Witness...
Whenever Denmark features in the news, it rarely ever seems to be positive. With a xenophobic fear gripping even the most level-headed, instances of gross racism are rampant. While there is a collective callousness to non-Western traditions, I must take a moment to witness the hope.
I'm not going to regurgitate all the many mess-ups Denmark can be blamed for--especially in its treatment towards its Islamic community. I'm not going to point my finger and talk about the lazy politics that take place here, where Muslims are the scapegoats in very much the same way many other minorities around the world have, and continue to be treated. What I am going to say is, is that my place of work is the coolest. My place of work, I get to witness miracles.
Yesterday morning when I biked into our courtyard, I noticed a very beautiful girl, from what I thought was our 9th grade class. I always see her around and this morning, I was determined to tell her how beautiful I thought her to be. Some of the girls in my school choose to cover their heads, and to be honest, I suspect it has more to do with cultural pride than religion. Let me say this: many of the girls who do cover their heads have mothers who don't. So it is not their families that demand that they do this. But as the girl came closer to me, I recognized instantly it was one of my students, one of the 7th graders. Rumor had it that she too would soon cover her hair, but it was still a surprise when I saw her. She looked amazing. The funny thing about S (let's call her that) is that she is one of the most vivacious girls I have ever met. She is funky, full of character and quite rambunctious--and have, of her own volition, decided to cover her long, lustrous hair. And I respect that.
There can not be anything at more odds with each other than Denmark and Islam. Islam is represented quite heavily at my school, but many of the kids are no more religious than the Christians I grew up with. But while in Trinidad or the U.S. people are allowed to practice their faiths freely, in Denmark there is a constant debate about how open the country should be to other people's freedom of expression.
Right up the block from my school is a strip club with quite explicit pictures on the outside walls. These walls are passed every day by many of our students. Again, the contrasts are glaring. Denmark is one of the world's leading producers and exporters of pork...and well, need I say more?
Today I held my first parents meeting. As I stood there in a classroom filled with parents from different countries, different cultures, different races, working out what they felt to be of importance for their children, I couldn't be filled with more hope. Yes, there are many things that are not working in Denmark when it comes to the topic of immigration and Denmark's abnormal obsession with it, but I just want to give witness to the fact that there are places where people are working it out, people are working together and putting their best feet forward for our children and luckily, I happen to work in one of these places and if I've said it a million times, I will say it again: There is no other place I would rather work than where I am now. I am fortunate and so blessed to be where I am and I am so thankful. There is hope, there is hope, there is HOPE.
farvel,
the lab
Comments
@Bo: I don't disagree with you that it might not be worse in many other countries at all (as Ronald pointed out), but this is a blog about Denmark, and since Denmark is the country I call home, I find it essential, especially since I have a conscience, to comment on what I observe. And according to your logic, it is my job. What I find frustrating is the level of discourse that takes place here when the subject of integration and race comes up. This does not mean I find it frustrating when it comes up in, say, the U.S. for example. But, this was not what the piece was about. This post is a meditation on those of us, Danish and non-Danish, who break out of the sensationalist patterns of discussing such matters and while there are many who do not subscribe to what is presented as the general intolerance or lack of comprehension from Danish society, there are unfortunately, many who fail to look at this issue in a critical way. I can understand that as a Dane, you are wary of all the negative press regarding this issue, which is why, again, I took a moment out of my day to chant: there is hope!
While I have met many, many wonderful human beings here, I have come across a lot of ignorance, as I am sure I would no matter where I tread. Denmark is not alone in this at all, but again, as a Black person living in Denmark, I find it necessary to contribute my thoughts, and hopefully something positive, to the society in which I work and raise my child.
Cool! Very cool post! Greetings from Long Beach,California.
Jaycee