UNTOLD PROJECT TRUE STORIES FROM PEOPLE THE MEDIA WON’T TALK TO
LELUKA’S STORY
ABKHAZIA IN 1992 THE WAR BETWEEN ABKHAZIA AND GEORGIA BEGAN. ABKHAZIA IS A PARTIALLY RECOGNISED STATE TRADITIONALLY ASSOCIATED WITH BEING A PART OF GEORGIA, BUT IS HOME TO NUMEROUS ETHNIC GROUPS; ABKHAZ, RUSSIANS, ARMENIANS AND GEORGIANS. THE WAR BEGAN AFTER THE SPLIT OF THE SOVIET UNION DUE TO YEARS OF TENSION. ABKHAZ SEPARATIST FORCES WANTED TO BECOME AN INDPENDENT STATE AND BEGAN A MILITARY OFFENSIVE IN 1992, BACKED BY NORTH CAUCASUS MILITANTS, COSSACKS AND RUSSIAN FEDERATION FORCES. THEY FOCUSED ON ETHNICALLY CLEANSING THE AREA OF GEORGIANS, AND SO BEGAN A LONG RUNNING TENSION THAT STILL HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED TO THIS DAY. BETWEEN 20,000 AND 30,000 ETHNIC GEORGIAN CIVILIANS WERE KILLED DURING THE CONFLICT AND AROUND 200,000 WERE DISPLACED.
MY NAME IS LELUKA AND I AM A STUDENT IN TBILISI, THE CAPITAL OF GEORGIA. BUT I AM ORIGINALLY FROM ABKHAZIA
I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN A TOWN CALLED GALI IN SOUTHEAST ABKHAZIA, SEVERAL YEARS AFTER THE WAR
WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, EVERYTHING LOOKED GOOD AND FUNNY
BUT
AS I GREW UP, I REALISED THERE WERE MANY THINGS WE DIDNT HAVE IN GALI.
WE DIDN’T HAVE GOOD EDUCATION, GOOD HOSPITALS AND YOU HAD TO PAY A LOT OF MONEY FOR A DOCTOR.
WHEN I WAS BORN IN 1998, MY MOTHER EVEN TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS NO CARS OR TRANSPORT AND THAT SHE HAD TO WALK TO THE HOSPITAL BY FOOT.
THIS IS BECAUSE WE ARE ETHNIC GEORGIANS AND THE PRESIDENT REALLY DISLIKES US.
WHILST MOST GEORGIANS LEFT DURING THE WAR, SOME PEOPLE, LIKE MY FAMILY, CAME BACK TO THEIR HOME.
BUT THIS PRESIDENT WANTS TO PUSH US OUT.
WHEN THE WAR BEGAN, MY MOTHER WENT TO UNIVERISTY IN SUKHUMI
BUT AFTER 2 DAYS SHE HAD TO FLEE SUKHUMI QUICKY, AS THE HOUSE OF THE RELATIVES SHE WAS STAYING WITH WAS BURNT DOWN AS THE WAR ESCALATED.
MY MOTHER WAS 20 YEARS OLD AND FULL OF MOTIVATION,
BUT THAT WAR BROKE ANY DREAM SHE HAD
SO, I HAVE AN ELDER SISTER AND A YOUNGER BROTHER. WE WERE BORN AND RAISED IN GALI AFTER THE WAR. WITH THE EFFECTS SURROUNDING US.
WE GREW UP WITH THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE, WATCHING RUSSIAN MOVIES AND LISTENING TO RUSSIAN SONGS.
BUT MY PARENTS NEVER FORGOT TO SPEAK TO US IN GEORGIAN,
SO WHEN WE WENT TO SCHOOL WE KNEW 3 LANGUAGES. GEORGIAN, RUSSIAN AND ENGLISH.
ALL OF OUR TEACHERS WERE SCARED OF THE GOVERNMENT.
THEY PUSHED US INTO BELIEVING THAT RUSSIA IS OUR NATIVE LAND AND RUSSIAN IS OUR NATIVE LANGUAGE.
BUT IT’S NOT TRUE.
MY SISTER AND I GRADUATED FROM SCHOOL IN GALI, BUT THE YEARS WERE HARD AND DIFFICULT.
THERE WAS AN IDEOLOGICAL BATTLE BETWEEN THE GEORGIAN AND ABKHAZIAN STUDENTS.
WE WERE [ ALWAYS DISCRIMINATED AGAINST BECAUSE OF OUR NATIONALITY.
AND WE ALWAYS HAD PROBLEMS WITH TEACHERS AND THE SCHOOL
BUT OUT OF RESPECT FOR OUR PARENTS WE STOPPED.
BUT MY GENERATION NEVER STOPPED PROTESTING MENTALLY,
AND WE WERE ALWAYS TRYING TO [EXPRESS OUR TRUE FEELINGS
BUT NO ONE COULD HEAR OUR PAIN. NO ONE WAS ABLE TO SAY NO TO THIS DISCRIMINATION
BUT BECAUSE OF OUR PROTESTS, WE NOW HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH MANY ABKHAZIANS.
I’M PROUD THAT WE ARE FRIENDS WITH THEM,
BECAUSE NOW WE CAN MAKE ONE STEP FORWARD.
I’VE BEEN TALKING TO LELUKA FOR A A FEW MONTHS VIA SOCIAL MEDIA. I WAS INTRODUCED TO HER THROUGH SOMEONE I MET AT A CO-WORKING SPACE CAFE IN TBILISI, WHO SAID THEY WORKED WITH IDP’S (INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE) FROM ABKHAZIA. WE KEPT IN CONTACT WHEN I RETURNED TO THE UK VIA EMAIL, AND SHE SAID THAT ONE OF HER INTERNS WAS FROM ABKHAZIA; LELUKA. I BEGAN MESSAGING LELUKA AND SHE WAS VERY EAGER TO TELL HER STORY, ESPECIALLY TO A WESTERN AUDIENCE AS SHE WANTS PEOPLE TO HEAR IT. HER ENTHUSIASM AND WILLINGNESS TO HELP MADE THIS EASY TO WRITE, AND I HOPE THAT YOU ARE ENCOURAGED AND INSPIRED BY WHAT YOU HAVE READ. OF COURSE ALL CONFLICT HAS TWO SIDES AND THE VIEWS HERE ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF ONE PERSON. WAR IS NEVER JUST BLACK AND WHITE AND IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THE ABKHAZIANS CLAIM THAT 1820 OF THEIR OWN CIVILLIANS WERE KILLED AS WELL. MANY THANKS TO ANA AND LELUKA DOM CULVERWELL
UNTOLD PROJECT TELLS THE TRUE STORIES OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED CONFLICTS FORGOTTEN BY THE MEDIA, IN ORDER TO SPREAD AWARENESS USING ILLUSTRATION. THIS IS LELUKA’S STORY, WHO WAS BORN SEVERAL YEARS AFTER THE ABKHAZIAN WAR. SHE TELLS THE DIFFICULTIES OF GROWING UP AS A DISCRIMINATED ETHNIC GROUP IN A POST WAR ENVIRONMENT.
INTERVIEW AND ARTWORK BY DOM CULVERWELL