The main partners of the festival organised by Fingo are European Commission Representation in Finland, European Parliament Office in Finland, Finn Church Aid, and Maailman Kuvalehti. Talks and discussions are also organised by Save the Children, the Finnish Settlement Movement, Peace Ambassador Academy, World Vision Finland, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, UNICEF, Foundation for Media and Development, Rosebud, the Finnish Palestine Network, Helsinki Poetry Connection, Finnish Somalia Network, Greenpeace, City of Helsinki, Finnish-Philippine Society, Finnish Society for Development Research, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and KIOS Foundation.
Powerful talk about freedom
Interview with Walden Bello: The world after neoliberalism. Filipino researcher-activist and University of Helsinki Honorary Doctor Walden Bello is one of the sharpest critics of global capitalism. He is interviewed by the University of Jyväskylä lecturer Bonn Juego.
Helsinki Poetry Connection: Poetry Club for Freedom. Finland’s best-known organiser of live poetry events is bringing one of the UK’s most impressive spoken word artists to the festival, Joelle Taylor, whoknown for her powerful and opinionated texts.
Standing Rock – indigenous peoples against the corporate greed. An activist from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Joseph White Eyes, and the head of Greenpeace Finland Touko Sipiläinen discuss the protests against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline in the United States in 2016 and the ongoing struggle.
Keynote by Teivo Teivainen: Liberalism, imperialism, and freedom. Teivo Teivainen, professor of international politics, reflects on the essence of liberalism, freedom of speech, and capitalism. Is liberal freedom a colonialist perspective, or can it also be used to justify a critique of colonialism?
Does digital freedom exist?
From suppression to freedom – the fight against the digital control –programme features the frontman of the Taiwanese metal band CHTHONIC and Taiwan’s representative in Finland Freddy Lim and May, an artist and filmmaker born in Myanmar who lives in exile in Europe.
Who gets a voice? How have Sierra Leonean artist MUSH, Kenyan creative activist Richard “Astar” Njau, and Aicha Manai, CEO of the Finnish non-governmental organisation Startup Refugees, found their own ways to succeed in a Western-dominated digital environment?
The freedom of children and young people under threat
Children in crises. The documentary film Gaza’s Silent Threat shows the devastating effects of war on children and depicts the work of aid workers in some of the world’s most challenging conditions. After the documentary, James Elder, a spokesperson for UNICEF, is interviewed by journalist Katriina Pajari.
Children in detention. Refugee of the Year 2025 and preschool teacher, Homaira Qadare, lawyer of the Finnish Refugee Advice Center, Pargol Miraftabi, and Sanna Valtonen, chair of Support for asylum seekers, invite the audience to dive into the world of children who have experienced detention centers in Finland.
Young people’s voices on freedom. Peace Ambassador Rahim Alizada, rapper SeRoosa, and local politician Janica Roivainen offer bold and honest insights into young people’s freedom as artists, activists, and citizens.
Girls’ right to freedom. Anequity specialist Adina Nivukoski and child protection specialist David Krop share examples of girls’ right to grow in peace, everyday challenges, and the freedom to make their own choices in rural Kenya and in Finland. The interviewer is journalist, host, and writer Laura Friman.
Democracy, civil society, and free journalism
How does the EU protect Democracy? Member of the European Parliament Mika Aaltola, Allianssi EU youth delegate Alma Jokinen, and Demo Finland executive director Anu Juvonen point out the following concrete steps the EU is taking to defend democracy.
Interview with Michelle Mwelesa. Although civil liberties are being restricted around the world, Kenya’s civil society is growing stronger. Human rights defender and lawyer Michelle Mwelesa, an advocacy specialist at the Civic Freedoms Forum is interviewed by journalist Liselott Lindström.
Journalistic freedom in conflict zones. The discussion moderated by journalist Olli Seuri, features Kaisa Rautaheimo, a foreign correspondent for Helsingin Sanomat who has worked in Ukraine and Afghanistan, and Maxim Fedorov, a journalist for Yle, who is joining the discussion remotely from Ukraine.
Towards freedom
Free Free Palestine. What does a free Palestine mean, and what does freedom mean for Palestinians in the wake of colonialism, apartheid, illegal occupation, and genocide? The Finnish Palestine Network’s programme explores the significance of decolonisation and freedom.
Freedom, advocacy, and diaspora. Three perspectives on the Somali diaspora are presented by nurse and activist Khadra Sugulle, mental health specialist Bashe Ali, and Finnish Somalia Network activist Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdi.
More programme announcements
The programme also features an interview with Helsinki’s deputy mayors, Johanna Laisaari and Shawn Huff on Helsinki’s role in the sustainability transition, a multilingual worship service and a programme on democracy education in the shadow of the war in Ukraine.
The rest of the programme will be released on April 23. Among other things, it will feature talks and discussions on Iran, workshops, children’s programme, and a preview of the festival grounds and exhibitors. Check out the programme in more detail.
World Village Festival with the theme Freedom, 16–17 May 2026, in the Lasipalatsi District and at Narinkka Square, Helsinki. Admission is free!
More information
Communications Manager Nelli Korpi, nelli.korpi@fingo.fi, +358 50 317 6698
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