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Issue no: 833
• APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
• PUBLISHED TWICE WEEKLY
PRICE: GEL 2.50
In this week’s issue...
Government Launches $13
Million Check-in-Georgia
Promotional Project
NEWS PAGE 2
2016 Parliamentary Elections
– The Great Political Shootout
for Power
FOCUS
ON BORDERS
POLITICS PAGE 4
An in-depth look at the latest outbreak
of war in Nagorno-Karabakh
Cooperation between
Georgian and Chinese
Museums
PAGE 3
Georgia’s PM to Speak at the Annual
Investment Meeting in Dubai
NEWS PAGE 2
SOCIETY PAGE 16
Irakli Jgenti:
Neither talent
Nor Higher
Powers Decide
My Success
CULTURE PAGE 23
2
NEWS
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
Government Launches $13 Million
Check-in-Georgia Promotional Project
Georgia’s President Sets
Parliamentary Elections for
October 8
BY TAMAR SVANIDZE
G
BY TAMAR SVANIDZE
G
eorgia has launched its 29 million
GEL (USD 13 million) Check -in
-Georgia project aimed at promoting
the country’s tourism potential.
The project will include a series of
high profile events beginning in April and continuing until the end of the year. Well known local and
international artists – including Italian pop singer
Eros Ramazzotti and Britain’s Robbie Williams, as
well as world renowned Spanish opera tenor Jose
Carreras and US pop rock band Maroon 5 - will hold
live concerts in cities across the country.
“Check in Georgia promotes Georgia’s popularity abroad and will make it an attractive destination
for tourists…this will also enhance our image on
the international market. Georgia should occupy
its deserved place on the international cultural
calendar,” Culture and Monument Protection Minister Mikheil Giorgadze said.
Giorgadze also said that the project plans to create modern open-air concert venues on Georgia’s
Black Sea coast.
“This will be unique chance for local producers
and artists to use this facilities for free during the
summer season,” Giorgadze said.
The project will also include the promotion of
Georgia’s locally produced food products.
“We are going to arrange wine, cheese, and other
festivals to promote Georgian agro-products. We
also want to promote eco-tourism in the country,
because of its potential to develop,” said Giorgadze.
According to the latest statistics released by the
Ministry of Internal Affairs, tourism is on the rise
in Georgia.
More than 1 million foreign nationals have been
registered as having entered into Georgia since
January, a 14.7 per cent increase compared to the
same period last year.
eorgian President Giorgi Margvelasvili announced Tuesday at a special
briefing that parliamentary elections
will be held on October 8.
“I want to inform the public that the
date of the parliamentary elections is set for October 8. The prime minister will receive the documentation to be signed into law by no later than
tomorrow,” Margvelashvili said.
Georgia’s constitution calls for parliamentary
election to be held in October, with the country’s
president setting the exact date no later than two
months before voters go to the polls.
Under the constitution, the Georgian Parliament’s
150 members serve four-year terms, with 77 seats
set by proportional representation and 73 in singleseat constituencies.
The ruling Georgian Dream coalition dominates
the current parliament with 85 seats.
The coalition - founded by Georgia’s eccentric
billionaire oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili - swept to
power following a major prison scandal in 2012.
Comprised of six independent parties, it won the
parliamentary elections four years ago and unseated
pro-Western President Mikheil Saakashvili’s United
National Movement (UNM) in the process.
Saakashvili and the UNM had dominated Georgian politics since the 2003 Rose Revolution ousted
long-time former President Eduard Shevardnadze’s
corrupt administration from power.
In recent weeks, however, the Georgian Dream
appears to be unraveling as a number of its coalition members have withdrawn from the party.
The Republicans, a key faction in the ruling coalition, announced on March 31 that it plans to officially withdraw from the embattled Georgian Dream
and run on its own ticket in October.
The departure of the coalition’s second largest
faction could complicate the ruling party’s chances
at re-election in the upcoming election.
Recent polls have shown widespread discontent
with the Georgian Dream due to their poor handling of the country’s faltering economy and a lack
of policy cohesion amongst its disparate members.
Georgia’s PM to Speak
at the Annual Investment
Meeting in Dubai
BY TAMAR SVANIDZE
T
op investors, experts and practitioners from around the world will gather
in Dubai, one of the most populous
cities in the United Arab Emirates, to
attend a Global Forum for Investment
and Strategic Networking on April 11-13.
During the three-day Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) at the Dubai World Trade Center, the
world’s leading academics and experts will showcase upgrading information strategies and knowledge on attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
alongside a sharing of their vision about innovative
activity for growth and development of the economy.
AIM is the region’s first Emerging Markets FDIfocused event to offer cross-industry project developers a safe platform to present their projects and
schedule tête a tête meetings with institutional,
corporate and private investors seeking lucrative
and reliable projects for their capital. The event
will also seek to identify legislation that will help
stimulate the local economy through new investment opportunities.
On Monday, Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi
Kvirikashvili will stand beside the world’s business
leaders, senior public officials and heads of international institutions to take part in a Global Leaders Plenary Session.
The debate will focus on the New World of FDI,
the theme of the 2016 Annual Investment Meeting.
Participants will discuss and share views on effective policies to attract investment, particularly new
forms of FDI from emerging sources in growing
markets.
The Georgian Prime Minister plans to highlight
Georgia’s positive investment climate, healthy
environment for business, and the trade and economic potential of the country. He also will emphasize Georgia’s role within the New Silk Road project and will speak about the reforms the Georgian
government is carrying out within the four point
plans of economy.
The event is organized Under the Patronage of Sheikh
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President,
Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. Georgia Today is the
key media partner of AIM 2016.
NEWS
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
3
Armenian, Azeri Forces Cling to Tenuous NagornoKarabakh Ceasefire After Days of Heavy Fighting
BY NICHOLAS WALLER
A
fter four days of intense
fighting that left up to 70
people dead, a tenuous
ceasefire appears to be
holding between Armenian
and Azeri forces in the disputed South
Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Both sides were quick to accuse each
other of violating the truce, though most
of the fighting along the internationally
imposed contact line separating the two
armies has stopped since a Russian-led
delegation brokered a ceasefire that
brought an abrupt end to the hostilities
early Wednesday.
The fighting has deeply shaken the
international community who fear that
an escalation could turn into a full-scale
war between the two long-time enemies,
with Turkey and strategic partner Israel
strongly backing Azerbaijan and Russia
coming to the aid of close ally Armenia
and its proxies in Nogorno-Karabakh as
part of their mutual security pact.
MAJOR ESCALATION
Fighting erupted in the early morning
hours of April 2, with both sides using
heavy artillery, mobile rocket launchers,
rotary-wing aircraft and drones in the
ensuing three days of combat.
Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said 31
of its soldiers had been killed in action
since Saturday; Armenian forces stated
that 29 of their soldiers died in the fighting and 101 were wounded.
Conflicting claims over the number of
civilian deaths continue to circulate,
though no independent verification
regarding non-combatant casualties has
been made available.
Armenia’s ambassador to the US, Grigor
Hovhannissyan, stated in an interview
with the Associated Press that Azerbaijan had launched a major offensive in
Karabakh as part of an effort to divert
domestic attention away from “growing
social unrest and discontent throughout
the country.”
The authorities in Azerbaijan have
steadfastly refuted the claim, saying an
unprovoked attack by Armenian forces
required a response.
Elin Suleymanov, an Azeri official,
accused Armenia of launching combat
operations to divert attention from a
visit by Azerbaijan’s President Ilham
Aliyev to Washington, which has been
described by independent sources as
having been highly successful.
Both the Armenian and Azeri defense
ministries state that their armies have
inflicted heavy losses - numbering in the
hundreds - on their enemy, though the
rival claims appear unlikely and have
not been independently confirmed.
Reports from the battlefield indicate
that Azerbaijan was initially successful in gaining ground against Karabakh’s Armenian forces, with military
officials in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku
claiming that the Azeri military had
captured several villages and a strategic piece of high ground along the
contact line.
A massive counterattack by Armenian
forces halted the Azeris’ advance and,
according to Armenian media reports,
largely recaptured most of the areas that
were first overrun by Azerbaijan’s forces
in the early hours of the conflict.
Azeri officials have angrily stated that
they will refuse to cede control of territory captured in the fighting and that
any such demand would be a “major
non-starter” for upcoming peace negotiations.
TROUBLED PAST
Landlocked Nagorn0-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian exclave surrounded by
Azerbaijan, has been under Yerevan’s
control since a bloody two-year separatist war that killed an estimated 40,000
people and left more than a million as
refugees ended in 1994.
Placed within the boundaries of the
Azeri SSR by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin
in an attempt to suppress nationalism
in the Soviet Union’s titular republics,
Nagorn0-Karabakh became a flashpoint
for ethnic violence in the final years of
the Soviet Union.
Armenians, who made up 80 per cent
of the population at the time, attempted
to wrestle the region back from Azerbaijan in the late 1980s during Soviet
President Mikhail Gorbachev’s liberalizing Perestroika period.
The Christian Armenian population
claimed they were subject to a growing
number of discriminatory policies
enacted by the local Muslim Azeri minority, who then dominated the local police
and Communist Party apparatus.
Deadly clashes broke out between the
communities in 1988-1991, reaching their
peak in February 1988 when Azeri mobs
killed at least 26 Armenians in Sumgayit,
a drab industrial suburb outside Baku.
The incident caused mass civil unrest
in the city and later forced Gorbachev
to send units of the army as well as Soviet
MVD interior ministry troops into the
city to quell the violence.
As the Soviet Union imploded, open
warfare broke out between the two communities in late 1992.
Allied to Russia and heavily supported
by volunteers from its vast diaspora in
the West, Armenia’s superior forces
quickly overran and routed Azerbaijan’s
poorly trained, Turkish-supplied army
in 1992-1993.
Both sides were later accused of ethnic
cleansing and war crimes, including the
April 1992 massacre of more than 100
ethnic Armenian civilians in Maragah
and the slaughter of 160 Azeri villagers
in Khojaly in February 1992.
TO WELCOME THE NEW TOURIST SEASON, RESTAURANT ‘GEORGIAN HOUSE’ IS
READY TO PREPARE AND ORGANIZE WONDERFUL EVENTS FOR OUR GUESTS.
We wish to invite even more visitors to enjoy the fine service of our restaurant ‘Georgian House,’ to appreciate
its design and to taste traditional, modern and beautifully presented dishes created by our experienced chefs.
When our guests arrive, we are ready to introduce them to real Georgia, our hospitality and our art. We want our
guests to relax in a unique environment in which we offer them more than just traditional food. Our Masterclass
allows guests to bake their own ‘khachapuri’,Georgian (Shoti) bread, to barbecue meat, to discover the secrets of
‘khinkali’, to take part in distilling that fiery spirit named ‘chacha,’ and to make ‘churchkhela.’ Our guests are also
welcome to give Georgian dancing a try and enjoy traditional folk songs performed by the band ‘Alilo’.To add to
the fun we invite our guests to dress up in traditional 19th century clothing and take memorable photos beside
the talisman of ‘Georgian House’- the statue of Taso Makashvili placed in recognition of the romantic adventure
of this descendant of a noble 19th century family.These photos will remind guests about the great time they spent
in Georgia.
‘Georgian House’ is a high class restaurant with elements of a 19th century interior, with halls of different design
and an excellent musical program, traditional and modern, delicious, beautifully prepared dishes,comfortable
old-Tbilisian hanging balconies and apartments with cozy fireplaces.
Only professionals work here and this is one of the main reasons for the high level and popularity of restaurant
‘Georgian House’. We feel a responsibility to each and every guest and constantly train and prepare our staff to
meet, serve and entertain them.
Come and visit our restaurant and you will leave sure that ‘Georgian House’ is a place where everyone cares
and is proud of everything that’s ‘Georgia’.
www.facebook.com/georgianhouse.ge/
www.georgian-house.ge
Continued on page 5
4
POLITICS
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
2016 Parliamentary Elections – The
Great Political Shootout for Power
OP-ED BY ZVIAD ADZINBAIA
G
eorgian President Giorgi
Margvelashvili announced
Tuesday at a special briefing that the 2016 parliamentary elections will be
held on October 8.
The main political competition in the
last four years is believed to be one of
the critical moments in the Georgian
democratic life.
As the country partially enters into a
pre-electoral campaign, several players
seem to be aspiring to gain the favor of
the traditionally wavering Georgian electorate. In fact, the recent polls by several
reputable local and international organizations clearly reveal that the popularity
of ruling coalition Georgian Dream (GD)
is plummeting. One of the motives for
that failing belief in GD by Georgian
citizens is the government’s economic
failure and weak foreign policy.
At the same time, Georgia is strongly
considered to still be under the unofficial leadership of the Georgian tycoon,
Bidzina Ivanishvili, who moved to the
backstage in 2013, after a one-year term
as Prime Minister.
Observing GD’s visibly impalpable
success on the Georgian political scene,
it is hardly unexpected that the Coalition has been facing an internal dissolution in recent days.
The Republicans, a key faction in the
Georgian Dream coalition, announced
Thursday that they plan to officially
withdraw from the embattled incumbent party prior to the elections.
Leader of the United
National Movement in
a protest against the
government. Photo:
www.ipress.ge
Party Chairwoman Khatuna Samnidze
announced the decision following a
lengthy debate within the Republican
leadership over the future path of the
party. They are planning to play an
independent game in the October race.
Notably, the ruling coalition’s unity
started its obvious fluctuation from
November 2014, when one of its key
western-facing allies, Free Democrats
(FD), notoriously departed from the
ruling team. They accused the government of betraying Georgia’s European
and Euro-Atlantic path by flirting with
Russia.
Both the Republicans and Free Democrats are strongly believed to have
played their nontrivial role in the Georgian Dream government, who were
otherwise labelled as Russia-affiliates.
The two parties controlled some key
governmental positions including
Defense, EU-NATO integration, Parliament and more, to secure Georgia’s
Western path.
