EESTI ELU reedel, 17. juulil 2020 — Friday, July 17, 2020
Interview: British author Neil Taylor on Estonian history vironment. Recently, Estonia’s role in NATO has also been Author Neil Taylor, whose his acknowledged. tory of Estonia has recently What was the most difficult been published in the Esto and challenging task in writ nian language, gave a short ing and publishing “Estonia: interview to his publisher, a Modern History” (Estonian: Eesti Raamat, which was re Eesti ajalugu)? produced on ERR’s Kultuur The most difficult period to portal. The English-language version of the book, a one- write about fell between the volume history of the country signing of the Brest-Litovsk which focuses on the twen Treaty in March 1918 and the tieth century and onwards, Tartu Peace Treaty of March 1920. This was the biggest came out in 2018. Neil, who previously au challenge, as western readers thored the Bradt Travel series’ generally have little knowledge Estonia volume, said that it had of the eastern front in World been high-time an English- War One, and how Estonia was language history of Estonia was able to win and preserve their written, since the last one had independence. We can probably assume appeared in 1947. Why do you think Estonia that you are a big history fan. has always been a place of Which leader from European interest, and why is there such history, is your favorite and a great interest in Estonia to why? this day? [Latvian interwar prime After regaining its indepen minister] Karlis Ulmanis was dence, the state of Estonia state probably the most benevolent, been consistently portrayed but at the same time most effec positively in the western media tive, dictator in Europe, largely due to the restoration of its shielding Latvia from the ef democracy, and protection of fects of the Great Depression the economy and natural en while at the same time increas
ERR
Estonian companies buy into more and more Finnish companies ERR.ee, July 2020 According to Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat, there is a growing tendency among Estonian companies to buy into Finnish companies in order to have access to Finnish markets. Irene Surva-Lehtonen, export adviser on Estonia-Finland ex port at Enterprise Estonia (EAS), told Helsingin Sanomat that Estonian companies have always been interested in enter ing Finnish markets. Finland is the primary export market for Estonian companies partly be cause of similarities in culture and language. Estonian entre preneurs are looking for ways to expand to Finland if they have grown large enough at home. Surva-Lehtonen said that there are currently around 1,500 Estonian companies active in
The minister… (continued from page 8)
preparation of the Global Esto nia program, research groups have the opportunity to develop a unique methodology. “The Global Estonia Program is a new and important process for Estonian society, because for the first time the country is turning to Estonian communi ties abroad with a broad desire to cooperate,” Solman empha sized. “When collecting and in
ing agricultural and industrial production. How similar do you think British and Estonian history are? They really are completely different. The U.K. has been stable for about 950 years, Estonia only 30. The U.K. established a global empire, Estonia was under the control of various imperial powers. Can you identify any points and lessons from the past which we can learn from? No Russian regime can ever be trusted in its relations with Estonia. All past attempts to involve Russia have led only to surrender to Russia. Western alliances are, however, likely to be credible, as demonstrated by EU and NATO membership. What are your hobbies and interests? I like to read old travel books and travel guides. I also like to cook, and listen to 1960s-era music. How does one become successful in your field? What is your secret formula, the key to success as a writer of books? Writing should be taken gently, while respecting the readership, and not overloading them.
Finland. The amount of subsi diary companies of larger Estonian companies is still higher than those that have been bought into. There are currently around 6,000 Finnish companies active in Estonia. Most Estonian companies in Finland are active in a triangu lar area bordered by the coun ties of Uusimaa, Pirkanmaa and Varsinais-Suomi, but there are companies operating outside of that area as well. The most known Finnish company that an Estonian com pany has bought into is Silja Line, a shipper that Tallink acquired in 2006. Lately, anoth er company listed on the Tallinn stock exchange is making waves in Finland – Harju Elekter, which has acquired Finnish companies Satmatic, Finnkumu, and Telesilla. Elenger and Operail have also entered Finnish markets via subsidiary, dealing with natural gas and railroad transport, re spectively. Mika Sucksdorff, chairman of the Finnish-Estonian Chamber
of Commerce, also emphasizes the similarities in culture and language of the two countries: “Finland is a neighbor market and since it is bigger than the Estonian market, it is attractive to Estonian companies. They are looking more and more into entering Finland.” Sucksdorff said that Estonian companies are helped in ex panding to Finland because of outsourcing which Estonian companies have used to acquire know-how and the contacts necessary to operate in Finnish markets. Estonian companies in Finland operate in many sec tors, with construction being popular, but also metal and machinery, electronics, wood. Surva-Lehtonen noted: “Their part in the service sector has also increased over the years.” Sucksdorff added that while large Estonian companies like Tallink or Operail get more at tention, there are many smaller companies working in Finland as well. “There are many Esto nian IT companies here which have expanded to Finland.”
