Experts of VK talk about the book ‘Russian Aggression Through My Eyes’
Under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Georgia has published a book ‘Russian Aggression Through My Eyes’. It includes the works of school students participating in the contest under the same name. There are several thousand copies of the book, it contains the best prose and poetry texts, pictures and photos. VK asked well-known Georgian political observers, academics and social activists about the influence of this book on Russian-Georgian ties.
Chairman of the ‘Neutral Georgia’ party Valeriy Kvaratskheliya said that publication of such a book is a mistake by the authorities. Children cannot assess what happened in August 2008. The assessment should be made by politicians, academics and historians. Children repeat what they are taught. Such things only create tensions between the two brotherly peoples. It is a mistake bordering on a crime.
One of the leaders of the pro-presidential ‘United National Movement’ party, David Darchiashvili, said that Russia reacted unusually to the book. The book simply contains the feelings of Georgian society towards the events in August 2008. It is their right to express them and their attitude towards Russia.
Georgian Deputy Minister for Reintegration, Yelena Tevdoradze, said all Georgian citizens, regardless of their nationality, took part in composing the book. There was a contest among young poets: Azerbaijanis, Armenians and Russians, that expressed their experiences of August 2008 in their own languages. The book has a good purpose. It was their initiative to make the book.
The head of the Ilya Chavchavadze Regular University of Tbilisi, Gigi Tevzadze, expressed doubts about Russian-Georgian ties worsening. He said that it is impossible for that which has already totally deteriorated to deteriorate further. There was Russian aggression and people express their normal reaction to it. It is known in psychology that expressing yourself and your attitude to things and events in such a way leads to a reduction of aggression. In other words, it will not make children more aggressive.
Psychologist Ramaz Sakvarelidze said that the book only reflects assessments, the information of a child about the events. They are in the psychology of a child and will have certain outcomes. Russia will also seem like an aggressor for such children.
Georgiy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively for VK.
