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TheAmenian fune Donor Registry
NeefuYourSupm*. Register to Become a Donor It's a simple process. Anyone between the ages of 18 and 60 and in good health can give a small blood sample for tissue type testing and listing with the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry. Join 1,500 Armenians in Los Angeles and in Yerevan who have registered to donate bone marrow to a patient with the same tissue type who is suffering from leukemia
or other blood-related
disease.
10,000 volunteer bone marrow donors must be recruited by the year 2004 in order to achieve the rate of one match per 200 donors. Opening
trqk
of Recruil Clendale Memorial Left to right: Bella Koc Winston, Ph.D.; Frieda Avagyan, M.D.
&nnnfiAff,srd m
I.of;e, a Singlm ffimm-* Send Your IVlonetary Donation The Armenian Bone Marrow Registry Charitable Trust was founded in 1999 to serve patients in Armenia and in the Diaspora who suffer from blqod-related diseases. The Registry established its first tissue-typing laboratory in Yerevan, Armenia, in December 2000. A satellite recruitment center and typing laboratory was established this year at the Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center, Los Angeles and the Foundation Laboratory, Glendora.
The Registry has secured the cooperation ofseveral international medical centers, such as the .Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust in England, Glendale Memorial Hospital and St Jude Hospital in US. Plans include the establishment of recruitment centers in Europe and in the Middle East. $450,000 is needed to operate the tissue-typing laboratories with medical staff and testing equipment and to maintain a computer database for searching and matching leukemia patients with suitable bone marrow donors. Generous grants already have been received from the Linry Foundation, Glendale Memorial Hospital and private donations. USA Frieda Jordan, Ph.D., Chairperson 347 West Stocker Street Suite 208 Glendale, CA9l202 Fhone/Fax
818.5 47 .137 4 a a
Armenia Sevak Avagyan, M.D., Executive Director Fax (3741) 53 98 90 375002 Yerevan, #1A Saryan Street E-mail abmdr@arminco.com
pnone
3741.53.9880
Glendnl* Msurorial Honpital *nrj Flealth Center eH's/
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This ad has been sponsored by the Glendale Memorial
Ths4l'menim Bone Marow Donor Registry is a nmprolit organiation registered il a 501@(3) under the Amenian Health Alliance. A(.credited by the Armenim govemment 6 m independent, nonprcfit, non-govâ‚Źmmental organiation.
HospitaL:,,f
8
Cover Story
I
24 The Lives They Kept lnsurers and a Debt of History
I
From the Editor
Letters
12 AIM View
Turning the Tide Against
Notebook
14 0uote Unquote 15 Birthdays & Anniversaries Did You Know? 16 Postscript 17 Did You Know? | Bytes on File I
Focus
18 A Killer Walks
20
Free
Dateline
Community
22
Hye Fidelity Little Armenia, Cal ifornia
Family Ties
36 A Long Journey to the
Sea
Connections
40
A Mother's Love Larisas Multi-Ethnic Armenian Family
42 Stealing the 50 52 54 56 60 61
Conneclions
44 lslam in Armenia Restored Mosque Serves Yerevans Growing lranian Community
Songs
Faces
Fashion Sports Underexposed Essay
0n the Shell
Arts
44
Photo Essay For Christ and Cabbage
Armenian lnternational Magazine Volume 13, lssue Three
Cover design/illustration by Patrick Azadian
/\IN I $i;ffii$ti#gft1r,ft:1+tg.{T,Itill
li{d+i,H$i$ffir[.irr,;i,T,'i,.
AIM APRIL
2OO2
F'or Sale Apartment Building Six unit apartment building
in Glendale, California. Built'l 984.
Annualgrosse income is
$91,680.
All 2 bedrooms and 1.5 bath.
Shopping Center Shopping center in Northridge, California.
0ver 30,000 square feet building. Annualgross income is
$474,450.
.;*, -/- -*-' For information and private showing
please call listing agent, Aida Yeghiazarian 818.547.6388 Principals call only please.
Buying or Selling of Residential and Commercial Real Estate Apartment Buildings I 0ffice Buildings I lndustrial I Shopping Genters
819.517.6388 RE/MAX OF GIENDAIE 333 East Glenoaks Boulevard Suite 100 Glendale California 91207
1\INI Publisher
What lt lakes
Michael ilahabel Ed lor
Tony Halpin lVanaging Editor
Hrair Sarkis
I utting together a magazine is a challenging enterprise at the best of times. All the more so f when you are attempting to do it over 12 time zones. AIM's bureaux in Glendale and Yerevan have become well practiced at coordinating their activities via email and late night/early moming telephone calls When one sleeps, the other works and vice.versa. Somehow, it seems an appropriate reflection of the Armenian world, stretched out across time and geography, mixing different cultures and experiences, intimately yet invisibly connected. And, like being Armenian, it requires more effort and devotion. Articles fly back and forth on email for editing, answers to questions. improvements, additions. Requests for photographs - often of the most difflcullto-flnd people or out-of-the-way places - land with absurdly short timescales. And bleary-eyed staff watch late into the night as flnished pages spew from fax machines containing last-minute corrections. It's short on glamor. Yet in the few months that I have been AIM's editor, it is the dedication of its staff and contributors that has most impressed me. They constantly go the extra mile, offering suggestions and devoting time and energy to make the magazine as good as it can possibly be. More than anything, I am conscious of my responsibility as editor to take the best of their ideas and bring them to fruition. Their commitment is what keeps this magazine going against the odds.They don't get rich from it - often they have to wait an unfair period of time to get paid at all - and they don't get stopped in the street for autographs. But what they do get is tremendous personal satisfaction at creating a magazine like no other in the Armenian world. And they know that what they do is appreciated by you, the reader and subscriber. Your praise, criticism. suggestions, and questions sustain the work of the writers and photographers. They know that you care about what they do, which is why they do. AIM is fortunate in the bond it enjoys with its readers - other publications would kill for such a relationship. I hope we can continue to justify your trust, while always being aware that there is so much more we would like to do if only there was more time, more money, more people, more... There will never be enough of all of these things, since there will always (hopefully) be something new to write about concerning the fast-evolving Diaspora and the still novel experience of nation-building. Whatever else, the one thing I know I will never be short of is the enthusiasm of AIM's contributors.
_€-
Sa*issian
Senior Edltor
John Hughes Arl Dlreclor
Patrick Azadian, PADA Contribuling Editors
Matthew Karanian, R0nald Grigor Suny, Taline Voskeritchian
Associate Publisher
Teni Melidonian Subscriptlons lvlanager
Sela Khodanian Adv€rtisifg [.4anager
Fimi Mekhitarian lvlarketing [4anager
Anahid Der Vadanian Adm n strative Assislant
Christina Shirinyan Yerevan Bureau 67 Koghbatsi Slreel, No. Phone 53 36 99
1
Al l\,4arm@arminco.com
Coordinator
Anahil Mailirossian Web & Promolions Armineh Gregorians
Photo Ed lor
l,larine Arushanian Edilor al Assistanl
Sona Danielian Advert s ng l\,4anager
Gohar Sahakian
C0ntribulorsr Armenia - Gayan€ Abrahamian, A. H. Alexandrian, zhanna Alexanian, zara Chalinian, Suren oeherian, Ashol Gareginian, Laum Gononian, marianna Grigoian, Julia Hak0bian, Michael Harutiufliafl, Shushan Kurlchian, Nara Mad(osian, Lauref, ce Rilter, Lusine Zeytunian; California - Ara Arzumanian, Paul Chaderiian, Elia Gallayan, Sona Gallatin, xristen Kidd, Parik Nazarian, Asbed Pogharian, Janet Samuelian; London - felil Corley, Susan Pattie; New York - ChristoDherAtamian, George Bournoulia[; Rhode lsland - Mail( Malkasian; Paris - Myriam Gaumc; lJruguay 0iego l(aramanoukiaf,; Washington, 0C MooEd Moomdian. PhOtoOraphers: Armenia - Mldihr KhadEtian, Zawn Xhachikian, Rouben Mangedan, vahnm Mikitarian, XaEn Minasian; Fmm - Anbire Aooudiian, Amineh Johanm; Calfomia - SNi madaunian, Eric
ilurian,
New Y0rk
-
tua fthagau Massachusetts- Garo Lachiniafl; Harry Xoundskiian; Bhode lsland - Berge Ala Zoiian. Accounting Services
Bedig Araradian, CPA Legal Serv ces
Shahen Hairapelia[, All0rney at Law
PS:
If anyone has a claim to be the face of AIM in
its
nearly l2-year existence, it is subscrip-
tions manuger Seta Khodanian. Her title doesn't do justice to her job description. Seta's is the first voice most of you will have heard when calling AIM's office with questions about subscriptions or articles in the magaz.ine. She also manages most of the
office administration, supervising mailings, paying bills, and generally keeping us one step ahead of the chaos that is life at any publicatbn. She joined the staff in July 1990, just as the first issue of AIM rolled off the presses. With this issue, the l03rd, Seta is
lnlernali0nal Subscripti0ns and Advertisin0 RepreseIlalives Aroentina Co eg o Mekhilarisla V rey de Piio 351 I (1426) Buenos Aires Phone 5411 4552 3590 Auslralia varool skendeian, l48 Koola Ave Easl Kl lara NSW 20i1 Phone 02 9251 2882: Allred Markar an 1087 Vicloria Rd West Ryde NSW 2114 Phone 02 9804 0600r Vahe Kaleb P0 Box 250 Porl Me bourne. Viclora 3207 Phone 03 9713 1213 Canada Ram q Hakimiai 3150 Sarlelon Slieel Sl Laurenl ouebec H4H]E3 Phofe 514 339 2517 Hong (0rg Jack lvlaxian. B[4 M. 1 l/F B]ock A 26 Ka Chelng Rd . l(ow 00n Bay Kowloon Phone 852 795 9888 ltaly P e(e Balanim, Va [I0racft.61 A4/5 Rome. Phoie 995 1235 Lebanon Zarlouh Kabakia0, P0 Box 55669 B€irul Lebanon Phore (1) 510212 t niled Arab Emiralos 0! izar Jon an. P0 Box 44564 Abu Dhab. UAE Phoie 97 1 2 644 1721. Fa\ 97 1 644 8l9l tlnitod (ln0dom [,,] sak ohan ar ] 05A [4 I F] I Bd A0l0n London W3EJF Phone 020 8992 4621
W]ite lo AIM! We welc0me all cOmmunlcati0n. Allhouqh we read all letlers and submis' sions, we are unable to acknowledge everylhlng we receive due l0 Llmited stafJinq and res0urces. Letters l0 the Editor may be edited fOI pub icatlon.
Armenian lnternational Magazine
leaving us. It will be very strange not having her around any more. Seta's devotion to AIM has been far beyond the call of duty and the magazine will always owe her a debt of gratimde.We will miss her
A]M APRIL
2OO2
Founded in 1990
Founding Editor Varlan 0skanian Founding Publisher Michael Nahabet 207 South Brand Boulevard, Suite 203, Glendale, CA 91204 LISA Phone 818
2467919 Fax818246 0088 Allvagazine@ao1.com
Letten ol the Month Soup Pioneer
Elvis Lives... And Lives I was very excited to read about the Elvis in Armenia, Narek Magarian (March). This story really got my attention because my older brother impersonates Elvis for a living in Las Vegas.
Harry Shahoian portrays Elvis during the 50's and 60's at the Riviera HoteUCasino on the
Strip in Las Vegas. He performs six times
I read with interest the article'A cup of soup" (December 2001) by Marianna Grigorian. Even though the author did a good job reviewinjthe several .ttoitr of Oim"r".,t ,rf*i-tions that suppofi or run soup kitchens, I would like your readers to also know that the first soup kitchen was started back in 1991, by Dr. Nora Nercessian. who had the courage and sensitivity to start what many would not have even dreamt to do those days. witfr her own pocket money, and with a conviction that Armenian orphans and widow(er)s deserved better, she started one soup kitchen immediately, hiring local kitchen staff, As soon as she retumed to the USA, she contacted a group of her San Francisco friends who started Bay Area Friends of Armenia (BAEA), and who as a first projecr, adopted her soup kitchens idea. Soon that effort expandedto several soup kitchensForthe past fouryearq BAFA has been working with the Fund for Armenia RelieffAR) as manageis of their soup kitchens project, feedinfover 900 people for the pasr 10 years This story is not well known, since neither Dr. Nercessian nor BAFA have sought to advertise it. However, I trelieve that for Ms. Grigorian's article to be complete, thislnformation is important Lo be known and would complete her story. Kudos for those who have ongoing projects feeding the hungry and dispossessed who. without these etforts. would perish in humiliation and disrespec'' ,rrncois Antaunian san Francisco' california' USA Editor,s Note Each issue, one letter sent in by a reader will be chosen as the Letter of rhe Month and its author will receive a prize from AIM.
a
week at 10pm.The show is called Rockin' USA and Hany stars in 40 minutes of the one hour show. I should also mention that there is a great
ArmenianTom Jones impersonator and also an excellent Armenian Dean Martin impersonator getting a lot of work in Las Vegas
I _,:'
I would love to read more about
Armenian entertainers around the world. Thank you AIM! And this whole time I thought my brother was the only Armenian Elvis in the world. Best of luck to Narek in Armenia! Richard Shahoian Arcadia, C alifornia, U S A
This Month's Prize April's lrtter of the Month receives a copy of. Armenia The Story of a Place in Essays and Images.Illuminaiing articles by AIM's Senior Editor John Hughes and stunning photographs by Bruce C. Strong give powerful insights into life in modern Armenia.
show was a great success here. It's a shame how she was treated in Armenia. I'm very pleased to see AIM acknowledging her work. Thumbs up to you. Armineh Hovanesian Lisbon, Portugal Unpardonable
Well Read As always,AIM gives me a lot of pleasure. When I get it, I read it cover to cover and I'm done, usually, in a couple of hours.
Regardless
of how many
people have
expresed their drslike (for the lack of a better word) regarding John Hughes' articlel l must say that I personally have loved them all.Actually. his article is the first one I read. I love his sense of humor and I think he\ one of the most knowledgeable "odan" we have on our side. Finally, I wish to thank you for the wonderful article about Diamanda Galas (January/February). She IS an amazing artist
and a wonderful person (I know her). She was in Lisbon in November 2001 and her
Your "Where Are They Now?" article about George Deukmejian (December 2001) was interesting. After lauding him, did you feel a little pang of conscience about not mentioning the fact that Hampig Sassounian is still rot, ting in state prison because George Deukmejian refused the request of the full range of leadership and organizations of the Armenian community asking him for a pardon. Do you even know about the massive effort to get a pardon for Hampig Sassounian? If not, give me a call and I will send you some information. I can help you write a balanced article instead of a puff piece. Walter Karabian Los Angeles, Caffornia USA AIM APRII,2OO2
Credit Due I am writing to make an observation about Janet Samuelian's article "George Krikorian: Reviving Hollywood Glamour at the Movies" (January/February). again, that
AIM
I
am glad to note, once Armenian artists'
recognizes
contributions. The contributions of Gregory Beylerian and Lydia Tirtunjian on Krikorian Premiere Theatres in Redlands and Monrovia are important to recognize. However, what I fud disappointing and disconcerting is the absence of any reference in the article to the architect of the Monrovia entertainment complex, Hraztan S. Zeitlian. Mr. Zeitlian was the project designer of Krikorian's Monrovia Cinema 12 at the intema-
tional architectural design firm of Gensler and Associates lvk.Tnitlian has been recognized by the established architectural magazines as a promising architectural designer in l-os Angeles
Mr. Zeitlian worked closely with Mr. Krikorian to give shape to his vision and turn his dream into ground-breaking reality. While the article pays homage to the artists
involved in the latest Krikorian Theatreg the architect himself is left out of the story. AIM has missed a golden opportunity for state-ofthe-art journalism and accurate reporting, in addition to an opportunity to highlight the achievements of an Armenian architect who worked to give Los Angeles County a cutting-edge entertainment complex.
Millennium Society is an independently funded and administered public charity committed t0 the dissemination 0f information tor the purpose of developing an informed public. Underpinning all our work is the firm conviction that the vitality ol an independent press is fundamental to a democratic society
The Fourth
in Armenia and democratic institutions in the Diaspora. The Fourth Millennium Society publishes Armenian lnternational l\,lagazine in its elfort to contributeto the nati0nal dialogue. The directors are gratelul to the &nefactors, Trustees, Patrons and Friends of the Fourth Millennium Society who are
Armenia through the pr0m0tion the welFbeing, growth and development of Armenians F ' olcommitted llow of inlormation among individuals and organiations. Their financial open discussion and the and
to
free
contributions support the w0rk 0f the Fou(h Millennium Society and ensure the independence ol AlM.
