The discussion in Alsunga is a continuation of the cycle of discussions in Latvian historical lands initiated by President Levits ahead of the submission of a presidential legislative initiative to the Saeima, scheduled for this autumn.
To open the discussion, the President of Latvia said: “Dear Suiti! The fact that you are keeping the Suiti culture and traditions alive here is of great importance to all Latvians, because the Latvian nation is diverse. This is something we have to emphasise and perhaps sometimes discover anew, as, during Soviet times, Latvianism was cultivated as a flat concept with no diversity whatsoever, thus it is wonderful that, despite it all, throughout the times, you have maintained your unique cultural traditions and singularity created by historical circumstances. Namely, you are a Catholic enclave in a Lutheran environment and this demonstrates two things. The first of these being that on the European map, Latvia is one of the rare countries that has not experienced serious wars between denominations which ravaged and destroyed Europe for over 100 years. These wars left territories in Central Europe utterly empty. This did not happen in Latvia, which means that different religions can live side by side here. This historical ability to coexist already lays the unconscious foundation for a shared opinion and world view. The other things is that the religious diversity, which is at the heart of the Suiti singularity, has given courage to the introverted Latvian to take a look at himself, and this is extremely important, because in order to be able to give to others, you must first understand who you are yourself. The Suiti people have always done this quite automatically, and nowadays this is done through various organisations and events. Cultural tradition means passing it on from generation to generation, because one generation alone cannot shape a tradition. You have managed to achieve this, and I think that as a state and nation we need to appreciate the Suiti people’s respect for tradition. It is the foundation of the Suiti cultural space and identity, which in turn is a very vivid and immediately visible part of the Latvian identity, thus the state has to promote it through various support programmes. Thank you for everything you do!”
When speaking to the participants of the discussion about the features of the Suiti traditions, where the strength of the Suiti people comes from and how to ensure that traditions are inherited by next generations, many valuable ideas were expressed. For example, Dace Martinova, Head of the Suiti Ethnic Culture Centre, stressed that “the preservation and passing on of the Suiti cultural heritage is an important aspect requiring the support of the education sector, for example, in the form of life-long education, because nowadays traditions are poorly passed on only within the family circle as various generations rarely live under the same roof”. Lidija Jansone, leader of the ethnographic music group “Gudenieku suiti”, agreed that “today the only hope for preserving the Suiti traditions is to actively pass this knowledge on to the children”. In turn, Grigorijs Rozentāls, Chair of the Suiti Parliament, recalled the workshop, that was hosted at Riga Castle on 24 July, about the legislative initiative of the President of Latvia on Latvian historical lands, which is currently being drafted; it had been stated at the workshop that “a cultural space can exist if there is a community, but a community can exist only if the young generation is interested in maintaining it”. Dace Martinova added that the Suiti community is giving careful attention to this aspect, for example, a lesson on regional studies has been on the weekly study plan for grades 4-6 at the Alsunga Secondary School for several years already.
The President of Latvia also heard proposals voiced by the participants of the discussion as to the legislative initiative being drafted on Latvian historical lands, scheduled for submission to the Saeima in September of this year. In explaining the need for this draft law, President Levits noted: “Latvian cultural historical lands have a unique identity, culture and language particularities, and they are an element of our culture, which we, as a state, need to strengthen. Latvia is a cultural state, and that encompasses not only the element of culture, but also the element of statehood. Latvia was founded as a state of the Latvian nation. Without Latvians, their language and traditions, there would be no need for a state of Latvia. Culture and language are at the heart of the state of Latvia and they are enshrined in our Constitution. This is not the case for all countries. Therefore, the issue of Latvian lands is important so as to make possible state support programmes for the creation, cultivation and development of cultural spaces.”
Grigorijs Rozentāls highlighted that the draft law should delegate provision of support for cultural spaces, because in order for the young generation to stay in the Suiti land, economic activity is needed: “Both an economic and culture support programme is necessary so that we can develop and not stand still.” Māris Dadzis, Deputy Chair of the Ventspils District Council, also acknowledged that targeted state support for cultural spaces is needed: “The greatest value of the Suiti land is its cultural history.” In turn, Dace Martinova added that she sincerely hopes to see stable state support in order to be able to plan for the long-term, at the same time also expecting the state to act as an advisor.
Janīna Kursīte-Pakule, Member of the Saeima, emphasised that the Suiti people are unique in the European and global cultural space: “I always feel proud when I come here or hear about you. In turn, the Suiti people ought to be proud, because they have achieved so much on their own. In 2009, the Suiti culture traditions were included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage which needs to be immediately preserved. The Suiti have and will continue to contribute to Kurzeme and Latvia as a whole; the only thing missing is targeted and systematic state support for this unique cultural space.”
Signe Pujāte, Head of the Latvian National Centre for Culture, noted: “The Suiti values, which have been mentioned several times today, attest to the power of the Suiti identity. The Suiti people will always be the front-runners in Latvia’s culture policy, but we have to keep in mind that money is not always the most important element in cultural development. The state is just one of the parties involved, and not everything needs to be done by the state. The core of the Suiti people is crucial. Even in the face of difficulty and various opinions, you have to keep moving forward!”
In turn, the audience of the discussion voiced a strong desire for a dedicated Suiti region, and highly appreciated the invitation of the President of Latvia to speak in the Suiti language, noting that Latvia has a president who cares for the pearls of Latvian culture. “We have all worked side by side to make the Suiti people as magnificent as you see them today. 13 years ago, the Suiti were not as they are today. The Suiti are not a square stone unwilling to do anything, they just need to be given a push and off they go,” said reverend Andris Vasiļevskis, former dean of the Suiti congregations. A proposal was also expressed that during his presidency the President of Latvia should promote the development of UNESCO listed sites.
In conclusion, the President of Latvia thanked the participants for a productive and valuable discussion: “It is clear that adjustments need to be made to the national long-term regional development policy, which needs to include the concept of solidarity – solidarity with all regions of Latvia, all places in Latvia. In recent years the roots of the Suiti culture have regained their strength, primarily thanks to the people themselves, and that is a good thing, because culture cannot be maintained artificially, it has to come from the people who feel that they belong to it. Of course, the state and local government also have to support culture, but they cannot cultivate culture in place of the people. I think that a Suiti culture support programme would be a very good idea and it needs to be established. Culture is a sustainable phenomenon; therefore I would call for support to be provided in an institutional, not a project format, which is not permanent. Such a programme would fall under the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture. Likewise, I also support the idea that the Suiti region needs an economic dimension, and horizontal cooperation among local governments certainly needs to be promoted,” President Levits emphasised.
During his visit to Alsunga the President of Latvia also visited the “Suitu ķēķis” historical heritage centre, and in Kuldīga he met with representatives of the Kuldīga District Council and local entrepreneurs. The President of Latvia will continue his visit by touring the “Restoration Centre” in Kuldīga and Kabile Manor.
