My Sweet Georgia - local tourist portal

New Museum to Be Launched in Oni
At a briefing held prior to the government meeting on May 23, the Prime Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze stated that a new local museum is to be built in the town of Oni, Racha. The Head of the Government focused on the importance of the development of the rural areas across the country and noted that providing appropriate infrastructure is vital in this case. -Regional development is a major priority for us. It is the only way to achieve inclusive growth in Georgia. To ensure equal development in the regions of the country, it is important to put in place relevant infrastructure in each of them,- stated Bakhtadze. The PM also accentuated the significance of the tourism industry for the general progress of Georgia. -Tourism is the best sector for inclusive growth. We are developing relevant infrastructure in our mountain areas. This very goal is served by the Georgian Government s decision to build a local museum in Oni,- he said. The new multifunctional museum in Oni is planned to integrate a conference hall, an archive, a library, a multimedia library, as well as an educational space for minors.

Shakespeare Here: Etseri, Svaneti
BLOG My wife has been putting her university background in drama to good use recently. There has been a call for short numbers by school pupils based on Shakespeare in the Mestia region, which will be shown in the capital on Saturday. She asked me to put together a selection of the Bard’s sonnets, which most conveniently are also available in good Georgian translations of the difficult English. Some of these will be read by pupils, as well as a short biography of the man, whose very identity is still under much question after these centuries. A recent theory is that he was actually a woman; not without supporting evidence. Intriguing. It’s the Grade 4 class who are getting the most fun, though, acting out the closing scene from Romeo and Juliet, leaning towards the great modern American-set movie version which introduced the play to a vast new audience. For me growing up, Shakespeare really benefited from video, coming alive in ways which the printed page alone failed to do for me. I can still remember Mad Max and Cruella Deville doing Hamlet in about 1990, nailing it. For our generations, cinema is an important medium, and I say, the more Shakespeare adapted into it, the better, to keep his legacy going without end. I drew the line at using a “real” toy gun borrowed from the shop for Juliet to kill herself upon discovering Romeo’s suicide, though; instead I offered to make a crude cardboard silhouette pistol, because I don’t want any young people or their parents getting ideas that we’re promoting murder of the self at all. I’ve added a cardboard mike for the reporter (narrator) and have offered an old camera and my tripod for the film crew who are involved with her. Practically every word from R J made it into this film version we’ve been watching, although swords were replaced with guns and Prince’s music, along with that of others, was added. Brilliant, unforgettable, fresh but timeless. The class have watched the required clips to see how it was done, to get a feel for it, and are full of enthusiasm which my wife prays will continue into their graduation some eight years from now. If so, the world will be at their feet. Her dramatic gifts are key, too, in helping them forget that they’re even using their 3rd language. Whether it’s having a passionate debate about a controversial subject, talking to foreign tourists who speak no Georgian or Svan or even Russian, the more the children can just get on with English as un-self-consciously as possible, the better. Plays are one medium for helping them do this. I hope my wife will have the chance to incorporate more drama into extra-curricular activities. The pupils love getting into it; some of them are real performers. Their parents usually know enough of the plot to follow along even if they’re not getting every word in English. And it’s helping show all generations that English knowledge here, in this little village high in the mountains, is wasted neither as entertainment nor as a help to future job prospects, here, in Mestia, in Tbilisi or anywhere in the world their hearts can dream of. Enough of apathy or of thinking that those dreams are nonsense, unattainable. The play’s the thing to set them on a course towards future success! 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 nearly 2000 members, at www.facebook.com/groups/SvanetiRenaissance/ He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri: www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti

Georgia & Israel Performers from the Oldest Nations Kicks Off
For the first time, an intercultural musical project has been launched by Tbilisi State Conservatoire (TSC) and the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance (JAMD) bringing distinguished young musicians together. The project, named ’Performers from the Oldest Nations’ is dedicated to 26 centuries of Jewish-Georgian friendship and the future cooperation between the institutions. It involves the participation of young students from both countries in masterclasses, discussions and concerts. The first stage of the project (JAMD X TSC) will take place on 8-13 June. Students of JAMD will visit Georgia and take masterclasses delivered by TSC professors Lali Sanikidze and Nodar Nakaidze. Apart from students, Vice-President of JAMD, Professor Michael Klinghoffer, will pay a visit to Georgia and hold masterclasses for conservatory students and music school pupils. Within the program, two concerts are planned: on June 10, at 7 PM, joint concert of participants from both countries will be held at Steinway & Sons Georgia. This will be followed by a concert of JAMD students at the TSC Recitall Hall at 8 o’clock on June 12. Both concerts are free to attend. “I hope this project will create new friendships, connections and new musical interactions between two schools that have a great reputation and possess great traditions,” Klinghoffer told GEORGIA TODAY. “I hope that through this project we can build a long-lasting relationship. During my visit, I would like to meet people who I can share my ideas with about our role as music schools. This is on the one hand keeping and reviving the tradition and conserving it, and at the same time it is our goal to prepare the artists to change the world. There is less work and interest in the kind of music we do, but the 21st century is a time of independent musicians, and one of our missions is to educate and help students thrive in this wonderful world that holds many opportunities. I’m really looking forward to visiting Tbilisi for the first time,” he added. The second phase of the project (TSC X JAMD) is scheduled for the first half of October in Israel. Within the frames of the project, five Georgian students (pianists) will visit Israel and collaborate with AMD professors Vadim Monastirsky and Yaron Rosenthal. The masterclasses will be followed by concerts. A concert by participants of the project will be held at the Steinway & Sons Showroom and will be followed by a concert of the Georgian students at the Eden-Tamir Music Center. As part of the project, five students from each country have been selected. From the Tbilisi State Conservatoire: Aslan Chikovani, Lasha Kvaratskhelia, George Shiolashvili, Salome Goderdzishvili and Tamar Jincharadze; and from the and Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance: Hanan Becher, Omer Yaari, Dani Ozz, Eyal Urim, and Alexander Julakidze. The person behind the project is Georgian pianist Alexander Julakidze, who is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree at JAMD in Israel and who has held a number of concerts and activity promotes Georgian culture abroad. “For Tbilisi Conservatory students, exchange programs are not a novelty, so when I enrolled at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, I often talked about it with my musician friends, including Maestro Vadim Monastirsky,” he told us. “During one such conversation, I suggested we organize an intercultural project between TSC students and JAMD. The TSC Rector asked assistance from the Georgian Embassy to Israel to organize the joint project on the Jerusalem end and we signed a memorandum of cooperation between the two musical institutions. It is the first agreement between Israel and Georgia in this direction and this is the very first artistic event based on a new student platform. From the very beginning, the project was supported by Steinway & Sons Georgia and thus concerts of 10 musicians will be held at the Steinway & Sons Showroom venue. The initiative is also backed by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture Aand Sport of Georgia, which has helped TSC and its students to promote their talent beyond the borders of the country many times.” “The newly established friendship between these two music schools is as important as the friendship between our nations, which counts more than 3000 years. Such a past gives a good basis to form new friendships, share knowledge and inspire one another. I appreciate Alexander’s initiative and I am sure that this project will have great results in many directions for students of both music institutions,” Rezo Kiknadze, Rector of the Tbilisi State Conservatoire, told us. “Deepening cultural relations between two countries is extremely important, since cooperation of the Hebrew world with Georgia goes beyond simple collaboration in many fields,” said Paata Kalandadze, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the State of Israel. “This is a truly historic and significant occasion that traces its roots back centuries. Bringing new life to these roots through such projects is equally important for both nations. Israel is a fast-developing countries which can also be perceived as an important route for transferring Georgian culture to the international scene. We should engage in organizing joint cultural projects as well as take part in Israel’s international festivals. Israel is notable for its world-renowned musicians and orchestras, who are impressed by young Georgian pianists and their capacities and are eager to share their experience and knowledge with them,” the Ambassador said.

The Times: The Rise of Georgian Fashion
An article published in the prominent British newspaper The Times has hailed the rise of Georgian fashion on the world stage. Published on 15 May following the author’s visit to Tbilisi Fashion Week, the article is called ‘Paris, London, Milan - Tbilisi? The rise of Georgian fashion’. “The most influential man in fashion today is from Georgia,” begins Anna Murphy, fashion director and author of the article, speaking of Demna Gvasalia, the man behind (sic) Vetements and the creative director of Balenciaga. Tbilisi Fashion Week, founded in 2015, has been gaining more and more international attention and claim each year it takes place. Media coverage of Tbilisi Fashion Week 2019 appeared in international publications such as Vogue and V Magazine. The full article can be found here.

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