CULTURE PAGE

Pixel Shifting in Ushguli

BLOG BY TONY HANMER

Nothing like a trip back to Ushguli, my winter home from 2007-9, to cheer me up. I went with some friends and their American guest, carefully masked, for a night. They had business there with friends of theirs, looking for a secondhand 4x4 vehicle. I had business with the landscape, as usual, my former hosts being away at the moment.

We had to wait over two hours between K’ala, the last village before our destination, and Ushguli, while some more rockfalls were cleared. This time, two caterpillars were involved, one at each end of the blockage, and two climbers were roped up above them, knocking down more of the rotten rock which road-widen explosions had exposed.

They had said three hours, so we got off early. It was quite something to see those scoops moving small-car-sized chunks of slate to the road’s edge and down towards the Enguri river far below. If they slid instead of rolling, some of them slowed down on the slope and didn’t make the river. The rollers, though, practically bounced, and if they didn’t shatter into their component fragile layers, hit the water with almighty splashes.

Once the fallen wall of rock was stable enough not to pour down onto and over us, and a brand new road section had been fl attened out suffi ciently for our Delica, we were given the go-ahead and jan Berishvili made a routine visit to the newly-opened cancer screening center in her home town of Zugdidi, she expected to receive a clean bill of health.

However, despite having experienced no discomfort, testing revealed she had a stage two malignant tumor in her breast.

“The fact that it was discovered at still a relatively early stage is what I suppose I owe my life and current health to,” Berishvili said. After diagnosis, she had successful surgery in Kutaisi.

Medical professionals in the Georgian region of Samegrelo-Upper Svaneti, which has historically reported high rates of cancer, say that local efforts to raise awareness of the importance of routine screening are paying off.

In general, cancer screening in Georgia remains low. For example, according to 2019 data, only 18% of Georgian women had undergone breast cancer screening, compared with 40% in Greece and 80% in Finland. drove through the mess and into freedom. Twilight was already coming down as we got into Ushguli, and there would be more exploding and road closure tomorrow, they told us; don’t overstay!

Warm welcome near the top of the village, shown our rooms, plenty of hot food in a very cozily warm room where the

“The sizeable discrepancy of the cancer mortality rates between developed and developing countries are largely down to successful early stage detection,” said Ioseb Abesadze, Director of Tbilisi’s Cancer Prevention Center. “And in that, screening plays a pivotal role.

“The developed countries of the world made every effort to make screening a popular practice, to turn it into a routine healthcare procedure, while in countries such as Georgia, we still have to convince large parts of the population of the ben-

He said that only between 12-15% of people access cancer screening services in Georgia, whereas around 40-60% of the target population needed to be screened to effectively reduce mortality.

A lack of information, fear, and the stigma around cancer mean that many people are reluctant to even take part in screening programs. Practitioners say that a more open discussion between healthcare providers and patients is needed to change these attitudes.

“A systemic change of the perception of the problem is needed to successfully overcome this obstacle,” Abesadze said. “Communication with the target audience should be bolstered so that the big Svan stove was doing its duty. Three generations aged about 10 to 90 share the house. My room wasn’t able to have a heater, but I said I’d be fi ne with enough covers, and that was indeed the case. What’s +2 degrees C (said my thermometer) when I’d spent part of two winters earlier in a room down to -4? I slept like correct culture of taking care of one’s health is fi nally introduced at the grassroots level and not looked at as something only available to those who can afford it. You should take care of your health while you are healthy because it might prove too little too late if you only start doing it once your health falters.”

Detection rates have improved since a national cancer screening program was launched in Georgia in 2008. In the early days of the program, most identifi ed cases were already at Stage IV and largely untreatable. By 2016, cases caught at Stage I and II had signifi cantly increased.

But awareness raising is particularly important for rural populations who have less access to medical care.

The Zugdidi Screening Center, opened in October 2019 with fi nancial support from the Czech Development Cooperation and Caritas Czech Republic in Georgia (CCRG), aims to improve early testing for a range of common cancers for the nearly half-a-million people living in Samegrelo-Upper Svaneti.

