Europe in Brussels part 7: Inside the city's Latvian community

On Friday, 18 November, the Baltic state of Latvia celebrates the 98th anniversary of its independence in 1918, with Latvians home and abroad already planning a major celebration to ring in its centenary.

Latvia was occupied by both Germany and the Soviet Union during the second world war, with the country being forcibly incorporated into the latter in 1944. Independence was restored again in August 1991. However 1918 is still celebrated as the year when the Latvian republic was established.

The Latvians in Belgium Association, a non-governmental organisation founded in 2004, has about 200 members and "acts as a cultural bridge", says the group's president, Laura Gailite. It cooperates with different institutions from Latvia, such as the Ministry of Foreign affairs, the embassy here in Belgium and other partner organisations around EU, explaining what Latvian culture is about.

She said there could be as many as 3,000 Latvian nationals loving in Belgium. One of them is Līga Rozentāle. Hailing from Riga, she has been living in Brussels for two-and-a half-years. She came to work for the Latvian presidency in 2015 and is enjoying her life in Belgium.

"It’s a great place to live, because it very green and family orientated," she says. "It’s easy to get around. It’s small enough that’s its not too cumbersome to get around quickly on public transportation or leave on weekend trips.”

Rozentāle’s job requires her to stay in touch with Latvian colleagues on a daily basis. “We have a large Latvian community here who hold cultural events, so it’s easy to know who all the Latvians are here, not just those who are here for diplomatic service. Also our children go to school in a Latvian sub-section at the European school so it’s easy to know other Latvian parents.”

Celebrations

She says that celebrations for the Latvian national holiday are taken very seriously. “Usually there are plenty of concerts, focused on cultural heritage on dances and music,” says Rozentāle. “We’re looking forward to our 100-year anniversary in 2018, a lot of planning going on for that, not just for the 18 November but year-round.”

The Latvians in Belgium association will be putting on celebrations for the national day, with about 350 Latvians attending.  The group is also preparing for the centenary celebrations in 2018.

Gailite says: "In Riga there are many different events throughout the day including military parades. And in evening we have fireworks and concerts. The president gives a speech. There is this honorary parliament meeting and ceremony in the national theatre."

Gailite’s organisation is heavily involved in promoting the Latvian language, which they see as an invaluable part of their heritage.

“Many children attend the European school, where they get a Latvian lesson everyday. We’re also organising Saturday school for children, to teach them not just language but history and traditions. About 100 children attend and they learn about our independence and the historical significance of it. They learn about seasonal events.”

Song and dance

Music played a pivotal role in the three Baltic states’ (Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia) fight to regain their independence from the Soviet Union. In what became known as the "singing revolution" these countries saw demonstrations and events against Soviet Rule centre around music and the singing of forbidden songs, which re-instilled their independent pride and spirit.

The passion of Brussels-based Latvians for their music is plainly evident as Gailite explains: “We are known for our signing and dancing, and we have several choirs here. There is dancing training, twice a week and the dancers also get invited to perform at events and cultural festivals.”