Hope and Despair - January 1999 by Armenian International Magazine

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voL.10, No.1

JANUARY 1999

DEPARTMENTS

6 Editor's Note 7 Letters to the Editor 10 View 12 Notebook

15 16 50 62

Bytes on File GIobal Picture Underexposed Essay

NATION

Focus - A Voice in the Wilderness The Republic of Armenia introduces a resolution at the UN Ceneral Assembly reaffirming the Genocide Convention of 1948.

22 Cumri, Spitak, Vanadsor and Stepanavan are at different of revival, 10 years after the earthquake.

Cover Story Continues

Earthquake '88: The Rebuilding

Ten years later, the rebuilding of lives and infrastructure in northern Armenia continues-it's still an earthquake zone.

stages

REGION

Lights out in Tbilisi Ceorgia's energy shortage continues.

42 The Kurdish

Crisis

Europe must deal

with Kurdish demands and Turkish blackmail.

CONNECTIONS

rurrm)rm,rilN.l tMr6pllff r[o}',| Major Armenian-American communities, including Southern California's owe much to DPs.

44 Sixty Four Languages

on the Air

Australia's state-supported public radio system allows for rich Armenian programming.

The DP Story The US passed the Displaced Persons Act in 1948, and thousands of Armenian prisoners of war from Germany came to make the US

their home.

A RTS

54 Najarians:

Mother and Son A writer finds inspiration in his mother's story.

COVER PHOTO BY MKHITAR KHACHATBIAN: COVEB DESIGN BY RAFFI TARPINIAN

Zaroohe Najarian, 93, is a genocide survivor and a

film star.

AIM(1SSN10503471)GPublthdmonlhly,t45Eryed bylh€FoudMillenniumh4,2OT$uSBr&dtud*ad,Suite2ol,Glendab,q912@:Phorel @14) 1467979, Fd (818) 246-@ Pendi@h Posb8e paid al 6lendab, CA ato ddihnal milint o6ces Ceada Pon Puuicatos Maii Pdd qb5 61457 @ Copynght 198 by Ik Folih Mille.num kiety Al n8hts r*tod ArM 6ay mt h rpducd in any manner, eith€r in wh& or in part, withoLl ,inen Fmnsion fiom tu pbhtu The d{ds ile not Bpntble fd unslidd mdusipts or ad unles a sbmped, rlfddEd mvdoF t endoed OpinDnsexpre5dinisndadcBdonotneeseilyery*ntheviewto{TheloufrhMlllenniumSdety. Foradvefrbingquersdl:1-818-26-79D. subriptonrat6tu1zbsue5,U5:l45.Fmrff t55 PGhaftE $ndaddreschangBb ATM.PO 8ox10D3,clerdab,CA912@ U.S.A

ASreement No

10 Years Old, f

1\INI;+***rr;*

Al*ost

Armenian lnternational Magazine

mages, once printed, do not change. They remain ruthless reminders, even when sometimes we want to forget. The photo (below, left) of the mother I-and three daughters immediately following the 1988 earthquake in Armenia

is one of those which instantly takes us back

years to the tragedy that

shocked us, even at a distance. We immediately remember where we were when

we heard of the second (some would say third or fourth) catastrophe to hit Armenians in one century. Photographer Mkhitar Khachatrian's portrait of Marine Nuroyan and her three daughters, clinging to life without thought or plan, became a logo of sorts for tenacity and survival. Three years later, (below, second from left) their life had changed, but hardly improved. Today, the same photographer who has followed them over these 10 years found them again, this time in a classic family portrait full of warmth and smiles (on cover and below, third from left). Life has been good to the Nuroyans who live in a three-room house in the Austrian neighborhood in Gumri. Marine and her husband Saro work. They are the parents of a fourth child, a son they named Davit, a member of what AIM's John Hughes calls the "generation of replacement children". Life has not been as kind to other earthquake survivors. The reports in this issue by Matthew Karanian and Hughes present views of life in the Earthquake Zone-reports you won't find anywhere else, in any medium. Together with the exceptional photographs in this extensive cover story, they offer the reader a chance to distinguish between public relations and reality, change and perception, attitudes and action.

Jn an endless series of survival struggles, we have sometimes lost our abili! ty to laugh, and often find that we are unable to see ourselves as others do. latttrougir

207 South Brand Blvd. Suite 203 Glendale, CA 91204, USA Tel:8'18 246 7979 Fax: 818 245 0088 E-mail: aim4m@well.com EDITOR-PUBLISHER Salpi Haroutinian Chazarian

MANAGING EDITOR Hratch Tchilingirian ASSOCIATE EDITOR

A. H. Alexandrian, Yerevan SENIOR EDITOR

Tony Halpin, London PRODUCTION AND PHOTO MANAGER Parik Naarian DESIGN Ray H.

AND PRODUCTION Toonian/DitiLith Craphics lnc.

ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR Dania Ohanian SUBSCRIPTIONS

MANAGER

Seta Khodanian INTERNS

Karine Avedissian, Sonig Krikorian, Lorig Santikian

ADVERTISINC Fimi Mekhitarian

words can sometimes help close that gap, pictures can do better. Welcoming artist Edik Balaian (see illustrations on pages 16 and 28) to AIM's list of contributors is a wonderful way of boosting our continuing effort to hold up a mirror to ourselves. Balaian, born in Tehran, lived and worked in Paris for nearly two decades before he moved to-where else-Glendale, California. Lucky for us. AIM's readers will regularly enjoy Balaian's sometimes funny, sometimes biting, always honest renderings of our many realities. Two of his illustrations appeared in the November 1998 issue. With this issue, his work will become a regular feature.

YEREVAil EUREAU 5 Nalbandian Room 26

inally, just like a kid who can't wait to get older, AIM is happy to be nearing its 10th birthday. What has been a ground-breaking decade, full of ups and downs, is almost complete, andAIM can claim its rightful place among the world of "new" periodicals who have broken the difficult l0-year mark. But as any adult knows, the first l0 years are comapratively easy. It only gets harder. We're looking forward to forging on together.

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Ronald Cragor 5uny, Taline Voskeritchian

/,,rfu'fn-'

Tel:

583639 Tel/FaK 151849

E.mail: aimarm@arminco.com

COORDINATOR

Anahit Martirossian ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Gohar sahakian DESIGN

AND PRODUCTION

Areg Asatrian, Vahan Stepanian

CONTRIBUTORS Artashes Emin, John Hugh6, Yerevan; Suin Pattie, London; [dik Ealaian, AIa chouliian, Los Anteles; Janet Samuelian, Palm Spdngt; Mark Malkdian, Rhode lslild; ceorte Bournoutian, Lola Koundatian, New York; Myrim caume, Paris; Matthew Karanian, Moorad M@radian, Washingon, DC; Vartan

ltutjo$iil, B!en6 Air6.

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Mkhrtar Khachatnan, zaven Khachikian, Rouben ang&ian, Yerevan; AntoineAgoldiian, Amineh lohannes, Aline Manoukian, Paris; Edmond Terakopian, London; Kaflne Amen, Kevork Dianfuian, Rafii Ekmelii, Eric Naailan, fua Oshagan, Lo, AnSelsi Caro Lachinian, MasechusB; kdem tulanian, New le6ey; Harry (oundakjian, New York; Berge Ara Zobian, Rhode hland.

EDITOR EMERITUS Charles Nazaraan

EDITORIAT CONSULTANT Minas Kojaian

INTERNATIONAT SUBSCRIPTION AND ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES Colegio Mekhitaftta, Viney del Plno 3511 (1426) Buenor An6, Phone 541 552 3690 . CANADA: RamigHakinian,6595HendEoura$aWeil,Monteal,PQ,H4R2t1,Phore5143392517. UNITED AUB IMIMTES: oulfuar Joniaf,, PO. Box 445&, Abu Dhabi, UAt, Phone 971 2 775 721, Fd 971 2 775 191 . UNITED XINCDOM Mikk Ohanian, 105A Mill Hill Road, kton, tondon w38JF, Phone 081 992 4521 . ITALY Pierc Ealanian, Via Moilacca, 61 A4l5, Rome, Phone 995 1235 . HONC XONC: Jack Mdian, RM. A2, 11/l Blod A, 25 (ai Cheung Rd., Kowl@n Bay, Kowl@n, Phone 8527959w. ARCENTINA:

AUSTRALIA:

Va@j hlenderian, 148 Koola Ave. Edt Killara NSW 2071 Phone 02.9251 2882; Nftd Box 370, Hads Pail NSw 2150, Phone 029897 1846; Vahe Kateb P0. Bor 250, Port 0009.

Ma*aia, PO Melboume,

Victona 3207, Phone 03 9794

WRITE TO AIMI we welcome all communication. Although we read all lefters and submissions, we are unable to acknowledge everythjng we receive due to limited staffing and resources. Lette6 to the Editor may be edited for publication.

AIM JANUARY 1999

consistency of your publication. Keep up the good work. In the past, friends used to complain that AIM didn't come out every month. They still complain, this time, how-

ever, for not having the time to read the whole issue before the next one arrives. Asbed Pogharian La C re s c e nta, C al ifo rnia

for the 200 plus discs on the market

that has produced an unprofessional CD. Due to the high costs of producing CDs, individuals would have to be wealthy to waste money on an unprofessional CD to

enter the market.

As we all know a business has many ups

1998 issue, AIM

penned an article (Connections and View)

about Armenian themed gift items. You remarked that CDs are "cheaper and easier" to produce than the vinyl LPs, S-track tapes, and audiocassettes.

birds could speak and write they

would welcome AIM's cover

sotry

"Armenia's Bird Kingdom" (Novi98) both as a gesture of solidarity with humans and as a

wickedly clever (emblematic) metaphor

on Armenia's history. A

comprehensive

field guide to Armenia's birds will not only help the tourist industry, but

will

eco-activism. Promotion

also hasten

biodiversity,

habitarsharing and wildlife preservation, along with prevention of habitat destruction, species extinction and eco-cide, will go a long way in the eco-friendly economic modernization of Armenia. For all this

birds would be grateful. But birds have long memories. They would like to reciprocate by unveiling their own field guide to

Armenia's history. Its motto is: look for lethal side effects of anything that smaks of intemationalism before proceeding further.

Was

it not European

sponsored Pan-

Turkism that made it nearly extinct? Was it

not international Bolshevism that put its stamp of approval on that habitat destruction and near extinction? In fact, is not international oil politics of today a re-cycled version of Pan-Turkism? A migrating Armenian bird, Zaven Manjikian, DDS Los Angeles, California

I was very impressed by the beauty of of your November issue. It is

the cover

apparent that the designer, Raffi Tarpinian,

is a very talented person. His design is

good, if not better, than covers of wellknown international magazines. I am also impressed by the overall improvement and

have been

the

yes, I started out as a basement-type record label. When I realized my potential, I tumed

and downs, and a specialized business does not make it any easier. The quality of your magazine is better now than it ever has been.

ilot Bcally lor the Bids

Armenian music industry since 1991, and

A llitlerent Uiew

In the November

each

year." This is a very unfair comment to say about the Armenian music industry and its participants. I have not seen a competitor

As a record producer, specializing in traditional Armenian and Middle Eastern music, I must respectfully disagree with your comments. Yes, the technology has advanced and it is remarkable to take a look at where we have come in the last 70 years, but CD production is not a cheap or easy task. When 78rpm records were produced, there was not much to it. Musicians typically sat around a large microphone or two microphones and played their music. The editing afterward was non-existent and mixing the sounds was minimal. When LPs, 8tracks and audiocassettes came to light, the process got even more complicated. The CD is not void of some of those same complica-

tions. Much work and effort goes into the mixing, mastering, and editing of music that

is finally put onto a CD. In

retrospect,

recording a 78rpm record was easier (even though the product was of a lower quality) than recording on other formats. As far as CDs being cheaper to produce, I also must disagree with you. The inexpensive part normally is the final replication process of the CDs. Other costs such

as musician fees, recording studio

costs,

post-production costs (editing. mixing. mastering), musician royalties, graphic designers, printing costs are typically overlooked by outsiders. These costs can range from hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars. Record labels are continuing to go out of business due to the high costs. Other record labels are tightening their budgets. Yes, the process has improved a thousand times, but this does not translate into an inexpensive project.

You continued to remark: "...musicians and engineers, as well as those who know nothing about either field, are responsible

AIM JANUARY I999

professional and since then I feel that my products are of a high quality. I have not seen this "unprofessional" record producer you talk of. I personally know Armenian record producers on the east and west coasts, and I must say that all of them have produced high quality recordings. In today's industry. we are seeing more recordings of Armenian music, and I think that is wonderful. Many of our Armenian artists have found mainstream record companies to fund a CD project with all the perks to go along with it. There are also an increasing number of Armenian musicians who are producing their CDs with their own money. You should ask them the question of

cost. They

will tell you, time and money

make the project difficult. Some individual

projects can take years

to complete

and

years to recoup costs.

Ara Tbpouzian Farmington Hills, Michigan

AIM did not intend to underestimate the

work that goes into a serious production. Still, all the recording and post-production costs remain the same whether the final result is last decade's expensive LP or this era's comparatively inexpensive (to produce) CD. And, with all due respect to the many wondedul, dedicated music producers ( several of whom AIM has written about) the non-professionaL productions can't be missed. Still, it's a g,ood thing that the dedicated professionals are out there, committed to bringing forth work with lasting value. The Editors

ln Amreciation ol Humor

I would like to take this opportunity firstly to congratulate you. The articles in AIM are well chosen and written. Also, I like your cartoonist, Edik Balaian's sense of humor; and finally, the advertisements are spread evenly among the pages and they do not make up the major part of the magazine. Thank you again for all your emotional

The Fourth Millennium Smiety is an independently funded and administered

public charity commitred to the dissemination of infomalion lbr the purpose of developing an intbrmed public. Underpinning all our work is the tirm conviction thal

the vitality of an independent press is fundamental to u democralic society in

and physical effbrt that you invest in making us know more.

Armenia and democratic institutions

I feel compelled to respond to the letter by Dareh Kooumchian (AIM, August 1998) He claims Armenian youth do not care about "communism, democracy or politics for that matter. And by the way, who the hell is Nunel" Religion and religious institutions also draw the writer's disdain as a topic of interest. As a "youth" of Armenian descent, I take exception to this portrayal of all Armenian youth as your typical Gen-X slackers who care nothing about anything but feel the need to whine about everything. Let me assure you, there are plenty of Armenian youth who do care about all of the above and who take an active interest in diff'erent realms of Armenian life that per-

tain them. During my one year stay

elli)(

k) contribute to the

and Friends of the Founh Millennium Sociely who are commiled k) the well-being,

THB

growth and development olArmenians and Armenia through the promotion of open

FOURTH

llol So Gfim

Diaspora. The Founh Millenniunr

national dialogue. The directors ae gratetul to the Benelaclrrs. Trustees. Patrons

S. Thmrazians, MD

London, England

in the

Society publishes Armenian Intemational Magazine in its

discussion and the fiee

llow of information arnong individuals and ()rSanizatrons.

Their financial contributions support the work of the Founh MillenDium Society and

MIttENNIUM S0CIBT[, Inc.

ensure the independence of

AIM.

Michael Nahabet. Ralll Zinzalian, Directors.

DIRECTORS'98 Shahen Hairapetian. Armen Hampal Zaven Khanjian, Michael Nahabet,

Alex Sarkissian, Bob Shamlian, Raffi Zinzalian. BENEFACTORS Sarkis Acopian, Hirair Hovnanian. The Lincy Foundation, Louise Manoogian Simone

SENIOR TRUSTEES

AUSTRALIA: Heros & Kate Drlanchian; CALIFORNIA: Khachig George

& Flora Dunaians, George & Grace Kay,

Joe

Babayan,

& Joyce Stein

CANADA: Razmig Hakimian. Kourken Sarkissian HONG KONG: Jack Maxian FOUNDING TRUSTEES AUSTRALIA: Varoolan lskenderian CALIFORNIA: GarenAvedikian, Mardo Kaprielian,

Armenia, I have met many of them. And indeed, if we don't care about the

Edward Misserlian, Bob Movelt, Varoujan Nahabet, Norair Oskanian, Emmy Papazian,

politics of Armenia, how can we expect anything Armenian to remain in a few gen-

PENNSYLVANIA: Zarouhi Mardikian

Zareh Sarkissian, Ralfi Zinzalian FLORIDA: Hagop Koushakjian

ASSOCIATE TRUSTEES

erations? While a cynicism about politics is something that marks our entire generation. this cynicism is not grounds for apathy. The

Araxie M. Haroutinian, Ralph and Savey Tut'enkian

PATRONS

political life of Armenia, domestically, internationally, and in the Diaspora is some-

ARMENIA

Arpiar and Hermine Janoyan

thing that concerns all Armenians, whether they take an interest in it or not. I have a

Khachatur Soukiassian

Walter and Luurel Karabian

CANADA

AUSTRALIA

Kcvork and Satenig Karajerjian

Migirdic and Ani Migirdicyan

question for Dareh: if she doesn't care about

Arman and Nairi Derderyan

Nishrn

and Sona Krzazian

Armenian politics (this includes Armenian politics, the Karabakh situation (which is now a political situation rather than a military one). Cenocide recognition in govern-

George and Vartouhi Tavoukjian

John and Rose Ketchoyan

Anin Etmekjian

(;ary rnd Sossi Kevorkian

Anonymous

Zaven and Sona Khanjian

ments around the world, etc), if she doesn't care about religion (perhaps the single dis-

Garabed Akpolat

tinguishing factor of Armenians throughout history), if she doesn,t care about the popu-

lar culture of Armenia (for

example,

Nune!), then what would she like to see reported instead? Perhaps coverage of shish kebab parties with her friends would hold her attention? Let it be known, Dareh doesnot speak for all Armenian diaspora youth!

Rafi

Youatl

Yerevan, Armenia

CALIFORNIA Mihran and Elizabeth Aghabian

Armand and Nancy Arubian Vartkes and Jean Barsam

Hary

aDd

Alvilrl Burseghian

Berj and Hera Boyaiian Hagop and Violet Dakcssian Ardash and Marian Dcrderian

Dimitri and Tamara Dimilri Steve and Lucille Eslephanian

to Harry Koundakjian (page l7) and the photo of Garbis Dargazian (page 66) is by Beirutbased photographer Zaven Vartan.

