Barbare Sulkhanishvili replied:

“Mr. Chiora, a twenty-four year old woman is still young in the eyes of the English people. If your society thought like the English people, we would not be readied for marriage at the age of 13-14. We could have gained so much if the society considered twenty-four year women as young, not old. We could have nourished our mind, developed a character, had the society that is made up of you and the likes of you, convinced us that we should not be getting married until we are twenty-four just as you are sure that we cannot marry until the age of 13-14. As for us, we are sure that the moment we are past twenty-four, your society will label as us “too old” and write us off. In the eyes of the society that calls a 13- or a 14-year-old ready for marriage, no wonder that the woman grows old too soon.”

Source: “The National Library of Georgia; Newspaper Iveria, 1894, N209, p. 3

The post Barbare Sulkhanishvili – was a regular member of the Telavi Department of the Society for the Spreading of Literacy among Georgians (1914-1915) appeared first on WomenOfGeorgia.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/50womenfromGeorgia/photos/a.164432727071387.1073741826.164429140405079/164514740396519/?type=3&theater

The post Elene Dariani (Bakradze) 1897-1979 /Poet appeared first on WomenOfGeorgia.

No one is talking about ridding men of the public affairs. The times of Amazons is long past, turned into a myth, a tale. However, as long as we are treated differently by the law and justice our interests will be different from theirs.

Let us not be fooled by their lip service and the fact that we have recently been involved in some trivial matters because the country needs us right now. The time will come when we are no longer needed and will be returned to our kitchens to do what they think we are supposed to do – cook!

Remember, that owing to some malfunction of history, today’s man is so egocentric that he will not willingly see you as his equal. Dear women, remember that physical nourishment is not enough, we need spiritual nourishment too – something we have all been devoid of, both middle and working class women. This is what we have in common! Let the willingness to restore our dignity unite us despite our social and other differences.

Photo: G. Leonidze State Museum of Literature
Source:https://www.facebook.com/50womenfromGeorgia/photos/a.164432727071387.1073741826.164429140405079/164514740396519/?type=3&theater

The post Mariam Garikuli (Tateshvili), 1883-1960 / writer, actor appeared first on WomenOfGeorgia.

„My mother was a teacher, a proud and beautiful woman. But she was paralyzed from childbirth after she had twins. Her husband abandoned her and left her alone with three children – my three-year old brother, my twin sibling and me. It was 1930 – the year of famine. My brother and my twin sister died of starvation. I was the only child that survived in the family. My mother had to start begging to feed me. Finally, I ended up in an orphanage. Somebody there wanted to adopt me. When my mother learnt about this, she took me back. She had to go through many suffering and difficulties to bring me up. When I turned 15, I started working at a thread dying factory. I worked there until it was demolished. I was so happy to buy a full loaf of bread and bring it home when I got my first salary! We had never head a whole loaf of bread at home before. I even devoted a piece of work to that loaf of bread. When I worked at the factory I illustrated the wall newspaper, I wrote poems and everything went well. I still write poems (she quotes her poem: „You brought me life and a lot of joy, let your journey of life be full of violates and roses, this is all I can offer you.”)

I loved painting but I did not have pencils and paints. I could not afford them so I used flower petals of different colors whenever something inside me pushed me to make pictures but after a couple of hours flowers would wither. I started wondering how to paint to make my pictures last longer. I realized that small stones were of different colors – grey, white, blue, black so I could make as many pictures as I wanted. So I used them as paints! Then I started collecting different items, broken vessels, etc. Do you know how I make different colors? I stick colored papers (used for folding chocolates) under the glass. I use everything, I create this beauty from rubbish. Rich people have everything but what should poor people do when they do not have anything but rich ideas? They should use their brains and think. So this is the product of my brains.

I have had a happy and joyful life. I put a message up at the entrance of the gallery (which is in the cellar) – „ My Old Age is Warmed by the Sun“- my creative work is my sun, which makes me happy. So I am happy that… well, I do not know… I always feel happy! What was I talking about?! Yes… there was an regional exhibition and I became the winner. I don’t want to sound cocky by saying that. One might think it’s not a big deal. But this is what really happened – I won. Then there was an exhibition in Tbilisi. Later, my works appeared in France. I visited France twice. There is an exhibition hall Grand Palais. When they saw my works, they probably thought “how can this plain woman make these pictures”?! They asked me whether I made paintings without sketches. I didn’t even know what that word meant. They told me sketch means an outline. I started making a picture right there. I feel like crying, do you know why? Is this anomaly or am I normal?! How do I do these things?! Anyway, one way or another, I made a picture in one week. After that my colleague, a lady – Elene, came up to me and told me “Do you know who you are?” “Who?” I wondered. “I am just an amateur who loves doing such kind of things”. “No, you are our national treasure”. Oh, am I?!… But I do not like exaggerating things. In short, they saw it and liked it very much.

