Independence Day Interview

When restored independence was dawning: at the editorial offices of Kultuur ja Elu in 1990. The magazine was strongly pro-Estonia, uniting Estonians at home and abroad, dissidents and Popular Front members. From left: Paul Lüdig, Ilvi Jõe-Cannon, and her son Benjamin Cannon on the extreme right. The man and woman between them could not be identified; if anyone can provide their names, it would be appreciated.


Dear Ilvi Jõe-Cannon, you wrote an article that appeared in Delfi on January 21 in which you asked, ”Why the furor around Savisaar and not around Sildam and Kross?”. It received many comments. In the article you write, “.... the result of the neo-liberal policies has been a plutocracy, and if the politics in the country do not change, we cannot expect good news from Estonia for some time.“ What kind of change should have priority? Can elections change anything? What bothers you the most in Estonia?

I think we need a change that reins in unbridled economic policies.  We see the results of these policies not only in Estonia, but in the rest of the western world and it’s clear that socio-economic stratification has deepened during the last 20 years. Such a situation is called a plutocracy.  Although almost 10 years ago social scientists pointed to the dangerous splitting of Estonian society (two Estonias), no steps were taken to arrest disparity.

Elections by themselves would not change anything if the political parties do not offer policies that change direction.  The present political campaign shows that the parties lack vision and courage to present constructive plans which would develop our economy and culture. In my opinion, it would be natural for us to belong in the Nordic cultural room due to our geographical location, history and traditions. But in order to reach the Nordic cultural room we need change.

I am certain that the more we internalize values which place the Nordic states consistently among countries with the best quality of life and with least corruption we would have answers to many of our problems.


What bothers me most in Estonia? Every day I am happy that Estonia is again independent after a long, dark night.  It bothers me, however, that an elite stratum has developed which denies access for the emerging others.  TTÜ Professor Kuno Janson addresses this phenomenon quite thoroughly in the last issue of Sirp (18.02.11) and I recommend his article to everybody.

I recall that you came to Estonia at the height of the Singing Revolution. You were very active, but apparently more with the Estonian Congress than the Popular Front. Does it seem to you that in contemporary Estonia discontentment exists in both flanks – Popular Front supporters say that this is not the Estonia they wanted, and the Estonian Congress supporters are not happy with what is going on. Do you think these two wings– the nationalists and the centrists – that split when independence was restored could collaborate in the interest of Estonia’s future or is the split beyond repair? Can Estonians reach consensus ever again?

Yes, I was in Estonia from the spring to fall in 1990 and active in the freedom movement.  However, I had no political favorites.  Beginning in 1971, I came to Estonia quite frequently and during these visits I met writers, artists and other people active in Estonian society.  After the events at Hirve Park in 1987 and the organization of the Popular Front the following spring, I contacted Latvians and Lithuanians in my home state of Connecticut and we organized in order to support the movement in the Baltic states. The name of our organization was Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian Alliance (ELLA) of Connecticut.


We invited Mati Hint, one of the leaders of the Popular Front, to be the keynote speaker at our demonstration on the 50^th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. When I was in Estonia in 1990, I did participate in the activities of the Estonian Congress. Most of the time I was at the editorial offices of Kultuur ja Elu where many visitors from the West dropped in and my function basically was that of an interpreter. Also, I did much translation of articles and documents into English.

Regarding consensus in the interest of the country’s future, I think such a wish is utopian. Difference of opinion is found in all countries and in democracies it is tolerated. Working together, however, is a different matter.  Our country has a Constitution that lays out the rules for structure and activities. The political parties have to function within the framework of the Constitution and should they be elected to office they have to agree on policies. There are always people in society whose opinions differ from those in the government.

Your good friend Mati Hint has said in an interview quite pointedly that Estonians’ religion is greed. Do you agree with him? You have traveled a lot in the world and would you say that such undisguised greed exists elsewhere, especially among the elite?

I have high regard for Mati and his opinion, but I cannot agree with his comment, because I don’t think it applies to all Estonians. We have some people – maybe not many! – whose religion is other than greed. Here again, I would recommend Professor Kuno Janson’s article in which he analyses the reasons behind our culture of greed.