Dora Scrviarian Kuhn

Avik Mahdesian Stepan and Erdjanik Markuian Harout and Rita Mesrobian Jasmine Mgrdichian Edward and Alice NavasarSian Kenneth and Cindy Norian

CONNECTICUT Louis T. Hagopian CYPRUS Garo Keheyan

ITALY Krikor and Harout Istanbulian

LEBANON Kevork Bouladian MASSACHUSETTS

Richrd Simonian MICHIGAN Ceorge Chamchikian

Alex Manoogiant

Rafi Ourfalian

NEVADA

Michael and Hemine Piranian

Lany and Seda Barnes

Munourhag Fcrnranian

Hratch and Helga Sarkis

NI]W YORK

Cagik and Knar Galstian

Alex Sarkissiun

Hatry and Aida Koundukjian

Vahan and Audrey Gregor

Robert and Helen Shamlian

Piene and Alicc Haig

Petros and Garine Taglyan

UNTTED KINGDOM

Ara and Avedis Tavitian

Diran and Suzi Chakelian

Arnren and

Gbriai Hailpar

Vahe Nishanian

FRIENDS OFAIM

CORRECTION In the November issue, the photo of President Kocharian and Kofi Annan

Krik()r Krikorinn

Guidzag and Dzovig Zeillian

The Fourth Millennium Society is gratetul to the following fbr contributing during the last month to ensure AIM's tlnancial independence.

should have been credited

CA: Madeline Adrian, Aram Akarakian. Jacqueline Kazarian NY: G. Kazandjian, N. Ordjanian. Australia: A. L. Galstian. Z. Kavaldjian France: Sebouh Balian Iran: George Sarkissian London: Odette Bazil Netherlands: C. Joseph

AIM JANUARY I999

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Shame on Us

Ien years laler, in neafi euery categol1 0l eailhquale reliel and leconstlucllon, Iess than hall the need has [een met here aren't too many polite ways to say this. But the whole process of reconstructing Armenia's earthquake zone has been shameful. The whole thing began badly. The Soviet Army, the largest single organized force present on the scene from the day of the earthquake on December 7, 1988, did not participate in the relief efforts in any way at all. On December 8, the Soviet authorities approved foreign government assistance. By December 15, relief workers reached villages only to discover as Le Monde reported "that the inhabitants had all perished-killed not by the earthquake, but by the slow pace of relief." Disaster workers recognize that even earthquakes happen within a particular social and political context. In the Armenian case, more than a year of political agitation had preceded the earthquake. And, to make matters worse, the empire with all its organizational systems fell less than two years after the disaster. And the full-fledged war over Karabakh began two years after that. Clearly, just as earthquakes happen within a social and

political reality, so does earthquake relief. That reality, over these last l0 years, has been a disjointed, self-centered Diaspora and a disorganized, ineffi cient Armenia.

Is that too harsh? Consider this. An official in President Kocharian's administration (see cover story page 22) has announced that for the first time in l0 years, the government now knows what exactly needs to be done in the Earthquake Zone. That is appalling, even allowing for a certain political one-ups-manship between the former and current administrations. The Diaspora's track record is no better. Before mentioning the shortcomings, it must be clearly stated that there have been significant contributions which have led to the rehabilitation of the region and the improvement of lives. These include not just individuals and organizations in the Diaspora, but also, and especially in the months immediately following the disaster, massive and consequential aid from Eastem and Western European countries. For example, today, there are some neighborhoods and institutions in the Earthquake Zone called Austrian district, Yugoslavian houses, German Hospital. Even here, the Diaspra's self-centered approach is evident

in its failure to mobilize international agencies' and governments' resources to continue to provide the kind of massive aid that is essential to build infrastructure, but out of the reach of individual communities. That was not done. Instead, reliance on internal and local resources has resulted in sporadic, undepend-

able long-term assistance. Again, the continuing work of the community's larger institutions must not be denied, even as the

inadequacy of those efforts must be acknowledged.

Sometimes, other priorities and agendas take over. An announcement which appeared in many Armenian newspapers a month before the anniversary of the disaaster stated that the Greek Armenian community has finally turned over $300,000 in earthquake aid to the Armenian government. Ten years later? And, this was publicly announced instead of quietly and apologetically executed. What justification can there be in waiting l0 years to turn over funds which would have brought some semblance of normalcy if only to a few hundred families? Political differences with politicians does notjustify holding the people hostage. In fact, such attitudes and actions by Diaspora organizations (coupled with inefficiency and stories of abuse at the Armenian end) have resulted in a Diaspora phenomenon: lots of individuals sending money and helping individuals and families. This is a heartwarming short-term solution, but individuals (at either end) can't build roads, industry, hospitals or fire and police services. A government must do that, and for that, a government needs institutionalized help and continuous support. That is not what the Diaspora has been offering. What is the Diaspora thinking? Is the Diaspora thinking? At this rate, what will Armenia's next generation think? [n the south, near the Azerbaijani and Iranian borders, villages and towns are full of young people ever aware of the real possibility of war. In Armenia's center, in and around Yerevan, the young generation only knows economic and social instability; as the society "transitions", their lives are somewhat frozen and they feel they have no control.

And, in northern Armenia, life has meant not just economic and social, but also vey real psychological instability as well. A whole generation (and not just a generation) has grown up feeling invisible, irrevelant, disposable. So it's not surprising that the urgency which was felt (even at these great distances from Armenia) 10 years ago was not going to last. It is also not surprising that it was easier to gather and give short-term relief than plan and prepare long-term reconstruction. But the social result of providing only short term relief to people who continue even to see theselves only as victims is the entrenchment of a mentality of entitlement.

For all these reasons and more, to begin to take the Earthquake Zone for granted-which is in fact what we have done-is, and there is no other word for it, shameful. At this rate, Earthquake Zone is going to become a permanent place on Armenia's map, along with the Genocide Memorial and the notquite-destroyed temple of Garni. Le Monde could probably write I the same article 10 years later.

AIM JANUARY 1999

Where arc lhe wfiters?

A host ol second and third genetation Amenian Ameilcans haue created a new Armenian

dlscoutse in Ameilca, but will the ncw genemtion conlinue to tell the Amenian story? eter Najarian teaches creative writing at the University of

where from 20 plus (mostly Armenian) students enrolled. But not

California at Berkeley. This is one of the most distin-

in Najarian's

guished universities in the US, the academic nest for many

practical subjects," he muses.

classes. "The Armenians are probably taking more

scientists, social scientists and writers who are pioneers in their field, as well as a haven for social and political activists. Najarian is a pioneer of sorts, too. He is a second generation Armenian American who has succeeded in finding a way to turn

More practical subjects. Doubtless that's true. A generation grew up in the Middle East thinking that doctor, lawyer or engineer were the only careers worth pursuing. Now, their children are going through college studying law or business, and sometimes

his search for meaning in the catastrophe which his genocide sur-

medicine or engineering.

vivor mother lived into fodder for several memoirs and novels

But writing? Not likely. Still, things may change. Perhaps the

It is not the search for meaning which makes him a pioneer. The whole generation of survivors' children will tell you that they have spent a lifetime trying to understand their parents'

successful Peter Balakians, MarkAraxes, Nancy Kricorians, Peter

Najarians

lives, and as a result, their own. Najarian is unique in that he has

to be told. From novelists to essayists to journalists, writers are

been able to utilize those tough to fathom, tougher to articulate

sorely lacking. As a result, the Armenian voice is not heard-not just on major screens and in mass market publications, but also in

(see page 54).

feelings and passions as words on paper. So,.when Najarian teaches creative writing, this is a subject that he knows something about. Najarian says most of his students are Asian or Latino. It's not

will

serve as role models for those who read and wish

they could write. Only then, will the Armenian story have a chance

sports stories, art reviews, and in opinion pieces. Writers, authors-whether through books or the mass media---create and shape public discourse on a given subject. In recent years, a host

that there aren't Armenian students at Berkeley. In fact, for near-

of books by

ly half

have presented a new Armenian narrative which is both particular

a decade, Berkeley has had an Armenian Studies Program

with a visiting professor each semester. These classes have any-

\I N I ,r/

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Armenia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe AIM JANUARY I999

ON NEIGHBORS

ON REVOLUTION

Russia is a "neighbor given to us by God."

Nursultan Nazartlayev President of Kazakhstan

will be no revolution in Armenia at the current stage, since all serious political forces are There

busy preparing

for parliamentary elections. Paruir Hairikian chairman of the Self-Determination Union, and Presidential Advisor

ON JUSTICE

[lustice

for

Holocaust victims] requires that

painful memories be revisited, easy evasions confronted and inconvenient questions asked and answered.

Madeleine Albright US Secretary of State

ON HISTORICAL LAPSES

Both books can be faulted

for

their failure to

include the first real crisis in US foreign policy and

ON DEMOCRACY

the beginning of the century's holocaustal imagi-

They told me: We nominater Heydar Alieyv, let

him come to pow-e\ support him and you will be given a position. I refused, saying Aliyev had sucked the people's blood, he would never be a

nation in the genocide of the Armenians at the hands of the Turks. The New York Daily News on Century, a memoir by US newsman Peter Jennings,

democrat.

and The American Century by British

Surat Huseynov former Prime Minister of Azerbaijan

publisher Harold Evans

The following press release was reprinted last fall, without commenq by most of the Armenian media. AIM reprints excerpts below, with many, many comments. Here are just a couple: Do they pick priests this way, too? Is Armenian female monasticism so simple? GAYANE SISTERHOOD APPEALS FOR NEW MEMBERS

Antelias, Lebanon-The Gayane Sisterhood, which operates under the auspices of the Catholicossate of the Great House of Cicilia, has issued a community-wide appeal with an eye toward increasing its membership. Those girls who wish to become members of the Sisterhood should present themselves in person to the Office of Christian Education at the Catholicossate in Antelias. between 9 a.m. and noon, September I6-19. Candidates can be of any a-qe, provided they meet the required conditions and are prepared to pursue a regular course of study

preliminary to a spiritual lit'e of service. The Gayane Sisterhood, in particular is seeking young girls who have a love and inclination for the religious life, f'eel a sacred

calling to serve God, the Armenian people and the Armenian Apostolic Church, and are willing to dedicate {hemselves to a life

of total service under the umbrella of the Church. Candidates should bring with them the following: two small pho-

tographs, birth certificate, letter of recommendation from local pastor, and medical report.

AI\1 .I/\NL]ARY I999

l.l

Narod lnstitute

Mr. Armenian Weekly He edited a volume dedicated to Armenians who fought in World War II. Before that, he had overseen the production of a book of short stories by William Saroyan, called Three Worlds. But James Tashjian is best known for being the long-time editor

the Armenian Revolutionary Federation's Boston-based

A rme

nian

ekly newspaper.

At its peak, the weekly had 6,000 subscribers and was

the

news source of choice for half the Armenian-American community: The other half had the Armenian Miruor which started in 1932 and seven years later joined with the Armenian Spectator.

Tashjian edited the Armenian Weekly, as well as the Armenian Review, the ARF-sponsored academic quarterly which

published scholarly articles on history, culture and religion, as well as quality translations ofkey classics. Tashjian, 80, was born in Boston. He came into newspaper publishing directly after a stint in the army. When he first started with the ARF newspapers, the chief and his mentor, was Rouben Darbinian, who was the long-time editor of the Hairenik, the Armenian-language newspaper which this year celebrates its

l00th anniversary. Hairenik was fine for the Armenian-readingpublic, but the growing second generation, the children of survivors and pre-genocide immigrants needed a medium they could read and understand.

Tashjian retired after serving for over four decades. He spends his days at home in Watertown, Massachusetts, with his

librarian-wife Virginia, reading, writing and reminiscing. "Gosh, all this was so long ago, I can hardly remember," he said during a recent Hairenik 100th anniversary celebration. z E

I r

The Narod Institute's internet-based educational program linking Armenian students around the world has made a huge leap.

1998, the Narod Network Project (AIM, April-May 1998) began by linking 10 schools in five countries-Armenia, Lebanon, US, Canada and France. Now, 20 more schools have been added and the list of countries has been expanded to include Cyrpus, Australia and Argentina. The Project includes three phases of activities, entitled Networks, People and Places. The first introduces students to the World Wide Web, training them in research, and also mak-

ing possible

Armenian-language publishing and e-mail.

"People" encourages students to use these same skills to get to know each other-in spite of distances. "Places" allows students to develop an interactive map of global Armenian information resources, and publish it as a Web Site, explains Marie Lou Papazian, Narod Institute Director. Papazian says that although initial funding for the site was provided by the Ani and Narod Memorial Fund, it now continues with support from an interesting mix of sources, including

the Manoogian-Simone Foundation, the Armenian Relief Society of North America, the Armenian National Education Committee of the Armenian Prelacy and the Tufenkian family of Glendale, Califomia. In Armenia, technical and logistical support is provided by the Armenian Freenet and the United Nations Development Program, Arminco, and the Information Analysis Center GITAK in Gumri to allow nine schools in Yerevan and another two in Gumri and other cities to participate. What exactly is involved? Classes are encouraged to meet once a week, and with the help of a teacher or a volunteer technical advisor to write music, research a topic, send e-mail to each other in Armenian, play games, share information. [n Armenia, schools send classes over once a week in a bus to a center where the Narod Project Local Coordinator works with students to use the internet to develop and implement projects which are then shared on-line with students in the other 29 schools.

Thus far, the response from students has been overwhelming. Teachers, too, have welcomed the additional resources to complement their existing curricula, explains Papazian.

AIM JANUARY 1999

bytes on file Matisse, Picasso and Kochar

225,OOO

Amount of fine, in dollars, levied on two Azerbaijani opposition newspapers for Yervant Kochar, the Tbilisi-born sculptor, died in Yerevan 20 years ago this month, but not before he left his signature sculptures all over the Armenian capital. Kochar didn't live in Yerevan until 1936, when at the age of 37, he

libeling governmente leaders, including the president and his family

came to his homeland, after spending over a decade and a half in Europe. His paintings were exhibited in Paris with those of Matisse, Picasso, Braque and El Greco. During the 1920s, Kochar spent time in Florence, Rome and Venice where his sculptures placed in various competitions. In Armenia, soon after his arrival, he embarked on a long series of busts and full-length statues of cultural and historic greats, including writer Khachatur Abovian, medieval mathematician Anania Shirakatsi, St. Mesrob Mashtots, the creator of the Armenian alphabet, writer Mikayel Nalbandian. Some are in Yerevan's home-museums, others are on the streets. The two public statues which have become landmarks are those of David of Sasun and Vartan Mamikonian. The 1975 Mamikonian is often considered by experts and amateurs to be devoid of the fine lines, light play and tension exhibited in the 1959 David of Sasun statue which is at the city's railway station. Not only did Kochar utilize different media, he also created them. In 1948 the Soviet Union Council of Ministers awarded him a certificate for creating wax crayons, which he proceeded to use in dozens of

Number of countries bordering the

works, exhibited throughout the former Soviet Union and Europe. Besides making art, he wrote about it in books and articles. His home-museum, opened in 1984, is in the city's center, near the Opera, and a very quiet testimony to his extensive body of work. From the series of paintings representing the David of Sasun epic on display in the National Art Gallery to the eagle of Zvartnots on the main highway leav-

ing Yerevan, Kochar's work is an integral part of the Armenian landscape. And the Armenian psyche. So much so that recent stories around Yerevan included tales of statues being destroyed for symbolic reasons:

5 Caspian sea 3

Number of those countries who insist on dividing both the seabed and the surface into national sectors (vs. just the surface) 6

Number of years remaining before Armenia's Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant must be shut down 1

Number of flights a week a newly agreed joint Armenian Airline-Aeroflot operation

will fly a Yerevan Los Angeles flight via Moscow 4 Number of weekly European flights Armenian Airlines cancelled around the new year's holidays because of "insufficient clientele"

Kochar's sculpture of Communist leader Alexander Miasnikian (for whom the state library was named) has been vandalized, say news reports. If that act is a statement against that regime, how should this story be understood? Residents of Yerevan say that the cup of water which is full to overflowing at the side of the David of Sasun statue was

188 Length in miles of a segment of a pipeline likely to be completed next year carrying lranian natural gas to Ezerum, Turkey

stolen during the last year. The overflowing cup has symbolized the people's endless patience even in the face ofoppression. Patience was gone?

When AIM's photographer went to photograph the statue, it was discovered that the cup is still there. a

Total value in billions of dollars of all Azerbaijan I nternational Operating Company Consortium projects

105 Armenia's rank among the states of the world in an index of economic freedom

â&#x201A;Ź

117 The rank of the next Caucasian or Central Asian Republic in the same index of economic freedom Reuters, Radio Free Europe-Radio

Libefi, Washington

Post,

Wall Street lournal, AIM Research

AIM JANUARY I999

JAPAN

IRAQ

GEORGIA

The Armenian governmeflt, together with

On the 10th anniversary of the 1988 Earthquake. Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze sent a special message to President Robefi Kqeharian. Shevardnadze, on behalf of the entire Georgian nation, expressed sympathies to the Armenian people for the losses caused by the quake. He stated that the tragedy was the first occasion in the history ,ri:'i ,tr' . :.r,,r .:1,r1 rrri,rrillr authorities dulllullf,lsJ i,tirtliiii of ul9 IISSR wllcl! the lllg Soviet ouvlql UI the UOON when #;li*Ml"'illt allowed international relief to come to

Russia, a host ol CIS countries, and a number of political parties in Armenia, expressed "serious

concerns" over US military strikes on Iraq. Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian stated that the

serious concern to the Armenian government" and that Armenia has

bombings "are

"always been against the use of ftrrce." Oskanian called for a diplomatic settlement to the crisis.

&r ;;.;i.;'; Ji "".',n.,"'ra.

Armenia received a 5.39

billion yen low-interest loan (about $41.5 million) from the Japanese govemment to develop and modernize its ener-

gy system. The agreement was signed in

by an Armenian Foreign Ministry Yerevan

and Japan's Moscow

IRAN A seminar

entitled

Embassy officials. The loan is for a 30 year period, with a ten year moratorium on repayments.

"Iran and Armenia:

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" was held in Tehran. Sadeq Kharrazi. Deputy Foreign Minister for Educational Affairs, Armenian government rcpresentatives, as well as a number of Iranian and Armenian experts and scholars participated in the seminar. Kharrazi stated that since Armenian's independence, Iran has had a special attitude towards the Armenian nation, considering it as a country with which Iran enjoys close relations. "Armenians [in Iran] have been closer to lranians compared to other religious sects," said Kharrazi, adding that "this makes

Iranians' responsibility towards Armenia heavier."