terviewing data, it is necessary to reach as many Estonians and Estonian friends living abroad as possible. To this end, the questionnaires will be distributed through all existing target groups and stakeholders and their networks gathered within the framework of the Global Estonia Program,” Solman noted. “As not all people living abroad are connected to the net works, we turn to the entire Estonian population with a request to share the link of the
questionnaire with their rela tives living abroad – sons, daughters. There are a lot of families in Estonia who have gone abroad to work, study or get married,” the Minister of Population added. The deadline for submission of tenders is August 3. The ten der must be submitted through the Public Procurement Register by fulfilling all the necessary conditions. The study is funded by the Estonian Research Agency with in the framework of the
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Photo: Hannes Oja
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From the Archives: the Eesti Maja Kohvik (Estonian House Café) In the sub-basement below Tartu College student resi dence, near the intersection of Bloor and Spadina in Toron to, one will find a treasure trove of artifacts and memories: the archive of the Estonian Studies Centre. Looking through the archive’s shelves and storage units, you’ll find books, pamphlets, vinyl records, paintings, and reels of film. If you’re looking to research a particular topic, the staff at the Estonian Studies Centre can help you do so. While it will be some time before anyone can look through the shelves; backed up digitally on the archive’s server (for easy online access), are thousands of photographs. Did you know that this is there for you to access personally? Professional academics aren’t the only ones who can make use of an archive’s resources. Students, and enthusiasts of photography, art, genealogy, and literature will all find intriguing items as they sleuth around. Although, it always makes for a better search if you have an idea of what you’re looking for. You might be interested to dip back and see a few photos of the kohvik of Toronto Eesti Maja. One particular photo, taken by Hannes Oja in 1990, shows Enno Õunapuu speaking on the telephone, with a very colourful, well-stocked shop front. It was likely around Christmas time, as there’s a big paper snowflake hanging above his head. The top of the counter is heaped with dark bread. Bags of chips line the adjacent wall. Verivorstid (blood sausages) and jars of savoury goodies fill out the bottom, and a big old Canada Dry fridge is lit up in the back. There’s a nostalgic warmth and air of abundance in the photo. There’s another from 1995,
with Enno playing some pool with one of the kohvik’s patrons. This guest was going for the stripes, with the din of the TV above him. A snare drum and hi hat rest in the corner, waiting for their next player to play a tune under the light of the stained glass lamp. It seems like a place “where everybody knows your name.” 22 years after that, there was a Saturday crowd at the kohvik, chatting and relaxing at the tables. In one photo that appeared in Estonian Life in January 2017, three ladies look back at the camera while a gentleman discusses in ani mated gestures in the back ground. A slightly different configuration, but at its heart, people gathering together in each other’s company. Over all those years, how many gather ings have there been? Isn’t it amazing how a table, a few chairs, some snacks, and a drink can bring us so much meaning? This is just one example of the historic vig nettes you can stumble upon in the digital archive. In viewing these photos, I wonder how socializing like this will change in future ge nerations. There are so many options of places to go in big cities like Toronto, and with that kind of selection, I for one notice a tendency to hop around and try new places. That, of course, makes it less likely that I will develop a local place that I always go to. The sociological phenomenon of the “local wa tering hole” may become more exclusive to small towns where there are less options. If you want to search for something yourself, visit http:// www.ra.ee/apps/valiseesti/index. php/en, select the collection you want to search through, and then input specific keywords, location details, and more to narrow down the search. You can even input surnames and given names, to look for photos of specific people.
RITA 2 program and the Ministry of Culture helps the partner to cover its own contri bution. The estimated cost of the study is € 50,000. The Minister of Population is responsible for shaping popula tion and family policy, promot ing global Estonian, coordi
nating population activities, adapting new immigrants, and developing religious affairs and civil society. The goal of the Minister of Population is the sustainability and development of the people. Riina Solman has been the Minister of Population since 29.04.2019.
Vincent Teetsov
