Visning af grønlandsk dokumentar ”Twice Colonized” i Washington, D.C., USA

Aaju Peter og Emile Hertling Péronard til Q&A på Scandinavian House i New York. Billede taget af Signe Swanson/ASF, 30. november 2023.

Grønlands Repræsentation i Washington D.C. afholdte, i samarbejde med den danske ambassade i USA, en filmvisning af den grønlandsk-canadiske-danske dokumentar TWICE COLONIZED for et udvalgt publikum af Arktiske samarbejdspartnere og amerikanske policy-makers i den amerikanske hovedstad. Der var tale om et fælles værtskab mellem chefen for Grønlands Repræsentation i USA, Kenneth Høegh og Ambassadør Stig Piras, DCM på den danske ambassade.

Til arrangementet blev der bl.a. serveret kanapeer med grønlandsk snekrabbe og rejer, sponsoreret af Royal Greenland, og grønlandsk øl fra Qajaq Brewery i Narsaq. Great Greenland havde doneret julepynt af sælskind til gæsterne.

I sin velkomsttale bød Repræsentationschef Kenneth Høegh Aaju Peter velkommen og beskrev kvinders vigtige rolle som bærere af kulturen og sproget. Aaju Peters arbejde har været - og er fortsat et vigtigt bidrag i kampen for en bedre fremtid for inuit - en fremtid baseret på oprindelige folks empowerment, forstået som at få kontrol og ansvar for sit eget liv og fremtid.

Kenneth Høegh fremhævede, at trods inuitkulturen og sproget i både Canada, Alaska og Grønland har været under stærkt pres fra assimilering, særligt i den sidste del af det 20. århundrede, er der overalt i Inuit-landene fra Grønland til Alaska sket en genoplivning af den traditionelle kultur og sprog - og Inuit på tværs af grænser er ved at genopdage sproget og gamle traditioner.

Filmens hovedrolleindehaver, advokat og oprindelige folk aktivisten, Aaju Peter og producer Emile Hertling Péronard fra Ánorâk Film, deltog i arrangementet og satte dokumentaren i yderligere perspektiv i en efterfølgende samtale og Q&A modereret af Direktør for den amerikanske tænketank Woodrow Wilson Center's Polar Initiative, Dr. Rebecca Pincus.

Aaju Peter og Emile Hertling Péronard beskrev de store menneskelige omkostninger den tvungne assimilering, i såvel Nunavut som Grønland, som blev gennemført fra dansk og canadisk side tilbage i tiden fra 1950'erne og frem, men også de vidtgående negative konsekvenser som kampagnerne mod sælskind fik for Inuit-samfund, Inuits økonomi og Inuit-kulturen. Aaju Peter beskrev kampen for at opnå anerkendelse af bæredygtig sælfangst, men fortsat er der en kamp for at få accept i forhold til anvendelse af sælskind, høstet gennem bæredygtig traditionel sælfangst. Dette er en problemstilling såvel i Europa og EU som i USA, hvor det under debatten blev nævnt at en antikveret føderal amerikansk lov fra 1972 fortsat forbyder handel med produkter fra havpattedyr i USA, herunder sæler.

Emile Hertling Péronard fra Ánorâk Film udtaler:

"Grønlandsk film fortjener en plads på verdens allerstørste scener, og derfor skal der også lyde en stor tak til Grønlands Repræsentationen for at hjælpe os med at få "Twice Colonized" ud i USA. I år var der for første gang et grønlandsk islæt til Oscar-uddelingen i form af kortfilmen "Ivalu", men selvom Grønland siden da har fået sin egen Oscar-komite, var der ingen grønlandske film, der levede op til kriterierne for indstilling. Derfor er det rigtig positivt, at det alligevel er lykkedes os at kvalificere "Twice Colonized" til Oscar-kapløbet, og jeg er sikker på, at Grønlands Repræsentation nu har hjulpet os ét skridt nærmere en nominering.

Filmfolkene fra Twice Colonized viste efterfølgende dokumentaren på Scandinavia House i New York, hvor repræsentationen også deltog.

For spørgsmål eller yderligere information kontakt Vicerepræsentationschef Rebecca Lynge [email protected] eller Emile Hertling Péronard, Ánorâk Film [email protected]

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December 2nd, 2023

Screening of the Greenlandic documentary "Twice Colonized" in Washington, D.C., USA

The Greenland Representation in Washington D.C. held, in collaboration with the Danish embassy in the US, a film screening of the Greenlandic-Canadian-Danish documentary TWICE COLONIZED, for a selected audience of Arctic partners and American policy-makers in the US capital. The Event was co-hosted by the head of Greenland's Representation in the US, Kenneth Høegh and Ambassador Stig Piras, DCM at the Embassy of Denmark.

Canapés with Greenlandic snow crab and shrimp, sponsored by the Greenlandic seafood company Royal Greenland and Greenlandic craft beer from Qajaq Brewery in Narsaq were served at the event, while Great Greenland had donated indigenous harvested sealskin Christmas decorations for the guests.

In his welcome speech, Head of Representation Kenneth Høegh welcomed Aaju Peter to Washington D.C. and described women's important role as bearers of culture and language. Aaju Peter's work has been, and continues to be, an important contribution in the fight for a better future for Inuit - a future based on the empowerment of indigenous peoples.

Kenneth Høegh emphasized that despite the Inuit culture and language in both Canada, Alaska and Greenland having been under strong pressure from assimilation, especially in the latter part of the 20th century, everywhere in the Inuit lands, from Greenland to Alaska, there has been a revival of the traditional culture and languages - and Inuit across borders are rediscovering language and old traditions.

The film's lead, lawyer and indigenous peoples' activist, Aaju Peter and producer Emile Hertling Péronard from Ánorâk Film, attended the event and put the documentary into further perspective in a subsequent conversation with Q&A, moderated by Dr. Rebecca Pincus, Director of the think tank the Woodrow Wilson Center's Polar Initiative.

Aaju Peter and Emile Hertling Péronard described the great human costs of the forced assimilation, in both Nunavut and Greenland, which was carried out from by Denmark and Canada mainly from the 1950s onwards, but also the far-reaching negative consequences that the campaigns against sealskin have had for Inuit communities, Inuit economy and Inuit culture. Aaju Peter described the struggle to gain recognition for sustainable sealing. There is still a struggle to gain acceptance in relation to the use of sealskin harvested through sustainable traditional sealing. This is a problem both in Europe and the EU, as well as in the US, where it was mentioned during the debate that an antiquated federal American law from 1972 (the Marine Mammal Protection Act) still prohibits trade in products from marine mammals in the USA, including seals.

Emile Hertling Péronard of Ánorâk Film states:
"Greenlandic film deserves a place on the world's biggest stages, and therefore a big thank you must also go to the Greenlandic Representation for helping us get "Twice Colonized" out in the USA. This year, for the first time, there was a Greenlandic film to the Oscars in the form of the short film "Ivalu", but although Greenland has since then had its own Oscar committee, there were no Greenlandic films that met the criteria for nomination. Therefore, it is very positive that we still managed to qualify "Twice Colonized" for the Oscar race, and I am sure that the Greenland Representation has now helped us one step closer to a nomination."

The Twice Colonized filmmakers subsequently had a screening of the documentary at Scandinavia House in New York, where the Representation also participated.

For further information contact Deputy Head of Representation Rebecca Lynge [email protected] or Emile Hertling Péronard, Ánorâk Film [email protected]