My House from Above
Just one house exists in the memories of those forced to leave Sokhumi – their own home. In their conversations, they try to remember every detail -- from wooden staircases and tangerine gardens to the very color of an entrance door.
Some 25 years have passed since these Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) left Abkhazia, but their memories still contain the color, smell, sound and feeling of the city in which they once lived.
Their second home is in Tbilisi, in a block house for IDPs.
The reason for this dual existence is the 1992-93 conflict in Abkhazia, which displaced tens of thousands of people. All these individuals can do now to appease their nostalgia and see their old homes again isto crossthe administrative border virtually, via online satellite footage.
But a virtual tour is quite a challenge for the elderly; as it is for all who try to recognize their personal space in grainy satellite shots.
Keti Gigashvili is the author of an experimental video series about IDPs from Abkhazia writing letters to their former Abkhaz neighbors and friends.
Link to the video: https://chai-khana.org/en/letters-1