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Fondly, Greenland Loosens Danish Rule
NUUK, Greenland -- The thing about being from Greenland, said Susan Gudmundsdottir Johnsen, is that many outsiders seem to have no clue where it actually is. "They say, 'Oh, my God, Greenland?' It's like they've never heard of it," said Ms. Johnsen, 36, who was born in Iceland but has lived on this huge, largely frozen northern island for 25 years. "I have to explain: 'Here you have a map. Here's Europe. The big white thing is Greenland.' "But Greenland, with 58,000 people and only two traffic lights, both of them here in the capital, is now securing its place in the world. On Sunday, amid solemn ceremony and giddy celebration, it ushered in a new era of self-governance that sets the stage for eventual independence from Denmark, its ruler since 1721. The move, which allows Greenland to gradually take responsibility over areas like criminal justice and oil exploration, follows a referendum last year in which 76 percent of voters said they wanted self-rule. Many of the changes are deeply symbolic. Kalaallisut, a traditional Inuit dialect, is now the country's official language, and Greenlanders are now recognized under international law as a separate people from Danes. Posted by: Steve White 2009-06-23 |
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