When Gigo decided to join the acting faculty at the Tbilisi Institute of
Theatre and Cinematography, he went there with his mum. But they
told him if he wanted to attend, he should use the back door, not the
main entrance. Whilst his mother told me this story, he was listening
quietly. Then he took me into another room, and said, “When they told
me that, I told them to “piss off” and banged my fist on the table!... I did
the right thing didn’t I?”
I know that sometimes we like to believe that we reacted differently in
certain situations, when we think of what we wanted to say after the
fact. However, I hope Gigo really did bang his fist on the table and that
this determined young man will achieve his goals.
Gigo is already a good example for many and, in future, may become
even more of an inspiration for others. “It is time to listen to the voices of
people like Gigo, not just what their parents have to say,” his mum says.
In 2001, when it was time for Gigo to start school, not a single one
accepted him. Instead he got his primary education through homeschooling and at day centres. It wasn’t until he was 14 that ten Tbilisi
schools announced more inclusive programmes for children with
special needs. It was late in the day for him to have the usual childhood
experiences of classmates and teachers, although he got there
eventually.
However, he wasn’t allowed to take final exams and the programme
he was in would only give him a certificate instead of a diploma.
Consequently, this limited his options for further study, and he wasn’t
interested in what was available to him.
More than anything, Gigo wanted to be an actor, and he still does. He’s
good at it too, having been on the stage since he was ten, even playing
the role of “The Little Prince.” He also wants to continue being in show
business. For several years he was on TV, as a co-host of the Georgian
version of the “X Factor.”
When he wanted to become a barman, he did it. At the interview for a
bar position at the Holiday Inn, he told the manager: “Whenever I go
past this hotel, I always dream about working here. I’ve been liking your
Facebook page for ages.” Due to the Covid-19 virus the bar is currently
closed, but Gigo is still registered there as a barman. This job is not as
simple as it may seem. “I have to be a psychologist as well,” he tells me,
“the business might just be making cocktails and coffee, but you also
have to know how to deal with drunk people.”
Gigo’s story seems a successful one. He portrays it too, posing in front of
the camera looking every inch the confident and ambitious young man.
But behind this success there has been a lot of work, heartache, and
ever more barriers to overcome. Gigo’s dreams are to bash down these
obstacles, or as he puts it, to cut outdoors in the walls, especially the
door which was blocked for him at the Theatre Institute many years ago.
“I have to cut a big door in that wall, then I will open it and fulfil my
dream of becoming an actor.."
Photographer: Levan Kerkheulidze
Writer: Archil Kikodze
Project was produced within the framework of the Children Are Not Born with Prejudices project run by the Glada Hudik Theatre in Georgia with the support of the Swedish Institute.
