Preparation for New Year in Tbilisi

Only one walk along the Rustaveli Avenue is enough to notice that preparation for New Year 2010 has already begun. 

As a representative of Tbilisi City Hall promised, 31 of December, the last night of year 2009, will be full of surprises for Citizens of Tbilisi. 

Lots of concerts are scheduled from 25th of December up to 7th of January by the Tbilisi City Hall. City Hall decided to keep in secret names of participants and other details of celebration, in order to impress citizens with surprises.    

The only one thing, which is already known, is that the last days of this year will be the great pleasure for people who love skating. Two skating arenas will be organized in different districts of Tbilisi. 

The Budget for the preparation process consists of 450,000 GEL, which is almost the same as it was in the previous year. 

“450,000 GEL includes fees of the people engaged in the process, anchors, bands, absolutely everything,” says Nino Suladze, Specialist of Social Assistance and City Culture at Tbilisi City Hall.  

Square of Liberty, Park of Rose Revolution in Gldani, Meidani Square and New Park of Mtatsminda will be places where citizens have to look for surprises.

Opposition again dissatified with Public Broadcaster

TBILISI, Georgia – Yet again, opposition leaders are unhappy with Georgia Public Broadcasting.

 

Saturday afternoon, opposition leaders for the third time in four days have gone to the public television station to demand more and better coverage of anti-government protests. On Wednesday, leaders demanded non-stop live coverage of the protests from 2-8 p.m. daily. On Thursday, when the broadcaster had only shown the protests during it’s regularly scheduled news hours, protesters marched angrily on the office. Tension was defused when Levon Gachechiladze and other leaders met with the channel’s general director, and negotiated more specifically focused times for coverage.

 

Saturday, Georgian People’s Party leader Koba Davitashvili entered into negotiations with TV channel director Levan Kubaneishvili, this time with demands to cover live, one-hour long “informational meetings” that will be held every day at 8 p.m.

 

After leaving the negotiations, Davitashvili announced that one person of opposition will permanently monitor “how objectively” the first channel is covering news.

 

“They promised that today at 8 p.m. when we are planning an informational meeting they are going to broadcast it live, we are not struggling with journalists we demand from their leadership to broadcast everything what happens,” said Davitashvili.

 

At this moment the whole wave of people marched in front of broadcasting company “Rustavi – 2” to protest the way this television is covering oppositional meetings.  They have not yet been granted a meeting with that station’s directors.

 

Television news stations in the Soviet Union were considered instruments of the state and mouthpieces of the government, a practice that carries into many former Soviet Republics even today. In Georgia, Georgia Public Broadcasting is the former government channel. Since 2003’s Rose Revolution, though, President Mikheil Saakashvili has commandeered Rustavi2, a privately owned news station, as the news channel to broadcast his message. 

Opposition and Public Broadcaster reach the agreement

Protesters in front of Television on April 9. Photo by Keti Ebanoidze

TBILISI, Georgia – Tension between the protesters and security of Georgian Public Broadcaster ended Thursday afternoon with the successful negotiation between the oppositional leaders and General Director of Public TV.

 

 

After a little discord among the representatives of the security office and protesters, who tried to forcefully intrude on the TV Company, the agreement was reached easily, said both TV and opposition representatives.

 

“We were covering the demonstration anyway. Simply they have not seen our information, and when we showed them they agreed to continue us in the same way, and try to be more objective,” said Teona Enukidze, Deputy to the General Director of Georgian Public Broadcaster.

 

On Wednesday, opposition leaders demanded that the TV station show live, non-stop coverage of the day’s demonstration, between 2-8 p.m. The disagreement on Thursday was started when the television station broadcast the protests only during their regularly scheduled news hours at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.

 

Protesters left a mostly mild demonstration after 4 p.m. and headed back to the television station, where several people tried to force their way past a line of armed guards. A tense few minutes followed, defused when several protest leaders, including former presidential candidate Levan Gachechiladze, entered the station to negotiate for more coverage.