-Vahe Aghabegians, Salpi Haroutinian Ghazarian, Shahen Hairapetian, Michael Nahabet, Ratfi Zinzalian, Directors
Garine Zeflinn Los Angeles, Califurnia, USA
BenelaGlors
Your article "George Krikorian: Reviving Hollywood Glamour at the Movies", fails to mention the Armenian architect of the very artistic Monrovia Theatre. Hraztan Zoitlian with Gensler of Santa Monica provided the artistic vision behind this unique theatre and should've been included in AIM's article.The architect has conceived a very unique lobby where art and architecture come together in
Sarkis Acopian, Albert & Tove Boyajian, The Cafesjian Family Foundation, lnc. Hirair and Anna Hovnanian, Vahakn and Hasmig Hovnanian, The Lincy Foundation, Louise Man0ogian Simone
Senior Ttustees AUSTRALIA Heros & Kate Dilanchian CANADA Razmig Hakimian, Kourken Sarkissian H0NG K0NG Jack Maxian USA CA Armand & Nancy Arabian, Khachig Babayan, George & Flora Dunaians, Armen & Gloriat Hampar, Araxie M. Haroutinian, NH Jeannette John, George & Grace Kay, Joe & Joyce
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Zarmig Arzoumanian Culver City, California, USA Dream Memories I was reading your article, "Realization of a Dream" (December 2001). I felt indebted to write a few lines myself as I feel I have witnessed some of the memorable moments that preceded the appearance of the dummy issue of AIM here in Amman, Jordan. I remember our friend,Vartan Karaoghlan-
Aesthetic & Reconstructive Plaslic Surgery, Garo Kassabian; Armenian Jewelers' Association; Commerce Casino, Hasmik Mgrdichian; George Tumanlan; Grand Tobacco, Hrand & Mikayel Vardanian; ISB Group, Armen & Ketty Kazandjian; Law Office ol Aris Artounians, Aris & Karine Artounians; Law
0t{ices of 0urfalian & 0urfalian, Rafi & Sarkis Ourfalian; NASA Services lnc., Sam & Elizabeth Sarkisian, Nick & Kamelia Sarkisian, Arsen Sarkisian; Pacilic Sales, Jerry Turpanjian; Remax of Glendale, Vahe
towards the making of the initial issue, the careful planning and most of all the belief and the spirit that were the driving forces behind the entire project. With the creation of AIM and the many issues that followed, the sense of joy and victory was momentous. However, I was sad to see that the original founders of the magazine were not given the proper credit or even hibute and were merely described as "investors" in your recount of AIM.
Without dedication and continuous hard work, which as I recall was truly against all odds, the magazine we are now so fond of would simply not be! Silva Hairabedian
Associate Truslees USA CA Vartkes & Jean Barsam, Walter & Laurel Karabian, Gary & Sossi Kevorkian MA K. George & Carolann Najarian
Nazar & Artemis Nazarian, Ralph & Savey Tufenkian
Patrons
Georqe
l\,4ack
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AUSTBALIA
Arlin Etmekjian & Vartouhi Tavoukjian
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& Lucille Eslephanian
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Anonymous
Gagik & (nar Galstian
CAt{ADA
Vahan & Audrey Gregor
Louise Annavour
Pietre & Alice Haig Shahen & l\4artha Haroulunian
Gerair & Elise Dervishian Ani Migirdicyan
Gaidzag
& Dzovig zeitlian
usA c0xraEcTlcul Hagopian Louis
I
Kevork & Pamela Toroyan USA IIASSACHUSETTS
Arpiar & Hermine Janoyan
Kevork Atinizian
S0ghomon & Arpiar Sakarya & Families
Z. Greq Kahwaiian
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CYPBUS
Jack & Maro Kalaydjian Kevork & Salenig Karaierjian
Richard K. Babayan & Sonya Nersessian Charles & Donna Kouyoumiian
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Garo Keheyan
ITATY
Nishant & Sona Kazaian Kirk & Ann Kesapyan John & Bose Kelchoyan
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ISBAEL
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usA tlclllGAl{
.
George Chamchikian Edgar & Sarah Hagopian
LEBAI{O}I
Krikor Krikorian
Alex Manoogiant
Kevork Bouladian
Julie Kulhanjian & Roger Strauch Louis & Grace Kurkiian
Kirakos Vapurciyan
UAE
Bazmik A. Tatevossian
Dora Serviarian Kuhn
UNITED KIIIGOOM
Avik l\4ahdesiant Stepan & Erdjanik lvlarkarian
l\4argarel Chantikiant
Haroul & Bita Mesrobian Tony & Bia Moroyan
M. Michael Ansour
Diran & Suzi Chakelian U8A CAIIFORilIA
[rihran & Elizabeth Agbabian
USA }IEVADA
Lary &
Aram & Terez Bassenian Daniel Behesnilian
USA IIEW YORI(
Hatry & Aida Koundakjian Nancy Kricorian Vahe Nishaniant
V John & Lucille
Bali 0udalian Michael & Hermine Piranian
Berj & Hera Boyajian Rouben V & Tania Chakalian
Alex Sarkissian Robert
&
G. Sarkissian
Harout Topsacalian
usA wAsHlllcT0l{ 0c Barry & Margaret Zorthian
Hralch & Helga Sarkis
Ha0op & Violet 0akessian Caro & Diyana Danielian
Seda Barnes
USA IIEW JERSEY
EdMrd & Alice Navasargian Amand 0. Norehad Kenneth & Cindy Norian
Garabed Akpolal Harry & Alvart Barseqhian
Amman,Jordan Editorts note There wos no intention of downgrading the vital contribution of any AIM's founders to its creation. The article described them all as founders, investors, p arlners and colleagues.
& Aida Yeghiazarian; Yerevan Hotel
ARMENIA Khachatur & Rouzanna Soukiassian AUSTRALIA Arman & Nairi Derderyan
of the creators of the magazine,
showing us the dummy issue with such pride and gratification. For Vartan, as for the rest of the founders no doubt, AIM was the realization of a long awaited dream. I remember the long hours that were put
10
NY James Tufenkian Rl Papken Jan jigian
AUSTRALIA Varooian lskenderian USA CA Garen Avedikian, Mardo Kaprielian, Edward Misserlian, Bob Movelt Varoujan Nahabet, Norair 0skanian, Emmy Papazian, Zareh Sarkissian, Ralfi Zinzalian FL Hagop Koushakiian PA Zarouhi Mardikian
a new way.
ian, one
Slein
Helen Shamlian
Friends ol AIM The Fourth Millennium Sociely is gratelul to lhe followin0 lor contributing during the lasl month to ensure AlMs Iinancial independence. lrSA CA Haroulioun Adine. Bill Balian, Walter Barsamian, Rouben V & Tania Chakalian, Florence Harutunian, Elmer F, Kaprielian, Elise & Ralph Kazanjian, Mark lvlarkarian, Nora Sahagian, Arthur Seredian, Leo & Arminee Shishmanian, osep Tokat, l\,laurice Yolnegparian C0 Vahan Kavalyan fL Mr & Mrs. E. Asadoorian, Henry Gasparian lL Avedis Yazicioglu MA Sirarpie S. Aftandilian, Van l\4. & Mary B. Aroian, Armen & Araz Arslanian, Jerry P & Annie Balikian, John Bar0nian, Paul C. & Joyce L. Barsam, Lucy A. Bedirian, John H. & Hasmio J. Chaglassian, Keran & Kathleen Chobanian, Joann ianjiOian, Harold M. Keshishian, Vasken & Tina Kroshian, Stephen A. Kurkjian, Jack & Eva Medzorian, Judith N0rsigian, Peter & Charleen onanian, MlJackKosaianl{JVahe&LizAmirian,SosieKachikian Herman&LauraPurutyan,BobertA.semonian,Helenshushan,Stephen&EstherStepanian
llY
Elizabeth
Au0omanian, Anna Sagtelian, Mr.
AIM APRIL
2OO2
&
l\4rs. Zaven Sarafian
0H Ralph
Chakorian
Pl
Harry A. Andonian
The Weight of a Word Only an Apology Can Do Justice to the Dead This is a painful montl.r in the lives and memories of millions of Armenians. The passage of time - now ll7 years - does not dim the hurt felt at the loss of fan-rily members, either through personal expe rience or because of the clenial of opportunity ever to have known those whose lives were cut short so violently. The Turkish government's continued denial of such anguish and its failure to acknowledge the enormity of the crime carried out in the last days of the Ottoman Empire rubs salt into still open wounds. lt compounds falsehood over the Genocide with cruelly, further insulting the memory of the dead. The number of Armenians who remembcr what happened inevitably becomes smaller with each anniversary. Inhunran sights that no child should ever have to witness shaped their lives. The psychological burden of carrying that grief through adulthoocl and into old age czrn barely be imagined. especially when justice continues to elude their loved ones.
One might irnagine that nolhing could heal that hurt. But sorry could ease it. Sorry counts. Sorry is so powerful a word that Turkey's rulers have done everything they could think of in the past 87 years to avoid saying it. Yet sorry cannot be erasecl - the international pressure for Turkey to apologize for history by acknowledging the Genocide only grows the more it tries to avoid saying sorry. We are sorry. Just thrcc words. but thcy open up a Pandora's Box of issues for Ti.rrkey, from lhe question of compensation for victinrs and their families to the ability of its people to deal honestly with thc
$llB$[Rtpilill$ I
with it. Recognition of the Genocide is not a zero-sum game, however, with a winner and a loser. Armenians around the world get iustice, long ovcrdue. But Ti.rrkey also gains, from the message it sends about the maturity of its civil society and its commitment to a democratic future. The vote in the European Parliament on February 28, affirming its view that Tlrrkey must acknowledge the Genocide before it can expect membership of the European Union. only underlines the very real cconomic and political costs that a continued refusal to confront past and come to terrns
the truth will carry. The civil actions launched in the United States to force insurance
cornpanies
to honor life
policies taken out by thousands of
Armenians in Ottoman Tlrrkey before the Genocide moves the struggle for justice into a new arena (see page 24). Monetary compensation for victims and their ciescendants is important lcss for itself. though this should not be underestimalcd. than for what it represents about the manner in which the victims dicd. The plaintiffs. if they win. will have convinced a court that their families were victims of genocide at thc hands of the T|rrkish authorities, not sirnply people who disappearecl rxe day, fatc unknown. In airing all the available evidence, they also gain a virluable platform from which to educate more of the American public about the events that led to their cases. And so another brick in the wall of Tirrkish denial crumbles. Sole mn as the memorials will be this month. Armenians also have much to be encouraged by.The case fot truth andjustice strengthens.
ItltllttY I Rlllttrllfil I lt|[lllll8
[[[[nl[nlfiil]tl| 207 South Brand Blvd, Suite 203 Glendale, California 91204 USA, Phone 818.246.7979
l.fi 88.$[]l[.illll
|
Fax: 818.246.0088
0] ilintnUiltiltt@ilnl.tront AIM APRII,2OO2
So does the environment in which recognition of the Armenian Genocide is being pursued. In The Hague, former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic is being prosecuted for alleged genocide and crimes against humanity. It is the first time a former head of state is being forced to account before a judge for his actions - a watershed in international attitudes towards human rights. NATO troops are sent on missions to apprehend others wanted for the same crimes. A United Nations tribunal pursues those responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. When its first conviction for genocide was handed down in 1995, UN Secretary-General Kof, Annan described the judgement as "a testament to our collective determination to confront the heinous crime of genocide in a way we never have before". In such a receptive environment, the Government of Armenia and the worldwide Diaspora of Armenians can and do make progress in the effort to force Tiukey to admit the past. The burden of maintaining denial of the Genocide grows greater - eventually, as all the evidence of history showg truth wins out over lies. The only question then is when? Not soon enough for the hun-
dreds of thousands who survived the horrors of the Genocide but have died in the almost nine decades since without ever knowing that the world recogrized their suffering for what it truly was. In rebuilding their families and communities in strange landg while keeping their cultural heritage alive, they created a monument to their own
courage that stands as the best possible refutation of denial. The Diaspora in alt its rich variety affirms the failure of the attempt to wipe Armenians from the face of the planet. It isn't enough, of course. Justice demands a proper accounting of history - all the more urgent with the passing of each elderly Armenian survivor. But, just as it has failed to suppress the issue, so TLrkey cannot become the measure of whether the Armenian Genocide has been recognized or not. The Genocide happened.Full stop.Any engagement with contemporary documents and the overwhelming number of personal recollections leads inescapably to this conclusion. Artistic works such as Peter Balakian's Black Dog of Fate and Atom Egoyan's eagerly awair ed fllm Ararat bring those facts to new audiences on a massive scale. History cannot be denied and it will not be. The only real choice facing the Tirrkish government is whether, kicking and screaming to the last, it is forced by the eventual weight of international recognition to abandon denial as incredible, or whether it seeks to gain some moral kudog even at this appallingly late stage, by taking the initiative to deal honestly with its past. To say sorry. In the rapidly evolving political landscape of the Caucasus and Central Asia, it has much to gain if it does. Denial is a failed policy. The millions of Armenians around the world who will honor their dead this month are eloquent testimony to that failure. !
The Law Gets a Kicking A Bad Day in Court forArmenia It wasn't so long ago that Poplavok was a name associated with good jazz and good times in Yerevan. Now it is synonymous with everything that is rotten at the heart of the Armenian state. A manis brutallykicked to death on a nightwhen President Robert Kocharian is entertaining singer Charles Aznavour at the cafe.Wtnesses see several men, including memben of the President's bodyguard, drag the victim,FoghosPoghosian,into the toilets over an alleged verbal slight against Kocharian. The Minister of Justice is among those present at Poplavok when Poghosian is pronounced dead. A three-month investigation results in only one man, Aghamal flasfirrnian, being charged. And a two-month trial ends with that man being convicted but allowed to walk free with only a suspended jail sentence. In today's Armenia, it seems, killing a man is not reason enough to go to prison. All of this would be bad enough if it was simply the product of police incompetence and an inadequate court system. Both of these are true. But the real scandal of the Poghosian case is the conspiracy by those in authority to prevent justice being done. Law was subverted to power with tragic consequences for Armenia's standing in the intemational community. The Prosecutor-General's office failed dismally in its investigation
of the case, doing nothing to locate witnesses and relying on a coroner's report whose cause of death defied the swollen mess that was Poghosian's face. The decision to prosecute just one man chimed all too conveniently with Harutiunian's defense in court that he and the victim were alone in the toilets when Poghosian met his death. Of the 26 witnesses called to testiIy,25 were unable to say even that they had seen the defendant at the caf6. Many were nervous
about appearing in court, some had received anonymous threats throughout the case, there was a very real sense of fear that telling the truth would incur the wrath of powerful people. You know there's something very wrong when the prosecutor - the man supposedly charged with mnvicting defendants - urges a judge to reject the single piece of damning testimony against the accused. That Stephen Newton's statement was even heard was embarrassing, since investigaton had claimed they were unable to find the Briton who was working as a govemment contractor at the time. The stench from this case runs all the way from Poplavok's toilets to the Presidential palace. Throughout, there has been the suspicion that Harutiunian was the fall guy, the one bodyguard that nobody could definitively identify as having assaulted Poghosian. How many other bodyguards were on duty that night was something neither prosecutors nor the court bothered to ask. Now, having secured a conviction, the Prosecutor's office has no need
to reopen the case - the court found that Harutiunian killed Poghosian. And by recommending only a suspended prison sentence, prosecutors ensured Harutiunian would sufferno hardship for taking the rap. Cynical? Well, all eyes are now on Kocharian to see if he will restore Harutiunian, who has been under suspension since Poghosian's death last September, to his former position. If he doeg the President of Armenia will be telling his fellow citizens and the rest of the world that he is happy to employ a convicted killer as his personal bodyguard.And ordinaryArmenians will be conflrmed in their belief that they live in a country where you can literally get away with murder, provided you enjoy the patronage of the powerful. r
AIM APRIL
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NOTEBOO
(( lnternational law does not say that if a whole nation or hall ol it is destroyed, this is genocide.
rr I think that the Holocaust is an unprecedented fact. We mourn the innocently killed Armenians, but noth' ing can be compared to the Jewish ntnorlfl,un;So,-,rn lsraeli ambassador to Georgia and Armenia, at a news conference in Yerevan , February 2002
It says that the intention is what counts. That's to say if there is a decision to kill s0me people of a certain nationality, this is genocide.ll
(( lt is sad that the political leadership of a nation which has gone through the Holocaust is continuing to hold such a position because of unclear
pr,ltlillfiffifJ)f;;;,i,,
Response from Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman, February 2002
(r One ol the goals ol terrorist activity is to provoke
Turklsh Parliament Speaker on Aaerbaijan s ANS television, t-rb9fl
rrThe Armenian Diaspora and its intellectual leaders, it seems, were and still are too pre-occupied with unresolved historical issues, while Iess attention is given to looking at the development agenda that co nf ro nts the m od e rn Arme n i a n t!ir$. rr*,
an
enemy into such 'sauage acts of suppression' that the terrorist will gain international sympathy for his Gause. The savage Turkish reaction to Armenian 'provocation', for example, which almost eliminated the Armenians
lrom history, created universal horror in the Process.ll, The Christian Century, 2001
r(The oil in the Gaucasus, as an alternative source ol energy would become even more important in a possible worsening ol relations between the united states and the Arabtorld'oTloreisn
:iJ6$
nnrrn ln a paper presented at the 11th
t(We are interested in establishing
*r-,
^l
,,Hi,if
,?i[il3tt
democracy and
ensuring human rights in Azerbaiian. ll the Azerbailani authorities are not capable ol solving problems with their political opponents in a civilized way, it will be extremely ditlicult to sit down at the negotiating table with them, and the Council of Europe has understood this perf ect''
511,;1il,
Head of the Armenian deregarion
ntrairs
Hovannesian
-'Tr:illi[]Tl?'JrlT:[:[?Ji;
Hellenic Republic of Greece, December 2001
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AIM APRIL
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NOTEBOOK
Ihe lime ol llis lile !resno
I
is staging its
fint
festival in honor of its
respectively.
most famous son William Saroyan. More
Events planned for the festival include An Audience with William Saroyan, a one-man
than 20 years after the Oscar and Pulitzer-winning writer's death, the California city is putting on events and exhibitions that organizen hope could put Fresno on the literary map.
at the Fresno Art Museum created and performed by Todd theatrical production
Wronski, and walking tours of Saroyan's old
The William Saroyan Rstival opened on February 28 and will run through May 5. Fittingly for a man whose life divided between Armenia
neighborhood lead by Ben Amirkhanian, founder of the William Saroyan Society, with stops to include the authorh birthplace and school. A radio broadcast called Celebrating Saroyan, will feature guests include former
andAmerica, half of Saroyan's ashes were buried at Fresno's Ararat Cemetery on March 4. Saroyan,who died in 1981,had specffied in his will that half his ashes should be returned to his ancestral homeland - he had spent his first earnings as a writer on a visit to Armenia. Today, they rest at Yerevan's Pantheon alongside other cultural greats such as Komitas, Martiros Sarian, Hovaness Shiraz and Sergei Parajanov. But the remaining half had been left on a
Postmaster General Anthony Frank and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'C-onnor reading selections from Saroyan's writing. Also,95 watercolor paintings by Saroyan will be on display at the Fresno Art Museum, along with many of his journals, notebooks and manuscripts. Saroyan was born in Fresno in 1908 to Armenian immigrant parentq who had come
to
shelf at Fresno's Chapel of Light, in an urn bearing the inscription "author and humanitarian", for 20 years until last month's ceremony attended by his son Aram, daughter Lury, and family friends
city at venues ranging from theaters and concert halls to museums and art galleries A committee of 50 volunteers has been working for the past three years to organize the event, which involves the collaborative effort of. 29 organizations. The idea
to
escape
the violence
in
Saroyan, whose papers stored at Stanford
University still contain many unpublished stories,once advised aspiring writers; "Try to
The festival includes sarnples of Saroyan's
work, which are displayed throughout the
America
OttomanThrkey.
came from Robert Setrakian, chairman of the William Saroyan Foundation and executor of Saroyan's estate. Larry Balakian, chairman of the festival committee, hopes it will eventually become an annual event, similar to the Tennessee Williams and John Steinbeck festivals held in New Orleans and Salinas
be alive.You will be dead soon enough." He wrote short storieg novelq plays and songs In 19,10, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his play The Time of Your Life,b$ turned it down, saying businessmen should
not judge artists. In 1943, he won an AcademyAward for best original screenplay for The Human Comedy. r
[iUhlamWnonUs [emarks by Israel's
Ambassador to
Charny, a professor at Hebrew University
Cohen, denying that the massacres of Armenians in Ttukey was genocide provoked a strong reaction not only in Armenia, but also back at home. Professor Israel W Chamy, executive director of the Institute of the Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem, was so angered by the ambassador's comment that he wrote a letter of condemnation to her bossr Foreign Minister ShimonPeres
and editor-in-chief of the Encylopedia of Genocide, wrote: 'As a Jew and Israeli, I am
IlArmenia, Rivka
deeply ashamed of the position taken by our Ambassador and Ministry to deny that the genocide of the Armenian people in 1915 was in fact genocide. "This is the equivalent of denials of the Holocaust of our people."
