On 20 September, the Estonian History Museum opened the exhibition ‘Me, an Estonian! An Exhibition about Bold People’ in Tammsaare Park. The exhibition was created in cooperation with the Integration Foundation within the framework of the Cultural Diversity Year.
106 years ago, the founding text of the Estonian state, the Declaration of Independence, stipulated that in addition to Estonians, others must also be able to lead a good life in this country.
The concept of being Estonian has also changed since then. It is no longer solely defined by birth or ancestral roots going back centuries.
After restoring its independence, Estonia has been free for over 30 years. This freedom has opened up the world to us and us to the world. Estonia remains a nation state, but its people speak more than 200 native languages. The exhibition features thoughts from eight people whose roots are far away, but who have settled here for different reasons and consider Estonia their home. Let these thoughts be an encouragement and an opportunity for discovery and self-reflection for all. A person is still a person.
Jaanus Rohumaa, head of the Estonian History Museum: ‘I am very pleased that in cooperation with the Integration Foundation, we can introduce our new compatriots with their fascinating fates to a wider audience. I would like to thank all the participants in the project who trusted the Estonian History Museum to be the vehicle for their stories.’
The Cultural Diversity Year is a theme year that takes place under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and the Integration Foundation. Its goal is to celebrate the cultural diversity of the communities of Estonians and other peoples living here.
Dmitri Moskovtsev, Director of the Integration Foundation: ‘Estonia is and has always been home to people of different nationalities who contribute to the development of Estonia. In the Cultural Diversity Year, we notice, value, and preserve the diverse cultural space of Estonia, which we create together with different communities and peoples.’
Estonia is a home to representatives of 216 nationalities. Many Estonian communities live side by side with Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Finns, Latvians, Germans, Lithuanians, Tatars, Jews, and numerous others.
The complete video stories can be viewed at the exhibition ‘Me, an Estonian! An Exhibition about Bold People’, open in the Maarjamäe Stables of the Estonian History Museum.
Curator: Krista Sarv
Graphic design: Kätlin Tischler-Süld
Photos: Vahur Lõhmus
Project manager: Herke Kukk
Cultural diversity highlighted by the Cultural Diversity year team and Statistics Estonia.