 

Enukidze reported they agreed upon the following points:

 

·        Public Broadcaster should broadcast full speech of the Georgian Patriarch.

·        The speeches of Oppositional leaders should be maximally broadcasted.

·        Opposition parties should permanently participate in talk shows.

·        Special statements at the protest should be broadcasted in live in any case.

 

After leaving the building of the Public Broadcaster, member of United Opposition Levan Gachechiladze announced: “Our demands are fulfilled. At 8 p.m. in the news program of the first channel of Georgia, the entire process of the April 9^th protest will be covered.”

Opposition’s Pre-protest Preparation: Broadcast … what?

Kakha Kukava and Eka Beselia of the Movement for a United Georgia reading their demands to Georgia Public Broadcasting on Wednesnday, April 8. Photo by Giorgi Pkhachiashvili

TBILISI, Georgia – On Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m., the oppositional parties Movement for the United Georgia and the Conservative Party managed to gather in front of Georgian Public Broadcaster demanding that the former government-owned, current public TV station, broadcast the next day’s 9^th April protests against the Saakashvili administration live.

But what exactly will the TV station be showing on April 9?

A day before the big event, the Georgian opposition parties are still unwilling – or perhaps unable – to talk about specific plans for the march.

Leaders like Eka Beselia, leader of Movement for a United Georgia, were more interested in making demands for TV coverage.

The movement led by former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili, who now lives in exile in Paris, made an announcement for the journalists and passed their statement in written form to chancellery with the following demands: “The protest should be broadcasted live from 2p.m. till 8 p.m.”

They also demanded that the first channel should broadcast all the important decisions and announcements that the 13 opposition leaders participating in Thursday’s demonstrations will make. They also demanded to be given equal time to both the opposition and the authorities in the informational and analytical programs.

The day was mostly quiet, but there were a few pre-protest activities:

· There were no live broadcast but there were a lot of journalists in front of the parliament at one o’clock when The Movement for the United Georgia and Conservators gathered there in order to honor the memory of the victims of 9^th April in1989.

· Some people from the Public Defender’s Office and Public Advocacy attended the ceremonial. They put the flowers near the huge stone in front of the parliament, which is a memorial for the victims of 9^th April 1989. They also lit candles for their memory.

· After leaving the letter at the Presidential Residence with the claim not to use weapon during the protest, young people from “Why?” movement came with the signs. Young people with white shirts also made a human chain in the middle of Rustaveli Avenue. They had the posters with slogans: “Why Misha?” “Why dictator?” The participants met them with applauses. And the drivers joined them with signals.

On Thursday, April 9, more than dozen oppositional parties will start marching from three different places and at 2 p.m. they will join in front of Parliament. They will start from the President’s Residency in Avlabari, from Georgian Public Broadcaster and from Tbilisi State University. Democratic movement – United Georgia will gather at 12 o’clock near the State University and will move to the Parliament. Labor party will go straight to the Parliament. Young people from the April 9^th headquarters will start their 9^th April protest in front of the Parliament at midnight.

Ketevan Vashagashvili, Giorgi Pkhachiashvili, Keti Ebanoidze, Ia Gavasheli, Arevyk Badalyan, Marinka Gharibashvili

Music Business lags in Georgia

After he won the TV music contest Star Academy last year, nothing changed in the career of 20-year-old singer Dito Lagvilava. He entered the competition to test his ability to prepare performances in a short period of time and sing live on television.                                                                                   

He wanted to do his best and he did, winning out over 13 other competitors on a nationwide television show with a large audience. His prize for winning the contest was a car and an apartment in Tbilisi. He hoped that if he won, promoters would give him the chance to record songs and present concerts.

“My dreams about recording songs and holding concerts did not come true,” said Lagvilava.

He did use his own money to record a song, but he could not promote the recording.

“Although these contests help young, inexperienced singers to grow up as a real singer, after finishing the contests, nothing new happens. You have no chance to realize yourself as a singer,” said Lagvilava.

Practically no CDs are recorded and few concerts are held in Georgia. There are few music producers, record labels or concert promoters today, because it’s an expensive business with no guarantee of return. So the music business in Georgia is small and undeveloped.

