POLITICS PAGE 7

Russia Ready to Restore Parliamentary Cooperation with Georgia

Issue no: 893

NEWS PAGE 3

NEWS PAGE 3

SOCIETY PAGE 10

CULTURE PAGE 15

CULTURE PAGE 16

SPORTS PAGE 19

In this week’s issue...

Election Shock!

Murrayfi eld Snub Will Motivate Ambitious Georgia, says Kiwi Coach Haig

INTERVIEW: Zurab Nijaradze, Painter

British Author Launches 3rd Translated YA Book in Georgia

• NOVEMBER 4 - 7, 2016 • PUBLISHED TWICE WEEKLY PRICE: GEL 2.50

FOCUS ON POLITICAL ANTICSLocal attention now turns from Georgia to the US elections, and Georgian politicians really don't look so bad, afterall... PAGE 6

International Observers Positively Assess Run-Offs in Georgia

BY THEA MORRISON

A study by the European School Sur-vey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) of the situation in the 35 ESPAD countries in 2015 revealed that the consumption by

14-15 year old Georgian schoolchildren of con-sume tobacco and alcohol are above rather than below the average rate.

The ESPAD Report 2015 features information on students’ experience of, and perceptions about, a variety of substances including: tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs, inhalants, pharmaceuticals and new psychoactive substances (NPS).

The results of the survey were presented at the National Center of Disease Control (NCDC) in Tbilisi on Tuesday.

Georgia joined the ESPAD project in 2015. The survey was conducted in Georgia in November 2015 and 168 public and 25 private schools were sampled and contacted. On the whole, 190 schools participated in the study. There were 2,477 com-pleted questionnaires.

The study showed that 43 percent of Georgian schoolchildren consume tobacco: girls (30%) smoke less than boys (54%). 21 percent of chil-

dren stated they had tried to smoke at the age of 13, while 4 percent said they started smoking at the age of 13 or earlier. 60 percent say it is very or quite easy to get cigarettes.

As for alcohol, 85 percent of Georgian school-children (85% - boys and 83% - girls) claimed they had tasted alcohol at least once. 43 percent of them said they had had alcohol within 30 days of the survey, while 22 percent of the school-children admitted they had experienced drunk-enness at or by the age of 13.

The results revealed that wine is the most often consumed drink among 14-15 year old children, followed by beer. ESPAD says Georgian boys are more inclined to drink than girls.

11 percent of the student participants reported that they had used marijuana or hashish (can-nabis) at least once during their lifetime. 8 per-cent of students had used marijuana or hashish (cannabis) within 12 months of the survey and 4 percent of students during the prior 30 days. Again, the prevalence in boys is much higher. The proportion of Georgian students who said

they had tried marijuana or hashish at the age of 13 or younger was 2%.

The most prevalent drugs other than marijuana or hashish among Georgian students are tranquil-lizers or sedatives without a doctor’s prescription.

According to ESPAD, the most popular daily activities of survey participants are communi-cating with others on the Internet (64%); fol-lowed by streaming/downloading music, videos, fi lms etc. (48%) and reading, surfi ng, searching for information etc. (36%). However, 14 percent of students reported gambling during the 12 months prior to the survey.

ESPAD is a collaborative effort of independent research teams in more than forty European countries and the largest cross-national research project on adolescent substance use in the world.

The overall aim with the project is to repeat-edly collect comparable data on substance use among 15-16 year old students in as many Euro-pean countries as possible.

The study was published in collaboration with the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) and is based on a 2015 survey in 35 European countries, includ-ing 24 EU Member States.

In general, the latest survey showed that teen-age drinking and smoking in surveyed countries is down, but concerns posed new drugs and new addictive behaviors.

ESPAD Research Reveals 43 % of Georgian Schoolchildren Smoke, 85 % Have Drunk

FINCA Bank Introduces My School Book to Improve Financial Literacy

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 4 - 7, 20162 NEWS

BY THEA MORRISON

The United Kingdom’s (UK) Minister of State for Foreign and Common-wealth Affairs, Alan Duncan, con-gratulated Georgia on completion of its parliamentary elections, saying

they were democratic and fairly contested.“I look forward to visiting and engaging the new

government,” Duncan wrote on Twitter on Tues-day.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports that For-eign Minister Mikheil Janelidze thanked the State Minister for his support and invited him to Georgia.

Moreover, United States (US) Congressman Tom Marino also congratulated Georgia, saying it had carried out free, fair and competitive elections.

Parliamentary elections are over in Georgia. Source: Central Election Commission

Foreign Offi cials Congratulate Georgia on Holding Democratic Elections

“Through the continued use of fair, democratic elections, Georgia has respected both the devel-opment of its government and the views of its people. I want to offer my congratulations to Georgia on the success of this election and on their democratic leadership in the region,” Mari-no’s statement reads.

The Congressman believes the accomplishment of elections is a hopeful sign for the future and is looking forward to strengthening ties between the two countries.

Georgia’s parliamentary elections were held on October 8. The second round took place on Octo-ber 30 in 50 districts, from which 18 were in the capital, Tbilisi, and 32 in other regions of Georgia.

Georgia has a 150-seat parliament, with 73 MPs elected in majoritarian, single-mandate constitu-encies. The remaining 77 seats are awarded to MPs elected in proportional voting based on party lists.

BY THEA MORRISON

The Prosecutor’s Offi ce of Georgia (POG) stated on Wednesday that families whose properties were ille-gally confi scated during the rule of the previous government, will receive

their immovable or movable property back.As a result of the work performed by the Depart-

ment for the Investigation of Offences Committed in the Course of Legal Proceedings of the POG, 47 cases of illegal confi scation of property have been solved and 84 citizens have been recognized as victims. Up to 18 million Georgian GEL worth of movable and immovable property, including 71 vehicles, residential apartments, offi ce and com-mercial premises, a wine factory, a swimming com-plex, land plots, etc. are to be returned to affected citizens.

The family of the former Chairperson of the Chamber of Control of Georgia, Sulkhan Molash-vili, was handed back their house in Tsavkisi on Wednesday, which was illegally appropriated by the former ruling authorities in 2004 when they arrested Molashvili.

The current POG said that when Molashvili was arrested, then-prosecutors addressed his brother and, in exchange for Sulkhan Molashvili’s freedom, asked him to buy a house in Tsavkisi for 140.000 GEL and then demanded the property was handed over to the govern-

Property Illegally Confi scated during Former Gov’t to Be Returned to Victims

ment. The family bought the house and trans-ferred it to the State. However, Molashvili was not released.

Sulkhan Molashvili died from liver failure in Paris this June. He was recognized as a victim of Georgia’s previous United National Movement (UNM) government, having been aquitted by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in 2014 after the UNM government was found to have abused the ex-offi cial’s human rights.

On April 23, 2004, shortly after the Rose Revolu-tion which brought the UNM to power, Molashvili was found guilty of abuse of power, concealing a crime and misappropriation of public funds, and was sentenced to nine years in prison. He spent four years in jail and was released in 2008 due to the infl uence of Patriarch Ilia II. Molashvili said his rights were violated in prison, after which his health worsened.

After the change of government in 2012, when Georgian Dream came to power, the current gov-ernment addressed the ECtHR and requested per-mission to re-investigate the incident.

Strasbourg Court then ordered the State to pay Molashvili EUR 20,000

in compensation within three months and to carry out and com-plete a new investigation within one year. Molashvili got his com-pensation but the investigation

into his case is still in progress.The current POG also

returned illegally appropri-ated properties to two other people on Wednesday. The POG said all victims of the former government will get

their properties back after proper investigation.

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 4 - 7, 2016 3NEWS

BY NATIA LIPARTELIANI

Leonid Kalashnikov, Chairman of the Committee, says that the Russian State Duma’s Committee for the CIS, Eura-sian Integration and Commu-

nications with Compatriots is ready to initiate restoration of parliamentary cooperation with Georgia.

"The Committee is ready to do its best to promote restoration of cooperation - both parliamentary and general coop-eration. We will hold hearings in the committee; we will analyze the results of the elections and address the Geor-gian side with a proposal. Let's see if they respond to it,“ Kalashnikov told Tass agency when commenting on Geor-gia’s 2016 parliamentary elections.

Kalashnikov said that the policy of

Russia Ready to Restore Parliamentary Cooperation with Georgia

confrontation with Russia and Mikheil Saakashvili’s hopes for returning to power have failed.

"But, naturally, this does not mean that diplomatic ties will be automatically restored. I do not know whether Geor-gian Dream will develop friendly and good neighborly relations with Russia. There are still obstacles, but consulta-tions continue," he said.

Georgian-Russian relations have been strained ever since the August2008 Russo-Georgian War. Deputy Foreign Minister of the time, Grigol Vashadze, announced that Georgia was breaking off diplomatic relations with Russia, however when Georgian Dream came to power in Feb-ruary 2012, Georgia introduced a visa-free regime for Russians visiting Georgia for short visits. In December 2012, Russian and Georgian representatives had the fi rst two-way discussions since the out-break of the war.

BY THEA MORRISON

International observers assessed Georgia’s October 30 run-offs positively, saying that despite the lack of a legal framework, they were competitive and adminis-

tered in a manner that respected the rights of the candidates and voters.

The International Election Observa-tion Mission for the second round con-sisted of observers from 27 countries, as well as long-term and short-term observ-ers of the OSCE Offi ce for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), the European Parliament (EP) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

According to Ignacio Sanchez Amor, the Special Co-ordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission, full regulation of second round voting is lacking in the law, and attention should be paid to legal investigation and com-plaints procedures.

“But I was pleased to see that Election Day was smooth and professionally run,” he added.

The observers stressed that the Elec-tion Code does not regulate the second round.

“Aiming to address a few procedural gaps, the Central Election Commission (CEC) issued decrees that were, how-

International Observers Positively Assess Run-Offs in Georgia

ever, adopted late in the process, inter-preted the law in a contentious manner, and, at times, contradicted the Election Code,” the statement of the observers reads.

However, generally, the observers said that media coverage was more balanced than for the fi rst round and Election Day procedures were conducted in a smooth and professional manner.

International observers assessed the voting process more positively than in the fi rst round, saying station commis-sions were better prepared and adher-ence to procedures improved.

“The second round reconfi rmed that Georgia’s 2016 parliamentary elections enabled candidates to campaign freely and voters to make informed choices about their options,” Sanchez Amor added.

Following the international observers’ assessments, the United States (US) congratulated the Georgians on the suc-cessful completion of the parliamentary elections, saying they affi rm that Geor-gia is a leader of democratic reform in the region.

However, the US side said they are concerned about isolated incidents of violence and intimidation and urged accountability as well as a thorough and balanced investigation in accordance with the rule of law.

“We look forward to working with the new government and parliament to sup-port Georgia’s democratic and economic development, sovereignty and territo-rial integrity, and its Euro-Atlantic aspi-rations,” the White House statement reads.

