There
is a dark side to Georgia.
If
you believe the hype, Georgia is very much worth starting a relationship with.
Astounding geography, hospitality like none-other, exotic cuisine, incredible wine, both smooth and rough made
and matured in the kvira and served from coca-cola bottles and empty petrol
cans. Persephone’s pomegranates hang, rich and fertile from bushes outside next
to doors which peel with paint. Grapes hang temptingly from vines in inner
court yards and the warmth of the sun is mirrored in the smiles and greetings
of the people. It’s a laid back, fun –loving attitude to love and to life. It’s
fascinating, it’s beguiling, it’s noteworthy and it’s dangerous.
Georgia
continues to be a country in turmoil under the young and inexperienced
leadership of the new Prime-Minister Irakli Garibashvili who has been manoeuvred
into place by Bidzina Ivanishvili the Georgian/Russian billionaire and past prime
minister of the cobbled together Georgian Dream coalition party. The recently
elected President, Giorgi Margvelashvili, another of Ivanishvili’s inner
circle, have, between them, less than 4 years’ political experience. 78% of
those in parliament are men. Ivanishvili, after announcing his
resignation as prime minister has now stepped down from politics to enable him
to participate more in Georgia’s civil society. Civil society is meant to be
the space between politics and family in which all groups are represented,
listened to and developed. Ivanishvili, having, in the last 12 months, either
by accident or design has, through his passivity and blustering rhetoric,
created an elite which undermines the very concept he is now purporting to
develop.
It’s a very Soviet approach and it’s very doubleplusthink.
Ivanishvili
set himself up as the hero of a nation which under him has been as equally
manipulated as under Saakavishili and
before him Eduard Shevarnadze. The winner takes all attitude so ingrained in
Soviet political thinking has morphed into an ability to speak aspirational
European rhetoric, but the tactics used
to keep citizens confused and compliant, hidden under layers of doubleplusthink
actions designed to generate fear is something that is often ignored when
articles about Georgia appear in the Western Press. It does not suit
politicians and charity givers to think that the millions of dollars in aid
money donated every year is not going on
well thought out, well intentioned and well implemented strategies designed to
support an emerging potential European nation.
It suits travel writers and tourists to collude with the illusion that
all is going well because no one wants to think that under the veneer of the
smiling, toasting, drinking (male)Georgian citizen is a population unable to
step up and take responsibility for the villainy many of its traditions
reinforce.
No one wants to believe that Georgia is not Arcadia.
Georgia
is a land mass at the end of the old Silk Road that keeps it as a main player,
by default, in the energy game. Through Georgia travels a pipe- line carrying
oil. Western educated Saakavishili played the civil society game well and
created and perpetuated the illusion of
a progressive, modern country that seemed to want to be part of a wider state,
a state of the union.
However,
after just over a year in politics Ivanishvili has, by his doubleplusthink
rhetoric highlighted just how little Georgia has moved away from the old soviet
style. He has exposed cracks in the
illusion of the persona he projected when he was elected as the modern day hero
prime minister. This is now mirrored in
the attitude and behaviour of many of Georgia’s citizens. A return to Soviet style mentality was demonstrated
in an open letter to the EU signed by the so called ‘intelligentsia’ of
Georgian society which exposes a very dark side of Georgia. The
‘intelligentsia’ defended the homophobic actions of 10,000 ‘protesters’ led by
priests against 50 peaceful anti-homophobic LGBT and NGO’s who were marking the
international day highlighting LGBT issues.
In amongst the black frocks and thronging the streets there were women,
brandishing nettles ready to sting and punish anyone who was gay, suspected as
being gay or looked vaguely out of place. Dark, dark traditions indeed.
