Grew up in failure and abuse - today he is nail varnish suisoq

Want to hear the whole story? Listen to Mads Pedersen's story in the podcast - you will find it further down in the article.

We are on our way from Selvstyrets building to Tuapannguit – the place where Mads Pedersen, better known as Maasi, has his first good memories from Nuuk. At that time he was in the 4th grade at Tasersuup Atuarfia in Qaqortoq and spent summer holidays with his mother.

Want to hear the whole story? Listen to Mads Pedersen's story in the podcast - you will find it further down in the article.

We are on our way from Selvstyrets building to Tuapannguit – the place where Mads Pedersen, better known as Maasi, has his first good memories from Nuuk. At that time he was in the 4th grade at Tasersuup Atuarfia in Qaqortoq and spent summer holidays with his mother.

- I hadn't seen my mother, who lives in Nuuk, for four years. So it was a good and happy time. She had a boyfriend there lived in block R, says Maasi.

But after the holiday, a rough everyday life awaited back in Qaqortoq.

You can listen to the entire podcast below, where Maasi talks about his upbringing, the way out of abuse and the measures he wants to work on, among other things. The podcast is in Greenlandic.

- I had a hard time when I was back in Qaqortoq. My father is mentally ill. At that time it was not known how to could help him. It was a hard life. He drank a lot and smoked a lot of weed.

Maasi lived with her younger brother at their father. When there was turmoil in the home, he remembers how it felt.

- When my father was picked up by the police, we just left. We just went back to bed. Me and my little brother woke up alone the morning. Then we went to our family, says Maasi.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before he returned to Nuuk. He managed to move to his mother in Nuuk and away from the unsafe home of Qaqortoq. This suited Maasi quite well.

- I quickly made a lot of friends, and we played together outside. Life couldn't be better. But I missed too Qaqortoq. I missed my brothers and worried about my father.

But the security in Nuuk was short-lived. Soon Maasi and his mother had to leave the apartment in Tuapannguit and stood suddenly without a roof over your head. A time we will return to later.

“Why are the police leaving us alone?”

While still living in Qaqortoq, appeared the police every now and then when there was unrest in the home. But Maasi and his little brother was left alone. And already at the age of eight, the questions started to appear themselves.

- I have always thought: Why isn't there anyone help us? Why do the police leave us alone?, he joins in wonder.

He later put words to that experience. Together with Taatsi and Kunuk he formed the rap group Prussic, which with strong texts about neglect and abuse shook all of Greenland.

- I thought the conditions would remain changed when we published as Prussic. When we put into words the conditions as they were at that time. It must be fixed, I thought. That was 20 years ago. But the conditions are still like that.

And it was a defeat for the teenager Maasi.

- I was depressed when it didn't come changes in the coming years after publication.

All of a sudden became nail polish suisoq

Two decades later, the chance came for real to make a difference – this time as a politically responsible person. Suddenly he stood himself in the midst of power.

- It happened very suddenly. It was about two days before it was announced I was asked if I wanted to stay nail polish suisoq. I didn't even hesitate and said yes right away. But the doubt come only afterwards, laughs Maasi.

At the time he was working as acting HR manager at KNR. He also helped in the election campaign as a journalist and was i.a. host of the party leadership round. When he suddenly became naalakkersuisoq after his role as host on the party leadership round, he was criticized - among others from Naleraq. Ekstra Bladet also covered his sudden change.

- I can see that, but I don't think it's wrong, as I, as the acting HR manager, had to help because of this of huge shortage of journalists. I didn't know at the time if I would be asked if I wanted to be naalakkersuisoq. So that's why I haven't favored someone when I moderated the debate, says Maasi.

He previously worked as a consultant in the trade union Atorfillit Kattuffiat, as a journalist in KNR and as a party consultant at IA. And although he has become naalakkersuisoq, he is still not official member of the party.

- I haven't even become a member yet. But it is stated in the party's constitution that members in Inatsisartut, The municipal council and Naalakkersuisut must be members of the party. So on one when should I become a member.

So you're breaking the bylaws?

- I expect that you can become a member retroactively, says Maasi.

A huge task lies ahead

The task that awaits him as naalakkersuisoq, is huge. Neglect and abuse are still commonplace for everyone too many children in the country. And Maasi will start by listening and learning.

- First of all, I want to travel around. I want to see it with my own eyes. But I have also said that to mine department and the National Board of Social Affairs and Health, that the system needs to look at itself. The population does not have to adapt to the system. The system must adapt to the population.

What he himself has experienced as neglected child, and the hard life he has lived is something he can use his work as a nail polish suisoq.

- I have seen the reality on the street, says Naalakkersuisoq for children, young people and families.

Small metal table and television with video

We return to the period when Maasi and his mother left the flat in Block R. It was the mother's decision to move out of her then boyfriend's home.

- We were accommodated in a room on it old Hotel Godthåb. I don't remember how long we stayed there. So far I understood, then the homeless were housed there.

Later, the mother managed to rent furnished apartments, and eventually they got their own in Paarnat.

- We had nothing at all. The only thing, I had was a small metal table with wheels and a television with video.

Still, Maasi remembers back in the day when a happy period.

- We were happy when we got an apartment, says Maasi.

Drunk driving and car accidents

Although he and his mother gained stability, it was also a youth characterized by drinking and hashish – this time not from the father's side, but his own. During that period he became a father for the first time.

- I have always told myself that I will stop when I have children. So I stopped for a bit when I had a child. But I couldn't quite stop.

A turning point came when, 13 years ago, he drove drunk and ended up in detention.

- I felt great shame towards my son. He was four years old at the time. I was ashamed as a father, for I knew that those my son loves the most, is mom and dad.

But there was also another incident there hit even harder. Maasi's four-year-old son said something unexpected as they walked hand in hand in hand.

– He said it very clearly: "Dad, I think you should move somewhere else.” I asked why and he replied, "When you're drunk, you make mom upset." It hit me hard, that a child can say something so true. There were a lot of little things that happened, like gave me the strength to be treated, says Maasi.

Good relationship with parents

Today Maasi is 40 years and clean. He has created a family with Nahome, and together they have three sons. And he now looks at his own parents with new eyes.

– As a teenager and later as an adult, I have been angry with them. And I also gave them something back, he says.

Today he has one good relationship with both his mother and father.

- I have forgiven them. I don't blame them because I know they did their best. That is the most important thing for me. Mother and father wanted the best for their child. Yes, it wasn't always the best - but they did their best. And that's enough for me, says Maasi.