Book Review: Discovering Identity and Faith in Finland. A South African’s Reflection ”Embrace the Differences”

The book Discovering Identity and Faith in Finland. A South African’s Reflection ”Embrace the Differences” is a deeply personal reflection on the author’s experiences in Finland. Noku Katom was a fellow participant of the ”Abraham Goes Global” exchange program between The Polin Institute, Åbo Akademi and Stellenbosch University running in the academic year 2024-2025. The program consisted of two parts during which students from Finland and South Africa were studying three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, first for two weeks of summer 2024 in the Finnish context, and later, at the beginning of 2025 in South Africa. The self-published book was written after the first part of the course and describes in great detail the author’s impression of Finland.

The book does not focus solely on Finland, as Noku Katom uses a lot of comparisons to her home country, South Africa. Even though the target audience seems to be South Africans, especially people working in ministry and with youth, anyone interested in either Finland or South Africa could find something interesting in it. The book covers a wide variety of themes, from use of native languages to interfaith dialogue, through impressions on public transportation and citizens’ responsibilities.

The book came to fruition after a two-week long study trip to Finland, and as such, it contains a plethora of subjective observations rather than a detailed and accurate representation of the Finnish society, culture and history. The author herself includes at the beginning a Disclaimer in which she mentions, that “[i]t is important for readers to understand that [her] observations and conclusions are not objective analyses but subjective reflections influenced by [her] lived experiences, cultural identity, and theological grounding”. Noku Katom does not claim the book to be something that it is not. It is her personal story on the journey of discovering her identity and faith. I was myself part of the exchange program, and it was remarkable to have an insight into how someone else experienced the study visits we had, and what impact they had on them.

Throughout the book Noku Katom puts an emphasis on her visions for South Africa, and how things she saw could be incorporated into her everyday contexts. Every chapter begins with a section called “Golden Insights” containing a synopsis of the main lessons and hopes for the South African society. The book, although touching on some difficult topics, has an optimistic outlook.

While reading the book, I was in a way transported back in time to my first weeks as a Polish international student in Finland, over 10 years ago, when many things surprised me. I do not recall any of my reflections from back in the day coinciding with those of Noku Katom, but it was interesting to see Finland through the eyes of someone who experiences it for the first time. Just as I did once.

Noku Katom (the author, on the right) and Emilia Plichta (ÅA/Polin Institute doctoral researcher, on the left) pose with the book in Cape Town.

The author’s reflections on seemingly trivial events, such as returning plates after lunch, forced me to stop and think about their meaning. There are plenty of things we do automatically or take for granted in everyday life. Being provoked to ponder what these actions may say about the Finnish society was a good exercise.

Although I enjoyed reading the book, I must admit that I disagreed with what I at times felt to be far-reaching conclusions. One example, among a couple more, being a claim that “[i]n Finland, there was an evident pride in native languages, showcased in public signage, worship services, and everyday interactions” (p.19). In my opinion, the fact that people speak their mother tongue does not mean they do so because of pride, but rather that Finnish and Swedish are official languages. I understand that Noku Katom is writing within a South African context where, as she says, English is “often overshadowing indigenous languages” (p.19). From that perspective, using one’s mother tongue in professional settings may seem like an act of resistance and pride. However, in the Finnish context the act does not carry the same significance, and thus such conclusions appear misguided. Nevertheless, the book gave me an opportunity to look at the society I live in from a different perspective.

It would be interesting to read Noku Katom’s reflections on the second part of the exchange and the experience of hosting Finns in her home country. Was there anything she learnt about South Africa through the questions we asked? Did her understanding of Finnish society and culture change due to her seeing Finns in a different context?

Emilia Plichta