Academic Centre
On March 6, scholarship recipients of the Latvian University (UL) fund, Anželika Litvinoviča and Timurs Ragozins, met with their scholarship's "Ceļamaize Latgale" benefactor Pīters Aloizs Ragaušs. In an informal setting, the scholarship recipients engaged in deep and valuable discussions with the benefactor about Latgale, education, and several other values.
Anželika Litvinoviča, a scholarship recipient and student of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Latvian University, speaks about the meeting.
“In recent years, I have been studying and analyzing my understanding of regional belonging, identity, and culture. The conversation with the benefactor, his special contribution to spreading the name of Latgale in the world, as well as enriching the cultural space with Latgalian culture, inspired me greatly and made me reflect on how I can be even more useful to my native Latgale. During our conversation, I mentioned that I try to be socially active in Daugavpils, despite studying in Riga for half a year now, in the Communication Science study program at the Faculty of Social Sciences at UL. I know that I must never forget my hometown because people often have prejudices about Daugavpils and its people, but I would like both the image of Latgale and Daugavpils to become much more positive in the eyes of all Latvian residents. I would like the essence of the cities in Latgale to be represented by active, modern-thinking people, not problematic politicians. Young people definitely play a huge role in these changes, so I consider it my duty not to remain indifferent.
Thanks to Pīters Aloizs Ragaušs, I gained extra motivation and realized that it is especially important not to be afraid to take risks. During the meeting we talked a lot about the world's first Latgalian series "FATI"; our benefactor was one if its main supporters. The series "FATI" won the Latgalian Culture Award "Boņuks 2022". The award ceremony took place on 4 March, and Pīters Ragaušs also spoke at the ceremony. The second creator and supporter of the idea, Arnis Slabožaņins, a musician and public activist, addressed the audience remotely. He spoke to everyone who was involved in the process of creating the series: "Thank you for supporting me in this adventure!". I believe that this statement accurately reflects how important it is to take risks and implement ideas, especially when there are people with similar thoughts and values around - everything will definitely work out. The story of the creation and development of "FATI" seems unique to me and makes me proud of the people who come from my region and my city. I am convinced that the success story of "FATI" could be the beginning of a new cultural era in Latgale. People both in Latvia and around the world will start to take more interest in our culture, and we will also be able to feel more connected to our cultural and historical region. This will allow Daugavpils to integrate more into it. It will definitely be an excellent opportunity for Daugavpils to grow and develop, and I want to be a part of this beautiful process.
What inspires me the most is that so many people invested their time, energy, and soul into creating this series. This includes the patron, Pīters Ragaušs. I am proud of the Daugavpils theatre actors who took on so much, mainly out of love for Latgalian culture and language. During conversations with the patron, I also mentioned that I admire actors such as Vadims Bogdanovs and Kristīne Veinšteina, for their versatile contributions to both the growth of Daugavpils and Latgale. It is important and valuable that cultural people also engage in public activism because they are leaders whom people are willing to listen to.
Overall, the meeting with the benefactor was very informative and valuable, but at the same time sincere. He encouraged us to use various opportunities, such as going to work in the US for 12 months after graduation under the special Baltic-American Freedom Foundation program. There were interesting discussions about cultural and political events in Latgale, as well as history. We also talked about how the patron popularizes the cultures of Latvia and Latgale in the US, for example, by providing special Latgalian film screenings, organizing the 18 November celebrations, and other various activities. He also mentioned that he plans to organize screenings of "FATI," the Latgalian series, in the US. I am very grateful to the University of Latvia Foundation and patron Pīters Aloizs Ragaušs for this excellent opportunity to meet, to talk about the most important things. This meeting gave me some truly strong motivation to become a person who will fight for their values and a better future for everyone, paying special attention to my native Latgale."
Meanwhile, the University of Latvia Foundation scholarship recipient Timurs Ragozins shares his feedback!
"During the meeting, I have thought about how the success a person has achieved in their career path is by no means an obstacle to maintaining relationships with their family. On the contrary, those who continue to cherish the memory of their family and strive for the good of their homeland, regardless of their career path, are people worthy of special attention. For those who have achieved the incredible, it is sometimes said that they are not grateful to their homeland. However, Pīters Aloizs Ragaušs’ life journey is a story of several surprising changes and achievements that create opportunities to support Latgale and, thanks to the patron's interest in this cultural-historical region, improve its cultural space. This inspires me even more to continue developing altruism and enthusiasm in my value system, as I have once again been convinced of how far one can go by not only being focused on one's own success, but also being involved in the development of others.
Thanks to Pīters Aloizs Ragaušs' insights on various aspects of life, I have enriched myself with new reasons to reflect on the direction I have chosen in my life. As a student at the University of Latvia's Faculty of Humanities, I spend a lot of time contemplating a possible career path in the field of language. I have always considered languages to be my passion, having translated songs, articles, and texts on various topics myself, therefore, Pīters Aloizs Ragaušs' story about show translation was particularly captivating to me. Speaking of shows, it is worth mentioning that during the meeting with our benefactor, we had the opportunity to discuss the world's first Latgalian show "FATI," which Pīters Aloizs Ragaušs invested his resources into during its main stages of development. I can only perceive this positively, as someone from Latgale myself, I never thought that such a great initiative could be developed in our cultural and historical region, which will help Latgale to participate in enriching Latvia's cultural space.
The Latgale "Ceļamaize" benefactor has also inspired us to participate in various initiatives and to take advantage of the opportunities provided by our environment. This led us to apply for a 12-month program in the US after graduating from the university, organized by the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation.
Overall, I am surprised at how full of significant insights this meeting has been. One of the most important things I have learned is that we should never forget our roots. I sincerely hope that in the future, I will be able to become a person who can also provide tremendous support to others and inspire those around me to improve, take risks, and never stop. Nothing is impossible - this is the motto of my life, which has become even more relevant after meeting Pīters Aloizs Ragaušs.
Once again, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the University of Latvia Foundation for the opportunity to meet with the Latgale "Ceļamaize" benefactor!”
