Greenlanders - Wake Up!

FUTURE KEEPERS OF THE HIGH NORTH

Writer: Nauja Bianco
Photographs: Angu Motzfeldt, Dortheivalo L. Jensen, Arny Kor Mogensen, Paninnguaq Heilmann, Nuka Carmen Bisgaard, Josef Tarrak-Petrussen,
Grønlandske Børn – Kalaallit Merartaart and others.

November 2024

The Roskilde Festival in Denmark is one of Europe’s largest music festivals, attracting some 130,000 people yearly. In the summer of 2023, a Greenlandic rapper became the first from his country to perform on the Gaia stage for up-and-coming artists. With his commanding presence and powerful voice, he delivered the razor-sharp message he wanted the audience to hear—and no less importantly, to be heard by people far beyond the festival's borders.

And Josef Tarrak-Petrussen was heard loud and clear. His stark criticism was directed at Denmark—but no less at his fellow Greenlanders, whom he urges to break free from the constraints of their colonial mindset.

In the business, he is known as Tarrak. An artist in his mid-twenties whose work spans music, film, and theatre, an activist, a visionary - and he is fearless.

“I want my children to grow up in a Greenland where they don’t need to learn Danish to secure a better future.”

There are many ways to tell stories of the colonial relationship between Greenland and Denmark. There are also many ways to tell stories of collective pain and shared vulnerability.

Tarrak raps in his native Kalaallisut, speaking directly to Greenlanders about social discrimination, colonialism, and a system that places the natives as second-class citizens in their country. He says his nation needs to wake up to the colonial reality of the present day, that Greenlanders need to stand up for their rights and get involved in making changes for a better future.

Tarrak’s storytelling is through his music, and his rap tells stories of struggles that can define human lives from childhood onwards. Stories about growing up in dysfunctional households and struggling in communities strained by alcoholism, domestic violence, mental challenges, lack of self-worth, and loss of lives. Stories of feeling discriminated against for one’s culture, looks, or language.

An important voice for Greenlandic youth. JONAA©Josef Tarrak

As a teenage musician, Tarrak was already challenging what he saw as marginalized perspectives, and his rap began to spark conversations in Greenland. However, it has only been in recent years that the socially critical rapper has awakened something within Danish society.

In a relatively short time, he has distinguished himself in Denmark as one of the most important voices for a generation of Greenlandic youth who are tired of discrimination and taboos - and who struggle to define an independent Greenlandic identity.

Tarrak rapping his message on stage. JONAA©Arny Kor Mogensen

“There is something at stake in Tarrak’s textual universe, where the personal is political, politics is personal, and the emotions sit outside the clothes.”

Instrumental beats and traditional Greenlandic rhythms play over each other while Tarrak raps in his native language, Kalaalisut, the predominant of the three Inuit dialects in Greenland.

There is always something at stake in Tarrak's textual universe, where the personal is political, and politics is personal. His rap lyrics often feel like a call to action. They hold stories, raw, unsweetened, and sometimes chilling to the bone. Stories that many Greenlandic people connect with.

But Tarrak doesn’t stop using his powerful voice and sharp words to criticize injustice. He delves deep into his personal experiences, unearthing painful truths he refuses to have hidden and revealing how they connect to broader issues of his society.

In his lyrics, he raps about his childhood in Greenland—about him and his older sister growing up with an alcoholic mother, about the instability of nomadic life, constantly moving from one town to another, and about the neglect and loneliness that marked his childhood.

Tarrak’s words speak not only to his struggles but to a lived experience shared by many. They give voice to a collective pain often left unspoken.

“Greenlanders, wake up!
They are looking down on us from up there.”

Regardless of the storyline, his rap consistently explores the relationship between Greenland and its colonial power, Denmark. However, never was it as stark and clear as when he broke through in 2016 with the track Tupilak from his debut album FxGx5.

In the music video for his groundbreaking song, Tupilak, Tarrak stands at the foot of the controversial statue of Hans Egede, seen by many Greenlanders as the symbol of colonialism and repression, while rapping in his native language: "Greenlanders, wake up! They are looking down on us from up there.” (Hans Egede was the Danish-Norwegian missionary who settled in Nuuk in 1721 and Christianized Greenland.)

