Author: Ineta Lansdovne
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Nations becoming something more: European perspective
We often hear Christian arguments being mingled with nationalistic rhetorics in current political debates. In the following article, Ineta Lansdovne, as a Latvian who grew up in the Soviet Union, expresses her personal views on the question. From peaceroads.com Sitting in Lähetyskirkko in Helsinki, an old church with a very contemporary and welcoming feel, I…
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Communicative memory through three or four generations of family
I love browsing through my grandmother’s photo albums, especially, searching for visual glimpses of her life before or during World War II, before and during the Soviet, then Nazi and then again Soviet regime. There are not many photos to find.. First of all, they were a simple farming family who did not have many…
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The surreal reality called Putin’s Russia
Why call it ‘surreal’ when it is very real and even dear to millions of people? It continues to look and feel surreal to me ‘on the outside looking in’ or ‘looking over the neighbor’s fence’. Metaphorically speaking. This week I watched a documentary “Putin’s witnesses” by an exiled Ukrainian/Russian filmmaker Vitaly Mansky who now lives in Latvia (which…
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In the church this side of the barricades
In January you expect a real winter in Latvia. Icy sidewalks, snow piles, slush, messy driving… this time of the year I walk the streets of Riga watching every step and practicing good balance. Compared to millions of people currently experiencing the polar vortex in the USA, I guess we cannot complain too much. January…
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2019… What do I see
It is time for New Year’s resolutions and I will confess… I usually don’t make them. I am not good at keeping promises to myself because most of my time and energy is spent trying to keep promises to others and that is difficult enough. But if I was to have my way, I would…