude of the person and the
welcoming capacity of the local community?
Of course, a positive personal attitude is
fundamental in order to complete a successful
integration process. The majority of foreigners
I talk to really enjoy their Finnish friends.
Maybe one of the first challenges you find
when meeting new locals is that the way of
understanding personal communication can
vary a lot here. Finns are generally shy, less
talkative and don?t perceive moments of silence
as necessarily awkward. For them it is probably
shocking when they see some foreigners talk a
lot and in a much louder tone.
So I would say it?s a two-sided process. Foreigners
need to make an effort to adapt, and Finns have
to understand how enriching it is to have people
with different cultures and backgrounds living in
the same society. We need to learn to know each
other and grow together.
You are a successful foreign professional
with a consolidated life in Finland. How
would you say you are perceived by Finnish
society?
Well, I am not successful compared to
many others. [laughs] Though I am very
demanding of myself in the sense that, I am
constantly questioning whether I am doing a
good job and how I can do better. In Finland,
sometimes it?s very difficult to get feedback
for your work. I have to say that I have been
quite lucky to have a superior who gives
genuine feedbacks. With regards to the rest of
society, I cannot say if my job is being highly
considered or not, since the topic and the task
involve multi-layers of interests and actors.
Do you think you have to work harder
than locals do to achieve the same
degree of success?
Even if you are a local and move from one city
to another you need to gain recognition from
your new neighbours, not to mention that
foreigners come from a total different country
and have to build social capital and networks
from zero. There are moments I wish I could
just be a native Finn who speaks perfect
Finnish and understand how everything
works in this country. But I am also grateful
to my colleagues and to people I work with
for accepting the fact that I am not a ?normal?
Finn they are working with and for helping
me out along the way.
So, can you imagine living the rest of your
life in Finland?
I hope so. But never say never! [laughs].
Do you still miss the social life you had in
Taiwan?
Certainly I miss my family and old friends back
there. But life moves on and I started to settle
down. After moving to Finland, my partner, his
family and friends have been a blessing to me. In
addition, a few years ago I was so lucky to meet
a great group of international and local girls in
Helsinki. We meet regularly and we have even
started a choir. That?s when I started to settle and
began to realise how important social networks
are to help you feel socially integrated and
connected.
When you go to Taiwan, what do you miss
from Finland?
Probably the nature and the silence. In Taiwan
you can hardly find a place where there are no
people, and in Finland is quite the opposite, you
can hardly find a place where there are people
[laughs]. I miss the tranquillity and peace when I
am out of the country.
Lifestyle
8
Issue 08 2013
The puma hunters
from Jyväskylä
Handball
has
little
tradition
in
Finland, but the interest in the sport
is increasing steadily. Two dedicated
handball enthusiasts are paving the
road for the sport in Central Finland.
Fabian Unger
The Puuman Metsästäjät with founders Redlich (2nd row, far left) and Rajala (2nd row, 5th from left).
Handball is a physical and fast-paced team sport.
The Puuman Metsästäjät playing against Porvoon Akilles 2.
W
HEN thinking about Finland and
sports, people usually come up with
ice hockey, motor sports and ski
jumping, which is hardly surprising,
when taking a look at the success Finnish
sportsmen and women have achieved in these
respective sports.
But this time, we want to tell a story revolving
around a relatively unknown sport in Finland
- handball. A story about a Finnish Air Force
mechanic and a German exchange student
and sports fanatic, who set up a handball team
and thus basically introduced the sport on a
competitive level to Central Finland.
Handball comes to Central Finland
When Dennis Redlich, a 23-year-old student
from Halle, Germany arrived in Finland in late
July 2012 in order to study Sports Psychology and
Biology of Physical Activity at the University of
Jyväskylä, it was clear to him that he wanted to
play handball. But Redlich - having been involved
in this physical, fast-paced sport as a player as
well as coach for his local team since he was 11
years old - soon had to learn that there simply
was no possibility to play handball on a regular
basis.
Two years before, the two handball clubs HIFK
and Riihimäen Cocks had played each other in
Jyväskylä as part of attempts of the National
Handball Federation to spread the sport to other
parts of Finland ? the sport had been played
nearly exclusively in the south and south-west of
the country and thus had been stamped as sport
played only by Finland-Swedes. Therefore, school
tours were organised in order to give handball
more attention among Finnish youth. As part of
this promotional tour, the General Manager of
Jyväskylä?s local, successful American Football
team Jaguaarit, Reo Landen, offered to take a
handball team under the wing of his team.
When Jyväskylä-based, 28-year-old Finnish Air
Force mechanic and handball enthusiast Jarkko
Rajala heard about these plans, he contacted the
federation and Landen to declare himself ready
to comply with the training and organisation of a
handball team. Rajala, originally from Riihimäki
and home of perhaps the best handball team
currently in the country ? the aforementioned
Riihimäen Cocks ? had played for the Cocks?
junior team and was actively involved in the first
teams support group.
The rise of the puma hunters
Through a friend, Redlich and Rajala got in
contact with each other and decided to found a
handball team. The Puuman Metsästäjät (?puma
hunters?) were born.
?Landen and me wanted the teams name to be
funny and easy to remember. It also should tell
a lot about the team spirit. We wouldn?t take it
too seriously and everybody would be welcome
to come and try this sport.? Rajala tells us when
asked about the team name.
Due to Redlich?s broad experience in the
game, they soon decided for him to take over as
coach, while Rajala was declared responsible for
organisational tasks. Both managed to enthuse
friends, colleagues and studying companions
with the sport, resulting in a large player intake
in a relative short amount of time. In September,
their first training session took place in the town
sports hall. Redlich and Rajala thus had a team
with players from all age groups and different
backgrounds. Together, they had played ice
hockey, volleyball, American football, basketball
or ultimate frisbee before, with only three of them
having past handball experience. Nevertheless
they achieved progress pretty fast and stayed
undefeated in the third Finnish handball division
for their first few games in the league.
Establishing in the league
Now, that the first full season of the Puuman
Metsästäjät has come to an end, Redlich
and Rajala can look back satisfied on their
performances. ?We could motivate a lot of
people to support our project. This resulted in us
getting into the final match for promotion to the
second division.? Redlich says. Only Helsingin
Winchester stood between them and promotion
to league two, but the Pumas lost the final game
against them 33-16.
Setting up a handball team in Finland was not
a straight forward experience as Redlich and
Rajala quickly learned. ?In Germany, handball
is among the most popular team sports behind
football, which is also shown in the international
competitiveness of German teams.? Redlich
points out. ?In Finland, handball is a fringe sport.
Most teams are located in south and southwest
coast of Finland. There are just four different
competitive leagues. Since handball has the status
of fringe sport here, it is hard to find sponsors.
Referees, licences and sport venues need a lot of
money.?
Nowadays, the around 15 members of the
Puuman Metsästäjät practice two days per week
in local sport halls on the outskirts of Jyväskylä.
There have been also foreigners from Germany,
Poland, Portugal or Kosovo involved in the team
? therefore, the language spoken among team
members is English.
The third Finnish handball division, where
Lifestyle
9
SixDegrees
the Puuman Metsästäjät play in, is constituted of 12 teams. After
all teams have played against each other, the top tier advances to
the final stages, where in the end four teams play for the winning
spot that guarantees promotion to the second division. ?We often
played two matches in one day. Otherwise, the strain of travelling
to the other teams? venues would have been too big,? Redlich tells,
about the side effects of being among the two teams in the league,
which are not located in the south of the country.
Handball as a fringe sport
The kind of status handball has in Finnish sports culture can be
seen when taking a look at the results of the Finnish male national
team. Their only ever recorded participating in a major handball
tournament was the handball World Cup of 1958 in Eastern
Germany. There they managed to draw against Poland, but were
defeated by Sweden and Spain and thus dropped out in the early
stages of the tournament.
Nevertheless, Finland has produced a small number of players,
which received wide international recognition as players and
coaches. Notably two players entered the history books of handball
? Björn Monnberg ? the most-capped player of the Finnish
national team - and Mikael Källman, who is considered as the
best Finnish player in history. Both of them managed to establish
themselves as important players in the widely regarded best
handball league in the world - the German Handball-Bundesliga.
Traditionally, handball has a deep roots in European history. In
countries like Germany, France, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Slovenia,
Slovakia, Czech Republic, Russia and Spain; in Scandinavia and in
the countries of former Yugoslavia, handball has been either played
since its invention or was introduced at a relatively early stage.
But also outside of Europe, handball has become more and more
popular ? particularly in Brazil, Argentina, South Korea, Japan,
Tunisia and Egypt.
What brings the future?
Currently, the league is in its summer break, but pre-season
preparation soon begins. The league is scheduled to begin at
the end of September. For the Puuman Metsästäjät, this means
working on game understanding and getting new, hungry players
in. ?Our main goal is to make handball more familiar to people
in Central Finland and thus attract potential players to attend our
training and games,? Rajala says.
Redlich points out, that ?if we manage to link up with the
university?s sports section, we?ll automatically get a higher player
intake and good results would be a welcoming side effect. We have
already shown last season that we can have success, when all of us
pull together and work hard.?
Redlich himself has gone back to Germany to finish his studies
and thus now is not involved in the team?s development. ?But if
I?m approved for the Sports Psychology master?s degree at the
University of Jyväskylä in 2014, I?ll have two more years to work
with the team.? Redlich smiles.
Trend
Fancy a
one-way trip to
Mars?
James O?Sullivan
W
HILE some of us find the idea of a visit outside the
confines of Helsinki?s Kehä 1 intimidating, apparently
a trip to Mars is not out of the question for a sizeable
chunk of the world?s population.
Recent news has it that Dutch engineer and entrepreneur Bas
Lansdorp seeks to establish a permanent base on Mars. Fair
enough. Hoping to scrape together the necessary 6 billion US
dollars, he proposes that this mission take off in 2022.
In the meantime, more than 200,000 people from 140
countries have applied to go to Mars and never return, says the
group behind an ambitious venture to colonise the inhospitable
red planet. 25 per cent of the applicants for the one-way trip are
A short introduction
to handball
Handball is a team sport,
where two teams consisting
of six field players and one
goalkeeper play against each
other. The goal of each team
is to throw the ball past the
opponents? goalkeeper as often
as possible and thus scoring
points ? one goal equals one
point. The team, that has
scored more points after two
30-minute halves wins.
Players are allowed to touch
Parutakupiu
the ball with all body parts,
lower legs and feet excluded.
When players carry the ball, they may take a maximum of
three steps. Then they can choose to either bounce the ball
and take up to three more steps, pass it to a team member or
attempt to score a goal. If the player chooses to bounce the
ball and stops to dribble, he can take three more steps with
the ball in his hands, take a pass or try to throw on the goal.
But he is not allowed to dribble or bounce it again. He also
is not allowed to carry the ball for longer than three seconds.
If the player breaks any of these rules, the opponent team
gets the ball.
The goalkeeper is the only player that is allowed to stay
in the goal area (a half-circle-like area with a radius of six
metres) and is not affected by time or step-rules there.
Players are allowed to attempt to score only from outside
this area. However, they may jump inside the area with the
ball, but have to throw or pass, before touching the floor.
Players? throws often exceed a speed of 100km/h when
attempting to shoot the ball into the 2x3 metres big goal.
Players can be substituted whenever and any number of
times in the game, making substitution a strategic factor in
the team?s game plan.
