Survey raises hope for dual citizenship

Andris Straumanis | 

The recent survey about dual citizenship sent out by Latvia’s integration secretariat has raised in me a glimmer of hope that perhaps I could have another chance. Back before 1995, when it was possible for exile Latvians and their children to regain citizenship in the homeland, I balked. My application was all filled out and I was ready to send it to the embassy in Washington, D.C. But a question nagged at me: Why?

I was just a postage stamp away from becoming a dual citizen, in one hand a U.S. passport and in the other a Latvian passport. Acquaintances argued that to have Latvian citizenship would allow me to vote in the homeland’s parliamentary elections. I wondered why I should be voting for people whom I did not know and who would be making decisions that would affect people living in Latvia, but not me.

What clinched the decision to not apply for dual citizenship was a conversation with a woman who had already sent in her application. I posed to her a hypothetical question: You’re in Latvia, with your U.S. passport in one hand and your Latvian passport in the other, and the Russians invade. What do you do? Her answer was a disappointment: She would take her U.S. passport and head home. So much for the responsibility that citizenship brings.

Now, more than a dozen years later, I am ready for both the responsibility and the privilege of Latvian citizenship. I expect to move to Latvia at some point and having dual citizenship would help the process. And having worked in Latvia, I have experienced what a hassle it is for non-citizens to get paid.

Whispers about the possibility of Latvia reintroducing some aspects of dual citizenship have been heard for about a year. As it stands now, the law forbids most Latvians from holding dual citizenship. So it was a pleasant surprise to receive news last week from the Secretariat of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration of a survey about dual citizenship.

The survey addresses a specific issue, that of granting dual citizenship to children born abroad of Latvian citizens. One proposal from a task force set up by the integration secretariat suggests this might be a way to foster return migration from some of the tens of thousands of Latvians who during the past several years have moved to Ireland and elsewhere.

I hope it’s a way to start an even broader discussion about extending dual citizenship to an even broader constituency—including those from the trimda who let the 1995 deadline slip by.

The secretariat’s survey asks five questions. Here are my answers:

1. Kurā valstī Jūs šobrīd dzīvojat/strādājat? In which country are you currently living or working?

I live and work in the United States, but I would rather be living and working in Latvia. To avoid a heated political argument at this point, let me just remind readers that none of us chooses where we are born.

2. Vai Jūs esat informēts par Sekretariāta darba grupas izstrādātājiem priekšlikumiem kā atgriezt aizbraukušos Latvijas iedzīvotājus dzimtenē? Are you informed about the secretariat’s task force’s proposals for how to get Latvian emigrants back to the homeland?

Yes, but I am a journalist who keeps tabs on things Latvian. I would not be surprised if many of the surveys returned from locations outside of Europe will show a lack of knowledge or interest about these proposals. After all, the proposals are geared to entice back to Latvia those thousands who have left in recent years to seek their fortunes in countries such as Ireland and the United Kingdom, not the children and grandchildren of the exile.

3. Vai atzīstat, ka Sekretariāta ierosinājums – ieviest dubultpilsonību ārvalstīs dzīvojošo Latvijas iedzīvotāju dzimušajiem bērniem – ir nepieciešams? Do you agree with the necessity of the secretariat’s suggestion that dual citizenship be introduced for children born to Latvian citizens abroad?

Yes, if it clarifies the citizenship law. The law already states that a child born to Latvian citizens abroad gets Latvian citizenship. But there is some confusion, because the law also states that someone who becomes a Latvian citizen (for example, through naturalization) cannot be a dual citizen. I say fix the citizenship law, make it possible for people to hold dual citizenship, and expand the list of who can get dual citizenship.

4. Vai minētā dubultpilsonības ieviešana, Jūsuprāt, stimulētu Latvijas iedzīvotāju iesaistīšanos Latvijas demokrātiskajos procesos (vēlēšanās, referendumos u.c.)? Would introduction of the aforementioned dual citizenship, in your opinion, stimulate Latvian citizens to engage in Latvia’s democratic processes (elections, referendums, etc.)?

You’re kidding, right? Citizenship in and of itself is no guarantee of participation in a democratic process, especially if one has little hope or trust in that process. Many people are disenchanted with politics in Latvia. So why don’t they vote for change? Because they have been disappointed so many times before. And the farther away they are from Latvia, the less interested they seem to be. In last year’s parliamentary election, just 542 citizens voted in Ireland—out of tens of thousands who live there. In the United States, where 12,473 Latvians got dual citizenship before the 1995 deadline, the number of voters has decreased with each election. Last year just 1,479 cast ballots, less than half the number back in 1998. A lot more than extending dual citizenship to children will be needed to get folks involved in the political process, perhaps starting with reform of the electoral process.

