Marking the Latvian book publication of “Roots and Footprints” by the Norwegian professor of social anthropology Thomas Hylland Eriksen, the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia invites to a discussion afternoon taking place on 14 September at 18:00 in the office premises (13/3 Marijas Street, Bergs Bazaar). The discussion will be hosted by social anthropologist Klāvs Sedlenieks from Riga Stradins University. Language of the event - English.  

“Roots and Footprints: The Search for Identity in a Changing Era” delves into the development processes of human identity and looks into the issues of freedom and security - their mutual interaction in contemporary society. Read more >

Five outstanding and very different Nordic films one from each of the Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden are candidates for the coveted NORDIC COUNCIL FILM PRIZE 2010. The prize, worth DKK 350,000, is given to a film which is characterised by being rooted in Nordic culture and of high artistic quality. It must also stand out through its artistic originality, and refine the many elements of film in a convincing and integrated work.

This year's five nominees are:

Ville Lenkkeri Pyramiden stories from Ziemeļu Stāsti on Vimeo.

The Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia in cooperation with the International Summer School of Photography (ISSP) invited to presentation UNDISCOVERED TRUTH by the Finnish photographer Ville Lenkkeri on 10 August, 19.00 at the premises of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia, 13/3 Marijas Str. (Bergs bazaar), Riga. Ville Lenkkeri, one of the most renowned photographers of the new generation, presented his creative projects Reality in the Making (2006) and The Place of No Roads (2009). The conversation hosted the ISSP artistic director Baiba Tetere. http://vimeo.com/14268264

NCM Office in Latvia: A new music festival underway in Riga from Ziemeļu Stāsti on Vimeo.  

If Baltic and Nordic countries agreed on a common position in the most crucial issues, the Baltic Sea Region would have a high chance of becoming the leading player in the EU.

Such is the belief of Latvia’s former prime minister and foreign affairs minister Valdis Birkavs, who has joined forces with the Danish ex-minister of defence, Søren Gade, to devise a plan on the possible future development of Nordic-Baltic cooperation.  

Iceland - from ashes to literature from Ziemeļu Stāsti on Vimeo.  

On 14 June, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, Aivis Ronis, attended the EU Foreign Affairs and General Affairs Council sessions in Luxembourg.

Minister Aivis Ronis expressed his support to the opening of EU accession talks with Iceland and to the anticipated endorsement of Estonia’s eorozone membership.   

Valmiera Business Incubator, a recipient of the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Business Industry grant, has recently completed study trips to 7 business incubators in Norway, Sweden and Estonia.

The skills and ideas obtained during the study visits and the expanded contact network have been greatly appreciated. The whole experience is expected to provide a significant boost for the entrepreneurial milieu in Valmiera and its nearby districts. 

A video art exhibition [EN]CLOSURE will be taking place on floating art galleries BETANOVUSS and NOASS on 12.06. - 27.06. 

The authors of the exhibition are Eva Olsson and Jonas Nilsson - a Swedish artist couple who work with contemporary art, moving image and animation in particular. From time to time they collaborate to create new video works.

Read more >

The international Baltic/Nordic Performance art project Friend_Ship will take place on 10-20 June, with 12 artists from 6 Baltic Sea Region countries making performances in 6 harbours.

Artists from Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden and Denmark will be travelling between the ports, participating in creative labs, making presentations and improvised performances.

Destinations are the following: 10 June in Riga, 12 June in Tallinn, 13 June in Helsinki, 15 June in Stockholm, 18 June in Copenhagen and 20 June in Klaipeda. 

Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aivis Ronis, and Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lene Espersen, have issued a common statement:

"Since the beginning of 1990s, when the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) cooperation framework was established, the outlook of the Baltic Sea region as well as the international geopolitical situation has significantly changed.  

The Nordic Culture Point has announced the first results of the joint Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture in 2010.

Mobility grants for trips to Nordic countries have been received by 7 creative professionals from Latvia: Inese Baranovska, Antra Augustinoviča, Linda Vēbere, Krists Pudzēns, Alīse Nīgale, Margita Zālīte, Inta Balode.  

On 27 May, 18:00 the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office will host Juris Kronbergs' conversations with Nordic authors II.

The title of Thursday's discussion is

ICELAND – FROM ASHES TO LITERATURE  

On 25 May, 18:00 photo exhibition “Water...” by Imants Gross will be opened at the Ventspils Theatre House „Jūras vārti”.

The exhibition draws attention to water as a self-evident part of our everyday lives – its presence in nature as well as its unsparing utilisation in our households.   

On Saturday, 15 May, several hundreds of Rigans watched  a showcase of ecologic cars on the streets of Riga, which was a culmination event of the entire CO2 E-Race Riga project.

The project was designed to increase public awareness in the Baltic States about the global climate crisis and show possible ways to solve it through the latest technologies and creative solutions.    

From 12 May until 5 June the Reykjavik Art Festival is taking place in Iceland, where Latvian photographer Ieva Epnere will be exhibiting her photo series I Would Like to Be…

The series of portraits depicting Icelandic youngsters was made in 2006 during Ieva’s residency in Iceland, which was supported through the Nordic Council of Ministers’ grant program.  

Do you want to have a summer job in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway or Sweden? 

The Nordic exchange programme Nordjobb, co-financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers, now offers young people in EU countries a summer job, accommodation and a culture- and leisure program.

As of year 2010, Nordjobb offers work opportunities to both Nordic and EU citizens.    

“The Nordic region is a spiritual space covering the areas in which a large proportion of people define themselves as Nordic and feel an affinity with the spiritual Nordic community.”

This definition was formulated by Norwegian-born Richard Bærug, who has lived in the Baltic states since the late 1980s and was the first head of the Nordic Information Office in Riga (now – Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia).  

The Tartu Creative Economy Centre has submitted an application to the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Business and Industry for support in organising study trips and a contact seminar in order to boost cooperation in the field of the creative economy.

As part of the support granted, a seminar will be held in Tartu on 17 & 18 June which is designed to establish a contact network of companies involved in the creative economy in the Baltic States and Nordic countries.