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You Gan giue InGse childten a chancG at life. And ith easier tnan uou lhinl.
\lonouK "For wlten two of them meet anyultere in the utorld, then see pray again. See thq utill not create a New ArmeniA."
f
f
they
will not laugh, sing and
-William
Saroyan
Right now there are hundreds of ethnic Armenians throughout the world suffering from leukemia and other life-threatening blood related They are in need of a bone marrow transplant from another Armenian to save their lives. M"yb. itt you. Or your neighbor. Or someone in your church. Patients are desperately and literally seeking a savior. Parents of sick children are racing against time to save t}eir diseases.
child before itb too late. tVho can they turn to? The fumenian Bond Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) was established to respond to these families in crisis. Our goal is to bring two fumenians together anlwhere in the world: One to give. One to receive-the gift of life. Then they will laugh, sing-and pray-apin.
Thatt where you come in. The cost of recruiting and tissue typing each donor is $ 150. In the first full year of operation, the ABMDR reached its goal of recruiting 2,500 donors. It seels to register at least 7,500 more by the end of 2004. $450,000 is needed to operate the tissue typing laboratories and recruitment centers in Armenia and l,os Angeles. tVe desperately need your help. Please make your contribution today to the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry.
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I
Cover Story
9
28 Deadly Harvest The Legacy of War in Karabakh a Decade after Deliverance
12
From the Editor Letters AIM View
Notebook
14 15 16 17
Ouote Unquote
Birthdays and Anniversaries Postscript Bytes on File
Focus
18
Ararat Soars in Gannes Egoyan s Much-Anticipated Film tVlakes its Debut
Dateline
20
The Search lor Gommon Ground Armenia and Diaspora Meet and Make Progress
Connections
Fashion
44 Eyewitness to War 46 Marching United on April 24 47 A Dazling Success in Gold and Diamonds 50 Byte-Sized Book
54 Sculpting in Fabric
Arts
52
Maia Leaves Her Mark
Treasures lrom the Ark Ara Dinkjians Evolution of an Original
56 Community 22 Attached to the Land Anjar Recalls its Roots and Fights to Retain Them
Armenian lnternalional Magazine Volume 13, lssue
Sports
58 Underexposed 60 Essay 61 0n the Shell
Couer design by Patrick
Five
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2OO2
Azadian
photo by Nara
Markossian
Lttn*[{i;}$Tliffr#ii'-'il;$lii':ttll
1\INI Publisher
$imply thc Best
Mlchaol l{ahabet Editot
Tony Halpln lvlanaging Editor
Hralr Sarlls Saillsslen Senior Editor
men and women in this picture are the reporting staff of AIM's Yerevan bureau, the peoI ple who bring you our stories about life in Armenia. For the past nine months they have also been reporting for a weekly website, ArmeniaWeek.com, as part of an AIM project to improve the quality of journalism in the republic. The website posts between 12 and 15 stories a week on political, social, economic, and sporting events in Armenia. It strives to be an electronic newspaper, offering a realistic portrait of contemporary life for readers both in Armenia and the worldwide Diaspora. Senior editor John Hughes and I have known for a long time that these journalists are tal-
Jhe
John Hu0hss Ad Director
Palric[ &adlan,
PADA
Conlributing EdiloB
Mailhew Karanian, Ronald Grigor Suny Taline Voskeritchian
Associale Publisher
Teni Melidonian Adverlising Manager
Fimi Meloitarian l\,4arketing Manager
Anahid Der Vailanian Adm nisirative Assistant
Van l(haniian, Chlisiina Shirinyan
Yelevan Bureau 67 Koghbalsi Street, No.
1
Phone 53 36 99 All\.4arm@arminco.com
Coordinalor
Anahit Manirossian Web & Promolions
Armineh Grslorians Pholo Ediior
Naline Arushanlan Editorial Assistanl
Sona DaniBlian Adverlisin g
l\.4anager
Gohar Sahakian
- Gayane Abmhamlan, A, H. Alomndrlan, Cialilian, Su6n oEhe]ian, Ashot GaEglnlan, Laum G0n0nian, Marianna Grig0rian, Julia HaIoblan, Michael Harutiunian, Shushan Kud(cilan, llara Marlosian, Laurcnce Rilter, Lusim Zeytunian; California -An AEumanian, Paul Chaderiian, tliza Gallayan, Sona Gallalin, Krislefl Kidd, PailI l{azarian, Asbed Pogharian, Janel Samualian; London - Felix Coiley, Susan Pattlo; New York - Christ0pher Atamian, George Boumoullan; Bhodâ‚Ź lsland - Mark Malkasian; Paris - mytiam Gaumr; Uruguay - Di6g0 Xanmaroukian; Washington, DC - Moomd Mooradian. Conlribulos: Armenia
Zhanna Alemnian, Zam
Left to right, Nara Markossian, Suren Deherian, Narine Khachatrian, Haykaz Baghian, Lusine Zeytunian (front lett), Zara Ghatinian, Marianna Grigorian (front right), Gayane Abrahamian, Zhanna Alexanian, Julia Hakobian.
