Presentation of Book on Georgia’s Cultural Heritage in Strasbourg

A book covering Georgia's cultural heritage, titled Georgia: History, Culture, Ethnography was presented in Strasbourg by the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, Mikhail Ckhenkeli.

“We held a very important event at the Council of Europe, where we presented a fundamental three-volume book on Georgian culture and heritage. The English-language work created by Anzor Erkomaishvili will soon be released in Georgian. The richly illustrated trilogy was published with the support of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the Cartu Foundation and the American publishing company NOVA SCIENCE. As a result, we have a truly unique book that demonstrates that Georgia is not merely part of Europe, but also a great contributor to European culture and values. We plan to donate this book to leading libraries and archives. People will get a chance to rediscover Georgia as a country with mesmerizing culture”, Chkhenkeli said.

The Georgian delegation is currently on a working visit to Strasbourg, under the leadership of President Salome Zurabishvili, within the framework of Georgia's chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The presentation of the book was accompanied by Georgian folk and polyphonic songs.

The idea behind the book’s creation belongs to Frank Columbus, President of the American publishing house NOVA SCIENCE, and his wife, Nadia Gotsiridze-Columbus.

The book is a unique English-language publication that is edited by musicologist Anzor Erkomaishvili, primarily known for his founding and leadership of the 'Rustavi' State Academic Ensemble of Georgian Folk Song and Dance. The book is the latest in a myriad of works produced by Erkomaishvili, who created the 'Martve' ensemble of folk singing in 1978 and was credited with "saving" the then-neglected heritage of Georgian national singing tradition. The book includes historical material on subjects ranging from the gorgeous piercing tones of Georgian polyphonic singing to the art of traditional stone masonry; also a multimedia appendix with audio recordings of folk songs and church hymns, along with the recordings of folk dances- some of them dating back to 1901.

By Elene Dzebisashvili