Chemistry, Comedy, and Memories of Olaf Kopvillem with Archivist Keila Kopvillem

Listen to the Episode here or on your favourite streaming platform.

Welcome to the 5th season of EstoCast! 🥳

The music of Olaf Kopvillem may depict one man’s story and experience at face value, but it also shows a more universal refugee experience in the sense that a lot of post Second World War refugees would have had similar thoughts, journeys, and circumstances.

Conveying that to us in an exhibit at VEMU Estonian Museum Canada and now at the beginning of the fifth season of EstoCast is Olaf’s granddaughter Keila Kopvillem. As we lead up to the exhibit’s opening on September 19th, listen to EstoCast to hear what went into telling the story of a key cultural figure. This time around we chat about:

🗂finding lightness and humour in dark times as shown in private memoirs

🪨the mining labour Olaf did to survive between playing nightclub gigs in Montréal with his friends

🧪how spinning a displaced person’s camp school report card may have determined Olaf Kopvillem’s career path

🎙️and much more

Things mentioned in this episode include:

-Arhivaari võimalus: Finding Unprocessed Treasures: https://eestielu.ca/et/arhivaari-voimalus-finding-unprocessed-treasures/ 

-More about Olaf Kopvillem: https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olaf_Kopvillem

-VEMU Estonian Museum Canada: https://www.vemu.ca

-Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom: https://vabamu.ee/en/

-Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: https://www.rferl.org

–CORRECTION: Keila’s father Peeter Kopvillem was Director of the Estonian Service. Keila’s mother Eva Varangu helped create the South Slavic Service that included Serbs, Croats, and Bosnians, many who did not speak English.

-Lennart Meri: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lennart-Meri

-Vaba Eestlane (Free Estonian) newspaper: https://athabascau.arcabc.ca/challenge?destination=%2Fconnecting-canadians%2Fvaba-eestlane

-Feuilleton: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feuilleton

-Vaiko Eplik’s radio show episode (in Estonian): “Muusika nõudlikule maitsele. Olaf Kopvillem” on Vikerraadio: https://vikerraadio.err.ee/1609399810/muusika-noudlikule-maitsele-olaf-kopvillem

-Kiviõli, where Olaf Kopvillemn was born: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Kiviõli

-The city of Darmstadt: https://www.britannica.com/place/Darmstadt-Germany

-Vaiko Eplik’s article in Eesti Elu / Estonian Life about Geislingen (in Estonian): https://eestielu.ca/et/oma-vanavanemate-jalajalgedes-5-osa-geislingen/

-Lembit Koorits: https://www.geni.com/people/Lembit-Koorits/6000000008358258035

-A 1954 Meie Elu article about a Montréal-based troupe that included Rein Kivilaht, Lembit Koorits, and Olaf Kopvillem: https://testdea.nlib.ee/?a=d&d=meieelukanada19541006.2.21&e=——-en-25–1–txt-txIN%7ctxTI%7ctxAU%7ctxTA————-

-An overview of colloid chemistry: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/colloid-chemistry

-Oil shale in Estonia: https://taltech.ee/en/oil-shale-competence-center/about-oil-shale 

-Details about the life of Roman Toi: https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/theglobeandmail/name/roman-toi-obituary?id=41389728

-An example of Victor Borge’s comedy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIf3IfHCoiE

-“Vindilised Viisid” on Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/7104401-Olaf-Kopvillem-Vindilised-Viisid?srsltid=AfmBOoqkk1upMrApPZcrHHXvgu6TJR-W2NW-6_gEupXOrhV6VIJatILx

-The lyrics for Olaf Kopvillem’s song “Tsivilisatsioon”: https://sasslantis.ee/lyrics-olaf_kopvillem-tsivilisatsioon