Beez Theatre's Qarınqulu Ayı Balası Spreads Messages of Friendship and Community

Beez Theatre, Mirza Fatali Akhundov Museum © Onnik James Krikorian / Caspian Post 2023

The Caspian Post has published my story accompanied by photographs of the Beez Children’s Theatre. I remember them from just after the pandemic and always wanted to do a story on the troupe. I’ve spent a long time covering minority communities in the region – from the Yezidis in Armenia to the ethnic Armenian and Azerbaijani communities here in Georgia. At some point I must post more of this work that I’ve undertaken since 1998.

The Beez Azerbaijani Children’s Theatre is a unique cultural institution in Gardabani, a small town in the Kvemo Kartli region of Georgia where 65 percent of the population are ethnic Azerbaijani. The theatre was founded three years ago to provide a platform for children to express themselves through theatre and to promote Azerbaijani culture in Georgia.

 

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The theatre takes its name from the honeybee and the sound it makes, a fitting symbol of the hard work necessary to foster creativity, imagination, and social skills in children. Combining traditional and modern music, dance, and costumes with modern storytelling techniques, Beez is already creating a unique and engaging experience for audiences of all ages, and has won competitions held by the Georgian Ministry of Culture.

 

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“There were three main messages in the play,” Islamoglu told The Caspian Post after the performance: “not to be afraid of doctors, not to be afraid of medicine, and [to be] kind to each other.”

The full story can read here while The Caspian Post also put together a nice little social media-friendly slideshow on various platforms such as this one on Twitter.