Who are we?
We are a group of united Karelians who care about the future of people in the Republic of Karelia. We believe that our voices have been muted and we should start to be loud. Nothing about us without us.
We want to create a platform that will help us, Karelians, “see each other” in order to feel that we are not alone, but keep it anonymous and safe for everyone. Our function is purely logistical - to give people an opportunity to connect and share information safely supporting equal exchange. We want to learn about ourselves through our land’s and families’ history. We want to promote free access to archives and give people a chance to decide what they want to do with that information. This movement is alive as long as our idea exists at least in one person. Our movement is faceless, because we don’t (plan to) have main characters, but many people who are united by the same idea. Knowledge of our victories will inspire, knowledge of our tragedies will remind us we survived, knowledge of our families history will bring back important parts of us. It’s all our national trauma we could go through it together and become stronger. As long as we remember who we are, nothing is lost.
We want to learn through our own history how to build a free and civilized society. We don’t want and don’t plan to “take back” any territories outside of the Republic. We will be glad to make a cultural exchange with people from Karelian regions of Finland or any Karelian diaspora around the world, but we respect the sovereignty of other countries. Our movement is about radical acceptance. While we’re working together the only thing that matters is our idea, not your age, gender or any other characteristics. But we don’t accept those who took part in russian aggression against other countries and nations: 1st and 2nd Chechen, Sarkatvelo, Syria and Ukraine wars. We don’t want to give a platform to justify or legalize this ideology. You can’t fight for independence while taking independence from others. It’s non-negotiable.
All people are welcome, including Russians and Finns. We have clear boundaries on what the colonial parts of your culture are. We want you to achieve a full understanding about how to find a non-harmful way to express your national identity without imperialism, and to stop using your culture as a weapon to erase other’s. Co-work means equal effort from all participants, and you’ll need to listen to nations which suffered by colonial parts of your culture without starting to be defensive. You should listen or you should go. Make your choice.
Being inside of society which normalizes imperialism means you don’t actually know how harmful it could be without an external view. You should recognize and acknowledge the injustices and harm caused by colonialism. Reflecting your imperialism is a challenge and it will be hard to rebuild your mindset. You will feel discomfort, anger, guilt, shame and sadness. It's long-term work. Be ready for many unexpected discoveries, most of which will not be pleasant ones. It’s okay for this kinda process, but remember: listen.