Together with Eero Raun, project manager of this theme year, we explored ways to further increase our focus on the cultural diversity of our communities and peoples in the coming months.

What are we trying to achieve with the Cultural Diversity Year?

At the initiative of the Ministry of Culture, 2024 was chosen as the Cultural Diversity Year. The Estonian name of the year is Kultuuririkkuse aasta and the Russian translation is Год богатства культур. The aim of the theme year is to strengthen attitudes – to make Estonian people more aware of and value Estonia as a traditionally culturally diverse society. We want to stimulate communication and contacts between different communities and national minorities in Estonia, and to support greater awareness of their traditions and cultural events.

The Integration Foundation as the main organisation responsible for the theme year has expanded its reach and network of contacts, involving a wide range of partners in the day-to-day organisation and implementation of events. The Competence Centre for Physical Activity, which organised the Be Active Year 2023, smoothly handed over the baton to us.

In cooperation with the county specialists of the Estonian Centre of Folk Culture, the opening events of the theme year were held in all counties in January, and National Minorities Day will be celebrated just as widely in September. We maintain close contact and exchange information with many cultural associations representing both ethnic minorities and Estonian-speaking communities. The list could be extended to include many more partners – schools, museums, Let’s Do It, Tartu 2024, etc.

What has already been done?

It is encouraging to see that different communities are increasingly taking the initiative to organise events together and make their own lives more meaningful. Working alone can often be hampered by resource constraints, whereas combining efforts can go a long way and deliver outstanding results. Vyshyvanka Day initiated by Ukrainians and a stage of cultural diversity erected in the Old Town of Tallinn for three days, as well as signing a congratulatory card for Estonia in Kadriorg together with the presidential couple are great examples of this. In a national competition for student research organised by the Estonian Research Council, we awarded a special prize for the best study on cultural diversity in both primary and secondary school. In cooperation with Eesti Post, the Cultural Diversity Year stamp and envelope were created.

The ability to cooperate systematically and to find new partners is both a constant focus of development for the theme year, and on the other hand, a great way to gain more attention and reach as many target groups as possible in a highly fragmented information space. The Cultural Diversity Year will include not only communities of different ethnic or religious backgrounds, but also the scientific community, people with disabilities, different subcultures, and many others. In maintaining a sense of direction amidst this cultural diversity, we gain new insights into the inner wealth of our tiny Estonia.

What to be prepared for in the coming months?

In the second half of the year, upcoming activities include a theme year area in Paide at the Opinion Festival in August, an integration conference in Tallinn in November, and a charity concert of unions of national minorities at Christmas. But the busiest time will be the second half of September, when we celebrate the National Minorities Day in Estonia.

One of the most important days in the process of regaining independence was 24 September 1988, when the Estonian National Minorities Forum, chaired by TV journalist Hagi Šein, declared support for Estonian statehood and a democratic system of government. This event has been commemorated and celebrated for many years with the National Minorities Day, during which representatives of different national minorities have come together for an annual forum and held the vibrant Etnolaat Fair in the Town Hall Square of the capital.

This year, we are approaching the celebration of the National Minorities Day in line with the theme of the year – we are involving communities all over Estonia. On one day, a number of cultural societies will open their doors to new visitors at their venues to bring people closer together. Before and after, however, they will attract our attention in places where we can celebrate the diversity of Estonian cultures together. All this in cooperation with organisations that bring together most of the Estonian and ethnic minority communities: the Estonian Centre of Folk Culture, the International Union of National Cultural Associations ‘Lüüra’, and the Estonian Union of National Minorities. Hopefully, this will start a tradition that will keep us even stronger together in the future.

What can each of us do to boost the theme year?

Notice, cherish, and preserve. Cultural diversity is all the differences that unite us: from food and experiences to art and the future.

Above all, it is worth exploring everyday life, for example to find things in common in favourite foods and drinks, to notice the diversity of cultures in music, to incorporate national patterns into everyday clothing, to study the history of your family, and to find connections in old customs.

Joint activities are equally valuable – for example, we could meet each other more often, volunteer for our local community, discuss everyday issues, look for common ground in our traditions, and celebrate holidays together.

What if you are planning an event that fits the theme of the Cultural Diversity Year?

