Georgian National Museum

• After all, why would Russia’s president need to get involved in states where homegrown politicians seem more than prepared to do his work for him?
• More secular Georgians, and those who favour closer relations with the EU and Nato, fear a creeping Russification of society.
• This would potentially lead to increased harassment of anyone from the LGBTQ+ community to single parents to vegans and vegetarians.

Cultural crackdown

• The crackdown on culture began when Thea Tsukuliani was named minister of culture, sport and youth in March 2021.
• Then, on May 24 2022, the cultural purge began and 22 staff members were fired.
• The 22 had one thing in common: they had expressed disquiet about the apparent politicisation of Georgian cultural heritage, and argued that archaeology and related disciplines should not be controlled by Georgian Dream.

Punishing dissent

• By September 2022, more than 70 members of staff at the Georgian National Museum had lost their positions.
• Anyone who dared to speak up in solidarity was informed they were failing in their work duties and dismissed with immediate effect.
• Within a few months, the threat had spread to other cultural professionals, such as those in the theatre and film industries.
• The older group had, over the past decade, started to believe they could entrust their work to this new generation.

Election hopes and fears

• Georgian Dream, which has been leading a governing coalition since 2012, is seeking to extend its mandate.
• If it wins again, the feeling in Georgia is that nothing will hold back the creeping Russification of Georgian society that this cultural censorship is facilitating.

Emma Loosley Leeming does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.