A voter casts her ballot in Georgia's second round of parliamentary elections in Mtskheta. Source: OSCE/Lauren Baranowska

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 4 - 7, 20164 POLITICS

Calm before the Storm? Aftermath of 2016 Parliamentary Elections in GeorgiaOP-ED BY NUGZAR B. RUHADZE

Elections turn a political party into a political power which, as a result, embarks on man-aging the nation’s affairs for a given period of time armed

with the consent of the credulous gov-erned. Now, if the lucky party, alias the new commanding power, is good enough to take the country to better ends, then progress is guaranteed, but if the con-trary should occur, regress will be at hand, or a prolonged stalemate in the best case scenario.

What could be in store for us this time? Judging by the landslide which the rul-ing party has managed to garner in this electoral season, the new old power has received every possible credit from Georgia’s halved but still enthusiastic electorate. What remains to do now is wise and undelayed handling of the monstrous package of previous, current and potential problems that are con-spicuously sitting on the winner’s desk to be solved and then to be stuck right into the opponent’s big mouth to gag on – at least temporarily. But the opposition is not only widening the mouth, it is also diligently sharpening the remaining teeth, ready to wax much more deter-mined and expeditious than ever before. They certainly have enough reason to be so furious and exacerbated – the heavy defeat they have suffered in the elections is unpalatable indeed, especially due to the forced-on-them recognition of the constitutional majority grabbed by the newly established and absolutely undis-puted rulers of the republic.

I have no idea what’s happening in the kitchens of either the euphoric winners or the sulking losers, but having listened to their post-election summary speeches, I am coming to believe that both sides are getting ready for a very tough battle (although their encounters on the fl oor will make less sense now than before because of the constitutional majority in the new parliament). I am saying this because all prognostications concerning the future composition of Georgia’s leg-islative body have fl opped disastrously. There was only one person in the entire country who confi dently predicted he’d get into parliament with no less than 100 mandates, and he did even better – 115! The ruling side sounds calm and confi -dent in the success of their upcoming exploits and the opposition is reacting as if they had never boasted they’d come out winners. All is being taken for granted. And that’s very good! Such attitudes make our political system stronger, stur-dier, and fi tter.

The only misgiving I have is the much talked about parliamentary majority- those with the perfect instrument in their hands to let politics work only in favor of the people of Georgia, and which the losing side qualifi es as a soviet-type one-party system, conducive to regret-table deterioration of the quality of democracy in the country. Political ana-lysts are also divided on the issue: some of them are shrugging their shoulders, some are fuming with indignation and others are trying to calm society, feeding

us theoretical corroborations of expedi-ency of the newly acquired operating style in the house of law.

The happiest campers in the aftermath of the 2016 parliamentary elections in Georgia are the freshmen who sigh with relief and happily accept congratulations from their proud friends and relatives. On the other hand, the current blissful leisure is just a trouble-free instant in their political life. The harder times, fol-lowing those halcyon days, are approach-ing fast – the time of test and sweat, which either elevates them to higher career levels or obliterates them from being members of Georgia’s ever-matur-ing political establishment.

And fi nally, what will change as a con-sequence of the now bygone elections? I am not sure there is one unequivocal answer to this simple but insightful and penetrating question. But we want to hear the answer – that’s why our valu-able votes were spent on the presumable providers of that answer.

What remains now is wise and timely handling of the monstrous package of previous, current and potential problems sitting on the winner’s desk, waiting to be solved and shoved in the opposition's mouth. But the opposition is not only widening its mouth, it is also diligently sharpening the remaining teeth, ready to wax much more determined and expeditious than ever before

CARTOON by Brian Patrick Grady

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 4 - 7, 2016 5POLITICS

Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev

BY NICHOLAS WALLER

The Supreme Court of Geor-gia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia has sentenced former parliamentarian Nodik Kvitsinia to 16 years

in prison for the murder of a Russian businessman and his personal assistant.

Four of Kvitsinia’s accomplices were also sentenced to terms ranging from 13 to 20 years in prison – all connected to the slaying of Sergey Klemantovich and Oksana Skarednovoy.

The two victims were reportedly abducted and murdered in September 2012, following a dispute between Kvit-sinia and the two victims.

Abkhaz children watch a military parade in Sukhumi, September 2013. Source: Vice

Abkhaz Former MP Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Murder

At the time of his arrest, Abkhaz police found Klemantovich’s Mercedes at Kvit-sinia’s residence.

The bodies of both Klemantovich and Skarednovoy were not found until more than year after the disappearance.

In October 2013, their decayed corpses were discovered in an abandoned well in the village of Adzyubzha, 30 kilom-eters south of the rebel capital Sukhumi.

The Abkhaz court accused Kvitsinia of using his immunity as a sitting MP to obstruct the investigation and later stripped him of his seat in the Russian-backed separatist parliament.

Kvitsinia and his accomplices’ convic-tion and subsequent sentencing has surprised many Abkhazia watchers.

The case is a departure from the con-ventional wisdom that Russian citizens

doing business in Abkhazia enjoy the privileges of an elevated, patrician-class.

Abkhazia’s dependence on Moscow’s political, military and economic support has generally guaranteed the safety of Russian citizens who either work or reside in the unrecognized breakaway region.

Sukhumi’s continued existence as a Russian satellite is based on hard cash fl owing in from Russian investors and the Kremlin itself.

But the murder of the Klemantovich and Skarednovoy set off some alarm bells in Moscow that the situation for Russians in Abkhazia is less stable than is widely accepted in the halls of the Kremlin.

Tensions over Abkhazia’s increasingly subservient relationship with Russia have been simmering in recent years as citizens and groups of veterans of the brutal 1990s war against Georgian gov-ernment forces chafe at controversial decisions made by the region’s de facto President Raul Khajimba.

Khajimba’s moves to fully integrate Abkhazia’s Armed Forces and security services into the Russian military and feared FSB spy service has angered many local residents who fear the current gov-ernment is slowly forfeiting the region’s independent, though unrecognized, sta-tus in favor of full integration into the Russian Federation.

Georgia fought a brutal 18-month war against Abkhazia’s Russian-backed sep-aratist forces in 1992-1993. The war left tens of thousands dead and led to the ethnic cleansing of up to 200,000 Geor-gians.

Abkhazia was recognized - along with Georgia’s other breakaway region South Ossetia - as an independent state by Rus-sia following the 2008 Russian-Georgian War.

BY DIMITRI DOLABERIDZE

Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev last week signed a decree on the res-ignation of the Kyrgyzstan government, reported the

press service of the head of state. "Persons who have held the post of

prime minister, fi rst deputy prime min-ister, deputy prime ministers, cabinet members and heads of administrative departments, will continue their duties as members of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic until the day of the appointment of new Cabinet members," Atambayev stated in the decree.

The Cabinet of Ministers of the Repub-lic was dismissed in connection with

Kyrgyz President Signs Decree on Resignation of Government

the collapse of the coalition of the par-liamentary majority.

Kyrgyz Supreme Council Speaker, Chynybay Tursunbekov, had previously offi cially announced the breakup of the coalition of the parliamentary majority, saying he had received notice from the leader of the former coalition, Kanat Isaev. "His letter says that the coalition ceased to exist in connection with the output of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan (PDAP)," Tursunbekov said.

In accordance with Kyrgyz legisla-tion, in case of a collapse of govern-ment, the coalition must step down. Then the country's president should instruct one of the parliamentary fac-tions to create a new coalition to approve the composition and structure of the next cabinet.

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 4 - 7, 20166 POLITICS

OP-ED BY TIM OGDEN

Electoral fever is dying down in Georgia as it ramps up in the United States. With both countries exhibiting the most eccentric display of charac-

ters vying for political power, there are more similarities between the two than many Americans might care to admit; an eccentric billionaire (Trump/Bidzina), an old hanger-on whose per-sonal integrity is frequently called into question (Clinton/Saakashvili) and someone who is basically competent with good ideas but never received the necessary support (Sanders/Usupash-vili). Not exact parallels, perhaps, but close enough in their essentials; the one glaring difference is the lack of inter-national observation missions in the United States.

That Georgia is not perfect is well known; the fact that neither is anywhere else seems to be mostly ignored. As I recall writing on these pages not too long ago, Georgian politicians disgraced themselves on national television by engaging in shouting matches, pushing contests (‘fi stfi ghts’ would be an exag-geration) and hurling water at each other; their actions were especially disappoint-ing since they suggested that the vaunted

It’s Not So Bad, Chaps- Just Look at the Yanks: Ogden on Comparable Politics

democratic progress Georgia had alleg-edly made might have been imaginary, and perhaps there had not been any signifi cant change from the instability of years past when Georgian politicians brawled to settle disputes.

Yet whether their actions are any worse than Donald Trump’s offensive remarks about women or Hillary Clinton’s proven

record of lying is entirely debatable. Although the behavior of Georgian pol-iticians can be more overtly unpleasant, it is still less sinister, and at least those who embarrassed themselves in recent months were not the heads of any party. Hillary Clinton (a woman who describ-ing arriving in Bosnia under ‘sniper fi re’ despite a video of the event showing her

smiling and shaking hands with military dignitaries) or Donald Trump (a sexist celebrity businessman with the demea-nor of a petulant child) will be the most powerful national leader on the planet.

It is understandable, then, why Geor-gians might become skeptical of the West’s ability to take the moral and pro-fessional high ground and judge their

country and politicians. A Georgian would only have to look at the EU’s deci-sion to let in an unprecedented number of refugees (which has resulted in a rise in terrorist incidents, sexual assaults and crime), the UK’s decision to leave the Union (which sent the British economy into turmoil) and the American presi-dential candidates themselves (a former First Lady whose lack of integrity Al Capone might even raise an eyebrow at, and a businessman with a mixed – at best – professional track record whose behavior towards women is in keeping with that of a potential rapist).

Georgia’s growing Western apathy does indeed stem from the false promises of the EU and NATO, but the poor example being set by those allegedly fi t to judge them are hardly going to help; with soundbites like Boris Johnson claiming that Brexit will be a ‘Titanic success’ and that Donald Trump ‘has the best words’…the idiocy of Georgian politicians seems almost mild in comparison.

As a political experiment, I would very much like to see a group of Georgian observers sent to the United States to monitor the American political process. Providing they could voice their opin-ions without the risk of damaging a stra-tegic partnership that the country depends on, their fi ndings might make most Georgians feel rather better about their own politics.

Source: Odyssey

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 4 - 7, 2016 7POLITICS

OP-ED BY ZAZA JGARKAVA

The only thing I can tell you is that Tina Khidasheli is not going to leave me - former Speaker of Par-liament David Usupashvili

told journalists regarding who else was planning to leave the Republican Party. Former Minister of Defense, Tina Khi-dasheli, confi rmed she would not leave her family or her husband, Usupashvili. We can boldly state that the above-said is the only thing we know for sure about the Georgian politics so far since the elections. Everything else, for exam-ple which political face is going where or who is leaving which party, is as ambiguous as ever. In short, Georgian politics is still suffering from election shock.

