A student costume party involving traditional music at the University of Jyväskylä in Finnish Lakeland has sparked a racism controversy, Finnish national broadcaster Ylereported.
In particular, one of the students arrived to the party wearing traditional "Black Pete" makeup, which involved a black-painted face. During the course of the party, traditional tunes were sung, albeit with modified lyrics, featuring "Nazi references" and racial slurs, particularly the "n-word." The merriment continued despite an outcry of protest, according to students.
In the aftermath of the party, Bella Forsgrén, the chairwoman of the Jyväskylä University Student Union's representative council, penned a petition claiming that racism has no place at either traditional parties or the university in general. Forsgrén, who herself is from a mixed racial background, called "blackface" inappropriate and stressed the fact that the party took place during the Red Cross-sponsored "anti-racism week." Forsgrén argued that the world has changed more rapidly than the student parties, stressing that this sort of humor "maybe was OK twenty years ago," but not anymore.
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