In Greenland, Young People Question Island's Colonial Past
2020-07-05
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1In Greenland, a 21-year-old hip-hop artist is the face of the local Black Lives Matter movement.
2His name is Josef Tarrak-Petrussen.
3Some of his music talks about opposition to colonial rule.
4The songs are a favorite among younger Greenlanders seeking to rewrite their history.
5The Black Lives Matter protests have inspired people all over the world to look at and condemn injustice and past oppression.
6In Greenland, the protests have fueled old tensions with its former colonial ruler, Denmark.
7Greenland is the world's largest island.
8It sits between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans.
9The island is now a self-governing territory of Denmark.
10For one hundred years, the statue of Danish-Norwegian colonist Hans Egede has stood in Nuuk, Greenland's largest city and capital.
11The Black Lives Matter protests have led to calls for the statue's removal.
12"We should do as the rest of the world is doing and remove it," Tarrak-Petrussen said.
13"It's a part of the oppression here in Greenland and the systemic racism."
14Tarrak-Petrussen has a Greenlandic mother and Moroccan father.
15He has traditional Greenlandic tattoos on his face.
16In a music video filmed in front of the statue, he raps in Greenlandic about how Danes call locals "drunks," "Eskimo pakis" and "Arctic monkeys."
17Tarrak-Petrussen asks, "Are we still a colonized people?"
18Greenlandic lawmaker Aki-Matilde Hoegh-Dam called the statue a sign of colonial violence and suggested putting it in a museum.
19An online effort to move the statue gathered nearly 2,000 signatures in one week.
20That is more than 10 percent of Nuuk's population.
21On June 21, Greenland's National Day, the word "decolonize" was written on the statue.
22It also got covered with red paint.
23A different statue of Egede, in the Danish capital Copenhagen, also was damaged.
24"The younger generations will no longer accept the way others have written their history - they want to start telling their own story," said Ebbe Volquardsen.
25Volquardsen is an associate professor of cultural history at the University of Greenland.
26Hans Egede arrived in 1721 to spread Christianity.
27His arrival marked the beginning of Danish colonial rule.
28Volquardsen described the colonization as mostly nonviolent, with no slavery or huge riots.
29Nuuk's mayor Charlotte Ludvigsen last month called for a public meeting to let citizens decide the statue's future.
30"Much of the criticism of Hans Egede is that he forced Christianity and the Western way of life on Greenlanders," she said.
31Greenland remained a Danish colony until 1953.
32It then became part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
33It was given self-governing autonomy in 2009.
34This included the right to declare independence.
35However, the island of 56,000 people is unlikely to do so anytime soon as it depends heavily on Denmark for economic aid.
36Many Greenlanders say they face limited chances of getting good schooling or a good job in part because of their native language and culture.
37I'm Ashley Thompson.
1In Greenland, a 21-year-old hip-hop artist is the face of the local Black Lives Matter movement. 2His name is Josef Tarrak-Petrussen. Some of his music talks about opposition to colonial rule. The songs are a favorite among younger Greenlanders seeking to rewrite their history. 3The Black Lives Matter protests have inspired people all over the world to look at and condemn injustice and past oppression. 4In Greenland, the protests have fueled old tensions with its former colonial ruler, Denmark. 5Greenland is the world's largest island. It sits between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. The island is now a self-governing territory of Denmark. 6For one hundred years, the statue of Danish-Norwegian colonist Hans Egede has stood in Nuuk, Greenland's largest city and capital. The Black Lives Matter protests have led to calls for the statue's removal. 7"We should do as the rest of the world is doing and remove it," Tarrak-Petrussen said. "It's a part of the oppression here in Greenland and the systemic racism." 8Tarrak-Petrussen has a Greenlandic mother and Moroccan father. He has traditional Greenlandic tattoos on his face. 9In a music video filmed in front of the statue, he raps in Greenlandic about how Danes call locals "drunks," "Eskimo pakis" and "Arctic monkeys." Tarrak-Petrussen asks, "Are we still a colonized people?" 10Greenlandic lawmaker Aki-Matilde Hoegh-Dam called the statue a sign of colonial violence and suggested putting it in a museum. 11An online effort to move the statue gathered nearly 2,000 signatures in one week. That is more than 10 percent of Nuuk's population. 12On June 21, Greenland's National Day, the word "decolonize" was written on the statue. It also got covered with red paint. A different statue of Egede, in the Danish capital Copenhagen, also was damaged. 13"The younger generations will no longer accept the way others have written their history - they want to start telling their own story," said Ebbe Volquardsen. Volquardsen is an associate professor of cultural history at the University of Greenland. 14Hans Egede arrived in 1721 to spread Christianity. His arrival marked the beginning of Danish colonial rule. Volquardsen described the colonization as mostly nonviolent, with no slavery or huge riots. 15Nuuk's mayor Charlotte Ludvigsen last month called for a public meeting to let citizens decide the statue's future. 16"Much of the criticism of Hans Egede is that he forced Christianity and the Western way of life on Greenlanders," she said. 17Greenland remained a Danish colony until 1953. It then became part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It was given self-governing autonomy in 2009. This included the right to declare independence. 18However, the island of 56,000 people is unlikely to do so anytime soon as it depends heavily on Denmark for economic aid. 19Many Greenlanders say they face limited chances of getting good schooling or a good job in part because of their native language and culture. 20I'm Ashley Thompson. 21The Reuters news agency reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 22____________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24hip-hop - n. rap music 25inspire - v. to make (someone) want to do something : to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create 26statue - n. a figure usually of a person or animal that is made from stone, metal, etc. 27tattoo - n. a picture, word, etc., that is drawn on a person's skin by using a needle and ink 28rap - v. to perform rap music or a rap song 29museum - n. a building in which interesting and valuable things (such as paintings and sculptures or scientific or historical objects) are collected and shown to the public 30autonomy - n. the power or right of a country, group, etc., to govern itself