One Pebble from the Georgian Homeland

A documentary film “One Pebble Homeland” was presented in Akhaltsikhe, which is a film about the repatriation of Muslim Meskhs.

Muslim Georgian, evicted from Meskheti region (south eastern Georgia), discovered a pebble in the fleece of the mattress that he had taken from Georgia…the pebble from his native Georgia.
“Father took the pebble to his eyes and put on his lids.

Then the neighbors spread news-they had discovered one pebble from the homeland. They were coming and asking the pebble for one day to have in their homes; everybody wanted to touch it. We could not get the pebble back home when another neighbor was coming and asking for it,” said the child of the man.

The book of Nazira Vachnadze is full of such memories and these materials were used in the documentary film. Tsira Meskhishvili, chairperson of the Samtskhe Javakheti Regional Association “Telerant”, who worked on the film script.

The film was prepared within the project “Supporting the Protection-Integration of Meskh Repatriates in Georgia” which was funded by the European Commission.

“Many films have been made about the attitudes of Georgians about the repatriation of Muslim Meskhs. The film is full of sad storied and exposes how the ice is finally starting to melt between repatriates and local residents,” said Meskhishvili.

The film tells the story of several Muslim Meskhs who returned to Georgia. They recall the stories and memories of what their parents and ancestors had told them about Georgia.

“Initially people called us enemies but now the attitude has changed,” said Mamuka Khutsishvili who returned to his homeland 11 years ago; he now he lives in Akhaltsikhe.

At the end of the film a group of repatriated children, “Fesvebi”, as they are singing Georgian folk songs about their roots.

Tsira Meskhishvili stated that the documentary film was sent to Yerevan to be presented as part of the International Festival that is to be held on human rights protection; the festival will take place in the middle of July.

Gulo Kokhodze, Akhaltsikhe