To get possession of the ball, players may block passes
or attempts of the opponent, who carries the ball. It is not
allowed to grab the ball out of the opponent?s hands or to
cling or hold the opponent.
Breaking rules can result in free throws or 7-metre throws
and also a penalty for the player.
Website of Puuman Metsästäjät:
http://jaguaarit.com/index/kasipallo/
Month
Americans, ten per cent Indian, 6 per cent Chinese and 5 per
cent Brazilian.By 2015, the non-profit organisation Mars One
hopes to put up to 10 four-member teams through intensive
training. The first of those teams are projected to reach Mars in
2023, taking seven months to complete the high-risk journey.
Sound enticing?
However, the worst of their woes may be to come ? unless
you?ve grown up in Lapland, that is ? with daily temperatures
of minus 55 degrees commonplace. Alongside enduring a
desert-like atmosphere that consists predominantly of carbon
dioxide, the participants will also have their lives beamed back
to Mother Earth as stars of a reality TV show.
While space agencies, including NASA, have expressed
skepticism about the viability of Lansdorp?s plan, Mars One
maintains that the mission is all systems go. The lion?s share of
funding for the project is expected to be ponied-up by the global
audience of an interactive, televised broadcast that captures
every aspect of the mission. Yep, not only has Big Brother well
and truly gone global, it?s time to get intergalactic.
Furthermore, just in case the forthcoming Star Wars sequels
aren?t about to satiate your need for space adventures, British
entrepreneur and Virgin head Richard Branson has also been
making similar noises about establishing a colony on Mars for
some time now. Having successfully launched his commercial
airline, it?s soon time for commercial space travel to take flight.
Have a lazy 200,000 US dollars in your back pocket? Then next
year you can enjoy a two-hour trip beyond the pesky confines
of Earth.
Fancy signing up to be a part of the Mars colony yourself?
Check out:
http://applicants.mars-one.com/
I N T E G R AT I O N
Luckan Integration
? Information and counseling for immigrants
? Information about integrating in Swedish
in the Capital Region
? Mentoring programme
? Courses and events
Events in September/October
Social media & job hunting
September 26th, 3-5 p.m.
How can social media be used when looking for a job? For mor
information and registration please e-mail: integration@luckan.fi.
Cinemaissito
September 28th, 11 am-5 pm
Latin American film festival for children with films both for and by
children. www.cinemaissi.org/cinemaissito/.
Inspiration, children?s culture
and pedagogy- short course
September 30th, 1-4 pm.
What to think about when planning a creative workshop for
children? For more information and registration
e-mail: zusan.soderstrom@luckan.fi
English-Swedish Family Café at Luckan
Tuesday 15th of October at 3-5 pm.
RhymeJamming for kids!
For more information and registration please e-mail:
integration@luckan.fi.
Swedish Language Café
Monday 21st of October at 5-7 pm.
Practice your Swedish in a welcoming and informal environment.
For more information and registration please
e-mail: integration@luckan.fi.
Information session:
How to start up a business in Finland?
October 30th, 3-5 pm.
Are you planning on starting your own business? Elie El-Khouri,
Enterprise Helsinki, gives you information on entrepreneurship.
For more information and registration please
e-mail: integration@luckan.fi.
CV Clinic with Manpower
November 13th, 3-5 p.m.
Is your CV up to date? Manpower gives you tips on how to write a CV
for the Finnish job market. For more information and registration
please e-mail integration@luckan.fi.
All events are held in Luckan, Simonkatu 8 in Helsinki
and are free of charge, if not mentioned
otherwise in the event description.
Would you like to sign up for our electronic
newsletters with upcoming events?
Please e-mail integration@luckan.fi
You find us on facebook www.facebook.com/LuckanIntegration
LUCKAN
Simonkatu 8, 00100 Helsinki
Contact: bridge@luckan.fi / 040 485 9636 / bridge.luckan.fi
Society
10
Issue 08 2013
Column
Cleanliness
is next to
mouldiness
Yle reported recently that Finnish schools may require as
much as one billion euros to rid themselves of mould, with
200 million euros required urgently. Thus far, parliament
has budgeted only some 35 million euros. Schools will
simply have to wait.
Five floors,
five stories
Hietaniemenkatu Service Centre, a shelter for homeless people
in Helsinki has assisted those in need of a roof for four years now.
Joutselainen further gaps in the system. ?In the end, they come to
our centre looking for a place to spend the night, but there is not
a pleasant atmosphere waiting for them in here because they have
to share rooms with people who have substance-abuse problems, an
extended profile among the majority of our customers.?
In 2012, a total of 782 people lived in the Centre (627 made
use of the emergency shelter, while 155 were granted a room at
the temporary accommodation), with 82 per cent of them being
males. The most represented age group is the one ranging between
30 to 49, to which half of the residents belong. Although the
overall number of assisted has slightly decreased over the last two
years, a new worrisome trend has entered the equation. ?Lately
we are getting younger customers, usually in their 20s, with very
conflicted backgrounds,? Joutselainen explains. In some cases they
are addicted to drugs, have criminal records, and even suffer from
different kinds of mental diseases.?
Meanwhile, children and teachers alike struggle with
breathing difficulties and asthma, rashes, coughs and
headaches. Returning after summer breaks, many children
reported symptoms which had lapsed were now more
severe than ever.
While the symptoms are real and the problems critical, the
extent of the issue may also suggest a strange susceptibility
to illness in Finland. By European standards, Finns have
incredibly high rates of both lactose and gluten intolerance,
not to mention a remarkable number of allergies to pollen.
If immune systems were an Olympic sport, Finns wouldn?t
win a lot of medals.
?F
inland has become a country
so fixated by cleanliness that
it is actually too sterile, meaning
children do not come into contact
with the bacteria from which they
would develop immunity.?
Genes aside, are there any particular reasons for this?
Possibly not, but I am intrigued by the incidence of
diseases such as asthma in a country which must be one of
the cleanest on earth. Most homes here seem more hygienic
than the average British hospital.
The trend towards urban living is a far cry from the
Finland of the war era, when most Finns lived on
farms, rode horses and climbed trees; and when the
incidence of asthma was lower than it is now. Could
urbanisation be the root cause of today?s vulnerability?
Finland has become a country so fixated by cleanliness
that it is actually too sterile, meaning that children do not
come into contact with the bacteria from which they would
develop immunity.
While this might sound exaggerated, it is a concept with
ancient roots. American Indians were decimated by flus
brought from Europe, simply because they had never
come into contact with the bugs before. Residents of many
developing world countries live in daily contact with bacteria
that could kill a Finnish horse, but do not apparently bother
them at all; a fact evidenced by any tourist who has ever
suffered ?Delhi Belly?.
For the third time in his life, Rauno has found shelter on the 5th floor of
the Service Centre.
Text and images Eva Blanco
S
ituated in the always-bustling Kamppi area of Helsinki, the
Hietaniemenkatu Service Centre opened its doors for the first
time in June 2009. Back then, the City of Helsinki decided
that two of the main institutions in charge of providing social aid,
the Herttoniemi dormitories and the Pääskylänrinne day centre
(Sörnäinen), didn?t have sufficient capacity to answer the growing
demand for assistance. Instead, a new place needed to be found
where all the services the City intended to offer could be gathered:
emergency shelter, day care activities and temporary housing.
Furthermore, this is one of the tools that the Finnish authorities
rely on to achieve their national programme to reduce (or
even eliminate) long-term homelessness by 2015. This political
commitment undertaken more than five years ago establishes
its bases on the ?Housing First? principle, which considers that
permanent accommodation is a prerequisite for solving other
communal and health issues. Following this approach, social policy
efforts must lead to the creation of a widened network of dwellings
and support housing units for individuals at risk of poverty. A
total of 1,600 additional apartments have been built inside the
framework provided by the programme.
However, this figure seems to be insufficient for Katri Joutselainen,
an experienced social worker who works at the Service Centre.
?We have new customers every week, sometimes even every day,?
she states. ?There is a need for more temporary housing and lower
rents. Renting fees are so expensive in Helsinki that there are people,
especially immigrants coming from Africa, who, even if they are
working and don?t manifest any health issues, are not able to meet
the regular tenancy agreements.?
Cleanliness has become a western obsession. TV adverts
promote contactless soap dispensers as if our bathrooms
were veritable swamps of infection. Every second product
advertised, from dishcloths to mouth wash, from vacuum
cleaners to diapers, reinforces the idea of the world as being
dirty and thus dangerous.
1st floor
The area of the Centre closest to the ground contains the emergency
night shelter, open from 5 pm to 8 am. As the service is intended for
homeless people, no payment is required. The only preconditions
are that the person is aged 18 or above and has been registered
in Helsinki for around one year. Here there are 43 beds available
for men and 9 for women, with the shared rooms distributed
according to gender. When the emergency shelter reaches its full
capacity, a circumstance that takes place several times a year, those
who don?t get in are sent to Kalkkers, a night café in Mäkelänkatu
(Pasila), open solely in wintertime.
Trying to nap without much success on one of the benches in the
common areas, we meet Ahmad Fathi (38). Though not originally
from Finland, dark-brown haired Ahmad has spent more than
30 years here. He currently sleeps at the emergency shelter ? a
situation he previously found himself under back in 2011. As he
sufferers from multiple sclerosis, he is not able to work on a regular
basis; in addition, he started having problems with his pension
some time ago. He says that his only expectation is to be granted a
bed there, on the 1st floor; a place in which he feels he doesn?t have
any impositions to carry on with his life. When we ask him what
his future looks like he doesn?t need much time to come up with an
answer, which turns out to be both poetic and disconcerting: ?I am
a dancer. I want to dance.?
2nd floor
This part of the building is dedicated to daily activities that can
be enjoyed anonymously by anyone interested ? sleeping at the
Centre is not a condition. It includes a restaurant that offers free
breakfast and an affordable lunch and dinner (?1.00), sauna, bath
and clothing services. There is also a common living room with a
TV, newspapers and access to the Internet.
Visiting the restaurant on the 2nd floor and wearing a varied
collection of rings, bracelets and necklaces, we meet Marina
Laurila (47). She represents one of the success stories in the history
Living outdoors or in shelters
Living in institutions
Living temporarily with friends or relatives
Homeless families
What effect does this have on the next generation, growing
into a world defined by a mortal fear of filth, disease and
bacteria? Do we really want children to avoid playing in the
mud for fear of germs?
Maria Makanzu, originally from
Angola, is living temporarily on
the 3rd floor.
Ultimately Finnish schools will be rebuilt, and the issue
of mould might disappear from our headlines for a while.
This does not, however, mean the problem has been solved.
Unless our fascination with sterility changes, it may even
get worse.
Source: Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland (ARA)
David Brown is a language consultant and journalist, regularly
covering stories in Africa, Asia & the Middle East. He has lived
in Finland for 10 years.
?
?
?
782 people lived in the Centre last year. 627 in emergency shelter, and 155 were granted
a room at the temporary accommodation.
82 % of them were males.
Half of the residents are aged between 30 to 49.
One of the common spaces
provided for clients at the
Hietaniemenkatu Service Centre.
Society
11
SixDegrees
of the Centre. When she arrived asking for support she was in
wretched shape. Addicted to drugs and stealing compulsively, she
applied for temporary accommodation after spending a few nights
at the emergency lodging and was granted a personal room on the
3rd floor. Eventually the social workers found a place where she
could stay, a support living facility, like the ones generally run by
third sector actors such as The Salvation Army. Nowadays she is
under methadone treatment and has managed to stay clear from
drugs for one year now. When asked what the Centre means for
her, she only has one thing to say: ?These people are in my heart?.