NAKHICHEVAN Based on eyewitness account.s from northern Iran. Armenian cemeteries and cross-stones (khaehkars) were desecrated and destroyed in Nakhichevan. This mass vandalism prompted protests from the Armenian Foreign and Culture Ministries and the Catholicos of Al1 Armenians.

ln his letter to UNESCO's Ceneral Secretary Fredrico Mayor, Catholicos Karekin I of All Armenians wrote: "On behalf of Armenian both in Armenia and the Diaspora, I appeal to you to undertake immediate measures to end the vandalism, which can be deemed as a gross violation of human rights and desecration of holy

monuments which have served as a site for prayer and pilgrimage." Snark News Agency reported that the Iranian embassy in Yerevan said its representative in Nakhichevan had protested to the Nakhichevan authorities about the vandalism. However, the representative of the Nakhiche-van Autonomous Republic in Baku, lIassan Zeynalov, dismissed Iran's concern over the destruction of Armenian monuments and accused Armenians of fabricating these stories. Zeynalov also expressed indignation at the Catholicos's letter to UNESCO. Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani presidential administration said it had no intbrmation about this issue from Nakhichevan but was confident that "vandalism is not in the spirit of Azerbaijan."

UNITED STATES Prime Minister Armen Darbinian met with visiting US Ambassador-atJarge Richard illorningstar in Yerevan. The Clinton Administration's policies for the region have emphasized economic incentives for better and more durable regional cooperation. The creation of a favorable business environmenl in the region will serve as a basis for the establishment of an atmosphere of mutual trust and promote political cooperation has been the assumption. Also, the US expressed satisfaction when Armenia withdrew objectioons to hold the next OSCE

summit

Istanbul. State Department

Spokesman James Rubin said, "We look forward to using this development as the beginning of a process to strengthen cooperation among the countries in the Caucasus region."

TURKEY Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, during the OSCE Oslo summit in early December. stated that Yerevan is ready to start "a productive dialogue" with the new Turkish government. Armenia also withdrew its long-standing objection to Istanbul as the venue for the next oscE Summit. to be held in December 1999.

GREAT BRITAIN

SYRIA

British Ambassador to Armenia John IVlitchener visited the Lori Region and met with

An l8-memlrcr Syrian government delega-

Governor Henrik Kochinian. "We are commercially interested in Vanadsor," said Mitchener, "British Embassy officials visited a number of industrial enterprises and prepared a relevant report which has already been sent to Great Britain for consideration." Kochinian briefed the British ambassador on the situation in the region, stressing that high unemployment is a major problem. The industrial potential of the region was discussed-in Soviet times the region had major chemical processing and treatment plants. however. the lack of modern technology remains a major protrlem. In recent years, the British Government has helped the region, especially with aid provided to the children's hospital and the establishment of English language and trade schools.

tion, led by Minister of Economy and Foreign

Trade Dr. Mohammad al-lmadi. visited Armenia for meetings with

joint Armenian.

Syrian intergovernmental

commission (below). Armenia's chief representative was Trade and lndustry Minister Haik Gevorkian. Current cooperation between Armenia and Syria focus on construction. manufacturing. food processing and trade. While Syrian businessmen are involved in investment projects in Armenia, the purpose of the

commission

is to

coordinate

cooperation among the branch ministries of the two countries. Syria is also interested in the

export

of its products to

the

Common-wealth of lndependent States (CIS) markets. During a meeting with the Syrian delega-

i- tion, Prime Minister Armen Darbinian expressed willingaess to assist Syrian businessmen in using Armenia as a window to CIS countries. The Arab Republic of Syria recently opened its Embassy

Yerevan

EGYPT Armenian industries will be participating in the

92nd tnternational Industrial Exhibition which is scheduled to take place in Cairo. March 9-19. According to Narineh Sahakian, the head of the Expon Promotion Department of the Ministry of lndustry and Trade. representatives of around 20 enterprises with export poten-

tial will participate. Armenian manufacturers will

RUSSIA Air Force Commander

Russian

also participate in a business forum to present investment and business opportunities in Armenia to their Egyptian counterparts. So far Egyptians have expressed interest in cooperation in the food processing industries.

Colonel.

General Anatolii Kornukov held meetings in Yerevan with Prime Minister Armen

Darbinian and Defense Minister

Vazgen

FRANCE r On the occasion

of rhe t Oth anniversary of the I 988 Earthquake. French President Jacques

Sargsian. The talks focused on military-tech-

Chirac sent a message to President Robarn Kocharian. Referring to the devastating tragedy.

nical cooperation and the development of the coordinated CIS air defense. Armenia will join Russia. Belarus. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as a member of this system in January I999.

Chirac stated that "France was one of'the first countries in a wave of international solidarity to reach out its hand to Armenia. Chirac assured Kocharian that nFrance is supporting Armenia

Meanwhile,

five Russian MiG.29 fighters

have been deployed in Armenia to reinforce Russia's air power at its No. 102 milirary base in Armenia.

more than ever.'r r A delegation from Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, headed by National Assembly Chairman Khosrov Harutunian and Karabakh President Arkady Ghukasian attended the opening ceremony of the Public and Political Information Olfice of Nagorno Karabakh in Paris. The ceremony was held on the fringes of the delegatioils' meetings with the Commission for Political Issues of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council

of Europe.

ANPP The Armenian government assured the European Union that it remains commifted to shutting down the Armenian NuclearPower Plant (AMP) by the year 2004. Both sides agreed to find alternative sources of energy. This was announced after a meeting in Yerevan between Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and the head of a EU delegation. A joint group will be set up to look into costs involved with the shutdown. Currently, the Medsamor plant, reactivated in 1995 with a $10 million EBRD loan, generates some 35 percent of Armenia's electricity. Meanwhile, Russia delivered an urgently needed consignment of nuclear fuel to Armenia and, despite its own economic crisis, extended a$2O,24 million loan to Armenia to finance safety measures at the nuclear plant and further shipments of fuel.

PACE An Armenian parliamentary delegation, led

by National

Assembly Chairman

Khosrov Harutunian, attended a series of meetings in Paris with the Commission for

of the Parliamentary of the Council of Europe

Political Issues Assembly

(PACE). Harutunian stated that Armenia's membership in the Council of Europe, would not only give Armenia a possibility to get actively involved in the processes of European integration in the political, social and humanitarian spheres, but also promote deeper democratic processes in Armenian society. Harutunian also met with the chairman of the Commission, Andreas Barsoni, and gave him assurances that democratic processes are underway in Armenia.

The meetings focused heavily on the Karabakh conflict. A delegation led by Prmident Arkady Ghukasian, also attended the Commission's hearings upon the invitation ofthe Council ofEurope. Azerbaijan declined the invi-

tation

attend

because

Karabakh was recognized as

side

to the conflict

PACE. Ghukasian explained that a settlement which would

WB - IMF

force Karabakh to

The World Bank

"non-constructive position," Karabakh will

Azerbaijan, Moldova, Georgi4 Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan-hit by Russia's economy crisis, provided their economic policies are appropriate. The funds are expected to cover half of the estimated $400 budget shortfall faced by the six countries. The World Bank aad the lnternational Monetary Fund would contribute some $50 million apiece and the remainder of the aid would come from the Asian Development Bank and from such countries as Switzerland, the Netherlands, the US and the European Union. The IMF explained, "These pledges by the participants, combined with the governments'policy adjustments will address the worsening balance of payments situation resulting from the Russian crisis and will help to promote stability in financial markets.n

remain within Azerbaijan as an autonomous entity would provide the basis for future hostilities and long-term regional instability. Ghukasian affirmed that if Azerbaijan does not change its

have to "appeal to the intemational community to recognize [its] independence declared in

l99l in accordance with both international and Soviet law."

providing $200 million

to help six CIS countries-Armenia,

CIS . PABSEC

cooperation protocol

of the CIS

lnterparliamentary Assembly and

the

ParliamentaryAssembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) was signed during a joint meeting of their councils in St. Petersburg. Armenia is a member in both organizations. The nine-country CIS Interparliamentary Assembly and the ll-country Black Sea Economic Cooperation Parliamentary Assembly agreed to exchange agendas of their meetings and other documents and assign their representatives to each other's sittings. The fust ever joint meeting of the two assemblies was marred by the Turkish delegation's blatant refusal to sign the protocol under the pretext that there was no related clause in the rules of the BSEC Parliamentary Assembly. The protocol was signed by all delegations but the Turkish and carried a remark about a special opinion ofTUrkey. The CIS has similar agreements with the Council of Europe and the OSCE.

TACIS A TACIS foreign language teaching program has been instituted in Armenia in con-

junction with the Brusov Institute of Foreign Languages and Yerevan State University. In the initial phase of the program English, French, German and Spanish will be taught. Strasbourg University is providing technical assistance with teachers' training and necessary equipment..

UN "The Republic of Armenia is committed to

the ideas of respecting human rights,

democracy and freedom of speech," stated

President Robert Kocharian in a message on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of

the Universal Declaration of H'man Rights adopted by the UN General

Assembly. While acknowledging that much

still remains to be done, Kocharian atrrmed that 'Today the radical deepening ofdemocracy can and must become the best guarantor of human righs protection." He noted that" "Numerous generations of Armenians, including our generation, have waged a heroic stnrggle in the name of human and national righs. And today we mark the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the conviction that there are no altematives to human righs and freedoms. We are walking on the path of freedom."

EU An Armenia-Eunopean Union (EU) joint commission was held in Yerevan in the context of EU's TRACECA program which will finance the laying of a fiberoptic communications channel along the Caucasian railways. The project is expected to create a

transport corridor linking Europe to Asia via the Caucasus. A project has been drawn (but remains to be implemented) to restore railway traffic between Armenia and Azerbaijan via Nakhichevan. An EU repre-

sentative announced the possibility of of the presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia in an'anging a meeting

Luxemburg in June 1999. Meanwhile, the Presidential Advisor for legal reforms and Self-Determination Union leader Paruir Hairikian attended UNESCO-sponsored events in Paris marking the 50th annivensary of the Universal Ileclaration of Human Rights. At a conference on "Human Rights on the Threshold of the 2lst Centuryo, LINESCO Secretary General Fredrico Mayor called for the release of all political prisoners around the world. French President Jacques Chirac noted that in the new international law and order no one can evade responsibility for committing crimes against humanity, Upon his return from Paris, where he held meetings with French and European officials, Hairikian stated that Armenia's full membership in the Council of Europe will depend on how free and fair this year's parliamentary elections will be. "If our elections don't meet European standards, we may find ourselves in a sad situation," Hairikian warned.

joint commission also agreed that improvement of the "business environment," efficient govemment and development of a "healthy" legal system in Armenia -should become the key aims of the Armenia-EU cooperation.n Some 50

million ECU ($58.8

million) in new EU grants and loans to Armenia was announced. This brings the total amount of EU aid to Armenia since l99l to over 250 million ECU.

A UllIOE

IN IHE

ILDERNESS Amenia moues to reinlorce the Uil Genocide Gonuention By IIBAIGH IGHltll{GlRlAl{

the occasion of the 5fth Anniversary of the

national level and through enhanced international cooperation." While the world community still grapples with the moral, political and human dimension

Convention on the Prevention and Punishment

of ttrcse crimes committed against

humanity-

of the Crime of Genocide. The legally-binding Genocide Convention was adopted in 1948

from Africa to the Balkans-Armenia, which

the first genocide of this century, appealed to the conscience of the world community-

enocide shaped the founding

the

United Nations" said UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in a message on

and entered into force

In early

1951.

December 1998, the 53rd of the United Nations

General Assembly

reaffirmed the significance

of the 1948

Convention and unanimously adopted a res-

olution introduced by the Republic of Armenia (co-sponsored by five other states). The resolution calls upon "govern-

ments and the intemational community to continue to review and assess the progress

made

in the

implementation

the

Convention since its adoption, and to identify obstacles and the way in which they can be overcome, both through measures on the

the General Assembly that this century began

with the genocide of the Armenians in 1915, which has not been duly condemned by the

again. "Despite all advances in our civilization,

intemational community since it was perpetrated over eight decades ago. The lack of condemnation and punishment has led other regimes to commit new genocides. He reiterated that the denial of the crime has become an extension of the genocidal process, often reinforcing the victims' sense of insecurity,

the twentieth century is, unfortunately, replete

abandonment, and betrayal.

was at the verge of extinction and had suffered

with

instances

genocide," declared

Ambassador Movses Abelian, Armenias representative to the United Nations. "For this reason," Abelian continued, "there is a need to take a fresh look at the Convention to try to determine why, on the eve of the third millennium, the world still bears witness to genocide and to discuss the ways and means of its prevention and punishment." Ambassador Movses Abelian reminded

AIM JANUARY

1999

"In order not to allow ourselves to come to a point when there is no one to speak up," said Abelian, "We have to intensify our efforts, collectively or individually, to bring to justice those responsible for genocide and crimes against humanity. We must do all we can to replace the law of force with the force of law." Recognition of the victims' suffering, condemnation of the crime by the world

conrmunit\. ar)d linall\. nlost rnlportllnt. r\plessi()ns of rcgrct an(l al)()l()g\, llrrn tlre l)Lrrpetllrtors arc thc esscntial parts ol full .iustice to thc r ictinr: anri l'inal hcalirrg ol Ilrti()ns. ,,\s ,\rnteniu's Anrblssaclol stiltcd to

integnrtion proccss of tlrc lOttonturI Entpirc has takcn tu o ccntLrries." Hc concluile d say-

ins that "'l-he plst shor-rld tcach Arrncnians

Ihe Conuention on the

the bencl'its of pcacc." Arlhassador.,\be lian. .'it sas vr'hile stutins that not the intcntion o1

Preuenlion and Punishmenl 0l the crime ol Genocide

thc Generlrl Asscnrtrlrt: "l)cnirl o1'the

thc IArrncnianI

rlcnicrs has nruch to cIr u ith thcir initiul suc-

siott urt thc Arntcniatr Ccnocide anrl its

cle

lcgation to open u tliscus-

The l9-article Genocide Conventit-rn states that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war. is a

crime under international law. It defines genocitle as any of the acts committed with intent to destroy. in whole or in part. a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, including by killing il.s members: causing them seri-

ous bodily or mental harm: deliberately inflicting on a group conditions ol life calculated to

Forcign \linister Vart:rn C)skanian anrl ,\mbassador N,Iovses Atrelian at the United

\ations General Assembh cess anrl brlzcn behlr ior'. It Irlts hecornc espcciullr chaructcristrc ol the l0th ccntLlry genocitlc. particLrlarlv thosr' ol' the besin ning ol thc ccntrrlr. u hcn rro intcnrationltl lcgal tnrntc'rrork had bccn cstahlishcd lirr the punishnrent ol thc crintc of qcnocide."

As rttr'lt. .\r'rlcnirr.

itlt urt t \pt'tit ntc

t,l

orcr eiglrt decatlcs o1'denial bv succcssive Turkish g()vernrlrcnts. wclcorncr-l thc cstabl ishnrent ol' thc Intcnrational ('r'i nr i nul ('ourt

clrlier in l99ll as "il r itul

slCp to\\'irrds

rrcclranisnrs" that',i,ould plovirlc thc ulti-

Ilatc gLlanurtce tirr the protectrort ol hurnun rrghts and brins thosc rcsponsiblc lirr utin)r'. ol -J\'rl('(i(le 1o jttrlier'. 'l-he Anncnian rtprc\cnlittir

's rclcr

enccs to thc.Arntenilrn Cenocide angcrcrl thc TLrrkish lcylresentlrtirc riho urgucrl. irr line lt ith long-he ld l'urkish ol'licill ;rositiorr that. "The rc \\ us r1o clouht lhat thousanrls ol' Arrlcnians antl -fLrrks hur c pcrisltecl dLrrrrrr: the tnrge dies thut rr c-rc rlcntionctl. I'he clis

recognition." rcplied to his Turkish countL.r-

part r.r ith "thc 'dialogue u ith thc past' uhich sorrctrnrcs is dill'icult to sr.rstain." Hc warncrl tl'rat "thc ufqe is stroltg to speak ol Ithe crirrre] as iln e \ cnt in thc past. a spr-ctcr

to bc draun ll'onr the wcll of past history only orr spccial occasions." This lalls short ol'connccting thc pust riith the prcscnt and "rlulllcs thc nrcssagc to bc passed bctrveen gcneralions i1'thc Icssons are be nraslered." "l)rcrentins anrl punishint gcnocitle is nc\L-f l nlllt1er li)r ()rte nati0n onlv." siiicl Sccretary (ieneral ,\nnan.

"lt

is the dutl ol

lll

hunrankind." Hc challcngcd the u orld conrnrunitr to "untlertuke to cnd this Lrlti-

nrirtc (lcniul

hunran rishts. anrl tlte

ilrrpunrtr thrrt has allorr c'd it lo continrrc." ,^\s lirr the sun'ivors. ;\nnan dcclarcd: "We clulnol restorc lil'e to thc r ictints- But thcre is ortc f ittinr: \\'av to Itonsl 11ig1I- trenlol'y. Thi: tinre \\c nrusl rilcan it rvhcn we srr': 'Ncvcr aqairr I '"

AIM JANIIARY I999

bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part: imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; and tbrcibly transl'erring children of the group to another group. ln addilion. the Convention obligates Contracting Panies (states) to enact. in accordance with their respeclive Constitutions, the necessary legislation to give effect to the provisions

of the Convention. and, in particular, to provide effective penalties for persons guilty of genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in the Con-lention. Disputes between the Con-

tracting Palties relating to the interpretation, application or fullillnrent of the Convention, including those relating to the responsibility of a State for genocide or for any of the other acts enumerated in the Con-vention. shall be submitted to the

lnternational Court of'Justice at the request of any of the parties

to the dispute. Sourc.i ilnxcd N.{ion\ High (hnnrssioner ior ftumm Rights.

Most of this construction was on the out-

tory," the report says. "It's much more like

dents is his top priority, followed closely by

skirts of town, however, far from what the locals now call the "old city." Instead of

[several distinct] settlements." The report was

construction for schools. All eight of the town's schools were destroyed in 1988, and

rebuilding Spitak, this foreign assistance was building several new, and suburban style, neighborhoods.

The population, which had been 18,500

in 1988, has now increased to 21,500, mostly because of 2,000 refugees who arrived from Azerbaijan, but also because of a healthy birth rate. Of these residents-about 6,300 families- 20 percent are now living in permanent housing. The rest are mostly still housed in the metal shipping containers that were shipped in l0 years ago for emergency relief. Avetisian is planning to get many of these

families housed

produced by Armen Hovsepian, the town's chief architect. It is the new distance between neighborhoods (old and new) and between homes which causes psychological hardships, and Hovsepian says in his report that residents fear they will stop being one community unless a densely populated center is rebuilt. Therefore, he says, the town's goal is to restore the "old city." The square that will form the centerpiece of a rebuilt old city will include a post office,

each was replaced the next year by a temporary metal structure. Today, these "temporary" structures are still in use. Only 45 percent of the 3,800 school children in Spitak are attending classes in new schools.

