February 5, 2006

A Languish over Language:
One Latvian’s Voice of Concern

By Sherry Harbert

Natalia Yegorova is destined to become a U.S. success story. She possesses all the qualities admired and rewarded in American society. She is intelligent, talented, beautiful and eloquent. As she enters her final semester at Lewis and Clark College, Northwestern School of Law, in Portland, Oregon, she can look forward to a bright future.

It is a future that would have been very different if Yegorova remained in her native Latvia.

Yegorova was born in the Latvian capital, Riga. It is a city as cosmopolitan as Yegorova. Riga is the largest and most diverse city in Latvia. It also reflects much of the hopes and problems of the Baltic region. Riga has survived 800 years of turmoil, unrest and various occupations, yet remains a vibrant city of 800,000 people. Its architecture alone illustrates its rich German, Jewish, Russian and Latvian heritage and is one of the main selling points in most of Riga’s tourist literature.

It would seem Riga offers all the elements of a modern European city. Yet Riga continues to grapple over its multi-cultural identity. With it nearly divided ethnically between Latvians and Russians, Riga reflects the new problem facing Latvia. It is being culturally, economically and politically torn apart as it strives toward its Latvian ideal.

As an ethnic Russian, Yegorova was caught directly in the conflict. It is not a violent conflict or one that is overtly pitting one ethnicity against another. But in its desire to rid itself of its Soviet past, Latvia is systematically closing off its Russian population. In Latvia, language and education have become the keys to success for ethnic Latvians, but are increasingly being used to lock out its Russian population.

Fortunately for Yegorova, it was a new educational opportunity that opened the door for her international experience. She was the first recipient of a Soros Foundation Scholarship in Latvia. The Soros Foundation has set up non-profit organizations in most of the former Soviet-bloc countries to promote open societies. The award brought her to the U.S. for her sophomore year.

“A Latvian bank sponsored the scholarship,” said Yegorova in an interview last summer. “Funny, because I was Russian.” Yegorova’s ability to converse in English helped win her the award and a chance to see what she could do outside of Latvia. She returned to Latvia to finish her last year in high school, then returned to the U.S. to begin her college education.

Yegorova can speak fluent English and French, besides Russian. But she would not have been accepted into law school, let alone a university without passing Latvia’s stringent language and citizenship tests. And without passing the tests, Yegorova was never given Latvian citizenship. Without citizenship, she had no where to go in her own country.

It is a problem facing many of Latvia’s youth. The U.S. and Europe have become the prime destinations for ethnic Russians in Latvia seeking a better life, and for ethnic Latvians seeking better employment. Yegorova expressed her frustration. “I went to the best Russian school in Riga,” she said. “Fifty percent of my class has left Latvia for Europe and the U.S.”

Language has become such a problem in Latvian education because it has gone for decades with dual-language schools. The two largest ethnic groups spoke their own languages, yet learned enough of the other to get by in their daily lives. What has changed recently is Latvia has instituted a Latvia-only language for the state without a realistic transition for its other ethnic populations. What worries Yegorova more is Latvia’s newest law, just passed in last November, requiring all students to be taught in the Latvian language for their last three years of high school.

She characterizes the new laws as unfunded mandates that are having dismal results.

It is most difficult for those students who have been attending Russian schools all their lives and now must be immersed in a different language for their last years of high school. A recent BBC report found that many Russian students and teachers are reverting back to their Russian to get through their courses, placing them in legal jeopardy.

Most Americans may find it difficult to understand the language dilemma. Public education in the U.S. is conducted in English with some English As a Second Language (ESL) classes offered only as an alternative for some minorities. But the U.S. hasn’t been segregated through language like Latvia. The country existed for decades with two separate cultures and languages under the Soviet Union.

All that changed with the break up of the Soviet block. In 1991, when Latvia declared its independence, the government moved swiftly to re-create a Latvian country in every way. In the process, they failed to integrate their 30-percent Russian population. Instead, the Latvians demanded that the Russians drop their past and integrate under Latvian rules.

The result is pulling apart the country, which is a danger to its transition into a democratic flagship in the post-Soviet era. And there are many forces that want it that way.

“It is sad to see the bias,” said Yegorova. “The media is very polarized. The Russian people see one side and the Latvians another.” Her perceptions are reinforced by several surveys conducted in Latvia last year. The Baltic Institute for Social Sciences, funded by the U.S. Embassy in Riga, cited a free press that is systematically dividing the country into pro-Latvian and pro-Russian factions. Latvia’s politicians only reinforce the polarity between the two cultures. But for the Russians, without citizenship, there is no right to vote and hence, no representation in the government for those non-citizens which account for more than half of the Russian population in Latvia.

Even with Latvia’s entry into the European Union in 2004, little has been done to counter the growing segregation. “I am very positive about the EU in five years, but they haven’t done anything to solve the human rights problems in Latvia,” said Yegorova. “There is no overt discrimination, so the EU left it at that. They said it was an internal matter.”

Yegorova’s concerns are well founded. The Council of Europe, an EU committee overseeing democracy, ended its monitoring of Latvia on Dec. 31, 2005, finding no overt problems with Latvia’s democratic policies. But such actions, or more appropriately inaction, only reinforces Latvia’s continuation toward a segregated nation. Russian educators and students submitted their concerns to the EU this fall, but have not been given any meaningful response. Most have resorted to protests, but again are met with little response.

“There is no overt discrimination, so that was good enough,” said Yegorova. She said Latvia has been pressured to ratify conventions on minorities, yet refuses to recognize their Russian population as minorities, thus defeating the purpose of the conventions.

What drives Yegorova is the need to see true integration in her homeland. She sees the past separation of the two majorities in Latvia as a mistake, but also is distrustful of the current Latvian policies for a one-culture nation without viable transitions and safeguards.

Yegorova could simply forget about her past. After all, she is busy enough with her classes, volunteering, student organizations and working as an international business research analyst at a Portland law firm. But her success creates a dilemma. All of her future success would have been impossible if she stayed in Latvia.

That is why Yegorova has made bringing awareness to the problem a priority. “I would not have been able to practice law in Latvia,” she said. “But, I can here.” Even as a student, Yegorova has contributed in many ways. She has participated in Lewis and Clark’s annual Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs, as well as providing international trade, tax and financial analysis for Portland businesses. Her knowledge and skills have helped many U.S. companies understand the international business environment.

It is a global ideal that Yegorova wishes to impart for Latvia. “The dilemma I see is the need for integration, yet preserve the cultures,” said Yegorova. “But the old guard must go before real change can happen.”

Yegorova’s hopes are reflected in many second and third generation Latvians. The BISS study found stark differences in the hopes of the younger Latvians than those middle-aged and older. Much of that optimism is based on Latvia’s entrance into the EU, though Yegorova admits there has been little to show for it at this stage. Like many her age, many Latvians are betting on the future. It is, after all, one of the only things that offers hope.

© 2006 Foreign Interest. All rights reserved.

Suggestions for further investigation:

Baltic news: www.baltictimes.com

Baltic/Russian news: www.en.rian.ru

U.S. Latvian blog from a Latvian perspective: www.allaboutlatvia.com

Contact the author: sharbert@foreigninterest.com