January 19 was no ordinary Sunday in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. At Katuaq, the cultural center with an undulating facade meant to represent an aurora borealis, excitement peaked. Braving the blizzard, hundreds of people flocked there at 10:30 am to watch a televised debate on the future of the Arctic island, which has been under Danish sovereignty for three centuries. Simultaneously broadcast by Danish channel TV2 and local television station KNR, the Nuuk-Copenhagen link-up was a rare face-off between the colonizer and the colonized.

The audience broke into rapturous applause when Mute Egede, the autonomous province's prime minister, in favor of independence, asserted that "Greenland's future will be decided by Greenland." At the end of the debate, satisfaction was palpable. The participants felt they had finally been listened to by the ruling power. From their point of view, this 180-degree change is a direct consequence of Donald Trump's declarations and his intention to "take" the island from Denmark.

Although it's a cause for concern, the American president's greed is also a source of joy for Greenlanders. "The problems that the Danes refused to see are finally being discussed, and resolving them seems possible," explained Jorgen Johansen. Involved in several industrial projects, the 54-year-old entrepreneur deplores the fact that the products from fishing, which accounts for 90% of the island's exports, are primarily sold in Denmark.

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