Currently, having arrived at a crossroads, even though the Republicans and
the FD have been sympathized with for
their Western orientation, they lack the
needed public support that would enable them to gain a significant number
of seats in the next parliament. Their
strategic adversary in the elections is
the country’s main opposition party,
the United National Movement, who
ruled Georgia for nine years following
the Rose Revolution of 2003.
The UNM was expected to rebrand
itself after the painful fiasco with GD
in the 2012 elections, though the party
remains on almost the same rails. Moreover, the UNM leadership, including
ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili, currently serving as Odessa Governor in
Ukraine, has only indirectly been
involved in Georgian politics. Other
UNM frontrunners, including ex-PM
Vano Merabishvili, were imprisoned,
which makes it hardly likely that the
former government will regain a significant amount of power this term.
As for GD itself, although their policies and politics have been prone to
wider public criticism, they are expected
to seriously modify the existing team
and advance some new faces in the party
circle. This strategy is most likely
designed to alleviate the negative public attitudes toward the government in
order to get the second mandate.
In these convoluted circumstances, it
would be least pragmatic to forget about
openly Russian-leaning parties, such as
Nino Burjanadze’s Democratic Party and
The Patriots’ Alliance. Notwithstanding
Russian sentiment plunging in the new
generation, the two seemingly marginal
parties have assembled their respective
audience among the elderly, who are
authentically anti-Western.
Last but not least, the newly established Pine Cone and the New Party of
the Georgian philanthropist, Paata Burchuladze will be trying their best to be
competitive in the election process.
Georgia’s political landscape is highly
colorful and the forthcoming summer
is prognosticated to be politically very
hot. As the elections can significantly
determine Georgia’s future democratic
fate, there will be a massive unconventional shootout between the role players to succeed.
The elections are also expected to
have a crucial role in terms of Georgia’s
positive perception in Western communities and in solidifying the country’s
state institutions for successful future
governance. Relatively, Georgia’s EU
and NATO aspiration can be in direct
correlation to conducting democratic
elections, which further underscores
the utmost significance of this year for
the territorially tiny country in the South
Caucasus.
ZVIAD ADZINBAIA is an Analyst at
Georgia Today, covering security, foreign policy, and the domestic politics
of Georgia. He is affiliated with the
Georgian Foundation for Strategic and
International Studies (GFSIS). From fall
2016, Zviad will be joining the George
Washington University’s Elliot School
of International Affairs as a Master’s
student in Security Studies.
POLITICS
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
Armenian, Azeri Forces
Cling to Tenuous NagornoKarabakh Ceasefire After
Days of Heavy Fighting
Continued from page 3
By the end of the war, the overwhelming majority of Azeris fled the region as
refugees.
An uneasy ceasefire brokered by Russia, the US and France in 1994 left
Nagorno-Karabakh under Armenian
control, but years of wildly unsuccessful
negotiations headed by the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe
have left the tiny mountainous region a
highly militarized breakaway separatist
state, with its status still unresolved.
RETURN TO THE STATUS
QUO ANTE
In light of the recent escalation, questions
now arise for the major players in the
region and the two sides that are party
to the conflict as to what the state of affairs
will be in the highly disputed region.
Moscow’s position as a mediator in the
conflict arises mainly by default rather
than through its influence over Aliyev
or his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan.
Russia has supplied vast quantities of
highly sophisticated weaponry to both
Azerbaijan and Armenia as a means to
expand its influence over a region that
was once key to its imperial ambitions.
This double game has angered many
in Armenia, which has maintained close
security and economic ties with Moscow
and has longed looked to the Kremlin
for political guidance.
Though both Turkey and Georgia have
offered to play a part in finding common
ground between the Azeris and Armenians, neither country holds much sway
over the two warring nations in the same
manner as Putin’s Russia.
Turkey is a staunch, vocal ally of Azerbaijan with no diplomatic relations with
Armenia. Georgia, while a strategic bordering state, lacks any serious clout
within the international community to
act as a true mediator.
As both sides announced a break in
the fighting on Wednesday, U.S., French
and Russian officials prepared a series
of high-level visits to Azerbaijan and
Armenia to seek an agreement.
But it was Russian President Vladimir
Putin who held separate phone calls
Tuesday with the leaders of Azerbaijan
and Armenia, demanding an immediate
halt to the fighting and a return to the
1994 cease-fire line.
He’s dispatched his Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov to meet with Aliyev and
Iranian officials in Baku and Vice President Dmitry Medvedev to Armenia to
talk with Sargsyan.
While the West has continued to dither
over how to respond to the conflict, Russia’s quick shuttle diplomacy between
Yerevan and Baku will likely leave Moscow as the key arbiter in any future peace
agreement.
Stability in Nagorno-Karabakh, however, will continue to be elusive as neither side is willing to give ground over
their rival claims. Though Moscow has
the strongest hand to play to pressure
both sides into occasionally abiding by
the ceasefire agreements, the absence
of any international mechanisms to
enforce a lasting settlement over a highly
militarized Karabakh will leave the
impoverished region in limbo as another
of the half dozen post-Soviet frozen conflict zones.
5
Russia Has More to Lose than
South Ossetia if it Allows
Unification with the North
OP-ED BY ZAZA JGARKAVA
T
he De-facto leader of occupied South Ossetia started
talking about joining Russia
again this week. Leonid
Tibilov announced that at
the referendum that will be held by the
end of this year, citizens will have to
answer only one question: “Do you support us joining the Russian Federation?”
Tibilov made the announcement about
this constitutional initiative in the Georgievsky Hall in the Kremlin, on a visit
to President Putin to settle the financial
problems of the occupied territory.
It is nothing new that occupied South
Ossetia wants to join the Russian Federation. To be more precise, that it wants
to be united with North Ossetia which,
as everyone is aware, is the federal subject of the Russian Federation. While in
Tskhinvali they call it the restoration of
historical justice, whether it really is
“historical justice” or not is a question
of another debate. The fact that the term
“South Ossetia” emerged on the world
map only after the Bolshevization of
Georgia is already sufficient argument.
Afterwards, despite this political casus,
the issue of unification of South and
North Ossetias has never left the agenda.
Moreover, there was even a period in
the 1930s when North Ossetia wanted
to unite with South Ossetia and this time
within the borders of the Georgian
Socialistic Republic. At that time Stalin
made the decision and the map that was
marked by him was left intact until the
collapse of the Soviet Union. After said
collapse, the issue of South and North
Ossetia uniting became more active with
ethnic Ossetians but was always opposed
by Moscow.
As the last meeting of Tibilov and Putin
suggested, the Kremlin wasn’t so enthusiastic about this initiative from Tskhinvali. After meeting President Putin,
Tibilov started talking about the delicate
nature of the referendum issue and the
international prestige of Russia. The fact
that the Kremlin does not support the
growth of its federal subjects within its
territory has also been confirmed by
Russian analysts. Political expert Andrey
Epiphantsev believes that the adoption
of South Ossetia into the Russian Federation won’t change anything for Tskhinvali, but is rather disadvantageous for
Russia. “South Ossetia is on our shoulders in any case, both financially and
politically. As for the losses, these will
be quite big for us. Taking a step like this
after Crimea means we should stop
dreaming about the international economic sanctions being lifted – forever.
In addition to that, Georgia might be
accepted to NATO, which will be a political disaster for us. Therefore, the issue
of receiving South Ossetia into the Russian Federation is no more than a different tool in order to stop the events from
developing in this direction,” Epiphantsev told journalists of the newspaper
‘Arguments and Facts’. But what will
happen if the de-facto leader of South
Ossetia does really address Putin about
joining the Russian Federation based on
the outcome of the referendum? According to Carnegie Moscow Center analyst
Alexey Malashenko – not much, “We
will just thank our Ossetian brothers and
tell them it is impossible.”
There are about 25 thousand people
living on the occupied territory, not
counting the Russian soldiers that live
on the Tskhinvali and Java military bases,
the number of which exceeds 10 thousand. Keeping the territory populated
with only 25 thousand people costs
Kremlin RUB 7.3 billion, about USD 120
million. If we take into consideration the
scale of Russian corruption then it is
easy to imagine what sort of financial
“laundry” Tskhinvali really is for the
Russian officials today. Therefore, unsurprisingly, changing this corrupt scheme
will not suit Russia today. However, anything can be expected from the unpredictable Kremlin.
Unlike the Russian analysts, their colleagues in Tbilisi have different thoughts
and arguments in fear that the de-facto
leader of occupied South Ossetia voices
the position of the Kremlin and that it
serves the purpose of Georgia being
refused its Euro Atlantic course. An
opinion exists that raising this issue is
connected with the investigation that
started in Hague regarding the war crimes
committed in 2008. In light of the predictions by analysts, whether Russia will
receive South Ossetia and unite North
and South Ossetias is as yet unknown.
One rather important and unusual thing
happened during the Russian tour- Tskhinvali accused its Northern brothers of
treason because of the concerts that have
been held in the Vladikavkaz where
Georgian folk Ensembles Rustavi and
Bani participated.
6
POLITICS
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
Russia Sitting Pretty:
Ogden on Georgia
Walking the
Political Tightrope
OP-ED BY TIM OGDEN
H
ad Socrates been in Georgia in August
2008, no doubt he’d have said something suitably philosophical about
war and the folly of man – not that
he’d have had much chance; he’d
probably have had an AK47 thrust into his arms
and then bungled on a bus bound for Gori, before
being hastily brought back to Tbilisi when the Russians hove in sight.
That, you’ll gather, is my enduring impression of
the Georgia-Russia war of 2008 (the chaos, I mean,
not the hypothetical presence of Greek philosophers). I’ve heard stories of Georgians with prior
military experience scrambling to volunteer to get
back in uniform and fight off the invader, only to
arrive at military depots and been given empty
rifles; likewise, I’ve heard of people who’ve never
done a day’s service in uniform be issued equipment that even Rambo might have raised his eyebrow at. Then there are the tales of overwhelming
Russian air power, despite American and European
reports of one of the few Georgian success stories
of that war being the downing of numerous Russian aircraft and the deaths of their pilots.
Naturally, the fear that it all might happen again
has never gone away, especially with the thousands
of Russian troops sitting pretty in South Ossetia
and Abkhazia, and Moscow and Tbilisi’s relations
remaining hostile. Russia’s intervention in Ukraine
– predictably unchallenged by the West beyond
the regular sycophantic chant of ‘strong condemnation’ – led some in Georgia to believe that Russian forces would come rolling over the hills again
in the near future.
This week’s flare up between Azerbaijan and
Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh (which has already
resulted in the loss of thirty lives) has caused the
old worry to come back once more, especially due
to rumours of a Russian request to use Georgian
airspace in order to assist its Armenian allies. Georgians are worried that if Russia officially requests
permission to transit its military forces through
Georgia (as per a pre-2008 war agreement between
Russia and Georgia), Tbilisi will deny the request
and thus provoke Russia into finding a more aggressive way of getting its forces into Armenia.
While hardly an impossible scenario, it remains
unlikely. The European and American publics are
becoming increasingly tired with Islamic extremism in general and the Islamic State in particular,
and with Russia’s intervention in Syria, President
Putin has managed to rebrand his country as an
international peacekeeper, far from the image cultivated by the West of the Russian bear bullying
its smaller neighbours.
The West’s support of a number of Syrian rebel
factions was strongly criticised by some media
outlets when it emerged that a number of these
groups are linked with (or sympathetic to) AlQaeda; the new perception of Ba’athism contends
Georgia had best be
careful walking the
diplomatic tightrope,
especially as the
government is
becoming increasingly
fractured and
October’s elections
draw ever closer.
Photo:
thenationstatewerein.
co.uk/2016/02/
that while it is indeed a brutal form of fascism, it
does not compare with the barbarism of the Islamic
State: between the Scylla of Al-Qaeda rebels and
the Charybdis of IS, Russian-backed President AlAssad is cast in a more favourable light.
Russia’s brief campaign of support for the Syrian
government propped up the regime, bloodied the
nose of the Islamic State and retired in good order
(a far cry from the Western quagmires of the Afghan
and Iraq wars). With an increasing number of IS
attacks in Europe, some segments of the Western
public view military intervention in Syria as being
the only way to prevent terrorist activity on the
continent, since any criticism of Islamic immigration and integration in Europe being a metaphorical minefield laced with words such as ‘discrimination’ and ‘prejudice’. It is hardly surprising that
many are describing Russia as fighting a European
war that Brussels is unwilling to wage.
In this way, any further aggression towards Georgia at this time would badly damage the new perception of Moscow as a sensible international
policeman. If Russia requests the use of Georgian
airspace and Georgia declines, it will serve solely
to enhance Moscow’s image and damage Tbilisi’s;
given Russia’s past form, it will not be hard to spin
the outbreak of fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh as
being the fault of Azerbaijan (and it might well
have been, for all we know). Georgia, then, will be
seen as spitefully preventing Russian peacekeepers
from being allowed to restore order and end the
fighting.
The rebrand of Russia’s image has served to
change the perception of Moscow amongst the
Western public, which in turn might cause European and American politicians’ attitude to change
as a result; this could have a number of positive
outcomes for Russia, such as the lifting of the West’s
sanctions and unfreezing Russian assets in Europe
and North America.
For its part, Georgia had best be careful walking
the diplomatic tightrope, especially as the government is becoming increasingly fractured and October’s elections draw ever closer. It is, as I like to
tell my friends, a damn good (or interesting; pick
one) time to live here.
Dutch PM: Aspirant Countries Should
Anchor to Both Russia AND Europe
BY IA MEURMISHVILI FOR VOICE OF
AMERICA’S GEORGIAN SERVICE
D
utch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, currently holding the European Council
presidency, told the Voice of America
Georgian Service that Association
Agreements with aspirant countries
makes the EU stronger; however, he argued that
Ukraine should not be allowed to become a member of the economic block. PM Rutte claims that
countries in Eastern Europe should build and maintain strong relations with Russia.