ented, committed, hard-working and bright. We work with them here every day and know the demands we place on them to get the stories right. Happily, others have sat up and taken notice too. On May 11, results were announced of an "Excellence in Journalism" competition organized in Armenia by IREX/ProMedia, a USAID project running media strengthening and training programs. More than 60 news organizations, including all the leading publications in Armenia, and individual joumalists submitted entries. ArmeniaWeek joumalists won ten of the 32 awards presented, including two of the eight first prizes. This was twice as many as any other publication - indeed, every one of the reporten in our picture is a prizewinner. Judges also praised ArmeniaWeek as representing "the new generation" of Armenian journalism for the quality and range of its reporting. AIM has always sought not only to report accurately on events in Armenia but also to contribute to the growth of a professional, independent media within the country believing it an essential element of a healthy democracy. Sustaining this project has not been easy for the magazine, but I believe passionately that it is already paying huge dividends and can only grow in influence. There was a lot of talk at the Second Armenia Diaspora Conference about the importance of harnessing the Internet for information purposes. Just as it has in other aspects of joumalism, I would like to think that, with ArmeniaWeek.com, AIM has provided a model for using this medium to build a bridge between Armenia and the Diaspora. I'm certainly proud of these journalists and the work they do. I hope they will continue to touch your lives too, both in AIM and on the
r)
Internet.
<s
AIM JUNE
2OO2
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write t0 AIM! We welcome all c0mmunicalion. Allhough we read all letters and submissions, we are unable t0 acknowledge everylhing we receive due t0 limited stafling md res0urces. Letters l0 the Edit0r may be edited for publication.
Armenian lnlernalional Magazine Founded in 1990
Founding Editor Vartan oskanian Foundin0 Publisher Michael l{ahabel
\
207 South Brand Boulevard, Suite 203, Glendale, CA 91204 USA
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Phone 818 246
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Looking for the "ian" , I definitely shqUld have started by writing how much I like AIM and how much I like John l{ughesl essays. But I could have written that a long time ago. , tr.decided to write today, having read your latest essay "Looking for a Place in the ,: Wodd". Ycu have described a truly familiar picture - trying to find an "ian" or "yan" or something that could have been an "ian" still a few years ago. There were more Armenian names in the movies of the 60's,70's and 80's, and actually major names, I mean directors, producers. actors. The Armenian names decreased in the movies of the late 80's and 90h, and are limited usually to names like !'cameraman's 1Oth assistant".
Insurance and Credit
By reading your article "The Lives They Kept" in the April 2002 issue, one gets the impression that the Armenian Assembly of America is at the core of the lawsuit filed against New York Life Insurance Company. You have quoted four members from this organization and you have written extensively about their
Wth recent movies, there has been, let's say, a revival of Armenian names in movies, and in particular among the visual effects artists. But my favorite "Armenian" part of the movies is a scene from "It Happened One Night" (1934). Etlie (Claudette Colbert) appears out of the downpour at the cabin door holding a raincoat over her head. and warily notices the two single beds in the room decorated with chintz half-curtains. She is incredulous and quickty indignant, feeting "an unpleasanl sensation" that Peter (Clark Gable) has been r"i"r."d to ur-her husband]And here's the dialogue: Ellie; Darn clever, these Armenians. , Peter: Yeah, it's a gift. : I Does anybody have any explanations for this Iine? Vahram Kazhoyan Armenia This Month's Prize
affiliate Armenian National Institute (ANI), when in fact the Armenian Assembly has absolutely nothing to do with this case. So far, the contribution of the Assembly to
this case has been as minimal as of other Armenian organizations. In fact, the Assembly played a negative role when its members sought the intervention of the Comptroller of the State of New York to audit New York Life, without consulting the plaintiff attorneys regarding the merits of such investigation. For the sake of fairness. as much as the Armenian Assembly. other organizations are also entitled for their opinions about this case. Your article fails to reflect such opinions and thus misleads the reader.
One flnal note for the record, attorney Vartkes Yeghiayan never agreed to the settlement offer made in April of 2001.
/
June's Letter of the Month receives a cnpy of Armenia The Story of a Place in Essays and Images Illuminating articles by AIM's Senior Editor John Hughes and stunning photographs by Bruce C. Strong give powerful insights into life in modem Armenia.
establishments would be clean. We are calling attention to ourselves with the signs, but are we proud of what others see? How much more meaningful it would be if all the Armenian businesses of "Little Armenia" set an example by cleaning the areas in front of their shops. It would take a few minutes each day to wash and clean the sidewalk and make sure all displays are clean and orderly. These current conditions certainly do not represent us well. Perhaps we dont even care about the image we project. Why then put up signs focusing on us as Armenians?
