Georgian Literary Community Boycotts the Ministry of Culture and House of Writers
About 100 Georgian writers, translators, publishers, and those working in the field of literature issue a joint statement and refuse “any kind of cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and the House of Writers under its party affiliation”.
“The appointment of a representative of the ruling party as the director of the House of Writers, without any democratic process or consultation with the people employed in the field, is an expression of the autocratic ambitions of those in power and runs counter to Georgia’s stated aspirations for European integration,” reads the statement.
According to the statement, the boycott will be expressed in refusal to participate in any project initiated, financed, and managed by the Ministry of Culture and the House of Writers, regardless of its form and content, be it local book presentations and other public events, translation and residency programs or programs of different countries, book fairs, international festivals and other important forums, adding: “We declare that we will use all platforms to inform our international partners and loyal friends of Georgia about the dangerous authoritarian tendencies in the Georgian culture, and at the same time we will make sure that we are represented on all international platforms in an alternative form, and we will try to find sources of funding ourselves”.
The boycott will begin on September 4, 2023, the day a candidate nominated by the ruling party takes over the House of Writers, and will continue until its head is chosen by a commission of specialists in the field.
Also Read:
- 21/08/2023 – 200 Georgian Filmmakers Boycott the National Film Center
- 15/06/2023 –Is Culture Minister Taking Over the Film Center?
- 11/08/2023 – Georgian Dream Faction Member Appointed Head of Writers’ House amid Writers’ Protests
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