Kaisa Kuslapuu releases Võru album and urges speakers to use the language

Singer-songwriter Kaisa Kuslapuu says she finds it more natural to express strong emotions in Võru, a South Estonian language. In an interview on ERR’s Hommik Anuga programme, she said she released an album in the language because there is too little music in Võru.

“One morning I woke up and thought: why do I write music in Estonian at all?” Kuslapuu said. She described Võru as her second mother tongue and said she is a bilingual Võru speaker. She has also been looking more into her roots and has made friends who are active in promoting the language.

Kuslapuu said it is difficult to find statistics on Võru speakers. She recalled that one census had asked whether people understood the language, with a figure of about 75,000, though she cautioned that she might be mistaken. She also noted that people can now record Võru and other South Estonian languages in the population register, an option that was not previously available.

She said 20 children in Estonia are spoken to in Võru by their parents, and urged anyone who understands or has spoken a South Estonian language to use it. “We cannot put the burden of keeping the language alive on 20 children,” she said.

A booklet accompanying the physical album includes Estonian explanations alongside the Võru lyrics. Kuslapuu said she likes the mystery of hearing a language one does not understand, but that this is beginning to fade. She compared the experience to growing up hearing English songs without understanding the words, while still taking in the singers’ emotions.

During the programme, Kuslapuu performed “Kõomahl juusk” from the album.