| Latvian Television will broadcast the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the de facto independence of Latvia |
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| (01.08.2011.) |
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On 21 August 1991 the Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia adopted the Constitutional Law on the Statehood of the Republic of Latvia, thus embarking on the path towards de facto restoration of independence of Latvia. Therefore, on 21 August we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the de facto independence of our state. On this day, Channel 1 of Latvian Television will present live broadcasts of various ceremonial events: at 10:00 – an ecumenical service in the Dome Church, at 13:30 – ceremonial laying of flowers at the Monument of Freedom, and at 18:40 – a ceremonial concert in the Latvian National Theatre. A programming highlight on 21 August will be a film titled Neatkarība kā māksla (Independence as Art) made by director Dace Slavinska and screenwriter Harijs Beķeris, with the financial support of the Representation of the European Commission in Latvia; it will be aired on 21 August on Channel 1 of Latvian Television after the evening news programme Panorāma. On 19 August 1991 it was emergency situation in Latvia. More than a year had passed since 4 May 1990, when the Declaration on the Renewal of the Independence of the Republic of Latvia was adopted, and a transition period was set. There was still a diarchy, and then came an attempted military coup – the so-called Putsch. While the international community was focusing on Moscow, there was scant news about what was happening in Latvia. In Riga the legendary OMON troops, or ‘black berets’, who previously had fought on the side of the freedom fighters, were now mercilessly opposing them. A total of 200 men captured strategic buildings in Latvia (television and radio) and left commandoes on guard. Witnesses still remember the scene where Velta Puriņa, TV news announcer, in a broken voice reported from the TV studio that OMON troops had invaded the first floor, and the broadcast would soon go off the air. When OMON troops were already circling around the building of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia, a vote was taken to proclaim Latvia’s independence. The movie Neatkarība kā māksla shows the first days of Latvia’s independence when fear gradually turned into euphoria which lasted for at least a couple of years. Main characters have to answer complicated and inconvenient question: Who marred the originally white page of our history? At what point did the desire to build our common state turn into a quest for private profit? Broadcasts in August will also contain other special programmes that will explain the significance of 21 August 1991 and will remind us of those events. A five-part series Lūzumlaiks: 1991. gada 21. augusts (Turning point: 21 August 1991), created by Lilita Eglīte, will reveal life stories having a common leitmotif, namely, how the “hot” August changed the lives of the main characters. A diplomat sportsman, farmer, researcher, a “voice” of Latvian Radio – each of them experienced a moment of opportunity 20 years ago. What are they today and what do they think we have gained or lost during these years of independence? In a series of interviews titled The History of the Rebirth of Latvia created by the Saeima, eye witnesses of these events – politicians, public officials, activists of the Latvian Popular Front, top members of the Communist Party, and journalists – will share their memories concerning the events of August 1991 that took place not only in Latvia but also during the Putsch in Russia. Authors of this series are people who at that time were members of the Supreme Council and who were professional journalists - Edvīns Inkēns, Jānis Gavars, Viktors Avotiņš and Normunds Beļskis. Series of interviews will be aired from 22 August to 31 August at 20:00. In August, broadcasts of Channel 1 of Latvian Television will also include a series of video clips directed by Uģis Kronbergs explaining the essence and historical significance of 21 August 1991. At the time when OMON’s armoured personnel carriers had come dangerously close to the building of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia, members of the Supreme Council continued to deliberate on the text of the Constitutional Law and took a vote on its adoption. That was the end of the process that restored the de facto independence of the Republic of Latvia and the beginning of international recognition of our state. How France viewed and interpreted the events of 21 August is reflected in last year’s documentary film titled PSRS pēdējās dienas (The Last Days of the USSR), which will be aired on Channel 1 of Latvian Television on 16 August at 22:00. A film about the last days of the USSR reflects these events from a different angle, brings together facts, opinions and documentary evidence concerning the circumstances that facilitated the collapse of the Red Empire. Step by step the filmmakers tell the story which begins in December 1989 and ends in December 1991. Protests of the Baltic States, Gorbachev’s glasnost and perestroika, the Putsch, Yeltsin’s struggle for power and Russia’s economic setbacks... Director Jean-Charles Deniau is an acknowledged author of documentary films, especially films on the history of Eastern Europe and Russia. His analytical approach invites viewers to look at events from a broader perspective by showing interconnections of events and coincidences that have influenced the course of history.
Author: Ieviņa Ancena, Editor of Self-advertising of the Channel 1 of the Latvian Television
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