Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
The company RMG-Gold, which holds the license for the development of gold deposits in the eastern Georgian regions, has introduced the technique of excavation for the historic Sakdrisi mine, causing a rowdy protest of defenders of historical heritage. Attempts by the company to resume gold mining at this mine are regarded as "vandalism". Students pitched tents at an entrance to the mine, threatening to go on hunger strike if work isn't immediately suspended. Discussion of the destiny of Sakdrisi has been continuing for some months and has already led to the resignation of one of the Vice Ministers of Culture, Marina Mizandari. Having accused the minister Guram Odishariya of "unwillingness or inability to prevent the destruction of cultural heritage by greedy businessmen," she declared that she was not able to work "with such a minister" any more. You wouldn't envy Guram Odishariya, after all, the situation isn't so simple as fans of simple schemes would like to imagine.
Thousands of people are occupied at works on gold mining in Sakdrisi. In a country where unemployment reaches 50%, it’s a painful problem. Naturally, the people employed by RMG-Gold don't want to lose work "because of Tbilisi snobs and cultural heritage." Therefore they hold a meeting at the building of the Ministry of Culture, no less than those who take care of preservation of "a unique historical monument". Minister Odishariya even tried to resign, but his request wasn't granted.
The situation has reached deadlock: to stop gold mining means to leave thousands of people without work, and their families without bread. On the other hand, historians, archeologists and art critics unanimously claim that any self-respecting country would have kept such a monument as the apple of its eye. However, in those countries unemployment doesn't reach 50%.
The government, apparently, doesn't know what to do in the present conditions. Rather, an informed choice is made in favor of RMG-Gold: It doesn’t matter how many officials have said that "the problem is solved", it was solved several months ago and development of the field, or as art critics would have it "destruction of an ancient mine", proceeds.
The Sakdrissky gold mine was found in 2006 by Georgian and German archeologists. Sakdrisi immediately was given the status of "cultural heritage". According to archaeologists, the main mine, deep into the land at 50 meters, refers to the 4th millennium BC. In Georgian society, inclined to mythologize stories, poetic legends of a "Golden Age" appeared immediately, when mankind "extracted gold in Georgia". Nevertheless because of pressure from RMG-Gold last year, the Ministry of Culture deprived Sakdrisi of the status of "culture monument". Enterprising businessmen employed "their" archaeologists, claiming that actually "the mine is not so ancient, and signs of development of gold, especially several millennia ago, weren't found by experts."
But already these arguments will be able to convince few people, as the mercantile interest of the company is obvious. Therefore society responds angrily to the development of gold in Sakdrisi and the prestige of the current cabinet of Irakli Garibashvili has already suffered damage, as well as the entire ruling coalition "Georgian Dream", especially as it is still headed by the billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, for whom "noble metal" is not an empty word.