To help protect these children from another tragedy, the new buildings have been redesigned to withstand an earthquake that measures nine on the Richter scale. This, of course, is no guarantee that anyone will be

those 3,025 permanent

built. If this goal is met, more than two thirds of Spitak's families will have their own apartments. apartments that are being

The deeds to the apartments will be given, without charge, to their occupants. Town leaders will select recipients based upon their need, taking into consideration family losses and individual hardships. A family that suffered many deaths or with a limited ability to support itself, says Avetisian, will get priority. Conducting the surveys that assess the status of each family, in order to determine priority for housing, has been a lengthy process.

Surveying the physical damage

1988

was a much simpler task.

"Spitak was the one town that was thoroughly destroyed," says Vova Gasparian, the head of Spitak's Departrnent of Construction and

Architecture.' Nothing survived. Nothing." He is not exaggerating. The nearby town of Vanadsor, just 16 miles

to the east, also suffered from the earthquake, but most of its buildings survived. Even Gumri, which suffered tremendous losses, did not experience the total devastation of Spitak. Gumri, which was known as trninakan in 1988, is Armenia's second largest city, and it is located about 40 kilometers (25 mile$ west of Spitak, near the Turkish border. Gasparian has been in charge of all of the town's construction for the past two years and, like Avetisian, he takes no credit for the building boom. Instead, he praises President Robert Kocharian

for the attention Kocharian

has

given to Spitak. This attention includes an assessment that calls for the rehabilitation of the entire region, which also includes Gumri, as well as two other towns and several villages, by 2001. Some people have begun calling this the Kocharian Plan.

Spitak's Project Description for its new town center identifies a post-earthquake problem. "It's hard to imagine Spitak as one terri-

This Swiss-built neighborhood on the outskirts of Spitak, makes community cohesiveness

a library, a

business center

with

internet

access, and halls where youth and children can

hold dances, display artwork, and socialize. for a medical and dental clinic

Plans also call

and offices for other public health services.

Gasparian supports the plan for a town center, but he says that building new apartments for the rest of Spitak's displaced resi-

AIM JANUARY I999

safe. The school buildings that were destroyed, for example, had been designed to survive a level seven earthquake, according to Gasparian. The 1988 quake registered only 6.8 on the Richter scale. These new earthquake-resistant designs are consistent

with the needs of the region. An

inquiry conducted by the National Seismic

Service after the earthquake determined that Spitak was located in an "active" seismic zone where there is a "high probability" of an earthquake with a Richter scale force of nine or more. A strong design is only the first part of what it takes to make a building safe in

Armenia, however. The workers must then

actually follow the design. This

time,

Gasparian says, they are.

"We decided to build everything to high standards," adds Avetisian, the mayor. "We want buildings that will last. Everything we're doing is high level."

difficult, complain town leaders. From the looks of City Hall, which was completed in July, and the other buildings that are under construction, Spitak's reconstruction standards are matching Avetisian's pronouncements.

They're doing things right, this time around.

Outside scope

of Spitak, the quality and

the

of the construction has prompted some

minor resentments. Leaders in Vanadsor, and

also

in the earthquake

stricken town of

Stepanavan, located roughly 20 miles north-

Spitak, have questioned why state funds designated for Spitak can't instead go to

west

their towns.

Samvel Tumanian, Spitak's deputy mayor, says that he and everyone else in town is satisfied with the progress. But Avetisian says he is not. Ask him why, and you're apt to get a stern reply. "I want to say what I want to say. Then you can ask your questions," he says. What he wants to say, is that he is concerned about drawing industry to town. As he explains it, the earthquake that destroyed so many lives also destroyed the economy. A local sugar factory that had supplied 40 percent of Armenia's consumption, for example, is now closed. Sugar is instead imported from Russia and Iran. "And it's not as sweet," says Fahrad Apujanian, the head of the town's Department of Culture. Armenia's only elevator factory, which in 1988 was one of only three in the Soviet Union, also operated here. It has now been rebuilt, but there's no money to start production. Spitak is looking for business partners. To draw businesses, the Republic of Armenia offers special tax incentives and exemptions. They can do this, says Avetisian, "because this is a disaster zone." According to municipal records, 93 percent of Spitak's industrial enterprises did not survive the quake. All the news on the business side is not negative. There have also been some successes. A wheat processing plant has been rebuilt and is now operating. Part ofthe facility had been restored in 1993, and thejob was finished in June. A fledgling garment industry is also operating again. Uniforms for the Armenian military are now made here, and so are jackets, which are exported to the US. Funding for these projects has come from a variety of sources. The money to build City Hall, for example, was donated by a French Armenian charitable organization. The Holy See of Ejmatsin donated $500,000 toward the construction of the new church. The balance of $80.000 for construction was paid by the local people. The $ I 00,000 that has been spent on road reconstruction was mostly local money. But representatives ofthe town ofThousand Oaks, Califomia, also kicked in $3,400 toward the road repairs. Thousand Oaks and Spitak are Sister Cities, and their residents also participate in cultural exchanges. And $3.1 million from Kirk Kerkorian's

AIM JANT]ARY I99S

Lincy Foundation will be used to build apartments next year.

Not too far from the new Kerkorian Street sits Spitak's least joyous construction site. Here, on a vacant lot adjacent to the first apartment building that was built after the quake, a half dozen workers were laying paving blocks and cutting large stones early last month. They were working, without interruption, in order to complete a monument honoring the victims of the earthquake in time for the tenth anniversary. Its design called for a six-foot tall stone cross at the far end of a green granite terrace. A museum is also under construction on the same site, the walls

of which will

etched with the names of the 4,003 townspeo-

ple who were killed during the earthquake. The $210,000 that has been spent on the memorial is not enough to get the project finished, however, and Avetisian is looking for

more contributions. Armenians living in Moscow had sent large donations, and so did local people.

Couldn't this money have been spent on housing or schools instead? "You're right," says Avetisian. "But as every family has victims, so we gave money to have this monument commemorate them." The money spent on the memorial will not have any effect on any rebuilding programs. The Office of Statistics and Analysis in Yerevan estimates that total rebuilding costs for the region will exceed $250 million, which makes the Spitak memorial just one small rock on a pile of boulders. Kocharian's rebuilding plan, which calls for this money to be spent by 2001, is going to leave Armenia with a "serious problem" in

three years, says Kamo Khachaturian, the head

of the department of

housing at the

Yerevan's statistics office. Armenia's budget revenues in 1998 were projected to amount to

only $320 million. Obviously,

says

Khachaturian, there's going to have to be some borrowing. He's also hoping for gifts.

"lt

could take

a little longer."

says

Khachaturian, "But we're going to try to do it

in three years." He's hedging a bit, but he's also proud of the accomplishments of his

office. "This is

the first time we know exact-

ly what to do, and where to do it." Back in Spitak, however, Avetisian is reluctant to acknowledge the successes of the past two years. "We have a lot of things to do,"

he says. What he doesn't say, but what is obvious, is that Spitak has already done a

1ot. r 25

BRIGK BY BNIGK The Earthquake Zone is to be Rebuilt, says lhe gouemment Iext and Photos

By MAIIHEW

lfiRAl{lAl{

f,arshall Plan, Armenian Style.

l\ /l Fiftv vears after the US Marshatt IYIpfrn ip.nt $12 billion rebuilding

westem Europe, Armenia has developed an ambitious plan of its own for rebuilding the earthquake zone.

Already, many are calling

the

Kocharian Plan, since it was developed shortly after he took office as president earlier this year. This rebuilding project, which is offi26

cially known as Plan 2001, will conclude in the year 2001, exactly 50 years after the completion of the Marshall Plan. The plan is intended to restore enough of Armenia's earthquake zone so that everyone can finally stop calling it "the earthquake zone." The project is ambitious, but it is not comprehensive. It's the Marshall Plan, but on an Armenian scale. 'The ideology has changed," says Vahe Gabrielian, President Kocharian spokesperson.

AIM JANUARY I999

The idea nou he says, is "to be realis-

tic, to limit

ourselves

to the limited

resources that are available, and not to restore everything." Details are outlined in

a two-inch thick book called the "Priority Program for Disaster Zone Restoration." This is a dramatic departure from earlier rebuilding plans.

ln 1994, for example, the republic promised to build anew just about everything in the destroyed cities and towns of

Building a new church in Spitak (left), for ten years, the people of Spitak have relied upon a sheet metal church (see page 23 photo) that was erected after the quake as a temporary sanctuary. A new housing complex in Spitak (right). Gumri, Spitak, Vanadsor and Stepanavan. The project failed for lack of resources. And shortly after the earthquake, in 1989, the Soviet Union had come up with a plan that would have built entirely new cities near the rubble of Gumri and Spitak. They would not have had any character, of course, and every building would have had

Expectations among the leadership are much lower today. Housing remains the highest priority. As proof, Gabrielian notes that consffuction of new apaftments in 1998 was double that of the year before. Gabrielian predicts that 1999 will see another doubling of available housing.

same buildings," says Gabrielian. "But

Designs for the new Gumri and the new Spitak are not typically Soviet. Instead of blocks of massive buildings on open expanses of land, Plan 2001 will

everyone would have had a home."

construct town centers on a human scale.

an identical design.

"There would be row upon row of the

Resources were abundant

1989, however. Armenia was able to call upon the

vast resources

of the

Soviet Union-an

almost limitless supply of labor and materials-and it did. Every republic of the Soviet Union, except Azerbaijan, sent either construction workers or building materials. What about

Azerbaijan? "They sent freight cars full of garbage," says Gabrielian. He is not speaking metaphorically.

"We will restore the core, the essence, the

heart

of the town,"

Otherwise,

says Gabrielian. he says, there will be no sense of

city life. He says he likes the concept of the town, with a town square, and public spaces where people can go when they're not at home.

"You cannot just sit in your apartment. especially if you're unemployed."

The architecture

either. There

will not be

Soviet,

will be pillars, arches,

gables-all the details that were shunned AIM JANUARY I999

bourgeois in the past.

Kocharian has also instituted a program of long term loans to needy families from the disaster towns, to help them restart economic activity there. The towns of the disaster zone are making

of Spitak, for example, is "like a hive ofbees," says Gabrielian.

great progress. The town

All of the republic's

resources are

pooled in this project, he says, so that funding is distributed fairly, in accordance with the damage suffered by a town. "There is a

of all efforts," so that every town is assisted. The criticism from some

coordination

leaders that their town has been ignored puz-

zles Gabrielian. "Stepanavan and Vanadsor are mentioned prominently in the report." By 2001, Kocharian wants the whole idea of a disaster zone to be gone. "The word 'disaster' is not that pleasant," says Gabrielian. Plan 2001, he insists, was compiled realistically, "with the intention that it be achieved." 1'7

IHE ilUilIBERS Sensible reconstruction

of the

IHEJ{ mo 1{0W GUMRI earthquake

needed to lotow wlwt existed before and who

Population in 1988 Earthquake Casualties Population in 1998

lives in thc regietn now before beginning to

Housing

region depend"s panly on numbers. Planners

think about which towns have priortty

ffice

for

villages would

rebuilding prujects. The

of Sradsrl'cs and Analysis

Yeruvan

doesnl lwve any shortage of nwnbers. AIM porcd over the latest figurcs and pmjections,

and distilled tlum to crcate this

oventiew.

Individual sfafistics for only the four largest communities of the regi.on are included, but villages suffered losses also.

All

statistics,

tnkss indicated otherwise, arefiomthe of

Statistics and Analysis.

ffice

230,000

N/A 2l I,000 ,

Destroyed during the quake:

2,194,000 square meters

Rebuilt between 1989-1997:

857,000 square meters

Pmjected for 1998-2001

9'72,000 square meters

in 14,694 units(l).

Schools

Destroyed during the quake:

Places for 33,900 pupils

Rebuilt between 1989-1997 : Prcjected for 19E-2fi)1:

Places for 8,544 pupils

Hospltals Destroyed during the quake:

Places for 9,548 pupils in 30 new schools

2, I 60 beds

Replaced between 1989-1997

1,318 beds

Prcjected for 198-2fi)1:

425 beds at 6 new hospitals

Clinics Lost: Regained: Pnojected

for

1998-2001 :

ability to serve 4,500 patients per year ability to serve 2,635 patients per year 4 new clinics serving 630 patients per year (2).

lrt/

IAN

ot9t

SPITAK

STEPANAVAN

VANADSOR

18,s00 (9) 4,003 killed, 753 disabled (9) 2r,500 (10)

25,300 (6)

172,600 (3); 174,000 (4) 383 killed (4) unknown number disabled Approximately 140,000 (4)

282,0N square meters 91,600 square meters 182,000 square meters in 3,025 new units

306,600 square meters 90,000 square meters 69,000 square meters in 1,148 units

437,N0 square meters

Places for 7,320 pupils

Places for 3,800 pupils

Places for 23,400 pupils

Places for 2,524 pupils

2,716 places 1,246 places at 3 new schools (8)

Places

380 beds

1,730 beds 110 beds 330 beds in 4 new buildings (5)

Places

for 1,388 pupils in 4 new schools

250 beds 200 beds no new hospitals or beds.

ability to serve 500 patients per year ability to serve 400 patients per year no new clinics or patient ability. An emergency response service, similar to the 9l I system in the U.S., will be introduced, instead.

85 killed; 25 disabled (6)

25,432 (7)

1,093,500 square meters 119,000 square meters

for I 1,696 pupils Places for 6,340 pupils in 16 new schools

150 beds

no additional beds

will

in 1,952 units

be added

ability to serve 2,500 patients per year ability to serve 650 patients per year 150 patients per year at 3 new clinics

ability to serve 850 patients per year ability to serve 250 patients per year no increase in ability to serve

Year 2001 Projections for the Entire Earthquake Region Cegurlfu: Emdng:

Sc,hoob: noqtm*. Itla[cel Clhlcs: Ibtrt (l)

25,000 killed; one million injured; deaths estimated at more than 55,000 by the 1998 World Almanac. 26,841 new units consisting of I ,890,700 square meters are projected to be built during the next three years. The region, including villages, lost 54,783 housing units in 1988. (l l) 149 new school buildings, serving 38,153 pupils 22 new buildings, with a capacity of 1,519 beds 2l new buildings, with the capacity to serve 2,050 patients yearly

ProJcctcd CoC: $250 million, to be paid by the Republic ofArmenia, through a combination of financing, gifts, annual revenues, and local municipal contributions.

The average apartment before the quake covercd about 8G100 square meters. The new apartments

will

average only 60 square meters. The reduction was made because there isn't

during the period 1989-197 are measured in square meters, in the individual city profiles listed above.

tlFE z s

fHEll mo 1{0W m

o ! o

AIM JANUARY 1999

rmDs0n

le-$ri{

*f.,,1% F-*" i&

By TIIAIIHEW IORAI{IAil; Photos

[y IUBEII MA]{GASARIAI{

ndranik Harutunian, the mayor of Vanadsor, may not remember

exactly what he was thinking when he went to bed in the evening. Maybe

he was thinking of a meeting that he was going to have in the moming. Or maybe he was just too tired to have any thoughts. But he knows what he was thinking a few hours later, when he was awakened by the sounds of rattling dishes from the kitchen and of aching rumbles from the bowels of the earth: First, his family. Then, his town. After making sure his own household was in order, he ventured out. "I sent for my car to see if there were any

problems in town. I was afraid for the town," says Harutunian. "There were a lot of people out on the streets. The people were afraid." An earthquake had just struck Vanadsor.

This time, however, everyone was lucky.

This time, nine years and eleven months after the devastating quake

1988, there

was no damage and no loss of life.

"Nothing happened," says Harutunian. Nevertheless, the minor quake of October 26, which registered only about a four on the Richter scale, kindled unpleasant memories of Dec. 7, 1988. The October quake struck Vanadsor along the same fault line as

the quake

of l0

years ago.

also struck

across the nerves of many of the families who had survived the earlier calamity.

After 10 years, this city of

roughly

140,000 is still struggling to rebuild, to capture the limited funding that emanates from Yerevan and from the international commu-

nity, and to reposition itself as a city of stature in the region. Many of its residents are still toiling to rebuild their lives. But much has already been accomplished.

Many residents are again leading normal lives. Some have had greater fortune than others. These are the people who have

moved

into modern, new apartments.

Uanadsor's eally suGcesses Within two months after the 1988 earthquake, city leaders had already developed a

plan for building entirely new neighborhoods on the outskirts of the town. Raffik Boshian, the architect who oversaw most of the early rebuilding efforts, is rightly proud

of Vanadsor's accomplishments. "We were the first town after the earthquake where people were living in new houses within six months," he says. These weren't just a few new homes, built willynilly, here and there. Instead, Vanadsor built

entirely new districts on large vacant parcels of land. The districts include markets, so there is no hardship in being distant from the town center. One district is even home to Vanadsor's temporary, l0 year old, post office. The post, like so many of the homes in the old city, is

Others are still in metal shipping containers which have long since passed the manufacturer's life expectancy of three years. The disparity in living conditions for the residents of Vanadsor is replicated, on a larger scale, from town to town in the earthquake region. Some towns and villages, notably Spitak, have languished and are only now starting to get back on their feet, with funding from the state. Others, such as Stepanavan, have maintained a slow but steady reconstruction pace since early 1989,

were cut in the walls for a door, a window, and an exhaust pipe for the wood burning stove. Even the new districts, it seems, get a share of these ugly but efficient structures. Shortly after the quake, Harutunian says, they were replacing the town's housing stock

and have relied heavily upon foreign donors.

at the rate

Some

of the region's greatest

progress was made quite early, however, in Vanadsor.

AIM JANUARY I999

inside a metal shipping container. Holes

of 10,000 square meters per month. During those waning days of the Soviet Union, town leaders named the new neigh-

,* TS: .-sdsfj

Then and Now: Gumri Central Square with Lenin overlooking a sea of survivors'tents (left); today, only Lenin and the tents are gone (inset); a damaged home in 1988 (top left), the rebuilt home in 1998 (top right); Marietta Sarajian, near the building where her sister and brother died (bottom left), Marietta with her husband, handing the new cooked bread for her son's wedding . borhoods the First District, the Second District "and so on," says Boshian. Today the districts have names such as Taran, and the people who live there were able to sleep through the mild earthquake of late October. Indeed all the new apartments in Vanadsor are designed to withstand a level nine earthquake, which should make them able to withstand another quake like the one in 1988. Boshian insists that the

finally be fully restored. "We can't have the same Vanadsor as before," says Matevosian. "It's too difficult to rebuild all the destroyed buildings." So

1988 quake registered 9 on the Richter scale.

10 years ago,

Most other sources say it measured

6.8,

which is a quake of dramatically less power.

The town is also working to

redesign

existing buildings, to make them better able to withstand the earthquakes that are most

likely to strike here. Boshian is a

realist,

however. "We'll never be able to make

building completely earthquake proof."

The primary building materials

Vanadsor are stone blocks, from nearby quarries. Designing an earthquake resistant structure--one that will sway, rather than snap-using only stone is one of the challenges for engineers and for people like Boshian, and also for Sona Matevosian, the town's chief architect.

