Why the Georgian cultural scene is hoping for an opposition victory

Georgian students protest against a law on 'foreign agents' near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, June 5, 2024. PA/DAVID MDZINARISHVILI

Georgia will elect a new parliament on October 26. Closer alignment with Russia would threaten Georgia’s arts and culture scene, including many projects supported by a Swiss-Georgian network.

When Alexandre Kordzaia, known as Kordz, leaves the stage after one of his concerts in Georgia, it has not been uncommon in recent weeks that a politician approaches him – even those from Georgia’s pro-Russian ruling party. “Although it’s clear that I’m part of the opposition,” says Kordz.

The Swiss-Georgian musician has been living and working in Georgia for many years. However, the country’s gravitation towards Russia has left him wondering whether he should return to Switzerland.

After a series of new authoritarian laws and major protests, Georgia now faces pivotal elections in which artists and musicians play an important role. The election campaign is being staged as a cultural battle between the western and traditional way of life, as the ruling party puts it. By all accounts, the strategy is working. Oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili’s government is leading in the polls.

The government wants to lead the country into the Russian sphere of influence. The opposition, on the other hand, wants the country to join the European Union. In Georgia’s arts scene, the influence of German-speaking countries in particular is important to many people and goes back to the 19th century.

A long-standing connection

For a long time, there has been a substantial number of German-speakers in Georgia. “Studying German has a long tradition and academic exchanges with German-speaking countries have been very popular since the 19^th century,” says Sandra Frimmel, art historian at the Slavic Department of the University of Zurich.

This connection also drew Swiss emigrants, who, starting in 1863, established an emigrant colony in Georgia.

Since the end of the Soviet Union and Georgia’s independence in 1991, Switzerland has officially been involved in the country, including in efforts to promote democracy.

The close bonds between Zurich and Tbilisi

But according to Elene Chechelashvili from the Georgian Cultural Platform Zurich, a more important connection happens at a private level. There is a great deal of cultural exchange with Switzerland.

In Zurich, there is a Swiss-Georgian cooperation network. This includes foundations, educational projects, festivals, and collaborations in film and literature. However, with Georgia tilting towards Russia, many between Zurich and Tbilisi are very worried and view this exchange as being on the brink of collapse.

Art historian Sandra Frimmel is organising a Georgian film series including talks in Zurich under the title ‘Georgian Dreams’ during the week before the parliamentary elections. One of the films was banned by the Georgian Film Academy in 2022 for being “too political” and causing division. Censorship like this has been uncommon since 1991, which shows that the film industry is now confronted with new restrictions from the ruling party, which itself is called Georgian Dream.

“For several years, the government has sought to reshape the arts and culture sector to reflect its vision and steer it towards Russian values,” says Frimmel.

Authoritarian laws in Georgia fast-tracked

Since the new Culture Minister Tea Tsulukiani took office in 2021, leaders of state cultural institutions have been gradually replaced. The government is also closing archives to thwart research, which Frimmel experienced for herself during a visit there.

In her research, one of the things the art historian deals with are court cases against artists in Russia. As a result of court rulings and changes to the law in the early 2000s, certain topics in art have become taboo in Russia, such as pornography, religious symbols, and homosexuality.

Frimmel is now observing a similar trajectory in Georgia with the law cutting off influence from “foreign agents” followed by a law restricting the rights of LGBTQ people, and now the attempt to include Orthodox Christianity as the state religion in the constitution.

“You can now see how the Georgian government is introducing new laws in exactly the same order Russia did,” says Frimmel. But in Russia it took around 15 years. “Georgia is doing it all in fast-forward.”

What concrete effects this will have on art will only be seen after the elections. For Frimmel, however, it is clear that Georgia’s new law, called the ‘Agents Act’ will make it nearly impossible to fund cultural activities from Switzerland or anywhere else abroad.

Does the “Agents Act” turn artists into foreign agents?

In May 2024, Georgia’s parliament passed a law on ‘foreign agents’ based on the Russian model. The law’s adoption was accompanied by major protests. Non-governmental organisations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad are to be considered ‘foreign agents’. It is still unclear how the law will be implemented. However, Kordz fears that it will become an existential threat for artists who are opposed to the ruling party.

State-funded culture is practically non-existent in Georgia, says Kordz. Artists are either financially dependent on private foundations or ticket sales. Like many Georgian artists, he applies for funding from funding organisations abroad, often from Switzerland, for example from Pro Helvetia.

Kordz believes that if the government secures a clear majority, the Agent Act will be used to further repress opposition voices. “And 90% of the music scene here opposes the government,” he says. Artists already face censorship – three of his friends were arrested following demonstrations, and comedians and journalists have been beaten up on the street. Harassment, such as threatening phone calls, has become common for outspoken artists.

‘Nobody in Georgia wants to be labelled an agent’

The Russian army already occupies 20% of Georgian territory, including South Ossetia and Abkhazia. “We are obvious prey for Russia,” says Kordz. But since the invasion of Ukraine, he sometimes encounters the assumption in the Swiss cultural scene that NATO is to blame for Russia’s aggression.

Alexandre Kordzaia in action. courtesy

Is he thinking about returning to Switzerland? “Of course, you think about it. But I want to stay here. Because in Georgia, my art is not just about me. I can make a difference”. Like his concert at the beginning of October for “children neglected by the government” on the border with the Russian-occupied region of South Ossetia.

“Nobody in Georgia wants to be labelled an agent,” says Chechelashvili from the Georgian Cultural Platform in Zurich. “Why should you be when you’re organising a dance or music festival?”

The new law increases the pressure on the entire cultural scene. Chechelashvili asserts that “the quality of the artistic performance should be the most important criterion and not the opinion, position or source of funding of the artists”.

In Georgia, some project organisers are intimidated. “Under no circumstances do they want to register as an agent and risk having their work stopped completely,” she says.

Unclear election outcome

Chechelashvili knows projects that will be threatened if the ruling party wins the election. Nevertheless, people in the arts and culture scene are hopeful. “The people I know look forward to the parliamentary elections with hope. They want Georgia to return to Europe and thus to democracy and freedom.”

However, it is unlikely that this will happen. The election polls point to a victory for the governing party. But according to experts, predictions are difficult because the values of the often partisan polling institutes vary widely.

Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of the Georgian Dream party gestures greeting demonstrators during a rally in support of the foreign agent in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Monday, April 29, 2024 Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

It is also unclear what effect the government’s threats against the opposition and their pressure on state employees will have. If the government wins the elections, the Agents Act could make Swiss-Georgian cooperation more difficult. At the same time, however, the Swiss support network for the Georgian cultural scene might then become even more important – provided that alternatives can be found to continue funding projects in Georgia.

Edited by Benjamin von Wyl, Translated from German by David Kelso Kaufher/ac