Story 1
Nutsa
Many girls don’t know they have choices and options; getting married at an early age is the only way they know how to live
Women of Georgia
An intimate look into Georgian WomanhoodThe Context
This project seeks to shed light on a country and culture that remains largely overlooked in France and in the world. Georgia is a small territory of approximately 3 million inhabitants, tucked away in the heart of the Caucasus, bordering Russia and Turkey. The country is still marked by occupation, conflict and traditional values though it is somewhat rapidly anchoring itself in modernity and change through its burgeoning youth culture.
Georgia is imbued with stories of women who are strong and respected, much like the history of the female ‘King’ Tamar - the most illustrious of all Georgian monarchs who led her country to its height during the 13th century. Nonetheless, women often find themselves relegated to a role that can be considered as secondary. This project, however, tends to find that Georgian women occupy a preponderant role in society even if it is sometimes done in the shadows. In Georgian society, women are often the driving force in their community, and besides their role as wives and mothers, they often feel invested with the mission of cultivating, promoting and enriching a much larger circle. They are the guardians and sponsors of a proper functioning and thriving community.
The Project
We sought to collect testimonies from women of all ages from diverse backgrounds in order to better understand the diversity that exists within the country – a country in which a new generation is fighting against the traditional values of an older generation, and life is branded by the dichotomy that exists between the privileged city-dwellers of Tbilisi, the country’s capital, and those who reside in a still very rural environment.
We have followed these women through a day in their life as they have unlocked the door to their stories. Through these portraits, we have tried to amplify the voices of 10 Georgian women who bear witness to the central role Georgian women play in a patriarchal and orthodox society marked by civil wars and Russia’s grip.
From the spontaneous nature of their testimonies ensues touching anecdotes – life stories where these women talk about their daily life and give their opinion on women’s issues in Georgia.
Our Itinerary
Tbilisi Capital
Lanchkhuti Guria
Tbilisi Capitale
Savane Shida Kartli
Baghdati Imereti
Poti Samegrelo
Ninotsminda Samtskhe-Javakheti
Marneuli Kvemo Kartli
Tbilisi Capital
Nigvziani Guria
Personal notes
Eva
Photographer, co-creatorIn Georgia, I have met women who consciously or unconsciously are all feminists.Through their strength of character and their actions, they are trying to inspire other women living in this patriarchal society.
Some of these women are young, unmarried and childless. They wear their feminist badge proudly. Some of these women are also more advanced in age, and for them the word ‘feminism’ is still linked to behaviours that are deemed too radical.
For a small minority, they have lived through war, several wars even, and understandably a feminist fight has never really been relevant.For the younger generation, those who are allowed to be a little more carefree, they claim their feminist attachment with pride.
Another project around feminism you’ll tell me. Yes, another one, because feminism is not a trend. It is a movement in which all voices count and contribute to the growth of the cause. “Stories are data with a soul” Brene Brown once said . Each new voice is another added stone in this big and powerful bridge leading to the empowerment of women.
This project illustrates the opinion of 10 Georgian women. Through listening to their words and finding common ground in our struggles, they have allowed me to unleash my own voice, and my own power.
Through the echo of our shared experience, these women have peeled back the veil that was unknowingly hanging over my eyes, preventing me from seeing patriarchal oppression in my own country. Yes, sexism here takes on another form. It may be less tangible, less ostentatious, but it is still a reality of everyday life. I am now able to perceive certain behaviours that did not previously seem problematic. Certain words that merely trickled over me before have now taken the forms of arrows piercing through my existence and igniting my outrage.
These women have confided in us for a day and I thank them from the bottom of my heart. Beyond the fact that they have shared their story and their point of view, that have allowed us to enter into their home, their family and their culture.
Isabelle
Author, co-creatorThere are many ways in which living in the country of Georgia for over 2 years has changed me. There are many things that I have been amazed by and many more that I have learned. But my single greatest treasure lies within the connections I have made with the women I have met, talked to, worked with, lived with and became friends with. Coming from a western culture where individualism ideologically takes precedence over collectivism, I have been inspired by the many great sacrifices Georgian women make on a daily for the benefit and progress of their country and communities, all this without much recognition. From my inherently limited and biased perspective, I have come to understand that the well-being of their communities expectedly laid on their shoulders and that their - socially constructed and sanctioned - nurturing nature was often taken for granted. However this project is not about my point of view, but theirs - the women that have opened their home and shared their stories with us.
These women never needed us to give them a voice. I started this collaborative piece of work primarily for my own personal growth and understanding. What you will read are their unedited words to the questions I had for myself. My hope for this project is that you can learn from these women the same way I have learned from them. That you can be inspired by their thoughts the same way they have inspired me. That you can take their trials and triumphs, and apply them to your own situation through lessons learned. That you can add a new lens through which you view things. I hope this project will pique your interest in the country, history and culture that is Georgia. Finally, I hope that this project will invite you to dive deeper into the question of feminism and the infinite forms it can take.
We, the creators, are extremely grateful towards Tristan for creating this website and allowing our project to come to life.
We would also like to extend our gratitude to Nanuka Maisashvili, Rachael Rosenberg, Griffith Ridgeway and Ravil Gasanov for helping us to overcome the language barrier with some of our participants.