The 10th edition of the Global Estonian virtual forum will be broadcast on Friday, 5 December at 6pm Estonian time (4pm UK time), filmed at Theatrum in Tallinn’s Old Town and hosted by journalist Neeme Raud.
The long-running programme brings together Estonians and Estonian-minded people abroad to discuss how communities stay connected, how they engage with Estonia’s democracy, and what role they can play in a much tenser security climate.
The broadcast opens with young Estonians living abroad, who talk about what they are working on and how life looks outside Estonia. The cameras then move to New York, where Merike Barborak introduces the short film Class 2010 and recalls the documentary projects made by Estonian and American youth at the New York Estonian House.
From there, the focus shifts to politics and participation with a discussion on Estonians abroad and elections. Later in the programme, the video link jumps to Australia to introduce HEIA – Hello Estonians in Australia, a newer initiative aimed at connecting Estonians there.
In the second half, the forum looks at how Estonian communities actually communicate with each other today – via newspapers, social media or podcasts – before switching to Singapore, where Siim Säinas joins via video. The evening ends with a panel on Estonian diplomacy and Estonians worldwide: how to cooperate in a rapidly changing security environment?
Among the participants are Jonatan Vseviov, Karl Altau, Marcus Kolga, Kaisa Kasekamp, Lasse Leminsky, Halliki Kreinin, Renee Meriste, Kristel Alla, Kristi Barrow, Estonian World’s founder Silver Tambur and others. The programme also includes musical performances by Maria Peterson and Eva Eensaar-Tootsen from Theatrum.
The forum is in Estonian with simultaneous English translation. A recording will remain available for those watching from other time zones.