5. Vai minētā dubultpilsonības ieviešana, Jūsuprāt, kaut kādā veidā stimulētu Latvijas iedzīvotāju atgriešanos Latvijā? In your opinion would the aforementioned introduction of dual citizenship in some way stimulate the return of Latvian residents to Latvia?

I would have to go with the third choice offered by the survey: only together with other efforts to address issues of well-being. Thousands of Latvian citizens have not moved to Ireland in recent years in search of dual citizenship. They have moved there because they are fed up with low wages and the lack of hope in Latvia. Introduction of dual citizenship would work with me and others who want to move to Latvia, but not on those who have willingly moved away. What they need is convincing evidence that life in Latvia would hold as much promise as life in Ireland or elsewhere.

But opening up dual citizenship in a broad way, to the children of Latvians in Ireland and to the children and grandchildren of the exiles, would nonetheless be a step in the right direction. I have to agree with reader Ivars Graudiņš, who wrote in our forums, “Latvians can be supporters of Latvia and things Latvian even when they do not have Latvian citizenship. However, eat your heart out, without citizenship one is marginalized to act for or in behalf of Latvia. Citizenship is a form of empowerment and raises the sense of belonging and responsibility.”

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.

A whole year’s worth of folk songs

Daina Bolšteins | 

Dievsēta ļaudis

The number of Latvian folk music recordings seems to be growing almost as quickly as wild mushrooms after a rainy summer. Some recordings have specific themes, such as war songs or lullabies, while others cover songs from a certain holiday such as Jāņi or the winter solstice. Until now, I have not been aware of a single recording that attempts to incorporate music of the entire Latvian calendar with all of its holidays. A group of Latvian-Americans has filled exactly this shortcoming. An informative new compact disc, Gadskārtu dziesmas, has recently been released by Dievsētas ļaudis (the folks of Dievsēta).

For 30 years a group of Latvians with a keen interest in folk traditions has been gathering at Dievsēta, a property owned by the Latvju dievturu sadraudze in central Wisconsin, to celebrate holidays—not just the popular Jāņi, but also lesser known ones such as Mārtiņi and Meteņi.

The booklet that accompanies the CD is a treasure trove of information. Its 64 pages include English and Latvian language descriptions of the seven holidays represented by songs on the CD, lyrics and notes for all 43 songs, as well as a number of beautiful photographs from Dievsēta. Each song is also described in one or two succinct sentences in English. The following holidays are represented on the recording: Meteņi (5 songs), Lieldienas (5 songs), Ūsiņi (2 songs), Jāņi (7 songs), Apjumības and Miķeļi (7 songs), Mārtiņi (7 songs) and Ziemassvētki (10 songs).

Glancing at the list of individuals who participated in the CD recording, I noticed names of people who have sung or currently sing with folk ensembles based both in the United States and Latvia. Thus, the quality of the music on the recording is actually quite good. The CD contains a variety of a cappella songs by just one person or a group, as well as songs accompanied by a number of different instruments.

One of the things that I love most about some Latvian songs is the imagery. This is most evident in songs about the sun. The fifth track is a Meteņi song called “Saule savus kumeliņus.” As beautifully summarized by the liner notes, “At sunset the sun takes her horses to the sea to swim, while she herself sits at the top of the hill with the golden reins in her hand.” This song has a simple yet lovely melody. On the CD the song is sung a cappella by just one female, which unfortunately makes it sound a bit too plain. But, with more than three dozen songs on the recording, I did find quite a few songs that I greatly enjoyed.

Many listeners might find track 11, “Tumša nakte, zaļa zāle,” of interest. Listeners might assume this song to be a familiar one, as it is the title of a popular folk song that many children learn in school. Yet, one needs to remember the great diversity in Latvian folk music and thus not be surprised that the melody and—indeed—most of the lyrics of this song are different than the one many people will know.

The seven Jāņi songs have a nice variety of melodies. Anyone who ever tries to sing songs at Jāņi could learn something from these. It seems that most Latvians know only one overused, tired melody for līgo songs. One of the Jāņi songs is sung by children, reminding the listener of the importance of passing traditions down to the younger generations.

Two other songs I greatly enjoyed were “Rudzu druva lielījās” (track 20), a song about work sung at Apjumības, and “Laid iekšā, saimeniece” (track 34), a Ziemassvētki song with a great, party-like tempo and sound.

