Usefulness, Inclusion and Accessibility of Culture for the Ethnic Minorities of Georgia

Abstract

Georgia is ethnically, culturally, and religiously diverse country where people of different ethnicities and religions have coexisted and lived peacefully side by side for centuries. Migration is as old as the history of mankind with groups of people historically moving from one place to another for a variety of reasons (military, political, social, religious).

Numerous declarations and conventions on the protection of the rights of ethnic minorities have been adopted so far with the state and independent institutions established to permanently monitor and ensure their implementation in public, political and economic life.

On April 1, 2006, Georgia acceded to the Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, which obliges the countries to fulfil their commitments in a fair manner and to promote integration of ethnic minorities in everyday life of a country they live in.

According to the 2014 census of the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat), 86.8% of the Georgian population is comprised of the Georgians, 6.3% Azerbaijanians, 4.5% Armenians, 0.7% Russians, 0.4% Ossetians, 0.3% Yazidis, 0.2% Kists, 0.2% Ukrainians, 0.1% Greeks and 0.1% Assyrians.

In Georgia attention towards the ethnic minorities and protection of their rights is improving on a yearly basis. One should comprehend that while talking about the cultural monuments of a specific ethnic minority, we should not focus on the fact that they are not produced by ethnic Georgians but acknowledge that they are part of the Georgia's cultural heritage and their existence is important for the cultural diversity of the country.

The Georgian government should encourage and support the diversity of cultural self-expression. Specifically, it should create relevant educational programs to recognize important cultural contribution and promote role of cultural associations and organizations, initiate the other complementary measures to give the population access to various forms of cultural self-expression (including vocational and continuing education).