Conference: Georgian stage director Robert Sutur

Conference: Georgian stage director Robert Sutur
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I would like to start with accusations of racism: perhaps, my choice of words wasn't quite right,
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but what I meant was that I would prefer an ethnic Georgian to be the President of Georgia.
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But if it so happens that the President is only half-Georgian, he most definitely shouldn't make a secret of it.
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In my interview I said that Saakashvili is an ethnic Armenian. But this was not meant as an insult in any way.
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If Armenian, or Russian people would prefer Georgians as their presidents... well, than I'd recognize my mistake.
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I've already apologized to my Armenian friends. Just recently, Lars von Trier allowed himself careless words about Hitler and his rule in Germany during Cannes Film Festival.
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He became a persona non grata. But I've watched this conference -
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just after saying these reckless words about Hitler he stopped short and said to himself: "My God, what have I said!"
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But the general message of his address was that we still don't have a clear picture of what happened in Germany back then
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and that we should revise this complex of historical problems once more, as we are now facing a sort of Nazism revival in certain countries.
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I'm no racist: I grew up in Tbilisi, and it is a truly international community.
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You can find a mosque, a synagogue, an Armenian church and a Georgian church within a 100-meter radius.
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In the house where I grew up there lived a lot of people of other ethnicities, my best friends,for example, were Armenians, my aunt is Armenian. I speak Armenian myself.
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I'm telling you this to prove that I'm not a nationalist. The government had no legitimate reasons to get rid of me so they made this preposterous accusation.
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If you'll study my words carefully you'll see that one can't be fired for this kind of words. But what's done is done, so the question is: what's next?
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The real reason for my discharge is that I've started criticizing current regime in a direct manner. So, you see, our government is beneath any criticism.
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Do you remember Andersen's tale 'The Emperor's New Cloths'?
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In this story no one dares to tell the king that he is in fact naked and only a child finally blurts out that the king is wearing no clothes at all, and only than others take up his cry.
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How will this decision affect your life? And how do you think, what destiny awaits other independent people of art in Georgia?
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And are you considering staging 'The Emperor's New Cloths'?
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Well, of course, I won't respond as bluntly as this, but it will have a certain impact on my future work.
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You know, when I staged 'Hamlet' in England - it was at the same time that the war broke out - theater critics wrote that I staged a play about Georgia.
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But that wasn't so, not intentionally, anyway.
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I don't know what I'll stage next, but I know what I want - I want to have some fun, so it will probably be a good comedy.
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You didn't hesitate to criticize Georgian government. Are you going to be that blunt in Moscow, when they'll ask you to comment on Russia's actions in the conflict?
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I'm sure they'll ask that often. And if you do so, what will happen, how do you think? Or you are ready to criticize Georgian side only?
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There's an old joke: Russian person comes to the US and sees a demonstration in front of the White House. The demonstrators demand Bush's resignation.
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His American friend tells him: "Look, how democratic our country is! I bet such a rally's unimaginable in Moscow."
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Russian responds: "Why not? We are as much democrats as you. Anyone can freely come to the Red Square and demand Bush's resignation!"
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I believe it's morally incorrect to come to a foreign country and start criticizing its social and political structure right away.
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I'm Georgian and I feel a moral right and obligation to speak my mind about the things that are going on in Georgia.
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Can you imagine that common Russian people now believe that Georgians are their enemies #2 (after the Americans, of course)?
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And they have no idea that this 'formidable enemy' is in fact a poor country with just a 4 million population.
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But anyway I wouldn't feel equally comfortable criticizing a foreign government, it's none of my direct business.
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