The Helinä Rautavaara Ethnographic Museum, founded in 1998 is based on the collections of explorer, journalist and collector Helinä Rautavaara (1928-1998). It houses Finland’s largest collection of West African objects, tens of thousands of photographs, hundreds of hours of recordings and dozens of hours of film and is the only ethnographic museum in Finland. The mission of the museum is to bring together different people and working in a variety of ways to increase understanding and dialogue between cultures. Participation, pluralism, reciprocity and topicality are key values.
In 2021-2022 the museum created an empathy game as part of the broader European project “I am European; migrant Stories and Facts for the 21st Century”, which aimed to increase young people’s understanding of migration and to develop the empathy they felt for other people. The concept also included a series of videos and a campaign in which young influencers of migrant background talk about influencing, dreams and wishes, identity issues, studies, working, residency permits, racism and what it is like living in Finland.
The theme of the empathy enhancing game is the process of applying for a residency permit in Finland. Young asylum seekers were interviewed to collect their experiences, feelings and thoughts on being a refugee, being relocated and going through the process of getting a residence permit. They were also involved in other development stages of the game and were part of the team that ran the game in schools. For students and teachers the game gave them new perspectives on being a refugee. Young people of refugee status felt that the game was an important way to increase dialogue and understanding. The Helinä Rautavaara Ethnographic Museum was the first museum in Finland to take advantage of gaming methods. A first attempt at this was the development of an escape game dealing with climate change, also developed for young people.
Participation is a key part of the museum’s activities. A guiding belief is that by involving communities the museum increases wellbeing, reduces marginalization and helps to nurture peace within society. This is also why the museum does not charge an admission fee because it believes everyone has the right to enjoy cultural activities. Community involvement and co-creation activities with the ethnically diverse groups that reside in the greater Helsinki area is actively maintained through co-curation, getting people involved in planning and doing, facilitating various activities, and sharing the resources of the museum. Active involvement with the originating communities is key, as the museum believes they are the true holders of the Collection. Another form of community engagement that the museum is involved in is its internship programme. The museum offers internships to people of migrant background, who often have a hard time finding employment in Finland.
