Back in Georgia

I am back in Georgia now… For one thing for my exhibition opening that will take place tomorrow at the Heinrich Boell Foundation here in Tbilisi… The exhibition opening tomorrow night of my series on Georgian IDPs (internally displaced people) will be coupled with a public debate on the situation of the IDPs in Georgia almost one year after the war with Russia… Especially the fate of the IDPs from Abkhazia and South Ossetia is still very much an open issue – or a foregone one - depending on your point of view given the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent by Russia…

I am hoping for a good turnout tomorrow… at least the Georgian minister for IDPs is expected to attend… so should be a good event to listen and learn…

For another thing, I am also back to do some research on a follow on project I would like to undertake in August with the working title “one year after the war”… I would like to explore the situation in Georgia, one year after the five day conflict with Russia last year… I am still sketching out the details of what I would like to focus on…

To that extent I visited one of the IDP camps in Tbilisi today which still houses quite a few of the Abkhazian IDPs from almost one year ago… on a first glance, it looked as if nothing had changed during the last 11 months… I invited the people there to the exhibition/debate tomorrow and residents were helpful to put up the press release in the main hall… I hope that some of those affected will attend to be able to voice their views…