On Being an International Company in a Messed-up World
Our team is from Georgia, Poland, Russia, Belarus, and America. It’s…complicated.
In Tbilisi, Georgia, FUCK RUSSIA is the most common graffiti tag on the walk from my apartment down Alexandr Chavchavadze to Rustaveli Avenue, followed by RUSSIANS GO HOME and RUSSIA KILLS. Elsewhere; смерть русским (DEATH TO RUSSIANS), FUCK RUZZIA, and RUSSIA IS A TERRORIST STATE join me on my forty-minute walk to our designer Nikita’s home in a building tagged with yet another FUCK RUSSIA. I take seven flights of crumbled stairs to his apartment where we begin each work day on his balcony so slanted that even it seems to be whispering, “Do it.”
In 2008, Russia invaded Georgia. Hundreds were killed; thousands were displaced. Russia now controls 20% of Georgian territories in what is known as a “creeping occupation.” As the border inches inward, Georgian villagers are subjected to abductions, torture, and even death. Meanwhile, since the war in Ukraine began, approximately 200,000 Russians have emigrated here. This influx of Russians into Georgia, where Mariam (our cartoonist) is from, has jacked up the cost of living for native citizens causing more resentment. Even the name ‘Georgia’ is an anglicized version of Russia’s name for the region, “Gruzija,” which is a far cry from the actual…
