Between children’s music and educational YouTube channels, the Estonian multimedia project known as Lolala has become part of tens of thousands of people’s lives. And it all started in the living room of Anna and Arian Levin.

As Anna, the latest EstoCast episode guest, describes, they were equipped with performance experience, imaginative songs, and a green screen. The setup wasn’t fancy. But even so, things really took off. And their own children have been right there with them all along, enjoying the music and heart-warming exploration.

In this episode of EstoCast, hear about:

🎙️ Anna’s transition from jazz singing to writing problem-solving songs

🖥️ how the early Estonian-language YouTube scene prompted their work

🎉 how parents having fun opens up possibilities for kids

📹 and much more!

Things mentioned in this episode include:

-The Lolala YouTube channel focused on songs: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMs1kSXBvdz6FNUspm2awmg

-The “Lolala Avastab” YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LolalaAvastab

-Lolala Anna avastab suusatamist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz59YIcy3Fw#:~:text=Lolala%20Anna%20avastab%20suusatamist%20%7C%20%C3%95pime,K%C3%B5ik%20suusatama!

-The Baltic Film and Media School: https://www.tlu.ee/en/bfm

-George Ots Tallinn Music College: https://otsakool.edu.ee/uldinfo/about-the-college/

-Ms. Rachel: https://www.youtube.com/@msrachel

-Blippi’s educational videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5PYHgAzJ1wLEidB58SK6Xw

-Lolala at the butterfly house: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgRAfqUv9cs

-Lolala visits a rescue team: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TovB5QtxXpQ

-A sampling of Lolala’s album Mina ise!, dedicated to daily routines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2XtkVAuRZw

-See Lolala’s tour dates: https://lolala.ee/

Socials:

➡️ @estonianmusicweek
https://www.facebook.com/EstonianMusicWeek

➡️ https://www.facebook.com/vemu.ca

➡️ @eestielu.ca
https://www.facebook.com/eestielu.ca/events

➡️ @vemu.emc
https://www.facebook.com/vemu.ca

Monika Siim-Kiviloo on inspireeriv ja mitmekülgne tegija, keda tõi Torontosse alguses filmiproduktsiooni õpe Yorki ülikoolis ja seejärel üldinseneri õpingud Toronto Ülikoolis. Kuid Monika on ka VEMU tiimi kõige noorem ja värskem liige, kus ta muu hulgas tegeleb ürituste pildistamise-filmimisega, intervjueerib professionaalseid naisi meie kogukonnas ja toimetab arhiivis. Vestleme temaga elust välismaal, õppimisest Kanadas ja veel paljust muust.

Värkses saates kuulete:

🏙️ kuidas Monika jõudis Torontosse ning mis kultuuriüllatusi või “šokke” ta siin kogenud on

📝 Kanada ja Eesti haridussüsüsteemide võrdlust
✈️mis oskusi on välismaal õppimine Monikale juurde andnud

🔎 tähelepanekuid Kanada ja Ameerika kultuuride kohta noore eestlase vaatepunktist

Saates mainiti:

- Toronto ülikooli inseneriteaduse osakond: https://www.engineering.utoronto.ca/

- Veel Monikast: https://eestielu.ca/meet-the-tartu-college-community-monika-siim/

- VEMU YouTubei kanal: https://www.youtube.com/user/VEMUESC

Socials:

➡️ @estonianmusicweek
https://www.facebook.com/EstonianMusicWeek

➡️ https://www.facebook.com/vemu.ca

➡️ @eestielu.ca
https://www.facebook.com/eestielu.ca/events

➡️ @vemu.emc
https://www.facebook.com/vemu.ca

Olga Loitsenko, the latest guest on EstoCast, is on a mission. Well, a number of them actually, if you count hunting for coffee and employment, but above all she’s working to climb her way up as a comedian here in Canada. And the stakes are high, as this snippet of the new episode indicates.

In advance of her performances at VEMU Estonian Museum Canada on Saturday May 23rd (part of Doors Open Toronto), listen to the show to hear about:

😁 How her study of linguistics opened her up to many more potential misunderstandings

😁 Her observations of Australians versus Canadians

😁 Her reluctance to cross-country ski

😁 and much more!

