Only Tbilisi is Not enough - Interview with Nana Bagalishvili, the Founder of Tsnori Knowledge Café Article link: https://at.ge/2020/05/22/tsnori/ Author: Nika Nadirashvili Tbilisi… city, where creating new is a challenge… new that develops the awareness of the society; accordingly, we, the authors of cultural projects, have thought number of times, maybe with exaggerated scepticism that “Tbilisi is not enough“ (addressing the motto of Tbilisi Architecture Biennial of 2018 – „Buildings are not enough“). Is it possible somehow to implement our activities on the regional level and how can we share successful experience of „Knowledge Café“ in Tsnori, which reminds us Lasse Hallström film Chocolat (2000). With its personages, such as Vianne Roche and Comte de Reynaud..?!
First, I’ve heard the story of Tsnori from Nana Bagalishvili, who is the founder of Knowledge Café. She describes the city of Tsnori as the synthesis of European and American culture: „She has a very stubborn and little venturous character; Striking is that after 90-ies this city has survived and is still rapidly developing. Tsnori is the small city with contrasts: Asian as well as: uncombed, ungroomed and American in character, as it was saved by business and business is helping it to develop further still now. If there are some important changes, it’s thanks to business. This is why, I think, one day, Tsnori will be as good as Chicago“. Noteworthy is Tsnori street art, which similarly to other cities of Georgia is self-initiated by artists and is not affected by vandalism from radicals. Today “Knowledge Café” includes multifunctional reading hall, bookshop, café and educational centre’s 8 projects and 517 activities, with 5205 guests and 1419 builders. Nana’s team managed to handle three types of critical challenges: first, created successful example of social entrepreneurship, and this is in such conditions when there’s no relevant legal framework on national level in terms of social entrepreneurship and as a result, these types of organizations are substantially restricted from entrepreneurial activities and enjoy a number of benefits; Second, developed the fundraising and particularly effective campaign of public funding (crowdfunding) and here too, two types of public funding - joint-stock and loan-based crowdfunding – stay as non-legitimate practices in Georgia; and third, created the socially attractive new centre in east Georgia by developing the creative space for the entrepreneurs’ camps, creative workshops, literature and film club, online agro school programme, citizenship, ecology, literature, public discussions on business social responsibility and reports; also, the elderly interest clubs, young and elderly population of nearby settlement have the opportunity to acquire relevant practical skills and to increase the knowledge about the findings of the modern world in general.