Election Shock!Nobody imagined such triumph from

the governmental party. The defeated are still fi guring out what happened and how Georgian Dream, with its tasteless election slogan, was able to win these elections. That said, political life will go on with or without Mr. Usupashvili and its future will become clearer in the days to come. But before that the victorious are also facing the dilemma of who they should keep in the new government and who not. Who will replace Usupashvili and many other parliamentary nuances is yet to be decided.

Georgian Dream will surely spend the upcoming months fi guring out who will get which offi ce or car. However, politics has its own rules and GD also have to think about forming the gov-ernment. The exact date for the fi rst parliamentary session has not been announced by the President yet, but it is already known he will designate Giorgi Kvirikashvili to continue as PM. Some ministers will hold the former positions, while some will change build-ing. For example, Davit Sergeenko will continue ase Minister of Health and Social Affairs, Dimitry Kumsishvili will change building and move to the Min-istry of Finance in Ortachala district- his former seat to be taken by Giorgi Gakharia. It is confi rmed that Kviri-kashvili’s new cabinet will now be without the Minister of Infrastructure Nodar Javakhishvili, MoF Nodar Kha-duri, Minister of Culture Mikheil Gior-gadze and Minister of Interior Affairs Giorgi Mgebrishvili. All this means that we are waiting for changes.

Kakhi Kaladze plans to return to the post of the Minister in the government,

we only need to know in which Ministry – Energy as before or Interior Affairs. Kaladze’s “presidential ambitions” are not new to anyone. The former soccer player from FC Milan plans to become the President in future. Everything will depend on those constitutional amend-ments which are planned by the govern-ment. If they decide to further decrease the authority of that institution and

The victorious are also facing the dilemma of who they should keep in the new government and who not

The Georgian Lari, as the fi nancial specialists say, still laments Misha Saakashvili

decree that the President should be elected by Parliament, then Kaladze will prefer being the Minister of Energy rather than merely hold a nominal post. How-ever, if the power of the President will remain as it is and he will be chosen through elections, no doubt Kaladze will aim for the post of Minister of Interior Affairs. His decisions will depend on the abovementioned criteria.

In reality, Kaladze is an issue to PM Kvirikashvili, who at the moment does not have time to deal with him. The Georgian Lari, as the fi nancial special-ists say, still laments Misha Saakashvili. The National Currency continues falling drastically and it is clear that Kvirikash-vili’s main challenge now is the country’s economy, however, he has a lot more to look after than that.

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 4 - 7, 20168 SOCIETY

BY VAZHA TAVBERIDZE

The M100 Sanssouci Collo-quium, while perhaps not as well-known as it should be in the Caucasus region, is a massive annual media

event that takes place in Potsdam, Ger-many, in the famed Sanssouci Palace that used to be the summer residence of Prus-sian royalty. It’s a place where all top media outlets from all over Europe gather each year to discuss the developments that are shaping today’s Europe and the role of media in it. I had the privilege to be invited there this year again after also

War or Peace – Europe’s Media Elite Talks Geopolitics at M100 Sanssouci Colloquium

whom have to deal with Russian media propaganda on a daily basis, rolled their eyes and brought up delightful analogies. One of those has stuck with me: How do you compare a Hollywood action fl ick to a documentary, or the “making of”? Which one is more watchable and which one’s more real? Then how you combat the fi rst with the second?

On Turkey, it was an eye-opening expe-rience to listen to Can Dundar, a former editor-in-chief of one of Turkey’s oldest pro-Western and secularist media out-lets, the Cumhuriyet newspaper, who curtly summed the post coup situation in Turkey with a brief remark: “A suc-cessful coup would have brought us a dictatorship. Now we have a police state.” Hard to argue with that.

Another benefi t that the Colloquium confers is that of sharing experience and know-how. Each year, a week-long work-shop precedes the event, where young journalists, mostly from Eastern Europe, get to train and hone their skills in a selected topic –this year it was investi-gative journalism techniques and chal-lenges, what with all the buzz about the Panama papers. With our aspiring jour-nalists under such thoughtful tutelage, the future prospects of Georgian media suddenly doesn’t look too bleak – both a crop of young (relatively, as the author of this piece is in his thirties himself) journalists that I had the privilege to meet in Potsdam were impressively qualifi ed, talented and full of ideas.

Yet another noteworthy aspect of the Colloquium is that it gives out annual awards for outstanding contribution to media. And while last year’s winners The Charlie Hebdo editor’s offi ce haven’t

fi lled me personally with the greatest of inspirations (a matter of personal taste and morality, I guess), this year it was a different story - the brave and outstand-ing author Roberto Saviano, with his best-selling investigative book “Gomor-rah” (later made into an equally brilliant movie and recently adapted to a TV series format), detailing the behind-closed-doors deals of Italian mafi a, was every inch an aspiration and an example for any journalist. Saviano, who now has to endure life under the constant super-vision of bodyguards, as the crime bosses show no inclination to cease their hunt for him, delivered a poignant and stag-geringly emotional acceptance speech disputing the ancient Roman Emperor Vespasian’s famous notion that money doesn’t smell. To Saviano, money smells, and he insists it should smell for every decent person, too. Amen to that.

Like in every well-oiled mechanism, the M100 Colloquium also has that one special part that makes all others click into motion. This piece wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the person who’s been putting in a tremendous shift to make things happen, and doing that in a subtle and gentle manner. Frau Sabine Sasse, who I’m proud to call my friend, has been responsible for the organiza-tional matters of M100 for years now, and I think I will speak for every young journalist and experienced pro when I say a big Danke Schon to her for the splendid work she’s been doing. May she do that and more for years and years to come, as we witness media achieving the heights it should aspire to – a decent media in the hands and for decent peo-ple, as Mr. Saviano would probably say.

Goethe Institute Organizes Teaching Seminars One of its Best Projects

attending the event in 2015.When you fi rst arrive at the M100 San-

ssouci Colloquium, it can be emphatic: the very crème of Europe’s press is there: The really old names, big guns, top peo-ple, you name it. As classy and prestig-ious as it gets without erring to the side of elitism (hey, not every media event gets attended by the Bundeskanzlerin herself – Frau Merkel was there to attend an award ceremony, more on that later). And when you are just a simple (not exactly humble) editor hailing from Georgia, with its proud but still relatively little-known media community, this kind of euphoria is easily explainable. Even if it’s your second coming here, there is much to learn – it’s not every day that

you listen to top intellectuals of Euro-pean media muse about such intrinsic things as Russian propaganda or inves-tigative journalism.

War or Peace – The Return of Geo-politics was this year’s chosen theme and the speakers didn’t disappoint: from the effects of Brexit to the war in Ukraine and emergence of right wing parties, the discussion was top notch, as were the keynote speeches and expert contribu-tions. Being Georgian, the topic of hybrid war waged by Russia and turmoil in Turkey was especially interesting. Regard-ing the fi rst, it was somewhat symbolic to see the Western media gurus preach-ing about good journalism, while their Eastern European colleagues, some of

BY MAKA LOMADZE

On October 24-30, the Goe-the Institute organized teaching-methodological seminars for Georgian, Armenian, Ukrainian and

Russian pedagogues in Borjomi, a resort town in south-central Georgia.

Renowned expert Sabine Quenot met with teachers to discuss topics including environmental protection, green pedagogy and sustainable development. Each sem-inar lasted 6 hours and was held in the framework of the large-scale project of Goethe Institute named ‘Unite for a Sus-tainable Future,’ being carried out with the support of the Georgian Ministry of Education and Science and the Georgian Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The seminars, as well as the project itself introduce the implementation of the new method of teaching German language in German language schools of Georgia in the direction of sustainable development. Namely, it comprises the integration of environmental protection, green pedagogy and topics of sustain-able development into the German lan-guage lessons, which is included in the

is an extremely interesting project. It shows that we also should have outdoor lessons, integrated into other subjects. I am eager to hold such lessons twice or thrice a semester. Pupils were very happy as it is very interactive and creative and no longer resembles a monologue- requir-ing more involvement, which means that they are learning to put what they have learnt into practice.”

Eike Pockrandt, lesson expert in Geor-gia and Azerbaijan from Goethe Institute, said: “Goethe Institute promotes the CLIL method in many countries. This is a totally innovative thing for this region. Our expectations were more than ful-fi lled. This project has such a dynamic; we never expected it would connect so many people. There were a lot of local initiatives. We opened the view for teach-ers of different subjects to integrate their methods into German language lessons. Now we will focus on German again and we want to ensure that the quality of German is really good.”

All participant teachers were presented a Teaching-Methodological Book cre-ated on the basis of CLIL, which was published on the initiative of Goethe Institute and with the support of the Vienna University of Agriculture and Environment.

CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) method.

Sabine Quenot is actively involved in the international projects of Goethe Institute, holding seminars in Germany, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Russia. There-fore, there was great interest among the Georgian teaching populace. “It was a seminar for 22 persons and they came from 4 countries and nearly half could not speak German- but they worked

together to help each other understand,” she said. “CLIL comes from the Ameri-can system now very popular in Germany. The teachers were very interested and had many ideas to work with students and make projects. For example, they had ideas to make costumes from video cassettes as a part of up-cycling. They also suggested walking more and using cars less often. Where normally we teach the names of objects, at CLIL we teach

what these objects are made of, where they come from, meaning the environ-ment, how the colors are produced, etc. I can say that the communication was very good. The teachers here are very open, friendly and motivated. They understand very quickly what the mat-ter is, too,” Quenot said.

GEORGIA TODAY also spoke to Geor-gian teacher of German language, Lali Gabitashvili from Tbilisi school 52: “This

Sabine Sasse has been responsible for the organizational matters of M100 for years

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 4 - 7, 2016 9SOCIETY

High quality, effi cient and technically impeccable products, combined with more than 55 years of expertise in the nail care

and beauty fi eld plus a true passion for beauty, make Mavala of Switzerland a remarkable success story.

Mavala was created in 1958 by Madelaine Van Landeghem and, with the introduc-tion of Scientifi que Nail Hardener, which remains one of our best selling products to date, over the years Mavala has become synonymous with quality thanks to its specifi c and effective professional stand-ard products, with categories including nail, hand, foot, face and make-up, all created from rigorous research and manufactured in our Geneva factories to impeccable quality demands.

Men, as well as women are attaching more importance to nail care and groom-ing. Long or short, nails should be impec-cable; they are the fi nal point of your beauty and their look refl ects your per-sonality.

Mavala offers a range of care and beauty products for nails to make them as attrac-tive and healthy as possible. As leaders in natural nail care, Mavala offers specifi c products that bring effective solutions to whatever nail problems you may have, along with an extensive nail color range free from harmful ingredients such as parabens, formaldehydes, toluene, cam-phore, cellophane, animal ingredients and heavy metal.