I have hung my works in my cellar. I could not throw them away, could I? So I exhibited them. Do you know what I have done recently? I have built a castle of dreams. I want to build a dream castle in the new garden, which is in the square in Telavi. My work won’t be bad, I promise. I can imagine how young lovers will say to each other: “Let’s go to the Castle of Dreams and have some rest”. There is nothing better that being in love. Nothing better than being in the lover’s arms…the time goes so quickly, you are old in no time. So enjoy love my dear girls. There is nothing in the world that is without love. It so good to be young, when you are flirting with someone, when you want to get a boy to like you. When you flirt with your body. I used to flirt as well…

There is no art without audience. It does not make sense to do things and then hide them under your mattress. This is a disaster… When you create art, you believe that you do that not only for yourself, but for the future generation too. So, this art is not mine, it is yours. I will leave this world, I know that I will do that soon, I am already 88… I cannot sell my pictures. Would you be able to sell your child? So, I will not be able to sell them. When I am no longer alive, these pictures will become yours! There is neither museum nor any gallery in Telavi, they destroyed everything, but you will be able to find my pictures. I have over 500 pieces of work, which I have made for Telavi.”

The post Elene Lukhutashvili, 88, Telavi appeared first on WomenOfGeorgia.

Barbare Eristavi-Jorjadze 1833-1895

“From the very first man, every male has accused a female, has placed all the blame on her and has diligently tried to put down and subdue his companion in life. Since early childhood, she was preached “as the Creator has given you the life of a woman, this must be your rule to live by: be quiet, do not look at anyone, do not go anywhere, cover your years, close your eyes and settle down… education and learning other languages is not for you.” Meanwhile, the man grew the wings of vanity and arrogance, occupied a vast arena and said: “as I am a man, I will dash, I will gallop to the end of the world, there is nobody to stop me, I will speak eloquently, I will learn, I will hold in the palm of my hand all the freedom and all the world.” He broadened his horizon and, to finally enslave the woman, persuaded her that without him she will die of hunger… Even in the family, the man disdained the woman’s hard work, he took the advantage of her and teased her: “you have no brain, you have no heart and feelings, you cannot hear anything… you are cruel, treacherous…”

..Our Jesus Christ has stated that man and woman are equal. But the man never sidetracked the path he had taken, as if in doing so he would be committing blasphemy.

Despite such oppression, poor women still found ways to use their wits and talent: even if they were deprived of education they could make best use of their own language to think, analyze, speak, read and write. Who spread knowledge and education, if not women, when men were away, running amok armed, fighting for the homeland?..

.. At least now, the men should stop with their self-importance and envy and let their sisters have equal opportunity to study, find their way in life, so that they can hold modern women accountable and even look up to them. We, the past generation of women are hopeless, beyond cure, but the new generation of women, even if they fail to live up to the expectations, at least will not shy away from efforts and hard work.
(1893, “Kvali” magazine, N16)

Photo: Giorgi Leonidze State Museum of Georgian Literature
Source: http://www.feminism-boell.org/…/06/13/barbare-eristavi-jorj…

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Ekaterine Gabashvili

“I was nineteen when I got married and soon was a prolific mother (I had eleven children). My family was rather poor, and I was deprived of any kind of freedom. However, I did not succumb to the fate of the women of my time, which was to be closely tied to and entirely devoted to the family hearth. It took me a lot of struggle but I was strong enough… In the narrow space within the walls which is called being a housewife and which often sucks the soul out of a woman, I dug a peephole wherefrom I constantly listened to and watched the general events and developments in my country. I tried to put two building blocks upon the sacred foundation laid in the second half of the nineteenth century by the best representatives of my country. Two building blocks on the public altar in no much of an offering, but it is better than nothing.”

Photo: from Giorgi Leonidze State Museum of Literature
Source: http://www.feminism-boell.org/…/ekaterine-tarxnishvili-gaba…

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