The Stalinists of Georgia in the project Red nostalgia Bashny.Net

German photographer Sebastian Hoppe photographed Georgians who still honors the memory of Joseph Stalin.





"Red nostalgia" is a documentary project about the people in the post-Soviet countries that still revere their former leader Joseph Stalin. All these photos were taken in Georgia.

Currently, Georgia is divided into two generations, living side by side: people in age, who grew up in the Soviet era, and today's youth who grew up under the huge influence of Western culture. The more the Georgian young people affected by the West, the more the older generation nostalgic for its Soviet roots. As a result, they want a man like Stalin, put in order their country.



While almost every city has his movement the Stalinists, one of the cities stands out especially Gori. Gori is the city where Stalin was born, and traces the sectarian devotion to him here can be found everywhere. Gori is one of the largest museums in the world of Stalin. In the gift shop you can find everything from t-shirts to mugs with the face of the leader. On the facade of the local grocery store — two-story portrait of Stalin. Loyalty to Stalin was alive in the hearts of the Georgian people. They are proud of their relationship with the former historic leader.

My main interest as a photographer was to people who celebrate Stalin, in spite of the dark legacy he left. I wanted to understand how the Georgian people were able to come to terms with the brutality of his regime and to continue to raise children, following the Communist tradition. In an attempt to understand their world, I took photos of Georgians of all ages.