Laima Vincė. My first Lithuanian folk dance festival – as veterans of Lithuanian folk dance festivals like to say – took place in Cleveland in 1984. I danced with “Liepsna” from Elizabeth, New Jersey. We’d dance in the church hall, just like all over the United States and Canada, young …
Read More »There is no alternative: We must win A conversation with Jonas Ohman
Jonas Ohman is a legendary figure in Lithuania. Born and raised a Swede, he first arrived in Lithuania in the early 1990s as a student. Then he knew nothing about the country except that it was occupied by the Soviet Union. He was impressed with how ordinary Lithuanians faced down …
Read More »To Ukraine: A Lithuanian Volunteer
Linas Jegelevičius. The current invasion of Ukraine shook Richard, a 30-year-old Lithuanian, to the core of his being. Emboldened by the bravery of Kyiv’s defenders, he resolved to join the Ukrainian military forces in their struggle against the invading Russian army. “Richard” is a pseudonym; he asked not to be …
Read More »Emanuelis Zingeris. An Eyewitness Recalls – 31 Years of Independence and Counting
Linas Jegelevičius. Statesman Emanuelis Zingeris, a signatory of the March 11, 1990 Act of the Restoration of Lithuania’s Independence, is serving his seventh term as a Member of Parliament, the Seimas. Zingeris is also vice-chairman of the Human Rights and Legal Affairs Committee in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council …
Read More »Bestselling author Gediminas Kulikauskas: Publishing is like a lottery
Linas Jegelevičius, Representing Draugas News in Lithuania. There are books that are so riveting that you just can’t put them down. Two books by Gediminas Kulikauskas, Contraband of Oranges and The Lithuanian Code, both bestsellers, are among my favorite reads. Their author, who also wrote, Electricity Boycott and The Republic …
Read More »A Corona warrior
Ona Daugirdas. During this uncertain time caused by the coronavirus pandemic, every one of us is concerned with our own safety. We are re-organizing our lives, shielding ourselves from the potentially sick to avoid infection. It is easy to forget that this strategy is not an option for medical personnel, …
Read More »Birutė Mary Galdikas and her Fight for the Orangutans (LH interview)
Editor’s prologue: Lithuanian Heritage published an article by Tom Gregg about celebrated Canadian/ American-Lithuanian anthropologist Dr. Birutė Mary Galdikas in the November/December 1998 issue. In preparation for this follow-up interview, I extracted that article and put it on our website in the open access area: www.draugas.org/extracts/bgaldikas.pdf. We also viewed the …
Read More »AN INTERVIEW WITH President Valdas Adamkus
Our Draugas correspondent, Vitalius Zaikauskas, met up with President Adamkus in Lithuania and engaged him in a candid conversation about his legacy, the future of Lithuania, and its ongoing struggles. President, we meet again after some two years. Presently we are commemorating Lithuania’s Independence Day this month. Do you have …
Read More »Growing up Lithuanian on a Tobacco Farm. An interview with Sigita Bersėnas Balzekas
Background: Sigita’s parents owned a tobacco and apple farm near Mt. Brydges, Ontario, from the early 1950s until the late 1970s, when the farm was expropriated for the construction of a divided-lane highway linking Sarnia and London. LH: Could you give a brief history of your family and how they …
Read More »From Vilnius back to Chicago. Going Global. An interview with Marijus Gudynas
Virginija Petrauskienė. The Chicago-based Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture has announced that the 2018 “Man of the Year” is Marijus Gudynas, diplomat and Director of the Department of Lithuanians Living Abroad at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Lithuania. Most recently he successfully served as Lithuania’s Consul General in …
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