“When President Was Speaking on TV, I Went Out and Looked Around Wondering Whether I Lived in Different Country or Not”

Saba Tsitsikashvili, Gori-Dvani

I visit Dvani village at least twice per month. In Prone Valley this Georgian village is a kind of an enclave in the territory mostly inhabited by ethnic Ossetian people. Representatives of international organizations think that traveling to Dvani is dangerous. The visits of journalists is a relief for locals. “Have you brought magazines, haven’t you?” they are asking me immediately. Some of them start reading the newspapers I bring straight in the street; others hide them in the pocket to read at home.

There is about 30-35 kilometers between Gori and Dvani. Public transport is going there. People living in the villages on the way to Dvani also travel by this mini-bus. On the way to Dvani I have to stand up in the bus because there is no free seat in it. Each passenger has a lot of luggage. I learn from their conversation that they visit Gori at least once or twice per month.

As soon as we turn away from the central high-way, the road is much damaged. It takes almost one and half hour to drive this small distance; the mini-bus is shaking on the damaged road.

We passed village of Breti. Locals say the village was supplied with water. They have installed pipes for drinking water too. So, problems are being settled more or less, but there are huge holes on the road left after repair-works; it made driving more uncomfortable and passengers were holding onto each other.

People are discussing problems in village meeting place and think about new protest rallies scheduled by opposition parties. They have not received any aid since autumn. In autumn they received wheat seeds which ware purchased by local district administration from businessman Giorgi Davitashvili from Kareli. The wheat seeds were planted in the plots cultivated by local government. However, there is more uncontrolled territory in Dvani than the fields planted with wheat. Now, their problem is saltpeter that is necessary but locals cannot buy it. They prefer to buy goods for their families than to spend money on the saltpeter.

The electricity problem is settled in Dvani – the government pays the bills for each family – monthly it amounts to 8-15 GEL for each family.

“Let them cut off the electricity and people will not watch so many soap operas and stupid programs; people seem not to have time to reproduce new generation,” people are joking, “people are fleeing from this village and after our death nobody will live here,” the second agreed. They also regret that this year only three pupils entered the first form of public school in the village. The school was renovated and it is heated with coal.

The recent debate in the parliament of Georgia is actual the main topic of their conversation. They did not like the speech of the president. They remember the speech of MP Giorgi Akhvlediani – he was very strict in his statement. Mostly they liked his phrase: “People are not coming to live in Georgia, but people are running away from here.” Dvani residents connect this phrase with their situation. They bring the example of only 3 pupils who learn in the first form of the village school and the fact that youth are leaving the village.

“The other day when president was speaking I went outside and looked around wondering whether I am living in different country or not,” said one of the residents of Dvani village.

They did not like the speech of the president because Mikheil Saakashvili invited the investor of Agara factory of “Hippi” and thanked him for his activities. Residents of Dvani village say the factory purchased their apples at a very low price – 6 tetri for one kilo and he did not deserve gratitude at all. The villagers recall the time when Gocha Dzasokhov was the director of the factory and purchased their apple at a higher price. The villagers also remember the high-ranking officials of the government thanked Dzasokhov (ethnic Ossetian) for that but later they got rid of him.