The region has reported relatively high rates of cancer in recent decades. Some experts attribute this to the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster 34 years ago; this western part of Georgia was believed to have been badly affected by the subsequent radioactive cloud.

There is also a large proportion of internally displaced people (IDPs) from previous rounds of confl ict in Georgia.

“The Samegrelo region and particularly the city of Zugdidi are the most densely IDP populated areas in Georgia,” said Rema Ghvamichava, director of the Zugdidi screening center. “That’s why around 35-40% of those depending on the Zugdidi Screening Center are IDPs. Among this, around 10% are from Abkhazia.”

Tamuna Kurtanidze, project manager at CCRG, agreed that the center had been a game-changer for IDPs, refugees and residents of Abkhazia who had since gained access to facilities that were otherwise seriously lacking.

“Our story of establishing the screening center started almost a decade ago a hibernating bear, then and now!

The golden dawn light showed most of Mt. Shkhara above the village, Georgia’s highest peak above Europe’s highest village, right from my own window. Time to experiment with a new technique in what is called computational photography: Pixel Shifting. with an education campaign on the importance of cancer prevention and fi ghting cancer stigma. We continue this approach by reminding citizens to do regular check-ups even if they don’t have any symptoms. This education campaign is even more important in remote rural areas where accessibility to information is less available. To change this, we go door–to–door and from person-to person, sending the message that between 30-50% of all cancer cases are preventable if we lead a healthy lifestyle and do regular medical check-ups,” Kurtanidze said.

If you take four hand-held photos of a still scene moving as little as possible (not on a tripod), the movement (shift) between them is crucial. In the computer, stack the set as layers; enlarge them 200% each, length and width (= 4 times the area). Align them, then set the program to give less and less opacity to each layer compared to the one below it: 100%, 50, 33, 25. Flatten the layers, sharpen, and you’ve used the set to make an image 4 times larger than what your camera can do with a single shot, and just as sharp as that one frame would be. If you have the space and money, print that thing huge and enjoy.

My laptop’s 16 GB of RAM are just enough to do this, if only my photo editing program is running and nothing else. So far I’m pleased with the results, and as memory storage is only decreasing in price while it grows in size, space is not a serious issue. There are some things which we could do in the darkroom and now emulate by computer; but this is something else. It’s not needed for every photo, but for the best ones, it can really show them off at breathtaking scale. My new favorite trick.

Tony Hanmer has lived in Georgia since 1999, in Svaneti since 2007, and been a weekly writer and photographer for GT since early 2011. He runs the “Svaneti Renaissance” Facebook group, now with nearly 2000 members, at www.facebook.com/ groups/SvanetiRenaissance/ He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri:

Fighting the Stigma of Cancer: Regional Center Aims to Improve Historically Low Rates of Detection

Ioseb Abesadze, the Director Tbilisi's Cancer Prevention Center. (Photo: Vazha Tavberidze)

BY VAZHA TAVBERIDZE

When 46-year old Dare-

efi ts of screening.”

www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti

The center has so far provided services to more than 1,600 individuals from the Samegrelo-Upper Svaneti region. Numbers are growing, though there is still a large difference between men and women when it comes to screening. Staff note that men are more likely to attend the center after someone in their village is diagnosed and treated for cancer.

SOCIETY An Inclusive Society Is Key to a Robust COVID-19 Recovery

On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) reiterated its strong commitment to assist Georgia in building an inclusive society in which all citizens, without exception, can exercise their fundamental human rights, enjoy equal access to public services and participate fully in the life of their communities.

Persons with disabilities form a sizable share of any society. Only 3% of the Georgian population is offi cially registered as having a disability, but the actual share is estimated at around 15%. Long stigmatized and pushed into the shadows, persons with disabilities are gaining voice and agency.

