კულტურა პლუს 3(5) 2016 by კულტურა Plus

kultura plus / CULTURE PLUS 3 (5) 2016

3 5 2016

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kulturuli RonisZieba

aq SeiZleba ganTavsdes Tqveni reklama

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s a g a n m a n a T l e b l o - s a z o g a d o e b r i v i

J u r n a l i

sarCevi / Contents Semoqmedi adamianis Sroma davafasoT

VALUE THE WORK OF CREATIVE INDIVIDUALS

didebuli epoqebi

GREAT EPOCHS

daviT sarajiSvili

DAVID SARAJISHVILI

miuwvdomeli baRebi

INACCESSIBLE GARDENS

gepatiJebiT SuaxevSi, qedaSi, xuloSi

WELCOME TO SHUAKHEVI, KEDA, KHULO

or dedaqalaqSi

IN TWO CAPITALS

„biafis“ meTerTmete Semodgoma

BIAFF’S 11TH AUTUMN

ra SeiZleba amaze Rirebuli gavakeTo

IS THERE ANY MORE VALUABLE THING FOR ME TO DO

bevri ram jer ar damikravs

THERE ARE STILL A LOT OF THINGS I HAVEN’T PLAYED

realobis natifi grZnobiT

REFINED SENSE OF REALITY

mravalferovani saqarTvelo

DIVERSE GEORGIA

dabruneba

HOMECOMING

saredaqcio jgufi EDITORIAL STAFF revaz iukuriZe ramaz Wilaia xaTuna kereseliZe aleqsandre ServaSiZe qeiTi ruTi deivisi

REVAZ IUKURIDZE RAMAZ CHILAIA KHATUNA KERESELIDZE ALEKSANDRE SHERVASHIDZE KATIE RUTH DAVIES

dizaineri DESIGNER nikoloz bagrationi NIKOLOZ BAGRATIONI

el-fosta: kulturaplusm@gmail.com facebook.com/kulturaplusm tel: 032 298 96 13 gamodis kvartalSi erTxel JurnalSi ganTavsebuli masalis gamoyeneba SeiZleba mxolod redaqciis TanxmobiT

Issued quarterly The material published in this magazine cannot be used without the authorization of the editorial staff

ISSN 2346-8165 beWdva: Sps „sezani“ / Print: LTD Cezanne fotomasalis mowodebisTvis redaqcia madlobas uxdis: saqarTvelos parlamentis erovnul biblioTekas; lela oCiaurs garekanze: merab abramiSvili, `semiramida~; foto: gia CxataraSvilisa Cover: Merab Abramishvili, “Semiramis“; Photo: Gia Chkhatarashvili

www.culture.gov.ge

Semoqmedi adamianis Sroma davafasoT Value the work of creative individuals

naTia sirabiZe aWaris ganaTlebis, kulturisa

Natia Sirabidze is Adjara’s Deputy Minister

da sportis ministris moadgilea. igi gaxlavT

of Education, Culture and Sports. She

biznes administrirebis doqtoranti (BSU), masobrivi komunikaciis (UCF) da Jurnalistikisa da media menejmentis magistri (GIPA). kiTxulobda leqciebs centraluri floridis

Administration (BSU), and has a Master’s degree in Mass Communication (UCF) and Journalism and Media Management (GIPA). She used to give lectures at the

universitetSi, kavkasiis universitetsa da

University of Central Florida, the Caucasus

baTumis SoTa rusTavelis saxelobis saxelmwifo

University and the Batumi Shota Rustaveli

universitetSi. aTi wlis ganmavlobaSi muSaobda sxvadasxva beWdur, radio da telemediaSi. iyo saganmanaTleblo-SemecnebiTi satelevizio gadacemebis _ „debatebi“, „amerika dRes“ avtori da prodiuseri, dokumenturi filmebisa da socialuri sareklamo rgolebis prodiuseri;

State University. During a period of ten years, she worked in different print, radio and television media. She is the author and producer of the educational and informative TV programs “Debates” and “America Today”, and produced several documentary films and social advertisements; she is also the

aris ramdenime samecniero naSromisa da sajaro

author of a number scientific articles and the

gamosvlis saxelmZRvanelos `warmatebis

public manual ‘Key to Success’. She attended

gasaRebi~ avtori; gavlili aqvs profesiuli treningebi amerikis, evropisa da aziis qveynebSi. aris san diegos (kalifornia) sapatio moqalaqe. gTavazobT intervius aWaris avtonomiuri respublikis ganaTlebis, kulturisa da sportis ministris moadgilesTan qalbaton naTia sirabiZesTan.

is a candidate PhD in Business and

professional trainings in American, European and Asian countries and is an honorary citizen of San Diego, California. The following is an interview with Natia Sirabidze, Deputy Minister of Education, Culture and Sports of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara.

qalbatono naTia, gagvacaniT aWaris avtonomiuri respublikis ganaTlebis, kulturisa da sportis saministros saqmianoba kulturis mimarTulebiT... gasul wels aWaris avtonomiur respublikaSi CavatareT kulturis sferos kvleva da aRmoCnda, rom kulturaSi evropis masStabiT uprecedento dafinanseba gvaqvs, Tumca Sedegi iseTi ar aris, rogoric unda iyos. vfiqrobT, mizezi araswori marketingi da informaciis gavrcelebis naklebobaa. ar Cans Tu ramdeni ram keTdeba da ra saSualebebi arsebobs kulturis moRvaweebis Tu sxvadasxva kulturuli mimarTulebis ganviTarebisTvis. Sesabamisad, davisaxeT amocana, rom aWara unda warmoadgendes erT-erT wamyvan kulturul centrs Savi zRvis sanapiroze da xelmisawvdomi da mimzidveli gaxdes saqarTvelos da ucxo qveynebis moqalaqeebisTvis. kulturis sferoSi mudmivad unda iqmnebodes siaxleebi da kulturuli cxovreba xels unda uwyobdes regionis integracias saerTaSoriso sazogadoebaSi; garda amisa, saWiroa aWaris kulturuli memkvidreobis materialuri da aramaterialuri Zeglebi SenarCundes da daixvewos maTi dacva/konservaciis meqanizmebi. SevimuSaveT strategia, romlic gvexmareba kulturis sferoSi arsebuli organizaciebi erTiani politikiT vmarToT, saerTo standartebi SevimuSaoT, rac kulturis sferos komercializaciasa da popularizacias Seuwyobs xels. daviwyeT sxvadasxva programis ganxorcieleba da garkveuli Sedegic gvaqvs. wlis ganmavlobaSi, gansakuTrebiT sakurorto sezonze, aWara kulturul RonisZiebaTa centria... baTumi mimzidveli qalaqi gaxda aramxolod dasvenebisTvis. qalaqi TandaTanobiT popularuli xdeba rogorc Savi zRvispireTis kulturuli centri, sadac mTeli wlis ganmavlobaSi imarTeba saerTaSoriso gamofenebi, festivalebi da sxvasxva tipis RonisZiebebi. Tumca isini xSirad qaoturad iyo dagegmili, festivalebi erTdroulad tardeboda da ar arsebobda erTiani koordinirebuli gegma/kalendari. amitom wels ganaTlebis, kulturis da sportis saministrom aWaris turizmis departamentTan erTad RonisZiebaTa erTian kalendarze daiwyo muSaoba. regionis masStabiT dagegmili RonisZiebebi Tavs iyris turizmis departamentis oficialur saitze www.gobatumi.com _ am sferoSi moRvawe yvela uwyebam valdebuleba aiRo RonisZiebebis Sesaxeb informaciis mowodebisa; Tumca, samwuxarod, jerjerobiT koordinireba mainc xarveziania. samomavlod gvinda, marketinguli principebis gaTvaliswinebiT moxdes erTiani koncefciiT RonisZiebebis dagegmva. magaliTad, weliwadis nebismier dros gvsurs uqmeebi kulturuli RonisZiebebiT ise davtvirToT, rom saqarTvelos sxvadasxva regionidan aWaraSi stumrebi

Miss Natia, could you introduce us to the activities of Adjara’s Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports regarding culture? Last year, we carried out a study of the field of culture in Adjara’s Autonomous Republic, and we found that we have finances in culture that are unprecedented on a European level, but the results are not as good as they should be. We think the reason for this is improper marketing methods and a lack of information provided to the public. People don’t see how much is done and what possibilities exist for artists, for people involved in culture, or for the development of culture in general. Accordingly, we set the objective of transforming Adjara into one of the leading cultural hubs on the Black Sea coast, and an easily accessible and attractive region for both Georgians and foreign citizens. New projects in the field of culture need to be created constantly, and cultural life should contribute to the integration of our region into international society. Further, Adjara’s tangible and intangible heritage monuments should be preserved, and their protection/conservation methods should be improved. We have developed a strategy that will allow us to jointly manage all the organizations that are active in the field of culture, as well as to develop unified standards which will promote the commercialization and popularization of cultural productions. We started implementing various projects, and we already got some promising results. Adjara is a hub of cultural events throughout the year, and especially during summer... Indeed, Batumi has become a very attractive city, and not only for vacationers. It is growing more popular every day as a cultural center of the Black Sea coast where international exhibitions, festivals, and various other kinds of events are organized throughout the whole year. But we have to admit that they used to be arranged in a rather chaotic manner – different festivals were held at the same time without any coordinated schedule or calendar. Therefore, this year, together with Adjara’s Department of Tourism, Adjara’s Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports started working on a unified calendar of events. All the events organized in the region can be found on the Tourism Department’s official site www.gobatumi.com – every institution involved in this field has committed to provide information regarding events; however, unfortunately, the coordination still needs to be improved. We are planning to implement a unified schedule concept that will take marketing principles into account. For instance, we want to arrange cultural events during public holidays throughout the year in order to attract guests from other regions of Georgia to Adjara, and not only to Batumi and Kobuleti, but also to our mountainous parts – Keda, Shuakhevi and Khulo. There are many interesting museums in Batumi and in Adjara in general; to what extent do they correspond to modern standards? Our main challenge is to increase the number of museum visitors.

movizidoT aramxolod baTumsa da qobuleTSi, aramed maRalmTianeTSic _ qedaSi, SuaxevSi, xuloSi. baTumSi, zogadad aWaraSi bevri saintereso muzeumia, ramdenad Seesabamebian isini Tanamedrove moTxovnebs? Cveni umTavresi amocana muzeumebis damTvalierebelTa ricxvis gazrdaa. dRes sazogadoeba imdenad mieCvia sxvadasxva multimediur saSualebas, rom mxolod eqsponatis gamofena sakmarisi ar aris vizitoris mozidvisTvis. muzeumebi saganmanaTleblo sivrced unda vaqcioT da sxvadasxva SemecnebiTi da gasarTobi aqtivobebiT davtvirToT. umniSvnelovanesia alternatiuli dafinansebis wyaroebis moZiebac _ muzeumi mxolod saxelmwifos sakuTreba ar aris, is yvela moqalaqisaa da masze TiToeulma unda izrunos. swored am mizniT daviwyeT TanamSromloba polonel eqspertebTan, romlebmac Seiswavles CvenSi arsebuli mdgomareoba, infrastruqtura da gagviwies rekomendaciebi menejmentis gaumjobesebisTvis. poloneTSi sapasuxo viziti wlis bolos igegmeba da vfiqrobT, maTi muzeumebis naxva da saqmianobis gacnoba, bevris momcemi iqneba Cveni muzeumebis xelmZRvanelebisTvis. saministros dafinansebiT da xelSewyobiT muzeumebis TanamSromlebs profesiuli treningebi saqarTvelos muzeumebis asociaciis warmomadgenlebmac Cautares. aWaraSi arsebulma muzeumebma SeimuSaves da ganaaxles sakuTari misia da xedva, gansazRvres faseulobebi da mniSvneloba, maTTan urTierTobis formebi. aseve daweres saproeqto winadadebebi saerTaSoriso organizaciebidan grantebis mosazidad. am mimarTulebiT kidev erTi siaxle gvaqvs. wels pirvelad aWaris ganaTlebis, kulturisa da sportis saministros inicirebiT daiwyo proeqti, romlis mizania regionSi moqmed muzeumebSi saganmanaTleblo saqmianobis gaaqtiureba da maTi SemecnebiTi rolis gazrda, skolisa da muzeumis daaxloeba. proeqtis farglebSi igegmeba/ iwereba regionSi moqmedi muzeumebis eqspoziciis specifikis Sesabamisi saganmanaTleblo programebi _ 6-18 wlis asakobrivi kategoriis vizitorebisTvis. yovelive es bavSvebsa da mozardebs saSualebas miscems artefaqtebis meSveobiT axleburad gaiazron, Seexon, SeigrZnon am dawesebulebebSi daculi warsuli. amgvari tipis proeqtebis meSveobiT muzeumebSi dainergeba saganmanaTleblo programebis ganxorcielebis tradicia, rac axalgazrda Taobas saSualebas miscems aqtiurad CaerTon SemecnebiT saqmianobaSi. Tanamedrove xelovnebis ganviTarebisTvis ra proeqtebs axorcielebT? wels bevri kargi idea ganvaxorcieleT. yoveli maTgani art-bazris formirebas isaxavs miznad da xelovnebis

Today’s society has accustomed itself to various multimedia devices so much that a regular exhibition is not enough to attract many visitors anymore. We need to transform museums into educational spaces offering various informational and entertaining activities. It is also essential to find alternative funding sources – museums do not belong exclusively to the State, they belong to each and every citizen, and everyone needs to look after them. This is precisely the reason why we started collaborating with Polish experts who studied the existing infrastructure and overall situation of museums in Adjara and gave useful advice on how to enhance our management. A working visit to Poland is planned for the end of the year, and we think that seeing their museums and getting acquainted with their work methodology will bring us precious knowledge for managing our own museums. With the support and financing of the Ministry, the personnel of our museums also attended professional trainings from representatives of the Georgian Association of Museums. The existing museums of our region have developed and renewed their mission and vision; they determined their values and their importance, and the way they should manage them. They also wrote project proposals in order to obtain grants from international organizations. We have one other piece of news concerning museums. This year, an unprecedented project was initiated by Adjara’s Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, with the goal of fostering educational activities in the region’s museums and increasing their informational role, as well as promoting the connections between schools and museums. In the framework of this project, educational programs for visitors aged six to 18, and fitting the specific exhibitions of the museums, are being prepared. This will allow children and teenagers to think about and connect with the past preserved in these buildings in a different way.

komercializaciisken gadadgmuli nabijia. gamovyof ramdenimes _ proeqt Sreet.Art.ge-s farglebSi axalgazrda fotografebis, ilustratorebisa da grafikosebisTvis Seiqmneba martivi sivrce, sadac xelovanebi Sinidanve SeZleben qalaqSi gamofenebis mowyobas, wardgebian sazogadoebis winaSe da proeqtis farglebSi Seqmnili art-boqsebis, vebgverdis da saxelosno-studiis meSveobiT sakuTar Semoqmedebas gaacnoben farTo sazogadoebas. saxelosno aRiWurveba Tanamedrove teqnikiT: sami printeriT, lazeriT gravirebisTvis, proeqtoriT da sxva damxmare xelsawyoebiT. damzaddeba specialuri sagamofeno gansxvavebuli zomis ori wyalgaumtari, kedelze misamagrebeli Txeli yuTi, romelSic ganTavsdeba artistebis namuSevrebi. art-boqsebi baTumis quCebSi, cxra lokaciaze dadgeba. axal veb-gverdze msurveli gamofenebis kalendars ixilavs da gaigebs Tu visi gamofena imarTeba qalaqis quCebSi da ra lokaciaze. aqve Seiqmneba namuSevrebis portfolioebi da mxatvrebs vebgverdis daxmarebiT TavianTi namuSevrebis gayidvac SeeZlebaT. garda amisa, wels pirvelad daviwyeT adgilobrivi musikaluri jgufebis xelSewyoba. proeqtis farglebSi SeirCa sami adgilobrivi bendi, Seiqmna maTi marketinguli koncefcia, damzadda videorgolebi satelevizio da internetsivrcisTvis, studiurad Caiwera TiToeuli bendis TiTo simRera, momzadda maTi fotoalbomebi da sareklamo flaerebi. yovelive es adgilobriv bendebs daexmarebaT dakveTebis miRebaSi, rogorc regionSi, aseve saqarTvelos masStabiT da sazRvargareTac. damzadebuli sareklamo/saprezentacio masala prodiuserebs gaacnobs aWaraSi moRvawe jgufebs da gaaiolebs maTi `produqciis~ gayidvasac. soflad kulturis da, masTan erTad, turizmis ganviTarebaze Tu zrunavT? rogorc aRvniSne, adgilobrivi art-bazris xelSewyoba Cveni mTavrobisTvis erT-erTi prioritetia. vfiqrobT, wlebis Semdeg, iseve rogorc mTels msoflioSi, saqarTveloSic dadgeba dro, roca kultura dotaciuri aRar iqneba, an saxelmwifosgan mxolod mcire doziT dafinansdeba. am sferoSi moRvawe adamianebi unda mivaCvioT, movamzadoT damoukideblad arsebobisTvis. amitomac SevimuSaveT programa, romlis mixedviTac xalxuri rewvis ostatebs mTeli regionis masStabiT CavutareT treningebi imisTvis, raTa maT bazris moTxovnebis Sesabamisi produqciis damzadeba SeZlon. xelnakeTi nivTebi, maTi Seqmna kulturuli memkvidreobis ganuyofeli nawilia. am xelovnebis yoveli dargi _ qsova, keramika, xeze kveTa, saiuveliro nakeTobani da sxva gansxvavebuli da mravalferovani

Through these kinds of projects, a tradition of educational programs will be established in museums which will allow the younger generation to get access to knowledge in a more entertaining way. What kind of projects do you carry out for the development of contemporary art? We put many good ideas into practice this year. The overall goal of each of them is to establish an art market and take steps towards the commercialization of art. In the context of the project Street.Art.ge, an accessible space was created for young photographers, illustrators and designers which will allow artists to arrange exhibitions in the city from home, and to present their work to the general public thanks to the “art-boxes” created in the framework of this project, its website and atelier. The atelier will have modern equipment: three printers – with lasers for engravings – a projector and other technological devices. Special thin waterproof boxes of various sizes will be prepared and hung two by two on a wall, in which the artists’ works will be exhibited. These “art boxes” will appear in nine locations in Batumi. People will be able to look at the calendar on the new website and get information about which artists are exhibited, and at which location. Portfolios of the artists’ works will also be created, allowing them to sell their creations through the website. Further, this year we started supporting local music bands for the first time. Three local bands were selected in the framework of this project, a marketing concept was created and video ads are going to be screened on TV and on the internet. One song from each band was recorded in a studio, and photo albums and flyers have been created. All this will help these local bands receive new commissions, not only in the region but also on the Georgian and international level. The advertisements and presentation material prepared in the framework of this project will get producers acquainted with the work of music bands based in Adjara, and will help increase the sales of their songs. Do you support culture and tourism in the villages? As I mentioned, the establishment of an art market is one of our

teqnikiT gamoirCeva. Tumca yvela nivTi ar aris funqciuri da mimzidveli. Cven SevecadeT maqsimalurad funqciuri da Tematuri nivTebi SeeqmnaT da gamoefinaT ostatebs, romelic daainteresebs rogorc adgilobriv, aseve Camosul mnaxvels. treningebi saqarTvelos xalxuri rewvis asociaciis daxmarebiT Catarda. agvistos bolos gamofenac movawyeT, sadac Zalian bevri nivTi gaiyida. vfiqrob, Tavad ostatebi kmayofilebi darCnen. samomavlod vgegmavT maT sasaCuqre paketebic davukveToT. TiTqmis yvela samTavrobo uwyeba da kerZo kompania saaxalwlod sasaCuqre brendirebul paketebs amzadebs. Cveni mizania ucxoeTSi damzadebis nacvlad, adgilobrivma ostatebma miiRon dakveTebi da Sesabamisad, ekonomikuri sargebelic. folklors udidesi yuradReba eqceva mTel saqarTveloSi, magram aWaraSi gansakuTrebiT bevri ansamblia, maT Soris uxucesTa ansamblebi gamoirCeva Tavisi avTenturi SesrulebiT. aWaraSi as oTxmocamde ansamblia, romelTagan mravals saxelmwifo afinansebs. realurad, turistebs swored Cveni folklori izidavs. bevr sxva zRvisa Tu mTis kurortze ukeTesi pirobebi, momsaxurebaa _ Cven amas axla vswavlobT da riT SeiZleba davainteresoT, movizidoT damsvenebeli? vfiqrob, Cveni TviTmyofadi kulturiT, xelovnebiT! yovelive amis gaTvaliswinebiT, daviwyeT e.w. „folkloris eqsporti“ sazRvargareT. aWaris turizmis departamentTan erTad turistul gamofenebze, ekonomikur forumebsa da samTavrobo delegaciebis vizitisas, vcdilobT Cveni kultura, Cveni folklori warmovaCinoT. investorebsac da turistebsac unda agrZnobino ra didi kulturis matarebeli xar, dadebiTi ganwyoba da STabeWdileba Seuqmna Sens qveyanaze, raTa

Ministry’s priorities. We think that there will be a time in which, just like in other parts of the world, culture will not only depend on subsidies, or at least, it won’t need to be financed by the State to such an extent. We need to prepare the people involved in culture to become autonomous, which is precisely the reason why we developed a program that offered trainings to traditional craft masters throughout the whole region, with the objective of allowing them to produce objects in conformity with the demand of the market. Handmade objects and the skills used to create them are an essential part of our cultural heritage. Every field of traditional crafts, including knitting, ceramics, woodcarving and jewelry, are characterized by diverse, very distinct techniques. However, some items lack a clear practical function or are not that pretty, so we tried to encourage masters to craft the most functional and thematic objects possible, so that both locals and visitors become more interested. Trainings were held with the support of the Georgian Traditional Crafts Association. We also arranged an exhibition at the end of August, during which many items were sold. I think that the masters themselves were very happy with the exhibition. In the future, we are planning to order some “gift packages” from them. Almost every governmental organization and private company prepares branded packages as New Year gifts. Our goal is to manufacture them here instead of abroad, so that local masters can receive more orders, and as a result, more economical benefits. Folklore is looked after very well all over Georgia, but there is a particularly high number of folk ensembles in Adjara, including elder ensembles, which stand out with their authentic performances. There are up to 80 folk ensembles in Adjara, many of which are financed by the State. In reality, tourists are much enchanted by our folklore. Many other sea or mountain resorts offer better conditions and/or services, and we are currently studying ways to interest and attract tourists and vacationers. I think one of our strongest points is precisely our distinct culture and art. Taking this into account, we started “exporting” folklore abroad. Together with Adjara’s

sxvisTvis gaziareba moundes da samomavlod megobrebTan Tu ojaxTan erTad dabrundes aWaris barsa da mTaSi. rogorc Cans, bevr saintereso proeqts axorcielebT, magram, albaT, arsebobs dabrkolebebic? ra Tqma unda, sakmaod rTulia kulturis menejmenti, gansakuTrebiT maSin roca sakanonmdeblo baza, SeiZleba iTqvas, absurdul SezRudvebs giwesebs. „grantebis gacemis“ Sesaxeb kanonSi arsebobs Canaweri, romlis mixedviTac saqarTvelos mTavrobas ufleba aqvs granti gasces fizikur da iuridiul pirebze, magram aWaris avtonomiuri respublikis mTavrobas es ufleba ar aqvs. es problemaa da xels gviSlis inovaciuri da saintereso proeqtebis ganxorcielebaSi, maT Soris kulturis mimarTulebiTac. rodesac gvinda SemoqmedebiTi industriebi ganvaviTaroT, gviwevs Tavisufal proeqtebze tenderis gamocxadeba _ avtorma unda mogvawodos idea, romelzec Cven tenders vacxadebT. yvela vTanxmdebiT, rom msgavsi proeqtebi ar aris saxelmwifo Sesyidvis obieqti _ ar aris arc saqoneli, arc momsaxureba da arc samSeneblo samuSao. SeuZlebelia Semoqmedeba cifrebSi asaxo da samwuxarod, dRes amas gvTxoven _ proeqtis pirdapiri Sesyidvis ufleba ar gvaqvs. Cvens mier saqarTvelos parlamentSi inicirebulia arsebul kanonSi cvlilebis Setana, magram is jer sakomiteto mosmenazec ar gasula. imedi maqvs, axali mowvevis parlamenti ufro aqtiurad imuSavebs da kanonSi am cvlilebas male SevitanT, rac saSualebas mogvcems bevri axali iniciativa davafinansoT da Semoqmedi adamianebis Sroma Sesabamisad davafasoT.

Department of Tourism, we try to promote our culture and folklore at tourism exhibitions, economic forums, and during the visits of governmental delegations. We need to get investors and tourists acquainted with the great culture we represent, and leave them with positive impressions about our country so that they share their discovery with others, and perhaps come back to Adjara’s coast or mountains with their friends or families. You are implementing many interesting projects. What challenges are you facing? Naturally, culture management is quite difficult, especially when the current legal system, one could say, is setting absurd restrictions. A law allows the Georgian government to issue grants to natural and legal persons, but the government of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara does not have the right to do so. This is of course a problem, and it hinders us from implementing innovative and interesting projects, including in the field of culture. When we want to stimulate our creative industry, we have to announce a tender open to all projects – the author has to give us his/her idea, on which we announce a tender. We all agree on the fact that such projects should not be “bought” by the State – it is not a commodity, nor a service, nor a construction work. It is impossible to reflect creation with numbers, and that’s what is asked from us today – we don’t have the right to “purchase” a project directly. We have introduced a request to change the existing law in the Parliament of Georgia, but it has yet to go through the Committee hearing. I hope that the new Parliament will work more actively and that this amendment will be adopted soon, giving us the possibility to finance many new initiatives and to value the work of creative individuals the way they should be valued.

Givi Shakhnazari

Great Epochs... foto: iuri akuliani

Zneli, Zalze Zneli yofila kulturaze saubari... gansakuTrebiT maSin, roca winasaarCevno qaosi mosvenebas gikargavs da aRar ici, saTqmels Tavi rogor unda moaba... usmen da Sehyureb mtyuan-marTalTa am daundobel brZolas, siZulvilis am eniT uTqmel nTxevas da, cxadia, ara gjera, rom samSoblos ukeTesi momavlisTvis `mebrZolebi~ ase unda irjebodnen!.. yovelive amas didi gulistkivili maTqmevinebs, Torem SesaZloa vinmem mikiJinos kidec, erT-erT pirvel saparlamento debatebSi aki Tavadac iyavi CarTulio, magram, damijereT, maSin, da Tu gnebavT merec sxvaTa qcevis avkargianobis pasuxismgebeli me ver viqnebodi, radgan _ `saca ara sjobs, gacla sjobs~ _ yovelTvis cxovrebis wesad mqonda... oRond, gTxovT, rasac axla getyviT, `gaclad~ ar CamiTvaloT. diaR, oTxmocdaaTian wlebSi CemTvis sasurvel liberal-demokratebTan erTad araerTgzis mec momiwia amomrCevlebTan Sexvedra (ZiriTadad TbilisSi). rusTavelis sazogadoebis gazeT `mamulSi~ Cemi Tavi partiuli siis meeqvse nomrad rom vixile, gameRima; aravin icoda, rom me parlamentSi Sesvlas ar vapirebdi da mxolod TanapartielTa Tanadgoma mqonda ganzraxuli... pativmoyvareobisa ra mogaxsenoT, magram adamianurad mesiamovna kidec, aseTi Sansi rom momeca. oRond, es kia, roca specialuri blanki gadmomces da parlamentSi warsadgenad monacemebis Sevseba mTxoves da Cemgan Sesvlaze uari moismines, zogierTebma eWvis TvaliTac ki Semomxedes, albaT ifiqres, am kacs gana iseTi ra vawyenineTo, magram!.. ara, batono, wyena arafer SuaSi iyo. me Cemi TanapartielebisTvis, rac SemeZlo da rogorc SemeZlo ise gavisarje da gamixardeboda Tuki Cems adgils romelime ekonomisti, iuristi an politikuri piri daikavebda.

It turns out to be very, very difficult to talk about culture... Especially when pre-electoral chaos won’t let you draw breath and you forget how to express your stance amidst the confusion... You look and listen to the ruthless confrontations, wondering who is right, who is wrong; this overflow of hate beyond description, and, naturally, you think that these ‘warriors’ for a better future for their homeland shouldn’t be quite so zealous... I am saying all this because this situation hurt me; otherwise, someone might reproach me for taking part in the first parliamentary debates myself, but believe me, at that time, and even after that, I couldn’t have been held responsible for the good or bad deeds of other people, as “When it doesn’t feel right, one should get away” has always been my rule of life... But please, don’t think this letter is a way of escaping anything. Yes, during the 1990s, I had to meet the electorate with the LiberalDemocrats, who were my party of choice, several times (mainly in Tbilisi). When I saw myself listed in Rustavelisociety’s newspaper ‘Mamuli’ as the party’s No. 6, it made me smile; nobody realized that I wasn’t planning on getting into parliament, and that I only wanted to support my fellow party members... I’m not a man who likes honors, though I was glad to have such an opportunity. But when they gave me the special registration form and asked me to fill in my data, I refused to enter parliament, and many looked at me with suspicion; they must have asked themselves – What did we do to offend him so much? But no, Sir, there was no offence taken at all. I did what I could for my fellow party members, and I would have been happy if my place could have been taken by an economist, a jurist, or a politician.

gamixardeboda, radgan, ase megona, saqveyno saqmes parlamentSi isini ukeT aubamdnen mxars... Sevcdi! mere da mere, roca TiTqmis yvelgan da yovelmxriv `monasteri airia~, roca sul axlad Sobili naninanatri damoukidebloba safrTxis winaSe daayena `fsevdoTavisuflebis~ TavaSvebulobam, roca es uJamobis qaosi adamiansa da adamianobas dasaRupad imetebda, roca mavani da mavani pirovnebis sisxlis analizs da maTi warmomavlobis am gziT dadasturebas iTxovda, ai, maSinRa vinane parlamentSi Seusvleloba, radgan amiT saqveynod gasacxadebeli saprotesto erTi xma Cem Tavs Tavadve wavarTvi... xolo roca yviTeli presis aCrdilma Cveni mwerlobis erTaderT tradiciul gazeTsac gadauara da ise moiwamla, toli aravis daudo, guli Camwyda da protestis Jini verafriT Cavicxre... iyo dro, roca arcTu iSviaTad gaigonebdi _ eTnikuri niSniT CvenTan aki arc aravin damcirebulao da warmoidgineT, aseTi Znelad warmosadgeni azric ki maSin ar gvaRizianebda, radgan im jojoxeTur sabWour yofaSic ufro `tolerantulebi~ viyaviT...

