A LETTER FROM GEORGIA: Sakdrisi "gold mine" & Romanian gold mine protest (examiner.com)

(examiner.com) We appeal to you on behalf of The Unity of Archeologists of Georgia, regarding the sensitive issue of the so-called “Sakdrisi Oldest Gold Mine” in Bolnisi Municipality, Georgia...

Recently, the problem regarding this archeological object has become the subject of wide discussions of the certain circles of the society, not only in Georgia but also abroad.

Georgian-German archeological team, headed by Mr. Stollner and Mrs. Ghambashidze think that the object represents the ancient goldmine and, hence, it shall be granted the status of monument. However, there are quite strong scientific opinions, stating that the existence of the gold mine in Sakdrisi 5,400 years ago is not proved.

Furthermore, this summer the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia founded an ad hoc professional commission, which has studied the problem and formulated the conclusion that the German-Georgian archeologists has provided no reliable and scientific proofs on the existence of the prehistoric goldmine, dated back to 4th-3rd millennia B.C. Moreover, there is no doubt that in 2006 the status of cultural heritage was assigned to the so-called “Sakdrisi-Kachagiani oldest gold mine” by falsification and full negligence of the Georgian laws.

Instead of appealing the decision of the Ministry of Culture in the Court of Justice, Mr. Stollner and Mrs. Ghambashidze launched a dirty PR campaign, which obliges us, The Unity of Archeologists of Georgia to provide you with all necessary documents in order to have a full picture of the up mentioned case.

The matter of our concern is that we would like you to understand the situation more clearly:
· - If the truth is not proved, the mining company, which paid US $150 million for the license, will withdraw from Georgia;
· - This will cause firing of about 3000 direct workers and in addition unemployment of 1000 men now completing logistic works for the company;
· - Cancelling of 85% of the Bolnisi regional budget;
· - Cancelling of about US$ 30 million annually paid by the company to the state budget as different taxes;
· - Huge ecological disaster as far as liquidation of the company will cause spills of heavy metal bearing water to the Mashavera Rivar, now purified by the company;
· - Huge damage to the image of Georgia as a country creating good environment for investors.

Contact: Giorgi Gagishvili, Director, LTD ''UNITY OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS''

Georgia,Tbilisi (via Paolo Biagi's e-mail pavelius@unive.it) for relevant documents

Links: 
Älteste Goldmine wird nach dubiosem Gutachten einer modernen Minengesellschaft preisgegeben [archaeologik.blogspot.de]
Georgia's Lost City of Gold
The Gold Mine of Sakdrissi: Results and analyses and a calculation of the prehistoric gold exploitation
THE So Called Ancient Gold Mine of Sakdrisi-Kachagiani – Myth or Reality?
Russian Owned Madneuli Plans New Investments In Georgia [gab-ibn.com]
Gold Race in Sakadrisi Layer [gardabaniherald.blogspot.de]
Video: Romanian Gold Mine protest

Gold in Georgia [gnmsciencecafe.wordpress.com]
Position to Sakdrisi Gold Mining Complex (Deutscher Verband für Archäologie)
Bronze Age gold in Southern Georgia [archeosciences.revues.org] 
THE So Called Ancient Gold Mine of Sakdrisi-Kachagiani – Myth or Reality? [georgiatoday.ge]
Culture Heritage Which We Neglect – Ancient Mine in Sakdrisi [humanrights.ge]  
Goldbergbau in Südostgeorgien – Neue Forschungen zum frühbronzezeitlichen Bergbau in Georgien [pdf]

UNESCO-WORLDHERRITAGE: Ancient Georgian traditional Qvevri wine-making method (unesco.org)

Florian Mühlfried in facebook: Fantastic!! Georgian kvevri-winemaking declared as intangible cultural heritage! Now let's see what this does to the quality of the wine. And what kind of oportunities it offers to research projects.

(unesco.org) Qvevri wine-making takes its name from the distinctive egg-shaped earthenware vessel - the Qvevri - in which wine is fermented and stored in villages and towns throughout Georgia. The tradition plays a vital role in everyday life and celebrations, and forms an inseparable part of the cultural identity of Georgian communities, with wine and vines frequently evoked in Georgian oral traditions and songs. Knowledge of this heritage is passed down by families, neighbours and friends, all of whom join in the communal harvesting and wine-making activities.

Place/country: Georgia,
Series: 2013 inscriptions on the Representative List/Inscriptions 2013 sur la Liste représentative,
Type: Documentary
Duration: 00:09:59
Author/director: Mr. Merab Kokochashvili,
Publisher/producer: Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia,
Published in: 2013

ENVIROMENT: Pshav-Khevsureti mountains to become protected area (dfwatch.net)

(dfwatch.net) The mountainous Pshav-Khevsureti region in the northeast of Georgia is to be made a protected area.

