Riga - European Capital of Culture 2014 candidate

even today, nearly 20 years after regaining its independence,Latvia and its capital city still have their share of Soviet-era ‘scars’:abandoned factory sites, industrial waste, and a polluted environmentthat still continues to be an eyesore in a number of places.This is due, in part, to continued careless attitudes and to the lackof a sense of responsibility by a number of people for the environmentaround them.This year, the organizers of the “Great Talka” of 2009 came upwith a very ambitious goal – to continue such voluntary cleanupoperations for at least the next ten years, so that by the 100 th anniversaryof Latvia’s Declaration of Independence in 2018, Latviawill officially have become the ‘Cleanest Country in the World’.While this may seem like a very grand plan, Latvia is a relativelysmall country. And while Latvia may not be the richest country inthe world, one of its greatest assets may one day lie in its pristinenature and tidy city streets.The cleaner our neighbouring countries become, the cleanerwe will also want to be. This applies to every country in Europe,which is why such talka events should be implemented at thewider, European level. We hope that Latvia’s talka movement willhelp to bring Europe’s people closer together in their joint workfor a cleaner environment. We also hope that our neighbouringcountries, as well as the rest of Europe and the rest of the world,will seek to follow our example and take part in a friendly competitionto hold the title of ‘Cleanest Country in the World’.The talka as a collective event, has its roots in ancient ethnographictraditions, which may be why it gained such immediateand massive acceptance in Latvian society. Traditionally, talkaparticipants sang while they worked and then celebrated the workthat they had done. While the times have since changed greatlysince those bygone days, the essence remains the same. Natureis an asset that will never belong to any one person.to bring along a stone or boulder, in order to construct a joint artinstallation – a spiritual symbol that will testify to the aspirationsof the people of Riga, of Latvia and of other countries, for thesoundness of their souls, environment, cities and countries. Theidea for this installation stems Riga’s past history. During the firsthalf of the 17 th century, Riga’s administrators decided that all ofthe city’s streets should be laid with cobblestones in a uniformmanner. Thus, every peasant who visited the city had to bringalong at least two stones from the countryside for covering Riga’sstreets as an ‘entry fee’ or ‘tax.’ However, this time, the bringing ofstones for the construction of Riga’s ECC art installation will be avoluntary affair, in line with Latvian talka traditions.After helping to build the art installation, Riga’s talka participantswill gather at Riga’s Mežaparks open-air stage, in order to celebratea job well done by singing collectively. This stage was recentlyrebuilt and can host more than 100,000 performers andspectators. There, the participants will take part in the culminationof the “Culture Talka” – the 1 st General Song Celebration forSpectators – a massive event in which the public will sing-alongwith various choirs. As we have already mentioned, for the past135 years, each of Latvia’s song celebrations has traditionallybeen attended by about 100,000 people, despite the various regimechanges that the country has experienced, and this songfestival tradition has become one of Latvia’s most potent nationalidentity symbols.Latvia’s National Television would also be involved in broadcastingthis event and has already expressed its readiness to cooperatewith Riga in preparing some of the potential ECC activitiesfor 2014. One idea is to hold a tele-conference at the Mežaparksopen-air stage with cleanup organizers in other European cities,where people can exchange their impressions about their cleanupday at work and its positive results.the great talka or great voluntary cleanup operationwill also become a culture talkaThe organizers of this year’s “Great Talka” have agreed to cooperatewith Riga’s ECC task group in 2014. Riga’s application workgroup has held discussions with Vita Jaunzeme, an organizer ofthe “Great Talka”, on holding a “Culture Talka”, which could closethe environmental cleanup and refurbishment talka of 2014.The day after they finish planting trees, collecting litter, and conductingother tasks, each the cleanup’s participants will be invited132 133