"Explore and Protect" – ​​International Day on Monuments and Sites in Tbilisi

23.05.2013 16:19

Eleven o'clock in the morning of April 18...

At "Freedom Square", "Rustaveli" and "Marjanishvili" subway stations young people in "SOS Culture" – t-shirts with smiling faces and booklets try to attract the attention of passersby.

Today is the International Day on Monuments and Sites.

On the initiative of German Adult Education Association - dvv international and with the support of the EU and leading tour operator “Georgian Wonders” educational event "Cultural Heritage - Explore and Protect" was held in Tbilisi.

These young people are members of Koda, Bolnisi, Dmanisi and Shaumiani youth clubs - Georgians, Armenians, Azeri’s. They are involved in the"SOS - Culture" project in the framework of the EU Eastern Partnership program more than a year. Aim of the project is to explore abandoned and forgotten cultural monuments in border regions of Armenia and Georgia, to gather information about them and to care for their protection. Participants have already visited a number of sites in Kvemo Kartli, and sufficient information is collected. In the framework of the project they also have trainings which help them to understand the significance of cultural heritage, importance of its protection and its meaning in history and for future generations.

This is what the campaigners are trying to explain to passers-by. They offer them maps with Christian, Islamic and Gregorian well-known or not so famous sights. They tell them about the current situation of monuments and remind the society of importance of the cultural heritage. Tbilisi citizens stop, trying to figure out what young people are offering, they are interested, listen and pose questions about the project, the campaign ... Those who are in a hurry, pick a map, to have a look later ...

George Jiqia, "SOS - Culture" project coordinator: "The event aims to raise public awareness on known or unknown cultural monuments of the community, which are particularly in need of attention and preservation. With this action we want to remind people that there is a cultural heritage that belongs to all of us and that we should preserve and take care. "

Irma Zurabashvili, Bolnisi Youth Club Coordinator: passers-by listen with great interest to our group members, they are especially interested in little-known temples, ask questions on their location and condition... They approve such efforts from young people and express their opinion, they agree that all the monuments are our cultural heritage and need proper care and preservation.

Lucy Dostibegiani, a member of Koda Youth Club: A lot of people have stopped and expressed interest in our campaign, including foreigners ... We told them about our project and goals and gave them maps. Foreigners were surprised, that we were doing it for free ... Many citizens have expressed their opinions and attitudes, and promised to share information with their family members and to visit mapped temples in the future...

The event "Cultural Heritage – Explore and protect" ended at subway stations with releasing balloons with the label of "SOS Culture" into the sky. The procession then continued on Rustaveli Avenue and moved to the Georgian National Museum, where participants could observe the oldest national treasure and other unique exhibits, as well as the occupation museum. Most of the young people were here for the first time. Seeing unique samples of cultural heritage and getting information from the museum guide gave young people a lot of new insights into our history. This was another educational activity carried out in the framework of this project, with unforgettable impressions for the young participants through getting acquainted with the cultural heritage of the museum.