“I think the Eastern Partnership is important. I
was at the Vilnius Summit in 2013 and I still remember the Summit we had in Poland in 2011. I think
it is extremely important that the European Union
build its bridges with the countries in Eastern
Europe, while at the same time also acknowledging that these countries will also have strong relations with Russia,” stated Mr. Rutte.
The Dutch Prime Minister reiterated his previous position on EU expansion and said that the
aspirant countries should not look at the EU membership as a zero sum game and should not choose
between Russia and the West. “It should be a choice
to anchor these countries to both Europe and Russia,” he said.
Some in Eastern Europe believe that it would take
years for Ukraine and Georgia to establish normal
relations with Moscow – if at all. Russia occupies
about 20 percent of Georgian territory. It annexed
Crimea and supports separatists in Eastern Ukraine.
Despite this predicament, the Dutch Prime Minister believes that EU and NATO aspirant countries,
including Ukraine, should get closer to Europe to
strengthen their democracies, which in turn will
help them to have stable relations with Russia.
“I think the Association Agreement will help
Ukraine to fight corruption, to improve democracy,
improve the standards of human rights for many
minorities- the gay community, Jewish community,
who are very much in favor of this. A stronger
Ukraine would also be able to build a relationship
with Russia,” said PM Rutte.
He also believes that Ukraine should not forget
its historic ties with Russia: “Let’s not forget that
a part of the Russian history started in Ukraine, in
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte
Kiev. Of course, what happened in Crimea, in Eastern Ukraine, has created a situation where a stable
relationship with Russia is very difficult to see.
Still, in the near future, or in the somewhat distant
future I hope that Ukraine will be able to have as
strong relations with the European Union as to
Moscow.”
PM Rutte has similar views on NATO expansion.
According to him, before inviting new members,
the Alliance should consider its physical proximity
with Moscow and base the expansion policy on
balancing this factor. “Before the Berlin Wall came
down, the distance between Moscow and the West
was 3000 kilometers. I’m not in favor of this, but
if Ukraine were to have an exclusive relationship
with the West and have no relationship with Russia, then that distance will be 1000 kilometers –
2000 kilometers less than in 1989. When we discuss
the expansion of NATO, we need to remind ourselves of this and what it means in terms of our
relations with Russia,” said the Dutch PM.
While opposing Ukraine’s accession into NATO,
the Dutch PM does not object to the ambitions of
aspirant countries. “I understand the ambitions of
the countries in the east that are close to Russia to
become members of NATO,” he said. However,
referring to physical or political threats coming
from Russia, he added “there is no simple yes on
no answer. NATO constantly needs to balance
these facts.”
POLITICS
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
StratCom and Russian (Not So) Soft
Power All the Talk at 2016 NATOGeorgia Public Diplomacy Forum
BY VAZHA TAVBERIDZE
N
ATO Week, the ninth of its kind, took
off in Georgia on April 4 with the
launch of NATO-Georgia Public
Diplomacy Forum, which was held
for the first time in Tbilisi. The event,
as well as the NATO Week, was organized by the
Information Center on NATO and EU in coordination with the Office of the State Minister of Georgia on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration with
the support of the Ministry of Defense of Georgia,
NATO Liaison Office in Georgia and the Embassy
of Romania in Georgia (CPE).
The Forum took place in the cozy conference hall
of Radisson Blu Hotel. The high-profile debate,
with an abundantly rich selection of strategic communication actors from the West’s top decision
making organizations, enjoyed the attendance of
an engaged and motivated audience. The Prime
Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Kvirikashvili; State
Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, David Bakradze; and Deputy Assistant of
NATO Secretary General, Ted Whiteside, welcomed
the participants. The PM emphasized the importance of ever-strengthening cooperation between
Georgia and the Alliance in his speech, stressing
that Georgia’s desire to become a member of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization is unwavering
and that the country “wants to hear a clear message” regarding its closer integration into the North
Atlantic block at the NATO Warsaw Summit in
2016.
“We spare no effort to retain the positive dynamics of the NATO integration process and to make
NATO-Georgia relations even more significant in
terms of progress and tangible results in this direction. Georgia, as an aspirant country, puts particular emphasis on strengthening its ties with NATO
and performs important responsibilities in terms
of NATO’s rapid reaction forces and NATO missions. In view of NATO approximation, Georgia
expects significant progress in both political and
practical terms during the Warsaw summit,” said
the PM.
The sentiment was shared by Minister Bakradze,
who voiced the hope that the Forum would facilitate further expansion of the network of public
diplomacy experts, “ensure information and experience sharing and development of common strategies and approaches.”
“Tangible deliverable is the best way to tackle
disinformation” he added.
True to the Minister’s wishes, participants at the
first day of the Forum discussed issues including
hybrid warfare and the role of strategic communication in countering it, the establishment of state
run media as a tool of propaganda and the limits
of freedom of expression in an era filled with the
perils of growing extremism and violence. Particularly noteworthy was the contribution of Anneli
Kimber, a representative of the European Union’s
East Stratcom task force that is dedicated towards
exposing and distributing information about Russian propaganda. The honest and objective review
of their own strengths and limitations, provided
by the speaker, was arguably the best way for the
Brussels-based unit to set reachable goals in an
uneven battle. The ongoing revamp and redesigning of the approaches employed by the EU communication actors, particularly those aiming at
more active involvement from the local (in this
case, Georgian) media outlets, also seemed reasonable and full of promise.
The second day of the Forum was devoted to
NATO-Georgia cooperation, expectations for the
NATO Warsaw summit and, once again, the importance of effective strategic communication. In this
scope, a specific workshop for media professionals
was also held – where the officials from NATO HQ ,
the US, the EU, Britain, Estonia, Latvia, Romania,
Montenegro, Ukraine and Moldova sat down with
Georgian journalists to speak about effective strategies in strategic communication. Engaging and
lively, the workshop sparked many interesting and
innovative ideas.
The NATO Week in Georgia is due to last until
April 19th.
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8
POLITICS
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
Ukraine’s Anti-Secession
Strategy- Russian, Georgian or
Moldovan Way?
BY ALEXANDER TOKAREV
T
hree general strategies can
be defined from the postSoviet anti-secession
approaches: the diametrically opposed Russian and
Georgian ones, and an intermediary
Moldovan one. Neither of the three envisions active warfare in relationships
between secessions and “mother states”
in the near future. Despite it being hard
to predict the Donbass situation (neither
its institutional structure nor values or
actors’ behavioral strategies are firmly
established), my suggestion is to compare secession factors in Eastern Ukraine
to those that came to be in Russia, Georgia and Moldova.
The strategy of Vladimir Putin towards
Chechnya and that of Mikheil Saakashvili towards Abkhazia and South Ossetia/
Tskhinvali region were more or less
similar. However, while the Kremlin has
managed to rally strong support for the
federal center via Kadyrov and Yamadaev clans, as well as ex-militia turncoats,
nobody in South Ossetia/Tskhinvali
region took Dmitry Sanakoev, Saakashvili’s appointed figurehead, seriously.
The Georgian president’s offer, made in
April 2008, was declined by Sergey
Shamba, head of the Abkhazian Interior
Ministry. Given Georgia’s strong swivel
towards the West in 2006 and onwards,
Russia has apparently decided that the
January 2004 scenario should not be
repeated – namely, when its own Foreign
Minister Igor Ivanov convinced Aslan
Abashidze, the virtual owner of Adjara
province, to leave the republic, thus playing a pivotal role in restoration of Tbilisi’s constitutional control over the area.
By 2008, Russia could no longer work
with Georgia on maintaining its territory, as its growing military-political and
economical rapport with NATO and USA
was openly opposed to Russia’s national
interests.
Long before that, President Saakashvili,
seeing the immense demand for restoration of statehood and territorial integrity
from the masses, started to deviate from
the “Chechnya method” while still hoping to implement it later, with support
of Western partners (what took place in
2008 was basically such an attempt).
After the Rose Revolution, Georgian
elites started to develop the territory
under their control. What Martin Malek
aptly named “Inner Georgia” (UN majority-acknowledged Georgia without 19%
of its territory) became a place for largescale anti-corruption reforms, restoration of statehood and its function, increasing fiscal performance and supremacy
of law, reinforcement of the Armed
Forces, Police and the state apparatus,
as well as privatization and cuts to
bureaucratic expenses. “Instead of waiting for occupied territories to come back,
let us develop what we can” can be called
an unofficial motto of the Georgian
approach towards secessions both before
and after 2008. This included provision
of highly qualified medical assistance to
denizens of Abkhazia and South Ossetia/
Tskhinvali region (partly via Dmitry
Sanakoev’s administration, which represents official Tbilisi in the area), a joint
EU stance known as “Involvement without Acknowledgement”, creation of a
Reintegration Ministry and its evolution
into a Civil Accord Ministry – all these
steps show that Georgia, despite not
having a precise strategy of taking back
the unrecognized territories that are now
separate formations, did not burn the
bridges.
The Kremlin’s strategy towards
Chechnya was completely opposite to
the one described above and, in our
opinion, more successful. After the
militia was largely exterminated and
those willing to lay down their arms
Continued on page 9
GEORGIA TODAY
POLITICS
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
9
Ukraine’s Anti-Secession Strategy- Russian, Georgian
or Moldovan Way?
Continued from page 8
granted amnesty and accepted into
Chechen departments of Russian power
structures (Armed Forces, Internal
Security, MVD, FSB), the federal center
took to restoration of the devastated
republic. By 2016, Russia had turned it
into a controllable territory with functional state institutions, well-developed
social space (healthcare, education,
interreligious communication, culture)
and a high level of security for common
citizenry. Alongside those, however, an
openly authoritarian regime was established, with zero tolerance towards
criticism, utter ruthlessness against
public political opposition, no legal
opponents within the republic’s borders
and a personality cult to support its
legitimacy. The Russian anti-secession
strategy amounted to “Bring the republic back into the constitutional fold and
building a peaceful life within, with
clear incentives for the local elite.”
The Moldovan approach turned out to
be a sort of a middle ground between its
Georgian and Russian counterparts.
Chisinau never tried to create a success
story like “Inner Georgia” did, nor did
it risk using force for reintegration of
Transnistria (PMR), as Russia did with
Chechnya. This course of action was
caused by hard factors: the Moldovan
economy was barely managing to deal
with its own challenges and could not
have handled raising living standards in
the already industrially developed Transnistrian region. Besides, Russian peacekeepers stationed in PMR are guarantors
of stability, and not just formally. As our
respondents stated in in-depth interviews, maintaining the presence of Russian troops is of vital importance: “Even
if Russia decides to move their guys out,
we won’t let them; otherwise, this place
will become Romania overnight.” On the
other hand, Chisinau never broke economic ties with PMR, despite periodically blockading the unrecognized republic together with Ukraine: export of
electricity, textile goods, machinery
produced in PMR reached the EU through
Moldova, same as import. The MoldovanTransnistrian border is nonexistent – a
single policeman manning an improvized
post and checking documents arbitrarily, depending on his mood, hardly lives
up to the title of a border guard. Moldova
still does not have an eastern border,
save for the fact that since the beginning
of the conflict in Ukraine, the border
between it and PMR came under the
tight control of Kiev. The TransnistrianMoldovan border, however, is very real,
down to mass document checks, inspection of heavy transports, brandishing of
state symbols, presence of border guards
and filling out of admission forms. In
such an attitude towards border control
and secessionist policy lies the main difference between Moldovan and Georgian
strategies: while Georgia de facto
acknowledges the borders of Abkhazia
and South Ossetia/Tskhinvali region by
maintaining constant presence of troops
there, Chisinau considers PMR to be its
territory, making do with a tiny police
presence and lack of border infrastructure.
Which strategy can Ukraine opt for in
returning the Donbass region, considering that the given situation involves
interaction of global powers? The Russian approach, a military operation with
subsequent social-economic development is excluded for the following reasons. Firstly, the correlation of Ukraine/
Donbass industrial potential resembles
that of Moldova/PMR; Ukraine simply
does not possess the same level of economic development as pre-war Donbass,
and at the moment is physically incapable of dealing with its restoration. Secondly, neither the armed forces of the
self proclaimed Lugansk/Donetsk People’s Republics, nor Russia will allow
use of force to return the breakaway
territories under control of Kiev.
The Georgian approach is far more
likely for Ukraine. There is a considerable demand for massive social-economical reforms (which Mikheil Saakashvili
and part of his old team are already trying to implement) and Europeanization.
Given lack of a national and ethnic border in Eastern Ukraine and obvious
immaturity of the national community,
many Ukrainians cannot answer some
very important questions, such as: what
are the criteria of membership in a nation?
Are the denizens of Donbass members
of the community or not? Should Russian be accepted as a second state language or not? Would federalization be
appropriate or not? And more. There is
no national consensus regarding the
DNR/LNR problem – while Ukrainians
definitely want to get their territories
back, reintegration of Donbass denizens
is under a big question mark. According
to polls conducted by Ukraine’s Razumkov Center, when confronted with the
question “What is the further course of
action in resolving the conflict in the
southeast?” 33-35% of those polled insist
on continuing military action until the
full liberation of occupied areas is
achieved, 24-30% want the region to have
a special status, 18-20% suggest separating these territories from the rest of the
country, while the remaining 18-23%
provide no answer. Therefore, the Georgian approach of “restoring what you
control while hoping to get the seceded
territories back in the future” is more
likely for Ukraine.
Now let us take a look at the Moldovan
A local resident riding a bicycle is pictured through damaged power lines while a
Ukrainian tank (rear) patrols the area in the eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhlehirsk
August 14, 2014. Photo by Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters
approach. The Moldovan strategy seems
to be impossible to implement due to
the conflict being drenched in blood.
Approximately 1000 people perished on
each side of the war in Transnistria in
1992. According to UN data for May 3
2015, 6243 people have perished in the
Donbass conflict. There were six waves
of military mobilization in Ukraine, in
addition to volunteer battalions. In Donbass, the level of involvement of the local
population in local militia is even higher.
