Chairman Kirvesniemi delivered a speech at the Hero’s Cross in Hietaniemi Cemetery, during the students’ Independence Day event.
Dear students and other listeners,
We live in uncertain times in many ways. At the same time, when we students are needed in this country more than ever to build Finland’s future, that future appears unclear to many. The trust that work will be found and that the sun will rise even after the darkest night is not currently strong among young adults.
As an art student and artist, I am particularly concerned about what happens if artists stop imagining tomorrow. Art creates possible realities. It expands our understanding of what is possible. And possibilities are what we need. What kind of story could be written about Finland today?
Independence means standing firmly on one’s own feet, but it does not have to mean isolation. Today, I would like to remind all of you listeners that this country needs us to meet one another. To give each other opportunities. To challenge one another to think more broadly, to argue more carefully; to challenge ourselves to commit to community and to each other, because without communities we cannot build a shared future.
On behalf of the Student Union of the University of the Arts, I wish you all a very happy Independence Day.
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