TBILISI: Das Restaurant "Schwarzer Löwe" - benannt nach dem legendären Gemälde von Pirosmani

Das Restaurant hat vor allem eins: gutes Essen (mal nicht nur die traditionelle georgische Küche), eine freundliche Bedienung, einen aufmerksamen Service und eine interessantes Design. Weiter geht es den Weg seiner Vorgänger, zum Beispiel dem Cafe "PurPur". Nur liegen die Preise darunter. Sehr schmackhaft ist die Limonade mit Ingwer, Zitrone und Eis. Und: 100% authentiscer Speck von Racha in leckerem Maisbrot!


Amaglebis 23, 0114 Tbilisi, Georgia
Bezirk: Vera

Tel.: +995 32 2931007
Küche: Georgisch
Karten: akzeptiert
Preis: 80 bis 130 GEL (Abendessen für zwei Personen inklusive Wein und Service)
Parken: vor dem Restaurant
E - Mail: shavilomi@gmail.com
Öffnungszeiten: 12.00 bis 02.00 Uhr

PHOTOGRAPHY: Vanessa Winship with her work about Black Sea in Tbilisi in the National Gallery

A Small Piece Of Eden, Georgia.


This Place Where I Buy From A Kind Of Messenger, The Seeds For My Imagining. Here, They Are Wrapped In A Tiny Scrap Of An Old Music Manuscript. Everywhere On The Streets I See The Remnants Of These Imaginings, That Is Until The Wind Or The Rain Carries Them Away. These Are Of Course The Empty Husks Of Sunflower Seeds, Sold On The Streets By Old Women, And Are Staple Of This Whole Region.


I Went To Georgia For The First Time In 2003, Not Long After The So Called Rose Revolution. I Didn’t Go Because Of The Revolution As Such, But That Was The Context I Found Myself In. I Was On A Journey, A Dialogue With Photography And Story Telling. Georgia, Like So Many Places With A Sense Of An Ancient Past, Was A Place That Seemed To Be In Love With Its Own Idea Of Self. It Is A Place Where People Seem Comfortable In Celebrating Their Good Fortune At The Lush Beauty Of The Land, They, By Chance Inhabit.


The Density And Texture Of The Forests And Mountains, At First Sight Transport You To A Reality That Might Have Been Created By Some Alchemists Brew. It Is The Same With The Features Of The People Who Occupy This Place, Faces Ancient And Distinct, Somehow Complete. Often Confronted By Depictions Of Their Own Images Of Themselves; From The Walls Of Ancient Churches And Cathedrals, To Life Size Portraits Of Loved Ones Set In The Landscape, Painted By An Artisan To Commemorate A Life. When I Look At The Faces Of These Icons And Paintings I Recognize Both Imagery From The East And Also From The West, Rich Dark Colours Created With An Understanding Of The Brutality Of Time, They Are Not Faded. At Every Opportunity I Am Invited To Experience An Expression Of Who And What These People Have Decided They Are. Through Dance, Through Song, Through Physical Agility, Through Stories Told Over Heavily Laden Tables, Shared By Whoever Wants To Listen. Displayed With Ease, With Pleasure, And With Grace. It Is Of Course A Kind Of Fantasy Of Sorts. And Yet There Is A Kind Of Melancholia, An Underbelly That Almost Inevitably Sets Itself Against Such Exuberance. It Is A Place Literally Crumbling From The Weight Of Such Unsustainable Romance. On My Return In 2008, After A Summer At War With It’s Powerful Neighbour. I Found My Friends Exhausted But Very Much Alive, Alive In A Way That Is Only Possible When One Is So Close To The Possibility Of Death.


I Returned Once More In The Late Spring Of 2009, A Little Less Than A Year After This Conflict I Wanted To Search For The People I Felt Most Represented A Flavour Of This Collective Imagining, Both Theirs And At Once Mine. I Chose Dancers And Pilgrims, Guests At Weddings, And Young Judo Players, It Is A Work In Progress And I Must Add To These Portraits Of Human Faces, A Series Of Portraits Of The Land, The Land That Lies So Close To The Origin Of Their Story Telling.

more here: 
www.vanessawinship.com
www.vanessawinship.blogspot.com


Venue: National Gallery, 11 Sh. Rustaveli Avenue

CULTURE: European Week in Tbilisi 2012. An Iniatiative of the Europe House Georgia (europeanweek.ge)

(europeanweek.ge) Europe House is pleased to announce European Week in Tbilisi 2012 featuring an impressive agenda of activities and engagement addressing topics and issues of interest and importance to all Europeans.

European Week in Tbilisi is a signature event of Europe House working to build closer ties between Georgia and the rest of Europe in the spheres of culture, civil society, education and politics.

With an overall theme of social transformation in Europe, prominent Europeans and visiting guests from many other countries world-wide, will come together within a seven-day programme of discussions, lectures and presentations alongside parallel activities of book launches and exhibitions including, of special note, the third annual Tbilisi Photo Festival and its open-air screenings in Tbilisi’s Old City.

Mark your calendars! European Week in Tbilisi 2012 will take place from 29 May-4 June. Please continue to check this website for further information and updates!

Programm of the week >>>

Printer friendly version >>>

Participants >>>

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: Europe House, 1, Freedom Square.
0105, Tbilisi, Georgia
Phone: (995 32) 2470310, 2470311, 2470312
E-mail: info@eh.org.ge
www.europehousegeorgia.org

FOOD & WINE: Gorgeous Georgian: Now we can enjoy the cuisine of Russia's fiery neighbour nearer home. By Anthea Gerrie (independent.co.uk)

Georgia's food is among the world's most inventive and original, says Anthea Gerrie.


(independent.co.uk) I was in Tbilisi to explore Georgia's legendary cuisine, but despite its reputation, could not believe the strangeness and deliciousness of the dishes coming at me. Strips of delicately poached chicken submerged in a thin but rich sauce of ground walnuts, infused with garlic, trout from a nearby river, pan-fried crisp and enrobed in a ruby-red pomegranate coulis.


And the bread! One kind was baked into a pie stuffed to the gills with rich, melty curd cheese and served sliced, like a fat double-crust pizza, while another came shaped like a gondola, with the cheese pooled in the middle to mix with butter and a runny egg poaching as it came to table.


