Two spellings are used in reference to the Namokhvani Dam project: Namokhvani and Namakhvani. Which one is correct?
The village in Imereti where the dam is being built is and has always been called: Namokhvani.
However, as this project was originally conceived when Georgia was part of the Soviet Union, a Russianized pronunciation came to be used among outsiders who sought to wall off this section of the Rioni: Namakhvani.
Therefore, in all official and corporate documents, you will see the use of the name "Namakhvani" when referring to the dam. The builders of the dam are so disconnected from local issues that they even refer to the dam which they plan to build at Tvishi - a full 20 kilometers upstream - as the "Upper Namakhvani Dam". In contrast, protesters from the local area tend to refer to the projects by the names of the local areas: Namokhvani Dam and Tvishi Dam.
This blog will prefer the term "Namokhvani" in solidarity with local villagers, who we believe have more right to the name of an area, and the valley of their ancestral homes, than a foreign company who has gone and bought it out from under them without their consent.
Pictured: The place in Namokhvani where the dam is planned to be built.
No comments:
Post a Comment