Finland's 2024 Kouvola Non-Fiction Prize has been awarded to a comprehensive chronicle detailing the 500-year history of Kimola village. The winning book, 'Kimola – The Canal Village,' captures the unexpected and vibrant life of a small Finnish community, from residents sneaking to the bar on kick-sleds to a recently restored canal's environmental revival.
Karoliina Ilonoja, the book's designer and a former long-term resident, dedicated herself to bringing the village's past to life. The project began in 1996 when local activists recorded oral histories on paper and cassette tapes, but it lay dormant for years before Ilonoja revived it. 'The events of the past came alive in a new way with the book,' Ilonoja said, reflecting on the deep dive into archives and interviews that spanned nearly three decades of sporadic work.
A Village Full of Stories
The book reveals Kimola as a place of continuous habitation since before Columbus reached America, with a bedrock 'as old as the heavens.' One chapter humorously details life in the local municipal home for the elderly. 'The residents went to the bar on kick-sleds,' Ilonoja recounted with amusement. 'The matron took a man from the care home for herself. And everyone had to go to work in the morning, even though it was an old people's home.' The anecdote paints a picture of a more informal, community-driven past that contrasts sharply with modern institutional care.
Historical photographs further illustrate a changed world. A favorite image of Ilonoja's shows hunters building a moose shed. 'One of the men has climbed onto rickety steps. Two others are holding the ladder while the man sways in the air with a chainsaw,' she described. 'Without any safety gear. The world really has changed.'
The Heart of the Community: The Canal
A central narrative thread is the story of the Kimola canal, dug for log floating in 1966 and used for over 35 years. The last logs floated under Kimola bridge in 2002. After a renovation, the canal reopened for water traffic in 2020, a project Ilonoja feels is misunderstood. She expressed frustration that many in Kouvola see the canal venture as a failure, citing repeated news reports of insufficient traffic.
'Locals have a different view,' Ilonoja countered. 'We see every day during the summer season that boats are moving in the canal.' She consistently uses 'we' when speaking of the village, despite having moved to Kuusankoski in 2024, underscoring her lasting connection. Beyond recreation, the canal's reopening has had a crucial environmental impact. Before it was opened to traffic, the stagnant water became slimy. 'When the channel was opened for traffic, the amount of flushes increased,' Ilonoja explained. 'That has decisively improved the water quality.'
The Long Road to Publication
The book's journey to print is a story of community perseverance. The original book committee was formed in 1996, with village activists fanning out to interview Kimola residents. They preserved folklore in written form and on C-cassettes. The project also utilized contemporary interviews recorded by the Jaala Lions Club. Despite this strong foundation, the work stalled for years, only to be re-energized much later, culminating in the 2024 publication and award.
This process highlights the vital role of grassroots historical preservation in Finland, where local societies often act as the primary archivists for rural communities whose stories might otherwise be lost. The book serves as a formal container for this collective memory, transforming oral histories and personal photographs into a permanent record.