Before these came many cold starters. Slices of aubergine and courgette wrapped around garlicky walnut paste, pounded fresh spinach sprinkled with pomegranate seeds, a purée of red beans enriched with unfamiliar spices including marigold, and yet more walnuts. And all this followed by a standout dish of succulent cubes of lamb shoulder baked with sour plums and more fresh tarragon than you would believe.


Georgia, blessed with a Mediterranean climate and outstanding organic produce, is home to some of the world's most inventive and original food traditions. The country, which celebrates Independence Day tomorrow, has sustained invasions from Mongols, Russians, Arabs and others, but influences come mainly from a large Jewish population that arrived centuries ago with strong culinary traditions of its own, and neighbouring Turks and Persians.


Until recently, the cuisine was a secret to almost everyone but the Russians, who treasure the Georgian restaurants that opened in Moscow during 200 years of Russian occupation (the only dish the Georgians took from them in return is their olivier, or Russian salad). But now the Russians are coming in increasing numbers to London, new Georgian restaurants are opening and the older ones are coming out of the closet.


This beautiful little corner of Asia is a sort of paradise. It's blessed with fertile soil and a diverse landscape, from the subtropical Black Sea coast to the snow-peaked Caucasus Mountains to the glorious Kakheti hills, where grapes are grown on high slopes in the country that gave wine to the world 8,000 years ago.


"I could not believe the quality of the produce in the markets – it was phenomenal," says Claude Bosi of Hibiscus, the two-Michelin-starred restaurateur who has been incubating a love affair with Georgia since his first visit last year.


In Tbilisi to create a gala dinner during the food and wine festival, he discovered the fine sunflower oil, now a staple in his Mayfair kitchen, the potential of walnuts and hazelnuts in a country that uses more in its cuisine than any other on earth, and the many kinds of cheese: "There is a very salty one I use as a condiment; I put it in a veal dish, which is out of this world," Bosi says. He has also created a hazelnut and Parmesan quenelle as one of several new taste sensations to partner the Georgian wines he has added to his list.


Like this wonderfully hospitable country, which has an alphabet no one else reads, a language no one else speaks and a currency used by no other nation, Georgian wines are as unique as the dishes they accompany. Nearly every rural home has a qvevri, or clay pot, buried in the ground, in which they make their own wine, allowing the grapes to macerate for a while with skins, stems and pips to produce a richer-tasting wine than the relatively low alcohol content would suggest. Reds are mainly powerful products of the saperavi grape, while whites, often blended, range from pale, crisp and appley to amber with notes of bone-dry sherry. Top growers whose wines are new to Britain include Pheasant's Tears, Nika, Our Wine and Berishvili.


It may be the trade embargo that has deprived Russians of their beloved Georgian wine that is driving those visiting London to the capital's Georgian and Russian restaurants. "Our customers from all the former Soviet countries are so pleased to see the wines here and some of the menu items," says Ilana Hundadzee, the half-Georgian assistant manager of new Russian restaurant Mari Vanna.


"The rich flavours of Georgian food appeal greatly to Russian tastes," owner Dmitry Sergeyev explains. "For many families in Russia, dishes such as lobio and khachapuri are as common as borscht on the table, so including them on our menu was very natural."


Lobio is a red bean soup often flavoured with dill as a hot starter, or the beans may be thickened to a paste to form one of the dazzling array of cold hors d'oeuvres that greet diners at every meal in Georgia.


Then come legions of hot dishes, including the essential khachapuri, as the cheese bread is known. In Tbilisi they prefer this as a round pie, but the boat-shaped variety is on the menu at a new branch of Little Georgia, one of London's first Georgian restaurants, and the newer Tamada in St John's Wood.


"They call it 'Georgian breakfast' in the west of Georgia, and if you go to the Black Sea you'll see everyone eating it in waterfront cafés," says Tamara Lordkipanidze, chef patron of Tamada.


This is an unbelievably delicious dish – but then so is the round khachapuri at Little Georgia, which also makes a dessert to die for of thick blini made with a yoghurt batter and served with strawberries.


Georgia's baking may be even better than its food and wine – and don't forget the Cha Cha, a grappa that natives down with khinkali (indescribably delicious meat dumplings that take years to learn to wrap properly so all the juice stays in and comes flooding down your throat with the first bite).


Don't expect a khinkali or khachapuri shop in the UK any time soon – but you can expect to see other Georgian dishes edging into the high street. The boat-shaped cheese bread inspired by a Georgian bakery just introduced by Marks & Spencer is, sadly, nothing like real khachapuri, but Tamada has packaged its lobio and some other products for local Budgens stores, while artisan Georgian wines are newly available here from importer Les Caves de Pyrène.


Little Georgia, 14 Barnsbury Road, London N1, littlegeorgia.co.uk


Tamada, 122 Boundary Road, London NW8, tamada.co.uk


Mari Vanna, 116 Knightsbridge, London SW1, marivanna.co.uk


For Georgian wines: Les Caves de Pyrène, lescaves.co.uk


WHAT TO ASK FOR


Khachapuri – round pie of cheese-filled bread to share


Adjaruli khachapuri – boat-shaped cheese bread served with an egg


Sacivi – poached chicken served in a thin walnut-and-garlic sauce


Lobio – red bean soup


Khinkali – dumplings stuffed with juicy beef, pork, onions and spices


Chakapuli – lamb baked with sour plums and tarragon


Bazha – a delicious thin walnut sauce, also a component of sacivi, used on the Georgian table as a condiment

FEATURES BY ARTISTS: Rena Effendi from Azerbaidschan (feature.instituteartistmanagement.com)

AZERBAIJIAN FLOOD // Rena Effendi
Summary: On May 10th residents of some 20 villages along the Kura River in Azerbaijian had to flee from the floods caused by heavy rains that increased the water level in the river. The waters rose at a fast pace simultaneously in Kura and Araz rivers that unite in Georgia. As a result, the floods affected nearly 20,000 people and damaged over 50,000 hectares of farmland. Most of the people from the affected villages in Sabirabad region, hit hardest by the floods, are subsistence farmers whose farms, orchards and livestock were destroyed by the floods leaving them with no livelihood. Some 2000 people were relocated to tent camps and temporary school buildings under the Government's relief program. Basic care is being provided, medical services, food and water, but the newly displaced people are unsure when they will be able to return home. Thousand of homes are still under water and thousands were destroyed, however, many residents return home walking in water to salvage their belongings. The Government's plan is to separate the Araz and Kura rivers in order to avoid future floods. (source: www.eurasianet.org)


OIL VILLAGE // Rena Effendi
Summary: Soviet era industrialisation program and mostly petroleum-related production created an environmental crisis both in the Caspian Sea and onshore in Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital city. In addition, the economy’s heavy dependence on the oil sector brought people from the villages into the city in search for work. As a result, nearly 4,000,000 people, half of the country’s population now lives in Baku, which is imploding with overpopulation and urban decay. In 2008, Forbes magazine named Baku as the most polluted city in the world.


