THE VOICE OF INTERNATIONAL LITHUANIA
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Guide to battling stereotypes of Lithuania abroad
- Posted by - (4) Comment
The Lithuanian section of the Matador Network's "How to piss off..." guides has recently become a Facebook hit. The author, a Lithuanian travel blogger, has collected the most typical faux pas heard from foreigners around the world, and provided sometimes lengthy and heartfelt explanations on how these cliches about Lithuania are not true. Having visited 33 countries and talked to people from many more, I suggest a different approach to ignorance.
Lithuanian travelers, Lithuanian expats, people of Lithuanian origin and those who have spent time in Lithuania and feel connected to the place know these stereotypes by heart: Lithuania is a part of Russia, or maybe in Africa, it doesn't have its own language; people drink insane quantities of vodka and have never created or invented anything, which is not surprising, because Lithuania, in the view of many, did not exist before the USSR miraculously fell apart. The USSR and now Russia are central in the cliches about Lithuania, which are nowhere as bad and boring as global cliches about Russia.
Yet, as this Lithuanian op-ed rightly claims, small Eastern European countries are associated with poverty, but Russia is not. The author suggests playing along with the stereotypes and having fun in the meantime, making ignorant hotel staff think you might be an oil-money-saturated investor or a dangerous secret agent. I tend to agree with this author.
As exchange students in Sweden, my friends and I often tried to fight ignorance and stereotypes. Sometimes we searched for comparisons in other countries' history. Those times are long gone. I don't think that the approach chosen by the author of the "How to piss off..." guide actually helps - I would guess that most people would think, "If there's all this amazing ancient history, how come I never heard of it at school?" and forget it. You can't cure all the world's ignorance. So why not show ignorant people the truth - that they have to go home and quietly do their homework?
If people asking questions come from another continent - just lower your expectations
Few people know all the countries in the world. Few Lithuanians would be able to place Angola on a map, and I bet that many would not be able to tell Luxembourg from Liechtenstein (which I find absolutely infuriating). So people from overseas should not be expected to know the location of Lithuania or even the basic facts about it. When I traveled in the US and people asked me where I was from, I usually said, "From Europe." It was up to them whether to ask for a clarification - most often they didn't, but some were almost angry that I did not expect them to know countries in Europe. In Japan, most people knew Baruto Sankoku - the three Baltic States. In Israel most people needed no explanation, and if they frowned and thought aloud, "where is it exactly?", it was often enough to say "Where Šarūnas Jasikevičius comes from." Let people from overseas surprise you.
If people from the EU are ignorant, have no mercy
Yes, ignorant Europeans still exist. I've been asked if my country is democratic several times - as if the EU would accept non-democracies. It is absolutely inexcusable for literate EU citizens not to know which countries are in their union. Anyone with higher education should know the capitals and languages of the countries of the union, and where they can travel passport-free. It is useless to explain them about pagan gods and laser research centers - you don't owe them a proof that we not savages, because they are. I suggest it's best to shame those people by using European and EU references, and to play along whenever they display any signs of such ignorance:
- Is your country democratic?
Absolutely not. Tribal chiefs select their supreme leader in a sword fight. In fact, when we had to elect the European Parliament, the idea of elections was so alien to the people that the supreme leader had to tell them they were voting which prisoner should be exiled to a distant island.
- So you speak Russian there?
No, we speak English there since 1990, and if needed, we will speak Chinese from 2030.
- But your language is a dialect of Russian?
Of course it is - and so are Latvian, Estonian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Bulgarian, Slovenian and Croatian. In fact, when we all joined the EU, the term "official languages" had to be replaced by "official languages and dialects", and the Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth had to be renamed Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Multidialectism, and Youth [if they are educated, they should smell a nonsense]. The only problem is that Russians refuse to recognize all of those as dialects and to understand them.
If you are in a tolerant mood (and this is what I usually answer to similar questions): Pretty much like English and French. In the beginning it helps learning the tenses and so on, but then it only causes confusion. I only wish my language was more helpful for learning another language. It took me [X] years to learn Russian.
- You're from Lithuania? Spasibo! Na zdarovie!
[Answer in an exotic language of your choice]
- Your language is close to Finnish, I've heard.
Treat those with respect - they've heard of Estonia. It's enough to say "That's Estonian."
- Your country is not in Europe, right?
No, it's in Southern Africa [pretend that it's Lesotho and invent a tearful story of your emigration - this got my friend a few free dinners]
- Hey, you [don't drink vodka/ are vegetarian/ are short/ have dark hair/ don't like basketball/ don't cook cepelinai/ ...], but I thought that all Lithuanians...