I thought that it would have been more appropriate, as they would better fulfill this public duty at parliament. I was wrong! Little by little, when almost everything collapsed in every possible way, when the long awaited and newly found independence was put under threat by dissolute “pseudo-independence”, when this chaotic epoch saw a failing to look after people and their human nature, when some people were asking for blood analyses in order to prove one’s origins, this is when I regretted not entering parliament, which is why I took the chance to raise my voice to protest... And when the shadow of yellow press attacked, the only respectable traditional newspaper we had at that time, and wrote horrible things of an unseen level, I became dispirited and couldn’t appease my wish to protest more... There was a time when you could quite often hear that no one was discriminated against in this country, and imagine that even this hard-to-believe opinion was no irritation to us at that time, because even in those hellish Soviet times, we were “tolerant”...

axla? amJamad ra xdeba?! samyaros globalizaciis damamkvidrebeli Cveni erTerTi upirvelesi `mter-moyvare elCi~ kompiuteri _ viTom ise miviReT da vimsaxureT _ rogorc es ZvelTuZvelesi, didi kulturisa da tradiciebis Cvens qveyanas Sehferoda?! iqneb mxedvelobidan gvrCeba am eniT uTqmeli, progresuli SesaZleblobebis `manqanis~ meore, saxifaTo Riaoba, nebismieri ucxo Tu Sinauri mtris saasparezod rom qceula?!. `SebrZandiT~ internetsa Tu `feisbuqSi~ da Tavzari dagecemaT... maSinac ki, roca Cvens sakuTar samSobloSi arabi, sparsi Tu osmalo didi xniT batonobda, dampyrobelTa ers augiT aravin ixseniebda, miuxedavad imisa, rom maTi uRlisagan gaTavisufleba qveynis upirvelesi sawadeli iyo yovelTvis... gaixseneT istoria, gansakuTrebuli tolerantulobiT daviTis, Tamarisa da erekles epoqebi gamoirCeodnen, bagrationTa dinastiis am didebuli sameulis epoqebi... sxvaTa Soris, ramdenime wlis winaT `wlis tolerantad~ mec viyavi dasaxelebuli. amis gaxseneba, etyoba, erTi ramis saTqmelad Tu damWirda. es iyo oTxmocdaaTiani wlebis miwuruli, roca marTalia `kompiuteruli siZulvilis Sadrevani~ sayovelTaod jer kidev ar `Cqefda~, magram gansakuTrebiT teleJurnalistika am snebisagan `Tavisufali~ ver iyo... dadiodnen da gvekiTxebodnen _ meramdene Taobis Tbiliseli brZandebiTo... TiTqos es Tbiliseloba RvTiT boZebuli sxva ram jildo yofiliyo! mere, sul raRac erTi kviris `manZilze~, roca erovnul galereaSi ukve meore Jurnalistmac analogiuri kiTxviT mommarTa, vkiTxe, am uazro statistikis `Sesadgenad~ vinme axirebulis davalebas xom ar asrulebT-meTqi. samSoblo Tavisi sasicocxlo organoebiT erTi sxeuliviTaa. dedaqalaqi gulia misi. da vinc saqarTvelos nebismieri kuTxis Svilia da misi Sviloba, misi moqalaqeoba eamayeba, yvela Tbiliselia! ise Cemi ambavic Tu gainteresebT, me SuSanikis mayrions Camovyevi TbilisSi, qorwilSi qali momewona, davrCi aq... da mas mere Cveni ori qristiani eris kulturas vemsaxurebi da dRemde arc `sxvaTa~ siyvaruli da msaxureba maklia.

And now? What’s happening right now?! Did we accept and are we using the computer, one of the first ambassadors of the establishment of globalization in this world, as a most ancient country with great culture and traditions should have?! Perhaps we have neglected another potential of this allcapable machine leading us to progress – its transformation into an arena for any foreign or local enemy. Just go on the Internet or on ‘Facebook’ and you will be terrified... Even when Arabs, Persians or Ottomans were dominating our territory, nobody referred to the occupying nations in a bad way, despite the fact that freeing ourselves from their yoke was always every Georgian’s foremost aspiration... If we look back at history, at the reigns of King David, Queen Tamara and King Erekle, we see how the three great representatives of the Bagrationi dynasty distinguished themselves with remarkable tolerance... I was almost considered “the most tolerant person of the year” a few years ago. I’m mentioning this in order to introduce the following story. It was at the end of the 90s, when, it has to be said, “computer hatred” wasn’t at its full yet, but TV journalism in particular was already doing the job... They were coming and asking us from which generation our families had been established in Tbilisi... As if being from Tbilisi was a special reward from God himself! When, after only one week, another journalist asked me the same kind of question at the National Gallery, I asked her if she was carrying out this “research” on the orders of some stubborn superior. A country is like a body, with vital organs. The capital is its heart, and whoever is the child of any region of Georgia and is proud of being its citizen can be considered as coming from Tbilisi! By the way, if you are interested in my own story, I came with the bridal suite of Shushanik (a christian martyr from the 5 th century AD), I enamored a woman at the wedding, and I stayed... And since then, I’ve been serving the cultures of our two Christian countries, and they’ve been giving it back.

daviT sarajiSvili: `yvelgan da yvelaferSi unda iyo patiosani adamiani, es ufro metia, vidre iyo milionebis patroni~.

David Sarajishvili: “One must be honest everywhere and in everything. It is much more than having millions in your possession.”

1906 wels, Tbilisis saxelmwifo universitetis (romelsac 1918 wlamde gimnazias uwodebdnen) saZirkvelSi, daviT sarajiSvilma erTi muWa oqro Cayara; niko cxvedaZes, romelic am saqmes Tavkacobda, 60 aTasi maneTi gadasca da uTxra: `aha, jer es ikmare, oRond nursad gamamJRavneb, daiwye saqme da ramdenic dagWirdeba aqa var~. iakob mansvetaSvili gadmogvcems, rom universitetis Senobis mSeneblobisTvis sarajiSvili aras zogavda, sakomisio bankebSi mis Tamasuqebs asi aTasobiT anaRdebdnen.

In 1906, David Sarajishvili threw a handful of gold coins into the foundation of Tbilisi State University (or “Gymnasium”, as it was called until 1918) and donated 60,000 rubles to Niko Tskhvedadze who was in charge of the construction of the university building. “Take this for the start but don’t disclose my name. As the work progresses let me know how much more you need. I am always at your disposal.” Iakob Mansvetashvili relates that Sarajishvili spared nothing for the University, his promissory notes were encashed in hundreds of thousands by many banks.

daviT sarajiSvili gimnaziis damTavrebis Semdeg DAVID SARAJISHVILI AFTER GRADUATION FROM THE GYMNASIUM

daviT sarajiSvili, 1848 wlis 28 oqtombers, SeZlebuli moqalaqis, sovdagrisa da memamulis zaqaria sarajiSvilis ojaxSi daibada. sarajiSvilebis winaprebs XVIII saukunis dasawyisSi vaxtang VI-sgan miuRiaT moqalaqis tituli. daviTis aRzrdaSi, didi wvlili dedas _ SesaniSnav mandilosans, zaqarias marjvena xels da ojaxis burjs _ elisabed solomonis asul savanels miuZRvis. meuRlis darad elisabedic gulmowyale, RaribTa gamkiTxavi, Zveli qarTuli sibrZne-gonierebiT aRvsili da ganaTlebuli qalbatoni yofila. pirveldawyebiTi ganaTlebis saxlSi miRebis Semdeg, daviTi jer `hakes pansionSi~ swavlobs, Semdeg ki, 1866 wels, warCinebiT amTavrebs vaJTa pirvel klasikur gimnazias. imave wels, momavali mrewveli, peterburgis universitetis sabunebismetyvelo fakultetze warmatebiT abarebs misaReb gamocdebs. erTi wlis Semdeg ki swavlas germaniaSi agrZelebs. jer miunxenSi, Semdeg ki haidelbergis universitetSi, romelsac, 1871 wels, doqtoris xarisxiT amTavrebs. amave wels icavs disertacias filosofiis doqtoris samecniero xarisxis mosapoveblad. daviTi miRweuliT ar kmayofildeba da, 1878 wlamde, agrZelebs sasoflosameurneo mecnierebis Seswavlas jer hohenhaimsa da haleSi, xolo 1878-79 wlebSi safrangeTSi, sadac safuZvlianad eufleba meRvineoba-mevenaxeobis dargebs. daviTi ise gaitaca aryis, liqioris da, gansakuTrebiT, koniakis warmoebam, rom gadawyvita mTeli codna, samSobloSi dabrunebis Semdeg, am saqmis dafuZnebaganviTarebisTvis Seelia. daviTis samSobloSi dabruneba mamis gardacvalebam daaCqara. saqarTveloSi dabrunebis Semdeg igi daqorwinda cnobili Tbiliseli moqalaqis, mdidari vaWrisa da moijaris ivane foraqiSvilis asul ekaterineze. ekaterinesac kargi ganaTleba hqonda miRebuli da

David Sarajishvili was born on the 28th of October, 1848, to a family of wealthy merchant and landowner Zakaria Sarajishvili. At the beginning of the 18th century, the Sarajishvilis were granted the title of Tbilisi Citizens by King Vakhtang VI. David’s mother Elisabed Savaneli, Zakharia’s right hand and the pillar of the family, played a prominent part in David’s upbringing. Like her husband, she daviT sarajiSvili, studentobis periodi DAVID SARAJISHVILI AS A STUDENT was a generous, welleducated woman and a benefactor for the poor and needy. Having received his primary education at home, David continued his studies first at the Hake Boarding School and later at the Boys’ First Classical Gymnasium, from which he graduated with honors in 1866. The same year, the future entrepreneur enrolled in the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the St. Petersburg University. The following year, he continued his studies in Germany, first in Munich and then at Heidelberg University. In 1871, he graduated from the latter with a doctor’s degree in chemistry. The same year, he defended a dissertation and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. David, however, was not satisfied with what he had already achieved and until 1878, he continued studying agricultural science, first at Hopenheim and Halle and later in France (1878-79) where he specialized in viticulture and wine-making. David daviT sarajiSvili debTan - ekaterine da mariamTan erTad was so fascinated DAVID SARAJISHVILI WITH HIS SISTERS EKATERINE AND MARIAM

daviT sarajiSvilis saxli / DAVID SARAJISHVILI’S HOUSE

garda qarTulisa, mSvenivrad flobda rusul, inglisur, frangul da germanul enebs. zaqarias mier vaJisTvis naanderZev 700 aTas maneTs, uSvilod gardacvlili biZis solomon daviTis Ze sarajiSvilis qonebac daemata. damwyebma mrewvelma es memkvidreoba azrianad da saqmianad moixmara da, Zalze mokle droSi, erTi-meores miyolebiT, spirtiani sasmelebis qarxnebi SeiZina, aaSena da ganaaxla. sarajiSvilis firmis saqmianoba XIX saukunis dasasrulsa da XX saukunis dasawyisSi metad mravalmxrivi iyo da did warmatebas miaRwia. igi moicavda alkoholiani sasmelebis TiTqmis yvela saxis warmoebas _ xdida arays, asufTavebda spirts, amagrebda Rvinos, axdenda spirtis denaturacias, amzadebda sxvadasxva saxis liqiors, nayens, roms, xdida sakoniake spirts da amzadebda koniaks. sarajiSvilamde ruseTis imperiis masStabiT aravis ucdia sakoniake spirtis Rvinomasalebis aqtiuri balansis dadgena, sakoniake spirtis franguli teqnologiiT gamoxda da muxis kasrebSi daZveleba. miuxedavad imisa, rom sarajiSvilma SesaniSnavad icoda koniakis warmoebis rogorc Teoria ise praqtika, mainc

with the production of vodka, liqueurs and, especially, cognac that after returning to Georgia he decided to use all his knowledge and experience for developing and promoting this business in his country. His father’s death in 1880 precipitated David’s return to Georgia. After returning home, David married Ekaterine Porakishvili, the daughter of a well-known merchant and entrepreneur in Tbilisi, Ivane Porakishvili. Like David, Ekaterine had been well-educated and besides Georgian, was fluent in Russian, English, French and German. The property of David’s uncle Solomon Sarajishvili, who died childless, added to 700 thousand rubles inherited by David from his father. The young entrepreneur used his inheritance in a prudent and practical manner, buying, upgrading and building new wineries one after the other. Already by the turn of the century, he had a thriving business, producing almost every kind of alcohol, including distillation of vodka, purification and denaturalization of spirit, making various types of liqueurs and rum, distilling spirit for cognac and making cognac. Prior to Sarajishvili, no one in the entire Russian Empire had tried to determine an active balance of wine materials for cognac spirit, distilment of cognac spirit using French technology and aging it in oak barrels. Even though Sarajishvili himself knew the theory

safrangeTidan gamoiwera liqiorisa da koniakis warmoebis specialistebi. male misma nawarmma Rirseuli konkurencia gauwia evropidan Semotanil sasmelebs. XX saukunis dasawyisisaTvis ruseTis imperiis bazris or mesamedze meti sarajiSvilis produqciam daikava. saerTo aRiarebiT aramarto saqarTveloSi da kavkasiaSi, aramed ruseTis imperiaSic, daviT sarajiSvili koniakis warmoebis pioneri da fuZemdebeli iyo. misi produqciiT momxmarebelma sufTa Rvinis spirtisgan damzadebuli, yovelgvari minarevebisgan Tavisufali maRali xarisxis koniaki miiRo. 1899 _ 1913 wlebSi sarajiSvilis produqcia 14 medliT dajildovda, romelTa Soris 8 oqrosi iyo. niko nikolaZis qaliSvili, qalbatoni rusudani ixsenebs: `erTxel CvenTan binaze yofnisas akakim ixumra: ra meSveleba, Cemo niko, daviT sarajiSvili rom ar myavdeso. _ araferia, Cemo akaki, Sen gauZleb siRaribes, magram ra eSveleba qarTul Teatrs, wera-kiTxvis gamavrcelebel sazogadoebas da Rarib msaxiobebsa da moswavleebs udaviTod?~ daviT sarajiSvili mdidari, warmatebuli mewarme iyo, magram, sxva SeZlebuli adamianebisgan gansxvavebiT, misTvis fuli TviTmizani ki ara, saSualeba iyo qvelmoqmedebisTvis. aleqsandre xaxanaSvili

ekaterine foraqiSvili-sarajiSvili / EKATERINE PORAKISHVILI-SARAJISHVILI

daviT sarajiSvili meuRlesTan erTad / DAVID SARAJISHVILI WITH HIS WIFE

and practice of cognac production perfectly, he invited liqueur and cognac specialists from France. Soon his products successfully competed with imports from Europe. In the early 20th century, Sarajishvili’s brand held more than two thirds of the market of the Russian Empire. It is generally recognized that David Sarajishvili was a pioneer and a founder of cognac production not only in Georgia and the Caucasus but also in the Russian Empire. Thanks to his product, the consumer obtained a high quality cognac made of pure wine spirit without any additives. In 1899-1913, various Sarajishvili products were awarded 14 medals including eight gold medals. Niko Nikoladze’s daughter Rusudan recalls: “Once Akaki (Akaki Tsereteli), who was visiting us, joked: “What would I do, dear Niko, without David Sarajishvili?” “You would be able to withstand poverty Akaki, but what would happen to the Georgian theater, to the Society for the Promotion of Literacy and the poor actors and students without David’s help?” David Sarajishvili was a rich and successful entrepreneur, but unlike many other wealthy people, he did not consider money as an end in itself, but as a means for doing charity. In his obituary for Sarajishvili, Alexandre Khakhanashvili wrote: “There has not been any significant

daviT sarajiSvilisa da ekaterine foraqiSvilis `vercxlis qorwili~, 1905 weli / DAVID SARAJISHVILI AND EKATERINE PORAKISHVILI’S SILVER WEDDING ANNIVERSARY, 1905

sarajiSvilisadmi miZRvnil nekrologSi werda: `arc erTi saqveyno saqme ar dawyebula am 30 wlis ganmavlobaSi, rom daviT zaqarias-Zes Tavisi wvlili ar Seetanos, materialuri daxmareba ar gaewios. gazeT-Jurnalis, wignis gamocema, scenis moyvareTa, momReralTa, memusikeTa da mecnierTa gamozrda, eklesiis da skolis gamSveneba, Rarib-uZlurTa gakiTxva, ucxoel da Sinaur moRvaweTa gamaspinZleba da maTi erTmaneTTan daaxloeba _ yvela es Seadgenda sazrunav sagans gardacvalebuli daviTisaTvis~. sarajiSvilebis orive saxli, sergievis N13-Si (dRevandeli maCablis N13) da sasaxlis quCaze, stumarTmoyvareobiT iyo cnobili. daviTis saxlSi, sasaxlis quCaze, kviraSi erTxel Tavs iyridnen cnobili mwerlebi da sazogado moRvaweebi. kiTxulobdnen ama Tu im mwerlis nawarmoebebs, imarTeboda azrTa gacvla-gamocvla, romelic mTavrdeboda vaxSmiT, qeifiT. iakob mansvetaSvili igonebs: `mosvenebas ar vaZlevdiT ilias, gvindoda, rom `iveriisTvis~ raime axali moTxroba moeca. vicodiT, rom Canasaxad ukve aqvs dawyebuli moTxroba, romlisTvisac wina ganzraxva hqonia,

undertaking initiated in the course of the past 30 years which David Sarajishvili had not contributed to or supported materially. Publication of newspapers, magazines and books, supporting artists, singers, musicians and scientists, rehabilitating schools and churches, helping the sick and the poor, hosting foreign and local public figures and artists and bringing them closer to one another – all this will be David’s enduring legacy.” Sarajishvili’s two houses, one at 13 Machabeli Street (formerly Sergiev Street) and the other on Sasakhle Street, were famous for their hospitality. Once a week, famous writers and public figures would get together at David’s house on Sasakhle Street. The latest works of different writers were first read here, usually followed by discussions and an exchange of ideas, ending with excellent food and drinks. Iakob Mansvetashvili recalls: “We never left Ilia in peace. We wanted him to write a new story for the Iveria newspaper. We knew that he had already begun writing something, realizing one of his earlier intentions. First he called the story “Giorgi” and then changed the title to “The Otaraant Widow”... The newly born story had to be baptized. David Sarajishvili was the irreplaceable and inseparable godparent

mgoni `giorgi~ ewodebina saxelad, mere ki `oTaraanT qvrivi~ daarqva... axlad Sobils monaTvla undoda. ganuyreli, ucvleli naTlia ilias nawarmoebebisa daviT sarajiSvili iyo: imdenad guluxvi, pativcemuli naTlia, rom naTlobasac TviTonve ixdida Tavis stumarTmoyvare saxlSi. ase iyo monaTluli `gandegili~ da am wesrigs arc axla gadaudga sarajiSvili. saRamos rva saaTi iqneboda, sarajiSvilis farTo, mdidrulad mowyobil saxlSi, sololakSi, didZal qarTvelobas moeyara Tavi... iliam waikiTxa Tavisi moTxroba. amasobaSi karga xanma gaiara. SuaRame gadasuli iyo, puradma maspinZelma, daviT sarajiSvilma, yvelani vaxSmad migviwvia. SevediT did sasadilo oTaxSi, sadac didebuli sufra iyo gaSlili. vaxSamma mxiarulad Caiara. metadre lazaTi dasdo sufras Tamadam, moxucma rafiel erisTavma~. sasaxlis quCaze mdebare saxlSi iyo moTavsebuli erT dros wera-kiTxvis gamavrcelebeli sazogadoeba. 1887 wels, aq ramdenime Tve icxovra akaki wereTelma, cota xans cxovrobdnen ivane maCabeli da artur laisti. 900-iani wlebis dasawyisSi, daviTma, sololakSi, dRevandeli maCablis quCaze, mama-papeuli saxli daangria da, arqiteqturis ukanasknel miRwevaTa gaTvaliswinebiT, axali aago. am saxlSi, sadac mosiyvarule meuRleebma, 1905 wlis seqtemberSi, `vercxlis qorwili~ aRniSnes, dRes saqarTvelos `mweralTa saxlia~. `ras miqvian uSviloba! gana yvela bavSvi, momavlis imedad aRsazrdeli, qveynis sakeTilod gansawvrTneli

daviT da aleqsandre sarajiSvilebi / DAVID & ALEKSANDRE SARAJISHVILI

qaSveTis wm. giorgis ganaxlebuli taZari RECONSTRUCTED KASHVETI CHURCH OF ST. GEORGE. 1910

of Ilia’s works. In fact, he was such a generous and loving godfather that he always held the baptizing ceremonies at his own house. This is how “Hermit” was baptized and this time, too, Sarajishvili was not going to break the established tradition. It was around eight o’clock in the evening when a large number of distinguished guests began to gather in Sarajishvili’s vast and beautiful house in Sololaki... Ilia read his story. It was a long story so it was after midnight when the generous host invited all of us to supper. We went into a wide dining room with a magnificent table laid in the center. Supper proceeded very gaily, and was conducted masterfully by the toastmaster of the evening – elder Rapiel Eristavi.” At one time, the Society for the Promotion of Literacy was located in the house in Sasakhle Street. In 1887, Akaki Tsereteli lived there for several months and Ivane Machabeli and Arthur Laist also stayed there for some time. In the early 1900s, David had his ancestor’s house on Sergiev Street in Sololaki demolished, and built a new modern house there. Today this very building, where the loving couple celebrated their silver wedding in September 1905, houses the Writers Union of Georgia. “How could you call me childless? Aren’t all the children who are the hope and future of this country and who need to be raised and

educated for the benefit of Georgia all mine?” In 1888, Sarajishvili, the author of these words, founded a special committee chaired by Niko Tskhvedadze to identify gifted young Georgians and provide them with the necessary support to allow them to continue their studies in Russia and abroad. David Sarajishvili allocated 30,000 rubles yearly for grants, and simultaneously provided pecuniary help to individual students. David’s scholarship holders were composers Dimitri Arakishvili, Meliton Balanchivadze, Ia Kargareteli, Kote Potskhverashvili; painters Mose Toidze, Gigo Gabashvili, Grigol Meskhi, Shalva Kikodze; sculptor Iakob Nikoladze; opera singers Vano Sarajishvili, Valerian Kashakashvili; professors Solomon Cholokashvili, Mikheil Shalamberidze, Sargis Kakabadze, Philipe Gogichaishvili, Ilia Kipshidze, Mose Janashvili; the future Kathalikos-Patriarch of Georgia Kalistrate (Tsintsadze), Archil Kartvelishvili and many others. He provided financial support to Akaki Shanidze, to David Kasradze and Kondrate Tatarashvili when they studied in Paris, and Tedo Sakhokia and Geronti Kikodze in Brussels. In his farewell speech at Sarajishvili’s funeral, Giorgi, the Bishop of Imereti said: “Had David not spent hundreds of thousands every year on benevolent causes, he would have left behind a property of twenty or forty million, like other millionaires. He has deposited his wealth in a much better bank, investing it in his native people whom

daviT sarajiSvili / DAVID SARAJISHVILI

da gansaswavli Cemi Svilebi ar arian?!~ _ am sityvebis avtorma, 1888 wels, Tbilisis mTavar kantorasTan, niko cxvedaZis TavmjdomareobiT, specialuri komiteti daaarsa, romelsac niWieri qarTveli axalgazrdobis gamovlena da ruseTsa da sazRvargareT swavlis gagrZelebaSi yovelmxrivi xelSewyoba evaleboda. qvelmoqmeds, marto stipendiebisTvis, yovelwliurad 30 aTasi maneTi hqonda gamoyofili da amave dros studentebs erTdroul daxmarebasac uwevda. daviTis stipendiantebi iyvnen: kompozitorebi _ dimitri arayiSvili, meliton balanCivaZe, ia kargareTeli, kote focxveraSvili; mxatvrebi _ mose ToiZe, gigo gabaSvili, grigol mesxi, Salva qiqoZe, moqandake iakob nikolaZe; momRerlebi _ vano sarajiSvili, valerian qaSakaSvili; profesorebi _ solomon ColoyaSvili, mixeil SalamberiZe, sargis kakabaZe, filipe gogiCaiSvili, ilia yifSiZe, mose janaSvili, SemdgomSi saqarTvelos kaTalikos-patriarqi kalistrate (cincaZe), arCil qarTveliSvili. fulad daxmarebas uwevda akaki SaniZes,

daviT sarajiSvili koniakis qarxnis mosamsaxureebTan erTad / DAVID SARAJISHVILI WITH THE EMPLOYEES OF HIS BRANDY FACTORY

parizSi saswavleblad myof daviT kasraZesa da kondrate TaTaraSvils (uiaraRos), briuselSi Tedo saxokiasa da geronti qiqoZes. sarajiSvilisadmi gamosaTxovar sityvaSi imereTis episkoposi giorgi brZanebs: `daviTs rom yovelwlobiT Tavisi gonivruli da windaxeduli moRvaweobiT moxveWili simdidridan asi da orasi aTasobiT keTil saqmeebze ar exarjna, sxva milionerebiviT oc da ormoc milionis qonebas dastovebda, magram man ufro ukeTes bankSi dastova Tavisi simdidre, es banki aris misi mSobeli xalxi, romelic mas Tavdaviwyebamdin uyvarda. qoneba mis xelSi iyo saSualeba samSoblos aRdgenisa da Zveleburad ayvavebisa, mxolod, ra Tqma unda, axal istoriul pirobebSi~. rom ara daviT sarajiSvilis guluxvi materialuri daxmareba XIX saukunis 90-ian wlebSi daarsebuli

he loved whole-heartedly. For him wealth was a means for reviving his homeland to its previous grandeur, but under the new historic conditions.” Without David Sarajishvili’s generous material assistance to the Mtskheta Svetitskhoveli Restoration Committee established in the 1890s which was responsible for the protection and restoration of the Didube, Mtatsminda, Blue Monastery, Kashveti and other historic sites, it would have been impossible to preserve many of the monuments existing in Georgia today. When the decision was made to replace the old fractured building of the Kashveti Church with a new one, the commission (composed of Kalistrate Tsintsadze, Niko Tskhvedadze and Ekvtime Takaishvili) followed David’s advice and decided to build an exact copy of the Samtavisi Church (1030) instead. This construction was also financed by Sarajishvili. In 1901, after Ilia’s death, Alexandre Sarajishvili took charge of the Iveria newspaper, which was then experiencing serious financial

mcxeTis sveticxovlis sarestavracio komitetisTvis, romelic didubis, mTawmindis, lurji monastris, qaSveTisa da sxva istoriuli Zeglebis dacvisa da aRdgenisTvisac zrunavda, dRes Cven bevri istoriuli Zegli aRar gveqneboda. roca gadawyda qaSveTis eklesiis Zveli, dabzaruli Senoba axliT SeecvalaT, daviTis rCeviT komisiam (kalistrate cincaZe, niko cxvedaZe, eqvTime TayaiSvili) axali proeqtis Sedgenaze uari Tqva da samTavisis eklesiis (1030 weli) aslis ageba gadawyvita. es mSeneblobac sarajiSvilma daafinansa. 1901 wels, ilias Semdeg `iverias~ aleqsandre sarajiSvili Caudga saTaveSi. gazeTs gauWirda da SeiZleba daxuruliyo kidec. Tav. konstantine muxranskis da daviT sarajiSvilis nivTierma daxmarebam gazeTi gadaarCina. mecenati daxmarebas uwevda TbilisSi saxalxo Teatris mSeneblobas. soliduri fuladi saxsrebi gaiRo avlabris saxalxo Teatris

problems. It was thanks to the contributions made by Prince Konstantine Mukhranski and David Sarajishvili that the newspaper was saved from closing down. David Sarajishvili gave financial assistance to the construction of the Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Theater in Tbilisi. He contributed large sums of money to the construction of

asagebad. mis saxels ukavSirdeba qarTvelTa Soris wera kiTxvis gamavrcelebeli sazogadoebis warmatebuli saqmianoba, `qarTveli glexebis aRmdgeneli komitetis~, lado aRniaSvilisa da ioseb ratilis gundebis, saistorio-saeTnografio da sxva sazogadoebebis Seqmna. rodesac daviTma 1907 wlis zafxulSi Seityo eqvTime TayaiSvilis ganzraxva axalcixe-axalqalaqartaanis mazrebSi arqeologiuri eqspediciebis mowyobis Sesaxeb, maSinve daibara da Tavisi xazinidan garkveuli Tanxa misca. filipe gogiCaiSvili ixsenebs: `gacemas yovelTvis iseT xasiaTs aZlevda, TiTqos

the Avlabari People’s Theater. The successful activities of the Society for the Promotion of Literacy are also associated with David Sarajishvili’s name and so is the work of the Georgian Peasantry Revival Committee, the choirs of Lado Aghniashvili and Ioseb Ratili, as well as the establishment of the Historical and Ethnographic Society and a number of other societies and associations. When in the summer of 1907 David learned of Ekvtime Takaishvili’s intention to carry out an archaeological expedition in the Akhaltsikhe, Akhalkalaki and Artana districts, he immediately called Ekvtime and gave him money for the expedition.

igi TavisTavad mimRebs ekuTvnoda da mis pirovnebasTan araviTari kavSiri ar hqonda. Tavmdabloba, gulkeTiloba da gulwrfeloba gamosWvioda yovels mis moqmedebaSi da yvela es Cven gvxiblavda da mis Tavs gvayvarebda...~ quTaisSi sarajiSvils axalgazrda kaci warudgines da gaasinjes mis mier warmoebuli limonaTi. cnobil mrewvels moswonebia sasmeli da ukiTxavs, ratom ar gaafarToeb warmoebaso,

Philipe Gogichaishvili recollects: “He donated money in such a way as if it belonged to the beneficiaries themselves and had nothing to do with his personality. Modesty, kindness and sincerity characterized his every action. All of us admired and 1910 wels daviTs ukurnebeli seni Seeyara. mas ver uSveloved him for this...” In Kutaisi a young man was introduced to la berlinSi gakeTebulma operaciam da 1911 wlis Sarajishvili. David was offered to taste the lemonade he was 20 ivniss didebuli qarTveli saSineli tanjviT garaproducing. He liked the drink very much and asked the young daicvala. gardacvalebamde erTi TviT adre daviTs man why he was not expanding the enterprise. The young man germaniaSi dauexplained that he was Civlia: `vkvdebi, unable to do so due to ra damSvidebiT lack of money and asked movkvdebodi, rom for Sarajishvili’s help. samSoblos imedi David agreed without mimyvebodes~. im hesitation. The man was dReebSi `saxalxo Mitrophane Laghidze. gazeTi~ werda: `amIn 1910, David boben, avadmyofi, became ill with an mZime seniT Sepyincurable disease. He robili, momakvdaunderwent surgery in vi adamiani didi Berlin but the operation egoisti xdebao. did not relieve his Tvali gadaavleT condition and on June daviTis ukanasknel 20, 1911, the great sityvebs _ imis Georgian passed away. anderZs da darwIn Germany, a month mundebiT, rom am before his death, David mxrivac es Sesanicomplained: “I am dying. Snavi adamiani ganHow peacefully I would irCeoda sxvaTagan, die if I had a hope for Rirseulis andermy country’s better ZiT daagvirgvina future.” The Sakhalkho man Tavisi keTili Gazeti newspaper da nayofieri siwrote: “It is believed cocxle da kubos that a sick man, dying karebis winaSec from an incurable misi ukanaskneli disease, becomes survili saero, selfish. Think of David’s saqveyno Wiris gazlast words, or his iareba iyo. WeSmartestament, and you will itad imazed aris immediately understand gamoWrili gurathat in this respect too, daviT da ekaterine sarajiSvilebi, niko cxvedaZe / DAVID AND EKATERINE SARAJISHVILI, NIKO TSKHVEDADZE miSvilis sityvebi: this extraordinary man `mokvda da Tvisis was different from others. anderZiT, aw isev saqmobs mkvdario~!.. He crowned his outstanding life and deeds with a worthy will. anderZma ki, romelic meuRlisagan farulad, 1910 wels, His last wish was to share the common hardships and the berlinisken mimavalma, rostovSi gaaforma, sazogadoeba sufferings of his homeland. David Guramishvili’s words “He died, gaaogna: piradi qonebis udidesi nawili, uZravi da moZravi but by his will he still continues to accomplish good deeds!” are qoneba saqarTvelos dautova! truly about him.” iakob gogebaSvili daviTis gardacvalebis Semdeg The Will, which he wrote in 1910 in Rostov on his way to Berlin, left werda: `me amJamad ar ZalmiZs aRvnusxo arc didi amagi everyone overwhelmed: he left the lion’s share of his fortune and gansvenebulisa da arc misi umagaliTo qvelmoqmedeba. properties to Georgia! razec axalgazrdam upasuxa _ usaxsroba miSlis xels da Tu damexmarebiT, kargi iqnebao. daviTi uyoymanod daexmara. es kaci mitrofane laRiZe iyo.

aRvniSnav mxolod, rom gansvenebuls mamisgan darCa mciredi Tanxa, da man es Tanxa Tavisi codniT da mxneobiT milionebad gadaaqcia... da bolos, mTeli Tavisi didi qoneba, SeZenili patiosani gziT da umwikvlo moqmedebiT, man dautova qveyanasa~. 1916 wlis agvistoSi, meuRlis gardacvalebis Semdeg, axalgazrda, magram janmrTeloba Seryeuli ekaterine foraqiSvilisarajiSvilisa gardaicvala. `nu damkrZalavT didebulad, ar vsaWiroeb arc gvirgvinT, arc did Zegls, bevri ar damaxarjoT da qoneba Cemsa ersa gauboZeT~. igi Tanamecxedres gverdiT, didubis panTeonSi dakrZales. P. S. 1939 wels, saqarTvelos ssr-s xelmZRvanelobis miTiTebiT, qalaqis sabWos mier gacemul dokumentSi, romlis adresatebi daviTisa da ekaterines naTesavebi iyvnen, ewera: `panTeonisaTvis gamoyofil nakveTze unda dakrZaluli iqnan is pirni, romelTa moRvaweobac literaturis, mecnierebis da xelovnebis dargSia cnobili. d. sarajiSvili daviT sarajiSvili / DAVID SARAJISHVILI da misi meuRle ki, radganac ar ekuTvnian aRniSnul kategorias, panTeonis nakveTze datovebulTa siaSi ar arian. amitom, gevalebaT d. sarajiSvilisa da misi meuRlis neSti gadaitanoT sxva sasaflaoze 10 dRis vadaSi. panTeonis direqtori v. enikolofaSvili~. 1939 wlis 1 dekembers daviT da ekaterine sarajiSvilebis neStebi vakis sasaflaoze gadaasvenes. 1995 wlis 24 ivniss sarajiSvilis mowafeebisa da misi Rvawlis TayvanismcemelTa mcdelobiT daviT da ekaterine sarajiSvilebis neStebi vakis sasaflaodan gadmoasvenes da qaSveTis taZris ezoSi dakrZales.

