Minna Canth statue has been standing in the heart of Jyväskylä since March 18, 1962, the eve of her birthday and Jyväskylä 125th anniversary. Jyväskylä branch of the Finnish Women’s Union fundraised and commissioned Pauli Koskinen to create it depicting Canth as a young student attending the Jyväskylä Teacher Seminary; an open book next to her symbolizes her future contribution to Finnish literature. It is one of the several statues of Canth in Finland. Minna Canth (1844-1897) was a pioneering Finnish writer, playwright, feminist, and social activist who was one of the first feminists in Finland to advocate women’s equality in her work. Canth was born in Tampere to a working-class family and received an unusual education for a working-class woman of that time. In 1863, she started studying at the Jyväskylä Teacher Seminary, the first higher educational Finnish institution to open its doors to women. She studied at the seminary for two years till she married Johan Ferdinand Canth, a natural science teacher at the seminary. They lived in Jyväskylä, and while raising their six children, Canth pursued her writing career at newspapers, writing about women’s issues, temperance, and social reform. Right after publishing her first book and before giving birth to their seventh child, her husband died, and she became a single parent to seven children. She continued writing and became Finland’s first prominent female playwright and a pioneering voice for social justice and gender equality. Canth published ten plays, seven short stories, and many newspaper articles and speeches during her lifetime. Her status is a gathering place in many celebrations, including the May Day celebration events, when it gets a student cap on its head, and many gather for its annual decoration competition. Read more...