How Gen Z Is Using TikTok to Save Western Armenian

 Ella Chakarian

Anelga Hajjar started posting videos on TikTok feeling the way most people do — like she was just talking into the void. In Chicago, where she works as an actor and writer, Hajjar, 23, said the majority of Armenians around her speak Eastern Armenian. She said she struggles to find other Western Armenian speakers herself. So, she turned to social media.

“I just wanted to have a space where I myself could speak Armenian, because there’s no one here I can speak Armenian [with],” said Hajjar.

Intellectuals of Armenia and Diaspora: The Quest for a New Paradigm

 Tigran Yegavian

In the 20th century, a large part of Armenian literary production took place outside the borders of Armenia. In the diaspora, the philosopher and editor-in-chief of the GAM Literary Magazine, Marc Nichanian, reminds us of the injustice that the Armenian literary world suffered by the censoring of Western Armenian by the Soviet regime. Access to important literary figures such as Hagop Oshagan, Indra or even the writers of the Paris School (Chahan Chahnour, Nigoghos Sarafian, Zareh Vorpuni, etc.) were limited. This question, which has been relegated to secondary importance in the face of the existential challenges facing the Armenian world, has one merit: It implicitly calls for a new paradigm in the relationship between the literary elite of Armenia and the diaspora.

Roslin Press Presents Armenian Adaptation of the Animated Series "Treasure Island"

Roslin Press has just announced the first-ever Armenian production of Osamu Dezaki’s anime rendition of the classic swashbuckling adventure, Treasure Island. This is an initiative the likes of which the Diaspora hasn’t seen in over a generation. To capture the spirit of the 21st century Diaspora and Armenia, the 26-episode series features a mix of characters speaking Eastern and Western Armenian. Thanks to the assistance of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, young Armenians from across the globe can now sail the seven seas with Jim Hawkins in his search for buried treasure.

Especially during the pandemic with all of us spending an unprecedented amount of time at home, finding high-quality Armenian entertainment for children has never been more important.

ExԱյլ: Krikor Beledian on Diasporic Multilingualism

Karen Jallatyan

Two translations in two years. Two translations of Krikor Beledian’s monumental Fifty Years of Armenian Literature in France, 1922-1972, From the Same to the Other (Cinquante ans de littérature arménienne en France, 1922-1972, Du Même à L’Autre, 2001, CNRS) were published in the past two years: the English version translated by Christopher Atamian in 2016; the Armenian version a year later, translated by Arpi Totoyan. Growing out of Beledian’s second dissertation, defended in 1995, this meticulously researched volume analyzes the Armenian Catastrophe and diasporic exile by presenting the literary milieu and the literature of the “Menk” (We) generation whose authors – among them Shahnour, Sarafian, and Vorpouni – started publishing in the 1920s and were active well into the 1970s. Here, I will focus on the essay “The Bilingual Net” («Երկլեզու ցանցը», 5-39) with which Beledian introduces his work’s Armenian translation. True to its title, this text attempts to think diasporic multilingualism from the prism of reading (hence writing) literature. Before delving into the essay, I invite you to take a brief excursion through Beledian’s literary criticism to see what this author might mean by “thinking” (theorizing) and “reading” (writing).

Garo Armen: New Armenia creates a New Diaspora

Ara Tadevosyan

  

The New York-based Children of Armenia Fund's (COAF) SMART Center will open in the province of Lori, Armenia, on May 27, 2018. Mediamax talked to COAF founder and chairman Garo Armen ahead of the opening.

The opening of SMART Center is a matter of a few days now. What do you feel ahead of that important event?
The concept of SMART was born about two years ago. Then it was the matter of how we perfect the idea, which had two components. One was the design of SMART and the other, very importantly, the content of SMART – what does it do, how does it do it, why does it do it? It has been a major effort that now is coming to a public tipping point on Sunday. We have unofficially opened SMART with some programs that are underway already and those will continue at an accelerated pace after the official opening.

Parts Unknown Fan Recap: Armenia

On Sunday, May 20, 2018, CNN aired Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown highly anticipated episode dedicated to Armenia. Bourdain traveled to Armenia with System of a Down’s Serj Tankian. They talked about Armenia's painful history, the strength of the Diaspora, and those who are shaping its future. Roads & Kingdoms co-founder Nathan Thornburgh and stand-up comedian Jennifer Neal rehash the episode.