The war has already “made it to the
museums” on both sides, and families
of the deceased already tell stories of
men heroically dying in battle. The overall national narrative on both sides is
changing towards hatred and resistance
of the enemy, which clearly distinguishes
Donbass from PMR, which does not view
Moldova with such negativity.
Finally, even if we consider the geographical conditions (lack of natural barriers functioning as borders between
Donbass and its formal owner Ukraine,
as well as an ambiguous “contact line”
between the sides), lack of ethnic and
linguistic disagreements between DNR/
LNR and neighboring Russian-inhabited
and Russian-speaking regions of Ukraine,
pressure of sanctions upon Russia, which
(unlikely, but not worth overlooking)
might stop supporting the self-proclaimed
republics, constant skirmishes between
elite groups at Donbass in a struggle for
resources and an extremely low level of
internal sovereignty of breakaway territories, Ukraine will be unable to reintegrate the population of Donbass. Negativity towards the Ukrainian state is lodged
in mass consciousness. Some pro-Ukrainian denizens remain, although they are
in absolute minority. Positive recollections
of life in Ukraine generally survive only
as nostalgia for a peaceful life. Given such
attitudes, even if Ukraine manages to get
its territories back through some miraculous feat, they will act as a time bomb
that will inevitably explode at the first
sign of a new wave of Ukrainization.
This article was commissioned for the “Regional
Dialogue” Platform initiated by the Caucasian
House. This is a downsized version - for the
full version of the article, please visit the
Regional Dialogue platform.
10
SOCIETY
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
‘Five Rings for Georgia’
OP-ED BY NUGZAR B. RUHADZE
O
nce, Juan Antonio Samaranch, the seventh president of the International
Olympic Committee (IOC)
told the world that Georgia
is a small state by territory and population, but it belongs among the big nations
in its traditions and potential in sports.
As a matter of fact, this could very well
be true, judging by the outcome of previous Olympic bouts of Sakartvelo, but
let us look into the future for a second
rather than back at the past.
The Rio-2016 Games are approaching fast, and Georgia is diligently
getting ready to add some luster
this summer to its usual Olympic
shine. Georgia has enjoyed its share
of Olympic triumphs in the years,
but these are bygone. Indeed, this miniature country has harvested 118 Olympic medals throughout the history of the
new-time Games – 37 gold, 28 silver and
53 bronze by only 259 participating athletes in 21sports. This is a fact that fairly
puts our little Georgia next to the distinguished Olympic nations, considering
the award/population ratio.
One of the most outstanding red-letter
days on Georgia’s calendar, and its history on the whole, is the 6th October of
1989, the date of the founding of the
Georgian National Olympic Committee
(GNOC), headed by legendary Nona
Gaprindashvili, the five-time world chess
champion. Rumor has it that Gorbachev
– the then-leader of the still extant USSR
– had inadvertently given the green light
to Georgia’s Olympic independence from
the soviet sports system when Gorby
was told by one of his aides that Georgia
was going to openly declare its desire
to create its own Olympic committee.
Before the mentioned date, athletes from
Georgia would only be recognized as
‘soviet’ in the Games rather than by their
ethnic belonging. In those times of communist rule, all of us together – tens of
various soviet nationalities – made up
the so called Soviet People, the shortlived and unfortunate historical conglomerate. Nobody would mention us
by our original national identities. Often,
we were all applied to as Russians, totally
ignoring the ethnic identity of the remainder of the smaller soviet nations. None
of us liked the blunder but the rules of
survival of those eerie times made us
swallow the offence. Thus, the medals
earned by Georgian men and women
were credited to soviet sports, not Geor-
gian. The talent was absolutely the
property of the soviet ‘motherland’.
Since 1989, Georgia has been participating in the Olympic Games as an independent player, and hence all its current
and future trophies are recognized purely
and fairly as its national fortune. But this
could not have happened without the
sweat of the dexterous and valiantly
determined guardians of the Georgian
sports like Tengiz Gachechiladze, Emzar
Zenaishvili and Paata Natsvlishvili,
together with numerous other patrons
of past and modern times, whose outstanding efforts have yielded what we
are enjoying today – Georgia’s Olympic
individuality and freedom, now officially
recognized as part of the Games in a
full-fledged capacity of an independent
Olympic component. It was exactly this
triad of poised Georgian enthusiasts who
made things possible in favor of the many
generations of athletes to come. What
could be a better token of a nation’s
independence? What could be a clearer
expression of Georgia’s most celebrated
national idea –freedom? So Georgia is
proudly standing to take its physical
strength and sporting morale to Rio to
compete with the rest of the world in
modern sportsmanship.
One of the highlights of this preparation took place last weekend in Borjomi
when the sports writers of the country,
officially accredited to Rio-2016, went
through a vigorous Olympic training
session in their field. The seminar was
organized and headed by director, First
VP of GNOC, Elguja Berishvili and his
assistant Rusudan Aptsiauri. President
of GNOC, Leri Khabelov, made a
special trip to Borjomi to attend the
seminar and encourage the participants to sharpen their pens and
pencils to duly covering the future
Games in Rio de Janeiro from August
5 to 21. Your obedient servant was among
those ladies and gentlemen of the press,
which makes it presumable that he might
be reporting – if fortune and remaining
time still has it – under the heading of
‘For GT from Rio’.
Incidentally, here comes to mind Mark
Twain’s famous words: ‘There are only
two forces that can carry light to all the
corners of the globe . . . the sun in the
heavens and the Associated Press down
here.’ Let us assume that in this particular case, AP means the media of mass
communication of the world that includes
Georgia’s journalistic forces, too – as
free and independent as it is today. Incidentally, the title of this piece ‘Five Rings
for Georgia’ is borrowed from a major
five-volume illustrated edition on Georgia’s Olympic experience and achievements, created by the well-known journalist of the country P. Natsvlishvili. Any
Olympic country of the world would
envy Georgia’s capability to have in print
such a publication about sports. Like
athletes, like books!
Construction of
New Zoo Starts
in Tbilisi
BY ANA AKHALAIA
T
bilisi’s City Hall announced
Tuesday that eight hectares
of land have been fenced
off for bear and wolf cages
as part of the construction
of the city’s new zoo.
London-based HASSELL studio
designed the new zoo’s concept with
help of British engineering and planning
company, Arup.
The studio won Tbilisi City Hall’s
approval to carry out their design on the
outskirts of the Georgian capital with a
strategy aimed at causing minimal disturbance to the area’s natural beauty.
The project will replace the existing
zoo in the city center, most of which was
destroyed in a flash flood in June 2015,
leaving half of its animal inhabitants
either dead or on the loose.
The USD 40 million project will be
carried out in stages, with the German
Corporation for International Cooperation paying for the construction of the
cages.
The zoo expects to get financing from
other foreign donors to complete the
project.
Braving the Stage to Promote Friendship
and Understanding through English
BY KATIE RUTH DAVIES
T
his week the British Corner,
Vake Park, hosted the
annual English Speaking
Union’s Public Speaking
Competition which saw
eight young Georgian English-speakers
braving the stage before an audience of
experts and fellow students.
The aim of the English Speaking Union
(ESU) is to promote friendship and
understanding through the English language. The Public Speaking Competition
is one of its most successful projects,
with 64 countries taking part in the Final
in London- up from just three when the
project was started in 1981.
Georgia has participated for 19 years
and has so far sent 34 youngsters aged
between 16 and 20 to speak there.
This year’s topic was “The most common way people give up their power is
by thinking they don’t have any” with
the eight speakers each having five minutes to give their take on the topic and
be asked on-the-spot questions by the
panel of five judges: Deputy Director of
the Bank of Georgia, Archil Gachechiladze,
Deputy Minister of Defense, Ana Dolidze,
Head of BP Georgia, Chris Schlueter and
UK Ambassador to Georgia, Alexandra
Hall Hall.
“Cisero said the aim of Public Speaking is to teach, delight and move,” said
Marina Tsitsishvili, President of ESU
Georgia and Director of the British Corner. “According to many studies, most
people’s number one fear is public speak-
ing. Death is number two,” she said.
“Which is why I am especially proud of
the brave and confident young speakers
we will hear today.”
The winner was 20-year-old Guga
Sukhiashvili from the Tbilisi State University who spoke on the subject of “True
Idols.”
“It was a tough choice, with all the
participants performing well in at least
one or other of the selection criteria, but
ultimately we chose Guga Sukhiashvili,
who displayed the best performance
across all the selection criteria – how
well he presented and delivered his
speech, the depth of reasoning and argument, and the organization and structure
of his presentation,” Ambassador Hall
Hall told GEORGIA TODAY. “His speech
was engaging, witty, and nicely structured, starting with a personal anecdote
about how he found confidence in himself, and then expanding on his own
experience to draw larger lessons about
how others could learn to develop their
confidence and realise their inner poten-
tial, and then how this could be used to
the wider benefit of society.”
“One of the nicest aspects of this year’s
event – apart from the fact that we had
excellent candidates, and a very engaged
jury including both international and
Georgian members – was that the theme
itself was very motivating and inspiring,” the Ambassador said. “Many of
the participants spoke about the need
for people to overcome their fears and
hang-ups, and have confidence to realise their potential, overcoming adversity
and setbacks along the way. Some of
the participants were living examples
of putting this into practice – for example, our overall winner, Guga, had himself competed last year and learned
from the experience in order to do better this year. The runner up, Irakli Korkaia, similarly, did well last year, and
better this year.”
Second place winner Irakli Korkia chose
the title: “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall”
and the third prize was awarded to Eter
Chumburidze who spoke on the “The
Seed of Power.”
The winner will go to London to take
part at the ESU International Public
Speaking Competition on the 13th of
May. The theme at the Finals will be:
“Integrity has no need of rules”
“As ever, witnessing these talented
young people display their skills gave
me great optimism for Georgia’s future,”
Ambassador Hall Hall told us. “It takes
courage to stand up in front of strangers
and give a speech in a foreign language.
Their skills will serve them, and their
country, well, and I wish them all the
best.”
The ESU was set up in London in 1918
as an independent, non-political, nongovernmental, educational charity. The
Patron of the ESU is Queen Elizabeth II,
the President - HRH The Princess Anne.
One of the ESU’s first chairmen was Sir
Winston Churchill. Georgia joined the
ESU in 1998 and is supported by the
British Embassy.
The sponsors of the Public Speaking
Competition-2016 were the Bank of
Georgia, British Petroleum and the English Speaking Union.
12
SOCIETY
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
Paint the World - Peace Project
Week 2016, Tbilisi Georgia
BY MERI TALIASHVILI
Y
outh Organization Paint the World
organized Peace Project Week in Tbilisi involving charity work and community service aimed at benefiting
both people and the environment.
Numerous foreign guests took part in the project
in Georgia, the birthplace of the Organization, and
got the chance to meet the local community and
learn about Georgian culture and traditions.
“We’ve created a firm bond between the participants of our project from various parts of the world,
helping towards future world peace,” Lika Torikashvili, founder of the Paint the World told GEORGIA TODAY.
Paint the World - Gauperade Samkaro - was found
in 2012 by a current Atlantic College student, Lika
Torikashvili, in Tbilisi, Georgia. After Lika went to
study in the college in the UK, the Movement went
international and now boasts various branches
around the world.
Peace Project Week in Georgia hosted students
from Miri, Malaysia, who have already established
a branch of Paint the World in Malaysia, and four
students from UWC Atlantic College. Aziza Aznizan (from Malaysia, the founder of Paint the World
in Malaysia and Oman), Saiora Immamkulova (from
Ossetia), and Anton Tekhniriadov (from Russia)
also participated in the events in Georgia, together
with young Georgian members. They spent time
visiting orphanages and hospitals and had Clinton
Chua, famous Malaysian singer, singing live at each
event. In order to get more participants for their
future projects, the Paint the World organized
presentations of Paint the world in local schools.
Mr.Giorgi Maisashvili, a Georgian Politician, attended
one presentation of Paint the World and expressed
huge support towards the Movement.
The participants of the 2016 Project Week came
from various religious and national backgrounds. The
project was unique not only because was entirely
organized by teenagers, but also because it brought
together religions and countries that have been in
conflict for centuries.
“I myself am a Jew. My best friend from Malaysia,
Aziza, and her friends that came over to Tbilisi are
Muslims, and lots of my Georgian and Russian
friends are Christians. We all stood together, side
by side on Georgian land, to show the world that,
no matter how much hate there has been, we, the
future generations, are ready to change the world.
This “act of peace” happened in Georgia, on our
land, because I believe we are one of the most
peaceful countries in the world, and we need to
emphasize this one more time. We are not a state
in the US, we are Georgians, and we have a great
country and an ancient history. And we want peace!”
Lika.
Dave Booker, Vice Principal of UWC Atlantic
College, became so interested in Lika’s Paint the
World Project that he decided to take part and visit
the “mysterious country” called Georgia, together
with his students.
“I heard and experienced a great deal of the hospitality of the Georgians, and I’ve no doubt I’ll be
back to visit again. It’s in the quiet, unacknowledged
aspects of the life of Tbilisi that I found most to
value, celebrate and respect: how a people has
The participants of the
2016 Project Week
came from various
religious and national
backgrounds
grown to live together and acknowledge the richness that each brings to a country. This goes deeper
than tolerance. It is openness to possibility, and
makes Tbilisi a rich city of faiths but also of commerce, architecture and culture,” Booker said.
In one day, the participants of the project visited
a local Mosque, Synagogue, and the Holy Trinity
Cathedral. Jews, Muslims, Christians together.
The members of the Georgian team got to know
members of Paint the World from all over the world,
another very important aspect of the project as
Georgian students rarely have the opportunity to
travel, so meeting youngsters from completely different backgrounds was a huge inspiration.
“Our parents taught us to be tolerant towards
others no matter what their religion, skin color or
culture is, but we see people killing each other for
their differences, we see the sick world getting even
sicker and we see how nobody seems to care. But
we do care,” said Keta Bagashvili, an 18-year-old
Paint the world Georgian team member. “We don’t
want to see any more blood, aggression and cold
hearted people running around our cities. We don’t
want borders, just brushes to paint our world
together.
