The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law has teamed up with Jus Humanis to host a lecture by Josefina Skerk, former VP of Sami Parliament in Sweden.
When: Friday, 5th of October at 2pm
Where: Pufendorf Lecture Hall
What: Discussion with Josefina Skerk about the current situation of the Sami people, followed by a Q&A session, wine and cheese.
Who: Josefina Skerk, former Vice President of the Sami Parliament in Sweden, Dr. Peter Johansson, senior lecturer at the University of Gotenburg, and Dr. Alejandro Fuentes, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute’s resident expert on minority and indigenous people’s rights and cultural diversity.
Centuries before the national boundaries of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia were drawn, fought over and redrawn, the Sami people lived in the land referred to as Sápmi. Counted amongst Sweden’s five recognised national minorities, the Sami possess their own rich and distinct languages, cultures and ways of life.
Their dual status as minorities and indigenous peoples has left them vulnerable to widespread and institutionalised discrimination by Nordic governments. This discrimination included religious repression, forced involuntary sterilisation, the deprivation of basic resources, the destruction of their living environments through mineral extraction, and the denial of the full realisation of their social, political and cultural identities. To address the historical abuses resulting from mistreatment by the Swedish government, the Sami Parliament and youth groups have called for the establishment of a truth commission.
Josefina Skerk, the former Vice President of Sami Parliament in Sweden will join us to discuss the current situation of Sami people, their battles for the recognition of their cultural, social and land rights, and their hopes for a Sami-led truth commission as an accountability mechanism. She will be joined by Dr. Peter Johansson, senior lecturer at the University of Gothenburg, who specializes in the political aspects of indigenous and minority rights and the lecture will be moderated by Dr. Alejandro Fuentes, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute’s resident expert on minority and indigenous people’s rights and cultural diversity.
A brief Q&A session will follow this discussion, and we will end the afternoon with a wine and cheese reception.