[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.07,0:00:24.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ladies and gentlemen,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:24.13,0:00:29.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm here representing\Nthe element earth and Latvian identity.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.99,0:00:33.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And yet the person who stands before you
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.48,0:00:39.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,left her native city Riga at the age of 6
Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.18,0:00:43.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,only to return to it at the age of 60
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.55,0:00:47.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and to be elected president\N8 months later.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.59,0:00:52.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,President of a country without ever\Nhaving belonged to a political party,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:53.50,0:00:57.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without having undergone\Nan election campaign
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.87,0:01:01.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which we normally think of\Nas a part of a democratic process,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.10,0:01:06.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without having spent a red cent\Nin election expenses,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.49,0:01:10.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,[is] not exactly\Nyour typical political path.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.87,0:01:16.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,However, the path that I did follow
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.03,0:01:20.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has given me some unique\Nexperiences and insights.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.03,0:01:24.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it is those\Nthat I'd like to share with you,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.42,0:01:28.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in spite of the fact\Nthat the Earth on which I was born,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.57,0:01:33.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the ground that my feet\Nwere treading for most of my life,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.20,0:01:36.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was not that of my native land,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:36.25,0:01:41.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but was scattered\Nacross 6 different countries
Dialogue: 0,0:01:41.61,0:01:44.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on 3 different continents,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.07,0:01:45.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where in the course of time
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.96,0:01:49.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I had to acquire 5 different languages
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.83,0:01:53.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and drop a few on the way\Nwhich I didn't quite master.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.43,0:01:58.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How in all this strange pattern
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.58,0:02:02.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,could one become president of a country
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.40,0:02:05.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and an expert in its identity
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.48,0:02:08.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,would seem like a paradox,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.48,0:02:13.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but, alas, it's but one of three\Nmain patterns of identity
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.45,0:02:17.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the Latvian nation has developed
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.100,0:02:20.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because of historical events
Dialogue: 0,0:02:20.45,0:02:24.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as a consequence of the Second World War.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.78,0:02:29.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After the first occupation\Nand the annexation by the Soviet Union,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.92,0:02:32.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the following Nazi occupation,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:32.29,0:02:36.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,involvement of Latvians\Nin both sides of the warring parties
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.57,0:02:39.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,against international conventions,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.40,0:02:42.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then three patterns developed.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.48,0:02:45.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some, like my parents\Nand those of my husband,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.85,0:02:50.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,left and went into exile\Nwith their children, hoping to return
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.66,0:02:55.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when the international community\Nwould ensure Latvia's independence again,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.54,0:02:57.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which of course did not happen.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.49,0:03:00.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Poor souls had never heard
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.11,0:03:04.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the protocols\Nof the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.26,0:03:08.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and even less, of Yalta and Tehran\Nwhere the Allies had been involved.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.46,0:03:14.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The second pattern was of those\Nwho were forcibly deported to Siberia.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:14.70,0:03:19.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Their lives have been documented\Nin films and documentaries;
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.01,0:03:24.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if you stay in Latvia,\Nyou'll have the occasion to see
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.24,0:03:28.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,during our Song Festival\Nwhich is upcoming in a few weeks.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.67,0:03:32.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Finally, of course, the majority\Nof people stayed here in Latvia,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.23,0:03:37.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but stayed here in a country\Nthat was submitted to totalitarian rule,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.20,0:03:40.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to a foreign occupation\Nand military presence,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.32,0:03:44.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and an imposed ideology\Nand economic system.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.28,0:03:48.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I speak mostly, of course,\Nfrom a perspective;
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.50,0:03:51.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,first of those who went into exile,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.24,0:03:55.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but then of those\Nwho returned and tried to heal
Dialogue: 0,0:03:55.74,0:03:59.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the various separate parts of our nation,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:59.70,0:04:03.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the branches that had been cut off\Nfrom the common tree,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.03,0:04:07.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to remind them all that they do grow\Nfrom the same historical soil,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.72,0:04:11.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the same past,\Nthe same cultural traditions,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.01,0:04:15.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that those are the ones\Nthat essentially give us our identity.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:15.55,0:04:20.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But my own identity formation\Nwas by no means an easy path,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.96,0:04:24.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this is why I spent\Nmuch of my spare time
Dialogue: 0,0:04:24.71,0:04:28.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- apart, of course, from my career,\Nmy academic career
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.01,0:04:34.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as a loyal, contributing, and reasonably\Nsuccessful Canadian academic -