Georgia has made strong legal commitments to protect the rights of persons with disabilities. The country ratifi ed the landmark UN Convention on disability in 2014 and passed a long-awaited national Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in July 2020. This legislation refl ects a shift from the “medical model,” which views disability as an illness to be treated, to the “social model,” which shifts responsibility to societies CULTURE BY NINI DAKHUNDARIDZE

Continuing our collaboration with WE’AR ART, bringing to you the Georgian designers who lead the Georgian fashion scene, this month we present to our readers the creative mind behind Samoseli Qartuli, Maia Bakradze. In Maia’s mind, fashion and science can work together. Read on to fi nd out more about Maia’s most cherished designer moment, her inspirations, the uniting point of the designer and customer, and more.

Clothing designer Maia Bakradze is a specialist in decorative-applied arts and ethnographic design. Currently working at the University of Georgia, she’s taking a course in Ethnographic Design and has her own brand "Maia Bakradze - Samoseli Qartuli" (Georgian Garment in English)

“I’ve been working with my team for years to restore and introduce various methods and technologies of ancient Georgian, endangered decorative arts,” to fi nd ways to accommodate the needs of persons with disabilities.

“Promoting inclusion for persons with disabilities means recognizing and protecting their rights,” said the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement for the International Day. “These rights touch on every aspect of life: the right to go to school, to live in one’s community, to access health care, to start a family, to engage in political participation, to be able to play sport, to travel, and to have decent work.”

The Georgian public is increasingly recognizing these rights. As documented in new UNDP research, large majorities of Georgians agree that persons with physical disabilities can perform well in education and employment, and as decision-makers at all levels, for example in Parliament. Unfortunately, acceptance drops dramatically for persons with mental or intellectual disabilities. Less than half would want someone with a mental or intellectual impairment as a co-worker, neighbor or classmate to their children. Most believe people with mental disabilities should not have children.

“We salute Georgia for its commitment to full social inclusion,” said UNDP Head she tells GEORGIA TODAY. “I’ve restored and processed dyeing, fabric painting, embroidery, and other techniques and technologies, on the basis of which I create collections of modern, classic, youthful, and modernist clothes and accessories.

“I create clothes that have their own history, their own color, their own mood, which originates from the historical past of Georgia.

“My design debut as an artist took place in Brussels in 1993, at the exhibition Days of Georgia in Brussels, which was organized by our current President Salome Zurabishvili, where my work was highly praised.” WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR EDUCATION IN THIS FIELD AND HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION IS FOR A DESIGNER? I got my higher education in Georgia, but I had internships in Europe and America. I believe that professional education is very important in becoming a professional in general, and especially for a designer. HAVE YOU TAKEN PART IN ANY FASHION SHOWS? Since 1993, I have participated in various assemblies, summits, exhibitions, and fashion shows in many countries around the world, as well as scientifi c conferences and symposia. WHAT IS THE MAIN IDEA AND GOAL OF YOUR DESIGN / BRAND? My and my team’s creative direction is to make ecologically clean, modern clothes and accessories, created with natural materials and dyes, which are inspired by Georgian ethnographic motifs and are scientifi cally based on the traditions and technologies of creating Georgian national clothes, such as ornament, silhouette, color, cloth, etc. Louisa Vinton. “But there is still a long way to go to translate this resolve into tangible improvements in the lives of persons with disabilities. COVID-19 has thrown up new obstacles on this road, and we call on the authorities and citizens alike to ensure that the pandemic does not put persons with disabilities into jeopardy. At UNDP, we strongly believe that a more inclusive society will WHAT KIND OF PERSON WEARS YOUR CLOTHES? My clothes and accessories are worn by people of different ages and nationalities in different parts of the world. They are really different, but what unites them is my vision of clothes and the same perception of art. HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU SEE A PERSON WEARING YOUR DESIGN? It's a very nice feeling when a person likes and wears clothes you've created. Many times in the streets I’ve seen people dressed in clothes I made, and it makes me as happy as a little kid! I’ve often been told from abroad that they like and wear my clothes. Years ago, I created school jackets for Georgian schools, for students in grades 1-4, and then I distributed them myself to the students of one school. They didn't know who I was and the biggest reward was their glowing eyes, putting on the jackets I’d created. I’ll never forget it. HOW HAS THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC AFFECTED YOUR BUSINESS AND DESIGNING STYLE? Covid infl uences everything, its impact on the life and creativity of the artist gets bigger every minute. It’s very diffi cult to think about fashion and art when world events are changing for the worse with lightning speed. The direction of my creativity has not been affected by the pandemic. As for business, today everything has slowed down due to the situation. I have an Instagram page (@ dresscodemb_maiabakradze) and a FB page (@Samoseli Qartuli) where customers can browse my artwork and order online. It's been a few months now since I set up an online store on the ETSY international platform, DressCodeMB. etsy.com, where I already have sales and hope to have more buyers by the New Year. see a swifter post-COVID recovery.”