KHINALIQ VILLAGE // Rena Effendi
Summary: First decade into the 21st century, Khinaliq, because of its remoteness, still managed to preserve its ancient way of life. There is no running water but the stream nearby, no gas except the natural fires sprouting from the gas-pocked mountains. The light-skinned and blue-eyed race speaks Khinaluq, a unique and dying out language attributed to the northeastern group of Caucasus languages. The only source of income is sheep breeding - husbands graze their flocks in mountain pastures, women weave traditional carpet designs from wool at home. There are little over 1000 shepherd families living in Khinaliq at an elevation of over 2300 meters above the sea. Before 2006, the village was inaccessible for nine months out of the year, but four years ago, the president of Azerbaijan decided to visit Khinaliq and the government built the new road. This newly asphalted road will surely alleviate the hardships associated with winter and mountain isolation, but it may also threaten the unique culture of Khinaliq.


GEORGIA RUSSIA CONFLICT // Rena Effendi
Summary: A visual documentation of the 2008 conflict in Georgia after a Russian invasion.


PIPE DREAMS // Rena Effendi
Summary: Snaking 1,700 kilometres through five conflict zones, in the shadow of the Caucasus mountains, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline manoeuvres through a delicate web of social, environmental and political concerns. Carrying one million barrels of oil daily to the West, while combating Russian energy influence, this pipeline project is a part of "the New Great Game", a game that affects the lives of millions of citizens in the adjoining countries of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.


More about Rena Effendi: feature.instituteartistmanagement.com

GEORGIEN: Auf der Suche nach dem Ideal, das es nicht gibt … (einblickgeorgien.blogspot.de)

Eine Kultursoziologie aus der Erfahrung der „verspäteten Generation“


Für die junge Generation der georgischen Soziologen


Der folgende Essay entstand anlässlich des Vortrags „Die beiden Die zwei Körper des Nationalismus: Kirche und Palast im Formierungsprozess der politischen Elite in Georgien“, den der georgische Soziologe Emzar Jgerenai auf der Tagung „Politische Kultur und Kultur der politischen Eliten im östlichen Europa“, München, 10. – 13. November gehalten hat. Er versteht sich nicht als Replik, sondern als alternative Variation auf das dem Vortrag zugrundeliegende Motiv der Generationenerfahrung. Der Autor betrachtet die Soziologie nicht als gleichsam extramundane Wissenschaft, sondern als Ausdruck historisch-sozialer Intentionen, als wissenschaftliche Sondierung im Feld der projektiven Möglichkeiten. Das Chaos der Emirie wird durch existentielle Grunderfahrungen und die in ihr präsenten Willensakte thematisch geordnet. Insofern entstehen verschiedene - wenngleich nicht beliebig viele - Formen der soziologischen Erkenntnis. Die historische Konstellations-Soziologie ist keine Magd des modernen Zivilisationsprozesses, sondern das Organon der produktiven Antworten auf dieses Geschehen. Sie versteht sich als Instrument personaler schöpferischer Aktivität und insofern auch als Beitrag zur Beendigung des großen ideologischen Bürgerkriegs, der die Moderne entzweit.


Weiter lesen >>>

TRAVEL: Svaneti – Europe’s Paradise Rediscovered (parexcellencemagazine.com)

Grand Hotel Ushba - as close to heaven as you can get


(parexcellencemagazine.com) "During the first hotel season, I think the only complaint we got were from guests about the word 'probably' in our slogan 'Probably the best hotel location on earth'. All those who complained thought we we should take away that word; they strongly believed that they had stayed at the "best hotel location on earth”. - Richard Bærug.


Norwegian-born Richard Bærug is proud of having got involved in a what first seemed to be a modest hotel project in the most beautiful and mountainous part of Georgia and Europe – the remote and somewhat mystical region of Svaneti. During a hiking tour in the summer of 2009 he bounced into the local Argvliani family that possessed two buildings, one of which they wanted to turn into a small hotel. They immidiately decided to cooperate.


"I have been working in the travel industry for many years, but I have never seen such a location as this," Bærug admits.


Precisely one year after they met - on 14 June 2010 the doors of Grand Hotel Ushba were opened for guests at this peaceful mountain resort in the Becho valley at the very foot of the impressive Queen of the Caucasian mountains, Mountain Ushba (4710 m). It has become a target destination for those that have done and seen "everything” and want to bring their travel experiences to new and unbelievable altitudes and emotions.


The mother in the local Svanetian family, Vardo Ushkhvani is the soul of the house. A 66-year young school teacher, she is an excellent chef and a multitalented and strong woman. She makes excellent and delicious „kubdari” (bread filled with spicy meat), „khachapuri” (cheese bread), „achma” (multi-layered cheesebread), „ostri” (meat with tomatoes and onion), „khinkali” (dumlings), excellent cheese, a series of tasty juices and not to forget her own salt and spices collected on the beautiful Svanetian meadows. The Svan cuisine is combined with some of the most extraordinary Georgian wines like Kindzmarauli, Khvanchkara, Saperavi and Mukuzani to mention a few.