Marina Beridze, a musical producer, thinks that poor quality, bad taste and unprofessional singers, who lip-synch to recordings, have prevented the music business from developing here.

 “After about 2004, when listeners understood that practically all Georgian singers were performing to recorded music, they lost interest in singers and their songs, businessmen stopped financing and producers stopped promoting in this field,” she said. But since 2004, televised music competitions have become popular in Georgia, as they are elsewhere in the world.

The first music contest, Nutsa’s School, was broadcast on TV Imedi in 2004. In The same year, TV Company Mze produced music contest Geostar, which since 2007 has been produced annually by Rustavi-2.

Last year Rustavi 2 added another music competition, Star Academy. Rustavi 2 also presents the children’s music contest Ana-Bana.

According to AGB Nielsen Media Research Company, which tracks television viewership, Star Academy attracted a 20.43 share of the television audience, meaning that 20.43 percent of all those watching television during that time period were tuned to Star Academy.

Despite the drawbacks of trying to make a living as a singer, many young singers see televised music contests as a way to launch a career.

For Star Academy 2, which will start in March 2009, the jury auditioned 8,000 singers, and selected 14.

“We listened to 8,000 people wishing to enter the show. It was really exhausting. For about a week we had the first tour and selected 50 of them for the second tour, now we have already selected these 14, who will participate in the Star Academy 2. All of them have good potential to be good singers,” said Manana Morchiladze, a member of the Star Academy jury.  

Nato Metonidze, a well-known singer of Georgian songs, says that it is impossible to earn a living as a music performer. She receives some income by teaching singing to children.

“The market for singers is not big enough to absorb all the contestants from the television music competitions. I don’t see any logic to producing so many music contests when show business practically is dead in Georgia,” she said, adding, “I don’t mean the projects which are qualified and which really care about real professional growth of contestants and their tastes, for example, Geostar.”

She thinks that those who produce music contests should be concerned about contestants not only during the program, but afterward. ”With the help of producers and producing centers, contestants should continue their professional development even after finishing these contests, only in this case they will have more chances to develop,” she said.

Marina Beridze, who is musical producer for both Geostar and Star Academy, said the job of those who produce music contests is to help the contestants during the program. After that, it’s up to independent producers.

“We take the responsibility to prepare good singers during the projects. After finishing them they should continue their career with independent producers. Our projects prepare a basis and hope that will be a stimulus for establishing music producing centers,” she said.

Keti Ordjonikidze, a finalist in Star Academy, also has had no professional opportunities to perform or record since the contest ended. Now she wants to try to make her career abroad. As a prize for being a finalist, Rustavi 2 sent her to London in July 2008. She studied there for two months at the University of Contemporary Music Performance.

“It was really very good experience for me. Every day I had classes in rock vocal, pop vocal, I had also piano classes and music literature. This diversity was really interesting for me, it was great,” she said.

She thinks that if contestants prepare well and work hard during the TV competitions, they will have a chance to go abroad and sing in the European market. 

“The only way for young singers today is to go abroad,” she said.

Step Records is an independent musical label established in 2005.  The goal of people working there is to promote young and talented singers in Georgia as well as abroad. 

Achiko Guledani, art director of Step Records, named several reasons why the music business is undeveloped in Georgia.

 “The main reason is that the music business is really expensive,” he said.

He often watches TV music contests and thinks that the quality of Georgian song contests has improved since 2004 when they began.

“Contestants are being really well-trained, but unfortunately at this time after finishing the competition, the best way for young singers to succeed is to send them abroad,” he said.

He thinks that the only way to improve show business in Georgia is to establish many independent recording labels that will promote singers.

“These labels should work on promotion of new and talented singers. Some of them should be sold here, some of them abroad, according to their musical directions,” he said.

However, the winner of Geostar 2008, Giorgi Sukhitashvili, 23, does not want to live and work abroad right now.

He is a jazz singer with a live band in the Tbilisi club Marjanov Express once a week. He continues looking for other places to sing.

