Born in 1965. Actor, poet “Merca”.
Among the protesters in Hirvepark was Merle Jääger, a young student of the Drama School. Merca was not a dissident, but as a punk she was persecuted by the authorities. Frequent dealings with the militia and the KGB gave her the courage to come out with an improvised poem at this anti-Soviet demonstration. Merca recalls:
Why did you take part in Hirvepark?
Thrill, first of all. I hoped that there wouldn't be any shooting. Running from the cops had, in the meantime, become a daily business. You just couldn't avoid provoking them! In some way exciting, a good snort of adrenalin. Finally, when perestroika began to phase out, we were not brought to the militia every week. Then I had a strange feeling. Like a form of addiction had built up.
Visiting the militia gave me a good base for the later dealings with the KGB who pushed things so far that they began to throw me out of school. Once I asked the KGB that, very well, you throw me out of academia, but if I learned to be a carpenter and became a Stakhanovite [Soviet work hero] – what can you do to me then? To this the KGB guy gave a very funny reply: “Don't threaten!”
How did you decide to read out your improvised poem?
I asked Madisson or Parek [dissident leaders] for permission to read out a poem. They gave me a megaphone and that's how I read on this improvised podium my “Home birches”:
/.../ Home birch home birch
Guns pointing on my back
The hell! Death I never fear!
You see those birches just as I
Feel the same heaven's blue
You who shoot me from behind
Home birch home birch
If to Siberia, then for a reason! After that many dissidents came to shake my hand in gratitude, saying the verses were beautiful...
What is you assessment of Hirvepark today?
This was a great undertaking, which showed to us, Estonians, that we were not that cowardly after all! A good feeling of pride cropped up and prepared the ground for the next moves. Bravo to us all!