3rd floor
This space is intended (similar to the other two remaining upper
floors) for temporary housing. When the clients have spent around
a month at the overnight emergency service, they can apply for a
room at the mid-term accommodation facilities. From there, social
workers and instructors study each case separately, conducting
interviews with the residents in order to find the most suitable
place for them to move out to. The constant circulation of tenants
inside the building is one of its main functioning principles.
There is not any rental contract between the parties in the
temporary accommodation, but a daily fee of 13.40 euros (around
400 euros per month) is required. However, the rent the tenants
have to pay depends on their income, with the final fee established
by the resident?s ability to pay. In Finland the basic economic aid
granted by social services is set at 477.26 euros a month. Thus,
the residents who depend solely on this social grant will not be
required to pay any rent. If, on the contrary, the customer gets a
higher income, let?s say of around 600 euros, they would have to
contribute with 122.74 euros to the monthly fee.
The 3rd floor hosts seven rooms for men with disabilities and
nine rooms for women. The common spaces include a kitchen, a
living room and a smoking room where the walls are decorated
with pictures of Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin.
Engaged in cheerful chattering with some colleagues on the 3rd
floor, we meet Maria Makanzu (55). Maria has been living at the
Centre for about two months. She arrived to Helsinki 20 years
ago as a political refugee escaping the war in her home country,
Angola. Since then, she has mainly worked as a cleaner. One day
she decided to go back to Africa to visit her family. However, some
complications concerning her passport turned what was supposed
to be a short visit into a two-year stay. When she was finally able to
return to Finland, where her daughter and grandchild were waiting
for her, she had no place to live anymore; even her furniture had
been taken away. That?s how she ended up asking for support at the
Service Centre, a place she is generally comfortable with, except for
the fact that children are not allowed inside, so she needs to meet
up with her relatives elsewhere.
4th floor
The rooms available in this area (18 in total) differ from the rest,
as residents who are intoxicated on arrival are provided with
accommodation here, although substance abuse is not allowed
in the building itself. The Centre has two doctors and two nurses
among the staff who are in charge of monitoring the health of the
tenants and, if necessary, creating a treatment plan. If somebody
is in a very bad shape they are guided to a detoxification centre.
Usually alcohol users spend one week at the Hangonkatu
Rehabilitation Facility before returning to their rooms. For drug
abusers the process is a bit longer and consists of one month at the
Järvenpään Sosiaalisairaala (Järvenpää Addiction Hospital).
Slowly strolling down the corridor on the 4th floor we find Kari
Seppälä (62). This is the first time he is living at the Centre. He
moved here last September, after being unable to pay his rent for
a few months in his old apartment. He thinks that the Centre
has provided him with a safe atmosphere, difficult to come by
elsewhere. His future, however, remains uncertain. ?Everything
depends now on the options I get from the social workers,? Kari
says, his tired light-blue eyes still trying to smile.
5th floor
The highest level of the building has another 18 rooms aimed at
the residents who try to break away from their alcohol and drug
abuse habits. Thus, access to these facilities is denied to those who
manifest any level of intoxication, in which case the tenants will
have to spend the night again at the 1st floor.
We knock on a door, and Rauno Liuhto (57) warmly welcomes us
in. Soon after, projecting a trembling but imposing voice, he starts
to tell about his unfortunate life story. He moved to the Centre for
the first time in June 2009. All through that summer he spent his
nights sleeping at the emergency accommodation, and his days
drinking at a nearby park. ?Almost every day I got so drunk that
they had to pick me up from the area with a stretcher, because I
wasn?t even able to walk by myself,? Rauno remembers. He was
then given a room on the 5th floor, where he managed to remain
sober for 10 months before they offered him an apartment in
Mäkelänkatu. But the same day he moved out he started drinking
again, and then one month later he stabbed another tenant, while
under the influence of alcohol. He didn?t go to jail but the court
sentence made it clear that this was his last chance. He went back
to the Hietaniemenkatu Service Centre, and continued drinking.
Eventually he moved to the 5th floor again, stayed sober, and after
some time he was granted a studio apartment in Kontula. But
upon moving he picked up his old habit again, even though he was
attending the Hangonkatu Rehabilitation Centre for detoxification.
Four weeks later he was back here. ?I have wasted my life with
alcohol and drugs,? he laments. ?I have problems with walking.
My brain is damaged as well.? Now he thinks he is in such a bad
condition that his body can?t handle any more alcohol. Maybe this
time it?s definite.
Minority Report
SixDegrees takes a look at the ethnic minorities here in Finland.
This month:
Austrians
Fabian Unger
ACCORDING to Statistics Finland, in 2012 there have been 436
Austrian citizens living in Finland. The Network for Austrian
expatriates estimates this number at ?about 600?. The truth
might be just somewhere in between. Taking a look at the
other side of the coin ? with more than 1,300 Finns living in
Austria ? one might get the impression that the love that Finns
bring towards this small, mountainous country in the heart of
Europe is only returned in a desultory way. But if one thinks
that the only interest Austrians and Finns share is a passion
for ski jumping, you might be surprised. There are many more
occasions, in which Austrians and Finns come together and
where the small but mighty Austrian population in Finland
show that they?re alive and kicking.
Several organisations in Finland aim at maintaining a good
relationship between the two countries, like the FinlandAustria Society (?Suomi-Itävalta Yhdistys / FinnlandÖsterreich Verein?) or the Austria Friends (?Itävallan Ystävät
/ Österreichfreunde?). Finland-Austria organisations can be
found in bigger cities across the country, including Helsinki,
Tampere or Rovaniemi, and although there are hundreds
of members participating today, there have been already
better times. ?10-15 years ago, the number of members was
between 400-500, but especially nowadays in the Internet age,
the organisation with its initial goals has become a bit less
important for younger people,? says Brigitte Linnokari, board
member of the Finland-Austria Society.
With about 200 members, the Finland-Austria Society is
probably the oldest and most active organisation for Austrians
living in Finland and Finns connected with, or interested in,
Austria. Founded in 1958 during a period where the interest
among Finns in the German-speaking part of the world was
on the decline, the society has since been actively involved in
organising annual events.
Among those is the Advent party celebrating the Advent
Christmas season and giving a foretaste of traditional Christmas
festivities. Further traditional events include the ?Faschingsfest?
(carnival party) or the ?Oktoberfest?, organised together with
the German-Finnish Society and the Association for Friends of
Switzerland in Finland. Lectures are held in cooperation with
the German Library in Helsinki.
One quite special event targeting Finnish middle school pupils
learning the German language is the annual, nationwide essay
competition. The authors of the two best essays submitted may,
for example, look forward to a language course in Salzburg,
Austria.
But what are the reasons why Austrians choose to come to
Finland? ?Formerly, the main reason for moving to Finland
was a Finnish partner, but nowadays other reasons such as a
new job or simple curiosity might play a bigger role,? Linnokari
says. Dealing with every day life in Finland as a foreigner of
course unveils considerable differences in work processes
and mentality. ?Finns tend to plan a lot beforehand, while
Austrians tend to be more flexible and spontaneous, but also
less consequent. Also, people here like to talk about things as
they are rather than read between lines.?
Despite Linnokari living in Finland for over 30 years, there
are still certain things that she misses. ?For the Austrian
mountains, the Finnish nature and sea are more than just
a substitute. Nevertheless, the atmosphere of spontaneous
joy in conversation and joking about random stuff, which
is so common in interaction with other people in Austria, is
something that would be nice to have more in Finland as well.?
Legal Immigrants
6D gets to know what it?s like to be a regular immigrant in Finland.
Contact james@6d.fi if you?d like to share your thoughts for a future issue.
Anski Auramo
ALUN BESTOR enjoys the solitude
Finland offers to an expatriate of friendly
New Zealand.
What do you do here in Finland?
I?m a programmer and a graphic artist
in a mobile games company in Turku.
When I first came to Finland I was
freelancing as a web designer.
When and how did you end up here?
Like so many others I moved to this
benighted frozen land because of a
woman. I met my wife online 11 years
ago. After visiting back and forth for
two years we got sick of airports and I
decided to ask her to marry me. I moved
here at the end of 2004, and have been
living happily ever after.
What attracts you about the Finnish
culture?
That everyone leaves you alone. New
Zealand culture is very touchy feely,
people ask you how you are all the time.
It?s nice and foreigners always remark on
how friendly everyone is, but sometimes
a man just wants some solitude.
What culture shocks did you
experience when coming to Finland?
I have experienced some when coming
back after visiting overseas, for
example, when going to Boston
on a trip for a couple of weeks
in the summer. It was sunny and
everyone was very friendly, and
when I came back to Finland it
was raining and no one looked
me in the eye. Those two hours
were the most alienating I?ve
experienced here. When I visit
somewhere friendly, the New
Zealander in me starts to miss
that friendly contact.
Have you been able to settle
and integrate into Finnish
society?
Yes and no. Yes, that I have many
Finnish friends, but no insofar as
that I always speak English with
my Finnish friends. I?ve never
made any friends in Finnish. My
integration tends to be in the Englishspeaking portion of society.
What are/were your worries?
When I moved here I kind of leapt into
things: where there?s a will, there?s a way.
Once I settled here I began to worry
about things such as how to find work
and how to learn the language. After
eight years my main worry is whether I?ll
ever learn Finnish well enough not to be
terrified of the bureaucracy.
What are your future hopes and
wishes for your life here?
Having a summer place in the
archipelago, visiting Lapland and seeing
more of Europe. I haven?t seen much of
mainland Europe yet.
What is your favourite Finnish word?
Morkkis, since it encapsulates being hung
over and feeling terrible about it perfectly.
I like Finnish words for things that
English has no word for.
Feature
12
Issue 08 2013
STUDYING the EXPORT
of
EDUCATION
It?s a changing world. Many of us have been exchange students and fought
tedium in a math class, but now they are transplanting educational systems and
adopting computer games for learning ? as Finnish exports.
Feature
13
SixDegrees
Mika Oksanen
O
n 16 August, Finland?s national broadcaster YLE reported
that Minister of Education Krista Kiuru is travelling to Asia
to meet Cabinet members in three countries, in support
of Finnish exports ? in the field of education, excitingly
enough.
Public support is needed for successful educational exports out
of Finland. The Government, with the Ministry of Education and
Culture at the helm, has a key role as do other relevant public
sector stakeholders including the Finnish Funding Agency for
Technology and Innovation (TEKES) and regional Government
agencies.
But what are these exports, exactly? Can Finnish kids start
partying, seeing their schools torn to bits and shipped to somewhere
like Timbuktu, with the teachers thrown in as bonus? No, it has not
been pencilled in quite like that, as you are about to discover below.
Oil money for brain energy
This subheading above perhaps sums up two substantial deals
struck by EduCluster Finland Ltd, a Finnish company of
educational specialists. Last February the company made a
partnership agreement with Wadi Jeddah, a Saudi-Arabian
company owned by the King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah; a
collaboration concerning development of the local educational
system. Prior to this, the company had already reached agreement
on provision of services with a somewhat different scope in Abu
Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
?In Abu Dhabi, we operate in two schools where we have 50 Finnish
people working ? these are teachers, principals and other experts,?
leading expert Tiina Raatikainen, one of the powerful cylinders in
the high-charged engine that is EduCluster Finland, explains about
their Arabian operation. With all of their on-site teachers acting
in close collaboration with their local counterparts, additionally
there are a handful of specially designated representatives involved
in two development programmes, provided by the University of
Jyväskylä, that have been tailored for female Emirati teachers.
