Ana Goguadze on Beating the Sterotypes

The dream of the wonderful Georgian writer, Nodar Dumbadze, came true at the end of the 1980s when an incredible picturesque park for children named Mziuri was built on the banks of the River Vere. The major aim in launching the park was a desire to create a healthy and pleasant environ for the most important members of society, the children. However, as a result of various political battles, shifts in government and natural disasters, the uniqueness and high potential of the park was for a time almost forgotten. It was only in 2006 that changes came, with youngsters, full of energy and innovative ideas, deciding to try and give a new life to Mziuri.

Ana Goguadze, the founder of the New Mziuri Café, spends most of her day at the café and is aware of every single detail, including the workings of the kitchen, as well as the target audience and their interests. The New Mziuri Café is a reflection of her dreams and ideas.

13 years ago, 18-year-old Ana, inspired by the works and persona of Nodar Dumbadze, launched the first ‘Sun Festival’ on June 1, Children’s Day. She gathered resources and energy throughout the year prior, striving to find sponsors and explaining to them the need for such a festival, for just one day, where hundreds of children and their parents would have a chance to gather and have fun. It was a bright and colorful success. But once the guests and entertainers had gone, the park turned black, white and dull once more.

An ‘Unimaginable’ Project

“There were left only ruins of the current New Mziuri Café building. The concept of ‘social enterprise’ was still a novelty back in 2015,” Ana tells us. “I decided to transform those ruins into a café which would give back the original function to Mziuri. However, from the start there were a lot of sceptics claiming the idea would fail and the café would close within three months.”

When Ana found out there was no-one else willing to give the idea a try, she decided to start it anyway.

Along with the organizers of the ‘Sun Festival’, Ana prepared a public project, promoted it via social media and addressed Tbilisi City Hall with the request to give them the ruins with the purpose of launching a social enterprise there. As the income of social enterprises is rarely capable of paying even tenancy fees, the initiators of the project had to look for government support.

A Social Café for Everyone

The project generated a lot of interest. The number of signatures in support shot up, the media caught on and spread the word- all of which helped Ana to make her dream about the New Mziuri Café come true.

“City Hall accepted the request and handed the territory over to us for free for a duration of two years,” she remembers. “It also took the responsibility for the renovation works. The donations from private companies amounted to 200,000 GEL, with TBC Bank allocating 50,000 GEL for our initiative.”

The indoor area of the New Mziuri Café can cater to 30 people while the sunny semi-walled yard is full of visitors from spring to late autumn. The Cafe hosts various workshops, public lectures, meetings and film screenings for guests. And they are always open to non-commercial initiatives.

Heading to City Hall with the round-up report, the organizers were able to boast more than 250 events having been held at the café within two years. In 2018, there were 135 initiatives. These impressive numbers encouraged City Hall to agree to extend the cafe permit by another two years.

“This area is dedicated to children, their parents, and to students. We host numerous events, have the menu in braille, and are the first café to adopt a homeless dog, Murada. Murada has his own “club,” and pet owners come to meet and discuss various topics. We aim to create a pleasant and comfortable space which is of value to the city.”

Raising public awareness about crucial issues and bringing up a new generation free from stereotypes has also been a major aim of the New Mziuri project.

“We engage in various projects. For example, within the framework of ‘Green Gift,’ we collect paper waste and send it to recycling points. The youngsters coming to the café are never surprised to see people in wheelchairs. We also often launch initiatives for animal protection,” Ana says.

A Struggle for Survival

The only concession for the New Mziuri Café is the fact that it does not have to pay a tenancy fee. All other taxes apply. Winter is the most difficult season as the number of visitors plummets at this time and there is very low income respectively. However, Ana found a solution by introducing a catering service and delivering their delicious fresh food to various events and celebrations.

“My enthusiasm is the only reason for the existence of the New Mziuri Café. It needs tremendous moral strength to get through all the challenges and pay the bills. But it’s worth it for such an important mission,” Ana tells us. “If, within 10 years, there are more such cafés, the public will be better aware of their social responsibility and more actively engaged in the civic activities. They will understand that they are the ones who have to take care of their streets and their city. I think New Mziuri Café has played an important role in this case.”

Hammers to Break the Stereotypes

Along with managing the New Mziuri Café, Ana also works for the marketing consulting company ‘Anagrama’, launched by the former marketing team of Geocell.

Anagrama’s main aim is to break the stereotypes regarding women. For this reason, the company introduced a new campaign for March 8 and sent hand-painted hammers as gifts to various women as a symbol that they should keep up the fight to overcome the social stereotypes.

“I think the idea that the purpose of a woman is motherhood is the biggest stereotype. Both parents must share their responsibilities equally,” Ana states.

Years ago, she had to face the negative results of a number of well-established stereotypes. Yet it was one of the catalysts that pushed Ana to become socially active and to ultimately come to play such an important role in bringing the needed changes to Georgian society. And the mission goes on.

Original interview in Entrepreneur Georgia magazine.

By Ketevan Kvaratskheliya