BGS is pleased to announce a special fundraising event supporting women's rights in Georgia on Friday 21st November at 6.30pm. With the Women's Fund in Georgia, BGS will be presenting a screening of Levan Koguashvili's 2008 documentary Women From Georgia (53 minutes) followed by an open discussion moderated by BBC journalist Natia Abramia. There will also be a short talk by Bella Radenovic on the creation of the myth of Tamar Mepe (Tamar the King), Queen of Georgia from 1160 - 2013. Bella will speak about the discrepancies between the way Tamar Mepe is presented in historical writing and in visual culture. She will touch upon the folk traditions pertaining to Tamar as well as how Georgians see her today in relation to gender identity.The evening will be accompanied by Georgian wine and canapés. Georgian Embassy, 4 Russell Gardens, W14 8EZ. 

Many of us will be horrified by this documentary featuring the everyday life of immigrant women working illegally 24/7 to support their families back in Georgia. However, at the same time, we will be presenting a new book by one of the most successful Georgian immigrant female artists, Eteri Chkadua (Bakur Sulakauri Publishing, 2013). Eteri’s book will be on sale along with her postcards to raise money for the ‘Women’s Fund'

For information about Eteri Chkadua click here

The mission of the Women's Fund in Georgia is empowering women in Georgia for protection of their rights, full self-realization and participation in society's life through providing financial and technical support, capacity building and development of feminist philanthropy. For further information about the Women's Fund in Georgia click here

Bella Radenovic studied History of Art and Architecture at Cambridge before taking an MA in Byzantium and its Rivals at the Courtauld Institute of Art. She plans to pursue doctoral research in medieval visual culture.

We are very grateful to the Georgian Embassy for hosting this event and to Mako Abashidze of BGCC for providing Georgian wine.

The event is free to attend. DONATIONS  ARE  WELCOME  BUT  NOT  A MUST. 

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Read more: Women's Fund in Georgia screen Women From Georgia (Qalebi Saqartvelodan) 21 November

Read more: Influence of Georgian Ancestry and Traditions Abroad 26 November

The BGS Annual General Meeting will take place at the Georgian Embassy on 5th December 2014 at 6.30pm. As well as the usual business of the meeting, electing directors and receiving the annual Report and Accounts, we will have two speakers: HE Professor Revaz Gachechiladze, the recently appointed Georgian Ambassador, will give a talk 'Political Situation in and around Georgia'; Peter Dodge, the BGS honorary legal adviser, will give a talk "We're playing Dynamo Tibilski": Personal Reflections of a Sports Fan on Georgia's Place in International Competition. 

As the AGM was non-quorate, the directors will shortly reconvene the meeting to ratify decisions taken. 

The MP for Huntingdon and member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Georgia will give a special talk to BGS members reflecting on the APPG visit to Georgia in Summer 2014. This will take place in the IPU Room in the Houses of Parliament on 15th December 2014 at 6.30pm. 

BGS and the Georgian Embassy are happy to host the UK launch of a new book about Georgia taking place on Tuesday 4th November at 6.30pm:-

Georgia, the Land Below the Caucasus - A Narrative History by Peter F Skinner, an English writer who lives in New York, where the book was launched two months ago (see review below).

The 500-page book is a full colour illustrated history of the Georgian nation, with many maps, photographs and a clear, well-written text.

BGS director Peter Nasmyth will introduce Peter Skinner, and the new ambassador, HE Rezo Gachechiladze, will say a few words. Peter Skinner will give a short talk and then take questions and sign copies of his book for sale.

There will be Georgian wine (by kind courtesy of the Embassy) and some nibbles.

Georgian Embassy, 4 Russell Gardens, London W14 8EZ. If you would like to attend please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   

Read more: Book Launch at Georgian Embassy November 4 2014

BGS ANNUAL SUPRA & TALK BY TINATIN KAJRISHVILI at 7pm on Wednesday October 22nd - Little Georgia Islington Restaurant, 14 Barnsbury Road, London N1 0HB, UK 0207 278 6100. (Angel tube station).

