My Bioli Talk with Ramaz Bluashvili
A wide-ranging interview on Georgia, symbols, science, and much more.
A few weeks ago I did an interview with the great Ramaz Bluashvili, and while it’s probably much more Hans than you want in a single dose, I thought we had a great chat.
This interview is part of a new series that I have enjoyed watching, the Bioli Talks. Right below this, you have the embedded interview from YouTube, and down from that I highlight the main segments, bit by bit.
Here then the segments, so that you can skip right to what you might be interested in.
About Bioli — to start with.
On being born in Brazil, here.
On why I chose to come to Georgia — probably the best decision I ever took, around April 1999, here.
Why should the world know more about Georgian history?
How are today’s students different, and how I have been lucky with them.
About the meaning of Freedom Square for Tbilisi and Georgia, how it went wrong, and why there is a Trojan Horse standing in its middle.
On people shaping their symbols themselves, and why young people should be more involved in redoing our public spaces.
How to get to more engaged citizenship — and why there is lots of good news, when you look around, and look locally; also about Paolo Iashvili.
On the protests — it was Day 63, which now seems like five years ago, and what people coming to the streets means for shaping Georgia.
The roots of the present challenge, the trauma of 1795 and Tbilisi as Troy.
How Georgian culture connects to democratic possibility, people socializing, and how Georgian Dream runs against some of the country’s core traditions.
Why you should absolutely visit the Bolnisi Museum (see also my article here).
Working with the look from the outside to tell your own story.
Reading art and literature also politically.
The role of science, next to the humanities, and the mobility and freedom it can give to people.
Why universities should do more to help figure out contemporary challenges out — also on what AI can do.
On what Karl Marx got right, and what that means for how we look at the future.
My pitch for why people should visit Georgia and on not being able to buy culture.
There you go! My thanks go to Ramaz, Besik Tsikhelashvili for the solid camera, and the good people at the Bioli Resort for the invite — and their tea!
An earlier talk that I really enjoyed, with Alexander Mikaberidze, on Napoleon, and Georgia, and much more is here. There are other great interviews, with David Gogichaisvhili, Sid White, and I am still looking forward to watching the talk with Maia Baratashvili also.
Do consider following Ramaz, for future updates also.
Hans, very good interview. Many important and interesting topics. Thank you.