Estonians living abroad maintain strong bonds with Estonia

A study commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and conducted by the Institute of Baltic Studies (IBS) found that Estonians throughout the world are not a community disjoined from Estonian society; rather, they maintain strong emotional and cultural bonds with Estonia. 

The majority of the expat Estonian community has a multicultural identity — that is, a symbiosis of several identities or affiliations. Most Estonians abroad are content with their life in their new country and have adapted to life there, however their sense of belonging to Estonia has nonetheless remained strong as well.

More than half of study respondents celebrate Estonian holidays and vote in Estonian elections. A large share of families with children indicated they want to pass the Estonian language, culture and customs on to their children, and a majority want to keep their Estonian citizenship.

Time magazine includes Estonia’s Kaja Kallas in its Time100 Next list

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has been named one of the world's rising stars in its 2022 Time100 Next list. The list recognises people from different sectors from around the world for their extraordinary efforts to shape our world and define our future. Kallas has proven herself to be a strong and resilient leader.

Further reading can be found here

Estonia submits basketball film 'KALEV' for the upcoming Academy Awards

A sports drama inspired by real events, Kalev follows the story of the Estonian basketball team who won the last championship before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

'Meie Tartu' - documentary celebrating 50 years of Tartu college in Canada

"Meie Tartu / Our Tartu" is a feature length documentary directed by Kaisa Pitsi and shows the history and future of Toronto's Tartu College. You can watch the trailer below.

'Boat of Tears' exhibition - remembering those who fled Estonia in 1944

In September 1944, over 75 000 people fled Estonia to escape the advancing Red Army. Many left on small boats and never saw their homland again. People sought refuge in nearby Finland, Sweden and in Germany. To commemorate the event, a balloon-filled boat, the Boat of Tears, has been installed on Tallinn's Freedom Square.

The journeys made in 1944 were treacherous. Those who attempted the journey faced rough seas and often experienced engine failure. Most of the boats were dangerously overcrowded and those aboard put their lives at risk to escape. For many, staying behind would have been just as dangerous. It is not known how many people died attempting to flee.

More information about this event can be found here - Estonian Institute of Human Rights.

A letter from Ukraine

One hobby I have enjoyed doing in recent years is Postcrossing. I like to send and receive postcards from all over the world and often in awe of some of the beautiful postal designs that drop into my mailbox. I love beautiful postage stamps, often commemorating special events, what a fun job it would be to design them!

A few weeks ago I received an expected surprise in my mailbox - a letter and postcards from Ukraine! Understandably, I have not received any postcards from Ukraine since the war began in February so I was delighted it arrived. The sender was a man named Oleksandr, a writer and blogger who is not so dissimilar from myself. I found his letter quite interesting. For the past ten years Oleks has been living abroad but on February 23, he returned home to visit his family, only to be awoken the next morning by the sound of bombs. His wife and young daughter managed to flee to safety but he had to remain in Ukraine. He shared his pain of being separated from his family and not being there when his little girl started school for the first day. In his letter Oleks also told me his fondness for Estonia, he has been there many times and has also visited the Estonian disapora in Russia and has written about them. 

I was very happy to receive this letter from Oleksandr, it really made my day!

Tallinn's Wandering Lights Festival / Valgus Kõnnib

Last week thousands of lights were lit up and created dazzling displays to marks the end of summer. The Wandering Lights Festival is an annual event that is traditionally held at Kadriorg Park but has since expanded to Männi Park, Pae Park and Tallinn's Old Town so that more people can experience the positive emotions the lights bring. Each year the festival has a theme, this year it was 'Stories of the Night'.