Caucasus Jazz Festival, Tbilisi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2015
Cross-border projects in a conflict-riven region come in many forms, but perhaps the most overlooked has arguably been those in the area of culture. There have been some notable exceptions such as the CIS Youth Symphony Orchestra that performed in Yerevan and Baku as well as elsewhere, but otherwise most cultural events featuring both Armenian and Azerbaijani musicians perform in neighbouring Georgia.
Nonetheless, as neutral ground, it does provide a remarkable opportunity for Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian musicians to not only perform their own works to a mixed audience, but also to engage in cross-cultural dialogue, including sometimes produce combined works together. Such events also cross many genres. There is poetry, art, and sculpture, but perhaps the most prominent are indeed in the sphere of music.
Already in Georgia there is the Caucasus Music Awards, the Wacken Metal Battle Caucasus, One Caucasus, and of course, the Caucasus Jazz Festival. The raw cut of my latest video report for the BBC’s Azerbaijan Service is below.