Dialogue: 0,0:04:34.03,0:04:40.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I spent much of my time\Nstruggling to bring up my children,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.01,0:04:43.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,born abroad\Nfrom the Latvian point of view,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.56,0:04:48.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,born in Montreal,\Nnative-born Canadians at that rate,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.09,0:04:49.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and other:
Dialogue: 0,0:04:49.45,0:04:52.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the children of many other Latvians\Nin different continents
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.93,0:04:58.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- South America, Australia,\NEurope, the United States, Canada -
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.01,0:05:00.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to try and inculcate in them
Dialogue: 0,0:05:00.27,0:05:04.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a sense of what it means\Nto be a Latvian and why.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.43,0:05:10.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I came to the conclusion\Nthat identity is a complex process
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.83,0:05:12.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where being Latvian,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.97,0:05:18.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or German, or American,\Nor Chinese, or anything whatever,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.52,0:05:23.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is only one of the layers\Nof something like an onion in your psyche,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:23.81,0:05:28.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where each of you, each of us
Dialogue: 0,0:05:28.56,0:05:33.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are a part of many groups,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:33.36,0:05:38.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,conglomerates, associations, identities.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:38.50,0:05:41.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We belong to many, many people
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.47,0:05:45.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with whom we can identify\Nin a multiplicity of ways.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:45.73,0:05:52.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We are in fact more like the bulb\Nof a lily than that of an onion.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:52.20,0:05:54.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Lilies having these different scales,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:54.51,0:05:58.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and those are part\Nof different aspects of our personality.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:58.35,0:06:03.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But there are some essential elements\Nof identity that remain constant.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:03.10,0:06:06.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of them is what I call the automatic.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:07.89,0:06:13.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The natural, as it were, identity\Nthat the children acquire as they grow up
Dialogue: 0,0:06:13.76,0:06:19.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and are socialized by their family,\Nby their immediate surroundings,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.58,0:06:22.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the extended family if they have one,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:22.43,0:06:24.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,later kindergarten, school,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.73,0:06:28.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the other children on the street,\Nsociety at large,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.36,0:06:30.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and nowadays increasingly
Dialogue: 0,0:06:30.59,0:06:35.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by the electronic media\Nof communication of various sorts.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:35.68,0:06:38.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The child develops a sense of self.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.44,0:06:43.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Each child looks in the mirror\Nand at some point says:
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.52,0:06:50.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Ah, that is little Annie,"\Nor little Susie, or little Tommy.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:50.21,0:06:53.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They know that they recognize themselves,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:53.74,0:06:56.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they acquire a sense of who they are.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:56.92,0:07:01.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it's much later\Nthat personal sense of belonging
Dialogue: 0,0:07:01.23,0:07:05.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- of belonging to mommy or daddy,\Nor grandma, or grandpa,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.02,0:07:09.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or of living on a certain street,\Nor in a certain countryside -
Dialogue: 0,0:07:09.16,0:07:11.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is extended to a larger group.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:11.56,0:07:15.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this happens sooner or later\Ndepending on the circumstances.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:15.84,0:07:18.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For my generation, as exile children,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:18.49,0:07:23.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when we first encountered children\Nbelonging to different nationalities,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.75,0:07:27.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we developed what I have called\Na reactive identity.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:28.42,0:07:30.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When somebody points their finger at you
Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.73,0:07:34.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and calls you a dirty foreigner,\Nor a dirty Polak, and you say:
Dialogue: 0,0:07:34.14,0:07:36.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Hey, I'm not a Polak, I'm a Latvian,"
Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.90,0:07:40.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you realize who you are\Nwhether you would like it or not.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:40.77,0:07:42.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sometimes you like it
Dialogue: 0,0:07:42.02,0:07:45.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because they're ready to play with you\Nand they're quite friendly,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:45.13,0:07:46.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and sometimes you do not,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:46.71,0:07:48.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because they're ready\Nto throw stones at you,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:48.85,0:07:50.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,run after you and try and beat you up.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:50.85,0:07:54.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And you discover\Nthat not all people are equal,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:54.21,0:07:59.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and by much as among your own people,\Nyou have some who, for instance,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:59.25,0:08:04.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- in my case, going to a Latvian school\Nin a refugee camp in Germany -
Dialogue: 0,0:08:04.08,0:08:07.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,some are friendlier than others,\Nand so it is with foreigners.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:07.76,0:08:10.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But when I befriended\Na little Estonian girl
Dialogue: 0,0:08:10.51,0:08:12.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who had a curious little knitted cap
Dialogue: 0,0:08:12.95,0:08:17.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with a geometric pattern\Nand a sort of crown on top,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:17.12,0:08:21.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- something like Anne Boleyn\Nif you can think of her portraits -
Dialogue: 0,0:08:21.56,0:08:24.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but a knitted cap with geometric designs,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:24.43,0:08:28.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I thought it was cute, and I asked her:\N"How come you have such a cap,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:28.10,0:08:30.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I see all these\Nother Estonian girls have such caps?"
