When a Finn thinks about Kainuu, some 600 km up to North from Helsinki, one thinks of skiing resorts and the regional anthem Nälkämaan laulu (the Song of the Hunger Land), which starts with the words “Hear the whispers of our forests deep, where the ancient lakes their secrets keep!” (poetic translation ChatGPT). As remote as the region might be, the reality is far from desperation and solely wild forests.

The Regional Council of Kainuu, the city of Kajaani and the local ELY-center, Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, invited Kati Uusi-Rauva from EIT Culture & Creativity to join an event in the end of October organized for regional projects pitching and meeting with each other in the cultural center Kaukametsä in the center on Kajaani, the provincial centre of Kainuu.

Turns out, that the actors in the region, both in cultural and creative sectors as well as other industries, are very experienced in finding funding, managing projects and innovative in their development work. In fact, Kainuu is currently most well-to do region in Finland as an economic environment. IT and gaming are one of the spearhead industries in the region, and Kainuu is hosting 3 supercomputers. 90% of the land is covered by wild forests. Unemployment figures are low, yet it is hard to attract skilled employees to the remote location. The current geopolitical situation has also brought Kainuu by the Russian border more visible lately.

Listening to the invited cultural and creative professionals we learn that the region’s cultural heritage and creative future is strongly appreciated and developed by schools and other organizations. Kajaani has a recently renovated city theatre, a music institute as well as several companies, associations and collectives active in the cultural life, producing crafts, performing arts and other creative or cultural content. There’s also one of the oldest and most successful game education programmes in KAMK, the university of applied sciences, which has set the foundations for currently one of the strongest game developers’ communities in Finland.

One can only admire the energy and positive atmosphere in this remote yet active region. As urbanization keeps going as a strong trend in the ever globalizing world, we must not forget that successful and thriving livelihood can exist outside megalopolises.

Text and photos: Kati Uusi-Rauva