I am 12 years old. I have just finished Ann-Helén Laestadius’ book Sms från Soppero, and inside me burns the desire to reclaim my stolen mother tongue – just like the protagonist in the book. From my parents’ bookshelf, I retrieve the Sámi dictionary and hide it in my room. I write an email to Ann-Helén and tell her about my heritage and my longing. To my great surprise, she answers. A long and encouraging email. A response I’ll carry with me for a long time to come.
I am 23 years old. My first book, the YA novel Fire From the Sky has just been published. In my inbox, I find an email that begins “I am a 13-year old girl and I dream of having the life you do.” She tells me she wants to write books. That she is trying to come to terms with her identity. That she can relate to the protagonist in my book. I answer. A long and encouraging email. A hope that she will get to live those dreams one day.
Courage to access a language
I am 25 years old. Me and Ann-Helén Laestadius are getting ready to step out onto a stage together, to talk about our new books in front of an audience. We talk about the email I once sent her. About how her books gave me the courage to access a language that previous generations have been denied. To eventually write my own books.
I am 26 years old. I speak Sámi now, and through the language, I have found my cultural heritage and identity as a Sámi person. I write books that I wish my younger self had been able to read. I write them for the next generation. An email arrives in my inbox from National Laureate /Reading Ambassador Agnes Török: “Would you like to lead a Young Reading Council in Sápmi?” I answer: yes. Because inside me burns a desire. A longing to share the language journey I have been on, to show that it is possible to reclaim the language that was stolen from your family. A longing to help others find their way to literature, because I know how large an impact the right book can have on a young person’s life. A longing to explore Sápmi storytelling traditions – both oral and written – alongside young people. To reflect on how we can care for these traditions and continue to pass them on to future generations.
Adults in the publishing business keep asking: How do we get young people to read? Adults in Sápmi keep asking: How do we get young people to learn Sámi languages? I believe the most effective answer to both these questions is to go straight to the source. To let young people’s voices be heard, to listen closely to what they say. That is the link in the chain from generation to generation. Onwards and into the future.