W(h)ither the Nation?
Returning to this question -- keeps coming up, even from left field. "Think about Tibet as Latvia, with very tall mountains," Professor Donald S. Lopez writes at openDemocracy.
The song above was an anthem of the national revival in the 19th C. The concept of the Castle of Light -- of an enlightened people. To prove to the Baltic Germans and the Russian Empire -- and to ourselves -- that we, too, are a nation (and a Kulturvolk), with a right to a seat at the table of nations.
The project of building a National Library takes that name.
The video below is of Ieva Akurātere singing what became one of the anthems of the Third Awakening.
posted by Pēteris Cedriņš at 12:39
6 Comments:
Pēteris,
I was listening to my former choir (Salaspils "Rīgava" jauktais koris) last weekend with Estonian partner choir from Jyri borough (Harju Maakond) present. Estonians found the symbolism fascinating and the music is just too emotional (usually have tears running down my cheeks:).
However, whilst translating the last sentence of the song- "tautas dēli uzminēja, sen aizmirstu svētumu: Gaismu sauca, gaisma ausa, augšām ceļas Gaismas pils!" - I became simultaneously agitated and sad.
For about 100 years all Song festival (that started in 1873) participants have sung this song[dont know when exatly Jāzeps Vītols song was included in the program] and choir teachers were teaching students in Latvian schools.
Has it taken them all the way to the 2008 still not to realize - that the education/enlightenment/GAISMA - is the KEY???
No education, no democracy...w(h)ither the state?
I agree one thousand percent, Veiko. The emphasis should indeed be on the light.
What's up with the Latvian national malaise?
That diagnosis, Giustino, would take more bandwidth than even Blogger could handle...
I would like to think it's just you, Pēteris, but Aleks wrote about it too.
"Has it taken them all the way to the 2008 still not to realize - that the education/enlightenment/GAISMA - is the KEY???
No education, no democracy...w(h)ither the state?"
Sveiks, Veiko un Pēteri!
Until someone begins writing - concretely and in depth - about the need for an education reform as a national priority, the 'powers that be' in LV won't have a clue that their floundering, populistic approach is wide of the mark.
You two have a 'bully pulpit.' Go for it. : )
Laimīgi!
Elizabete
Post a Comment
<< Home