The President and the First Lady visited the Finnish Literature Society

President Gitanas Nausėda and First Lady Diana Nausėdienė visited the Finnish Literature Society, where a digital publication of the audio archive of Lithuanian songs collected by the renowned Finnish folklorist and philosopher, Professor Aukusti Robert Niemi, was presented.

According to the President, the handwritten and printed legacy of Aukusti Robert Niemi, preserved, studied and presented to the public in Lithuania, is a valuable part of Lithuanian folklore and cultural heritage. He emphasized that a particularly significant part of this legacy consists of the earliest recorded and still surviving Lithuanian polyphonic songs, sutartinės, which are now inscribed in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The President thanked the Finnish Literature Society not only for preserving Niemi's folklore legacy but also for making it publicly accessible.

"It is gratifying that the commemoration of Niemi's memory and the renewed attention to his legacy foster close cooperation between Finnish and Lithuanian scholars. The project presented today, which links Niemi's collection of sound recordings digitized in Finland with his manuscripts and printed works digitalized in Lithuania, will significantly strengthen the historical and cultural ties between Lithuania and Finland and serve as an important impetus for further academic research," the President said.

A unique artifact was also handed over to Lithuania - a traditional Lithuanian stringed instrument, kanklės, that Niemi had brought back from his expedition to Lithuania and which had been preserved at the Finnish Literature Society. After more than a century, the instrument is returning to Lithuania and will be accessible to the public.

"We are grateful to the Finnish people for this exceptional gift, which reflects not only the deep historical and cultural ties between Lithuania and Finland but also symbolizes the enduring friendship between our nations and peoples," the President emphasized.

Aukusti Robert Niemi made a significant contribution to strengthening Lithuanian-Finnish academic and cultural ties. Through his research and expeditions to Lithuania, he revealed parallels between Lithuanian and Finnish folklore and folk art. He also maintained close relations with Jonas Basanavičius, the leader of Lithuania's national revival at the turn of the 20th century, as well as with other leading figures of Lithuanian cultural and scientific awakening.