The small houses in Greenland are built of wood and painted in many different colors. If you like pink, you paint your house pink. Colour is necessary in everyday life. The Greenlandic national costume reflects the same love for strong and beautiful colors. And then there are the icebergs, drifting slowly past. A place so quiet there is no sound at all. Just silence.
Now the worst storm has hit Greenland. Not a storm of wind or snow, but one that has broken the silence and shattered the sense of safety. People are afraid. Grown adults are afraid. Afraid of what will happen to the country they live in. The country they were born in. The country where they know their routes by heart across this vast land, with its fresh, crisp air. Who would even want conflict in this part of the world?
This is the country that paints its houses when the Danish royal family comes to visit. The country that celebrated together with all of Denmark when the Danish national football team won the European Championship in 1992. Everyone was Danish on that sunny day in June.
Greenland has always been proud to show its land, its food, and its traditions to the world. This pride lies deep within the people, and now it is under threat. Threatened by a single man who believes it is acceptable to take another country without asking its people. A man who believes that everything can be bought if you simply have enough money. But traditions are not for sale. People are not for sale. And with the people and their traditions comes the land.
Wednesday, January 14th, was an unbearable day for most of Greenland’s 56,000 inhabitants, as the summit took place at the White House. A country spread across 18 towns. All four municipalities encouraged people to raise the Greenlandic flag, Erfalasorput, as a sign that we stand together. The red and white flag showing the sun shining on the sea. But is the sun rising – or is it slowly setting, never to rise again?
Facebook was once again filled with changed profile pictures. Many showed people in national costume. Here we stand together, through our profile pictures. Pride spread across social media. In reality, it was a small and fragile hope that the day would go our way. In reality, people were afraid. Powerless. Holding on to the hope that the meeting would go in the right direction.
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All day long, televisions were on. People followed the arrival of the cars carrying the Greenlandic and Danish delegations. For 65 minutes, Greenland held its breath. When the delegations finally came out, many almost inhaled at the same time, as they stepped outside just to smoke a cigarette.
When the meeting was over, a sigh of relief followed. Colour slowly returned to people’s cheeks. The danger is not over, but we survived the meeting. A tear of pride ran down many faces when Vivian Motzfeldt, our minister for foreign relations, began her first words in Greenlandic. She was speaking to us. We listened.
Images of a visibly moved Motzfeldt were broadcast across Greenland on the national television channel KNR. When she spoke the words, “we are strong,” they resonated deeply. Because strength in Greenland has never been loud. It has been quiet, persistent, and rooted in survival.
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Should the entire population of Greenland be held hostage in this power game? A people who have lived in peace for hundreds of years are now forced to live under a dark cloud. What is waiting around the corner? “It is terrible, absolutely terrible,” someone says. Everyone walks around feeling sad. Others are simply waiting to leave. Greenland is no longer a place they want to live. It feels dark. It feels heavy.
Help arrived in the middle of the night. A Hercules aircraft landed with soldiers from Denmark. Many people got up just to see the large plane land in Nuuk, an airport that, in its short lifetime, has already seen many foreign aircraft. Today, there is a small sense of safety. Now the country is being entered by soldiers from different parts of the world. It leaves a strong impression and gives Greenlanders a small hope that perhaps the world is with us.
The most peaceful country, still struggling with the scars of colonialism and only just beginning to rise with pride, is once again being pushed down, trampled on.
And here we stand, in the center of this struggle between innocence and power, where Greenland’s people have shown their strength and unity. Who will stand up for justice when a small, peaceful nation is pushed to its limits?
The Statue of Liberty stands as a symbol of freedom, democracy, and hope. Her torch lights the way toward liberty and enlightenment, while the broken chains at her feet remind the world of liberation from oppression. For generations, she has welcomed people seeking a life without fear.
Yet when a nation threatens an innocent land, when the Greenlandic people live in fear from morning to night, America turns away from the very values this symbol represents. Greenland, a country that has long lived in peace and dignity, deserves protection, respect, and recognition. Let the Statue of Liberty remind the world: freedom is not something to be taken. It is something to be protected.
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