Baltic Heritage Network Newsletter 2015, No.2
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BALTIC HERITAGE NETWORK Newsletter no. 2 (11) 2015 issn: 228-3390 In this issue: • Events in Toronto Commemorating the March Deportations • The Voice of Aldona Stempužis Preserved for Future Generations • The Independence Quotes • Diaspora Researchers Gathered “TRACING THE BALTIC ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE IN DIASPORA at the National Library of ARCHIVES”, 30 JUNE-2 JULY 2015 IN LATVIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, RIGA Lithuania A quarter of a century has passed—or is soon to pass—since the breakthrough • Alberta Estonian Heritage events which led to the restoration of the independence of the Baltic States: Society (Western Canada) the “phosphorite war”, the Heritage Movement, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact Ten Years Old! AEG movement, the “Singing Revolution”, the Baltic Way, the August putsch. • Memoir collection by VEMU on The path to independence did not begin at the end of the 1980s. The political the Grand Escape in 1944 struggle of the Baltic diaspora communities for the independence of the Baltic States, in opposition to the recognition of the Soviet occupation lasted A Note from the Editor: throughout the period of exile, and received new momentum in the new The submission deadline for the next issue is 1 September 2015. We welcome winds that were blowing in the homelands at the end of the 1980s. Up until news articles, conference information, the present, interest in Baltic diaspora archives and museums has mostly calls for papers, new publication coincided with interest in wartime and post-war Baltic exile. However, the information, and images. Please send Baltic diaspora archives, museums, and libraries also enable research with articles in English with high quality respect to the history of the Baltic States themselves, particularly their road to images to: restoring their independence and the state building and reconstruction in the Kristina Lupp - [email protected] post-occupation period. ____________________________________ The Non-Profit Association Baltic Heritage • What was the contribution of countrymen living abroad to the maintaining of the de Network was founded in Tartu on January jure recognition of Baltic states in the West, to restoration of the independence of the 11, 2008. NPA BaltHerNet was established Baltic States, their political and economic rebuilding? to foster cooperation between national and • What kinds of campaigns were organized to preserve historic heritage and to create private archives, museums, libraries, and public interest in the Baltic cultures and history? What kind of contacts were initiated, institutions of research, public associations and organizations collecting and studying responded to, and maintained with the homeland? the cultural heritage of the Baltic diaspora. • How was the strive for freedom and the following restoration of the independence of It aims to facilitate the preservation and the Baltic States reflected in the media abroad? research of the historically valuable cultural property of the Baltic diaspora, as well as to • Which archival collections of the Baltic diaspora might pique historians` interest in ensure accessibility of these materials to the conducting research on topics of recent history? public. • What kinds of historical sources connected with the restoration of the independence NPA BaltHerNet is also committed to of the Baltic States should we be actively collecting today than we have before? How the organising of conferences, seminars and workshops, and to developing and could this be accomplished most effectively? administrating the electronic information We look forward to presentations on these (but not only these) topics from website Baltic Heritage Network, a multilingual electronic gateway for representatives of Baltic memory institutions and communities in the information on the cultural heritage of the diaspora, from professionals representing the memory institutions of the Baltic diaspora. Baltic States and host countries, and from academic researchers. The Baltic Heritage Newsletter is distributed quarterly, on-line. The newsletter is compiled Conference participation fees (includes conference folder, lunches, reception and edited by Kristina Lupp. Please send all and cultural programme): related enquiries and submissions to Kristina 30 EUR (Baltic Heritage Network members) Lupp: 50 EUR (non-members) [email protected] www.balther.net For more information, please see: www.balther.net ISSN 2228-3390 2015 NO . 