The View from Tbilisi: Change from the 'Bottom Up'

As democracy in Georgia continues to develop 19 years after independence, how do Georgian citizens view their personal and collective responsibilities? Is civil society capable of fighting for people’s rights, and how well has it succeeded? To what extent do Georgians recognize and capitalize on the power they have to monitor their government and take part in building the country’s future?

For this collaboration between Transitions Online and the Georgian biweekly Liberali (with assistance from Anna Keshelashvili, assistant professor of journalism at the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs, and funding from the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs), reporters fanned out around Tbilisi to collect views on issues of democracy, media, and politics.

In this first entry, Georgians from several walks of life answer the question, “What does civil society mean to you?” Upcoming videos will focus on topical issues, such as politicization of the public broadcasting service and the fate of Tbilisi’s Stalin statue, featuring point-counterpoint arguments from experts and vox pop views from around the city.

Civil society from Elene Asatiani on Vimeo.

Tako Paradashvili and Nia Kurtishvili are freelance journalists in Tbilisi and Liberali contributors. Funding for this project was provided by the Czech Foreign Ministry as part of the Czech Republic's Transition Promotion Program.

 

Next in The View from Tbilisi: Can Georgia’s government-funded public broadcaster be depoliticized?