Several Sami-speaking politicians often choose to speak Swedish when they are in the pulpit, one of them is Lars-Miguel Utsi, party leader for Guovssonásti, who in this week’s 15 minutes from Sápmi explains why.
– I see difficulties with using Sami because some, who do not know Sami, then choose not to listen. They barely use the interpretation devices. When I argue in Sami, it doesn’t have the same effect as when I do it in Swedish.
What signals does this give?
– This shows our situation today Even if I choose Sami, it may not always be the most beneficial for the work. It would be best if everyone spoke Sami.
“Don’t get the same debate”
However, he hopes that this will change in the future.
– We have all the technical solutions in place and now it’s just up to the politicians and the audience to learn how to use these devices properly.
Káren-Ann Hurri, member of the Sámi Parliament of the Sámi Land Party, also thinks it is a problem.
– It is important to use what little you can. I have also highlighted the difficulty with the Sami Parliament having Swedish as its working language. I notice that I don’t get the same debate as others who speak Swedish, she says.
“Must change settings”
The use of Swedish in politics is a problem, says translator Are Tjihkkom.
– We have no Sami political language, no language for these subjects. You pick up on the Swedish turns of phrase and it becomes difficult to read and listen when you are not used to it. You don’t know what it’s called in Sami when you’re used to reading documents in Swedish.
He believes that more work should be done in order for the Sami to have a place among politicians.
– We need to know how the Sami word order sounds and what kind of written language is used in documents. It is important that our politicians speak Sami and show that it is useful. We have to change our attitude and think that you can speak Sami in all contexts.
See this week’s 15 minutes from Sápmi on Saturday at 16:15 in SVT2. Or anytime on SVT Play.