Dialogue: 0,0:08:30.86,0:08:32.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I thought they were nice.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:32.49,0:08:35.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She said: "Well, Estonians wear them."
Dialogue: 0,0:08:35.23,0:08:38.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when I asked my mother\Ncould I get a cap like that,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:38.80,0:08:43.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my mother told me:\N"Estonians wear them, Latvians do not."
Dialogue: 0,0:08:43.06,0:08:45.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was as simple as that,\Nand much as I liked the cap,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:45.90,0:08:48.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was told: "No, you're not an Estonian,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:48.40,0:08:52.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that is for Estonian girls,\NLatvian girls do not wear them."
Dialogue: 0,0:08:52.46,0:08:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Later, in spreading\Nacross the different continents
Dialogue: 0,0:08:56.01,0:08:59.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for refugee camps were closed in Germany,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:59.39,0:09:03.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there were many almost tragic stories,\Ncertainly sad ones,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:03.83,0:09:08.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of little girls starting to go to school,\Nsay, in Middle America,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:08.36,0:09:10.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and being told by their mothers
Dialogue: 0,0:09:10.77,0:09:13.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that decent little girls\Nwhen they go to school
Dialogue: 0,0:09:13.30,0:09:17.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,must have long braids with ribbons
Dialogue: 0,0:09:17.10,0:09:19.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and dresses with white colours and cuffs.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:19.91,0:09:22.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When they arrived in school,\Nthey were shocked to see
Dialogue: 0,0:09:22.89,0:09:24.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that everybody\Nwas pointing fingers at them
Dialogue: 0,0:09:24.97,0:09:29.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they were absolutely different\Nfrom the other girls in school.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:29.50,0:09:33.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When they told their mothers that's not\Nhow American girls are dressing,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:33.54,0:09:36.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,their mothers said: "But you are not\Nan American, you are a Latvian."
