Russian flags on the Georgian streets

Batumi, the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, welcomed participants of the annual Golden Dolphin art festival from 8 countries. The festival was organized by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of Adjara.

As part of the festival, the participants marched through the streets, dressed in their respective traditional costumes and waving flags of their countries.

Among the countries was Russia, whose participants also marched on the streets. The Minister of Education, Inga Shamilishvili, attended the celebration. Answering the question of the local Adjara TV journalist, she said that there were no Russian flags at the march and that it was a 'children's festival that goes beyond politics.'

Quickly after the episode, the head of the Government of Adjara, Tornike Rejvadze, announced that the Education Minister was fired from her position.

One of the Russian participants of the march also made a comment resembling that of Shamilishvili's, saying that children's festival isn't related to politics and that they were there to represent their cultures. She also said that Russia isn't an occupier and enjoys good relations with its neighbors, including Georgia and Ukraine.

But the facts speak otherwise. Russia has objectively occupied 20% of the Georgian territory and annexed Crimea in Ukraine. Unfortunately, Georgia continues to allow its Northern neighbor and its citizens to feel comfortable waving their flags in a country, where they pose the biggest security threat to sovereignty and independence. Therefore, scheduling the festival and the related march on Independence Day adds another layer to the unpleasant aspect of the situation.

As mentioned above, the minister tried to distance herself from the situation, and the rationale behind the act was that the art festival goes beyond politics.

The comment refrains to the age-old discussion whether art is political or not. When a country is being aggressive, occupies regions and uses its soft power daily to disrupt the peace of another country, there is no privilege of distancing their acts from their national symbolism – costumes and flags, in the name of a festival.

Children's festival or not, it was still used as a mean to offend the day that is dear to every Georgian's heart, which marks the independence exactly from the nation, whose flags were waved in the streets of Batumi.

Thousands of IDPs and the families of the people killed in the conflicts with Russia didn't have a choice, but to feel the devastating effects of 'politics' on themselves. It was never 'not political' for them. For those, who get to make the decisions, it should be imperative to look at the broader picture and instead of separating art (or anything else) from politics, make choices that aren't offensive to those who have laid their lives for Georgia to celebrate its independence. It will be 'not political' only after the people who lost their homes in wars with Russia can get back to their villages and enjoy the peace and prosperity that can only be achieved through territorial integrity that Georgia lacks for now.