Vardo is the key person in several activities offered at the hotel. She organises cooking courses and she teaches people to make the unique Svan hats. Her youngest son Levan is an experienced mountain guide and brings hotel guests to some of the most beautiful spots in the Caucasian mountain world. June is the month when nature explodes in an incredibly symphony of intensive flower colours. The alpine meadows have to be seen in order to believe their beauty, this is also the time when the yellow and white rhodedendron forests wake up around and next to the hotel. The family has several horses and they can be recommended on the steep hike up to the fabulous Mukhere mountain above the mountain village of Latali. During the Middle Ages the mountain used to house what was known as Europe’s highest located monastry at 2700 meters. Now the charming church is restored and from the remains of the monastery a breath-taking view towards most of the highest peaks in the Caucasus opens up. No wonder the munks chose this place to be as close to God as possible.


Ever dreamt about finding gold? Svaneti is the right place to try your luck. According to legends gold drew the argonauts and the greeks to the Caucasus, and on the banks of the strong and sometimes furious Engure river most people can find pieces of gold during one hour of digging.


The older son of the Argvliani family, Arkadi is a multitalented artist and artisan who also make sure that excellent crosscountry skiing tracks are prepared for both guests and locals in the magnificent snow landscape in the upper Becho valley around the hotel. The snow season streches from November till the end of April. Slalom and downhill skiing is possible at the neighbouring resort of Hatsval. Mountain biking and mountain climbing are examples of other activities out in the amazing Svanetian nature.


Svaneti has for ages been considered as a haven of peace, too remote and high for enemies to reach. It was to Svaneti historically Georgian queens and kings brought their most astonishing icons and other valuable items in times of war and unrest. Here they were safe. This historical fact is also one of the reason why the Museum in Mestia has an extraordinary collection of orthodox icons and other historical treasures. Visiting some of the small Svanetian churches with the most beautiful icons and wall-paintings reinforces the feeling of being blessed as a traveller.


Svaneti has kept much of the traditions that elsewhere in Europe have been lost. Paying a visit to the mountain village of Ushgul is like travelling back in time. Wandering around the spectacular Svan towers – the skyscrapers of the Middle Ages – man looses the feeling of time or on the contrary feels that he or she is brought back to the Middle Ages. Needless to say, Ushgul is on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.


Some Facts about the Svaneti region of the Republic of Georgia:


Svaneti, is a historic province in Georgia, in the northwestern part of the country. Located on the southern slopes of the central Greater Caucasus, Svaneti is the highest inhabited area in Europe. Since 1996 the Upper Svaneti region has been included in the UNESCO's World Heritage List "considering that the region of Upper Svaneti is of outstanding universal value being an exceptional landscape that has preserved to a remarkable degree its original medieval appearance, notable for the distribution, form, and architecture of its human settlements." "The Upper Svaneti region of the Caucasus is an exceptional example of mountain scenery with medieval-type villages and tower-houses preserved by its long isolation. The characteristic landscape of Upper Svaneti is formed by small villages, dominated by their church towers and situated on the mountain slopes, with a natural environment of gorges and alpine valleys and a backdrop of snow-covered mountains."


"The wealth of monumental and minor art (metal work, manuscript illustrations, textiles and embroidery, wood-carving, icon painting, ancient forms of musical and oral folklore, vernacular architecture) are of paramount importance for the study of Georgia and the Caucasus. The monumental mural painting of Svaneti is of great importance in the study of the origins and development of Georgian and eastern Christian art." UNESCO World Heritage Centre whc.unesco.org


Mt. Ushba ( 4710 meters from the sea level), described as "the Queen of Caucasus", is the most spectaculous and rough mountain of Caucasus. Ushba is known as the "Matterhorn of the Caucasus" for its spire-shaped double summit. From the point of view of mountain climbing Ushba is considered to be the most dramatic to ascend and is considered as one of the most difficult peak in the world.


About Grand Hotel Ushba:


Grand Hotel Ushba was opened on 14 June 2010 at the foot of one of Europe's highest mountain, Mt. Ushba. The hotel has a total of 7 guest rooms, all designed in a simple and tasteful way. All the guest rooms have a mountain view. The Ushba Suite has an overwhelming view towards the Ushba summit (4710 m) in the northeastern direction.


Some of the Activities offered by Grand Hotel Ushba guests are:


Mountain climbing tours
Skiing: Off-piste skiing and Cross-country skiing
Mountain hiking, flower hiking and mineral water hike
Horseriding and biking
Trips: trip to Ushguli (UNESCO World Heritage site), museum trip to Mestia, a helicopter trip above the mountain world of Svaneti with views towards Ushba and other peaks and trips outside Svaneti
A church tour and a concert with Svan song and music
Courses: cooking course, the Svan language course and Svan felt hat making course
Other activities: wine tasting, gold digging and a visit to a Svan farm
To learn more about Grand Hotel Ushba in the Svaneti region of Georgia please visit the website:
www.grandhotelushba.com
Follow Grand Hotel Ushba on Twitter: twitter.com/grandhotelushba
Catch up with the latest news via Facebook: GrandHotelUshba
Blog: grandhotelushba.blogspot.com

ARTIKEL: Georgiens Reichster Mann. Iwanischwili drängt es an die Macht. Von Silvia Stöber (cicero.de)

(cicero.de) Laut dem "Forbes"-Magazin ist er die Nummer 153 der Reichen dieser Welt. Er residiert in einem Palast aus Glas und Stahl über Tiflis. Der Georgische Geschäftsmann Bidsina Iwanischwili schickt sich an, die Staatsmacht bei den nächsten Wahlen herauszufordern.


Wäre die lage nicht ernst, könnte man es für eine kaukasische Variante der Tragikomödie „Besuch der alten Dame“ von Friedrich Dürrenmatt halten. Es geht zwar nicht um eine reich gewordene Schweizerin, die in ihr Heimatstädtchen zurückkehrt und sich unter Einsatz ihres Geldes an ihrem früheren Peiniger rächt.


Aber auch die Hauptfigur in diesem politischen Spiel hat fern der georgischen Heimat ein Vermögen gemacht, betätigt sich seit der Rückkehr in die Ex-Sowjetrepublik vor zehn Jahren als Wohltäter und hat ein Ziel: die regierende Partei bei den nächsten Wahlen von der Macht abzulösen.


