FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
International Activist and Author Tsisnami Sakvarlishvili Brings the Story of Georgian Resilience to Times Square on Easter Sunday
NEW YORK, NY – April 6, 2026 – On Easter Sunday, April 5, Georgian-born author, journalist, and activist Tsisnami “Sissy” Sakvarlishvili captured the attention of thousands in the heart of New York City. Her profound new book, Georgia After the Collapse of the Soviet Union, was featured on a towering digital billboard in Times Square, broadcasting a powerful message of resilience, freedom, and democratic survival to the world.
The high-visibility campaign played over 50 times throughout the day, showcasing Sakvarlishvili in two distinct segments. In addition to a stunning, standalone cinematic video trailer detailing her journey and her book, she was also prominently honored as one of Franklin Publishers' “Top 5 Spring Authors.” This dual feature firmly cements her status as a premier global voice in political history and human rights.
For Sakvarlishvili, the Times Square feature represents the culmination of a deeply personal and political journey. Rising from an abandoned child raised by blind adoptive parents to a migrant caregiver in Italy, she ultimately earned a Master’s degree in Political Science and immigrated to the United States. Today, she remains an active leader in the fight for Georgian democracy, having personally led protests against pro-Russian forces in her homeland.
“Seeing my story—and the story of my country—lit up in the center of the world is a profound honor,” says Sakvarlishvili. “Georgia is an ancient, beautiful nation that has been tested by empire and has paid a very high price for its freedom. I wrote this book so the world will finally understand our history and our ongoing fight for democracy.”
About the Book
Georgia After the Collapse of the Soviet Union provides an emotionally detailed and data-driven account of the nation’s first decades of independence. Sakvarlishvili weaves her own journey of resilience into a rigorous analysis of Georgia’s transformation. The book examines the leadership of post-Soviet presidents and the sweeping reforms that followed the 2003 Rose Revolution, detailing the shift from a centrally planned command economy to a liberalized market system. It confronts the structural realities of rebuilding a nation under pressure—caught between integration with Western institutions and systemic external pressure from Russia.
