Estonian historian and political scientist Andres Kasekamp was born in Toronto to a family of emigrants. His father left Estonia during the Great Escape of 1944. Andres' interest in history began with a desire to learn more about the experiences of his parents and grandparents.

Andres' father, Ilmar, was born in 1932, while Ilmar's older brother, Henn, was born in 1930. To escape the advancing Soviet forces in the fall of 1944, the family fled from Tallinn to Saaremaa, hoping to reach Sweden by boat, though this plan did not come to fruition. Their only remaining option was to attempt to travel to Germany. With the assistance of retreating German forces, the family reached Jaagurahu harbor, where they boarded a ship headed to Latvia and, a week later, continued their journey to Germany. They had a choice between two ships: the Nautik and the Nordstern. By sheer luck, the Kasekamp family chose the Nautik; the Nordstern was struck by a Soviet submarine torpedo and sank.

In Germany, the family found refuge in a displaced persons camp in Kempten. "The conditions there were, of course, very primitive, but at least we were warm and dry. And, of course, we had to find work immediately. If you didn't work, you didn't receive food ration cards, and without those, you couldn't eat," Henn recalled. Their mother, fearing bombings, was determined to move to the countryside. They eventually settled in a village about 40 kilometers away from the camp. "There was a dairy factory where our mother and sister found jobs, and we worked for local farmers," Henn said, adding that although the farmers did not really need their labor, they took them in out of sympathy for the refugees.

Despite their long workdays, the family's meals remained meager, prompting the boys to try fishing. "Several rivers flowed through that village, and they were full of fish, but fishing was strictly forbidden except for Nazi Party members and high-ranking officials. But we were hungry, and naturally, the desire to catch fish grew. I made a harpoon myself, and eventually, I succeeded in catching fish. Until the end of the war, it became an important part of our diet, as meat was completely unavailable in stores," Henn recalled.

The Kasekamp family stayed in Germany for over three years, but due to the country's difficult postwar conditions, they sought opportunities to move elsewhere. In 1948, the family managed to relocate to Sweden. However, feeling uncomfortably close to the Soviet Union, they aimed to continue on to Canada once they had saved enough resources. Both boys resumed their interrupted education while working. Henn, who had already started working in a jeweler's shop in Sweden, became a jeweler's apprentice, which eventually became his lifelong career. Ilmar later became a student and an accomplished volleyball player. "In the refugee camps, volleyball was played constantly – there were many players, and the competition was quite high-level. From the beginning, Estonians and Latvians were champions in volleyball in Canada. I also played for the Canadian national team," Ilmar recounted.

Both Ilmar and Henn remain deeply attached to Estonia. "Seventy-six years in Canada have not made me a Canadian. I am still an Estonian at heart. Estonia has its own language and culture. Here in Canada, there is no singular culture – it's multicultural, meaning everyone follows their own path. Everything Estonia has is missing here," Henn observed.

Ilmar's son, Andres Kasekamp, was born in Toronto in 1966. He graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in history in 1989 and earned his master's degree there the following year. In 1996, he received his doctorate from the University of London. In the late 1990s, Andres developed a stronger connection to Estonia, serving as a professor of Baltic politics at the University of Tartu, director of the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Baltic Studies. His long period of residence in Estonia ended in 2017 when he took up the position of head of the Chair of Estonian Studies at the University of Toronto.

According to Andres, students taking courses offered by the Chair of Estonian Studies come from very diverse backgrounds. "Most of them are not from the Estonian or Latvian diaspora. A large portion of them are of Chinese or Indian origin," he said, noting that knowledge of European history is becoming increasingly limited in Canada. "In Toronto, less than half of the people now have European roots or heritage. The largest waves of immigration in recent times are from Asia and South America, and these students naturally have less interest in traditional European topics," he explained. Andres pointed out that the teaching of history in North America is in crisis. "You hear these arguments in Estonia as well – we need more coders, IT specialists and genetic engineers. The humanities, meanwhile, are seen as having little practical value. Critical thinking, which history teaches, seems to be something no one wants anymore..."

Andres first visited Estonia with his family in 1979, though knowledge about life in the Soviet Union remained limited in Canada. "The place where I learned more about these issues was Metsaülikool (the Forest University), which was established in 1968 and sought to fill gaps in understanding of Soviet Estonian life and culture that were otherwise unaddressed in society here. For many mainstream Estonians, Metsaülikool was seen as somewhat suspect, a gathering of so-called 'semi-reds.' In reality, it was a meeting place for free thinkers," Andres recalled. He first attended Metsaülikool in 1987. "Ingvar Liitoja had a cassette and played us music from 'Propeller,' and it was incredibly cool. I had a great respect for punk music in the 1980s, and hearing Estonian punk for the first time was a huge experience!"

In Canadian society, Andres sees excessive reliance on the U.S. as problematic. "The entire Canadian identity is built on not being Americans – Canada was created to be different from the U.S. Everything is measured against America, and as long as Canadians feel they are better than Americans, there's satisfaction. Sure, the U.S. has lower taxes, higher wages and a stronger economy, but Canadians perceive themselves as superior morally, socially and educationally. However, if America is the yardstick, then the bar is set very low," he explained, adding that Canada should instead take inspiration from Denmark, Norway and Finland.

Andres' daughter, Kaisa Jasmin Kasekamp, was born in Helsinki in 2003; her mother is Finnish. Kaisa grew up in Estonia but frequently visited her grandparents in Toronto during her childhood. In 2017, when her father took a position in Toronto, it became her new home city. She is now in her fourth year as a student at the University of Toronto.

Kaisa recalled that moving from Estonia to Toronto was quite challenging. "At first, it really felt like, why do we need to make such a change? I had all my friends, all my routines in Estonia. But at the same time, there was this feeling that if not now, then when would I make such a change? The hardest part was definitely leaving my friends behind," she said.

Having experienced both countries' education systems, Kaisa believes that high schools in Estonia are stronger, while university studies are tougher in Canada. "Estonia has very strong science subjects, while in Canada, there is a stronger emphasis on global education because schools, especially in Toronto, are so multicultural. In twelfth grade, there were very interesting electives like anthropology, psychology and philosophy, and these are the subjects that have been most valuable to me in university," Kaisa explained.

Kaisa finds her grandparents' stories deeply instructive. "I think it helps put into perspective how the world works; it helps me understand the experiences of refugees coming from Ukraine now. It makes me more empathetic, of course, and it makes me think deeply about why we move through the world the way we do."

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