8
EESTI ELU reedel, 23. aprillil 2021 — Friday, April 23, 2021
Nr. 16
Calling all artists: send in your artwork for EKKT’s Kalevipoeg Art Contest Vincent Teetsov English-language supplement to the Estonian weekly “EESTI ELU” Tartu College Publications Founding Chairman: Elmar Tampõld Editor: Laas Leivat 3 Madison Avenue, Toronto, ON M5R 2S2 T: 416-733-4550 • F: 416-733-0944 • E-mail: editor@eestielu.ca Digital: www.eestielu.ca
Hungary: from fighting autocracy to embracing autocrats It might be rank hyperbole, but the current Hungarian government seems to be replacing its former fight for human rights and freedoms with quenching a thirst for economic success. It just has formerly blocked the Euro pean Union’s official state ment criticizing the repression of the democratic opposition in Hong Kong. Observers suggest this was expected, since Orban is forced to grovel in front of Bejing in expectations of a hugely disad vantageous loan from China to build the Shanghai’s Fudan University campus in Budapest. The enormous cost of this cam pus will outstrip the total that the government spends on all of Hungary’s universities each year. Fudan University is said to have links to Chinese security agencies. It has even established a school for spies in its program. We remember that American Central European University was forced to leave Hungary. With Fudan University being its replacement, one can easily identify a major political shift in the government. Hungary’s agreement to join in applying sanctions against China one month earlier to protest Beijing’s crimes in Xingjiang province against the Uyghur minority, according to Budapest, was done unwillingly. It was immediately followed by the friendly hosting of China’s defense minister. The Hungarian foreign minister has since denounced the sanctions as “pointless, self-aggrandizing and harmful”. Transatlantic alliance critics of Orban have previously not only shown their dismay but have also wondered about the true political alignment of Hungary. Observers explain this servility towards China to be Hungary’s reliance on massive Chinese investments. The EL’s failure in unanimously con firming an important position severely weakens its ability to influence human rights practices. It also handicaps the EL’s bargaining power with Beijing. The Western world grieved when the Soviets crushed Hungary’s anti-communist revo lution in 1956. The same year all of the world cheered when
the Hungarian water polo team beat the Soviets at the Olym pics. The violent intensity of the game was marked by blood in the pool. Now the actions of the current Hungarian government leave many disappointed and bewildered. Since Viktor Orban’s and his Fidesz party’s re-election in 2019, the Hungarian govern ment has seriously made critics doubtful of the sincerity of the democratic principles he pro claims and his credence as a reliable partner in Western defense. (Just one recent example: Budapest, rather than handing Russian arms traffick ers to a NATO ally to be extra dited to the US, allowed them to return to Russia.) Orban has been the most insistent voice in demanding anti-Russian sanctions be with drawn. During a period when the European Union has been resolute in confronting Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Putin has made numerous visits to Budapest which have been hosted warmly by Orban. Against a background of several NATO allies getting tough with Russian intelligence, Orban seems to be quite at ease with possible agents of in fluence getting a free hand in Hungary. Just recently the Czech Republic ousted 18 Russian diplomats who had been identified as either GRU or SVR officers. The Czech government claimed receiving irrefutable proof that these indi viduals had been involved in a 2014 explosion of a military munitions warehouse. Then Poland demanded three Russian diplomats to leave. This was followed by Washington ex pelling ten more for interfering in US elections. Western intelligence agencies have serious concerns that Hungary is Moscow’s forward operating base for targeting NATO and the EU. It’s said that the country is used as the main jump-off for influence peddling within the Western alliance. Hungary has been an advo cate for nearly all Russian ener gy projects, including nuclear. Hungary’s initial opposition to Nord Stream 2, connecting Russia with Germany through the Baltic Sea, has dissipated. Hungary is actively blocking