2 (11) Baltic heritage network 2 saddening to see the current debate about the memorial to victims of communism in Ottawa. Indeed, building such a memorial would be a very important statement that what happened in the past should never happen again. The memorial would also help those peoples whose freedom is slipping away. The next speaker was Markus Hess, president of the Estonian Central Council and one of the initiators of Black Ribbon Day. He thanked those present at the conference conference, and other sponsors EVENTS IN TORONTO and introduced the panelists. The (The Estonian Central Council of moderator of the panel, Göran COMMEMORATING THE MARCH Canada, the Estonian Credit Union, Lindblad, is a former member of DEPORTATIONS The Estonian Embassy in Ottawa, the Swedish Parliament and current The Finnish Embassy, The Latvian In Toronto the calendar for the end president of the Platform of European National Federation of Canada, the of March was filled with events that Memory and Conscience. recalled and commemorated the House of Anansi Press, and UpNorth victims of Soviet repressions. The Magazine). The candles were lit to core event was an international commemorate the victims of the conference entitled “Repressions deportations. and Human Rights” on March 27th, On Friday, March 27th , the where the two main guest speakers conference “Repressions and Human were Bill Browder and Sofi Oksanen. Rights” was held in University of The main invited speaker of the series Toronto`s Isabel Bader Theatre. It was Sofi Oksanen, a writer with was almost a capacity audience, with Estonian-Finnish origins. She arrived 300 people in attendance. Those who in Toronto on Wednesday evening, were not able to attend in person March 25th, and the following could watch the direct broadcast day gave interviews to Canadian of the conference on-line. (https:// media. Later that day, together with youtu.be/jVBjbKWVLCM). the conference moderator, Göran The opening remarks were given by Lindblad, she was given a tour of one of the two main organizers of Tartu College by chief archivist the conference, Marcus Kolga, who Piret Noorhani, who showed them thanked the organizers and sponsors, Conference organisers VEMU`s collections and travelling and reminded the audience that Marcus Kolga and Piret Noorhani Photo: Taavi Tamtik exhibition. Operation “Priboi”, referred to by On the evening of March 25th, a Estonians as the March deportations The first panellist was University of reception was held at Tartu College, took place 66 years ago. He shared Toronto Chair of Estonian Studies jointly sponsored by VEMU/Estonian his concern that Russia has seemingly professor Jüri Kivimäe, who spoke of Studies Centre and the Estonian learned no lessons from history, since the historian`s task of deciphering Foundation of Canada. Invited to the its actions today were just like they and understanding, rather than reception were supporters of both were decades ago. judging history, and gave an overview organizations, speakers at the The Estonian ambassador to Canada, of the Soviet Union`s repressions in Gita Kalmet spoke of the candles the Baltic states. The next speaker lighted in memory of the victims of was Karl Altau, acting chair of the the deportations, and used a striking Estonian American National Council, analogy: an extinguished candle who wore a Ukrainian blue and can be relighted, but the same is not yellow ribbon and gave details on the possible with an extinguished human demonstration at the White House in life. We have a moral responsibility to support of Ukraine as well as other speak out about what happened in the similar events planned in the USA in past: we must not forget our history. the near future. Photo: Taavi Tamtik In this context, it was especially 2015 NO . 2 (11) Baltic heritage network 3 Ludwik Klimkowski, chairman of people were kept under a regime of The commemoration of victims of Tribute to Liberty, an organization fear. Since Finland was under the deportation continued on March devoted to the Canadian memorial influence of Moscow, nothing was 29th at Tartu College, where results to the victims of communism, as well said publicly about the deportations of VEMU`s most recent collection as vice-president of the Canadian and other repressions. After the campaign were discussed, and Polish Congress emphasized that restoration of independence, a viewing the 2014 Estonian film communism has not disappeared, decolonization process began in about the 1941 deportations, “In the because after the fall of the Iron Estonia, which continues to this day. Crosswind”. Curtain, there was no “Nuremberg A national memory had to be created Lea Kreinin trial” for communists. Today they anew; democracy and free speech have become apparatchiks and had to be relearned. Unfortunately, THE VOICE OF ALDONA oligarchs, who exert their power no such changes have taken place in STEMPUžIS PRESERVED FOR in Europe in many different ways. Russia, which after a brief period of FUTURE GENERATIONS Bernard Trottier, a member of freedom was submitted to Putin`s the support group for the Baltic regime. If one is living in a western States in the Canadian Parliament society, this is difficult to understand, stressed the educational value of the since it is almost impossible to planned memorial to the victims of imagine such thorough brainwashing. communism, and urged everyone In addition, Russia continues to to visit the Human Rights Museum interfere with how the history of in Winnipeg (Manitoba), where the its formerly occupied territories universal topic of human rights is is represented, having initiated a extended and elaborated at various propaganda war and implementing Aldona Stempužis’ first concert as a solo different levels of generalisation.