Fatbardhe_Hetemaj
Fatbardhe Hetemaj
Finnish Politician
Fatbardhe Hetemaj (born 20 August 1985)[1] is a Kosovo-born Finnish politician, author, and 2009 "Refugee Woman of the Year".[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Hetemaj was born to Emine and Miftar Hetemaj in Skenderaj, Kosovo, and she is of Kosovo Albanian descent.[2][9][7] She has three siblings Përparim Hetemaj, Mehmet Hetemaj, and Fatlume Hetemaj.[2][3][9][10] In the fall of 1992, Hetemaj and her family arrived in Finland after fleeing the regime of Slobodan Milosevic and lived in a refugee center in Oulu.[2][3][4][11] From 2005 to 2008, she studied Business management and Combined studies at the University of Worcester.[3] She graduated with a Bachelors of Arts with Honours in Business Management.[12]
In 2009, the Finnish Refugee Council named Hetemaj "Refugee Woman of the Year" for her work against racism[2][4][5][6][8] In 2010, she published her book "Matkalaukullinen aurinkoa : pakomatka pohjoiseen" (Sun in a suitcase: an escape to the north).[13]
In 2011, she ran as a coalition candidate for the National Coalition Party but lost the election.[14][15][16] In 2012, Hetemaj was elected as one do the City Councilors for the Helsinki City Council.[17][18][19][7] On July 28, 2015, she appeared alongside Erkki Tuomioja, Ozan Yanar, and Paavo Arhinmäki at an event against racism in Helsinki that attracted nearly 15,000 people.[20]
A documentary film about Hetemaj and her family premiered at the Refugee Film Festival in 2020.[21][9]