The co-Nordic linguistic organization Sámi Giellagáldu may be forced to shut down due to government funding cuts to the organisation. If the plan to reduce or eliminate funding for the organization that develops the Sámi language in Sweden, Norway and Finland is implemented, the governments of these countries will recognize their failure to respect the rights of the small people of Northern Europe which has been for a long time subject to discrimination in the territories of their traditional residence.

Ole Henrik Magga, vice chairman of Sámi Giellagáldu. Photo: Adam Karls Johansson / Sameradion.

The Sámi parliaments in Sweden, Finland and Norway have come together through the Giellagáldu project to safeguard, promote and strengthen the use of Sámi, the region’s native languages in 2022. To achieve the goals, the project supported the development of the Nordic Resource Centre for Sámi languages. As a professional expert body, the centre’s task is to create new terminologies and standardisations for Sámi languages. It advises on the use of names and offers consultation services to users of Sámi languages.

The co-Nordic linguistic organization is now worried that it risks being dismantled.

This is a direct disaster for the Sámi languages, says Ole Henrik Magga, vice chairman of Sámi Giellagáldu.

On Thursday, the Swedish government presented its autumn budget and there they have cut the grants to, among others, Sámi Giellagáldu, a co-Nordic Sámi linguistic organization which, among other things, works with language research and standardization of the Sámi language.

Sámi Giellagáldu now writes in a press release that there is a risk of shutting down the business before it has even had time to get started properly.

By cutting the budget, the Swedish government is signaling that Sámi languages ​​have no value. It is very worrying for the future, says Per-Eric Kuoljok, chairman of Sámi Giellagáldu and continues:

The consequences for this collaboration are enormous and if it becomes a reality to end the operation, it will mean that we have to initiate a dismissal of eleven permanent employees and all development of Sámi  languages ​​will be stopped.

Sámi Giellagáldu is financed by the Sámi Parliament in Norway, Sweden and Finland, and the cooperation agreement is based on the Sámi Parliament paying a third each.

But the Sámi Parliament on the Swedish side has announced earlier this year that it is likely that they will have to cut the entire next year's budget to finance the operation of Sámi Giellagáldu.

On the Finnish side, the board of the Sámi Parliament has also informed the board of Sámi Giellagáldu that they cannot fully finance a third of the budget requirement according to the agreement.

This is a direct disaster for the Sámi languages. In what way should the Sámi languages ​​be strengthened and developed so that they have a future, if the foundation for all language development is to be demolished and ended, says Ole Henrik Magga, vice chairman of Sámi Giellagáldu.

Sami language center loses five million in the government's autumn budget.

Sami and Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand comments on the budget for the Sami Language Center. On the right, Anita Kitok, the Sami Parliament's language manager. Photo: Jakob Åkersten Brodén, TT / Alexander Mienna, Sameradion.

The extra grant that made it possible to double the business will disappear.

Now we are returning to our regular staffing, says Anita Kitok, the Sami Parliament's language manager.

On Thursday, the government presented the autumn budget. There it is clear that the Sami language center will lose the extra grant of five million kroner that it has had in recent years.

We have received notice from the government that the extra grant for the promotion of minority languages, which we have had for three years, is being withdrawn. We are now returning to our regular budget of six million kroner and will immediately begin an organizational review of the Language Center's operations, says Anita Kitok, the Sami Parliament's head of language to SVT Sápmi.

In plain language, this means that we will adapt to the budget we have.

At the same time that the government withdraws the extra money, it is proposed that SEK 8.5 million be allocated annually to the country's two centers for minority languages.

The money will be shared between the Sami Language Center and the Institute for Language and Folklore, Isof, which handles the other minority languages ​​(Finnish, Yiddish, Meänkieli and Romani).

So, we don't know how much of the 8.5 million will go to the Sami Language Centre. We will only know that when the regulatory letter arrives in December, says Anita Kitok.

Swedish Minister of Culture Parisa Liljestrand (M) on the language centre:

What we in the government are doing now is that we point out that the language center is a hugely important activity for all minorities and therefore we are adding extra funds to Isof to be able to continue working with the language centre, she says.

The Sámi Parliament's board chairman Håkan Jonsson is far from satisfied that the money flow is being reduced.

These are disaster figures reported by the government. This will mean major cuts to language work, he says to Sameradion.

Source: SVT (20.9.2024), SVT (19.9.2024)

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