Bidsina Iwanischwili ist der reichste Mann Georgiens. 650 Millionen Euro soll er ausgegeben haben – für Kirchen, Theater, zur Unterstützung von Künstlern und Intellektuellen sowie für die Menschen in seiner Heimatregion Satschchere, denen er Krankheitskosten, Gas, Strom und Dächer finanziert. Der Geschäftsmann, laut Forbes die Nummer 153 der Reichen dieser Welt, residiert in einem Palast aus Glas und Stahl über der Hauptstadt Tiflis. Von seinem Büro aus überblickt er nicht nur die Stadt. Er schaut auch hinab auf den Präsidentensitz.


Den Namen des Präsidenten, Michail Saakaschwili, spricht der Geschäftsmann mit Verärgerung aus: Der Präsident habe die Kontrolle über den Staat und die Wirtschaft an sich gerissen, schimpft er. Sonst wirkt der Geschäftsmann besonnen, ob im Interview oder bei einer turbulenten Pressekonferenz zuvor.


Mitte 50 ist er, ­schmal, kaum 1,70 Meter groß. Er wirkt weder charismatisch noch sucht er die Öffentlichkeit. Glanz strahlt hingegen sein vom japanischen Architekten Shin Takamatsu errichteter Palast aus, in dem Kunstwerke von Egon Schiele bis Damien Hirst versammelt sind.


Iwanischwilis Biografie zeugt von Ehrgeiz. Nachdem er in Moskau in Ökonomie promoviert hatte, nutzte er in den neunziger Jahren die aufkommende wirtschaftliche Freiheit. „Ich habe als Erster in Russland Telefone mit Tasten verkauft, die waren damals sehr gefragt“, erzählt Iwanischwili. Mit einem Freund habe er 100 000 Dollar zusammengespart, um eine Bank und später ein Geschäftsimperium zu gründen.

Bei uns ist alles transparent und sauber verlaufen“, beteuert er auf die Frage, wie er in den wilden neunziger Jahren in Russland Geschäfte betrieben habe. Bislang konnte ihm niemand das Gegenteil nachweisen, auch nicht die georgische Regierung. Sie erklärte ihn praktisch zum Feind, nachdem der Milliardär im Oktober vergangenen Jahres völlig unerwartet seinen Gang in die Politik angekündigt hatte.

Dabei hatte Iwanischwili jahrelang im Stillen Gebäude finanziert, die Saakaschwili unter Blitzlichtgewitter einweihte. Inzwischen verlor Iwanischwili die georgische Staatsbürgerschaft, und mittels eines neuen Parteiengesetzes verhängte die Regierung hohe Geldstrafen gegen seine neu gegründete Bewegung „Georgischer Traum“.


Warum Iwanischwili keine Ambitionen auf den Posten des Premiers hegt


Laut dem "Forbes"-Magazin ist er die Nummer 153 der Reichen dieser Welt. Er residiert in einem Palast aus Glas und Stahl über Tiflis. Der Georgische Geschäftsmann Bidsina Iwanischwili schickt sich an, die Staatsmacht bei den nächsten Wahlen herauszufordern.


Was treibt den Milliardär, den Kampf mit der Regierung aufzunehmen und sein zurückgezogenes Leben aufzugeben? Im Gespräch offenbart Iwanischwili neben Groll auf Saakaschwili Patriotismus für sein Land. Er schwärmt für Kultur, Sprache und Geschichte Georgiens und sagt, er wolle zum demokratischen Aufbau des Landes beitragen.


Vehement verwahrt er sich gegen den Vorwurf der Regierung, er wolle im Auftrag Moskaus eine russlandhörige Führung installieren. Die Regierungen beider Länder sind seit Jahren verfeindet. 2008 führten sie einen Krieg um die abtrünnigen Regionen Südossetien und Abchasien.


Iwanischwili ging eine Allianz mit westlich orientierten Oppositionspolitikern Georgiens ein. Dass er auch das Nationale Forum, eine Partei traditionell gesonnener Georgier, beteiligt, zeuge vom kalkulierten Vorgehen Iwanischwilis, erklärt ein französischer Diplomat, der den Milliardär seit Jahren kennt. Diese Partei könne jene Georgier mobilisieren, die sich als Verlierer des Modernisierungskurses der Regierung sehen, so der Diplomat.


Iwanischwili wolle zwar die Regierung ablösen, große Ambitionen auf den Posten des Premiers habe er jedoch nicht. Dazu lebe er zu gern in Ruhe mit seiner Frau und den vier Kindern. Tatsächlich betont Iwanischwili: „Meine Familie ist meine größte Errungenschaft.“


Das Auftreten des Geschäftsmanns spricht weniger für politisches Feingefühl als für das Abarbeiten eines Businessplans, inklusive Lobbyarbeit in Washington. So gibt es in der Bevölkerung neben großer Hoffnung auf einen Wechsel auch Skepsis. Junge Leute sehen es kritisch, dass er vor allem die alte Intelligenzia um sich schart.


Die Regierung um Saakaschwili ist jedenfalls nervös. Denn auch international wächst der Druck, die Wahlen demokratisch zu organisieren, das Parteienfinanzierungsgesetz fairer zu gestalten und Iwanischwili den georgischen Pass wiederzugeben.


Inzwischen sucht die Regierung nach einer Minimallösung für den Widersacher: Einen Tag nach Saakaschwilis Besuch bei der Nato in Brüssel Anfang April kam im Parlament der Vorschlag auf, Iwanischwili per Verfassungszusatz das Recht zuzugestehen, bei der Parlamentswahl im Oktober ohne georgische Staatsbürgerschaft anzutreten. Der nächste Akt auf der politischen Bühne Georgiens verspricht spannend zu werden.