The
contents of this letter refuted the observations made about the homophobic and xenophobic
demonstrations incited, instigated by and led by members of the Orthodox
Georgian Church. These critical observations were made by Thomas Hammarberg of
the EU, sent to Georgia to observe,
report and try to understand what is happening in Georgia as it goes through a
further transitional period. The report ‘Georgia
in Transition’ ( September 2013 ) highlighted that any civil society needs to
ensure ‘basic rights to all human beings’
The
letter stated very clearly that no one had any right to arrive on Georgian soil
and comment on anything that was going on there. , ‘Respect our traditions’. It
also said, ‘ Go away if you don’t like what we do here.’ It went on, ‘You
Westerners, you are evil and sinful because you accept that gays exist and your
own spirituality is at risk because you are weak and do nothing about it.’
Georgia
is full of traditions, most of them contradictions, some of them very uncivil.
Quite a few are dangerous. These contradictions are all about controlling
people, but they are especially about controlling
women.
When
embarking on a relationship with Georgia the visitor would be forgiven if they thought
that women were revered, respected, and held in high esteem. They are very much
so but in a contradictory and
controlling way. They are held in esteem
if they conform but held to account if they do not. Indeed, Queen
Tamara, who ruled Georgia in the Golden
Years 1184 – 1213 is, for her wisdom,
vision, insight, courage and bravery held up in literature, in icons and in
schools as a paragon of virtue and strength. She is remembered as the strongest
of women and is referred to as a King.
King
Tamara.
She
displayed such qualities ‘normally’ attributed to a Georgian man so society decided to change her gender. Ironically this
kind of gender re-configuration is one of the reasons the ‘intelligentsia’ was
so upset on May 17.Doubleplusthink again. It is ingrained and endemic.
Anyone
who embarks on a love affair with Georgia needs to know all this. Anyone visiting Georgia, who works with
Georgians, who chooses to live in Georgia needs to know this. Men and women who fall in love with Georgia,
her culture her ‘traditions’ need to know that most of these things are illusions. People need to know that there is
little loyalty to women especially if they break the code.
The
illusion of the Georgian woman, especially that of both the literal and
metaphorical mother is a myriad of contradictions. Revered in the traditional
Supra and toasted (by men) in a theatrical performance often full of empty
heartfelt alcohol fuelled pledges and promises, the woman’s role is linked to and reinforced by stereotype,
superstition and Orthodox ideology. Women must be the Deda, or the Mother. Do
not be fooled. Deda is cruel, Deda is
manipulative, Deda is subservient and Deda reinforces the iron bars that
imprison her, her daughters and her grand- daughters. Deda adheres to the rules
of the patriarchal society and reinforces the illusions of a civil society created
by generations of men, all eager to reinforce the teachings of an increasingly
powerful patriarchal church.
As
all foreigners are guests, and guests are traditionally seen as ‘gifts from
God’ the generosity of the Georgian family, can be overwhelming. The female
guest in particular soon realises nothing can or should remain private. Of
particular interest to the Deda is the guest’s own morality. It soon becomes
clear that if the guest answers any of the relentless questions incorrectly
then a subtle shift in the atmosphere occurs. Ever-so-slightly. Not enough to
put your finger on, but enough to invite self-doubt. Wine loosens tongues and questions of the most
intimate nature are asked and assessments quickly made.
The
female guest is categorised with absolute certainty through seemingly banal and
trivial questions. What clothes do you
wear? What face cream do you use? What size are you? What colour bra do you
wear? What do your parents do? What age did you say you were? Do you have
boyfriends? Have you been married? Can you have children? How can your skin be
so white? Do you smoke? Do you drink? Why will you not eat? Eat more, Drink
more. How can you have a child already? Are you married? You don’t want to be
married? You are divorced? Where is your God? Who is your God? What car do you
drive? Is that your real hair colour? Are
you a good girl? Are you a Kargi Gogo?
It’s
relentless. Conversations jump around and are full of emotion, they don’t flow.
It’s a tried and tested soviet style interrogation technique and the questions
pin you against a wall, barricade you and before you know it you are defeated.
Completely and utterly defeated. Being
killed with Georgian kindness has been used for the centuries by both ‘friends’
and enemies alike and is mistaken for ‘hospitality.’
If
you don’t conform? Persecution soon follows. It’s subtle and it’s sure.