The R&D Laboratories, as well as the manufacturing facilities and operational activities, are located at the Geneva headquarters, the brand’s historic birth-place which rightly stands for quality, rigor and reliability around the world

EYE CAREThe Mavala Eye-Lite range was intro-duced in 1967 with Double-Lash; a unique eyelash enhancer formulated to lengthen, cover and protect the lashes allowing them to become healthy, long and resist-ant. Today, the Eye-Lite range consists of an assortment of products from eye make-up removers, nourishing moistur-izers specifi cally formulated for the delicate eye area to a selection of high quality make-up products.

NAIL CAREMavala specializes in the maintenance of beautiful looking nails and offers a complete range of products to alleviate all nail concerns, from uneven nail sur-faces, splitting and fl aking due to lack of hydration or nail discoloration. There

Mavala Nail Care & Beauty Products at Ici Paris

is sure to be a Mavala nail care solution to suit you. Mavala also offers a vast array of over 150 nail colors in shades ranging from chic yet understated nudes to the bold and vibrant.

Aside from its own distribution com-panies in France, England and USA, Mavala now reaches more than 110 mar-kets throughout the world.

In Georgia, Mavala’s production is exclusively presented at Ici Paris stores.

– values that the company hold dear and which have guided every creation since the original.

FOOT CAREBecause we feel it's important to give your feet the same attention given to hands, Mavala also offers a range of effective complementary foot care prod-ucts to keep your feet feeling and look-ing their best.

FACIAL CAREAfter many years of research and devel-opment, we created a line of face care and beauty, blending our scientifi c exper-tise and a natural ingredient commonly

found in Switzerland, the Mallow, which is present in all the care products of this line. Our range also includes impeccable make-up products, from long-lasting wear foundation, complexion enhancing blush, to easy-glide lipsticks in a large variety of shades.

HAND CAREAs a natural extension to our nail care and beauty line of products, we offer a range of specifi c hand care products, collectively referred to as the MAVALA Hand Care Program. Specifi cally formu-lated to care for the hands with active ingredients revolutionary for their use in hand treatments.

On November 1, in Fabrika, the Women’s Information Center hosted an event ‘Youth – United for Peace’ supported by PASHA Bank

and The US State Department. The event was held under the aegis of the project ‘Empowered Women for Peace and Development.’

Guests had an opportunity to attend the screening of short documentaries fi lmed by student journalists, and listen to writer Ana Kordzaia-Samadashvili presenting the public lecture – ‘Bob Dylan – Nobel prize laureate.’

The Women’s Information Center is a non-governmental organization that aims to improve women’s political, economic and social status by increasing the avail-

PASHA Bank Supports yet another Educational Project

ability of information.On March 8, PASHA Bank made a

donation to the Women’s Information Center on behalf of the Bank’s female clientele and partners that applied to organize campaigns aimed at raising awareness on women’s rights in Georgia.

“Corporate Social Responsibility is very important to PASHA Bank. We have implemented several CSR activities in past years and we believe that by sup-porting such educational projects, we contribute to the learning and develop-ment of youth and building an equal society,” said Anano Korkia, Head of PR and Marketing Department at PASHA Bank.

ADVERTISING

BY NATIA LIPARTELIANI

A street in Rome is to be named after Tbilisi.

The decision was made during a meeting held in Rome by the Deputy Mayor

of Rome, Luca Bergamo, Deputy Mayor

Rome Street to be Named after Tbilisi

of Tbilisi, Giga Nikoleishvili, and by the Head of Administration of Tbilisi City Hall, Irakli Khutsurauli.

Khutsurauli and Nikoleishvili are cur-rently attending the second edition of ‘Unity in Diversity’ in Italy, a summit being attended by around 60 offi cial representatives of the country.

This year the summit’s key topics are: climate change, cultural and natural her-

itage protection, and natural energy resources.

The mayors will discuss these topics together with high profi le international speakers at this year’s edition of the conference. Further, a special focus will be dedicated to endangered cultural and natural heritage in confl ict areas.

The summit is taking place in Florence from November 2-4 2016.

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 4 - 7, 201610 SOCIETY

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BY NINO GUGUNISHVILI

On World Savings Day on October 31, FINCA BANK Georgia introduced its newly launched interactive book for school children

aged 7 to 14. ‘My School Book’ is designed to help

children develop their fi nancial and business oriented skills from an early age. Covering such topics as what money is and why we save, offering quizzes and bringing successful stories of busi-ness practices, the book aims to be informative and encourage its young readers to form the right attitude to money, equipping them with the neces-sary knowledge of basic fi nancial lit-eracy. “These are skills that are very important, especially considering the fact that fi nancial inclusion, fi nancial capability and sustainable livelihoods are essential components of full economic citizenship,” said Mariam Esebua, Head of Market-ing at FINCA Bank Georgia.

The content and layout of ‘My School Book’ was made together with crea-tive agency Windfor’s Com-munications, and is designed to be fun and memorable for children through its colorful illustrations and entertaining content. “It was a huge respon-sibility, since the fun content needed

FINCA Bank Introduces My School Book to Improve Financial Literacy

to be created especially for children, while also informing them well on the important topic of fi nance,” said Vasil Chubinidze, representative of Windfor’s Communications.

“With the new interactive book chil-dren will also be given the chance to share their opinions with us through email, and the most active and creative readers will be awarded with special prizes,” Esebua added.

The newly released book is seen as a possibility to foster interaction between children and parents and, most impor-tantly, between classmates through interesting projects with they are encour-aged to do together.

The book is going to be distributed to FINCA Bank employees so that more than 8000 children in almost all regions of the country will get to use the book, learn the basics of fi nancial literacy

BY BAIA DZAGNIDZE

Beshumi resort’s illegal dump-site, located in Khulo Munic-ipality and operated between 2002–2012, was officially closed on October 23. The

landfi ll, covering an area of 780 sq. meters, was cleared of a total of 453 tonnes of waste during the closing period.

The dumpsite was closed according to international standards and the closure plan prepared by a USAID-funded pro-gram Waste Management Technologies in Regions (WMTR), which is imple-mented by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) together with CENN. Closure of the dumpsite was carried out in close col-laboration with the municipality and Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) funded the Sustainable Forest Governance in Georgia (SFG) program implemented by CENN.

In 2012, the wooden fence that sur-

rounded the dumpsite collapsed and the monitoring of the site ceased. The land was covered by a waste layer of 1 to 1.2 meters of waste; in some areas the depth was even 2.5 meters.

Additionally, since the waste was placed in an open fi eld for 10 years, constant rain and thick snow cover resulted in soil contamination. The removed waste was disposed of at the Akhaltsikhe landfi ll.

At this stage, waste bins have been placed in Beshumi and waste collection and disposal at the landfi ll material is carried out seasonally.

A recreational forest development project was prepared for the cleared area which aims to develop the resort’s infra-structure and services. The document will be presented to the Government of Adjara for implementation. Besides pre-venting new pollution of the unique for-est surrounding the Beshumi resort, the project will create a successful example of sustainable management of recrea-tional forests, which is important not only for Adjara, but for the whole coun-try’s forestry sector.

Recreational Forest Replaces Dumpsite

and have fun.“We are very happy that FINCA Bank

is a pioneer in the very important fi eld of making this kind of interactive content for children,” said the Head of Market-ing FINCA Bank Georgia.

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 4 - 7, 201612 SOCIETY

INTERVIEW: Cristian URSE, Head of the CoE TbilisiBY NATIA LIPARTELIANI

The Council of Europe (CoE) is an international Stras-bourg-based organization that promotes democracy, human rights, and the rule

of law in its 47 member states.CoE has an Offi ce in Tbilisi, where staff

members work on a large range of coop-eration programs in order to help Geor-gia act in accordance with the Council of Europe standards in the areas of human rights, rule of law and democracy.

In order to join efforts in Eastern Part-nership countries, the European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe have developed a ‘Programmatic Coopera-tion Framework’ (PCF), which enables cooperation activities with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Republic of Mol-dova, Ukraine and Belarus, in order to implement domestic reforms in those countries and bring them closer to Euro-pean standards.

To fi nd out more about CoE activities, GEORGIA TODAY met with Mr. Cris-tian URSE, Head of the CoE Offi ce in Georgia.

GEORGIA JOINED THE COE IN 1999. WHAT DO YOU THINK WAS THE MAJOR STEP IN TERMS OF FULFILLING COE OBJECTIVES DURING THE 17 YEARS SINCE?Georgia, as a member of the CoE, has been taking an active part in CoE activ-ities, for example in new standard-set-ting measures and in new conventions that have been developed and negoti-ated within the organization- products of interaction and the interests of CoE member states. Georgia is and has been part of that process and I think that is one very important aspect, as Georgia, once committing to human rights and rule of law, has not only taken on the responsibility limited to its domestic territory but has also contributed to the development and upholding of stand-ards in the other member states. In that regard I‘d say Georgia should be proud of the steps it has taken. Georgia’s cur-rent path and foreign policy orientation refl ect Georgia’s effort to get closer and closer to the EU and this process is very much linked to the conventions and standards that CoE has developed. When you look at the benchmarks established within the EU - Georgia Association Agreement, you see that there are a number of elements related to the judi-ciary and human rights - all aspects Georgia is committed to implement as a member of CoE.

WHAT ARE GEORGIA’S PRIORITY AREAS WHERE DOMESTIC REFORMS ARE TO BE CARRIED OUT WITHIN THE PCF PROJECT?I would fi rst say that the CoE working instrument with Georgia is a multi-annual Action Plan which was defi ned between CoE and the Georgian authorities, and which highlights the areas where coop-eration is necessary in order to improve the performance of institutions. That action plans follows four main themes: protecting and promoting human rights, strengthening the judiciary, democratic governance (including elections), and combating threats to the rule of law such as corruption or money-laundering. There is also a fi fth component which deals with confi dence-building and spe-cifi cally relates to the regions of Abkha-zia and South Ossetia.

The PCF is an instrument between the EU and CoE enabling us to combine our resources and expertise to deliver the kind of cooperation these countries need. PCF for Georgia comes under the roof of the action plan, so basically PCF is an instrument to promote the activities within the four lines I mentioned above. For example, in PCF we have a project harmonizing national practices of human rights with those of the Court in Stras-burg. We are able to interact with and train judges, prosecutors, and lawyers on the Convention of human rights. We provided assistance to the Tbilisi City Court in relation to human rights aspects and s a result the judges were able to be guided by our expert on the main ele-ments related to the convention. And we do see after such assistance more active use of the case law in Strasbourg when it comes to deciding matters for human rights domestically.

Other PCF priority activities relate to administration of elections, the situation of human righst and healthcare in pris-ons, freedom of media and internet gov-ernance, reform of judiciary, as well as national minorities.

HOW WOULD YOU GENERALLY ASSESS THE COOPERATION OF THE COE WITH THE GEORGIAN GOVERNMENT? IS IT FLEXIBLE AND SUPPORTIVE ENOUGH?We are not only working with govern-mental institutions. We just rounded-up a project which supports the Georgian Bar Association to better represent their clients on human rights matters.

