Thousands of people attended kayak parade in Copenhagen
Thousands of people watched a kayak parade through Copenhagen Harbour on Sunday, where Greenlandic flags, speeches, music and traditional drum dancing put Greenland in the spotlight and marked the UN International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
Thousands of people gathered along the waterfront today, waving Greenlandic flags as the kayaks set off from Central Copenhagen in the Kayak Parade for Greenland.
The parade was held to mark the UN International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on 9 August and opened with a speech by Julie Rademacher, Director of Support Greenland – who together with ActionAid Denmark had initiated the parade.
Greenlandic politician Qarsoq Høegh-Dam (N) then gave a speech in Greenlandic, followed by music and traditional Greenlandic drum dancing from the raft, featuring performance duo Inuánima, Greenlandic actor and singer Nukâka Coster-Waldau, and musician Kristoffer Jul.
At the parade’s next stop, Copenhagen’s Mayor of Employment, Integration and Business, Andreas Keil, gave a speech before the musicians on the raft once again invited the crowd to join in with dancing and communal singing in Greenlandic.
The Kayak Parade concluded in Nordhavn with more singing and music, as well as a speech by Tim Whyte, Secretary General of ActionAid Denmark.
“Kayaks are a powerful symbol of Greenlandic culture and identity. For thousands of years, they have been closely connected to life in Greenland. At the same time, kayaking is a popular recreational activity in Denmark, and interest in Greenland and Greenlandic culture is growing. The kayak therefore provides a natural meeting point for bringing people together, creating dialogue and strengthening the sense of community between Greenland and Denmark.”
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