"And suddenly, you’re part of some religion boom"
Juha Jokela’s new play examines attitudes towards faith
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By Suna Vuori
"I became a Christian at confirmation camp. I kept the faith until the demon of pluralism [he laughs] got into me through art. Now I guess I am mainly an agnostic."
This is the proclamation of Juha Jokela, one of the most successful Finnish scriptwriters. His production includes television series such as Pulkkinen, Remontti, and Firma, as well as Mobile Horror, which has conquered theatres around Finland and Europe.
Now Jokela has written and directed his second play for the Jurkka Theatre in Helsinki, which deals with religion. Fundamentalisti ("The Fundamentalist") is not a comedy, but it cannot be watched with a completely straight face. Laughter emerges, among other things, from how seriously the characters of the play - a clergyman who questions accepted truths, and who has been christened as "controversial" by the media, and his friend, who has gone for fundamentalism, feel about themselves and their faith.
There is also some irony in the dialogue:
HEIDI: I came here to remind you that the love of God is still on offer, for you as well. Jesus is still calling you.
MARKUS: Right. Actually I’m not exactly in the dark about this kind of information. I am a minister, you know.
For one person, religion is a world view, for others, an ethical set of rules or a cultural code, and for a third, a pain medicine.
When he was at confirmation school age, Juha Jokela felt that faith in God offered him the possibility to consider matters that 15-year-old boys rarely think about, at least in public. Goodness or love of one’s neighbour were not at the top of the agenda at his schoolyard in Tampere.
After getting his religious awakening, Jokela wrote lyrics to gospel songs, attended prayer meetings and bible study, briefly considered the clergy as a career, and taking part in missionary or development cooperation work.
"In kindergarten and at school they taught us that The Bible is true, and I believed them. As a teenager I made the same choice, even though I was ridiculed, or was considered a bit silly. I even felt quite brave. My circle of friends changed. Some of my new friends had the gifts of prophecy and of speaking in tongues."
"At one point it might have gone overboard - but I was not susceptible to anything hysterical", Jokela notes.
"I was not able to accept those gifts. Some religious person might say that I did not really have the faith."
Security, community, clear rules, strong authority - religion can be the answer to many human needs.
However, much human suffering, manipulation, and even violence can come from good intentions.
Juha Jokela knows people of faith who have filled the gaps in their lives with extreme measures.
The character Heidi in Fundamentalisti is a drifter sliding from one addiction to another. Markus, for his part, finds his "internal George Bush", and turns Heidi into his "personal Iraqi Freedom Operation".
It is necessary to have a sense of responsibility. There are no unselfish choices. Dialogue between world views is difficult - nearly impossible.
Juha Jokinen’s own faith began to erode at the latest when he moved to Helsinki to study literature at age 20. At that time he got to know the theatre and art better.
"I was able to start my social relationships from the very beginning, and that made things easier.
The choice of the topic for Fundamentalisti came as a surprise to some friends of Jokela’s drama.
"It felt necessary to go through my own youth", Jokela explains. "Now I’m suddenly part of some kind of religion boom in history, and fundamentalists are rampaging around the world. There was no way to anticipate anything like that."
"However, a writer does not have an unlimited number of topics. One must write about what one feels and what one considers important."
"Although I do not believe it on the rational level, I have a feeling that when I write, I am acting as a medium of sorts", Juha Jokela admits. "That is why it is very hard for me to say what I am seeking with my texts, or what I am trying to achieve."
Jokela admits that the work will be seen "probably inevitably" in the light of recent events around the world.
And indeed, the political dimensions of religion are certainly touched upon in the play, which was completed last autumn.
MARKUS: In the Old Testament there are about one or two references to hell, but only the early Christians brought it to the centre.
HEIDI: There’s no sense to that.
MARKUS: There is plenty of sense, and even more emotion there, and above all, it works. It is with the power of this same thought that Muslim extremists commit suicide bombings every day, and the Republicans conquer the Middle East."
"There has been one question on the table for someone who sees himself as a liberal like me, and that is, if religious fundamentalism should be respected", Jokela says.
"At this point, on the threshold of my own premiere, the events of the world simply do not fit inside my head."
"Perhaps I could think that the publication of those Danish cartoons was a bit stupid, as if the reaction of the Muslims could not be predicted. However, it is a different matter to ridicule the god of one’s own culture."
Even though he has doubts about many articles of faith, Jokela still feels warmth toward Christianity. In his work, however, he has sought to challenge his own world view, and to place himself up against a wall.
Next, the medium will change. After Fundamentalisti Juha Jokela, along with his brother and working partner Rike Jokela, will be looking for a topic of a feature-length film.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 9.2.2005
SUNA VUORI / Helsingin Sanomat
suna.vuori@hs.fi
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| 14.2.2006 - THIS WEEK |
 "And suddenly, you’re part of some religion boom" |
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