Portraits of Abkhazia - Youth, Memory, and Resistance

Portraits of Abkhazia — Youth, Memory, and Resistance

Organized by Road to Home in partnership with the Writers’ House of Georgia. The session was led by Salome Kapanadze (Professor of Philology) and Guram Odisharia (writer). Featured speakers included writers and poets from Abkhazia: Mose Gvasalia, Shota Akobia, Zurab Nakopia, Evgeni Akubardia, Nodar Khundadze, Ivane Papaskiri, and Ivane Tarba.

Portraits of Abkhazia is a series of sessions where displaced youth hear first-hand, fact-checked testimony from historians, lecturers, poets, and artists who directly experienced the 1992–1993 conflict and the subsequent occupation. The testimonies document war crimes, forced displacement, and the destruction of cultural heritage, and have been cross-verified with reports from Human Rights Watch, UN monitoring missions, and other international organizations.

Each session also strengthens a network of young leaders across Georgia’s displaced communities, equipping them to sustain cultural memory, challenge propaganda, and represent their communities in national and international forums.

“Russia invests in disinformation, we invest in truth, and truth, carried by the next generation, turns lived memory into lasting justice” said Luka Gurtskaia, Head of Youth Initiatives.

Through this model, Road to Home transforms living memory into credible evidence, youth leadership, and a tangible tool against disinformation, demonstrating the power of cultural testimony as both education and advocacy.