Armenian alternative rock band Altsight, One Caucasus, Tserakvi, Georgia ©
Onnik James Krikorian 2024
This month, against the backdrop of the Caucasus Mountains, a unique four-day festival in Georgia celebrated its tenth anniversary. Held annually in August, the multi-disciplinary One Caucasus festival aims to rediscover a spirit of unity and cooperation that once flourished among the diverse nations of the region. Located in the village of Tserakvi, a small Georgian village in the majority ethnic Azerbaijani region of Kvemo Kartli, which is also home to ethnic Armenian and Georgian minorities, this blend of cultures provides a rich context in which to foster mutual understanding and collaboration.
In the weeks leading up to the festival, volunteers transform the festival site on the grounds of the local school and organize cultural and educational workshops for children in nearby villages. Polish Director Witek Hebanowski, who has overseen the event since its inception, describes One Caucasus as a vibrant space where young people can connect, collaborate, and celebrate their shared heritage. Accompanying them on that journey are international volunteers from all seven continents.
By 2022, more than 420 volunteers from 40 countries have volunteered at One Caucasus, while 570 musicians from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, as well as countries as diverse as Algeria and Barbados to Scotland and the US, have performed. In total, the organizers say, over 21,000 people have attended the event in the past decade. In addition to conducting workshops for over 1,600 children in the ethnic Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgian, and mixed communities in the Marneuli municipality of the Kvemo Kartli region, there have also been joint architectural and participatory budget projects.
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On this, the tenth anniversary of the event, One Caucasus stands as a testament to the power of cultural exchange and the enduring hope for harmony in a region usually characterized by its complexities. In Tserakvi, where the echoes of history mingle with the rhythms of today, the festival remains a vibrant celebration of the region’s shared spirit and diverse heritage. “The Caucasus is known for mutual respect and diversity, says Hebanowski. “We wanted to do something that could unite the whole South Caucasus.”
The full article is available here.
The One Caucasus Festival unites Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. "My home is the whole Caucasus," says volunteer Sona Mektizadeh. "There are no bad nations," adds musician Sargis Burnazyan. pic.twitter.com/ZpsArqBXvt
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