In Praise of the New Prime Minister: Serzh Sargsyan’s Achievements

Nerses Kopalyan

 

If we equate stability with security, and security with longevity, then clearly we abide by the laws of continuity, hence providing the conceptual basis for the continuation of Serzh Sargsyan as the country’s leading political figure. We can better understand this through a more nuanced framework. Wisdom is a virtue possible only through experience; experience is a condition predicated on competence and competence is a quality innate to a refined politician. That Serzh Sargsyan is a refined politician is beyond debate. That Serzh Sargsyan is competent is a foregone conclusion. That Serzh Sargsyan is extraordinarily experienced cannot merit disagreement. And that Serzh Sargsyan, a consummate student of strategy, exudes wisdom, is only evident by merely observing his accomplishments. A selfless public servant who has devoted his life to the advancement and betterment of the Armenian nation, Serzh Sargsyan assumed the Presidency in 2008, amid turmoil and uncertainty, only to steer the nation toward development, growth, and security.

Rethinking the Discourse on Armenian Diaspora: Language(s), Culture(s), Affiliation(s)

Vahe Sahakyan

 

The year 2017 was marked by two major diaspora focused events in Armenia, both attracting a fair number of visitors from around the world. Chronologically speaking, the first event, receiving much publicity across the Armenian universe, organized by the government of the Republic of Armenia on September 18-20, 2017, brought together representatives from around the global Armenian diaspora. Around 50 participants from the diaspora were carefully selected to address the public on behalf of their respective organizations, institutions and communities. The second event, somewhat marginal in the Armenian social and political mainstream discourse, organized by Common Purpose in cooperation with UWC Dilijan with the support of Aurora Humanitarian initiatives on October 8-10, 2017, gathered some 60 participants from around the world with diverse backgrounds, cultures and geographies. The “Diaspora Dialogues” intended to provide a forum for an exchange of views and perspectives about the challenges of diaspora leadership.[1]

Twenty-Six Years On: From Charitable Assistance to Social Change

 Antranig Kasbarian

As the title suggests, I wish to explore certain aspects of Armenia-Diaspora relations, focusing on charitable assistance over the past 25 years. Specifically, I would like to track how diasporan giving has evolved—or, rather, cut a serpentine path forward, moving from what I would call emergency/immediate aid to more rehabilitative/developmental assistance today. I will be painting a picture with a broad brush, seeking to identify broader processes and trends, so I ask readers to accept this as a work in progress.

Could Armenians Remain a Global Nation with a Broken Homeland?

Hratch Tchilingirian

 

In recent years a new discourse on “global Armenians” is increasingly becoming part of an effort of constructing a post-Genocide Armenian identity in the Diaspora — and Armenia. These new identity shapers seem to advocate a transition from “survival mentality” to celebration of life and success. One definition was provided in a full-page letter published in The New York Times (28 October 2016), according to which a “global Armenian” is someone, who despite having “forcibly displaced and dispersed” ancestry, lives “across the world” and has made or is making “major contributions toward advancing their adoptive countries.”[1] Such “global Armenians” include scientists, doctors, engineers and inventors making contributions to societies in their countries; politicians, ministers and diplomats serving in different countries; movie stars, sportsmen, bankers and corporate executives; and, of course, celebrities who have millions of followers on social networks. In short, a “global Armenian” is someone who is professionally successful, has an impact in their field, and has public visibility or recognition.

One of the stated main goals of this prescriptive “global Armenianism” is “to transform the post-Soviet Armenian Republic into a vibrant, modern, secure, peaceful and progressive homeland for a global nation.” This is, indeed, a vision that many in Armenia and the Diaspora dream about. Of course, there are others who use the term “global Armenian” as a descriptive term or as synonym for dispersion.[2]

‘Where Are You From?’ and the Huge Pile of Complexes

Rupen Janbazian
Translated by Tatul Sonentz-Papazian

“Where are you from?”

“Toronto… from Canada.”

“No! Before that…”

This was not an existential query directed at us; the man was not asking which corner of Western Armenia our forefathers came from, or where the birthplace of our Armenian origin was. The question was much more mundane—and, in its simplicity, a huge pile of complexes.