Mehr:

Ivanishvilis "Georgischer Traum" (kas.de)www.kas.deIvanishvili's Washington Lobbying Starts Paying Off

Nobody's Bigger Than Bidzina

Georgia Rejects Ivanishvili Citizenship Bid, Leaves Door OpenIvanishvili Stakes out Pre-Election Positions

ASERBAIDSCHAN: Unauffällig am Kaspischen Meer. Von Silvia Stöber (juedische-allgemeine.de)

Die Juden in Baku führen ein ungestörtes Leben – weil sie sich aus der Politik heraushalten


17.05.2012 – von Silvia Stöber (N-Ost) - www.juedische-allgemeine.de


Gelblicher Staub liegt in der Luft. Von der Mirzagha-Aliyev-Straße ist nur die Häuserzeile auf der rechten Seite geblieben. Links gähnt eine Baugrube. Ein Bagger schiebt die Trümmerreste der einstigen Wohnhäuser zusammen. Drei Männer stehen im Schatten eines grauen Flachbaus und schauen zu. Der Älteste trägt einen weißen Bart und einen schwarzen Anzug. Er stellt sich als Rabbiner Ruven Ismailov vor. Auch die beiden anderen gehören zur jüdischen Gemeinde Baku: Samuel Simantov, Mitte 40, und Zamir Ishev, Anfang 30, Lehrer an der jüdischen Schule und gelernter Programmierer.

Die drei sind sofort zu einem Gespräch bereit und bitten hinein ins Gemeindezentrum, in einen länglichen Raum, den Bücherregale, ein Lesepult und Tischreihen füllen. In der Luft liegt Knoblauchgeruch. Vor wenigen Minuten sei ein Fest mit Schülern zu Ende gegangen, entschuldigen sich die Männer für die Unordnung im Raum.

ABRISS Die Baugruben und das Chaos draußen vor dem Haus störten sie nicht, sagen die Männer. Schon seit Jahren müssten alte Wohnhäuser und ihre Bewohner modernen Gebäuden und neuen Straßen weichen. Ein von reichlichen Öleinnahmen getriebener Bauboom verändert die Stadt. Zahlreiche Bürger beklagen, sie seien nicht angemessen entschädigt worden oder hätten keine adäquate Unterkunft bekommen. Nicht so die drei Gemeindevertreter. 

»Nirgendwo auf der Welt wurde für abgerissene Häuser so viel bezahlt«, betont Samuel Simantov. Ihre neue Synagoge auf der anderen Seite der Baustelle sei viel größer und schöner als die alte. Aserbaidschans Präsident Ilham Alijew habe sie 2011 errichten lassen.

»Wir sind sehr froh darüber, wie sich der Präsident um die Juden kümmert«, sagt Simantov. Man sei »sehr dankbar«. Uneinig sind sich die Männer nur darin, wie schnell der Synagogenbau voranging: sechs Monate meint Rabbiner Ismailov, drei sagt Simantov.

Dann preisen sie die Toleranz der überwiegend schiitischen Muslime Aserbaidschans gegenüber den Juden im Land. Neben den rund 10.000 Bergjuden gibt es einige Tausend georgische und europäische Juden in der früheren Sowjetrepublik.

Anpassung ist der Preis für das ungestörte Leben der Gemeinden im Land. »In politischen Fragen stehen wir immer an der Seite der Aserbaidschaner, zum Beispiel auch im Konflikt um Berg-Karabach. Entsprechend hat man uns behandelt«, erklärt Zamir Ishev. Um die Berg-Enklave Karabach führten Aserbaidschan und der Nachbar Armenien Krieg, als die Sowjetunion Anfang der 90er-Jahre zerfiel.

AUTORITÄR Ein weiterer Grund für das harmonische Zusammenleben in dem autoritär regierten Staat ist, dass sich die jüdischen Gemeinden von der Macht fernhalten. Samuel erläutert: »Uns prägt, dass wir mit der aktuellen Politik nichts zu tun haben dürfen. Hohe Ämter interessieren uns nicht. Deshalb brauchen wir auch keine sogenannten Kontakte. Kontakt haben wir zu Gott.« Gemeint sind Beziehungen, die für einen Aufstieg in höhere Positionen noch immer unerlässlich sind.


Auf der anderen Seite hat die Regierung großes Interesse daran, ihre Toleranz gegenüber religiösen Minderheiten herauszustellen. Außenpolitik ist für das Neun-Millionen-Einwohner-Land von der Größe Österreichs eine Herausforderung – liegt es doch strategisch wichtig am Kaspischen Meer zwischen Russland und dem Iran. Neben der Türkei als ebenso turksprachigem Bruderstaat spielt der Westen eine große Rolle in der Balancepolitik, die Aserbaidschan seit Jahren betreibt.


So unterhält Baku auch gute Beziehungen zu Israel – zum beiderseitigen Vorteil. Denn Aserbaidschan ist als Gas- und Öllieferant wichtig, ebenso als Verbündeter an der Nordgrenze zum Iran. Ende Februar ließ ein israelisch-aserbaidschanischer Waffendeal im Umfang von 1,6 Milliarden US-Dollar aufhorchen. Experten gehen allerdings davon aus, dass die Waffen vor allem für den Konflikt mit Armenien gedacht sind.


IRAN Trotz schwieriger Beziehungen zu Iran will die Regierung in Baku keinen Konflikt mit dem südlichen Nachbarn. Das betont Novruz Mammadov, der im Präsidentenbüro die Abteilung für Außenpolitik leitet. Als Gerücht weist er einen Bericht des Magazins »Foreign Policy« zurück. Darin heißt es, Israel könne im Falle einer militärischen Auseinandersetzung mit dem Iran aserbaidschanische Luftwaffenbasen nutzen. Zwar sind gute Beziehungen zu Israel bedeutend. Wichtiger ist es jedoch, kein Risiko gegen den Iran einzugehen, meinen Experten in Baku.


Die Juden in Aserbaidschan setzen darauf, dass das Verhältnis ihres Landes zu Israel auch in außenpolitisch schwierigen Zeiten gut bleibt. Für Samuel, der auch einen israelischen Pass hat, ist es eine »Freundschaft zwischen zwei Heimatländern. Das begünstigt unseren speziellen Status hier.«


Keine große Rolle wird es jedoch für die Gemeinde spielen, wenn Ende des Monats auch jüdische Sänger aus Israel und der Türkei zum Eurovision Song Contest nach Baku kommen, dem Großereignis in Aserbaidschan. »Um diese Zeit sind unsere religiösen Trauertage«, erklärt Rabbiner Ismailov. »Wir spielen in dieser Zeit keine Musik und sehen nicht fern.« Dann verabschieden sich die drei Herren freundlich von ihren Gästen und stellen sich wieder vor die Tür, um weiter den Abriss auf der anderen Straßenseite zu beobachten.