Dialogue: 0,0:09:36.97,0:09:40.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the poor child\Nthen had a choice to decide
Dialogue: 0,0:09:40.52,0:09:44.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,whether to remain different\Nand obey mamma,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:44.01,0:09:46.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and remain within the Latvian community,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:46.90,0:09:50.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or to rebel as soon as\Nher age would allow it,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:50.99,0:09:54.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,turn her back on Latvian society\Nand Latvian identity,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:54.30,0:09:56.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and forget about it\Nas quickly as she could.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:56.96,0:09:58.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What I spent my life doing
Dialogue: 0,0:09:58.97,0:10:04.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,was trying to convince\Nyoung people of Latvian origin,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:04.30,0:10:06.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,starting with my own children,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:06.40,0:10:10.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but also convincing myself\Nas I myself grew up
Dialogue: 0,0:10:10.34,0:10:15.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- since I did grow up abroad\Nand not in my native country -
Dialogue: 0,0:10:15.02,0:10:19.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that there was a third form of identity\Nwhich was a freely chosen one.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:19.27,0:10:23.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that is the one where you realize\Nthat belonging to a certain group
Dialogue: 0,0:10:23.46,0:10:27.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- be it an ethnic group,\Na cultural heritage, a linguistic group -
Dialogue: 0,0:10:28.00,0:10:32.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you may define it in different ways,\Nbut that what it does
Dialogue: 0,0:10:32.21,0:10:36.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it opens doors to you\Nthat would otherwise be closed.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:36.41,0:10:38.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That learning the Latvian language
Dialogue: 0,0:10:38.69,0:10:43.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- practically you might say,\Nspoken by so few people across the world,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:43.47,0:10:46.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you'd be better off\Nlearning Chinese, no doubt -
Dialogue: 0,0:10:46.84,0:10:50.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but for your identity\Nand for your sense of well-being,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:50.80,0:10:55.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for your roots being accessible to you,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:55.28,0:11:00.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for that sense of belonging\Nthat comes from belonging to a community
Dialogue: 0,0:11:00.10,0:11:04.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in which you have birthrights,\N- you belong to them by birthright -
Dialogue: 0,0:11:04.15,0:11:08.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that is something\Nthat cannot be replaced by something else.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:08.50,0:11:11.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You can become a new Canadian,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:11.30,0:11:14.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an American naturalized citizen,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:14.86,0:11:18.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you can travel to many lands\Nand make a good living,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:18.67,0:11:20.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and marry a local person, and fit in.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:20.62,0:11:22.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I have met many,\Nmany Latvians who said:
Dialogue: 0,0:11:22.69,0:11:25.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"I married an American girl,\NI fell in love with her,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:25.77,0:11:30.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but she did not like my going\Nwith other Latvians
Dialogue: 0,0:11:30.25,0:11:32.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to various Latvian events,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:32.55,0:11:35.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,she wanted me to turn my back\Non them, and I thought to myself,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:35.87,0:11:39.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,'But she's turning her back\Non my identity.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:39.18,0:11:41.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She's turning her back on who I am'."
Dialogue: 0,0:11:41.75,0:11:44.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But who I am is not so easily defined.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:44.54,0:11:49.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One of the things that, I think,\Ndefines who I am in that ethnic sense
Dialogue: 0,0:11:49.36,0:11:51.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is, of course, that cultural heritage
Dialogue: 0,0:11:51.66,0:11:55.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to which knowledge of language,\Nknowledge of history,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:55.91,0:11:57.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in our case, knowledge of folklore
Dialogue: 0,0:11:57.57,0:12:00.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- since that is a good part\Nof our heritage -
Dialogue: 0,0:12:00.48,0:12:04.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,those are the riches\Nthat are available to those
Dialogue: 0,0:12:04.94,0:12:08.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who open that door\Nof belonging to the Latvian nation
Dialogue: 0,0:12:08.60,0:12:13.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,quite freely and without having\Nto make that forced choice.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:13.90,0:12:19.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Being different from the others,\None can blend in very easily.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:19.50,0:12:20.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When you're a Latvian,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:20.62,0:12:23.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the great many countries\Nyou can blend in very nicely,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:23.96,0:12:26.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,nobody will ever know by looking at you
Dialogue: 0,0:12:26.16,0:12:28.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that you are a Latvian\Nor of Latvian origin.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:28.48,0:12:29.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But you can keep
Dialogue: 0,0:12:29.68,0:12:32.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- and this is what I tried to convince
Dialogue: 0,0:12:32.68,0:12:38.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the youngsters from various countries\Nthat I came in contact with -
Dialogue: 0,0:12:38.11,0:12:41.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you can keep as it were\Nyour secret garden:
Dialogue: 0,0:12:41.28,0:12:44.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that Latvian identity that is your own.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:44.26,0:12:47.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that, of course,\Nwe would be more than happy
Dialogue: 0,0:12:47.34,0:12:49.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to share with the rest of the world,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:49.88,0:12:54.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if somehow we could help them\Nto overcome the language barrier
