By Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
The loud and emotional confrontation of the congregation of Georgian churches headed by priests and police officers keeping protesters away from the Kazantip Youth Festival has finally ended in Anaklia, on the Abkhaz border. The events are unrelated to the Georgian-Abkhaz discourse: organizers chose the spot for the festival on the very border of Georgia and its former autonomous region. The festival itself is held on the right, Abkhaz, bank of the River Inguri forming the border. It was organized in Ganmukhuri, a village of the Zugdidi District of Georgia. Ex-President Saakashvili built a beautiful bridge from Anaklia to Ganmukhuri. The police blocked it, preventing priests and their congregates from moving to the other bank where the festival will open on August 20. Tents are being pitched, stages for music performances and dancing are being built.
Tens of thousands of young people from Russia and Ukraine are expected to attend the festival. Music lovers from Georgia and Abkhazia may join them, although entry to Kazantip costs about $180, a large sum for the population.
The locals are happy: apartments, houses and yards in Anaklia, Ganmukhuri and other villages of the Samegrelo Region are expected to be rented for tent-pitching, bringing a sizeable income for residents of Zugdidi and Senaki. No wonder many people have told journalists that they expected thousands of guests and offered the best hospitality.
Kazantip has an ambiguous reputation. Businessman Levan Vasadze, one of the most influential church-related figures of the country, who has previously proposed restoring the monarchy of the Bagratuni Dynasty, said that believers would not allow “a center of lechery and sin” to appear on Georgian land. The Georgian Orthodox Church, in his words, will not ignore it and will fight sins all over the world. The millionaire cast shame on the residents of Anaklia and Ganmukhuri for their “readiness to die for a gold metal” and warned that thousands of people were ready “to rise to protect national and religious values.”
A large group of people with crosses and gonfalons set off towards Anaklia on August 14. The main slogan of the protests was “We will not allow Sodom and Gomorrah to be created in Georgia!”
The bridge at Ganmukhuri is the only place where the group can be stopped. That is where hundreds of police officers took a stand. They could hardly hold off the protesters. The latter argued with the police authorities, put shame on them for “helping sinners” and returned home in the evening.
The problem has not been resolved, nonetheless. No one knows what will happen in February, what religious fanatics can do to ruin the show and the merriment of young people. Thank God, there has been nothing worse than fights and attempts to throw rotten eggs at the participants. But such incidents can ruin the fun too, especially if the local population tries to protect Kazantip, the source of their income.
The most notable part of the story is the unclear position of the government. On the one hand, not a single police officer could be at the Ganmukhuri bridge without the government's permission. On the other hand, Georgy Sigua, the head of the Tourism Agency, was fired by the Minister for Economic Development, Georgy Kvirikashvili, for being too loyal to Kazantip and for his speeches about the “ordinariness and innocuousness of such festivals.”
If the minister is so hostile towards such festivals, he could have prevented its organization. But tourism is the only effective sector of the economy and the minister for economic development has to take that into account. The government does not want to displease the Georgian Orthodox Church either. So a compromise was found: Georgy Sigua was booted out, although he got a top job at Kazantip. The police were ordered to prevent any excesses that could scare off people wishing to have fun.
Not everyone is happy with the youth festival in GeorgiaBy Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively for Vestnik KavkazaThe loud and emotional confrontation of the congregation of Georgian churches headed by priests and police officers keeping protesters away from the Kazantip Youth Festival has finally ended in Anaklia, on the Abkhaz border. The events are unrelated to the Georgian-Abkhaz discourse: organizers chose the spot for the festival on the very border of Georgia and its former autonomous region. The festival itself is held on the right, Abkhaz, bank of the River Inguri forming the border. It was organized in Ganmukhuri, a village of the Zugdidi District of Georgia. Ex-President Saakashvili built a beautiful bridge from Anaklia to Ganmukhuri. The police blocked it, preventing priests and their congregates from moving to the other bank where the festival will open on August 20. Tents are being pitched, stages for music performances and dancing are being built.Tens of thousands of young people from Russia and Ukraine are expected to attend the festival. Music lovers from Georgia and Abkhazia may join them, although entry to Kazantip costs about $180, a large sum for the population.The locals are happy: apartments, houses and yards in Anaklia, Ganmukhuri and other villages of the Samegrelo Region are expected to be rented for tent-pitching, bringing a sizeable income for residents of Zugdidi and Senaki. No wonder many people have told journalists that they expected thousands of guests and offered the best hospitality.Kazantip has an ambiguous reputation. Businessman Levan Vasadze, one of the most influential church-related figures of the country, who has previously proposed restoring the monarchy of the Bagratuni Dynasty, said that believers would not allow “a center of lechery and sin” to appear on Georgian land. The Georgian Orthodox Church, in his words, will not ignore it and will fight sins all over the world. The millionaire cast shame on the residents of Anaklia and Ganmukhuri for their “readiness to die for a gold metal” and warned that thousands of people were ready “to rise to protect national and religious values.”A large group of people with crosses and gonfalons set off towards Anaklia on August 14. The main slogan of the protests was “We will not allow Sodom and Gomorrah to be created in Georgia!”The bridge at Ganmukhuri is the only place where the group can be stopped. That is where hundreds of police officers took a stand. They could hardly hold off the protesters. The latter argued with the police authorities, put shame on them for “helping sinners” and returned home in the evening.The problem has not been resolved, nonetheless. No one knows what will happen in February, what religious fanatics can do to ruin the show and the merriment of young people. Thank God, there has been nothing worse than fights and attempts to throw rotten eggs at the participants. But such incidents can ruin the fun too, especially if the local population tries to protect Kazantip, the source of their income.The most notable part of the story is the unclear position of the government. On the one hand, not a single police officer could be at the Ganmukhuri bridge without the government's permission. On the other hand, Georgy Sigua, the head of the Tourism Agency, was fired by the Minister for Economic Development, Georgy Kvirikashvili, for being too loyal to Kazantip and for his speeches about the “ordinariness and innocuousness of such festivals.”If the minister is so hostile towards such festivals, he could have prevented its organization. But tourism is the only effective sector of the economy and the minister for economic development has to take that into account. The government does not want to displease the Georgian Orthodox Church either. So a compromise was found: Georgy Sigua was booted out, although he got a top job at Kazantip. The police were ordered to prevent any excesses that could scare off people wishing to have f
