The quiet voices lost in Greenland’s Trump saga
In the media storm surrounding the Trump interest in Greenland, many opinions have been extreme. This article gathers a few nuanced takes from locals.
The silent majority.
It is a trite term; one often used in the political campaigns of American politicians like Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and even Donald Trump in 2016. But recently the term has seemed appropriate.
During last week’s media storm caused by Donald Trump Jr.’s visit to Greenland, the loud but outlying voices were often the ones amplified. The measured and nuanced opinions did not go viral on the global social media networks that were suddenly scrambling to make sense of Trump’s interest in the territory.
It is telling, perhaps, that some of the locals who appeared in photos with Donald Trump Jr. were, apparently, homeless people who had been convinced by a free meal at a nice restaurant. And that the guy who Donald Trump made the first face of Greenlandic MAGA-support is a convicted drug trafficker.
At the same time, another sentiment also flourished in reports on the debacle: the notion that Trump’s plan is completely without merit and that Greenland’s population is satisfied with the status quo.
In a popular LinkedIn-post, Masaana Egede, editor-in-chief of Sermitsiaq, Greenland’s main newspaper, put it well.
“There has been a lot of media focus on Greenland recently, and more often than not, the choice of sources ends up at the extreme ends of the spectrum, quickly turning them into representatives of Greenland,” he wrote.
“Their voices are important, but I urge foreign media (and ourselves) to remember that there’s also a large part of the population that stands in the middle, whose voices have yet to be heard.”
“This isn’t just a story about being for or against—it’s also about how, why, and when…,” Masaana Egede wrote.
The how, why and when were covered by Polar Journal AG last week.
But we did not share how the ‘silent majority’ in Greenland look at the sudden attention. Therefore, in this article, we have collected five opinions from different Greenlandic people. Opinions that each represent sentiments voiced by Greenlandic people in the past week.
Q’s Greenland: I believe in Greenland’s independence
Qupanuk Olsen is a popular social media creator with more than a million followers across her platforms. To many people across the world, she has become the face of Greenland. However, her content is not usually political and in her reaction to the Trump plans, she remains cautious.
She did state a commitment to Greenland’s independence.
“I strongly believe in Greenland’s independence. To achieve this, we must expand collaborations and establish business relationships with countries beyond Denmark,” Qupanuk Olsen said on her channels.
“We Greenlanders, Kalaallit, deserve to be independent and I hope we will strengthen our connections with fellow Inuit in Canada and Alaska significantly more in the near future,” she said.
Aka Niviâna Mørch Pedersen: I don’t want to live like in Alaska
Aka Niviâna Mørch Pedersen is a Greenlandic poet and actor who played the role of Julie Navarro in the fourth season of American TV-series True Detective. The season takes place in northern Alaska and her character is part of the Inuit community there.
Through this experience, she gained an understanding of the conditions of Inuits in Alaska, and she does not envy their quality of life.
“The conditions that population lives under, it is not something I wish for us,” Aka Niviâna Mørch Pedersen told Danish public broadcaster DR.
But, that doesn’t mean that she necessarily prefers Denmark over the USA. Most of all, she wants Greenlandic independence.
“We have a shared history with Denmark, which is not just a history but also relationships. We also have a shared history with the USA, which might be different. It’s complicated,” she said.
Julius Sandgren: Donald Trump Jr. is a hero
lt would not be a fair collection of opinions without some that support Trump outright. They clearly do exist. One of them is Julius Sandgren, who was invited to eat with Donald Trump Jr. during his visit and who he gave an impromptu interview with DR wearing a MAGA-cap afterwards.
“I believe he [Donald Trump Jr] is a hero. He has the power to protect Greenland,” he told DR.
His support of the US did mean, however, that Denmark should be left out entirely.
“I think Denmark and America should find a way to work together on water, minerals, and fisheries. They can work together on everything. It would pay off,” he said.
Terkel Husum Isaksen: It’s far over the line
Terkel Husum Isaksen was interviewed for the same segment as Julius Sandgren above. But he, on the other hand, was very sceptical of Trump. Jr.’s visit.
“I think it’s far over the line. To threaten us economically or with military power, that has no place. His quotes today [on the possible use of military power] are far over the line,” he told DR.
“We are a peaceful country, and we want to live our own lives in our own country. So to threaten with that; that’s over the line,” he said.
Tanja Nielsen: No listened to us until now
The last opinion shared here will be that of Tanja Nielsen. She currently lives in Aarhus, Denmark, where she is the director of the cultural institution Kalaallit Illuutaat, The Greenlandic House.
Although she is not interested in her homeland becoming part of the US, she noticed a silver lining to the recent developments. Suddenly, she feels, Danish people care about the opinions of Greenlandic people living in Denmark.
“No one ever listened to us before now,” she told Danish newspaper Århus Stiftstidende.
She points to several cases, both historical and current, where Greenlandic people have been mistreated by Danish officials.
“There is a fundamental lack of respect and recognition for us as the Greenlandic population among the entire Danish population,” she told TV2 Østjylland, another Danish media outlet.
And may very well be that Trump’s interest has given Greenlanders more leverage against the Danish state. It is striking, at least, that a few days after Trump Jr’s visit to Nuuk, the Danish and Greenlandic governments could announce that an agreement had been reached over the use of psychological tests in case of forced displacement of children.
This happened after several months’ delay: a case we have previously covered in Polar Journal AG.
Ole Ellekrog, Polar Journal AG
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