Krievi – Image of the week IX
Alexandra Enichek studies Medicine at Riga Stradins University and works as a part-time nurse in the Toxicology Department of Gailezers Hospital. ‘The collective consists of both Latvians and Russians in almost equal proportions,’ says Alexandra. ‘We communicate in an odd mix of languages and each person is free to speak his or her mother tongue, … Read more
Krievi – Image of the week VIII
Veronica Ilyushenko studies to become a hair-stylist. She enjoys being different and believes uniqueness makes her beautiful. ‘I feel Russian and Latvian, as well as being influenced by other cultures. Multiculturalism is what defines my identity.’
Krievi – Image of the week VII
Taisija Vinogradova was born in 1935 in Krasuha village near Leningrad and was six years of age when the Great Patriotic War broke out. Together with her mother, the girl was deported from Russia and came to Kuldīga town in the Western Latvia escaping from a train that was heading to a Nazi concentration camp. … Read more
Krievi – Image of the week VI
Since the fall of the Soviet Union two decades ago, there are few areas of Russian-Latvian relation that have been less affected by the change than the music industry. With thousands of Russians across all generations living in Latvia, artist continues successfully touring the country, regularly gathering full concern halls of devoted followers. The featured … Read more
Krievi – Image of the week V
Andrejs Judins is an MP in the Latvian Parliament (Latvijas Saema 11) and a member the Unity parliamentary group. Following the referendum for Russian to become the second official language in the country, Judins gathered a group of young people from mixed cultural backgrounds to discuss the issues faced by the Russian and Latvian communities … Read more
Krievi – Image of the Week IV
After the fall of the Soviet Union, many residents of Latvia did not qualify for citizenship and were issued a non-citizen or ‘alien’ passports. In 2011, ‘aliens’ formed 14.35% of the Latvian population, 65.8% of which were Russians, 13.5% – Belarusians and 9.8% – Ukrainians. The rights of this section of the society are severely … Read more
Krievi – Image of the Week III
With a group of likeminded young people, Vladislav Keldish tries to encourage the new generation to remember the history and play an active role in preservation of their culture. In his opinion, “people have a selective perception of history, endlessly discussing political disagreements of the Soviet era, but rarely remembering the earlier events that saw … Read more
Krievi – Image of the Week II
Maslenitsa is a Slavic religious and folk holiday of welcoming spring. Marking the last week before the Great Lent, it is celebrated with games, songs and roundelays, horse sleigh riding, pancake feast and burning of a large Maslenitsa doll that symbolises winter (picture above). The traditional Russian holiday, Maslenitsa has its equivalents in many cultures, including … Read more
Krievi – Project Launch
Historically, Latvia has always had strong bonds with the Russian Federation. Modest in size, the country was largely dependent on its big neighbour that defined political climate and economic development. In the 20th century, the period of independence was glorious but brief, as having gained autonomy in 1918, Latvia was compelled to join the Soviet … Read more
Student march
A year after the infamous youth riots on the streets on London, the UK students gathered once again to say “No!” to the education cuts. See photographs from the last year’s demonstration.
