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EESTI ELU neljapäeval, 14. aprillil 2022 — Thursday, April 14, 2022
Nr. 15
Commemorations… (Continued from page 17)
On March 27th, the St. Peter’s Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Vancouver gave the floor to the Society for the Advancement of Estonian Studies in Canada during a church service at Meie Kodu in order to further commemorate the March Bombings and Mass Deportations. During the ser vice, Erik Kõvamees read a speech, which was also pub lished in a recent issue of Eesti Elu. The same day, Aarne Tork read another speech at a second Ukraine rally held in downtown Vancouver, which is reproduced below. On April 2nd, communi ty members participated in the event Peace Walk for Ukraine, which took place in the city of White Rock. On the next day, April 3rd, another pro-Ukraine rally was held, again in Van couver, but this time, the event was organized as a silent rally. Community member Ingrid Soide, in a Facebook post, described the event thusly (her description has been slightly edited by the authors): “Today we lay still as rain pounds our faces to the sounds of bombs… We continue to lie down for 20 minutes in the pouring rain, further listening to Ukrainian singing… We are enraged by the brutal and
Kid’s Corner: 3 recent Estonian books for kids and families Vincent Teetsov Are you looking for more fun books to help practice reading Estonian? Here are some of Estonian Life’s latest top picks of Estonian books that kids and families can enjoy together. 1) Kullakallis kass (The Precious Cat, 2022): This 32 page picture book, written by Ilmar Tomusk of the Estonian Language Board, is a funny subversion of expecta tions among fictional animals. It follows some mice as they encounter a cat in the house they occupy. But contrary to what usually happens between felines and rodents, a Tom and Jerry-esque chase doesn’t take place. And despite the wishes of
The cover of Kartuli kuningriik. Photo: apollo.ee
Andres Rebane Photo: Brigid Zurock
senseless murders of Ukrai nians; our thoughts are with those who did not have a chance to escape and were killed in the shellings…” Members of the Vancouver Estonian community do not intend to stop organizing and participating in future com memorations and rallies, and will provide updates in the form of overview articles and photo graphs as time passes. The photographs shared here depict strangers showing their support for Ukraine, members of the Vancouver Estonian community, members of the Vancouver Lithuanian community, and or ganizers of the pro-Ukrainian rallies.
the gentleman who takes care of the cat, the cat is too full of tasty food to bother awaking from its slumber to capture the mice. The illustrations of Catherine Zarip – which were featured on the 2020 Christmas card of the President of the Republic of Estonia – are pleasing in their diligent presentation of propor tion and movement. Colours and lines are soft and blended, making it soothing to look at. The facial expressions and postures of characters always feel real and dimensional, and quite cute, though Zarip is also able to make oddball characters come to life. https://www.apollo.ee/kul lakallis-kass.html 2) Ellen, Eik ja kilekoti mõistatus (Ellen, Eik and the Plastic Bag Mystery, 2022): This early reader book, illus trated by Eili Lepik-Kannelmäe, is perfect for kids with a passion for technology and knowing how things work. It’s all about Ellen and Eik, two clever 10-year-olds who build a jolly robot that they call SodiBot. All seems to be well with their industrious robot when they let it loose around the house, seeing how well it can perform clean-up tasks. But somehow on the way to school to show the robot off to their classmates, they lose SodiBot and need to get to the bottom of the robot’s whereabouts. In their investigation, Ellen and Eik learn what goes into the process of recycling and disposal of other waste. Author
The World We Inherit The sheer number of refugees is overwhelming the resources of 1.3 million Estonians, as refugees are approaching 2% of the population. Fund rais ing is necessary to support Estonia as it struggles to sup port both the military in Ukraine and the refugees. In Estonia, hope and resis tance have always been linked with music, so this concert will feature some of Estonia’s best young musicians, singers, musi cal ensembles and the Baltic Sea Philharmonic project or chestra conducted by Kristjan Järvi. The concert also features finalists from Estonia Searching for Superstars, a new song for Ukraine entitled the Nightin gale’s Child by Kristjan Järvi and Ruslan Trochynskyi, and some surprise performances. The performers represent several different genres, with
both new and familiar tunes. One of the young performers is 18-year-old Ingmar Kiviloo, who initiated The World We Inherit concert and was one of the finalists in “Estonia Searching for Superstars”. He is a member of Võlukeeled, which has performed in Toronto and is a violin virtuoso. Musicians who are well known in Estonia, like Maarja Liis Ilus Jakob Tuisk, Uku Suviste and Getter Jaani, are featured in the show. Together with newcomers like Stefan, who has an Armenian back ground and lives in Estonia and who will represent Estonia at Eurovision in2022 with his song “Hope”. The Bänd direct ed by Siim Aimla are included. Estonian school children from around the world will send their greetings, as well as the
Toronto Estonian Supple men tary School. Estonian children’s choirs directed by Veronica Portsmuth and Kadri Hunt will sing both new and familiar songs. This two-hour concert will be recorded and live streamed by Estonian Television (ETV). North Americans can register to view this event on YouTube via www.eerocanada.com/events starting April 15th, and we will email you the link. The show is scheduled to be aired on April 24th at 22:00 in Estonia, and following the show you can watch on YouTube at 5:30pm EST or 2:30pm PST. All proceeds raised support mental health and humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugees in Estonia. In Estonia, they are donating by telephone, and you can donate through the EERO Ukrainian Refugee Fund. For more details refer to our web site: www.eerocanada.com. We thank you for your con tinued support and look forward to sharing this concert experience with you.
Kätlin Vainola is a skilled simul taneous educator and entertainer in her storytelling. https://rahvaraamat.ee/p/ ellen-eik-ja-kileko ti-m%C3%B5istatus/1646213/ et?isbn=9789949686537 3) Kartuli kuningriik (The Potato Kingdom, 2021): Vegetables are already the source of consternation for many a child, but imagine the drama that would ensue if the vegetables on your plate had personalities and ambition! Such is the literary world that author Helena Koch cultivates in this story about the products of one particular garden. Naturally, the most powerful
produce around are potatoes, who reign over the garden and lead the vegetables to their destiny, providing nutrients in the stomachs of their consu mers. By posing vegetables as sentient beings, the story does end up creating some interest ing, lingering philosophical questions. But still, it doesn’t lose its mischief and comedic value. Koch has built a reputation for her brand of humour as in the book Kõhu mäss (Belly Rebellion), a story about paying attention to the physical signals one’s body sends. Indeed, these are the kinds of plots that adults will get a kick out of when
reading along, too. Illustrator Anne Pikkov has a radically textural and sharp approach to mixed media illustration with wild lines, swooshes of rusty colours, and a sense of absurdity that the little jokesters in one’s family will love. The drawings in and of themselves are highly amus ing to pore over even if your children are not yet reading. https://www.apollo.ee/kartu li-kuningriik.html Get your pidžaamad on, bring out an Estonian to English dictionary in case you need to look up the meaning of some words, and dive into a fun new book!
