A new, updated Cultural Policy Profile for Georgia has been published on the Compendium website and paints a worrying picture of cultural policy developments in Georgia.
Special thanks go to our Georgian expert Nino Gunia-Kuznetsova for updating and compiling the profile.
Below are some highlights of cultural policy developments in Georgia:
- Since the Georgian Dream came to power, unprofessional practices in the cultural sphere have emerged, including violations of guidelines; dismissal of professionals and appointment of non-professionals to leading positions; repression based on political preferences; suspension of grants; restrictions on archaeological excavations causing damage; withdrawal from international agreements and festivals; repression of academic and artistic freedoms…
- The repressions carried out by the Ministry of Culture have affected institutional independence, weakened public systems, created individual censorship and provoked protests from artists of different disciplines.
- Before the parliamentary elections of 2024, representatives of the cultural sphere founded the public initiative “Culture for Democracy”, within the framework of which the “Declaration of Culture of Georgia” was drafted to address the crisis caused by the authoritarian regime.
- The Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence (2024) creates significant obstacles to the development of the NGO and media sectors, according to representatives of the NGO sector, the media and international experts.
- A 2024 study identified the strengths, weaknesses and challenges that define the situation of artists and cultural workers over the past five years. However, the final draft of the Law on the Status of Artists, which was submitted to the Georgian Parliament, has not yet been discussed.
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