That day

So that day has come... 21st of may... The memorial day for the exile of Caucasians from their homeland. Some people oppose to the use of this term "exile". They say it was a chosen migration. They say the Muslims migrated. They say people went for better harvest. Some say the elite sold or convinced or took their people... Some say that it was not an exile but a deportation with agreement of parties... Some argue they had choices... Whatever they say, today the day that marks the end of the Russio-Caucasus wars, that is 21st of May, which was a day of celebration for Tsarist Russia of victory in the Caucasus, is a day of remembrance for the people who died in this event of the 19th century.
The family histories, and records of official archives, say that people were put on ships. The ships were overloaded, and many sank on the way. Many people died of hunger and diseases on the ships and after arrival.
The territories shown to migrants were not suitable for settlement, many more died in the next months.
The last couple of decades, the remembrance day, 21st of may, has been the most important event of all political-cultural organizations of the Diaspora. Before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the memorial day was also a big event in Abkhazia. Last year they showed on TV how people travel from all regions, in buses, and how crowded it was. The president of the time -Bagrat Shinkuba, the writer of the famous book THE LAST OF THE DEPORTED- was making a speech about the exile.
Just yesterday, an early returnee was telling me how crowded it would be and how they would throw flowers with candles to the sea from a ship, and even on the most wavy day the flowers would float away to Black Sea...
Three years ago when I came, the event was just a flower putting ceremony on the morning of the 31st. It was very interesting to learn that, in Abkhazia, it was suggested during the war by president Ardzynba, that it should be on the 31st. The Adyghe brothers will do their ceremonies in their hometowns on the 21st, and they would all come to Abkhazia and on the 31st it would be a bigger ceremony all together. Besides, Abkhaz were exiled 13 years later than Adyghe. So it was decided and memorial was on the 31st. The first year I was in Abkhazia, I wanted to memorize Shish Nanni and read it, but they told me nobody makes here such events.
The second year, Naala did organized one. All alone, I mean without any government or institutional support, just with her friends, and with an economic support by Aquafon, she arranged the first memorial day. It was sometime in June, but it did not matter. A group of people came. We made the tailors sew 20 red-green-white akhtarphas, like the Abkhaz flag, within 4 hours! Lana Copua was reading a poem, Nona and a few others were singing Shish Nanni. Some people made speeches, Bagrat Shinkuba's grandson Lavan was there; Hayri Kutarba was there. Kamma had a big Abkhaz flag. Later when we went to drink something at than new Apra Cafe, from all the tables they sent us champaignes since we were talking in Abkhaz (trying) and we had aktharphas and flags. At the event, we were promised to be supported by the Repatraition Committee in the coming year.
The second year, ofcourse, they were hesitant to keep their promises. But in the end, we organized with Lana Agyrba an exhibition called Abkhazia and Diaspora: Understanding each other... We also shot a short symbolic movie on exile and return... The event was big. More than a thousand people and both TVs came to shoot. We had the sound system, screen, the first and only concert of the chorus apsadgyl (homeland) with Ivana Shamba, we had the white aktarphas (again 20), we had the torches prepared by Syndukh Ergun and the youth, again Lana Copua reading a poem, and many others... The event was very spectecular... We even made a protest for not building of a statue in the memorial. The events were supported by Repatriation Committee, Committee of Sports and Youth, and even Ministery for Foreign Affairs.
This year Ozlem and Naala, organized again with the Committee of Sports and Youth but in the last minute, the government opposed the ceremony to be made on the 21st. The SMS were sent by both mobile phone companies, and a few hours later messages came saying it will be on the 31st. However, without any state representative, without any TVs to record, without any sound system, without half of the planned speakers, the youth did it again. There were only about 100 people to watch. But they were there all from heart. That was good. There were new aktarphas, mainly black but also green and white. I do not know the number since I was not in the event organization. (I had been away for a while, and the last two weeks I have a terrible throat infection which keeps me back from taking place in aything!) Naala was in a traditional dress so was Dijin who was playing the flute (an Adyghe from Turkey who lived in Nalchik for over 15 years). Ivan Bakij, our famous singer who returned from Jordan was wearing an akhtarpha over his shoulders as he played his guitar. Taha Gecba was dressed all in black, as he sang songs in Adyghe. Little Ozan was again reading a poem in Abkhazian. There were short speeches by some attendees. The youth walked with torches again and made the nart fire! No matter what people say. No matter what people fear. No matter how, no matter what, no matter why... If some people believe in what they do: the result is unforgettable... This is how that day was in Abkhazia... For those who wish to know... (For those who wish to see more photos press here)
Oh and I forgot to tell, there was the Yearly Dance Contest Adyzh and the view was spectecular as they walked through the city on that day...

