Events and Activities
Current and Forthcoming events
- Session “Dekolonisoivia näkökulmia kolonialistiseen menneisyyteen: Sukelluksia suomalaisten ja namibialaisten yhteiseen historiaan” at the 7th Finnish Conference of History Research (Jyväskylä, Finland 16.-18.10.2025). [In Finnish]
A lecture course “Perspectives to the Relationship between Finland and Namibia“, at the University of Turku 2.9.2025-14.10.2025. [Teaching in both Finnish and English]
Previously
Events
- The FinNamKnow project met Marjo Kaartinen, the Rector of the University of Turku, 22.9.2025 [In Finnish, in university Intranet]
- A poster “Owambo and Finnish Children at Mission Stations in Namibia” by Leila Koivunen and Raita Merivirta as part of poster exhibition ‘Modern’ Mothering, Childhood & Child Healthcare: Gendered & Scientised Ideas, Material Cultures & Experiences, Turku City Library 2.-29.6.2025.
- EMHI100-juhlaseminaari “Maailma ja historia liikkeessä” Pub3-luentosalissa Turun yliopistolla 9.5.2025. [In Finnish]
- Julkaisutilaisuus: Keisarin holokausti — Saksan unohdettu kansanmurha ja natsismin siirtomaajuuret. 3.4.2025 klo 17-19, Kaisaniemenkatu 5, Helsinki [In Finnish]
- Dissertation defence: Essi Huuhka, MA. “Kaukaiselle lähimmäiselle. Humanitaarisuus Suomen lähetysseuran Lounais-Afrikan-toiminnassa 1890-luvulta 1910-luvulle” 13.12.2024 [In Finnish]
- Dissertation defence: Raita Merivirta, PhD. “Kulttuurinen kolonialismi ja rodullistaminen näkyi 1900-luvun suomalaisessa lastenkirjallisuudessa” 13.9.2024 [In Finnish]
- Publication event: new information on the history of the Finland-Namibia relationship, Helsinki 22.08.2024
Presentations
- Decolonising Finnish-Namibian History seminar as part of Black History Month 2025 events in Helsinki 15-16 September, organised in collaboration with AfriStadi, Historians without Borders and the Finnish-Namibian Society, consisting of the following presentations:
- Leila Koivunen: New Approaches to Intertwined Histories
- Napandulwe Shiweda: Reclaiming Narratives: Ovawambo Material Culture and Knowledge Production
- Maria Caley: Decolonising Knowledge: Kavango Children Play and Toymaking
- Lovisa Tegelela Nampala: Outeku and Finnish Curriculum: The Impact of the Two Education Systems on Aawambo Communities
- Ndapewoshali Ndahafa, Omukwaanime kepata, Omukwaniilya kootate: Decolonisation* of Academic Spaces
- Jerkko Holmi: Finnish Missionary Remembrance on Namibian Independence Struggle
- As part of the program Napandulwe Shiweda introduced the movie Measures of Men (2023)
- Session “Decolonising Knowledge Production: Collaborative Global North-South Reappraisals of Finnish-Namibian relations” at the 8th European Congress on World and Global History (Växjö, Sweden 10.-12.9.2025), consisting of the following four presentations:
- Napandulwe Shiweda: Reclaiming Narratives: Ovawambo material culture and knowledge production
- Leila Koivunen: Two Perspectives on Eva Maria Nanguloshi’s (ca. 1863–1929) Life between Two Worlds
- Jerkko Holmi: Finnish missionaries recalling Namibia’s struggle for independence 1966–1990
- Lovisa Tegelela Nampala: The critical analysis of Aawambo care and health system in the late-nineteenth century
- Additionally:
- Jerkko Holmi took part in Roundtable/Book Discussion “Globalizing the Nordic Model. From Exceptionalism to Entanglement”
- Raita Merivirta took part in “Plenary Session Nordic Colonialism”
- Raita Merivirta attended the conference Englishes in a Multipolar World (the 20th Triennial Conference of the Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies, ACLALS, 1.-5.7.2025, University of Nairobi) and presented her paper Transcultural and English in the Service of Nordic Settler Colonialism: Karen Blixen and Out of Africa.
Teaching
- Course “Perspectives on External Relations of Independent African States”, 17.10.2024 – 12.12.2024 [in Finnish]
Media appearances
- Yle Kulttuuriykkönen 18.8.2025, Olemmeko syyttömiä? Suomalaiset ja Afrikan kolonialismin varjo. Harri Englund & Leila Koivunen [In Finnish]
- Turun Sanomat 11.4.2025, Alio Jerkko Holmi: Shell-boikotti 1980-luvulla – bensapumppuja valeltiin verellä, töhrittiin maalilla tai saatettiin epäkuntoon [In Finnish]
- Press release: New book sheds light on the history of Finland–Namibia relations in colonial world 29.8.2024
Other
- Call for Papers: Modern challenges in decolonial historical research between the Nordics and Southern Africa Proposal [deadline for proposals ended 30.9.2025]