After David’s death, Iakob Gogebashvili wrote: “I cannot relate fully his immense contributions or unmatched charity. I shall only note that he inherited a modest sum from his father, which he turned into millions through his knowledge and skill... And finally, he left all his fortune gained through honest enterprise and irreproachable actions to his country.” In August 1916, still young but with her health shaken after her husband’s death, Ekaterine PorakishviliSarajishvili also passed away. “I don’t want to be buried in pomp. I need neither a crown nor a monument. Don’t spend money on me and give all my property to my nation,” she said. She was buried in the Didube Pantheon next to her husband. P. S. In 1939, on instructions from the authorities of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, the city council issued a document addressed to David and Ekaterine’s relatives which said: “Only persons who have worked in the sphere of literature, science and art may be buried in the Pantheon. Since D. Sarajishvili and his spouse do not belong to the indicated category, they have not been included in the list of persons to be buried here. Therefore, you are required to transfer the remains of D. Sarajishvili and his spouse to another cemetery within a period of 10 days. V. Enikolopashvili, Director of the Pantheon.” On the 1st of December 1939, the remains of David and Ekaterine Sarajishvili were transferred to the Vake cemetery. On the 24th of June 1995, thanks to the efforts of Sarajishvili’s pupils and his grateful countrymen, the remains of David and Ekaterine Sarajishvili were reinterred in the graveyard of the Kashveti Church.

miuwvdomeli baRebi... Inaccessible Gardens... merab abramiSvilis samyaro baRia, ufro zustad, baRis arqetipuli modeli _ „samoTxis baRi~. misi Semoqmedeba mTlianad samoTxis toposs, baRSi `yofnis~ siamovnebas da mis gareT arsebobis saxifaTo Tavgadasavals ukavSirdeba; mxatvrobis ZiriTadi Tema `samoTxebaRis~ dakargvis, gandevnisa da ukan dabrunebis istoriazea dafuZnebuli... mxatvris mier Seqmnili samyaros struqtura, wesebi samoTxiseuli baRis `kanonmdeblobiTaa~ gansazRvruli, ufro zustad bibliuri edemis konteqstiT _ rogorc adamianis samaradiso samyofeli, idealuri samyaros mikrokosmosi, sicocxlis aRmocenebisa da droiT-sivrcobrivi aTvlis wertili. mxatvari Sua saukuneebrivi mwerlis msgavsad moqmedebs, romlic xSirad `mebaRed~ ixsenieba, xolo wignebi _ `baRebad~... roca biblia samyaros modelia da samyaro _ baRis

`mTavarangelozi~ firficari, tempera, 38X19 sm. 1999 w. “ARCHANGEL” TEMPERA ON PLYWOOD, 38X19 CM. 1999

Merab Abramishvili’s desirable world is a garden, or rather its archetype – The Garden of Eden. All his works echo the topos of Paradise and convey the pleasure of being in the Garden, as well as the hazards of being outside of it. The main theme of his art is based on the story of losing the “Paradise Garden,” the expulsion from it and the return to it... The structure and the rules of the world created by Abramishvili are determined by the “laws” of the Garden of Eden. The artist conceptualizes his world in the context of the Biblical Eden, as an eternal dwelling for a human being, a micro scheme of the universe, a model of the ideal world, a cradle of life, and the spatial and temporal axis. The artist acts like a medieval writer, often referred to as a “Gardener”, and his books as “Gardens” ... the Bible is the model of the universe and the universe is an ideogram of the Garden. Abramishvili started the process of “building a garden” in the 1980s, when the world outside the Garden in Georgia was turning into a dangerous place, becoming a scene of war and misfortune. The wave of

`geTsimaniis baRi~ firficari, tempera, 15X68 sm. 1995 w. / “GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE” TEMPERA ON PLYWOOD, 15X68 CM. 1995

ideograma; process _ `baRis Senebas~, omis da ubedurebis dros, gasuli saukunis 80-90-iani wlebidan iwyebs. 1991 wels, TbilisSi mimdinare samoqalaqo omis wina periodSi, `mxatvris saxlSi~ daiwva misi saxelosno da ganadgurda 16 namuSevari. amdenad, baRsgareT arseboba mxatvrisTvis yovelTvis garkveul safrTxesTan, safrTxe msxverplTan, msxverpli sikvdilTan, sikvdili ki isev baRSi dabrunebasTanaa dakavSirebuli... 2004 wels, gardacvalebamde ori wliT adre Sesrulebul namuSevarSi `qveskneli~, sakuTari sikvdilis prezentaciac ki SemogvTavaza, kompoziciis centrSi micvalebulis gamosaxulebaa kuboze warweriT _ merab abramiSvili. masTan sikvdil-sicocxlis Tu yofna-aryofnis dilema religiuri konteqstiTaa gaazrebuli. mxatvris mexsiereba miTologiur-religiuri arqetipuli modelebiT imarTeba da `kulturis mematianis~ impulsebiT sazrdoobs. Tumca es ar aris arqetipebis codnismieri an imitaciuri modifikacia, es ufro samyaros Tvaluwvdenel da farul SreebSi intuiciuri wvdomaa. amdenad, mis SemoqmedebaSi nebismieri gamosaxuleba simbolos mniSvnelobas iRebs _ `oboli bavSvebis simRera~ tilo, zeTi, 150X100 sm. 1987 w. “ORPHANS’ SONG” OIL ON CANVAS, 150X100 CM. 1987

`melakuda~ firficari, tempera, 34,5X130 sm. 1998 w. / “FOX” TEMPERA ON PLYWOOD, 34,5X130 CM. 1998

“samasi aragveli” firficari, tempera, 150X150 sm. 1987 w. / “300 ARAGVIAN WARRIORS” TEMPERA ON PLYWOOD, 150X150 CM. 1987

cxovelebi pirvelyofili gamoqvabulebis moxatulobebs, babilonis iSTaris karibWis da persepolisis reliefebs, firosmanis cxovelebis kompoziciebs mogvagonebs; mcenareebs `kosmiuri xis~ semantikiT xatavs, rogorc samyaros struqturis kosmogoniur simbolos _ xe vertikalia, romelic erTdroulad acalkevebs da aerTebs

destruction reached Merab Abramishvili as well. In 1991, during the civil war in Tbilisi, the artist’s house burnt down together with his workshop, and sixteen of his works were destroyed. Hence, the artist associates the existence outside of the Garden with a certain threat, which in turn suggests a victim, the latter being linked to death and death implying the return to the Garden.

zeciur da miwier sivrces, miwisa da cis sakraluri qorwinebis mniSvnelobiT. roca erT calkeul mcenares xatavs, mas fesvebian-totebianad gamosaxavs. amitom mis SemoqmedebaSi baRi arasdrosaa `landSafturi~ da peizaJis nawili, xolo mcenareebis gamosaxulebebi mxolod naturmortis farglebSi ar Tavsdeba. es yovelive xatsimbolos mniSvnelobas iZens. es vizualuri simboloebi uxilavi da paradoqsuli kavSiriT erwymian erTurTs, xolo sabolood, maT mxatvris Semoqmedebis mTavar TemasTan _ baRSi dabrunebasTan mivyavarT. am mxriv mxatvarTan sainteresoa avazas gamosaxulebis mravalricxovani versiebi. antikur samyaroSi es cxoveli gamorCeuli surneliTaa cnobili, romelic sxva cxovelTaTvis sasikvdilo xafangia; is am `surneliT~ ityuebs maT da misi mZleveli mxolod adamiania. berZnebTan avaza heteras momajadoebel cdunebas utoldeba da lamaz kurtizanTa simbolocaa. es ucnauri paraleli paradoqsul kavSirs qmnis mxatvris personaJebs `avazasa~ da `prastitutkas~ Soris, romelTa stilistikac _ naxatis plastikiT srulyofilebamde miiyvanos gamosaxuleba _ Zalze msgavsia.

`Sah-abasi” firficari, tempera, 60X48sm. 2001 w. “SHAH ABBAS” TEMPERA ON PLYWOOD, 60X48 CM. 2001

`mocekvave~ firficari, tempera, 55,5X40 sm. 2001 “DANCER” TEMPERA ON PLYWOOD, 55,5X40 CM. 2001

In his painting ‘Hell’, which he created in 2004, two years before his death, he even presents us his own death: in the center of the picture, a dead person is lying in a coffin bearing the inscription ‘Merab Abramishvili’. The dilemma of life and death, or existence and non-existence, is presented in a religious context. In general, his artistic memory is guided by mythological and religious archetypes and fed by impulses of a cultural chronicler. However, this is not a knowledgebased or imitative modification of archetypes but rather an intuitive penetration into the vast and hidden layers of the universe. Hence, any image in his works acquires the value of a symbol, which is why animal images resemble prehistoric cave paintings, the Ishtar Gate in Babylon, the reliefs from Persepolis and Pirosmani’s animals. The plants painted by the artist have the semantics of the “Cosmic Tree” and function as cosmogonic symbols. The tree is a vertical line simultaneously dividing and unifying Heaven and the earth, and symbolizing their sacral marriage. When he paints a plant, he represents it in its entirety, from the base of the roots to the top. Therefore, in his works, a garden never appears as a mere landscape, or plants as a still life. Everything has the significance of an iconic symbol, and these visual symbols are interconnected with invisible and paradoxical links, ultimately leading to the main topic of his works, the return to the Garden. In this regard, his numerous versions of a panther attract particular interest. In the ancient world, the panther was well-known for its seductive scent alluring other animals into a lethal trap. Only men can

`sodomi da gomori” firficari, tempera, 76X152 sm. 1997 w. / “SODOM AND GOMORRAH” TEMPERA ON PLYWOOD, 76X152 CM. 1997

es uxilavi, faruli kavSiri mxatvris sxvadasxva personaJebs, obieqtebsa da motivebs Soris kidev erTxel mowmobs, rom isini iseve warmoadgenen misi Semoqmedebis mTavari Temis konteqstur versiebs, rogorc asoebi kraven sityvebs, xolo sityvebi teqstis Semadgenel nawilebs. amgvarad, mxatvris mTavari `teqsti~ is nakadia, romelSic rogorc wylis zedapirze varskvlavebi, ise

hunt the panther, as its sweet smell turns all animals into victims. For ancient Greeks, the panther was the symbol of beautiful temptresses and its smell was equaled to Hetaerae’s seductiveness. This strange comparison establishes paradoxical links between the artist’s two characters: the panther and the prostitute. The stylistic features of both characters – the artist’s intent to bring them to perfection through elaboration of plasticity – is very similar.

`ierusalimSi Sesvla~ firficari, tempera, 68X151,5 sm. 2002 w. / “ENTERING JERUSALEM” TEMPERA ON PLYWOOD, 68X151,5 CM. 2002

`iudas ambori~ firficari, tempera, 50X50 sm. 1986 w. / “KISS OF JUDAH” TEMPERA ON PLYWOOD, 50X50 CM. 1986

airekleba avtoris azrovnebis, mgrZnobelobis cnobieri da aracnobieri impulsebi. ucnaurad xatavs mcenareebs _ mTlianobaSi, Tavisi fesvebiT. TiTqos maT dafarul, miwisqveSa saxes mihyveba. gamosaxulebis aseTi modeli mxatvrobaSi mis pozicias gamoxatavs. is, rogorc Semoqmedi mihyveba kulturis fesvebs, da aramxolod qarTuls... am TvalsazrisiT is postmodernis figuraa, romlisTvisac `wyaro~ da kulturis `arqivi~ mniSvnelovania da odnav nostalgiuri. rasac merab abramiSvili naxatebiT `gviyveba~, srulyofilebis erTgvari monatrebaa. abramiSvili religiuri TemebiT `wers~ Tavisi mxatvrobis `scenars~, romelic ar aris determinirebuli

These invisible, hidden links between Abramishvili’s characters, objects and themes once again prove that they are contextual versions of one central theme in the same way as letters constitute a word and words make up a text. So, the main “text” of the artist’s paintings is a stream reflecting his rational and emotional, conscious and unconscious impulses in the same way as stars are reflected in the water. Abramishvili depicts plants in an unusual manner – in their entirety, with roots, as if following their hidden, underground images. This reveals his position as an artist. He likewise follows the “roots” of culture – not only of the Georgian, but of the world culture. To this extent, Abramishvili is a postmodernist who finds the “source” and the cultural “archive” important and somewhat nostalgic. His “narratives” represent a nostalgia for perfection which no longer exists in the real

`saidumlo seroba” firficari, tempera, 28X89 sm. 2000 w. / “THE LAST SUPPER” TEMPERA ON PLYWOOD, 28X89 CM. 2000

raime erTi religiur-kulturuli arealiT. mis mxatvrobaSi ucnaur Tanxmobas aRwevs imgvar radikalur kulturaTa kontrasti, rogoricaa dasavluri da aRmosavluri, qristianuli da islamuri kultura. is, rogorc mxatvari, `kulturis globalizaciis~ momxre da universaluri faseulobebis mimdevaria. amitom misi, rogorc mxatvris, mniSvneloba lokaluri nacionaluri stilis sazRvrebs scdeba da zogadadamianur statuss iZens. naxatebis `teritoriaze~ ganfenilia antikuri, pirvelyofili Tu Sua saukuneebis xelovnebis vizualuri niSnebi, romlebic savsebiT `mSvidobianad~ Tanaarseboben. samoTxe, romelic zogjer induri mandalis formas da iersaxes iRebs, qristianuli simbolikiT ivseba; xan indur baRebs, xan ki pompeis mxatvrobas gvagonebs. irmebisa da farSevangebis gamosaxuleba adreqristianuli xelovnebis aRmosavlur nimuSebs da bizantiuri mozaikebis motivebs imeorebs; orientalisturi ornamentis fonze zurgiT mdgari qalis figura ki antikuri safos msgavsia;

world and is to be sought in mythical and religious origins. With these objects and themes, Merab Abramishvili creates his art “scenario”, which is not determined by a single religious or cultural environment. The polarity of such cultures as Western and Oriental, or Christian and Islamic, appear unusually concordant in his paintings.

`remingtoni~ firficari, tempera, 60X84 sm. 1986 w. “REMINGTON” TEMPERA ON PLYWOOD, 60X84 CM. 1986

`arfa” firficari, tempera, 118X169 sm. 2003 w. “HARP” TEMPERA ON PLYWOOD, 118X169 CM. 2003

As an artist, he is for the “globalization of culture” and universal values, which makes his art overcome the boundaries of the local national style and gain an international status. Abramishvili’s paintings are the “space” where signs of ancient, primitive or medieval art meet to converge into a peaceful coexistence. Paradise, sometimes having the form and image of an Indian mandala, is full of Christian symbols; it can alternately resemble Indian gardens or paintings from Pompeii. The images of deer and peacocks replicate the motifs of Byzantine mosaics and the Oriental pieces of early Christian art. A female figure standing against the background of Oriental ornaments resembles Sappho, while his dancing women and “Silk Road” characters may

mocekvave qalebi da àbreSumis gzis~ personaJebi yajarul mxatvrobas gvaxsenebs; sparsuli miniaturis stilistika ucnaurad erwymis renesansis mxatvrobis tradiciebs. samyaros Semecnebis amgvari konteqsti mxolod merab abramiSvilisTvis ar aris damaxasiaTebeli, es misi Taobis, òTxmocianelebis~ poziciaa, maTi mxatvrobis tipologiuri niSani. gasuli saukunis oTxmociani wlebi ucnauri dro iyo qarTuli xelovnebisTvis _ es iyo dasasrulis dasawyisi _ cxadad da katastrofulad mTavrdeboda sabWoTa epoqa... da axali, sruliad gaurkveveli momavlis zRurblTan òTxmocianelebi~ idgnen; am epoqis istoriuli bedi gansazRvravda adamianis beds, anu personalurad ver xerxdeboda sasurveli obieqturi pirobebis arCeva... erTaderTi gamosavali _ arasasurveli garemodan gaqceva, `sxvagan~ gadanacvlebis mcdeloba iyo. am poziciiT òTxmocianelebma~ evropuli `transavangardis~ qarTuli modeli Seqmnes. òTxmocianelebi~ protestiT ar mosulan, isini poziciiT movidnen. TiTqmis yvelgan, postsabWoTa sivrceSi, garemosadmi protesti xelovnebaSi reaqtiulad vlindeboda. is iseTive agresiuli, refleqsuri da plakaturi iyo, rogoric obieqturi garemo. CvenSi ki, piriqiT, rac ufro krizisuli xdeboda gare samyaro, miT ufro stabiluri, harmoniuli da gawonasworebuli iyo qarTvel SemoqmedTa Tvalsawieri. mxatvrebi samyaros universaluri modelis SeqmniT ewinaaRmdegebodnen ngrevas da qaoss, vizualuri saxeebiT awonasworebdnen realobaSi mimdinare radikalur procesebs _ garemosTvis qmnidnen simSvidis, wonasworobis, silamazis da stabilurobis vizualur xatebs, warmoaCendnen maT upiratesobas. am periodis namuSevrebSi merab abramiSvili freskis da xatweris teqnologiis tradiciebs iyenebs da mimdevrebic

`Savlego~ firficari, tempera, 74X80 sm. 1992 w. “SHAVLEGO” TEMPERA ON PLYWOOD, 74X80 CM. 1992

remind us of Qajar paintings. The artist offers an unusual combination of the stylistics of Persian miniatures and Renaissance art. Merab Abramishvili was not alone in his endeavor to grasp and project the universe. This was the position and typological feature of his generation’s art in the eighties. The 1980s were a strange period for Georgian art – the beginning of an end, the definite and catastrophic processes that came with the collapse of the Soviet epoch. The generation of the eighties, including Merab Abramishvili, stood at the threshold of a new and absolutely vague future of art. The course of history determined the fate of men, depriving them of an opportunity to choose the objective circumstances they desired... the only way out was to flee this undesirable environment – to try to move “somewhere

`abreSumis gza~ firficari, tempera, 30X76 sm. 2006 w. / “SILK ROAD” TEMPERA ON PLYWOOD, 30X76 CM. 2006

ar hyavs. teqnikasac warsulidan `sesxulobs~, qarTuli freskuli mxatvrobis gamocdilebas swavlobs... misi suraTis `teqsti~ naxatis anbaniTaa Sedgenili; rogorc sityvebSi asoebs, ise svams foTlebs Reroebze, ornaments qsovilze, bumbuls frTebze, nayofs ylortebze... ki ar xatavs, TiTqos wers... da xSirad marTlac wers naxatis garSemo... Suasaukuneebrivi kaligrafis moTminebiT da gulisyuriT gamohyavs naxati. monumenturi mxatvrobis da levkasis teqnologia garkveuli saxecvlilebiT gadaaqvs dazgur formatze. temperiT xatavs TabaSiris gruntze, freskis imitacias qmnis. sabolood, suraTis zedapirs kvercxis guliT faravs da ramdenjerme `recxavs~, ferwerul SreebSi grafikul naxats afiqsirebs, ise, rom xan feris laqa `iWers~ naxats, xan ki piriqiT, konturi gamoyofs ferwerul laqebs _ mozaikis principiT. palimfsestis efeqtia, aramxolod koncefciiT, aramed teqnikiTac... Sreebis xlarTi gansacvifrebel efeqts qmnis, ise, rom qveda Sreebi zedapiris mxatvrul struqturas ganapirobebs. mcenareebis fesvebi arabeskebis msgavsia, foTlebis `ZarRvebs~ mihyveba, yvavilobis, gafurCqvnis, sicocxlis

else”. By expressing this position, the generation of the eighties established a Georgian model of European “trans-Avant-garde.” The generation of the eighties did not voice a protest – they came up with a standpoint. Almost everywhere in the post-Soviet area, the protest expressed through art was as reactionary, aggressive, reflexive and clamant as the objective reality itself. But here in Georgia, the more critical the reality became, the more stable, harmonious and balanced the artistic world would be. Artists applied the universal model of cosmos to oppose the chaos and destruction, and tried to balance the radical processes unfolding in the real world with visual images of serenity, steadiness, beauty and stability, showing the superiority of these concepts. In his works from that period, Abramishvili uses traditional techniques of frescography and iconography, and he is the only one to do so. He “borrows” these techniques from the past and explores the experience of Georgian fresco painting. The “text” of his paintings is composed of the subjects’ alphabet – he places leaves on twigs, ornaments on textiles, feathers on wings, or fruits on branches like letters in a word... It is as if he was writing, and not painting, and he indeed often literally writes around his creations, adorning his paintings with the patience and focus of medieval calligraphers. Abramishvili

`Savi avaza” firficari, tempera, 52X100 sm. 2005 w. / “BLACK PANTHER” TEMPERA ON PLYWOOD, 52X100 CM. 2005

`askili~ firficari, tempera, 75X95 sm. 2001 w. / “DOG – ROSE” TEMPERA ON PLYWOOD, 75X95 CM. 2001

vibraciis, TiTqos surnelebis efeqts gadmoscems. qmnilebis RvTaebriobis manifestacias axdens: silamaze ukiduresobamde mihyavs, dinamika eqspresiulobis zRvramde, ritmi kulminaciamde... da... ucnaur efeqts aRwevs _ erTdroulad realurisa da irealuris; gamosaxulebebi `faqturulia~, figuratiulad damajerebeli da amave dros, gamWvirvale; gamWvirvalobiT gadmoscems samyaros mTlianobas, idumalebas, iluzorulobas, dabadeba-sikvdilis wamierebas. TiTqos samyaros yvela obieqti _ mnaTobebi, mcenareebi, cxovelebi da adamianebi, miwa _ erTnairi Sedgenilobisaa, erTi masalisganaa Seqmnili. mis namuSevrebSi samyaro erTiania, msubuqi da yofna-aryofnis zRvarze gadis. miseuli samyaros miRma sxva samyaroebis arsebobis kvali da Zalac igrZnoba... maSinac ki, roca religiur siuJetebs ar mimarTavs, mainc ise moqmedebs, rogorc religiuri msoflmxedvelobis mxatvari: obieqtebi masTan yovelTvis `qmnilebaa~, romelTa mravalferovnebis iqiT sawyisis erTianoba igulisxmeba, anu qmnilebaTa

adapts gesso and monumental art techniques to an easel format. He applies tempera to primed plaster, thus creating an imitation of a fresco. Finally, he covers the surface with yolk, “cleans” the surface of the picture several times and sets graphic lines amid the layers of paints so that either color spots seem to “hold” the drawing, or vice versa, the lines seem to contour the paints – as in the mosaic technique. This creates a palimpsest effect – conceptually as well as technically. The combination of layers has an amazing effect: the lower layers seem to determine the artistic structure of the upper ones. The roots of the plants are like arabesques, following the veins of leaves and producing the effect of bloom, florescence, life vibration and even scent. It demonstrates the divinity of creations by bringing the beauty to the extreme, the dynamics to the expression, the rhythm to the climax, thus producing a strange effect of reality and fantasy at the same time. The images are somewhat “material”, figuratively convincing and at the same time transparent. The artist uses transparency to show the wholeness, secrecy, illusiveness of the world and the brevity of birth and death. It seems that any object existing in the universe, whether a heavenly body, a plant, an animal or a human being, are similar in

samyaro mxatvrisTvis èrTis~ mravalferovnebaa. radgan `RmerTi mizezia erTianobis, iseve, rogorc mizezia mravalferovnebis~. amitomaa, rom misi mzesumzira mzis analogiuria, mayvlis buCqi mTvaris civ naTebas asxivebs, askilis nayofi wiTel marjans hgavs, mcenareTa totebi ki cecxlis manaTobeli alebiviT gamoiyureba. gansxvavebulTa erTianoba da idumali kavSiri _ miwas, wyals da mcenareebs, cxovelebs, mnaTobebs da adamianebs, arsebobasa da ararsebobas Soris. am erTianobisa da gansxvavebulobis iqiT àrsebuls~ mxatvari, ukve religiur siuJetebSi, qristianuli modeliT da ikonografiiT gamoxatavs. suraTebis dro da garemo universaluria, ùJamo Jamia~, xatisa da freskis pirobiTobaa. masalac da teqnologiac freskis msgavsia,

`laokooni~ firficari, tempera, 24X30 sm. 2004 w. / “LAOCOÖN” TEMPERA ON PLYWOOD, 24X30 CM. 2004

composition, made of the same material. In his works, the universe is single, light and transparent, somewhere between existence and nonexistence. His work makes us feel the trace and the power of other worlds beyond ours. Even when painting an object unrelated to religious themes, he still appears as an artist with a religious world-view: all the objects are “creations” and their diversity implies the singularity and integrity of the origin: the artist sees the world of creations as the diversity of the One, because “God is the cause of unity as well as the cause of diversity.” That is why his sunflower is similar to the sun, his blackberry bush emits a cool light like the moon, his brier hips resemble corals and his plant twigs look like flame-tongues. This is the unity of the variety and the secret union of the earth, water and plants, of animals, celestial bodies and men, of existence and non-existence. As for the things that “exist” beyond this unity and diversity, the artist expresses them in `Savi dedali~ firficari, tempera, 43X60 sm. 1996 w. / “BLACK HEN” TEMPERA ON PLYWOOD, 43X60 CM. 1996

`qveskneli~ firficari, tempera, 76X76 sm. 2004 w. / “UNDERWORLD” TEMPERA ON PLYWOOD, 76X76 CM. 2004

_ levkasis teqnika-tempera TabaSiriT dafarul firficarze, sadac kvercxis guli laqis imitacias qmnis. es religiuri siuJetebi qarTuli freskebis `informatiulobas~ moicavs. amasTan, es kompoziciebi ufro `asketuria~, dramatuli, moklebulia sxva Sinaarsis suraTebisTvis damaxasiaTebel sadResaswaulo prezentaciulobas da detalizacias. religiuri citatebi mTeli sqemiT gadmodis, ise, rom ar dairRves ikonografiuli da kanonikuri saxe. dabolos, principuli mniSvneloba ar aqvs sxvadasxva kulturis kodiT iqmneba namuSevari Tu Temis pirveladi fiqsaciiT, yvelaferi transformirdeba silamazis kategoriad, romelic aRfrTovanebis iseTive gancdas iwvevs, rogorsac maTi avtori ganicdida samyaros mimarT.

a religious context, applying the Christian model and iconography. The time and setting of these paintings are universal, presenting the “timeless time” and the conventionality of an icon and fresco. The materials and techniques applied are likewise similar to those used in frescography: gesso and tempera on plastered plywood, on which yolk acts as varnish. These religious themes are similar to Georgian frescos in terms of “informativeness”. Further, these compositions are somewhat more ascetic, dramatic, devoid of the festive presentability and details typical of other kinds of paintings. Religious quotations follow the full scheme so as not to distort the iconographic and canonical images. However, irrespective of whether Abramishvili’s pictures reflect different cultural codes or are based on independent, original concepts, all transform into the category of beauty and impart the same sensation of admiration that their author experienced towards the universe.

baia wiqoriZe foto: gia CxataraSvili

Baia Tsikoridze Translation: Nino Dzotsenidze / Photo by Gia Chkhatarashvili

wels, agvistos TveSi zemo aWaris soflebs vewvieT. gvsurda Cveni TvaliT gvexila da gagvecno am ulamazesi kuTxis mcxovrebTa yofa-cxovreba... nigazeulSi, kviaxiZeebSi, oladaurSi, xabelaSvilebSi, uCambaSi, brilSi, furtioSi da sxvagan uamrav saintereso adamians SevxvdiT, romelTa Soris erT-erTi gamorCeuli Suaxevis kulturis centris xelmZRvaneli, axalgazrda reJisori vaxtang beriZea; samomavlo gegma-TanamSromlobasTan erTad b-n vaxtangs statiis momzadebac vTxoveT...

gepatiJebiT SuaxevSi, qedaSi, xuloSi... This August, we visited the villages of Upper Adjara. We wanted to see the everyday lives of the people of this stunning region ourselves... You will meet many interesting individuals in Nigazeuli, Kviakhidzeebi, Oladauri, Khabelashvilebi, Uchamba, Brili, Purtio, and other villages. One of these individuals is the head of the Shuakhevi Culture Center, young film director Vakhtang Beridze. Apart from planning to collaborate with him in the future, we asked Mr Vakhtang to prepare this article...