Of course, the culture of greed can lead to excesses. Not long ago Indrek Tarand suggested that Toomas Hendrik Ilves should continue to be the president, because Estonia is too poor to pay both a president’s salary and an ex-president’s benefits. Indrek, that need not be a reason for an unpopular president to remain in office. Pick me to be the president and I will pay myself Mr. Ilves the benefits due him as the ex-president.

From an Estonian-abroad you’ve become an Estonian-at-home. Your move is in strong contrast to the exodus from the country now, which is a very disturbing development. What attracted you here and why did you find the path not taken by thousands who shared your fate?

It’s tempting to reply: ”Estonian’s stubbornness.” I think the decision to return is made on a personal level. When the fleeing occurred in 1944, my contemporaries and I were children. When Estonia’s independence was restored approximately 50 years later, many of us were grand-parents approaching pension status. When deep roots have developed in a society, it is not easy to start anew, especially if one did not have contact with the land of birth during the occupation. My particular situation allowed me to return to Estonia in 1997 and, thanks to good health, to participate in the building of a civil society.

Do you think Estonia participates in global politics? Does Estonia have an independent foreign policy at all?

It depends on how one defines ”participation”. As a small country we lack sufficient resources for a global reach. Estonia is a member of numerous international organizations and our role in each is set by the organization’s goals. One might ask whether there is any country with an independent foreign policy. The governments of all countries are under constant pressure and in order to defend one’s national interests, which is the priority in foreign policy, one needs partners.

Having lived as an American, how do you think Americans feel now that China is catching up and, according to predictions, will soon replace her as the leading power. Obama has not turned the tide.  

There are many people in the US concerned about the future.  Not only in the US, but also in many other countries. It seems that the concern is not so much economic as about the political consequences of US losing her leading power position. The challenges faced by President Obama are a legacy from previous administrations: an economic crisis not seen since 1929, war at two locations, threat of terrorism within the country, conflicts in the Near East – to name only the larger ones. Obama was sworn into office on January 20, 2009 and I submit that it is not possible to find solutions in such a short time to the problems I’ve cited.

Please tell us briefly about yourself, your parents, how you got to the US, your own family life.
And, finally, for Estonian youth, perhaps, some recommendations, reminders, or things to pay attention to.

I was born in Viljanidi on October 11, 1937, as the second child to a farming family. Mother fled with four children to the West in 1944 and father went to the eastern front. We were in refugee camps (American zone) until 1950 when we had the opportunity to immigrate to the US. The first two years we were in a church orphanage. We moved to Connecticut when mother found there work with a sufficient income to set up housekeeping.

I started school in Geislingen Displaced Persons Camp and continued my education in the US. As a good student I received stipends which enabled me to secure higher education: University of Connecticut, B.A. in History, 1961, and Indiana University, M.A. in Political Science (Russian and East European Institute) 1965.

While studying at Indiana, I met my husband; we were married in 1964 and made our home in South Carolina where his family had been since the American Revolution. His was a prominent family of industrialists, but there were also educators and lawyers in its ranks. We had two children.

I divorced in 1971 and returned to Connecticut, where I raised my children and became active in public life. Above I’ve already mentioned my involvement with the Baltic freedom movement. My son is a builder in Florida and my daughter’s family moved from the US to Singapore last summer when her husband was hired as the Head of Corporate Relations by VISA International.

What to recommend to Estonia’s young people? Education, education and more education! Guard your health, be honest, remember proverbs and to love.

Interviewer: URMI REINDE, Kesknädal 23.02.11

Gendered activities

American Chamber of Commerce Estonia Board members Stefano Grace and Ilvi Cannon present a check to Piet Boerefijn, Director of the Estonian Foodbank.

My activities and writings have attached a „feminist“ (considered despicable) sign to me despite always taking care to explain that my worldview is democratic which includes gender equality.

No doubt Estonia is patriarchal, but I have seen development over the years of my residence here.  I’ll give some examples.

