HEADLINES
Training for national minority culture specialists From 30 January to 2 February 2006, amateur art pedagogues and heads of national minority cultural centres from ten local municipalities had the possibility to broaden their knowledge at a training at the National Art Centre in Riga. Their training was organised as part of the project Cultural Initiatives for Integration of Vidzeme Society, which was implemented by the Vidzeme Development Agency (VAA) and supported by the EU Phare programme. The programme included an introductory discussion on the topic What Happens to Us When We Meet People. How to Understand Things delivered by philosopher Vija Virtmane. There were also lectures on Borderland Cultural Wealth in Diversity (by Professor Janina Kursite), Culture's Added Value (Vija Virtmane), Project Management and Marketing Basics (Gita Senka), Traditional Spatial Design. Influence on Traditions (Linda Rubene), Visual Examples, Tourism of Culture (Anita Balode), as well as lectures on public relations and creativity. The participants of the training programme also enjoyed a performance of Talk to Yourself in the New Riga Theatre given by Ainars Mielavs and his group. The first event organised under this project was a Russian Orthodox Christmas celebration in Pededze on 7 January. At the end of February the Orthodox festivity Maslenica will be celebrated at Marciena in the Madona district and in May an exhibition of national minority craft works will be opened at Lazdona, which is also in the Madona district. In Zilaiskalns, Valmiera district, it will also be possible to experience one of the most ancient of Slavic rituals: Ivans Kupala or Midsummer Solstice, and to participate in the last event of this national minorities presentation cycle at Vecate – a somewhat sad and sorrowful celebration of the Indian summer. The central event of this project will be the National Minorities' Culture Festival in the Vidzeme region scheduled for the summer of 2006. The aim of the project is to promote cultural dialogue between different nationalities in the Vidzeme region and to broaden the knowledge of the residents of this region about the cultures of the different nationalities living in Vidzeme, as well as to demonstrate diversity in the region in an attractive and interesting way. The project is financed by the EU Phare Grant Programme Promotion of Societal Integration in Latvia with the total funding of EUR 79,375. LETA (30.01.2006) First part of project One Home – One Language concluded On 26 January 2006, the closing event of the first part of the project One Home – One Language took place in the Rainis and Aspazia Memorial Museum in Riga. This project is part of the EU Phare 2003 Grant Programme Support to Projects of Non-Governmental Organisations in the Sphere of Ethnic Integration; the first 35 non-citizens who had been prepared for the naturalisation examination under the auspices of the project participated in it.. The project received financial support from the European Union, the Latvian government and from the Nordea bank. On 2 February an informative event entitled Citizen's Advantages in Latvia was organised in the women's resource centre Marta. The aim of the event was to inform people willing to obtain citizenship about the issues connected with the process and to create new groups for training. The aim of the project One Home – One Language is to promote the acquisition of citizenship in Latvia and to motivate non-citizens and representatives of national minorities to acquire it by fostering a mutual understanding and cooperation among representatives of different nationalities living in Latvia. Another aim is help them enhance their knowledge about Latvian history, culture and politics through self-directed learning within the target group and by stimulating the use of Latvian language among these non-citizens. It is planned that this project will prepare 60 low-income women of Russian nationality for the naturalisation examination. LETA (26.01.2006) Open-air event organised for the Roma in Limbazi region An open-air event Bear of Fortune - Gypsy Style was organised on 28 January for the Romani people living in the Limbazi region. Participants of the event were able to warm up in front of a fire and spend the day in a real Gipsy manner. Everybody fond of Romani culture and wishing to get to know it better were welcome there. They could sing, ride a horse, taste soup made on a campfire and take part in various amusements such as fortune-telling. Performances were also provided by a Romani children's ensemble led by Egons Beitiks and the theatre group Imanta led by Jolanta Rabante. The event was staged by Inta Kalnina of the Limbazu Folk Theatre and produced by the Limbazi Regional Council with financial support from the EU Phare programme. BNS (28.01.2006)
