EVENTS

2002

December: Georgian students at Oxford University meet to discuss the foundation of the first ever Georgian Society at the University. The historic meeting takes place at the University College, where the first outline of the society constitution and objectives are drafted.

2003

February: Official registration of Oxford Georgian Society (OXGE) with Oxford University (Proctor's Office). Society account opened at National Westminster Bank.

February: OXGE official inauguration ceremony. The event took place at Queen's College, Oxford. The ceremony,which was enjoyed a large attendance, marked the commencement of the activities of OXGE. The ceremony was attended by numerous distinguished guests from the academia, predominantly from Oxford and Cambridge Universities, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the UK, Mr. Teimuraz Mamatsashvili, OXGE Senior Member Prof. Michael Vickers (Jesus College), prominent Georgian UK Diaspora members, visiting scholars from Georgia, and Oxford students. The opening speeches are delivered by the OXGE founding President George Gigauri, the Georgian Ambassador and Prof. M. Vickers, paying homage to the history of Oxford-Georgian relations, the longstanding partnership of political and academic elites, and the legacy of the Wardrop Foundation.

March: OXGE hosts football fans to watch Georgia vs. Republic of Ireland, UEFA Euro qualifying match (St. Antony's College, Oxford). Unfortunately the Georgian qualifying campaign takes a big hit after a 1-2 loss to the Irish, however the team battled valiantly and there was no lack of emotional support from OXGE football fans.

May: Georgian Independence Day celebration. OXGE members gather in the famous Oxford Turf Tavern to celebrate the Republic's independence day UK style; while this day belonged to Georgia, the menu and the drinks were purely local.

May: Georgian dance, souvenir stand and national cuisine degustation (Oxford Town Hall). OXGE students teamed up with Georgian students from London and Warwick Universities to put on a dazzling national dance performance (the Kartuli dance), set up an information stand, and provided many Georgian dishes. Oxford University Student's Union Diversity Week, is the predecessor to the current Oxford International Festival. The dance Kartuli is performed by a dance couple and incorporates the softness and gracefulness of a woman and dignity and love of a man. Hundreds of Oxford students from a large mix of countries, as well as local residents of Oxford, attended the festival and had the opportunity to enjoy the Georgian food and culture.

June: Georgian wine tasting evening. The OXGE organized another successful event at the Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford), named 'Georgia: the Cradle of Wine', this time presenting a wide range of Georgian wines for sampling. The evening was attended by many interested students and professors. The presented bouquets included aboriginal Georgian grape varieties like Rkatsiteli, Saperavi, Mtsvane and Mujuretuli, with accompanying traditional Georgian snacks. Along with presented wines, OXGE provided information materials on the history of Georgian winemaking traditions. Georgia is the oldest wine producing region of the world – Georgia is believed by many archaeologists to be the source of the world's first cultivated grape vines and neolithic wine production, over 8,000 years ago. Due to the many millennia of wine culture in Georgian history, the traditions of its viticulture are entwined and inseparable with the country's national identity. The wine was kindly sponsored by the Georgian Embassy in the UK.

July: Georgian film viewing: 'The Legend of the Suram Fortress', directed by Sergey Paradjanov and Dodo Abashidze (St. Antony's College, Oxford). The OXGE members gathered for an enjoyable cinematic experience of a Georgian classic - Paradjanov's and Abashidze's 'The Legend of the Suram Fortress'.

October: OXGE night out following graduation ceremony (Sheldonian Theatre and then city pubs). October of 2003 was a special time for some OXGE students as they officially graduated and this special occasion was not overlooked by the society, as Oxford's Georgians took to the pubs in celebration of the graduation.

Ongoing monthly meetings to discuss latest developments at Oxford and Georgia, prepare political and cultural petitions, engage with other societies at Oxford University etc

2004

February: Georgian film viewing: ‘The Wishing Tree, directed by Tengiz Abuladze (Queens College, Oxford). The film is a Georgian classic and received a Donatello Prize for "Best Foreign Picture"

March: Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race, London: The Society organises a trip to London to cheer Oxford at the annual boat race on the Thames. Unfortunately Cambridge won.

May: Georgian Independence Day celebration. OXGE members gather for an evening out in Oxford to commemorate this important event. OXGE delegation has also traveled to London’s Four Seasons Hotel to represent the society at the Georgian Independence Day reception in London.

July: Georgian Wine Tasting (University College, Oxford). After the success of the first wine tasting event, the pride of Georgia that is wine was again on offer for everyone to enjoy. The event attracted a record number of attendees… the fact that all exams have been completed by this time, might have added to the popularity of the event. As before, the wine was kindly sponsored by the Georgian Embassy in the UK.

Ongoing monthly meetings to discuss latest developments at Oxford and Georgia, prepare political and cultural petitions, engage with other societies at Oxford University etc

2005

Vacant

2006

October: OXGE is re-registered after a year of being dormant by Aleko Scrivener

Ongoing monthly meetings to discuss latest developments at Oxford and Georgia, prepare political and cultural petitions, engage with other societies at Oxford University etc

2007

March: Georgian film viewing: ‘Repentance’, directed by Tengiz Abuladze (Fraenkel Room,Corpus Christi, Oxford). The film is a Georgian classic and a Special Jury Prize at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival

April: Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race, London: The annual tradition continues with a visit to Hammersmith Bridge. Plenty of OXGE alumni attended the event, but alas it did not stop Cambridge from winning.

May: Georgian Independence Day celebration. OXGE members gather for an evening out in Oxford to commemorate Georgia’s Independence Day. OXGE delegation and alumni also represented the society at the Georgian Independence Day reception in Churchill Hyatt Hotel, London

June: Georgian Feast in London. OXGE organized a feast for Oxford students as well as London alumni at Mimino Georgian restaurant in Kensington.

September - October: Rugby World Cup series of events. OXGE kicked of the new academic year on a high note by hosting ‘Support Georgia’ Rugby World Cup event, which saw Georgia thrash Namibia 30-0. The contentment was short-lived however as Georgia went on to suffer a heavy loss against France which crushed their hopes of leaving the group.

Ongoing monthly meetings to discuss latest developments at Oxford and Georgia, prepare political and cultural petitions, engage with other societies at Oxford University etc

2008

March: Tradition of Georgian wine tasting continues with yet another successful event. This time based around political debates and discussion on the region.

April: Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race, London: OXGE members are back at Chiswick Bridge for a picnic. Oxford team did everyone proud and OXGE members and alumni celebrated in style at Mitre in Holland Park

October: OXGE meeting at the House of Commons Reception (London, Houses of Parliament). The OXGE took full advantage of the St. Antony's London-based Alumni event, namely the reception at the House of Commons, to catch up and share future plans

November: Grigol Mgaloblishvili, the secretary of the OXGE founding Executive Committee, is appointed as the Prime Minister of the Republic ofGeorgia. We all congratulate him on this achievement

December: OXGE organizes a trip to Fitzwilliam Museum at University of Cambridge to see the stunning exhibition of 2000 year-old tomb and temple treasures from Ancient Georgia

Ongoing monthly meetings to discuss latest developments at Oxford and Georgia, prepare political and cultural petitions, engage with other societies at Oxford University etc