The year was 2000 and I had already volunteered couple years at the Estonian Women’s Studies and Resource Centre (ENUT).  One day I asked Julia Laffranque who lectured at the Tallinn branch of Tartu University’s Law School while also working at the Justice Ministry bringing Estonian laws into harmony with European Union’s whether she could assign a student to analyze Estonia’s legislation for gender discrimination aspects.  About half year later I asked Julia about this request.  She said that she had suggested this research to several students, but all were scared to address the issue. „Scared“ was the word that resonated. 

About the same time I had applied to the Tallinn Rotary Club for membership, after having attended the meetings a while.  I decided to take this step upon the recommendation of a friend in the US whose Rotary Club had involved me with several projects and he thought that my membership would be an asset to Rotary International.  Indeed, his club had sponsored exchange students from Estonia at my recommendation and the club recruited me as a consultant for its medical assistance project in Estonia in 1993. As a result of these activities, I was given honorary Rotary membership and named a Paul Harris Fellow. 

My application for membership was rejected by Tallinn Rotary Club.  Then, Tallinn International Rotary Club was organized in 2004 and I was asked to join it.  A Tallinn Rotary Club member officiated at the pinning ceremony and at the end of the ceremony I said to him that I had applied for membership to his club several years ago and was rejected.  He replied „We don’t want women.“

Estonia became a member of the European Union (EU) in 2004, which forced the parliament to pass a gender equality law.  Political leadership did not want such a law, but without it the country could not be accepted into the Union and the law was passed virtually on the 11th hour. 

Years passed.  Chatting with a young woman at an event, I invited her to visit ENUT. She said that were she to associate with such an organization, she could not get a job in Estonia.  That scare was still present.

Now we have reached a stage where the European Union plans to adopt a law establishing gender quotas in large business enterprises.  Details are expected to be released by the Internal Market and Services Commissioner Michel Barnier in April.

I addressed the topic of gender quotas in businesses at a seminar last year after learning about such a law in Norway and the background to its adoption. My presentation was titled „Gender balanced business“ and, subsequently, I submitted it to the business oriented newspaper Äripäev for publication.  It was not published. 

I’m including the article here:

Gender balanced business

Economic development is a part of history and one can say, in simplified terms, that technology is its integral component and a force for change.  At one time it took several strong men to cut down a tree and to remove it.  Today a machine under the controls of one man who does not need to flex a muscle can cut down a whole forest in a day (depending on the size of the forest, of course).

If a man can handle such a machine, why not a woman.  No physical strength was needed, only skill in handling the equipment.  It would be superfluous to point out the part of a person in charge of learning skills.

The point is that economic activity is no longer what it used to be years ago, not even 50 years ago.  Regarding women’s and men’s roles in economic activity, a large break with traditions occurred after World War II. 

During the war men were conscripted into military service, but industry needed workers – the war effort had to be supplied – and women were recruited into factories to do men’s jobs.  That certainly was the situation in the United States and Great Britain.  Nazi ideology, however, assigned child-bearing and hausfrau roles to women and workers in German industries were brought from occupied territories, often as forced labor. 

After the war had ended, the women were told more-or-less, „Thank you ma’am.  Now you can go back to housekeeping.“  But women had learned to operate the labor market and, furthermore, the experience had empowered them psychologically. Two significant events occurred after the war: rapid economic growth which concentrated on the manufacture of consumer products and the enrollment by young women in institutions of higher learning in unprecedented numbers.  Considering these developments, the women’s movement in the 1970s is completely understandable: home appliances eliminated the need for physical labor and the resulting free time combined with developed brains looked for activity.

In Estonia stereotypes have begun to crumbled since the restoration of independence.  If earlier the tradition was for girls to study a certain subject and the boys another (for example, girls learning to be hairdressers and boys, carpenters) in vocational schools, then today 35% of the students in the classes are of the opposite sex. Young women have also entered the field of Information Technology which earlier was men’s domain.  Product demands by clients have brought about this change.  