Postcards against discrimination distributed in youth entertainment places Distribution of informative postcards in youth entertainment and gathering places throughout Latvia was started in January as part of the campaign For Diversity, Against Discrimination. The postcards depict modern entertainment devices such as mobile phones and TV sets – using these images as an introduction to the idea of diversity. This was part of the campaign activities in order to inform youth about their rights of non-discrimination in their workplace and to encourage them to enjoy the benefits of diversity. Each postcard addresses its reader with one notion, for example "Imagine a world in which there is only one song...", "Imagine a world in which there is only one TV programme", "Imagine a world in which there is only one ring-tone melody". These black-and-white pictures reflect how boring life would be without diversity. The postcards are available free-of-charge in 21 languages of the EU member states and will be distributed all over Europe. BNS (18.01.2006)
Specialists and students of the University of Latvia study Krasnoyarsk Latvians On 13 January 2006, specialist researchers and students from the Faculty of Philology of the University of Latvia commenced an ethno-linguistic expedition to Achinsk in the Krasnoyarsk region of Russia, where they planned to organise a winter school and study the language, culture and history of the local Latvians. The University of Latvia implemented the international project Latvians of the Krasnoyarsk Region: A Study of Language and Cultural History, Promoting Development of Cultural Environment in cooperation with the St. Petersburg State University, the Achinsk Pedagogic College and the Latvian National Cultural Society Dzintars. The project focussed on Latvians who had left the current territory of Latvia at the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, and on their descendants. The group of specialists studied the language, culture and history of these people. There have been two previous ethno-linguistic expeditions in 2004 and 2005 in search for folk story-tellers and visits to various regions such as Achinsk, Krasnoyarsk, Minusinsk and Abakan, collecting materials in the archives in Novosibirsk and many of the above regions. In organising a two-week winter school for Siberian Latvians, their descendants and other interested persons, the project specialists tried to promote the development of a Latvian cultural environment in the Krasnoyarsk region. The University of Latvia specialists also explained the socio-political situation in present-day Latvia by informing participants about Latvian history, cultural life and other processes. BNS (13.01.2006) Seven thousandth new Latvian citizen in Liepaja congratulated On 12 January 2006, the 7000th person to obtain Latvian citizenship in the city of Liepaja was congratulated. With a Cabinet of Ministers' decree, the number of people in the Liepaja district having obtained Latvian citizenship through naturalisation has increased by 140. The 7000th new citizen naturalised from Liepaja was primary school teacher Valentina Colija. A Ukrainian by nationality, she was born in 1962 in Ukraine but has been living and working in Latvia since 1983. At the ceremonial event the new citizens were congratulated by Eizenija Aldermane, the Head of the Naturalisation Board, by Juris Abolins, the Head of the Liepaja Regional Department, and by the Deputy Chairman of the Liepaja City Council, Gunars Ansins. The occasion was also adorned by musical greetings from the Ukrainian folklore group Barvinok and with entertainment by schoolchildren from the Secondary School No. 11. The new Latvian citizens in Liepaja represent various age groups and occupations. Among them are ten teachers and also the Headmaster of the Liepaja Secondary School No. 11. Naturalisation Board of the Republic of Latvia(12.01.2006) Accomplishments of the Naturalisation Board of Latvia during ten years of operation In total, 123,661 non-citizens have expressed their desire to naturalise since the commencement of the naturalisation process in 1995. During these ten years the Naturalisation Board has received 111,142 applications for naturalisation. The number of actual applications is less than the number of non-citizens to be naturalised, because the person submitting the application for naturalisation can also register his/her children under 14. Of the 105,088 persons who have been granted citizenship of Latvia 12,324 are children under 14 and who have become naturalised together with their parents. The year 2005 gave the highest number of new citizens - 19 thousand. By comparison in 1995, at the commencement of the naturalisation programme, citizenship was granted to 984 persons. The greatest number of applications for naturalisation was 21,297 in 2004 compared to 1995 when 4543 applications were received. BNS (01.12.2005) Statistics on naturalization (as at December 31, 2005) For more information:
Newsletter "Societal Integration in Latvia: Towards Mutual Understanding and Cooperation" is a compilation of press releases and news reports drawn from the mass media and official sources. Not all of the views published reflect the official position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. |
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