I should say that the Georgian Govern-ment and Georgian authorities in general are very enthusiastic partners when it comes to working together and imple-menting projects- there is no reluctance to engage and they are open to discuss

the shortcomings. In that regard we have had a very positive experience. When defi ning the lines for our action plan for Georgia, the Georgian government and authorities were very much engaged and very eager to work with the CoE.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TARGET EASTERN PARTNERSHIP COUNTIES WITH THE SAME PROGRAM (THE PCF) RATHER THAN DEVELOPING COUNTRY SPECIFIC PROGRAMS FOR EACH?It is not necessarily targeting a pool of countries. It is more like providing a handy solution to make resources and expertise of both the EU and CoE avail-able to the authorities in these countries. The EU developed the instrument of Eastern Partnership and from that point of view the EU was willing to extend this kind of cooperation with the Coun-cil of Europe to have a Programmatic Cooperation Framework related to those counties. For us, it was a welcome solu-tion to engage more with each of these countries. It is not about treating them all as one, but about having more resources available to go deeper into the detailed needs of each.

For instance, we work with the Minis-try of Finance (MoF) on combating money laundering- this is actually a very good example of taking advantage of CoE expertise. The project was designed based on the recommendations for Geor-gia drafted by the CoE expert committee that deals with money laundering in all member states. For every country they issue a list of recommendations. For the case of Georgia, within the PCF, we were able to translate these recommendations into concrete actions by engaging with the MoF in developing legislation to bolster its capacity to tackle issues related to money laundering.

ONE OF YOUR OBJECTIVES IS TO ENSURE THAT ELECTORAL PRACTICE COMPLIES WITH THE PRINCIPLES OF THE COE. HOW WOULD YOU EVALUATE THE 2016 GEORGIAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS?Speaking of the fi rst round of the 2016 parliamentary elections, monitoring missions say that the overall process was well-administered and well-organized. However, there were a number of irreg-ularities and although they didn’t affect the outcome of elections, this type of information is important to us from a practical point of view, because we know what to target in order to improve in the future the administration of the electoral process.

BY KATIE RUTH DAVIES

Georgian government forces fought three wars against Russian-backed separatist forces in Abkhazia and South Ossetia from 1991 to

2008. According to the latest statistics of the Georgian Ministry of IDPs from the Occupied Territories, Accommoda-tion and Refugees, there are currently 263,598 registered IDPs in Georgia as a result.

At the end of summer, BBC photogra-pher Jacob Borden and journalist Tbel Abuseridze compiled a photo reportage that was passed around social media detailing the plight of two groups of IDPS and socially vulnerable families living in conditions of extreme poverty in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.

On seeing the reportage, I decided to visit the mentioned buildings. One was an old hospital near the Bazroba market, whose residents were made up mainly of IDPS. IDPs have seen greater recog-nition and support from the government in recent years and so their accommo-dation had been “touched up” with new PVC windows. Many had started their own home improvements on their illegal living quarters, evidence that a number of them had found employment. Some 10 families in the same settlement, how-ever, classed as “socially vulnerable,” had received no such support and are struggling to fi nd work. One woman, Ia Ochiauri, 42, has two young children plus two children over 18. State family support keeps them fed, but clothing,

Clothes Donation for IDPs & Socially Vulnerable- Join Us!

toys, educational materials and comfort-able living standards are seriously lack-ing.

At the ex-military hospital tucked behind the new Carrefour in Isani dis-trict- a behemoth of concrete, rubble and overwhelming abandonment -the situation was even worse. Glass-less or boarded up windows, the electricity sup-ply home-made (and often cut off by the authorities), and the same for the water pipes (scavenged supplies bring water to one point in each corridor for com-munal use)…Gas for cooking comes in the form of small camping tanks, while heating is through small wood-burners powered by the logs the government dumps in the front yard once each win-ter.

There are 170 children living on the territory. I tried to engage the mothers of these children to give us their names and sizes so that a very kind donor I know could buy each child a winter coat. They refused, claiming that two organ-izations had taken their information before us, promising help which then never came.

They are, as the BBC report so ade-quately put it, the “Forgotten Ones.” Many in the Isani area did not know of their existence, though they fi rst occu-pied the building some seven years ago. Some family members work, but “on the black,” not daring to live in better condi-tions for fear of losing state benefi ts. Many, though, are genuinely poor- stuck in a rut, lacking education and social support, lacking the love and respect of society. Even my own society in the UK shuns “scroungers” and “squatters,” but I still recognise that they are people. It is the government’s responsibility to make sure they are living in safety and comfort, that they are educated and trained to be more productive and a boost to the economy rather than a drain on it. It is our job, as fellow citizens, to show we care.

As such, on Saturday November 5, from 3 - 5pm at Fabrika, I am inviting readers and their colleagues to donate their old clothes and shoes (men's, women's, chil-dren’s), books and toys which I will then take to the two settlements the same day. A little bit of happiness and recognition goes a long way. Come along to the dona-tion event and enjoy a special offer from Tone restaurant- 5 GEL all-you-can-eat buffet and a glass of wine to all donators!

WHERE: 8 Egnate Ninoshvili Str.WHEN 3 – 5 pm

Photo: Jacob Borden, BBC

Many are stuck in a rut, lacking education and social support, lacking the love and respect of society

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 4 - 7, 2016 13SOCIETY

BY NATIA LIPARTELIANI

In October, the Radisson Blu hotels in Tbilisi and Batumi offered guests one “ pink” room available throughout the month, a portion of the proceeds from which were

donated to a regional Breast Cancer Awareness and Research charity organ-ization. GEORGIA TODAY spoke to Salome Tsotsoria, PR & Marketing Man-ager of Radisson Blu, to fi nd out more about this social campaign.

WHAT DOES THE CAMPAIGN STAND FOR?“Be Blu, Love Pink” is a global program launched by Radisson Blu in order to support the global fi ght against Breast

INTERVIEW: Salome Tsotsoria, PR & Marketing Manager of Radisson Blu Tbilisi

Cancer. In this program, in the month of October, 290 hotels were involved in the campaign worldwide. The campaign aims to increase the awareness of the disease and ways to prevent it. We decided to offer our guests a special pink room, which was decorated with pink details, accessories, and informational brochures. 10% of room sales are to be transferred to the international Breast Cancer Foun-dation. Additional to that, we prepared a pink breakfast corner. The breakfast included products which are recom-mended by doctors to combat the dis-ease. Hotel staff also collected money to help the patients on their own initia-tive. The general manager, Jordi Kuijthas, then doubled that amount.

HOW IMPORTANT IS CORPORATE SOCIAL

RESPONSIBILITY FOR RADISSON BLU AS AN ORGANIZATION?Radisson Blu hotels are deeply involved in social responsibility activities. Through-out the year we have a variety of such activities, such as the "Think Planet" in which we take care of the environment by saving energy and water, and raising awareness while doing so and “Think People” where 80% of rooms are kept non-smoking, we offer 10 accessible rooms, and an organic menu in restaurants. Our “Think Together” program involves sup-porting world childhood foundation, the local Red Cross society and “parent’s house” (a house for families of children suffering with leukaemia). This, of course, is not the full list.

HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED BEFORE OR ARE YOU GOING TO BE INVOLVED IN FUTURE IN SIMILAR ACTIVITIES?Of course! Our campaign “Blu for Pink” is not limited only to October. Accord-ing to 2015 statistics, in Georgia up to 900 people died from breast cancer this year, an alarming indicator considering the population ratio. We decided not to wait until October to work on this issue and started activities far in advance so we could think of more effective ways to help patients. From that preparation process, we launched the "#BluForPink challenge" in social media.

WHICH MEDIA PLATFORMS ARE USED FOR POPULARIZING

SOCIAL CAMPAIGNS?In Georgia social media is the most effec-tive way to communicate products and to reach a lot of customers. That is why we launched our #BluForPink social media campaign which made it super easy to become involved in charity work- it was enough to upload the video or photo with a hashtag #bluforpink and challenge your friends to donate to the charity. Different broadcasts covered the campaign so there was also a mixture of new and traditional media. Without the joint activities of companies and the media, it would be very diffi cult to reach the large segment of the population we did.

BREAST CANCER IS A SENSITIVE ISSUE. WHAT IS THE BEST COMMUNICATION STRATEGY FOR A SOCIAL CAMPAIGN IN THIS CASE?We always avoid negative messages in our social campaigns, or during our

media presence on radio or TV. It is, of course, essential to know the statistics so that people feel more motivated fi nd out about preventative measures. 80% of our campaign messages are positive. Pink decoration, roses, pink breakfast, motivational stories told by patients; all evoke positive feelings, rather than fear and a need to hide from the truth.

HAS THERE BEEN THE DESIRED LEVEL OF INTEREST FROM THE TARGET AUDIENCE OF THE CAMPAIGN SO FAR?The private sector, charitable founda-tions, and the government are engaged in many activities to maximize aware-ness in society so that everyone realizes there are ways to timely diagnose, pre-vent and cure cancer. We have tried to ensure that there is maximum public awareness. Radisson Blu has received the desired feedback from our actions, which makes us both proud and extremely happy.

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 4 - 7, 201614 SOCIETY

10 Galaktion StreetTel: (995 32) 2 45 08 08

E-mail: info@peoplescafe.ge

ROUTING FLIGHT NUMBER WEEK DAYS DEPARTURE ARRIVAL

TBILISI -ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT

TK 387

EVERYDAY

05.50 07.25TK 385 11.45 13.25TK 383 18.10 20.00

ISTANBUL ATATURK AIRPORT - TBILISI

TK 386 01.40 04.55TK 384 07.30 10.50TK 382 13.55 17.15

TBILISI -ISTANBUL SABIHA GOKCEN AIRPORT

TK 381EVERYDAY

07.40 09.00

ISTANBUL SABIHA GOKCEN AIRPORT -TBILISI

TK 380 20.45 00.10+1

BATUMI - ISTANBUL TK 393EVERYDAY

17.50 19.10ISTANBUL - BATUMI TK 392 13.55 16.55

TIFLIS KIS TARIFESI 7.5x6cm ING.indd 1 02/11/16 15:23

BY THOMA SUKHASHVILI, CHAI-KHANA

Is it possible for books to travel? Three years ago, a school bus converted into a mobile library started providing opportunities for the IDP settlements of Geor-

gia to host a number of community activities. The bookmobile is not only a library, but an inspirational educa-tional center on wheels.

When readers cannot go to libraries, libraries acquire wheels and go to read-ers. A school bus has been modifi ed to become a mobile library, traveling among Tserovani, Tsilkani, Prezeti, and Gala-vani - settlements that host a large num-

ber of internally displaced people (IDP) from South Ossetia following the 2008 confl ict.