The other, more familiar challenge is allocating the limited financial resources that are available, so that Vanadsor can

she and her colleagues have developed a set

ofpriorities. The first concern is housing. The 1988 earthquake, in just a few seconds, destroyed 5,000 apartments in Vanadsor. Today there are still roughly 2,500 families, some of whom didn't exist without permanent housing. Last month, the American Red Cross,

with funds donated by the Foundation, added

Lincy

to the efforts to

get

everyone into an apartment. On November 13, they announced plans to construct seven new apartment buildings. The town is trying to attract state funds, as well, but this process has proven more frustrating than fruitful, says Harutunian. "There was great movement this year because of Kocharian," says Harutunian. Movement, but not enough money. Although most of Vanadsor's buildings were left standing by the quake, most of them also suffered significant structural damage. The people in Yerevan who were developing

the reconstruction plan figured that

He counts 72 buildings that are severely damaged and in need of reconstruction to make them safe for habitation. These buildings, many of them apartment buildings, were abandoned after the earthquake. But eventually, and especially after 1994, their owners reoccupied them, despite the danger. The people had to live somewhere, and those metal shipping containers that they had been living in since the earthquake had stopped being "somewhere" long ago.

According to Harutunian, the attitude he encountered at the September meeting was that if people can live in an apartment, then

the building obviously doesn't need to be repaired. In accordance with this philosophy, only three of Vanadsor's apartment

buildings were slated

for repairs under

Kocharian's reconstruction plan.

Harutunian went to battle for his town. He eventually won a compromise: Fourteen of Vanadsor's 72 damaged, apartment buildings would be repaired using funds from the state reconstruction plan. What about the other 58 buildings that need to be repaired? "If there is another earthquake

they

will collapse," predicts Harutunian.

Vanadsor's plans to erect a new apartment

building wasn't completely destroyed, then

house in place of one that was leveled, in the core of the city, is also getting a luke-

"there was no problem," says Harutunian.

AIM JANUARY I999

warm response from Armenia's leaders. There's a gaping hole where the building once stood, which makes the street look like a child's toothless smile. Harutunian wants to replace the building with another of similar architectural style, to be consistent with the older part of Vanadsor. His plan would

have a building with 54 apartments, l0 garages, and retail space on the ground level. He wants the state to finance 36 of the apartments for families that were made homeless by the quake. The remaining l8 would be luxury flats and townhouses which Vanadsor would sell at market rates of perhaps $45,000 or more. Buyers might be Diaspora Armenians, he says. But the state won't provide any financing, because there are still unfinished buildings in the new Taran district. "I agree, but I think it's not a good idea to

spend

all the

money there," counters

Harutunian. "I just want one apartment building, in the center of town."

Kocharian's advisors see the problem more panoramically: Everything is important. Not everything can be funded. There are also more schools and hospitals to be built. The quake destroyed l7 schools. Five have been rebuilt, including one that was a gift from Ukraine. Vanadsor copes with the loss of classroom space by doubling up its schools-placing 2,000 pupils in spaces designed for half as many-and also by relying upon home study. Some pupils study in private homes, others are in former retail or manufacturing spaces. Late last month, city leaders were to have met to develop a plan for repairing existing, but damaged, schools. The impetus for the meeting: a gift of $300,000 from 32

Greek Armenian organizations. Housing and schools are only two of the most prominent needs. Often overlooked is the need in Vanadsor for a new water treatment plant. After the quake damaged the existing plant, the town began discharging untreated toilet waste directly into the Pambak River. Boshian estimates that about 70 percent of the town's waste water is still being disgorged into the river today. But no one sees this problem, he says.

Regional rivalry The list of needs is as long as a winter night. On the list, but also not on the list is the need for civic pride. Harutunian doesn't expressly say this, of course. But as he reads from his list oftown needs, the need for this mayor to be proud of his town announces itself. Harutunian

expresses this as he voices aspects of intertown rivalry and resentment. Spitak attracts most of his attention. Spitak's 10 year history is starkly different from Vanadsor's. Spitak, the town at the epicenter, was completely leveled by the

earthquake. Nothing was left standing. In Vanadsor, most of the buildings survived and were capable of repair. Almost one quarter of Spitak's 18,500 residents were killed by the quake. Vanadsor, which was home to roughly 174,000 people l0 years ago, suffered 383 casualties. The plight of small Spitak captured rhe sympa-

thy of the nation. When people

from

Yerevan, or from any other city spoke about Vanadsor, the talk was often of the town's

good fortune. Vanadsor, it seemed to many, would simply be better able to help itself than Spitak. But AIM JANUARY I999

this doesn't stop Harutunian from begrudg-

ing Spitak the help it gets. Take the simple matter of a cultural center, for example. Vanadsor wants a new cultural center. It wants one that will be just as good as the one that is being built with state funds in Spitak. It won't get what it wants, however, for lack of money. "There are more people in Vanadsor than in Spitak but in Spitak the cultural center is bigger than in Vanadsor," says Harutunian, perplexed by what he sees as obvious folly. Vanadsor did have a majestic cultural center, but the damage from the earthquake has made it unsafe for occupancy. The mayor estimates that reconstruction costs would exceed $l million. Workers from Ukraine started to build a new, smaller center in 1989, and a recent $20,000 contribution from Charles Aznavour was expected to

finally get the building completed and opened by the 1 Oth anniversary of the earthquake on December 7. Fogotten in Stepanauan The perspective is about the same farther north, in Stepanavan. Stepanavan is located at the northern tip

of a triangle of

communities that reach

from 60 to 90 miles north of

Yerevan. Vanadsor and Spitak form the two southern points on the triangle.

If you could travel in straight lines between Vanadsor, Spitak and Stepanavan, the distance between each of the towns would be only about 20 miles. Of course finding a road in Armenia that will take you in a straight line is almost impossible. But still, traveling by road to Stepanavan takes no more than 40 minutes

from either Spitak or Vanadsor, even with all the hairpin tums.

Stepanavan and don't know it exists. This ignorance has prevented the town from

The 25,000 people who live in Stepanavan,

completing reconstruction efforts. "Since 1993 there hasn't been anything done. Nothing. Zerc," says Cherkazian.

however, say they sometimes feel like they're much t'arther away, and in another country. In a manner of speaking, they are. To reach Stepanavan, drivers must pass under a mountain that is roughly half as high as the smaller of Ararat's twin peaks. A reasonably prudent driver can splash through the puddles of this unlighted and partially paved tunnel in less than six minutes. If there is oncoming traffic, better figure on six and one half minutes. On the south side of the mountain, the side facing Spitak and Vanadsor, the terrain is rocky, semi-arid, and barren. This is the terrain that is so familiar in Armenia. Once

"Here, it's just the opposite

Spitak,

because starting from the quake there hasn't

been any money coming from the state bud-

Apostolic Church, the beams and trusses of which are made from the wood that is so common in this region, survived without a scratch. What is true, however, is that the pace of reconstruction was much faster prior to 1993. Take housing, for example. The quake destroyed 2,25O apmrments, and by 1993 there had been I ,M6 units of new construction

get." Here, like in Vanadsor, comparisons are readily made with Spitak. No one

to replace them. Some of the districts

wants to deny Spitak its reconstruction funds. Just so long as Spitak's plans don't interfere with theirs. "It's very insulting when in other towns and cities they build a lot and the reconstruction goes very fast. In Stepanavan

named for their donors. During a tour last month, Cherkazian pointed them out. "This is the Romanian district. And there

there's nothing," says Cherkazian.

This may be true, but only for projects

where these apartments are located are

is Ukraine village." In the past five years, only 93 more units were added, more than half of which were

built, not for original residents Stepanavan, but

for

through the tunnel, however, travelers are greeted with an abrupt change in climate

paid for with national funds. Plenty of other

refugees who had arrived from Azerbaijan roughly l0 months

projects are going forward.

before the earthquake.

and terrain. On the other side the climate is temperate and rainfall is plentiful. The

For the past year, 450 pupils have been attending classes at the St. Gregory the Illuminator School, near the center of town. Its dedication ceremony was held in

landscape is green, and it's crowded with oak and sycamore trees. The soil is thick and rich, two adjectives that are rarely used to describe Armenia's farmland. Indeed, everything about this side of the mountain .l ust feels different. The people say they feel diff'erent here. But it's not a good kind ofdifferent. "We feel tenible," says Melania Cherkazian.

here feels that

"Everybody the Stepanavanian people must be some kind of other people from another world, because nobody helps them," she says. Cherkazian

September, 1997. The cost and construction

of the building and everything in it, from desks to equipment was borne by the Armenian Apostolic Church of North America, Western Diocese. "Just this year

we sent another $13,000 towards

the

school's budget and upkeep, and we will

continue

to do so every year,"

said

Archbishop Vatche Hovsepian, Primate of the Westem Diocese.

is the head of the town's Deparment of

And late last month, a new Armenian Catholic church was just days away from

Culture. She has been actively involved in

completion. Workers were installing central

the town's rebuilding efforts. Stepanavan is slighted, she says, because the people in the rest of Armenia never go to

air conditioning and cleaning ladies

were

washing windows. Funding came from private sources. The l2th century St. Sarkis

AIM JANUARY I999

The rest of the town's families-the ones without permanent housing-are still living in the metal shipping containers that were provided to them 10 years ago as temporary shelter. These people are coping well. Some have built awnings, others have small gardens.

They're trying to maintain their dignity. What's more difficult to maintain in these sardine cans, or, as the locals call them, domigs, is one's health. The domigs were installed with the hope they would be needed for only a few months to a year. Now, seven years beyond their useful life expectancies, these domigs are showing signs of failure. Roofs are leaking. Walls are breaking. In short, they're falling apart.

The crowded conditions in the domig parks have also contributed to a rodent problem, but Cherkazian says that frequent applications of rat poison have kept 33

the rat population low. A far worse problem potential problem is what everyone calls mushroom disease. The damp and rainy climate here contributes to the forrnation of mold and spores, especially in wood. Several new buildings here,

including a few clapboard homes in the Romanian district which Americans built, are framed and sheathed with wood. They were not built with vapor barriers, however. So the moisture from outside seeps into the buildings, and mold and spores develop. So far, there have been no instances of the dreaded muskoom disease, but Cherkazian says health offrcials are keeping a close watch. Construction of new schools prior to 1993 was also swift, and it has outpaced the more recent construction by five to one. Of the six schools that were destroyed by the quake,

five were replaced, shortly afterward, by relief workers from Bulgaria and Italy. Although a sixth school was recently added, some pupils still attend classes in domigs. One notorious domig school

consists of six metal shipping containers stacked on six more. An exterior stair case is the only ingress and egress for the top floor. This contraption will be replaced next year with a permanent school house. An Armenian construction company is paying for the project. There are no complaints about medical care or hospital facilities. The German Red Cross established a hospital, known here as Central Hospital, and the German organization continues to provide medicine, kerosene, food and other equipment for its upkeep. But Stepanavan's City Hall is in a category all its own. Unlike Spitak or Vanadsor,

here, the town offices are in a warren of rooms that have been put together with metal domigs. A sign on the front of one of these metal containers announces that the municipal offices are located within. The Armenian flag droops from the top of a nearby flagpole. The field office for a construction site in the U.S. would be warmer, better lighted and more comfortable.

But city leaders say they'll keep their offices right where they are until every resident has a permanent home. The dismal

conditions

of the

municipal offices in

Stepanavan serve notice to its servants that there's work yet to be done, and that there are still people living in similar structures. This self-sacrifice is perhaps a greater trib-

ute to the tragedy of 1988 than any costly r monument or stone cross.

BY JOIIN IIUGHES; PhOIOS by ZAUEil IffiAGHII(JIAII efore being honibly shadowed under the umbrella that has for l0 years marked this as the Earthquake Zone,

Gumri was a city with its own identity. Some 120 years ago, it was known as a center where thick-armed blacksmiths worked magic with iron and fire. A more delicate craft followed, as jewellers later made Gumri a center from which they created art from minerals. Then sculptors, drawn to the area of multi-colored tufa rock, crafted tributes of stone to the heroes of their region whose legends were still forming even as the hammer and chisel met. Painters took reference from the colors

these mountains mysteriously twist into unnamed shades and splashed brightly their inspiration across canvases, some of which survive today in a Gumri museum where there is no electricity to light them. It was a city where the opera Anush made its debut. And a place where theater thrived and from it grew a reputation that has survived even these past l0 torturous years:

The people of Gumri became known for their sense of humor. Became known, even they will tell you, for their "big mouths."

And so

it is that on a typically

Eray

November day when a foreign journalist has come to this town to (again) pick at the scab of a l0-year wound, Zaven Koshtoyan, an artist who is a descendant of artists, ignores

AIM JANUARY 1999

a question about the earthquake and tells a joke. Something like this: A citizen of Gumri has a toothache and, with great fear of suffering, goes to the dentist. Before the patient hardly has time to fret, the dentist tells him the tooth has been

pulled, the problem is fixed. "But doctor," says the patient, "how were you able to extract the tooth so easily?" "Well,' says the doctor, "you are from Gumri. Your mouth is so big I was able to sit down inside to do the work." Laughter fills the office of the director of the Art Academy of Gumri where Koshtoyan and artist colleagues who are now teachers share coffee while their students gather.

But in the room where Koshtoyan the joke-teller teaches, there is evidence of a time when Gumri's laughter was silenced; when artists were buried with their art.

In a ground-level windowsill, a ceramic sculpture looks like a work in progress though it is clear that the clay has long dried since Koshtoyan last touched it. The small

piece appears to be the nearly completed form of a man and woman in embrace. Next to the sculpture, smaller pieces lie on it soon becomes obvious would complete the man/woman statue; pieces that in someone's home might have been glued back in place with only a crack to show their damage.

the sill. Pieces that,

mer Tadevosian put together the Gumri Biennale, a two-week festival that

turned the streets

Gumri into

avant-garde art studio.

Artists from

art in Gumri and make a statement as sometimes only artists can. Adamian's home, like so many here, has a

split down one corner, where the blocks

were separated by the earthquake, but not

Germany,

France, Russia came to Gumri. Armenian "earth artist" Marcos Grigorian,

who divides his

enough to make them fall. Vardanian took a piece of scrap alumnium and

time

between New York and Armenia, did one of his

shaped

environmental installations. A German artist used items gathered from Chemobyl to

sculpt her design. Armenia's first art organiza-

house being held together with the "stitches."

a sculpture from the scrap iron that is abundant now in Gumri. Twelve years ago in this

included making

Koshtoyan says he has plans to resculpt the work he lost. Says, too, that the earthquake killed his wife. Then he goes on to talk about the new work being done here by these Gumri teenagers who are studying Koshtoyan's methods. Some are sculpting a khachkar to place for the city's lOth anniversary memorial services. Garik Manukian is a Gumri painter. For three years after the earthquake he didn't have the emotional energy to produce. And when he returned to the canvas, he filled it with religious imagery that became part of exhibits in France and Denmark.

giant

the effect of Adamian's

tion for women, Cobalt, did a performance piece that

But this piece, part of a four-sculpture series that Koshtoyan named "Bath House Visitors" has been broken for 10 years. Its pieces were salvaged from the earthquake-reduced rubble that had been Koshtoyan's studio.

it into a

sewing needle. To the needle he attached wire cables painted bright red and yellow. And, appearing to use the "needle" and the cables Vardanian created

It is a striking display at 172 Isahakian Street

town, Tadevosian began an artists colony called "The House of Humor" that included

that captures the attention of onlookers who Vardanian hopes will understand his message. "I want to make some people, officials maybe,

these who are now teachers at the academy. The group also included the current mayor. The house was destroyed in the earthquake. "It is not appropriate to use the word 'inspiration' talking about the earthquake," Thdevosian says. (He calls "research.") "And it is not only the earthquake. It is the

aware of things they must do. We must be surgeons. Our buildings are like humans and they need repairing." There are no cracks on the new building that is the Art Academy of Gumri. Across the square from the city's famous clock that

All this comes together, they intersect at one point, to make one thing."

the Academy

The burden of post-earthquake Gumri drove painter and graphic artist Yazgen

from his hometown to for a few years. But he

Tadevosian

Yerevan

returned, and has become a major force

of art organization in Gumri. Last sum-

post-Soviet reality.

Each of these artists has lost family. Yet each has taken his brush, his knife, and used

them like prisoners with files to escape reality and in doing so slowly change it for others. Sculptor Albert Vardanian is in the room. His works iue perrnanently exhibited in the Modem Art Museum of Armenia and others have been bought by private collectors in the US, France, Poland, Germany, Holland. But he has one work that perhaps has been seen by more of Gumri than his museum pieces. Last summer, during the Gumri Biennale, Vardanian used the home of his friend, pho-

tographer Haik Adamian, to create public

AIM JANUARY I999

stopped at ll:.42 a.m. on December 7, 1988, is a gift from Diasporans, including the Armenian General Benevolent Union. It opened two years ago and has about 35 students who are taught by 20 teachers. In addition to subjects such as art history they learn English, Russian, architecture, anatomy.

Students

to the Academy must

pass an

entrance exam. Each year, the Yerevan Art Institute sponsors five students with scholarships. The others pay $350 per year to attend. Before theAcademy, there was no secondary school for art in Gumri and those with talent most often left for Yerevan. There was, however, the Merkurov Art School where these who now teach at the Academy were trained.

Today, the Merkurov survives as nothing

but a tin shack, unheated and most often unlit, but still a place where youth who one day hope to study at the Academy leam the elements of art in the afternoons after their regular school classes. Recently director Hovannes Gasparian asked his students to paint two impressions: One was to express their impressions of the earthquake; the other to express life as they

want it to be. The students' earthquake paintings show in collapse. Some of the children who were too young to remember the earthquake painted scenes of war. Gasparian concludes that the younger ones perhaps think the conditions of their city is the result of the Karabakh conflict, which began the same year as the earthquake.

corpses on stretchers, show buildings

One boy's image of how life is hoped, shows a dancer gliding between two prancing

horses,

all sketched onto a background of

brilliantly colored

owers.

Gasparian, who has been a teacher for nearly 20 years, says there is a significant change in the attitude of art students after the earthquake.

"I am no psychologist," Gasparian says, "but I think when these children see all this tragedy, things in life changed meaning. They look at life more freely. They consider life less seriously. "These children want to see a bright future. The most important thing is that they have no fear in them. The older people have kept such feelings of fear, but the children haven't."

