Walking through Tbilisi’s Old Town, it seemed only natural to pop in to my favorite teahouse in Tbilisi. Run by ethnic Armenians from Azerbaijan, I’ve taken countless Armenian and Azerbaijani journalists to the chaikhana and with good reason — it’s a breath of fresh air in the conflict-riven South Caucasus. Alas, when I got there it was already dark so the light was only artificial and less than perfect, but anyway, some photos from tonight.
The photograph above was taken at an opposition rally in Yerevan, Armenia, in October 2007. By January 2008, ahead of the February Presidential Election, the opposition had used it as one of the main images for their campaign website. Contacting them, they did at least agree to pay me $100 for use of the image online, but what they didn’t tell me was that they’d also use it as the main image for posters, banners, badges, and sticker labels.
Recent events in Georgian capital Tbilisi are alarming many who hoped progressive views might win out over more intolerant, traditional values.
Elva is a platform developed in Georgia that allows to easily receive feedback from local communities via SMS. Successfully used to map local needs along the ABL with South Ossetia, it could soon be used elsewhere
A new generation of ethnic Azeri Ashiqs is forming in Georgia, with Nargile Mehtiyeva at the forefront of the tradition. Regularly performing at festivals in Turkey, Mehtiyeva is also resurrecting the tradition of female Ashiqs among the younger generation.
Ashiq Qarib is a 75-year-old ethnic Azeri bard from Algeti, a village in a mainly Azeri-populated region of Georgia. According to the Sayat Nova Project, Ashiq Garib has become the main mentor and teacher for a new generation of Ashiqs and Saz players. Ethnic Azeri Ashiqs in Georgia, for example, can be considered more melancholic in their choice of subject matters than their counterparts in Azerbaijan proper.
Sergo Kamalov is an 85-year-old ethnic Armenian musician living in Tbilisi, Georgia, who plays tar, kamancha, dhol and other instruments common to Armenian, Azerbaijani, and other musical traditions. During the Soviet era, he was also leader of the Sayat Nova Ensemble for a number of years.
Recent clashes on the Line of Contact (LOC) separating Armenian and Azerbaijani forces have again raised concerns over the fragility of the 1994 ceasefire agreement. That should have put fighting over the disputed territory of Karabakh on hold, but with a final peace deal still elusive, thousands have been killed in cross-border skirmishes in the eighteen years since. At least three Armenian and five Azerbaijani soldiers died in the latest major skirmishes on the LOC, which reportedly included incursions into Armenia proper, while both sides blamed the other for the violence.
Strategically situated as a major conduit for vital energy resources, the South Caucasus has long been an area for competing regional and geopolitical interests. But while competition between Russia and the United States has preoccupied many analysts since 1991 when the three countries making up the region declared their independence from the former Soviet Union, some consider that Turkey could also play an important role in the Caucasus. Despite its well-known problems with Armenia, this is particularly true since tensions between Russia and Georgia culminated in the August 2008 war.