SAESC.EKÜK loeng, “Meie Kodu” Hall, Vancouver
On February 16, the Vancouver Estonian community had the privilege of hearing Dr. Kadri Tüür’s talk on two Estonian authors, Raissa Kõvamees and Aadu Hint. Raissa and her family escaped to Sweden from Muhu, Estonia in 1944. Aadu Hint remained in Estonia. Both authors wrote about Estonians and others who relocated to the west coast of Canada.
The lecture had special significance to the Vancouver Estonian community because Raissa Kõvamees had immigrated to Vancouver where she lived a quiet life until her death in 1989. Her daughter, Dr. Juta Kõvamees Kitching (SAESC.EKÜK president for 40 years), was very keen to host Kadri and her children since Kadri, currently living in Toronto for the year, was “so close”. The event was especially poignant because Juta listened to the livestream while in hospice and, sadly, passed away two days later.
Interesting facts… In 1981, SAESC.EKÜK was incorporated in BC. Subsequently, Juta together with the SAESC.EKÜK Board established the Estonian Studies Chair at Simon Fraser University. Dr. Toomas H. Ilves, before he became the Estonian president, was one of the guest lecturers. The Chair was moved to the University of British Columbia where Juta continued to be the lead lecturer. Eventually the Chair moved to the University of Toronto where it continues to this day. Dr. Kadri Tüür is the current guest lecturer.
[Raissa Kõvamees'] works often included a large interconnected community, strong female characters, and relationships that crossed three generations. Raissa began writing in Estonia, but the war and resultant turmoil brought a pause to her creative endeavours.
The audience in the “Meie Kodu” hall was held captive by Kadri’s friendly style and the wealth of information she shared, one example being patterns found in Raissa’s writings. Her works often included a large interconnected community, strong female characters, and relationships that crossed three generations. Raissa began writing in Estonia, but the war and resultant turmoil brought a pause to her creative endeavours. Once settled in Vancouver, she picked up her pen and continued to add to her body of work.
After the lecture everyone was invited to kohvilaud to meet and greet Kadri and continue the conversation. Many had stories of their own to share. The event was a great success and we thank Kadri for bringing us a fascinating presentation that helped us learn more about Raissa, a member of our own community.
Astrid Kirves and Lilian Olljum