He enclosed a copy of a statement recognizing the Armenian Genocide, signed by 126 AIM APRIL
2OO2
Holocaust scholars in 2000. They included Professor Yehuda Bauer, a leader in Israeli Holocaust studies, and Nobel Peae, Yrue Laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wesel.
Linking Israel's official position with its with Ttrkey, Chamyconduded bywriting:"Will not the val-
desire to maintain good relations
Zon weep at our realpolitik shaming of anotherpeople whqlike ugcarry every day ttre grief andoutage of theirmemory of themas genocidal murders of their ues of
people?"
!
15
NOTEBOOK
tateil lon tilm? f I
irst the hook. now thc fllm'l Pctcr Balirkirrlr's
acclaimrd best-seller Blutk Dt,g tt,l' Rttc
into a screenplay of the same name by his sister Jan. If the initial reaction is any indicatittn, any filrn of the script could becot.ne every bit as successful as the book - it recently won third prize tiom more than l.-5fi) entries in the 200i "New Century Writer" screenplay conrpetitior.r. Jan Balakian. a university professor of lithas been turned
erature with a specialty in Arnerican drama, says: "When I Iirst read the book. it blew me away. I kept seeing images for ti fiIm." Black Dog o.l' Fute is not her lirst shot at
filmwriting. Having authored several plays. Balakian began writing screenplays in 1992. One of her earlicr scripts, a romantic comedy cz'iled Everyone's Depressed, has just been produced by Kroyt-Brandt Productions ancl is about to make it to the big screen.The film will be shown this spring in Los Angeles and at the Screening Room in NewYrrk. Bku:k Dog o.f Fate is the story of a yout.tg man coming of age in suburbia and discovering his tamily history. At prescnt. the scrccnplay is being read at Sonv Classics ancl MGM. Actress Olympia Dukakis has alreacly shown intcresl
in playing the central role
ol the grandmother.
"This would be the lirst
mainstream,
American fllm about the Amenian Genocide. told in the context of an American coming-ofage stoly," says Balakian. Adapting a book for the big screen is not easy. "The spirit is the same but there arc lots of chzrnges that were necessary in order tcl
Fu ndraisi ng
make the leap from a memoir to a three-act screenplay structure," says Balakian. The leap tnlrn page to picture also requires a
lot ol money ancl the backing of a production company. Balakian says she is reacly to take on this challenge."l arn detetmined to make this
hapl-rn and will do whatever it
-Asbed Pogharian
Opportun ity!
ls your non-profit organization, church group or youth program
looking for new and different fundraising avenues?
lf so, sell AIM subscriptions! develop a fund raising plan that is sensitive to your organization's needs. We will work with your group, provide the tools and information, and help you achieve your fund raising goals. For more information call
888.SEND.AIM ot email AlMagazine@aol.com _l AIM APRII,2(X)2
film
takes" r
NOTEBOOK
Flying tltc HaU lon RememInanGG
! n April 1994, the Glendale News Press raised the question of whether Ithe California city that is home to 40,000 Armenianq a third of its population, should recognize the Genocide. The reaction was so powerful it has yet to subside. For the past eight years, the paper has received hundreds of letters passionately advancing one side of the argument or the other. Severaflurks living outside Glendale have also joined in, taking the opportunity to discredit the authenticity of the Genocide. Despite the newspaper's policy of not publishing hateful letters, a
lot of anti-Armenian sentiment has been aired through its
pages.
Several misguided letters from Armenians have only inflamed passions
further. written in
1999, stated bluntly: "If we Armenians weren't here in Glendale, the guys like you wouldn't survive because we make the money for this city and we pay taxes for you guys to survive.', The latest phase of the controversy flared last April 24, when the Mayor of Glendale, Gus Gomez, authorized the US flag on top of City Hall to be flown at half-mast. A group of residents formed a committee in protest to recall the Mayor, accusing him of violating the US Flag Code.The News Press was once again a battlefield. Mayor Gomez, al_attno, was not the flrst mayor to authorize the lowering of the flag - his two non-ethnic predecessors had also done the same without being recalled.The recall did not garner enough support and failed. The City Council, composed of 2 Latinos, 2 Armenians and one Anglo, set the flag issue to rest in February establishing a policy of flying city flags at half-mast - instead of the US flag - to commemorate local, national and world events and people, including the Armenian
One,
Genocide. The move may very well have averted a fresh wave of argument, as ,_ all eyes had been watching the likely next Mayor, Raffi Manoukian, to see whether he would authorize the lowering of the US flag this Apnl}4. Fortunately for Manoukian, he doesn,t have to make that difficult choice anY
more'
-Asbed
poghari#
AIM APRIL
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A lfillen
Walls fnee
Bodyguard is Found Guilty but not Sent to Jail TEXT BY
I
ToNY HALPIN I PHoToS BY KAREII MINASIAI{
bodvsuard to President Robert Kocharian
llnut
tE"n convicted of the manslaughter of aman at a popularYerevan nightclub-butwill serve no time in prison. Aghamal Harutiunian Kuku - was found guilty of killing Poghos Poghosian following a confrontation at the known locally as
Poplavok jazz caf(:. Kocharian was at the club that night entertaining singer Charles Amavow. At the end of a trial whose conduct drew
severe criticism from human rights groups and the victim's family, Judge Mnatsakan
Martirosian accepted prosecutor Eduard Sarikian's recommendation that Harutiunian be given only a two-year jail sentence suspended for 12 months.
Under the provisions of the sentence, Harutiunian will be on probation for a year. If he keeps a clean record during that period, the jail term will be [fted. It remains unclear at time of going to press whether Harutiunian,who was penonally selected by Kocharian 18
IYEREVAN
bodyguard, will return to work for the President - he has been suspended since the
as his
incident on September 24 (see AIM,
November 2001). Some accounts of the tragedy claimed Poghosian made insulting remarks to the President as Kocharian's party left the
of events was a Briton, Stephen Newton, who flatly accused Harutiunian of lying about his involvement in the kiling. But, in abuane turn of events, the prose-
Poghosian into the toilets, where he was later
cutor urged the judge not to admit Newton's written statement as evidence because, he argued, it had not been prepared in accordance with Armenian law. The judge duly ruled it out. Newton,who was working inArmenia at the time under contract to the European Union's TACIS Project, sent the sworn statement to the
found dead. However, prosecutors investigating the case charged only Harutiunian.
court from Bucharest, Romania. It had been nessed at the British Embassy there'
The trial concluded February 21' after 46 days. The court heard evidence from 26 witnesses, all but one of whom were unable even to say that they saw Harutiunian with the victim on the night of Poghosian's death - something the defendant himself admitted on the
Newton said he saw Harutiunian"placing his arm around the shoulden of Poghos and taking him ttrough the toilet entrance", followed by "between flve andseven of the President'smen"' Harutiunian, who pleaded not guilty, had
caf6. Others said he had offered only a friendly greeting. Witnesses spoke of a number of bodyguards returning to the caf6 and taking
witness stand. The only witness who gave a clear account
AIM APRIL
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wit
previously totd the court that it was Foghosian who led him into the toilets following an argument and thatthe two menwere alone together.
He claimed the victim struck him before the
bodyguard pushed
him away, and
that
Poghosian slipped and fell against the toilet. Harutiunian told the judge he then left and only leamed of Poghosian's death the following day.
Newton, who criticized the prosecution for its "indictment of only one man for the attack and its failure to classify the killing as
murder", gave
a very different account. He said: "I understand that the indictment gives the cause of death as s singls blow to a
the back
of the head due, allegedly, to
Poghosian falling over backwards and hitting the back of his head on the floor. What then ofthe serious injuries to Poghosian's face and
forehead? The prosecution's indictment gives no explanation of them." He described entering the toilets and seeing Foghosian lying face up.The victim, a Georgian-
Armenian visiting Yerevan to discuss funding for a school project in his region, had been "very badly beaten around the head".
'A
large lump on his left temple, about
the size of a thumb, indicated a possible blow
from a pistol or similar blunt instrument,', Newton wrote.
about 20 percent larger than normal.
"It
was a sickening, terrible sight, the
memory of which I still find deeply disturbing." Although Poghosian was still breathing at this point, Newton said he told the guards present: "You have killed him. Get a doctor to this man now." Then Newton recalled how "about flve" members of the President's staffentered the toilet. He recogrized "at least one" by his face, and othen were wearing special radio earpieces "They shouted phrases to the guards that
included
the repeated word:
"Britanski!
Britanski!" I suppose they were telling the guards that I was British and that they should leave." The men he had accused ofkilling Foghosian left the toilets Paramedics anived'\ilithin minutes"but by then Poghosian was dead. Newton came back into the caf6 shouting at those present - who included Armenia's Minister of Justice David Harutiunian - that "while you are enjoying your jazz a man has been murdered here!" Newton's statement, which was read to the court by the Poghosian family's attorney Ruben
"The skin all around his eyes was puffed and swelled up like that of a boxer after a
Sahakian, directly challenged the prosecution's case that Harutiunian was the sole member of the President's staff involved in the death.
fight in which he has taken a lot of hard blows to the face. In fact, because of the swelting
The prosecutor's unwillingress to argue for its inclusion as evidence only added to wide-
you could hardly see Poghosian's eyes, and
the swelling of his face generally made it
spread suspicions inArmenia that the investiga-
tion and trial were a coverup intended to prG AIM APRIL
2OO2
tect several other members of the President's security staff
A number of witnesses described seeing several men manhandle Poghosian into the toilets. One testified that another bodyguard on duty that night, Gurgen Arsenian, initiated the conflict. Allegations of intimidation were also made during the hearings - some witnesses gave testi-
mony that was different from what they had previously told police.The dead man's brother, Andranik Poghosian,told the court that he and Stepan Nalbandian, a friend of the dead man who also witnessed the assault,had been threatened by an anonyrnous telephone caller, who said: "Do you want to know how your brother was killed? We'll tell you after the trial."
Poghosian, who was permitted under Armenian law to ask questions during the hearingg left the courtroom in disgust on the final day. He had pleaded for more witnesses and further evidence to be considered, but the court refused. Before leaving, he told the judge and the prosecutor: "You are carrying out tle order of a superior, but do what your conscience tells you. Remember one thing: the whole republic knows the truth, you know it too, we know, all the people know. "You confer a dubious beneflt upon the President by doing it. Most probably, this trial is the beginning of his
resignation." r l9
More than 40 business executives particiat last year's conference' Further details: telephone forum secretary Irene
pated
Shaboyan (41) 22 820 00 76.
f, rmenia has appointed a new ambassador Ato the United Nations in Geneva. Zorab Mnatsakanian, previously chief foreign policy advisor to President Robert Kocharian, took up his new post on February 14. He is a former Charge d'Affaires at the Armenian Embassy in the United Kingdom.
Aerman Ambassador Klaus Grevlich and [I."pr"."rtatives of the French embassy walked out of a session of Azerbaijan's parliament in protest at a legislator's criticism of France's president.
United States
I
ouise Simone (above) has stood down as LPresident of the Armenian General Benevolent Union after 72 years In what has been widely seen as the end of an era, lawyer Berge Setrakian (abovg right) was elected unanimously as theAGBU's seventh president onFebruary
n. Simone declared adesire to retirqapparently believing the time was right for a new person to take charge of the worldwide organization.
She will continue as chairman of the AGBU's central board and will remain president of the Manoogian Simone Foundation, which funds numerous programs inArmenia. Formerly executive vice-president and a board member for 20 yearq Simone succeeded her father Alex Manoogian as president of the AGBU in 1989. She led the organization at a critical time, focusing much of its efforts on assisting newly-independent Armenia. Simone was instrumental in founding the American University of Armenia and remains the Yerevan institution's main benefactor. Projects to assist the elderly and destitute, as well as to benefit young people in Armenia, were also established. Her desire to concentrate the AGBU's activities in Armenia was not without controversy. Critics felt she neglected grass roots
activities and communities in the United States and centralized power within the AGBU to direct resources towards Armenia.
Simone has argued, however, that the AGBU should not need to subsidise so many activities in a Diaspora that had grown wealthy and that the most pressing need was to support
Armenia's survival and development. Setrakian, a senior partner with an international law firm in New York, can be expect-
ed to continue the policy of engagement in Armenia. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, the 50year-old is the AGBU's youngest president and the first to have risen through the ranks of the charity. He was active in Irbanon'sAGBU activities for many years before being invited by Alex Manoogian to join the central board in 1977.He has been a vice-president and secretary since 1992. Setrakian is married with two daughters He will assume formal leadership of the AGBU, which has assets of $250 million, on May 1.
Switzerland tFhe Forum of Armenian Associations of I Errop. is to open its Third Annual Armenian Business Forum on April 27 in
Geneva. The weekend forum aims to bring together Armenian business leaders in Europe to discuss common interests and forge networks of professional contacts. Representatives of US and Russian business communities are also expected to attend.
AIM APRIL
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The diplomats were observing a parliamentary debate February 26 marking the 10th anniversary of killings in the town of Khojaly, Nagorno Karabakh. Azerbaijan says 613 civilians were killed by Armenian forces in Khojaly in l99}inone of the bloodiest battles of the Karabakh war -Armenian officials hotly dispute the figure. The diplomats walked out when a deputy, Shamil Gurbanov, accused President Jacques
Chirac of being "insolent" because France had recognized the Armenian Genocide last year while refusing to condemn the deaths in Khojaly as "genocide".
Holland
Mffi3"i:,'r'ff *:T"'j::#ffi [T"T Member of Chamber [,een van Dijke, met Foreign Minister Van Aartsen to seek formal recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Dutch government.
It was the first time that the Minister had agreed to meet community representatives on the subject. However, he made clear that Holland is unwilling formally to recognize the Genocide for fear of damaging relations with Turkey. Van Dijke champions the Armenian Cause in Holland - his son-in-law is Armenian and he has visitedArmenia several times as a parliamentarian. He told Nederlands Dagblad newspaper that the meeting on February 26 had been "fruitful" despite the disappointment for community leaders. "The gain is especially in thatVanAartsen
doesn't want to minimize the facts in any way. The genocide is discussed in the official report
on Armenia and not for a moment did we notice that he was unsatisfled with the text. In
my opinion Van Aartsen and the Armenian community's viewpoints don't differ," he said. "Political motives should never be the reason for contradicting the facts of history. Recognition of the genocide is of importance
in view of the reconciliation between Tirrks
Association for the Disabled in Armenia, completedthe26.2-mile course through the streets of the city in a time of three hours 25 mins and 18 secs on March 3. Armenians standing along the course shout-
ed words of support and waved Armenian flags, encouraging Khandzrtsian to overcome
tiredness and bleeding hands from pushing the wheels to finish the race.
and Armenians."
Austria f)resident Robert Kocharian paid a state
I
visit to Austria, where he held talks with
Federal President Thomas Klestil
and Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel. He also met
with representatives of Austria's Armenian community and placed a flower wreath at a monument to Franz Werfel in Schillerplatz. Austrian-Armenians recently lobbied the country's Parliament to formally recognize the Genocide and the Austrian Green Party tabled a motion calling for recognition. President Kocharian arrived inAustria from Slovakia, where he met with President Rudolf Schuster and Prime Minister Mikula Z,einda.
Armenia
f,
rmenia ranked 109th out of 179 countbr the number of women elected to national parliaments. Four women sit in the National Assembly out of 131 deputieg representing just 3.1 percent of the total. Armenia ranked last out of all the republics of the former Soviet Union for female representation in parliament. Tiukmenistan came highest, at 17th, with 26 percent, Azerbaijan was listed 65th, with 10.5 percent, and Russia ranked 85th with 7.6 percent.
