Georgia celebrates International Day of the Girl Child with the premiere of ‘Esma Starts a Car’ for teenagers and their families

The EU supported the production of the ‘Esma Starts a Car’ puppet show, which premiered in Tbilisi on October 11, on the International Day of the Girl Child. 

The performance is part of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) campaign ‘Do not Differentiate: a Girl and a Boy are both Your Future!’. The show was staged in partnership with the Union of the National Professional Puppet Theatres of Georgia and Akhaltsikhe State Puppet Theatre and was hosted by the Tbilisi State Puppet Theatre.

“Esma starts a car” is aimed at girls and boys aged 6-10 who dream to break stereotypes on the way to equality and want to change the world. It is also the story of their families, who take pride in their children, regardless of their gender.

The puppet show is directed by Elene Matskhonashvili, winner of the Duruji Theater Award, and written by playwright Alex Chighvinadze, winner of the Saba Literary Prize. The puppets and decorations were designed by artist Vakhtang Koridze.

The puppet show was prepared within the framework of the ‘Addressing Gender-Biased Sex Selection and Related Harmful Practices in the South Caucasus’ programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by UNFPA.

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Press release