From dance

Fieldwork in Abkhazia (2)

While organizing the fieldwork I had many problems to deal with. Since I do not have a good assistant who can organize the people and transport. At the NGO and in the first project I had Martha to help me with everything, some of you who read this blog frequently will remember she recently got married and is living happily in Moscow for the time being. I am looking for her return not that because she will be a great partner in research but also she is a great friend, making your day all the time with her comforting smile. Anyway, when she was in Abkhazia, she comfortably organized people and transport and all I had to tell was when and where to. I realized how much work she had to do when I had to call and recall all my team to fix a suitable group for a region. What can be so hard about is, I want to take all team members to places they have never been. Abkhazia is a small country but local people who are not involved in works that force them to travel around, do not visit any place except for weddings or funerals. And social events means responsibilities as I mentioned before. So many of them do not even realize the historical remains or natural beatuies they pass by. When we are in the field, I want to see these things and I want the team to see them. It should be something more than work, more than running from one respondent to another, it should be something they enjoy doing. I try to take them to places they have never been which is a hell of a job since they are not always available for work and I dont want them to loose that chance to see there.
I want to make sure fieldwork gives them a lot of memories, unforgettable ones, some laugh, some good taste of food if possible. In our first fieldwork, once we were trying to finish a village and it was after lunch time and all our food was finished and everybody was very hungry. I had thought we would be in the city by than and be in a restaurant so I had food enough only for breakfast. From one of the houses that we were making an interview, a man came with fresh home made cheese, freshly baked cheesebread (achoaf) and acika (peppersalt). We wanted to reject it but at the same time very much wanted to eat it. So I was -as traditions required- rejecting nicely. And the host just put it on the seat of the car. When he saw we were too many, he called his wife to bring more and we were presented some more bread. When we were eating it I just thought this is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten. That taste has been unforgettable to all the team, just like it has been to me. And I know that when this story is retold in the field `it is time to eat something!`.
Since now I know the conditions, I make orders on the night before so that we will have enough food in the rural areas. In many parts of Abkhazia, you wont have a chance to find a restaurant and even a small village shop to buy a drink or bread. Villages are self sustained in most senses and only some durables are sold in the village shops (if there is any). Many people go for shopping once a month to the cities or town centres, or they ask for relatives working in the city to bring in things when they come to the village in the weekends. Still, in all the houses you will be offered what ever they have, for sure a cup of coffee (not instant one), very likely a piece of homemade cheese, homegrown hazelnuts and/or fruits, some chocolate and ofcourse homemade wine or chacha (double destilled vodka with about 70 % alcohol). I leave the choice to eat or drink to the team, except alcohol. Since I know it will never end, if they start traditional drink and pray ceremony and I would not like my interviewers to be drunk. So they are strictly forbidden. However, once during the beneficiary assessment, we were in a village where each house is located far from one another. I left the male interviewer alone and asked him to go to three houses nearby (still he had to walk 20 minutes) and and wait for our return in the last one. Though we had the car, we had to travel 40 minutes drive to reach one of the houses. And by the time we returned to pick him, he was in the last house for over an hour and the phones were not wroking in this village. So they made him drink (and he had no other option) so he was all drunk and complaining to me saying it was my fault to leave him there, though I understood and was not angry to him. Somethings are unavoidable.
The climate in Abkhazia, is also a problem for fieldworkers. You may start the day with a warm sun and end soaked up in heavy rain. Many times I had to build up a system to dry wet questionnaires at the back of the car. I wished to buy special trasnparent pancho rain coats for the team but never found something as I wished. Still after many times being soaked in the field, or freezing because of sudden weather change, I have to remind the team to take umbrellas and coats with them in all seasons. Besides, the young people in Abkhazia are really caring for how they look and sometimes I laugh at their choices of clothing for rural fieldwork. They wear white shoes, and ofcourse stop many times to clean them from the mud they had to step on while entering a house or manure they stepped on just by mistake. Short skirts are also funny since they do not have the chance to move comfortably though clothing is not a problem for village elderly as I had seen in rural Turkey. There girls should really care what they wear.
Security is not an issue in fieldwork in Abkhazia, though I care very much about it. What I mean is, we have never been treated badly or threatened in anyhow. OfcourseI do not count a drunk elderly wishing to have a photo with one of the girls hugging her, or a mentally ill kid following us all through the village.
I am sure I have a lot more to say about fieldwork, but I guess all this will be enough to understand how we do it in Abkhazia. If you are interested in knowing about ethical issues or more about our projects you can visit our website.
It is time for abkhaziadiary to be back to daily issues.