Welcome to Shuakhevi, Keda, Khulo...

Suaxevis kulturis centris saqmianobis ZiriTadi mimarTuleba Cveni qveynis, gansakuTrebiT ki, tradiciebiT mdidari kuTxis _ aWaris aramaterialuri kulturuli memkvidreobis dacva da folkloris sxvadasxva dargis nimuSTa aRdgena-popularizaciaa. maRalmTian aWaraSi, soflebSi dResac cxovroben eTnoforebi, romelTac winaprebis Semoqmedeba, wes-Cveulebebi da xalxuri sibrZne Semoinaxes da cdiloben momaval Taobas gadascen. swored am tradiciis matareblebsa da saarqivo masalebze dayrdnobiT, Suaxevis kulturis centrSi moqmedi ansamblebis meSveobiT vcdilobT aWaruli xalxuri simRerebi da sacekvao nimuSebi scenaze gavacocxloT da imavdroulad, tradiciuli saSemsruleblo principebic davicvaT. maRalmTiani aWaris soflebSi jer kidev aris Semonaxuli tradiciuli xelovneba da kultura, romelic CvenTvis Zalzed mniSvnelovania da ukeTesi momavlis perspeqtivas Cvenve gvisaxavs. swored aman ganapiroba is, rom ukve ori welia am urTules saqmes SeveWideT. mniSvnelovani nabiji, rac tradiciebis popularizebisTvis gadavdgiT _ folkloris ganyofilebis Seqmna da soflebSi arsebuli sasimRero jgufebisgan kulturis centrs daqvemdebarebuli ansamblebis Camoyalibebaa. folkloris ganyofileba, romelsac eTnomusikologi lolita surmaniZe xelmZRvanelobs aqtiurad axorcielebs rogorc SemoqmedebiT, aseve samecniero Tu SemkreblobiT saqmianobas. centrSi funqcionirebs arqivi, sadac municipalitetis istoriis, tradiciisa da kulturis amsaxveli foto-video-audio masalaa daculi da etapobrivad mdidrdeba. am etapze kulturis centrSi cxra folkloruli ansamblia, romelTa Soris xalxuri simReris ansambli „Suaxevi“ 1967 wels, uxucesTa qoreografiuli ansambli „fesvebi“ 2007 wels, xolo danarCeni _ municipalitetis sxvadasxva xeobis folkloruli ansamblebi: „Wvana“,

The main goal of the Shuakhevi Culture Center is to protect nonmaterial cultural heritage and to restore and popularize works from the various fields of folklore of our country, and especially of Adjara, a region that is very rich in traditions. You can still find ethnophores in the villages of mountainous Adjara who have preserved the creations, customs and popular wisdom of their ancestors, and try to transmit it to the next generation. It is by basing ourselves on the carriers of this tradition and on archive material that the Shuakhevi Culture Center and the ensembles active in the center try to revive Adjaran folk songs and dances on stage, and at the same time preserve the traditional principles of their performance. Traditional art and culture is still preserved in high mountainous Adjara, which is very important for us and draws the perspective of a better future. This is precisely what has given us the right conditions to work on this difficult task for the past two years. We took an important step for the popularization of traditions by establishing a Folklore Department and, together with the existing singing groups of the villages, forming ensembles that rehearse in the Shuakhevi Culture Center. The Folklore Department is headed by ethnomusicologist Lolita Surmanidze and actively arranges performances as well as scientific and compilation work. The Center includes an archive comprising photographic, audio and video material about the municipality’s history, tradition and culture – little by little, this archive gets richer and richer. There are currently nine folk ensembles in the Culture Center, including the folk singing ensemble ‘Shuakhevi’ (1967), the Elders’ choreographic ensemble ‘Pesvebi’ (2007), and folk ensembles from various valleys of the municipality, which were all founded in 2015: ‘Tsvana’, ‘Mareti’, ‘Nai’, ‘Imedi’, ‘Uchamba’, the choreographic ensemble ‘Ze-kartan’, and the folk instruments band ‘Khintskala’. The main concern of these ensembles is the restoration and preservation of traditional Ajarian songs and dances, based on archive materials or information provided by the elderly ethnophores. The result of this work is already visible – at the Georgian National Folk Festival (2015-2016), we took first place in the choreographic

„mareTi“, „nai“, „imedi“, „uCamba“, qoreografiuli ansambli „ze-karTan“ da xalxur sakravTa jgufi „xinwkala“ 2015 wels Camoyalibda. dResdReobiT, ansamblebis mTavar sazrunavs saarqivo fondebis masalebsa Tu xandazmuli eTnoforebis informaciaze dayrdnobiT aWaruli tradiciuli simRerebisa da cekvebis aRdgena-Senaxva warmoadgens. am muSaobis Sedegi saxezea _ saqarTvelos folkloris erovnul festivalSi (2015-2016 ww.) qoreografiul ansamblebs Soris pirveli (uxucesTa qoreografiuli ansambli `fesvebi~), individualur Semsruleblebis nominaciaSi meore (besik tarielaZe _ meCongure) da avTentur jgufebSi (ansambli `Wvana~) sapatio mesame adgili davikaveT; garda amisa, festivalis laureatebi gaxdnen: saxalxo mTqmeli _ revaz fevaZe, dekoratori _ marina daviTaZe, ansambli `Suaxevi~. amgvar warmatebas ukanaskneli aTwleulis ganmavlobaSi Cveni centri moklebuli iyo. didi pauzis Semdeg, 2015-16 wlebSi Suaxevis kulturis centris ansamblebi qveynis farglebs gareT, ucxoeli mayureblis winaSec wardgnen. aWaris kulturis saministrosa da Suaxevis municipalitetis mxardaWeriT qoreografiulma ansamblebma „ze-karTan“, „fesvebi“ bulgareTisa da TurqeTis saerTaSoriso folklorul festivalebSi, xolo xalxuri simReris ansamblma `Suaxevi“ israelSi gamarTul aWaris dReebSi miiRo monawileoba.

ensembles contest (elders’ choreographic ensemble ‘Pesvebi’), second place in the individual performance contest (Besik Tarieladze – Chonguri –folk instrument player) and third place in the authentic group nomination (ensemble ‘Tsvana’); apart from that, public speaker Revaz Pevadze, decorator Marina Davitadze and the ensemble ‘Shuakhevi’ also became laureates. Our center has not celebrated such success in all its ten years! In 2015-2016, after a long pause, the ensembles of the Shuakhevi Culture Center performed abroad to foreign audiences. With the support of Adjara’s Ministry of Culture and the Shuakhevi Municipality, the choreographic ensembles ‘Ze-Kartan’ and ‘Pesvebi’

mimdinare weli mniSvnelovani aRmoCnda samecniero muSaobis TvalsazrisiTac. proeqtis `folkloruleTnografiuli nimuSebis dafiqsireba/saarqivo masalebis Seqmna~ farglebSi, pirvelad samecniero eqspedicia moewyo. Suaxevs eTnomusikologebi natalia zumbaZe, Teona ruxaZe, lolita surmaniZe; qoreologi uCa dvaliSvili; poeti, folkloristi eTer TaTaraiZe; mxatvrebi cisana marindaSvili, guram gabaSvili; foto/ video dokumentalisti givi naxucriSvili; folkloris centris aRmasrulebeli direqtori giorgi donaZe, cnobili espaneli eTnomusikologi polo valieho da

fotoxelovani karmen balve ewvivnen. eqspediciisas moZiebuli masalebis publikacia 2017 wlisTvisaa dagegmili. proeqti saqarTvelos kulturisa da ZeglTa dacvis saministrosa da Suaxevis municipalitetis gamgeobis xelSewyobiT ganxorcielda. garda folkloris popularizaciisa, Suaxevis kulturis centrisTvis metad mniSvnelovania samuzeumo da sabiblioTeko saqmianobis xelSewyoba. 2007 wels Suaxevis municipalitetSi arsebuli 43 sajaro biblioTeka gauqmda da saskolo biblioTekebs SeuerTda. cxrawliani pauzis Semdeg, mimdinare wlis aprilSi WvanaSi sasoflo biblioTeka aRdga (WvanaSi pirveli qox-samkiTxvelo 1929 wels gaixsna). saprezidento programis farglebSi axali saganmanaTleblo kera Temis administraciul SenobaSi ganTavsda. igi saqarTvelos parlamentis erovnuli biblioTekisa da Suaxevis kulturis centris organizebiT amoqmedda (aRsaniSnavia, rom biblioTeka internetiTac sargeblobs). ianvarSi biblioTeka pirveli wignadi fondiT Seivso _ erovnuli biblioTekis generalurma direqtorma giorgi kekeliZem 500-mde klasgareSe literatura gadasca. Suaxevis kulturis centri aqtiurad muSaobs municipalitetis gamgeobasTan, saqarTvelos sabiblioTeko asociaciasTan da saqarTvelos

took part in international folklore festivals in Bulgaria and Turkey, while the folk singing ensemble ‘Shuakhevi’ participated in the ‘Adjara Days’ organized in Israel. This year was also very important in terms of scientific research. The first scientific expedition was arranged in the framework of the project ‘Research and Archiving of Folklore and Ethnographic Pieces’. Ethnomusicologists Natalia Zumbadze and Teona Rukhadze, choreologist Ucha Dvalishvili, poet and folklorist Eter Tataraidze, painters Tsisana Marindashvili and Guram Gabashvili, photo/video documentalist Givi Nakhutsrishvili, Executive Director of the Folklore Center Giorgi Donadze, renowned Spanish ethnomusicologist Polo Valieho and photographer Carmen Balve visited Shuakevi in this context. The publication of materials gathered by the expedition is planned for 2017, and this project was carried out with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia and the Shuakhevi Municipality Administration.

erovnul biblioTekasTan „airaqsi“ sxvadasxva sofelSi biblioTekebis aRdgenaze. wlis bolosTvis dagegmilia kidev Svidi biblioTekis gaxsna.

CvenTvis saSuria samuzeumo saqmis, muzeumebisa da iq daculi unikaluri eqsponatebis popularizeba. Tumca, gulistkiviliT aRvniSnavT, rom kulturis centrs daqvemdebarebul sam muzeums: kviaxiZeebis, oladauris eTnografiul da nigazeulis selim ximSiaSvili saxelobis muzeumebs ar gaaCniaT saTanado infrastruqtura, rac xels uSlis maTSi daculi nivTebis saTanadod

warmoCenas. am mimarTulebiT, adgilobrivi xelisuflebis warmomadgenlebTan araerTi konsultacia gavmarTeT da vimedovnebT, momaval wels aRniSnuli problemis nawilobriv mogvarebas SevZlebT. bolo wlebSi Suaxevis kulturis centri proeqtebiT

Apart from the popularization of folklore, the Shuakhevi Culture Center focuses on the promotion of museums and libraries. In 2007, the 43 existing public libraries of the Shuakhevi municipality were closed and merged with school libraries. After nine years of inactivity, the library of village Tsvana was restored (the first reading hall was opened in Tsvana in 1929). In the framework of a presidential program, a new educational hub was installed in the community’s administrative building. It started working with the support of the Library of the Georgian National Parliament and the Shuakhevi Culture Center (it is noteworthy that the library also offers internet access). In January, the library received its first book collection – up to 500 extracurricular literature pieces sent by Giorgi Kekelidze, General Director of the National Library. The Shuakhevi Culture Center actively works with the Municipality Administration, the Georgian Library Association and the National Library of Georgia for the restoration of various libraries, and the opening of seven more libraries is planned by the end of this year. For us, it is very important to develop our museums; to popularize them and their exhibits. However, we are sorry to note that three museums that are part of the Shuakhevi Culture Center – the Ethnographic Museums in Kviakhidzeebi and Oladauri and the Selim Khimshiashvili Museum in Nigazeuli do not have appropriate

`xelovnebis kvireuli~, `xelovnebisa da literaturis kvireuli~, `literaturuli skola~ da literaturuli festivali `ze-karTan~ mniSvnelovnad uwyobs xels municipalitetSi xelovnebisa da literaturis popularizebas. wels ukve meoTxed vumaspinZleT literaturul festivals „ze-karTan“, romelic cnobil da damwyeb mweralTa literaturuli eqspediciis farglebSi tardeba. Tavdapirvelad festivalis tradiciuli maspinZeli mxolod Suaxevi iyo, Tumca wels masStabi gafarTovda da momijnave xulosa da qedis municipalitetebic moicva. Tumca saqme amiT ar sruldeba _ gasakeTebeli isev bevria. mosagvarebel/mosawesrigebelia arsebuli infrastruqtura; Senobebi, sadac Cven gviwevs muSaoba... da momReral/mocekvaveTa, zogadad folkloris moRvaweTa SromiTi anazRaureba. P. S. 2017 wels ansambl `Suaxevs~ 50, xolo ansambl `fesvebs~ _ 10 weli usruldebaT. gvsurs maTi Rvawli da SemoqmedebiTi saqmianoba dafasdes da saTanadod aRiniSnos. vaxtang beriZe

infrastructure, which hinders the proper presentation of the exhibits they preserve. We have held several consultations on that matter with representatives of the local authorities, and we hope that we will be able to solve some of the abovementioned problems next year. In these last years the Shuakhevi Culture Center has made a significant contribution to the popularization of art and literature in the municipality through the projects ‘Art Week’, ‘Art and Literature Week’, ‘Literary School’ and the literary festival ‘Ze-Kartan’. This year, we hosted the latter for the fourth time, and in the form of a literary expedition in which both famous and starting writers participated. During the first three editions, the festival only took place in Shuakhevi, but this year it was increased in scale and now includes the neighboring Khulo and Keda municipalities. But the story cannot end here – there are still many things to be done. The existing infrastructure has to be rearranged and improved, as do the buildings in which we work... and of course, the wages of singers, dancers, and folk artists in general. P. S. In 2017, the ensemble ‘Shuakhevi’ will celebrate its 50th anniversary, and the ensemble ‘Pesvebi’ its 10th year. We hope their contribution to folklore and their creations will be valued and diffused as much as they deserve. Vakhtang Beridze

Tamaz Cxenkeli

o r d e d a qal a qSi

Tamaz Chkhenkeli

In two capitals ormocdaaT wels gadavabije da moskovSi namyofi ara var. nodar dumbaZem damireka: moskovi ar ginaxavs da `stumris~ statusiT giSveb mweralTa sakavSiro yrilobazeo. yrilobaze miwveuli mwerlebi, anu mweralTa kavSiris wevrebi, e.w. `deputatebad~ da `stumrebad~ iyofian. gansxvaveba imaSia, rom deputatebi xmis micemis uflebiT arian morWmulni, stumrebisagan gansxvavebiT. CavediT moskovSi. Casulebs `diplomatebs~ urigebdnen. guram fanjikiZes wavyevi am Savi, patara Cemodnis asaRebad, romelSic, yrilobaze damswreTaTvis, sawer-kalami unda debuliyo. SevediT oTaxSi da aviReT es `diplomatebi~ da iqve gaisma SekiTxva: Tqven deputati xarT, Tu stumari? stumari, _ vupasuxe. maSin dadeT mag `diplomati~ da, meore mwkrivze mimiTiTa, iqidan aiReTo. rom gamovedi gurams vkiTxe: albaT, raRac gansxvavebaa am `diplomatebs~ Soris-meTqi. araviTario. gavogndi! gurami SenobasTan mdgar did urnasTan SeCerda, miixed-moixeda, gaxsna `diplomati~, bloknotebi da kalmistrebi amoiRo, danarCeni urnaSi CauSva. mec es gamakeTebina, swrafad, swrafad, aravin dagvinaxoso. raSia saqme? breJnevis broSurebiao. amityda xarxari. meore saRamos geno kalandiam miTxra: yrilobis monawileTaTvis aq specialuri maRaziaa, marina cvetaevas ortomeuli iyideba da icodeo. amjerad Tamaz WilaZes

I was then over fifty but had never been to Moscow. Nodar Dumbadze called and offered me to attend the all-union congress of writers in Moscow in guest status. The writers invited to the congress, i.e. members of the Writers’ Union, were divided into two groups: the so-called “deputies” and the “guests”. The difference between them was that deputies were vested with the right to vote, unlike guests. On arrival in Moscow each participant of the congress was to receive a “diplomat” - a small black briefcase, which contained pens and writing paper. I went for my “diplomat” with Guram Panjikidze. We entered the room, took our “diplomats” and were asked the immediate question: “Are you a deputy or a guest?” “I’m a guest” - I said. “Then put down this “diplomat” and take that one from the other row.” Coming out of the room I asked Guram whether there was any difference between these “diplomats”. He said there was none. I was startled! Guram came up to a dustbin, looked around, then opened his “diplomat”, took out pens and notebooks and emptied the remaining contents into the dustbin. He made me do the same, hurrying me up, so as not to grab anyone’s attention. “What’s this?”- I asked. “Brezhnev’s brochures.” It made me roar with laughter. The next evening Geno Kalandia told me that there was a special shop for congress participants, which had Marina Tsvetaeva’s twovolume edition for sale. I went there with Tamaz Chiladze. We climbed the steps of a two-storey house and asked for Tsvetaeva’s books. I

gavyevi. patara, orsarTuliani saxlis meore sarTulze avediT da moviTxoveT cvetaevas wignebi. ortomeuls vaTvaliereb da uceb mesmis igive kiTxva: deputati xarT, Tu stumari? stumari-meTqi rom vuTxari, Secbunebulma momigo: Tqven ar gekuTvniTo. aman gamaStera, magram Tavi Sevikave da RimiliT vuTxari: albaT `deputatebi~ ukeT erkvevian poeziaSi, vidre `stumrebi~-meTqi. daxlSi mdgari simpaTiuri qali aSkarad uxerxulobas grZnobda da meti araferi miTqvams. magram jer Turme sada xar! pirvel sarTulze sabeWdi manqanis lentebi moviTxoveT. oTx-oTxi lenti aviReT da sanam fuls gadavixdidi, Cemda gasaocrad, aqac igive avbediTi kiTxva ganmeorda: `stumari~ xarT? maSin mxolod ori lenti gergebaTo. guli amemRvra da lentebi daxlze davuyare. es iyo biurokratiuli gamoTayvanebis, idioturi ierarqiulobis zeniti. saRamos, restoranSi rom SevikribeT, nodars vuTxari: aseTi diferenciacia Zvel egvipteSic ar yofila, ra maRal materiebzea laparaki, yrilobaze es unda iTqvas, jer es saqme unda moagvaron-meTqi... kremlis ezoSi Sesvlamde (yriloba iq mimdinareobda, svetebian darbazSi) karibWesTan SevCerdi: dafa iyo kedelze gamokruli, sadac kremlis agebis istoria iyo mokled gadmocemuli. kargi, geyofa ganaTlebis miReba! _ Sesvlas maCqarebs arCil sulakauri. 74 metris simaRle yofila kremli, veubnebi arCils gansakuTrebuli toniT, rac umalve daiWira da swrafadve momigo: da mere ra! is, rom alaverdis taZari ori metriT maRalia kremlze. ras ambobo, da visac veubnebodi, aravis sjeroda. ai, ras niSnavs ideologiuri propagandiT gamagrebuli vizualuri zewola.

was browsing through the books, when the same question suddenly reached my ears: “Are you a deputy or a guest?” That I was a guest caused the shop assistant to become confused, who said that the books were not for me. It threw me off a bit again, but I regained my composure and said, smiling, that it seemed “deputies” had a better understanding of poetry than “guests”. The shop assistant, who was quite a pretty woman, looked embarrassed and I said no more. I did not know that worse was still to come. We descended to the first floor to buy typing machine tapes. We took four tapes each, but before I paid for them, I heard the same question ring out ominously: “Are you a guest? Then you can take only two tapes.” Overwhelmed by a surge of anger, I dropped them scattering over the counter. It was the zenith of bureaucratic stupor and idiotic hierarchy. In the evening, as we gathered in a restaurant, I pointed out to Nodar that such discrimination was unknown even in Egypt and that the congress had to address this problem first, before moving on to some high-flown ideals. Before entering the yard of the Kremlin, (that’s where the congress was held in the pillared hall), I halted at the gate. There was a board fixed to the wall, giving a brief history of the Kremlin. “Have done with reading” - Archil Sulakauri was in a fuss. “The Kremlin appears to be 74 meters in height” - I said in a heavily toned voice that made him snap back immediately. “So what?” - He was quick to respond. “Alaverdi Church is two meters higher than the Kremlin” - I said. Later, whoever I told this looked at me in disbelief, behind which lay visual pressure buttressed by ideological propaganda. There was a photographer in the Kremlin’s yard taking photos of writers, of the famous writers of course,

kremlis ezoSi iqauri fotografi suraTebs uRebs mwerlebs, ra Tqma unda, saxelganTqmul mwerlebs. arCilis nacnobi iyo da Cvenc gadagviRo suraTebi. magram roca arCilma uTxra: amas, amas gadauRe, es pirvelad aris moskovSio, fotografi gadairia: pirvelad? SeuZlebelia! marTla pirvelad xarT moskovSi? daujerebelia! da Tan aparats aCxakunebs, yovel SeZaxilze TiTo suraTs miRebs. asaki mkiTxa da daaskvna: am suraTebs davawer, _ 54 wlis mwerali, romelic pirvelad iyo moskovSi, _ da gadavrev xalxso. meore dRes guram gverdwiTels (Cven erT oTaxSi viyaviT sastumroSi) taqsiT wavyevi, raRac saqme hqonda. manqanaSi velodebi da taqsis mZRols vesaubrebi. mkiTxa da vuTxari, rom moskovi Zalian momewona. gaSlili sivrce, jansaRi haeri, arbatis myudro quCebi, romlebic Tbilisur quCebs magonebda, kremlis ucnauri intimiT gaJRenTili midamo, romelSic disonansi Sehqonda leninis absurdul mavzoleums. winandelTan SedarebiT ra cvlilebebi SeniSneTo, _ mkiTxa. pirvelad var-meTqi, rom vuTxari, pirdapir Seicxada: rogor, me Sofer kacs sabWoTa kavSiris uamravi qalaqi maqvs davlili, saqarTveloSic vyofilvar da Tqven pirvelad xarT moskovSi? cota rom daSoSminda mkiTxa: ki, magram ras akeTebT zafxulobiTo. zafxulobiT saqarTvelos sxvadasxva

but he was an acquaintance of Archil’s and took our photos as well. When Archil told him that I was in Moscow for the first time, he almost lost his head with excitement: “For the first time? But it’s impossible! Are you really in Moscow for the first time? Incredible!” At each such exclamation he clicked his camera and photographed me. Then he asked me how old I was and decided to inscribe on the back of the photos the words “54-year-old writer on his first visit to Moscow” and send all into wonder. The next day Guram Gverdtsiteli (my room-mate in the hotel) took me on some business with him. As I waited for him in a taxi, the driver asked me about my impressions of Moscow and I told him that I liked Moscow very much, I liked its vast expanse, the healthy air, Arbat’s quiet streets reminding me of streets in Tbilisi and the strange aura of intimacy hanging around the Kremlin, disturbed only by Lenin’s absurd mausoleum. He asked me if the city had undergone any alterations since my previous visit. My confession that I was in Moscow for the first time shocked him utterly: “I’m no more than a driver and I’ve traveled a lot throughout the Soviet Union, including Georgia. How can this be your first visit to Moscow?!” When he cooled down a bit, he asked me what I did in the summertime. I said I roamed around my own country. He fell silent for a moment and then, in a low and seemingly sorrow-inflected voice, uttered: “It means that you love your country.” My second visit to Moscow was on Losev’s invitation, on the occasion of his 90th birthday. I have already written and published the description of this highly interesting celebration, but then I skipped over one interesting point, which bore no relation to the jubilee itself. My wife had to hand over a parcel to someone. We took a taxi. The driver was a roundfaced Russian, with distinctly Mongolian features. On arrival at our destination, I warned my wife not to

kuTxeSi vmogzaurob-meTqi. erTxans gayuCebuli iyo da mere xmadabla, da rogorc me momeCvena, raRacnairi naRveliT dasZina: значит вы любите свою родину... meorejerac viyavi moskovSi, amjerad a. f. losevma mimiwvia Tavis 90 wlis iubileze. am uaRresad saintereso iubiles peripetiebi aRwerili da gamoqveynebuli maqvs, magram ar aRminiSnavs erTi momenti, romelsac TviTon iubilesTan araviTari kavSiri ar hqonia. Cems meuRles amanaTi unda mietana viRacisTvis. daviWireT taqsi. Soferi monRoloiduri tipis mrgvalsaxiani rusia. mivediT. droze gamodi, vafrTxileb meuRles, amis gasalanZRi ar gamxado! vzivar Cabnelebul manqanaSi da velodebi. wuTi saaTad meCveneba. manqanaSi dumili Semzarav iers iZens. vah, sad aris amden xans, Semomibrundeba es kaci da raRac uxiags metyvis qarTvelebze da ar vici ras vizam. dro saSineli siswrafiT garbis. daZabuloba kulminacias aRwevs... da rom momelbo mZRolis guli da misi upiratesoba meRiarebina, mokrZalebuli toniT vekiTxebi: Можно выкурить сигарету? da am kiTxvis pasuxad ucnauri ram mesmis: Не только можно, но и нужно! aman gamaStera da sanam azrze movidodi man sxapasxupiT ganagrZo: es erTaderTi manqanaa sabWoTa kavSirSi, romelSic moweva aucilebeliao. ras eweviT? kolxeTs! o, miyvars qarTuli sigaretebio. sinaTle aanTo: verafers xedavT? ra unda davinaxo? man xeli gaiSvira da me manqanis parprizis Sua nawilSi davinaxe ori gojis simaRle Savi firfita, romelzec reliefuri TeTri asoebiT ewera qarTulad! _ `moswieT~, aseTive reliefuri TeTri Zaxilis niSniT. raa es? _ viyvire. es Cemi colisZmis oinia. me dedabriSvilis qali myavs colad... da man zedized gaimeora ucxoTaTvis Znelad gamosaTqmeli ramdenime qarTuli sityva. is miyveboda Tavis ambebs, xSirad axsenebda Tavis erTaderT gogonas da isic aRniSna TavmowonebiT, rom kaxeTSi yofnisas Tamada iyo, da rom sufridan, qarTuli wesisamebr, bolos is adga. am kacis saxeli da gvari maxsovs: Юра Бушуев! Sen iseTi kaci xar saxlSi geqnebameTqi kaxuri Rvino. gamiTavda, Torem aqedan pirdapir saxlSi wagiyvandio... Cemi megobrebi, romlebic ocjer da ocdaaTjer iyvnen namyofi moskovSi, maSayirebdnen: biWo, sul eqvsi dRe iyavi moskovSi da aseTi ra naxe, rom saTqmeli ar gelevao.

keep us waiting and spare me the embarrassment of his complaints. Sitting and waiting in the darkness of the car, minutes seemed like hours. Silence was already pressing on me. I thought the driver, bored to death with waiting, would turn to me at any moment and say something sharp about Georgians. Feeling the strain reaching its culmination and trying to win the driver’s heart and confirm to him his superiority, I asked him humbly: “May I smoke a cigarette?” What came in reply was strange enough: “Not only may, but must!” I was taken aback and before I could come to my senses, he added that it was the only car in the Soviet Union in which it was necessary to smoke. “Which brand do you smoke?” - He asked. “Kolkheti.” “Oh, I’m fond of Georgian cigarettes.” Then he switched on the light. “Can’t you see it?” “What?” He reached out his hand and in the middle of the front window I saw a black plate displaying white Georgian letters followed by a white exclamation mark, written all in bold relief! The inscription read: “Smoke!” “What’s this?!” - I cried out. “It’s a trick of my brother-in-law. My wife is Georgian, she’s Dedabrishvili’s daughter.” Then he uttered several Georgian words, which are particularly difficult for foreigners to pronounce. He spoke eloquently about his life, often mentioning his only daughter, and recalled with pride his visit to Kakheti, where he had acted as toastmaster and had left the table last, as Georgian tradition dictates. I remember the name of this man: lura Bushuev! “Such a man as you are must surely have Kakhetian wine at his place,” - I told him. “I’ve run out of it. But if I had it I wouldn’t hesitate to take you directly there,” he replied. My friends, who had been to Moscow 20 and even 30 times often joked that I, with my scant 6 days in this city, never seemed to go short of memories.

*** koreeli abatis gaamerikelebulma da gamdidrebulma Svilma Seqmna seqta, romlis gasacnobad da propagandis gasawevad msoflios sxvadasxva qveynebidan, maT Soris yofili sabWoTa respublikebidan, vaSingtonSi miiwvia stumrebi. gza _ aqeT da iqiT, agreTve, eqvsdRiani sastumro uzrunvelyofili iyo misive fuliT. londonis gavliT saqarTvelos delegacia, ramdenime kacis SemadgenlobiT, CavfrindiT vaSingtonSi. pirvelsave sxdomaze gairkva is, rom seqtis meTauri ar scnobda qristes RvTiur bunebas, rom ieso suliwmindis Casaxulad ar miaCnda (pirdapir ambobda, rom iosebma icoda colis Ralatis ambavio) da sxv. yoveli qristianisaTvis (marTlmadidebeli iqneba is Tu kaTolike) es gancxadeba mkrexelurad JRerda da Cveni delegaciis xelmZRvanelma jansuR Carkvianma Tqva kidevac tribunidan, rom aseTi Tvalsazrisi saqarTvelosTvis miuRebelia. saintereso iyo, rom somxeTisa da azerbaijanis warmomadgenlebi yarabaxis problemebze ufro amaxvilebdnen yuradRebas, vidre religiur aspeqtebze.

