The last wave of emigration was “too abundant”
According to Professor A. Eidinto, he started writing the book because of the excessive wave of the last emigration.
“The impetus was to get such free time to somehow dance to the current wave of emigration, unexpectedly abundant, too abundant. And even evoking such very restless thoughts. During the 30 years of independence, when no one persecuted the Lithuanian nation, did not persecute Lithuanian schools, nothing is forbidden. And a million people leave a free, democratic Lithuania abroad. And in part, maybe we don’t consider the EU abroad anymore, then the situation is not so tragic yet, “said the historian.
He said the last wave of emigration was “too abundant”.
“And because of that, I somehow wanted to compare to the former wave of mass emigration,” he explained.
For example, in the interwar period, about 100,000 Lithuanians emigrated from Independent Lithuania, which was caused by difficult economic reasons. But the current wave of emigration has not stopped either.
“This is not a huge number, that desire to emigrate was, the situation in Lithuania’s economic between the wars was not easy. But now there is a wave of mass emigration that has not stopped yet. We can comfort him that he has stopped, that he has started to return more, but such tendencies have not been recorded yet, ”said historian A. Eidintas in the discussion.
Alfonsas Eidintas
© DELFI / Valdas Kopūstas
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He said that in the third wave of emigration, new directions emerged – Ireland, Spain, Norway. The historian said that the incentive to go abroad in search of happiness has also become an invitation to relatives and friends to come.
And although Lithuanian schools, societies and professional societies are emerging in new directions of emigration, painful problems remain.
“His emigration such negative phenomena as there are, for example, what I have observed in Norway. They come completely unregistered, cross forests, work in agriculture, do not get any money into pension funds, are they insured or trained.
It is extremely unfortunate for such people to be taken out and agitated by such recruitment companies. Does anyone check them, register them, do they receive their earned money, or only a part of them, ”said Professor and historian A. Eidintas at the presentation of his book.
He said “human trafficking” was already beginning here.
“The transportation of young girls for sex work also fits into emigration, and the chain of crimes that goes along with emigration begins. Because there are a lot of problems, I decided to write that book as well, ”the historian and author of the book A. Eidintas presented his position at the event.
What will Lithuania be like in 100 years?
Historian A. Eidintas urged the participants of the discussion to ask a simple question – are not too many Lithuanians leaving the country.
“Maybe that’s how the question should be asked – do I really need to leave. If I want to live like the United States, do I need to create the United States in Lithuania? Have I tried everything already, even if it doesn’t work out. That part leaves and emigrates, gains experience there, everything is in order. But because there is no retroactive effect, “he regretted.
© DELFI / Josvydas Elinskas
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The historian considered whether Lithuania would remain a Lithuanian-speaking state.
“The main problem that I would see and where to start talking is that the birth rate has doubled in 30 years, as the population of Lithuania has been declining since 1992, a situation arises that Residents of Lithuania dissolves.
This is felt by the economy, culture, all spheres, especially small towns. The question arises – will Lithuania remain a Lithuanian-speaking state? Anyone will live in that area, but will Lithuanians return? How much is needed to return so that the population will at least not decrease, “said A. Eidintas.
According to him, the future of the country is most worrying.
“After 100 years, I would be very saddened by Lithuania, which would have a population of only 1.5 million. And the dream would be Lithuania with a population of 3.5 million. And we are talking about maintaining a Lithuanian-speaking Lithuania, ”he said in the discussion.
“According to my calculations, if 200 thousand. Lithuanians will return will be fine. It will be very good, ”said the historian A. Eidintas.
What repels?
Jūratė Caspersen, the chairwoman of the board of the Lithuanian community in Switzerland, said in the discussion that she was more in favor of the pessimistic scenario of Lithuania after 100 years.
“Will you speak Lithuanian in Lithuania? There is a big question here, because especially now, as never before, we are now focusing in Lithuanian schools on language levels, on exams, on admission to higher education, and not on language learning. So that they come to Lithuania to understand the environment. But it is not clear whether it will help us to remain Lithuanians, “J. Caspersen said in his first remark.
The author of the book, Professor A. Eidintas, raised the question of why compatriots living abroad are not interested in Lithuanian affairs. J. Caspersen, Chair of the Board of the Lithuanian Community in Switzerland, also provided a possible answer.
According to her, it is not necessary to demand this from the debtors, because it becomes a kind of rejection factor.
“My second insight is why Lithuanians do not respond to Lithuanian affairs abroad. Here is a more complicated answer, but after almost 30 years of living outside Lithuania, I come to the conclusion that there are first two reasons. The first is that after leaving Lithuania in the 3rd wave of emigration, their establishment abroad is extremely difficult. They give their whole lives to it. And when such signals come from Lithuania, calling for investment, promotion of tourism, yet another and another.
Then you think, what is Lithuania now? Is it a foreign Lithuanian employment agency? You need to understand those people that they went out to build their lives for. Yes, when they can, they will turn to Lithuania. But to demand from them as from borrowers …? Here I think is one of the rejection factors. And the other – Lithuania is neither occupied nor scared, it has to take care of its people first, it is a huge exclusion, ”J. Caspersen said in the discussion.
© DELFI / Dainius Sinkevičius
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She said that the Swiss who came to Lithuania were surprised by the richness of the big cities, they assured that the problems of the country in question were not visible in them.
No need to dramatize?
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs took part in the discussion Egidijus Meilūnas called not to dramatize.
“It simply came to our notice then. People left for a variety of reasons, for economic reasons, yes, for others. But a lot comes back, “he explained.
The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured that the current government is trying to create a unified information system that would help compatriots returning to Lithuania.
“One hundred years from now, we can bet that 2121 will live a little more than 4 million people in Lithuania,” he said.
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