The Acadian Archives at the University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK) will host a public lecture by UMFK Professor Scott Brickman at 4 p.m. on September 23. Brickman will discuss his engagement with Latvian culture. The event is free and open to the public.
The presentation will offer a look at how Latvians celebrate the summer solstice (Ligo/Jani) in Latvia’s capital city of Riga and its third-largest city, Liepaja. Brickman will address cultural traditions, dress, food, song, dance and language preservation. He will share original photos and videos of his time in both Riga and Liepaja over the past two years and may perform songs during the event.
“We are honored by Scott’s willingness to share his cultural explorations with the Archives and the wider community,” explains Patrick Lacroix, director of the Acadian Archives. “We can learn a great deal from the kind of cultural exchange that he has pursued in Latvia.”
From 1940 to 1991, the small Baltic country of Latvia, which was established in 1918, was occupied by the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, and the Soviet Union again. During the period of foreign control, Latvian culture and the newly standardized Latvian language were suppressed by the occupiers. Despite these challenges, the Latvian language and culture have survived.
Brickman is a professor of music and education at UMFK, where he has taught since 1997. He is a composer of contemporary classical music; his compositions are available on Amazon, Apple Music, Pandora, and Spotify.
For more information, please contact Lacroix at 207-834-7535.