Don't get me wrong - I have utmost tolerance to the more collectivistic cultures. In our culture no individual is required to represent the collective unless they choose to and have been appointed to do so.
Dessert
- But enough about my country, tell me about yours. Do you have Google there? You should try it - it's pretty neat, you can find a lot of information and even maps.
But there are people who always get it right - the Russians
They know that Lithuania is an independent country in Europe. They know that it has a separate language, and they appreciate every effort to learn Russian. They know that Lithuania is in the EU and that horses are not the main means of transport. Let's give them our due appreciation.
---
Daiva Repečkaitė is an associate editor at VilNews and blogger at Cafe Babel. Her personal blog: http://www.daivarepeckaite.com.
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OPINIONS
Have your say. Send to:
editor@VilNews.com
Ph. D., Chicago
A wave of unity sweeps the international Lithuanian community on March 11th every year as Lithuanians celebrated the anniversary of the Lithuanian Parliament's declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. However, the sense of national unity engendered by the celebration could be short-lived.
Human beings have a strong tendency to overgeneralize and succumb to stereotypical us-them distinctions that can shatter even the strongest bonds. We need only search the internet to find examples of divisive thinking at work:
- "Those who fled Lithuania during World II were cowards -- and now they come back, flaunt their wealth, and tell us 'true Lithuanians' how to live."
- "Lithuanians who work abroad have abandoned their homeland and should be deprived of their Lithuanian citizenship."
In Lithuania Christmas Eve is a family event and the New Year's Eve a great party with friends!
Lithuanian say "Kaip sutiksi naujus metus, taip juos ir praleisi" (the way you'll meet the new year is the way you will spend it). So everyone is trying to spend New Year's Eve with friend and have as much fun as possible.
Lithuanian New Year's traditions are very similar to those in other countries, and actually were similar since many years ago. Also, the traditional Lithuanian New Years Eve party was very similar to other big celebrations throughout the year.
The New Year's Eve table is quite similar to the Christmas Eve table, but without straws under the tablecloth, and now including meat dishes. A tradition that definitely hasn't changes is that everybody is trying not to fell asleep before midnight. It was said that if you oversleep the midnight point you will be lazy all the upcoming year. People were also trying to get up early on the first day of the new year, because waking up late also meant a very lazy and unfortunate year.
During the New Year celebration people were dancing, singing, playing games and doing magic to guess the future. People didn't drink much of alcohol, especially was that the case for women.
Here are some advices from elders:
- During the New Year, be very nice and listen to relatives - what you are during New Year Eve, you will be throughout the year.
- During to the New Year Eve, try not to fall, because if this happens, next year you will be unhappy.
- If in the start of the New Year, the first news are good - then the year will be successful. If not - the year will be problematic.
* If New Year's night is cold and starry - look forward to a good summer!
* If the during New Year Eve trees are covered with frost - then it will be a good year. If it is wet weather on New Year's Eve, one can expect a year where many will die and dangerous epidemics occur.
* If the first day of the new year is snowy - the upcoming year will see many young people die. If the night is snowy - mostly old people will die.
* If the New Year time is cold - then Easter will be warm.
* If during New Year there are a lot of birds in your homestead - then all year around there will be many guests and the year will be fun.
Christmas greetings
from Vilnius
and epic battle for the
future
Philosopher, political theorist, historian of
ideas, social analyst, and political
commentator
Ukraine was and continues to be perceived by the EU political class as a sort of grey zone with its immense potential and possibilities for the future, yet deeply embedded and trapped in No Man's Land with all of its troubled past, post-Soviet traumas, ambiguities, insecurities, corruption, social divisions, and despair. Why worry for what has yet to emerge as a new actor of world history in terms of nation-building, European identity, and deeper commitments to transparency and free market economy?
Right? Wrong. No matter how troubled Ukraine's economic and political reality could be, the country has already passed the point of no return. Even if Vladimir Putin retains his leverage of power to blackmail Ukraine and the West in terms of Ukraine's zero chances to accede to NATO due to the problems of territorial integrity, occupation and annexation of Crimea, and mayhem or a frozen conflict in the Donbas region, Ukraine will never return to Russia's zone of influence. It could be deprived of the chances to join NATO or the EU in the coming years or decades, yet there are no forces on earth to make present Ukraine part of the Eurasia project fostered by Putin.
want to learn about the
new, scary propaganda
war between Russia,
The West and the
Baltic States!
believe their government
is corrupt
students say no to
bribes for doctors
During Soviet times, government was administered for the people in control, not for the local population, court decisions were decreed, they were not the administration of justice, and academia was the domain of ideologues. 25 years of freedom and openness should have put those bad experiences behind Lithuania, but that is not so.
