80 years ago, thousands of Baltic peoples embarked upon the escape journey. They were fleeing from
the Red Army since the terror from the previous Soviet occupation was still fresh in their minds and hearts. Escape took place via sea as well as land and was temporary, as far as the escapees knew. But with the passing of time, it became clear that there would be no return — people stayed or relocated to new countries. The ideology of freedom of the Balts was carried forward and preserved around the world until the collapse of the Soviet Union and restoration of independence. This sorrowful occasion was commemorated in Toronto from September 19-21 with a slew of events that had a great turnout.
In collaboration with the Chair of Estonian Studies at the University of Toronto, an international conference titled “The Great Escape of 1944 – The Baltic Experience” took place on September 19- 20 at Tartu College. At the conference, dedicated to the Great Escape and its aftermaths, topics under discussion were the reasons behind and process of the flight, the resettlement of refugees in Canada and how they adapted, how various generations live with multi-identities, and work in regards to historical preservation. 20 presentations took place, academic researchers, filmmakers and authors of memoirs,
preservers of historical heritage from Canada, Estonia, USA, Holland, and from Estonian, Latvian, and
Lithuanian communities performed. The conference programme can be viewed here. The recording of the conference will be available soon on VEMU’s website: info@vemu.ca.
Helga Merits’ new documentary film “The Paradox of Seabrook Farms. Shattered dreams. Restored hopes” was screened at Innis Town Hall on the evening of September 19. The film summarizes many years of research, during which nearly 50 interviews were conducted. The film tells the story of the Seabrook family enterprise, which gave about thousands of immigrants work in the 1950’s, among them about 900 Estonian, 200 Latvian, and 2000 Japanese immigrants. Helga Merits herself was also present to speak about the making of the film.
On September 21, an Estonian language event took place at Tartu College, where Dr. Tiina Kirss presented the annual Dr. Vello Soots memorial lecture, titled “Leaving the Homeland: Escape Stories from 1944.” The joint exhibition, which was produced with the collaboration of VEMU, the Estonian Institute of Historical Memory, and the Association of Estonians in Sweden, was opened. Following the lecture, a reception in celebration of Tartu College’s 54th anniversary took place. The evening continued with a diaspora Estonian musical event “Singing Our Songs Again,” during which DJ Erik Laar played familiar songs from records chosen from VEMU’s record collection and performed his own creations that were inspired by these records. Erik Kreem entertained us with captivating piano melodies. The evening ended with a sing-along, which Enno Agur and Erik Kreem helped out with.
During the events, fresh books with topics pertaining to the escape could be purchased.
In addition to Tartu College, the series of events was sponsored by Estonian Foundation of Canada (main sponsor), the Estonian Central Council in Canada, and the Integration Foundation (Estonia). Thank you!