Atries
The average share of women in parliaments
is 14.3 percent aocording to the survey, carried out by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, based in Geneva, Switzerland, to mark Intemational Women's Day on March 8.
Freta
Khandzrtsian, a l6-year-old disabled
\Iathlete from Gumri, Armenia, made a stunning debut at the LosAngeles marathon. Khandztsian, both ofwhose legs have been amputated above the knee,finished ffih in the women's division of the wheelchair marathon in what was her first marathon attempt. The teenager,who wastained by the $runic
AIM APRIL
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She was
the only survivor, aged just two,
when the 1988 earthquake destroyed the family home, killing her father, pregnant mother, and four-year-old sister. The family had only moved into their new apartment two days previously. Khandzrtsian lives with her grandparents in Gumri and attends the city's Franz Werfel
secondaryschool.
r
Hye Hilellty Hollywood's Armenian Qu arter TEXT BY ELIZA GALFAYAI'I I PHOTOS BY SEVAN MASEHIAi{ | LOS ANGELES
ittle Armenia proudly announces itself on signs hanging from lampposts in the East Hollywood district of l,os Angeles but it's been a long and strange struggle to get this sentimental community to finally identify itself' Greater Los Angeles CountY has the
largest Armenian community outside of Armenia. In East Hollywood alone, approximately 30,000 Armenians live and run businesses in and around Little Armenia. The community today consists mostly of new immigrants from Armenia. The businesses are a mixture of the old and new. On Hollywood Boulevard there is Panos Pastry
St. Garabed Church. The Armenian presence is felt in almost every family home and apart-
ment building where black-eyed children laundry hangs on the line, and old men sit on handmade stools at their door fronts plapng backgammon. Exotic aromas from
play,
Armenian kitchens impregnate the smog filled air on the sometimes naffow streets of Hollywood.
In October 2000 the City of Los Angeles finally desigrrated this ethnic enclave as Little Armenia but not before the community resisted just a little bit. Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, then a City Councilmember for
and Little Paris and Carousel Restaurant
District 13, which includes Little Armenia,
along with an array of grocery stores
auto body shops and professional offices with
raised the idea with the community of having their own district with signs and official cer-
Armenian names.
tfficates.
and
Further south on Santa Monica Boulevard there ii Tiaslakians Grocery and Parseghian Photo and Records and the Blikian Bros. Meat Market. Somewhere in the middle there is Sahag's Basturma,
Zrytur. Grocery and Deli,
Van Bakery Bezjians Grocery Zankou Chicken and many othen full of Armenian flaYors, aromas and sounds
The Rose andAlex PtlibosArmenian School stands onAlexandria Street acroas the road
from
"Every time I brought it up, they said no. They said it might cause some hard feelings and they weren't interested so I said flne. But
then we took a little part of Hollywood Boulevard and named it Thai Town - it is where a lot ofThai restaurants are and there is Thai Plaza and they don't have much of a presence in Los Angeles otherwise. "suddenly the Armenian community took notice.But they couldn't say I didn't ask AIM APRIL
2OO2
them flrst," says Goldberg.
Paytsar Tomassian, Goldberg's Field Deputy at the time (cunenly, Field Deputy for LA City Councilmember Eric Garcetti) recalls her efforts to get the community together in supporting the initiative. "I went to everyone in the community I could think of to gather support. Some were harderthenothen to convincebut inthe endwe got almost4,000 sigtatures in favor.Itwas mostly the new immigrant population that helped push it through. They were the ones who were really excited about the project," she says Tomassian worked tirelessly to get the
Little Armenia sigrs up on the Hollywood scene.Today she talks about the district with evident excitement. It's obvious she's proud -not only of her accomplishmentg but also of the community that exists beneath those signs Tomassian credits Garbis Kurjikian, who
owns an auto repair shop on Hollywood Boulevard, for his support and efforts in getting the proposal passed. He came to the area 27 years ago from Soviet Armenia and favored the idea from the very beginning. Kurjikian has a Little Armenia sign hanging inside the off,ce of his auto shop and believes that as a community "we should
have some recognition".
There were enough protests
against
Goldberg's initial proposal that the idea of
Little
Armenia didn't happen from the get go. But in the end everything worked out - the Thais got what theywanted all along and theArmenians, well they got what they wanted also. Norik Shahbazian of Panos Pastry says there were many political reasons for the ini-
tial opposition. "It's true some of us in the community didn't want this area to be designated as Little Armenia. Some of our political parties didn't want to encourage further immigration from Armenia," he says. "But we realued that there would be immigration whether or not there was a Little Armenia so it would be better to expose nonArmenians to our culture by way of presenting our community to them. "After all, why shouldn't we the Armenians have a distict when the Koreans and Chinese andJapanese have their own." Panos Pastry has been on the Hollywood landscape for over 20 years now. Shahbazian
says just as the Mann's Chinese Theatre, further west on Hollywood Boulevard, has its star-studded history so Little Armenia has
Panos Pastry Perhaps it's not the best analogy but it can't be denied that Panos Pastry is somewhat of an icon on the boulevard. Even assemblywoman Goldberg can;t resist mentioning her weakness for the sweets at Panos. The parameters for Little Armenia are set by Hollywood Boulevard on the north, Santa
Monica Boulevard on the south, the Hollywood Freeway on the west and Vermont Avenue on the east. Now that it's flnally there, it is definitely a sourre of pride
and delight for many of the business owners and residents who seem to smile when the words Little Armenia are spoken. Ruben Grigorian who left Armenia ten years ago and has been living in the heart of Little Armenia ever since says he likes Hollywood just fine. He works as head waiter at Carousel Restaurant a few blocks from his home and says: "I am proud to be living in an area known as Little Armenia. I think this is a good thing for our community." Carousel Restaurant is another business with a long history in the area. Mike Tcholakian's family has been running it for over 18 yean now, and recently opened a luger, more modern version of Carousel in Glendale. Tcholakian, the managerioperator of the new restaurant, is one who didn't really push for Little Armenia. He's focused on the business end of things, on the bottom line and to him Little Armenia hasn't done anything one way or the other to improve business "Recognition, yeah, people will drive by and see the signs and think of the Armenian Cause and Genocide and so forth. But it has-
n't done anything for the businesses that are there and it probably never will," he says. The presence of Armenians in the community has added to the richness of the eclectic Hollywood landscape. "I'm not a nationalist,
I think nationalism on the whole is not a good thing whether it's American nationalism or any other version because frequently
it
turns
into belligerence and fighting and we
and they," says Goldberg. "But pride is a different thing and keeping ftack of anidentity andyourculture and feeling good to be who you are - that's a different story.
AIM APRIL
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So the notionof aThaiTown orLittleArmenia in this vast metropolis of l,os Angeles - (it's) saying American embraces a lot of different
groups and we are proud of all of them." Little Pariq another long time Hollywood Boulevard businesq has been around for 21 years. The Mkhsian family who run it have been in Holly,rrood for 24 years. How do they
like Hollywood? 'Mostly we like it since it feels fike homg eqpecially for Armenians from Armenia. We've been here from the beginning'sapArmen Mklrsian. There's a huge 'going out of business' sale sigr painted on the front of the store.All day customenhave been coming andgoing and they've all been shopping.Uttle Paris isnt a typical retail clothing store - it's retail for the Armenian com-
munity.Apart from Italian suits that Mklsian sells at upwards of $300, there is bohemian crystal and cologne andAdidas andFila sport suitsbasically anything for the home. The store is closing down not because business is slow but because "times have changed, the people have changed, it's just too much to deal with these dayg" says Mkhsian.
Has Little Armenia affected business? really, the only way it will be effective for business is if it becomes a true tourist attraction which it isn't just yet." Last year the United Armenian Student Association (UASA) organized their annual
"Not
Aprrl24th demonstrations in Little Armenia and over 10,000 people showed up.This year they'll probably be there again. There is a Little Armenia website (www.littlearmenia.com) where browsers can learn about local businesses, view a map and get other useful information pertaining to all rhingsArmenian. 23
Ihe Llues lhey l(ent Insurers and a Debt of History BY KRISTEN KIDD I LOS
ANGELES
ew York Life Insurance Company sold policies to thousands of Armenians in
the Ottoman Empire during the
20
yean leading up to the Genocide.In 1917 the company paid off a portion of those policies to surviving heirg but thousands of others were not. Instead they were sealed in a company vault for the next 85 years, word of their existence kept quiet. Just before the tum of this century, the company was named in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Federal Court. Within six monthq New York Life offered a $10 million settlement agreement.The plaintiffs turned it down' Then the company moved for dismissal of the case,but a judge denied the motion. Now New York Life (building pictured on this spread) must do the right thing by the families of those massacred poliryholders, and to those who left no heirs at all.
"My family has been trying to collect on a policy for almost 70 yearg" exclaims Martin Marootian, the lead plaintiff in this firsrof-itskind class action lawsuit. "But it's more than just the money," the 86year-old Marootian insists He says he is most concemed with the recogrition factor the suit could bring. "One and a haH million Armenians were massacred and no one seems to know about it. Maybe this will help change that," Marootian says
For lawyer Vartkes Yeghiayan, this lawsuit, modeled after Jewish Holocaust litigation, is both legally justifled and historically signfficant. "For the first time the Armenian community has gone beyond lamentation to litigation." Yeghiayan, an LA attorney who specializes in immigration law, filed the case in November 1999. He says he was inspired
to take action after reading former
US
Ambassador Henry Morgenthau's memoirs. The Turkish government has denied Morgenthau's account of an astonishing exchange with Thlaat Pasha, architect of the Armenian Genocide. "They are practically all dead now and have left no heirs to collect the money. The government is the beneficiary" Pasha suggested to Morgenthau. The Ambassador refused to provide information about American policies sold to Armenians. AIM APRIL
2OO2
il{sfl$itiqms{
.
:
.ili
But his record of that discussion prompted Yeghiayan to search for such a list himself. His pursuit led himto Marootian. The retired pharmacist who lives with his wife Seda in a comfortable hilly LA suburb, still holds the original policy a New York Life Insurance agent sold to his uncle in Kharpert. The oversized document is written in French, detailing a 3,000 franc contract signed in 1910. Setrak Cheytanian gave that policy to his sister, Marootian's mother Yegsa, just before she moved to the US. Not long after, a genocidal campaign swept through Cheytanian's village. He and the rest of his family were killed. ln 1923 Yegsa Marootian filed a claim on her dead brother's poliry. She was denied when she was unable to produce a death certificate. Yegsa died in 1982 never having collected a penny from New York Life. Now 20 years later, her son is hoping to finally see the
until a claim is made. "The vast majority of
company make good on its contract. On all of its remaining contracts.
York Life argueg and you can't scoff at the
One year ago, New York Life offered to pay 10 times the face value of each outstanding poliry, plus a $3 million donation to vari-
Armenian civic organizations. In an April 2001 press release, New York Life Insurance ous
Company vice president William Werfelman said, "the agreement to resolve these outstanding policies is a reflection of New York Life's 156-year history of integrity and humanity. We're proud that New York Life has thousands of Armenian-Americans as policyholders today". The company was clearly interested in avoiding a bad public relations situation, damaging to its current business Its $10 million set tlement offer was initially accepted by Marootian's attomeys However, he felt the figure was far too low.Thking interest into account and adjusting for today's dollar, the true value has been estimated to be ashigh as $3
billion.so
in the
attorneys representing Marootian and all who would be in his class do not fully accept the information they were given in the discovery process.
New York Life says a total of 2,186 policies with Armenian names remain in ques-
tion. "That number is absolutely up for
they told the company it had to do better.
One sticking point
That has been the approach in the Holocaust case. Co-counsel William Shemoff has been involved in some of that process and brings his experience to this lawsuit. "We are gratified that NewYork Life provided a list of policyholders upon which we were able to have meaningful discussiong" says Shernoff who notes there has been far less cooperation with Holocaust heirs. However, the
negotiation
process centers on a law that states that interest on insurance policies does not begin to accrue
these policies were never claimed on. New argument, that they don't owe any interest,"
debate. We found about a 10 percent error in the names they provided versus
factor
some of the backup information we have," Kabateck states. "We have seen a list of nearly 8,000 names allegedly all sold in the Tirrkey region during
LA
that relevant time period. There are some names which don't appear to be Armenian.
law flrm Quisenberry & Kabateck LLP "But we're saying wait a minute, there's got to be a special circumstance for a genocide."
The question ig did those people change their names to protect their identities, or were they truly Turkish names?" Kabateck wonders.
explains co-counsel Brian Kabateck of the
AIM APRIL
2OO2
Goven Stony
]hc c'lcaclline issuc rcsolvecl. thc court slill had tu rulc on a nrulicttt t<l clismiss lttr intpropcr
"Also. our research has shown that Muslims gcncrally clicl not [.ruv lilc insurancc for religious rcasons."
vcnuc. New York Lile policics inclutlccl a so-
Accorcling to Ncrv York I-il'c rccorcls, a 7,67 I policies wcrc solcl in the Oltoman Enrpirc bctrvecn thc vears ol' llJ95
callccl forum-sclcclion clause thal saicl lcgal pro-
in thc Ottoman Enrpirc hacl to trc brought "in thc Lclnclou (irurts" or "thc civil (irurts of Ft'ance." US District Juclgc Chrislina Snycler dcniecl that
cecdings over contracts solcl
total o1
trncl 191-5.The policics werc r.vritten in French ancl English. helcl in francs ancl pounds at the Paris ancl company's branch offices
in
motion. calling the clausc funclamentally unfair.
"Of
London. Some now question that mcthod considering the policy holdcls and their beneficiaries would have been literate in neither' language, nor likel.v able to travel to either of those cities to collect. Nor.retheless. the policies obviously seemed like a good idea to thousands of Armenians at the time. Because it lvas so long ago. New York Life lawyers attempted to have the Marootian larvsuit thrown out. arsuinq the statute of limitations had expirecl. Calitornia State Scnator Chuck Poochigian (R-Fresno) scrambled to introcluce legislation extencling thc cleaclline.
'l'hc Legislaturc unanirnousli, passcd "thc
Armcnian Genocicle Victirns Insurattcc Act" and in Scplembcr- 2(XX) (lovcrnor Grar" Davis signccl thc ncrv lall: Norv hcirs o[ gcnocicle vic-
tims arrywhcrc
in the rvorlcl have
until
Dcccnrbcr 3l . 2010 1o suc insurers in Calilitrnia. 'Ihe larv pertains 1o ttnpard policics 1'rurchasccl irl Europc or Asia hctween 875 and I 923. 1
coursc the biggcst factor working
against us is time. Eighty seven ycars is a long time. and a lot of documents we coulcl've uscd to dispute New York Life's infbrmation havc
Martin Marootian and his wife, Seda. Photo by Kristen Kidd.
Two ol Marootian's felloiv plaintiffs livc outsiclc Clalilorrria. onc in Massachttsetls. thc othcr in Francc. Many ntttre arc cxpeclccl ttl join once a conrplctc list of policv holdcrs is publishecl in AIM ancl other ptrblications. inclucling thc internet. A iudgc rvill cleciclc when it's tinrc to clo so.
bcen lost or destroyed," admits Kabateck. He asks that anyone with any docurnentation of a relative's lif'e insurance policy contact him or his co-counsels Vartkes Yeghiayan, William Shemoff and Mark Geragos. The rnedia sawy LA criminal dcfense attorne1,' Mark Gcrtrgos wzis hirecl last ycar to heacl the legal teanr. "Gcragos brings several things to the table," comments 1hc Armcnitrt.t Asscmt.rly's Westcrn Region dircctor Pcter Abajian. "Hc's harcl cclgccl ancl has a wcll-
knolvu repulittion lirr succcss'lltis lhing necds thal kincl ol sopltisticittiort."
Marootian's legal lcam is not onlv up against a mr-rlti-billion ditllar corptlration. but some prcssurc within thc Arrlcnitttt communitv itselt'to accept thc ncxt scttlctrcnt ttll'cr.
Ihe Net $pnead$ More Cases Come Forward BY KRTSTEN K|DD I
H
Momentum Builds
LOS ANGELES
:5ti l;.'il'*#,Iff
;r8i ::Ti:::ff
because Judge Christina Snyder recently :
ney Vartkes Yeghiayan has filed another class action lawsuit against the u,clrld's largest insur-
company.AXA. Yeghiayan filecl suit on the last day o1 Pebruary in the samc Federal Court in krs
ance
Angeles. on behall of three tamilies in Southern Califbrnia. It's expected the same judge will preside in this case.
"'lt's all the same issues." explainsYegliayan, "except that this time it's a European company and there are even more policies involved." AXA is a $970 billion corporation, and parent company of other such insurance giants as Equitable Life Assurance Company (US) and Union-Vie (France). Yeghiayan says the timing is signiflcant 26
as Legal
rulecl the new California law that extends the statute o1 limitations for such lawsuits is con-
stitutional. "We leel like we are on solid ground now. and there are many other companies that we can now target. I'nr going atter thent all."
Arnrenians to sell policies in the communities.The lamous author Krikor Zorab was an
agent
for
tlrem before hc was killed."
Yeghiayan says.
Sarkis Kurkdjian, a textile manufacturer
cleclares Yeghiayan.