The Estonian Business School has been dominated by men due to its field of study.  In order to obtain most recent data on its student population I contacted the School.  The official apologized that such statistics are not compiled, but if I would call back in a few days, she would have them for me.  When I made the return call, I was informed that the total population breaks down to 55% women and 45% men.  On the undergraduate level it is 50% women and 50% men, but what surprised the officials themselves were the statistics on the Master and Doctorate levels:  64% of the students are women. 

The above is significant.  Why is gender balanced development – policy – positive, if not altogether necessary?

The reason is that our economy is part of an international one which requires each sector to be competitive in order to be successful.  The enterprise that survives is innovative, transparent, and implements good practices.  The inclusion of women at decision-making level makes it possible to achieve those qualities.

Norway passed a law in 2003 which requires corporations to appoint women to their boards of directors.  The number depends on the size of the board’s membership.  Thus, if a board has nine members, 40% has to be of the opposite sex. There was a lot of opposition to such legislation –harmful results to the economy were predicted and it was alleged that a sufficient number of qualified women does not exist – but the government was convinced that such legislation would strengthen the health of Norway’s economy.

The corporations were given three years to implement the directives from the date, 2004, when the law went into effect.  By 2007, 37 per cent of the board members of the corporations listed on the Oslo stock exchange were women and the companies were successful.

There are plenty of enterprises run by women, but here I would like to cite one headed by the American Candace Fleming who has degrees in engineering, English language and business administration.  She worked previously as a manager of a large firm and now runs her own software company.  She is also the mother of two children.  While nursing the second child, she drafted a business plan and hired two engineers for her company.

I don’t want to leave the impression that it is easy to have a family and run a business at the same time. Competition in the business world is intense and in order to survive, not to mention being profitable, many hours – often stolen from one’s private life - have to be devoted to business.  Despite that, the general trend is to include women in top positions in business, because experience has shown that the result are greater returns to investment, growth in capitalization, and increase in sales.

Neither do I want to suggest that every woman is like Candace Fleming, although there are others like her. However, not every man is like Bill Gates, either, and that is my point. Women are not all alike nor are men all alike – differences are found within each sex.

P.S. Äripäev published on Feb.15 the above text in the following edited form:

Technology has been an integral part of economic activity and a force for change.  At one time it took several strong men to cut down a tree and to remove it.  Today a machine under the controls of one man who does not need to flex a muscle can cut down a whole forest in a day.

If a man can handle such a machine, why not a woman.  No physical strength was needed, only skill in handling the equipment. 

The point is that economic activity is no longer what it used to be years ago, not even 50 years ago.  Regarding women’s and men’s roles in economic activity, a large break with traditions occurred after World War II. 

During the war men were conscripted into military service, but industry needed workers – the war effort had to be supplied – and women were recruited into factories to do men’s jobs.  After the war had ended, the women were told more-or-less, „Thank you ma’am.  Now you can go back to housekeeping.“  But women had learned to operate on the labor market and, furthermore, the experience had empowered them psychologically. Two significant events occurred after the war: rapid economic growth which concentrated on the manufacture of consumer products and the enrollment by young women in institutions of higher learning in unprecedented numbers.  Considering these developments, the women’s movement in the 1970s is completely understandable: home appliances eliminated the need for physical labor and the resulting free time combined with developed brains looked for activity.

Stereotypes have begun to crumble in Estonia since the restoration of independence.  If earlier the tradition was for girls to study a certain subject and the boys another (for example, girls learning to be hairdressers and boys, carpenters) in vocational schools, then today 35% of the students in the classes are of the opposite sex. Young women have also entered the field of Information Technology which earlier was men’s domain.  Product demands by clients have brought about this change. 

The reason is that our economy is part of an international one which requires each sector to be competitive in order to be successful.  The enterprise that survives is innovative, transparent, and implements good practices.  The inclusion of women at decision-making level makes it possible to achieve those qualities.