The program, implemented by the US embassy since 2013, aims at reaching out to the IDP communities, providing access to English language books, oth-erwise unavailable, and to broaden the kids’ educational horizon. The book-mobile is not only a library, but rather an educational center on wheels, also providing a variety of courses and activities.

Most books are in the English language, focusing on American topics - from American literature, to governance sys-tems, history and culture. The library on wheels provides free internet, audio and video material and it organizes fi lm screenings and discussions on different

BY TONY HANMER

Once again the long trek, 600 km across Georgia to my wife's relatives in the east. Her brother in law had died recently, sud-

denly, and we needed to see how her sister and niece were doing.

The new car, fi rst automatic transmis-sion in my life of fi ve vehicles so far, makes all driving a breeze compared to what it used to be with the constant

Sky Mountains: Lagodekhi, Kakheti

gear-changing. Plus, it's warm, strong, fast and quiet, and quite new into the bargain. I could make the 12-hour jour-ney in a day, but we broke it up with an overnight at friends' in Kutaisi anyway. That 12 hours, too, will decrease further and further as they continue to extend the new highway from Tbilisi to Batumi. Then Georgia will for the fi rst time have a decent high-speed, high-volume main artery for its considerable cross-country transport. And then we'll all be in self-driving electric fl yers anyway, right?

The bulk of the journey was uneventful, easy; pleasant. But this all changed, for

the better not the worse, as we approached Gurjaani, near our destination of Lagodekhi. There are several villages one passes through before turning right and descending into Gurjaani, and the view on that high stretch dazzled me.

You can a glimpse of half a horizon of unbroken mountains between the houses and streets from your altitude as you go along, and I knew this. But I have never seen so strongly the effect which pre-sented itself to me this time.

The clouds above and below that long mountain chain were exactly the same color. What was left? Just this 180 degrees of panorama, silently, massively fl oating on those clouds. I began to seek a clear enough vantage point from which to see, and photograph, the whole thing. This was frustrating, because we were still driving though the villages towards Gur-jaani, and there wasn't a wide enough clear stretch. Patience, patience, that view isn't going anywhere soon...

We had to begin our descent into Gur-jaani, and I despaired, but my wife, more experienced in the landscapes of her homeland, said that what I sought would appear, not from these heights but lower down, where we were headed anyway. I trusted her, and wasn't disappointed.

There... among the fi elds, openings appeared. I stopped the car, pulled out my camera already on its tripod, switched to the long lens, and began shooting.

26 overlapping frames later, I had my panorama's raw materials, from which the computer could produce one gigan-tic, very long and thin image, seamlessly tone-matched. I didn't hurry away, though, because I needed a bit of time to absorb this surreal view unencumbered by a camera, take it in; remember it instead of just sampling it electronically. It deserved that. You can see what I have so far here, as it doesn't fi t well on a newspaper page: http://bit.ly/FloatGe

topics. It also runs clubs like video and photography courses.

The bookmobile often holds different events, joins several international cam-paigns and celebrates international days, including the annual celebration of International Day of Peace. This year, volunteer painters and IDP children painted the bridge to the settlement together.

This article was originally published on Chai Khana. Winner of the 2015 EU Prize for Journalism for most informa-tive online media, and the International ADAMI Prize for Cultural Diversity in Eastern Europe, is a multi-media plat-form seeking to revitalize the develop-ment of independent media in the South Caucasus for a more informed and engaged citizenry.

Books on Wheels

We saw our people, were taken into Lagodekhi Park for mushrooming and more photos, this time of vines on tree trunks and streams blurred to white by several-second exposures. The fungi are for me a taste which needed adulthood to appreciate, and I found them delicious, wondering what my younger fussy-eater self would have made of these wild ver-sions of the tinned ones we knew.

The family seem alright, but we'll try to monitor things from afar, as there's not much more we can do aside from taking care of a few practical things like fi rewood and a washing machine. (The fridge can wait until it's hot again, next spring). The sheer luxury of being able

to make this long journey by one's own transport instead of relying on public versions, hurrying or stopping wherever we choose, seeing anyone we need to, makes all the difference.

Tony Hanmer has lived in Georgia since 1999, in Svaneti since 2007, and been a weekly writer for GT since early 2011. He runs the “Svaneti Renaissance” Facebook group, now with over 1350 members, at www.facebook.com/groups/SvanetiRenais-sance/He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri:www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti-long trek

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 4 - 7, 2016 15CULTURE

FOR SALE: BMW – 321 modelDate of issue 1936

PRICE 10.000 USD

CONTACT PERSON 557 12 38 90

Together with the BI Auction for Art, GEORGIA TODAY continues its monthly fea-ture presenting famous Georgian painters to our

readers. This issue, Zurab Nijaradze is in the

spotlight. Now in his eighties, he’s known for

transforming the Georgian art of paint-ing, twice expelled from the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts for formalism, later appointed rector of the same for the term 1982 to 1987. His works are kept in the major museums and private collections in Georgia and Germany, the US, Brazil and Russia.

A conversation with Zurab Nijharadze is like time travel, transcending into a history of art, philosophy, and culture, accumulated in his art, inspired by and prolonged in the expressive world of his paintings.

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO BE A PAINTER?I don’t think there was anything special in my choice. Every child has a creative impulse, the process of creating some-thing makes children happy. They are happy to see the result, too, and that moment of joy when you see the fi nal result of your creation is very important for the area we artists work in. When children grow older their interests change; they often forget those impulses and interests. I didn’t: I followed that path. There were no specifi c preconditions for me becoming a painter, for me it was quite organic.

Slowly you come up with the challenges that you have to overcome, that’s what brings reason to it, and base. Harmony is very important and nature already has the necessary aesthetics in itself. Every human being is in search of harmony

INTERVIEW: Zurab Nijaradze, Painter

and beauty. These notions take different forms and the bases of aesthetics are slowly formed. Again, if we look at little children, when you bring crayons to them, they are happy. But why? Because they create something or because they like the material with which they draw? You can make a very interesting conclu-sion on the nature of creativity and the nature of art from that.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF ART AND WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE MATERIAL USED FOR IT IN THE ACTUAL PROCESS? I remember, once a young woman asked me about one of my paintings, what I wanted to express with it, and I answered that I just wanted to paint. I use color and material to tell a certain story.

WHAT DOES THE CREATION PROCESS CONSIST OF FOR YOU?It’s changeable- it’s a process that is constantly enriching and very different. The goal is to bring new quality and new life to the colors and materials we use. Imagine a brick. A brick building is built on the principle of weight; it must refl ect the quality of the material. Brooklyn Bridge has different aesthet-ics and architectonics. It has a principle of stretching; new materials bring new aesthetics. It’s important to know and realize where you stand artistically, what your starting point is. The work must be visible. As Stanislavsky said, you must come from the nature of things. The specifi cs of each art form are born when you can’t swap it for anything else. You can’t swap a theater for music or a poem for a novel. As a painter you should use your own ways of expres-sion and the “language”that is authen-tic to painting. What is the art of paint-

ing for? Eugene Delacroix even created a theory of warm and cold colors. It’s the unity of them that makes an unfor-gettable impression on the viewer, later developed by Impressionists who left interiors and went out into nature to explore its light and colors. Colors should be real, vivid; they must not be dead. Material is essential.

You can’t fi nd anything if you don’t know what you’re looking for. It’s like before you fall in love, you may not know what love is, but love exists nevertheless; it’s there, and, subconsciously, you know and feel it. All of it is connected and related and it’s hard to say where it comes from. The creative impulse is about mak-ing your work evident and visual for others. It’s a cognitive process. An artist should always work on the maximum verge of his limit. Truth lays in getting as closer to that limit of expression as you can. German philosopher Heidegger says that a man can only see the truth while dying, but I don’t believe in that.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU REGRET NOT DOING IN YOUR WORK?Yes. Even when I’m working, I already regret the things I’m not doing or haven’t done. It’s always like that. Probably the dramatism of our lives is in the fact that we think we’re not the ones we want to be.

IN ONE OF YOUR INTERVIEWS YOU SAY THAT AT THE END THE ONLY THING LEFT WILL BE SOMETHING THAT IS ABOVE TIME. WHAT IS THAT FOR YOU?Everything metaphysical is timeless- events obey the time, but the potential from which they are formed and born is above time… there is no discontinuity… the world is continuum!

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 4 - 7, 201616

Read. Learn. Enjoy. Pick up a copy of Georgia Today Education

at any BIBLUS shop or phone 229 59 19

Price: 2 Gel

CULTURE

BY DIMITRI DOLABERIDZE

The past weekend saw teens and adults around Tbilisi celebrating Halloween in various ways- with teens happily experimenting with

make-up, costumes and venues to better taste the western culture of traditional Halloween fun and frights, now becom-ing ever more accepted in this small Orthodox country.

Katie Ruth Davies, author of a fi ve book vampire saga for Young Adults (YA) decided to grab the moment to launch the third of her books to be translated into Georgian - Blood Omen 3: Fulfi l-ment (in Georgian, vampiruli omebi). The event was held in Biblus Gallery, Vake, and saw around 50 fans aged 10-19 packed into the presentation area, which Katie had decorated with a generous collection of horror-house props.

“It was the best presentation,” said Khato Geliashvili, 16, a sentiment echoed by another of Katie’s long-term fans, Salita Chankvetadze, 15. Both have been avid readers of Katie’s saga since it was fi rst published in Georgian (translator: Ana Chichinadze) two years ago.

“This presentation was the best!” Salita said. “Everything was well planned. The author’s creativity is unlimited. She’s an incredible person and always ready to talk to her fans on facebook when we contact her.”

The presentation saw the guests divided into two teams, depending on which of

British Author Launches 3rd Translated YA Book in Georgia

the two main love-interests of the story they most supported (the bad guy or the good- the result was more or less 50-50). The author then presented a brief history of her writing and publishing before hit-ting the group with a 13-question quiz, which the winning team received special Halloween prizes for. Then came time for the cake, designed by MadArt Conditery to display the cover of the 3rd book, and special “Dracula Donuts” and chewy fangs.

“It was a very special evening for me,”

Katie said. “Brilliant fun- building on last year’s presentation of Book 2, there was more excitement and defi nitely more fans! I’d like to thank the publishers, Georgia Today Group, for their encour-agement and support and, of course, to thank the fans who came and who are still in touch with me every week. I know a lot more wanted to come to the pres-entation but were unable- I’ve promised them I’ll do a book tour around Georgia in the near future. In the meantime, I keep up communication on my facebook page. It’s really something incredible to see young people reading my books so enthusiastically and drawing on the ideas and emotions within- to fi nd them believ-ing in the messages and the characters. I love all my fans- I have over 3000 Geor-gian followers on facebook now!”

The author is in the process of fi nal proof-reading her fi fth book of the saga.

She is also working on a paranormal YA fantasy set in Georgia. At the presenta-tion, she invited her fans to think up a title for the new book.

“I like to get my fans involved in the process. In fact, the cover of Book 3 was designed in a competition I ran. The winner was 16 year-old Natalia Nozadze from Opiza school. IT designer Beqa Giorgadze then took the design from paper sketch to digital form.”