“As Tupilak went viral, it tore open the discussion about Danish prejudice and racism toward Greenlanders, fueling harsh criticism of the Danes as colonialists. With Tupilak, this fearless young Inuit artist rapped about a bitter reality—a life marked by discrimination that people in power could no longer deny. Only he wasn’t addressing people in power; he was speaking directly to his peers. ”

The video ignited a powerful reaction. Within just one day, it had been shared thousands of times and climbed to the top of Spotify’s rap playlists of the week. Thanks to the English subtitles, Tarrak’s message reached audiences well beyond the borders of Greenland.

As ‘Tupilak’ went viral, it ripped wide open the discussion about Danes as prejudiced and racist towards Greenlanders and fuelled a harsh criticism of the Danes as colonialists. With ‘Tupilak’ this fearless young Inuit was rapping about a bitter reality, a discriminating existence that the people in power could not deny existed - only, he wasn’t speaking to people in power, he was speaking directly to his peers.

‘Tupilak’ was a call to action. To stop accepting prejudice and discriminating rules as a norm that nothing could be done about. Instead, Tarrak challenged his peers to look Greenlandic reality in the face, stand up straight, and demand equal human and legal rights as given to non-Greenlanders within the Danish system.

But Tarrak’s rap also has a message for Greenlanders. A message about knowing their own identity, culture, and history and standing by it. Far too few Greenlanders know enough about their ancestors, Tarrak believes.

“We don’t really know who we are as a people”. JONAA©Nuka Carmen Bisgaard

“Inuit identity itself is what we are really fighting for. It is the most important of all.”

When Tarrak is portrayed in Danish media, he’s branded as a rapper who puts a finger on Denmark's colonialist past and shouts out loud what has been kept as a taboo in Danish-Greenlandic relations until recently. That is, how a small nation (on the world’s largest island) is affected by its relations to a former colonizer 3,500 km away (also a small nation, by the way).

The media has taken a fancy at this postcolonial conflict between a colonizer state and a colonized nation, which is very real. But as Tarrak, like many others, is tireless in pointing out, the conflict between the colonizer and the colonized is far from the only thing that needs to be addressed regarding Inuit identity in Greenland. Because Inuit identity itself is the key issue and, maybe, a feeling of worth.

We don't really know who we are as a people. We feel inferior. We've heard of Hans Egede and the Vikings, but who were our ancestors? Are their names in the history books?' says Tarrak.

He is eager to learn more about the Inuit past—the people who came before, the culture, and the skills that allowed them to thrive in Greenland for over 4,000 years. It is knowledge, he says, that was missing from his childhood and education."

Artist and activist, Josef Tarrak-Petrussen. JONAA©Angu Motzfeldt

“With the tattoos, I took my identity back. I wanted to be a proud Inuk.”

Tarrak has traditional Greenlandic tattoos tattooed on his face. They have a spiritual meaning, and each one symbolizes something different, he says, pointing to the nine inky black lines that run from the lower lip down towards the chin and jaw. They protect him from evil spirits and keep sickness away. Exactly as they did for the Greenlandic Inuit several hundred years ago.

Josef's index finger moves up to his nose, where a small bridge is tattooed over the bridge of his nose. I got the tattoos on my nose and chin to take back my face. To take my identity back. I wanted to be proud to be Inuk.

Over the last decades, there has been a resurgence of Inuit markings and tattoos. Before colonialism, it was common for Inuit - especially women, though some men as well - to have these markings. Each pattern held a unique meaning, often symbolizing a stage of life and deeply connecting to the spiritual world of Inuit across the Arctic.

The colonial rule banned Inuit tattooing, but its reintroduction - along with the revival of traditional tattooing methods such as hand poking and skin stitching- has become a powerful act of reclaiming Inuit identity and reconnecting with Indigenous roots. These tattoos are a bold, visible statement: a declaration of resilience, culture, and heritage. A manifest that shows “in your face”!

At concerts, Tarrak often comes with no t-shirt, or he throws it off. When standing shirtless on stage, large black block letters written across his chest read 'KALAK'. It is pronounced [galag] and is often used as a condescending term that covers a typical and caricatured Greenlander.

