On November 29 – December 1, 2018 the Annual Conference of the Centre of Excellence in Estonian Studies “On the Move: Migration and Diasporas” takes place at the Estonian Literary Museum, Tartu, Estonia.

This year, two capital books about Lithuanian-American contribution to Lithuania’s statehood and independence were published in Lithuania.

The Estonian newspaper in Australia, Meie Kodu, has published two articles about the Baltic Heritage Network conference held in Tartu in June this year.

On October 24, 2018, a traveling exhibition “For Freedom” put together by Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture was opened at the European Union in the United States.

September 20 and 21, 2018, the Rakvere Theatre performed “APART: Estonians Abroad and at Home” in Toronto. The play was commissioned by the Estonian Studies Centre/VEMU and is a gift for the Republic of Estonia’s 100th birthday. The play was written by Liisi Rohumäe who spent a month in Toronto in the spring of 2016 at the invitation of VEMU to interview Canadian Estonians and conduct research in the archives. The opening show took place in Rakvere in March 2018. The project was supported by the Estonian Government (EV 100) and the Integration Foundation and completed according to the sectoral development program “Compatriots Program 2014-2020.” The guest from Rakvere also met with the Toronto Estonian residents at the retirement home Ehatare and the Toronto Estonian Supplementary School students and teachers.

This fall, a Ph.D. candidate Ina Ėmužienė defended her thesis on Lithuanian radio and TV programs in the US from 1944 to 1990.

The Estonian Institute of Historical Memory invites young scholars to participate in an international research competition on communism. Submitted papers will be evaluated in two categories and rewards are 1,000 and 3,000 euros respectively. The submission deadline is October 30, 2018. Read more about the competition here: http://mnemosyne.ee/en/competition/

September 29, 2018 the exhibit by the Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom Masters of Our Own Homes: Estonia at 100 was opened in the parking lot of Tartu College in Toronto. The exhibit will be on display from September 28 – October 19, 2018, 24hrs. The travelling exhibit pavilion with light installations is 12 metres wide and 4 metres high, it weighs 4 tonnes and is compiled of 244 panels, each one telling a small part of Estonia’s colourful and exciting history as well as featuring highlights of present-day Estonia. Students, businesses, a number of Estonian photographers including Annika Haasi, Birgit Püve, and Triin Kerge as well as many Estonian museums contributed to the completion of the exhibit. Through five topics – history, culture, what it means to be Estonia, famous citizens of the world, and innovation – the exhibit features solutions and contemporary movements associated with Estonia that are recognized by Estonians abroad and are an inspiration to people all over the world. Simultaneously, the exhibit introduces Estonian design and service industries, encourages people to travel to Estonia and search for collaborative opportunities with local businesses. The location of the exhibit, in the Tartu College parking lot at 9 Madison Ave. in Toronto, is the future home to the Estonian Centre (opening 2021). The exhibit opening was well attended during Nuit Blanche and the following three weeks. The Toronto Estonian Supplementary School students also visited the exhibit spending a school evening with Sander Jürisson from Vabamu and Piret Noorhani from VEMU. Sander Jürisson who had travelled to Toronto to help put up the exhibit also gave a lecture at VEMU about the renovated Occupations and Freedom Museum in Tallinn. The exhibit travelled on from Toronto to Boston, where it can be viewed during the Baltic 100 events in November. Read more about the exhibit here View the Estonian Life Newspaper photo gallery here