On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Baltic Way, the embassies of the three Baltic countries together with European Bank of Reconstruction and Development in London (EBRD) has organized an exciting discussion to talk about the legacy of the peaceful protest, current day and what the future holds. Three inspiring speakers representing various professional and generational backgrounds exchanged their thoughts on the historic role and meaning of the Baltic Way, Baltic States’ place and contribution in current affairs, aspirations and hopes for the future, touching upon various fields – human rights, environment, digital innovation and others.

The discussion ‘The Baltic Way. The Next 30 Years. How We Shape Our Future’ hosted an activist Kadi Kenk from Estonia, a co-founder of the environmental movement Let’s Do It World! / World Clean Up Day; Pauls Raudseps from Latvia, a political commentator at the weekly magazine Ir; and Monika Bielskytė from Lithuania, a strategist, speaker and futurist. The talk was moderated by journalist Rosie Goldsmith who has been working with the Baltic region for more than 20 years. Rosie Goldsmith runs the European Literature Network and chairs the EBRD Literature Prize.

The event was attended by diplomats, journalists, think-tankers, EBRD bank employees and young entrepreneurs, members of the Baltic communities in the UK. The event is one of many events in the UK dedicated to the 30 years of the Baltic Way. One such gathering happened in Hyde Park on the 24th of August. On July 10th Birmingham Centrala gallery with researcher Spela Vrbnjak has organised an academic discussion around the legacy of the Baltic Way by inviting artists Marija Nemčenko and Simona Žemaitytė to refelct on this. Last but not least – London’s Maida Vale will be hosting a concert presenting Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian composers’ works – works by Arvo Pärt, Raminta Šerkšnytė, Justė Janulytė, Eriks Ešenvalds and Kristupas Bubnelis. The concert is planned on the 6th of November.

Partner of the discussion event ‘The Baltic Way. The Next 30 Years. How We Shape Our Future’ at the EBRD – Lithuanian Culture Institute.

Notes 

• The Baltic Way – a human chain stretching over 600 kilometers from Vilnius to Riga to Tallinn – was an extraordinary campaign, organized on 23 August 1989, to mark the 50th anniversary of Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
• This peaceful political demonstration drew the world’s attention to the Baltic States’ occupation and demonstrated unity and determination in their effort to regain freedom and independence.
• The Baltic Way was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest human chain in history. In 2009, a collection of documents “The Baltic Way – Human Chain Linking Three States in Their Drive for Freedom” was included in UNESCO “Memory of the World” register.

About Monika Bielskytė

 A futurist with an artist’s eye and an inventor’s mind, Monika Bielskyte prototypes culturally diverse, socially and environmentally engaged future world designs for the entertainment industry, technology companies, and cities/countries.  As an expert in future of content and immersive media technology space (XR/AI/UX), Monika’s work consists in connecting bleeding edge technological innovation with some of the world’s most original creative visions that brings Sci Fi to reality. Monika was born in Lithuania, but has since worked on 6 continents and for the past 7 years has lived as a digital nomad researching futures in 80+ countries. Monika’s past clients include Universal, Google, DreamWorks, BBC, Microsoft, Mexico City, United Arab Emirates, Anonymous Content, Ridley Scott Associates, Reliance JIO, Telefonica, Intel, Aston Martin, MTN, TATA, Xerox PARC & Rick Owens, among others. Monika is an internationally renowned public speaker in the field of innovation represented by London Speaker Bureau.

About Paul Raudseps

 Pauls Raudseps is one of Latvia’s leading journalists and commentators. He writes on a wide variety of topics, including economics, politics, international affairs, and history.

Born in the United States, Mr. Raudseps received a degree in Russian and Soviet Studies from Harvard University. In 1990 he moved to Latvia to work for the Popular Front, the organisation that led the fight for Latvian independence. He was one of the founders of Diena, which for many years was Latvia’s leading daily newspaper. Having worked for almost 19 years at the newspaper as managing editor and editorial page editor, he left Diena in October, 2009, to help found the independent weekly news magazine and website “Ir”, where he is both a commentator and chairman of the advisory board.

About Kadi Kenk

Kadi is a spokesperson and an activist for a clean world, representing Let’s do It Foundation. The core activities of her organisation involve reducing leakages from circular economy, using technology for good and turning data into action. Kadi has managed international volunteers’ teams, a global network of organisations and built partnerships for World Cleanup Day 2018 which she co-initiated. Kadi performs as a public speaker most often on the topics of community engagement and civic empowerment on the road to solving global problems.