This is a historical region and remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country.

The environment committee in parliament has proposed granting the region status as protected area and will present a legislative draft about the issue in a week.

Committee Chair Giorgi Tsagareishvili said this Friday, and added that the area also is a strategically important zone which borders with the Russian Federation.

He said that Georgia has received a 9 million euro grant by the assistance of its German partners and after Pshav-Khevsureti is made into a protected area about 50 persons will get employment there.

Tsagareishvili said he thinks the decision is the perfect way to save Pshav-Khevsureti.

GeoAir: Public Discussion Regarding Cultural Policy in Tbilisi (geoair.blogspot.de)

(geoair.blogspot.de) In the frame of SPACES project GeoAIR is organizing a public meeting-discussion regarding cultural policy. Namely, about the changes, work and programs in last six months at the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia.

Adress: G. Chubinashvili National Research Center for Georgian Art History and Heritage Preservation. 9 Atoneli str. 0105 Tbilisi.
  
The following themes will be discussed:
· rethinking the function of the Ministry of Culture
· institution of recommendations council
· presentation of new staff
· the priorities and strategies of the Ministry
· discussion of existing problems in several cultural sphere
· goal of international programs
· criteria for choosing supported projects

The meeting will be moderated by Sophia Kilasonia- Art historian, journalist

Speakers:
Theona Dolenjashvili- advisor of the Minister of Culture and Monument Protection
Badri Bagration-Gruzinski – Daputy Minister of Culture and Monument protection (Current Events and Regional Programs Division)
Lali Pertenava – Art historian, member of the ccommittee for international projects
Levan Avalishvili - IDFI (Institute for Development of Freedom of Information - had of board / project director)

Project is realized in the frame of the EU project SPACES.

This project is funded by the European Union through the Eastern Partnership Culture Programme.

ART PROJECT: GeoAIR project “undergo. The parallels”, Tbilisi, Georgia, May-June 2012 (geoair.blogspot)

Opening 24th of may

The notion of a “public space” together with an “Art in a public space”, has acquired a new significance in the last period worldwide. The word “public” means democracy, and includes “clearness”, “openness”, “involvement”, “participation” and “responsibilities” not only from the governmental side towards people, but between people in general as well. Discourse about Art in a public space, is not only definition of the word public, but it is also realization of the idea of democracy.


The exhibition project “undergo the parallels” has to be held in about 10 underground passages of Tbilisi, images can be seen under: picasaweb.google.com

An exhibition project "undergo. the parallels" will take place in Tbilisi pedestrian underground passages. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, these underground passages have experienced different stages of existence: first they were completely abandoned and became dangerous places of muggings and robbery. The outcome of this was that people entered them more and more seldom, choosing to cross streets loaded with traffic arbitrarily, which led to a significant death toll. Later, these undergrounds became places where alternative, unofficial selling points arose. The more efficient sellers developed kiosks, shops, gambling places etc. Some of these underground passageways developed their own life, parallel to "normal" city life in the open air. These passages somehow turned into spaces of meeting and communicating, the youth are gathering in gambling houses, some musicians and students meet to play and listen to the music, the shop keepers are in close contact with the passengers and potential customers.

Today these undergrounds are still under development, in some of them new “organized” commercial infrastructures are built, some of them are under the danger of collision, also there appeared some passages which regardless of their necessity, has lost their practical function, and became place for garbage, or turned into public toilets.

There are two direct goals to be achieved with the project „undergo. the parallels“: practical and artistic.

In term of practical goals we hope to animate the population of Tbilisi to more frequent usage of underground passageways. For these artists will work directly on site in the passageways, some of the works will be displayed during the whole project period, but also temporal actions and performances will be held in different passageways... Project guide, which will inform about all the activities, will be spread out to general population.On the one hand activities carried out during the project will animate pedestrians to enter the passageways and on the other hand they will give an input to officials for improvement of the given situation.

On the artistic level, site-specific works (light installations, sound installations, photography, street art etc.) produced especially for the passageways will address socio-political and concrete practical issues mentioned above. Tbilisi and Georgian audience is not used to art in public space and in participatory art. With the project "undergo. the parallels" we aim to confront the general public with unconventional ways of perceptions of art and engagement with it. Some artworks as street art, light installations, produced during the project, could also remain on-site and act as a long-term attraction in both practical and aesthetical ways for the passageways.

Project is part of an international cooperation project SPACES: Sustainable Public Areas for Culture in Eastern Countries. The SPACES project is financed by the European Union through the Eastern Partnership Culture Programme.


Tbilisi project "Undergo. the parallels" is also supported by Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia and Tbilisi Centre of Cultural Events..