He wanted to know “where from” we had migrated to Canada. It was not the first time that strangers had asked us this question during this visit.

Beyond Nationalism: The Case for Engaged Patriotism on the Eve of the 100th Anniversary of Statehood

Varak Ketsemanian

Raffy Ardhaldjian

 

May 28 just passed and Armenians celebrated Republic Day—the holiday that commemorates the day when Armenia became a republic and a reference to the first modern Armenian state of 1918 since the loss of Armenian statehood in 1375.

This year marked the 99 years of independence for Armenia. While it is a small blip in our long history, it is an important milestone to critically reflect on. It was an attempt at establishing both a physical Armenian statehood and the best government possible at the time.

Since then, also in 2017, Armenia just passed through historic Parliamentary Elections that transitioned the country into a parliamentary democracy enshrined by Armenia’s new constitution. 

Centennial Minus One: The Complicated Trek of May 28 in the Armenian Diaspora

Ara Sanjian

 

In exactly one year from now many Armenians across the globe will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of an independent republic in Armenia during the final months of the First World War. Depending on when they locate the ultimate collapse of the last Armenian medieval kingdom, most Armenians will tell you that this proclamation on May 28, 1918 marked the return of an independent Armenian entity to the world political map after a hiatus of nearly six to nine centuries. They will also add that this proclamation was the most unfailing sign of the rebirth of the Armenian people, only three years after the genocide it had suffered in the Ottoman Empire.
In 2015, the government of Armenia succeeded in bringing together almost all influential organizations in the far-flung Armenian Diaspora to impressively mark and on a worldwide scale the centennial of the darkest page in modern Armenian history. Preparations for the genocide centennial had begun in earnest four years earlier – with the Armenian president establishing on April 23, 2011 a state commission to coordinate the events dedicated to the 100th commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.

The Intellectual Crisis of the Armenian Reality։ A Critical Engagement with Seta B. Dadoyan

Varak Ketsemanian

However we try to define the term and the various dimensions of the 21st century “Armenian Reality,” one aspect remains indubitable, namely, the ongoing political, economic, cultural and social challenges that this reality is facing globally. The one critical feature that is not adequately tackled and is almost non-existent in Armenian public discourse is the “intellectual crisis” that Armenians are facing vis-à-vis the rapid changes they are witnessing both in the Diaspora and Armenia. 

Notwithstanding the lack of a healthy public discourse that accounts for the intellectual crisis, only a few serious works have emerged in recent years addressing the urgent need of revamping, analyzing, and critically engaging with the dominant epistemic categories and historical paradigms that animate this Armenian reality. Among such endeavors, Seta B. Dadoyan’s recent book, “2015: The Armenian Condition in Hindsight and Foresight: A Discourse” is a timely and critical piece of scholarship that sheds light on the intellectual crisis of the 21st century Armenian reality.

Armenian Diaspora Publications at the British Library

Vahe Boghosian

 

During my time at the British Library working on the Asian and African Collection backlog cataloguing project I have come across a number of thought-provoking printed works in the Armenian Collection. The following post describes three examples which for me highlight the fascinating adaptability and ever changing nature of diasporas. They describe Armenian communities which reached their zenith long ago, and are now seldom remembered, but at the same time they exemplify a willingness to embrace the host culture while remembering and respecting their own cultural roots.

Krikor Beledian's "Fifty Years of Armenian Literature in France" Has Been Published in English

California State University, Fresno Armenian Studies Program Director Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian announced that Krikor Beledian’s Fifty Years of Armenian Literature in France has been published by the Armenian Series of The Press, at California State University, Fresno.

Translated from the original French into English by Christopher Atamian, Fifty Years of Armenian Literature in France is a groundbreaking study of the Armenian literary scene in the important Armenian Diaspora community of France. Beledian has produced a comprehensive and fascinating view of the Armenian literary landscape in France, one that will be of lasting significance to the study of Armenian literature.

