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We were barely able to begin enjoying our lives and increased freedom after the regression of COVID-19 when the war in Ukraine started. Russia’s brutal aggression towards Ukraine was an attack towards us all. It touched Baltic communities both in their homelands and abroad very closely, in a very personal way. It has affected and determined our thoughts, feelings, and actions. We have searched for and found ways to contribute to Ukraine’s efforts and support them in the fight for humanity –– both on an individual and community level. The energy and economic crises affect us all in one way or another. Can I pull through and make it? Many have asked themselves. And then, activists and politicians remind us that the world needs saving from the impending climate catastrophe. “There are too many major worries at once!”, one would be inclined to protest. The weight of the world can truly bear down on you and make it seem like a burden under which strength drains, hope dwindles, and daily tasks seem mundane and pointless. But carrying on with these daily tasks helps us move forward and find an inner balance, one day at a time. And if your small tasks support values that are important to you and help those who have bigger worries than yourself, even if just a little, then you’ve already made the world better. So what to wish for the new year at this challenging time? I’ll borrow a thought from Dalai Lama: “Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.” Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Piret Noorhani

Egidijus Aleksandravičius, Spalvos ir juostos. Akademinės lietuvių skautijos istorija 1924–2024, Vilnius: Versus, 2022.

To develop the reading skills of the Lithuanian diaspora, the National Library of Lithuania, together with the Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, the World Lithuanian Community, and the Lithuanian Publishers’ Association have initiated a program for the Lithuanian diaspora communities. The program aims to introduce Lithuanians living abroad to the latest Lithuanian literature and to encourage them to read it.

On December 15th, the first Arved Viirlaid Literary Award was presented during the Kreutzwald Days at the Estonian Literary Museum in Tartu. The winner is Lehte Hainsalu’s collection of poems titled “Valuvaba.”

Migracija: sampratos ir patirtys (compiled by Margarita Matulytė, edited by Margarita Dautartienė). Vilnius: Lithuanian National Museum of Art, Lithuanian Culture Research Institute, 2022

At the end of 2022, the Academic Publishing House of the University of Latvia launched the monograph “For Latvia. Political activities in exile, 1940s to 1980s”. The study examines the political activity implemented by Latvians in exile in the host countries, the purpose of which activity was to sustain the idea of the independence of the Republic of Latvia and promote the restoration of Latvian statehood. The author of the monograph is PhD Kristīne Beķere, a researcher at the Latvian Institute of History, University of Latvia.

Estonian House in Sydney is being renovated, and part of it is being prepared for commercial letting. This meant that the Archive had to move from its previous location on the first floor to a new site on the lower ground floor. Though smaller than the previous one, the new architect-designed, air-conditioned and light-controlled room is a much better fit for our collection. We had to carefully review our collection, especially the library, to decide what to keep and offer other memory institutions. The new compact takes 660 archive boxes; we are rearranging the library shelves and will, for the first time, have room to display our collection of paintings.

This fall, the Pica Pica Press publishing house, located in Flossmoor, IL, USA, was pleased to announce for the first time in English, a release of a classic of Lithuanian literature, Fall Comes from the Forest (Miškais ateina ruduo) by Marius Katiliškis, translated by Birutė Šležas-Vaičjurgis.

After travel restrictions that lasted a couple of years, active travel between Canada and Estonia has been restored and many interesting guests have visited the Toronto Estonian community and found their way to VEMU.

Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022, various forms of media have broadcast the events in Ukraine as well as the quality and state of life of Ukrainian refugees in Estonia. However, a lesser degree of focus has been put on how the war has affected Estonians and what role Estonians have played overall in the war. Another question that needs to be posed is how this war has affected diaspora Estonians and their respective communities. There’s no doubt that the war in Ukraine has revived personal and familial memories for many Estonians from the era of the Second World War, the fears related to it, and the trauma of leaving their homeland. With the upcoming collection campaign titled “Stories of War” from the Association of Estonian Life Stories and the Estonian Cultural History Archives (Estonian Literary Museum), we wish to collect stories related to the Ukrainian war from individuals belonging to various generations. VEMU/Estonian Museum Canada in Toronto is a partner for the collection campaign. When documenting your story, the following questions can be considered: