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In 2015, Latvia celebrates the 150th anniversary of Latvian poets Aspazija and Rainis. Aspazija was one of the first authors in Latvian literature – an advocate for women's rights. She touched upon this issue openly in her plays, full of feministic ideas and a spirit of rebellion. The poem “From the Tribe of Prometheus” (No Prometeja cilts) reminds about the Greek myth of Prometeus who stole fire from the Olympian gods and brought it to people. He also taught them various crafts and the skills of writing and reading. Aspazija is also ready to bring light, knowledge and the fire of spirit to the people.
The poetry collection “Sunny Corner” (Saulains stūrītis) was created while Aspazija was in exile in Switzerland. It is a tender collection of her childhood memories. At the same time, she remembers herself as being a funny and stubborn girl – “like a rose among turnips, like a fire among dry sticks”.
How can a woman warm the world – with her gentleness or with her fire? The Croatian actress Helena Kalinić joins the discussion in the latest #mindpower episode. She has diverse experience acting in both theatre and film. Due to her specific and pleasantly deep voice, Helena has participated in dubbing of several animated movies. She also works as a radio actress and has starred in various Croatian TV series. Helena likes to practice yoga and dance, and she also masters a very special skill – swordplay.
Helena Kalinić. Photo: Jura Podnieka Studija
Shooting of the #mindpower episode. Photo: Jura Podnieka Studija
The #mindpower (#domasspēks in Latvian) project features a collection of 29 short films in which celebrities from all the EU Member States read excerpts from the works of Rainis and Aspazija in their native language and clothe them in images of their culture. The project is a part of the Presidency cultural programme.
Each week a new video is released on the Presidency’s website EU2015.LV. You can also watch the episodes on the Presidency’s official Youtube channel and on the project's Facebook page.