His goal in entering Geostar last year was to show his talent to the people who later could help him to develop his career and find a job.

 “When you became popular, you have more offers from the bars and clubs, which at this moment are the only income for me. Singing is not only my hobby, it is my profession,” he said.

 After Sukhitashvili won the contest, he had new offers from different clubs. Geocell, permanent sponsor of song contest Geostar, financed him and he’s currently recording a CD and is planning to shoot a video. He thinks that at this time in Georgia, television music contests are the only way to get ahead as a professional singer.

Beridze, the musical producer, believes that TV music contests are the best way to develop young singers and get them used to singing live.

 “We have already discovered many gifted young singers. I am sure these projects will raise their number. Now it is time for businessmen to wake up and finance really talented young singers,” she said.

Meanwhile, the red-haired Georgian rock star Keti Ordjonikidze is going to have a little break after exhausting rehearsals for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Georgia.

“Every day I had rehearsals from 11 in the morning till 1 in the night and I am really exhausted. After the break I am planning to go abroad and hope to be discovered by foreign producers,” she said.

 

 

Parking Officer

Givi Inanashvili, 65, has been working as a parking officer on Kostava Street #67 for about three years. All day long, he helps people to park and get in and out of parking spaces safely.

Inanashvili, who has a secondary education, was a taxi driver for about 17 years, but because of his age he decided to change his job. To be a parking officer is definitely not his desired job; he would rather be a security guard.

Although there is a sign at his parking area announcing that parking costs 50 tetri, he says most drivers treat him as a beggar.

“It would be much easier for me to be a guard. I am very tired with begging the whole time,” he said with tears in his eyes and added, “It is very hard for me to work here, because I am ashamed.”

Even though the official price of parking is 50 tetri, most drivers give him just 20 or 30 tetri.

“Some of them do not give me even a tetri and start quarreling and shouting at me, saying, ‘Why should I pay? I do not need your help,’  he said.

Despite his tiring job, from 9 o’clock in the morning till 5 in the evening, he earns just about 4 lari per day. However, he still thinks that there are many kind people living in Tbilisi.

“I remember once a young man presented me with 30 lari. I never forget this day,” he said.

He is the only breadwinner in his family. His monthly income is about 200 lari, including 82 lari from his pension. He has two orphaned grandchildren, and out of 4 lari he earns in a day, 2 lari belongs to them, so they have money to get to university and then back home.

“In other case, I would definitely give up my job,” Ianishvili said.

Twice while talking, he interrupted the conversation and rushed as fast as he could, to avoid losing 20 tetri.

 

Welcome Back – Internet

About 20 thousands Internet users of Caucasus Online were affected by the conflict between United Telecom and Caucasus Online. The problem is still not solved. Although Internet connection for more than 50 percent of disconnected clients is already restored, some are still left without connection.

Argument between United Telecom and Caucasus Online started in 2006. Simple conflict about the rental payment between two companies has grown into a scandal.

Caucasus Online was using a telecommunication infrastructure, property of Elektrokavshiri that was in a state ownership. At that time the rent was low. In 2006 this infrastructure was privatized by the three Georgia, Kazakh and Dutch companies. The name Elektrokavshiri was changed into United Telecom and the management of new private company established new tariffs, which were higher than before. The tariff was presented to Georgian National Communications Commission and was ascertained by them.

During 2006-2008 Caucasus Online was still using this infrastructure, but the representative of United Telecom, Levan Giorgadze, who is in charge of relations with the Georgian National Communications Commission at the company, said: “During three years Caucasus Online was not paying service fees completely and did not accept conditions, which we offered not only to Caucasus Online, but also to other our operators. During years of 2006-2007 and especially 2008, their total dept reached quite solid sum.”

Caucasus Online’s lawyer Vakhtang Tsetskhladze mentioned in the interview with TV Imedi on October 14: “We do not recognize the dept of 3.000.000 Lari. Till today no one has compared amount of cables, which we are renting from United Telecom. As we know the price must be much lower that they are demanding.”

