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EESTI ELU reedel, 8. jaanuaril 2021 — Friday, January 8, 2021
“Maarja varia. Raadiopäevik 2019/2020”: Maarja MerivooParro’s new book of essays Vincent Teetsov On the airwaves of Estonian Public Broadcasting’s Raadio 2 each week, historian and radio journalist/DJ Maarja Merivoo-Parro has unravelled the intricacies of culture throughout time. Her show has sampled equally from what’s happening now as it has from the past. Yet, radio as a format can have its limi tations, and so she has pub lished a book of 25 essays that further develop the ideas she talked about on her program from Autumn 2019 to Spring 2020. Information aligns with per sonal stories (including, as Merivoo-Parro relates, “that one time I played ping-pong at Paisley Park”, the home and studio of Prince). The author’s reflections are supported by opaquely coloured, attitudefilled illustrations by Dr. Liiri Oja, a human rights lawyer. It’s not just the book that is a colourful medley, or “varia” as the title goes. Beyond working as the Executive Editor of Raadio 2, the study of culture and time has led Merivoo-Parro to curate panel discussions at Tallinn Music Week. She’s served on the jury of Eesti Laul, as well as Supernova in Latvia. She is a board member of Baltic Heritage Network. In 2018, her doctoral thesis (titled “Pursuing Estonianness in Cold War U.S.A.: Education, Re creation, Humor and Over lapping Diasporic Conditions”) examined the dynamics and in stitutions of Estonian patriotism in the diaspora community. Readers can find the book, in Estonian, on Rahvaraamat’s website (https://www.rahvaraa mat.ee/p/maarja-varia-raadi o p % C 3 % A 4 e vik-2019-2020/1450411/
en?isbn=9789916401682) What initially prompted you to transform your radio show topics into essays? It was my mother who sug gested I publish the radio shows as text after I told her about all the positive feedback I had been getting from people who I re spect in the arts and culture scene. The notion of being onair is quite ethereal and this way, the ideas I put forth gain a new type of existence, which will hopefully allow people to revisit them. For someone who is just getting to know what you do, what three to five words would you use to describe your writing in this book? I hope that what comes through is a voice that is sin cere, resourceful and present, like a companion who listens, even though in this case the companion is in fact doing the talking. As a historian, in what ways do you believe ancient phenomena have shaped Estonia as a land and people today? Funny you should ask – I am actually getting ready to launch a new podcast in English which deals with questions like this. It’s called “Estonia Explained”, and I address topics that might seem puzzling to people who have not grown up here. It will be published on the Public Broadcasting portal news.err.ee and I’m always open to sugges tions in terms of subject matter. What connects music and the study of the past together for you? I think everything has a beat that it dances or sways to. Whether I’m looking at a per son, a culture or an empire, the road to understanding them is figuring out what makes them
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Join holistic health coach and award-winning cookbook author Marika Blossfeldt for her Reset & Maintain ZOOM workshop 2021!
Image used with permission from Maarja Merivoo-Parro
tick. In that sense I think what I do as a DJ is not that dissimilar from what I do as a historian. What is something that väliseestlased (diaspora Es to nians) may particularly enjoy about the book? I think it’s a very good gateway into what the ever evolving Estonian language is like at this moment in time. Although everything is gram matically correct, because these texts were born on the radio, they reflect the spoken language and could be used as a good tool for increasing fluency, es pecially because the shows themselves are still accessible via Raadio 2 web archive. So it’s possible to read and listen at the same time. Incidentally, a few of the chapters also touch upon diaspora culture! How are your personal experiences, and the events of the last year or so, fused together in “Maarja varia”? I tried to compose it so that different levels are weaved into each other in the hope that they wrap themselves around the reader like a scarf; giving out the warmth of being invited to a personal space, as well as pro viding some much needed sup port for venturing outside of their comfort zone to question the world around us. This interview has been edited and condensed.
