“Funding for the diaspora should be increased as the number of compatriots living outside Latvia is growing, and the only hope that they will return one day is if their ties with Latvia are maintained,” says Miks Muižarājs, Chairman of the Board of the association “Ar pasaules pieredzi Latvijā”, in a conversation with Latviesi.com. “The contribution of the diaspora to Latvia is much greater than what flows the other direction. According to estimates by the Bank of Latvia, in 2017, diaspora members transferred EUR 818 million to Latvia, which, among other things, significantly strengthens the country’s social protection system.”

At the meeting of the Citizenship, Migration and Community Cohesion Committee of the Saeima, Z. Vāgnere said that the Cultural Ministry would probably only be able to spend 797 435€ to support diaspora organisations next year. According to the state budget makers, this should be sufficient for the preservation of intangible cultural heritage – mainly for the continuation of the Song and Dance Festival movement and support for the work of diaspora amateur groups – as well as for identity preservation activities, such as concerts, 3×3 and 2×2 gatherings and other camps, and for the preservation of material cultural and historical heritage, such as research into the history of exile. The money should also be able to fund capacity building for diaspora organisations, as well as diaspora media.

As regards the planned use of the funding, Z. Vāgnere repeatedly stressed that “Latvia’s connection with the diaspora is very important, as it ensures that our Latvian identity lives on outside of Latvia.”

When asked by the Chair of the Commission, Gunārs Kūtris, whether the funding was sufficient, Z. Vāgnere said: “It is not that the funding is enough and we are happy. Most of the priority requests in the budget were not supported. However, the overall development over the multi-annual period is positive.”

She acknowledged that, for example, diaspora media are underfunded and the Cabinet of Ministers hopes that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), as the coordinating body for diaspora funding, will succeed in getting changes in the draft of the state budget.

Only a third can be supported

Elita Gavele, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson and Ambassador-at-Large for Diaspora Affairs, did not promise this, but she did explain the activities of the Foreign Ministry in relation to the diaspora. For example, this year €23,000 has been earmarked for diaspora-related research. One of these studies is specifically on diaspora media and she hopes that the results will prove the importance of diaspora media, which would also allow for more funding. The second study is on diaspora organisations, “which are the great force that hold the Latvian diaspora together outside Latvia”.

In total, the state budget funds the implementation of the diaspora policy by approximately EUR 3.075 million annually, said Ms Gavele. Compatriots living outside Latvia are ready to be active in preserving their identity and cooperating with Latvia, so “we feel that more support is needed”.

The Diaspora Plan includes four activities: first, strengthening Latvian identity and sense of belonging to Latvia and preserving the Latvian language and culture outside Latvia; second, promoting the civic and political participation of the diaspora; third, involving the diaspora in Latvia’s economic and scientific development; and fourth, supporting remigration.

An additional EUR 1 726 009 is requested to enable the plans to be implemented more actively and ambitiously. Additional funding would be needed for Latvian language learning in the diaspora, for the organisation of educational events for teachers, children and young people in the diaspora, and for joint camps for children in the diaspora and Latvia. It was also planned to strengthen diaspora organisations – E. Gavele stressed that each year it is possible to support only half of the events organised by the organisations, such as celebrations of holidays This year, there was only enough money for a third of the organisations’ projects.

Miks Muižarājs, speaking to Latviesi.com, clarifies that the project applications submitted by the organisations were for around half a million euros, but only 179 000 euros were received. “These organisations are small Latvian islands in the world, but their existence is threatened because without funding they rely solely on volunteer work. You have to be very patriotic to work only on a voluntary basis without funding, even for events,” says M. Muižarājs. “If such organisations cease to function, assimilation will take effect.”

Read the full article here: Zemā finansējuma dēļ pastāv draudi diasporas pazaudēšanai (latviesi.com)

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