During three years opposing sides could not agree over the terms of the contract. United Telecom decided to take radical steps. They denied Caucasus Online employee access to the infrastructure that resulted into leaving few users without Internet connection. “We gave deadlines to Caucasus Online to pay their dept and to sign the contract, otherwise we kept the right not to serve this company, what means that DSL subscribers of Caucasus Online would be left without Internet, but we did not do so, because interest of subscribers is always most important to us,” said Giorgadze.

The head of legal department of Georgian National Communications Commission Kakhaber Kurashvili, confirms that Caucasus Online was renting infrastructure of United Telecom and was not paying the rent. “United Telecom is private legal entity and had all rights to demand the price what they had established.”

Internet connection provided by Caucasus Online was down in different parts of Tbilisi for about two to three weeks.

Giorgi Mamulashvili 36-year-old, advertising designer lives on Saburtalo Street. He was quite satisfied with the prices and speed of Internet from Caucasus Online, but his Internet was down for about ten days. “I do not care whose fault it was, the fact was that I could not do a lot of work. Main problem was that, when I wanted to ask what was the problem and when would they restore connection, I was calling continuously, but nobody was answering at Caucasus Online.”

Maka Kartvelishvili, 46-year-old translator, lives on Kazbegi Avenue and is also client of Caucasus Online. She depends a lot on her e-mail communication for her work. “I do not want to change provider, but two weeks without Internet is too much, in case of repetition of this kind of problem, I will be forced to change it.”

Anna Chkheidze operator-officer at service centre of Caucasus Online confirms that many cables which were cut down are already restored. “Practically more than 50 percent who did not have Internet connection has no problems today.”

Lawyer of Caucasus Online Vakhtang Tsetskhladze confirms that he has evidence, which proves that United Telecom was willing to disconnect their clients. “We secretly shoot how one person, after working hours entered communications station and was disconnecting our cables, which coincides with the fact when part of our clients were disconnected from the Internet.”

United Telecom denied this accusation. Levan Giorgadze said: “As I know, Caucasus Online users were disconnected because of Supervision Department of Tbilisi City Hall and not because of United Telecom. It was City Hall who cut their illegal cables of optical net, located on residential buildings, not – us.”

Deputy Head of Supervision Department of Tbilisi City Hall, David Avaliani confirms: “In August, 2008 Tbilisi City Hall received a complaint submitted by lawyer Gelashvili on behalf of citizens. They were complaining that Caucasus Online installed cables without permission of residents.” In September 2008 Supervision Department of Tbilisi City Hall started to investigate this case. “They needed official agreement from two thirds of neighbors and official permission from Tbilisi City Hall, it turned out that Caucasus Online did not have any permission to install these cables, so we could not go against law, we were obliged to cut them down, what unfortunately caused damage to consumers,” said Avaliani.

In response Vakhtang Tsetskhladze, lawyer of Caucasus Online declares: “We applied to Tbilisi City Hall and demanded to show us at least one document allowing other communication companies to do this kind of installments, but they could not show us any. United Telecom and Tbilisi City Hall together decided to cut our cables.”

Caucasus Online provides two types of services. The first one is gelink (Gigabit Ethernet Link) project and the other one is DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) technology. The head of the legal department of Georgian National Communications Commission Kakhaber Kurashvili said that the second one needs infrastructure of United Telecom. “It is not cleared yet which kind of service was out of work. If it was gelink system than United Telecom has nothing to do with this and if problems were in the system, which Caucasus Online is renting from United Telecom than to cut the cables down, was outside of City Hall’s competence.

In case of consumer rights violation Georgian National Communications Commission has right to establish financial penalty. However, the commission did not use this right in the above case. “We considered that this method would not be effective and decided to interfere in this conflict and solve the problem, it would be better for consumers,” said Kurashvili, the head of legal department of Georgian National Communications Commission.