*** The enriched and Americanized son of some Korean abbot set up his own sect and to popularize it and make it universally known, he invited to Washington a group of representatives from various countries, including the Soviet republics, and took it upon himself to cover their return travel and hotel expenses for 6 days. The Georgian delegation consisting of several men, including me, flew to Washington via London. At the very first session, it was revealed that the sect leader did not recognize Christâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s divine nature and His conception from the Holy Spirit (He was asserting directly that Joseph knew about his wifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s adultery). Such statements sounded blasphemous to all Christians (Orthodox and Catholic believers alike). The head of our delegation, Jansugh Charkviani, declared from the pulpit that those views were unacceptable to Georgia. It is interesting to note that representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan were more focused on the problems of Karabakh than on religious issues. We withdrew our presence from the sittings. The next day we paid a visit to Mr. Tedo Japaridze, Ambassador of Georgia to the United States. He informed us in detail about the tragedy which had occurred there and how the mother of the deceased had herself arrived at the

Cven SevwyviteT sxdomebze daswreba. meore dRes vestumreT saqarTvelos elCs amerikaSi baton Tedo jafariZes. man dawvrilebiT mogviyva iq momxdari tragikuli ambavi. gardacvlilis deda TviTon mosula saelCoSi, da rogor daxvdebodnen iq momuSave qarTvelebi _ xom gasagebia! mere amerikelebisTvis uTqvams: ra gulTbili xalxi yofilao, rogor momisamZimres, rogor ganicdidneno... aravin icis vina varT, micvalebulis gapatiosnebis ra didi kulturaa saqarTveloSi. batonma Tedom orjer gvimaspinZla: pirvelad vaSingtonis feSenebelur sastumros restoranSi dagvpatiJa, sadac Turme kenedi da merlin monro farulad xvdebodnen erTmaneTs, da meored, axlomdebare zRvispira patara qalaqSi italiur restoranSi, sadac imJamad qorwilis rituali sruldeboda. es saporto qalaqi dekoraciulad gamoiyureboda, aTasfrad SeRebili saxlebiT da gamwvanebuli ezoebiT. sxvaTa Soris, restorans rom vuaxlovdebodiT, erTma Suaxnis kacma xeliT gaaCera arCil sulakauri, hkiTxa: italiano? arCilma, mere: ase vgavar italielso? magram kmayofili iyo, iRimeboda.

embassy and how the Georgian diplomats had received her, what she had later told her fellow Georgians, their warmth, compassion and ability to feel and share the same pain with others... Nobody knows who we are and how rich is our culture of paying final homage to the dead. Mr. Japaridze hosted us twice: first he invited us to a restaurant in a luxurious hotel in Washington, where Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe used to have their secret rendezvous, and then to an Italian restaurant in the nearby seaside town, where a marriage ceremony was being held at the moment of our visit. This port town had a rather decorative aspect with its multicolored houses and the greenness of its gardens. Incidentally, when we were approaching the restaurant, an elderly man stopped Archil Sulakauri and asked him: Italiano? Later Archil asked us if he really looked like an Italian. In any case, he seemed very content with it, smiling. Then we visited the palace of pictorial art (Picasso takes up a separate building there). A closer look at the well-known pictures bewildered me. “Are they originals or reproductions?” -I asked. “Originals!” I came out of the building early and sat down on the steps.

viyaviT ferweris sasaxleSi (pikasos calke Senoba ukavia). CemTvis cnobili suraTebis axlodan dakvirvebam Semacbuna. dednebia, Tu aslebi? _ vikiTxe. dednebiao!.. adre gamovedi Senobidan da kibeze Camovjeqi. cota xanSi jansuR Carkviani gamovida: ra mogivida, ra gunebaze xaro. ra gunebaze viqnebi, dednebs vucqerdi da reproduqciebi magondeboda, romlebic dednebze ufro momwons-meTqi. es, ra Tqma unda, Cveni aRzrdis xarvezebia, rac rkinis fardas unda dabraldes. ukan rom movbrundiT, sastumros win asfalti ayrili dagvxvda. erTi kaci muSaobda _ zangi. xeliT vaniSne

_ ratom ayare-meTqi asfalti da man erTi umniSvnelo bzaris ormtkavelian xazze mimiTiTa. ase uvlian dedaqalaqs. qalaqis quCebi TiTqmis carielia. TiToorola gamvleli Tu Segxvdeba. muSaobs xalxi! mesame Tu meoTxe dRes dagviriges oc-oci dolari. yvelam raRaca SeviZineT maxloblebisaTvis. aTi dolari damrCa da vaxo visockis vTxove: damaxarjine es fuli, rom saTqmelad mqondes, vaSingtonSi kaci davpatiJemeTqi. Semiyvana kafeSi. vaxo visocki Tbiliseli qarTvelia. miTxra: gagiJebuli var, Cemi biWi aq swavlobs da es ra ubeduri wesi hqoniaTo, _ rame Tu moxda moswavleebs Soris, erTmaneTs aswreben maswavlebelTan dasabezReblad. biWma miTxra, rogor moviqceo. vaxom: ar damRupo, es ar qna, eg Cveni wesi ar ariso. ki, magram _ vkiTxe _ skolaSi xom megobrobenmeTqi. saqmec is aris, rom klasidan klasSi gadayvanisas moswavleebs, gansakuTrebiT

After a little while, Jansugh Charkviani joined me. “What’s the matter with you, why are you in such a mood?” - he asked. But how could I feel when staring at originals my thoughts kept turning to reproductions, which I liked more? Of course it is the fault of our upbringing and it must be blamed on the Iron Curtain. When we returned we found that the asphalt in front of our hotel had been ripped up. There was only one black man working there. I asked him using gestures why he had done it and he pointed his finger to a tiny crack in the asphalt. That’s how they take care of their city. The streets are almost empty. Only two or three passers-by can be seen. On the third or the fourth day, 20 dollars was handed out to each of us. We all bought something for our family members. In order to dispose of my remaining 10 dollars, I asked Vakho Visotsky to let me spend this money on him so that I could boast in Tbilisi of being able to invite someone out in Washington. He took me to a café. Vakho Visotsky is a Georgian from Tbilisi. He said his son was studying there and he was dismayed at the rules,

_ damegobrebulebs, erTmaneTs aSoreben, paralelur klasebSi gadahyavT, rom es maTi megobroba moiSaloso. dabezReba karg tonad iTvlebao. SemaZrwuna aman da vaxoc SeZrwunebuli iyo: unda davbrunde saqarTveloSio... kafeSi Cveni msubuqi `seroba~ dasrulda, magram... fuli arafris didebiT ar gadamaxdevina vaxom, da Cemi saTbiliso `qadili~ CaiSala. 29 aprils aRdgoma iyo. meore diliT unda dagvetovebina vaSingtoni. Sadiman SamanaZem: CemTan amodiT, erTi boTli arayi maqvso. avediT jansuRi, arCili da me. nel-nela da cot-cotas vsvamdiT, rom gagvexangrZlivebina erTad yofna. movigoneT nodar dumbaZe, guram asaTiani da otia paWkoria. ar vicodiT, es ukanaskneli aRdgoma Tu iqneboda arCilisaTvis, magram vgrZnobdiT siberis susxs da drois avbediTobas. saqarTvelodan Sors roca xar, yvelafers gansakuTrebuli aura axlavs. rom gamovdiodiT, Sadimanma miCurCulma: rogor gyvarebiaT erTmaneTio. es sityva Cvens Taobas exeboda, marto Cven _ ara... axali CaZinebuli mWaxe zarma gamomaRviZa, xma derefnidan moismoda. Turme xanZars dauwvavs Cveni sastumros erTi oTaxi. fanjridan Canda ramdenime saxanZro manqana da maRal-maRali zangebi. Cavedi dabla da ras vxedav! _ mTeli vestibiuli xalxiT aris gaWedili. Cacmul-daxurulebi, CemodnebiTa da bargi-barxaniT gamzadebulebi sxedan. da am damfrTxal xalxSi _ gavixede da modis erTi Cveniani _ Silifad Cacmuli, da ager, meore Cveniani, isic samgzavrod Caucmeldauxuravi, da mesamec... mSvidad daseirnoben am awrialebul xalxSi da erTmaneTs ekiTxebian, ra moxda aseTi, ra mouvida am xalxso? ra iyo es? Cveneburi udardeloba, Tu realuri situaciis fxizeli Sefaseba? meore diliT gamovfrindiT saqarTveloSi.

which governed children’s behavior. He added that if there was some incident in school, children were happy to be the first to inform teachers on one another. “My son asked me what to do about it” - Vakho said -”and I told him not to bring disgrace upon me, for it is not our rule.” “But don’t children make friends with one another?” - I asked. “The thing is that pupils who strike up close friendships are separated each year in different classes in order to erode this friendship. Informing on someone is a good tone there.” I felt shocked and so did Vakho. He said he ought to return to Georgia... Our light supper in the café was thus over but ... Vakho did not let me pay for it. So my plans about boasting in Tbilisi were canceled. 29 April was Easter Sunday. The following day we were leaving Washington. Shadiman Shamanadze invited Jansugh, Archil and me for a bottle of vodka. We sipped our drinks slowly, in small gulps, to linger on together. We recalled Nodar Dumbadze, Guram Asatiani and Otia Pachkoria. We did not know then that it was going to be the last Easter for Archil, but we felt the chilly breath of old age and the viciousness of time. When you are far away from Georgia, everything seems to be cloaked in a different aura. As we were parting, Shadiman Shamanadze whispered to me: “How strongly you love each other!” and it was true not only of us, but of our whole generation. No sooner had I fallen asleep than I was awakened by the brassy sound of a siren issuing from the corridor. As it turned out, fire had broken out in one of the rooms of our hotel. From the window I could see fire engines and some tall black men. I went down to find the hall already crowded with people. All were wrapped up fully in their clothes, equipped with their suitcases and luggage. I looked around amid these frightened people and saw one of our group members, dressed casually, then another, his clothes also showing no sign of preparedness, and a third one ... all walking calmly among this fussing people and wondering curiously at their agitation. What was it -Georgian carelessness or our sober assessment of the situation? The next morning we caught the flight to Georgia.

kinematografis popularizebisTvis, qarTvel da ucxoel kinematografebs Soris kulturuli urTierTobebis ganviTarebisa da SemoqmedebiTi gamocdilebis gacvlisTvis baTumSi 2006 wels daarsda `saavtoro kinos~ saerTaSoriso kinofestivali `biafi~, romlis oficialuri organizatoria baTumis xelovanTa saxli „argani~. pirveli `biafis~ monawileTa da stumarTa Soris evropis, aziis, samxreT da CrdiloeT amerikis 23 qveynis warmomadgenlebi iyvnen.

„biafis“ meTerTmete Semodgoma BIAFF’s 11th Autumn The Batumi International Art-house Film Festival ‘BIAFF’ was founded in 2006 by the city’s Art-House ‘Argani’. The missions of the festival are the popularization of Cinematography, the development of cultural relations and sharing of knowledge between Georgian and foreign cinematographers. Representatives of 23 countries from Europe, Asia, and America were among the participants and guests of the first edition of the international festival.

ukve meTerTmete Semodgomaa, baTumi `saavtori kinos~ festivals, `biafs~ maspinZlobs, sadac cnobil kinoreJisorebs, prodiuserebsa da kinokritikosebs saSualeba eZlevaT Sexvdnen erTmaneTs, gauziaron gamocdileba da uCvenon axali namuSevrebi kinos sferoSi moRvawe kolegebsa da ubralod, kinoTi dainteresebul adamianebs. festivalze gatarebuli ramdenime dRe damswre sazogadoebisTvis saintereso filmebiTa da, aseve festivalis farglebSi Catarebuli masterklasebiT gamoirCeva. sxvadasxva dros festivals sapatio stumris statusiT eswrebodnen _ nastasia kinski (germania), bela tari (ungreTi), nuri bilge jeilani, ieSim ustaoRlu (TurqeTi), zbignev ribCinski, kSiStof zanusi, ierJi rajiviloviCi, ierJi oskar Sturi, maia komorovska (poloneTi), ios stelingi (holandia), abas kiarostami, dariuS mehrjui, manije hekmati, mohsen amirusafiri

This autumn was the 11th time Batumi hosted the art-house film festival BIAFF, where famous filmmakers, producers and film critics are given the opportunity to meet, share their knowledge, and show new works to their colleagues as well as cinema-lovers. The festival offers very interesting films to its audience, but is also characterized by its high quality series of masterclasses. Distinguished guests have attended the festival several times, including Nastasia Kinski (Germany), Béla Tarr (Hungary), Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Yeşim Ustaoğlu (Turkey), Zbigniew Rybczyński, Krzysztof Zanussi, Jerzy Radziwiłowicz, Jerzy Stuhr, Maja Komorowska (Poland), Jos Stelling (Holland), Abbas Kiarostami, Dariush Mehrjui,

(irani), marlen xucievi, rustam ibragimbekovi (ruseTi), pavel pavlikovski (didi britaneTi), oTar ioseliani, mixeil kobaxiZe, aleqsandre rexviaSvili, nana jorjaZe, irakli kvirikaZe (saqarTvelo) da a.S. „biafis“ meTerTmete kinofestivalma welsac sakmaod kargad SerCeuli, saintereso filmebiT gagvanebivra. sxva festivalTa msgavsad, is wlidan wlamde ixveweba da angariSgasawev kinoforumTa rigSi dgeba. wels warmodgenil ormoc srulmetraJian da amave raodenobis moklemetraJian filmebs warmomadgenlobiTi Jiuri sjida. festivalis farglebSi Catarda saintereso seminarebi, Sexvedrebi da programa, tradiciulad, Semdeg seqciebad daiyo: saerTaSoriso konkursi _ mxatvruli kino, dokumenturi kino da moklemetraJiani filmebi; didostatTa (Master) koleqcia _ cnobil kinoreJisorTa 2016 wlis namuSevrebi; qarTuli panorama _ 2015/16 wlebis filmebis arasakonkurso Cveneba; „Seqspiri kinoSi“ _ Seqspiris 400 wlisTavTan dakavSirebiT, britaneTis sabWos xelSewyobiT naCvenebi iqna mwerlis nawarmoebebis mixedviT gadaRebuli filmebi; retrospeqtiva _ festivalis ramdenime sapatio stumris filmi; FA SHORTS _ evropis kinoakademiis moklemetraJiani filmebis koleqcia _ kinofestivalma gaagrZela

Manijeh Hekmat, Mohsen Amirosafiri (Iran), Marlen Khutsiev, Rustam Ibragimbekov (Russia), Pawel Pawlikowski (Great Britain), Otar Ioseliani, Mikheil Kobakhidze, Aleksandre Rekvhiashvili, Nana Djordjadze, and Irakli Kvirikadze (Georgia). This year, too, the BIAFF treated us with well-selected, interesting films. BIAFF is improving with each new edition, little by little becoming a cinema forum to be reckoned with. The 40 feature films and the same number of short films presented at the festival were examined by an international jury. The festival included interesting seminars, meetings, and the program was divided into the following sections:

TanamSromloba evropis kinoakademiasTan (EFA) da festivalze evropis kinoakademiis saukeTeso moklemetraJiani filmebi waradgina; masterklasebi da Sexvedrebi kinofestivalis stumrebTan (reJisorebi, msaxiobebi da a.S.). kinofestivali 18 seqtembers „baTumis kino-talRam“ gaxsna. sazafxulo TeatrSi mayurebelma baTumur Tematikaze gadaRebuli TerTmeti baTumeli reJisoris TerTmeti TerTmet wuTiani filmi ixila. gaxsnis ceremonialze baTumel msaxiobs berdia inwkirvels xelovnebis mravalwliani msaxurebisTvis gadaeca festivalis simbolo _ `zRvis cxeni~. rva dRis ganmavlobaSi kinofestivals mravali cnobili stumari daeswro _ gela babluani (safrangeTi), vadim abdraSitovi (ruseTi), dito cincaZe (saqarTvelo), mahtab keramati (irani), peter romeli (germania) da a.S. vadim abdraSitovs kinematografSi Setanili wvlilisTvis baTumis kinofestivalis specialuri priziT dajildovda, daxurvis ceremonialze ki festivalis ganviTarebaSi Setanili wvlilisTvis specialuri prizi anJei slavickis gadaeca. baTumis `saavtoro kinos~ kinofestivalze warmodgenili filmebidan gansakuTrebuli yuradReba miipyres: `didostatTa koleqciis~ seqciaSi naCvenebma cnobili britaneli reJisoris ken louCis filmma „me _ daniel bleiki“ (2016 kanis saerTaSoriso festivalis mTavaris prizi); amerikeli reJisoris jim jarmuSis „patersoni“; Tanamedrove ruminuli kinos gamorCeuli reJisoris kristian munjius `kursdamTavrebulni~ (Graduation), koreeli reJisoris kim ki dukis `SeCerdi!~ da poloneli reJisoris antoni krauzes `smolenski~, romlis saerTaSoriso premiera (varSavaSi msoflio premieris Semdeg) swored baTumis kinofestivalze gaimarTa. garda amisa, kinofestivalze Sedga andrei tarkovskis cnobili filmis `stalkeris~ aRdgenili versiis Cvenebac. sakonkurso seqciidan interesi gamoiwvia Semdegma filmebma _ iranuli kinos erT-erTi saintereso reJisoris reza mirkarimis „qaliSvilma”, axalgazrda poloneli reJisoris toma Svasilevskis „siyvarulis SeerTebulma

International Competition – feature, documentary and short films; Masters’ Collection – 2016 works of famous filmmakers; Georgian Panorama – Georgian movies made in 2015-2016, not in competition; ‘Shakespeare in Cinema’ – in the context of the 400th year of Shakespeare’s legacy, film screenings about works inspired by him were arranged with the help of the British Council (including Peter Greenaway and Roman Polanski); Retrospective – films of a number of distinguished guests of the festival; EFA Shorts – a collection of short films from European Film Academy (EFA) – the BIAFF continued its collaboration with EFA and screened its best recent short films; Masterclasses and meetings with guests of the festival (filmmakers, actors, and so on). The festival was opened on the 18th of September by the “Batumi Cinema Wave”. The spectators watched eleven 11-minute films about Batumi by 11 filmmakers from the city. During the opening ceremony, the organizers of the festival awarded Batumian actor Berdia Inchkirveli with a hippocampus, the symbol of the festival, for his contribution to cinema.

Statebma“ (berlinales kinofestivali), bulgareli reJisoris ralica petrovas filmma `uRmerTom~ (lokarnos saerTaSoriso kinofestivalis mTavari prizi), Cexi reJisoris anhre beikis „maswavlebelma“ (karlovi varis kino festivalis programidan), ivan tverdovskis „zoologia“ (ruseTi/safrangeTi/ germania) da sxv. dokumenturi filmebidan gamoirCa _ vitali manskis filmi „axlo urTierTobebi“ (ukrainaSi mimdinare movlenebis Sesaxeb), britanuli filmebi _ „mogonebaTa umankoeba“ (reJisori grant ji) da „weliwadis droebi quinsiSi: jon bergeris oTxi portreti“ (reJisorebi _ kolin makkeibi/tilda svintoni/kristofer roTi/bartek dziadosci), „ganaTlebulTa miwa“ (reJisori piter Jan de pu) da a.S. kinofestivalis msvlelobisas Catarda blogerebis konkursic, romelic meSvided gaimarTa da BIAFF industriuli platforma _ `alternatiuli talRa 2016~. es proeqti saqarTvelos erovnuli kinocentris mxardaWeriT xorcieldeba da misi mizani ucxoeli da qarTveli industriis gamocdili specialistebis, sxvadasxva saerTaSoriso kinofondisa da organizaciis daxmarebiT dabalbiujetiani srulmetraJiani mxatvruli filmebis proeqtebis (scenari, saprezentacio masala dafinansebis, warmoebis, distribuciis da marketingis strategia) xelSewyoba da ganviTarebaa. „molodini, rom yvelaferi kargad Caivlida _ gamarTlda, baTumSi welsac gamorCeuli kinofestivali Catarda, SesaniSnavi programiTa

Many famous guests attended the 10-day festival, including Gela Babluani (France), Vadim Abdrashitov (Russia), Dito Tsintsadze (Georgia), Mahtab Keramati (Iran), and Peter Rommel (Germany). Vadim Abrashitov was awarded a special prize for his contribution to cinematography, while the Special Prize for Contribution to the Development of BIAFF was awarded to Andrzej Slowicki during the closing ceremony. In the Masters’ Collection section, the movies that attracted the most attention were famous Brit director Ken Loach’s film ‘I, Daniel Blake’ (Palme d’Or at the 2016 edition of the Cannes Film Festival); American director Jim Jarmusch’s ‘Paterson’, outstanding contemporary Romanian director Cristian Mungiu’s ‘Graduation’, South-Korean director Kim-Duk Kim’s ‘Stop’, and Pole director Antoni Krauze’s ‘Smolensk’, the international premiere of which (after the world premiere in Warsaw) took place precisely at the Batumi Film Festival. Apart from that, The festival also screened a restored version of Andrei Tarkovsky’s famous movie ‘Stalker’. Among others, the following films in competition attracted particular interest: ‘Daughter’ by Reza Mirkarimi, one the most interesting Iranian directors, young Pole director Tomasz Wasilewski’s ‘United States of Love’ (premiered in competition at this year’s Berlinale), Bulgarian director Ralitza Petrova’s ‘Godless’ (which won the main prize at the Locarno Film Festival), Czech director Jan Hřebejk’s ‘The Teacher’ (from the Karlovy Vary Film Festival program), and Ivan Tverdovskiy’s ‘Zoology’ (Russia/ France/Germany). From the documentary films, Vitaly Mansky’s ‘Close Relations’ (about the events currently taking place in Ukraine), the British films ‘Innocence of Memories’ (director Grant Gee),‘The Season in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger’ (directors Colin MacCabe, Christopher Roth, Bartek Dziadosz, Tilda Swinton) and ‘Land of the Enlightened’ (director Pieter-Jan De Pue), were the most successful with the spectators. A competition for bloggers was also arranged during the festival (for the best coverage of the event); the 7th time that the blogger competition

da saintereso stumrebiT... Cvenma kinofestivalma gaagrZela industriuli Sexvedrebis seqcia da wels ganaxlebuli formatiT `alternatiuli talRa~ iyo warmodgenili, romelSic 9 qarTuli kinoproeqti monawileobda. oTxi dRis ganmavlobaSi mowveuli eqspertebis mier Catarebulma treningebma da individualurma konsultaciebma, monawile kinoreJisorebs scenarebis, kinoproeqtebis Semdgomi ganviTarebis da dafinansebis mopovebisTvis mniSvnelovni daexmareba gauwia. regionuli kinofondis ganviTarebis perspeqtivebis Sesaxeb mrgvali magida gamarTa, romelsac saqarTvelos erovnuli kinocentris, aWaris kulturis saministros da qarTuli kinoindustriis warmomadgenlebi eswrebodnen~ _ ganacxada festivalis menejerma zviad elizianma. rogorc ukve aRvniSneT saavtoro kinos pirveli festivali baTumSi 2006 wels Catarda. misi erTerTi organizatori, reJisori giorgi gogiberiZe ixsenebs: `pirveli festivali lana TabukaSvilis, kora wereTlisa da maia Wyonias daxmarebiT mcirericxovan mayurebelTan erTad CavatareT qalaqSi, sadac kinoTeatri faqtobrivad ar arsebobda. Tavdapirvelad mxolod erTi sakonkurso seqcia arsebobda, sadac

took place, in which 20-25 bloggers on average participate each year. Another important aspect of the festival is its industrial platform, which includes many interesting meetings, workshops, and presentations of various international film funds and organizations. “Our expectation for everything to go smoothly was met: this year, too, the BIAFF was outstanding, with a magnificent program and interesting guests,” said Zviad Eliziani the manager of the festival. “Our festival continued its industrial meetings section and presented the ‘alternative wave,’ in which nine Georgian film projects were participating this year, in a renewed format. The four-day trainings and individual consultations provided valuable assistance to the development of scripts and financing stages of participating directors. The festival also arranged a round table about the development of the regional film fund, in which representatives of the Georgian National Film Center, Adjara’s Ministry of Culture, and the Georgian film industry took part.” The first Batumi International Art-house Film Festival took place in 2006. One of its organizers, director Giorgi Gogiberidze, remembers: “We arranged the first edition of the festival for a small audience with the help of Lana Tabukashvili, Kora Tsereteli and Maia Chkonia, in a city that had practically no cinema theater. In the beginning, there was only one competition section, in which feature and documentary films were combined. Then we added the short film section and the feature and documentary section was separated into two. Over the following years, we also started an industrial/business section, in the framework of which young filmmakers were given the possibility to shoot films and attend masterclasses with leading cinema figures after being selected through a competition. The scale of the festival grows with each year, though, unfortunately, there is still only one

mxatvruli da dokumenturi filmebi iyo gaerTianebuli. Semdeg moklemetraJiani filmebis seqciac daemata da mxatvruli da dokumenturi seqcia gancalkevda. momdevno wlebSi gaixsna industriuli/biznes seqciac, romlis farglebSi gamocxadebuli konkursis Semdeg axalgazrda reJisorebs saSualeba eZlevaT gadaiRon filmebi da gaiaron masterklasebi kinokorifeebTan. festivalis masStabi wlidan wlamde izrdeba, Tumca, samwuxarod, baTumSi dResac mxolod erTi kinodarbazia, romelic mayurebels ver itevs... amitom ukve meoTxe welia kinoCvenebebma Ria sivrceSi gadmoinacvles. aucilebelia Cvens qalaqSi es kultura aRdges, aigos an gamoinaxos Sesabamisi farTi kinodarbazisTvis, sadac mayurebeli simbolur fasad maRalmxatvrul films naxavs~. „biafi“ 25 seqtembers, baTumis xelovnebis centrSi sazeimod daixura. festivalis mxatvruli filmebis sakonkurso seqciaSi granpri filmma „zoologia“ miiRo (ivan tverdovski, ruseTi/ safrangeTi/germania); reJisurisTvis jildo bulgarel ralica petrovas gadaeca filmisTvis „uRmerToba“; saukeTeso mamakacis rolis SesrulebisTvis prizi iranel msaxiobs farhad aslans filmSi „qaliSvili“, xolo qalis rolis SesrulebisTvis ki natalia pavlenkovas (filmSi „zoologia“) ergoT. specialuri diplomiT filmebi „raufi“ (TurqeTi) da „siyvaruli SeerTebuli Statebi“ (poloneTi) dajildovdnen. saukeTeso moklemetraJiani filmis nominaciaSi qarTulma filmma „leTam“ gaimarjva (dea kulumbegaSvili, saqarTvelo), saukeTeso dokumenturi filmis nominaciaSi ki pirveli adgili films _ „kinomogzaurebi~ (Sirli abrafami, amiT mandeSia, indoeTi) xvda wilad. baTumis saavtoro filmebis saerTaSoriso kinofestivali kinomoyvarulebs erTi wliT daemSvidoba. ekaterine daviTaZe

cinema theater in Batumi today, and it cannot accommodate the cinema-lovers of the city... This is why we moved the screenings of the festival to an outdoor space four editions ago. It is necessary to revive this culture in our city, to find an appropriate space for a cinema theater, in which the audience will have the opportunity to watch many films at an affordable price.” BIAFF’s closing ceremony took place in on the 25th of September at the Batumi Art Center. The Grand Prix of the Feature Film Section was awarded to the film ‘Zoology’ (Ivan Tverdovskiy, Russia/France/ Germany), while the Best Director Prize was given to Bulgarian filmmaker Ralitza Petrova for her film ‘Godless’. The Best Actor and Best Actress prizes were awarded to Iranian actor Farhad Aslani for his performance in ‘Daughter’, and Russian actress Natalia Pavlenkova in ‘Zoology’. ‘Rauf’ (Turkey) and ‘United States of Love’ (Poland) were awarded special mentions in the Feature Film Section. The Best Short Film prize went to ‘Lethe’ (Dea Kulumbegashvili, Georgia), and the Best Doc Film prize was won by ‘The Cinema Travelers’ (Shirley Abraham/Amit Madheshiya, India). The Batumi International Art-house Film Festival is now preparing for its next edition in 2017. Ekaterine Davitadze

ra SeiZleba amaze Rirebuli gavakeTo? Is there any more valuable thing for me to do? fantastikis kiTxva herbert uelsiT daviwye da Zalian gamikvirda, rodesac misi uCinmaCini mxiarulad ki ara, aramed mZimed da uimedod dasrulda. mere sisxls mowyurebuli marselebi iyvnen, drois manqana ki SiSs mgvrida, imis magivrad, rom gavexalisebine. mivxvdi, es mwerali raRac axali eris dasabams gvauwyebda da winaswar Wvretda yvela im problemas, rac momavalSi gamoikveTeboda. dasturi amaze ki mxolod ramdenime dRis winaT, baton irakli lomourisgan miviRe, rodesac literaturuli klubis, `fantastis~ Sekrebaze aRmovCndi...

I started reading fantasy with H. G. Wells and I was very surprised that his novella ‘The Invisible Man’ did not have a happy ending but instead one that is heavy and desperate. Then there were bloodthirsty Martians, and ‘The Time Machine,’ filling me with fear instead of entertaining me. I realized that the writer was predicting the beginning of a new era, and already determining all the problems we would have to face in the future. And I got the proof of this a few days ago from Mr Irakli Lomouri when I found myself sitting at a meeting of the literary club ‘Fantast’...