“If I was going to compare ‘Paint the World’ to
anything, it would definitely be a sparkling star,
and if stars are lit it means there is someone who
needs them,” said Anton Tekhneriadov, the Russian
member of Paint the World and a Brown University
freshman. “I’m extremely grateful to Lika for getting me involved in ‘Paint the World,’ an unimaginably wonderful organization that not only brings
vital colors into the lives of people who lack them
but also unites “painters” of all ages through an
unbroken chain of collective events and the invincible power of friendships that have begun in hospitable, tolerant and incredibly amicable Georgia.”
The members were invited to UWC Dilijan College, a branch of UWC in Armenia, where they
organized the presentation of the project and
inspired the students of Dilijan to start their own
Paint the World Branch to have future exchange
projects between Georgia and Armenia.
All the participants and guests left Georgia inspired
and motivated by the hospitality and love of Georgian hosts. In the future, Paint the World plans to
hold more Project Weeks in Georgia and keep hosting UWC students in the country through exchange
programs between Georgian and Malaysian Paint
the World branches. Seven Malaysians received
sponsorship from the Ministry of Youth and Sports
to visit Georgia this year- the next step is a project
in Malaysia, Borneo, in which Georgian students
will take part. The hope is to create a bond and
connect two parts of the world, Georgia and Malaysia, with this idea of spreading colors in part of a
worldwide Movement.
Read. Learn. Enjoy.
Pick up a copy of Georgia Today Education
at any BIBLUS shop or phone 229 59 19
Price: 2 Gel
SOCIETY
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
13
Caucasus Nature Fund
Officially Welcomes
New US-Born Director
BY TAMAR SVANIDZE
G
erman non-profit organization the
Caucasus Nature Fund (CNF) on
Wednesday officially welcomed its
new regional executive director
George Giacomini via a message
posted on its official Web site.
A dual citizen of the United States and Italy,
Giacomini - who goes by the name of Geof - previously worked as the country director for US NGO
Save the Children in Azerbaijan and Egypt. According to the organization’s Web site, Giacomini is a
Russian speaker who graduated from the University
of Berkeley in California, one of the US’ top ranked
centers for higher education.
“Geof is ideally suited to lead CNF’s next phase.
An experienced director of programs and people,
he spent much of the last 15 years directing regional
and country programs for Save the Children in the
Caucasus and, most recently, in Egypt… CNF is
planning a strategic shift in its center of gravity
which makes Geof’s experience in and commitment to the region crucial,” board member and
outgoing director David Morrison said in his message on CNF’s Web site.
Morrison had served as the organization’s director since its inception in 2008. He officially stepped
down in March, but intends to remain on CNF’s
advisory board.
Though not officially announced until Wednesday, Giacomini was hired as Morrison’s replacement in 2015.
The CNF’s stated mission is to guarantee the
conservation of the Caucasus’ unique flora, fauna
and ecosystems by providing funding for operational costs and sustainable development in the
region’s numerous protected areas.
Georgia’s First Book
Museum to Open in 2016
BY ANA AKHALAIA
G
eorgia’s first book museum will open
later this year in the National Parliamentary Library and will be the
biggest in the Caucasus region.
The general public will, for the first
time in history, be able to view the country’s oldest and rarest books including copies of medieval
Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli’s epic “The Knight
in the Panther’s Skin”, with illustrations by Hungarian painter Mihaly Zichy; Georgia’s first printed
book, a Georgian-Italian Dictionary published in
Rome in 1629; and a 1709 book of psalms from
Georgia’s first printing house.
Contact: www.edelbrand.ge
Phone: 599 461908
Premium Georgian Eggs:
The Best Start to Your Day
The museum is a part of an on going restoration
of the historic building housing the National Library.
Constructed in 1913-1916 as the Bank of Nobility by
architects Anatoly Kalgin of Russia and Poland’s
Henryk Hryniewski in a Neo-Georgian Monastic
style, the building will be restored to its original
appearance lost during the Soviet era.
The museum will be built along international
standards with a state-of-the-art ventilation system to protect the artifacts on display and a digitized database containing all of the library’s contents.
The project is sponsored by the David Bezhuashvili Education Fund and supported by the Georgian Industrial Group holding company.
Upon its completion, the museum will be the
largest of its kind in the Caucasus region.
BY KETI DIDEBULIDZE
L
iving a healthy lifestyle in the modern
world is difficult. The correct nutrition,
physical activity, recreation - all this
requires time and money both of which
may seem inaccessible at first glance.
However, our body does not demand a lot from us!
It is enough to have a breakfast full of vitamins and
minerals on a daily basis as a step towards living a
healthy life without spending extra time.
One of the best examples of a healthy breakfast
is an egg. There are many reasons why this product
is indispensable: Eggs are rich in protein, which
will provide you with energy throughout the day.
It also contains vitamins and minerals, such as
vitamins A, B, B2, B5, B12, E, folic acid, calcium,
magnesium, iodine, iron, fluorine, and more. An
egg also contains Vitamin D, which helps calcium
absorption, and choline, which is recommended
by doctors for cancer prevention.
The daily intake of an egg has a lot of advantages.
It contains antioxidants which improve vision and
reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. It is also
indispensable for diets - to lose weight and keep
you in shape.
However, to get all these benefits, it is necessary to select for our breakfast a high quality,
fresh product. Such as those products of the
Georgian company “Savaneti,” which is now
replacing low-quality, low-priced, imported eggs
on the Georgian market. In 2013, “Savaneti” carried out a remodeling of production, replaced
machinery, raw materials, and manufacturing
procedures. Once the company started following
international protection and quality control, it
received a well-deserved ISO certificate. Each
egg produced by “Savaneti” undergoes up to 100
control procedures only after does it head out
to the customer. Starting the morning with a
“Savaneti” egg means you are choosing a highquality, healthy breakfast full of vitamins and
minerals, that guarantees your health, energy,
and therefore success.
14
SOCIETY
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
World Down Syndrome Day
at European School
BY KATIE RUTH DAVIES
G
rade 4 and 5 students in
the Georgian and International sectors of European School recently conducted long term projects
in connection with World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) which officially
took place on March 21st.
In the International Baccalaureate (IB)
section it all started with the unit ‘Let’s
help each other’ in Grade 4 whereby students discussed different learning and
physical disabilities and initiated projects
to help beneficiaries with disabilities.
Grade 5 students in their turn began to
prepare for an exhibition on Human
Rights. The central idea for the unit was
‘Accessibility of opportunities affects
equality’ with the lines of inquiry as:
Our right to live freely;
How opportunities enhance or hinder
our future;
Influences that affect opportunities;
Action that can be taken to ensure
human rights are being met.
In connection with the above, students
created various projects, one of which
was to have the group attend a specially
prepared inclusive stage show in Marjanishvili Theatre. Prior to the premiere
of the theater play in celebration of
WDSD, European School IB students
prepared some questions. Actors with
Down Syndrome (DS) had leading roles
in the play and after the performance,
students took interviews from the participants and the director. The interviews were then used within exhibition
presentations to raise community awareness on the topic. “The theater was
great,” said 11-year-old Luka Demetrashvili. “We talked to the playwright and
he said his blood pressure was usually
over 400. But when he started working
with the disabled actors, his blood pressure went down to 200. He says that the
people with disabilities he worked with
were kind and very good learners and
that helped him.”
The Georgian section of European
School also hosted an awareness talk
about Down Syndrome. Grade 4 students collected stationery for beneficiaries with DS and visited the rehabilitative center for DS children named
‘The Children of the Sun.’ Students were
involved in joint activities and celebrated
the day together. They then created
informative posters with the title ‘Children of the Sun’ and the tag line “one
more chromosome- one more merit”
and presented various aspects of Down
Syndrome to others by discussing what
DS means, what can cause it, how it is
identified visually, what is typical for
Downs sufferers (physical signs, mental
qualities…) and what the children can
do to help these people become valuable members of society.
Videos were also shown to fellow stu-
dents presenting the positive sides of
DS people, leaving pupils with the common impression that DS children are
“smart, friendly and caring.”
The messages from the events organized were both impressive and very
supportive of real inclusion and community based friendships.
SOCIETY
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
15
From Striving to Thriving:
Spectra Post Studio Has High
Hopes for the Georgian
Movie Industry
GEORGIA HAS A LONG FILM
HISTORY BUT ISN’T WELL
KNOWN IN INTERNATIONAL
FILM CIRCLES. WHY DO
YOU THINK THAT IS?
BY MERI TALIASHVILI
T
homas Burns, a Hollywood
trained and award-winning
director of photography,
first came to Georgia
almost twenty years ago
and since then hasn’t been able to stay
away. After seeing the hardships of the
1990s in Georgia, Burns, who holds a
Master’s degree in film production from
Stanford University, felt a burning desire
to do something meaningful for the
country. So he came back and set up
‘Spectra Post’, a post-production studio
for films and television, to contribute
to the Georgian film industry. Burns has
over a decade of training experience in
Hollywood on feature films, including
well-known names like ‘Where the Wild
Things Are’ and ‘Die Hard 4.’ His dramatic television experience includes
CSI, Lost and Dexter and he has worked
on documentaries for National Geographic and Discovery Channel, alongside numerous commercials for, amongst
others, Porsche, McDonalds, Capital
One, US Air Force and Toyota. Add to
this the fact that he is a former US Fulbright Scholar and was awarded by the
European Independent Film Festival
for Best Cinematography in Paris in
2009. GEORGIA TODAY sat down with
Thomas Burns to talk to him about his
life in Tbilisi and about Spectra Post.
WHEN DID YOU FIRST
VISIT GEORGIA?
I first came to Georgia about twenty
years ago. At the time I was working for
the Eurasia Foundation and I then spent
a year working for a small English language magazine in 1998-2000. Then I
came back in 2009 as a Fulbright scholar
to do a photography project¬—a series
of portraits about the South Caucasus—
and had an exhibition in Karvasla Gallery. After that I began thinking that
Georgia was a place I wanted to live
more permanently. In summer 2014 I
came back to check out the possibilities.
It was a big move from Los Angeles to
Tbilisi.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY?
A Director of Photography is the main
visual designer of a film project. If you
are a producer or director you hire me
to move your ideas from the script onto
the screen. I work closely with the
Director and the Production Designer
to develop a style for the project and
then use camerawork and lighting to
make sure we achieve our visual goals.
I trained for a decade in Hollywood on
feature films, dramatic television, music
videos, and commercials. In addition
to that, over the course of my time as a
director of photography, I have also
worked in post-production in an area
we call ‘color grading.’ After a film is
shot and edited, it goes through a process where we adjust every shot for
color and exposure. Color grading allows
us to make the lead actress’ dress look
more red, the glass of beer look more
refreshing, and the thunderstorm look
more dramatic. It’s a very important
part of the process.
One of the challenges for filmmakers
in Georgia was that until now there was
no professional color grading studio here
in Tbilisi. Higher budget films and advertisements had to send their projects to
Europe for color grading, and those
without bigger budgets did the best they
could here in Tbilisi.
We started Spectra Post here in December. Unlike most production companies
here, we focus only on post-production.
One hundred percent of our resources,
expertise, and contacts go into color
grading. Today we work mostly with
American clients, but would like to be
doing more work with Georgian filmmakers and advertising agencies. One
of our first Georgian projects was a feature film for Georgian director Nana
Jorjadze and it was a wonderful project—
she’s a talented filmmaker.
There are some gifted professionals
working in post-production in Georgia
but the industry will benefit from leadership trained to international standards.
This is something Spectra Post can provide. Our training, our network, and our
professional ethic come from Hollywood.
We want to use that to support advertisements and films that are being shot
in Georgia. Georgians generally have
strong visual literacy––they know good
visual design when they see it––and that’s
a good starting point for cinema.
In order for filmmaking in Georgia to
grow from a strictly artistic endeavor
into a sustainable industry, in order for
it to move from surviving to thriving,
it requires foreign investment; investments in terms of foreign productions
shooting here. When foreign productions come here and shoot, the local
infrastructure expands and Georgian
crews have an opportunity for international training. The more professional international training they have,
the more productions will come here
to shoot. I want to see filmmaking in
Georgia become a viable industry not
only as an artistic pursuit for the few,
but as a bigger financial engine for the
country in general. I think the Georgian
government has realized the potential
of the film industry and the new cash
rebate program (offering 20-25 percent
cash back for foreign productions that
shoot here) is an incredibly interesting
project because it will dramatically
increase the number of such productions. Georgia is a great place to make
movies but nobody really knows about
it. Just in the past three or four months
I’ve started getting calls from foreign
producers asking me what kind of
country Georgia is, asking if they can
shoot here and so on. I think it’s a time
of renaissance for Georgian cinema.
Georgian cinema went dormant for a
few years, but now it’s coming back.
Now it’s aiming to come up to international standards very quickly and
we hope we can contribute to this
through the color grading we do at
Spectra Post. Our main goal is to help
Georgians push their film and advertising projects onto a bigger stage.
16
SOCIETY
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
Cooperation between
Georgian and
Chinese Museums
Giorgi Kekelidze and Rati Amaghlobeli
at the presentation of the new Saba
Audio Book project
First Audio Books App
Coming to Georgia
BY EKA KARSAULIDZE
E
lectronic Book House ‘Saba’
has started work on the first
Audio Books in Georgia,
which will include 400 works
of Georgian and world-famous
authors. The first Audio Books application is scheduled for release in September 2016. The first presentation was held
in the National Library of Georgia on
April 6.
‘Saba’ launched this project together
with Open Society Georgia Foundation.
According to the organizers, besides the
many positive sides of audio books, they
are first and foremost being created for
visually impaired and blind people.
“Unfortunately, we have a big problem
in literature as a whole in our country.
Very few people are interested in reading. Moreover, people with limited vision
suffer the most. Thus, with our new app
soon they will have a unique opportunity
to explore the wealth of literature independently. It certainly is a gift for them,”
said Rati Amaghlobeli, one of the organizers of the project.
