THE NORDIC BALTIC HOUSE - ESTONIA

Setos are a Finno-Ugric ethnic and linguistic minority in south-eastern Estonia and north-western Russia. For centuries, Seto culture has been an oral culture, where the core values have been passed on by singing. Today, the language (still officially a dialect) is spoken by less and less people. The state’s language policy does not see seto, võro and mulgi languages as separate languages, but dialects of Estonian and will not even give them the status of regional languages. Still the Seto culture is blossoming, there are more and more leelo (traditional singing) choirs, the related topics are often in media, but at the same time the number of people who can speak the language is going down - what are the theatre methods that can be used in order to help to preserve the language and the culture.

Presentation and discussion with Helena Kesonen from Taarka Heritage Theatre (Taarka Pärimusteater), ASSITEJ Estonia.