“We can express ourselves in Latvian society.” How do compatriots in Norway fulfill their belonging to Latvia? / Script

The participants of the conversation call themselves the new diaspora, because their experience in Norway is no longer than two decades, so the question of how Norwegian Latvians, whose number is currently around 15 thousand, live with the largest communities in Bergen, Oslo, Stavanger, Trondheim is quite logical. and in Ålesund.

They are not neighboring cities, so networking is a job that Latvians in Norway have been working hard on for at least the last eight or nine years. It has also borne fruit, because currently the Latvian society has formed a strong and powerful community in this northern land. Once again, it is proven that out of these 15 thousand active Latvians, there are only 10%, but they are the ones who excite, involve others and create a strong community spirit.

Līga Olsen, leader of the Norwegian Latvian Society in Oslo and the Norwegian Latvian Choir “Laipa”, described the diaspora as follows: “There are three generations in Norway. The first [ieradās] after the Second World War, but it must be said that there were not many Latvians in Norway after the Second World War. Norway had a policy – they needed educators, doctors, and they also accepted people with health problems, lonely people, old people. We have statistics that those first were 56 people who were scattered all over Norway. We have a centenarian, Harry Valdmanis, whom we try to meet as often as possible. A small group has survived from that time, but unfortunately many have passed away. Then we have the 90s, when Norwegian universities accepted Latvian students. And then, of course, there is after 2007/2008. year, after the time of crisis, when there is substantial growth. The number is still growing.”

As told by Līga Olsen, who is married to a Norwegian, her life is spent a lot with Norwegian friends and acquaintances, but at the same time, Latvia and Latvians play an important role in everyday life.:

“I would say that we are both feet up to the hips in the daily life of both Latvians and Norwegians.”

But what encourages you to be in Latvian society, for example, what is the case with the “Laipa” choir, to whose rehearsals Latvians go once a week, even when you don’t want to go to the yard, when it’s snowing and the journey with several vehicles is troublesome and when you’d rather settle down at home on the couch with a warm cup of tea in hand? Ilga Šarkovska, conductor of “Laipa” Choir, stated: “We are so sick of music, choir music, with the desire to be together, sing, laugh, rehearse and go to rehearsal. In Latvian society, you can express yourself. For me, who arrived at the age of more than 40 , I can’t be a full-fledged Norwegian, and then Latvian society is where I can express myself, I can talk to Latvians, I can joke, and Latvians understand it – unlike Norwegians, who don’t always understand Latvian jokes. Wednesday is the day of the week when I can to go home and get a positive charge.”

On the other hand, Ernests Barons, who also sings in the “Laipa” choir, said: “We have a lot of freedom to express ourselves and show our Latvianness, to cultivate our Latvianness. I think that I would not be so active in the Latvian cultural environment while living in Latvia, as I have been in Norway . This is the best way to understand that we have the opportunity to be Latvians in Norway.”

Asked whether he feels Norwegian to the core, he admitted –

sometimes he feels, because no Norwegian ever reminds him that he is not Norwegian to the bone, but the culture is the part that tells him – “hey, you are Latvian after all.”

“The culture I experienced in Norway is not as glorious, at least in my opinion, as it is in Latvia – song, dance, is not as important in Norway as football or other sports, which are much more important and stronger in Norway,” he said.

On the other hand, the coordinator of the Norwegian Latvian choir “Laipa” Ieva Vanaga emphasized that being Latvian, going to a choir rehearsal is called a necessity: “It is actually a need for belonging and Latvianness. For me, every Wednesday and rehearsal is the biggest holiday. It is a holiday with my own people. Of course , that the priority is singing, but also meeting people and talking, and being interested in how everyone is doing. Someone tells about the news of Latvia, how it is going there. That’s my little Latvia.”

Ieva Vanaga also pointed out that there are not only Latvians in the choir, but also Norwegians. For example, there is currently one guy whose grandparents are from Lithuania and Latvia, and he wants to get to know his roots, Latvian culture. However, there were also Norwegians without Latvian roots in the ranks of the choristers.

The good news is that Norwegian society is willing and welcoming, allowing Latvians to express themselves. Society is accepting and inclusive. It was for this reason that Sandris Rakauskis once moved to Norway, who, as soon as his personal life was settled, founded the Stavanger Latvian Theater Studio. The result has been felt already after a few years of operation, as this amateur theater has won a strong position not only among the diaspora, but also among amateur theaters in Latvia.

But the choir “Laipa” celebrates its 20 years of existence with ambitious events in Oslo, for example, a concert on the roof of the Oslo Opera House, singing with guest choirs, delighting and introducing the surrounding audience to the most beautiful Latvian folk songs.

As the Latvians in Norway said at the end of the conversation, they constantly keep in mind in their daily lives that they are ambassadors of their country – Latvia – that everything they do on a daily basis, nurturing their Latvianness, actually shows the whole world, in this case Norway, what Latvia is and what it is capable of. Latvian.

“Global Latvian. 21st century”

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