?The goal is a systemic level change,? Raatikainen says. ?We
work according to their curriculum and obey their rules, but
squeeze in the Finnish approach. At the primary level, the Finnish
understanding of learning is very much child-centred; instead of
looking at teaching, we are looking at learning. Our materials and
methods are child-focused and age-appropriate, and we regard
every child as an individual.?
A Centre of Excellence for education is being established in
Jeddah, along with model schools and resource centres for local
providers must be ready to adapt their offering in many ways.
Additionally, ?Scandinavians going to, say, an Arab country must
be ready for voluntary adaptation according to the local system,
and this can cause difficulties,? she explains.
Making waves in South East Asia
The Finnish capital has not been quiet on the export front either.
?One example of successful Finnish educational exports is Aalto
University?s Executive Education (EE), with some 3,500 alumni
globally,? says Jari Jokinen, Director of Policy and Foresight for
Aalto. ?EE provides two types of degree programmes: MBA and
Executive MBA. These degrees have not been part of the Finnish
educational system, which has made it possible to commercialise
them already in earlier times.?
More than 3,000 MBAs can be taken to mean a lot of brilliance
and determination on both sides of the lecture podium. How has
this come about?
?The MBA training market is a highly competitive one
internationally. Our university and its predecessors have been
providing MBA training for some 20 years already, and one of the
key countries has been South Korea, where activity has been high.?
So, what is it exactly that the South Koreans have been after?
?Our offering involves executive training, and in South Korea,
different companies in the telecommunications sector have been
very active participants,? Jokinen points out. ?Especially those
companies that are undergoing substantial growth show particular
interest in arranging training for their executives, and as is known,
many telecommunications companies have enjoyed good growth
during the past years.?
?T
he success of Finland
in PISA comparisons
has had a positive effect on
our educational exporting
opportunities, but to
exploit these opportunities
is another matter.?
of higher education,? he explains. ?In the educational environment,
every new course has something individually unique and personal
in its implementation, particularly in the area where I teach,
focusing on innovation methods in the development of digital
services.?
Success factors
If we, based on the above examples, can say that there are avenues
for successfully exporting Finnish educational expertise, it would
seem logical to try and determine why this is so. Our interviewees
bring up some valid points.
?One has to understand that international interest towards
Finnish education in general was not created by us Finns but
by others elsewhere,? Raatikainen says. ?We here did not create
educational solutions for the rest of the world but for ourselves.
We have been building up our educational system since the
1970s, or actually much earlier already, and the export aspect is
an added value, resulting from the fact that other nations have
been interested in our system, asking how we have fared so well
in international tests and how we have been able to accomplish
this, and it has been necessary for us to respond to this interest.
Regional players in our area have been involved in some sort of
educational exports for a long time already, but the difference
between those attempts and our current work is the adaptation that
we provide; we adapt Finnish educational expertise to every local
context where we operate.?
Jokinen sees local educational providers supporting the creation
of positive ideas about Finland.
?One warranty of quality comes in the form of accreditation; the
Aalto University Business School has three of those,? he explains.
?To have certain special expertise in given matters wrapped up in
an interesting package is somewhat of a prerequisite for success in
these markets. Our university has a very definite strength in the
fact that we can offer studies relating to business, technology and
design all at Aalto.?
?The success of Finland in PISA (Programme for International
Student Assessment) comparisons has had a positive effect on
our educational exporting opportunities, but to exploit these
opportunities is another matter,? Patala observes. ?Provision of
higher education is currently undergoing a digital revolution,
which gives us enormous opportunities to create highly scalable
educational products to global markets. We cannot clone our
world-class teachers, but we can utilise their expertise and
educational know-how via these digital supports and enablers.?
It is good to remember that not every Finnish education provider
has to wear shades because of a too-bright outlook. On 6 August this
Left and centre: Context Learning Finland Oy has operated on the international market since 2009. Right: Director of Policy and Foresight for Aalto, Jari Jokinen.
educators. Training is also provided for teachers and also for
teacher trainers.
?We give the learner a high degree of responsibility quite early
? tying your shoelaces, eating your food and hanging your coat
is something you can do yourself,? Raatikainen explains. ?And
the homework has to be such that the child can manage without
parental help.?
All this sounds very sensible ? to have schools where kids can
attend without a Ph.D. in decryption to figure out what the talking
head is trying to instil from high up on the lectern, and to have kids
learn to take responsibility beginning with life basics.
EduCluster Finland provides educational and system
development for clients in Finland and elsewhere. Founded some
three years ago, the company has three owners, all of which are
educational providers from Central Finland, the main one being
the University of Jyväskylä with an 80 per cent stake. From the
beginning it was obvious that EduCluster would operate not just in
Finland but on international arenas as well.
The connection between the company and the university is a
close one. ?The University of Jyväskylä is the body that has the
actual expertise in the subject matter,? Raatikainen explains, ?but
it is a different matter to take this to global stages. This is where
EduCluster comes in.?
A teacher by formal training, Raatikainen surely embodies many
of the virtues of Finnish education provision. She is inspired, very
patient (even at the face of erratic interrogation) and highly able to
adapt ? she dressed up in local fashion while residing in Abu Dhabi
or Jeddah due to her work.
Apropos, ?adaptation? comes up as the key word in the interview.
According to Raatikainen, to export Finnish educational expertise,
Shanghai surprises and other digital coups
On 10 September, YLE reported on a new venture to condense
Finnish educational success into a game product, based on a
concept that allows children to experience learning in a fun way.
The Finnish game developer Rovio (of ?furious fowls? fame, so to
say) partners with a company in the Chinese market in this, setting
up the first such learning facility in Shanghai. The ?so-1980s? adage
?Jack, first the homework, then the first-person shooter? will soon
be just another torn-out leaf in dull-boy history, as kids may defend
their doctoral dissertations on PlayStation in future ? is that mindboggling or what?
Another byte-grinding example is provided by the company
Context Learning Finland Oy. ?We have come up with tools and
a process for very efficient production of interactive multimedia
content for digital learning, and we also develop different
technological solutions that our clients can use in producing digital
learning content and monitoring their students? progress,? says
Founding Partner Teemu Patala.
Context has operated on the international market since 2009.
?Our international focus areas include research, development
and innovation projects as well as personnel training of large
multinational corporations. Our solutions have been localised
into over 20 languages and are applied in over 90 countries,?
Patala states. 90 countries, that is impressive, wouldn?t you say?
How many could you, dear reader, name in a Sporcle geography
quiz?
Patala is also occupied with teaching information technology
at HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences. ?My teaching
experience helps me develop a more profound understanding of
the possibilities of utilising digital learning solutions in the context
year, the business daily Kauppalehti told us that the Management
Institute of Finland (provider of development and training that has
offices in many sites in Finland and in St. Petersburg, Russia) was
provided 3 million euros of added capital, owing to business losses
it had sustained.
The success in international education business is not a given ?
it is a result of a lot of goal-oriented work. ?On the Jeddah deal,
the negotiations lasted about 12 months. My colleagues had to go
to Saudi-Arabia several times to discuss in detail what the client
needs and how it can be done,? EduCluster Finland?s Raatikainen
points out.
The evolution of education
Higher education is a growth industry. ?In 2000, the total
number of students in higher education globally was around 100
million, and ten years later the corresponding figure was almost
180 million,? Jokinen reels off. So the potential exists ? another
question is who gets to reap it.
If we think about the evolution of education in Finland,
export efforts may well provide a key competitive edge for those
educational providers that are active internationally. It takes time
to make inroads in a foreign country, but once you do, many times
you may experience the snowball effect: one good job for a foreign
client is a great reference to another one, and so forth.
The other side of it is that those universities that fail to do this to
any substantial degree may even lose appeal domestically ? young
generations in Finland rightfully demand international settings for
their education.
At any rate, isn?t it nice to hear good and promising news from the
Finnish export front ? the sounds of ?forward march? on the bugle!
suomi sinun kielelläsi
finland på ditt språk
finland in your language
????????? ?? ????? ?????
soome sinu keeles
la finlande dans votre langue
finska na tvom jeziku
finland oo ku qoran luqadaada
finlandia en su idioma
sizin dilinizde finlandiya
finlanda në gjuhën tuaj helsinki, espoo,
???????
vantaa, kauniainen,
Turku, Tampere,
Mikkeli, savonlinna,
Pieksämäki, kuopio,
kainuu, Oulu,
rovaniemi
26.8.
www.infopankki.fi
21.10.
CLASSIFIEDS &
HELSINKI TIMES
JulkaisiJa Helsingin kaupunki Publicerad av Helsingfors stad Published by tHe City of Helsinki
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Tastebuds
15
SixDegrees
Kimchi time!
Finland?s original
r
e
d
a
Re
s
d
n
e
m
m
o
c
Re
Sibriina Kinnunen
Korean restaurant.
Nili
Sarrah Kassem
?Located in the heart of Rovaniemi,
restaurant Nili is the place to go to
try the tastes of Lapland. It?s a hard
to miss place, since the decoration of
old wood is in stark contrast with the
other Rovaniemi buildings,? states
Vibor Trava?, former Master?s student in Rovaniemi.
?Having some salmon soup to start and getting
some sautéed reindeer with mashed potatoes and
lingonberries makes my mouth drool. I always take my
guests from abroad there, so they can taste something
more than the typical bland Finnish food. Since the
prices are on the higher side, we usually go there just
for special occasions, so be advised!?
Text Rasmus Hetemäki, images Eva Blanco.
T
he best way to familiarise yourself with Korean culture in
Helsinki is actually not by stumbling into the South Korean
embassy to Finland unannounced, but to step into the
Korea House restaurant found within the aesthetically pleasing
Kruununhaka neighbourhood.
After descending half a level of stairs, two figures dressed in the
traditional ?hanbok? dress welcome me in, and if it?s not enough
to set the mood, some soothing, melodic music soon becomes
detectable in the background.
Skimming through the detail-rich interior of Korea House, some
pillars covered with Korean letters, large moon-shaped jars and a
miniature pond complete with a rice wheel catches my eye, before
waitress Dahn Kim brings some tea to the table I?ve seated myself
in. The tea, Kim explains to me, is a mixture between Korean Green
Tea and the flower Solomon?s Seal, a common concoctionin Korea.
Various tastes
As I savour the last of the tea, feeling healthier already, Kim begins
filling the small table to the edges with aromatic and colourful
dishes. ?These are the most well-known Korean food dishes,? Kim
offers, as she places a hot pot filled with a boiling kimchi-tofu stew
(?16.50) in front of my lap. ?It?s a very common dish in Korea and
many Koreans eat it daily at home,? she continues, while reaching
for another hot pot which fortunately ends up on the other side of
the table where photographer Eva unsuspectingly sits. ?This dish is
called Bibimbap (?15.50) and is also a very traditional and beautiful
Korean dish, with rice on the bottom of the hot pot and probably
five different salads and fried eggs on top of it.? At this moment,
the owner Mun Gi Choi appears and without further ado empties
the small plate containing chilli paste ? which I rather naively had
mistaken for dipping sauce for the deep-fried shrimps (?6.50) and
dumplings (?5.50) ? and mixes the whole dish together.
