Why did the judoka with the lion cub become a meme?

Why did the judoka with the lion cub become a meme?
Join us at Papers for a lecture discussing how Georgian memes work, what lies behind them, and the role humor plays in local life.

A video showing judo champion Lasha Bekauri riding around Tbilisi with a lion cub went viral across the Georgian internet. The incident sparked a lot of criticism online. Later, it was revealed that the cub — actually a little lioness — was taken in by the Tbilisi Zoo.

A few days later, the video transformed into a meme: hundreds of parody posts featuring turkeys, sheep, and more, now with political undertones. What makes a meme go viral? How does a random clip turn into a cultural phenomenon?

In a lecture by lecturer and literary scholar Madina Magamedova, we will explore Georgian memes from a variety of social networks.

The lecture will be in Russian — memes will definitely be translated.