Things mentioned in this episode include:

-Olga’s profile on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olgaloitsenko/

-Olga profile on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@olgafromestonia

-A bit about her show “Olgavision”: https://www.aussievision.net/post/olga-loitsenko-combines-therapy-and-eurovision-for-her-new-comedy-show-olgavision

-The “Võõrkehad” podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/54SvkIVgGFvINyhAFEVaHM

-VEMU Estonian Museum Canada’s programming for Doors Open Toronto 2026: https://www.vemu.ca/event/visit-vemu-with-doors-open-toronto-free-live-comedy-featuring-olga-loitsenko-and-alex-kotsyk/

-Olga performing in Australia for “Tell Us Another One”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6bjoXqW0WA

-Olga at Melbourne Comedy Festival: https://eesti.org.au/2024/03/04/estonian-comedians-at-the-melbourne-comedy-festival-apr-2024/

-The town of Rakvere, where Olga is from: https://goodtravel.guide/rakvere/

-Cafe Belém: https://www.instagram.com/cafebelem.to/

-Arvo Coffee: https://arvocoffee.com/

Socials:

➡️ @estonianmusicweek
https://www.facebook.com/EstonianMusicWeek

➡️ https://www.facebook.com/vemu.ca

➡️ @eestielu.ca
https://www.facebook.com/eestielu.ca/events

➡️ @vemu.emc
https://www.facebook.com/vemu.ca

Kaarel Piirimäe on ajaloolane ja mõtleja, kes avab oma käsitlustes Eesti ja Euroopa mineviku keerukaid kihistusi ning nende mõju tänapäevale. Praegu viibib Kaarel Torontos, töötades uue raamatu kallal ning külastades ka kohalikke eesti kogukonna üritusi, kust mitmed teda ehk juba tunnevad. Värskes saates kuuleme tema retkedest maailma arhiividesse ja ajaloolase rollist ühiskonnas.

Tänases episoodis kuulete:

🔎 kuidas jõudis Kaarel Eesti lähiajaloo uurimiseni

📙 kas ja kuidas on töö erinevates maailma arhiivides mõjutanud tema arusaama Eesti ajaloost

🌎 milline on olnud väliseestlaste roll Eesti lähiajaloos

📝 millised teemad Eesti lähiajaloos vajavad uurimist

📖 kuidas paigutub Eesti lähiajalugu laiemasse Euroopa ja maailma ajaloo konteksti

Saates mainiti:

- Kaarel Piirimäe, Yale: https://macmillan.yale.edu/europe/baltic/person/kaarel-piirimae-0

- Briti Riiklik Arhiiv: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

- BATUN (Baltic Appeal to the United Nations): https://www.vdu.lt/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/BATUN-poster.pdf

- Kaarel Piirimäe, “Ameerika sajand: USA ja Eesti suhete sada aastat.”: https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/in00000086614

Socials:

➡️ @estonianmusicweek
https://www.facebook.com/EstonianMusicWeek

➡️ https://www.facebook.com/vemu.ca

➡️ @eestielu.ca
https://www.facebook.com/eestielu.ca/events

➡️ @vemu.emc
https://www.facebook.com/vemu.ca

Montréal-based artist and Antarctic enthusiast Valmar Kurol believes that artists and tourists play a major role in the protection of Antarctica, as discussed in the latest EstoCast episode.

Which is partly why the continent has been the focus of his music (in addition to research and painting). It’s a region with an Estonian connection, a great deal of wildlife, as well as an urgent need for environmental stewardship from the whole world.

In this episode of EstoCast, hear about:

🇦🇶 the vital role of the Antarctic Treaty and the modern challenges facing the Southern Ocean

🐧 how Valmar and his musical collaborator and friend Michael Stibor depict penguins’ movements and sounds—among other exciting and colourful facets of the continent—in unexpected stylistic ways

🚢 the legacy of Estonian explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and the 200th anniversary of his expedition

🧊and much more!

Things mentioned in this episode:

-A listing of Valmar’s artistic works: https://www.antarcticart.net/

-The Antarctic Circle website Valmar built, an immense resource for Antarctic literature and film: http://www.antarctic-circle.org/valmar.htm

-A review of one of his album’s: https://eestielu.ca/a-passionate-affection/

-The website for the latest album On Track for Antarctica: https://ontrackforantarctica.com/

-Theme from Antarctica by Vangelis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX9XyddZTtA

-Valmar’s friend and musical collaborator Michael Stibor: https://www.instagram.com/michaelstibor/

- Estonian explorer Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen: https://eestielu.ca/estonians-in-the-arctic-and-antarctica/

-”Estonia and Antarctica,” Cambridge University Press: https://sci-hub.box/10.1017/s0032247411000234

-Juhan Smuul’s book about Antarctica, “Jäine raamat,” translated into English as “Antarctica Ahoy!”: https://www.abebooks.com/Antarctica-Ahoy-Ice-Book-SMUUL-Juhan/22610172754/bd

-The song “Dinosaur Extinction Blues”: https://open.spotify.com/track/5DBNfLciJTTTqgvJDW7QsO

-The Thwaites Glacier or “Doomsday Glacier”: https://www.wired.com/story/the-doomsday-glacier-is-getting-closer-and-closer-to-irreversible-collapse/

-An Eesti Elu article and photo gallery giving a glimpse of what a trip to Antarctica is like: https://eestielu.ca/saaremaa-and-antarctica-whats-the-connection/

- Listen to Valmar's music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6j376aXdCjeuw7zyut6Nbh

Socials:

