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Jam! Events #COVID19 Keep A-Live & Stream in Tbilisi
Another year has been and gone in the COVID-19 pandemic. Though 2020 was largely defined by the absence of any live gigs in Tbilisi I was at least fortunate enough to be able to attend band rehearsals and in September that year a special live-streamed event by Jam! Events in cooperation with the city’s municipality. This September, a repeat event for live-streaming was again held and I was also able to be part of a physical audience made up of band members, technicians, and a few friends.
One Caucasus, but in a Global Pandemic
The One Caucasus Festival has been and gone, but because of COVID-19 it took on a very different format this year. At first, it seemed as though it would be held as it always has been with musicians from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and elsewhere performing in a festival area conceived and constructed by architects from throughout the region and abroad too.
Some Thoughts on Media and Conflict Discourse in the Nagorno Karabakh Conflict
“In War,” as the saying goes, “truth is the first casualty.”
While the source of that quote is often contested, what isn’t is that it applies to every single war fought in living memory and probably before. As almost everyone knows, it was definitely the case during last year’s fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh.
New Site Getting There, Though With Archive Materials
My first web site went online in late 1994. Working at The Independent newspaper on Old Street in London at the time, I would meet up with researcher friends at the University College of London (UCL) a few tube stops away for a beer after work most nights and one night they didn’t want to go to the pub just yet. Instead, they wanted to show me the World Wide Web, something we take for granted today, but at that time was only available to a select few.
Some Thoughts On The Post-2020 Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict Environment
With the first anniversary of the 2020 war in Nagorno Karabakh approaching it seems timely to consider where Armenia and Azerbaijan are in the post-war environment. The answer to that question won’t surprise anyone. The situation is not good.
Cameraman Dies After Tbilisi Pride Attack, Shame Movement Protests Resume in Tbilisi
As if the situation following attempts to hold a Pride Week in Tbilisi couldn’t get any worse, yesterday they did when news surfaced that a TV cameraman who was attacked by a far-right mob had died.
Tbilisi Pride Celebrated, Attacked
Violence once again marred yet another attempt by Georgia’s marginalised and embattled LGBTQ community to hold Tbilisi Pride events in the capital. For the first two of three events held 1-5 July 2021, however, it seemed as though things might be different this year.
Developing Effective Frameworks for Countering Ethno-Nationalist Narratives in the South Caucasus
Nationalist and ultra-nationalist narratives increasingly resemble those disseminated by violent extremist groups. Not only can themes be similar, but so too are the ways in which they are amplified and disseminated online via different mediums and platforms. They also target specific demographic groups, but there are few if any attempts to address or effectively counter them. This is especially true in the South Caucasus.
Neo-Nazis Attack Punk Festival in Tbilisi
It should have just been a fun afternoon in Tbilisi’s Old Hippodrome, but the planned punk festival, the first in ages because of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, took a violent turn when a group of neo-Nazis decided to disrupt it apparently because of one track, გერჩი – ყარს (Georgien über allen), by Georgian punk band, Gerchi.