Dialogue: 0,0:12:54.22,0:12:57.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they could get to know\Nabout what it has to offer.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:57.84,0:13:01.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In my own case, I have done that as well.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:01.42,0:13:05.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I have done my own\Nsmall efforts, if you like,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:05.80,0:13:10.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in terms of writing\Nscholarly articles and books
Dialogue: 0,0:13:10.89,0:13:15.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about the Latvian heritage,\Nabout the Latvian identity,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:15.26,0:13:19.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and particularly about\Nwhat in our Latvian folk songs
Dialogue: 0,0:13:19.23,0:13:24.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,makes them so extraordinary, so special,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:24.03,0:13:28.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so worth getting acquainted with,\Nand so worth analyzing,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:28.88,0:13:33.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and entering into that international\Nnon-material heritage
Dialogue: 0,0:13:33.69,0:13:37.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which UNESCO now for several years\Nhas been recognizing.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:39.25,0:13:42.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For those of you who are in Latvia\Nfor the next few weeks,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:42.85,0:13:48.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I quite recommend going\Nto the Latvian Song Festival,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:48.70,0:13:51.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,watching it on television,\Nseeing it on video.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:51.95,0:13:54.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What we see in the Latvian Song Festival
Dialogue: 0,0:13:54.28,0:13:59.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is something that embodies\Nthe tradition of singing
Dialogue: 0,0:13:59.72,0:14:03.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which had been\Na pillar of Latvian identity
Dialogue: 0,0:14:03.53,0:14:06.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for a great many centuries,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:06.03,0:14:09.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,before Latvia ever became a nation.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:09.72,0:14:11.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the 19th century,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:11.75,0:14:17.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when Latvians were still largely\Nan oppressed class of society,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:17.83,0:14:21.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they started singing in choirs.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:21.86,0:14:28.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When the choirs got together regionally\Nand organized song festivals,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:28.67,0:14:30.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they came to realize
Dialogue: 0,0:14:30.57,0:14:36.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that one daughter was born in Riga\Nand another was born in Valmiera,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:36.02,0:14:38.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but they were singing the same song,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:38.05,0:14:41.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they asked themselves the question\Nthat one of the folk songs asks:
Dialogue: 0,0:14:41.80,0:14:44.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Are they daughters of the same mother?"
Dialogue: 0,0:14:44.55,0:14:46.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And yes, they are daughters\Nof the same mother
Dialogue: 0,0:14:46.76,0:14:48.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who is the Latvian nation.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:48.99,0:14:53.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The singing and the coming together\Nwas one element that allowed them
Dialogue: 0,0:14:53.68,0:14:57.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to become conscious\Nof this Latvian identity.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:57.70,0:15:00.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It allowed them\Nto become conscious of the riches
Dialogue: 0,0:15:00.79,0:15:03.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that that identity offered them
Dialogue: 0,0:15:03.77,0:15:07.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,quite apart from the condescension,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:08.37,0:15:13.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and, in fact, the denigration\Nthat they had frequently suffered
Dialogue: 0,0:15:13.33,0:15:17.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the hands of those who had occupied\Nthe upper levels of society
Dialogue: 0,0:15:17.99,0:15:21.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the various occupying forces\Nover the centuries.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:21.57,0:15:27.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Latvians recovered\Ntheir sense of pride in themselves,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:27.17,0:15:31.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not just their sense of an awareness\Nof themselves as a nation.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:32.80,0:15:35.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And through that awareness, they realized
Dialogue: 0,0:15:35.86,0:15:39.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that they as a nation have the rights
Dialogue: 0,0:15:39.25,0:15:42.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that belong to nations worldwide.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:42.96,0:15:45.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in many ways\Nthis coming together and singing
Dialogue: 0,0:15:45.90,0:15:48.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,led to the thought\Nof Latvian independence,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:48.54,0:15:51.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the creation of an independent\NLatvian nation,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:51.08,0:15:57.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the tradition that managed to survive\Nthrough various foreign occupations,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:57.12,0:16:00.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,through various imposed ideologies,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:00.76,0:16:06.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that managed to survive in Australia,\NAmerica, in Europe elsewhere,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:06.88,0:16:10.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,behind the Iron Curtain,\Non the other side,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:11.10,0:16:14.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the tradition helped us to maintain
Dialogue: 0,0:16:14.70,0:16:19.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,our sense of roots, our link with a past,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:19.21,0:16:23.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the sense of inheritance and entitlement
Dialogue: 0,0:16:23.95,0:16:26.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that being Latvian meant to us.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:26.87,0:16:31.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this sense of entitlement,\Nof course, makes us also fully European.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:32.26,0:16:36.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is why as a president\NI worked so hard to ensure
Dialogue: 0,0:16:36.08,0:16:39.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that Latvia became a member\Nof the European Union.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:39.69,0:16:43.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is why since leaving office\Nas president I have been
Dialogue: 0,0:16:43.58,0:16:47.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,such an ardent promoter\Nof European unity.