Stereotyping obstructs economic development and successful enterprising. For those who doubt a woman’s capacity to head a business I would like to cite the American Candace Fleming who has degrees in engineering, English language and business administration.  She worked previously as a manager of a large firm and now runs her own software company.  She is also the mother of two children.  I am not suggesting that every woman is like Candace Fleming, although there are others like her. I am saying, however, that not every man is like Bill Gates, either, and that is my point. Women are not all alike nor are men all alike – differences are found within each sex.

On trafficking and prostitution

                                                         Danish anti-trafficking poster




Creeps


Stand-up comedian Eric Seufert, recently wrote in ERR News (Jan. 18, 2011) that one good reason to learn Estonian is to prove you’re not a Creep. What did he mean?  He was talking about the English speaking men that come to Tallinn for unbridled partying and sex. “’Creep’ people think”, says Seufert, “This walking hormone flew into Tallinn on a RyanAir jet and is living a roving, three-day frat party in Old Town./…/Tallinn is a playground for the fat and middle-aged. The locals should cater to me. And why aren’t the steps of that beautiful church coated in vomit yet? My services are in need!”

Unfortunately, that is the reality.  Before RyanAir decided to put Tallinn on its route, easyJet had been here already for years bringing stag parties and a variety of free-wheeling males. 

Albeit years of public awareness raising (I have been involved with it) about prostitution and human trafficking, collaborating with lobbying groups in the other Baltic States, the Nordic countries and Brussels, training people for the ministries and the police force, Riigikogu (parliament) ratifying in 2004 the Palermo Protocol which obliges the state to combat trafficking in women and children, the Estonian Council of Churches urging the government to adopt laws prohibiting the buying of sex and to combat trafficking, the government even adopting a 4-year (2006-2009) action plan for combating trafficking, and the US State Department reports placing Estonia among countries which do not pay enough attention to the problem of international trafficking in human beings, the country has not moved closer to removing this sordid blemish from her countenance.

The European Union (EU) whose member Estonia has been since 2004 has designated October 18 as Anti-trafficking Day in order to direct attention to this serious social problem. However, another October went by last year without the government having taken steps to pass a law against human trafficking.

The Justice Ministry does not see the necessity to include trafficking in the criminal code. For years, Minister Lang’s position has been that it is covered in Estonia’s criminal law under such crimes as torture and enslavement.  Last year the Justice Ministry started to work on a draft of a new law that would include the term “human trafficking” partly under pressure from the new European Commission directive which aims to be tougher on traffickers.  But still, there is a lot of foot-dragging.

As recently as last November, Ülle Madise, the legal council to the President of the Republic, wrote me that the problem is not that we don’t have laws to punish traffickers (she also maintains that the extant laws on torture and enslavement cover cases of trafficking); the problem is with enforcement.  According to her, failure to punish these offenders is due to the victim not filing a complaint, is helpless, or the matter is not a priority for the police.

The reality is more complicated. In the cases that have reached the court, the accused generally walks out a free man.  Even if found guilty, probation has been the maximum punishment. This happens not only in cases of trafficking, but also pimping. In the latter case, most pimps have returned to their former activity.

It used to be easier to catch trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation at the border, but border controls ended after joining the EU. No reliable statistics exist on trafficking and prostitution, and a lot that we know is pieced together from available information. Thus, it is estimated that in Tallinn alone operate anywhere from 50 to 100 brothels in which 37% of prostituted women offer their bodies for sale in the city.
Neither is the number of prostituted women in Estonia known exactly; recent estimates place it at 3000, but that seems high, considering that about five years ago the estimated number was half of that.

It should be noted that prostitution is not illegal in Estonia. Reform and IRL (initially Mart Laar of Pro Patria [now IRL] wanted to legalize prostitution in order to add revenues to the state coffers), which have been in power most of the time, have consistently defended prostitution as an individual’s right to choose.  It is illegal, however, to pimp and to rent rooms for the purpose of selling sex.


I have begun to wonder whether the inaction with respect to human trafficking for sexual exploitation by the powers that be is not due to the sway of money over politicians.  Recently the public heard that legislation can be bought for 32000 EEK (2045 euros).  Well, if you can buy a law, you can also pay to obstruct the adoption of a law.