I had previously heard about Korean cuisine and chilli being
closely intertwined, but this being my first encounter with Korean
food, the realisation becomes that much more authentic as Eva
exclaims, ?this is quite spicy!? from across the table as the Kimchi
hot pot takes her sensitive Spanish taste buds by surprise.
Proceeding cautiously, I really savour the Kimchi hot pot, where the
mild tofu and the extra kick from the chilli and well-spiced kimchi
counteract to reach a desirable, yet fiery taste. After adding rice to
the stew at Choi?s recommendation, the dish also receives a bit more
texture resulting in a more fulfilling meal. The multiple layers present
in the hot pot opposite me are also complementing each other nicely,
with the chilli paste again producing that desirable jolt to the meal.
The balance of the spicy and mild, or if resorting to a bit of
Chinese philosophy, the Yin and Yang extends itself to the whole
meal with all its different components, as the two other dishes
present are much milder than the hot pots. The Bulgogi (?19.50),
which contains strips of beef and stir-fried vegetables in a mild
marinade has a delightfully sweet taste to it while the Jabchebap
(?14.50) beef dish offers a taste of their glass noodles made of sweet
potato, which make for a reinvigorating side-option for the rice.
There is also some kimchi accompanying the meal, a presence
familiar to many if not most of the dishes.
?I guess it?s pretty interesting that we always offer kimchi and
reddish pickles, as a side dish,? Kim says. ?We like to offer at least
two different side dishes to show what Korean food is really like,
together with the most famous dishes. But even though kimchi is
a side dish, you can still make very numerous main dishes with it,?
she explains.
At this point Kim urges me to try a piece of the somewhat spicy
kimchi together with some of the mildly marinated beef, which
turns out to be easier said than done as I?ve had some slight technical
problems with the customary iron chop sticks throughout the
meal. Fortunately she recognises the issue at hand by witnessing
my clumsy finger movements and soon more familiar wooden
chop sticks are brought to the table. Needless to say, ?better grip?
has always been my motto!
Korean pioneers
After the meal, Choi sits down with me for a cup of coffee (Finnish,
by the taste of it) and tells me how Korea House came to be and why
in 2005, he and his wife and head chef Misuk Lim decided to move
to Finland after a decade-long restaurant venture back in South
Korea, and become the pioneers of Korean cuisine in Finland.
?Nowadays there are quite a few Korean tourists coming to
Finland and before Korea House there were no other restaurants
where, after a long trip, the weary and homesick Koreans could get
Korean food,? Choi explains. ?That?s why I thought it could be good
business to open up a Korean restaurant here, and I also wanted to
show the Finns what the Korean food culture is like. Then there are
good schools for the children in Finland. So there were quite a few
reasons why we decided to come.?
It was not easy to build up a customer base in Finland at the start,
as the majority of Finns were not familiar with Korean cuisine
at the time. But after some years the customers began piling up
and with the Finns making up the overwhelming majority of the
clientele, it seems like Korea House succeeded in striking a chord
with the Finnish dining culture.
After ending the very satisfying food experience with some rice
wine as a digestive, I ascend the few stairs separating us from the
street feeling thoroughly educated in the basics of Korean cuisine
and a bit more familiar with the Korean culture, while struggling to
remember when ?school? seemed like this much fun.
Korea House
Mariankatu 19, Helsinki
+358 9 135 7158
www.koreahouse.fi
Mon-Fri: 11-23 (Lunch 11-14)
Sat: 12-23
Sun: Closed
Nili
Valtakatu 20
96200 Rovaniemi
www.nili.fi
In this series, 6D readers tell about their local favourite
place to grab a coffee, sip on a beer or enjoy a bite to eat.
Send a brief email to james@6d.fi, and let us know what
you recommend!
What Finns
are eating
this month
Alex Lomas
Root
vegetables
While the most common use of root vegetables has
traditionally been in a ?box?, that is, boiled and mashed
and doused in lashings of cream, these days chefs
are finding increasing uses for juuret. Thus alongside
such staples as cabbage rolls and various incarnations
of potato side dishes, local chefs are experimenting
to create new takes on these seasonal favourites.
Witness the goings-on at Helsinki?s Juuri restauarnt, for
example, with a vegetarian sausage made with barley
and five different kinds of root vegetables. Let?s not
forget a dollop of beetroot ketchup on the side.
16
Cultitude
Issue 08 2013
Photos: Ville Akseli Juurikkala
I think age limits are silly. Just because adults can?t handle their
alcohol problems, kids have to suffer and not get to see the bands
they like. I always want to have concerts for kids. I believe it is
important and I enjoy it a lot.
Sadly, nowadays you hear people say things like ?we
shouldn?t pay for music because music is just a marketing
tool to sell concerts,? what is your opinion on that?
A friend of yours said that?
Yes? (gulp)
So he thinks this is not a proper job? That this is not hard work?
Well, I have news for your friend: try and do what I do on stage for
five minutes, I dare you.
I take my music very seriously. Making an album is a tedious
and stressful process and it takes a long time to actually get to
the moment where you?re singing a song. Especially lyrics keep
changing and you keep trying different things up to the moment
you record it. I stay up nights thinking about lyrics, going for every
word and every little thing. It?s not necessarily fun all the time.
Making an album is a long process and it can be stressful because
you?re going to have to live with that record for the rest of your life.
After the success of your previous album Sensory Overdrive,
what was the approach on this new album?
Sensory Overdrive got a great reception around the world. Classic
Rock Magazine readers voted it ?Best Album of the Year 2011?, it
went straight to number one in Finland and it won the EMMA
(Finnish Music Award) for ?Rock Album of the Year 2011?. I always
get asked if we feel a lot of pressure because of this. We thought
there was no point trying to do the same album twice, we moved
on, decided to write some music and see where it went. Eventually
cool stuff started to come out and the album started taking shape.
In the eye of the
rock n? roll storm
With a rocking new album under his belt, Michael
Monroe is taking his live show out on the road again.
Alvaro Sotomayor
I
CAN?T help but feel nervous at the prospect of sitting in a room
alone with Michael Monroe. Michael was a founding member
and the front man of cult rock n? roll band Hanoi Rocks, which
influenced bands such as Guns n? Roses and Mötley Crüe, and
later continued a successful solo career where he played with stars
such as Slash, Steven Van Zandt and Ronnie Wood. He is the
biggest rock star in Finnish music.
I wonder whether he?ll be an arrogant star, or even bored and
cynical with our questions. But Michael is completely the opposite:
a true gentleman. Always with a huge smile on his face, he goes into
detail with every question and transmits a huge passion for music
and for what he does. We meet with him to talk about his latest
album, Horns and Halos, and about life in Finland.
On the first single of Horns and Halos, Ballad of the Lower
East Side, you sing about your memories of the New York
where you lived in the ?80s and?90s. What surprised you most
about the city when you moved there?
In New York I lived in Manhattan East 3rd Street between First
and Second Avenue, and it was one of the noisiest places in New
York, but surprisingly also the safest, all because it was the Hells
Angels [motorcycle club] block. They had a 24-hour watch in the
street and it was actually one of the few streets where parents didn?t
have to watch over their children every second and the kids could
play in the streets freely because the Hells Angels were watching. I
was on their good side and even played at their block party. They
blocked the street for 2 days and planted a stage in the middle. It
was a really cool party.
How did you manage to be on the good side of the Hells Angels?
Well, for example my best friend in New York was Little Steven
[Bruce Springsteen?s guitar player]. I went to one of Steven?s
concerts where Bruce [Springsteen] did a duet with him. When
I was on my way out of the club, two of the Hells Angels shouted
at me ?Hey Mike! Come over here! Have a drink with us.? One
of them was the Vice president of the Hells Angels, Teddy, a very
big guy, and he told me they were there waiting to see Bruce come
out. When Bruce left the club, I called him and introduced him to
Teddy and his friend. Bruce is such a nice guy that he spent an hour
talking with them. So you can imagine that after that they were
like, ?Alright, Mike! Anything you want, just stick your head out of
the window and give us a shout.?
In that song you also sing about how things have changed in
New York. Have things changed as much in Helsinki?
Finland in the late ?70s was crazy. They were intolerant and narrowminded people. There was this passion for James Dean in Finland
and every kid looked like they?d been taken out from Happy Days
[American television sitcom]. They still thought America was that
even though they were 20 years late. It was a weird moment and
they would beat up anyone who had long hair or looked different,
people even died! Those were heavy moments.
For Hanoi Rocks our first goal was to get the hell out of Finland.
I moved to Stockholm in 1979 because they were more tolerant
there. With Hanoi Rocks, one of the biggest accomplishments we
made was that we forced people to be a little bit more open-minded
and learn to laugh at themselves a little bit more.
How was it to move back to Finland after 10 years living in
New York?
What happened to me is that I lived in New York for so long that
I got used to that life; I got used to New York?s energy, an electric
energy that keeps you on the edge and going all the time. But it got
to a point where things turned around and New York was taking
more from me than what it was giving, so I decided to move back
to Finland.
I was tempted to have my house in the countryside, to live
breathing fresh air, so I moved to my grandmother?s cottage. It was
a cultural shock after living 10 years in New York to go and live
in the countryside. For me, adjusting to life there was hard, but I
learned to appreciate nature and in the end I loved it.
What surprised me about Finland is that artists might play
two concerts in the same day: one for underage in the
afternoon and one for adults in the evening. How are those
underage concerts? Do kids go crazier than adults?
I love those gigs. It?s obvious that kids don?t drink alcohol... or
maybe some do before the concert... but you can feel they?re
clearer in their heads and they have a natural energy, they have
that twinkle in their eye, pure excitement. The energy is completely
different. Their sincere joy and excitement for the event just comes
over you. The sound of the crowd is different, as well as the vibe.
The adult gigs are still a great crowd but they are different. They
serve alcohol and you might even see people passing out.
Another good thing about underage concerts is that kids that age
won?t normally get in to a club like Tavastia, so it?s an opportunity
for them to get into the rock club in Finland.
Do you remember when you actually started writing material
for Horns and Halos and how it came along?
The thing with our band is that everyone lives around the world.
Sami Yaffa [bass] lives in New York, Steve Conte [guitar] is a New
York guy but lives in Amsterdam, Karl Rockfist [drums] used to
live in Los Angeles but moved to Sweden and Dregen [guitar]
lives in Stockholm. What we did is, whenever we got together for
a show or tour we always booked a few extra days before to work
on songs. That it is why Horns and Halos was recorded here and
there. Before our South American tour we did four days in Steve?s
rehearsal studio in New York and at the end of the tour we stayed
some days in Los Angeles and laid down some demos. That?s how
it started to come together.
One of my personal favourites on the album is Soul Surrender.
How did you come out with that great reggae break in the verse?
It is one of my favourites too! We were in New York doing a
songwriting session and Rockfist couldn?t make it for the first
couple of days so I stepped in and played drums. Sami had that
riff [he plays drums with his legs as he sings the Soul Surrender
opening riff] and I was drumming along, but because I hadn?t
played drums for a while I started to get tired and started to play
slowly, with a reggae vibe, and we thought, ?What the hell! Why
not?? So it was actually my tiredness that caused that freaky idea
that all of a sudden the song would go into a reggae beat.
You?ve played 15 editions of Ruisrock either with Hanoi
Rocks or Michael Monroe. What does Ruisrock mean to you?
