Latvia
Art and cultural expression are the hallmark of the Latvian society. Throughout its troubled past under such regimes as the Nazis and the Soviet Union, the Latvian people have managed to keep their culture and their pride alive through an amazing array of folksongs and dances. Latvians are the Singing People. They have the largest collection of folksongs, called dainas, in the world. They keep their history alive through these dainas, which tell stories of ancient legends and past victories.
It is perhaps this tradition of singing through their troubles that kept the Latvian spirit alive through Soviet occupation, during which 35,000 Latvians were killed or deported within the first year of occupation alone. The Nazi invaders were at first seen as liberators to the oppressed people, but this illusion soon vanished as the Jewish population in particular was annihilated and many ethnic Latvians fled. After these atrocities were committed, and after the Nazis were defeated, Latvians found themselves back in the hands of the Soviet Union, and tens of thousands more people were lost before the country declared its independence in 1991. Consequentially, ethnic Latvians now make up just under 60% of the population. Russians, the largest minority, make up 30%, and even outnumber Latvians in larger cities, such as the nation’s capital, Riga. Belarusians, Ukrainians, and Polish make up other significant minority groups in the country.
Unfortunately, the people’s troubles did not end at independence. Despite political and religious freedom in the country, the people still suffer from other forms of oppression. Society has begun to deteriorate as materialism, poverty, alcoholism, prostitution, and loneliness still plague many of the people.
Religion, which dwindled under harsh oppression by the communist government, remains nominal. Approximately 44% of the entire population considers itself non-religious, and even a large portion of those who do consider themselves religious rarely attend church. Baptists in the country are small in number, but slowly beginning to grow. They are attempting to reach the rest of the country with the message that only Christ can bring true hope. IMB missionaries, local believers and volunteer teams are working to bring the truth to the people and to encourage the planting of multiplying churches and have begun to see how God is working among the peoples of Latvia.
If you would like to be a part of bringing the Gospel to the peoples of Latvia, please contact us at hope4cee@pobox.com.