➡️ @estonianmusicweek
https://www.facebook.com/EstonianMusicWeek

➡️ https://www.facebook.com/vemu.ca

➡️ @eestielu.ca
https://www.facebook.com/eestielu.ca/events

➡️ @vemu.emc
https://www.facebook.com/vemu.ca

For members of our Toronto Estonian community, Anna Herran might already be a familiar face. She has helped out in the VEMU archives as well as volunteered at Estonian Music Week, various VEMU events, and Post-EstDocs just to name a few. But she is also a PhD Candidate in History at the University of Toronto, interested in the connections among history, memory, and statehood in 20th-century East Central Europe and the Baltic region. You’ll get to hear all about Anna’s love for languages (including Estonian), how she decided to study her current field and more in this episode.

Discover:

🖊️ How Anna’s love for languages, among them Estonian, began and just how many languages she knows

🖊️ How she explores the similarities and differences between Czech and Estonian culture as well as history through her research

🖊️ How she found the Estonian community in Toronto and got involved

🖊️ What she loves about Estonia, it’s language, and culture

Things mentioned in this episode include:

- VEMU Language Café: https://www.vemu.ca/event/vemu-keelekohvik-estonian-language-cafe-42/

- “Lidé jako my,” Anna Sedláčková (Anthology of Latvian literature): https://karolinum.cz/en/books/sedlackova-lide-jako-my-30443

- “Baltic Souls: Remarkable Life Stories from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania,” Jan Brokken: https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/baltic-souls-remarkable-life-stories-from-estonia-latvia-and-lithuania/9781957363943.html

- “Leiutajateküla Lotte” movie: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0447249/

- “Elu ilmaveerel,” Lenna Kuurmaa, Maarja Savi: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61110316-elu-ilmaveerel

- “The Dedalus Book of Estonian Literature,” Jan Kaus: https://www.dedalusbooks.com/our-books/book.php?id=00000214

- “Miniatuurid mälupõhjast,” Aino Pervik: https://rahvaraamat.ee/et/raamatud/ilukirjandus/ajalooline-romaan/miniatuurid-malupohjast/1445057

Socials:

➡️ @estonianmusicweek
https://www.facebook.com/EstonianMusicWeek

➡️ https://www.facebook.com/vemu.ca

➡️ @eestielu.ca
https://www.facebook.com/eestielu.ca/events

➡️ @vemu.emc
https://www.facebook.com/vemu.ca

In the newest episode of EstoCast, we’re steering away from the usual format to share a literary discussion. The text in question is Sofi Oksanen’s book Same River, Twice: Putin’s War on Women – A Feminist Investigation of Sexual Violence, Genocide, and Threats to Democracy

Helping us understand this topic better are two guests: Professor Kate Holland and Dr. Kadri Tüür, both of whom teach at the University of Toronto.

During the course of the episode, we hear about:

🖊️how gender equality is a necessary component of democracy

🖊️the decriminalization of domestic violence in Russia and the Istanbul Convention

🖊️the historic “amnesia points” that enabled the war in Ukraine to happen

🖊️and much more

Things mentioned in this episode include:

-Sofi Oksanen: https://sofioksanen.com/

-Sofi Oksanen’s book “Same River, Twice”: https://www.amazon.ca/Same-River-Twice-Putins-Women/dp/0063435446

-about the Bucha massacre: https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/marking-third-anniversary-liberation-bucha-ukraine_en

-the decriminalization of domestic violence in Russia: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/07/putin-approves-change-to-law-decriminalising-domestic-violence

-“Purge” by Sofi Oksanen: https://www.amazon.ca/Purge-Sofi-Oksanen/dp/0802170773

-Interlitteraria’s latest issue, which is dedicated to trauma and healing. Sofi Oksanen is mentioned in the editor's preface: https://ojs.utlib.ee/index.php/IL/

-“Trauma and Life-Writing” by Leena Kurvet-Käosaar: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781351025225-28/trauma-life-writing-leena-kurvet-käosaar

- “‘Other things happened to women': World war two, violence, and national identity…”, an article by Leena Kurvet-Käosaar: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01629770300000111

-Ukrainian author Oksana Zabuzhko: http://zabuzhko.com/en/biography/index.html

-the Istanbul Convention: https://www.coe.int/en/web/istanbul-convention/about-the-convention

-about the debate regarding the Istanbul Convention in the Estonian Parliament: https://www.riigikogu.ee/en/sitting-reviews/the-riigikogu-did-not-support-the-vote-of-no-confidence-in-minister-of-regional-affairs-hendrik-johannes-terras/

Socials:

➡️ @estonianmusicweek
https://www.facebook.com/EstonianMusicWeek

➡️ https://www.facebook.com/vemu.ca

➡️ @eestielu.ca
https://www.facebook.com/eestielu.ca/events

➡️ @vemu.emc
https://www.facebook.com/vemu.ca