He says his experience in the 1960s defending the civil rights of farm workers prepared him for this kind of legal work. adding: 'As we move forward I will bring in other atlorneys and specialists as needed." The suit claims AXA targeted ethnic Catholic Armenians in the Turkish Ottoman Empire. By 1915, AXA had sold more than 11,000 policies in Tirrkey, none of which has been paid according to the lawsuit. The esti- I AIM APRIL
mated value runs into the millions. "The agents would follow the missionaries and the schools, and hired prominent
2OO2
from Arabkir, purchased a policy
in
l91l
rvorth 4.000 French Francs. On June 13, t9t5 he was killed. AXA refused to pay, instead dernanding his heirs produce death and nonmobil ization ccrtilicates. The Kurkdjian family did obtain evidence of death and non-mobilization. In 1928, two deportation companions of Sarkis Kurkdjian certified that "he died during the deportation and they dug his grave with their hands and
Goven $tony
Last year attorney and former majority leader
of the California
State Assembly, Walter Karabian, was hired by New York Life to help convince the community to accept a settlement. He's quoted as saying, "many people are unaware of how responsibly New York Life acted after the Genocide. The Armenian community is better for the company's willingness to deal so forthrightly with the past." Calls to Mr. Karabian were not returned by AIM's deadline. New York Life Insurance made clear it will mntinue to defend the suit.WilliamWerfelman,
vice president, told AIM: "The company believes the law and the facts are firmly on its side in this case. We regret that our efforts to settle the case have been unsuccessful, and that litigation is likely to go on for some time."
Marootian could have pursued his case as a sole lawsuit but chose to join with others and help bring about a greater degree of recognition."Marootian will be long remembered as a pioneer regardless of how it tums out," predicts Ross Vartian, spokesman for the
Armenian National Institute in Washington, DC. "This gentleman stepped up and basically wanted to bring some closure to this issue." Vartian says it is also a good thing Marootian decided to turn down the settlement offer from New York Life. That legal exchange provided
in another important invest! gation into company business practices. ANI researchers have uncovered evidence that New York Life Insurance Company may have violated a New York State abandoned evidence needed
property law Now the State Comptroller's Office is auditing NewYork Life to determine whether it gained so-called "unlawful enrich-
stating that Armenians in Tirrkey were "prematurely terminated by such violent death... subjected to massacre and illegal killing and fatal exposure by or with the acquiescence of the Tirrkish authorities". Buckner asked the State Department to
make provisions to recover company losses,
declaring that "the Tilrkish government is and should be held responsible" for the deaths of their Armenian policyholders. This correspondence not only shows the company's awareness of the deaths, but also backs Morgenthau's account of events.
ment" at the expense of genocide victims. The law states that unclaimed or unpaid life insurance funds shall be deemed abandoned property after three to seven years, Companies must make a verified written report to the State Comptroller and tum over the money. "It is interesting that when the New York legislature passed that bill, it was New York Life that sought a judgment to declare the law unconstitutional," notes ANI Irgal
researching to support the Marootian case,
Affairs Director Jacob Toumayan. The aban-
but also finding tremendous material to
doned property laws require companies to pay 10 percent interest per year on funds unlawfully held.There are also penalties of $100 per day as long as written reports are not supplied. New York Life is now on record through
reject the denials. Anytime there is legal or political closure it certainly helps because
legal proceedings in the Marootian case, admitting it never paid thousands of policies sold in the Ottoman Empire. ANI reports flnding a letter written by the company's former Vice President T.A. Buckner to then US Secretary of State Robert Lansing
in
1922
ANI continues to investigate the practices of this and other life insurance companies and banks operating in the Ottoman Empire
prior to the Genocide. "Not only are we
obviously we're dealing with a nation-state that is in adamant denial," states Vartian.
ANI Board of Governors Chairman Robert Kaloosdian says ANI investigations
should have a positive impact on the Marootian lawsuit. "We have the best interest of the plaintiffs in mind and we hope that NewYork Life will do the right thing and resolve the matter in a fair and equitable
manner."
r
,riiir;
Goven $tony
llistony's Reckonin$ Turning the Tide Against Denial BYT()NY HALPIN IYEREVAN
wfliffi#'"#ililIrffi:]Tffi] continuing to deny theArmenian Genocide.
In a resolution adopted February 28, it declared that Turkey must recognize the Genocide of 1915 if it means to fulfil its ambition of joining the European Union. If the Parliament was restating a position set out in 1987, the vote was all the more
fi$t
sigrificant for confirming the importance of settling the Genocide issue despite Tirkey's present enhanced status in the war on terrorism.
rpfiatitrmttlton
Coming 87 years after the fact, it also underlined for Turkey that, far from fading with the passage of time, the Genocide is
lfumenldns.asprt oi,,tllo r0tlpfiHn
Effipil$is oamsflle[ tu lorGo ihorn out'ol
assuming greater international prominence.
eqBt$ffiArrhi
The resolution, which also called on Thrkey to lift its continuing economic blockade of Armenia, thus linking the present and the past, is the latest in a growing number of statements of recognition from national and intemational bodies.
The strength of support on the issue was illustrated by a 391-96 vote against an amendment to delete reference to the Genocide.The success also underlined the effectiveness of lobbying by Diaspora communities throughout Europe, in combination with representatives of the Republic of Armenia. "Turkey is a recognized candidate to join the EU since 1999," says Nicolas Thvitian,
lbtlworn 1915 and lg20, aS gofiocidc.
ly those with large Diaspora communities. Turkey, by contrast, finds it hard to win friends for denial since no other country feels an obligation to do battle with the truth on its behall Armenia's Foreign MinisterVartan Oskanian noted the inueasingly complexity of relations between the republic andTiukey inhis reactionto the European resolution,which sought to create a framework for EU-C-aucasus moperation. "Of course, we commend the EU for reiterating its position regarding the Genocide 1915. However, we welcome the fact that
director of the EU office of the Forum of Armenian Associations in Europe, which
of
coordinated the effort. "If Parliament has its way, Tirrkey cannot
recognition," he said.
this document goes well beyond Genocide
join the EU unless it ends its campaigns of
"Armenia has always been a strong advocate of regional cooperation as an instrument for cre-
denial of the Armenian Genocide and makes
ating a more favourable environment for
its peace with history. We hope the Tirrkish
addressing more contentious political problems" In other wordg Armenia and the Genocide
government will hear this principled message
and 'create the basis for reconcilation'
as
called for by the European Parliament." The emergence of an independent Armenia, with which other states must form relations, has been the key "new" element in the push for Genocide recognition. Once relegated to street demonstrations, theArmenian case is now heard inside the very same diplomatic forums that Ttrkey has long been able to dominate with denial.Armenia is also able to make Genocide recogrition a factor in the development of bilateral relations with other countries, particular-
are facts not only of history but of geography with whichlLrkey must come to terms as relations in the region evolve.On March 4,for example,Armenia opened an office in Istanbul for its
official representation at the Black
Sea
Economic Cooperation Council - the republic's first diplomatic representation in Tiukey. Despite tle latter's refusal to establish formal relations with Yerevan, it cannot avoid the necessity of involvement with its neighbor through intemational bodies - and sooner or later, this will require it to confront the
AIM APRIL
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Genocide if those regional relationships are to achieve their potential.
Dr
Rouben Adalian, director
of
the
Armenian National Institute in Washington, DC, said: "I don't think there's any question that the emergence of an independent Armenian republic has elevated the question of the Armenian Genocide and its international recognition. Other countries now have to relate to a sovereign state which has a history that can't be ignored." But it was the campaigning effort of nearly 40 years by Armenian Diaspora groups in various countries for Genocide recognition that established the environment in which State policy could advance. "That's been critical because the issue, even in Soviet Armenia, had been suppressed. There was no real opportunity to discuss it very widely until after 1965,1'Adalian said. "In the Diaspora, the Armenian Genocide has been the central reference point of their collective memory.A formalization of this history was critical, not only for its owu reasons, but because oftheThrkish government's denial which has become increasingly strident the more Armenians became vocal on the issue." The effort by Diasporan communities to win
recogrition by their host countries has been joined since 1998 by a much more overt stance
from the Armenian government. Robert
Gouen $tony
Kocharian won election to the presidency with an explicit promise to make Genocide recogrrition a central objective of foreigr policy. This was in shaqp contrast to lrvon Ter
T[rkey presented to Armenia's security, with the economic blockade and its support for
Petrosian's administration, which placed
Azerbaijan in the conflict. "Kocharian opted for a different foreigt policy in order to send a different message.
greater stress on the need to establish rela-
Tirkey had not been prepared to treat Armenia
tions with Turkey, without preconditions
differenfly and soArmenia would take a much more public position on the risks that Tirkey now presented to its security," said Adalian. The stance has achieved notable suc@sses - statements of recognition have been issued by France, Italy, Sweden, and Lebanon in the past two years alone - without plungingTirkish-Armenian contacts into the deep freeze. Indeed, there is evidence that Tirrkey has been forced to shift from its previous attitude into engagement. After meeting with his Tirkish counterpart Ismail Cem at theWorld Economic Forum in New York in February, Oskanian declared: "Both sides are in the mood to try to address
either over the Genocide or, more pressingly, the war in Karabakh.
Adalian argues that Kocharian's own experiences in the Karabakh war have shaped his attitude towards the Genocide question as president. "The physical suwival of theArmenian people was a real issue forKocharian,not an historical one.The struggle in Karabakh was a struggle for physical survival and the Genocide was a catastrophic failure to secure physical survival.
"Making it a matter of State policy
was
consistent with his objective of ensuring the security of Karabakh."
The failure, through Ankara's intransiofTer Petrosian's attempt to achieve a breakthrough in relations also made the time right for Armenia to adopt a much more assertive position on the Genocide. This was partly conditioned on the modern risks that gence,
our bilateral issues through direct dialogue". Borders between the two countries are
open - regular flights even take place between Yerevan and Istanbul. Delegations of Tirkish visitors are becoming commonplace in Armenia.
And, though objections to it were loud and emotional, the Tirrkish Armenian Reconciliation Commission was a brave attempt to establish new ground, even if ultimately it failed to produce a breakthrough. Adalian believes an internal debate "is
on" in Tirrkey, certainly among
academics
and the media, about how the country faces up to the Genocide. Although civil society remains weak in comparison to the State, its
evolution is encouraging a greater diversity of views and discussion.
"There is more debate and more openthough the knee-jerk reactions continue to occur at many, many levelg" he said. The big prize in terms of recognition continues to be the United States. As a candidate, George W Bush pledged during the 2000 presidential elections that he would appropriately "acknowledge the Armenian Genocide" if elected. nesg
last year'sWhite House statement talked of the "annihilation of approximately 1.5 million Armenians in the closing years of the Ottoman Empire" but stopped short of using the term genocide. A Congressional letter signed by 60 US Representatives so far is urging the
to participate in making history
Armenia Diaspora Purpose To engage as many concerned, involved, capable organizations and individuals as possible: To adopt some very specific joint projects: To begin to address the complex, global pan-Armenian issues which must be tack ed, but which have not been, Iargely for lack of a mechanism; To begin to explore ways of creating the necessary mechanisms for dialogue cooperation and jotnt planning.
Format 2 plenary sessions 5 break oul sessions will address 20 different themes of common interest to Armenia and the Diaspora.with simultaneous interpretation.
Beyond the Gonference Cver the week preceding the conference, specially arranged tours and events will give vrsitors a special insider s look at living and doing business in Armenia.
Yerevan, Armenia
Handcrafted Votiue Hand-carved wooden votive in a traditional pomegranate design. The unique carvings allow the candle to glow through creating a magnitude of beautiful shadows and light.
$18.00 each $30.00 pair
Ancient Sriep Replica Meticulously handcrafted of clay in traditional Armenian style. Will give your coffee a velvety old world flavor.
$20.00
Soorjee Kauat This original pair of clay demitasse cup & saucer, with a unique handle is handmade in Armenia. Artful and useful these cups
will
enhance the
coffee drinking experience.
$20.00 pair $35.00 set (2 cups and sriep)
Silver ilecklace A simple design reminiscent of the cave paintings in Armenia. This 'l14" high-polished pendant comes with a wire necklace for a more formal/contemporary look and an adjustable leather strap
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$20.00
Filigree Gross Pendant (lett) The khachkarinspires the intricate detail in this liligree cross, Hand crafted in oxidized silver, faceted with colored crystals. Large cross with amber colored crystals can be worn as well as used as a beautiful touch in ddcor. 5 112'X3'$30.00 Small cross with amethysts colored crystals 2112'X1112"
$22.00
Cross Pendant (above) Hung from an 18" suede cord, this stylish 2314" bronze cross is made in Armenia. Embellished with beautiful, varying colored stones. Each cross comes in its own hand made wooden box. $29.00
Pomegranate Pill Box This wooden pomegranate box is masterfully hand made. Perfect for storing small articles. A novel gift idea. Approximalely 2" x2"
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2 Mayrer (2 Mommies) Children s songs in Armenian with international rhythms. This won-
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Parev Arev Educational Placemats These placemats teach children, as well as adults, the spelling and pronunciation of Armenian words. The set of four place-mats consists of the Armenian to English translation of words teaching, Colors, Animals, Fruits, and Vegetables, Set of four $25.00
Encourage matching, counting and coordination, while stimulating the '1.5" imagination. These charming x 3" wooden pieces are hand painted
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Armenian Alphabet Puzzle Assemble these random shapes by following the chart and learn how to form letters from the Armenian Alphabet. This collection of stained
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The Golden Bracelet Retold by David Kherdian lllustrated by l{onny Hogrogian
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The Ghildren of Artsakh
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Published 1998 This hard cover 32 page book with vibrant colored il lustrations is a story based on an Armenian folktale that emphasizes the importance of craft and common sense. A captivating tale of love and wisdom. For ages B-1 2
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Three Apples Fell lrom Heaven
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Forgotten Fire By Adam Bagdasarian lsBN 0-7894-2627-7 The hero, Vahan
Dorothee Fotma An unprecedented documentary on the Armenian Genocide. The film presents the lives and scholarship of
detailed information on everything from postmarks to postcards. two historians
Examples of each stamp in the history of Armenia are given in full color photographs. This is a work of lasting importance.
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Turkish Scholar Taner Akgam
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Gouen Stony
President to go further this month and specifically describe the events of 1915 as genocide.
IfTLrkey had expected to gain from the postSeptember 1l environment, with Arnerica's
#-4
.l
attention focused lirmly on fighting tcrrorism, it does not appear k) be working out that way. A determinaticln 1tl ensure US security is leading the Bush administration to seek stability in the Caucasus ancl to push for improved relations betwecn Armenia andTirkey. rather than simply emphasising Ankara's strarcgic irnponance. And. Aclalian argues; the practice of issuing statements liom the White House on April 24 is already implicit confrmation of the Armenian version of history. An arceptance of TiLrrkish denials would make a statement unnecessary. "What has happened in the last few years is that the President of the United Statesregar.dless of party. has been issuing April 24 statements clirected towards the Am.renian community. That
il
t
&;s'
s
is a very notable development," he said.
"There's been criticisnt. obviously, that they have not used the word genocide. But the statements are completeiv accurate in terms of the historictrl issue, they commemorate accurately as the Armenian people recognize it."
Armenians express their satistaclion with the French Parliament's recognilion ol the Armenian Genocide. Photo by Max Sivaslian.
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Family Iies
Hounil Inip to thc $ea Introducing the first in an occasional seriescharting..the evolution through th6 Hves and experiences of individual families
of
Diaspora
BY SUSAN PATTIE I LONDON
,*n-+r ",,,lllffil:
:
alhoreham Beach on the southern English D.ou., is a small. quiet cluster of bungalows. It seems an unlikely place to find the man who was the only Armenian judge in Palestine under the British Mandate but Gaspar Aghajanian and his wife, Asdghid' have made their home there in a cottage near the sea. Few others. even in this land of consummate gardeners. have chosen to battle
against the poor soil and sea spray of the shoreline but Gaspar and Asdghid have created a colorful oasis of flower beds and a wide variety of fruit trees, herbs and vegetables. The color continues inside the glassed-in porch where they tend their more tropical plants, including bright pink bougainvillea cascading along the wall. There are other reminders of the AghaAIM APRIL
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janians'past lives around the small house,but not many.The last time they moved, they left home with only a small suitcase.That was the
third time Asdghid had been a refugee. Wth
little money and no belongings, they
have
created a new home over the last 15 years,
today bright and inviting, the living room enlivened by the many prints, paintings, and sculptures of the next generations. artist
tamily lies
daughten Sophie and Edessia and their families.
Asdghid is a small and graceful woman,
her round eyes always curious and alert, about to ask a question. Born in Albestan, now in TLrkey, she was originally named Helen Gaydzakian. Her father died in 1915, but during the deportations Asdghid's mother managed to escape with her by hiding in a pile of dead bodies, protecting the small child beneath her.When soldiers thrust their bayonets into corpses, the mother was badly wounded but remained silent until the horizon was empty of living souls. She then walked, carrying her daughter, until she came
upon a Bedouin camp, and eventually
reached relatives in Aleppo. When her mother later remarried, the new husband adopted Helen and gave her another name, Asdghid Topalian. Though she gained security and a new family, such a significant change, especially after her recent traumas! was difficult forAsdghid at the time.The family moved to Palestine where she later became a teacher in an Anglican elementary school in Haifa. There she met and married Gaspar, whose own family were kaghakatsi, one of the
oldest established Armenian families in Jerusalem. Having begun as a junior clerk, Gaspar studied evenings at the School of [,aw
until he obtained the Diploma of Legal
refused,saying that they enjoyed seeing them there. That same year, following a Greek-led coup against President Makarioq the Tirkish army sent troopg and established the current division of the island. Kyrenia was lost and all non-Tirrkish residents fled or were evacuat-
ed, leaving all property and belongings behind. Sitting in her parents' living room many
years later, Sophie is reminded of an Armenian film she saw recently.'A couple had lost everything," she beging "but they resettled and began to grow apple treeg just slowlyputting in the seed and tending it in the wind and storms and actually protecting it until it grew. It was from absolute scratch." She turns to her parentg "Just as you have done so many times. It's as though my parents have made a little'nation'here in Shofeham". She and her husband Jim had lived in the same cottage after meeting as students at
nearby Brighton College of Art. Soon after was born, Jim accepted a fellowship to set up a printmaking workshop in his native Belfast. In Belfast, Sophie was drawn back into printmaking and began building a reputation. She is now included in various collections and takes part in exhibitions there and abroad. Friendq Marie and Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney put her in contact
their daughter Neisha
Studies and qualified as a judge. His last post covered the Northern Galilee District, based
with author Peter Balakian whose poetry
mainly inTiberius By 1948, however, the birth pangs of the new state of Israel had reached a climax and fighting was all around them. The Chief of
in an exhibit that
Police said he could no longer guarantee their safety and urged Gaspar to leave imme-
diately. The couple and their two small daughters were stateless and had to wait a year in Amman for naturalization papers. They then sailed to Cyprus, at that time a quiet British colony, from where they hoped to arrange for Gaspar to continue his education in law in England. This proved impossible and, reluctantly, they looked to Cyprus as a more permanent home.Thanks to Gaspar's fluenry in six languages, he was hired by the newly opened American Monitoring Station in Kyrenia on the north coast. Very slowly they gathered resources together and began to build their own home, doing a large part of the physical work themselves.
