Čikāgas piecīši, a popular music group founded 50 years ago by exiles, has been named this year’s recipient of the top honor bestowed by the World Federation of Free Latvians (Pasaules brīvo latviešu apvienība, or PBLA).

The organization recognized the group “for a half century of success, with humor and affection, reflecting in song the Latvian people’s joys, sorrows and desires in the context of contemporary events,” according to an announcement released Nov. 21.

Čikāgas piecīši was founded in 1961 in by Alberts Legzdiņš and Modris Avotiņš, both of Chicago, and Jānis Rinkuss and Uldis Ievāns, both of Kalamazoo, Mich. The group’s first concert took place in Kalamazoo. Maija Dumpe joined the group soon after. Through the years the group has had more than 25 different members, but Legzdiņš has been a constant presence, serving as both lead singer and composer.

The group has performed in the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and South America, according to the PBLA announcement. Čikāgas piecīši first traveled to Latvia in 1989—two years before the homeland renewed its independence—and was greeted with large audiences. Despite Soviet-imposed restrictions on Western music, the group’s songs reached listeners in Latvia through recordings smuggled into the country and through Voice of America broadcasts.

Čikāgas piecīši has released 12 vinyl recordings, 17 audio cassettes, 10 compact discs, seven videotapes and one book.

The announcement of the PBLA award was made during Independence Day celebrations in Latvian communities around the world. The award was first given in 1963 to stage designer and artist Jānis Kuga (1878-1969). Last year it was presented to Līga Ruperte, founder of the 3×3 culture camp movement.

More than 39,000 registered voters so far have signed on to an initiative to make Russian the second official language of Latvia, according to results released by the Central Election Commission in Rīga.

Through Nov. 14, a total of 39,258 voters in Latvia had given their support to the proposed constitutional amendment. At least 103 more had signed on to the initiative abroad, although data were not available from six of 39 embassies or consulates, election commission spokeswoman Kristīne Bērziņa told Latvians Online.

That brings the total number of signatures to at least 51,894, a figure that includes 12,533 signatures from the petition that started the initiative. Supporters of the constitutional amendment need at least 10 percent of the eligible voters in the last parliamentary election—a total of 154,379 persons—to sign on by Nov. 30. With two weeks to go, they are more than 33 percent of the way to their goal.

Latvian media reports suggest the initiative received a boost when popular Rīga mayor and ethnic Russian Nils Ušakovs added his name to the list of signatures, although he and other leaders of the center-left political party Harmony Centre (Saskaņas centrs) say they continue to back Latvian as the only state language.

“I personally and my party back the idea that in Latvia there is just one state language—Latvian—and as a pragmatic politician I understand that the referendum likely will not be successful,” Ušakovs wrote on the Harmony Centre website. However, Ušakovs said he signed in favor of the amendment to join with the hundreds of thousands of Latvian residents who wish to maintain their self-respect.

Some of Ušakovs’ opponents are now calling for the mayor to step down.

The proposed amendment would change five paragraphs in the constitution, giving Russian equal status to Latvian. The initiative was kicked off when the Russian-oriented “Dzimtā valoda” (Native Language) group submitted a petition to the election commission with 12,533 signatures asking for the constitutional amendment.

Under the constitution, the petition began a process that includes the initiative’s signature campaign running from Nov. 1-30. If enough voters sign on, the amendment will be presented to the Saeima for approval. If MPs were to change the proposed legislation or reject it, the issue would be decided by national referendum.

Of the 39 embassies and consulates where voters abroad can sign the initiative, 16 have seen activity so far, according to election commission data. Most active has been the Latvian embassy in Dublin, Ireland, where 37 had signed by Nov. 14. The embassy in London was next with 33 signatures, followed by the embassy in Moscow with 10.

A list of the locations abroad is available from the Central Election Commission’s website, www.cvk.lv.

The Latvian government should develop a plan to improve and finance relations with the diaspora, a Saeima committee will tell Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis.

The parliament’s Citizenship Law Implementation Committee, chaired by Ilmars Latkovskis of the National Alliance (Nacionālā apvienība “Visu Latvijai!” – “Tēvzemei un Brīvībai/LNNK”), declared Nov. 9 that it also is important to encourage the diaspora’s return to the homeland once economic conditions improve, as well as to foster diaspora’s involvement in solving current issues in Latvia.

“The rapid emigration of Latvia’s residents and the catastrophically low birth rate is a serious problem that will fundamentally affect our country’s future,” Latkovskis said in a statement from the Saeima press office.

Latvia’s population at the start of October stood at 2.209 million, according to the Central Statistical Office in Rīga. That’s a loss of 43,500 people from the same period two years ago, or a decrease of almost 2 percent.

Since Latvia joined the European Union in 2004, tens of thousands of residents have left for other countries in search of work, especially to Ireland and the United Kingdom. In the first nine months of this year, according to the statistical office, a total 15,892 people emigrated from Latvia.

The fertility rate, meanwhile, continues to run low. According the Central Statistical Office, the fertility rate in Latvia during the past 10 years edged up from 1.207 births per woman in 2001 to 1.453 births in 2008. However, the rate dropped to 1.319 births in 2009 and then to 1.177 in 2010. One general benchmark is that a country needs a fertility rate of at least 2.1 births per woman in order to replace its existing population. The last time Latvia recorded fertility rates of about 2.1 was in the mid- to late-1980s.

The Citizenship Law Implementation Committee recently met with Rolands Lappuķe, the new special assignments ambassador for relations with the diaspora. The committee supports the ambassador’s view that the diaspora offers meaningful potential for Latvia’s economic growth and development, according to the statement from the press office.

Among basic tools for maintaining ties to the homeland would be allowing dual citizenship for certain groups, according to the committee. The Saeima’s Legal Affairs Committee recently reintroduced a bill to amend Latvian law to allow dual citizenship in certain cases.

In 2004, the Latvian government approved a five-year plan of cooperation with the diaspora that included LVL 300,000 in annual funding through the Secretariat of the Minister for Special Assignments for Social Integration Affairs (Īpašu uzdevuma ministra sabiedrības integrācijas lietās sekretariāts, or ĪUMSILS). However, ĪUMSILS was eliminated at the end of 2008 as the government slashed the state budget. The secretariat’s responsibilities were distributed to several other ministries.