November 8 is Ilia Chavchavadze’s birthday. This year, on this date, a week is dedicated to the achievements of writers and publicists on the initiative of the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia,
Within the week, from November 8 to 14, Ilia Chavchavadze’s archive material will be exhibited at the National Center for Manuscripts, named after Corneli Kekelidze.
For one week, public school pupils have the opportunity to get acquainted with Ilia Chavchavadze’s biography, life, and works, preserved in the National Manuscript Center.
Alexander Tsuladze, Minister of Education, Science and Youth, visited the exhibition at the National Center for Manuscripts. He looked at the documents presented in the exhibition space with his students and got acquainted with Ilia Chavchavadze’s archive.
As the minister noted, the exhibits preserved in the National Manuscript Center are less known to the public; therefore, it is especially important for pupils to get to know them. According to him, the exhibition of Ilia Chavchavadze’s records and personal correspondences will help pupils understand the scholar’s life and work.
Zaza Abashidze, director of the National Center for Manuscripts named after Corneli Kekelidze, hosted the minister and pupils.
In total, more than 1050 documents are presented in the exhibition space, and visitors are also invited to take 30- 40-minute excursions about the archive material exhibited.
Biographical materials and personal items are allocated as the first exhibition block, as well as foreign passports, documentation depicting organization membership, hall cards, and leather wallets.
Unites as a second block—poems, stories, publicist letters, and the peculiarities of Ilia Chavchavadze’s creative work are emphasized. Specifically, viewers have the opportunity to learn how many times Ilia Chavchavadze has rewritten a particular poem, what it changed, how it worked, what the first versions of the titles were like, and how the final version was created.
Separately, the third block of books and personal records of Ilia Chavchavadze’s district is divided, and his personal correspondences are submitted in the fourth block.
Notably, in connection with Ilia Chavchavadze’s birthday, various cognitive and educational activities are held in schools throughout Georgia, where students are actively involved.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia and Tbilisi City Hall cooperated, and on November 8-14, the Tbilisi Municipal “Union of Museums” will host schoolchildren completely free of charge.
The Union of Museums unites 9 independent museums, among them the Ilia Chavchavadze Literary-Memorial Museum.
Various types of thematic educational programs are constantly held in museums, which, in addition to their theoretical part, offer practical lessons to visitors.