Sophie and Edessia commuted
to
the
English School in Nicosia and, in 1962, went to study art in England where they eventually settled. In1W4,on the daughters'last visit to CyprugAsdghid urged them to take things back with them for their new homes They
Sophie later selected to accompany her work
combined artistq poetry and music. Sophie is also included in the Great Book of lreland, a modern version of the Book of Kells "It's not really about being hish, but being part of a certain milieu in a certain place," she says. "The distinctions are blurred."
Most recently she and Jim have been commissioned with other artists to each contribute an original print inspired by passages from the Old Testament, to be displayed at the Chester Beatty Museum in Dublin. Her current series of paintings, prints, and pastels are variations on reflections and refractions of light. Reviewers note the calm and serenity ofthe pieces but there is also a tension and contrast between rich shadow and the delicate play of light. Neither her style nor the images she produces are part of any identifiable school or trend, something that pleases Sophie.Work is done in a contemplative way, meaning "getting into a mood and getting excited about it, putting it on paper or canvas because you can't express it any other way.Art should reflect one's own experience of life". This latter is an afterthought to an earlier discussion on what Armenian art might mean
hmily lies
today, "It can't be about what you think Armenian art might be or ought to look like," she says
At the same time, their daughter Neisha's
art work sometimes does contain obvious
to her Armenian ancestry.
references
"Maybe it has skipped a generation," jokes Sophie, adding more seriously that Neisha working something out for herself through these images. One of Neisha's
seems to be
family Christmas cards was
a
delightful com-
bination of old Armenian miniature style with a somewhat puzzled-looking portrait of her father as scribe. Now living in Italy, Neisha works in mural painting, illustration and ceramics
l,ater, in her home in Gloucestershire, Edessia took up the same thread, speaking about the very different backgrounds each
generation in their family had and how she sees her own growing-up period as encompassing a mixture of cultures. 'At home it was Armenia, but our parents also talked about Palestine because that was in the very recent past. The neighbors were
Greek and Tirkish and the girls went to British schools. I always felt insecure about
Gaspar and Asdghig Aghajanian. Photo by Susan Patlie
I
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Family lies
this. I always knew I was Armenian but never really met many Armenians in Kyrenia." When their father's work colleagues visit-
signed to two record labels and also works on commissions from synthesizer companies, making demos and sounds for the synthesiz-
ed, themselves displaced Arabs, Persians, and
ers themselves. Since 1982 Edessia has been working with
others, the girls would take biscuits and drinks around to the guests and sit and listen to them talk about Palestine, about history and injustice. This was in stark contrast to the girls' own tiiendships and the stories they were hearing about England and America. The freedom and pleasures of these magic places grew in their imaginations until they went to study in London in1962. "What could have been a more drastic culture shock than to go lrom Cyprus to an art school in England in the early 1960s?" laughs Edessia. "Our parents couldn't have had any idea what we were heading into!" Following art school Edessia worked as a theatrical prop maker and met her husband, Renzo Rapaccioli, while working on a set together. They have two children. Justine,
now teaching English
in ltaly,
sings and
assists the choir master at St. Mark's Basilica in Venice. Laurence composes and releases his own dance music for club deejays. He is
wood, carving both familiar and fantastic figures. Recently she has moved from painting them with bright and intricate designs to a less
decorative style. Most of the sculptures are kinetic and she also makes all the necessary mechanisms. In 1989 Edessia won a "grand slam" at the annual British Toyrnaker Guild Show, receiving three awards:Toynaker of the
East, Palesting but also to Armenianq the eastem Mediterranean, to Q.prus We heard our mother's stories of massacreq of their losses in Palestine. But I was confident as a child and only later realized that confidence and insecurity were both there, doing battle inside. I've always been aware that nothing is straight-forward." When Asdghid was small, she had a dress that was a sort of mosaic, a patchwork of 45
of cloth gathered by the Bedouins from the clothes of victims of the Genocide
pieces
feel the need to create of being in a playful manner. I almost have a reluctance to do something entirely serious - but there is always a dark side as well." By making objects that move, Edessia requires input from the viewer who is really
and sewn by her mother. She later inherited her mother's wedding coat, sewn with golden threads on purple velvet by her father, a master tailor. Both pieces of clothing are lost now, with the other tangible pieces of tamily history. Their memory however, illustrates vividly the many influences and experiences of the past. In Shoreham, Gaspar works to close one of the sadder chapters of that past, maintaining a lengthy correspondence trying to attain some compensation for the loss of
no longer a viewer but, in w<lrking the piece, actually participates in it. "My life is like a mosaic." she continues "There have been so many influenceq things to take into account. I feel very close to the Middle
responses, or lack thereof, are disappointing but he is a determined man, keeping his records in order, hoping that some day there will be one less injustice in the
Year, Best Newcomer, and Best Toymaker (the last chosen by the other toymakers).
Edessia says:
"l
pieces that express a state
their home in Cyprus. The authorities'
world.
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Gonnections
A Mothenh loue Larisa's Multi-Ethnic Armenian Family TEXT BY GAYANE ABRAHAluilAll I PHoToS BY VAHRAM MKHITARIAN IYEREVAN
f
in this extended
fulfilling the Biblical mandate to care for of humanity, where the 60-year old widow cares for 16 children, none of whom are
Some of the children were left at Hovsepian's door over the past five yean by those who had leamed of the kind woman's unoffrcial oqphanage. One child, Gurgenik,was found in a fleld. Hovsepian's island of humanity - a studio
blood relatives.
apartment
and multi-ethnic family, spending innumerable sleepless nights near their beds telling them fairy-tales and singing Komitas'songs.
very day dozens of worshippers enter the Lancient Yerevan church of Zoravor, never knowing that on their way they pass a different "church" where one Armenian woman is children.
Larisa Hovsepian's "church" is an island
died. When time came to return the girl, Larisa decided to adopt a child. (Hovsepian's own husband had died earlier that year.)
The "flrst-born" was Hayrapet from
Russia. Following him were a gipsy girl, Anahit, Andranik from Lithuania, Liza fu om
Belarus, then Hranto from Angola and Gayane from Ethiopia.
-
is surrounded by
multiple prob-
lems and concerns. The electricity is fre-
ln 1982, Hovsepian was caring for a relative's daughter after the girl's father had Larisa (center) surrounded by her many adopted children.
Top:
The youngest children are two-year old
Araik
and three-year old Ashot; Hayrapet is now 20. Hovsepian has brought up all the children
AIM APRIL
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quently cut off for lack of payment and there is the constant fear of being evicted. The apartrnent, legally, is State proprty. Hovsepian has written leften and even spoken to the hime Minister asking if her home muld be registered in her namgorforthe Government to provide her with altemative accommodation. But her requests have all been denied. Some businesmen want to build a casino where
Gonnections
Hovsepian lives and have tried, legally and illegally, to kick her
oul
"Once they came when two of my kids were sleeping in their beds," Hovsepian said. "It was raining outside, but they took the beds out of the house." While the mother was busy with her wet children, the men took out her property, put it into two trucks and drove away, leaving the children in an empty house. In Armenia, families listed as "vulnerable" receive about $16 a month in government support. Because many of the children
do not have Armenian citizenship,
it
is
impossible for Hovsepian to get the aid.
But she insisted that "we are all right", adding: "We are together and this means we are always all right." They are all right, in spite of the fact that steam comes out of the mouth when anyone speaks inside their cold apartment. It is easy to spot this unusual family's home - it's the one with all the laundry hanging outside. There is a bathroom next to the kitchen with a concrete floor, one broken lavatory pan and a lot of laundry. "Larisa laundries every night with her
hands in cold water standing on the concrete floor in the kitchen," says her sister, Valentina Yurtaeva, who often comes to the apartment to help manage things. "She does so much laundry that her hands are damaged to her bones." During summer, Hovsepian washes car-
pets and wool for other people to earn money to feed her children. Today they take bread on account at a shop where the family already owes $300. Despite the financial difficulties threaten-
ing the family's survival, Hovsepian still bought a piano because she wants the children to learn to play it. And one of the reasons she is trying to get citizenship for her children is so that her boys can be available for military service. "My strong and healthy boys were not called up for military service because they do not have a registration," she said. "I want them to serve their homeland. All of my 11 boys have to go for military seryice."
Including Hranto, whose singing of Armenian songs is an unexpected delight for those who hear "Dle Yaman" * a mournful hymn about the Genocide - coming tiom the
mouth of a black-skinned Angolan
Program Directar Armenian Creneral Benevolent Union (AGBU), a brge nonaroft organization, seeks a Full Time Prognam Director br mentorship program forAnnenian At-Risk youth in Glendale. Duties include oyerall supenrision of program development and administatbn including which consist of: Planning activfies, recruitiqg and taining of mentors, rnonitoring and reporting on tfie progress of mentees, prcmoting public awaroness of the program, fund raising, public relations, evaluation, and budget preparation. Appllcants mus* have a minimum of BS degree in liberal arts or sodal sciences as well as two years of experience as a program director with youth programs. Must posses excellent wrifren and verbal communications skills and be abb to work independently as well as with a team of volunteers. Must embrace the mission and values of the Annenian General Benevolent Union. Fluency in verbalAnnenian is a must- Competitive salary and benefits.
Phone 818.246.7979
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Gonnectons
StealinU the $onus Artists Lose Out to Musical Pirates TEXT BY VAHAI{ tSHKHAiilAI{ | PHoToS BY VAHRAM MKHITARIAN IYEREVAN
I
CD and after all that some people take my work, record it from one tape to another and earn money," said musicianAra
n Yerevan, audio cassette tapes of Armenian lmusicians and world-famousitan cost around 500 Drams (about 90 cents). Blank tapes cost 600 Drams ormore. "This is a strange phenomenon. There is no country in the world where a recorded tape is less expensive than a blank one," said
music and release a
the head of the recording studio of the
Migel Sanchez, Alamaladov Khakberdi. Then they sell the tapes at 5fi) Drams without mentioning these names on the cover. "I tell them to take the original from me and sell it, but they say it's very expensive. It
Ministry of Culture Gevorg Hovhannisian. On Abovian Street alone, in Yerevan city center, there are eight music shops that sell pre-recorded audio tapes at 500 Drams and CDs at 1,5fi) Drams whether the singer is Britney Spears orThta - from classical to pop to rap to rabiz.
All
these tapes are sold without artist agree-
ment,violatingArmenia's law on copyright and other related righK "I hire musiciang a studio, then record the
Gevorkian.
I
"To promote sales of my tapes, invite famous musicians for the band such as Markus Miller as bass guitar player,Subraya Bhotanaya,
should be expensive. If they want to sell Michael Jackson,let them sell, I have nothing to say. But I consider pirary a betrayal as
Armenian musicians." Gevorkian is preparing his fourth and
regards
fifth audio tapes and says he will flght strongly to prevent them being sold illegally.
AIM APRIL
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According
to Gevorkian, of all Armenian
musicians' records his and the ones by Jivan
Gasparian are
in greatest demand (like all
other Armenian musicians he doesn't know or doesn't tell how many records he's sold). "If the tape costs 400-500 drams, then it is illegal," said Susanna Nersisian, deputy head of the Copyright Agency. 'A legally produced audio tape is at least 1,000 Drams at cost. In the Criminal Code there is a clause on violating copyright, but
not on violating other related rights. It
is
planned to include this kind of clause in the new Criminal Code." (Armenia's new code is in its second year of development and review. There is no expected date of its enactment). Clause 140 of the Criminal Code prohibits
plagiarism
of the written word.
However,
Gonnections
there is no criminal punishment for violating rights related to audio tapes or broadcasting work of an artist without his or her agreement.
The National Assembly accepted a law in 2000 that prohibits the copying and selling of a work without the agreement of its creator.
However, no criminal punishment has been established yet for those who violate that law.
Artists can bring a civil action against sellers of his/her works. But it is such a long process and the compensation is so small that no musicians bother to take this step. As Armenia is applying for membership of the World Tiade Organization, it is expected that a condition of admission will be a strengthening of laws on rights and protec-
As CDs are not dubbed en masse, but recorded one by one, they are more expensive to produce and so are sold at 1,500-1,900 Drams ($2.70 to $3.50). Nelli Manucharian, head of the informa-
tion service of the government's Duty Department (which includes Customs), says all musical merchandise - audio tapes as well as tape-recorders - imported to Armenia are registered under the same code. So the department does not know how much raw material is imported. They only
have information concerning the sum of
Council of Europe, enforcement of copyright laws is among many reforms that must be addressed. But with reforms lagging on issues such as capital punishment and the rights of minorities, it is unlikely that copyright will see any legislative attention soon. Abuse is so widespread that a report issued by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry in February estimated that 85 percent of all recordings produced in Armenia were pirate copies. It said 645,000 CDs and 3.7 million cassettes were sold in the republic in 2001, of which 525,000 CDs and 3 million cassettes were produced illegally. Foreign artists lost $4.5 million in royalties as a result. Several companies produce audio tapes
imported musical merchandise. Government agencies have no control over how tapes or CDs are obtained, they are concerned only that taxes be paid. "ff the given enterprise doesn't produce or sell anything prohibited by the legislation of Armenia, we don't have any grounds to demand an explanation," said deputy Minister of State Income Armen Alaverdian. "Production and sale of audio tapes are not prohibited, this type of merchandise is not licensed. Cassettes and CDs are not on the list of products that have to be licensed, so we have nothing to demand from producers in that field." He added: "I don't care if cassettes are produced without (singer) Nune Esayan's or Thta's agreement. Why should I protect their interests? We don't have the number of produced audio tapes, as the taxed enterprise may produce and sell numerous productsWe know the total amount of taxes exacted from them. But we have no statistics on how much
in Armenia, and the biggest of them
from which product."
tion of intellectual property.
Further, with its recent entry into the
are
H&D and KK. Managers of music shops buy their merchandise mainly from wholesale stores of these two flrms.
But the names of the two companies are
not mentioned on the packaging of audio
At
Two intemational agreements (Geneva and Rome) on the rights of recording artists are guidelines for most European countries
But Armenia has not joined these agreementg under which a country is obliged to
first, one cannot tell these
protect musicians' copyrights, monitor the
records apart from those produced by famous studios - only after the package is opened does it become obvious that the
legality ofproduced records and prohibit circulation of illegal records in the market. One singerompmeq Ruben }lakhverdian,
cover photos are of poor quality and there is no information about the singer or the songs. "I buy tapes from H&Q" says a manager of one of the Abovian Street stores, who did not want to give his name. "I buy Armenian CDs from there, too. But the foreign ones I bring mainly from Russia." Small factories produce cassettes. The
takes an egalitarian pmition on piracy of his music.
tapes and CDs.
tape is brought mostly from China and
a
single spool can produce hundreds of recorded cassettes via a dubbing machine. They are sold for 50 cents in wholesale stores, such as those on Mashtots Avenue and in Malatia district.
"I
won't go and argue with each kioskthem sell my songs, they support familieg" Hakhverdian said. "I am even glad man.
Irt
that they support families thanks to my no normal institution in this
songs. There is
country. Laws are not enforced, why should copynght be valid? "If my children were hungry, I would have done the same.They come and ask me whether theycan remrd and sell my songs I tell them to do what theywant. I won't go to the police. My income comes from America. InArmenia my
workismainlycharity."
!
Gonnections
lslam in Anmcila Restored Blue Mosque Serves Yerevan's Growing Iranian Community BY l,lARA MARKOSSIAI{ IYEREVAN
llle
have been livins between two civiliza-
UU
tiorr lbr tiuee yiars now,' says a resi-
in Soviet times
as the
Yerevan Museum of History
ad Zmlqly. later, it became a warehouse
of
museum artefact
dent of one of the apartment buildings overlooking Yerevan's Blue Mosque. "On one side are the soirnds of the bells and services at St Sarkis Church and on the
Finally,
in 195, following an
agreement
sigred between Iran andArmenia,work on the restoration of the mosque as a place of worship began. There used to be eight mosques in Armenia, but the Blue Mosque is the only one
other of Muslims at prayer in the mosque. We're already used to that." With is large blue dome and minaret rising 24meters into the air,this magrificent house of prayer occupies a site measuring 7,000 square meters behind a mlorfully decorated wall on central Yerevan's main Mashtots Avenue. Built in 1765 W order of the Governor of Yerevan, Housein AIi Khan, the mmque served
that remains today.
"To preserve its architectural uniqueness and former appearance, all the construction material was brought from Iran. By the way, the blue bricks are made only in Ispahan," says Mohsen Aboutalebi, cultural counsellor at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of AIM APRIL
2OO2
Gonnections
Iran in Armenia. He explains that the domes of mosques are usually blue because this color symbolizes peace. Restoration works at the mosque took five years and cost the Republic of Iran more than $1 million. Walls surrounding the compound of the mosque were half buried in the ground and had to be dug out. Numerous cells were found, which today house a library and a museum at the mosque, and provide classroom space for Armenians and Iranian-Armenians studying the Persian language.