Tinatin Kajrishvili will give a talk on her latest film Brides (Patardzlebi) 2014, which was shown as part of the 2014 BFI London Film Festival. The film, which is written, produced and directed by Tinatin, is a personal account of her own experiences. Her previous films include Paradjanov, Shavi Tuta, Unknown Soldiers, etc.

We will also have a presentation by Costanza Curro, PhD candidate in Social anthropology at SSEES-UCL on Georgian Hospitality.

The cost is £25 per head for a multiple course dinner (payable to the restaurant on the night): wine will be extra. The evening will be accompanied by live Georgian (ქალაქური-‘kalakuri’) city song. 

M.C.S.
in cooperation with 
British Georgian Society

present

Kathia Buniatishvili
pianist

We are proud and excited to invite you  to this unique opportunity to hear a rising international  Georgian pianist - Kathia Buniatishvili. A prominent classical music critic at the Independent Michael Church will interview the artist. Alongside her performance, the evening will be followed by Q&A.

 

 

Dash Arts in collaboration with BGS presents The Colour of Pomegranates; a biography of the Armenian troubadour Sayat Nova (King of Song). One of the greatest masterpieces of the 20th century, Sergei Parajanov's film reveals the poet's life depicting his coming of age, discovery of the female form, falling in love, entering a monastery and dying, all framed through both Sergei Parajanov's imagination and Sayat Nova's poems. The film was illicitly smuggled out of the Soviet Union in the 1970s for its UK premiere at the ICA. We are delighted that before the film at 8.05pm there will be a pre-show discussion with Donald Rayfield and Bill McAlister in discussion with Dash Art's Artistic Director Josephine Burton. 

BILL MCALISTER  Born Yorkshire 1940. Father William Katz Nelson killed in Spitfire in Battle of Britain. Childhood in Canada. Educated at St. Edwards School Oxford and University College London. BA Hons Psychology & Philosophy. Early career: community activist founding playgroups, adventure playgrounds, Housing associations, Almost Free Theatre, Community Bus Company, Trade Union of Father Xmases etc. Director of Battersea Art Centre. Director (ICA) Institute of Contemporary Arts 1976-1990. Cultural Policy Director Soros Foundations 1990-95. Awarded: Order Chevalier Des Arts et Des Lettres. Honorary Citizenship of Commonwealth of Maryland. Independent Arts producer and Trustee of various educational and cultural foundations. Baptism in film-making at age 74 with Georgian film ‘Pret a Vivre’ and film about street dogs in Istanbul ‘Taskafa’. Lives in Islington and has a passion for tennis, mushroom foraging and fishing.

DONALD RAYFIELD Born 1942, educated at Dulwich College and the University of Cambridge, Donald Rayfield has been most of his life a lecturer and then Professor of Russian. In 1973 he first visited Georgia and has since then written a history of Georgian literature, edited A Comprehensive Georgian-English Dictionary and recently published a history of Georgia (Edge of Empires), which will soon be published in a Russian edition. He is also the author of a biography of Anton Chekhov and a study Stalin and his Hangmen, both of which have been translated into other languages, including Russian. He has translated a number of Russian and Georgian poets, playwrights and prose writers and written on a various topics in comparative literature. He is now an emeritus professor, but continues research. He lives in Kent and has a passion for horticulture, especially exotic trees.

At 7.30pm alternative singer and multi-instrumentalist THéKO (Parajanov) will transport us into an intimate poetic landscape shaped with tales and notes of her own human tragedies and quixotic moments, with ukulele, djembe and guitar adornments. Her stories are dispersed through her multilingual Georgian, English, Russian, Portuguese, French, Italian, Arabic, Turkish tongue and will be the perfect warm up to this extraordinary film.

Dash Cafe at Rich Mix, London E1 6LA, doors open at 7.00pm, FREE admission with pay bar, but email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to say you're coming. 

After the successful inaugural event in Cambridge at Pembroke College in June 2013, which featured Chairman of the Georgian Parliament David Usupashvili as a keynote speaker, this year's seminar will be held at Clare College, and is organised in conjunction with CamCREES. The keynote speaker in 2014 will be the Defence Minister of Georgia Irakli Alasania. 

RSVP essential to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you wish to attend. 

We are grateful to the British Georgian Chamber of Commerce for donating Georgian wine.