"evropuli qartia saqarTvelo "European Charter for Regional or ...

perceive, to open their eyes and make sure that Caucasus is a place) where the
Russians violate the laws of Russia itself as if for the sake of the state interests….
(pp. 7-10).
When criticizing Mapaluians 261 , Tedo Sakhokia has similar arguments
in his letter entitled "What are you chasing after?!" 262
:
"The issue of Samegrelo’s "autonomy" is brought up by one group of
"Megrelian Autonomists". The very issue, as they say, is based on their love
and care towards the Megrelian Proletariat which, apparently, as a separate
"nation" is suppressed by the young Georgian sovereignty.
… The reader must be already acquainted with publications in press that
concern the autonomists’ weakness, their betrayal and evil intentions. I as a
Georgian and an inhabitant of Samegrelo, cannot avoid giving voice to collective
resentment, and would like to express my indignation regarding such parvenu
behaviour of Samegrelo’s "protectors".
Samegrelo, as an integral part of Georgia, shared all its life with Georgians,
has dealt with all the difficulties life had offered and has created the unified
culture together with Georgians, and now, as the centuries passed, someone
such a creep comes and suggests to tear itself away from its mother!
How is that? How can "sovereignty of Georgia" suppress Samegrelo that
is tenderly cared by all Georgia? How anyone dare to say in the twentieth century
that the Megrelian and the Georgian languages are different?! Is Megrelian,
having almost one hundred percent of Georgian roots, a different lan-
261 “Mapalu” – a group of a few members who were spiritual successors of Tada Ashordia
(S. Gagua, M. Kankava, etc.) that had operating in Zugdidi since 1918; Their goal
was to estrange the Megrels from other Georgians (in terms of both Linguistic-ethniccultural
and "state" development). In 1920-1930s Isak Zhvania – the Bolshevik from
Zugdidi was actively implementing the "Mapalu" plans on a state level. The activities of
"Mapalu" like those Ashordia and his followers were condemned by the population of
Samegrelo and its intelligentsia. (see below); for the critical discussion on Mapaluians
and Isak Zhvania see: Zviad Gamsakhurdia, "The issue of Megrels";
http://sveticxovelijournal.ge/view.php?id=42
262 Tedo Sakhokia published this article under a pseudonym "adept" in the Khobi regional
newspaper (1933, # 6-7). The version published in " Republic of Georgia " on
September 12, 1992 (prepared for publication by Shukia Apridonidze) is based on the
speech of T. Sakhokia originally published in newspaper " Communist " in 1925 (#
219). The speech was addressed to the "meeting of Megrels residents of Tbilisi" held
and chaired by T. Sakholia at Rustaveli Theatre on September 24, 1925.
Tedo Sakhokia’s letter is cited according to the publushed version of 1992; we would
like to cite the statement by Aleksandre Mikaberidze, a famous translator of the Greek
mythology, published in "Republic of Georgia": "After Tedo Sakhokia’s speech that
was fearless and full of faith, the participant of the meeting rejected the issue brought up
by autonomists. Thus, "the meeting saved Samegrelo from total destruction".
220