I spent a long time thinking about what to title this photo, but I couldn’t find a single word that captures everything shown here.

There is so much in this image: Latvian oppression and subjugation, the efforts to preserve our culture and traditions at all costs, contrasted with Soviet ideology and seemingly trivial anniversaries. The “Auseklītis” symbolizes rebirth and the first Song Festival after Latvia regained independence in 1990. Beneath each of these pins is a story, a moment in history.

It made me reflect… how valuable it once was to have our own free country and Song Festivals where we could sing our own folk songs. And now, it feels like we no longer fully appreciate it…