Immigration and Integration of black African descent communities: The case of Finland

Library - Africa

Last Updated on Saturday, 18 June 2011 14:30 Saturday, 18 June 2011 04:20

Written by Yondo Raul

Issues related to immigration and integration are nowadays subject of more or less confusing debates. Nevertheless, the range of knowledge on these topics is now quite broad, reliable and accurate that amalgams, misconceptions and other falsehoods should no longer be. What realities are hidden behind the term ’immigration’? What should a real integration strategy be? what do Finns really know about Black African cultures and immigration to Finland? is there a ’Black’ problem in Finland? why this hatred of frizzy-haired people? why the color before the competences at hiring? have Black Africans comitted an offence of ’filthy face’? are delinquency and ethnical origins linked? ··· Through a series of papers, the author will present a complex, finely-shaded panorama of the Black African immigration and integration in Finland, out of the intellectual modes and futile controversies.

The present paper, the first of the series, will review historical and cultural facts, concepts and terminologies, in order to explain and make understand the nature of the Black Africans, the social dynamics of their exile and expatriation. Moreover, the paper will look into the complexity of this migratory phenomenon: the various channels of the Black African immigration, the inappropriate use of the term ’immigrant’, the quest of identities in a country that does not ”take in”, the stigmatizations...and the integration policies that should aim at preserving the integrity of the immigrants in general.

The last two papers will present the difficulties for Black African graduants to integrate the Finnish labor market, as well as draft solutions, and an in-depth analysis on the current outlooks if we do not want ”our environment” to become unbearable and violent in the long run. The author hopes this will be the kick-off of a ”frank and open”national debate (among friends, neighbors, work colleagues, politics, social partners, etc) that will, in the long run, allow us to rethink of a more consistent and coherent approach to immigration and integration that will help Black Africans to combine their differences with other racial groups in Finland, especially with the Finns, in order to be able to live together, for a better Finland.

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