Greenlanders, however, also use it themselves when caringly teasing each other, explains Tarrak. He wants to give a new meaning to this word too. Kalak comes from "kalaaleq", which means Greenlander in kalaallisut, and it should be connotated with pride: “I am a kalak and I can become anything. I can stand on a stage at f****** Roskilde Festival.”.

The tattos are a manifest that shows “in your face”! JONAA©Josef Tarrak

“Bullying by Danish schoolmates sparked Tarrak’s big “breakthrough.”

Tarrak could be described as an "Army of One," fighting on many fronts. When he’s not performing, writing lyrics, composing, producing music, rehearsing, or acting in films or theaters, he dedicates significant time to engaging with Greenlandic children and youth. He has traveled all over Greenland for this reason and also, of course, held meetings and talks with Greenlandic children and youth who live in Denmark.

Beyond his artistic and activism work, he is also a father - a role he takes very seriously.

However, when Tarrak speaks of his big “breakthrough,” he isn’t referring to fame or popularity as a musician. For him, the true breakthrough came when he realized he had something to fight for as an Inuk.

That realization struck when he was just 15, studying like many Greenlandic teenagers do at a boarding school in Denmark. There, he experienced bullying, faced degrading attitudes, and heard derogatory comments from his fellow Danish schoolmates - simply because he was from Greenland.

That adversity was the spark that flamed the Inuk within Josef Tarrak-Petrussen and ignited his passion for telling his people’s stories through music. To turn his pain and their pain into a powerful voice for Inuit identity and resilience.

JONAA©Grønlandske Børn – Kalaallit Merartaart

Working with a group of Greenlandic youth in Denmark. JONAA©Grønlandske Børn – Kalaallit Merartaart

Josef Tarrak-Petrussen has become a role model for a generation of Greenlandic youth, both in Greenland and Denmark. Through talks, workshops, and meaningful conversations, he engages with children and teenagers, offering guidance and inspiration. And, he listens to what they have to say.

When we first spoke for this article, he had just visited a group of Greenlandic children in Aalborg, Denmark. His message to them was clear: despite the hardships they have faced, they should continue to chase their dreams and stay connected to their Inuit identity—just as he has.

Working towards a future Greenland for his son and other young Inuit, that is different to the Greenland of his own childhood.

“I want my children to have a true kalak-style future in Greenland”

Tarrak envisions a future Greenland free from the taboos that have held the nation back. He dreams of a healthy population where social challenges have been addressed and overcome. More than anything, he hopes for a Greenland that stands as a nation in its own right - not just through Denmark, but as a recognized part of the world.

He wants his children to grow up in Greenland, conscious of its history, culture, and language.

A Greenland where they don’t have to learn Danish to secure a better future.

A Greenland where people trust and support one another, working together to build a stronger, more connected society. What he wants for his children is a true kalak-style future - and he is willing to fight for it! ▢

Nauja Bianco was born and raised in Nuuk, Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland). She is part Inuk, part Danish. She has a master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Aarhus, Denmark, and Sciences Politique á Lille, France supplemented with communication and leadership coaching. Since 2004, her career has been within international relations, foreign and security policy, and diplomacy as well as general advice around Greenland, the Arctic, the Nordic countries, and the EU. Besides Greenland, she has lived in the USA; Brussels, Belgium; Toronto, Canada, and now lives in Copenhagen, Denmark. Between 2020-2023 she was the CEO of the Greenlandic House and the North Atlantic House in Odense, Denmark. Since 2023 she has worked as a board member and has been an independent consultant (Isuma Consultancy). Nauja has been a contributing member of JONAA’s advisory board since 2018.

Angu Motzfeldt is a Greenlandic photographer, visual artist, and well-known musician, based in Nuuk. He is a founding member of the JONAA photojournalistic team.

This article is a part of the Future Keepers of the High North multimedia series, produced by JONAA’s editorial team on both sides of the North Atlantic. Future Keepers of the High North is made with support by the JONAA Initiative Inc, and by NORA, the North Atlantic an intergovernmental organization under the regional cooperation program of the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Greenlanders - Wake Up!

FUTURE KEEPERS OF THE HIGH NORTH

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