Please share this opportunity with everyone. We have created a calendar on the website of the theme year www.kultuuririkkus.ee, where everyone can create initiatives and save the ones that interest them. We thank everyone who has already added their own events that relate to the theme year! If you, your community, city, or county has an event that could fit into our calendar of events, you are welcome to add it.

How to stay up to date?

We welcome all contributors to the website kultuuririkkus.ee and to the social media account www.facebook.com/kultuuririkkuseaasta. We use these sites to bring together everyone and everything that represents our cultural diversity, but also to share it. For example, a comprehensive database with the contact details of nearly 300 national minority cultural societies and over 1,000 Estonian cultural societies operating in Estonia was created on the website. Meanwhile, on social media, we publish fascinating observations about holidays and folk customs, food and dances, worries and joys that illustrate the daily routines and celebrations of the 216 nationalities living in Estonia.

Interviewed by Alena Stadnik, Communications Manager of the Cultural Diversity Year.

The Settle in Estonia adaptation programme provides Estonian language courses for people of different language levels and legal status who have arrived in Estonia in the last five years. Until the end of 2024 there are in total around 4,000 student places available for refugees, who are divided into beneficiaries of temporary and international protection, to learn Estonian. 

Enrolment is open for A1 level courses for beneficiaries of temporary protection, with around 1,600 student places offered for the autumn courses. These are the last places at beginner level for this year. In addition, a total of 1,200 student places will be offered to beneficiaries of temporary protection until the beginning of next year in advanced A2 and B1 level courses.

For beneficiaries of international protection, new A1–B1 language courses will be opened for enrolment in the coming weeks. The courses will start in August, and in autumn. This year, a total of 580 beneficiaries of international protection are offered the opportunity to learn Estonian at levels A1, A2, and B1 through the Settle in Estonia national adaptation programme. 

According to Britta Saks, Head of Adaptation, both beginners and advanced learners of Estonian are welcome to attend the free language courses. Courses are offered both online and in person in Tallinn and in other places all over Estonia. On average, it takes four months for beginners to reach the A1 level, and slightly longer for advanced learners – six months to reach A2 and eight months to reach B1.  

‘We are currently offering courses for people who have arrived in Estonia as migrants, for example for people who have come here to work or study and their family members, as well as for war refugees, who are obliged by the Estonian state to acquire basic Estonian language skills. This applies in particular to war refugees from Ukraine who have been granted temporary protection status, but also to all beneficiaries of international protection,’ says Saks. She stresses that a course for one level can only be attended for free once. 

In order to sign up for courses, you need to create an account on the Settle in Estonia adaptation programme website www.settleinestonia.ee and register for the appropriate course. If you have any further questions or problems, the counsellors of the Integration Foundation will be happy to help via e-mail info@settleinestonia.ee.

The Integration Foundation organises free Estonian language courses and other trainings for those who settle in Estonia as part of the Settle in Estonia adaptation programme. For detailed information on the services and trainings offered, please visit the website of the Integration Foundation www.integratsioon.ee/en/kohanemine. For up-to-date information on language learning, please visit the Settle in Estonia adaptation programme Facebook account www.facebook.com/settleinestonia.

CONSIDER:

> Answers to some practical questions are published here.

> The adaptation programme is co-funded by the European Union and the state budget.

Together with Eero Raun, project manager of this theme year, we explored ways to further increase our focus on the cultural diversity of our communities and peoples in the coming months.

What are we trying to achieve with the Cultural Diversity Year?

At the initiative of the Ministry of Culture, 2024 was chosen as the Cultural Diversity Year. The Estonian name of the year is Kultuuririkkuse aasta and the Russian translation is Год богатства культур. The aim of the theme year is to strengthen attitudes – to make Estonian people more aware of and value Estonia as a traditionally culturally diverse society. We want to stimulate communication and contacts between different communities and national minorities in Estonia, and to support greater awareness of their traditions and cultural events.

The Integration Foundation as the main organisation responsible for the theme year has expanded its reach and network of contacts, involving a wide range of partners in the day-to-day organisation and implementation of events. The Competence Centre for Physical Activity, which organised the Be Active Year 2023, smoothly handed over the baton to us.

