Though I am a social scientist I have not believed many things written in history books since my high school history lessons, where we had to read "the Ottoman Emperor died because his nose was bleeding". I dont like listening to history lectures nor watching historical films. However, my feelings are different for life histories. The truth of ordinary people. And I met many telling me short realities of the war and how much these people suffered. So 30th September is not simply a day of Victory, it is a day of Remembrance of the martyr, it is the Independence Day, it is a day of national revival for which many have suffered 16th years ago.
Many people heard of Abkhazia (and South Ossetia) very recently, when Russia after 15 years recognized her independence and sign mutual agreements. Many people are surprized to see the 16th year of independence words around.
Anyway, my topic is neither the war nor the suffering not even the recognition. The topic is Victory Day.
This is my third Victory Day in Abkhazia. And I realized I have never wrote about it. Though I had uploaded photos in picasa in 2007- though I did not do even that last year because of lack of quality internet and I gave it to friends and they uploaded to facebook.
Here Victory Day celebrations start with the arrival of the Diaspora around the 25th of September. They come in huge numbers, 100s. In 2007 it was about 300, and lat year (since it was 15th and just after independence) 500, this year about 300 again.
The importance of the day is reminded with ongoing every evening TV programs about war from mid August. (14 August is the Remembarance Day and the Starting Day of War in 1992). We watch scenes from the time of war, documentaries about the war, women in black still mourning for their martyr sons and husbands and fathers....
The 27th of September is the day of Victory for Sukhum city. In 2007 they made a great activity in the University. Oratorio, fireworks, documentaries on screen, flags, all youth took part in the event. It was a meaningull agenda all and some best students received certificates of success.
Than it was concerts and fireworks in the city. (The university is not in the city centre but on a hill looking at the Blacksea in a district called Kelasur).
Anyway, this year there was a different event in Sukhum's 16th Victory Day. It turns out that relations with Diaspora results in change in National Symbols. Or better to say in the intensity and use of National Symbols- namely Flags in this case.
The story is this- last year 20 selected young Diaspora representatives came to visit their sisters and brothers in the homeland. So another group of 20 went to Turkey to visit them. A project develeoped so thatthey will understand each other better. What the youngsters saw in Turkey was the use of flags all around. (I dont aggree there is so much necessity to have flags all around the year in ordinary homes and as some kind of facist reaction to something- as it turned out to be in recent years- but as the representative of the nation state it is a necessity since everyone around the world evaluate the level of nationalism by such symbols- am I wrong?) The youngsters together with the support of the Aquafon (a local mobile phone line) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Abkhazia, as well as the Diaspora and Returnees (mainly our firm Bazala) build up a 20 meter flagpole on the port in Abkhazia.
And then they brought a 30-60 m flag to put on the burned down parliament building. In 2007 they had brought a big one- dont exactly know the size- which turned out to be really small in comparison to the size of the building.Last year for the celebration of recognition Amobile (the other local mobile phone line) presented many people with flags for front of shops and cars. On the day of the recognition everyone crashed into the only local flag making point- Dome Mode- Fashion House. Howeveri even if they would ask to pay double price or accepth to wait there for hours as people celebrated all were not able to get it. (I had presented my 1st flag to the library, the second was taken by an unknown person in the meeting for recognition and the third was really made for a nice Abkhaz lady in Dome Mode on the Recognition day and she decided to give her turn to me since she had seen me 4 days ago in the big meeting and said she can wait for another hour).
Anyway, people took flags from their offices, from top of the buildings and get on the cars going around the city. I think last year was the real turn point in terms of flags for ordinary people but it has gained importance in a more representative -state -country level this year.
Tomorrow, I guess as it always happens at 10 oclock people will put flowers on the Martyrs Park. Than there will be a parade of military and other security personnel in the Freedom Square infront of the old Parliament (or in other words in front of 30x60m Abkhaz flag).
Than people will be enjoying themselves all around cafes, and if the weather will be good by the sea side and all around. At 6:00, the youth will walk around Sukhum with flags and at 8:00 will be concert in the Freedom Square.
I am too tired to tell more for now. (I forgot we were in horse games in Muk on Sukhum's independence days. There is a necessity to explain the role of Polo and horse race in Abkhazia so let me leave it for later. I had been to another one last year in Lyhny- I also need to tell about these two holy places. But later)
Wait for news after the independence day....
