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The President of the Republic at the 50th anniversary of Viljandi Cultural College on May 11, 2002 in Viljandi11.05.2002
Honourable Mr Rector,
Dear College Family and Guests,
In our Estonian life every anniversary of a school is always a joyful event. Today, the Viljandi Cultural College, an educational establishment at which the contemporary salt of the earth is being shaped, has reached the man's age.
Every now and then we have every reason to ask ourselves: how is it possible that such a small nation like us still exists? This particular place we are living in is neither too hospitable nor fertile, and the history has treated us with a hard hand. Yet, against all the odds we have our Estonian state, we are speaking our Estonian language as before, and we are an equal partner to other countries both in Europe and in the whole world. Why?
We all know the answer. The centuries-old, persistent will of the Estonians to learn, to discover new things, and our intellectual life helped us to survive. There was always, also in the poorest hamlet, some bright person dealing out riches of the mind. Ignatsi Jaak, the best student of Forselius, did not leave his post of parish clerk and schoolmaster after the ravaging Northern War. After all, those were times, when the people diminished in number could barely eat their fill and so, one easily might think that schooling could have waited a bit. But it did not!
Schooling never had to wait in Estonia. Even in the remotest corner of Estonia education always has been held in honour. Even in the most testing times money has been found to heat the clubhouse or at least to buy candles for lighting it. Always a folk dance group or a drama company has gathered. In one's own village or the next one. In one's own parish or the neighbouring one. To put it in another way: the folk culture has always survived in Estonia.
Dear School Family, having seen your rich and very modern curricula, any juxtaposition with Ignatsi Jaak or onetime clubhouse or company might seem out of place. And still, I guess - not quite. You have done and you are doing the same job they did. You have protected, developed and promoted this valuable phenomenon: our own culture. You always have stood up for the principle that culture and education is not the share of only the chosen few. Our Estonian cultural life belongs to us all and depends on us all.
A few more years and Estonia is a member of the European Union. It is absolutely understandable that such a big change in our own way of life provokes hesitant deliberations. Are we not going to merge with the rest? Is there not a danger lurking that our original culture having been preserved so doggedly would decline due to alien influences. But no, we know well that the aim of the European Union is not a boringly uniform spiritual life. The renewing Europe is just as rich as rich and diverse is its culture. The future of our Estonian culture depends on us ourselves and to keep it - is our obligation, also at the state level.
At the Viljandi Cultural College bibliography and folk music are being taught. Also church music and farmstead design, information science and stagecraft. Thus, your rapidly advancing school is a convincing confirmation of the development of our culture that is pointing the way to the future of it.
Thank you very much for the work done, and a happy birthday to you, Viljandi Cultural College!
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