Envisioning a prosperous coexistence of cultural heritage, tourism and environment in the village community of Latali (Georgia)
Svaneti benefited enormously from the tourist boom in the 2010s with the highest number of visitors of 150,000 in 2019. Svaneti is searching for a new identity in a continuous field of friction between an emerging local economy and the region‘s rich traditions. Against the background of emerging tourism, the region faces severe changes: an unregulated mass tourism destroys the region’s ecological heritage and decreases the possibilities of the population to contribute to their self-sufficiency through agriculture.
Latali-Project | Envisioning Svaneti
Envisioning a prosperous coexistence of cultural heritage, tourism and environment in the village community of Latali (Georgia) Svaneti benefited enormously from the tourist boom in the 2010s with the highest…
Project results
The Latali Records
Svaneti is searching for a sustainable future in a continuous field of friction between an emerging local economy and the region‘s rich traditions. Against the background of the region’s emerging…
#LataliRecords | Music and musicians in Latali
In Latali, many households still maintain elements of traditional culture, including Svan music. The village of Lakhushdi in the village community of Latali, also known as „The Singing Village“, undoubtedly…
#LataliRecords | On Abandoning Iphkhi and its meaning
Free Svanetians and equal society Dadeshkeliani Landlords always wanted to dominate the village, and the whole Latali swore an oath to protect their freedom, because Latali belongs to free Svaneti…
#LataliRecords | The Importance of Ornaments in Svan’s Culture
The following Text is taken from a journal article published by Nino Tserediani, Kevin Tuite & Paata Bukhrashvili: Women as Bread-Bakers and Ritual Makers. In Tsypylma Darieva, Florian Mühlried &…
#LataliRecords | Documentation of everyday life and practices in Latali in film and photography
As part of the project „Envisioning a prosperous coexistence of cultural heritage, tourism and environment in the village community of Latali (Georgia)“, many photographs of everyday practices in the village…
“Envisioning Svaneti” is an invitation to the local population in Svaneti to discover the nexus of heritage, tourism and environment. “Envisioning Svaneti” marks the begin of a process which aims at providing the Svan population a knowledge-based approach to conceive the possibilities of tourism with a sustainable use of cultural heritage in a profitable way.
“Envisioning Svaneti” is designed to implement a forum in which representatives from Upper Svaneti meet Georgian and German scientists and activists who have expertise in Svaneti and in dealing with cultural heritage. “Envisioning Svaneti” is a framework for a bottom-up initiative focusing on local challenges from the perspective of the local population.
The project is funded by the Heinrich Böll Foundation Tbilisi Office South Caucasus.
The project is being implemented with the participation of Georgian and German universities under the umbrella of the NGO FROH!, an international network of journalists, artists, designers, and photographers who have one thing in common: the idea that journalism is social engagement.
#LataliRecords | Field report by László Róbert Mézes
Brief introduction – The Latali-Project in #Svaneti #SouthCaucasus Latali is a village community in the north-western part of Georgia, in the administrative region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, in the Greater Caucasus.…
Geographien | doing geography 