Lithuania
Vilnius, Вiльнюс or ווילנע: spotlight on Lithuanian capital’s tiny ethnic communities
Lithuania has enjoyed a rich multicultural heritage since being part of the Grand Duchy. Independence was restored for the third time in its history after the collapse of the soviet union in 1990. The motto of this second republic echoes the European union, which the northern country became a member state of in 2004 - ‘Tautos jega vienybeje!’, or ‘strength through unity’ (to the EU’s ‘united through diversity’). A Spanish-Italian-French-German-Russian-British team of journalists and photographers take the temperature of multiculturalism in ‘Vilna’ by focusing on the Jewish (0.3%), Belarusian (1.3%) and Baltic Roma (0.1%) populations. In the capital, Vilnius, dynamic 'foreigners' gradually make a name for themselves in institutions as varied as universities, NGOs, bookshops and nightclubs. In images, we draw multicultural parallels with the buildings which occupy just under a third of the city’s area (Image: (cc) Severin Sadjina/ flickr)
- Read the special edition Vilnius, Вiльнюс or ווילנע: spotlight on Lithuanian capital’s tiny ethnic communities
- Ladies what oppose Belarus in Vilnius
- From San Diego to Vilnius: all Jew you need for a library in Lithuania
- Kirtimai: Lithuania's Roma on education and 'missing England'
- Nightlife in Vilnius: ethnic minority benders
Pan-Slavism, Slovio and Polish the 'status symbol'
The Slavic languages all have their roots in Proto-Slavic. Since the twelfth century, however, they have drifted apart. One of them reached its zenith in the seventeenth century: Polish
lithuania, russian federation, belarus, tower of babel, ukraine, alcohol, languages
Poland, Lithuania, Romania: inside Europe's Guantanamo Bays
A white horse struggles to drag itself along after abandoning the exhausted body of Vincent Gallo through the snow. The animal is soiled with human blood. Such is the breathtaking epilogue of Essential Killing, the latest feature length film from Jerzy Skolimowski, where the American actor portrays a Taliban deported to a secret CIA base hidden in a forest in Mazovie, Poland. In the screenplay by the Polish writer, the prisoner still has the possibility to escape. Terrorist suspects who land in total secrecy in the airport of Szymany in Poland do not have such luck. An investigation ensues.
lithuania, cia flights, abuses, lech kaczynski, romania, guantánamo, human rights
Smelling Lithuania: perfume new 'national symbol'
The Lithuanian foreign ministry is angling for something more than its tired coat of arms – evoke musk, moss and you’re halfway to the 'Smell of Lithuania', which has already reached the nostrils of international ambassadors and soldiers in Afghanistan. Tourists are next to be sprayed
Polish vs Lithuanian language: is your surname 'bitch' or 'vulva'?
Whilst the likes of The Economist alarmedly predict a major energy-security-everything conflict between Lithuania and Poland over spelling, many in both countries aren’t even aware that the issue has reached such diplomatic heights. In fact Poles in general might be unaware of it at all - language dispute of the week
lithuania, integration, name, law, tower of babel, languages, poland
Vilnius: 'Jerusalem of Lithuania'
Tired after a busy day and prepared for a casual chat, I meet a summer school student, with whom I've arranged to do Hebrew language tandem. 'Do you mind keeping me company to go to the synagogue?' Apparently, the person is a second year convert-in-progress to Judaism. 'Umm, my skirt is kind of short for that...' Anecdote from cafebabel.com blog ‘Wonderland'
lithuania, university, religion, lifestyle, judaism, vilnius, society
How to deal with the tropical climes of Lithuania
Come to Lithuania if you doubt climate change. -22 degrees in winter, torrid floods in spring and unprecedented mosquito and pollen attacks in a summer with rains storms and plus 30 degree heat. How do people cope? Anecdote from cafebabel.com expat blogger ‘Wonderland'
Diary: Vilnius and I, reluctant bedfellows
The passion evaporated years ago, after the capital became expensive and inconvenient to live in, or maybe since I stopped being a student. However, jobs for a social science graduate with a Lithuanian passport are here. Anecdote from cafebabel.com expat blogger 'Wonderland
lithuania, identity, diary, expatriation, expatriates, graduation, vilnius
Vilnius, crisis from beginning to end
Does crisis come in twos? There's always a definite serving of anger, often directed against 'the others'. It might come in threes too, because apathy is never far behind, which in the darkest of cases can lead to the deliberative loss of one's own life – why does Lithuania have the highest suicide rate in Europe? Less dramatically, it can force the fresher, younger ones to emigrate for brighter horizons. When six pan-European journalists spent a few days under the watchful eye of an Icelandic volcano in Vilnius in April, they encountered these different facets of the economic crisis (Image: ©Pablo Pecora – PnP!/ Flickr)
Diary: a Lithuanian checks in at Tel Aviv airport
Many people have complained it took lots of time for them to leave Israel. I was a rather unclear case, and being a woman from eastern Europe often spells trouble. Anecdote from cafebabel.com blog 'Wonderland'
Perspective: what has the EU done for LGBT rights?
The international day against homophobia and transphobia is celebrated on 17 May in over fifty countries around the world, and as the Baltic Pride parade in Lithuania on 8 May showed, people are taking action in even the most homophobic places
lithuania, gay rights, brussels, homosexuality, human rights, european union, society
Babelblogs on bureaucracy: a Lithuanian looks for medical help in Tel Aviv
Health insurance is not institutionally universal here in Israel. My advice? Don't go to live in Israel unless you're perfectly healthy and have no inclination towards extreme sports, and so on. And don't wear high-heels, just in case
lithuania, health, expatriation, communication , support, bureaucracy, tel aviv
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