“Babytė, kurią vadino bandite” brings London’s Lithuanian community together

That evening, people living far from Lithuania listened together to a story of love, courage and memory. In their press release the organisers write: “When words are no longer enough, tears speak” (translated from Lithuanian). They add: “Stories kept for many years in families’ memories seemed to come back to life that evening” (translated from Lithuanian).

One family’s story in which many recognise their own

The performance grew out of real experiences in the actor’s own family. At its centre is the life of Kvoščiauskas’s grandmother, Ona Liutvinaitė-Kvoščiauskienė. Through her fate, painful periods of Lithuanian history unfold, along with people’s destinies and their strength to keep their humanity even in the hardest circumstances. It is a moving story about love, courage, sacrifice and historical memory.

And yet it is not just one woman’s story. As the organisers put it, it is a story in which many Lithuanians recognise the experiences of their own families, grandparents and loved ones.

We wrote about the performance and its journey to London in October.

Guests

The guest of honour was Lithuania’s Vice-Minister of National Defence, Tomas Mikelkevičius, who addressed the audience. The organisers thank him for attending and for his warm speech. Also attending were Jurgita Grebenkovienė, Head of the Total Defence and Crisis Management Group at Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence; Tadas Moskevičius, Lithuania’s Defence Attaché to the United Kingdom; Judita Juodagalvienė, Minister Plenipotentiary at the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in the United Kingdom; and Vesta Ratkevičiūtė, Commercial Attaché in the United Kingdom.

Patron, partners and sponsors

The event’s patron was the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in the United Kingdom. Its partners were Bernelių užeiga in London and the Lithuanian bookshop Knygnešys, its media partner was Kauno diena, and its sponsors were Instant Mortgage Solution (mortgages) and Global Info Ltd (accounting and legal services).

A word from the organiser

The performance was brought to London by LaNe Pro Events. Answering questions from Londono Žinios, the event’s organiser, Laura Nenartavičienė, recalled the evening (translated from Lithuanian):

“There are evenings that cannot be measured by the number of people in the audience alone. The evening of 7 November was exactly that kind of evening. Seeing tears in the audience’s eyes, feeling the silence that filled the hall and realising that everyone had found in this story a part of their own family’s past was extraordinarily moving. Evenings like this remind us how strong our sense of togetherness is and how important it is not to forget our history.”

On why she organises evenings like this, the LaNe Pro Events organiser says (translated from Lithuanian):

“Although for more than 17 years I have worked professionally in the United Kingdom in accounting and legal services, Lithuanian culture has always been, and remains, an inseparable part of my life. I believe that when you live abroad it is especially important to nurture your roots, your historical memory and your Lithuanian identity. That is why organising cultural events is not just an activity for me: it is a mission close to my heart, one that lets me bring Lithuanians together, preserve our stories and remind us that even when we are far from Lithuania, we can remain very close to it.”

Londono Žinios view

Evenings like this are more than a cultural event for Lithuanians living in the United Kingdom. The years of the partisan resistance and the deportations left a deep mark on the memory of many Lithuanian families, and when you live far from Lithuania that memory can easily fall silent. When such a story reaches the stage here in London, it becomes a chance to talk about the past with children, friends and neighbours.

It matters to us that, according to the organisers, 250 people came to a serious historical piece. It shows that the community needs not only entertainment but also gatherings that invite reflection. We were not in the hall ourselves, but the organiser’s words about tears and silence suggest that for many this was a deeply personal evening.

We also value the fact that the event had the Embassy’s patronage and the support of community partners and sponsors. Lithuanian culture abroad thrives when many hands hold it up.

We would like to see this performance reach other UK cities too. If you missed it, keep an eye on the organisers’ news.

What comes next

The organisers promise news of further performances soon.

The organisers sincerely thank Eimutis Kvoščiauskas for telling the story with such sensitivity, the whole creative and technical team and, above all, the audience for being so receptive and the emotions they shared.

The evening was photographed by Eimantas Paulauskas. A gallery of his photos follows below.

Photo gallery

61 photos. Photos: Eimantas Paulauskas (organisers’ photos).

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Republication must credit Londonozinios.com as the source.