Are We There

In 1929, Jenni Toivonen’s great-grandparents left everything behind and relocated their family to Brazil. They were part of a group of Finns, led by pastor and gardener Toivo Uuskallio, who hoped to separate themselves from capitalist society and live in harmony with nature. They settled on land surrounded by the Atlantic Forest in the state of Rio de Janeiro, where they founded the community of Penedo. Penedo went on to become one of the most well-known examples of Finnish utopian migration, a movement of similar instances occurring from the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s. Many memories from this time in Jenni’s family are preserved through her grandaunt’s writings, photographs, Brazilian music and stories- which continue to circulate and evolve through generations. Prompted by the nostalgic but vivid world her grandaunt had depicted, Jenni set out to experience it herself. She longed to plunge into the clear mountain rivers and feel a deep, radiant connection with the forest. In revisiting the location her grandparents had inhabited, she strove to experience a shimmer of the utopia Uuskallio spoke of a century ago.