Suomen kunniakonsulikunnan 100 -vuotisjuhlapäivää vietettiin 9.5. Helsingin kaupungintalolla juhlallisissa merkeissä.
SKTI toiminnanjohtaja Hanna Lämsä oli mukana juhlaseminaarissa puhumassa aiheesta Consuls Promoting Cultural relations. Kulttuurisuhteiden edistäminen ja kulttuuridiplomatia kuuluvat kunniakonsuleiden keskeisiin tehtäviin moninaisten käytännön asioiden hoitamisen sekä taloudellisten suhteiden edistämisen lisäksi.
Tilaisuuden avasi pormestari Juhana Vartiainen ja juhlapuheen piti pääministeri Petteri Orpo. Konsulikunnan yhdistyksen hallituksen jäsen Heikki Rautvuori luki hallituksen entisen puheenjohtajan Johan Grotenfeltin puheen konsulikunnan historiasta ja Business Finlandin pääjohtaja Lassi Noponen avasi kunniakonsuleiden merkitystä taloussuhteiden näkökulmasta. Tilaisuudessa kuultiin lisäksi tervehdyksiä muun muassa Ruotsin, Latvian ja Islannin kunniakonsuliverkostoilta sekä kansainvälisen konsulikuntien ja -yhdistysten liitolta. Musiikista vastasi Suomen kansallisoopperan viulisti Jukka Merjanen.
Konsulikuntaan kuuluvat Suomessa toimivat ulkovaltoja edustavat kunniakonsulit. Suomessa on lähes 200 kunniakonsulia. Kunniakonsuleiden yhdistys perustettiin 2019.
Linkit:
Kunniakonsulit Suomessa – Honorary Consuls in Finland – 100 vuotisjuhla 9.5.2025
https://honoraryconsulates.fi/tapahtumat/
Ulkovaltojen edustustot Suomessa
https://um.fi/ulkovaltojen-edustustot
Lue SKTI:n toiminnanjohtaja Hanna Lämsän puhe ohesta:
“Consuls Promoting Cultural Relations”
- Speech by the Executive Director of Finnish Cultural and Academic Institutes, Mrs. Hanna Lämsä at the Consular Corps in Finland 100 Years – Anniversary Seminar 9.5.2025
Your Excellencies, Dear Honorary Consuls, Distinguished Guests, Colleagues and Friends,
First, I would like to warmly congratulate the Honorary Consuls in Finland for your centenary of commitment – to helping others, and to building bridges and confidence between Finland and the nations of the world.
Your work has been, and continues to be, vital for people who cross borders, explore cultures, and build relationships across nations. You have touched individual lives — in their careers and personal journeys, in moments of love and loss.
You are helping to shape a more humane, international, tolerant, and sustainable world.
And this is needed now, more than I ever could have imagined.
It is a great honor to be invited here today. I find the theme — cultural relations and cultural diplomacy — deeply inspiring.
I will speak about the transformative power of culture. This forms the foundation for understanding the role of culture in international relations and diplomacy.
In my view, we have not yet clearly defined what we mean by cultural diplomacy — or how we can wisely use the smart power that culture holds.
I am not the foremost expert on the everyday work of Honorary Consuls in this area, but I hope to offer some reflections and suggestions on how we might approach this topic together in the future.
We need to talk more about culture — and we need clarity in terminology. We should be more consistent when we speak about art, cultural heritage, and the creative sector.
Do we use the broad anthropological definition of culture that encompasses all human activity and expression? Or do we include fields like sports, education, science, and human rights? Or, perhaps we are talking about art.
Or are we referring to culture as a way of life or a set of values — as in the European Union’s notion of the “European way of life”? Some argue we are living through a time of ”culture wars,” where liberal and conservative values clash.
These concepts often blur together — in everyday language, but also in professional and political discourse.
So, we must be more aware of what we mean by culture. And to achieve this, we must be clear both in our thinking and in our values.
We need thinking that transcends binary – all or nothing – thinking. Talking about culture wars highlights the role of narratives in our identities, but we must resist simplistic oppositions: old versus new, preservation versus change.
Culture challenges us to listen, to understand — even if not always to agree. Culture can unite us across borders.
How can that be? Isn’t culture what divides us?
Certainly, culture can be used to divide. But fundamentally, culture is what we all share — and what makes us human. We all can identify art or culture that is dear to us. We cannot escape it.
We also need a deeper conversation about the societal impact of culture – and the role of cultural diplomacy in building sustainable cultural relations.
Culture is a transformative force that supports individual well-being, social cohesion and trust, democracy and economic development, and resilience and security. In short: a sustainable future.
Conversely, democracy is not possible without a democratic culture — one that upholds inclusive practices and equal participation.
In defending and advancing democracy, we must constantly ask ourselves: Are all voices being heard? Are we doing enough to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to find their path, to thrive, to flourish?
My academic background is in philosophy. After a few years has passed, I’ve come to believe it was the right choice. My early career focused on cultural heritage and youth.
Today, I lead the umbrella organization of the Finnish Cultural and Academic Institutes, headquartered in Salus House in Kaivopuisto —next to many embassies.
I represent the network of 17 members: 12 cultural institutes, four academic institutes abroad – and the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre Hanasaari in Espoo.
Thirteen of these are in Europe; four are overseas — in Tokyo, New York, Beirut, and in Grand-Popo in West Africa. The institute in Benin — Villa Karo—is the first Finnish Institute on the African continent.
Most Institutes were founded in the 1990s as Finland turned toward the West. This year Finland celebrates it 30 years in EU.
