IPA President Gvantsa Jobava on ‘Georgian National Stand’ in London: ‘This is what autocracy looks like’

During the London Book Fair, International Publishers Association President and Georgian publisher Gvantsa Jobava criticized the Georgian Writers’ House and the Ministry of Culture for representing the government rather than Georgian publishers.

“Georgia is represented here with a so-called national stand, and it is a real example of what autocracy looks like,” Jobava said during the panel discussion “Turning the Page: Publishing’s Role in Keeping the Focus on Sustainability,” held with Publishing Perspectives’ Chief Editor Porter Anderson and United Nations Publications Chief Mary Glenn.

The Georgian national stand this year featured a few publishers loyal to the government, along with state institutions: Cezanne Publishing, Bakmi, Meridiani, Tbilisi State University Publishing, GSC “Georgian Film,” The Art Palace of Georgia, the Museum of Georgian Literature, and the Georgian National Museum.

Within the theme of the Georgian stand, “Explore the Mysteries of Georgia,” the key event of the Georgian program, featured a presentation of Professor David Maziashvili’s book dedicated to Mariam Aleksidze’s choreography, accompanied by a ballet performance.

According to the Writers’ House, the national stand, organized with the support of the Georgian Ministry of Culture, aimed to foster business relationships for the country’s publishers.

However, according to Jobava, Georgian publishers and writers refused to collaborate with the Writers’ House: “No authors and no contemporary books—just classics.”

Photo credit — the Georgian Writers’ House

Georgian publishers who organized the collective stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October 2024 were absent from the national stand in London. Among former participants, only Sulakauri Publishing took part in the LBF at the Rights Center.

As previously reported, after presenting Georgia at the Frankfurt Book Fair, Georgian publishers and writers held a peaceful protest against the results of the Oct. 26 parliamentary elections. Today marks the 108th day of mass protests against the ruling Georgian Dream party. Later, members of the Georgian literary community staged a protest at the Writers’ House, which was met with violence when the director’s son, Macharashvili, allegedly attacked demonstrators.

“To those who say culture has nothing to do with politics, I would say culture has everything to do with politics,” Jobava said. “If we don’t keep fighting, this could have a huge impact. Our voices might be lost.”

On a more positive note, she emphasized that despite government efforts to silence them, resistance remains strong. “This is exactly what they want, but it’s not possible—because there are people who resist and who want to change this situation.”

Photo credit — International Publishers Association

“For many years, we’ve demonstrated what professionalism in this industry means. We had a lot of success, but this year, looking at the governmental stand of Georgia at the London Book Fair, I want to say in the name of many of Georgian publishers — no, we are not them,” Jobava said.

RELATED: Oppression of independent media is intensified in Georgia

Main image: Ministry of Culture of Georgia

Copy editing: Ben Angel