In previous years Marika has conducted this workshop in person at her home in Beacon NY. Due to Corona virus restrictions, participants will not be able to meet at her house and gather around her cozy dining room table. Instead, Marika will be offer ing the workshop via ZOOM. The good thing about that is, that it opens the door for women from Canada to par ticipate as well! The workshop is for you if you would like to: • reset your commitment to healthful eating and living • learn how to maintain a doable food and self-care prac tice • lose weight and keep it off… without dieting • know the foods to eat for sus tained energy, vitality and reju venation • prevent dips in concentration, mood swings and diabetes • support your daily activities by eating with awareness and intention • protect your heart and live an active life for years to come • combat stress to balance body and mind • end silent inflammation, the root cause of all degenerative illnesses Rest assure, that all your food and diet related questions will be answered. You will gain confidence in making the right
food choices for yourself and your family. In essence, this 5-session workshop is a funda mental education in self-care. We will move forward step by step and you will be able to in tegrate what you learn immedi ately into your day-to-day life. Hand-outs and recipes will help you navigate the health food store as well as your kitchen. There will be no more confu sion regarding food! You will find Marika’s time-tested recipes easy to fol low and open to your own cre ativity. A private FB group dedicat ed to workshop participants will be available for questions and comments between workshop sessions. The workshop takes place Thursday evenings 6–7:30 pm EST January 27, February 3, 10, 17 and 24. For more details and testimoni als: https://marikab.com/the-re set-maintain-workshop-2021/ To book the workshop: https:// marikab.com/product/resetmaintain-workshop-2021/ Book by January 15 and save! The New Year’s special is USD 215.00. Please feel free to reach out to Marika at marika@deli cious-nutrition.com if you have any questions regarding the workshop. To a happy and healthy New Year!
Recipe from COOKING WITH MARIKA: Clean Cuisine from an Estonian Farm, page 300 Moroccan Chicken serves 4 Cinnamon and raisins conjure up North African flavors in this dish.
President tells government to ‘pull yourselves together’ BNS, ERR, January 2021 President Kersti Kaljulaid told the government to “pull yourselves together” and said those who choose not to should find other positions, in response to comments made by members of EKRE specu lating that Lithuania’s and Romania’s recent elections were fraudulent. In a message posted on Facebook, Kaljulaid said she would never be silent when Estonia’s security is brought into question and called the situation “embarrassing”. “The word is free in Estonia. Nevertheless, further insults by the minister of finance towards our closest allies and partners show that the role and responsi bility of the government is still
not clear to all government members. The mere fact that the Lithuanian foreign minister [Gabrielius Lansbergis] con siders it necessary to comment on the barking of our minister is telling and embarrassing,” she wrote. “This is in no way negated by the foreign minister’s [Urmas Reinsalu] statement that he communicates with his col league every other day and that our cooperation in combating the virus crisis is good. What’s next? We will likely soon hear how the “deep state scheme” in the Lithuanian elections is actually a recognition of Lithua nia’s strong democracy. Likely the flat earth theory is also actually a confirmation of the beautiful curvature of our home planet. “I have promised that I will never remain silent where our security is concerned. Relations with allies are without a doubt a security issue for our country.
But it is also a matter of basic dignity and courtesy. “Dear Government of the Republic of Estonia – for two years now, the people of Estonia have had to look at how you deal with yourself and the crises created by you. Please fi nally face the people, listen and understand the Estonian people. We are in the worst crisis of all time, pull yourselves together. And those who are unable or unwilling to do so, then there are definitely other challenges out there for hard-working people. There are many jobs where one can talk completely freely so that the rest of the world does not understand it as the views of the Estonian state.”
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couple pinches of paprika couple pinches of ground cinnamon couple pinches of pepper couple pinches of cayenne 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks coconut oil for frying 1 onion, cut into thin wedges 1 red bell pepper, cut into squares 3 garlic cloves, chopped coarse 1 cup (240 ml) pitted kalamata olives 1 handful of raisins ½ cup (120 ml) water salt 1 handful of parsley, chopped 1M ix together the paprika, cinnamon, pepper and cayenne. Sprinkle on the chicken and rub the spices into the flesh. 2 Heat the coconut oil in a pan. Fry the chicken pieces until tender. Set aside. 3 Add more coconut oil to the pan if needed. Sauté the onion, bell pepper and garlic. 4 Add the olives, raisins and water. Simmer for 5 minutes. 5 Add the chicken to the sauté and simmer for another 2 minutes. 6 Add salt to taste and stir in the parsley. Serve with cooked bulgur and steamed carrots.