Dialogue: 0,0:16:47.42,0:16:50.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I must say that in addition to that,
Dialogue: 0,0:16:50.80,0:16:56.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I find that from my experience\Nas president of a nation
Dialogue: 0,0:16:56.42,0:17:02.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I have acquired insights\Nthat are welcome elsewhere in the world,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:02.64,0:17:07.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I'm part of at least 3 different clubs\Nand of great many organizations
Dialogue: 0,0:17:07.34,0:17:09.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that have an international remit,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:09.64,0:17:12.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that worry about the condition of women,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:12.71,0:17:17.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that worry about transitions\Nto democracy in various countries,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:17.08,0:17:21.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I find myself now\Nwith my Latvian identity
Dialogue: 0,0:17:22.29,0:17:25.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,laboring in the Lord's vineyards
Dialogue: 0,0:17:25.36,0:17:28.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which are really those\Nof a citizen of the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:17:28.84,0:17:34.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So that having returned\Nlike Ulysses to the land of my birth,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:34.13,0:17:39.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,having been able to truly express\Nmy Latvian identity
Dialogue: 0,0:17:39.30,0:17:44.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in a way that being born here\Nshould've predestined me for,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:44.50,0:17:49.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I find myself also becoming\Na very ardent European,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:49.67,0:17:54.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but, most of all, I find\Nthat all these experiences,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:54.71,0:17:58.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,those of my nation,\Nthose of myself as an individual,
Dialogue: 0,0:17:58.96,0:18:04.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,those of my compatriots who suffered\Nby being deported or otherwise repressed,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:04.87,0:18:06.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all those sufferings,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:06.64,0:18:11.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that other nations both in Europe\Nand elsewhere have gone through,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:11.18,0:18:14.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,have contributed in each case
Dialogue: 0,0:18:14.78,0:18:19.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to developing our own sense of humanity.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:19.75,0:18:22.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I would leave you with this thought
Dialogue: 0,0:18:22.49,0:18:27.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that be your identity what it may,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:27.08,0:18:30.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it must start with a sense\Nof your intrinsic value
Dialogue: 0,0:18:31.43,0:18:34.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as a person, as a human being,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:34.61,0:18:37.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as a citizen of the world,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:37.80,0:18:40.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as a member of the human race.
Dialogue: 0,0:18:40.27,0:18:44.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is this belonging, this sense\Nof brotherhood or sisterhood
Dialogue: 0,0:18:44.88,0:18:48.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with people who may look\Nentirely different from you,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:48.84,0:18:51.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who have different values at times,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:51.80,0:18:54.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,certainly different experiences,
Dialogue: 0,0:18:54.45,0:19:00.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but who after all have the same life path\Nthat any human being has.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:01.49,0:19:04.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,From birth through development,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:04.99,0:19:10.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,growth, a career, experiences,\Njoys and sufferings,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:10.04,0:19:13.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then, of course, we leave\Nthe stage as Shakespeare says,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:13.49,0:19:15.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,having been but actors on the stage.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:15.99,0:19:20.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I wish you all to spend your life
Dialogue: 0,0:19:20.10,0:19:23.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,looking for that solid ground\Nunder your feet,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:23.46,0:19:26.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is what your identity gives you.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:26.19,0:19:30.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And remember, you don't have\Njust one of them, you have many,
Dialogue: 0,0:19:30.63,0:19:35.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and constantly, in the course\Nof your life, you keep having choices.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:35.33,0:19:39.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You can construct who you are\Nand who you want to be.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:39.49,0:19:41.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Godspeed to you all.
Dialogue: 0,0:19:42.68,0:19:44.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)