At the Academy, director Hambartsun Ghukasian says his students, mostly now are more emotional than teenagers before them. "The energy field of these students is quite different," Ghukasian says. "There is some dissatifaction in them. They are not satisified with their work. This tragedy put some teenagers

GUMNI SIUDENIS BI JllH]I

HUGHES

saw dead men when

Arakelian.'Today, instead oI high buildings I see ruins. ln spite ol all this, I remember good timqarades in the square, happy and nomal lile which the earthquake displaced. But we haue a little gleam 0l hope 0f oul lormer life." $o it is Upical of 185 essals that students from the Lord Byron School of Gumri wrotG in an assignmont called "My lown." Their very school is a result 0l thc earthquake, a gift ftom the Biltish.

life in Gumri is impossibly subiective, 6 n0 oubidsl Gm help but sec the troubled arca in lelation to wlmt we migm perceiue s "nonnaf'liulng. So AIM ffiked the Lord Byon students t0 tell us, in English in theit own words, what it is like liying there. Almost all begin with horor. And almost all end with hope. Following are some Gxoerpts, and a IGU priiled in their entiretl. To report

responsibility on the people who survived. The more difficulties they have, the more eager they are to become successful." Eager, too, these artists and their students, to move from under the burden by which the rest of the world knows them. To move back, in fact, to a Gumri known more for art than for destruction; for jokes instead of tears. "We want another dialogue with the world," Tadevosian says. "However good art might be, it needs fresh air, fresh contacts, fresh inspiration."

From her studio, 19-year old Zanna Tumassian's easel faces that clock that

for too long was stopped and

became

this city's symbol. But time moves, and those are bright colors jumping off the canvas of the girl who was nine when Gumri became infamous.

"The immediate influence of

earthquake has passed" Zanna says. is like ashes on ice."

I wm liue," writes l5.year old Lusiae

the

"lt

AIM JANUARY Ig99

Jlike my town. I like her broken streets,

Ibroken houses, her broken hearted people. My mother always says Gumri was a nice

town before the earthquake. Gumri is nice for me with its children's theater, big gardens, merry-go-round and central streets, because I don't see another Gumri. I believe Gumri will never remember the earthquake and time will not be divided before the earthquake and after. I believe the people of Gumri will laugh and joke again. by Shushanna Aristakesian, 4th .fo rm

when I look at my town it is not as I\ UeautifU as it was on pictures and what rny parents told me. But now our town is living its second life and becoming beautiful again. My father is an architect and I always seedrawn models of beautiful buildings and parks which will be built in different parts of our town. There are a lot ofbuildings growing like mushrooms after the rain. by Lilit Hovsepian, 5thform.

J\Tow

our town and from our hearts.

wish wasR't fulfilled. I was a girl of 6 then

We are young. We want joyful life, full of interest. amusement and happiness, but we haven't got any of these here. I dream to see my town to be at least as

and

Yerevan is. How nice it would be to see lively, clean streets, squares full of people with happy faces . . . by Melik Ateksfinian, Tthform.

I las. I can't say my town is nice. It has la,become a half-dilapidated thing after the earthquake. Now it has got narrow dirty streets, damaged houses. When I look at it I can't help remembering a real chaos. And there is a troublesome look in everybody's eyes. But nevertheless it is dear to me. During these later months

some

house-building has begun, And I'm glad that we've got electricity.

The youth here are beautiful, kindhearted. But it's a pity there aren't places of interest here. I think our town looks gloamy. But I still hope it will become better, it will

become lively, healthy and

joyful.

flive in Gumri. It's a poor town of poor peoIple most of whom haven't a job. I remem-

Marianna Gharibian, 4th form

ber Gumri when I was a child. It was a nice and comfortable town with merry people and happy children. But then everything changed. The awful earthquake damaged every-

The half-ruined buildings still stand and in the evenings they make a very awful sight. I wish to see our town beautiful and without those ugly buildings.

thing: Like a monster the earthquake ate everything in our town, destroyed all the nice and high buildings. And what's more awful, it took away all the liveliness from

Ann Tutevositn,

9th

form.

efore the ea(hquake we were getting ready for a Christmas party, but our

A view of old Gumri with the least damaged buildings with the New York skyline.

seemed to me that life had stopped. by Nata Galstian, lhthform.

7fy favorite town is not fu

IYlwas

always

f+ther.@. ,O0.-&out our town, about people srhB- livcd and worked here. If I were a fairy l4r, I would ask my mother and

do everything to make my native town more beautiful and perfect. by Maine Vudani@, Sthform.

love our town and nothing can

\I/.

VY ruin it. It is beautiful, but a little

dirty and dusty. by H rair

Nitkbpian,'ith fonn,

on the bookshelf

1-\nce

I found

a collec-

tr.-,,ftion of town pictures. The town was beautifully pictured. I admired its beautiful

places, squares, outstanding art monuments, museums and exhibitions. When I asked my mother what town was it she said it was our native town. When I got surprised, she said

was only one year old when a tcrrible

earthquake took place. by

T, -y Ithe

Amolya Mukoyan, 5thform.

town the poor people can't live but

rich people can because they have money. There are many unhappy fam* because they are tired with this life. But I love my town. by Lousine Aklxaklulian,

(Ieft[ Lilit Hovsepian (bottom left);

AIM JANUARY I999

same as

before the earthqu*e.

7 th

form.

a tin domig in Gumri, painted

for mora infrymatian or for an anplication paclet, please conhcl: Enm

J, llnrm, goonnnron

Armenian Language Summer lnstitute 1t180 South University, Suite 26Hl Ths University ot Miehigan Ann Arbor, 48103'1100

ill

E-Hail: hanne@umiril.edu Phonc: 7&[fr68-9156

Far:734[63-91C4

Geotgians use genclalors and candles lo Gompcnsate lor shortage ol electficity.

ing the winter,

arches his eyebrows in anticipation 'of his visitor's response, while they

neighborhood.

depending upon their

"Imagine that Tbilisi is like New York City," says Shavladze. "Where the president [Eduard Shevardnadze] lives is the best, like Manhattan. It gets 24 hours of light."

Then there's Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. In Tbilisi, that would be Vake. Avlobari and Varketeli. In the moderately upscale Vake, the power is on for as much as 18 hours. The Armenian neighborhood of Avlobari may get no more than l0 hours daily. Varketeli, a housing project. may get none for days at a time. The reasons for the differences in power supply is the difference in financial ability of the people in those communities. Those neighborhoods that pay in full, get full time light. The amount of power supplied to a neighborhood diminishes with its ability to pay. The power company encourages payment by cutting off power to entire buildings and neighborhoods. Georgia's Ministry of Fuel and Energy doesn't dispute that there are problems with electric power distribution, but now that they've signed a deal to purchase electricity from Armenia, they say their darkest days are

"The outside regions sometimes go months

without light"

winter, says Shavladze. Residents of Tbilisi can expect anywhere from zero to four hours to 24 hours of electricity dur-

1991.

Nito Asatiani of the Fuel and

isten," says Rezi Shavladze. He

are cranked up and candles are bumed down.

nuclear sources. Georgia, which does not have a nuclear power plant, suffered a collapse of its energy system shortly after its independence

Iext and Pholo [y MAIIHEW IORA]llAl{

each stop on the sidewalk outside a boutique on Rustavelli Avenue. A few steps farther down the sidewalk, they hear it again. To a visitor in the central business district ofTbilisi, the disturbance is akin to the annoying noise of a lawnmower on an otherwise placid October aftemoon. But Shavladze isn't annoyed. For him, this sound is as welcome as the jingling bells of a Good Humor truck in suburban America: gasoline-powered generators. Ttrilisi is probably the most sophisticated and cosmopolitan city in the Caucasus, and it certainly has an abundance of fine shops, restaurants, hotels and bars. What it doesn't always have enough oi however, is electricity. During the summer, almost everyone has power all the time. By autumn, it's most people, most of the time. Winter, when the hydroelectric capacity of Georgia's rivers freeze, is the season almost everyone dreads. This is when power generators

delivered to Georgia's distribution stations. Armenia has a surplus of electricity, which it generates primarily from hydroelectric and

The power deal between Georgia and Armenia was consummated in October when the first of Armenia's electrical power was

AIM JANUARY I999

Energy

Ministry says the country has suffered an energy crisis since the 1992 civil war, which was fought on the streets of Tbilisi. "You may rightly question why the crisis isn't worse," she says. The civil war exacerbated Georgia's ener-

gy crisis, but it is Georgia's interdependence with the other republics of the former Soviet Union is at the heart of the problem. Georgia had relied upon energy imports from the Central Asian republics and Russia. These disappeared in the early 1990s. Azerbaijan was never a provider of power to Georgia, however. Its contribution was gener-

ally limited to special events, such as selling power to Tbilisi on the night of a big football game, for that one night only. The deal to purchase Armenian electricity

of the lost power. It also improves relations between Armenia and Georgia, Asatiani says. "The deal suits both countries because Armenia has many resources of electricity and it is profitable for them to sell it. Georgia used to have a big potential for producing energy, but now the restores some

system has almost collapsed."

Georgia is also looking to remedy its own energy distribution methods through a deal that will restructure the relationship between the state energy company, known in Georgia as Sakenergo, and the municipal distributor in Tbilisi, a company called Talasi. Sakenergo

REGION Tbilisi and the surrounding regions. Talasi is the agent that sells the power to the people. But Talasi hasn't been

creates electricity for

able to collect enough fees from its users to be able to pay Sakenergo for all the power Talasi

takes. Last year, for example, Talasi was unable to pay Sakenergo about 8 million Lari (about $6 million). To remedy this, the city of Tbilisi is selling

the state-owned Talasi company. In late October, Talasi was to decide, from among three bidders. whether to sell to an American,

French or Belgian company. The American bidder, a company called AES, says it can guarantee it will be able to provide Tbilisi with 24 hours of electricity, year round. The reason Talasi could not accomplish this, of course, was that Talasi's customers were

not paying for their electricity. Last winter, for example, only about 75 percent of its customers

paid their bills. Talasi had difficulty enforcing payment of the debts, because it did not have the technology to shut off power only to delinquent customers. Instead. Talasi would have had to punish an entire building or. sometimes. an entire neighborhood. Now, says Asatiani, the power company, under its new owners, will be able to single out delinquent customers, just as is done in the US.

This more equitable method of dealing with non-paying customers may also reduce the number of black market lines. Black market electricity is available any time a consumer can find a dishonest person to tap into the existing power line of a business. "If you live near a factory," says Shavladze, "you go there and pay someone. and you get a line. It's illegal, but you get electricity." If Georgia can reduce its energy shortages this winter, and create an equitable distribution system---one that doesn't lump paying users together with non-paying ones----electricity consumers can expect to receive more reliable service. These are not the only people in Georgia who will benefit from reforms at Sakenergo.

Many workers at Georgia's Ministry of Energy haven't been paid for more than eight months, says Tamar Ninidze, an analyst for Banks and FinaLrces, a monthly magazine about the economy published in Tbilisi. And pensioners from the Ministry are receiving only 1l Lari (about $8) per month. This is because the stateowned Sakenergo doesn't collect enough money from electricity users to be able to meet its operating expenses. The Ministry relies, partly, upon Sakenergo revenues

for its budget. Until con-

sumers pay for the electricity that is provided to

them, the power company

will

continue to

remain in debt to its own employees. "This is the real crisis." Ninidze says.

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THE KURDISH GNISE How Will Europe Res[ond to l(urilish llemanils and lUrkish Blackmail? By GEBAIII GHALIAI{II ble of oflering democratic altematives. A large part ofthe 30,000 dead ofthis guerrilla war were victims of the Turkish armed forces. The Kurdish problem cannot be resolved by referring to it as a question of

urkey requested the extradition of Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) and currently taking refuge in Italy. This issue brought the focus back to a problem addressed and answered by the European Parliament in 1987 and 1992. It has asked Turkey, twice, to grant Kurds a minimum of democratic rights, mainly cultural, in the Turkish Republic. Both requests were in vain.

This is an issue of serious concern especially since Turkey is a candidate for membership

in the European Union. It's

now time for the Union to speak with one voice, so that Turkey ceases to apply economic blackmail against this or that state that happens to adopt a position or a resolution that displeases it. Yesterday, was France, after the French Parliament's recognition of the Armenian genocide.

Today, it is Italy for having refused to hand over a man into the hands of torturers. To assess the standards ofTurkish prisons,

it is enough to read the incredible story of the former Mayor of Diyarbekir, imprisoned in Turkey for ll years. The same Turkish State that condemns terrorism, routinely practices torture. According to noted Englishman, Paul Wilkinson, "torture is a form of individualized terror." By procrastinating, by confusing political expediency (landing contracts

lost by neighbors) and faintheartedness, Europe shows little credibility. But, it is Europe, not the United-States, allied with

Turkey and supporting its entry into the Union, that is exposed to the political consequences of the Turkish state. Close to

three million Turkish nationals are in Europe and 700,000 of which are Kurds -

these latter emigrating in greater numbers and bringing their rivalry into the host countries. The education of hatred is remarkably well preserved by the ulfra-nationalism of the Turkish state. An example of this was seen during the demonstrations in Turkey

against Italy. The Turkish extreme right took credit for buming down a Kurdish cultural center in Brussels. Do we have an interest in becoming the battlefield for these antagonisms? Why would justice be done

to the Kosovans (with a legitimate claim) and not for the Kurds of Turkey? Because Turkey is our economic partner and military ally? Abdullah Ocalan has been denounced by the Turkish Prime Minister as "the biggest terrorist in the world." A representative of an organization in existence for 14 years, with a remarkably well trained and equipped armed forces totaling more than

250,000 cannot be called

a terrorist.

Technically, this is called guerrilla warfare. As for the terror often applied by the PKK it is met with no less by the Turkish armed forced who have the greater means. The PKK is merely the product of a society in a country where the State is lacking in any democratic dialogue. This is ftue with respect to Kurds, Isalmists or other opposition parties. It is itseH an instigator of violence.

Over 3,000 villages have

been

destroyed. Roughly one third of all Kurdish villages. Two million people were displaced from the Kurdish zones towzud urban centers and approximately four million Kurds have moved to westem and cenfialAnatolia. All of this in an effort by the Turks to detenitorialize the Kurdish problem. Death squads have assassinated hundreds of Kurds, among the elite who would have been capa-

AIM JANUARY 1999

terrorism. Their insurrection is only part of tens of others of which the most important occurred in 1925,1930 and 1937. They are the result ofthe fact that between 1924 and 1991, the Turkish State officially did not recognize the existence of Kurds, but only referred to them as mountain Turks. The situation is unique in the world. It was only during the Gulf War in early 1991 at a time when Iraq could explode, that the Prime Minister of the time, Turgut Ozal not without ulterior motives (to recover the province of Moussoul) admitted that there were 12 million Kurds in Turkey, representing roughly 20Vo of the population. The Kurdish problem will also not be resolved by accusing the PKK of drug trafficking. The depth ofthe problem existing for decades is well beyond a question of drugs in a nation that has become, with the

complicity of the highest levels of State leadership, one of the crossroads of the international drug trade. In fact, the present Prime Minister of Turkey is currently in the hot seat because of his close ties to the mafia. Attempting to judge Ocalan by an international tribunal (why not other leaders of liberation movements elsewhere in the world?) would be judging the Ti.rrkish State whose practices resulted in the very existence of the PKK.

It is high time that Europe demands an acceptable status for the Kurds in the context of the Turkish Republic and that the European Union no longer accept Turkish blackmail relating to human rights. As such, the Union would have contributed to

an equitable solution for the Kurds. If Europe needs a close partnership with Turkey, Turkey has an even greater need for cooperation with

Europe.

Gerard Chaliand, author. His l.ast work is entiThe Death of

tled'An Atlas of the Millenium. Empires' (co-authored with

l.-P Rageau),

Hachette, 1998. Translatedfrom French by Harry Dikranian

&r*

fift-r'),ears

:go

Lhc

gropL: oi

t-he [.]nitrd 6late..n ol'Amedca Lcok in a

group oi'statehro' '!rar refu5ee$ monl-v

coe

ksovn a$ DP'$ (Displaced

Pers.:ns).

The hard vorking and dedicnt"ed Freople of'ANCtlA nnd

Ameritrlt cc,mmunitv spared no eflort

tlre

Arme*ian-

Lcx ,\nsclee

Lrans'tcr{-

kd.

clolhe, house and e mplo,v lheee refrgees.

On behall of the DP lamily wishes

TIANK6"

lo expretu; our heartl'ell

lo lhe UniLed olntrs .rl'

America, ANCI{A

and the

American communily rnaking it.

communily, our

Armenian-

of Los Angebs l'or

p,e*ible fbr the DP's

Lo slart

t-heir [ives ove r a6ain in America.

Cod Dleoo America The Mqgdesian flamilies CiLy

o[ lnduolry, Calilornia

CONNECTIONS

GEIIING THE SIGNAL? Gouernment-s[onsored Armenian Radio plog]amming in Australia By

lffilSlEl{ lflllll

ydney, Australia is one of the most techno-friendly places on the planet. You will see more people chatting on mobile phones in this modern city of four million than anywhere else on Earth. Even elderly Sydneysiders speak knowledgeably about the latest information technologyI.T. they call it. Sydney is also one of the

most culturally diverse cities and, to the benefit of its large and varied immigrant population, the Australian government is committed to using I.T. to welcome and assist new settlers to the land Down Under.

In the

informs, educates and entertains all Australians, and in doing so reflects

Australia's multi-cultural

society,"

explained Evanian, veteran broadcaster and sole staff member of SBS Radio's Armenian programming in Sydney. She might well be called the first lady of Armenian radio. It's a commitment Evanian has kept for nearly 23 years. "I used to like presenting theatrical programs when I think back to my younger years in Cyprus. Maybe that has something to do with me continuing to stay with this radio show," Evanian contemplates. It was

her brother, Stepan Kerkyasharian, who introduced Evanian to thisjob in June 1976. He moved on years ago but Evanian continues to hold down the fort singlehandedly. Sydney has several privately run Armenian-language radio programs

(Erepouni Armenian Radio, Tziazan Armenian Radio, Voice of Nor Serount, Voice of Sardarabad), but SBS provides the only government-sponsored airtime. It has the widest reaching signal on 97.7 FM in Sydney and 93.1 FM in Melboume. In Sydney, Evanian runs the show which airs

bustling Artarmon section of

z s

Sydney, there sits a monument to these dual goals of multi-culturalism and cutting edge

F E

o z sJ

technology- a sparkling structure of glass and tall bright walls. This is where the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) Radio and Television offices and studios operate. Established in 1975 with the help of New

= I

South Wales' current Ethnic Affairs

Commissioner Stepan Kerkyasharian (AIM, January 1998) the station has grown from four hours of programming a day in eight languages to an incredible 650 hours of programming each week in 68 different languages. No other radio station in the world broadcasts in as many languages, and cer-

tainly no other govemment in the world spends this kind of money (AUS $22 million in 1996 or US $16) to provide such a service to its citizens. The radio side of the building resembles a mini United Nations. Cubicles bearing signs that read: Russian, Mandarin, Khmer, Spanish, Danish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese sit peacefully side by side. Nestled between the Italian, Persian-Farsi and Aboriginal cubicles one finds Armenia's place. Within, a single chair before a compute! stacks of research material piled onto every flat surface. Madiana Evanian works here, and from this

spot compiles the three hours of Armenian language programming the Australian government has assigned airtime to each week.

