Georgia revives its vibrant history on Independence Day

A group of performers have donned historic garb to retell life in the era when Georgia first started to gain its independence.

With the support of the Ministry of Culture of Georgia, for the first time a group of Georgian artist from the Professional State Youth Theatre took guests back in time and performed as characters who were part of Georgia’s first modernist literary group, the Blue Horn Poets [Tsisperkhantselebi].

Actors from the Professional State Youth Theatre  bought back the spirit of 20th Century Georgia. Photo by Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge

Today, as the country celebrated Independence Day, the young actors represented famous Georgian artists, poets and public figures from the 20^th Century.

The actors wore clothing of the era and spoke in ways that mimicked the characters they were portraying. The group revived scenes in Kimerioni cafe, which was one of the favourite places of the Blue Horn Poets.

The actors read out the Act of Independence of Georgia. Photo by Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge

At the beginning of the 20^th Century the Kimerioni was considered as the first house of the Georgian Writers’ Union, which was founded in 1917. It was then handed to the Union based on the decree of the government of independent Georgia in 1919. It was a space for consumption and social intercourse, where works of art were displayed, actively discussed and theoretically interpreted.

We wanted to give life to our history, which is considered one of the progressive periods in Georgia’s art and public life,” said artist Dato Rostomashvili.

I am performing [works by] famous Georgian poet Galaktion Tabidze and I am happy that young people can recognise my hero. There are many people who are interested in Georgia’s history of independence,” he said.

Today the Professional State Youth Theatre performers held theatrical procession on Rustaveli Ave and read the Act of Independence of Georgia while the national anthem of Georgia played in the background.

For the first time a short video, created especially for this day, was screened where all Georgian Ambassadors who represented the country in Europe during the first independence Republic of Georgia, from 1918 to 1921.

People on Rustaveli Ave could watch a short video showcasing independent Georgia's first Ambassadors in Europe. Photo by Mariam Papidze/Agenda.ge

The exhibition was organised by Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). The event allowed guests to have the chance to see people who were the first Ambassadors of independent Georgia.

This year we tried to promote people who made great contributions for independent Georgia in Europe. Those people deserve to being widely recognised by Georgians,” MFA press office representative Giorgi Goderdzishvili said.

This is the first time when the archive of the Independent Georgia’s Ambassadors was portrayed in a digital way. Thanks to the Museum of Emigration named after the late Guram Sharadze (a philologist, historian, and politician) for helping us and letting us use this photo archive,” Goderdzishvili said.

Additionally, people who celebrated Georgia’s Independence Day today on Rustaveli Ave had the possibility to see a Spanish artist’s paintings dedicated to the Georgian military servicemen who participated in an international mission in Afghanistan.

Georgian soldiers in Afghanistan were painted by Spanish artist Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau. 

More of Spanish artist Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau's paintings of Georgian soldiers in Afghanistan. Photo by Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge

Spanish artists Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau visited Afghanistan in spring 2014 and dedicated 24 paintings to the Georgian soldiers. He lived alongside the Georgian peacekeepers for several days and reflected their impressions in his paintings.

If you were unable to see his paintings today, don’t despair as they will be on show at the Tbilisi Modern Art Museum MOMA on Rustaveli Ave until June 25.