Happy National Day, Greenland! - 21/06-19
Ilulissat is not just a town of ice, but a town of culture. Yesterday evening, I went to the art museum and experienced an incredible performance done by Jessie Kleemann. There were more beautiful art to be seen in the museum, too.
Today, on the Self-Government Day of Greenland, I wandered about town - with a couple of mics of course. I went for the undercover Chris Watson solution with a DPA stereo pair on a clothes hanger. Sometimes with the less undercover MS-setup on top. I got the chance to see a dog whipping competition and live Greenlandic polka outside the Ilulissat museum, speeches and songs in the sportshall, and even more music in the cultural house in the evening. A worthy celebration!
Greenland has forever been a place that explorers and visitors come to. I talked to the owner of the hostel about how Greenland used to be one of Denmark’s colonies up until 1953. They made a western society out of it, and changed it to be a capitalistic society instead of their own sustainable nature life with hunting, trading etc. They got their own self-government in 1979, but are still in the Kingdom of Denmark. Some politicians in Greenland want a full independent country, but since they are provided with regular money from Denmark, that is also a difficult choice. They need the money, and Denmark have a responsibility to not just leave the country as it is; a lot of people struggle with unemployment, mental health problems, alcohol abuse and family issues.
This is is such a sad story. Why on earth do we need the western comfortable society? Once you have it, you cannot go back. Of course you would exchange a kayak for a bigger motorboat that runs at a much higher speed without using any muscle power. But once you do, you lose something else that is not valued in money.