"We are here to provide multi-lingual and multi-cultural radio programming that

Madiana Evanian at SBS Radio in Sydney AIM JANUARY I999

CONNECTIONS Tuesdays and Wednesdays fiom 8:00 - 9:00

marked 12.000 Armenians in Australia. We

p.m.; in Melbourne the voice behind the microphone belongs to Vahe Kateb, heard on Wednesday evenings 8:00 - 9;00 p.m. Every Friday from noon to one o'clock

can easily count between 35,000 and 40,000

cities all over the country receive Armenian programming through SBS' national radio network. Evanian and Kateb take tums putting this special lunchtime hour together each week. Together. these two voices represent Australia's Armenian community as

heard over the airwaves. They not only bring the news, information and entertainment to Armenian listeners, they expose non-Armenian Australians to the issues, events, culture and history of the homeland and Diaspora. "l do a lot of educational and historical features. Recently I did a series about all the little countries of the Caucasus," Evanian remarked, "l get a lot of appreciation from my listeners about these kinds of series." Because SBS'radio budget is based on census information, not advertising rates, listener ratings information does not play the prominent role it does in commercial radio programming. SBS has not surveyed Armenian program listeners, but other surveys have shown that SBS is very effective at reaching its target audiences. Evanian says she also receives plenty of feedback to indicate the impact her work is having. "I am very happy with the way listeners respond to the programs, of course they are

very quick to react to anything you say which is wrong! That's when you get the most calls, but that's even good because that's how you know that people are listening to you! After a really good program, I sort of know I'll get good appreciative calls. There is also a lot of personal response whenever I go to an Armenian function, people I don't even know come up to me and they make their comments-they say we are their lifeline, that they depend on us." Even as Evanian is grateful for the airtime, she is frustrated at the limitations. "The Armenians of Australia have not really seized this opportunity," said Kateb, who is also a part-time employee. "Chances for internships come and go, without anyone applying. Also, we do not have enough programs in proportion to our population." "That is the fault of the Armenian com-

munity, not the government's fault," charged Evanian. "The number ofthe population of a certain community in the country is determined by the census. And they have

very detailed questionnaires every four years. For example, in the last census which came out in 1996, there were only

in all of Australia. Now what is the reason

for this? Because they don't answer

the

questions properly. Even though there are campaigns to let people know how they should fill out the forms, still they do whatever they want to do," Evanian fumed. Next year will be the next chance for

Armenians in Australia to

fill

out

anxiously anticipates. "There would be more time for research, we could share the load. It's not that I don't have the time to put it together. I could easily produce more programs with the research I do, but there isn't enough broadcast time. I've got to cram everything into the three hours." Evanian says improvements in technology, and the political situation in Armenia have created an excellent opportunity for

in the

Diaspora. "Since Armenia's independence there is more information available we have more access to news, and with the internet a lot more information is readily available. I have found that my programs are leaning more towards news and current affairs and no matter how much I try-there isn't enough time to broadcast everything."

The 12 superbly equipped studios

SBS Radio provide excellent means of gathering and transmitting information to a wide

audience. Evanian uses the latest Digital Audio Tape (DAT) gear to record interviews in the field. Editing equipment is top-notch, yet SBS is already looking ahead and planning to convert to an entirely digital broadcast tacility in the near flture. lt's another change that may add airtime for Armenian and other language programming in Australia as the signal capacity is increased. Evanian is

hopeful for a boost in airtime soon, whether

come fiom improved technology

srlt8tE c0pr[E 0r

,{\INI

census

questionnaires. If a greater number indicate they speak Armenian and attend Armenian churches, the government will accordingly increase the hours of programming dedicated to Armenian language broadcasts. That could lead to the creation of another paid staff position as well, something Evanian

Armenian language broadcasters

BUY

im-

proved Armenian participation in the census.

Evanian looks forward to Armenian radio's 25th anniversary on SBS and hopes the community she is working to serve will

celebrate the accomplishment. The 20th anniversary came and went without notice.

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From ilazi Gonoentration Gamps to sunny Galilornia:

lhe sltuUgles, suruiual and regeneration ol Gommunily ol llisplaced Persons By

ARillllE lSHlffiAlllAll; Pholos Gouilesy ol llP REulll0ll G0ililIITIEE

7Tth" fit-for-a-movie saga of Armenians ! who ended up in Nazi concentration I camps during World War II is a little known story in Armenia or the Diaspora.

When the Nazi offensive against the Soviet Union first began, most of the population of the Soviet Union, including many Armenians, were full of hope. They believed the Germans would free them from Stalin and give them autonomy. Vartiter K. Hovannisian, a physician now residing in Southem California, recalls how in Kharkov, Ukraine, the Germans were greeted with salt, bread and flowers. But this love affair was short lived. Soon the people who

had lived through the terror

of the Soviet

Union in the 1930s realized the Nazis were no better than the Communists. Raids and curfews became commonplace and people were rounded up and taken to work at labor camps or factories.

While retreating after an

unsuccessful

offensive in Eastern Europe, the German army brought back tens of thousands of civilians from the occupied territories and sent them to work in labor camps for the German Reich. Among these were several thousand Armenians from Armenia, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine. When the war ended in 1945, the AIM JANUARY 1999

Armenian POWs were left homeless and in a difficult position. Many decided to remain in Germany, but their position and status were at best transitional. They were displaced people, a community

of refugees.

A retum to the Soviet Union was not an option. Stalin had even announced "I have no POWs." Soviet citizens believed it was better

to be killed than to be taken captive by the enemy. Indeed, those POWs and laborers who returned to the Soviet Union were persecuted as spies or as "enemies

ofthe people" because

of their intemment in the Nazi camps.

After the war, about 2000 Armenians were concentrated at the Funkerkaseme camp

MW F \

ncar Stuttgart. There, they lived in barracks in

enclosed, self-contained community. Unlike other concentration camps. it resem-

blcd a small village community. The population ol' the camp consisted not only of single young males but also lamilies and in some cases extended families. Some came from cities, others liom villagcs, some were taken prisoner and others were arrestcd with their entire tamily. While some spoke Arrnenian, many wcrc Russian speakcrs. Thcre were craftsmcn. businessmen, intcllcctuals, teachers, laborers and others. They had their own Armenian church, day school, scout urganiza-

tion, dance ensemble, theater group, athlctic teams, a newspaper, library, tailor shop, photography lab and a dental office. Although scll'-contained, the community was not isolatcd from thc surrounding Ccrman communities. The presencc of small scalc economic relations with the outside world made it a little easier to survivc the hardships of lile. "When there was a dcflcit in everything,

whatcver you madc you sold," remembers Vahram Mahdesian. a formcr POW. who now

Opposite page: Cargo and military ships brought Armenians to various American port cities. Top: The camp was like a self-contained village; Center: Residents of various

camps protested Soviet rule over their republics. Bottom left: The entrance to !'unkerkaserne in the 1940s. Bottom right: The same entrance in 1995, when DP children Valerie and Olga Dilanian went in search of their father's stories. AIM JANTJARY I999

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CONNECTIONS runs one of Califomia's largest shoe manufac-

turing companies-a family operation. His father worked in a shoe shop in the camp, too. They sought ways to eam money by making hand made suede shoes and crafting toys for the "world outside." Ironically, the camp environment created a collective national consciousness which was new to these families. The Soviet regime deprived them of national and communal feelings. The unusual atmosphere of this camp bound the community together so tightly thar the relationships formed there still live after more than five decades.

It was

these bonds that made sisters Olga

and Valerie Dilanian go searching.

"All

Iife I had heard about the Lagir-that's what they call the camp-and I didn't quite understand what

cles.

it was all about. They all talk in circlose to all these fami-

I knew we were

lies, but

also knew we weren't related,"

explained Olga Dilanian. So, during a summer trip to Germany, she and her sister tried to find the town and the camp about which they had heard so much but knew so little. "We found something near Stuttgart, but weren't sure if we were in the right place. Then, the lady in the bakery across the street started talking about the nice Armenians who used to be in that camp, and we knew." The reality of what they saw resulted in a DP Reunion (see accompanying story.) The Armenians at Funkerkaserne may have started out as a sort of artificial commu-

nity brought together by chance. But five decades later, there is nothing more real than the tight community of DPs, their children and

granchildren, who live in the US, bound together by their common experiences at the camp and in the land which gave them opportunity. As one sixty-something businessman whose son now runs his several stores put it, "We survived together, we beat death together, and we are bonded together."

Ihe History ol Suruiual mong the swarms of immigrants welcomed by Lady Liberty, one group stands out. They are the Armenian DPs-Displaced Persons of World War II. Roughly 3000 DPs came into the US by the end of 1950 and played a very active and critical role in Armenian-American community life-even small ones like Niagara Falls, New York. What makes the DP community unique, however, is how they came to the US. After an unsuccessful Nazi offensive on the Eastern European front, the retreating German army rounded up thousands of people and took them to work at labor camps or factories in Germany. The Armenians ended up in a camp near Stuttgart and remained there until the end of World War II.

ry, but for the thousands who still consider him, together with General Dro, their savior.

Mardikian chronicles his frst meeting with the DPs at Funkerkaserne camp and his efforts to bring them to the US. He recalls being warmly received. The camp residents remember their emotions, too. "He was like a god for us," said one former camp resident.

Upon his retum to the US, Mardikian, together with Souren Saroyan and other Armenian-Americans, formed the Armenian National Committee for Homeless Armenians (ANCHA). After the passage of the Displaced Persons

Act by the US

Congress

1948,

which allowed these refugees to receive the right to immediately immigrate to the US, despite existing immigration quotas and limi-

At a recent 50th Anniversary Reunion in Montebello, California, more than 850 DPs and their families gathered to remember the past and strengthen present ties. Old photos of life in the camps was contrasted by their accomplishments. Left: on boats, en route to the US, with transportation subsdized by the ARS, ANCHA, and some UN groups; center: a make-shift church altar in the German camp; right: the Holy Cross Cathedral in Montebello, California was largely built through the efforts of the DPs.

1947, an Armenian-American working

for the US Army who had heard about the "Armenian camp" by accident, visited the community living there. The man was George Mardikian and he was in Germany on assignment to inspect the cafeteria conditions in US army posts. At the same time, General Dro Kanayan,

a leading member of the

Armenian

Revolutionary Federation, went though other camps in Europe, looking for Soviet-

Armenian POWs and brought them

the

"Armenian camp".

In his book Song of America, Mardikian writes, "The important and far reaching things in life begin very casually. Nothing tells you that they are the start of something big. Nothing prepares you for what is coming." What came was big, not just for Mardikian's place in histoAIM JANUARY I999

tations, ANCHA helped the refugees relocate.

ANCHA, together with the Armenian Relief Society, worked to find sponsors to bring the Armenians to the US as did the

United Nations Rehabilitation

and

Resettlement Agency (UNRRA). UNRRA reorganized the camp, assigned

Allied person-

nel (British, French, American) for administrative positions such as Camp Director, Health Officer, Welfare Officer and others. In addition to foreign administrators, there was also an Armenian leadership in the camp who transformed the barracks into a temporary home.

UNRRA paid for the DPs transatlantic travel and ANCHA took care of the land fare and settlement in the US. Army General Haig Shekerjian was the European Director of ANCHA overseeing the administrative tasks 49

COVER STORY in Germany. ANCHA's slogan captured the spirit of the movement: "For Liberty and a

East Los Angeles and later Montebello and Whittier and spearheaded the building of the

Chance." Shekerjian's assistant was Rusann a local German-Armenian who

Mesrobian Armenian School and other institutions. Community observers say that it was, to a gteat extent, through the efforts of the DP community in Montebello that a monument to the victims of Genocide was erected from 1965

Abeghian,

married

a DR and today lives in

San

Francisco, Califomia, at the age of 93.

Most of the DPs immigrated

between

l95l

and initially settled in various cities across the US-mainly in New York, Detroit, Boston, Fresno. The English-language Hairenik WeekLy had weekly accounts of each 1948 and

new batch

arrivals. "Gala program in

Boston given by recent DP arrivals" read one headline.

Eventually, in the early 1960s, they conin Southem Califomia, especially

gregated

to 1968. But that was after they had struggled for a couple ofdecades. Still, in different ways, they each say, it was a struggle that had to be won. "We had very little money and no choice of going back; the US became our adopted home. It was make it or break it," says one DP daughter, who came as a small child, but has lived with her parents memories and experiences.

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In today's multicultural Los

Angeles,

where over half the city consists of new immigrants who receive some sort of government assistance, some DPs are quite resentful. "We had to survive without the supports many

immi-

grants now tum to, such as welfare or social security. It was artor (shameful) to receive welfare," says one businessman. In Southern California, until very recently, they were a dominant presence in rubbish collection and lunch truck catering businesses-both lines of work which require no language skills or education, but lots of hard work and business savvy. Today. a surprising number of businesses are being run by the children of DPs, who have stayed with the family busi-

COVER

STORY

llne Familu's $rua Greta and Souren had been manied a few years and had a daughter, Hasmik. In 1939, Souren went off to war. They commrrnicated regularly until he was eventually taken prisoner. One day, they received a black paper, indicating that soldier Souren Abeghian was ded. In Yerevan. Greta and Hasmik lived in the home of Hasmik's famous gpndfattrca philolo. gist Manoug Abeghian. In 1956, when she was in hersecond year in the Philology Department at Yerevan State

University, a priest from the Diaspora had come to Armenia for the consecration of the then newly-elected Ca&olieo*; I/regen I. As the priest toured the university, he asked

if it

were possible to obtain Ma4oug Abeghiqr's books on Armenian literanre. Instead, they offered to inroduce the priest m me scnomt

gicst aoked she was related to a Souren Abeghian, living in the US. she fainted. The granddaughter, Hasmik. When the

Hasmik

priest. who had lived in the US for many years, knew Souren. whom he refened to as "Sourig."

After hearing the priest's story mother

and

daughter felt bo*r fearful and hopefirl.

Opposite page: Doctors, nurses, retail shops, shoe and textile production all went on at the camp, on a small scale. Above left: George Mardikian and his wife being greeted

in Germany; Above right: preparing to celebrate the founding of the first Armenian Republic, on May 28, 1949. ness and the

tight community.

The community had to be tight. For many DPs, coming to America meant a permanent

disconnection from loved ones in Armenia and elsewhere in the Soviet Union. Some left behind parents, others were separated from wives and children, too. What they lost there,

they tried to make up for, here, one daughter explains. Still, that long period of absence, sometimes combined with denial-who would

marry a man with a wife 10,000 miles away?-is still a large wound for many. One DP wife, an American-Armenian who lived with her husband in a small town on the East Coast until his death a few years ago, knew of

her husband's first wife and children, acknowledges that his relationship with

and her,

their adopted son, as well as every aspect of their daily lives were very much impacted by that separation. Others justified it by the terror of the Soviet regime: they had to sever their ties, lest their relatives be hounded for having connections in the US. Others dismissed it explaining their inability to change the situa-

tion in any way. ln fact, only after

the Khruschev thaw were DPs able to make cer-

tain efforts in locating their missing relatives. Fifty years later, the search still continues. During a September 1997 Reunion in Los Angeles a photo poster solicited information about a lost family member. That reunion was organized by the children and grandchildren of the DPs. Concemed that the memories were not being recorded, or recognized, Olga Dilanian, Vart Minasian and Asthik Dilanian came together to launch what became not just an anniversary and reunion banquet, but also a short documentary video, and an exhibition of photos. "We did it because we felt it was important for all these terrific stories to be recorded somewhere; all of us have grown up without really understanding the past. Even my generation, we're all so much alike, and so close, but we've never known why," says Olga Dilanian, 26.

"We did it as kind of a Last Hurrah for them. And they loved it. Even those who complained and downplayed its importance all

came."

Armine Ishkhanian is anthropologist teaching in San Diego, Culifornia.

AIM JANUARY I999

Still, the memory of Stalin's terror years was still fresh in their minds. They srispected the priest of lying, or of being a spy. Only when Souren's mother said that she had heard same story from poet Avedik Isahakian's son, did they believe that Souren was alive. But what could they do? Knowing that he was alive, thousands of miles away, after so many years, and facing the reality that he had a new life with a new family. Souren had manied the German-Armenian who was one of the camp adminisrators, assi stant to General Shekerjian, But life is full of coincidences and ironies. Hasmik remembers how after the war, German POWs were put to work building roads and bridges in Armenia. Whenever she wEnt to her grandmother's house on Moscovian sreet in Yerevan, she would watch the German soldiers at work. Her grandmother, feeling sorry for them, sometimes sent them them food. When Hasmik asked "Aren't these the people who fought against my father," her graridmother would reply, "Still, they are someone's

sons:

they too have mothers." Years later, when she met her

fxher infhe

US, Souren told her how he and

other

Armenian scholars were put to work making toys out of wood and whatever other materials they could get their hands on while in the Gemran camps.

Hasmik showed him an aluminum cross which was given to her by one of the German POWs in Yerevan. They, too, were making toys

while in captivity.

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Peter Naiafian and His Mother Journey lhrough the Past By KRISIEN I(IDO Evaryortc

i.s

dilJiatltt

i.s

inrpcrrnanencc ol' everything in life.

lxtrn un urtisl. Tltt itt rt'ntuirtittg ottc

Alvart Iladalian ol' the Cambricl-se. Massachusctts based Blue Crane Books

us \)c grow. tll).

linr the grcat 20th cenpainter'-scr"rlptor Pablo Picasso

hosc words

tury

validate the tension Pctcr Najarian has experienced rnost of' his aclult lit'e. The sor.r ol'l genocidc survivor. Na.larian has not had an easy lif'c as an artist in Arlerica. Hc rel-lects on that thcmc in his autobiography.

Tha Great Antriturt Lotrclittess. to

relcasccl this March.

Written as short narrativcs between thc Seventies ancl the Ninctics. the central theme of l'lte Grcat Atrrariturt Lonelittc.r.v is the journey of an artist in the middlc of his life where the way is sometimes lost.