It is a special festival. It is the first and oldest rock festival in
Finland and has always been the festival. Ruisrock just has a great
environment, especially the stage near the sea [Ranta Lava]. It is
such a special place. I love it.
I think it was Aerosmith who were playing on that stage and
saw the big Viking Line boat coming and stopped in a middle of
a song and said, ?Wait a minute...that boat is coming at us!? For
me it?s a special place, especially now that I live in Turku. During
my concerts, when I climb up the lighting rig, I can almost see my
house.
To finish, what Finnish-speaking artist/band would you
recommend our readers?
David Lindholm is a person to me that in Finland is holy. If
you want to listen to some funny usage of the Finnish language
check out his 1975 album named Fandjango. Dave used to live in
Chicago and wrote in English but when he came back to Finland
the record company told him, ?You have to write lyrics in Finnish.?
His lyrics are easy to translate to English because it feels like if
they were originally written in English. I covered one of his songs
called Telephone Bill?s All Mine (Puhelinlasku on mun). It was cool.
Dave also played a lead solo in my album Whatcha Want. Also you
should check out Apulanta and Jenni Vartiainen.
...And English speaking?
Hurriganes? album Roadrunner is a must. And Nuclear Nightclub
by Wigwam should also be checked out.
Horns and Halos is out now.
Michael Monroe on tour
4 Oct. Rytmikorjaamo Seinajoki
5 Oct. Puikkari Kuopio
9 Oct. PakkahuoneTampere
10 Oct. KerubiJoensuu
11 Oct. Lutakko Jyväskylä
12 Oct. Teatria Oulu
Cultitude
17
SixDegrees
Irish ayes be celebrating again
James O?Sullivan
A
RRIVING with the onset of autumn, the Irish Festival in
Finland is being staged for the 28th time, from 28 September
until 7 October. Offering visitors the chance to indulge in
various aspects of Irish culture, events are being held around the
country in celebration.
Keeping with tradition, singer Mary Coughlan is headlining the
festival for fifth time, with perfromacnes in the great Sigyn Hall
in Turku on Saturday 5 October and Helsinki?s Savoy Theatre on
Monday 7 October.
The festival also features Cormac Cannon and Breda Keville
from the west of Ireland, performing in various cities around the
country, joined by local master of Irish music, Samuli Karjalainen,
for the majority of the dates.
Katie O?Kelly. Furthermore, director Seán Ó Cualáin will host
a question and answer session after a screening of his film Men
at Lunch. Also, if you still haven?t had your Gaellic fill, be sure to
check out Irish Film Week, also being staged in the northern city
from 26 September to 5 October.
Irish up north
Furthermore, in case you haven?t had your fill of Irishness, ?The
most Northern Irish Festival in the world?, The Irish Festival of
Oulu, is being staged from 2 to 6 October. Offering a variety of
poems, films and music, the festival once again offers a cracking
line-up.
Internationally acclaimed traditional Irish instrumental outfit
Lúnasa are joined on a musical bill during the week that includes
up-and-comer Gráinne Holland, FullSet and the Máirtín
O?Connor Band among others.
Jim Maginn?s photo exhibition The Light of Other Days will
receive its world premiere at the Oulu City Library and Eamonn
Keenan returns to the city deliver his third lively presentation on
contemporary Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, Ireland?s greatest
living poet John Montague offers a seminar on Contemporary
Irish Poetry, also appearing with local musicians Anthony
Johnson, Markus Lampela and Brent Ó Caiside, as they perform
traditional Irish music alongside his prose.
If it?s theatre you are after, then keep an eye out for Joyced!, with
Serj
Live Nation
gets symphonic
James O?Sullivan
After the unexpected joy of
seeing System of a Down return
to the stage a couple of year
ago, (performing in Finland
for the first time ever during
their career in 2011), fans
who may have thought their
recent follow-up gig at Jurassic
Rock back in August may have
signalled a new beginning are
in for a moderate letdown,
as frontman Serj Tankian
continues rolling on with his
solo pursuits. But, that in itself
Live Nation
Rockin? with the
blues
James O?Sullivan
Irish Festival in Finland
28 September-7 October
www.finnish-irish.fi
is still good news, and he is
performing at Hartwall Areena
on Sunday 29 September.
Having emerged as a performer
on his own right with the release
of the impressive Elect The Dead
in 2007, Tankian has wasted
no time to explore the various
musical avenues available to
him. Soon he was onstage with
the Auckland Philharmonia
Orchestra for the orchestral
interpretation collection Elect
The Dead Symphony. This
restless creative itch then saw
the opera and electro flavoured
Imperfect Harmonies emerge in
2010.
Not to be outdone, last year?s
Harakiri took a look at the not so
oft explored concept of animal
suicide, adding to the long
line of injustices that Tankian
was becoming known to howl
against. Then, just in case he
be perceived as resting on his
laurels, 2013 will eventually
have seen the release of three
different albums. Jazz orientated
Jazz-Iz-Christ dropped earlier
The Irish Festival of Oulu
2 ? 6 October
www.irkku.fi
this year, with Fuktronic arriving
at some stage before Christmas.
Meanwhile, perhaps his most
intriguing idea, Orca, arrived
back in June. Recorded in Linz,
Austria, with conductor Werner
Steinmetz at the helm, the
album is Tankian?s first complete
symphony. Structured into four
acts, the work draws on the fact
that the killer whale is actually a
dolphin as symbolic of human
dichotomy.
Aside from the fours acts
being performed at Hartwall
Areena will also draw on cuts
from Elect The Dead Symphony.
Note, for those who like to
get there early and discover
some new sounds, there will
be no warm up band. The
new
Live Nation
sounds, it appears, can be found
with the headlining act.
Serj Tankian
29 September, 20:00
Tickets ?58.50
Hartwall Areena
Areenankuja 1
T
he blues licks of acclaimed American blues-rock
guitarist Joe Bonamassa are on display for his biggest
audience yet in Finland, performing at Hartwall Areena
on Sunday 13 Ocotber. A child prodigy who first opened
for B. B. King at 12 years of age, Bonamassa has been
showcasing his jaw-dropping dexterity around the world for
the last couple of decades.
Born into a musical family as the son of a music storeowner
and guitar player, Bonamassa received his first instrument
at the age of four. As a member Bloodline, a group that
included Miles Davis?s son Erin, and Robby Krieger?s son
Waylon, Bonamassa enjoyed his first real taste of recording
success when the band released their debut album in 1994
as teenagers.
After the arrival of his first solo album, A New Day
Yesterday, in 2000, Bonamassa has gone on to record a
further fourteen releases. His slow-burning success story
culminated in 2009?s The Ballad Of John Henry debuting at
number one on the US Billboard blues chart, and remaining
there for six months.
His most recent album Driving Towards The Sunlight
hit shelves last year, on the receiving end of some glowing
reviews. Furthermore, just in case he wasn?t busy enough,
he also teamed up with bassist and vocalist Glenn Hughes,
drummer Jason Bonham and keyboardist Derek Sherinian
formed the supergroup Black
Country Communion in
2009.
Joe Bonamassa
Bonamassa plays around
13 October, 19:00
200 gigs a year, with this big
Tickets ?57.50-77.50
show following on from his
Hartwall Areena
blistering performance at
Areenankuja 1
Finlandia Hall last year.
Helsinki
Helsinki Art Museum, Maija Toivanen
Large-scale art without compromise
James O?Sullivan
O
ne
of
the
most
uncompromising Finnish
contemporary
artists
today, the work of Timo
Heino is currently on display
at Helsinki?s Tennispalatsi
until 17 November. Offering
a comprehensive review of
Heino?s work from 1990 to
the present, visitors can reflect
on the various installations
and collages drawing on often
surprising combinations of
objects and materials.
Rubber, metal and dust are as
commonplace as smoothness,
coldness and hairiness during
the exhibition, resulting in
often highly charged, creaturelike works. Offering insights
about private experiences,
Heino?s art also offers reflection
on social and global issues of
power, sexuality, consumerism
and the relationship between
humanity and nature.
Although Heino?s works fill
larger spaces, their impressive
scale is not the ultimate desired
outcome. The most important
reaction for the artist is that
his works offer the possibility
for free thinking. The world
is not black and white, but
constructed
of
complex
elements that allow multiple
interpretations.
According
to Heino, he expresses his
personal experiences of the
world and the culture he lives
in, which is why his works
inevitably contain paradoxes
and conflicts.
Furthermore, if you seek
to enjoy works on display
unconfined by the exhibition
space at Tennispalatsi, Heino?s
art can also be found at the
Rastila and Kamppi metro
stations. Furthermore, his
latest public piece, Line Drawn
in Water, is scheduled to be
completed by spring next
year in the new Kalasatama
residential district.
Timo Heino
Until 17 Nov 2013
Helsinki Art Museum
Tennis Palace
Salomonkatu 15
Helsinki
Heino?s work takes up space - indoors and out.
Reviews
18
Issue 08 2013
Forthcoming flicks
Machete takes care of business once again in Robert Rodriguez?s latest cinematic pastiche, Machete Kills.
James O?Sullivan
Mud
Continuing Matthew McConaughey?s somewhat astonishing about face from the doldrums of
rom-com purgatory in recent times, director Jeff Nichols follows up his impressive Taking Shelter
(2011) with Mud. Here two 14-year-old boys growing up in a small town beside the Mississippi
stumble across McConaughey, who claims to be on the run from brutal bounty hunters after
killing a man in Texas. Throw in Reese Witherspoon and more than a few Huckleberry Finn
references and the McConaughey doubters left out there are bound to be converted. Otherwise,
if still resisting, perhaps they can wait until McConaughey appears alongside Leonardo DiCaprio
in Martin Scorsese?s Wolf of Wall Street later this year.
Premieres 27 September
The Grandmaster
Wong Kar-Wai?s hotly anticipated latest sees Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi star in the biographical
drama based on the life of legendary martial artist Ip Man. Best known as a mentor to Bruce Lee,
the film focuses on Ip Man?s adventures from the 1930s to the 1950s, as he helps to sort out the
various rivalries among Northern and Southern Chinese kung fu schools, amongst other asskicking antics. While the film has admittedly received mixed reviews, the films of Wong Kar-Wai
have always been nothing short of watchable during a long and exceptional career.
Premieres 4 October
Machete Kills
Follwing on from the moderately successful antics of exploitation flick pastiche Machete a
couple of years ago, director Robert Rodriguez ups the ante with this sequel, adding the likes of
Charlie Sheen (as the President of the USA), Mel Gibson (as the bad guy) and, ahem, Lady Gaga
(as Gibson?s lackey La Chameleón) to the mix. This time ?round, our man Machete is tasked to
take out Gibson?s wealthy arms dealer who seeks to destabilise the entire globe. With Michelle
Rodriguez and Jessica Alba returning, and the whole shebang arriving with tongue planted
firmly in cheek, what?s not to like? Oh, with Danny Trejo muttering this time around that ?he
don?t Tweet?, quotable one-liners are to be commonplace.
Premieres 11 October
Metallica: Through the Never
Band flicks that find a way to combine tunes and fantasy elements really don?t have the best of
track records in cinematic history. Thus, hoping to erase memories of Led Zeppelin?s confused
Song Remains the Same from the mid-?70s, Metallica saddles up for the latest from Predators
director Nimród Antal. Aside from the typically punishing metal tunes performed live, audiences
can either bask in ? or scratch their heads at the relevance of ? the tale of Chronicle?s Dane
DeHaan?s roadie who is sent out on a mission during a ?tallica gig, and soon finds himself in for
the night of his life. The rest of us can hope to stay inside the stadium and rock out.
