A Book Launch for Georgia through its Folktales, with readings from the
book by the author and signed copies available.
Wednesday 14th Aptil 2010, at 7.30pm.
At Tamada – a Georgian restaurant serving authentic Caucasus cuisine
Address: 122, Boundary Road, London NW8 www.tamada.co.uk.
Georgia through Its Folktales
With translations by Ketevan Kalandadze illustrations by Miranda Gray
ISBN: [978-1-84694-279-2] Price: £11.99 Pages: 160 Format: Paperback
“Everything shifts in the Caucasus, blown by some of the strongest winds
on earth. Even the ground moves, splintered by fault lines. In early
Georgian myths, it is said that when the mountains were young, they had
legs – could walk from the edges of the oceans to the deserts, flirting
with the low hills, shrouding them with soft clouds of love” (Griffin,
2001, p.2).
But what about those aspects of life which remain relatively constant –
the traditional practices of the people, the practices that are reflected
in their folktales and their folklore? It is these constants that this
study concentrates on. Find out about the land with which the earliest
folklore of Europe is connected – the land where Noah’s Ark is said to
have settled, the land of the Argonauts and of Prometheus.
Professor David Hunt, formerly of London Southbank University, has travelled extensively through the Caucasus in connection with his work as an engineer. While doing so, his passion has been the collection and translation of folktales from the region, and his work is available in the British Library. It would be no exaggeration to say he probably knows our history and folklore a lot better than most of us native Georgians do, which is why his illustrated talk is certain to be enlightening and an evening to look forward to.
So make sure you don’t miss it!
The Georgian Embassy, in conjunction with Caucasus Arts, cordially invites you and a guest to attend this event.
7.00-9.00pm
Wednesday February 18th 2010
RSVP Ketevan Kalandadze
Phone: 0207 328 7827 Mobile:0752543 7850
caucasus.arts@yahoo.co.uk
How to find us:
Embassy of Georgia
4 Russell Gardens
London W14 8EZ
Nearest Tube: Kensington (Olympia)
The Georgian women’s ensemble “Mzetamze” will be visiting the UK in November. They will be giving workshops in London, Cambridge, Oxford and Bristol and will be giving concerts too.
Within the long tradition of concert performances of Georgian folk music, the Ensamble Mzetamze represents something completely new. Up yo now, only a small group of specialists have been aware of how prolific the traditional repertoire of songs of Georgian women actually is: in addition to lullubies for one to three voices, we find songs which are part of domain relating to the magical effect on the water and infectious diseases, with songs associated with religious customs and round dances, songs which were sung whilst carrying out work traditionally done by women (such as the production and processing of wool or calming the caws during milking) and also comical and dance songs;the dirges wichih are still common in many places even today are particularly impressice.
Mzetamze meas “sun of suns”. A mythological name indicating female origins. Here, the sun aslo symbolizes the inherent self-confidence of Georgian women and a new approac to their traditional music.
In 1986, 6 women musicologist from Tbilisi conservatory-Ketevan Baiashvili, Nino Shvelidze, Ketevan Nikoladze,, Nato zumbadze, Nino Makharadze and Nana Valishvili-joind together to form an ensamble dedicated exclusively to the music traditions of Georgian women.
On Saturday 27th September 2008 we will be attending the 5th Annual Festival of Life. You will be able to buy our teas, including the newly imported Laituri Village Green tea for the very first time, CDs and crafts from Georgia.
The Festival will be held in Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, Holborn, London, WC1R 4RL. For more information about the festival please visit www.festivaloflife.net
The Georgian Embassy in conjunction with Caucasus Arts Limited cordially invites you and a guest to “An Introduction to the Making of Hand Crafted Tea in Georgia” given by Nigel J T Melican, the Managing Director of Teacraft Limited.
The Georgian Embassy in conjunction with Caucasus Arts Limited cordially invites you and a guest to “An Introduction to the Making of Hand Crafted Tea in Georgia” given by Nigel J T Melican, the Managing Director of Teacraft Limited. Nigel is the person largely responsible for revitalising the tea industry in Georgia, and his talk will be accompanied by a short film showing how the tea is made. You will also have the opportunity to sample and buy theteas after the event. We would really appriciate your support at this particularly difficult time.
7.00-9.00 pm September the 4th 2008
The Solo Exhibiton of the visiting Georgian Artist Maka Bat’iashvili was held at Georgian Embassy 8th-31st May 2008
Maka Bat’iashvili is an artist who specialises in oil painting, photos and video works. She was born in Tbilisi and graduated from Tbilisi State Academy. Her main exhibitions in 2008 include:
Atlanta National Museum – an exhibiton of photos
Faminale, Germany – two short films’Over Again’ and ‘Force and Weakness’
Gallery Charden,Tbilisi – an exhibition of Oil paintings
Cinema Amirani, Tbilisi – an exhibiton of photos