-f

he narratil cs lnove ll'om Anrerica to India in the afternrath ol the Sixties. drawing a road to earthquake-stricken Armenia. where adrnits the hurran loss and sulfering the narlator learns again the

most artists, becausc I had a parent who let me do what I wanted." That parent. Zaroohe Najarian (see next

says. "This book is a corrplete prescntation ol' Peter's crcativity visr-ral and text. and

page) is now 93 years old and living in Fresno, Calitirrnia. Peter, hcr youngest son.

thus, it's unique." It will contain Najarian's slr,rrl storic: lrs well ir: plrintings. tnerttoir iis well iis l'iclion. Najarian has bee n an artist Irosl of his lif'e and his new book centers aroLrnd the difficulties that lifcstylc has presented. Najarian. -58, says part of the rcason he never married or had children was because he chose to beconrc an artist. I-le says it isn't that he didn't want to slart a larnily. it's that he never r'I'rct ir woman he lol'ed who was rvilling to marry an artist who was not a hig cornmercial success. "ln this culture wc'rc discouraged lrorn drawin-u and poetry because there's no commercial r,'alue there." Najarian said. Whcn asked why he rejectcd

drivcs more than ,100 miles round trip tionr Bcrkcley to Frcsno evcry wcckend to visit. Many of Najarian's writings have fbcuscd on his relationship with his n.urther. and her lil'e

-uoin-u

into a nrore practical prof'ession "l becarne an artist likc

Najarian explained.

\lM DEC]llMllllR

l99tt

as a genocide survivot'.

"When I first started writing I didn't really fathorr the genocidc because it was too much. It's just too big a subject k) try to go into with some kind of objectivity," Najarian said. Yet, both of Najarian's novcls, Vtt'uges

(Ararat Press,

197 I

) and Duughter.s rf

Memor\'(City Miner. l9lJ6) revolvc around the Ccnrrcide. ln Vtvugcs, Aranr. the rnain character, a second gcneration ArntenianArrerican. is unablc to find his place in lil'e. Just as his parents' voyage to thc US was a search firr some peace. so Aranr is on an

endless voyage for his own peace. Daughters of Memory, written l5 years later, is as Najarian himself says, a sort of continuation of the Voyages search. Here, the main character looks for answers not just in his own past, but also in his paintings, and in his mother's memory. In real life, Najarian's search took him to Armenia. Two years after Daughters of Memory, which the New York Times called, "magical," Najarian received a Fulbright Scholarship to teach American literature at

An ail-insplrlng woman

I Will Not Be Sad in This World is described by its director as a "teaching tool for educating the young and the general public about a forgotten genocide." It is a film intended to be shown in US public schools once it is completed this year. Zaroohe was 10 years old when Turkish soldiers separated her from her mother. They were never reunited. In the film, three school girls read an account of Zaroohe's life as if it were a fairy tale, but their reactions show they are learning about a time in history they never knew existed. All the while, the camera follows Zarcohe through her the genocide.

Leninakan (now Gumri) and helped search

for survivors. That experience is one of many which he recounts in The Great

American lnneliness. "lt was very important to me because I was living in a country that was made up of real Armenians. I always felt like an Armenian in America but then I realized that I was not a real Armenian because my culture was American and my

language was English. So that was really important for me because it connected me to what my father was about." Najarian said his year in Yerevan allowed him to converse in Armenian, a lan-

speak as

daily routine: shopping, sewing and tending to her grapefruit tree which is a

reminder

of the

vineyard her family

owned near Adana, Turkey.

child.

mother-

her 15 minutes of fame. Najarian is the star of a new documentary film that tells her story of survival and life after

Yerevan State University. He was there when the 1988 earthquake struck. He joined a group which headed to

guage he learned

t age 93, Peter Najarian's

-f-l,Zaroohe-may just now be getting

the

The film's German-born writer-

Armenian-American community in the last l0 years. "Armen Der Kiureghian of UC Berkeley had read Daughters of Memory and he invited me to speak at a dinner of the Armenian Professional Society," Najarian recalled, "and that was really the way I got involved with the Armenian community,"

director, Karina Epperlein, hopes those

a moment, he adds,

book her husband Bob Brauner recently

also an outsider here because that community is really newer immigrants and I was

edited, called Our Mother's Spirits (Harper Collins, 1997)-a book about men and their mothers. There, Peter

Na.iarian has become closer

Najarian said. After

"I'm

who see Zaroohe's story will be inspired by her straight-forward approach to living, and her ability to let

go of bitterness and anger. Epperlein, who lives in Berkeley, California, learned of Najarian's story though a

born here. I like them very much but I'm not one of them. I'm sort of like a halfbrother. An honorary member." The Great American lnneliness is a complete look in the mirror of Najarian's life-honest and apparently uncensored. "I'm a very candid open writer and I never get worried about what people might think. But I've gotten into trouble over it and that's partly why I was not a commercial success,"

writes about-what else-Zaroohe. Epperlein has directed several documentaries centered on women and was especially interested in the story of a genocide survivor. "As a German I refuse to forget. I want to walk forward into the next millennium by helping all of us question and search for ways to avoid what the 20th century has been full of-war, and especially various forms of genocide," Epperlein said. The 2S-minute film is nearly com-

Najarian admits. While the money and recognition would be nice, Najarian says he

does not create for those results. "Every writer and painter asks themselves who am I writing for and why am I doing it? Those questions are put aside in the actual composition of a work because every artist writes and paints for reasons that can't be rationalized. We do it the way birds sing. We don't really know why." !

plete. A few thousand dollars stand between the filmmaker and its completion. Is she concerned about her ability to distribute such a title? "Not at all," says Epperlein. "The story of a strong, vibrant woman is always welcome in

Illustrations by Peter Najarian: Top and

English, Social Studies and art classes. Zaroohe's story will get heard." r

center: self-portraits; bottom: Zaroohe Najarian; opposite page: '6At the Marina."

AIM DECEMBER I998

6 E

P E

n 0 E o o

2722W. Burbank Blvd. Burbank, Ca 91505-2305 Tel.: 81E/E46-4828 Fax: 818/846-4863

Visit our web site

httptllwww.digilith.com e-mail info@digilith.com

Houl to Find Neuls 0n Armenia and Armenians For the novice, as well as the experienced lnternet users, this section will provide an entry into cyberspace for those wishing to dig into different subjects concering Armenia and Armenians. This month, we provide a broad overview.

By HRAIGH ICHITIIIGIRIAI{ University's Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology, and Policy. For example, a search for "Armenia" generates 221 documents starting in 1988. The database consists of over 49,000

lneoro

rnee eunope neoro uee arv Armâ&#x201A;Źaia! il

items.

'+?.trf*

Short Bibliography of Works on the Caucasus http ://socrates.berkeley.edu/-bsp/caucasus/biblio.html The site of the Program in Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies, Graduate Training and Research Program on the Contemporary Caucasus, University of Califomia at Berkeley.

Armenian Research Center - University of Michigan http ://www.umd.umich.edu/depUarmeniar/facts Provides fact sheets on Armenia. Karabakh and the Armenian Genocide, as well as extensive bibliographies.

1. Current News Radio Free Europe - Radio Liberty

http://www.rferl.org One of the best news sources, RFE/RL provides daily news under "Armenia Report" and "Daily Newsline". You can either go to the "Armenia" section in the main menu or use the "search" option at the top of the menu and type the term, name or word you are looking for.

Other sources:

Aragil News Digest of Armenian Press http://www.aragil.am Asbarez Daily News and Archives http ://www.asbarez.com/index-2.htm

Useful articles and information on the Caucasus.

3. Newspapers

MU/

TIHilLJsdEI

Kidon Media Link http ://www.dds.nV-kidon/media-link/uspapers.shtml This site provides thousands of listings of daily newspapers in the United States and across five continents. It has separate sections for non-English newspapers, such as Dutch, Arabic, Spanish, etc., and provides links to each listed newspaper.

Media emails http ://www.teleport.com./-kevinf/ma gemail.html Provides emails for virtually all newspapers and magazines

4. Internet Broadcasting

Noyan Tapan News Agency http ://noyan-tapan.am

t-i Sf" qP-

:::

=i*

Radio Free Europe - Radio Liberty http ://www.rferl.org/bd/arlar-realaudio.html

Groong/Armenian News Network To receive daily news on Arntenia and Armenians via email, send an email to groong-request@usc.edu. This fiee service provides up-to-date news from major wires and media outlets.

Provides daily one hour news broadcast in Armenian at l0:00 AM, 12 noon and 10:00 pM EST (check for time changes). You need RealPlayer software to hear the broadcast. A fiee copy of the software could be easily downloaded from http://www.real.com.

Voice of Nor Serount Radio http ://www.ozemail.com.au/-hunchak/radio_norserount.html The first Armenian radio broadcast on the internet, it provides Online Audio Broadcasts about Armenia, Karabakh and the Diaspora.

2. Doing Research

Nor Serount TV Hour

ISCIP

http ://www.ozemail.com.au/-hunchak/tv_norserount.html

http ://www.bu.edu/iscip/database.html

If you are doing research on Armenia and the former Soviet republics, an excellent archive news

Caucasian Regional Studies http ://www.vub.ac.be/POLUpubli/

published in the Unired Srates.

Armenpress http ://www.armenpress.am

hihreturdt((drilq'dko

is found at the site of

Boston

The menu includes: Armenian MTV online, Armenian Music Video Clips; "Family Values" a six-part clip of a lecture in Sydney by Azadouhi Simonian (in Armenian); "My Homeland: Armenia" in three-part segments; "Artzakh: the Armenian Story" a real life war clips and interviews with Armenian soldiers: and others. AIM JANUARY I999

N,ly Name Address Circle one: Armenian Weekly (English) Hairenik (Armenian) E Please extend my own subscription for another year. Send

Gift to

Circle one: Armenian Weekly (English) Hairenik (Armenian) Send

Gift to

Circle one: Armenian Weekly (English) Hairenik (Armenian)

Send completed form to:

Hairenik Association 80 Bigelow Ave. Watertown,1[/IA02472 Orders may also be placed by phone: (617) 926-3974 fax: (617) 926-l'750 email: hairenik@compuserve.com * Y<tur renev,al takes elJbct wheil your current sltbscription expires. For Canadian subscriptions, US $80.fbr lirst gift (or renewal), with subsequent gilis at $50 eath. Offer valid unlil )anuary 37, 7999, Gift subscriptions may be given to new subscribers only. No renewals, please'

NATIONAL DAY OF ARMENIA Ahi{hr ltujrtrtoi Wrllru $yu. .kd!!lt dsdk h aDir ddl. rkMqdA'ffil.tu B sa n-k 3 m y.m d .[en*d *dadhral]qh, "t lhwu tito b td oD pM d tu d{dt kn bqht .dtutuhEb.tE4 to.nb

k.*@&tu I'i.y Fo. ah.A fo:n

nt aot

d |ro

aad

kit

toid,i4.tuFnt ^.4 c.@

4b.

he BANGKOK POST featured a full page advertorial, sponsored by the Armenian Consulate in Bangkok, Thailand, on Armenia, its politics and culture, retigion and economics. Bob Kevorkian, a well-known businessman in the region, is Armenia's Honorary Consul in that large Southeast Asian country. Over the last two years, the Catholicos of All Armenians, as well as Armenia's Foreign Minister have visited the region.

T Trgop and

Marilyn

LI.ffiHf,,'I}Jffi:iJ[T ble travelers. and etemally curious. Together, the couple pre-

pared the Armenian history

HYE SHAF&HOOM

Arrnenian Action lll$ GU,PAnIrlf Oa&8#

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A 2$Yeer Pe M,S!h lrFa*hs'tH rrual&qlukeffi'c.tdb bc dr rl&?d.+ dlSJ-4. Lji%ffitdl ,'ftqFs.,qd &dotud.@b I re.ftfttu dd*+lddqr I uotre.p AEl'q,dEd U.Erwiorc &ffiq4c ltu *hMM.tu r@da*Htt rftb *ubdDd@h^ri rE k.**{r dl$dlffibtuh bfihEi{-W*rbkffirrw-F tuhhrdEd& MilEFW @hbffiob Atu. M ffi t F rrr Bon lB inc6io. flr? ry' ktudqd.fi dd.d $.Ei@itututuim M v& 6 tu ffiN of tudr.danttlFiBre lrItrD.rl.rrld& AaM

.Lhbailffilo

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ASO-New Ideas Fmter Excitement *.l,[,rTffitrfi ,/^rr&darl-! didb$d&tu"eM,$.d #ffiHffif;,ffi LsoPn,il*n oasrrryhu.h trdrte-Eril I.:qtr',.t"aEfq\+

student newspaper of the California State University, Fresno, Armenian Studies Program, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Published quarterly each year, the newpaper which includes college and regional news of interest to Armenians is mailed to over 6,000 addresses throughout the world. Started by the program's Assistant Director, Barlow Der Mgrdchian, Hye Sharzhoom is subsidized by the donors and the Armenian Studies department itself which is the only undergraduate program offering Armenian history, culture and language courses in North America. Professor Dickran Kouymjian heads the program.

YE SHARZHOOM, the

Home. On a recent cross-country

trip, while driving through

r&I!h.!{fi},

IIye Sharzhoom

timeline, which is engraved in stone, in a sidewalk on the grounds of the Ararat Home in Mission Hills, Califomia. Their timeline was also recently pubfished as a book by the Ararat

AIM JANUARY I999

Warren, New Hampshire, Hagop scared his wife when he slammed on the brakes. There was no car trouble. Hagop had simply seen the flags above, flying proudly in the breeze and had stopped the

car to inquire about the tricolor flag flying below the red, white and blue in this little town in New

England. The gentleman who responded to Hagop's knock told

him that

was the flag of

Armenia. But he himself wasn't Armenian. He was a justice of the peace who had married an

Armenian couple the previous week and they had given him the

flag as a present. Instead of

it into a closet, he to fly it, just under the

throwing chose

American flag.

IMAVAN is being built in the Lachin Corridor connecting Armenia to Karabakh. The "avan" Armenian suffix means town. And AIM? No. it's not an international monthly magazine, but the Armenian acronym for Paruyr Hairikian's (above) Self-Determination Union which is sponsoring the building of a church (right) a school and other town structures.

merican paintings from the Masco Corporation were auctioned off by Sotheby's in New York, in early December. Industrialist and philanthropist Alex Manoogian's son Richard Manoogian, Chairman of Masco, is considered one of the premier collectors of American art. Some of the pieces included for sale were the Venetian Bead Stringers by Robert Frederick Blum (right), with asking price between $500,000 and $700,000, and George de Forest Brush,s fte Picture Writer's Srory, asking price around $l million.

AIM JANUARY I999

$oul Food By JOHI{ HUGHES

fhave lived a reasonably healthy life following a simple dietary lrule: Don't eat anything you can't pronounce. It is a rule necessarsuspended for my life in Armenia. New rule: Don't eat anything that's looking back at you. (Fish excepted, unless both eyes are on the same side of the head.) It was the new rule applied when my friend Hayk said something that sounded to me like: "Come to my house on Saturday, we'll eat some cars." l,av, I said. It's what I say to everything: Good. You reach a point, living in a foreign culture, where you just go along with anything. Follow a road that defies passage. Step into

ily

darkness where you're used to having light. Watch what the locals do then try to do the same thing even if you have no idea what they've done or what you're doing or what any of it means. When

in Rome...When in Armenia... Fine. We'll eat some cars.

Friday came and I told another friend of my plans. "It's called khash," she said. "You

The first thing in my mouth this Saturday was a shot of Russian "black eyes" vodka, swallowed with a wish for everyone's good health. There are worse ways to begin a day. In front of me is a two-foot stack of died lavash (wafer thin bread), a plate containing onions, parsley, and something that looks like a turnip but tastes like a radish. There is a glass for liquor, a glass for water, a glass for juice. A plate contains wet towels. These will be needed.

The main course arrives looking like melted butter-yellowy, brothy. In the middle is a lump of meat and bone, an ankle maybe? Do cows have ankles? I learn that a small plate beside me is the place for putting the lump, which my host wraps in a swath of bread to keep warm so that I may enjoy it later. I'm a bit disapponted to find that there are no professionals at this table; no men disappearing

under

Take that stack

and break

told her, unless there is a socially

unaccepted result. There was a tone to her voice that told me there was something about this that was even more involved than my notion of eating cars. She used the word "professionals" to tell me about some khash eaters who apparently

And from the bowl of ground garlic, dip spoonsfull, until the taste is no longer that of cow feet. The idea here is to put enough bread into the soup until you can eat the soaked dumpling with your bare hands.

of their eating abilities. This intrigues me. I must tell you that I have known some professional eaters although they would never describe have made legend

themselves as such. I have seen men in the US Midwest put spicy barbecue down their throats until tears washed their jowelly faces. have known men in the US South whose appetites were threats of bankruptcy to any restaurant that dared advertise an "all you can eat" buffet. But what my friend told me was beyond that. "The professionals," she said, "put a towel over their heads to hold the heat in while they eat." They also, these mythologized for their consumption, take with them under that towel a bottle of vodka and a bottle of mineral water and don't come out until the plate and boftles are empty. This was starting to get interesting. Now is as good a time as any to define khash. Soup made from cow feet. Boiled. For a very long time. Long enough, it is hoped, that it will not taste like cow feet. It must be eaten early in the morning, for after a meal of khash, there is no need to eat for the remainder of the day.

Lav.

Good. Whatever.

Hayk tells me that this dish originates from a time when the church would sacrifice a cow and leave the undesirable parts for the poor to eat. The feet. The head. There are no poor this Saturday, only the rich of spirit. Every few minutes there is a toast. To family, to good fortune, to friends. On this particular Saturday, the president of my country is being impeached and aircraft with the flag of my country are bombing a neighbor. So, a toast for peace and redemption. The taste of khash goes down more easily than expected. ['ve put my own foot in my mouth so many times that maybe the taste of cow feet isn't so hard to swallow. I look around to see eyes on me-the aunts and uncles and cousins and friends, the mother who has spent eight hours

preparing this meal, the father who welcomes me as an honored guest, the comrades with whom my friend Hayk served in Karabakh.

And so I arrived at Hayk's house in the morning hour with some expectations. Arrived to the smell of boiling cow and the laughter of a full house. Cousins, aunts, uncles. Friends on leave from the army. A table set for a banquet. The mother of all brunches. This, I learned, is a winter ritual in Armenia. Friends and family gather with boiled cow feet as good an excuse as any to spark a raucus time. You've got to love a society that sees the value in that.

these are seasoned

of lavash, I'm told, it into the bowl of broth. Lots of it. Reach with bare fingers to the bowl of salt and sprinkle generously.

have to say it with a kkkkkhhhhh." I can't say anything with a "kkkhhh"

a towel. Still,

enough to teach me the methods of khash.

Eyes happy to invite me into their world.

"Is it tasty?" Hayk's father asks. "Yes," I say. But it is not the cow feet soup to which I am

referring.

John Hughes ate khash in Yerevan. The image of "Khash to Go" is from Southern Caffirnia.

AIM JANUARY I999

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