Euroopa traumaatiline mälu – naispagulased ja suurpõgenemine 1944

European Traumatic Memory – Women Refugees during the 1944 Baltic Escape Aim of the project: to introduce and raise awareness of refugee themes, the need for democracy, the dangers of totalitarian regimes, the opportunities and dangers for women in exile, and preservation of identity.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT

This year marks the passing of 80 years since the events of the end of the Second World War in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which triggered the mass exodus of civilians to the West in 1944 to escape the Soviet Union’s communist terror. The primary destination countries for the refugees were Germany and Sweden.

The project European Traumatic Memory – Women Refugees during the 1944 Baltic Escape introduces women’s experiences in connection with the mass exodus of 1944 and their later adaptation in their new host countries. With this goal in mind, seminars, workshops, presentations, performances, exhibitions, and other events will be organized for local young people in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and more broadly for the young people of Europe. All of the events are dedicated to the passing of 80 years since the crisis of war refugees that affected the countries on the shores of the Baltic Sea.
Within the framework of the project, parallels will be drawn with Russia’s current
aggression against Ukraine and the resulting crisis of war refugees.

The Tammepuu Estonian Club has worked out this project to mark the 80 th anniversary of the mass exodus.

Duration of the project (BE1944-CERV-2023 ): March 2024 – May 2025
Recipients of project support financing:
Estonian Institute of Historical Memory, project coordinator
Tammepuu Estonian Club MTÜ, project creator

Cooperation partners:
Estonian Women’s Studies and Resource Centre (Estonia)
Cultural Administration of the Estonian Swedes (Estonia)
Tallinn Secondary School No. 32 (Estonia)
The Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania (Lithuania)
The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia (Latvia)

Budget: 124,220 euros
Contact for further information: Meelis Maripuu, telephone +372 664 5039,
meelis.maripuu@mnemosyne.ee
The project European Traumatic Memory – Women Refugees during the 1944 Baltic Escape is cofinanced by the European Union.