The first Finnish institute, Institutum Romanum Finlandiae, dates back to 1954. Amos Anderson donated the Villa Lante in Rome to the Finnish state, to be used by the non-profit foundation for the purposes of research in antiquity.
Today, our network maintains long-standing cultural and academic ties in 36 countries.
When I asked our institute directors about the role of Honorary Consuls, here’s what they said:
Mikko Fritze, Berlin, Germany: “Consuls often support us in very nice ways… even small gestures matter—a tip, a comment, a contact. We could collaborate even more.”
Julia Ojanen, Benin: “Villa Karo’s founder, Juha Vakkuri, was Honorary Consul of Benin. Without him, the consulate might not exist.”
Tiina Jortikka, Madrid, Spain: “We had the pleasure of working with Kati Tähtinen, Honorary Consul of Spain in Tampere, for Iberofest. Such partnerships are invaluable.”
We invite you — Honorary Consuls — to engage with art, science, and culture. Use your networks. Stay connected with the Finnish Institutes.
Our work includes exhibitions, performances, festivals, seminars, residencies, and more. Academic institutes offer research and higher education, even archaeological excavations in Greece.
Our goal is to help Finnish artists and researchers internationalize — to connect them with new audiences and opportunities.
We also focus on social impact, the creative economy and Finland’s country image.
The Finnish model of organising Institutes is special – how?
Finnish Institutes are rooted in the civil society. Founded by professionals and active citizens, not the state.
This matters, as there is a danger that culture can be used purely as an instrument.
In Russia, the concept of ”Russkij mir” blends religion, politics, education, and culture — for imperialist ends.
We must stay vigilant. We must recognize when culture is being used to dominate.
Art and culture arise in civil society. They require freedom of expression. They carry intrinsic value.
This was clear during my recent trip to Moldova with the board of European Union National Institutes of Culture. There, civil society is fragile. Dialogue between professionals and government is lacking. And pro-Russian sentiment is growing — not just there, but elsewhere in Eastern Europe.
There is no democracy without democratic culture. And no democratic culture without civil society.
Civil society is where social innovation begins. Ideas that seem radical today — like women’s suffrage once did — become tomorrow’s reality.
Our institutes, rooted in civil society, share this mission. Just like Honorary Consuls — who as trustees build bridges between the state and the people.
Cultural diplomacy must include local participation and keep a healthy distance from state control. That’s where our joint expertise lies — in supporting professionals, in communities, in intercultural dialogue.
Yet civil society is under pressure — pressure that comes from the U.S. with cuts to USAID, and in Europe where civil society organizations are under attack by some members of the European Parliament.
But cooperation with governments remains vital. In Finland, I welcome work on a parliamentary vision for long term cultural policy. And I hope we will develop a true strategy for international cultural relations.
We cooperate closely with the Ministry of Education and Culture, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment — especially around creative industries and country image.
Now, let us return to culture’s transformative power.
We still haven’t fully defined cultural diplomacy or soft power – or smart power — term that I prefer.
Culture is still underestimated in driving societal change.
Democracy, peace, security — they all need culture.
You’ve probably heard the claim: Fulbright scholarships may have done more for peace than treaties. The same goes for Erasmus.
Human-level, sustained interaction — that is peace-building.
We should speak more openly about culture’s role in security and preparedness.
Culture and creative industries are also economic drivers:
- 9 of the 10 top global companies are built on intangible capital.
- Finland’s Culture and Creative Industries’ share of GDP is 3.1% — which is above paper and food sectors.
But our service sector is behind our Nordic peers. And Investment in intangible capital has been declining, says Sitra.
We lack the ambition, structures and instruments that support the growth of culture and creative sectors.
And as we hesitate on internationalization — both in and out — we fall behind.
I believe that in this respect, Honorary Consuls could really make a difference and combine their tasks of economic and cultural diplomacy.
But culture is more than policy. It speaks to our hearts, our souls, our communities:
- It comforts.
- It challenges.
- It connects.
Celebrations bring generations together. Heritage becomes a living conversation with children and youth – parents and grandparents: what to preserve, what to let go.
Culture sparks imagination — and innovation. It gives our lives a meaning.
But today, that meaning is blurred. People seek happiness in material things. Uderstandably so — poverty is not far behind us, and it is the reality of too many.
But the planet cannot sustain our way of life.
To place culture at the center of development, we need solid policy that addresses:
- Artistic and academic freedom
- Equitable access to culture
- Heritage protection
- Cultural diversity
This is cultural sustainability. It requires changing how we live on this planet — so we don’t need four planets, but just this one.
We all work for Finland—and the world. We build bilateral ties and uphold a multilateral order.
So let me close with some reflections on the Finnish identity.
One bright note, one hard truth.
First: Finland is again ranked the world’s happiest country. We must be doing something right. But do we know what? Do we appreciate it enough?
I recall the saying: On lottovoitto syntyä Suomeen. “It’s a lottery win to be born in Finland.” I didn’t like it when I was younger. Now, I understand more — but I still hear my younger self.
Second: a sobering fact. The 2023 Being Black in the EU survey ranked Finland among the most racist countries in Western Europe.
So I ask: How can we deepen Finland’s strengths while addressing its flaws? How can we stand up for our values — without assuming we know best?
Finland’s country image strategy is currently under revision.
I believe image is not branding. It is not marketing.
As Simon Anholt says: A true country image is built on what your country truly offers the world — how you connect to the spirit of humanity — and whether you keep that promise.
Thank you for listening. I am hoping for you all a wonderful evening with new encounters and sparkling conversations!