"I
attend classes twice a week. There are
four groups here with 15 students in each," says Lilit Alaberkian, who is studying Persian at the mosque as part of her degree course at the Armenian State University.
Aboutalebi says: "Today, the mosque is open for everyone. It's interesting that it has become one of the sights of Yerevan. When there are government delegations or visitors, they're sure to be taken to see the mosque." The door may be always open for governmental delegations perhaps, but not always for the common citizens of Yerevan. Often, it's only possible during the hours when classes take place. Aboutalebi assures that those who wish to may enter the prayer room of the mosque and is surprised on leaming that AIM's reporter had initially been turned away. He says: "Probably, this is the mosque's bad luck that this should have happened with a
reporter."
But Alaberkian says, although she and her classmates go to the compound to study,"we're not allowed to enter the prayer house".
Andranik Simonian, a worker at the compound, insists: "There's nothing interesting inside, people are praying and they all are Muslims.What should you do if you enter?" Those who manage to enter the central prayer room of the mosque find a vast space firlly covered with Eastern carpets The whitewashed walls are separated into two chambers - one for men and the other for women - divided by a curtain running the width of the hall.
At the entrance to the prayer room,
believers remove their shoes and take a special clay tablet from a wall cabinet. These are used during the Muslim prayer of rramaz, when they bow their heads to the floor and touch the tablet with their forehead. Outside, in a separate hall, worshippers
are provided with washbasins - only after washing can they enter the prayer room. Again, a curtain divides the sexes Before and after general prayer, they also drink tea.
Every Thursday night, many of the 2,000
Iranians and Muslims living
in
Armenia
architecture. But large dustbins placed right next to the compound, which have become a
come to the mosque for prayers The presence of a clerg5rman or imam is
gathering place for trampq spoil the impression.
not necessary. But twice a year, for the major celebrations of Ramadan and Maharani, an imam comes from Iran for two to three weeks to lead these ceremonies. The minaret usually serves the purpose at a mosque of calling people to prayer with the help of a loudspeaker. But the one at the Blue Mosque stands idle - the last time an imam went to the top was four years ago. Narrow winding steps form a dark, stone tube through the center of the minaret. The climb is perilous but once at the top a wonderful panorama of the city opens up. The mosque is a vivid example of Eastem
We've applied to the Municipality many times with a request to replace them,but there have been no resultq" says Aboutalebi.
AIM APRIL
2OO2
"This is not on the mosque's territory.
Perhaps the Mayor of Yerevan has forgotten that the mosque remains the responsibility of the Municipality - although the site is managed by Iranian embassy staff, it is formally the property of the city authorities According to the mosque's next development project, there are plans to clear a space of seven to nine meters around the compound. Private buildings outside the walls are earmarked for demolition, with plans to provide the inhabitants with new aparfinents. r
Photo Essay
[on Chnist anil Ga[[aUG Molokans Preserve Their Way of Life TEXT BY MARK GRTGoRTAN I
PHoToS BY RoUBEN MAilGASARIAN
hen the lambs are small, they cannot find
their homes So when the flock
comes back from the pasturegthe whole vill4ge meets
it
at the outskirK Everyone tries to find their lambs and drive or simply carry them home.To avoid confirsion, the lambs are marked with bright pains: red, yellow, green, blue. The villagers enjoy the show, laughing and
shouting, but within minutes the turmoil is
I YEREVAN
over. The quiet rural evening returns to Fioletovo, a village in northem Armenia that belongs to Molokans - ethnic Russians, sectarianq exiled to Tianscaucasus at the beginning of the 19th Century. The Molokans sect broke away from the Russian Orthodox Church in the 17th Century. The Molokan heresy became widely known in villages of Southern and Central Russia, a
AIM ,A.PRIL
2OO2
situation that became intolerable to the ruling powers. RussianTsar Nikolai I in 1830 signed a decree prohibiting Molokans to live in the cenfral areas
of Russia and allowing them to resettle in TianscaucasrnThis
is
how Molokans appeared in
Armenia.
At the beginning of the 20th Century, the Molokan villages inArmenia numbered more
than 20.The town of Sevan was a Molokanvillage called Elenovka; today's famous moun-
tain resort Tsakhkadzor used to
be
Konstantinovka; another resort, Dilijan, incorporated Molokan villages of Golovino and Papanino.
But now Fioletovo is the only remaining Molokan village. Whereas there were once 50,000 Molokans in Armenia, there are now only about 5,000, including 1,100 in Fioletovo. Alexander Morozov does not have a TV set for religious reasons. The faith does not banTV, but the presbyters (spiritual and religious leaders) do not recommend it out of moral considerations. "I have a radio," says Morozov, "but it is no good to listen to radio. Tiue believers should read the Bible and follow the line of self-perfection. When the radio is on, it tells newq plays music... One can listen for hours That's no good." Some watch television
-
to escape the pres-
byters' wrath, they hide their
TV
sets in
wardrobes
Strictly speaking, Molokans should not drink alcohol or smoke. However, the younger generations break these taboos. There are two retailers' shops in the village where one can unofficially get a drink. "Every Sunday they gather in the middle
of the village, drink and fight in the evening," Armenian seller at the com-
says Gohar, an peting shop.
in
Molokans who live in the United States cannot believe there is no Internet access in Fioletovo.The reality is harsher still - there is only one telephone in the whole village. Signs of 19th Century life are visible in the households. Sewing machines stand next AIM APRIL
to ancient spinning wheels Molokans do not buy food in shopg so there are no food shops
2OO2
Fioletovo. Everything
is prepared
or
cooked at home: bread, cheese, sour cream. Butter is churned with a pakhtalka an old Russian tool. Mik-hail Mechikov builds hotbeds on his farmland for cabbage, which he seeded in early April. The hotbeds look like this: two to
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three square meters of ground are fenced by
low wooden or metal skirting. The hotbeds are covered by a metal net, so that birds do not peck the seedlings Near one side is a roll of cellophane, which is unrolled to cover the gentle cabbage sprouts when the temperature falls Each household has three or four such hotbeds
Nearby, Mechikov has sown alyssum. Each sprout of small leaves is covered by a
it will grow. - Mechikov has
large glass jar, under which Carrots also grow nearby
constructed a special awning to shade them from direct sunlight, rain or hail. "Each stone is familiar to me for 20 kilo-
meters from here," says his cousin Ivan Mechikov. "I know how each tree growq the quality of each spring." Ivan Birukov, a small man of 55, says it is just a "trifle" to dig up 700 square meters of ground.
Molokans live in harmony with nature. They preserve not only the fields,but also the forests. The Fioletovo Molokans collect raspberries. Molokans in other places collect wild pears, sea-buckthorn, dog ros6. Their jams and compotes made from forest berries are fantastic. The main product of Fioletovo is cabbage. They sell it and pickle it. Molokan sauerkraut was highly valued in the Soviet Union. The Molokans of Fioletovo say they exported sauerkraut to Russia, Ukraine, even
Tirkmenistan.
'lhe disintegration The disintegration of the USSR cut off the roads and railways connecting Molokans
to their former marketsttyana, Mechikov's wife, says: "Our market is very narrow now. We can take cabbage and sauerkraut only to Yerevan and Tbilisi in Georgia." However, the Molokans adapted to the new conditions They started to export their know-how. Families go to Krasnodar and Stavropol regions in Southem Russia, where they buy barrels and cabbage. Then they pickle and sell it.
AIM APRIL
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"Though it is not tasty there," they say, "the cabbage is different, because of the water. The water in Armenia is better."
To make real Molokan sauerkraut, you should chop then wash the cabbage and add carrot after it is pared and macerated ("otherwise it will color the cabbage"). For a bucket of cabbage, a handful of canots and a little bit more than that of salt are needed.A black pepper and bay should be added. In eight to ten dayg the sauerkraut is ready. Very tasty. r
Faces
Ro[ent lateossian In a Silver Sky By HRA|R SARKIS SARKISSIAN
I LOS ANGELES
Robert Taleossian (lefl) pictured in his new tlagship store (above) at 1/4 Royal Exchange, in London's linancial district.
I I
f vou are a traveler. chances are that whilc flip-
ping througtr the pagcs ol rhe dury free mag.azines aboard airplanes,you have come across the name Thteossian.
It belongs to Roberl Tateossian.39. who was born in Kuwait to a Lcbanese Armenian father and a Palestinian mothcr. Having lived in Rome
and febanon. been educated at the Whaflon School of Finance in Philaclelphia, Pennsylvania, and worked for Merrill Lynch in krndon as an
investment banker firr scven yean ?tteossian proceeded to create his own business ol highcnd men's jcwelrv ltnd accesst,lics Established in 19fl in central hndon's trendy Chelsea district, Thteossian (www.tateossian.am) cunently has 35 employees in l-ondon and hve in Manhattan, with over one thousand points of sale in 35 coturtriesThe products.which are mainly made
of silver. vermeil and semi-preciotn stones include
women's
The clesigner, who spends 30 percent ol his
jewelry. Items are not mass pr<duced and are
timc in London.30 pcrcent in Manhattan. and
rqstricted to only the top stores in each countrl'. such
thc rest arouncl the globc, seerns to e nioy his lit'e and shows no signs o1'slowing cltlwn. Currentlv, the company is opening its own corncrs in thc
cr,rlfl inks, watches, dasktop accersories and
as Hanods ancl Harvey Nichols in klndon, Bergdort Gcrxlman imd Neim:ur Marcus in thc LJS,and Gallcrias lafayctte in PiirisTittetxsian alxr clesigns privatc collcctitms
for intematittnal coulule
firms such zrs Ermenegildo Zcgna, Hugo B<xs. and Kenzo under their own lal'tls The cluty liec product line contprises about ten percent of 'Iateossian's malket. which he
to get inttt. "Most ol the products in the ntarket were tradiacccssory tionally with old labels such as Piere Cardin. says is a clifllcult one
But Virgin Atlantic was the first airline to experiment with
a young
designer." savs
Thteossian, whose first duty tiee product was the watch cutflinks. Today, most maior airiines carry the Thteossian line.
AiM APRIL
2OO2
major dcpartnrcnl sturcs thal already carty -littcossian
llagsh ip storc openccl in l)cccmbcr in Loncktn's financial clislrict on Royal Exchangc. "The shol-r ltteans tlrat for 1hc {irst linlc wc arc able 1o clisplay both the men's and ladics' linc under one rool - in a'lhteossian type cnvironment. It also means that wc now havc a concept for lianchising - to enable potential opcning of other Thteossian shops around the world," says Thteossian. Futurc plans are to open such stores in kcy cities around the globe. such as New York. San Francisco, Paris, Milan. r Tokyo,Athcns. and
Tiitcossian products.Thc lirs1
Syclney.
Faces
llottie Benuoian Queen of Quick Wit and Wisdom BY GILDA B. KUPELIAN I NEWYORK
wrff*f iffffil::',i::tr3:'"xilHff I complete stranger, approaches her and out of
the blue proceeds to tell her a joke eliciting her trademark hearty laugh. He is flattered. She'd made his day. Thatiswho and how she is-Dottie Bengoian: opeqwann, and aaesible, with a witty sense of humor, a drildlike sense of wonder and temendous zest for life, Tall, a demeanor that commands
attentioq with qparkly green eyes she lighb up a eve4+vhere she goes It is no wonder pe.ople
rmm
gravitate to her.
Bom in Boston into a family that believed nation and culture should be lived out
fait[
Vlfl,Benguan and sister Rose grew up bona fide Armenians Resiliency, attachment to tradition and the need to perpetuate it came from her parenK She acquired artistic flair and qpunk from mother Vcky and joie de vivre from the family's matriarch, her grandmother. Venatility became her middle name. Early on, teaching became the profession Bengoian embraced wholeheartedly, garnering her the Teacher of the Year distinction at her C-onnecticut public school. "All the other teadrcrs teach different subjecB, mattr, reading English, I\{s B teaches us about life" was an entry in one of her semndgrade student's joumal Bengoian has been making audiences laugh and ponder for over2O years as a speaker, educator and humorist.While she inspires her captive audiences to accept new challenges as only an effective communicator can, she teaches them to embrace change and attain goats both individually and as a mmmunity. She believes humor and laughter are bridges to cooperation and must become part of our community life. Her presentations are flavored with ethnic customs and vemacular and a dose of qrrrent foibles in our society. She has no qualms about poking frm at shortoomings in the hope that they are made aware of and rectified. No cheap strots thoryh. Her work is positivq researchd and alwap resulb oriented.No matterwhatthe product, her Armenianism oozes and peroolates "I speak to many, but when I speak to Armenians I know I'm home with my family. It is an honor and a privilege," she says
Since her recent early retirement from teaching, Bengoian has expanded her speak-
ing career, produced an audiotape, Laugh with Dottie Bengoian, published a poigrant biography of her dad Siragan "Benny", a Genocide survivor, started a hand-made jew-
elry venture that features unique motifs including Armenian designg and currently has a literary project in the works Bengoian goes full force to shake the status quo, ameliorate the stagnant, and effectuate change for the sake of improvement. She is disposed to advise those she cares about so that they rise above their challenges Inaction in the face of adversity is inadmissible to her. Bengoian and John Ouligian met and married a little over ten years ago.A complementaryunion of two educatorgshe dotes onhim and he is her sounding board, advisor and biggest
AIM APRIL
2OO2
fan. He doesn't mind when she recounts an anecdote about her "Johnny Boy" in a supermarket. John walks towards his wife who is waiting inline at the check-outcounterand calls out
"I've got the 'hots' for you dear" with
the
glrl!" (In typical AmericarrArmenian lingq John had cashier retorting to Bengoian "You go
meant'bread' in Armenian.) Bengoian relishes in giving her friends cute nicknames She also has fun sigring her e-mails
with theroyalseal,of whichafriend once asked her husband: "She thinks she really is a queen, should we tell her the truth John?" Canada's Horizon newspaper has hailed Dottie Bengoian jubderes mer Thkoohin our smiling Queen. Lucky for uq her scepter exudes humor,goodness and reform. r 51
Fashion
Paintinu$ to Wean Delicate Images of a Stylist in Silk TEXT BY
SoNA DANIELIAN I PHoToS BY KAREN Mll,lASlAN
fmlish people are pleased with their lives ll I'm one of them," says Christina Mkrrchian. Others are pleased with the results of Mkrtchian's talent, which was displayed recently at a fashion show in the basement art gallery ofYerevan's Sil Plaza shopping center. Mkrtchian is a batik artist, painting richly detailed and colorful images onto silk. Her latest collection, called Ancient Civilizations, captures several stages of world history from Ancient Greece, Egypt, Babylon up to the Middle Ages. The delicacy of silk against the confident lines and bright colors of Mkrtchian's images make an interesting combination finding its reflection in shawls, scarves and other accessories of women's wear. By education, Mkrtchian is an architect. But her passion is in art, though with a practical approach. She is happy, for example, to work according to specifications determined by a client rather than by artistic flair. Though she is sometimes involved in pri-
flnly
vate architectural projects, Mkrtchian's income source is batik, a discipline she started about four years ago after several years
IYEREVAN
working in ceramics. In 1995, Mkrtchian had what most artists would consider a "big break." While in Parig France, she took sqme of her ceramic work to a salon of the fashion designer Kenzo. Her work was purchased on the spot and she was asked for more, but never followed up on the offer from the famous designing house.
"Believe it or not, I'm not an ambitious An ambitious person can never be happy," Mkrtchian says. Possessing an analytical way of thinking, in her works Mkrtchian shows another side a person with very rich imagination and fantasy, far from practical. Her works are displayed and sold in different art salons of Yerevan at a price cheaper than batik usually costs A one-meter square silk shawl decorated by N{krtchian can be
person.
bought at $20 while others sell for about $50. The artist says she sells her work cheaper than others because she works faster than most. If it takes several days for someone else to make a shawl, she can do it in several hours. She finds it unfair, then, to ask the same amount of money for something she AIM APRIL
2OO2
can do more easily than others.
In Yerevan there are batik classeg which cost about $30 per month and last for about six months. Mkrtchian says such classes are more concerned with business than art. "What is there to learn for six months about making a batik? If you have the talent
to feel the silk, its abilities, then you don't have much to leam about that," she says. Mkrtchian gets different orders starting from flowers on a scarf to a portrait on a tie. She is not picky and can paint whatever the customer wishes, but of course through her own prism, through her own perception.
"I'm an experimenter by
nature. Why
should a painting of Picasso or Matisse be on a canvas and not on a woman? It's not about
it's about how you're doing that," she says. Mkrtchian is married and has a five-yearold son and recalls the dfficulty of forsaking art for motherhood when her boy was a baby. "I was doing nothing but breastfeeding," she says. "There was no time for anything else but looking after the baby."
what you're painting on,
Today,
batik for Mkrtchian is a way of liv-
ing, a pleasure, both material and spiritual. Batik for her is an art that adorns a woman.
Her greatest happiness is to see her
cus-
tomers pleased. However, some people criticizeher saying that she lost the national flair in her works.
Mkrtchian explains: "When they're asking me Are you not Armenian?' I always say 'No, I'm cosmopolitan'. You can base work on your nationality, but never limit yourself with that. Otherwise, you'll develop yourself neither in art nor in ideology." !
st lJr il[til r SAVE 400/o'70o/o MRYDAY
Sponts
Anmenia loolts to Adamian ndranik Adarnian (right) has been namccl as thc nov hcad coach o1' the Armenian nationtrl lootball tcam. Adamian.50. managed Shirak Ftxrtball (llub lirr the last 1en vcars. making him the iongest scrvin! coach it't rcccnt Artncnian ftlotball history. Under his leadcrship Shilak havc bccn Arnlcnian chanlpions three times. in I992. I 994 ancl 1999. but only rranagccl lirurth place last season.