United Telecom and Communications Commission declare that the agreement between two companies was achieved in October, 2008. Three sides Georgian National Communications Commission, Caucasus Online and United Telecom agreed that Caucasus Online will have a deadline till November 2008 to pay a dept value of 1.900.000 Lari. “Although we demanded dept of 2.400.000 Lari, court did not approve this sum and we agreed about 1.900.000 Lari, more than half of this amount they already have paid” said Giorgadze, head of relations department with Georgian National Communications Committee.

Giorgadze added that, by the terms of new contract the tariff and main points have not been changed. Both sides are obliged to sign contract officially, United Telecom is responsible for providing Caucasus Online with DSL service and technical infrastructure, Caucasus Online is responsible for payment of monthly fees in time. Both sides need to pay extra fee for additional services: in case of Caucasus Online – fees for 24-hour access to infrastructure and in case of United Telecom – fee for giving users of the company faster access to the websites stored on Caucasus Online servers.

The head of legal department of Georgian National Communications Commission Kakhaber Kurashvili states that agreement is practically reached and Caucasus Online has really paid the half of the sum. By the additional points in the new contract, United Telecom received bank guarantee on behalf of Caucasus Online that will prevent future repetition of such problems.

Although at this time legal and financial issues between two companies are solved, there are still many Internet users who do not have Internet connection even today, but their number is decreasing daily.

The “tidiest” room in the world

          “Are you ever going to clean up your room?” This is the most frequent question at Taso Japaridze’s apartment. She lives with her parents on Abashidze Street. Her mother, Nana Urushadze is unhappy with her daughter about it and thinks and worries that no one will marry her, because she is so careless.

Japaridze’s room is not very big and has yellow walls. On the right side stands a wide brown bed, never made. Also on the right side, there is a brown wardrobe, which is always closed, because if opened, even a little bit, all the clothes will fall down on the floor. Near her bed there is a writing desk, which is always full with lot of papers and unnecessary things.

 “Sorry that I’m so late, I couldn’t find my homework,” she usually says coming late and explaining, “it’s her table’s fault”.

To the left of the table there is a wide window and door that leads to a balcony, which is absolutely unused, because of the stuff kept there. Near the balcony door, there is a mirror hanging on the wall and under it stands a big dresser, where she keeps her necklaces and cosmetics. She can never find earrings she wants to wear.

On the left side of the room is standing a low, wide bookcase, full of her favorite books. These books seem more or less in order, but still she needs ages to find a specific one. Near the bookcase there is a clothes tree, which is always disordered, trousers, dresses, skirts and t-shirts are 24 hours hanging there. “I’m late again, but sorry, I couldn’t find my tights,” she tries to excuse again and at this time blames her clothes tree. By the way, her tights and socks are usually scattered all over the floor forcing visitors to be attentive not to step on them and not to fall down.

Despite the jungle in Japaridze’s room her friends think that Nana Urushadze, her mother, has nothing to worry about, some day she will still find a person who would want to marry her because of her great personality.

 

Ia Gavasheli

              Ia Gavasheli was born in Tbilisi. She is 20 years old and has already graduated from the Tbilisi State University, faculty of philology.

 “Every day in my childhood I was dreaming to become a journalist,” she said, but to enter the faculty of philology was her parent’s great wish and she could not resist. That is why she does not have experience in journalism.

 During her studies at the University she still tried herself in her desired profession. For just a short period she was publishing articles in the newspaper Republic of Georgia, where she was covering sports events. After that for a half an year she was working in Tbilisi bureau of Russian television Russia Today.   

Interest in journalism led her to Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA), School of Journalism and Media Management, and in 2008 she became a student of Caucasus School of Journalism and Media Management master’s program.

            Classmates at Georgian Institute of Public Affairs characterize her as a very calm, responsible and attentive person.

            Gavasheli lives with her big family. Her mother, father, two sisters, a brother and ten-year-old dog Koko, live together. Her family members agree that she is very responsible and kind person. Her sister also said: “Although Ia is really hard worker, she is always prepared for lectures, work, but never does anything at home. We often argue about housekeeping.”

            She adores playing chess and watching interesting films. She does not think about marriage and feels good living together with her big family.

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