Today, it is a matter of expectation that court pronouncements will be governed by ideological dictates. Few, if any Lithuanians expect real justice to be effected. For foreign companies, doing business in Lithuania is almost impossible in a situation where business people do not expect rule of law, so, surely Government would be a refuge of competence?
Lithuanian Government has not emerged from Soviet styles. In an attempt to devolve power, Lithuania has created a myriad of fiefdoms of power, each speaking in the name of the Government, each its own centralized power base of ideology.
Chepstow, Wales
Doesn't that sound suspiciously like Lithuania? Ah, but I didn't mention the mountains of Snowdonia, which would give the game away.
I'm talking about Wales, that part of the UK which Lithuanians used to call "Valija", but later named "Velsas" (why?). Wales, the nation which has welcomed two Lithuanian heads of state to its shores - firstly Professor Vytautas Landsbergis, who has paid several visits and, more recently, President Dalia Grybauskaitė who attended the 2014 NATO summit which was held in Newport, South Wales.
ENGLISH VERSION OF THE
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF VYTAUTAS LANDSBERGIS.
Although Lithuanian activities have thinned over the decades as that postwar generation died out, the Lithuanian Martyrs' parish hall is crowded with many, many hundreds of visitors who come to the Lithuanian cemetery for All Souls' Day. Similarly, the Franciscan parish has standing room only for Christmas Eve mass.
Although I am firmly embedded in the literary culture of Canada, my themes are usually Lithuanian, and I'll be in Kaunas and Vilnius in mid-November 2015 to give talks about the Lithuanian translations of my novels and short stories, which I write in English.
If you have the Lithuanian language, come by to one of the talks listed in the links below. And if you don't, you can read more about my work at
www.anatanassileika.com
http://www.vdu.lt/lt/rasytojas-antanas-sileika-pristatys-savo-kuryba/ https://leu.lt/lt/lf/lf_naujienos/kvieciame-i-rasytojo-59hc.html
"My love and best wishes to all. As long as VilNews exists, there is hope for the future,"" she writes.
Irena Veisaite means very much for our publication, and we do hereby thank her for the support and wise commitment she always shows.
You can read our interview with her
Facing a new reality
Dear readers of VilNews,
For a number of years, the EU and Russia had assumed the existence of a strategic partnership, based on the convergence of values, economic integration and increasingly open markets and a modernisation agenda for society.
Our agenda was positive and ambitious. We looked at Russia as a country ready to converge with "European values", a country likely to embrace both the basic principles of democratic government and a liberal concept of the world order. It was believed this would bring our relations to a new level, covering the whole spectrum of the EU's strategic relationship with Russia.
The likelihood of Putin
invading Lithuania
.jpg "lithuania today")
Founding Director at Summer Literary Seminars
Are all Lithuanian energy
problems now resolved?
Lithuania as a country does not have significant energy resources. Energy consuming infrastructure after WWII was small and totally supported by energy imports from Russia.
First nuclear reactor begins power generation at Ignalina in 1983, the second reactor in 1987. Iganlina generates enough electricity to cover Lithuania's needs and about 50%.for export. As, prerequisite for membership in EU, Ignalina ceases all nuclear power generation in 2009
The Klaipėda Sea terminal begins Russia's oil export operations in 1959 and imports in 1994.
Mazeikiu Nafta (current ORLEAN Lietuva) begins operation of oil refinery in 1980.
Have Lithuanian ties across
the Baltic Sea become
stronger in recent years?
The two decades that have passed since regaining Lithuania's independence can be described as a "building boom". From the wreckage of a captive Soviet republic, a generation of Lithuanians have built a modern European state, and are now helping construct a Nordic-Baltic community replete with institutions intended to promote political coordination and foster a trans-Baltic regional identity. Indeed, a "Nordic-Baltic community" - I will explain later in my text the meaning of this catch-phrase.
Since the restoration of Lithuania's independence 25 years ago, we have continuously felt a strong support from Nordic countries. Nordics in particular were among the countries supporting Lithuania's and Baltic States' striving towards independence. Take example of Iceland, country which recognized Lithuania in February of 1991, well in advance of other countries. Yet another example - Swedish Ambassador was the first ambassador accredited to Lithuania in 1991. The other countries followed suit. When we restored our statehood, Nordic Countries became champions in promoting Baltic integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions. To large degree thanks Nordic Countries, massive transformations occurred in Lithuania since then, Lithuania became fully-fledged member of the EU and NATO, and we joined the Eurozone on 1 January 2015.
Have you heard about the
South African "Pencil Test"?
But that is exactly what happened to me when I came back from South Africa. I will tell you how.
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