Adamian $,As also altpointcd he itcl coach oI the national Undcr-2'1 side last 1'ear. lcading a prontisttte group o1' young playcrs to some imprcssive results. He coache d thc tcatt.t tcl a 2-0 victclry over Norwa,v's Under-2ls last Oclobcr. Iirr cranrplc, just a dzry before the senior sicle was lhrashed 4-1.
Adanrian saicl thcn that hc believcd manv of the ytlur.rger playcrs were ready to stop up to the lull natittnal team. He can be cxpectcd kr introducc them cluickly as heacl coach in a bid to lbrge a tcarn capablc of prcscnting a bctter challcnge in the qualifving group ol thc 2004 F,uropcan Charnpionships thiin it did in last season's Wlrld C'ttll ganlcs. Armcnia linishccl bottot't.t of its group and uas the onlY leitnl tlo[ to recurcl a sin-qle win trom ten mzttches. It laccs Spain. lJkrainc. Cire ccc and Northcrn Ireland in its quiilif;''ing sroup lirr thc Europcan Cihampionships. Mcanrvhile. Armenia's tcenagets sufterccl clisapptlintrrlcrlt at tlic start ol their bid to quality lor the Euntl.rcan Llndcr l7 ('hanlpionships. They rvcnt down to a l-0 clcfcat at hotlle 1rl Malta in thc lirst grtlup qualifling match (below. lelt ancl righl. Armcniir in rcr-l shirts). In a tense and exciting gantc.Artttcttia lautlchccl wavc altct n'ilt'e of attacks on tl.tc Maltesc goal hut cottlcl tlot gcL ir bre akthrous.h. The visitors scored against lltc run ol plity in thc 2lst nlinutc thrclugh Dison Falson. Arrnenia camc closc to cqualizinu scvcral tirni:s in the second half but wcrc denicd bv it se rics ol linc savcs Irtlnl Malta's goalkeeper. This rvas the thircl tirnc thirt L.hclcr-17 teams liom Armcnia and I Malta have plavccl Artrcnia has lost all three. -By Michael Harutiunian
$I t
'
,t"
*-dd rtrffi AIM APIIII, ](X)]
$ponts
Eame to tlte
last
fl
rmenia's athletes returned home from theWinter Olympics in Salt glory. French-Armenian Vanessa Rakejian,25, produced the team's best results of the Games, finishing 29th out of 70 skiers in the Women's Slalom and 47th out of 69 entrants in the Giant Slalom. Arsen Harutiunian, from Tsakhkadzor, Armenia, was not so fortunate, being among 44 skiers who failed to post a time in the Men's
l.lLake City with honor if not
Slalom competition. The 33-year-old, taking part
in his third
Olympics, fell on the first run. The bobsled duo of Dan Janjigian and Yorgo Alexandrou finished 33rd overall out of 38 pairs in the two-man event. They achieved a
combined time of three minutes 18.11 seconds, with their best performance coming in the fourth and final run. They clocked up a time of 49.33 secondg reaching speeds of 80.2mph, to finish 31st in the round. The other three heats for the Armenian team were: first run -49.53 (33rd place);second run - 49.50
- 49.15 (33rd place). Russian-born flgure skater Julia trbedeva had no more luck in
(34th place); third run
the Women's Singles competition than pairs skaters Maria
Krasiltseva and Artem Znachkov. Both of Armenia's entrants finished last in their respective competitions, with the pairs in 2fth place and 23 -y ear- old Lebedeva in 27 th. Cross Country skiers Aram Hajian and Margarita Nikolian from Gumri participated in the 1.5 kilometer sprints.The contest involved a series of elimination rounds with only the fastest 16 skiers advancing to the final - Hajian finished 64th out of 72 skiers in the Men,s event with a time of three mins 24.89 secs, while Nikolian was last out of 58 entrants for the Women's race in a time of 4:13.55. Hajian, who had participated in every individual Cross Country event at the Gameg went on to complete his program by racing in the gruelling Men's 50km Classical. He finished 57th out of 58 skiers who completed the race (64 were entered). !
The bobsled duo of Dan Janiigian and Yorgo Alexandrou ol San Jose, Galilornia, represenling artist Seeruon Yeretrian.
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2OO2
Amenia. The arlwork on the bobsled is by Glendate
Undenexposed
$trifiG! Amcrican tradition is proving a popular pastime in Armenia since llre opctting of a state-of-tl.re-art bowling center. The Yerevan Bowling Center is ltoused in the former Aragats Cinema in the Achapniak district of the capital. It boasts six lanes equipped with computer scoring ancl overhead
fln
llnerv
screens showing players the bcst way to try to score a strike. A caf6 ancl plav area add to the
tamily atmosphere. Bowlins, hirs quicklv heconte a craze in a city more accustomed to foothall and chess. The center is open 2rl hours a day and provides "coaches" among its 12-member staff to
help first-timers master the my'sterv of aiming a largc heavy ball to the most destructive effcct at ir pyramid <lf pins. The cost ol a night at the lanes may seem prohibitive tbr many Atmenians, starting at U.000 Drams (about $15) an hour until 6 pm
and rising
to
12,000 Drams (about $21) at
peak times.
Bul the popularity of the center suggests otherwise - all six lanes are frequently in use and it is advisable to book in aclvancc cluring the evenings. Virab Manukian. co-director of the censa-vs the price is reasonable considering that up to six pcoplc itl a tintc can usc onL'
ter.
lane. []e adds: "This game is very convenient for families and groups of friends." School children, Manukian says, will be allowe d to hou I Iree onc hour pcr week. The center also has plans to start a bowling club and a bowling school, to spread interest in the sport that. in other countries, has become synonymous with lazy leisure and beer. r
-Text by Nara lVarkossian Photos by Karen Minasian
tonty Weililinus anil a Bonline for the couples inside the church, which clatcs back to the 14th Century. The mass marriagc ceremonv had been his idea. a way to mark the end of the 1.700th anniversary celehralions o[ Armenian Chlistianitv. Hundreds of relatives and li'icncls struggled to squeezc themselves inside thc church, hut still hundreds more werc lcft outside.
!he little villagc ol Karpi had seen nothing. I likc ir lrcltrrc. Nor lrad the rest of Armenia. Forty brides and 40 grooms pledged their Iove in a unique joint marriage ceremonv in the tiny church of St Mariam. The occasion toclk place on February 13. when Armenians celebrate the {estival of Tindez - the republic's own version of St Valentine's Day. All but three of the couples who were married were sons and daughters ol the village. which is 25 kilometers west of Yerevan and has a population of 4,000. Excited crorvds gathered as a veritable traffic jam ol cars carrying grooms and brides, all aged 1t3
lhe cere monv ltse ll laslctl olte hour attd fbllowecl the tradilional Arrncnian rite - the couples stood facing cach other. their heads howed and touching. for part of the Mass. thcn came lorwarcl in ;lairs to drink lvine and rcccivc thc Srhirzrtn's hlessing. Outside, smartly-dressed little girls solemnly threw sweets and raisins on the newlyweds as they emerged from the church.
to 22. neared the church. As the hmt bride and grcxm stepped oul enthusiastic cheerc of the crorvd met thern as they into the church. lhen the scene
"This ceremony has no precedent not only
n.rade their way
in Karpi but in the whole of Armenia." says Ashjian. "The number 40 is no accident -
repeated itself. Ancl again. and again. arld again...
Archbishop Mcsrop Ashjian was waiting AIM APRIL
2002
T[e tneach EunneElion f
ducation now has a French flavor for hun-
anhips that exempt them from payng the tuition fees of $700 per year. Last year, there
Ldreds of
studenLs enrolled at Armenia's newest university. The French Univenity of Armenia accepted its first I50 freshmen in 2000 after five years of planning. The academic venlure is a joint project invohing the Armenian Government, which provided the building. the French and German Embassies in Yerevan. and the Lyons I hree Unlverslty m l'rance. The university provided professional expertise and teaching support to its Armenian coun-
terpart. The Armenian teaching faculty
were four candidates for each place on the uru'-
venity's course$ The intake was increased to [80 to reflect the high qualiry of applicants.
The university presently has 313 first and second year students on its roll - some of those accepted onto courses were forced to drop out after failing their end-of-year exams, A further 200 are in a "preparation class". receiving tuilion to prepare lhem for making formal applications next year. The academic year is divided into two four-month semesters - February through May and September through December with mid-term and final exams in each one. Students typically spend six hours per day in class. including Saturdays. Although it has been open for only two years, the French University of Armenia has
is
trained in Lyonr for example. "The purpose of the French Univenity is to provide up-to-date training practical knowledge, on-job training and research skills for our students" says vice-president Mher Shahgeldian. Degrees in law. business. and marketing are offered. Undergraduates also enrol in Armenian language. history. French, English
and German language classes as part of a general education alongside their chosen
to graduate. At the end of their courses, they will receive the "Diplome Universitaire" a
specialty in the first two years.
a level between Bachelor and Masters degrees High school graduates are eligible to apply for places through a series o[ entrance exams both written and oral, which are held every July.The top-scoring 20 percent are given scholqualification pitched a1
Students are expected to leam fast because courses are delivered in French starting fiom the third year of study. Only the first two years of classes are conducted in Armenian, Students etrter at age 17 and take flve years
already attracted international students from Russia. Iran and Georgia. all seekirg to gain new skills that will place them in demand. "We provide studens with competent knowledge and make their skills marketable in the intemationaljob market5 'says Shahgeldran.
r
-Text by Zara Chatinian Photos by Mkhitar Khachatrian
exactly this many virgins led by St. Ikipsime fint came to spread Christianity i, Armenia." It is traditional on the day of Tindez for newly married couples to jump over fire as a way of purifying their union and driving away harmful influences. In Karpi, the bonfire was made in the churchyard. But it was allowed to die down before the brides - who were all in long wedding gowns - jumped the flames. Even so, some brides singed their dresses, but this did
nothing to cool their spirits The simultaneous wedding of so many couples had to in Echmiadzin and was implemented with the help of the local corurcil.
be approved by the Mother Church authorilies
Each new couple was given apricot tree seeds to plant. sy,rnbolizing the beginning and development of their family life. Afterwards, the newlyweds and their families went to their own individual parties to celebrate long into the evening. The word in the village is that the church can probably look forward to baptizing a few dozen babies over the next year. I -Text by Julia Hakobian Photos by Mkhitar Khachatrian
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57
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15,2002
Essay
loolrinU lon a Place in thc Wonld BY JOHN HUGHES
i
dmit that vou have done this: You are at the cinema and the film
Hends On eittrer side of you other movie fans gather their things and excuse themselves, stepping over you with popcorn-soled shoes squeaking with the muck of whatever it is that makes all movie theater floors sticky. You, however, stay in your chair, eyes squinting, dodging the dark silhouettes of the leaving, to follow the credits to the very fine print of the legal disclaimers. You sit, squint, dodge, to watch words roll on the big screen looking for a name that ends in "ian". have. You need conflrmation. Or this month: "recognition." another word used a lot I don't know why I do it. But I can tell you that the movie Really Mean Men had a Mary Kazarian in the credits and that Dean Hagopian was in Waking the Dead. I can't imagine how long it's going to take to get out of the theater when Atom Egoyan's Ararat makes it to my neighborhood screen. And do you feel like you know the "ians" ("yans" count too)? Do you feel proud of them, even if she is "girl in donut shop with snot on her face" or if he is "driver for Mr. Lucas'pet ferret,Wookie"? Do you say to anyone who might be left near you "Hey, look, an Armenian"?
I've done it. Surely you must
Look at
us.
We exist.
It's an illness. As surely as feeling guilty for leaving food on your plate. As surely as never showing up on time. And the need for being known is contagious. Which is why I wrote to Cable News Network. "To Whom It May Concern,
"CNN is great, blah, blah, blah . . . "Could you please tell me how you decide which cities to highlight when you list the temperatures from around the world at the end of your newscasts? ". . . blah, blah, blah, and why is Yerevan, Armenia never one of those cities?" Recognition.There's an Alexanian in the credits of the American situation comedy Seinfeld. I mean, if I can know that the temperature in Perth is 33, why can't somebody in Perth know that it's minus five in my town on the same day?
"Thank you for contacting CNN and for your suggestions about our On-Air Programming," came the response (with significantly less speed than the network's reputation for letting me "be the first to know"). "CNN greatly appreciates knowing what would better satisfy its viewers . . ."
Recognition would better satisfy your viewers. The King of Queens has an Isahakian on its staff.
One of the best "leads" of any story I've ever read was this:
"When you are the son of Frank Sinatra, you do not need to be told your place in this world." I am the son of an Alabama pig farmer. I understand the need for recognition. There were less than 300 students in my entire high school. But our basketball team made it to the county championship one year against a school five times our size. Near the end of the game, when it became clear that the big city school would crush the little country school, fans on their side of the arena stood with forefingers in the air and started chanting "We're Number One,We're Number One." Well. Without hesitation and without shame, the fans on my side of the arena stood, threw two f,ngers toward the ceiling and started chanting "We're Number Two, We're Number TWo." Where I came from being Number Two was a higher climb than was expected. Does that sound familiar? The need for recognition invites embracing the Chers and the Agassis and the Stefanis and the Kazaris, parenthetically attaching the suffixes they chose to drop. And it makes exceptions for a Thrkanian when he gets mixed up in a crooked sports program or a Kevorkian when he goes off on a tangent or a Kardashian when he defends a sure killer.
Recognition. Richard G. Sarafian, Blue Streak. Anyway. I don't expect to see Yerevan listed on the CNN weather map anytime soon. Maybe ESPN will start listing temperatures. By the way, they've r got a baseball reporter named Kurkjian.
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0n the
$hell
Beading, Uiewing and listening $uggestions
BYARAARZUMANIAN This Month's Feature:
$pinit and Faith Tsvetana Paskaleva, Prod ucer, D i rector, Writer TS Film, Film lnternational
he short documentary Spirit and Faith is one release in an immensely important body of work by filmmaker Tsvetana Paskaleva. Living and working in Yerevan, Paskaleva has spent much of the last ten years on the battlefields of Karabakh, running alongside soldiers as they storm fortresses and clear flelds with their Kalashnikovs, while she is armed only with her video camera. Spirit and Faith foctses on a pivotal moment in the war for Karabakh - the liberation of Shushi. Paskaleva has assembled for this fllm three of the commanders of the Shushi operation: Major General Arkady Ter Thtevossian, Colonel Arkady Karapetian and Lieutenant Colonel Jirair Sefilian. The three sit casually at a table with a map of Shushi and the outlying areas and discuss the operation. Their discourse is accompanied by footage from the momentous event as taken by Paskaleva. And so this documentary gives an intimate picture of that operation as can be obtained through few other sources. While it is a work of only 35 minutes and does not cover the attack in too great a detail, it is sufflcient in keeping military secrets under wraps, while giving the interested public a glimpse into the unimaginable feats and heroism of the Karabakh warriors. The fllm is accompanied by a documentary film by Nora Muradian about Paskaleva and her work. This last bit of well-intentioned but unfortunately melodramatic fllm would have been better off minus some of the music and narration. Nevertheless it contains valuable footage of Peskaleva filming, and accompanying, a group of soldiers as they assault an enemy stronghold.
fI
$inuant Kanamanulr Choral & 0rchestral Music Albany Records TROY478
European, large-scale choral and orchestral compositions. It does take some time to absorb strands of an Armenian feeling in the music; however, the lyrics are unmistakable, as Karamanuk has adapted to music verses by such as Hovannes Tlrmanian, Daniel Varoujan and Avetik Issahakian. Wth cantatas such as The Song of Bedros Tirrian and the symphonic poem Akhtamar, this collection offers a sampling of the life{ime works of this accomplished composer.
The Gyclist Viken Berberian Simon & Schuster
Itrl II
ith
a 35-page
,.*t
booklet of background
and'so-ng lyrics in both
Armenian
and English, this collection of Sirvart Karamanuk's compositions is nothing short of academic in its presentation and exquisite in its art. Through the voices of the Komitas Chamber Choir and the instruments of the Opera Studio Symphony Orchestra of the Komitas State Conservatory of Armenia, Karamanuk's works come to exuberant life. As with countless other artists, Karamanuk performs the centuries old practice of incorporating Armenian culture and art into the artistic expression of a foreign culture. She relateg with great passion, the verse of master Armenian poets into
0-7432-2283-0 Jhis is a work of words and food. bombs and languages. Iove. peoples, lives, deaths,
I
cycles and bicycles - and so many things more. The first novel by Viken Berberian, a New York stock analyst, The Cyclist is a timely work, dealing with the inner workings of a possible suicide bomber working his terrors in the Middle East. The intricacies and sensitivities of the central terrorist's inner mind leave the reader wondering whether a similar purveyor of indiscriminate violence could really be the owner of such thoughts. While one might expect such intelligence in
freedom fighter or modern day guerilla of letters, it seems unlikely coming from a suicide bomber. The greatest feature of this work is the lina
AIM APRIL
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guistic twists and tums the book takes through the odor, taste and texture of foodsActually,no single great feature can be chosen: from the
mixing of languages, including English, Arabig French, Armenian; to the invention of places so real that they must, without a doubt, exist;to the incorporation of ideologies andrealities as divergent as those of bicycle racergArab mountain fibesmen and young female terrorist explG
expertgit all comes together with hardly a caution- there are scenes that some may deem "rary," and the culinary descriptivenes of the novel is apt to make sives
seam visible.A word of
thereaderhungry.
r 61
The Story of a Place in Essays and,Irna
Text
by
JOHN HUGHES Pbotos by
BRUCE
C
STRONG
In )6 poignant photographs, 12 essays, and seven poems, two American journalists reveal a place that neither can claim as his own, but to which both were drawn for unexpected discovery. In a work of passion that combines journalism and art, it is the story of contemporary Armenia, unclouded by preconceived perceptions. Sometintes
it
takes
an outside eye t0
Hardcover
-144
pages
see
tbe inside story'
-13"x11"
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