_ herbert uelsi samecniero fantastikis fuZemdebelia (sxvaTa Soris, 2016 weli misi saiubileo welia, dabadebidan 150, gardacvalebidan ki 70 weli Seusrulda). Jiul vernisgan gansxvavebiT, romelic gulubryvilod umReroda teqnikur progress da, ZiriTadad, saTavgadasavlo romanebs qmnida (amitomac aRiqmeba dRes saymawvilo mwerlad), herbert uelsma iwinaswarmetyvela atomuri da lazeruli iaraRi, dajavSnuli samxedro teqnika da a.S. magram man mxolod

H. G. Wells is the founder of science fiction (he would have been 150 years old in 2016, and it is also the 70th anniversary of his death). Unlike Jules Verne, who was naively impressed by technological progress and mainly wrote adventure novels (which is why he is considered a writer for youth), H. G. Wells anticipated atomic and laser weapons, armored military equipment, and more. And he didn’t only foresee new types of devices, but also social and moral problems that humanity would face in the future – let’s say it, quite often, technical developments do not bring unconditional happiness

principulad axali tipis danadgarebi ki ar ganWvrita, aramed is moralur-socialuri problemebi, romelTa winaSe kacobrioba samomavlod aRmoCndeboda, _ gamxelilad vTqvaT, rom teqnikur progress upirobo bedniereba ki ar moaqvs adamianisTvis, aramed, piriqiT, xSir SemTxvevaSi, _ ubedureba. man pirvelma ivarauda, rom ucxo civilizaciasTan Sexeba ver iqneba „mSvidobiani“. cnobili mecnieri stiven hokingi dRes swored ase fiqrobs da kacobriobas mouwodebs, frTxilad iyos. rodesac irakli lomouris Tanatolebi main ridsa da fenimor kupers kiTxulobdnen, is `ucxo planetebze~ mogzaurobda. bavSvobaSi fantastikis mravaltomeuli aRmoaCina da mixvda, _ es misi samyaroa. gataceba arc zrdasrul asakSi gaunelda. ori wlis win, zafxulSi erTTviani dasvenebis dros xelSi planSeti Cauvarda da mocaleobis Jami fantastikis kiTxvaSi gaatara. kidev erTxel darwmunda, rom amgvari literatura misTvis didi siamovnebisa da sixarulis momtania da... fantastikis moyvarulTa klubis daarseba gadawyvita. feisbukis saSualebiT idea `gaaziara~ da Jurnalis gamocemis gegma dasaxa. pirveli Sekreba maleve, mis saxlSi moewyo. Tavdapirvelad mxolod orni movidnen, _ ina imedaSvili da levan gelaSvili, _ Tumca mere klubis wevrTa raodenoba nel-nela gaizarda. fantastikaSi batoni irakli samecniero fantastikas, fentezis, horors, mistikas, siurrealizms, absurds, magiur prozas da literaturul zRapars moiazrebs, anu yvelafers, rac arsebul realobas, yofiT ganzomilebas scdeba. klubis wevrebi weren moTxrobebs, Targmnian, qmnian ilustraciebs da awyoben diskusiebs. TavisTavad is, rom dRes, yoveldRiuri, rTuli yofiTi problemebis sivrceSi, arsebobs saxli, sadac magidasTan Sekrebili sxvadasxva asakis adamianebi svamen Cais (da ara mxolod), miirTmeven namcxvars da ucxo samyaroebze saubroben, fantastikad aRiqmeba _ erTerTi aseTi Sekrebis mowme da monawile Tavad gaxldiT. oTaxSi nel-nela Semodiodnen studentebi, enTuziazmiT savse gogo-biWebi da maTi ufrosi Tanamoazreebi. cota

for us humans, but on the contrary, trouble. He was the first to guess that contact with an unknown civilization couldn’t be “peaceful”. Famous modern-day scientist Stephen Hawking agrees, and advises humanity to be cautious. When Irakli Lomouri’s generation was reading Mayne Reid and James Fenimore Cooper, he was traveling on alien planets. He discovered a multivolume collection of fantasy books in his childhood, and understood right away that it was where he belonged. His passion didn’t fade with age. Two years ago, during a one-month summer vacation, he got a tablet and spent his whole holiday reading science fiction. He became convinced once again that this literature genre is the one that gives him most pleasure and happiness, and decided to create a science fiction amateurs’ club. He made his idea public on facebook and outlined a plan to publish a magazine. The first meeting happened not long after that, in September, in his own house. Only two persons came to that first meeting – Ina Imedashvili and Levan Gelashvili – but little by little, the number of club members increased. A magazine was also published thanks to their efforts. By fantasy, Irakli means science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystic, surrealism, absurd, magic realism and literary stories, in other words everything that transcends the conventional dimensions of our existing reality. Club members write stories, translate, create illustrations and arrange discussions. Naturally, the fact that today, in the context of difficult day-to-

foto: Tamuna Cqareuli

ar iyos, „araamqveyniuri“ garemo iqmneboda, saidanac gamosvla da yoveldRiurobaSi dabruneba, fsiqologiurad arcTu ioli aRmoCnda... arada, ucnauria, rom fantastikis Janris literaturas saqarTveloSi tradicia, faqtobrivad, ar gaaCnia. batoni iraklis azriT, es ramdenime faqtoriTaa gamowveuli, erT-erTi ki Cveni istoriuli yofaa: rodesac yoveldRiuri gadarCenis reJimSi xar da Seni cxovreba isedac hgavs „horor sToris“, fantastikisTvis dro da energia aRara grCeba. albaT, asec aris, Tumca klubis axalgazrda wevris, levan gelaSvilis azriT, literaturis am Janrs CvenTan safuZveli meoce saukunis ocian wlebSi eyreboda, magram, samwuxarod, sabWoTa cenzuram xeli SeuSala mis ganviTarebas. _ rusuli literatura icnobs karg fantastebs, vaprotesteb me da diskusiaSi verTvebi.

day problems, there is a house with a table around which people of various ages gather, drink tea (and not only tea), eat pastry (and not only pastry), and discuss unknown universes, can be seen as fantasy in itself – and I had the chance to take part in one such meeting. Students, girls and boys full of enthusiasm, and likeminded adults came into the room in dribs and drabs. An otherworldly atmosphere took hold of the place, and it wasn’t easy, from a psychological point of view, to leave it and to return to regular, everyday life... Strangely enough, there is practically no literary tradition in the science fiction genre in Georgia. Mr. Irakli thinks that this is caused by several factors, and one of them simply our history: when you are constantly struggling to survive and your life already looks like a horror story, you don’t have time or energy for science fiction anymore. It maybe so, but according to Levan Gelashvili, a young member of the club, this literary genre took its first steps in Georgia in the 1920s, but unfortunately, soviet censorship hindered its development. “But Russian literature has some good science fiction writers,” I object, entering the discussion. “This is because literature was planned and regulated during the Soviet Union. What was possible for Russia wasn’t possible for Georgia...”

_ es imitom, rom literatura, sabWoTa kavSirSi gegmiuri da reglamentirebuli iyo. rac SeiZleboda ruseTisTvis, ar SeiZleboda saqarTvelosTvis... ilia WavWavaZis `iveriaSi~ 1887 wels iakob mansvetaSvilis feletoni daibeWda, sadac amerikelebis mTvareze mogzauroba iyo aRwerili. realurad, ki pirveli qarTuli fantastikuri romani, „qali sarkeSi“ aleqsandre abaSelma dawera. is 1929 wels gamoqveynda. ocdaaTiani wlebis dasawyisSi ivane yifianis romani „amoni, anu aTasi wlis Semdeg“ gamoica. es metad saintereso romania, _ ambobs batoni irakli. siuJetis mixedviT, mTavar gmiri 1000 wlis Semdeg, Soreul momavalSi iRviZebs... da iciT ra aris yvelaze saintereso: arsad Cans komunisturi atributebi, _ partia, raikomi, komkavSiri, xolo leninisa da stalinis biustebi mxolod muzeumSia gamofenili. anu momavlis komunisturi wyoba sruliad Tavisufalia, araa totalitarulkoleqtivisturi. adamianebi, ZiriTadad, xelovnebiTa da SemoqmedebiT arian dakavebulni, mZime samuSaos avtomatebi asruleben. oficialurad komunizmia, magram marqsistul-leninuri ideologiisgan Tu partiulobisgan daclili _ dRevandeli gadmosaxedidan es wigni antisabWoTa literaturad aRiqmeba. araa gasakviri, rom avtori, ivane yifiani 1937 wels daapatimres da gaaqres... _ ra SeiZleba amaze Rirebuli gavakeTo? am klubze, axalgazrdebTan muSaobaze Rirebuli? _ TiTqos sakuTar

In 1887, Ilia Chavchavadze’s newspaper ‘Iveria’ printed a feuilleton by Iakob Mansvetashvili describing the American’s journey to the moon. The first real Georgian science fiction novel was Aleksandre Abaseli’s ‘Woman in Mirror’, which was published in 1929. At the beginning of the 1930s, Ivane Kipiani’s novel ‘Amon, or After a Thousand Years’ was published. “It is a fascinating one,” says Mr. Irakli. The story goes like this: the main protagonist wakes up a thousand years in the future. The most interesting thing is that the future envisaged by the book does not contain any communist attributes – the party, ‘raikoms’, the Komsomol... And Lenin and Stalin’s busts can only be seen in museums. So the communist structure is completely free, and not totalitarian or collectivist anymore. People are mainly busy with art and creation, while difficult tasks are done by automatic machines. Officially, this is communism, but drained from any Marxist-Leninist ideology or the concept of political party – from today’s viewpoint, this book can clearly be considered as anti-Soviet literature. So it won’t be surprising to learn that its author was, Ivane Kipiani, was arrested and then vanished in 1937... “Is there some more valuable thing for me to do? More valuable than working on this club with these young people?” It’s as if Irakli asked the question to himself, and he answers, too, “Nothing. Whatever I write, it will never outweigh this. Exchanging our views at the club gives us incredible motivation. We help each other in improving our skills. In reality, our club is a literary studio – a creative studio. Some members are very young, some are even schoolkids. People from different generations are gathered around the same idea. We will never get bored of this, even though the

Tavs usvams kiTxvas irakli da Tavadve pasuxobs, _ araferi. rac unda davwero, amas mainc ver gadaswonis. klubSi urTierToba saocar stimuls gvaZlevs. erTmaneTs vexmarebiT daostatebaSi. Cveni klubi, sinamdvileSi, literaturuli studiaa _ SemoqmedebiTi saxelosno. gvyavs axalgazrdebi, skolis mowafeebic ki. sxvadasxva Taobis adamianebs erTi idea gvaerTianebs. Cven es ar mogvbezrdeba, oRond klubs xelSewyoba sWirdeba, _ ambobs irakli lomouri, _ gulubryvilod megona, rom biznesmenebi da saxelmwifo uwyebebi dagvexmarebodnen, magram ase ar moxda... Tumca imeds ar vkargavT... Jurnalis gamocema ioli saqme araa... jerjerobiT Jurnal `fantastis~ sami nomeria gamosuli. iq ibeWdeba cnobili mwerlebis moTxrobebi: pirveli nomeri mieZRvna rei bredberis, meore _ hovard lavkrafts. zogierTi moTxroba klubis wevrebma qarTulad pirvelad Targmnes. ibeWdeba qarTveli avtorebis nawarmoebebic. CemTvis es siaxlea. Turme arian mwerlebi, romlebic kalams am JanrSi cdian. es mniSvnelovani sakiTxia - me xo mudam ganvicdi faqts, rom aseTi mdidari istoriis memkvidreebs, romlis Tundac erTi epizodidan SesaZlebelia fantastikuri samyaros Seqmna da `samefo karis~ TamaSebis Tanadi

club needs some support,” he says. “I naively thought that businessmen and state structures would come to us themselves, but it didn’t happen... But we haven’t lost hope... Publishing a magazine is not an easy task...” To date, there have been three issues of the magazine ‘Fantast’ presenting stories by famous writers. The first issue focused on Ray Bradbury and the second on Howard Lovecraft. Some of the stories were translated into Georgian for the first time, of course by club members. We also publish stories by Georgian authors. “This is very new for me. I discovered there are authors who try their pens at this genre. This is very significant – I always feel concerned by the fact that in a country with such history, from which only one episode would be enough to create a fantasy world and write works like ‘Game of Thrones,’ we don’t have anything even close to it...” Mr. Irakli says. “This isn’t an accurate picture of the situation,” he reassures me. We have a wonderful female writer who created a cycle of novels based on Georgian mythology. Our third issue is precisely dedicated to her, Nato Davitashvili, and to Georgian fantasy (along with current authors, ‘Fantast’s’ third issue published Iakob Mansvetashvili’s ‘Feuilleton’ from 1887 and Edisher Kipiani’s sciencefiction work from 1966). And I recall Nato Davitashvili’s “Fogs and Beyond Fogs.” Let’s take even Vakhtang Gorgasali. He would be a wonderful werewolf king. Let’s create a world similar to that of Marvel... The characters are numerous...”

nawarmoebis dadeba, jer msgavsi araferi gvaqvs... _ ase araa, marwmunebs batoni irakli. Cven gvyavs mSvenieri mwerali qali, romelmac qarTul miTosze dayrdnobiT romanebis cikli Seqmna. mesame nomeri swored mas, nato daviTaSvils, da qarTul fantastikas mivuZRveniT (nomerSi Tanamedrove avtorebis gverdiT daibeWda iakob mansvetaSvilis 1887 wlis feletoni da ediSer yifianis samecniero-fantastikuri moTxroba, romelic 1966 wels daiwera). da me maxsendeba nato daviTaSvilis „nislebi da nislebs miRma~, Tumca ar vcxrebi. _ aviRoT Tundac vaxtang gorgasali. mSvenieri mefe maqcia gamovidoda. SevqmnaT marvelis dari samyaro... personaJebi bevria... _ komiqsebis warmoqmna, principulad amerikuli movlenaa, _ erTveba kamaTSi axalgazrda avtori. amerikis SeerTebuli Statebi multikulturulia da sxvadasxva qveynebidan Camosulma emigrantebma, sakuTari gmirebi `Camoiyvanes~, xolo am gansxvavebuli personaJebis erTobliobam ki komiqsebis fantastikuri samyaroebi Seqmna. am dros oTaxSi ori iraneli Semodis. kidev erTi acdena realobidan. maTi Tanmxlebi gogonebi mxiarulebas ver malaven _ eseni turistebi arian. qali mweralia, es ki misi vaJiSvilia, axla gavicaniT da am Sexvedraze wamosvlis survili gamoTqves. skamebi aqeT-iqiT iweva da stumrebi magidis wevrTa Soris adgils martivad pouloben. qarTulad vsaubrobT _ inglisurad vubodiSebT, razec inglisuradve viRebT pasuxs, rom es araa problema _ maT qarTuli enis mosmena ainteresebT. diskusia grZeldeba. erT-erTi axalgazrda _ konstantine qardava _ sakuTar nawarmoebs gvikiTxavs _ wuna da wruwuna (`CxikvTa qorwili~) zootopiis modelze gadauwyvia. saintereso da Tamami mcdelobaa _ vaJa fSavela piqsaris kanonebSi Casva. sakamaTocaa, rogorc mogvianebiT aRmoCndeba, Tumca es ar aris mTavari. am yvelafris arsi isaa, rom aq namdvili da gulwrfeli interesebis irgvliv gaerTianebul xalxi akeTebs im saqmes, romelic maT yvelaze metad ainteresebT _ es ki, dameTanxmebiT, TiTqmis SeuZlebeli da miuwvdomeli fufunebaa dRes. ira WeliZe ilustraciebi malxaz rusaZisa

“The emergence of comics is mainly an American phenomenon,” a young author adds. “The USA is multicultural; emigrants coming from various countries brought their own heroes with them, and the combination of these different characters created the fantastic worlds that exist in comics.” Two Iranians enter the room at this moment. Another small jump out of reality. The girls accompanying them cannot hide their delight: “They are tourists. This woman is a writer, and this is her son, we just met them and they said they wanted to come to this meeting.” Chairs are moved and the guests easily find some room between the people sitting around the table. We speak in Georgian, and apologize to them in English, to which we get the answer that it’s not a problem – they are interested in listening to the Georgian language. The discussion continues. One of the younger ones, Konstantine Kardava, reads us his own creations – he transposed ‘Tsuna da Tsrutsuna’ (from ‘Chkhikvta Kortsili’) to the model of the movie ‘Zootopia’. It is an interesting and daring enterprise – transposing poet Vazha Pshavela into Pixar criteria. It would even become the source of an argument, but that’s not what’s important. The important thing is that here, people gathered here around their heartfelt passion, do what interests them most – and you will agree that in today’s world, this is almost an impossible, inaccessible luxury. Ira Chelidze Illustrations Malkhaz Rukhadze

aleqsandre korsantia

bevri ram jer ar damikravs Alexander Korsantia

There are still a lot of things I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t played 64

miuxedavad gasuli saukunis 60-70-iani wlebis `SavTeTri~ ferebisa, mSvenieri bavSvoba mqonda... im droidan sxvas arafers gavixseneb da saubars pirdapir, musikisa da Cemi urTierTobiT daviwyeb. Tu ambiciurobaSi ar CamiTvliT, getyviT, _ raRac niWis arsebobas, imas rom am saqmeSi raRacis gakeTebas SevZlebdi, adreve vigrZeni. Tumca `Tavdadebuli~ mowafe ar viyavi, vzarmacobdi kidec; cotas, magram xalisiT vmecadineobdi da `ucxo xalxSi~ dakvra msiamovnebda. dRevandeli gadasaxedidan es bavSvuri damokidebuleba ukmayofilebis grZnobas miCens da raRacas, albaT, vnanob... samagierod, gamimarTla _ myavda saukeTeso maswavleblebi. pirveli iyo deda da axlac asea _ Tbilisis konservatoriis profesori, svetlana korsantia; Semdeg iyvnen vanda SiukaSvili da natalia xalatova. ToTxmeti wlisa dedam Tengiz amirejibTan wamiyvana pirvel gakveTilze. es dRe gadamwyveti aRmoCnda Cems cxovrebaSi. bavSvi aRar viyavi da verc `didad~ vgrZnobdi Tavs, magram vxvdebodi, rom axla mxolod Cemze iyo damokidebuli ras gavakeTebdi da mivaRwevdi momavalSi. im pirvelma gakveTilma, romelic sakmaod didxans gagrZelda, Cemi cxovreba sabolood daukavSira musikas.

Despite the ‘black and white’ colors of the 1960-70s, I had a wonderful childhood... I won’t tell you about every aspect of it, and will start right away the relationship I had with music. It will maybe sound pompous, but I felt some kind of talent in me very early on; I knew that I would be able to do something in this field. I wasn’t a very dedicated student though, I was actually quite lazy, but I liked learning and I loved playing in front of unknown people. Looking over this childish attitude now, I feel unsatisfied, and perhaps I regret something... On the other hand, I was very lucky because I had the best teachers. My first teacher was my mother, professor of Tbilisi’s Conservatory Svetlana Korsantia, then Vanda Shiukashvili and Natalia Khalatova. When I was 14, my mother brought me to my first lesson with Tengiz “Gizi” Amirejibi. This day turned out to be a fateful one. I wasn’t a kid anymore, and I didn’t feel like an adult either, but I understood that I was the only person responsible for my actions and for what I would achieve in the future. This first lesson was quite long and irrevocably united my life with music. This is how a new stage of my life started in the class of Mr. Gizi. His lessons not only showed me the way to depths of music I didn’t know about, but also gave me a new perspective on the world.

ase daiwyo Cemi cxovrebis axali etapi batoni gizis klasSi. misma gakveTilebma aramxolod CemTvis manamde ucnob musikis siRrmeebSi gamikvala gza, aramed sxva TvaliT damanaxa samyaro. dakvris garda misgan bevri ram SegeZlo geswavla: diriJoroba, musikisa da zogadad xelovnebis istoria, esTetika... yoveli gakveTili dasamaxsovrebeli iyo. maSin, Cems repertuars sxva nawarmoebebTan erTad Seemata mocartis fa maJoruli sonata (K.332), Sumanis merve noveleta da Sopenis meoTxe balada. swored meoTxe baladaze muSaobas hqonda CemTvis gansakuTrebuli mniSvneloba, vamuSavebdiT yvela umcires detalsa da niuanss, rac arc erTs gvRlida da arc meores. aTwledis damTavrebis Semdeg, Cveni gakveTilebi konservatoriaSi swavlisasac gagrZelda. aspiranturis CaTvliT baton gizisTan 11 weli viswavle. amirejibi gaxldaT rusuli, kerZod, igumnovis skolis tradiciebs gamgrZelebeli. mec am skolas mivakuTvneb Tavs da sakmaod konkretul mizezTa gamo, upiratesobasac swored mas vaniWeb _ es aris xelis dayeneba, musikaluri aRzrdis sistema Tu sxva. rusuli skola, frangul da germanul skolebTan erTad saukeTesoa da isini dResac, demokratiuli swavlebis pirobebSi, kvlav inarCuneben Tavis maxasiaTeblebs. am tradiciebs mivyvebi dResac bostonis niu inglendis konservatoriaSi; studentebs gamudmebiT vesaubrebi maTze, Tumca ar vcdilob daZalebas da Tavze moxvevas. pativs vcem da Zalian miyvars sxva skolebic, magram maqvs erTi mTavari kriteriumi, esaa siTbo. roca

eliso bolqvaZe, aleqsandre korsantia, manana doijaSvili, gizi amirejibi ELISO BOLKVADZE, ALEXANDER KORSANTIA, MANANA DOIJASHVILI, GIZI AMIREJIBI

vxedav, rom students TiTebSi an Sinaganad es siTbo aklia, vcdilob amaze gavumaxvilo yuradReba _ msurs mas es siTbo gavuRvivo. rac Seexeba wminda pianizms, is SeiZleba sxvadasxvanairi iyos. me myavs ramdenime studenti mkacrad Camoyalibebuli germanuli teqnikiT, radgan isini adre Cemi kolegisa da megobris, Cineli pianistis hun-kuan Cenis mowafeebi iyvnen; Ceni germanul tradiciebze aRizarda da axla juliardSi aswavlis. myavs qarTveli studentebic. ori sxvadasxva skolis dapirispireba Tavadac gamovcade, rodesac saswavleblad leqso ToraZesTan sauT bendSi Cavedi. musikaluri TvalsazrisiT, es sakmaod dramatuli cvlileba iyo. gizi da leqso sxvadasxva tipis musikosebi arian da maTi swavlebac Zalian gansxvavebulia. wminda esTetikur sxvaobasTan erTad, amerikaSi pirvelad vigrZeni TiTqmis anarqiuli Sinagani Tavisufleba. es leqsos ar uswavlebia, amas amerikaSi cxovrebisas mivxvdi da rac maSin Zalian damexmara. Seicvala Cemi SemoqmedebiTi centri da Zalac. ra Tqma unda, gizim es maSinve igrZno, magram, is maRali kulturis adamiani iyo da imdenad frTxilad melaparakeboda, rom TiTqmis arc magrZnobina. amis gasagebad

With him, one could learn many more things than playing music: conducting, music and art history, aesthetics... Each lesson was memorable. I remember that, among other pieces, my repertoire was enriched with Mozart’s Sonata in F Major (K.332), Schumann’s Novelette No. 8 and Chopin’s Ballade No. 4. Working on the latter was particularly significant for me – we were working on the smallest details and nuances with utmost attention, and it wasn’t tiring for either one of us. After finishing high school, our lessons continued at the Conservatory. All in all, I studied with Mr. Gizi for 11 years. He was the successor of Russian musical traditions, namely those of the Igumnov School. I also feel I belong to this school, and it is my favorite one for very specific reasons – maybe its hand placement, its musical education system, or other aspects. Along with the French and the German Schools, the Russian is one of the best, and even today, in democratic educational conditions, it preserves its characteristic features. I also follow these traditions at Boston’s New England Conservatory; I always explain them to my students, though I don’t force them to adhere. I respect and love other Schools too, but I have one main criterion: warmth.

didi dro damWirda, yovel adamians xom movlenebis aRqmis Tavisi tempi aqvs, erTs ufro swrafi, meores ufro neli. Cems SemTxvevaSi es procesi dResac grZeldeba _ axla 51 wlis var, miyvars Cemi asaki, radgan mwams, rom wlebis matebas mosdevs sibrZne da gasakeTebelic kidev bevri maqvs. leqso ToraZesTan sauz bendis universitetSi swavlis wlebi udidesi sixaruliT iyo savse. Tbilisis konservatoriis Semdeg, magistris meore diplomi, leqsos xelmZRvanelobiT miviRe. Cemi urTierToba leqsosTan yovelTvis iyo da iqneba Zalian Tbili, megobruli da Zmuri. Cven, Cem meuRle neas, nikuSas da me, yovelTvis gvemaxsovreba da davafasebT leqsos sikeTes da rols Cvens cxovrebaSi. sauz bendSi TiTqmis aTi wlis cxovrebis Semdeg gadavediT vankuverSi. iq, briTiS kolumbia universitetSi, davyavi Zalian nayofieri ori weli. 2003 wels moulodnelad miviRe mowveva bostonis niu inglandis konservatoriidan, rasac siamovnebiT davTanxmdi. amJamad var am konservatoriis profesori.

When I feel that a student lacks this warmth in his fingers or in himself, I try to shift our attention to this aspect – I want to trigger this warmth in him/her. About pure pianism, it can take different forms. I have several students with a precise German technique, as they used to study with my colleague and friend, Chinese pianist Hung-Kuan Chen, who was taught the German piano traditions and now teaches at Julliard. I also have Georgian students. I experienced the “clash” between two piano Schools myself, when I went to study with Lexo Toradze at South Bend. From a musical point of view, it was quite a dramatic change. Gizi and Lexo are different types of musicians and their teaching methods are also very different. Apart from pure aesthetic difference, I felt an almost anarchic internal freedom for the first time in the US. I didn’t get this from Lexo, but from the experience of living in the US, and it helped me a lot. My creativity and creative force both changed. Naturally, Gizi felt it right away, but he is a very civilized person and talked to me about it with such care, that I almost didn’t feel it. It took much more time for me to realize it, as each individual has his/her own rhythm of perceiving such things, some are faster, some are slower. Actually, this process is still continuing for me – I am 51 years old now, and I like my age, because

radgan, leqso Zalian bevrs, Zalian xSirad da, albaT, saukeTesod ukravs XX saukunis rus kompozitorebs, bunebrivia, Cvenc, mis mowafeebs gvinda maTi nawarmoebebis aseTi usazRvro, emociuri dakvra. am repertuaris garkveuli nawili TbilisSi ukve naswavli mqonda, mag. prokofievis meSvide da merve sonatebi, mesame safortepiano koncerti. amerikaSi amas sxva safortepiano koncertebi daemata da dRes Cemi repertuari ocdaToTxmet safortepiano koncerts moicavs, rac arc bevria da arc cota; maT Sorisaa mocartis ramdenime, beThovenis meoTxe, mexuTe da bonSi dawerili adreuli koncerti; Sopenis meore; bramsis meore; raxmaninovis meore da mesame; ravelis koncertebi. gansakuTrebiT miyvars marcxena xelisTvis dawerili nawarmoebebi, romelTac saocari sulieri Zala aqvT da romlebic gagrZnobinebs, rom TiTqos ara erTi an ori, aramed sami xeli ukravs. naswavli maqvs, Tumca koncertze ar damikravs Sopenisa da bramsis pirveli koncertebi. vukrav prokofievis pirvel sam koncerts da axla minda meoTxe da mexuTe koncertebis dakvrac, sruli cikli rom

maestro jansuR kaxiZesTan erTad / WITH MAESTRO JANSUGH KAKHIDZE

I believe that wisdom comes with age, and that I still have a lot of things to achieve. Years of studying with Lexo Toradze at the Indiana University at South Bend were filled with inspiration and joy. Under Lexoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tutelage I earned my second Masters Degree, having the first one from the Tbilisi Conservatory. My relationship with Lexo always was and still is warm, friendly and brotherly. My wife Neya, our son Nikusha and myself will always remember and appreciate Lexoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s help and his role in our lives. We stayed in South Bend for almost a decade before moving to beautiful Vancouver, Canada where I joined the faculty of the University of British Columbia. Two more rewarding years passed. Suddenly an invitation came for me to accept a teaching position at the New England Conservatory in Boston. We moved again and here we are! Because Lexo plays a lot of 20th century Russian composers, plays them often, and is probably the best at it, we, as his students, want to play their compositions with the same, unlimited emotion. I had already learned part of this repertoire in Tbilisi, for instance

Prokofiev’s Sonatas No. 7 and No. 8, as well as his Piano Concerto No. 3. Other piano concertos were added to this in America and today my repertoire counts 34 piano concertos, which isn’t either a large or a small number; it includes some of Mozart, Beethoven’s 4th, 5th and an early concerto composed in Bonn, Chopin’s 2nd, Brahms 2nd, Rachmaninov’s 2nd and 3rd, and Ravel’s concertos. I am particularly fond of pieces composed for the left hand, which have tremendous soul, and make you feel like there are three hands playing instead of one or two. I have learned Brahms’ and Chopin’s first concertos, though I have never performed them on stage. I am playing Prokofiev’s first three concertos, and now I want to play the 4th and 5th too in order to close the cycle. I learned Stravinsky’s Concerto for piano, wind and contrabass with Lexo, and to me, nobody can perform this concerto like he does. Concerning my solo repertoire, I have been working on a project for several years, in the context of which I am performing and recording every piano sonata by Beethoven. The project is carried out by Dutch label Piano Classics. I am not following the order of the sonatas while playing and recording, and I will probably need ten more years to finish this project. To tell you the truth, I am not hurrying, I prefer working on the best possible quality. This project is now on hold, because other very important ones have started, for which I am very glad of course – and we will carry on with the Beethoven project very soon.