Open Letter to the Armenian Diaspora

Arsinee Khanjian

I was detained by Armenian police, in the capital city of Yerevan on July 27, 2016, while photographing a rally for democratic rights and social and political reforms. This random, unjustifiable arrest made me realize that as an artist and human rights activist, it is my responsibility to speak out about issues essential to the stability, unity and perpetual sustainability of the Armenian homeland. I also realized we are overdue in re-examining the nature of the Armenian Diaspora’s engagement with its homeland.
On this 25th anniversary of independence, there are huge social, political and economic obstacles deeply challenging and taxing the livelihood of the Republic of Armenia.
The country has major internal problems due to systemic corruption, nepotism and an oligarchic economy, where power and wealth remains in the hands of a few. Absence of equitable rule of law and upward social mobility combined with the suppression of freedom of speech and thought as well as civil liberties and rights, have all further exacerbated an already intolerable situation in the Republic.
There are other alarming factors fomenting Armenia’s domestic and foreign problems. Lack of natural resources, an economic blockade by Turkey and Azerbaijan, geopolitics of superpowers in the region, adversarial neighbours, a ‘no war no peace’ situation at its border with impending and continued international pressure in the peace negotiations for Nagorno Karabakh Republic, have all thwarted international interest in the twin Armenian republics. These circumstances have created an existential impasse where public mistrust, resentment and fear coupled with inadequate economic and social welfare, have resulted into desperate acts of defiance and outrage.
This deadlocked situation and the sudden incursion of Azeri forces beginning of April, 2016, that caused the death of over one hundred soldiers along with the loss of some 800 hectares of land to Azerbaijan, led to a group of gunmen to take over a police station in Yerevan on July 17, 2016, as an act of last resort after exhausted attempts at promoting change through political movements.
The subsequent expression of public support for the group’s extreme measures illustrated the level of the frustration that has been percolating in Armenian society in the face of governmental indifference and negligence towards the plight of the people. In short, the citizens of Armenia have widespread misgivings about their government and have ceased to believe that their children and grandchildren can have sustainable and dependable living conditions or a future in their ancestral homeland.
Hundreds of thousands are leery about the ruling elite and the questionable, constitutional legitimacy of those in power. Over a million people or one third of the population, have opted quietly, for an exit strategy from the country causing massive depopulation and brain drain of the cream of the crop of our homeland . The preservation and the security of the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh is alarmingly threatened as a consequence.
Citizens and civil organizations who are fighting ongoing indignation or injustices on the ground are calling on the 8-million–strong Armenian Diaspora and its institutions for attention, participation and support.
For years now, citizens of the Republic and a spattering number of Armenians from the Diaspora have been demanding honest and fundamental reforms to the much-too-fragile social contract between the government and the people it’s supposed to represent. They are calling for these changes to remedy the country’s ills and misfortunes — all brought upon by systemic and abusive practices at all levels of state institutions.
Time and again, I have been urged by our compatriots in Armenia that the Diaspora takes upon itself and share the responsibility to pay heed to these circumstances and positively contribute to their efforts in rehabilitating this untenable and explosive environment.
So how can the Diaspora participate in a direct and impactful way toward positive social and political paradigm shifts in Armenia?
Defending human rights, civil rights and rule of law is the prescient and effective way. A simple step will be for independent volunteers from across the Diaspora to go to Armenia in the spring of 2017 and man every polling station at the upcoming parliamentary elections. This on the ground engagement in support of our compatriots should be the priority of every Armenian and their institutions worldwide in order to promote and secure fair and free and transparent elections in the country.
All deployed participants should be non-partisan observers, participating at their own expense and whose sole interest and responsibility is to oversee the election process from the dropping of ballots into boxes, to the counting votes at the closing of the polls. This is a direct and constructive involvement that can help eliminate electoral fraud or vote rigging.
The role of the observers who will work with Armenian civil associations, non-governmental organizations, and anti-corruption bodies is vital and imperative to the process. These observers will be armies of democracy, joining local groups that have the knowledge, the experience and the acquired wisdom from past elections in carrying the work from the ground up.
In the crucial months leading to the next parliamentary elections, voters throughout the country should be provided extended civic education programs about the importance of their participation in a transparent electoral process. They should be encouraged to learn about their privileges and options, and their power to influence with their votes the election’s outcome. They should be brought to believe that this civic duty can and must be carried out without bribery and bullying in the full dignity of their rights.
The protection of these basic human rights of inalienable freedom is closely linked to furthering long-term, sustainable development. It is an instrumental and first crucial step in attaining a true democracy in Armenia.
Diasporan leaders, scholars and activists and specially those coming from Western democracies can help organize and secure training and expertise to implement fair and free elections. They can play a key role in translating the best practices from their adopted countries of residence to practices in Armenia that promote rule of law.
The Central Electoral Commission on the other hand is one good place for those in power to begin implementing democratic safeguards as a gesture of good will. In doing so they will start to build confidence and trust within the electorate, that their vote will not be rigged and that their voice can in fact help secure much needed fundamental change to the existing system.
The upcoming parliamentary elections in May of 2017 will give the Armenian government an ultimate opportunity to take the first and honest transformative steps to conduct transparent elections in the most expedient and effective manner.
Those in power should and must refrain from manipulating or using non-democratic procedures that can lead to the falsification of election results. The Republic of Armenia is a signatory to many conventions and treaties, which stipulate compliance with democratic procedures. Thus, the Republic is obliged by international laws to hold fair and free elections.
It is by engaging in this process as a facilitator that the Diaspora can and will help the Republic of Armenia’s newly elected government to earn respect and legitimacy with its citizens, and with the international community.
On the other hand, a transparent election process will turn citizens into stakeholders and give them a sense of ownership of democratic practices. It will also provide them with hope for a better future and a compelling alternative from the dismal, hopeless prospects they now face.
At this crucial juncture of so many challenges in the homeland, the Diaspora cannot plead ignorance. The Diaspora must not be an ambivalent bystander. Armenians around the world must not avoid or neglect the pleas from our compatriots. The Diaspora must no longer ignore the perils of inaction. We can never say we did not know. We can never say we were not offered a chance to participate in these formative years of our collective future.
As I finish writing this letter, I come across a call from President Serzh Sarkisian in a recent statement published in Diaspora papers: “… I believe, we must not limit ourselves to resources within our ranks and for the resolution of issues before us we must seek and find individuals and people who are able and willing to shoulder responsibilities for the difficult tasks, regardless what part of the world they are.”
I rest my case.
I urge volunteers in the Diaspora to get in touch with Citizen Observer Initiative through Transparency International in Armenia, make plans and commit to being in Armenia as volunteer observers during parliamentary elections next April and enroll as soon as possible by writing to ditord@transparency.am until a volunteer registration platform is built online.
All emails/registrations are also to be cc’d to: iobserve2017@outlook.com to help share interest in volunteering with other organizations working similarly on transparent election initiatives.
In the name of our nation, we all have an opportunity to commit to the ideals of action and advocacy so that Diaspora and Armenia are brought closer — much closer than they are today.
My Armenia deserves better. 