In cooperation with the county specialists of the Estonian Centre of Folk Culture, the opening events of the theme year were held in all counties in January, and National Minorities Day will be celebrated just as widely in September. We maintain close contact and exchange information with many cultural associations representing both ethnic minorities and Estonian-speaking communities. The list could be extended to include many more partners – schools, museums, Let’s Do It, Tartu 2024, etc.

What has already been done?

It is encouraging to see that different communities are increasingly taking the initiative to organise events together and make their own lives more meaningful. Working alone can often be hampered by resource constraints, whereas combining efforts can go a long way and deliver outstanding results. Vyshyvanka Day initiated by Ukrainians and a stage of cultural diversity erected in the Old Town of Tallinn for three days, as well as signing a congratulatory card for Estonia in Kadriorg together with the presidential couple are great examples of this. In a national competition for student research organised by the Estonian Research Council, we awarded a special prize for the best study on cultural diversity in both primary and secondary school. In cooperation with Eesti Post, the Cultural Diversity Year stamp and envelope were created.

The ability to cooperate systematically and to find new partners is both a constant focus of development for the theme year, and on the other hand, a great way to gain more attention and reach as many target groups as possible in a highly fragmented information space. The Cultural Diversity Year will include not only communities of different ethnic or religious backgrounds, but also the scientific community, people with disabilities, different subcultures, and many others. In maintaining a sense of direction amidst this cultural diversity, we gain new insights into the inner wealth of our tiny Estonia.

What to be prepared for in the coming months?

In the second half of the year, upcoming activities include a theme year area in Paide at the Opinion Festival in August, an integration conference in Tallinn in November, and a charity concert of unions of national minorities at Christmas. But the busiest time will be the second half of September, when we celebrate the National Minorities Day in Estonia.

One of the most important days in the process of regaining independence was 24 September 1988, when the Estonian National Minorities Forum, chaired by TV journalist Hagi Šein, declared support for Estonian statehood and a democratic system of government. This event has been commemorated and celebrated for many years with the National Minorities Day, during which representatives of different national minorities have come together for an annual forum and held the vibrant Etnolaat Fair in the Town Hall Square of the capital.

This year, we are approaching the celebration of the National Minorities Day in line with the theme of the year – we are involving communities all over Estonia. On one day, a number of cultural societies will open their doors to new visitors at their venues to bring people closer together. Before and after, however, they will attract our attention in places where we can celebrate the diversity of Estonian cultures together. All this in cooperation with organisations that bring together most of the Estonian and ethnic minority communities: the Estonian Centre of Folk Culture, the International Union of National Cultural Associations ‘Lüüra’, and the Estonian Union of National Minorities. Hopefully, this will start a tradition that will keep us even stronger together in the future.

Eero Raun, Theme year project manager

What can each of us do to boost the theme year?

Notice, cherish, and preserve. Cultural diversity is all the differences that unite us: from food and experiences to art and the future.

Above all, it is worth exploring everyday life, for example to find things in common in favourite foods and drinks, to notice the diversity of cultures in music, to incorporate national patterns into everyday clothing, to study the history of your family, and to find connections in old customs.

Joint activities are equally valuable – for example, we could meet each other more often, volunteer for our local community, discuss everyday issues, look for common ground in our traditions, and celebrate holidays together.

What if you are planning an event that fits the theme of the Cultural Diversity Year?

Please share this opportunity with everyone. We have created a calendar on the website of the theme year www.kultuuririkkus.ee, where everyone can create initiatives and save the ones that interest them. We thank everyone who has already added their own events that relate to the theme year! If you, your community, city, or county has an event that could fit into our calendar of events, you are welcome to add it.

How to stay up to date?

We welcome all contributors to the website kultuuririkkus.ee and to the social media account www.facebook.com/kultuuririkkuseaasta. We use these sites to bring together everyone and everything that represents our cultural diversity, but also to share it. For example, a comprehensive database with the contact details of nearly 300 national minority cultural societies and over 1,000 Estonian cultural societies operating in Estonia was created on the website. Meanwhile, on social media, we publish fascinating observations about holidays and folk customs, food and dances, worries and joys that illustrate the daily routines and celebrations of the 216 nationalities living in Estonia.

Interviewed by Alena Stadnik, Communications Manager of the Cultural Diversity Year.