“Everyone should read this book,” said Mancho Sikharulishvili, 17. “It contains so much emotion...Blood Omen teaches us that we must always fi ght even if things go wrong...

Even when people think there’s no hope, this book teaches us that we must believe!

We feel everything that Dea [main character] feels. It will make you cry, laugh, make you believe everything is possible...I fi nished it in a day and now I can't wait for the next one!”

To support the writer or fi nd out more, go to www.fb.com/bloodomensaga. The books are available in English on amazon.com

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 4 - 7, 2016 17CULTURE

BY MAKA LOMADZE

On October 28, at Georgian National Museum Simon Janashia Museum of Geor-gia, the opening of the Anniversary Solo exhibi-

tion of Tina Bakhtadze took place. The author of this picturesque compi-

lation is sadly no longer alive and as such the exposition is dedicated to her 100 years anniversary. Bakhtadze was a very interesting and talented female painter and artist of decorative art. The exhibi-tion showcases artworks created by her between 1970-2000.

Tina Bakhtadze developed the unique technology of micro-mosaic and imple-mented it into her art, creating a variety of works using peach, apricot, cherry, melon and watermelon pips and stones, grains of barley, rice, corn, rye and wheat, pine cones and reed plant branches, seeds and petals of fl owers, pebbles and shells, and many other natural materials. Like a goddess of nature, Bakhtadze man-ages to underline the most impressive parts of the earth, emphasizing its beauty and colors. Beads, turquoise and other materials are also used in several of her works.

This is a magic world that inspires one to stand for hours, gazing and unable to help but feel astonished how endless human fantasy can be. This woman was clearly absorbed by her art- living inside it without ceasing to grasp the marvels of nature and express it with her hands.

The exquisite feminine approach, ten-der but very vivid colors and rich spec-trum of her works, can brush aside all manner of gloomy mood- practical but decorative jars, drinking vessels for wine, vases, decorative plates, as well as reli-gious themes expressed in crosses all takes one’s breath away.

The colors are fl amboyant, the forms refi ned, and the manner of self-expression is very individual.

Giga Batiashvili, experienced and well-known Georgian architect, stated: “This is a real festival for society. I thank the Georgian National Museum as well as the members of Tina Bakhtadze’s family

Guests enjoying the exhibits at the Tina Bakhtadze anniversary exhibition

Wonderland Retold in Paintings Made of Seeds and Stones

for making this exposition happen. Today we are witnessing a happy marriage of great talent and great love that the author bore inside her.”

Marina Sagharadze, actress, said: “There is a really remarkable atmosphere here tonight, created by great talent and expe-rience. I want to thank Tina Bakhtadze’s daughter and the Museum for arranging such a nice exposition. I am very happy that one of these artworks will stay on the premises of the Georgian National Museum. I advise everyone to come and see.”

Here are landscapes, fl owers, people, copies of great painters like Paul Gau-

The exquisite feminine approach, tender but vivid colors can brush aside all manner of gloomy mood

Georgian National Museum in Focus of Instagram BY MAKA LOMADZE

The Georgian National Museum has just cele-brated its fi rst year on Ins-tagram! On October 27, the Simon Janashia Museum

of Georgia hosted a photo exhibition which showcased the photos of details taken by amateur photographers any-where within the Georgian National Museum.

Along with the exhibition, a variety of activities was held in the museum's courtyard. Visitors had the possibility to see the National Treasury – archaeo-logical, numismatic and medieval and Stone Age Georgia exhibitions. National Geographic Georgia and Santa Esperanza were present with their own corner stands and guests were afforded the opportunity to join the ‘Museum Friends’ society.

The event was accompanied by musi-cian Sandro Tediashvili (Macrowelt). The friends of Georgian National Museum on Instagram are: Windfor’s Communi-cation, National Geographic Georgia, GIFme, wine Tamada and Sandro Tedi-ashvili.

In his opening speech, Davit Lordkip-anidze, Director General of the Georgian National Museum, expressed his joy at seeing so many new faces. “This is not only one week within which you have come and taken snapshots- it is the cre-

ation of a common space. The Georgian National Museum belongs to not only its employees but to each of you. We have a great wish to make this liveliness that your co-participation gives us, con-stant. I hope this attitude, made with inspiration, humor and creativeness, will go on.”

The award-giving ceremony followed, seeing all top entrants awarded equally for their contributions: Mindia Gabadze, Nino Kankava, Nuka Kopaleishvili and Rezi Gvritishvili.

The special prize was revealed by Levan Butkhuzi, Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic Georgia: “We are happy that the Georgian National Museum, our major partner, has given us the right to reveal the special prize winner. We think that all the winners were worthy, and we have awards for each – the past 49 editions of National Geographic, but we still have to name the best of the best from our point of view. This is Tata Mat-skhonashvili, who will receive not only the past but also the next year’s subscrip-tion to our magazine.”

GEORGIA TODAY spoke to the lucky winner, who is just 16 years old. “I love taking photos. I had the idea to take this particular photo some time ago. I took Davit Kakabadze’s [editor’s note: great Georgian painter] mirror refl ecting all the other pictures around it. I was pretty confi dent I’d win, as I have a professional camera, and my photo has both the nec-essary detail and creativity,” Tata told us.

guin, and more. It is obvious that the author was fond of animals, nature, fl ow-ers, all the living creatures… She was creative and, as the members of her fam-ily characterized her, an extremely kind person. What can be better than a com-bination of great talent and good heart?

Where: Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia. 3, Rustaveli Ave. When: Until November 5Ticket: GEL 3-5 for adults, 1 GEL for students, 50 Tetris for children and pensioners

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 4 - 7, 201618 CULTURE

WHAT’S ON IN TBILISIJune 11 – March 11 (2017)EXHIBITION "MEDIEVAL TREASURY"

June 16 – December 16THE EXHIBITION “NEW DISCOVERIES - GEORGIAN ARCHAEOLOGY”

September 27 – September 22 (2017)EXHIBITION "STONE AGE GEORGIA"

MUSEUM OF SOVIET OCCUPATION

Address: 3 Sh. Rustaveli Ave.

PERMANENT EXHIBITION

GALLERY

THE NATIONAL GALLERYAddress: 11 Rustaveli Ave.www.museum.ge

PERMANENT EXHIBITIONNiko Pirosmanashvili, David Kakabadze, Lado Gudiashvili and sculptor Iakob Nikoladze.

June 24, 2016 – June 24, 2017PIROSMANI’S "YARD CLEANER" AND "EAGLE SEIZING A HARE" ON DISPLAY

September 28 - September 28 (2017)PIROSMANI’S ROE AT A STREAM

November 3-23THE ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION BY GOGI ALEXI-MESKHISHVILI

ZURAB TSERETELI MOMA TBILISI

BRIAN GRIFFIN EXHIBITION 'MOTHER GEORGIA' FOR COMME DES GARCONS (1989)The collection displays 12 photographs and a VHS video.

ARTISTERIUM, TBILISI 9TH INTERNATIONAL

CONTEMPORARY ART EXHIBITION AND ART EVENTS

November 419:00 – KILL THE BUDDHA!International group exhibitionOpening of the Artisterium 9 / 2016Tbilisi History Museum “Karvasla”, 8 Sioni Str.

November 514:00 - LETTERING OR NOT? CONTEMPORARY LETTERING AND DESIGNWorkshop, Ekin Kilic, Ankara Bilknent UniversityTapestry Museum, 19 Chardin Str.17:00 - I AM AN IDIOT, MOM!Art Area exhibition hall, 10 D. Abashidze Str.19:00 - LIVING ROOM IIInternational group exhibition with artists from Georgia, France, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and the USALeonidze State Museum of Georgian Literature, 8 Chanturia Str.

November 617:00 – TOMORROW WILL BE YESTERDAYTato Akhalkatsishvili, installationSimon Janashia Museum of Georgia, 3 Rustaveli Ave.

November 718:00 – THE SIXTH ELEMENTInternational group exhibition (Georgia, France)Container Gallery, 10 Radiani Str.

November 9 18:00 – INNERFERRERAVakho Bugadze, personal exhibitionSound: Dima DadianiDry Bridge, 27 Atoneli Str.

MUSIC

WEEKEND EXPRESS WITH ACID PAULI

November 5WE VOL.3 IS HOSTING ACID PAULI

THEATER

GEORGIAN INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

OF ARTS GIFT IN TBILISIOctober 15 – November 25

November 10 MR. ZOMMERFranz KafkaDirected by Ioseb BakuradzeBorjomi Puppet TheaterStart time: 15:00Address: Tumanishvili Film Actors Theater, 164 Agmashenebeli Ave.

TBILISI ZAKARIA PALIASHVILI OPERA AND

BALLET THEATREAddress: 25 Rustaveli Ave.Telephone: 2 99 04 56

November 5ABESALOM AND ETERIStarring: Giorgi Chelidze (Trainee), Armaz Darashvili, Irina Aleksidze,Nino Chachua, Khatuna Chokhonelidze, Sulkhan Gvelesiani, Nutsa Zakaidze (Trainee), Filipe Gachava, Gia Makharadze, Giorgi Mchedlishvili (Trainee).Chorus, Ballet and Orchestra of the State Opera House of GeorgiaConductor: Papuna GvaberidzeDirected by Gizo JordaniaSet and Costume designer: Giorgi Aleksi-MeskhishviliStart time: 19:00Ticket: 5 - 60 GEL

November 9, 10SWAN LAKEState Ballet of Georgia presents P. Tchaikovsky’s two-act ballet Choreographic version and staging by Alexei FadeechevStart time: 19:00Ticket: 10 - 50 GEL

GEORGIAN STATE PANTOMIME THEATRE

Address: 37 Rustaveli Ave.Telephone: 2 99 63 14

November 5, 10KRIMANCHULIDirected by Amiran ShalikashviliStart time: 19:00Ticket: 10 GEL

TBILISI VASO ABASHIDZE MUSIC AND DRAMA STATE

THEATREAddress: 182 D.Agmashenebeli Ave.Telephone: 2 34 80 90 www.musictheatre.ge

November 5, 6DIVORCEGiorgi EristaviDirected by Davit DoiashviliMusicalStart time: 19:00Ticket: From 8 GEL

GRIBOEDOVI THEATREAddress: 2 Rustaveli Ave.Telephone: 2 93 43 36

November 5FROZEN IMAGESKristian SmedsDirected by Jari JuutinenLanguage: RussianStart time: 18:00Ticket: 5 GEL

November 6SCARLET SAILAlexander GrinDirected by Avtandil VarsimashviliLanguage: RussianStart time: 18:00Ticket: 5 GEL

GABRIADZE THEATREAddress: 13 Shavtelis St. Telephone: 2 98 65 93

November 4 STALINGRADRezo GabriadzeDirected by Rezo GabriadzeEnglish SubtitlesStart time: 20:00Ticket: 10, 15, 20 GEL

November 5 MARSHAL DE FANTIE’S DIAMONDRezo GabriadzeDirected by Rezo GabriadzeEnglish SubtitlesStart time: 20:00Ticket: 10, 15, 20 GEL

MOVEMENT THEATERAddress: 182, Aghmashenebeli Ave., Mushthaid parkTelephone: 599 555 260

November 5, 6PERFORMANCE LABYRINTHStart time: 20:00Ticket: 15 GEL

November 7HULEMENTStart time: 19:00Ticket: 10 GEL

CINEMA

GEORGIAN INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

OF ARTS GIFT IN TBILISI

November 7ITALIAN FOCUSLA BELLE AT THE MOVIESDocumentary Film By Cecilia ZoppellettoScreening to be followed by a Q&A sessionStart time: 18:00Address: Amirani Cinema, 36/1 M. Kostava Str.