To Armenia with love,

Time to Lift ‘Our Truck’

Patrick Azadian

 

Years ago, a relative of my maternal grandmother paid us a visit in the United States from Soviet Armenia. Like a smug Diasporan, I planted an Armenian tri-color on top of our late seventies Zenith television monitor and set the stage to ask my burning question.

“When will Karabakh be re-united with Armenia?” I finally asked.

Undoing Denials at the Venice Biennale’s Armenian Pavilion

Neery Melkonian

 

Neery Melkonian, a New York-based art curator and scholar, passed away on July 2, 2016, after battling cancer. She was a gifted scholar with a keen eye for different manifestations of Armenian contemporary art. In her memory, we reproduce the following essay, first published in the catalogue for Armenity, which accompanied the Armenian pavilion of the same name at the 2015 Venice Biennale. The Armenity exhibition won the Golden Lion for best national pavilion at the Biennale last year.

A Conversation with Collectif Medz Bazar’s Sevana Tchakerian: Music that Transcends Borders

Katherine Berjikian

 

I met Sevana Tchakerian a couple times before I got the opportunity to interview her.

I had been in Armenia for a couple days and out of boredom I went with a couple friends to a fancy, kind of tourist café. Half way through the meal, Sevana and a person I never really caught the name of, sat down.  After a little while, kind of out of boredom, I stood up to make my round of kisses and leave. However, Sevana stopped me before I left, and insisted on talking to me about my outfit.