Action Against Hunger (ACF for “Action Contre la Faim” in French) invited me to join on a field trip in the remote region of Pankisi, in the north east of Georgia. This agricultural region stretches at the foot of the North Caucasus range.

Lela, ACF manager for the assistance project in the region gives me a detailed brief on the way to Duisi, a big village at the entrance of the Pankisi gorge. The Kists, a Muslim community of Chechen origin, settled in Pankisi two centuries ago. Another wave of Chechen refugees, fleeing the war in their country, came at the end of 1990s. The Kists traditionaly follow Sufism,  which is a mystical trend considered as a peaceful and apolitical form of Islam. In the last few years however, many youth living in Pankisi have been increasingly attracted to Salafism, which preaches a literal, strict and puritanical approach. This is causing tensions within the community and affecting the way people live there, especially women.

Today we are visiting the Community Educational Center of Duisi. The center offers development activities to mostly girls and women. It is a nice two story white building from the Soviet era. An old Lada parks in the courtyard under the shade of large trees.

We first meet with a small group of young women attending a cooking course. Today they learn how to bake a chocolate cake. The ambiance is muted and serene. I’m told the cake will be our dessert at lunch :)

The difference between Sufism and Salafism affiliation is noticeable in the clothing but everybody gets along very well.

The next room is more busy with a mix of boys and girls doing pottery. They are very studious and focused on their tasks, which brings the everlasting question of the influence of the observer, especially when he has a camera.

On the second floor, young women learn stitching. Most of them are not keen on being photographed but a mirror seems to take my side and reflects a shy smile by accident.

ACF runs a pilot project in the area. They have setup two groups of 20 youth each, one from Duisi (Muslim) and one from the nearby town of Akhmeta (Orthodox). They have been learning and working together for several months on the thematic of personal and professional development. The project is a big success: the two groups have blended in harmony and they are enthusiastic when they describe the huge positive impact of the program on their lives. Some youth from the two communities have even started to work on joint business projects.

During lunch break (and yes, the chocolate cake was great) I meet with Lia, a coordinator at the Community Center. She is curious to see the photo of her I took earlier.

She tells me about her, how she fled from the war in Chechnya with her husband and son in 1999 and settled in Pankisi. Lia says she is very happy to live in Georgia and she is proud of her son who is a student at the University in Tbilisi. I take the opportunity to make her close-up portrait.

The Center also offers academic support. The classroom door is open and I observe the scene: smiley kids and their teacher working in a relaxed yet studious atmosphere. What is achieved here is quite impressive, and they did not see me coming this time.

But all is not yet rosy in the area and tensions are growing. An attempt to set the Community Center on fire was made last January because of the activities that are offered here and because of the opportunities the Center represents. This place is obviously a symbol for all, whether they are for or against it, and fear permeates people’s daily life.

I roam around while Lela is on meeting. The pottery workshop is over and the kids run to the tap to wash their muddy hands in the courtyard. The variety of skin tones and eyes colors shows how an amazing melting pot the Caucasus region is. As far as history can trace back, people have been settling in the region, coming in countless waves from Europe, Persia, Russia or Central Asia. I guess a Muslim blond girl with freckles is a good symbol against religious stereotypes.

I wander a little further and observe the activity on the street nearby. I see mostly girls and women, men and boys are far fewer in the vicinity of the Center.

An old man passes by though. He gives me a big smile a second after I take the picture.

I watch the pedestrians passing by and it feels like an open-air fashion show with different styles from relaxed…

… through more formal …

… to very classical

In the courtyard I meet with Dagmar. She is waiting for her friends and we start talking. Dagmar is finishing high-school and she is preparing for a national exam to enter the University in Tbilisi as she wants to become an English teacher. It feels like I’m walking on eggshells here as not everybody is keen on being photographed but I ask Dagmar and she lets me make her close portrait.

Dagmar friends arrive soon after and it is obvious photos are not a problem as they take numerous selfies.

Lela is done with her meetings. A lady waves goodbye as we leave and I hope the metal gate standing in front of her is nothing more than a cliché, not a dear premonition for what is to come for the women of Pankisi.