‘Saba’ already has the mobile application Saba Reader on which readers can
access a large library of electronic books.
From September, audio books will also
be added. The creators claim that the new
Audio Books will not be just audio files,
but high-grade books with all attributes:
pause function, bookmarks, and more.
Work on the creation of the new audio
books has just begun and ‘Saba’ proposes
cooperation and a platform for all interested persons. “We know that there is a
large base of audio books files and various organizations and individuals who
have engaged in recording books on disk
and other storage formats for many years.
We want to invite them to contact us to
work together to create new, high-quality audio books,” said Maia Dzirkvelishvili, Director of ‘Saba’.
In addition, the authors and actors
who are interested in this project are
also welcome to join the organization
team. The first team, which includes
local contemporary authors, recorded
the ‘Guest Poets Anthology’ for the
new Audio app. Some have compared
this project with another successful
one – ‘Live Book’- in which Georgian
authors travel through Georgia and
publicly read literary works.
“These days, there is a tendency of recreating the old rather than inventing the
new. In the past, people heard literature,
especially poetry, instead of reading it.
The work acquired a peculiar value with
the voice of the author. Therefore, I’m
very pleased that to some degree we are
returning one of the original functions
of literature,” said Amaghlobeli.
Photo by GNM: JI Yanchi, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Georgia; Shan Jixiang, Director of the Palace
Museum; David Lordkipanidze General Director of the Georgian National Museum and Mikheil Giorgadze, Minister of
Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia at the Memorandum signing event
BY EKA KARSAULIDZE
T
he aim of the Memorandum
of Understanding, which
was signed between the
Georgian National Museum
and the Chinese Palace
Museum on April 1, is the care and preservation of a unique collection of Chinese culture housed in one of the networks of the Georgian National Museum
(GNM). The initiative belonged to the
Chinese side, although the Memorandum
is also expected to bring many benefits
for Georgia.
GNM’s oriental collections are preserved at the Shalva Amiranashvili
Museum of Art in Tbilisi. The collections include exhibits of Egyptian, Islamic
and Far East cultures. A vast range of
items are on display, such as ceramic
dishes, decorated weapons, paintings
and costumes. “We own a very important
collection. Soon we will begin work on
their detailed study, conservation, restoration – these are one of the main formats of our cooperation with our Chinese
colleagues,” said General Director of the
Georgian National Museum, David Lordkipanidze.
In the framework of the Memorandum,
exchange exhibitions will take place,
public lectures and educational programs
will be organized and Georgian scientists
will be sent to China for training to raise
the level of employee qualification.
Georgian Minister of Culture and
Monument Protection, Mikheil Giorgadze, noted that the signing of this
Memorandum is doubly important considering the international community’s
increased interest regarding Georgian
museums. “Our museums are successful at cooperating with major international organizations, and today’s new
agreement once again confirms this. It
is also especially important that we are
seen as an important strategic partner,”
said the Minister.
With over 15 million annual visitors,
the Palace Museum is the most visited
museum in the world. The Museum is
located in the center of Beijing and represents a grand architectural complex
consisting of 980 buildings. During the
mid-Ming and the Qing Dynasties, it was
the imperial palace and it was recognized
as such in 1987 when the complex was
declared a World Heritage Site. The collections of the Palace Museum include
ceramics, paintings, calligraphy, bronzes,
timepieces, jades, palace paraphernalia,
ancient books, and historical documents.
The Palace Museum is listed by UNESCO as holding the largest collection of
preserved ancient wooden structures in
the world.
“I admire the collection stored in your
Museum,” Director of the Palace Museum,
Shan Jixiang, told his Georgian counterpart. “In the near future, we plan to work
closely and launch a lot of interesting
joint projects with the GNM.”
Bohema: The Best of All Worlds
BY JOSEPH LARSEN
A
s a former resident of Tbilisi’s Abanotubani neighborhood, I don’t have to be
sold on its charms. The
slice of the old city lies just
across the river from the Mtekhi and is
nestled underneath the Narikala fortress.
The smell of sulfur serenades your senses
while you stroll through bucolic Heydar
Aliyev Park. If there’s a place to feel sentimental while enjoying all of the comforts of the present day, it’s here.
The district has major nostalgia appeal,
but diners can find much more than
standard Georgian fare. Bohema is a
prime example. This restaurant markets
itself as “Georgian new fusion” and this
claim is immediately born out in the
décor. Patrons are treated to a prime
view of the Narikala Fortress whether
choosing to sit inside or out on the
veranda (I chose the former; it was a
chilly night). The setting couldn’t be
more Georgian, but the interior décor
is overtly modernistic. The entryway is
all glass, but instead of looking down
from a Manhattan skyscraper I was looking up at the Narikala.
Bohema’s management has made an
effort to cultivate a lively aesthetic. A
DJ performs two nights per week; Friday
features a saxophonist; and on Saturday
nights delighted patrons are treated to
a live band. Notable Georgian jazz musician David Evgenidze has even performed
there.
“Fusion” defines all things Bohema.
The cuisine blends Georgian and European dishes with a few Asian flavors
thrown in. With too many options to
comprehend, I opted for several appetizers rather than a true main course
(though the steaks did look divine).
I started with the Elarji balls. This traditional Georgian appetizer is fried cornflower stuffed with cheese and topped
with an almond sauce. It was delicate,
delicious and a perfect prelude to what
came next: the glazed shrimp with tkemali. An example of East meets West, the
Asian glazed shrimp built a bridge of
flavor with the traditional Georgian sauce.
Next came the Imeretian khachapuri
(with so many contrasting flavors I felt
the need to go with at least one tried and
true option!). This I matched with the
steak salad—marinated steak, arugula,
parmesan, and almonds.
The drinks menu was also lavish, with
a number of Georgian red and whites,
as well as some French wines and the
full array of cocktails—a glass of wine
will cost 8-10 lari with a bottle coming
in at about 140. My server recommended
the Caipirinha—the most popular cocktail among customers. But it being a
chilly night, I opted for a Manhattan. I’m
not sure which whiskey the bartender
used, but it worked to wash down the
flavorful meal.
I’m not a dessert enthusiast, but I took
a glance at the menu. Items of intrigue
included the “exotic red cake” (mascarpone with a cherry glaze) and the “Napoleon.” An ode to Bohema’s European
inspirations, the latter dessert is panna
cotta with cherry and blueberry topping.
The unique menu combined with excellent service (by Tbilisi standards) and
a prime view of the city add up to an
outing that isn’t cheap. Choosing Bohema
for your next night out means choosing
to spend more than you would at a typical Georgian restaurant. But given the
fantastic fusion menu and upscale aesthetic, you will get what you pay for.
SOCIETY
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
17
Gender Policies and EU Integration,
Experience of Visegrad Countries for
Eastern Partnership Countries
A
spiration towards EU membership
is in the top agenda for Georgia.
The recently signed Association
Agreement makes this path more
direct and goal-oriented. Among
the cohesion aims toward the EU family are issues
of gender equality. Reformation experience
already accumulated in Visegrad countries makes
it easier for EaP countries like Georgia and
Ukraine to get preliminary insights on potential
challenges that might occur when setting actions
toward gender equality policies based on EU
directives.
For insight into Visegrad experience, the expert
opinion-sharing ‘Fund of Women Entrepreneurs’
(Georgia, Kutaisi), has been running the project:
‘Gender Policies and EU Integration, Experience
of Visegrad Countries to EaP Countries’ since
September 2015. The project has an international
scope with the involvement of the following
organizations and experts: GURT Resource Center
- Ukriane, Gender Studies, o.p.s – Czech Republic, Hungarian Women’s Lobby – Hungary, Institute of Sociology Slocak Academy of Sciences
– Slovakia, Professor of Jagiellonian University
Katarzyna Zielinska – Poland, and Women’s NGO
‘Avangardi’ – Georgia.
The first pillar of the project envisages awareness-raising toward questions of gender equality
and their importance in the democratic development of States. For this purpose round tables and
public lectures were held at different universities
and NGOs throughout Georgia and Ukraine,
accompanied by radio and TV broadcasts. The
second pillar activities are concentrated on comparative analysis of the gender equality status
quos in Georgia and Ukraine, and on drafting
recommendations for better gender equality
policies based on the Visegrad experience. Systematic description of the reformation path of
the Visegrad Four (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary), covering the issues of equal
opportunities, will be available in English and
Georgian. Broad public engagement is the means
to setting a high priority score to gender equality issues.
The ultimate, long-term usable output of the
project will be a bilingual publication describing
the gender equality situation in Georgia and
Ukraine, reformation experience of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Republic in creating
national and regional mechanisms for gender
equality, recommendations, and possible steps
that Georgia and Ukraine should take to overcome the gender gap and create equal opportunities for all.
Project financed by the International Visegrad Fund
(http://visegradfund.org)
Project Number: 31550123
web: www.fwevisegrad.ge
facebook/pages/გენდერული პოლიტიკა და
ევროინტეგრაცია
Fund of Women Enterpreneurs, www.fwe.ge
Article Prepared by the Project coordinator:
Elena Kuparadze, [email protected]
Georgia On My Mind – the Country that
Astonished Me
BY ALEXA SHEARER
I
am so pleasantly confused. Is this Tbilisi,
my childhood home? As I walk the cobblestoned streets of the historic old-town my
ears are filled with the sounds of club music,
Russian tourists, and the laughter of young
teens out on a Saturday night. The smell of fruity
‘shisha’ layers the brightly lit alleyways. A crowd
of kids and their parents squeeze into a tiny corner
ice-cream shop for an after-dinner treat. A cute
boutique offers different types of ‘Churchkhela.’
This is a modern city; I think to myself.
Looking up towards the mountains, I’m proud to
see the blurred glimmer of ‘city lights’ from afar.
If I squint it looks like millions of orange fireflies
fluttering together in the distance. I feel at ease as
I turn towards the river, and I see, yes, another
modern change: the addition of an enormous glass
bridge, strangely curved, and way too white. However, it is hoisted neither on freshly paved riverbanks nor by newly developed concrete walls. I’m
glad to see that the greenish, murky Mtkvari cradled
against those cliffs, extremely authentic--about to
collapse at any moment--has not changed. The
rocky walls scream antiquity and by observing
them it’s as if I am looking into history.
As I mosey my way down the stairs of a skinny
avenue, my focus changes...the hollow sound of
rich harmony draws me closer. The tune is hauntingly sweet and I find myself standing in the middle of a 6th-century church.
Every word echoes around me, the sound of worship bouncing off the stone walls and floating up
towards the frescoed ceiling. I see a blur of wax
candles, held by strong hands. Heads covered by
silk scarves bow as knees are bent. Dark eyes close,
and defined lips kiss the gold icons and then mumble and move along with the words of honest prayer.
Despite a tidied exterior, not much has changed.
The soul of my Georgia is on fire, and as alive as
ever.
My mom cried the day we moved here sixteen
years ago. Our plane landed on a runway without
lights or modern asphalt. The terminal was one dark
room, filled with people in black. They stared at our
blonde heads and touched our hair for good luck.
We drove up to a house on a gravel road covered
with pot-holes. Dead leaves hung over metal poles,
a few remainders of last seasons’ grapes clung to
the dry vines. ‘Houses,’ built on the slant of a hilly
street, stared at us with sad expressions, as if asking for help. They looked strangely rich, but lost...
as if they had been part of a most important kingdom...but then were somehow forgotten. It felt like
everything was broken.
We were caught in a lost nation only nine years
since their independence from the Soviet Union,
and less than five years since a brutal civil war
severed the country. And yet...somehow identity
was still very much there. A place with so much
life; all it took was to knock on a neighbor’s door
and they would invite you inside to meet their
whole family, offer you every crumb in the house,
and make you drink more than your weight in wine.
I could write a 200-page novel about Georgian
hospitality.
I know my simple words would not give it justice
but I wish they could. My pages would be full of
stories of never-ending dinners; of plates stacked
on top of each other and the art of ‘toasting.’
My book would talk of the power in their national
dancing and how if you stayed at the dinner long
enough, someone was sure to get up to dance...or
sing...or play the piano...or play any kind of instrument.
My sister and I would be driven twice a week to
the Tbilisi Opera House for private ballet lessons.
The theater was taken over during times of war,
used as shelter, and had been burned to the ground-twice. When it reopened shortly before we moved
here, tickets had to be priced so cheap there was
Tbilisi, Georgia--March 2016
no money to pay staff. The entrance to the theater
was never lit. Of course we would always go in the
back-way, and walk up seven flights of stairs, since
the elevator didn’t work when the electricity shut
off. The halls smelled of sawdust, urine, and watermelon floor cleaner, used to scrub around the holes
in the broken linoleum. The walls were always
sticky, with large chunks of chipping yellow paint
and graffiti marking who had been there before us.
We had a live pianist with a grand piano, and
splintering floors, and we always danced in the
dark.
My teacher regularly snuck us into the VIP box
seats in the almost fully empty theater after we
finished class late in the evening. The golden ceilings, bright scarlet velvet seats, and sparkling chandelier (that did not have the means to be turned
on) would make us forget in a second the grimy
classroom we just came from. The electricity would
go off in the middle of Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty,
Giselle, but the orchestra never stopped playing;
the dancers never stopped moving. Art was not
fixated on light.
As I end my evening walk in my modern Tbilisi,
I reach Rustaveli Street, just a few steps from my
hotel. I notice strange things like street lamps,
paved roads, and I come across a beautifully bluelit fountain--water flowing, and bronze ballet dancers gracefully posed in the middle. I look up, and
there it is: my Opera House, freshly painted, with
renovated cupolas and beautiful golden brown
stripes. A crowd breaks through the doors for a
cigarette break during intermission. They are all
smiling. The dancers are probably performing on
a fully lit stage.
The theater must be full tonight.
Nothing around me is crumbling.
Alexa Shearer is a 22-year-old American daughter of diplomats. She lived in Georgia as a child
from 2000-2002. Tbilisi quickly became ‘home’ to
her and her family, and now they try to visit once
a year.
