Book Opening and Film Screening: Mothers in Siberia
The book opening of Mothers in Siberia, together with the screening of the film Born in Siberia, served as a powerful reminder of the deportations from occupied Latvia in the 1940s. The event was held at Stockholm University on April 28, 2026.
Photo: Elza Mankopa (interpreter), Kristīne Čakste (one of the descendants of the deportees), Dzintra Geka (author and film director), Mārtiņš Vilsons (born in Siberia), Signe Rirdance (PhD student, Stockholm University), Zane Šipkēviča (Embassy of Latvia).
During the evening, the English edition of the book was presented. It is based on interviews with mothers and their children who were deported to Siberia. The book is authored by Dzintra Geka in collaboration with the Children of Siberia Foundation. The publication has been funded by the European Union.
The evening began with an address by Latvia’s Ambassador, H.E. Normans Penke, who highlighted the memory of the deportations and their relevance today.
Dzintra Geka, both the author of the book and the director of the film, led the presentation and introduced the screening of Born in Siberia. She emphasized the continued relevance of these stories in today’s geopolitical situation. The film portrays Mārtiņš Vilsons, an actor born in Siberia to a deported mother, who attended the event and participated in the discussion.
The event was organized by the Embassy of Latvia in Stockholm in collaboration with the Baltic section of the department. The program was bilingual and interpreted into Swedish.
Last updated: 2026-05-18
Source: Department of Slavic and Baltic Studies Finnish Dutch and German