EXHIBITION: Andro Semeiko: Le Grand Charmer at Phoenix Gallery - Privet view 24 May (androsemeiko.com)

(androsemeiko.com) Friday 25 May - Sat 07 July, FREE Drawing on techniques and motifs both from the history of painting and its current precedents, Georgian born artist, Andro Semeiko’s painting-based practice extends into drawing, sculpture and installation. Constructing multilayered visual narratives, these elements operate as props for a Mise-en-scène or theatrical setting and are often site-specific, referencing the history, legends and architecture of the place he is exhibiting.


Here, he takes inspiration from a time when the river Exe was tidal and the city was a busy port. Portraits refer to works in the neighboring Royal Albert Memorial Museum, and wall drawings are inspired by Exeter’s Roman fortifications, medieval underground passageways and neo-classical architecture, including that of Exeter Phoenix itself.


Private view
Thursday 24 May, 6-7.30pm
Eye opener discussion
Wed 30 May, 1.30pm, FREE
Join in with an informal discussion about the exhibition in the gallery


Artist talk
Sat 23 June, 2.30pm, FREE
The artist will discuss his exhibition and wider practice


exeterPhoenix
Phoenix Gallery
Opening ours: 10am-5pm
www.exeterphoenix.org.uk


Café Bar: 10am-11pm
Food Available: Mon-Fri: 11:30am-3pm & 5pm-7:30pm and Sat: 11:30am -7:30pm
*exeterPhoenix is open for Family Sundays.

PHOTO ESSAY: Nagorno Karabakh: At Peace on a War Footing. By Timo Vogt

A female volunteer digs a new frontline trench for Nagorno Karabakhi soldiers.

A ceasefire 18 years ago this month brought a halt to the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. But with the battle over the disputed territory’s fate dragging on, residents must contend with a persistent enemy in their midst – uncertainty.


These images, taken by photographer Timo Vogt, illustrate the struggle for Karabakh residents, who are trying to retain a sense of hope and find a measure of prosperity, while banishing feelings of insecurity.


The hot-phase of the Karabakh conflict, fought mainly between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces, began in late 1992. By early 1994, Armenian troops were in control of not only Karabakh, but of large swathes of Azerbaijani territory surrounding the enclave. Offensive military operations ended May 16, 1994, when representatives of the opposing sides signed a ceasefire agreement in Moscow.


Eighteen years of frustration have ensued. Negotiations on a peace settlement, held under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation’s Minsk Group, are stalemated. Meanwhile, Armenian and Azerbaijani troops still snipe at each other along the ceasefire line, and Karabakh society continues to operate under war-time conditions.


In recent years, Azerbaijan has devoted a significant portion of its windfall profits from energy exports to funding an arms buildup. Most experts doubt that Baku is intent on resuming the war in the near future. But Azerbaijan’s longer-term intentions are more difficult to discern. The longer peace negotiations remain at an impasse, the possibility of another bout of all-out warfare seems to grow.


Editor's Note: Timo Vogt is a freelance photojournalist based in Germany.

Nagorno Karabakh: Shusha, 20 Years Later

A woman shouts at kids playing outside a residential building.

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PHOTO ESSAY: Georgia: Football Players Cry Foul. By Paul Rimple and Justyna Mielnikiewicz (eurasianet.org)

Datchoua Nemale Olivier uses makeshift weights made from plastic bottles filled
with water to keep in shape.

Twenty-year-old Issac Nyengue, a defender from Cameroon, a football hotbed in Africa, was looking for a little payday and a chance to gain valuable experience in what he thought was a professional European league. So he seized on an opportunity to go the South Caucasus country of Georgia, which aspires to host the 2020 European Football Championships. But instead of performing for a team in Tbilisi, Nyengue alleges he got played.


Nyengue recounted that he had to fork over $1,040 this past January for the opportunity to join FC Elit, a Tbilisi-based team he believed was in Georgia’s second division. “The owner of the team picked me up at the airport and said, ‘Welcome to Georgia,’” Nyengue said. “He took me to a flat and I knew something was wrong. It was like something from a Cameroonian village.”


The flat that housed FC Elit’s African players, according to Nyengue, was in the Tbilisi velodrome, a dilapidated Soviet-era facility that no longer hosts bike races, and which also sheltered Internally Displaced Persons. “When I walked in, there were 10 guys sleeping in a single room. There was no heater,” Nyengue said.


The ambitions of FC Elit’s owner, Guga Babashvili, may not have been matched by the amount in his checkbook. It appears the club’s professional status was never firmly established. According to officials from the Georgian Football Federation (GFF), the club never paid its 2,000 lari ($1,200) registration fee.


In all, 11 Cameroonian football players came to Georgia, starting in August of last year, hoping to jumpstart their professional careers. But before they could make it on to the playing field, they had to shell out some coin. On top of picking up the cost of plane tickets, some paid their agents up to $2,500, or wired half of that amount directly to Georgia for the opportunity to play with FC Elit. They also claim they were hit up after arrival for $1,000 supposedly to pay for additional fees and expenses.


Those players who could afford to do so paid the cash. “When my brother called me from Tbilisi and told me he needed money to play football, I thought, ‘What kind of team is this?’ Tell me, where in the world does a football player need to pay to play?” asked Patience Songue, whose brother, striker Martin Songue, paid the requested $1,000.


The players say their contracts guaranteed them housing, food, pocket money and health coverage. In reality, they claim they often went days without food. Meals would appear only when another player had been recruited, they alleged. Otherwise they eat mostly bread and water.


“You know it’s bad when you look at a cat or a pigeon and tell yourself ‘I could eat that,’” said 21-year-old Reginald Essemi, a left-winger. One local baker gave them free bread; other neighbors offered food and bedding.


Babashvili, FC Elit’s owner, contests the assertions made by the players. He acknowledges that players paid some money, but denies that they were housed at the Tbilisi bicycle track. He also says the team is now registered with the Tbilisi Football Federation, an amateur confederation. Babashvili’s former business partner, Oswald Nkhono, a native of Cameroon who now lives in Tbilisi, denied taking money from players. He also said that Babashvili “handled all the financial transactions.”