18
SOCIETY
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
Milking the Moment:
Etseri, Svaneti
BY TONY HANMER
Y
es, Tony, but what is milking actually like?
I speak as a relative newcomer to this delicate art,
but nonetheless one who
has performed it for several years now
and has most of the responsibility for a
whole (small) barn’s worth of cattle, as
well as for the milk and its byproducts.
You open the doors in the morning,
greet your charges, and assess how they
are. If nothing is amiss, then you first
clean their udders with a bit of water, to
remove the chance of any stray hairs,
bits of straw and other foreign elements
falling into the bucket. This also adds
just the right amount of lubrication to
the teats. You’re aiming for a mix of slip
and friction, so that your sliding grasp
will neither fall off nor get too sticky.
Give them something to distract them
while you’re milking: the morning’s food,
usually hay from the second floor of the
barn, conveniently sent down through
a hole to their level. You will have trained
them to move the back leg closest to you
back out of the way at your touch, so
that they’re used to this and won’t try to
kick back. Grab the stool and have a seat,
bucket on the newly manure-shoveled
floor.
Then you begin milking itself. I was
taught this by a man first, not by my wife,
and here the genders’ grips seem to be
different. He uses the whole hand, while
she tends to favor just thumb and forefinger. But the former only works if the
teats are long enough! Our newer mother
had her first calf only a few months ago,
and her udder, while supplying a good
amount of milk, is still not as developed
as that of the older cow, which also happens to be her mother. So, even for me,
two fingers are the best way with her,
for now. Pull, squeeze, repeat.
Udders are tough! They have to be, to
endure the amount of abuse available
for even a newborn calf to dish out in
its frantic quest for milk. The pulling
and pushing never seem to bother mother
much, though, so I realize that my arms
and hands are no match in strength for
that little one’s neck, and feel free to pull
as necessary. The milk flows immediately
when you’ve got the knack, and gives
you a good upper body workout twice
a day too. Both hands, so, two teats at a
time. A good while of steady flow, gradually slackening off as you go, but you
move back and forth between the two
calved and, once her calf was weaned, I
added her to my twice-daily repertoire:
how much extra time, and strength,
would this demand? But it was a gradual
process, still happening as she slowly
gives more and more milk while her
udder and the warm outdoor grazing
weather both improve. So I have time to
get used to it, physically and time-wise,
while my own skills also ramp up to meet
the challenge.
Milk, yoghurt, cream, butter, sour cream,
ice cream, ordinary Georgian cheese,
the sulguni variant, versions of cheddar,
blue and Camembert cheese: these are
what we have made and can make from
the output. Plus the whey left over from
cheese making, which the calves love.
All full-fat at the moment. Very satisfying, and worth the effort, if you ask this
lover of the European cheeses who hopes
to see his productions standardize and
go commercial in 2016.
pairs of teats, not finishing either set in
one go to get every last drop.
Always keeping an eye on the back legs,
though, because here “kicking the bucket”
is an all too literal possibility! I don’t
punish a cow if she misses; but if she
knocks the thing over, or gets her hoof
into it, or (something I hope never to
experience) actually breaks it, then I’m
immediately on the offensive, letting her
know that this is quite unacceptable
behavior. And she will move about a bit
while feeding, disregarding your preference for her stillness, so the hair-trigger
awareness is vital. Just don’t let it get on
your nerves, though! Here too a balance
is good to avoid unnecessary stress.
I did worry a bit when the second cow
Tony Hanmer runs the “Svaneti Renaissance”
Facebook group, now with over 1300 members, at
www.facebook.com/groups/SvanetiRenaissance/
He and his wife also run their own guest house
in Etseri:
www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti
CULTURE
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
Breathing New
Life into the Tbilisi
Main Library
BY IRMA KAKHURASHVILI
A
part from serving its classic purpose,
a library should be a place where new
ideas are formed, where educational
and cognitive projects are planned.
Thematic events, book presentations,
literature evenings and numerous other things
should be held there- anything that will widen the
circle of readers. However, most of the libraries
here are still of the soviet-type: small reading halls,
scarce book funds and obsolete service.
The 107-year-old Tbilisi Main Library is facing
that challenge – together with its 32 libraries spread
throughout various neighborhoods in the city, it is
struggling to meet the needs of modern readers,
not helped by a lack of state funding. Nevertheless,
Tbilisi Main Library does have the ambition to turn
itself into an exemplary space which will be actively
involved in the cultural and educational life of the
city. The acting General Director of the library,
Lena Askurava, says that the first steps to this aim
were taken in March.
YOU HAVE A LOT OF ELDERLY READERS,
WHICH IS GOOD, BUT HOW DO YOU
PLAN ON ATTRACTING THE YOUNG?
Lena Askurava: We plan to offer additional services
to the younger generation. We want to implement
an electronic management system in the library,
which includes purchasing an integrated library
program. The users will be able to register online,
use e-catalogues, learn about our book depot and
even reserve the book they want online. The library
will analyze the most in-demand books and conduct various internal studies.
THE LIBRARY WAS ALWAYS IN LINE WITH
THE EDUCATIONAL POLICY, BUT HAS
GRADUALLY LOST THIS FUNCTION...
Events are held in the library to this day, though of
a small-scale. This is due to the lack of information. We plan on working with society in this regard.
It is vital to arrange a working space where various meetings can be held. To help build social
networks we want to set up comfortable book
cafes- places for exchanging ideas and meeting
friends. From March, we plan on carrying out
various activities each weekend, which started on
February 24th with World Book Day during which
we organized meetings with contemporary writers.
We aim to set up a Board of library supporters
comprised of people who will be oriented towards
its development, who will help us find foundations
for funding and help to form relations with the
International Library Association. We are putting
our hope in our energetic youth who can contribute to the revival of libraries in their own neighborhood.
We’ll restore the Movie Club, which was suspended due to renovation works and we’ll also
cooperate with publishers and provide booths and
spaces for presentations. We also want to organize
Georgian language classes for foreigners.
DO YOU PLAN ANYTHING
FOR SCHOOL STUDENTS?
At the moment we’re negotiating with hospitals as
we want to take books to children that have leukemia and hold book-reading days there. A social
project - Mobile Library – will be supported by
volunteers. We’ll offer the same service to adults
in the Dialysis Center. At present, we have an
employee who’s been taking books to a young girl
in Varketili district who has a disability, and also
to pensioners, for years. We want to transform this
wonderful act into one of our services.
We also want to introduce a family package, where
a mother can bring her child to the library for a
couple of hours and be able to work or study in the
library while her child is kept entertained.
What’s more, we plan to arrange a Saturday School
for children, with socially vulnerable families
exempt from fees.
AT THE MOMENT OF ITS
FOUNDATION THE LIBRARY FUND
STORED 3438 ITEMS. WHAT IS THE
SITUATION A CENTURY LATER?
The book depot now holds around one million
editions. Last year we made one of the biggest purchases, buying bestsellers from almost all publishing houses. We’ve had a Special Fund since the
Zubalashvili period. These unique books are scattered throughout our libraries. We want to create
a separate fund- at first we’ll ask experts to evaluate them and later will digitalize the books so that
they become accessible for our customers in the
form of e-books. IT will be a new process of discovery.
DO YOU PLAN TO RETHINK THE
PERSONNEL POLICY WHEN SWITCHING
TO THE ELECTRONIC SYSTEM?
We will train our staff. I’m sure that, in spite of
their age, they’ll be able to master the new system.
Parallel to the development of infrastructure, the
image of a librarian will change too. We need to
become members of the International Library
Association, to share the experience with our
employees, to arrange online conferences. This
form of communication will help us structure a
modern model for the library.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST
CHALLENGE YOU FACE?
The development of infrastructure, which requires
huge funding, as the existing budget is insufficient.
This is why we want to make an exemplary model
of ‘library’ in the Tbilisi Main Library. And as for
the branches, we might keep the vintage style in
some of them: with catalogue boxes, table lamps,
large shelves, wooden tables... It would be great if
the private sector would engage in the process.
Libraries in the neighborhood need to develop. Our
social advertisement will be aired on the Public
Broadcast soon and we’ll be cooperating with other
media channels as well.
19
20
CULTURE
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
Masterclass of Eclecticism
at Vanda Gallery
BY MAKA LOMADZE
T
he latest solo exhibition at Vanda
Gallery is calling all those who wish
to get acquainted with professional
artist Gela Zautashvili, one always
open to novelties and experiments
and with a Major in eastern wisdom. Having
lived in India for years, he is interested in the
East and his work is characterized with an Oriental infl uence expressed in bright colors.
Zautashvili’s exhibition ‘And Life Goes On’ was
opened on April 5 at Vanda Art Gallery.
It is difficult not to notice that this is a painter
who goes along with the subconscious flows of
a person’s mind, resulting in the full savage
desire for life. His colors remind me of those of
Matisse and Gauguin. I have not seen many
Georgian artists who are so unveiled and brave
in terms of eroticism. Not only the exhibition
itself, but also the catalogue of his works, which
is also on sale, demonstrate his interpretation
of Oriental motifs, where nudity and extremely
bold sexual scenes are presented. These paintings are shocking for the Orthodox aesthetics
and very exotic, too. However, in the exhibition
itself you will not find such explicitness. Those
who love painting will discover new color marriages – a masterclass of eclecticism, as well as
a huge energetic charge.
The exhibition ‘And Life Goes On’ was opened
in an original way, without any official speeches.
Everyone was able to enjoy a glass of wine, the
cozy interior, and pleasant atmosphere, adorned
with live piano music. Here, a spectator can
witness a wide range of titles for the works of
abstraction, from ‘Prayer’ to ‘Libido’. In the
catalogue, a variation on the masterpiece by
Gustaf Klimt, named ‘Three Ages of Woman’,
is worthy of note Gela Zautashvili’s version,
depicting the similar theme, is titled ‘Merciless
Time’.
“I entered into the Georgian Fine Arts as an
abstractionist in the 1980s. Today’s exhibition
features the work of the last three months. Buddhism and Hinduism came to my life during my
student years. I dedicate this exhibition to the
continuation of life, joy and kindness,” Gela
Zautashvili told GEORGIA TODAY.
“My attitude towards this painter is special,
because we are friends. I’ve written several
articles about Gela Zautashvili’s works in the
near past, therefore, I’m particularly aware of
his recent creative work,” Keti Charkhalashvili,
art historian, told GEORGIA TODAY. “His paintings are mainly figurative and depict concrete
scenes, however, this time, we’ve been treated
to abstractions, which is very important in the
sense that it expresses the painter’s conception
and attitude towards the world. These figures
are as if modified into abstraction. The colors
used in his works articulate his attitude towards
life. The mere name of the exhibition ‘And Life
Goes On’ is an exact description of these paintings.”
We talked to Sandro Mujiri, co-founder of the
Gallery Vanda: “Two years ago, we hosted Gela
Zautashvili’s third exhibition. This is his new
series of abstractions. However, this is just a
teaser of a bigger project that the painter is
starting under the title ‘Footstep’ which will be
exhibited at the end of the year. I’m very happy
that Gela works so actively, representing one of
the big names in the Georgian painting school.
He used to live in India and is in love with Asia.
There were some Hindu viewers at his previous
exposition and they said that in his works, they
saw real India.”
In spite of the inescapable realism that the
mature painter acknowledges and takes with all
its pros and cons, Zautashvili retains an optimistic view by saying ‘And Life Goes On’, which
is quite topical, together with the arrival of
spring. The exhibition will be on until Tuesday
12th April at Vanda Gallery, Chonkadze 14.
Buddhism and
Hinduism came to my
life during my student
years. I dedicate this
exhibition to the
continuation of life, joy
and kindness
CULTURE
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
21
Large-Scale Seasonal
Exhibition – Spring
Gift for Art Lovers
BY MAKA LOMADZE
O
n April 1-7, almost 60 painters were showcased in one
space – the State Center
of Georgian Folklore Gallery. This is a rare scale
for a fine arts exhibition in Tbilisi, a city
of moderation. The beautiful old tradition was restored in 2014. From year to
year, our artists look forward to being
exhibited every autumn and spring and
perceive themselves via the gallery space
– so crucial for all artists - and share the
joy of meeting old and making new professional friends at the same time.
Until recently, annual exhibitions held
in spring and autumn at the Georgian
National Gallery played a significant role
in the promotion of achievements in
local fine arts. Following Georgia’s independence, artists were deprived of the
National Gallery. For this and many other
reasons, fine arts were almost forgotten.
Happily, in spring 2014, three Georgian
painters decided to restore the tradition
and arrange exhibitions every spring
and autumn.
“This is the fifth time we have organized such a large-scale exhibition. A
painter needs a gallery, a space, just like
a writer needs a book – in order to look
at his/her own works and estimate them
critically. This is like a club. Tbilisi enjoys
having plenty of painters. Our exhibition
in fact showcases 1/5 of them. There are
some 30 painters who regularly participate, while the other half changes from
exhibition to exhibition. We discuss the
works, and give discreet pieces of advice
to each other. Those who receive this
positive criticism tend to develop much
faster than those who are self-satisfied,”
Gela Kenchuashvili, one of the organizing trio and participant, told GEORGIA
TODAY.
The spring and autumn fine arts exhibitions have been distinguished by a
diversity of genres and styles, which
makes them far more attractive. Reportedly, painters of various nationalities
have also participated. Mimo Mondal is
a young painter from Bangladesh who
is desperately in love with Georgia and
especially Tbilisi. “It was really interesting for me to meet lots of good Georgian
artists in person. I am thankful to the
Center, as they suggested holding my
solo exhibition free of charge in future.”
A number of local ethnic minorities
also took part in the expo, setting it as
an example of the character of Tbilisi,
which has always been multiethnic and
tolerant to other religions and nationalities.
