An Englishman in Latvia

In a polarising world, this podcast episode will cover a sensitive and difficult topic: Russians in Latvia. Since February 2022, when Russia again attacked Ukraine, the question of the allegiance of Latvian-resident Russians has been a main political topic. Latvian laws have been tightened on residency, cross-border business and travel to and from Russia. You would need the rigour of a distinguished professor not to take sides. As someone who was a diplomat and then worked in human rights law, I will try to give a balanced perspective.

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The Latvian animation Flow is a ground-breaking independent film that has disrupted high-profile, big-budget international productions with its visual storytelling techniques about survival, trust and collaboration. It has already won a Golden Globe and is up for two BAFTAs and two Oscars. It is a source of pride to most Latvians. Let me tell you more about this uniquely Latvian film.

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Mežaparks is a suburb of Rīga, Latvia's capital. It is a beautiful area of villas, a forest park, and a zoo. The Englishman George Armitstead, while Mayor of Rīga, created it in 1901 as the first Garden City in the world. Join me as we explore this delightful neighbourhood of Rīga and learn of its fascinating history. Walk with me through the park, as people have done for over 100 years. Join me on a visit to the zoo. Let’s also dig deep into what the great man George Armitstead accomplished with his vision for a garden city.

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Sir Stephen Tallents was a distinguished British civil servant and a trailblazer in public relations. I focus on his work in Latvia between 1919 - 1920.   Due to his skill and determination, he assisted Latvia and the other newly independent Baltic States to achieve peace and prosperity for 20 years. His story is fascinating. 
Join me as we learn more about the man and how he operated, like how he created the Tallents Line border between Latvia and Estonia. We will even visit the town that Tallents divided, Valka/Valga.

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Latvia has a rich music scene, from classical music to the internationally acclaimed Song and Dance Festival, ancient folklore dainas, and a thriving popular music culture. In 2000, Latvia even came third in the Eurovision Song Contest! Not bad for a country of 1.8 million people.

In this episode, we will explore the folklore, classical and popular music of Latvia. I will tell a few stories from the 1990s and the present day. Join me on a musical journey!

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For a visitor to Latvia, there is a massive choice of public transport. From trains, buses, smaller mini-buses, trolleybuses, trams, and coaches. There are also a few taxis. A few of these forms of public transport are brand-new. Many give you a feel for life during the Soviet occupation. There was even a song written about my favourite tram line! Let’s take a deep dive into public transport in Latvia. With a story or two to bring the topic to life.

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Latvia is a nation that loves sport. it has achieved outstanding sporting success. We will examine that success. We will look at the most popular sports in Latvia, some Latvian sporting heroes, and share some of the proud glory from 2023’s success in ice hockey and basketball. Above all, I wanted to discover why this small country was so good at certain sports. 

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The Suiti are a 400-year-old ethnic Latvian group. They are Catholic people in the centre of the Kurzeme region in western Latvia, surrounded by Lutherans.  They preserved their culture over the years by never marrying someone from a different ethnic group or religion. This has resulted in the Suiti developing distinct traditions. The Suiti are creative people with fantastic fabric designs. Their culture has been recognised internationally by UNESCO.
We explore Alsunga and find out more about the Suiti: their traditions, culture, textiles and costumes, and drone singing and bagpipes.

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Anatole ‘Tony’ Lapine lived a dream to be a great car designer. He was chief designer at Porsche for nearly 20 years, one of only four chief designers at the car maker since it was founded exactly 75 years ago. He had a hand in shaping some of the most impressive and iconic sports cars ever. Despite being a refugee from war-torn Latvia, his story is a remarkable one of ambition backed up by hard work, a bit of luck and a sense of humour.

Let’s explore his story, look at the cars he designed for Porsche and marvel at the pink Porsche racing car with its body painted like a butcher’s drawing of the parts of a pig, which was recently displayed at Riga Motor Museum in an exhibition in his honour. Anatole ‘Tony’ Lapine, the Latvian who made pigs fly.

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On a bright weekend at the end of September, I went to Kuldīga. The town was buzzing with people, strolling the cobbled streets, sitting at cafes, walking down to the waterfall. The small electric tourist buses were full. Why? Kuldīga had been added to the UNESCO World Heritage list a few weeks beforehand. In tourism terms, that is a huge thing.
We will look at Kuldīga's journey to gain this designation. We will explore what you can see and do in Kuldīga. Come with me to Kuldīga, the small, unspoilt and beautifully preserved town in the west of Latvia.

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