In the middle of a compact crowd of pro-European demonstrators, Ana Kaulachvili makes her way, as comfortable as a fish in water. The 22-year-old Georgian will, in less than 48 hours, be in a very different universe: in front of the cameras of the show Master Chef.
Taking part in the Georgian version of this famous televised cooking competition, “it was my dream for five years”, explains the young woman to AFP in a square in Tbilisi, wrapped in the red and white flag of this small Caucasian country. .
Ana Kaulashvili’s culinary skills allowed her to advance through several rounds of elimination, and even win the second episode of the current season.
Under normal circumstances, the young brunette with the air of a good student would have devoted all her time to perfecting her dishes for Master Chef.
But the announcement on Thursday by the government, from the Georgian Dream party, to freeze ambitions to join the European Union, triggered massive demonstrations and dynamited its priorities.
“My future depends on what Georgia does now,” she says.
She is convinced that her country is “at a crossroads”: on one side, the EU and its promises; on the other, Russia, a neighbor which acts as the ultimate scarecrow for the opposition in this former Soviet republic.
The stakes are such that this is not the time “to have fun, to do what you love or to relax”, judges Ana Kaulachvili.
“We have gone into revolution mode.”
– “So proud” –
The next day, AFP found Ana Kaulachvili at her home. In recent days, the young trained psychologist has spent less time there than in demonstrations.
Her commitment is evident from the entrance to the apartment, where her protester outfit sits on a mirror. A Georgian flag, another from the EU, and a gas mask, an essential barrier against the tear gas used by the police.
Demonstration after demonstration, Ana Kaulashvili has acquired a little notoriety in the opposition community.
A photo of her made the rounds on social media this week. She stands there on the barricades facing the police, arms raising high the flag of her country.
Her boyfriend Dato Abzianidzé, 29, said he saw the photo shared and re-shared while Ana was still asleep in their apartment.
“I went up to her to kiss her because I was so proud,” he explains, staring at her.
– Khinkalis and influence –
The little free time that Ana Kaulachvili has left is spent in the kitchen, preparing for the next Master Chef tests.
The broadcast of the show was suspended during the demonstrations, proof of the impact of this movement in the country, but the filming of the episodes continues.
On his daily training menu are khinkalis, plump ravioli filled with meat.
“It’s the national dish, and also my favorite food,” she smiles as she chops onions.
Their folding is technical, and she prefers to practice before making them for the show.
This is not the young woman’s first attempt. She has filmed her recipe several times for her TikTok account, where videos of her dishes have allowed her to accumulate 41,000 subscribers.
Even if recently, on his networks as in his daily life, cooking has given way to politics.
His account is now a funny mosaic where ice cream recipes and calls for mobilization come together.
“I told myself that people were listening to me, and that I could express myself,” explains Ana Kaulachvili.
Impossible to say if her subscribers are convinced, but the young woman has at least influenced one person: her mother.
Until recently a supporter of the Georgian Dream, she is now also participating in the protest movement.
– “Fire me” –
That evening, Ana Kaulashvili had planned to stay at home for once, just to recover a little.
But the call for demonstrations is ultimately too strong. At nightfall, we find her among hundreds of people in front of the public television building – the same one that broadcasts Master Chef.
The opposition accuses the national media of being biased and controlled by the government.
Ana Kaulachvili realizes that the situation is rather funny. And she suspects that television executives wouldn’t be happy to see her here.
“It doesn’t matter to me,” she says. “They can kick me off the show.”
“My first job is to be here, and everything else comes after that.”
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