“River of people will never stop flowing, flowing from the country’s heart,” proclaimed the long banner unfurled on the streets, a defiant response to the “Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence” proposed by the ruling party, Georgian Dream. A legislation, which curtails the operations of NGOs and independent media. Peaceful protests were met with unlawful force, as water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets were used to disperse the crowds. Shared commitment to freedom, solidarity, and the urgent need to protect the natural environment brought hundreds of thousands together in the streets of Tbilisi for over three weeks. Realization that it is only through empathy, and an unwavering refusal to allow any fellow citizen to fall victim to oppression and terror that the promise of a brighter future can be kindled. No Pasaran! - declared the people - “You cannot do this to us, not anymore!”

New Year’s Eve of 2024 could become a landmark day, a moment in time when the spirit of Georgia was reborn through resistance and solidarity. For over a month, tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the parliament in Tbilisi, protesting the government’s decision to pause the country’s bid for European Union membership. This announcement sparked a torrent of protests, often marred by violence. The police, equipped with riot squads, unleashed tear gas and water cannons to scatter the crowds of demonstrators, who remained undeterred. On New Year’s Eve, Rustaveli Avenue, one of Tbilisi’s main avenues, was filled with demonstrators but this protest stood apart. It became a unique blend of resistance and celebration. Protesters organized a traditional Georgian feast, the Supra, where food and drinks were shared among the crowd, turning the street into a symbol of unity and solidarity. Without solidarity, equality is impossible, and without equality, democracy can't endure.

Observations of the day-to-day life in Rioni Valley following the grassroots movement against the Namokhvani HPP cascade and the imminent flooding of the entire Lechkhumi region. Members of the movement erected a camp in the valley and maintained their positions for more than 488 days. Their unwavering determination thwarted every effort made by the company and the police to recommence the construction process, until the contract was ultimately nullified and rendered void.

For years now, Georgian Marganese, subsidiary of an offshore registered company, owns an exclusive right to operate and extract coal in the region. Coal being the only lifesource of Chiatura, privately-owned company has become a state within a state, with unlimited power and complete disregard for the well-being of the population. Billions worth of coal is exported every year, yet the region, and its inhabitants, remain the poorest in the country. Doom that befall Chiatura is proving to be an exemplary demonstration of the brutal extractivist logic of the global capital. Ocasionally, one wanders onto villages, overflowing with life and laughter of children, that are still untouched by the Chiaturian “Gold Rush”, and cannot help but ponder on how much life and joy was sacrificed.

Last summer, my partner Elene and I decided to ride towards Georgian west-side on our Piaggio. We made Elene's grandparents' Gurian home ours for the summer, where we observed the couple carry out traditions of harvest that count decades. We watched local kids of port city Poti defeat the summer heat by having a diving competition in the city's "Golden Lake". We strolled along the west coast, witnessing life with sand stuck between our fingernails.