I'm not sure where I got the second half of the quote - but "Se Kannatte " is meänkieli and translates to something like "It's possible/it can happen"
The saying used to be "ei se kannatte," which translates to "there's no point to even try."
The Swedish government paid, for the longest time, people to leave Tornevalley and move to the cities. Their belongings got shipped for free, they got a "flyttbidrag" a sum of money to get set up after the move, and a lot of people jumped on it.
The ones that stayed faced unemployment for the most part. There was a lot of shame around the language, and people were encouraged to learn proper Swedish and pronunciation.
There was this sense of hopelessness, so people were told there's no point to even try. Don't waste energy on it. Didn't matter what it was, just don't try anything new.
But with the younger generation, this sense of hopelessness is fading. More people are proud of being Tornedalian, of speaking the language + learning it and reconnecting with traditions. The saying has been turned around to its possible (absolutely fukin doable)
I didn't start learning to speak meänkieli until my 30s, and it's not until now in my 40s I been actively infusing my daily life with what it means to be Tornedalian.
I've unbecoming what I thought I needed to be, and starting to show up as just me. I'm enough. As is. I can be masterpiece and a work in progress at the same time.
It's absolutely terrifying and awesome.
To commemorate this occasion , I created this meme 😁🤘
What do you think? The vibe for 2024?
#mainCharacterEnergy #PathFinder #introvert #magic #queerartist #neurodivergent #artist #nordicfolklore #tornedalskfolktro #magi #svenskfolktro #illustrator #illustratör #comic #graphicnovel
#storyteller #barnbok #svenskförfattare #tornedaling #tornedalian #norrasverige #norrlänning #svensk #Swedish #inCanada #torneälv #tornedalen #turtleisland #treaty6 #alberta