Whether you’re a professional or you haven’t picked up a paintbrush in 40 years, EKKT (the Society of Estonian Artists in Toronto) is inviting you to submit your art for the 2021 Kalevipoeg Art Contest, with prizes and other exciting prospects in store for the win ners of the competition. Here are a few things to keep in mind: The artwork has to be made this year. It can be of any size or medium. It should be photo graphed or scanned and sent in JPG or PDF file formats to ekktartists@gmail.com. Your submission email should also include a short biography about you and a photograph of your self. You can send as many sub missions as you wish, but bear in mind that the deadline is midnight on June 24th. Finally, the artwork needs to relate to Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald’s epic poem Kalevi poeg (“Kalev’s Son”). As EKKT’s board member Jaak Järve explains, this is a story for which “everybody has their own takeaway.” On one hand it’s a story that chronicles the life of a hero, someone who tries to lead their community for the greater good. In this sense, Järve sees similarities to the superheroes of the Marvel comic universe, an additional reason why we could still relate to the story in a modern context. It’s a tale of good versus evil, which defines both sides. At the same time, there are several parts of the epic poem that portray Kalevipoeg, the main character, in a negative light. Kalevipoeg is angry, out of control, and violent. But then again, he feels deep remorse for his actions, and is dealt punish ment of sorts. The story is grisly in an ex aggerated way. Järve insists that
Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integra tion. Claiming that membership in the EU and NATO was “un realistic”, Orban predicted that Russia might regain its in fluence over Ukraine so that sanctions against Russia are worthless. In general, the Orban government, along with other ultra-national, Moscow friendly parties, is helping to debilitate the EU. A weakened EU would give Moscow a strong upper hand in bilateral relations with individual countries. Putin was probably delighted just recently, when Orban’s Fidesz party members left the European Parliament centreright caucus, the European People’s Party. The EPP had
Jaak Järve’s painting of Kalevipoeg, 1992.
through the events of the story, Kreutzwald shows that “Every population has their good and bad.” In this way, Järve likens Kalevipoeg to epic poems going back thousands of years, from Homer’s Illiad and the Mahab harata by Krishna Dvaipāyana, through to Beowulf and King Arthur. Speaking about the way Linda, Kalevipoeg’s mother, mourns the loss of her husband in the story, Järve says, “There’s so much emotion there. It ties into the suffering that the Estonian people have had to go through over the cen turies. It brings out the flavour of what being Estonian is.” Indeed, part of what defines an epic poem is the way it allego rizes the history and ethos of a nation. If someone is looking to read the fuller story before creating their work, Järve sells some Kalevipoeg books from his website Toronto Estonian Virtual Art Gallery (tevag.ca/ shop). The art contest itself took shape after Järve was asked by the board of Jõekääru Estonian Children’s Camp to deliver a presentation to the camp atten
e xpressed concerns about human rights violations in Hungary. Orban is seen by critics as methodically nudging Hungary into a one-party state and slowly abandoning democratic prin ciples. This transformation started before Trump heralded jingoistic populism. Orban is seemingly setting the stage for autocratic rule – the authori tarianism for which Hungarians lost their lives in 1956 and which they resolutely left behind in 1991. Today the major confronta tion is no longer between communism and capitalism, but between authoritarianism and democracy. Has Viktor Orban truly made his choice? LAAS LEIVAT
dees about Kalevipoeg. Being the creative person he is, he wanted to present the narrative in “an interactive, theatrical per formance.” He managed to fit the content of the 20-part epic poem into a 45 minute perfor mance. “There was not a kid left out, who didn’t have a role!” he laughs merrily. The actors and audience both had a great time. And he didn’t want it to end there. After last year’s EKKT gallery show at Todmorden Mills Heritage Site, the organi zation’s leadership was thinking about future projects. Järve wanted to build on what was done before. When he saw that the Estonian Foundation of Canada had put together a writ ing contest, the idea of a con test with Kalevipoeg as a theme came to be. Järve thought, “What other theme has such a connection with the global Estonian world? Why don’t we create a worldwide art contest to re-introduce the Kalevipoeg epic to the younger generation... We’re trying to bring an interest back to our Estonian roots through this contest, with the purpose being to create interac tion.” To this end, EKKT has also announced that they are planning an art workshop in late summer with the Kalevi poeg theme. Artistically, EKKT is eager for artists to reinterpret the story in their own way. Järve continued, “Each artist brings their own creativity and their own interpretation to this story. We’re not looking for some body who’s going to redo what somebody made years ago, but somebody who’s going to add their interpretation and today’s knowledge and understanding of the world. This is an open canvas to everybody. Have fun with this.” The story can be depicted not only through its characters but the places where action happens, and the action itself. An EKKT committee will (Continued on page 9)
