UNESCO Chair on Refugee Integration through Education, Language and Arts

Can singing and dancing serve as non-violent responses to oppression? The Estonian song and dance festivals played a crucial role in the Singing Revolution, a series of peaceful mass protests that helped the Estonian people regain their freedom in 1991. Based on my experience as a singer and dancer in this year’s festival, I will provide an insider’s perspective on how these performances allow contemporary Estonians to confront the past and process intergenerational impacts of war, forced deportations, refugee migration, and occupation.

This presentation explores how cultural performances can be used as non-violent responses to conflict and facilitate healing.

Speaker biography: Dr Kalika Kastein (she/they) is a queer, non-binary Estonian-American who was raised in a multi-generational household with her parents and her grandparents, who fled Estonia as refugees. Kalika has participated as a singer and dancer in the Estonian national song and dance festival. Kalika has nearly 15 years of experience as an educator and is a certified primary teacher in both Aotearoa New Zealand and Hawaiʻi. Based at Ōtakou Whakaihu Waka University of Otago, they specialise in peace education and currently work in Te Kura Ākau Taitoka College of Education.

This episode was recorded at the online UNESCO RIELA Spring School: The Arts of Integrating 2025. 

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First published: 12 May 2026