One of the 11 Cameroonian players has returned to his native country. The 10 who remain in Georgia face an uncertain future. Although they have received release documents from Babashvili, the chances that any of the 10 can catch on with another Georgian club are slim. A major barrier is the hefty fee, as high as 15,000 lari (almost $9,000), that a club must pay to the GFF in order to place a foreign player on its roster.


GFF representatives are aware of the players’ plight, but say there is little they can do. “If anything is illegal, it’s police business, not the federation’s,” said Irakli Nakaidze, head of the GFF transfer department, which oversees the employment of foreign players on Georgian teams. “The relationship between the player and the club is theirs.”


A representative of the Georgian mission of the International Organization of Migration said that if players came to Georgia under misleading pretenses, then the national football associations should feel an obligation to get involved. “I believe there should be a campaign jointly with the government, football associations, and perhaps NGOs that provide aid to those players that need it,” said IMO program coordinator Marc Hulst.


First Deputy Interior Minister Ekaterine Zguladze told EurasiaNet.org that the ministry was not familiar with the Cameroonian soccer players’ case, but noted that they could petition the Interior Ministry for assistance with returning to Cameroon, request “case compensation” from the General Prosecutor’s Office, or file a lawsuit against FC Elit owner Babashvili.


Reluctant to trust anyone, the soccer players see none of those options as a viable way forward. They have not turned to the police for help because, in their experience in Cameroon, law enforcement is corrupt. Nor do they have the funds to finance a lawsuit. And returning home would be humiliating since their families made many sacrifices to pay the fees to get them to Georgia, they say.


The athletes’ experience highlights a broader issue involving Africans who travel to Georgia seeking career advancement, only to end up getting burned. For example, advertisements in countries such as Nigeria tout vocational courses in tourism management with vague promises of later employment. One such school required students to hand over $1,500 each for tuition and fees, but proved to be only an empty classroom with six desks and one teacher.


First Deputy Interior Minister Zguladze says such cases have diminished in number since the ministry began scrutinizing visa applications from African travel agents for study at Georgian vocational schools. “If … we see that it is a cheap, little private office applying for visas for five people a year from somewhere like Nigeria, we automatically deny the applications,” she said.


Nigerian Sylvester Chinyelugo, a Tbilisi State University doctoral candidate in international affairs, says the pattern of victimization begins in Africa, where prospective migrants don’t educate themselves about their intended destinations before they leave home. “People come here expecting to go to America,” he said. “They don’t know what they are doing, or where they are.”


Editor's Note: Paul Rimple is a freelance reporter based in Tbilisi. Justyna Mielnikiewicz is a freelance photojournalist also based in Tbilisi.


more photos >>>

SOLO EXHIBITION: In Art Gallery proudly in New York presents Oleg Timchenko’s “Auto Portrait” - opening June 6 (artefuse.com)

Janis Joplin

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Adolf Hitler

Marilyn Monroe

(artefuse.com) In Art Gallery (www.inartgallery.com) – New York’s premier art gallery representing the most sought after Georgian artists and their fine artwork – is proud to present “Auto Portrait,” a solo exhibition featuring new work by Georgian artist Oleg Timchenko. “Auto Portrait” will open on Wednesday, June 6 and will be on view at 25CPW Gallery, located at 25 Central Park West at 62nd Street in New York City (www.25cpw.org) through Tuesday, June 12.


“Auto Portrait” is comprised of over a dozen paintings inspired by prominent figures that have greatly influenced society within the last century. Strategically intended to open prior to Father’s Day, the series of paintings from “Auto Portrait” will feature notorious automobiles that were once driven by legendary leaders and celebrities. From Janis Joplin and John F. Kennedy (pictured above) to Adolf Hitler and Marilyn Monroe, the series of artwork will feature automobiles along with a citation from the celebrities that once drove in them. This will be the second exhibition presentation from Oleg Timchenko in New York City, following his “Come Together” exhibit from fall 2011.


“I have been thinking about this concept for a long time and I am very proud to be exhibiting these pieces in June,” explains Oleg Timchenko. “The paintings in this particular exhibit are portraits of famed individuals, only they are not present in the paintings. Like they say dogs resemble their masters, I believe that every car resembles the personality and image of its owner. Marilyn Monroe, for example, once drove a vehicle that emulated her femininity and sex appeal, while someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is known for his strength and sturdy build, has driven a Hummer. In my “Auto Portrait” exhibit you will see just that, automobile portraits resembling their celebrity counterpart accompanied by a quotation from them.”


“Georgian art is very eclectic, colorful and lively and unfortunately, the diverse style is not represented enough in the USA.”


“It is In Art Gallery’s mission to recognize and promote such unparalleled artists such as Oleg Timchenko and to realize the potential to attract a broad, culturally diverse audience,” adds Inna Elua and Teah Murvanidze, art curators and co-founders of In Art Gallery.


Oleg Timchenko’s paintings have been exhibited all across Europe. His works are in the permanent collections of prestigious museums such as Tsaritsino Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow, Russia, Tbilisi Museum of Contemporary Art and Ludwig Museum, Budapest in Hungary and remain in private collections coveted by personal collectors such as Wolfgang Flatz, President Saakashvili, and Badri Patarkachishvili – among others.

For over three decades, contemporary Georgian artist and co-founder of the 10th Floor Group, Oleg Timchenko has never ceased to amaze audiences and art collectors worldwide. Born in Tbilisi, Georgia (former Soviet Union) in 1957, Oleg discovered his passion for the arts at a young age. In pursuing this passion, he graduated from The Tbilisi State Academy of Fine Arts, one of the oldest and largest art academies in Caucasus, Georgia, where he now teaches as a professor. 


Oleg is notorious for his expressive, colorful paintings paired with meticulous attention to detail. In his artwork, he often recognizes symbolic, bizarre or dream-like objects, while his other paintings are of a more classical style.




“AUTO PORTRAIT”ART EXHIBIT, JUNE 6-12For further information on Oleg Timchanko’s exhibit and location information, or to view his artwork from previous exhibits, please visit www.inartgallery.com.

(212) 877-5551Press 

Contact: Eda Kalkay 

Eda@EdaKalkay.com