EU Delegation to Georgia expresses regret over postponement of Kamara festival

“We regret that the Kamara Festival, funded by the EU under the Creative Compass Georgia project, had to be postponed by the organisers due to security concerns,” the EU Delegation to Georgia said in a statement.

“The EU has been supporting Georgia’s cultural sector over the past 30 years – helping preserve its unique cultural heritage, supporting its creative industries, and connecting Georgian artists and cultural organisations with their European counterparts. The EU believes in the freedom of artistic expression.,” the statement said.

Musician Kordz had been invited to participate in the festival. Representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party had previously claimed that the musician had insulted thousands of Georgian Dream supporters.

On September 22, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili commented on the issue, saying that the EU should decide whether it would distance itself from or become complicit in insulting the majority of Georgia’s population.

“On the one hand, we have an individual who insults more than half of Georgia’s population based on their political preferences. He labels more than half of Georgia’s population as slaves. EU funds are being spent on someone who insults the majority of the Georgian population and calls them slaves. I fail to see what further research or analysis is required. It is clear that we are dealing with a repugnant situation that demands a decision. The European Union must decide: either it becomes complicit in the insulting and labeling of the majority of the Georgian people as slaves, or it dissociates itself from this behavior,” Papuashvili said.