Author: Beka Maisuradze
The idea that art is precisely the force that speaks the language of freedom, reaches the hearts of all people and puts us in a sentimental, yet combative mood. We have been convinced of this many times and are convinced even now, almost every day, when we watch representatives of the cultural sphere who are on strike, taking to the streets and standing on the front lines of the struggle for the salvation of the country. We were convinced of this even when the actors of the New Theater presented their manifesto to thousands of spectators. Along with the text, the actors of the theater performed numbers from the play I Will Cross the Sea in front of people on the street, which, in my opinion, has never been so full of meaning, and the emotions of the actors on stage have never been so real. Their performance acquired more context that day, and this is always the most important thing.
Protest manifesto of the New Theater / Photo: Vakho Kareli / Aprili Media
The manifesto of the actors of the New Theater was a strong reminder that art can really change the world. It is alive, independent, and most importantly, it is in action. It is ready to defend what is most valuable — our country, our people, our freedom, and our future.
And what threatens our country, our freedom, us, and our future the most?! — Repression and repressive laws that make people’s already difficult lives even harder.
We have told you about one such harmful, homophobic, hate-inducing, and censorious law more than once, including the impact it can have directly on art.
This law deals the biggest blow to the queer community, but it also harms art because it imposes censorship. Therefore, on the day when the theater and the people stood together in the streets for the freedom of Andro Chichinadze and other detainees, when art defended itself and the people, I decided to discuss this law with representatives of this very sphere. Actress Baia Dvalishvili and director Levan Tsuladze talk to us about the impact this law can have on us all and, in general, how dangerous censorship is. Especially in light of the fact that the Georgian Dream dedicated the entire pre-election period to marginalizing the LGBTQ+ community and inciting hatred against them.
Levan Tsuladze (Chola) believes that the law, which came into force on December 2, is one of the most dangerous, and he cites the fact that many things are unclear and it is impossible to regulate it.
Mariam Takidze / Aprili Media
“This law is vague, it can be interpreted in any direction. Besides, I don’t understand who the ‘prosecutor’ will be. Any person whose heart beats the way it should beat can stop any creative process just because they think it will offend them.”
According to Chola, under this law, the pressure on everyone during life will increase, which poses a direct threat to living freely.
Anyone can consider themselves guilty, be it a member of the LGBT community, be it simply a single person — even a childless person can be guilty because they are not reproducing the nation… Therefore, this is a very dangerous law.
According to the director, the life of a creative person would be completely unbearable, because censorship could affect Shakespeare, Moliere, and all those important works that are necessary not only for theater and cinema, but also for the general education and development of people.
“The main purpose of this law is simply to have the shadow of an invisible controller over any artist… This cuts off the wings of art and ultimately diminishes the nation,” says Chola.
Actress Baia Dvalishvili has a similar attitude towards the hate law. She says that by banning non-existent “LGBT propaganda,” the state is fighting and oppressing all people.
“With this law, you declare war on a person, a friend, a child, a child’s friend, who was, is and will be. They are our close ones, some are relatives, some are friends, and they are as close to me as my right and left hands, I even feel shy to talk about this.”
Protest rally in Tbilisi / Photo: Vakho Kareli / Aprili Media
The actor compares censorship to cancer and says that once it is legalized, it will slowly spread to everyone and everything.
“Censorship will not only affect one or two areas, it will move from art to universities and educational programs, because censorship is a terrible thing and it does not come with two legs, its legs grow, grow bigger and cover absolutely all areas. It undergoes such changes and is so pervasive that it is simply unacceptable.”
The actress, who, in addition to many interesting roles, is also known to the audience for her character Neliko in the TV series My Wife’s Girlfriends, also recalls the episodes where her character lived next door to a transgender woman, Nino, whom she befriended and became her confidant. However, Nino’s life, as we have often seen in real life, unfortunately ends tragically — at the hands of a violent murderer.
These episodes received a great response immediately after they aired. Baia Dvalishvili has repeatedly noted that many transgender women wrote to her and shared with her the difficult stories they had experienced. The actress thinks that under this law, they will most likely demand that the TV channel cut these difficult but necessary episodes.
“It was truly heartbreaking, including for the population, and it received a huge response. But, most likely, if they don’t ban the entire series, which is entirely possible, they will certainly cut out these long episodes without saying anything. If we were to take this one series as an example, from their perspective, there are so many things to cut out that they could reduce such a long series to 30 episodes.”
Baia Dvalishvili believes that this law will ultimately lead to terrible consequences and it is necessary to fight against it.
The January 23rd manifesto held at the New Theater was not just a symbolic act. A very large team of artists decided to move the struggle from the stage to the real space by traveling to the regions and directly talking to the people. This is a strong statement that art cannot be a silent spectator when its people lose their freedom. Where people have been deprived of their voice, the stage, the shot, the song, the writing took over to speak loudly about themselves.
Vakho Kareli / Aprili Media
Now, in the conditions when the Georgian Dream government adopted a hate law, which becomes an instrument of direct censorship, the voice of art is even more important. The government claims that this law protects society from “LGBT propaganda,” but in reality, this is a veil of falsehood, behind which lies the desire for strict control. The goal is to intimidate society, to eliminate dissent and to leave them with the only “accepted” narrative. Art cannot submit to this narrative. Its nature is diversity, to expose the deep, sometimes inexplicable world of man, and when art is subject to censorship, it means that reality is also threatened by censorship.
Protest manifesto of the “New Theater” / Photo: Vakho Kareli / Aprili Media
The fight is alive, art will survive, it will withstand censorship, overcome persecution and still find a way. As long as there is an actor who will go on stage and tell the truth; as long as there is an audience who will listen to this truth; as long as there is a director who will stage a play or make a film once again, we will not lose hope.
As banal as it may sound, if love can have a color, it encompasses all colors. But when power chooses one color and destroys the rest, life becomes pale, breathing becomes difficult, and the sounds that once spoke of love become silent.
The government has labeled emotions “propaganda,” as if they were a weapon, not love. They don’t understand that love is neither an ideology nor a party view. Love is something that cannot be destroyed.
Protest manifesto of the “New Theater” / Photo: Vakho Kareli / Aprili Media
They cannot tear down every painting, they cannot burn every book, they cannot silence every person. Love will exist in the smiles of those who find the sun in each other’s eyes; in the hugs of those who give safety to those who have fled the world; in the silence of those who understand without words and when the dark force thinks it can extinguish it, it actually shines even more.