Sesruldes. leqsosTan viswavle stravinskis koncerti fortepianos, Casaberebisa da kontrabasisTvis; mimaCnia, rom leqsosaviT am koncerts msoflioSi veravin ukravs. rac Seexeba solo repertuars, ramdenime welia grZeldeba Cemi proeqti, romlis farglebSi unda Sevasrulo da Cavwero beThovenis yvela safortepiano sonata. proeqts axorcielebs holandiuri leibli Piano Classics. Sesrulebisa da Cawerisas sonatebis Tanmimdevrobas ar vicav da proeqtis dasasruleblad albaT kidev aTi weli damWirdeba. simarTle giTxraT, arc vcdilob, viCqaro, mirCevnia xarisxze ufro vizruno. axla es saqme odnav Seferxda, radgan, sxva aranakleb mniSvnelovani proeqtebi daemTxva, rac TavisTavad, aseve Zalian maxarebs, beThovenis proeqts ki male isev gavagrZelebT. vfiqrob, rom bevri ram jer ar damikravs, ratomRac ase moxda, raRac davukari da raRac gamovtove. SegiZliaT gamkicxoT amisTvis. gegmaSi yovelTvis maqvs axali nawarmoebebis swavla. miWirs gavixseno kompozitori, visTanac axlo kavSirs ver vgrZnob da visi dakvrac ar minda; yvelafris dakvra minda da es arc Tu realuri da janmrTeli grZnobaa, radgan Znelia yvela nawarmoebis

meuRlesTan nea korsantiasTan erTad / WITH HIS WIFE NEYA KORSANTIA

bolomde miyvana. xSirad, mxolod imitom vswavlob maT, rom Cemi studentebi ukraven da kidev bevrs viswavli, albaT, am mizeziT. studentisgan xom ufro metis swavla SeuZlia profesors, vidre piriqiT. es maTdami komplimenti araa, ubralod, gamocdil adamians swavlac ukeTesad SeuZlia _ swavla xom gacilebiT rTuli da kompleqsuria, vidre swavleba. xom vxedav, ra dReSi arian Cemi studentebi, ris fasad uwevT TiToeuli nawarmoebis dakvra. es ar xdeba imitom, rom me vaswavli rTulad, ara! ra Tqma unda, es didwiladaa damokidebuli studentis niWis tipze an azrovnebis stilze. zogjer sakmarisia xuTi wuTi imis gamosacnobad, Tu ra tipis niWTan gaqvs saqme da Semdeg masTan erTad gatarebuli wlebis ganmavlobaSi rwmundebi am Sefasebis sisworeSi. zogjer ki wlebi gWirdeba niWis amosacnobad. CemTvis orive SemTxveva saintereso da mudmivi dakvirvebis sagania _ es araa zusti mecniereba, aq yvelaferi icvleba. 1995 wels Tel-avivSi rubinSteinis saerTaSoriso konkursze gamarjveba, CemTvis moulodneli ar yofila. ra Tqma unda, rodesac Jiuri gamodis da acxadebs Sedegebs, moulodnelobis faqtori yovelTvis arsebobs. magram, gamomdinare saerTo ganwyobidan da presidan, romelic konkursis Sesaxeb iwereboda, mec da msmenelic vgrZnobdiT, rom Jiuri gran pris me momaniWebda. maSin ocdacxra wlis asakSi sruli mzaoba mqonda, rom es jildo mimeRo da Semdeg pianistis kariera gamegrZelebina. axla rom vixseneb, ra Tqma unda mqonda Secdomebic, Tu amas Secdomebs davarqmevT. SeiZleboda esa Tu is nawarmoebi sxvanairad ukeTesadac damekra, magram, es SemoqmedebiTi procesia da SeuZlebelia uamisoba yofiliyo. miuxedavad amisa, maSin ramdenime CemTvis

I think that there are a lot of things that I still haven’t performed, for some reason it happened so; I have played some pieces, and missed others. One could reprimand me for this, but I always have the learning of new pieces in mind. I cannot think of any composer to whom I don’t feel very close, and whose compositions I wouldn’t like to play; I want to play everything, which isn’t either a realistic or healthy feeling, as it is very difficult to finalize every piece, to play them in the right way. I often learn new compositions because my students play them, and I will probably still learn a lot of new ones in this way. I think teachers can learn more from students than the other way around. This is not a compliment, it’s just that an experienced person can learn better – and learning is much more difficult and complex than teaching... I know that from the situation of my students, I see how much effort they need to make to play a piece. And no, this is not because I have a difficult method of teaching! This has more to do with the type of talent and the thinking pattern of students themselves. Sometimes, five minutes are enough to guess which type of talent you have in front of you, and you get more and more convinced that you guessed it right in the following years. And sometimes, you need years to find out which talent it is. To me, both occurrences are utterly interesting and are subjects of my curiosity – this isn’t a science, it is ever-changing. In 1995, winning the International Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv was not unexpected for me. Naturally, there is always a surprise factor when the jury arrives and announces the results, but because of the general atmosphere and the echoes from the press about the competition, the audience and myself were both sensing that I would be awarded the Grand Prix. Back then, at 29 years of age, I was ready to receive this award and then continue my career as a pianist. When thinking about it now, of course, I made some mistakes,

Zalian mniSvnelovani koncerti gavmarTe, maT Soris erTerTi Tbilisis musikalur centrSi, sadac prokofievis merve sonata da musorgskis `suraTebi gamofenidan~ Sevasrule. pianists musikalurad gazrdisTvis da repertuaris gasamdidreblad sWirdeba dro. bostoni amis saSualebas iZleva. iq cxovrebis tempi gacilebiT, aTjer ufro nelia niu iorkTan SedarebiT. miuxedavad imisa, rom juliardi dResac udidesi skola da saxelia, problemaa, rom iq yvelaferi Zalian daCqarebulia. aseve vfiqrob, rom Cveni, niu inglendis konservatoria erT-erTi wamyvani da saintereso saswavlebelia aramxolod amerikaSi, aramde msoflioSic da rac mTavaria, swori mimarTulebiT viTardeba. saerTod, bostonSi musikosisTvis zRapruli garemoa Seqmnili, mis scenebs saerTod ar etyoba, rom klasikuri musika naklebad popularulia da rom musikis sxva mimarTulebebi da dargebi agresiulad cdiloben gandevnon is darbazebidan. swored amis gamo ar mjera, rom klasikuri musika dRes `itanjeba~. Tumca amis saSiSroeba garkveuli periodis win iyo da am safrTxes akademiuri personalic vgrZnobdiT. bevrs am SiSis gancda dResac gamohyva, magram me aRar. rodesac 30 wlis win beThovens axsenebdi, maSin es bevrad naklebs niSnavda, vidre dRes _ dRes es saxeli bevrad ufro didad da

if I can say so. I could have played this or that piece in a different, better way, but this is a creative process, and you cannot take that aspect out of the picture. Despite this, I have taken part in several concerts that were very significant to me at that time, including one in Tbilisi’s Center for Music and Culture, where I performed Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 8 and Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures at an Exhibition.’

vaJTan nikuSasTan da meuRlesTan nea korsantiebTan erTad WITH SON NIKUSHA AND WIFE NEYA KORSANTIA

mistiurad JRers. klasikuri musika isev inarCunebs Tavis sidiades da amitom, me arasdros vambob, rom adre ukeTesi dro iyo; es saerTod ar mimaCnia seriozul Temad da arc arasdros vkamaTob amaze, radgan mjera progresis. progresi ki arasdros araa mudmivi winsvla, is winsvlebisa da mcire ukusvlebis monacvleobaa. micdia diriJorobac, es iyo eqsperimenti. diriJoroba aucilebeli Tu ara, sasargeblo namdvilad aris yvela SemsruleblisTvis. diriJoroba xom isedac yvelam viciT, misi arcodniT, ubralod ver davukravdiT. rac Seexeba safortepiano koncertebis erTdroulad dakvras da diriJorobas, vfiqrob es SesaZlebelia aramxolod tradiciul mocartisa da beThovenis Sesrulebis dros, aramed prokofievis SemTxvevaSic. magaliTad, me da Cemi megobari, italieli diriJori janandrea nozeda imdenad kargad vugebT erTmaneTs, rom mis orkestrTan dakvra mis gareSec ar gamiWirdeboda. rac Seexeba SarSan `saqarTvelos sinfonietasTan~ dakrul beThovenis meoTxe safortepiano koncerts, am orkestrs oficialurad isedac ar hyavs diriJori da amdenad udiriJorod dakvras isedac SeCveulebi arian. es koncerti gansakuTrebiT damamaxsovrda, radgan mqonda Zalian maRali sicxe...

Pianists need time to evolve musically and to enrich their repertoire, and Boston provides this possibility. Compared to New York, the rhythm of life is ten times slower. Despite the fact that Julliard is still an illustrious school, I think everything happens too hastily there. I also think that our New England Conservatory is one of the leading and most interesting musical institutions, not only in America, but around the world, and most importantly, it is on the right path of development. In general, Boston offers an ideal, almost fairytale atmosphere for classical musicians, you don’t feel that classical music is less popular on its stages, nor that other genres of music are agressively trying to get it out of concert halls. This is precisely why I don’t think that classical music is ‘struggling’ today. But there was indeed a risk for this to happen some time ago, and we academicians also felt it. This fear has followed many people until today, but I am not one of them. I think that when one mentioned Beethoven 30 years ago, it meant much less than it does now – today, this name stands for something much greater and more mysterious. Classical music retains its greatness, and because of that, I never say that “we had better times before”; I think that it isn’t a serious subject, and I never argue on this theme, because I believe in progress. And progress is never a constant way forward, it is made of a combination of forward and small backward steps.

klasikur repertuarTan erTad vukravdi jazsac _ es iyo TbilisSi. bevri jazmeni megobari myavda, aramxolod pianistebi. davdiodiT jaz-klubebSi, mainteresebda da gulTan axlos mimqonda, mgoni mesmoda kidec _ yovel SemTxvevaSi, gemovneba namdvilad Camoviyalibe. Semdeg, garkveuli dilemis winaSe davdeqi da cxovrebam mimaxvedra, rogori arCevani gamekeTebina _ jazi ise advilad da bunebrivad ar gamomdis, rogorc unda gamodiodes, radgan is kidev ufro WeSmariti dargia, aq xom kompozitori ar gyavs mediumad da srulaid SiSveli xar. axlac veswrebi xolme jaz-koncertebs, TviTon ki didi xania aRar vukrav _ ar minda cudad dakvra. baTumi, masterklasis Semdeg / BATUMI, AFTER A MASTERCLASS

I have also tried conducting, and it was a very interesting experience. I don’t know if conducting is necessary, but it is definitely very useful for all musicians. I think we all know how to conduct anyway, as it would simply be impossible to play in an orchestra without this knowledge. As for the simultaneous playing and conducting of piano concertos, I think it is possible not only for traditional Mozart and Beethoven performances, but also for Prokofiev. For instance, me and my friend, Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda, understand each other so well that it wouldn’t be difficult for me to play with his orchestra without his presence. Concerning last year’s performance of Beethoven’s Concerto No. 4 with the Georgian Sinfonietta, this orchestra doesn’t have an official conductor anyway, so they are used to playing without one. I remember this concert very well, because I had a high fever while performing...

mSoblebTan erTad / WITH PARENTS

koncertis ZiriTadi programis bolos yovelTvis miwevs bisze dakvra. am dros, nawarmoebis amorCevisas, bevr faqtors viTvaliswineb. Tu bisze erTze meti nawarmoebis dakvra miwevs, SeiZleba SerCeva kontrastulic iyos. magaliTad, stravinski-agostis `faskunjis~ virtuozuli transkrifciis finali imdenad grandiozulia, rom mas Tavisuflad SeiZleba mosdevdes skarlatis an soleris sonatebi, an Tundac haidnis romelime sonatis neli nawilis gamWvirvale musika. es gamWvirvaloba kidev ufro mniSvnelovania, vidre tempi an dinamika, aseTi musika qmnis raRacnair Rrubels da koncertis bolos umTavresad swor efeqts aRwevs. magram, yovelTvis ase SeiZleba arc moxdes. Tavad me yovelTvis mirCevnia koncertis mSvidad dasruleba, vidre foriaqiT. Cawera da dawera Salva cxovrebaZem

I also used to play jazz in Tbilisi. I had a lot of jazzmen friends, not only pianists. We went to jazz clubs, I was very interested in this genre, and I felt it was very close to me, I think I could even understand it – in any case, I really got a taste for it. Then I had a kind of dilemma, and life itself showed me the way – I couldn’t perform jazz as spontaneously as it should be, it is an even more genuine genre, you don’t have the composer as a medium, and you perform completely “naked”. I still go to jazz concerts, but I haven’t played jazz myself for a long time – I don’t want to play badly. I always have to play an encore after the main program of the concerts, and I always take many things into account while choosing the piece I will perform. If I have to play more than one composition, my choice can even be a contrastive one. For instance, the virtuosic transcription of Straginsky-Agosti’s ‘Firebird’s’ finale is so grandiose that it can easily be followed by Scarlatti’s or Soler’s sonatas, or even the transparent music of a sonata by Haydn. This transparency is even more important than the tempo or dynamics, as this sort of music creates a kind of cloud and achieves an essentially positive effect for ending a concert. But it may happen otherwise too. I personally always prefer finishing a concert peacefully rather than tumultuously. Recorded and written by Shalva Tskhovrebadze

„realobis natifi grZnobiT“, anu Teatraluri ambavi...

“With a Refined Sense of Reality” a Theater Tale... ukve merve welia Tbilisis saerTaSoriso Teatraluri festivali saTeatro sazogadoebaSi wlis mTavar movlenad iqca... ukve merve welia Teatris moyvarulebi elodebian Semodgomis dadgomas, romelic axal saTeatro sezons saerTaSoriso Teatraluri festivaliT xsnis... ukve merve welia dedaqalaqSi ikribeba qarTuli Teatraluri dasebi da SeZenil gamocdilebas, Sekrebil mayurebelTan erTad, ucxoel kritikosebs, prodiuserebsa da festivalebis direqtorebs acnoben. ukve merve welia yoveli Semodgoma TbilisSi Teatralur bazrobas maspinZlobs, romelic sxvadasxva scenaze anTebs emocias da vnebas, SemoqmedebiTad duRs, boboqrobs da yvelas axsenebs, rom qarTuli Teatri cocxlobs da viTardeba... ukve merve welia safestivalo gundi „realobis natifi grZnobiT“ xelmZRvanelobs da qarTvel (da aramxolod) mayurebels amogzaurebs Tanamedrove Teatraluri procesebis jadosnur samyaroSi... It’s been eight years since the Tbilisi International Festival of Theater became the main yearly event in theater society... Eight years since theater lovers first started eagerly awaiting the beginning of autumn, when the International Festival of Theater opens the new theatrical season... Eight years since Georgian theater companies first started gathering in the capital city to share their experiences with the audience, foreign critics, producers and festival directors... Eight years since each autumn, Tbilisi has hosted a theatrical forum that ignites emotions and passions on various stages, storming with creativity and reminding everyone that Georgian theater is alive and evolving... Eight years since the festival team first started working “with a refined sense of reality” and allowing Georgian (and other) audiences to travel through the magical world of modern theatrical processes...

SemTxveviTi ar aris, rom festivalis devizia _ „realobis natifi grZnobiT“. Tanamedrove, sxvadasxva Janris, aRmosavleT evropis yvelaze masStaburi Teatraluri forumi, realobas mxatvruli formiT, Teatris eniT gvixatavs. yovelwliurad (da mizanmimarTulad) amitomaa mravalferovani festivalis programa, romelic aramxolod sxvadasxva kontinentebis kulturas, aramed Tanamedrove saTeatro Janrebs aerTianebs. am niSniT wlevandeli festivalic gamorCeuli iyo _ masSi monawileobda dasi Soreuli aRmosavleTidan _ iaponiidan (suZukis kompania toga) da ukiduresi CrdiloeTidan _ norvegiidan (kari hoas prodaqSenzi). maTTan erTad warmodgenebi gamarTes _ ukrainelebma, rusebma, somxebma, britanelebma, polonelebma, germanelebma, indoelebma... festivalSi monawileebs

It is no coincidence that the motto of the festival is “with a refined sense of reality”. This modern, multi-genre theatrical forum, which is the biggest in Eastern Europe, depicts reality in an artistic, theatrical language. Every year (and on purpose), the Festival program is diverse and presents not only a mix of cultures from different continents, but also a variety of contemporary theater genres. This year’s Festival took place in the same spirit, with the participation of a company from the Far East – Japan (Suzuki Company of Toga) and from the extreme North – Norway (Kari Hoaas Productions). Many other nationalities also performed along with them – Ukrainians, Russians, Armenians, British, Poles, Germans, Indians... and all participants in the Festival had in common a certain refinement, artistic perfectionism and theatrical subtleness, and they were diverse in their ways of depicting reality

aerTianebdaT sinatife, mxatvruli srulyofileba da Teatraluri daxvewiloba, da ganasxvavebda realobis asaxvis formebi da radikalurad gansxvavebuli kulturuli tradicia. safestivalo maraToni, marjaniSvilis TeatrSi, aditi mangaldasis cekvis kompaniam daiwyo, romelmac ornawiliani speqtakli „Signidan“ warmoadgina. `gakvanZuli~, ase erqva warmodgenis pirvel nawils, romelSic induri saTeatro formis _ induri cekvis kaTakis stilis SenarCunebuli varianti vixileT, meore nawilSi (`gakvanZulsa~ da `gaxsnilSi~) ki msoflioSi aRiarebulma qoreografma da mocekvavem kaTakis modernizebuli versia warmogvidgina. aditi mangaldasis

and their radically different cultural traditions. The Festival marathon was opened in the Marjanishvili Theater by the Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company, which performed a two-part play named ‘Within’. The first part of the performance, “Knotted”, explores the Indian theater dance form Kathak in its classical version, while the second part, “Unwrapped” allows us to discover a version of Kathak that has been modernized by the world-renowned choreographer and dancer. The Aditi Mangaldas Dance Company was performing in Georgia for the first time and left an indelible impression on its Georgian audience (especially non-verbal theater lovers), even though the festival’s audiences are already well acquainted with the dance genre in question, as they have seen Akram Khan’s unforgettable ‘Kaash’. With this

kompania saqarTveloSi pirvelad imyofeboda da qarTvel mayurebelze (gansakuTrebiT araverbaluri Teatris moyvarulebze) waruSleli STabeWdileba datova, miuxedavad imisa, rom festivalis mayurebeli kargad icnobs am sacekvao JanrSi mimdinare procesebs _ ukve nanaxi aqvs aqram hanis dauviwyari „kaaSi“. speqtaklSi aditi mangaldasim daamtkica Tavisi TviTmyofadoba da gansakuTrebul erTguleba induri cekvisadmi, vinaidan is ara garegnul gamomsaxvelobiT saSualebebze, aramed Sinagan gancdebsa da detalebze muSaobs. swored am detalebiT azrovnebaSia qoreografis genialuroba da xibli, romelic erTi SexedviT aramomgebiani xerxebiT naTels xdis mis damokidebulebebs samyarosa da adamianebze. pirvelad, festivalis rva wlis istoriis ganmavlobaSi, saerTaSoriso programaSi gaCnda ori axali mimarTuleba: ekranizebuli da quCis Teatri. festivalze vixileT manCesteris `roial iqsCeinjis~ axleburi „hamleti“, qali msaxiobiT mTavar rolSi (hamleti maqsin piki) da `londonis nacionaluri baletis~ bolodroindeli, erT-erTi yvelaze popularuli speqtakli _ „hamleti“ benediqt qamberbiCis monawileobiT. ekranidan, romelic speqtaklis satelevizio versias warmoadgenda, mainc

performance, Mangaldas proved her originality and her particular faithfulness to Indian dance, as she works not only on external means of expression, but also on internal emotions and details. These details are actually what the genius and charm of this choreographer are about, allowing us to understand her views on the world and on people with methods that, at a glance, are not advantageous. For the first time in the festival’s eight-year history two new

aRiqmeboda dadgmis genialuroba. masSi, erTdroulad gamoixata tradicia (msaxiobTa TamaSis stili, Sesrulebis manera) da novatoroba (scenografia). quCis Teatrebis mopatiJebiT festivalis Janrobrivi gamravalferovnebis garda, gaizarda mayureblis segmenti da masStabi, vinaidan „axal tiflisSi“ gamarTul or warmodgenas, polonursa da da britanuls, SemTxveviTi mayurebelic Seeswro, romelic uneblieT aRmoCnda am saxiobis monawile. quCis interaqtiul warmodgenaSi „peregrinusi“ (`Teatri kto~, poloneTi) asobiT mayurebeli CaerTo, romlebic reabilitirebuli aRmaSeneblis quCaze dasdevdnen msaxiobebs, sinamdvileSi Cvensa da maT prototipebs, romlebic yoveldRiuri rutinis gamo robotebad qceuliyvnen. xolo zaarbriukenis moedanze britanulma kompania „sTil hauzi“ cekvis eniT da audio-vizualuri instalaciebis

directions appeared in the international program: on-screen theater and street theater. In the frame of the festival, we were able to see Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theater’s new version of Hamlet, with a woman playing the main character (Hamlet – Maxine Peake) and one of the London’s National Ballet’s latest and most popular plays – ‘Hamlet’, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. On the screen, in the televised version of the play, the genius of the dramaturgy could still be felt. In the performance, both tradition (the performing style of the actors) and innovation (the scenography) were present. By inviting street theaters to participate, the Festival increased its genre diversity as well as the audience segment and scale, as two performances (Polish and British) that took place in New Tiflis were witnessed by random passers-by who became part of the plays by accident. During the interactive street performance ‘Peregrinus’ (Theater KTO, Poland), hundreds of people became

gamoyenebiT mogviyva ambavi mxedrebsa da gaWenebul cxenebze, romelmac sajiriTo maraTonSi energiuli mayurebelic CaiTria da warmodgenis monawiled aqcia. namdvili siurprizi aRmoCnda gogonebis „dax doTerz bendi“ ukrainidan, romelmac namdvili da gulwrfeli emociebis cecxli daanTo moZraobis TeatrSi sagangebod Seqmnil ficarnagze. musikos-Semsruleblebma mayurebels setyvasaviT dauSines zRva emocia da pozitivi. sevdiani, tragikuli da lirikuli ambebis Txrobis miuxedavad, romelmac speqtaklSi „vardebi“ moiyara Tavi, mayurebeli warmodgenis msvlelobaSi bolomde

involved and started following the actors around on the newly renovated Aghmashenebeli Avenue, while the actors played prototypes of us and them, people who have been turned into robots by daily routine. On Saarbrucken Square, the British company Still House told us the tale of horses and their riders with dances and audiovisual installations, also involving the energetic audience in the riding marathon and making them a part of the performance. The Dakh Daughters Band from Ukraine turned out to be a real surprise, the girls igniting a fire of genuine and sincere emotions on a wooden stage specially built for the performance in the Movement Theater. The musician-performers bombarded the audience with a sea of emotions and positive energy, and, despite the sad, tragic and lyrical stories of the play ‘Roses’, the audience became entirely involved in the performance- with the stage and the pit becoming one. The artists radiated a cascade of positive emotions like a scent of roses and, with the audience, they created a rock opera, promoting exploration of new forms of contemporary popular music and presenting a necessary context for our modern life. With natural grace, the “thorned rose” girls managed to break through the walls of boredom of the gathered audience and to give them a tremendous amount of positive energy and love. The culmination of the Festival, ‘The Marriage of Maria Braun’, was performed in the Rustaveli Theater; a production of Berlin’s renowned Schaubuhne Theater directed by Thomas Ostermeier

CarTo, ramac scena da parteri erT mTlianobad aqcia. artistebi vardis surneliviT afrqvevdnen dadebiTi emociebis kaskads da maT mayurebelTan erTad Seqmnes rok-opera, romlebic aramxolod Tanamedrove popularuli musikis axali formebis Ziebas emsaxureba, aramed dRevandelobisTvis aucilebel konteqstsac warmogvidgens. `vardiviT eklianma~ gogonebma bunebrivad moaxerxes TeatrSi Sekrebili sazogadoebis mowyeniloba, Semokruli kedlebis msxvreva da mayureblisTvis auracxeli pozitiuri energiisa da siyvarulis gadacema. festivalis kulminacia rusTavelis TeatrSi warmodgenili „maria braunis qorwineba“iyo, romelic berlinis aRiarebuli Teatr „Saubiunes“ produqciaa, tomas ostermaieris

based on the original movie script of Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Schaubuhne and plays by its artistic director are especially loved in Georgia. Thomas Ostermeier was introduced to the Georgian audience last year, with Henrik Ibsen’s ‘An Enemy of the People’. The play was much appreciated by the audience and interest in Ostermeier’s plays has since increased greatly within professional circles. The story of Maria Braun, performed on the main stage of the Rustaveli Theater, was no disappointment and convinced the theatrical society that Schaubuhne’s artistic director is an inexhaustible source of imagination who, using conditionality, a simple and plain theatrical language, can express in the duration of one play the constant shifts in not only epochs (and with them, people), but also atmospheres.

reJisuriT. speqtakli rainer verner fasbinderis filmis scenaris mixedviT ganxorcielda. `Saubiune~ da misi samxatvro xelmZRvanelis speqtaklebi gansakuTrebiT uyvarT saqarTveloSi. qarTveli mayureblisa da tomas ostermaieris gacnoba SarSan henrik ibsenis „xalxis mteriT“ moxda. speqtaklma mayureblis gansakuTrebuli mowoneba daimsaxura da mas Semdeg misi warmodgenebis mimarT profesiul wreebSi interesi gaasmagebulia. rusTavelis Teatris did scenaze gaTamaSebul maria braunis ambavma molodini gaamarTla da saTeatro sazogadoeba daarwmuna imaSi, rom `Saubiunes~ samxatvro xelmZRvaneli aris fantaziis uSreti wyaro, romelsac pirobiTobiT, martivi da sada Teatraluri eniT SeuZlia erT speqtaklSi gadmosces aramxolod epoqaTa (da masTan erTad adamianebis), aramed atmosferos mudmivi monacvleoba. is detalebiT, minimalisturi scenografiuli kanonebiT da uaRresi pirobiTobiT axerxebs amas. SaubiunelTa warmodgena qalzea, romelsac Zlier mxareebTan erTad, sisusteebic blomad aqvs ise, rogorc yvela adamians. is gviCvenebs mizandasaxuli adamianis cxovrebis rTul da qartexilebiT, TavgadasavlebiT savse gzas, romlis fonze vecnobiT aTasgvari kategoriis, miswrafebebis, survilebisa da msoflmxedvelobis adamianebs. tomas ostermaieris speqtakli erTgvari gakveTilia, romelzedac vswavlobT cxovrebas, vpoulobT gamosavals gamouvali situaciebidan.

He manages this with details, minimalist scenography laws and extreme conditionality. ‘The Marriage of Maria Braun’ is the story of a woman who, along with her strengths, has many weaknesses, just like any other person. It shows us the life of a determined person, full of difficulties, challenges and adventures; her journey allowing us to discover persons characterized by a huge variety of aspirations, wishes and views. Thomas Ostermeier’s play is a lesson of sorts, teaching us about life and finding solutions to seemingly hopeless situations. The second gem of the festival was the original, mystical and unforgettable ‘Songs of Lear’ by Song of the Goat, a Polish theater company the Georgian audience was already familiar with – but

wlevandeli festivalis meore margaliti, qarTveli mayureblisTvis ukve nacnobi polonuri Teatri „Txis simRera“ iyo, romelmac originaluri, mistikuri da dauviwyari „mefe liris simRerebiT“ daimkvidra adgili qarTveli Teatralebis mexsierebaSi. wels misma damaarsebelma, reJisorma gJegoJ bralma anton Cexovis „alublis baRis“ mxolod mesame aqti SemogvTavaza. Cexovis dramis (asea gadawyvetili reJisoris mier speqtaklis Janri, Tavad piesis avtori mas komediad miiCnevs) musikaluri interpretacia kompozitorebs

‘Songs of Lear’ inscribed them in the memories of Georgian theater enthusiasts forever. This year, the founder of the company, director Grzegorz Bral offered us the third act of Anton Chekhov’s ‘Portraits of the Cherry Orchard’. The musical interpretation of Chekhov’s drama (the director chose this specific genre for the play, though the author saw it as a comedy) was composed by Guy Pearson and Maciej Rychły. The storyline of the play revolves around the feelings brought about by leaving the lost paradise – the cherry orchard (which is a symbol of former greatness and spoiled values), expressed through usual methods (gestures,

gai prinsosas da maCei rixlis ekuTvniT. reJisorisTvis Cexovis yvelaze popularul piesaSi mTavari dakarguli samoTxis _ alublis baRiT (romelic warsuli didebis da Rirsebis simboloa) gamowveuli gancdebia, romelsac Cveuli xerxebiT (Jesti, mimika, moZraoba da vokali) gadmoscems gJegoJ brali. personaJTa urTierTobebi da emociebi am formiT ikveTeba, rac savsebiT sakmarisia ideis gadmosacemad da mayureblis mosajadoveblad. bralis warmodgenebi mistikur rituals emsgavseba, romelic emociur zemoqmedebas axdens maTze, vinc ar uyurebs moqmedebas da mxolod ismens msaxiobTa xmebs, an piriqiT. warmodgenis Semdeg, speqtaklis avtorTan kritikosebisTvis Sexvedrac gaimarTa, romelzec polonelma reJisorma ganacxada, rom misTvis, alublis baRi, ararsebuli didebis (gnebavT, Rirsebis) mimarT gamoTxovebaa. iqneb, marTlac, realur cxovrebaSi mivtiriT imas, rac CvenTvis isedac ar arsebobda da didi xnis win davkargeT... festivalis saerTaSoriso programa `suZukis kompania togam~ egzotikuri warmodgeniT daasrula. bevri kulturuli erisgan gansxvavebiT, iaponia is iSviaTi gamonaklisia, romelsac erovnuli Teatri aqvs `kabukis~

mimes, movement and vocals) by Grzegorz Bral. Carrying the relations between the characters and their emotions through this form is more than enough to transmit the idea and bewitch the audience. Bralâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performances look like mystic rituals that have an emotional impact on those who do not look at the performance

and only listen to the actors’ voices, or vice-versa. After the performance, a meeting with critics was arranged, during which the Polish director said that to him, the cherry orchard represented the parting from an inexistent greatness (or values). Perhaps, in our real lives, we also grieve over things that never actually existed or are long lost... The international program of the festival was closed by an exotic performance from the Suzuki Company of Toga. Japan is one of the only nations in the world to boast its own traditional national theater, in the form of “Kabuki” and “Noh”. As for the European

da `nos~ saxiT. evropuli modelis Teatri ki iaponiaSi erovnul tradiciebs daeqvemdebara da swored am ori tradiciis Serwymis klasikuri magaliTi vnaxeT „troeli qalebis“ saxiT, romelic vizualuri statikurobis miuxedavad, Znelad, magram mainc SesamCnev, Rrma Sinagan gancdas da ideas atarebda. aq aucilebeli ar iyo sxeulis srulad CarTva moqmedebaSi. fexebi (iSviaTad xelebi) da evripides teqsti iyo mTavari instrumenti, romelic gmirTa ganwyobas da Sinagan gancdebs gadmoscemda. sakmaod mravalferovani qarTuli speqtaklebis programa daxvda festivalis ucxoel stumrebs, romelmac moicva aramxolod klasikuri evropuli Tu qarTuli dramaturgiis scenuri interpretaciebi, aramed Tanamedrove qarTul da ucxour saTeatro teqstebze dayrdnobiT Seqmnili speqtaklebi. Cveneuli speqtaklebis programis farglebSi erTdroulad wardgnen axalbeda, damwyebi qarTveli reJisorebi da gamocdili ostatebi. oTxi dRis ganmavlobaSi dedaqalaqis Teatrebis scenebi warmoadgendnen sxvadasxva Janris, stilistikis, formisa da esTetikis speqtaklebs, rogorc Tbilisidan, aseve sxvadasxva regionidan. sxvaTa Soris, wels Georgian Show Case-ze mTavar programaSi sapatio adgili eWiraT regionis (foTi, WiaTura, zugdidi) Teatrebs, rac imaze

theater model, it was adapted to national Japanese traditions, and what we saw with ‘Trojan Women’ was a perfect example of the combination of these two traditions; despite visual stillness, it managed to convey clear, deep feelings and ideas. The play didn’t need to use bodies to their fullest: legs (and more rarely, arms) and Euripides’ text were the main instruments relaying the mood and inner feelings of the characters. Foreign visitors were met with quite a diverse Georgian showcase program, including not only scenic interpretations of classic European or Georgian dramaturgy, but also plays based on contemporary Georgian and foreign theater texts. Both new theater directors and experienced masters presented their works

metyvelebs, rom Tbiliss gareTac iqmneba saintereso da mxatvruli xarisxiT gamorCeuli, Rirseuli namuSevrebi... programaSi gansakuTrebuli adgili daiWires sabavSvo da Tojinurma warmodgenebma („Svlis nukris naambobi“, „gamouqveynebeli novela“, „fausti“, „marSal de fanties brilianti“); dramatuli Teatrebis gverdiT, programaSi Sedioda araverbaluri warmodgenebi (moZraobis Teatris „qariSxali“) da damoukidebeli, eqsperimentuli proeqtebic (daTo xorbalaZis „wuxili“). `qarTul Teatrs~ gansakuTrebiT uyvars Seqspiri (mozard mayurebelTa Teatris „aurzauri arafris gamo“ da kinomsaxiobTa Teatris „mefe liri“) da sabednierod, Cvenma Teatrma is saukuneTa ganmavlobaSi, lamis erovnul dramaturgad aqcia da iseve warmatebuli, rogorc erovnuli vaJa-fSavela („stumar-maspinZeli“, axmetelis Teatri). aranakleb saintereso aRmoCnda brextis „dakanonebuli ukanonoba“ robert sturuas interpretaciiT, iseve rogorc levan wulaZis usityvo dramatuli speqtakli „ucxoobaSi“ (Solom aleixemisa da guram baTiaSvilis piesebis mixedviT). qarTuli speqtaklebis programis farglebSi Sedga ramdenime premiera, romelTa Sesaxeb diskusia profesiul

in this section, and over four days, the theater stages of the capital showcased plays of different genres, styles, forms and aesthetics, from Tbilisi, but also from various regions of Georgia. Regional theaters (from Poti, Chiatura, and Zugdidi) held an honorable spot in the main program of the Georgian Showcase section, which shows that Tbilisi is not the only place in Georgia where interesting and artistically accomplished, valuable plays are being created... An important part of the program was dedicated to children’s plays and puppet theater (‘The Story of the Roebuck’, ‘Unpublished Novel’, ‘Faust’, ‘Diamond of Marshal de Fiante’); apart from drama theaters, the program included non-verbal performances (the Movement Theater’s ‘The Tempest’) as well as independent, experimental projects (Dato Khorbaladze’s ‘Sorrow’). Georgian theater particularly loves Shakespeare (Youth Theater’s ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ and the Actors’ Theater’s ‘King Lear’) and fortunately enough, our theater has been transforming him into almost some kind of a national playwright for centuries, and he now became as successful as Georgian poet Vazha-Pshavela (‘Host and Guest’, Akhmeteli Theater). Robert Sturua’s adaptation of Brecht’s ‘The Exception and the Rule’ turned out to be no less interesting, as did Levan Tsuladze’s non-verbal drama ‘Begalut – In Exile’ (based on Shalom Aleichem and Guram Batiashvili’s novels).

