A special holiday show all about Greenland

The World

PRX

News, Lethaldissent

4.6 • 943 Ratings

🗓️ 25 December 2025

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this holiday special, The World visits Greenland. Former Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute B. Egede stated this year, “We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American. We want to be Greenlandic.” We look at divided opinions around the territory’s independence. Also, a look at Denmark’s controversial parenting test that resulted in a disproportionate number of Inuit families being separated. And, an official apology from Denmark for forcing Indigenous women and girls from Greenland into using contraceptive devices beginning in the 1960s. Also, a look at how a new international airport in the capital Nuuk is trying to keep up with an influx of tourists. Plus, how the abandoned village of Qoornoq is seeing a revival.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Greenland got a lot of attention this year thanks to a certain president's stated desire to take over the territory.
0:11.2	That attention and a new airport brought more visitors to Greenland's capital this summer.
0:15.8	The tourism has been crazy. They kind of like take over the town. You can see them everywhere.
0:21.8	I'm Marco Werman. And I'm Carolyn Beeler. Greenland is our focus today. We go in-depth on its colonial
0:27.7	history. The rationale was that the population is rising too fast in Greenland at the time
0:35.7	and that it needs to be stopped.
0:38.3	We'll also ski cross country on the island.
0:41.3	This is not easy.
0:43.3	And of course the international politics.
0:46.3	It really isn't a need for threats of annexation.
0:50.3	A whirlwind tour of Greenland today on the world.
1:00.3	This is the world. I'm Carolyn Beeler.
1:03.9	And I'm Marco Wurman. Thank you for spending part of your Christmas Day with us.
1:07.2	The North Pole is on our minds today for obvious reasons.
1:12.2	And while we can't take you to a magical toy workshop, we can get geographically close, at least.
1:13.4	This hour is all about Greenland, a glacier-filled, snow-covered landmass sitting mostly above
1:19.5	the Arctic Circle near the North Pole.
1:22.6	It's fair to say Greenland was in the news more than usual this year.
1:26.0	You probably remember why.
1:27.7	I think we're going to get it. One way or the other, we're going to get it.
1:32.5	President Trump's repeated claims that the U.S. would take over Greenland or maybe buy it got
1:37.8	all kinds of reactions across the globe, including how seriously should we take this.
	...

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