Photo: Aaron Vuola
CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation used AI to analyse the more than 900 written memories of President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari. The recollections have been crystallised into five distinct perspectives that highlight the collective view of the President among Finns.
Memories have been posted on CMI’s Remember Martti webpage by ordinary people as well as personalities who are well-known in Finland and abroad, including the philosopher Esa Saarinen and former Presidents Tarja Halonen and Mary Robinson. 900 memories were written and have been analysed using AI.
Five aspects of the Martti we knew collectively emerge from the memories:
1. Martti – Bridgebuilder
2. Martti – Humble companion
3. Martti – Embodiment of Finnish values
4. Martti – Builder of hope
5. Martti – Advocate of cultural education
The collection of people’s reminiscences will continue until the state funeral on Friday, 10 November. Also a virtual statue of Ahtisaari composed of people’s memorial messages is being projected on the video wall of Helsinki’s Musiikkitalo until the funeral.
Martti – Bridgebuilder
Martti Ahtisaari left a truly global imprint. People remember him as a true peacemaker, able to reconcile differences and build bridges. Many recollections focus on his role in peace processes around the world, from Aceh in Indonesia to Namibia and Northern Ireland. For many, Ahtisaari was an inspiration.
“His wisdom and determination should inspire us to redouble our efforts to secure peace in these deeply troubling times,” writes Mary Robinson, the former President of Ireland and the Chair of the Elders.
“I will remember President Martti Ahtisaari as a fine and long-time colleague, a head of state and a much respected peacemaker. Let us honour his memory by continuing his work for peace”, writes President Tarja Halonen.
“My mother was injured during an operation on her back and needed an assistant. I recruited a young woman who had come to Finland as an asylum seeker in 2009. She became a member of our family. I asked her why she had come to Finland, as she had no ties to our country and knew nothing about Finland beforehand. She told me it was because of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Martti Ahtisaari, a Finn. She wanted to go to a peaceful and safe country, the country of Martti Ahtisaari,” recalls Maarit Lehto.
Martti – Humble companion
Ahtisaari was well-known for treating all people equally without discrimination. He had an extraordinary ability to connect with others. People remember the President as an uncomplicated, approachable, empathetic and witty person.
Matleena Vuola remembers how she and her family were flying to Kenya via Istanbul in November 2014.
“Martti Ahtisaari was on the same flight as us, going to Istanbul to celebrate 80 years of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Finland, and he sat next to me and our six-week-old daughter. My husband and our four-year-old son were in the next row. The flight attendants and stewards scrambled to find a new seat for Martti when they realised he was sitting next to a small baby. This was no problem for Martti, however, and he sat next to us. Ahtisaari’s attitude towards us was very familiar and natural. We chatted for most of the trip, and Martti told us about his family’s experiences in Tanzania and Namibia when Marko was the same age as our firstborn. We were really impressed by Ahtisaari’s direct and warm personality.”
Financial influencer Risto Siilasmaa bumped into Ahtisaari by chance at the Davos Economic Forum. “I was walking down the corridor in the conference centre, and when Martti saw me from the sofa, he called out: ‘Risto! Have you got a moment for coffee?’ He left an indelible impression on me as a kind, humble and warm person who didn’t need to put himself on a pedestal. The world will miss him.”
Martti – Embodiment of Finnish values
For many people, Ahtisaari personified Finnishness and Finnish values – perseverance, modesty, equality and justice.
The President and his life’s work are a source of pride for Finns. “As a student of political science, I understand well the importance of peace as the first factor in human well-being. I felt a great sense of pride as a Finn when I studied abroad, knowing the importance of President Ahtisaari’s life’s work in this field,” recalls Daniel Koivisto.
Martti – Builder of hope
Ahtisaari was an eternal optimist who saw opportunities where others saw only problems. He managed to instill a sense of faith among the parties to conflicts. “When, after five months of extremely difficult negotiations, agreement was finally reached on a peace agreement, both delegations spontaneously stepped up to the negotiating table and hugged each other. I don’t know what Martti was thinking at the time, but tears came to my eyes,” writes Holger Rotkirch, who served as a legal adviser during the Aceh peace talks at Königstedt Manor.
Financial influencers Matti Alahuhta, Sari Baldauf and Sirkka Hämäläinen, as well as philosopher Esa Saarinen and painter Osmo Rauhala, often put the world to rights over an evening meal with Ahtisaari. The President always looked to the future with hope.
“Peace and solutions to conflicts must be wanted, their possibilities must be believed in, and the work to find and implement solutions must be done. That was the ethos and life’s work of the international statesman Martti Ahtisaari,” write Alahuhta, Baldauf, Hämäläinen, Saarinen and Rauhala.
Martti – Advocate of cultural education
Classical music and opera were particularly close to Ahtisaari’s heart. Among other things, the recollections include Ahtisaari’s contribution to the Musical Bridge project, which helps build understanding between different countries and cultures. Ahtisaari, who had a background as a teacher, also stressed the importance of young people and their equitable education in building peace.
“It’s great to see from these memoirs how Martti, like a good primary school teacher, knew and enjoyed being in contact with and encouraging young people, both in his work communities and at countless meetings all over the world, and how he himself had a vitality that seemed almost inexhaustible to outsiders,” recalls Teuvo Mikkonen.
CMI analysed the memories of Ahtisaari using AI together with its creative partner TBWA/Helsinki. The analysis was carried out using the ChatGPT 4 AI tool and two additional tools.
A video of Ahtisaari’s virtual statue can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/OV-cRQUPqGI.
Download link to the video: https://www.dropbox.com/t/iebHkVMObsvcJlwN
Photos of the statue: https://www.dropbox.com/t/H2i3U4gSHJY9ERPo
Further information:
Antti Ämmälä, Head of Communications, CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation
antti.ammala@cmi.fi, tel. +358 40 358 30 84