Premieres 18 October
October 2013 Games reviews
Rayman Legends (Xbox 360, PS3, Vita, Wii U, PC)
Rayman Legends is that rarest of beasts ? a game that is most
of all undeniably fun to play and loses none of its charm the
more you play it. The levels ? circa 60 of them ? are wild and
crazy inventions with beautiful palettes of colour and intricate
hand-drawn animations. Extra little secret areas which task
you to solve self-contained puzzles using various game mechanics provide a well-realised diversion between the exotic
boss battles and bonkers music levels. Of course, no game is
perfect but this title is one of the best platformers ever. 9.5/10
Nick Barlow
26 SEPTEMBER ? 1 OKTOBER 2013
HELSINKI TIMES
Customer service points
Rautatientori Metro Station
(by Central Railway Station)
Itäkeskus Metro Station
Pasila, Opastinsilta 6A
Monthly review
HSL Customer service tel. 09 4766 4000
(Mon-Fri 7am-7pm, Sat-Sun 9am-5pm)
Advice on public transport routes,
timetables and tickets, Travel Card
assistance and lost Travel Cards
HSL Helsinki Region Transport
PO BOX 100, 00077 HSL
www.hsl.fi
Public transport gaining popularity
For the first time in 50 years, the share of
public transport is increasing faster than
motoring in the Helsinki region.
Since the 1960s, when private motoring first started to increase in the
metropolitan area, the use of public transport has decreased steadily. Now there has been a remarkable shift in travel behaviour, reveals
the recently published Traffic Survey 2012 by HSL. The share of public transport on all journeys made by
car or public transport has gone up
since the previous survey in 2008.
The result is surprising as HSL has
previously forecast that the relative
share of public transport would continue to decrease until 2035.
Good service, strong brand
?The shift is a result of the sustained
development of public transport in
the Helsinki region over several decades. Today, public transport has a
very strong brand. It is seen as an
essential part of a well-functioning, convenient and clean urban environment,? says HSL?s Executive Director Suvi Rihtniemi.
?An increasing number of young
people decide not to get a driver?s
license or purchase a car because
New HSL website launched
Launched at the end of August, the new www.hsl.fi website now adapts to different
devices without the user having to use a separate mobile
app.
One of the cornerstones of
the reform has been the typical situation when the services are used: a passenger
searching for information on
a mobile phone while waiting
at a stop or onboard a public
transport vehicle. The share
of mobile users is increasing
rapidly for all online services.
The most popular services
on the HSL website are lists of
ticket prices and search functions. Ticket prices are now
available as tables that are updated dynamically. Timetable
searches are still directed to
Journey Planner where all the
essential information on the
HSL routes and timetables has
been compiled. For example
a map-based search of sales
points is a new feature allowing the user to find the nearest ticket machine, sales point
or HSL service point easily.
HSL conducts
a ticket survey
on the Metro
HSL is conducting a ticket survey
on the Metro in September and October. The survey examines what
tickets the Metro passengers use,
where they live and what is the average journey length.
The survey is conducted by HSL?s
ticket inspectors along with normal
ticket inspections at one Metro station at a time.
The inspectors ask passengers
to present their tickets and to inform of their home municipality
and destination of their journey.
The survey provides information about passengers? tickets and
home municipalities for the purposes of transport planning and
development.
public transport meets their travel
needs so well. The same trend can
be seen in other major cities internationally.?
The popularity of public transport
has increased in all municipalities
in the area, on both commuter and
leisure journeys, among men and
women and in almost all age groups.
Private motoring is increasing faster
than the use of public transport only
among the over-65s.
More public transport, fewer cars
HSL also carried out a barometer
survey to determine residents? attitudes to transport. Most of the respondents would like to develop
public transport in the area, with
cycling paths and conditions also
ranked high as a development area.
The respondents were also strongly in favour of reducing emissions
and traffic noise and concentrating
land use along good public transport
connections. Over 60 per cent of the
respondents were for and less than
20 per cent against mitigating the
growth in motorised transport.
Work on
Hakaniemi tram
stops approaching
completion
The construction work that has made
use of the Hakaniemi tram stops more
difficult is approaching completion.
The renovated stops will be opened
to public at the beginning of October when also the trams 1, 1A, 3 and
9 return to their normal route along
Porthaninkatu and Kaarlenkatu.
During the work, the tram tracks
and the insulation in the roof of the
Metro ticket hall were replaced. The
tram route partly runs above the
Hakaniemi Metro ticket hall.
The renovation work started at the
beginning of April and was carried out
in two phases. Trams have been able to
run past the worksite throughout the
entire renovation project but tracks
running north of Hakaniemi have been
closed one at the time, which led to diversions on some tram routes.
9
Out&See
SixDegrees
Greater Helsinki
20
Issue 08 2013
By Anna-Maija Lappi
Music _ Clubs
27 Sep. Risto Juhani, Vähäsarja
feat. Joose Keskitalo // Acoustic
folk/pop. Korjaamo Culture Factory,
Töölönkatu 51 B. Tickets ?7.50/8.
www.korjaamo.fi
27 Sep. Kombat Katz (SWE),
The Shrieks, Black Magic Six //
?Psychobilly?/punk. Semifinal, Urho
Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets ?7.50.
www.semifinal.fi
27 Sep. Pariisin Kevät // Pop. Tavastia,
Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets
?19.50/20. www.tavastiaklubi.fi
27 Sep. Klamydia, Hybrid Children // Punk
rock. The Circus, Salomonkatu 1-3.
Tickets ?16.50/17. www.thecircus.fi
27 Sep. Turmion Kätilöt //
Industrial metal. Virgin Oil Co.,
Mannerheimintie
5.
Tickets
?16.50/17. www.virginoil.fi
27 Sep. Girlschool (UK) // Legendary
female hard rock group.
Nosturi,
Telakkakatu 8. Tickets ?22. www.elmu.fi
27 Sep. Igudesman & Joo: Big
Nightmare Music // Violinist Aleksey
Igudesman and pianist Hyung-ki Joo.
Sello Hall, Soittoniekanaukio 1A.
Tickets ?42.50/44. www.sellosali.fi
27 Sep. Deep Space Helsinki //
Solenoid (GER) & Thomas Hessler
(GER). Kuudes Linja, Hämeentie 13.
Tickets ?10. www.kuudeslinja.com
28 Sep. We Love Helsinki Syystanssit
// Traditional dances from tango to
humppa with urban twist. Korjaamo
Culture Factory, Töölönkatu 51 B.
Tickets ?11.50/12. www.korjaamo.fi
28 Sep. Hoedown featuring Anna
Puu & Tuure Kilpeläinen // Country,
folk, blues and rock?n?roll. Sello
Hall, Soittoniekanaukio 1A. Tickets
?22.50-27. www.sellosali.fi
28 Sep. Clinic presents Uto Karem
(ITA) // Techno. Venue, Pohjoinen
Rautatiekatu 21. Tickets ?10.7020.70. www.clubvenue.fi
28 Sep. 1993 Club // Terveet Kädet
live. Bar Loose, Annankatu 21.
Tickets ?8.50. www.barloose.com
28 Sep. Viikate // Metal. Tavastia,
Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets
?19.50/20. www.tavastiaklubi.fi
28 Sep. Covenant (SWE) // Energetic
synth pop, gloomy post-industrial
sound and electro. Nosturi, Telakkakatu
8. Tickets ?24. www.elmu.fi
28 Sep. Hang The DJ-club // The New Tigers´
album release. Kuudes Linja, Hämeentie
13. Tickets ?8. www.kuudeslinja.com
29 Sep. the GazettE (JPN) //
Japan rock superstar. The Circus,
Salomonkatu 1-3. Tickets ?55-85.
www.thecircus.fi
30 Sep. Editors (UK) // Indie rock.
The Circus, Salomonkatu 1-3.
Tickets ?37/38. www.thecircus.fi
30 Sep. Jesu (UK), JK Flesh (UK) //
Post-metal/shoegaze. Tavastia, Urho
Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets ?22/24.
www.tavastiaklubi.fi
1 Oct. Richard Bona (CMR) // Jazz
bassist and musician from Cameron.
Savoy Theatre, Kasarmikatu 46-48.
Tickets ?34/36. www.savoyteatteri.fi
1 Oct. A Place To Bury Strangers
(USA) // Noiserock/shoegaze/postpunk. Tavastia, Urho Kekkosen
katu 4-6. Tickets ?19.50/20. www.
tavastiaklubi.fi
2 Oct. Svenska Talande Klubben
// Hoffmaestro (SWE). Korjaamo
Culture Factory, Töölönkatu 51 B.
Tickets ?13.50/15. www.korjaamo.fi
2 Oct. Matti Johannes Koivu, Pimeys //
Rock. Tavastia, Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6.
Tickets ?13.50/14. www.tavastiaklubi.fi
2 Oct. Karkkipäivä // Punk rock.
Semifinal, Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6.
Tickets ?6.50/7. www.semifinal.fi
2 Oct. Sean Nicholas Savage (CAN)
// Multilayered pop from Montreal.
Kuudes Linja, Hämeentie 13. Tickets
?8. www.kuudeslinja.com
2 Oct. Vapaat Äänet // Innanen &
Charles Bradley
17 Oct. Tavastia
History of Love
27 Sep.-8 Oct. Bar Loose
Ricky Tick Big Band
12 Oct. Tavastia
Washed Out
7 Oct. Tavastia
Kantonen Duo and Christophe Monniot
Station Mir. Kanneltalo, Klaneettitie 5.
Tickets ?9/13. www.kanneltalo.fi
3 Oct. Trashfest Kick Off //
TheFALLEN (UK), New Generation
Superstars (UK), Cold Cold Ground.
On The Rocks, Mikonkatu 15.
Tickets ?7.50. www.ontherocks.fi
3 Oct. Juficer (USA) // Sludge/stoner
duo. Kuudes Linja, Hämeentie 13.
Tickets ?10. www.kuudeslinja.com
3 Oct. Ricky-Tick Big Band & Julkinen
Sana // Jazz musicians and three
top names of Finnish rap. Sello
Hall, Soittoniekanaukio 1A. Tickets
?29.50/30. www.sellosali.fi
4 Oct. Irina Björklund - Chanson
d?Automne // Actor/musician Irina
Björklund with her band. Sello
Hall, Soittoniekanaukio 1A. Tickets
?19.50/20. www.sellosali.fi
4 Oct. Danceteria & We Like Grand
Opening // Basto (BEL) & Rene Amesz
(NLD). Fredan Tivoli, Fredrikinkatu
51-53. Tickets ?11.50-27.20.
www.fredantivoli.fi
4 Oct. Max Graham (CAN) // Trance/
progressive house. Venue, Pohjoinen
Rautatiekatu 21. Tickets ?11.50/13.
www.clubvenue.fi
4 Oct. Death Hawks // Psychedelic
rock/krautrock. Korjaamo Culture
Factory, Töölönkatu 51 B. Tickets
?9.50/10. www.korjaamo.fi
4 Oct. Jaakko & Jay // Folk punk.
Bar Loose, Annankatu 21. Tickets
?7.50. www.barloose.com
4 Oct. Fish (UK) // Rock. Tavastia,
Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets
?32/33. www.tavastiaklubi.fi
4 Oct. Radio Helsinki-klubi // The
Soul Investigators. Kuudes Linja,
Hämeentie 13. Tickets ?12.
www.kuudeslinja.com
4 & 5 Oct. Trash Fest VI // Crystal
Rain, ToxicRose (SWE), Malice
In Wonderland (NOR), Lord Of
The Lost (GER) etc. Gloria, Pieni
Roobertinkatu 12. Tickets ?20-35.
