Hi, my name is Marjun. I’m in my final year of college, and soon I’ll have to decide what comes after.
I’m a young Faroese, and like many others i may soon have to leave the Faroe Islands, because education and housing opportunities are not good enough.
Even though it means a lot to me to carry on our culture, it often makes more sense to move away if you want to pursue higher education.
Culture is not something we lock away in a box and leave untouched; it is a living part of us that must grow and evolve in order to survive.
On Monday, I drove across all of Denmark – from Copenhagen to Mors. It’s a long trip, and as I sat in the car looking out over the Danish landscape, I started to feel small. It’s easy to forget how few we Faroese are in reality when we’re out in the world.
I’m a young Faroese, and like many others i may soon have to leave the Faroe Islands, because education and housing opportunities are not good enough.
Even though it means a lot to me to carry on our culture, it often makes more sense to move away if you want to pursue higher education.
Culture is not something we lock away in a box and leave untouched; it is a living part of us that must grow and evolve in order to survive.
On Monday, I drove across all of Denmark – from Copenhagen to Mors. It’s a long trip, and as I sat in the car looking out over the Danish landscape, I started to feel small. It’s easy to forget how few we Faroese are in reality when we’re out in the world.
Have you ever joined in a communal song, where the national anthem fills the room, and felt how powerful it is to own something that unites us all?
Or stood at midnight singing on Faroese national day, Ólavsøka, when the song “Eitt sunnukvøld í plantasjuni” echoes across the whole capital? If it were translated into Danish, it might be compared to “Danmark” by Shu-Bi-Dua.
In that moment, everyone is together. And for a little while, everything is forgiven, and we are simply human.
But we must be careful that this feeling doesn’t disappear. More and more Faroese, especially young people, move to Denmark. It’s not surprising – there are more opportunities for education and work there. The problem is that many don’t return. The reason is simple: it’s too expensive to live in the Faroe Islands. Rent and housing prices make it hard for young people to settle back here, even if they want to. This way, we risk losing an entire generation.
This is not just a social challenge – it is also an economic and cultural threat. If
we lose our youth, we lose labor, innovation and future leaders. But we also lose cultural heritage and identity, because it is the youth who must carry it forward.
Passing on traditions and culture is a huge task, but also a responsibility we all must share. We need to support Faroese youth, give them reasons to hold on to their roots.
Maybe we also need to dare ask the Danes: why do so few of them know anything about us? We are part of the same kingdom, yet most Danes know little to nothing about Faroese history, traditions, and culture. Culture doesn’t live in boxes – it lives in us. And holding on to our young people is not only about saving our workforce, but about saving the Faroe Islands themselves.
Or stood at midnight singing on Faroese national day, Ólavsøka, when the song “Eitt sunnukvøld í plantasjuni” echoes across the whole capital? If it were translated into Danish, it might be compared to “Danmark” by Shu-Bi-Dua.
In that moment, everyone is together. And for a little while, everything is forgiven, and we are simply human.
But we must be careful that this feeling doesn’t disappear. More and more Faroese, especially young people, move to Denmark. It’s not surprising – there are more opportunities for education and work there. The problem is that many don’t return. The reason is simple: it’s too expensive to live in the Faroe Islands. Rent and housing prices make it hard for young people to settle back here, even if they want to. This way, we risk losing an entire generation.
This is not just a social challenge – it is also an economic and cultural threat. If
we lose our youth, we lose labor, innovation and future leaders. But we also lose cultural heritage and identity, because it is the youth who must carry it forward.
Passing on traditions and culture is a huge task, but also a responsibility we all must share. We need to support Faroese youth, give them reasons to hold on to their roots.
Maybe we also need to dare ask the Danes: why do so few of them know anything about us? We are part of the same kingdom, yet most Danes know little to nothing about Faroese history, traditions, and culture. Culture doesn’t live in boxes – it lives in us. And holding on to our young people is not only about saving our workforce, but about saving the Faroe Islands themselves.