Heretics Nabbed for 'Indecent' Video Satire

The Georgian police are reported to have tracked down the thought criminals responsible for "indecent and insulting" satirical videos which targeted the head of the Orthodox Church and caused a nationwide scandal in this fervently religious country. A statement from the Interior Ministry identified the culprits as a school pupil and a student. It's not clear yet what action will be taken against them, if any, although the authorities seem to have been motivated to launch the investigation because of the public outcry against the crudely-produced video clips.

More on the latest religious rows in Georgia from my regular column in The Moscow Times:

Is Halloween anti-Christian and anti-Georgian? That’s what some people were asking here in Tbilisi last week after the Orthodox Patriarch, Ilia II – the single most respected figure in the country – called on people to forsake witches’ broomsticks and ghoulish make-up and renounce celebrations of the annual rite. “There are people in Georgia who are trying to bring foreign holidays and attitudes into our country, which may ruin our own traditions,” one of the Patriarch’s devotees told a local newspaper.

The Halloween debate followed a nationwide scandal over a series of animated videos which appeared to mock the elderly Patriarch. In a rare display of political unity, the authorities and opposition both condemned satirical clips which were digitally manipulated to show the Orthodox leader cussing out the Georgian president, Mikheil Saakashvili.

Tea Tutberidze, who works for a pro-government think-tank in Tbilisi, first posted the videos on her Facebook page, and became the target for the wrath of the faithful. “God will punish you, your fingers will shrivel up,” one online commentator testified; a remark followed by some distinctly un-Christian threats of violence and murder. The Patriarchate claimed that a “dirty campaign” was being waged against the Church – a view echoed by opposition politicians, who insinuated that President Saakashvili was actually behind it all.

Despite the unholy row, Tutberidze was unrepentant. She denounced the Patriarch for recent comments in which he seemed to accuse Saakashvili of failing to avert the war with Russia last year, alleged that the Kremlin maintained a “power base” within the religious hierarchy, and insisted that free speech should know no limits.

But in a country where the Patriarch has become an increasingly potent and unquestionable figure, criticism of the religious establishment is a fast track to pariah status. The Church has shown its political might on several occasions over the past couple of years, halting opposition hunger strikes at Easter last year, and forcing a “sinful” television series to suspend broadcasts.

Some urban liberals are worried about the state-backed Church’s influence on public life, especially in schools, but don’t want to express their views as forcefully as the heretical Tutberidze. Although more than 15 per cent of the population follows other faiths, most see Orthodox Christianity as an integral part of Georgian identity, and anyone who dares to cross them can expect a rough ride.

God on Wheels

People in Georgia are deeply proud of their Orthodox Christian traditions - but this driver, seen on Georgia's main highway this week with a miniature church strapped to the roof of his car, obviously takes his religion more seriously than most...

Poland Invades Georgia (In a Friendly Way)

The first festival of contemporary Polish culture in Georgia started last night in fine style in Tbilisi at Club 33a (an atmospheric ampitheatre in one of the city's best parks). Polish people are well-loved here in Georgia, partly because of their common sufferings at the hands of Moscow regimes. Also, every other taxi driver in Tbilisi seems to have a Polish grandma or great-grandfather, or has made a life-changing trip to Poland during his formative years - and generally asks something like: "Do you know Agnieszka from Warsaw? I haven't seen her for 30 years. No, I don't know her surname..."

The Polish festival climaxes next week with concerts of Polish-Georgian rock'n'roll/hip-hop/folk fusion and performances by the legendary Teatr Osmego Dnia (Eighth Day Theatre), who were part of the underground artistic resistance during the Communist years in Poland. They're going to rock the Rose Revolution Square with a performance called The Ark, with a genuine ark which they're bringing all the way from Poland..

'Thriller' in Azerbaijan

"No one's going to save you from the beast about to strike..."

Michael Jackson, Baku-style. The ultimate wedding video?

"I'm a Hooligan Too!"

Testimony started yesterday in the case of two satirical Azerbaijani internet activists accused of 'hooliganism' after they allegedly got into a fight in a restaurant - a prosecution which campaigners believe is intended to intimidate pro-democracy bloggers in Azerbaijan. Protesters outside the court in Baku chanted "Freedom!" and wore T-shirts stating: "I'm a Hooligan Too!" More details from EurasiaNet here, plus a strong denunciation of the case - "sham trial", etc - from Reporters Without Borders here. (Photo from the court protest courtesy of www.irfs.az)

Fall and Rise of the Soviet Space Apes

More from my recent Abkhazia trip - a research institute which used to send monkeys into space for the Soviet Union but fell into disrepair during the chaotic war years is now seeking to revive its fortunes. EurasiaNet also published a more in-depth piece on the institute last year here.

'This is Vladimir': A Soundscape from Abkhazia

I've uploaded a soundscape which I mixed using material recorded during a trip to the disputed Black Sea region of Abkhazia in August. It isn't exactly reportage, nor exactly musique concrete either. It features natural sounds from the Abkhaz coast, the voices of soldiers, a government official, and an Abkhaz mother who named her newborn son after Vladimir Putin. It's an attempt to convey some of the atmosphere of this beautiful, troubled territory at a specific moment in time, without any commentary or journalistic voiceover.

You can listen to it or download it here.

Thanks are due to my fellow blogger Guy Degen - the original audio was recorded on his camera - and to photographer Justyna Mielnikiewicz, who also worked with me on the trip to Abkhazia. (The photo above shows a young Russian tourist posing as an Abkhaz warrior for a photo at a seaside resort; I'm sure the tourist lad had no idea of the irony...)