wreebSi dRemde ar cxreba. nawarmoebebi, romlebic diskusiis saSualebas iZlevian imis imedsac aCens, rom qarTuli Teatri eZebs axal, originalur da TviTmyofad gzebs tkivilis gadmosacemad da mayureblisTvis gasaziareblad. am mxriv, gamorCeulia samefo ubnis Teatris „promeTe _ damoukideblobis 25 weli“, musikisa da dramis TeatrSi paata cikolias mier ganxorcielebuli „aiiq“ da guram macxonaSvilis Tojinebis TeatrSi dadgmuli „13 TibaTvisa“... samive speqtakli axal qarTul saTeatro teqsts efuZneba, rac imasac niSnavs, rom Tanamedrove qarTuli dramaturgia cdilobs fexi auwyos qarTul Teatrs. Tbilisis saerTaSoriso Teatraluri festivali erTi wliT daemSvidoba mayurebels. axla sakmarisi droa nanaxis gasaazreblad da gamocdilebis gasaziareblad. sakuTari, Cveni qarTuli Teatris adgilis sapovnelad msoflio Teatralur rukaze, dasamSvideblad, an gasacxareblad... manamde ki, Tbilisis saerTaSoriso festivalis gundi axal programaze muSaobs CvenTvis, siurprizebis da axali aRmoCenebis gasakeTeblad. laSa CxartiSvili, Teatrmcodne

Professional circles are still discussing several premieres presented in the Georgian Showcase section. These creations offer food for thought and allow us to hope that Georgian theater is searching for new, original and autonomous ways to convey suffering and share it with its audience. In this regard, the Royal District Theater’s ‘Prometheus/25 years of independence’, Paata Tsikolia’s ‘Aiik’ performed at the Music and Drama Theater, and Guram Matskhonashvili’s ‘13th of June’ at the Puppet Theater were of particular significance... These three plays are based on new Georgian theater texts, which means that contemporary Georgian dramaturgy is trying to keep pace with Georgian theater. The Tbilisi International Festival of Theater bid farewell to its audience for another year – enough time to digest what they have seen and to share their experience, to find their place and that of the Georgian theater on the globe’s theater map, to calm and then to get excited again... And during this time, the team of the Tbilisi International Festival of Theater will be working on a new program to offer us even more surprises and memorable experiences. Lasha Chkhartishvili, theater critic

mravalferovani saqarTvelo Diverse Georgia

amboben, rom gagania meore msoflio omSi CarTuli qveynis premier-ministr ser uinston CerCils Tavdacvis ministri mivardnia damatebiTi finansebis moTxovniT. premiers ukiTxavs, rogor fiqrobT romel sferos unda movakloT Tanxebi Tavdacvis sasargeblodo. magaliTad ganaTlebaso, miugia ministrs. maSin dasacavi raRa dagvrCebao... CerCilis es naTqvami kulturazec Zaldautaneblad vrceldeba. sasiamovno moulodneloba iyo CemTvis, roca Cemma megobarma, mweralma guram megreliSvilma kulturis saministrosgan xelSewyobil giorgi leoniZis saxelobis qarTuli literaturis muzeumis proeqt `mravalferovani saqarTvelos~ farglebSi marneulSi gasamarT RonisZiebaze momiTxro da monawileoba SemomTavaza. sixaruli momgvara imanac, rom am SekrebaSi Cveni ufrosi megobari giorgi lobJaniZec monawileobda. adamiani, romlis gakeTebul saqmeTa xsenebasa da maTi mniSvnelobis xazgasmas es werili ver auva. kulturis saministrom sagangebo avtobusi gamogviyo da saministrodan warmomadgenlebi _ qalbatoni irina saganeliZe da batoni aleqsandre grigalaSvili gamogvayola. pirvel gasvlaze marneulSi CavediT da

They say that in the middle of the Second World War, Sir Winston Churchill’s Minister of Defense came to him and asked for additional finances. The PM asked him: “What do you think, from which field should we cut this money to improve our defense?” The Minister answered that it could be education. “Then what will there be left to protect?” – this answer from Churchill can easily be applied to Culture. It was a pleasant surprise when my friend, writer Guram Megrelishvili told me about an event taking place in Marneuli in the context of the project ‘Diverse Georgia’ arranged by The Giorgi Leonidze Georgian Literature Museum and supported by the Ministry of Culture, and suggested I participate in it. I was very happy to discover that our older friend Giorgi Lobzhanidze was also taking part– a person whose works and their significance could not be described appropriately in this letter. The Ministry of Culture arranged a special bus for us and some delegates from the Ministry, Mrs Irina Saganelidze and Mr Aleksandre Grigalashvili, joined our expedition. Our first excursion was to Marneuli, where we started by visiting a photo exhibition in the foyer of the Nariman Narimanov Culture House. We then exhibited books there and answered the questions of the visitors, after which we spoke before a large

nariman narimanovis saxelobis kulturis Senobis foieSi jer suraTebis gamofena davaTvaliereT, mere wignebi gamovfineT, damTvalierebelTa SekiTxvebs vupasuxeT da Semdeg uzarmazari darbazis winaSe gamovediT. saubari, zogadad kulturas, da ufro konkretulad ki literaturul urTierTobebs exeboda. magram arc marneulelebi dagvxvdnen xelcarielni. sxvadasxva skolis moswavleebma Cveni gamosvlis Semdeg SesaniSnavi repertuari SemogvTavazes leqsebisa da simRerebiT Sezavebuli, xolo koreeli biWis qarTulma, romelic iq dagvxvda, yvela gagvaoca da mogvxibla. moswavleebis gamosvlis Semdeg scena kulturis saministros miwveviT CvenTan erTad wamosul konservatoriis reqtoris, rezo kiknaZis jazbends daeTmo. sasiamovno iyo is, rom maTTan erTad marneulelma ymawvilmac daukra da vfiqrob, jer kidev bavSvisaTvis, aseTi ndobis gamocxadeba sasikeTo da stimulia samomavlod. marneulSi koncerti dasrulda, magram CvenTvis sazeimo ganwyoba ar dasrulebula... igive ganmeorda bolnisSic, mxolod im gansxvavebiT rom axla musikosTa sxva jgufi gvaxlda. diliT 10 saaTze daviZariT bolnisisken. gavixseneT marneulis RonisZieba da aqeTur-iqeTurze gavabiT saubari. bolnisSi Casulebi

guram megreliSvili, giorgi lobJaniZe da me wignis maRaziaSi SevediT. saswavlo weli axali dawyebuli iyo da wignis maRaziis sakancelario ganyofilebasTan bavSvebi da mSoblebi ireodnen. wignebi davaTvaliereT da SeviZineT kidec. Semdeg, bolnisis kulturis centris foieSi isev naxatebi da mirza fatali axundovis saxelobis azerbaijanuli kulturis muzeumis mier mowyobili gamofena davaTvaliereT, Semdeg darbazSi gadavinacvleT. giorgi lobJaniZem `qalilasa da dimnaze~ ilaparaka. xazi gausva teqstis istorias, mniSvnelobas, qarTulad

audience in the enormous hall of the building. Our talks revolved around the theme of literary relations. The locals of Marneuli didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t host us empty-handed. After our presentation, pupils from various local schools offered us a wonderful repertoire of poems and songs, and we were also amazed and charmed by the Georgian language skills of a Korean boy we met there. After the pupils, a jazz band that had been invited by the Ministry of Culture came on stage. It was very pleasing to see a young boy from Marneuli join and play with them, as I think that showing this much trust in a kid is a positive and empowering deed that will provide him with impulse for his future. The concert in Marneuli finished, but our festive mood didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t end there as the next day saw us heading to Bolnisi, with the only difference being that the music band changed. We started our journey toward Bolnisi at ten in the morning. We talked about previous day in Marneuli and continued talking about this and that. When we arrived in Bolnisi, Guram Megrelishvili, Giorgi Lobzhanidze and myself entered a bookshop. The new academic year had just begun and the stationery section was full of children and parents. We took a look at some books and even purchased several of them. Then we visited an exhibition in the foyer and switched to the main hall, just like the day before. Giorgi

Targmnis matianes da a.S. me vaJa-fSavelas poemaze, `gogoTur da afSina~ da misi Targmnis peripetiebze visityve, xolo guram megreliSvilma sainteresod isaubra zogadad, kulturaze da aRniSna rom kulturis ganviTareba aramxolod dedaqalaqSi, aramed swored regionebSia aucilebeli. axalgazrda Semoqmedni, romlebic ver bedaven sakuTari nawerebis gamomzeurebas, Seaguliana da Cven scena, tradiciulad, musikosebs davuTmeT.

gareT gamosulebs erTi qalbatoni mogviaxlovda, mogvesalma da me gansakuTrebuli siTboTi mommarTa... igi mamaCemis universiteteli Tanakurseli, skolis maswavlebeli qalbatoni karina devnozaSvili aRmoCnda. marneulisa da bolnisis Sexvedrebi, pirvel yovlisa, CvenTvis emociurad gamorCeuli iyo... yoveli aseTi axali stumroba, auditoriasTan urTierToba, axal imedebs, ocnebebs uRvivebs regionSi mcxovreb bavSvebs da maT pedagogebs. `mravalferovani saqarTvelo~ drouli, aucilebeli da saWiro proeqtia, romelic sxvadasxva formiT mudmivad unda xorcieldebodes. oqtai qazumovi

Lobzhanidze spoke about ‘Calila e Dimna’, underlining the history of the text, its importance, how it was translated into Georgian... I spoke about Vazha Pshavela’s poem ‘Gogotur and Apshina’ and the difficulties of its translation process, while Guram Megrelishvili gave an interesting talk about culture in general, in which he noted that the development of culture is necessary not only in the capital, but also in the regions. He then encouraged young writers who were too shy to read their creations in front of the audience to do so, after which we gave the stage to the musicians.

When we went outside, a woman approached us, greeted us and spoke to me in a particularly warm tone... She turned out to be schoolteacher, Mrs Karina Devnozashvili, who had been a fellow student of my father. Our meetings in Marneuli and Bolnisi were very emotional... Each of these visits, getting acquainted with these audiences, revives the dreams of the children living in provincial areas, as well as those of their teachers. ‘Diverse Georgia’ is a timely, essential and necessary project that should constantly be carried out, in various forms, as needed. Oktai Kazumov

dabruneba Homecoming

jer kidev gasuli saukunis 90-iani wlebidan moyolebuli, sabWoTa kavSiris rRvevis Semdeg, mudmivad mimdinareobda saubari, Tu rogor unda dabrunebuliyo ruseTis federaciis saxelmwifo kinofondSi daculi qarTuli kinomemkvidreoba, vinaidan ruseTma memkvidreobis dacvisa da Senaxvis Taobaze erTpirovnuli ufleba gamoacxada. es aramxolod saqarTvelos, aramed sxva saxelmwifoebis problemac gaxldaT (latvia, litva, ukraina...). CvenTvis es umniSvnelovanesi procesi 2014 wlis 30 seqtembers daiwyo, „gosfilmofondis“ xelmZRvanelma nikoloz borodaCevma, romelic saqarTvelos stumrobda da kulturisa da ZeglTa dacvis ministrma mixeil giorgaZem xeli ganzraxulobaTa oqms moaweres, romlis mixedviTac sabWoTa periodSi gadaRebuli qarTuli filmebi saqarTvelos ubrundeba Since the 1990s, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, there have been a lot of discussions about how Georgian cinema heritage should be brought back from the Russian Federation, as the latter announced a unilateral decision to keep it on their territory. This issue wasn’t exclusive to Georgia, as other countries such as Lithuania, Latvia, and the Ukraine found themselves in the same situation. In Georgia, this most important process started on the 30th of September 2014, when head of ‘Gosfilmofond,’ Nikolay Borodachev, who was visiting Georgia, and Georgian Minister of Culture and Monument Protection Mikheil Giorgadze, signed a protocol of intent according to which the Georgian films created during the Soviet period should be returned to Georgia 90

amJamad, ruseTis kinofondSi 1921 wlidan 1991 wlamde kinostudia `qarTuli filmis~ bazaze Seqmnili 706 qarTuli filmi inaxeba: 381 mxatvruli, rogorc sruli, ise moklemetraJiani, 200-mde animaciuri da 100-mde dokumenturi. 2015 wels Seiqmna qarTuli kinomemkvidreobis saqarTveloSi dabrunebis, Senaxvisa da gamoyenebis sakiTxTa ganmxilveli komisia, romlis SemadgenlobaSic Sedian: erovnuli arqivis direqtori Teona iaSvili, saavtoro uflebaTa dacvis asociaciis Tavmjdomare giga kobalaZe, saqarTvelos inteleqtualuri sakuTrebis „saqpatentis“ Tavmjdomare nikoloz gogiliZe, saqarTvelos erovnuli kinocentris xelmZRvaneli 2015 wels nana janeliZe, 2016 wlidan ki zurab maRalaSvili, saqarTvelos kinoakademiis Tavmjdomare zaza uruSaZe, reJisorebi eldar Sengelaia, lana RoRoberiZe, kinomcodneebi lela oCiauri, marina kereseliZe, kulturis saministros kinos mimarTulebis kuratori nana doliZe da komisiis Tavmjdomare kulturisa da ZeglTa dacvis ministri mixeil giorgaZe. komisiam gansazRvra filmebis etapobrivad dabrunebis rogorc Sinaarsobrivi, aseve iuridiuli da teqnikuri detalebi, Seadgina kalendaruli gegma. 706 qarTuli filmidan, dabrunebis pirveli etapis gansaxorcieleblad filmebis SerCeva reitinguli sistemiT ganxorcielda. 2014 wlidan 2016 wlamde qarTveli kinomcodneebisgan Seqmnilma komisiam, romelSic Svidi kinomcodne Sedioda (giorgi doliZe, lela oCiauri, marina kereseliZe, qeTevan trapaiZe, nana doliZe, nino mxeiZe, manana lekboraSvili), winaswar gawera yvela is filmi, romlebic ruseTidan-saqarTveloSi etapobrivad dabrundeba. 2016 wlis 25-30 seqtembers ruseTis federaciis saxelmwifo kinofondSi saqarTvelos kinematografiis erovnuli centris direqtori zurab maRalaSvili da kulturis saministros kinos mimarTulebis kuratori nana doliZe imyofebodnen. moskovSi maT Rvawlmosili qarTveli kinematografistebi _ levan paataSvili da lomer axvlediani daxvdnen. `proeqtis am etapze, rodesac Camotanis procedura unda ganxorcielebuliyo, yvelani vRelavdiT Tu rogor warimarTeboda dabrunebis procesi. erTi da imave sakiTxs, mravaljer detalurad gavdiodiT da ar SeiZleba ar aRvniSno, rom saxelmwifo uwyebebis mier ganxorcielebuli koordinirebuli muSaoba, upirvelesad im maRali profesionalizmis gamovlena iyo, romelic SemTxveviTobas gamoricxavda _ aRniSna nana doliZem _ es ar iyo mxolod 4 filmis dabruneba, aramed mniSvnelobiT gacilebiT meti da sapasuxismgeblo, vidre erT-erTi „etapi“, romlis sigrZe-ganic ara konkretuli filmebis raodenobiT, aramed istoriuli mniSvnelobis procesSi TanamonawileobiT ganisazRvra. swored

Currently, Russia’s film fund counts 706 Georgian films created by the studio ‘Georgian Film’ from 1921 to 1991: 381 feature and short films, around 200 animations, and 100 documentary films. The Committee for the Return, Safekeeping and Use of Georgian Cinema Heritage in Georgia was created in 2015. Its members are director of the National Archive Teona Iashvili, head of the Georgian Copyright Association Giga Kobaladze, head of the National Intellectual Property Association Nikoloz Gogilidze, directors of the Georgian National Film Center Nana Janelidze (until 2016) and Zurab Maghalashvili (since 2016), head of the Georgian Cinema Academy Zaza Urushadze, film directors Eldar Shengelaia and Lana Ghoghoberidze, cinema critics Lela Ochiauri and Marina Kereselidze, film curator from the Ministry of Culture Nana Dolidze, and as head of the Committee, Minister of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia Mikheil Giorgadze. The Committee defined how the different stages of the material’s homecoming should happen, as well as the schedule and the technical details of the process. The films that were to return to Georgia during the first stage were selected through a rating system. From 2014 to 2016, a commission of seven Georgian cinema critics (Giorgi Dolidze, Lela Ochiauri, Marina Kereselidze, Ketevan Trapaidze, Nana Dolidze, Nino Mkheidze, Manana Lekborashvili) created a list of all the films that should make the journey from Russia to Georgia. Director of the Georgian National Film Center Zurab Maghalashvili and film curator of the Ministry of Culture Nana Dolidze visited the Russian Federation at the end of September 2016 and were

levan paataSvili, lomer axvlediani / LEVAN PAATASHVILI, LOMER AKHVLEDIANI

welcomed in Moscow by distinguished Georgian cinematographers Levan Paatashvili and Lomer Akhvlediani. “When the sending process was about to begin, we were all very nervous about how it would happen. We went through the same details over and over, and I have to underline that the coordinated work conducted by the various state institutions that were involved in this project demonstrated a high professionalism that excluded all margins for error,” Nana Dolidze noted. “This wasn’t only about bringing back four films, it was much more important than just one “stage”, and we weren’t looking at it as returning this or that number of films to Georgia, but rather as a process of historic significance in which we all needed to collaborate. Concerning this aspect, we would like to express our deep gratitude towards the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the head of the Georgia’s Interests in Russia Section, Mr Giorgi Zakareishvili, thanks to whom the first stage of our film heritage homecoming took place successfully.” Leo Esakia’s ‘American Woman’ (1930) and ‘Shakiri’ (1932), Mikheil Chiaureli’s ‘Ukanasknel Saats’ (1928), and Nutsa Ghoghoberidze’s ‘Buba’ (1930) were the first four films that were brought back to Georgia as a result of intense two-year negotiations and preparation works.

nuca RoRoberiZe / NUTSA GHOGHOBERIDZE

amitom, gansakuTrebuli madliereba gvsurs gamovxatoT saqarTvelos sagareo saqmeTa saministrosa da ruseTSi saqarTvelos interesebis seqciis xelmZRvanelis giorgi zaqaraSvilis mimarT, romelTa daxmarebiT memkvidreobis dabrunebis pirveli etapi warmatebiT ganxorcielda“. leo esakias „amerikanka“ (1930 w.) da „Saqiri“ (1932 w.), mixeil Wiaurelis „ukanasknel saaTs“ (1928 w.) da nuca RoRoberiZis „buba“ (1930 w.) pirveli oTxi filmia, romelic orwliani intensiuri molaparakebebisa Tu mosamzadebeli samuSaoebis Sedegad saqarTveloSi dabrunda. qalbatoni nana aRniSnavs: `gosfilmofondSi“ Cven davaTvaliereT sacavebi, sadac qarTuli filmebi inaxeba. rodesac TiToeul filmze Sedgenil „saqmeebs“ gavecaniT, vnaxeT, Tu rogori yuradRebiT epyrobian istorias, sadac dawvrilebiTaa aRwerili rogor xdeboda aTwleulebis ganmavlobaSi firebis mdgomareobis Seswavla, maTi gawmenda, damuSaveba, aRdgena. axla ukve Cveni mosavlelsapatrono xdeba is, rac saqarTveloSi Camova. Tumca mniSvnelovania, aramxolod calkeuli filmebis firebi, aramed is dokumentaciac, sadac TiToeuli filmis `biografiaa~ aRwerili, maTi arqivSi moxvedridan-dRemde. am dokumentebs calke samuzeumo datvirTvac aqvT. kadri filmidan `buba~ 1930 w. / FRAME FROM THE MOVIE “BUBA” 1930

`buba~, gadaRebis procesi / “BUBA”, SHOOTING PROCESS

rusulma mxarem masalis srulad skanirebis ufleba ar mogvca, mxolod pirveli da bolo gverdebi movipoveT. es masala samomavlod qarTveli kinomcodneebisTvis calke sakvlevi masala gaxdeba, qarTuli kinoistoria XXI saukunis gadmosaxedidan sul sxvagvarad gadafasdeba, vinaidan is aramxolod kinoistoriaa, aramed epoqis, masze Seqmnili dokumenti~. xazgasasmelia, rom zemoT aRniSnuli, pirveli oTxi filmis reJisorTagan leo esakias da mixeil Wiaurelis sxvadasxva films, qarTuli sazogadoeba met-naklebad icnobs. pirveli qarTveli/sabWoTa qali-reJisoris, nuca RoRoberiZis Semoqmedeba ki praqtikulad Seuswavlelia. ormagad sasixarulo da mniSvnelovania misi filmis samSobloSi dabruneba. qarTveli mayurebeli mas, rogorc reJisors axlidan aRmoaCens. qarTuli kinos istoriaSi es damatebiTi sakvlevi masala gaxdeba. iuridiuli sakiTxebis darad, aranakleb mniSvnelovani teqnikuri sakiTxis gadaWra iyo, is Tu rogor da ra matarebelze unda Camosuliyo Zveli firebi saqarTveloSi. 2015 wels erovnuli kinocentris mowveviT CvenTan imyofeboda safrangeTis kinocentris

“We visited the ‘Gosfilmofond’ archive, where Georgian movies are kept. While getting acquainted with the “minutes” of each film, we could see the attention with which they took care of history, as these minutes include the precise descriptions of how the condition of these films was studied, as well as how they were cleaned, processed, and restored over the decades. Those that are coming back to Georgia will now be under our own responsibility, and apart from the films themselves, the documentation that comes with it is also very important, as they are like a biography of the films, from their entrance into the archive to recent, and they themselves could even be exhibited in museums. The Russian side didn’t allow us to scan the whole material, we could only do so with the first and the last pages. These documents will become research material for Georgian cinema specialists in the future, and the history of Georgian cinema will be appreciated in a very different way from the 21st century, , as it not only represents the history of cinema, but the epoch as a whole,” said Ms. Dolidze. Of the directors of the four films mentioned above, the works of Leo Esakia and Mikheil Chiaureli are less well known by the Georgian public. As for the first Georgian and Soviet female film director Nutsa Ghoghoberidze, her work went practically without review.

kadri filmidan `buba~ 1930 w. / FRAME FROM THE MOVIE “BUBA” 1930

kinokoleqciebis direqtori beatris de pastri. man qarTvel kinoprofesionalebs kinomemkvidreobis dacvis kuTxiT konsultaciebi gauwia da rekomendaciebic moamzada. misi azriT, firebis Senaxvis ualternativo forma, pirveli negativebis firze gadatanaa. gacifruleba 12-jer ufro Zviria da mainc ar iZleva droSi myarad Senaxvis garantias; amasTan, masalis SesanarCunebld misi mudmivi „emigraciaa“ saWiro. swored amitom, pirveli oTxi qarTuli filmi, iseve rogorc danarCeni 700 „kodakis“ uaxles firze iqneba gadatanili. amgvari Senaxva droSi garantirebulia, rac dReisTvis gamosaxulebis droSi Senaxvis ualternativo saSualebaa da es faqti Tavad kinos istoriam daadastura. arc is aris SemTxveviTi, rom msoflioSi standartad swored kinosaarqivo masalis firze Senaxvis meTodia aRiarebuli. nana doliZis TqmiT: `pirveli oTxi qarTuli filmi, „kodakis“ uaxles firze Zalian maRali xarisxiTaa gadatanili da gamosaxuleba STambeWdavia! 1928 wliT daTariRebuli pirvelwyaro rom ar yofiliyo xarveziani, TiTqmis srulyofil gamosaxulebas miviRebdiT. saqarTveloSi yvela filmis or-ori asli Camova. es aris originalidan pirvelive miRebuli Sualeduri pozitivi,

The return of her film to Georgia is good news for two main reasons: the Georgian public will get acquainted with her as a film director, and her work will become additional research material in the field of Georgian cinema history. The technical aspects, namely how exactly and on which train these old films should return to Georgia, are no less significant than the legal issues. Director of the French National Center of Cinematography’s Film Archive, Béatrice de Pastre, visited Georgia in 2015 at the invitation of the Georgian National Film Center. She gave consultations to Georgian cinema professionals on preserving cinema heritage and prepared a list of recommendations. She explained that there is no real alternative to transferring films onto negative films for their proper conservation. Digitalizing is 12 times more expensive, and doesn’t even guarantee that it will be preserved appropriately in the long term; apart from that, the material constantly needs to be “emigrated” in order to keep its quality. This is the reason why these four films, like the remaining 702, will be transferred onto the latest ‘Kodak’ negative films. This kind of handling guarantees a long-lasting preservation and is the only reasonable way to protect film heritage, as shown by experience – it is not by chance that the worldwide standard method of cinema archive film material preservation is negative film.

rasac adre „lavandas“ uwodebdnen, meore _ samuSao pozitivi. „lavandas“, romelsac CvenTvis originalis datvirTva eqneba, naklebad moxvdeba eqspluataciaSi _ vinaidan CvenTvis is ukve sawyisi masalaa; „originali“, romelsac gafrTxileba da dacva sWirdeba, raTa xarisxi SevinarCunoT. swored amitom, Cven mogvaqvs samuSao pozitivic, romelic SesaZleblobas iZleva teqnologiuri ganviTarebis nebismier safexurze Sesabamis formatSi gadatanil iqnes nebismier dros nebismier formatSi da gamoiyenos dainteresebulma adamianma“. qarTuli kino saganZuris etapobriv dabrunebasTan erTad, ramdenime mniSvnelovani sakiTxi wamoiwevs win: qarTuli xma (fonograma), filmsacavi da titrebi; es ukanaskneli yvelaze martivad mosagvarebelia. sabWoTa periodSi, ruseTis arqivs qarTuli filmebis sawyisi masalebi bardeboda, kinostudia „qarTul filmSi“ rCeboda e.w. `dublnegativi~ qarTulenovan fonogramasTan erTad, filmsacavs ki _ misi asli; es aris e.w. mesame asli, dublnegativi, romelic Cvens kinostudiaSi inaxeboda qarTul xmasTan erTad. aRsaniSnavia, rom rusul filmsacavSi „qarTuli xma“ ar inaxeba, CvenTan ki xmis mxolod nawilia SemorCenili. uxmo periodis filmebis

As Ms. Dolidze told us: “The first four films we brought back to Georgia have been transferred onto the latest ‘Kodak’ negative films in high quality and are very impressive visually! If the source material for the 1928 film had not included some flaws, we would have got perfect visuals. Two copies of each film will arrive in Georgia: a copy of the original negative film (which used to be called “lavanda”), and a second copy, the “working positive”. The “lavandas” will act as originals in Georgia and won’t be exploited, as they will be used as source materials and need to be looked after with utmost care in order for their quality to remain as high as possible. This is why we are also bringing back the “working positives,” which can be transferred at any time on any format, according to new technological advancements, and can be used by interested individuals.” Together with the gradual homecoming of this treasure of Georgian cinema, several other issues come to mind: Georgian soundtracks (phonograms), the film fund, and subtitles; the latter is the easiest of the three to deal with. During Soviet times, raw film materials were sent to the Russian archive, while the so-called “double negatives” with Georgian sound recordings were kept at the studio ‘Georgian Film,’ and their copies at the film fund; the double negatives are the “third copies” and were kept in our film studio together with the Georgian sound tracks.

tician tabiZe, nuca RoRoberiZe, aleqsandre diRmelovi / TITSIAN TABIDZE, NUTSA GOGHOBERIDZE, ALEKSANDRE DIGHMELOV

nata vaCnaZe, nikoloz Sengelaia, vasil dolenko, leo esakia / NATA VACHNADZE, NIKOLOZ SHENGELAIA, VASSILY DOLENKO, LEO ESAKIA

SemTxvevaSi problema martivad gadaiWreba, rac Seexeba xmovan filmebs, maTi dabrunebisTanave, didi samuSao iqneba Casatarebeli, sabolood Sedegi rom miviRoT. erovnuli kinocentris yofili direqtoris, reJisor nana janeliZis TqmiT: „gaxmovanebis TvalsazrisiT, TiToeul films individualuri midgoma sWirdeba. im filmebis bedi, romlebsac arc qarTuli da arc rusuli xma ar adevs, adgilze unda gadawydes. rogorc iciT, „qarTuli xmebi“ ruseTSi ar inaxeba, sabWoTa periodSi rusebma filmebis gaxmovaneba qarTveli msaxiobebiT daiwyes. dublirebis studiaSi qarTveli msaxiobebis rusulad gaxmovanebuli fonogramebi inaxeba. es yovelive dRes umniSvnelovanesi saarqivo masalaa da SesaZloa xmaze muSaobis procesSi wagvadges“. kinomemkvidreobis dabrunebasTan erTad maTi mudmivi adgil-samyofelis gansazRvraa aucilebeli. samwuxarod, dRes saqarTveloSi Tanamedrove standartebis sacavi ar arsebobs. qveyanaSi dabrunebuli axali firebi droebiTi Senaxvis mizniT gadaecema erovnul arqivs, magram masac ar aqvs imis saSualeba, rom srulad daaarqivos „gosfilmofondidan“ Camotanili masala. filmebis etapobrivi dabrunebis paralelurad, dRis wesrigSi, saqarTveloSi Tanamedrove standartebis mqone filmsacavis mSeneblobis sakiTxi dgeba. 2016 weli qarTuli kinos dabrunebis dasawyisia, pirvel rigSi ki aswliani, kargad nacnobi qarTuli kinematografis xelaxla aRmoCenis dasawyisi.

The Russian film fund doesn’t hold Georgian sound tracks, and only part of them have been preserved in Georgia... For silent films, the question does not arise, but for sound films, a lot of work will have to be done in order to get good results, and it should start as soon as the materials get back to Georgia. Former director of the National Film Center Nana Janelidze tells us more: “Concerning the sound, each film will need an individual approach. The fate of films that do not have either a Georgian or Russian sound track can be decided right away. There are no Georgian sound tracks kept in Russia. During the Soviet period, Russians started recording the sound tracks with Georgian actors, and phonograms with Russian dubs of Georgian actors are still preserved in the dubbing studio. This is very important archive material and it could also help us in our work on the sound tracks.” The return of this cinema heritage also calls for a permanent space for their preservation. Unfortunately, there is currently no storage place of modern standards in Georgia. The films will therefore temporarily be handed to the National Archive, though even the latter doesn’t have the means to completely archive all the material that will arrive from ‘Gosfilmofond’. Together with the gradual homecoming of the films, the need to build a storage place for film archives in Georgia that meets modern standards is now on the schedule. The year 2016 was the beginning of the return of Georgian cinema to its homeland, and it starts with the rediscovery of almost centuryold Georgian cinematography.

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