რამდენიმე ხნის წინ მეგობრებთან, კოლეგებთან ვსაუბრობდი სამოქალაქო წინააღმდეგობის ისტორიებზე, გამოცდილებებზე და სამწუხაროდ უნდა აღვნიშნოთ, რომ ბევრი ინფორმაცია უბრალოდ იკარგება, იშლება. აქტივისტები არ წერენ საკუთარ გამოცდილებაზე, კამპანიებზე, რაც მომავალი თაობისთვის ცოდნის გადაცემას შეუძლებელს ხდის. […]
Earlier this year, in a meeting with students and colleagues here in Tbilisi, Georgia, we came to a consensus that many important civil resistance stories related to decision-making, specific tactics and defining strategy are frequently lost here. We—activists engaged in movements for democracy, environmental justice, good governance and more—are not writing or documenting enough to create transferable knowledge, so future generations will not know about our country’s civil resistance stories. But with no local resources available to support such “knowledge management” actions, how can we affirm our nonviolent history in the interest of advancing our struggles? […]
The country of Georgia is stumbling towards parliamentary elections this autumn, against a complex backdrop of political violence and discord. Amid the disarray, a number of nonviolent campaigns for environmental protection are percolating all over the country. Although some of these campaigns—“Shukruti” and “Namokhvani” to name just two of them—are successfully galvanizing support from civil society allies to counter harmful mining and damn-building activities, the road to long-term success will no doubt be a long one. […]
Last week, protests resurged in the Republic of Georgia when Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party, failed to pass election reform ahead of the 2020 parliamentary elections. The party had promised this concession to pro-democracy protesters last summer, following political controversy that ushered in a new era of Georgian history. Although the country’s pro-democracy movement is still in its early stages, it’s never too early to evoke some key strategic considerations. […]
Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia, had not witnessed mobilization on this scale since 2012. In May-June 2018, thousands of people joined together on the streets to support Zaza Saralidze, father of a 14-year-old boy who had been murdered in a street fight. […]