Fræðslublað Eflingar

Innocentia herself was only 6 years old when she learned to cook. Her aptitude for cooking soon became apparent. She cooked for guests, helped her teachers cook for school trips and even took the opportunity to cook and sell her home- made food alongside her grandmother’s in the market. “I have been cooking food to take care of myself since I was a child. You see – I’m an entrepreneur. I can get by on my own.” Finding her Voice Innocentia met her Icelandic husband in Ghana in 2001 and moved to Iceland a year later. It was difficult for her to find work when she arrived and she tried to remain idle and rely on her husband for support. “I am an independent woman and I always have been, I found it difficult not to work for myself. My husband was very kind and always gave me money, but I am by nature very independent and I find it uncomfortable to be dependent on others.” After 8 months of unemployment, Innocentia decided to take matters into her own hands. “I’m not a person who gives up just thinking about something. My grandmother always said that the eye was lazy but the hands were the strongest tools. I can see something and think to myself – its too big, its too complicated, its too difficult, too this, too that – but when you put your hand to it you usually manage to overcome the obstacles.” Innocentia went down- town, walked into a restaurant she liked, and asked for a job. She was told they had a job vacancy, but they were looking for a man to do it. Innocentia held her ground and asked to be allowed to try out. The restaurant agreed and Inno- centia found her first job in Iceland. “Ever since I moved to Iceland, I have felt the presence of my grandmother when I Innocentia Fiati Friðgeirsson is one of four women who will share their experiences at the Between Us presentation in November. She is from Ghana and works in the kitchen in Landspítali Íslands where she prepares food for patients with special dietary needs. She is a passionate cook and activist with a strong sense of justice. Innocentia has been a union representative with Efling for many years and was elected to Efling’s board this spring. She also serves on the board for the Women’s Association for a new constitution. She is a proud spokeperson for people of African descent within the trade union movement and has agreed to give readers a glimpse into her eventful life. A Childhood in Ghana Intertwined with Cuisine “I often say Icelandic food is not food.” says Innocentia as she laughs while ordering two kleinur at the cafe where she met Efling‘s journalist. “I feel boiled fish and salted meat is meagre food, but of course this is a part of Icelandic culture that I have great respect for.” Ghanaian food uses a lot of spices, chili, tomatoes and delicious soups. Much more time is also spent preparing food in Ghana “If you are going to cook chicken soup in Ghana, you start in the morning and buy a live chicken directly from the farmer. Afterwards you take care of slaughtering, processing, seasoning and cooking the chicken yourself. Today I usually cook Icelandic food, I live in Iceland and I am part of Icelandic society and I love Icelandic lamb. Ghanaian cuisine is nonetheless my specialty which I cook when I feel like it or if my son asks me very nicely.” Innocentia was very young when her mother died, and was raised by her grandmother. Her grandmother taught all of her children and grandchildren to cook from a very young age. With my experience, I can do anything Innocentia Fiati Friðgeirsson Landspítalinn og stéttabaráttan Innocentia er ánægð í starfi sínu á Landspítalanum. Hún lýsir starfsmannahópnum eins og einni stórri fjölskyldu. „Ég læri svo margt um ýmsar þjóðir og mismunandi menningu enda starfar hér fólk frá fimmtán löndum. Við komum öll með ólíka reynslu og menningu að borðinu og það gefur okkur mjög mikinn kraft.“ Innocentia sem er trúnaðarmaður á vinnustaðnum segir trúnaðarmannastarfið gríðarlega mikil- vægt og bendir á að ef fólk þekkir ekki réttindi sín sé hætta á auknum kjarasamningsbrotum. „Sem trúnaðarmaður læri ég sjálf mjög mikið og byggi mig upp með þeirri þekkingu. Þegar samstarfsfólk mitt spyr mig þá get ég miðlað því sem ég veit – en ef ég veit ekki eitthvað þá hringi ég í Eflingu og fæ úr því skorið.“ Innocentia var kjörin í stjórn Eflingar í vor og er þar með fyrsta afríska konan í stjórn stéttarfélags á Íslandi. Efling var að leita að erlendum konum til að bjóða sig fram í stjórn og Innocentia fékk tilnefningu. „Það getur verið erfitt að finna fólk af erlendum uppruna til að taka þátt í svona vinnu því vegna tungumálsins er fólk oft feimið við að bjóða sig fram. Eins og ég sagði þér áðan er ég þannig gerð að ég er alltaf tilbúin til að læra eitthvað nýtt. Svo ég sagði auðvitað bara já. Með mína reynslu í farteskinu get ég allt! Ég hef búið hér í átján ár og er hluti af þessu samfélagi og ég verð að taka þátt. Ég get ekki setið heima og verið hluti af samfélaginu. Ef seta mín í stjórn Eflingar verður til þess að virkja fleira fólk frá Afríku til aukinnar þátttöku í samfélaginu er ég glöð.“ 26 FRÆÐSLUBLAÐ EFLINGAR-STÉTTARFÉLAGS