Vazha-Pshavela’s Museum Paralyzed

Vazha-Pshavela’s museum in Chargali village Dusheti district is paralyzed. The employees of the museum intend to leave their jobs to protest firing of the museum director -Lela Razikashvili, who is the descendant of Vazha-Pshavela.

As the employees of the museum told the Information Centre of Mtskheta-Mtianeti Tamar Razikashvili is the new director of museum and they said they would not work with her.

“I will not work with this betrayer. Her mother was gossiping and Tamar Razikashvili became a director in this way. I will not stay in museum even one day! I have nothing to do with these betrayers, they could not even be grateful to Lela Razikashvili for her kindness. She cannot do anything, she does not know anything. The director of the museum should be different person with intellect. If they had appointed somebody respectable, we would not protest it. Everybody protests her appointment; nobody is going to work here with her. We are 6 or 7 and everybody is going to quit job”, Mariam Razikashvili, museum supervisor told ICMM.

“I am also going to leave my job. I will not work with the people who are in no connection with this field. I have been in charge of museum funds for 24 years and I cannot give the key to anybody even if they appoint 100 new directors here. But if they establish a state commission which will count everything and order me to hand the funds to someone else I will do this. I do not trust any member of this family. I am not sure that nothing will be lost”, Manana Goderdzauli, the supervisor of museum fund said.

New director of the Vazha-Pshavela Museum arrived at work together with her mother and sister on August 22. After the director and her family members declared that during Lela Razikashvili’s management the museum destroyed, the museum personnel and the director’s family members opposed each other.

“After Lela Razikashvili was fired, government made a proposal to us. She was fired because she was not taking proper care of the museum; the exponents are not taken care; they are not poisoned; they were not placed under the sun for one year already. I am going to take care of Vazha-Pshavela’s property; we should arrange exhibition hall in the museum. They told me I would become a director if I fulfill their expectations; or I will have to quit like Lela did. So, I have to do my best and take care of this museum. I have new ideas. First of all the exponents shall be poisoned; it was never done here. We should put mouth poisons too; everything should be clean here,” a new director of the museum Tamar Razikashvili told ICMM.

Nika Rurua-the minister of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia fired Lela Razikashvili two days ago. Lela Razikashvili supports coalition Georgian Dream and her dismissal is connected with her hosting of Bidzina Ivanishvili in Chargali.

Information Centre of Mtskheta-Mtianeti