How can you watch the clear sky and the stars as you see the lightening?

Yesterday I was in the balcony lying on the floor and watching the stars wishing for a falling star... I really needto catch one these days/// :( Anyway, the sky was clear but there was a kind of light. I thought it was someone with a porch lite. However, it was not. It was the lightening because I heard the thunder in a few moments. And one more time and one more time. How can you watch the clear sky and the stars as you see the lightening? In Abkhazia it is so possible. Yesterday morning, I was in Gulrypsh and it was raining. I came to Sukhum and there was no rain. It was sunny. Than a few hours later it started to rain in Sukhum. I went to Gulrypsh and it was sunny there... Climate is really interesting in Abkhazia.

Whats going on in the Diaspora?

This has become a frequent question I hear in both political and academic level in the last few months. Especially the last week, since they have shown the Abkhaz Associations Federation First General Council that took place in Ankara, in the state TV. Now everybody realized one thing: They have no idea about the Diaspora. They don`t know how to conceptualize the speeches given in the event. They don`t know how to understand the reasons of these divisions. They want to know more about the counter arguments that hinder unity in the Diaspora. They want to know what was done wrong in other institutions in the Diaspora that led to current divisions.
Sometimes people ask my personal opinion. I used to respond: I am an Adyghe living in Abkhazia what do you except me to think of new organizations that hinder Adyghe-Abkhaz unity?
Now I know better, and I say, I am a sociologist. For me every change is a phenomenon to study. Now I have a lot more things to study! :)

SMS to Abkhazia

World is turning the other way around :) Yesterday I sent an SMS to my friend in Turkey. She knew that she can not send me SMS back, but she gave it a try and WOW - now we have SMS to Abkhazia. This means that we can communicate cheaper with the world! Long live technology- at last you have reached us. It is a shame that now not many friends keep contact. Still anyone who wishes to send me an sms- you are welcome.

31st of May-Official Memorial Day of the Exile

On the 31st of May everything started as usual. People come together in the area where by September the memorial statue that weighs 3 tons is going to be installed. (I must have a picture of a smaller version somewhere and should remember to upload it in my album!)
The first flowers were put by the committee of repatriation which used to include a group of repatriants till this year. They were only employees of the committee. The repatriants except a bunch of 6 had protested the event since the government had not supported their event ten days ago. However, it must be noted that they did not ban the event as some argue. They just said they want the event to take place on the official memorial day for Abkhazia- 31st.
Anyway, the Presidential Administration followed the Repatriants, followed by groups of ministries, city administration, military representatives, police, students, war veterans. The most scenic moments of the event were the prays of the Imam and Bishop (and priests from the Abkhaz patriarchy) in front of the memorial.

From 2010-05-31 Memorial Day and Sukhum from the Sea

From 2010-05-31 Memorial Day and Sukhum from the Sea

The people scattered to their work or lives just after the Bishop`s pray by the memorial. However, the youth committee had other plans. With the tour ship that is now working between Gagra and Sochi transporting tourists, was loaded with young people and a little more crowded group of repatirants (12) they throw flowers to the sea.

From 2010-05-31 Memorial Day and Sukhum from the Sea

And that was all...

Kindergarden Graduation

When I was invited to the graduation ceremony of a repatirant girl, Yasmin, I was very excited. It was amazing to see all those little ones singing songs in Abkhazian, reading poems, playing small dramas, dancing all kinds of dances, and being so enthusiastic about life...

From Kindergarden Graduation

Visiting the Olympic Sports Center in Eshera

I decided to do something different on this nice silent sunday morning and we visited the Olympic Sports Center in Eshera.

From Olympic Sport Center

It must have been amazing before the war. Wish there would be resources to renovate it. Eshera is at the entrance of Sukhum and the war was harsh in this area... Now we can only sense and listen to stories of what had been here... If it would have been renovated, it would have changed the future of many children, giving them opportunity to become good sportsmen, and ofcourse good people...

From Olympic Sport Center

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