Belarusians in Latvia

In 1920, there were 75 thousand Belarusians in Latvia ^[3] , but after five years - 38 thousand ^[4] . In 1930, this number decreased to 36 thousand ^[3] .

After the proclamation of the Republic of Latvia, several cultural and educational societies were created (“Fatherland”, “Belarusian Hut”, “Run”, etc.), about 40 schools, two Belarusian gymnasiums, two theaters in Riga and Daugavpils , the newspaper “Voice of Belarus” and several magazines.

After the 1934 coup, Belarusian education began to curtail (in 1941-1944 it still existed ^[5] , in particular, in the Varnavichy of the Kaplav volost ^[6] ) and was not restored after the Second World War.

According to the 1935 census, 26.9 thousand Belarusians (1.4%) lived in Latvia. In some townships and cities of southern Latgale and Ilukst county, the number of Latvians artificially increased due to Belarusians, Poles and Russians ^[3] .

The 1959 census - 61.6 thousand Belarusians (2.9%) ^[7] . The 1970 census is 95.9 thousand Belarusians (4.0%) ^[7] . The 1979 census is 111.5 thousand Belarusians (4.5%) ^[7] .

Outstanding representatives of the Belarusian minority of Latvia were Vladimir Pigulevsky , Ivan Kraskovsky , Konstantin Ezovitov , Sergey Sakharov , Edward Vaivodish , , Vera Voityulevich, Stanislav Volodko , Emilia Kazak-Kazakevich, , Boris Kostonenko, Lyudmi Kraskovskaya, Igor Kunigel, Pavlina Myadyolka , , , ^[8] .

Community Activity

Since the time of perestroika, the Belarussian societies Svitanak and Pramen were created in Riga, Uzdym in Daugavpils, Spadchyna in Ventspils. In 2003, the city societies of Riga, Daugavpils, Liepaja and Ventspils merged into the Union of Belarusians of Latvia , which began to initiate the creation of Belarusian societies in other cities and regions. By 2014, it united 13 Belarusian societies and 2 Slavic, becoming the largest national-cultural association in Latvia. In 2011, for the first time since the restoration of Latvia’s independence, the Belarusian diaspora nominated its candidate for parliament, member of the Board of the SBL and the head of the Pramen Riga society, Elena Lazareva . She was elected to the 11th Saeima and then also became a deputy of the 12th Saeima of the Republic of Latvia.

The Belarusians of Latvia is the only national diaspora in Latvia that has its own media outlet - the newspaper Pramen, which has been published quarterly since December 27, 1994.

Strength and Trends

The 1989 census is 119.7 thousand Belarusians (4.5%) ^[9] .

With the general decline in the population of Latvia after independence, the number of Belarusians fell particularly sharply - a considerable part due to the departure from the country of Belarusians who arrived in the last decades of the USSR and did not take root in Latvia.

The 2000 census is 97.1 thousand Belarusians (4.1%) ^[9] .

According to estimates at the beginning of 2010, 80,259 Belarusians lived in the republic. The largest group of Belarusians is concentrated in Riga (29 599 people). 18,096 Belarusians lived in Latgale , including 8206 in Daugavpils, 2203 in Daugavpils, 5,224 in Kraslava (16.3% of the population) ^[10] . By 2017, the total number of Belarusians fell to 64,257 people ^[11] .

Latvian Belarusians speak mainly Russian. According to the 2000 census, out of 97,150 Belarusians of the republic, only 18,265 (18.8%) named the Belarusian language as their native language, but 70,717 (72.8%) were Russian-speaking. Belarusians with their native Latvian language, there were 6347 people (6.5%) ^[12] .

The number of Belarusians is declining quite quickly, which is caused both by mass emigration in the post-Soviet period, and by intensive assimilation processes and a huge natural decline. If in 1990 the birth rate among the Latvian Belarusians exceeded the death rate, then by 2008 the death rate was three times higher than the birth rate. For comparison, in Latvians in 2008, mortality exceeded the birth rate "only" by 6.6%. In 2011-2017, the Belarusian population decreased by 14.7%, while the Russian population - by 12.3%, and the Latvian - by 3.8% ^[11] .

Comparing the total decrease in the Belarusian population during the census period and the dynamics of the actual number of the diaspora, it can be stated that only in 1989-2000 it decreased by about 7 thousand due to natural decline and by 15 thousand due to emigration and assimilation. Currently, the migration loss among Belarusians remains, but the scale of the outflow has significantly decreased compared to the 1990s.

The development of assimilation processes among the Latvian Belarusians is due to the wide spread of mixed marriages. According to the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia, the share of mixed marriages among Belarusians in 2008 reached 89.8% (in previous years it was only rarely below 90%) ^[13] . In light of the foregoing, the demographic future of Belarusians in the republic seems very bleak.

Education

There is one main (1–9 grades) Belarusian school in Riga ; training is mixed in Belarusian, Latvian and Russian. In 2017 - 157 students. ^[14] .

Belarus annually provides a quota of 10 places to study at its universities, but it has never been fully used.

In some Latgale schools, children are given the opportunity to study Belarusian traditions in electives and circles ^[15] .

• Goldmanis M. Baltkrievu diskurss latviešu presē (1920–1934): izpratnes evolūcija par baltkrieviem kā pastavīgu nacionālo minoritāti // Daugavpils universitātes 56. Starptautiski zinātniskās conferences rakstu krātums Scientific, conference rakstu krātums 56 University Part C "Humanities". - Daugavpils: Daugavpils universitāte, 2014 .-- Lp. 166-174.
• Kazachonak K. Cooperation of Latvian Belarusians with the Non-Belarusian political organizations of Latvia in 1928-1931 // Almanac of Northern European and Baltic Studies. Issue 1, 2016, DOI: 10.15393 / j103.art.2016.461
• Gabranova Yu. Belarusians and the language situation in Latvia (in the aspect of bilingual education) Russian Philology № 26 Tartu, 2015. ISSN 2228-4494
• Apine I. The place of the Belarusians of Latvia among other nations. Belarusian melon. Yak pasrednitsa ў melodius tsyvilіzatsy: Materyaly III. kangresa Belarusa "Belarusian culture ў dyyalogu tsyvilіzatsy". "Belarus Knigazbor", Minsk, 2001, ISBN 985-6638-15-1
• Jekabsons E. Belarusians in Latvia in 1918-1940 / Belarusian dyyaspara yak pasrednitsa ў dyyalogu tsyvilizatsy. Materyaly III of the International Kangres of Belarus. Minsk: Belarus Knigazbor, 2001, 47-71 pp.
• Stepanovich V. Belorussian clever orphan girl // “Hour” , 07/03/2007.
• Zeile P. Latvian culture and culture in Latvia in the 20-30s of the XX century "We are in Latvia". Riga, Zvaigzne, 1989. ISBN 5-405-00347-6
• Celešs V. Baltkrievu saknes un integrācija Latvijā 2004 (Latvian)
• Kryvіtskіya runes: Belarus_pismennіkі Latvіі / Panіznіk Syarhei (laid down and pradmova). - Mn. : Belarus Knigazbor, 2003. - ISBN 985-6730-29-5 .

• The Belarusian Diaspora of Latvia on the portal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus
• Union of Belarusians of Latvia (Belorussian) (Russian)
• Latvian Society of Belarusian Culture “Svitanak” (Belarusian) (Latvian)
• The program of the Belarusian list in the elections of the Saeima of Latvia in 1925