Many Latvians have never celebrated a holiday such as Miķeli, therefore most songs on the recording will be new to listeners. Even as someone who sings with a Latvian folk ensemble and has participated in a number of folklore activities at 3×3 camps, the majority of songs on this CD were unfamiliar to me. This might be a turnoff for some people, as many individuals seem to prefer the familiar to the unfamiliar. Precisely that is the frustrating thing about Latvian folk music: it is ironic that so many Latvians are familiar with only a couple dozen tunes when the wealth of Latvian folklore is in its folk songs, most of which unfortunately go unsung and unheard.

Because these songs have such specific purposes, this is also probably not the type of CD one would listen to over and over again. However, if one has an interest in Latvian folklore and its traditional holidays and in the diversity of Latvian folk music, and has always wondered how a holiday such as Mārtiņi is celebrated, then Gadskārtu dziesmas will be a wonderful addition to one’s music collection.

Details

Gadskārtu dziesmas

Dievsēta ļaudis

Lauska,  2007

ISBN 978-9984-39-187-8

Where to buy

Purchase Gadskārtu dziesmas from BalticShop.

Note: Latvians Online receives a commission on purchases.

U.S. visa waiver is closer, but hurdles remain

Andris Straumanis | 

Latvians citizens may have moved a tiny step closer to gaining visa-free travel privileges to the United States thanks to an agreement in Congress on improving homeland security. However, Latvian officials still have several hurdles to jump—including reducing the rate of refusal for U.S. visas to just 10 percent.

The U.S. Senate in an 85 to 8 vote on July 26 approved a conference report on the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007, a wide-reaching bill that seeks to shore up homeland security in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. The House of Representatives followed on July 27, approving the conference report 371 to 40. President George Bush, despite having some objections over contents of the legislation, is expected to sign the bill once it reaches his desk.

As part of the bill, the Visa Waiver Program is modernized through several measures that eventually could lead to Latvian travelers gaining visa-free entry into the United States. Currently, only 27 countries are included in the program.

Among factors to be considered in allowing a country into the revamped Visa Waiver Program is whether the rate of refusal for nonimmigrant visas is not more than 10 percent during the previous full fiscal year. Under current law, the rate of refusal must be 3 percent or less. The new, higher threshold is balanced with tougher security measures.

In fiscal 2006, Latvia’s rate of refusal stood at 21.6 percent, according to U.S. State Department figures. Estonia’s was 7.1 percent, while Lithuania’s was 27.7 percent.

Both the Senate and House considered bills to implement the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations about homeland security. The Senate’s version, tagged S. 4, prevailed in the conference committee.

The legislation had the grudging support of the American Latvian Association, which the previous week issued an “action alert” asking Latvian-Americans to contact conference committee members to push for the visa waiver language. However, in June the ALA had said it favored another bill over the Senate’s version of the 9/11 Commission bill. The association, in a June 6 statement by ALA Director of Public Affairs Valdis Pavlovskis, objected to the rate of refusal language in the Senate bill.

“This is an excessively high rate and effectively excludes the Baltic countries and most of the new European Union countries from the program,” Pavlovskis wrote of the 10 percent barrier.

The ALA would have preferred H.R. 1543, the Visa Waiver Modernization Act. Introduced March 15 by Democratic Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, the bill was referred March 19 to the Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism and has not been seen since. Rather than a specific rate of refusal figure, the bill called for evidence there is “sustained reduction in visa refusal rates for aliens from the country and conditions exist to continue such reduction.”

The original language of the Senate bill set no limits for the modernized Visa Waiver Program, but like H.R. 1543 sought sustained reduction in visa refusal rates. However, in February the Senate adopted an amendment proposed by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California that imposed the 10 percent barrier.

Calling the Visa Waiver Program “the soft underbelly of our national security,” Feinstein told her colleagues in the Senate how several terrorists, including Zacarias Moussaoui (the “20th hijacker” of Sept. 11) and “shoe bomber” Richard Reid, could easily travel to the United States from France and the United Kingdom with just a passport.

She noted that 13 of the 19 countries that had signed Visa Waiver Roadmap agreements with the United States—including Latvia—had visa refusal rates well above 10 percent.

Latvia and the U.S. government in 2005 agreed to a roadmap to visa-free travel. Under the roadmap, the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs agreed to broaden its information campaign about requirements for travel to the United States, as well as to work closely with the U.S. embassy in Rīga to share information and review progress.

Latvia and six other Eastern and Central European nations have hired lobbyists Dutko Worldwide of Washington, D.C., to press their case in Congress. Latvia’s cost for the lobby firm is about LVL 15,000, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks has said one of the chief missions of new Ambassador Andrejs Pildegovičs is to see to it that Latvia gets accepted to the Visa Waiver Program.

Spokespersons for the ALA and the Embassy of Latvia in Washington were not available for comment.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.