Is
it any different for the Georgian girl? No, it’s worse.
If
you go to Georgia, if you become involved with Georgia, you need to know this.
From
their birth Mothers and Grandmothers groom girls for marriage, they ensure
girls are young when they marry and are virgins on their wedding night. If they are not then
there are clinics that do hymen reconstruction for a fee. Sons are encouraged to have sex with
prostitutes and non-indigenous women and the
first sexual experience at about the age of 14 is often bought and paid for by
an uncle. Many boys are taken to Russia for their ‘first’ time. Mothers arrange
for their daughters-in –law to be sterilized once they have had enough children
and take them to have selective sex abortions if they are having too many
girls. Mothers encourage sons to continue to visit prostitutes even after they
are married and sit in judgement on their daughters if they complain. Georgian
women are encouraged to have sex merely to have babies – any form or enjoyment
makes her a bad girl. Often the only form of sex, when married, is in the missionary
position. No one will speak of these
things. It’s traditional not to. It’s also part of the tradition to threaten,
often with of social exclusion, quite
often with violence and on occasion with death if such things are spoken
about. That’s the code, that’s the
tradition.
If
you plan on falling in love with Georgia these are things you need to know.
The
best thing a Georgian mother could do if she had a son who was gay? Kill him.
The father should then kill the mother, and then himself. How else would Georgia
be purged of Western influence? How else
can Georgia keep her traditions? Listen to the words of some traditional folk
songs. It’s all in there.
There
are some strong women’s groups in Georgia who are working hard to change this..
The Women’s Fund for example has active NGO groups on the ground, working with
abandoned, abused, judged and excluded women. The younger generation however, are not
all on board with an emerging female voice and the media overtly
sexualises and trivializes the female form, voice and identity. What happens to Georgian women who refuse to conform to being the Deda? Most women are married whilst they are teenagers and bride kidnapping is still not uncommon. Social stigma and shame keep women keep Deda alive.
There are many women who are beginning to see that there are other choices that can be made but the Georgian society needs positive role models, education and opportunities to enter politics and travel. Georgian women need to start rebelling and shouting and throwing off the literal and metaphorical head scarfs and to start breaking the code.
That's really tough because many younger Georgians have been raised by grand-parents who know nothing other than the soviet codes, mentality and traditions and who continue to perpetuate the cycle.
Georgia has just initialed the EU association trade agreement that agrees integration with Europe, European trade and European ideals. Georgia wants to trade with Europe but has a long way to go before and needs to look at its own traditions, its doubleplusthink strategies and its soviet mentality.
At the moment Georgia seems to be heading towards actively rejecting the kind of civil society that it says it aspires to be and if it continues to perpetuate the so called 'traditions' that keep women dis-empowered and refuses to recognise LGBT members of its own community, Europe, no matter how beneficial it may seem to be a trading partner, will soon become impatient with the illusions. One of the players is going to have to budge. It's not going to be Europe.
There are many women who are beginning to see that there are other choices that can be made but the Georgian society needs positive role models, education and opportunities to enter politics and travel. Georgian women need to start rebelling and shouting and throwing off the literal and metaphorical head scarfs and to start breaking the code.
That's really tough because many younger Georgians have been raised by grand-parents who know nothing other than the soviet codes, mentality and traditions and who continue to perpetuate the cycle.
Georgia has just initialed the EU association trade agreement that agrees integration with Europe, European trade and European ideals. Georgia wants to trade with Europe but has a long way to go before and needs to look at its own traditions, its doubleplusthink strategies and its soviet mentality.
At the moment Georgia seems to be heading towards actively rejecting the kind of civil society that it says it aspires to be and if it continues to perpetuate the so called 'traditions' that keep women dis-empowered and refuses to recognise LGBT members of its own community, Europe, no matter how beneficial it may seem to be a trading partner, will soon become impatient with the illusions. One of the players is going to have to budge. It's not going to be Europe.
Doubleplusdoubleplusthink
Be
careful before you fall in love. There is a dark side to Georgia.
Sarah
Cobham November 28th 2013
