Georgian Dream Faction Member Appointed Head of Writers’ House amid Writers’ Protests

From September 4, 2023 Ketevan Dumbadze, a member of the “Georgian Dream” parliamentary faction, will head the Writers’ House of Georgia. The Georgian Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth Tea Tsulukaini has already issued an decree to this effect, prompting a protest from writers.

Up to 100 Georgian writers, translators, publishers and individuals working in the field of literature have responded to the appointment of Ketevan Dumbadze with a statement . The signatories declare their disobedience to the policies of the Ministry of Culture, which they consider undemocratic, Soviet-style and anti-state.

“We don’t accept a new director who voted against the Georgian society for the “Russian law” [the so-called Foreign Agent’s Law]. We do not accept interference in literary life and processes using Soviet methods. We demand the creation of a commission together with the working group appointed by the writers, which will select a candidate for the director of the House of Writers and develop a new management – the document of the board, in order to avoid in the future interference in the work of the House of Writers by one person and party decisions,” the joint statement reads.

According to Natasha Lomouri, the former director of the House of Writers, on August 2 she received a phone call from the Ministry of Culture informing her that her term as director of the House of Writers will expire in five days. On August 3, she sent a letter to the Minister of Culture saying that she was interested in extending her term.

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