UNDP has been helping to protect disability rights in Georgia for more than a decade. This work has included ensuring that persons with disabilities have access to public spaces such as the Public Service Hall and the Parliament and can make full use of public services. This effort has intensifi ed during the pandemic. UNDP helped to customize The source of inspiration for my creations has always been and is the rich ethnographic past of Georgia. It is very interesting to create such a modern garment, which sometimes repeats the form of an ancient Georgian garment. Sometimes you can use the same old technique of decoration, execution or dyeing traditions, and still end up creating completely avantgarde pieces. This work is also a big responsibility. I’m very happy when I achieve this goal correctly and I’m very happy when a guest comes to the exhibition or parade and perceives my creativity in exactly the same way as I conceived and created it. CAN YOU SINGLE OUT ANY FAMOUS OR LESSER-KNOWN, INTERNATIONAL OR LOCAL DESIGNERS (OR ARTISTS IN GENERAL) WHO HAVE INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE YOUR COLLECTIONS? I like many designers and artists, both Georgian and foreign. I like Christian Dior the most among designers and I’m a fan of Peter Otskheli. The source of COVID-19 information for persons with disabilities; ensured that all Government briefi ngs were translated into sign language; provided online counselling and peer-to-peer support to staff and residents of institutions for persons with mental disability; and delivered care packages and provided home care to thousands of elderly people, many of

WE’AR ART: Samoseli Qartuli, Maia Bakradze

WHAT IS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND YOUR WORKS?

whom have disabilities. inspiration is different at different times, but not the designers.

HOW HAS GEORGIAN TRADITIONAL CLOTHING INSPIRED YOUR DESIGNS? Georgian traditional clothing is unique and absolutely complete. It manifests centuries of perfecting. You can’t change it, so it adapts to your taste. One can only admire and turn it into a source of inspiration. I’m a specialist in this fi eld and I teach it to my students in every lecture. Rarely have I seen in the clothes of other nations combinations so harmonious with each other; the abundance of colors and, controversy, such beautiful embroidery and subtle forms.

I put a part of this rich past in each and every one of my works, and give them new life.

WE’AR ART is a copyrighted brand/slogan with a unique philosophy: to create awareness of fashion and art. Since 2018, the WE’AR ART collection has only worked for one common ‘good’: raising funds through charity events and sponsoring competitions for young artists.

PUBLISHER & GM George Sharashidze

COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT Commercial Director: Iva Merabishvili Marketing Manager: Natalia Chikvaidze Journalists: Ana Dumbadze, Vazha Tavberidze, Nini Dakhundaridze, Tony Hanmer, Emil Avdaliani, Nugzar B. Ruhadze, Michael Godwin, Elene Dzebizashvili Website Manager/Editor: Katie Ruth Davies

Layout: Misha Mchedlishvili

Webmaster: Sergey Gevenov Circulation Managers: David Kerdikashvili, David Djandjgava

ADDRESS 1 Melikishvili Str. Tbilisi, 0179, Georgia

Tel.: +995 32 229 59 19 E: info@georgiatoday.ge F: GeorgiaToday Reproducing material, photos and advertisements without prior editorial permission is strictly forbidden. The author is responsible for all material. Rights of authors are preserved. The newspaper is registered in Mtatsminda district court.