AMIRANI CINEMAAddress: 36 Kostava St.Telephone: 2 99 99 55www.kinoafi sha.ge

Every Wednesday ticket price: 5 LariNovember 4-10

THE ACCOUNTANTDirected by Gavin O'ConnorCast: Ben Affl eck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. SimmonsGenre: Action, Crime, DramaLanguage: EnglishStart time: 19:15Language: RussianStart time: 14:15, 22:15Ticket: 9-14 GEL

DOCTOR STRANGEDirected by Scott DerricksonCast: Rachel McAdams, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mads MikkelsenGenre: Action, Adventure, FantasyLanguage: RussianStart time: 22:15Ticket: 13-14 GEL

JUSTE LA FIN DU MONDEDirected by Xavier DolanCast: Nathalie Baye, Vincent Cassel, Marion CotillardGenre: DramaLanguage: RussianStart time: 22:00Ticket: 13-14 GEL

RUSTAVELI CINEMAAddress: 5 Rustaveli Ave.Telephone: 2 55 50 00www.kinoafi sha.ge

Every Wednesday ticket: 5 GELNovember 4-10

THE ACCOUNTANT(Info Above)Start time: 14:30, 17:00, 19:30, 22:15Ticket: 9-14 GEL

DOCTOR STRANGE(Info Above)Start time: 19:45 Ticket: 13-14 GEL

MUSEUM

GEORGIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM SIMON

JANASHIA MUSEUMAddress: 4 Rustaveli Ave.Telephone: 2 99 80 22, 2 93 48 21www.museum.ge

PERMANENT EXHIBITION: GEORGIAN ARCHAEOLOGY FROM 8TH MILLENNIUM B.C. TO 4TH CENTURY A.D

EXHIBITION OF GEORGIAN WEAPONRY

NUMISMATIC TREASURY

Start time: 23:00Ticket: 20 GELVenue: 36 Kostava Ave.

RUSTAVELI THEATREAddress: 17 Rustaveli Ave.Telephone: 2 72 68 68www.rustavelitheatre.ge

November 9RAFAEL AGUIRREStart time: 20:00Ticket: 35-40 GEL

TBILISI CONCERT HALLAddress: 1 Melikishvili St.Telephone: 2 99 00 99

November 10TBILISI JAZZ FESTIVALJAMIE CULLUMHigh class British showman, jazz and pop star Start time: 20:00Ticket: 40-280 GEL

November 15THE LIGHT YEAR AND NIKOLOZ RACHVELIGeneration XXI with a rock cantataLyrics by Terenti Graneli and Otar ChiladzeThe Light Year rock band and Eugine Mikeladze National Symphonic Orchestra will be performing in support of Iavnana Charity Foundation Conductor: Nikoloz RachveliArtistic Director: Gigi Gegelashvili (composer, singer)Start time: 20:00Ticket: From 10 GEL

TBILISI BAROQUE FESTIVAL

November 10CORNELIA VON KERSSENBROCKGeorgian Sinfonietta holds the Tbilisi Baroque Festival with the support of The Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of GeorgiaStart time: 19:30Ticket: From 15 GELVenue: Rustaveli Theater

MOVEMENT THEATERAddress: 182, Aghmashenebeli Ave., Mushthaid parkTelephone: 599 555 260

November 8, 10JAM SESSIONLeaders:Reso Kiknadze (sax),Nika Gabadze (guitar),Misha Japaridze (bass),Irakli Choladze / Gio Kapanadze (drums)Start time: 21:00

November 9TANGO EVENINGMilonga La Kumparsita Start time: 21:00Ticket: 5 GEL

TBILISI ZAKARIA PALIASHVILI OPERA AND

BALLET THEATREAddress: 25 Rustaveli Ave.Telephone: 2 99 04 56

November 7ZVIAD BOLKVADZE AND GEORGIAN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRAStart time: 19:30Ticket: 10-40 GEL

KAKHIDZE CENTERAddress: 123/125 Agmashenebli Ave.Telephone: 2 95 01 19

November 5SYMPHONIC MUSIC CONCERTSoloist: Susanne Rigvava DumasConductor: David MukeriaStart time: 19:30Ticket: 5 GEL

GEORGIA TODAY NOVEMBER 4 - 7, 2016 19SPORTS

GEORGIA TODAY

PUBLISHER & GM George Sharashidze

COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT Commercial Director: Iva MerabishviliMarketing Manager: Mako Burduli

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT: Editor-In-Chief: Katie Ruth Davies

Journalists: Tony Hanmer, Zaza Jgarkava, Maka Bibilashvili, Karen Tovmasyan, Dimitri Dolaberidze, Maka Lomadze, Tim Ogden, Joseph Larsen, Vazha Tavberidze, Nugzar B. Ruhadze,Nino Gugunishvili,Thea Morrison,Natia Liparteliani

Photographer: Giorgi Pridonishvili

Layout: Misha Mchedlishvili

Webmaster: Sergey Gevenov

Circulation Managers: David Kerdikashvili, David Djandjgava

ADDRESS 1 Melikishvili Str. Tbilisi, 0179, Georgia

Tel.: +995 32 229 59 19E: info@georgiatoday.ge F: GeorgiaToday

ADVERTISING & SUBSCRIPTION+995 595 279997 E-mail: marketing@georgiatoday.ge

Reproducing material, photos and advertisements without prior editorial permission is strictly forbidden. The author is responsible for all material. Rights of authors are preserved. The newspaper is registered in Mtatsminda district court.

Reg. # 06/4-309

BY ALASTAIR WATT

Georgia head coach Milton Haig has claimed that the SRU’s decision to stage the forthcoming autumn test at Kilmarnock’s Rugby

Park, rather than Murrayfi eld, will moti-vate his players to prove they are worthy of a bigger stage.

“To some degree, it’s disrespectful”, said Haig, who had hoped to take on close friend Vern Cotter’s Scotland at the Scottish rugby’s traditional home in Edinburgh on November 26.

The SRU’s rationale for staging the tie in Ayrshire was twofold. First, the visit of Georgia was not likely to attract a crowd of anywhere near Murrayfi eld’s 67,000 capacity and, second, the author-ities sought to take an international fi x-ture to a venue outside the capital as they have done several times in recent years.

In July, when Kilmarnock was announced as the venue for the Georgia clash, an offi cial statement read: “Scottish Rugby continues to take international rugby across the country in a bid to grow the sport and we hope taking our national team to Ayrshire will inspire a new audi-ence as a means to increasing interest and participation in grassroots rugby.”

Regardless of the factors behind the venue choice, Haig claimed “it could be a decision that comes back to bite them.”

“I was a bit miffed as Vern and I would both have loved to play at Murrayfi eld. Having lived here before, and having Scottish heritage, and having watched the All Blacks play there growing up, it would have been something special to play there,” stated the Georgia head coach who worked as a teacher in East Lothian for a year in the early 1990s.

Indeed, the New Zealander would have stayed in Scotland longer had he not

Murrayfi eld Snub Will Motivate Ambitious Georgia, says Kiwi Coach Haig

been denied a work permit despite hav-ing been selected by Jim Telfer for a development position with the SRU in 1994.

Haig recalls: “I was up against former Scotland internationals and Jim (Telfer) had told me that only a Scot would get that job, but he changed his mind after the interview. It was upsetting at the time when the Home Offi ce didn’t grant me the permit. Jim sent me a wonderful note afterwards though and I hope he’ll be at the match at Kilmarnock.”

Georgia, ranked 11th in the world, could break into the top ten before the year is out and Haig believes this November “could be the most important window we’ve ever had.”

Playing in Europe’s second tier com-petition, the newly renamed Rugby Europe International Championships, Georgia have emerged unquestionably as Europe’s best team outside the Six Nations, winning the tournament in each of the last six years and have already qualifi ed for the 2019 World Cup. They harbor ambitions of being welcomed into the Six Nations one day as well, but genuine encouragement from the organ-izers has been in short supply.

Faced with some indifference in Europe, Georgia have had to test themselves elsewhere and this summer they emerged from a tour of the South Pacifi c with an impressive unbeaten record, defeating Fiji and Tonga while drawing with Samoa.

“The World Cup last year and the suc-cess we achieved on tour in the Pacifi c earlier this year were great, but going into the top ten would be us breaking barriers. At the start of this year, one of the goals we set was to reach the top ten so we’ll do all we can to make that a real-ity,” adds the Kiwi who lives in the Geor-gian capital Tbilisi permanently with his wife, a head teacher at an interna-tional school, and two daughters, both of whom speak Georgian fl uently.

“After the World Cup (where Georgia

won two games for the fi rst time in their history), we had to ask ourselves what comes next. It was vital that we strived for continuous improvement and that’s been visible with the record winning margin over Romania in March and the unbeaten tour in the Pacifi c,” noted Haig.

Accordingly, Haig sees the Scotland clash as a chance to turn a few heads in the northern hemisphere: “Putting in solid performances against the top teams can change the perceptions of both the rugby public and the decision makers. It is a chance for us to prove something, a great opportunity but it’s what we do with that opportunity that matters.”

While Cotter will be his adversary for 80 minutes in Ayrshire, Haig is looking forward to having his fellow countryman on his side when next summer he moves to French club Montpellier where sev-eral of the Georgian squad play.

“I am not sure if Vern leaving Scotland was a mutual decision. In any case, the south of France is not a bad place to be going, and he’ll have six of our lads in his squad so Georgia will benefi t from having several of the team getting top class coaching at club level.”

The relationship between them is one that Haig describes as brotherly, with Cotter the elder of the two. Only once before have they coached against each other, in a friendly in New Zealand in which Cotter’s side prevailed, a score Haig is keen to settle.

“They are a perennial top ten side so to play Scotland in Scotland is historic for us, and it will be a massive occasion. They were one referee’s decision away from the semi-fi nals of the World Cup and they had some good performances in this year’s Six Nations. We have to embrace the occasion.”

For the New Zealander leading Geor-gia to uncharted heights in world rugby, the sources of motivation to overcome the Scots in their backyard this autumn are abundant.