10 Galaktion Street
FOR SALE
9,8 ha non-agricultural, privately owned parcel for industrial use
Mimo Mondal is a young
painter from Bangladesh
who is desperately in love
with Georgia and
especially Tbilisi
The project is not only for professional
artists. “I never painted before. My husband is a painter. When I watched him,
I thought it looked very easy,” one amateur artist exhibited there, Nino Mikoiants, told GEORGIA TODAY. “One day,
I was sitting at home looking after my
kids. I really wanted something to do
and I picked up a paintbrush. Now, every
time I get tired of the housework, I
immediately start painting and it helps
me to relax. In this way, I convey my
emotions.”
Nato Sirbiladze, a renowned female
painter, has participated in all spring and
autumn exhibitions. “Two years ago,
painter Gia Markozashvili contacted us
and printed a wonderful catalogue. Then
he said: “Why don’t we do it every year?
This gives an artist stimulus. We make
new acquaintances, too.”
Temur Samadashvili, an experienced
artist, told GEORGIA TODAY: “A group
exhibition always gives you the possibil-
ity to estimate your own work against
the background of others. No matter
whether your colleagues are old or young,
you can always see something interesting in their paintings. We were absolutely
free in genres and topics. Here one can
see landscapes, still lives, portraits, and
more.”
Young female amateur painter Nino
Dvalishvili, 24, is a lawyer by profession.
“I paint abstraction as well as realistic
works. I’m participating for the second
time in the autumn and spring sessions.
I started to paint just eight months ago.
It is a great joy to spend hours painting
and in the end to have somebody appreciate your work.”
Tsisana Marindashvili, Head of Fine
and Applied Arts Direction of Folklore
Center, told us: “We greatly support these
seasonal exhibitions which feature interesting artists of different generations.
Our next aim is to hold a display of portraits by great artistic names of Georgia.”
Tel: (995 32) 2 45 08 08
E-mail: [email protected]
(cadaster code # 01.19.26.004.088)
located next to Tbilisi Airport
(It is possible to divide it into several parts)
Address: Airport settlement, Samgori district, Tbilisi
Tel: +995 599 529 529
[email protected]
22
CULTURE
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
WHAT’S ON IN TBILISI
THEATRE
GRIBOEDOVI THEATRE
Address: 2 Rustaveli Ave.
Telephone: 2 93 43 36
April 10
SCARLET SAIL
Alexander Grin
Directed by Avtandil Varsimashvili
Language: Russian
Start time: 12:00
Ticket price: From 5 Lari
MOVEMENT THEATRE
Address: 182, Aghmashenebeli Ave.,
Mushthaid park
Telephone: 599 555 260
April 9
LABYRINTH
Directed by Kakha Bakuradze
Composer: Sandro Nikoladze
Choreography: Lasha Robakidze
Start time: 21:00
Ticket price: 15 Lari
April 10
RECITATIVE IN THE CITY
Participants: Kakha Bakuradze,
Sandro Nikoladze,
Ana Kordzaia-Samadasvili,
Irakli Menagarishvili
Start time: 21:00
TBILISI VASO ABASHIDZE
MUSIC AND DRAMA STATE
THEATRE
Address: 182 D.Agmashenebeli Ave.
Telephone: 2 34 80 90
www.musictheatre.ge
April 8
CARMEN
Prosper Merime
Composer: Bize-Shchedrini
Choreographer: Konstantine
Purtseladze
Choreographic drama
Language: Georgian
Start time: 19:00
Ticket price: 8, 10 Lari
April 9
MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
William Shakespeare
Directed by Davit Doiashvili
Choreographer: Konstantine
Purtseladze
Language: Georgian
Start time: 19:00
Ticket price: From 8 Lari
April 10
MACBETH
William Shakespeare
Directed by Davit Doiashvili
Choreographer: Konstantine
Purtseladze
Composer: Nikoloz Rachveli
Language: Georgian
Start time: 19:00
Ticket price: From 10 Lari
CIRCUS
Address: 1 The Heroes Sq.
Telephone: 2 98 58 61
www.krakatuk.eu
April 9, 10
TRAINED LEOPARD SHOW
Start time: 13:00, 17:00
Ticket price: From 8 Lari
CINEMA
AMIRANI CINEMA
Address: 36 Kostava St.
Telephone: 2 99 99 55
www.kinoafisha.ge
Every Wednesday ticket price: 5 Lari
April 8-14
BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN
OF JUSTICE
Directed by Zack Snyder
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill,
Amy Adams
Language: Russian
Start time: 19:00
Ticket price: 13-14 Lari
COLONIA
Directed by Florian Gallenberger
Genre: Drama, History, Romance
Cast: Emma Watson, Daniel Brühl,
Michael Nyqvist
Language: Russian
Start time: 22:15
Ticket price: 13-14 Lari
10 CLOVERFIELD LANE
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery
Cast: John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth
Winstead, John Gallagher Jr.
Language: Russian
Start time: 17:30
Ticket price: 11-14 Lari
LOUDER THAN BOMBS
Directed by Joachim Trier
Genre: Drama
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Rachel
Brosnahan, Amy Ryan
Language: Russian
Start time: 19:30, 22:00
Ticket price: 13-14 Lari
RUSTAVELI CINEMA
Address: 5 Rustaveli Ave.
Telephone: 2 55 50 00
www.kinoafisha.ge
Every Wednesday ticket price: 5 Lari
April 8-14
EDDIE THE EAGLE
Directed by Dexter Fletcher
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Cast: Taron Egerton, Hugh
Jackman, Tom Costello
Language: Russian
Start time: 12:00, 17:15, 19:45
Ticket price: 8-14 Lari
10 CLOVERFIELD LANE
(Info Above)
Start time: 22:30
Ticket price: 13-14 Lari
BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN
OF JUSTICE
(Info Above)
Start time: 16:00, 22:30
Ticket price: 10-14 Lari
LONDON HAS FALLEN
Directed by Babak Najafi
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Cast: Gerard Butler, Morgan
Freeman, Charlotte Riley
Language: Russian
Start time: 14:30
Ticket price: 9-10 Lari
STRANGERLAND
Directed by Kim Farrant
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Joseph
Fiennes, Hugo Weaving
Language: Russian
Start time: 22:00
Ticket price: 13-14 Lari
COLONIA
(Info Above)
Start time: 17:00
Ticket price: 10-11 Lari
MUSEUM
GEORGIAN NATIONAL
MUSEUM
SIMON JANASHIA MUSEUM
Address: 4 Rustaveli Ave.
Telephone: 2 99 80 22, 2 93 48 21
www.museum.ge
THE TRAVELING MUSEUM OF
THE CAUCASUS
THE PERMANENT EXHIBITION
NUMISMATIC TREASURY
March 24 – April 15
PHOTO EXHIBITION
“ILLUSIONS” BY MANANA
MENABDE
The exposition showcases the
artist’s photo series created on
different photo motives from
the 1990s to the present: Tango
Shadows, Mannequin and the Life,
Graphic Photos, Watercolor, Pastel,
Light and Shadows.
April 6-16
SOLO EXHIBITION BY TENGIZ
SOSELIA
The exhibition will showcase
the artist’s graphic portraits
and paintings created in various
techniques. Tengiz Soselia’s works
show distinguished esthetics of
color, emotion and poetry and has
clearly defined individualism.
GALLERY
THE NATIONAL GALLERY
Address: 11 Rustaveli Ave.
www.museum.ge
PERMANENT EXHIBITION
Niko Pirosmanashvili, David
Kakabadze, Lado Gudiashvili and
sculptor Iakob Nikoladze
March 25 – April 14
Jubilee exhibition of Georgian
prominent Temo Gotsadze
FROM BLUE STALLIONS TO
ABSTRACTION
The exposition showcases 140
paintings by the artist, among them
monumental abstractions which
will be exhibited for the first time.
Also on display is the graphic series
of “The Knight in the Panther’s
Skin” created in 2015.
ART AREA GALLERY
Address: 10 D. Abashidze Str.
Telephone: 595 29 88 55
April 8-14
Kote Jincharadze’s project
TIME SUBSTANCES
Opening: 19:00
GAMREKELI GALLERY
Address: 14 Ingorokva Str.
Telephone: 2 99 57 23
April 4-10
IRAKLI JGENTI
PERSONAL EXHIBITION
TBC GALLERY
Address: 7 Marjanishvili Str.
Telephone: 2 27 27 27
March 30 – April 9
KONSTANTINE MINDADZE
LIFEFORMS
(CHAPTER TWO)
DEVIATION
MUSIC
RUSTAVELI THEATRE
Address: 17 Rustaveli Ave.
Telephone: 2 72 68 68
www.rustavelitheatre.ge
April 8
SAMMARTINI CHOIR
(BELGIUM)
ABKHAZIAN STATE CAPELLA
Artistic Director: Guram Kurashvili
Georgian Philarmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Mariam Mitea
Small Stage
Start time: 18:30
Ticket price: 25, 35 Lari
MOVEMENT THEATRE
Address: 182, Aghmashenebeli Ave.,
Mushthaid park
Telephone: 599 555 260
April 12
LIVE JAZZ EVENING
WITH RESO KIKNADZE
Start time: 21:00
Free entry
April 13
TANGO MILONGA (TANGO
LESSONS)
Start time: 20:00
Ticket price: 5 Lari
GENERATOR 9.8
Address: Atoneli Str. 29
April 8
MELLOW YELLOW
Live Concert
Folk Rock, Blues, Psychedelic Rock,
Funk, Fusion
Lead Guitar: Gigi Tsintsadze
Drums: Nika Ruhadze
Bass Guitar: Iko Elbakidze
Rhythm Guitar: Levani Turdziladze
Start time: 21:00
Free entry
CULTURE
GEORGIA TODAY
APRIL 8 - 11, 2016
23
Irakli Jgenti: Neither Talent Nor
Higher Powers Decide My Success
Y
oung artist Irakli Jgenti
chases success in his professional field through
tireless hard work and
constant self-improve-
Ah, this I’ve thought about often. It’d
be nice to get to an age when life’s whole
show opens up to me. I like thinking
about having a place in me where death
doesn’t seem so frightening.
ment.
He started drawing just 5 years ago.
He experienced an inner rebellin towards
the medium at a young age because of
his artist grandmother and father. He
played football up until the age of 20,
after which he had a five-year period of
“being lost”, as he himself describes it.
During this time he tried his hand at
many different fields, even playing the
guitar for a few months – but they all
proved to be temporary.
“I wouldn’t make a doctor or a mathematician which is why I ended up
turning to painting despite my childhood rebellion,” says Irakli. He’s not
hiding that painting is a job to him,
much like being a doctor or a teacher
would be. From today’s perspective, he
thinks he’ll never abandon painting,
although he insists that nothing is out
of the question.
Visiting him proved to be interesting
and different, even in my profession.
An unpredictable respondent will often
beget unpredictable questions from the
reporters’ side.
And so we began.
ARE YOU PLANNING ON
TURNING YOUR WORK INTO
A SOURCE OF INCOME?
I haven’t tried, but I guess it’s a goal for
any artist to get their name out there
and turn their work into a profit.
WHICH FAMOUS ARTISTS’
WORKS WOULD YOU
LIKE TO OWN AND HANG
UP AT HOME NEXT TO
SOMETHING OF YOURS?
I’d love to hang up something of Sezan’s,
Bacon’s, and Kiefer’s.
IN ONE OF YOUR INTERVIEWS
YOU SAID THAT AN ACT OF
PAINTING CAN BE INSPIRED
BY POWERFUL LOVE OR
INTENSE DISTRESS. WHAT
MAKES YOU WANT TO PAINT?
It all happens by accident, something
no longer than 20 minutes in length. It’s
just work. Oftentimes I might not have
any desire to paint; I just need to do it,
so I do. It’s very much like work. There
might only be a few minutes per day
during which I actually get enjoyment
out of it.
IRAKLI, DO YOU DEVOTE
A LARGE AMOUNT OF
TIME TO PAINTING?
I need to keep practicing to get better
at it! I have to! In order for me to draw
better today than yesterday, it’s vital for
me to allocate 7-8 hours a day to it.
WHERE WOULD YOU HANG
YOUR WORKS, AND WHY?
I’d hang them in many places. Homes,
galleries – what matters are the owners’
desires and their sense of pleasure from
observing my paintings every day.
HOW AND WHERE DO YOU
SEE YOURSELF AS AN ARTIST
10 YEARS FROM NOW?
I’ve not thought about it. So far, I still
see myself at my workshop. I want to
be a really good artist. I might give a
different answer tomorrow; it’s a mood
thing. The one constant and most important plan that I have at this point is to
travel to America for my Master’s.
YOU’VE ALREADY HAD AN
EXHIBITION. TELL US ABOUT IT.
YOU’RE PARTICULARLY
PROUD TO HAVE DONE.
“William” is the title of the piece. It
depicts my mother’s husband. He kept
asking how he should have behaved,
what sort of character he should have
channeled during the process. Bill could
show whatever he wanted to show, but
I tried to capture what he was trying to
hide. I’d like the rest to be up to the
people to decide and evaluate.
The first and most important problem
is the amount of time that painting
requires. Another could be loneliness.
Despite enjoying time by myself, sometimes I have an impulse to get in contact
with someone else, but all that surrounds
me are my works. Loneliness only works
when it’s a result of your own choice.
WHAT WOULD BE
YOUR GREATEST
ACHIEVEMENT IN LIFE?
My first art exhibition was on April 4th,
which was an important date to me –
just a day after my birthday. It wasn’t
an official sales exhibition, but some of
the interested visitors did get a chance
to purchase my works. I hope that interest will continue.
DOES YOUR WORK DEPICT
EXISTING ISSUES IN SOCIETY?
Despite not touching on any specific
issues during painting, the viewer can
draw their own parallels with various
events. I leave the freedom of choice to
everyone.
WHAT IS SOMETHING
THAT YOU DISLIKE ABOUT
WHAT YOU DO?
TALK ABOUT A PROJECT
OR A PIECE OF WORK THAT
FOR SALE: BMW – 321 model
Date of issue 1936
PRICE 10.000 USD
CONTACT PERSON 557 12 38 90
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