“It was very difficult for me to watch all this from far away. The only thing that comforted me was that I had bought a ticket, that I would soon arrive in Georgia and join the protests on Rustaveli,” Megan Beridze, whom the general public knows from TikTok, tells us.
We met at Tbilisi State University to record the interview. This is where the Germanists’ march traditionally began, in the direction of the parliament — for those who have had contact with the German language, culture, or Germany in general, professionally or non-professionally. As in other marches, in this case, German language teachers, professors, translators, interpreters, students, graduates, and participants of the summer employment program united around the demands for new, fair elections and the release of those detained during the protests.
Content creator Megan Beridze also joined the Germanists’ protest march. She has been an immigrant and has been living in Germany for 8 years. She says that despite being physically in another country, she constantly feels a responsibility towards Georgia and its citizens who are fighting.
“These people are fighting for the future that I already live in [in Germany]. I want us to be able to live that kind of life in our homeland, not outside it,” Megan told us before the march began.
Aprili Media spoke to her about immigration, Russian laws, and protests.
Emigration and the Experience of Living in Europe
“Emigration is associated with very big challenges. It’s not just about leaving the country physically,” says Megan, recalling that she was 22 years old when she decided to go to Germany. She took advantage of the AuPair program — a cultural exchange program that involves working with children in host families in American and European countries. At that time, she didn’t know German well, and when she arrived there, the adaptation period was very difficult.
Vakho Kareli / Aprili Media
“In Georgia, I was used to being cared for by my family, but after leaving for Germany, I found myself completely alone… Imagine coming from a country where you are very active at school, then at university. It’s as if you represent something here, you arrive somewhere and you are nobody.”
The first 5 years of his stay in emigration were particularly difficult for her, and she also changed her plans – initially she wanted to continue her studies in Germany for a Master’s degree, but her Georgian diploma did not receive appropriate recognition, so she enrolled in a vocational school.
Vakho Kareli / Aprili Media
For three years, she studied pedagogy with a focus on education. She recalls that the students at the vocational school were of different ages, including those over 50. As she says, Germany and this incident taught her that it is never too late to master the desired profession. She does not rule out that in the future she will also apply for another direction and test herself and her abilities.
“Europe really provides this opportunity. In Georgia, I think that if you haven’t chosen a profession by the age of 30 or 26, you’re already lost. It’s not like that in Germany, it’s really never too late there.”
At first, she thought she would return to Georgia after completing her education, but after studying in Germany and experiencing the lifestyle there, the benefits of Europe became more tangible for her. Education, healthcare, a sense of security, caring for people’s well-being — in addition to financial factors, Megan also cites other circumstances as why she cannot leave Germany for now.
“Germany has one of the best healthcare systems, all kinds of examinations are free for me, you just need a card for it and you go to the doctor. Medicine doesn’t cost a colossal amount, and if the doctor writes you a prescription, you get these medicines at an additional discount. The country is safe, you feel protected there and you know that the law is supreme, and if I need help today, even if I need to call the police, I know that they will look after me, listen to me, and that is very important to me.”
Megan is also joining the ongoing protests here so that Georgia can become a European country where caring for people’s well-being is a priority. She cites the situation of elderly people in Georgia as an example — while most people in European countries live carefree, in Georgia, elderly people often do not have money for medicine and beg for alms.
Civic Responsibility and Content on TikTok
Funny stories and humorous videos, beauty, self-care, clothing style, daily vlogs, sometimes delicious recipes and just aesthetic shots — Megan started creating content on TikTok a year and a half ago and today she already has more than 35 thousand subscribers. The content category is diverse, but it changes depending on the current events in Georgia. Megan uses this space to disseminate information, as well as to share her feelings and emotions. This was the case, for example, in the spring, when protest rallies began in Tbilisi in parallel with the adoption of the Russian law.
“I tried to share information with people on my platforms, for example, why Europe is good, what values it carries, I also recorded a number of videos on the example of Germany. Before the elections, I recorded videos on why we should go to the elections, why our vote is important… Perhaps German culture also had a great influence on this. They say there that if you don’t go to the elections, you have no right to make any complaints at all. It was very important for me to provide this information to the Georgian people.”
When talking about civic responsibility, Megan recalls October 26, the day of the parliamentary elections. It was important for her to participate in the elections and vote. In the city of Stuttgart, she traveled about 2 hours from her home to vote and stood in line for about 8 hours. She still remembers how emotional that day was — seeing so many Georgians together, the energy and purpose that united them.
Vakho Kareli / Aprili Media
When the situation in Georgia became tense after the parliamentary elections and protests began, Megan constantly followed the live broadcasts and videos.
“Watching this from another country was very difficult and unbelievable. In every normal state, people can legally take to the streets and protest anything. And this wasn’t “anything,” this was something very big, crucial for the Georgian people, and being beaten for it is, of course, not right. There is no justification for any violence, especially not for the government beating and illegally imprisoning its own citizens.”
When Megan started talking about the protests on her platform, she became a target of troll bots, but that didn’t stop her from doing her job. She didn’t want to do anything else either. She tells us that many people have asked her why she didn’t start recording videos in German, because it would have been more profitable financially. However, Megan tells us that she didn’t need financial benefits from this work and that communication with the Georgian people is her priority. This is how she copes with missing her country and the Georgian people. At the end of the day, when she returns from work, she hopes and feels a kind of incentive that she has a video to shoot, which will definitely be followed by a response from Georgian subscribers.
“I will stay on this channel, I will continue to create content in Georgian. I feel a lot of love, human warmth and these invisible threads are very important to me.”
Protest on Rustaveli and Russian Laws
“They want a dictatorship and an authoritarian regime. They don’t want a free media here, a free society, and all of this, I think, was deliberately planned,” is how Megan explains the Georgian Dream’s narrative of portraying Europe as an evil force.
Vakho Kareli / Aprili Media
For Megan, Europe is synonymous with freedom and equality. It is very sad and unfortunate that we have to fight for everything that we are already a part of, Megan tells us. She thinks that by introducing Russian laws, the Georgian Dream is trying to put the country and society into an information vacuum and, thus, suppress critical and diverse voices. Along with the adoption of Russian laws, she recalls the authors and works removed from exam programs, as well as the books that the homophobic law aims to censor.
“Art is free. There are no restrictions in art, painting, or writing. This is exactly what our government is trying to do with these laws, to put us in some kind of framework, to govern us, to prohibit us, and to make us fear all of this… There will be no free thought if we accept all of this – not only books and works, but we will not be able to express our own opinions in the future.”
She says that she always wants to be in Georgia, and no matter how often she comes, it is never enough. But there are days and moments when this feeling is stronger. She adds that her heart, mind and soul are always here. Especially now, with the Georgian people, on Rustaveli Avenue, who are fighting for a European, bright, full of innovations and diverse future.
“Evil cannot exist in the long term, and we are all driven by great love here. Love for our homeland. Our illegitimate government does not have this, which is why I think that the struggle has meaning — when it is done with the heart, with great love, and with this sacrifice that the people who come here every day show to society.”