‍ ‍Image: The Sea of the Lost - Rosa Emilia Clay, Sasha Huber. Photographed by Per Kristiansen.

Research Presentations, Panel Discussions + Screenings: Rosa Emilia Clay Day 

A symposium centred on the works of Lebo Tlali and Sasha Huber, exploring Namibia's colonial history through film, performance and critical dialogue, anchored by the story of Rosa Emilia Clay (1875–1959). 

Rosa was born in Omaruru, Namibia, brought to Finland at age 13 by missionaries and became the first person of African origin to receive Finnish citizenship in 1899. A trained teacher, singer and choir leader Rosa’s story connects Namibia, Finland and the Finnish-American diaspora. The day brings together researchers, musicians and artists in her honour. 

Participants include artists Lebo Tlali and Sasha Huber, musician Emilia Wolf, cinematographer Musa Bob Coen, researchers Tegelela Nampala and José Loch from Namibia, researchers Raita Merivirta and Leila Koivunen from the University of Turku. The moderator is researcher Anna Rastas. 

Date: 25 October 2026
Time: 13:00-19:00

Helsinki Library Oodi
Maijansali, 1st Floor
Tölöviksgatan 4,
00100 Helsinki

  • Anna Rastas is a Doctor of Social Sciences, adjunct professor of social anthropology at Tampere University and adjunct professor of European ethnology at the University of Helsinki. Her research and teaching explore race, ethnicity, power, intersectionality, decoloniality and diaspora communities, with a focus on how museums, universities and cultural institutions shape understandings of diversity, belonging and national identity.

    Her work combines social anthropology and cultural studies, examining how knowledge is produced, represented and contested. From 2015 to 2020, she led the Research Council of Finland-funded project Rethinking Diasporas, Redefining Nations, which investigated the representation of African diasporic histories and identities in European museums and exhibitions.

  • Emilia Wolf is a dynamic singer from Joensuu, Finland, known for her versatile voice and engaging performances. Her musical style moves across soul, pop and jazz, while her broad repertoire allows her to perform both as a soloist and troubadour.

    She has also performed in ensemble settings, including as a vocalist and keyboardist. Wolf’s music combines fresh pop influences with a distinctive vocal style, making her a versatile performer for concerts, events and collaborations

  • José Loch is a young Namibian curator and heritage researcher based in Omaruru. As caretaker and curator of the Omaruru Museum, he works to preserve and interpret the town’s complex history, including its Indigenous, missionary and colonial legacies.

    Through storytelling and public engagement, Loch brings overlooked local histories and historical figures to wider audiences. He is particularly committed to encouraging young people to learn from their heritage and recognise its relevance to the present.

  • Leila Koivunen is a Professor of European and World History at the University of Turku in Finland. She specializes in the historical interactions and knowledge formation between Africa and Europe. Her research focuses on the history of Aawambo foster children in Finland, Namibian collections in Finnish museums and general knowledge of Owambo in Finland.

  • Lebohang Tlali (b. 1978) is a photographer and cultural entrepreneur born in Welkom. After his Fine Art studies at the Michaelis School of Art (University of Cape Town) he worked as a freelance photographer and gained experience as a project manager for art galleries such as Stevenson, Park West and cultural non-profits among which Cape Africa Platform and VANSA (Visual Arts Network of South Africa). While growing up during apartheid in the township of Thabong, Tlali developed a strong appreciation for the value of education. It inspired him to become a graduate from Kaospilots, an alternative business school that specialises in value based entrepreneurship and creative social innovation in Switzerland. His projects focus on youth empowerment and use of photography as a tool to make a positive impact on the community and their environment.

    Phot and text: Paradox NL

  • Musa Abdel Aziz (Bob Coen) is an award-winning filmmaker, author, investigative journalist and former war correspondent. For nearly four decades, he has documented struggles for social justice and challenged dominant narratives, beginning with the anti-colonial and anti-apartheid movements in southern Africa.

    He later served as CNN’s roaming Africa correspondent and received the 1997 Prix Bayeux for Best Television War Correspondent for his coverage of the Liberian civil conflict. Since 2001, his investigative documentaries have focused on 21st-century geopolitics and have received international recognition.

    Today, Coen explores stories that illuminate historical wounds and the restoration of what has been lost. He is founder of Áhkku Vision in Finland, co-founder and co-director of Transformer Films in New York, and has worked as a communications consultant and media adviser for UNICEF and other UN agencies. He also serves on the board of The Institute for the Healing of Memories.

  • Raita Merivirta is a Research Fellow in the Department of English at the University of Turku, Finland. She is a Licentiate of Philosophy and is working on her doctoral dissertation.

    Raita Merivirta specialises in the histories of especially British and Nordic colonialism and in post/colonial literatures and film. Her current research focuses on the foster children of early Finnish missionaries in Owambo and on Finnish Missionary Society’s publications for children and youth.

  • Sasha Huber (b. 1975) is a Helsinki-based visual artist-researcher of Swiss-Haitian heritage. Her practice explores memory, care and belonging in relation to colonial legacies, working across performance, video, photography, archival research and collaboration.

    Huber is known for her contribution to the Demounting Louis Agassiz campaign, which challenges the glaciologist’s racist legacy. She holds an MA from Aalto University and is pursuing a practice-based PhD at Zurich University of the Arts. Together with artist Petri Saarikko, she co-founded the long-term project Remedies Universe.

    Huber is also friend and advisor of Southnord, and her work The Sea of the Lost was presented in The Threshold Is a Prism exhibition during Southnord Artfest 2023.

  • Lovisa Tegelela Nampala specializes in Aawambo culture, heritage and the histories of liberation struggles and migrant labor. Her research focuses on the impact that the education and health systems of Finnish missionaries had on the Aawambo community in the 20th century. She also explores the Emil Liljeblad collection on the community.