5 Oct. Bone Voyage label night //
22 Pistepirkko, Talmud Beach,
Mushmouthed Talk. Korjaamo
Culture Factory, Töölönkatu 51 B.
Tickets ?13.50/14. www.korjaamo.fi
5 Oct. Kauko Röyhkä & Narttu //
Rock. Tavastia, Urho Kekkosen
katu 4-6. Tickets ?23.50/25.
www.tavastiaklubi.fi
5 Oct. Pintandwewall // Garage rock/
pop. Bar Loose, Annankatu 21.
Tickets ?7.50. www.barloose.com
5 Oct. Irina // Pop. Virgin Oil Co.,
Mannerheimintie 5. Tickets ?18.50.
www.virginoil.fi
5 Oct. U.D.O. (GER) // Heavy metal.
Nosturi, Telakkakatu 8. Tickets ?24.
www.elmu.fi
5 Oct. Ane Brun (NOR) // Captivating
singer-songwriter. The
Circus,
Salomonkatu 1-3. Tickets ?28/32.
www.thecircus.fi
5 Oct. Built to Spill (USA) // Indie rock.
Semifinal, Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6.
Tickets ?28/31. www.semifinal.fi
5 Oct. Philomela: Ota syliisi syksy //
One of Finland?s top female choirs.
Kanneltalo, Klaneettitie 5. Tickets
?12/15. www.kanneltalo.fi
6 Oct. Lord Vicar, Mansion,
Earthbound Machine // Metal. Bar
Loose, Annankatu 21. Tickets
?11.50. www.barloose.com
7 Oct. Washed Out (USA), Amateur
Best (UK) // Electronic pop. Tavastia,
Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets
?24.50/25. www.tavastiaklubi.fi
7 Oct. Mary Coughlan (IRL) // Mixture
of blues, jazz and world music.
Savoy Theatre, Kasarmikatu 46-48.
Tickets ?35. www.savoyteatteri.fi
9 Oct. UMO & Jukka Perko & Yona //
The moods and nostalgia of Finnish
schlagers. Kanneltalo, Klaneettitie 5.
Tickets ?14/16. www.kanneltalo.fi
9 Oct. DJ Shadow (USA): All Basses
Covered (DJ Set) // Instrumental hiphop legend. The Circus, Salomonkatu
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1-3. Tickets ?25. www.thecircus.fi
9 Oct. Ted Russell Kamp (USA) feat.
Tommi Viksten, Tokela & Janne
Haavisto // Roots and country rock
musician with local artists. Tavastia,
Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets
?14.50/15. www.tavastiaklubi.fi
9 Oct. Loost Koos // Rap. Le Bonk, Yrjönkatu
24. Tickets ?9.50. www.lebonk.fi
10 Oct. Damo Suzuki (CAN/JPN)
// Vocalist of krautrock group
Can. Korjaamo Culture Factory,
Töölönkatu 51 B. Tickets ?11/13.
www.korjaamo.fi
10 Oct. Knucklebone Oscar, Kings Of
Moonshine // Blues/rock/garage. Le
Bonk, Yrjönkatu 24. Tickets ?6.50.
www.lebonk.fi
10 Oct. Vuokko Hovatta, Pikku Kukka
// Pop. Tavastia, Urho Kekkosen
katu 4-6. Tickets ?15.50/16
www.tavastiaklubi.fi
10 Oct. UFOmammut (ITA) //
Psychedelic metal. Kuudes Linja,
Hämeentie 13. Tickets ?21.50.
www.kuudeslinja.com
10 Oct. Piirpauke & Humbalax //
Contemporary folk, jazz and
mbalax-rhythms.
Savoy Theatre,
Kasarmikatu 46-48. Tickets ?25/27.
www.savoyteatteri.fi
11 Oct. Goa 6 Years // Talamasca
(FRA), Troll Scientists etc. Venue,
Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 21. Tickets
?14.50. www.clubvenue.fi
11 Oct. Ricky-Tick Big Band & Julkinen
Sana // Jazz musicians and three
top names of Finnish rap. Tavastia,
Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets
?23.50/25. www.tavastiaklubi.fi
11 Oct. The Mutants, The Country
Dark // Rock. Bar Loose, Annankatu
21. Tickets ?7/8. www.barloose.com
11 Oct. Von Hertzen Brothers //
Progressive rock. The Circus,
Salomonkatu
1-3.
Tickets
?21.50/22. www.thecircus.fi
11 Oct. Man Or Astro-Man? (USA)
// Instrumental guitar music.
Semifinal, Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6.
Tickets ?25.50/26. www.semifinal.fi
12 Oct. Club Empire // Trance. The
Circus, Salomonkatu 1-3. Tickets
?11.50-26.50. www.thecircus.fi
12 Oct. Aiyekooto & Afrobeat
International // Afrobeat. Korjaamo
Culture Factory, Töölönkatu 51 B.
Tickets ?12/14. www.korjaamo.fi
12 Oct. Club We Jazz // Han
Bennink & Mikko Innanen. Kuudes
Linja, Hämeentie 13. Tickets ?9.
www.kuudeslinja.com
12 Oct. Elastinen // Rap. Virgin Oil
Co., Mannerheimintie 5. Tickets
?13.50/15. www.virginoil.fi
12 Oct. Aavikko, Kiveskives
// Electronic/rock. Bar Loose,
Annankatu 21. Tickets ?11.50/12.
www.barloose.com
15-19 Oct. Nordic Music Days 2013
// 125 Years of Contemporary
Nordic Music! Various venues. www.
nordicmusicdays.org
15 Oct. Karadag Trio // Enver
Izmaylov (guitar), Ruslan Bolatov
(piano & violin) and Leniye
Izmaylova (vocals & dance). Sello
Hall, Soittoniekanaukio 1A. Tickets
?17.50/18. www.sellosali.fi
16 Oct. Jonne Aaron // Rock/pop.
Sello Hall, Soittoniekanaukio 1A.
Tickets ?27.50/28. www.sellosali.fi
16 Oct. Hyvä Klubi // Aivovuoto, Noah
Kin. Le Bonk, Yrjönkatu 24. Tickets
?6.50. www.lebonk.fi
16 Oct. Uma // Pop. Semifinal, Urho
Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets ?6.50.
www.semifinal.fi
17 Oct. Samae Koskinen?s string
quartet // Unique partnership of
singer-songwriter Samae Koskinen
and musicians from the HPO. Sello
Hall, Soittoniekanaukio 1A. Tickets
?17.50/18. www.sellosali.fi
17 Oct. Charles Bradley and his
Extraordinaires (USA) // Soulful grooves.
Tavastia, Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6.
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18 & 19 Oct. Supermassive 2013 // Ääniwalli, Pälkäneentie 13. Tickets
?19.50-30. www.supermassive.fi
Underground Odyssey
at Ääniwalli
A two-day urban festival dedicated for alternative and underground music will be taking over Ääniwalli in Vallila on Friday
18 and Saturday 19 October. Supermassive 2013 - ?An Odyssey
Through The Underground? will be bringing a cavalcade of interesting artists and sounds ranging from metal to electro on stage.
This year, the programme consists mainly of local artists, but in
future, the festival line-up will be covering more international
names, according to festival promoter Artemi Remes.
The first evening of the festival sees the gigs from black metal/
drone/industrial group Sink, experimental rock/krautrock group
Circle and an impressive duo of composer and violinist Eyvind
Kang (USA) & vocalist Jessika Kenney (USA), to name a few.
On Saturday, the stage will be taken by Mika Vainio, one of the
Finnish pioneers of electronic music, rap duo Paperi T & Khid,
psychedelic rock/sludge/doom group Mother Susurrus and Dean
Blunt (UK) with his mellow blend of electronic, dub and trip hop
sounds.
Tickets ?30/31. www.tavastiaklubi.fi
18 Oct. Shiny Darkly (DNK) //
Shoegaze. Bar Loose, Annankatu 21.
Tickets ?7.50/8. www.barloose.com
18 Oct. Yona & Orkesteri Liikkuvat
Pilvet, Color Dolor // Folk/
pop. Korjaamo Culture Factory,
Töölönkatu 51 B. Tickets ?13.50/14.
www.korjaamo.fi
18 Oct. Basstards 3 Years Anniversary
Party // Camo & Krooked (AUT). Venue,
Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 21. Tickets
?10.70-20.70. www.clubvenue.fi
18 Oct. Herra Ylppö & Ihmiset // Rock.
Tavastia, Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6.
Tickets ?16.50/17. www.tavastiaklubi.fi
18 & 19 Oct. Supermassive 2013 //
Dean Blunt (UK), Eyvind Kang &
Jessica Kenney (USA) etc. Ääniwalli,
Pälkäneentie 13. Tickets ?19.5030. www.supermassive.fi
19 Oct. Plutonium 74 // ?Psychedelic
rhythm music.? Virgin Oil Co.,
Mannerheimintie 5. Tickets ?11.50/12.
www.virginoil.fi
19 Oct. Club Afrobeat // Super Star
Divas, DJ Aries (UK), Ceo Dancers
(UK) etc. Nosturi, Telakkakatu 8.
Tickets ?16.50. www.elmu.fi
20 Oct. Vista Chino (USA) // Stoner
rock. Nosturi, Telakkakatu 8. Tickets
?35. www.elmu.fi
22 Oct. Moonage Daydream // A
Tribute to David Bowie. Tavastia,
Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6. Tickets
?13.50/14. www.tavastiaklubi.fi
22 Oct. Wimme // Modern joik. Savoy
Theatre, Kasarmikatu 46-48. Tickets
?23/25. www.savoyteatteri.fi
22 Oct. Suzanne Vega (USA) // Worldfamous American singer-songwriter.
The Circus, Salomonkatu 1-3.
Tickets ?46-54. www.thecircus.fi
23 Oct. Chuck Berry (USA) //
Rock legend. Finlandia Hall,
Mannerheimintie
13.
Tickets
?69.50. www.finlandiatalo.fi
23 Oct. Ed Harcourt (UK) // Singersongwriter/multi-instrumentalist.
Tavastia, Urho Kekkosen katu 4-6.
Tickets ?21.50/22. www.tavastiaklubi.fi
Theatre _ Dance
27 Sep. Dance United // The
Finnish National Opera opens its
doors to two visiting Finnish dance
companies. Finnish National Opera,
The Almi Hall. Helsinginkatu 58.
Tickets ?12/23. www.opera.fi
27 & 28 Sep. Sirkus Supiainen [heresy] // Contemporary circus.
Cirko, Kaasutehtaankatu 1. Tickets
?15/20. www.cirko.fi
27 Sep.-24 Oct. Gaetano Donizetti:
Don Pasquale // One of the alltime greatest comic operas. Finnish
National Opera, Helsinginkatu 58.
Tickets ?26-115. www.opera.fi
27 Sep.-8 Oct. Hanna Pajala-Assefa:
Erään rakkauden historia (?History
of a Love?) // A duet based on
movement and rhythm by the
www.autokoulusafiiri.fi
For more information by phone 020 766 9171
or email matinkyla@autokoulusafiiri.fi