A COVID-19 experience in Baku

Emina, International Project Manager at Asfar, spent early March 2020 in Baku and although only staying for a few days, she collected a lot of memories and specific learning experiences from this trip.  During this period, we were all learning how to live with the COVID-19 pandemic, having to literally change our behavior overnight – … Continued

e-Journal Edition: January 2021

Dear Reader, This time, I want to tell you about two events, one you are likely to be familiar with and the other not so much. Just over ten years ago Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor in Tunisia, set himself on fire in protest of poor living conditions, corruption and lack of freedoms in his … Continued

Where is Georgia, exactly?

A personal essay on the difficulties and dangers of categorising countries to regions. “Where is Georgia, exactly?” This was a question I was asked many times before, during, and after my trip to Georgia in 2019. Invariably, the preceding exchange was this:  “Georgia? The US state?” “No, Georgia, the independent country.” And then: Where is … Continued

The Mythological and Cultural Traces of the Caucasian Folklore

Myths as part of the national identity of the Caucasian People National myths are part of the genetic code of every nation. The 19th century saw the rise of nationalism as many nations sought their national myths, finding connection with their glorious past through historical continuity. Even today, national myths play an important part in … Continued

Editorial note – August 2020

Dear Reader, It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to this new edition of the Asfar e-Journal. It has been a long 18 months which seem to have witnessed it all; indeed, many of us have already had enough of 2020. Undoubtedly, much has happened; yet, equally, some would claim not enough has … Continued

1700 Years of the Grapevine Cross: Christianity in Georgia

The miracle of Christianity in Georgia The Georgian brand of Christianity is distinctive, and it is popular. The Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC) is one of fourteen autocephalous (independent) churches in the Eastern Orthodox family of churches, and occupies a prominent position in Eastern Orthodox hierarchy: second-most senior of the Junior Patriarchates, the second tier of … Continued

A profile of Child Marriage in the Caucasus

Child Marriage is still an ever-present issue throughout the world, and is most widely known and understood in Africa and the Middle East by the general public, but in Europe and the wider Western countries knowledge of child marriage in the Caucasus is limited. There is a lack of information and awareness of the causes … Continued

Erasmus+ Evropa2Evraziis Youth Exchange to Istanbul report (11th July to 17th July 2016)

Between June and September 2016, Asfar organised 7 Erasmus+ funded youth exchanges, including to Turkey, Israel, Macedonia, Serbia, Azerbaijan and Bulgaria, as part of Erasmus+ Evropa2Evraziis; Europe, Gallipoli and the Arab Revolt and S4C. Erasmus+ is an EU funded transnational learning scheme providing a wide range of educational opportunities for young people, including: Youth Exchanges; … Continued

All writers' views in articles are their own and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the AsfarEurope team.

Published by AsfarEurope in London, UK - ISSN 2055-7957 (Online)