Turn off Russian music! In Georgia, they urge not to listen to the Russian pop music that supports the Kremlin’s policy or simply keeps silent. The campaign was launched by the Copyright Association, which considers it abnormal to play low-quality pop music from a country that occupies 20% of the territory of Georgia.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has rekindled a sense of protest that seems to have subsided somewhat since 2008. Culture has become even more difficult to separate from politics. And not unreasonably. Therefore, if in the past, even after the Russian-Georgian war, in different years, at the largest music festival in the country, Tbilisi Open Air, one could hear DDT or Zemfira, who in 2015 expressed solidarity with Ukraine from the stage in Tbilisi, for which she was sharply criticized at home .
And yet, in 2022, while Russian troops are shelling Ukrainian cities, killing civilians – they are bringing the “Russian world” with war and soft power, from taxi windows or from numerous cafes in Batumi and other cities of Georgia, hits of the so-called . Russian chanson or Russian stage. And yes, they don’t argue about tastes, but it’s also indisputable that Russian chanson and pop music are an integral part of the mentality that we, the new generation of Georgian citizens, say – NO.
Georgia has always been a multicultural country. It’s like Georgian polyphony – different voices and tonalities are always heard in society. Folk songs are sung at traditional feasts, electronic music plays in nightclubs, and oriental motifs are not uncommon in the old quarters of Tbilisi. At one time, Russian romances performed by Georgians were distinguished by a special charm. But why is the conditional Russian pop music causing such a protest today?
The fact is that in order to achieve their political goals, the Kremlin actively uses not only the power of arms, but also the power of words. And it’s not just about propaganda in the media. At patriotic concerts in support of the war, pop artists who monopolized the airtime of the “New Year’s lights” and permanent participants in the Kremlin shows perform. Outside of Russia, these performers are part of Moscow’s hybrid strategy.
Source: Sova – all about Georgia