Arman Baghdoyan
Joyce
Duarte, California , USA Clean Streets Eliza Galfayan's article, "Hye Fidelity" in the April2002 isue described "Little Armenia" very well. I enjoy frequenting the various estab-
lishments in the area. The Armenian shopkeepers work hard to provide goods and service to their customers. However, as I drive through "Little Armenia" I always wish the environment in front of the
Abdulian
Studio City, California, USA
AIM Views Congratulations on the April issue. This the best issue of AIM I have read. I especially liked the strong and true words in the article entitled "A Killer Walks Free". Congratulations to John Hughes as well,
for another insight into being Armenian. When I see him at Artbridge on Abovian I say to myself "Gosh, he is still here. Good he
AIM JUNE
2OO2
here". May he find patience and endurance to stay in this country for as long as he needs Armenia and Armenia needs him. Just don't change your surname to Hughesian, please? Edgar Danielian Yerevan, Armenia is
I
would like to congratulate you for the
courageous and objective AIM Mew - "The Law Gets a Kicking" in the April2002 issue. Despite everything, we can only build a just future by tackling the issues such as in "The Law Gets a Kicking", or in the very important cover story of your March issue - by opening one by one, maybe slowly (not to shock the bourgeois soul of this sensitive nation...) but surely, all the doors. Your proud stand is a big help for me. Chant Avedissian Yerevan, Armenia
Fashion Notes I wish to express my opinion about the recent feature you have been running during tlrc past orpleof isues,the "Fmhion" segment AIM is not a "fashion" magazine and I feel that those two
to waste with unnecesary and basically senseles information. It's nice to know
pages are going
that we have fellow Armenians involved in the fashion world but to dedicate two pages for this purpose is something else! For fashion stories and information we can always tum to Vogue. Perhaps you can start a new "column/segment". Thlk to ouryouthand askthemtoexpress their vierm about anything and everything that's important to them. Social issues regarding their lives, what kind of hardship theyhave,howtheir views match or clash with the old generation, what are their fean, their concems, how can they progess and conquerthe obstacles facingthem. Lasfly, wish to commend your feature story in the March 2002 issue. It's about time domesticviolence was brought out in the open. Armineh Hovanesian
I
Lisbon, Porrugal
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Sonlor Trusloos AUSTRALIA Heros & Kate Dilanchian CANADA Razmig Hakimian, Kourken Sarkissian HoNG KoNG Jack Maxian USA CA Armand & NancyArabian, Khachig Babayan, George & Flora Dunaians, Armen & Gloriat Hampar, NYJamesTufenkianRl PapkenJanjigian Araxie[/.Haroutinian,NHJeannetteJohn,George&GraceKay,Joe&JoyceStein
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My roommate receives your magazine on a monthly basis. I am a non-Armenian and I
Aesthetic & Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, Garo Kassabian; Armenian Jewelers'Association;
have been reading your publication since the
Commerce Casino, Hasmik Mgrdichian; George Tumanjan; Grand Tobacco, Hrand & Mikayel Vardanian;
inclusion of your "Style" section. Initially, I only read that portion of the magazine, but now I read the other sections as well and find it most informative. Keep up the good work!
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"Violence in the Homet' Last June,
I
traveled to Armenia to help
guide a dozen NGOs in creating and developing a national network of family violence programs. The project, funded by USAID and supported by International Executive Service
Corps,
Nazar & Artemis Nazarian, Ralph & Savey Tufenkian l\4A K. George & Carolann Najarian
Palrons AUSTRALIA
Artin Etmekjian George & Varlouhi Tavoukjian l\4ack Vahanian
is being administered and provided
assistance by World
l*aming Armenia.
The article out of Armenia is based on the situation prior to this work. It is unfortunate that is does not tell about the main NGOs beginning to provide services and assistance to women and their families all around Armenia. It doesn't tell about the network of lawyers who donate their services for legal assistance and have a television talk show that addresses significant legal issues. That organizations, along with a newly created radio show, are producing a series of discussions to be aired, at the same time working with the Women's Rights Center and Maternity Fund to ensure that people who call in are immediately provided with support and assistance, Leslie Cosgrove, MS/C ED Volunteer Executive International Executive Service Corp Bloomfield, New Mexico, USA
Editor's note: The article was researched and written in January and February for publica-
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Frlends ol AIM Ihe Fourlh l\4illennium Society is grateful to the following for contributing during the last monlh lo ensure AIMS financial t SA CT Kevork Toroyan MA Naicy Guzelian, The John l\4irak Foundation t[D Mr. & Mrs. L. A. Bartels Ml Fuensanta Plaza NJ Hagop & lca Kouyoumdjian ilY John N. Saglamer, A. Topsacalian VA Capt. oonald Harris & Haye Harris
tion in March. 10
Dimilri & Tamara Dimitri & Lucille Estephanian
Steve
Robert & Helen Shamlian
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Wnning the Peace A Hidden Danger that Must be Tackled Land mines kill and maim. That's their purpose in the cruel logic of war. But in peacetime they are a menace that threatens indiscriminately and against the very people they were originally laid to protect. So the work of the Halo Tiust in humanitarian mine clearance in Nagorno Karabakh could not be more important. The non-governmental organization carries out its operations in the face of difficulties over the unrecognized status of the republic. Bluntly, nobody wants to give money - however worthy the cause - because they don't want to upset the diplomatic applecart by offending Azerbaijan. Fine and good for those who inhabit the coridors of power far from the battlefields. But tell it to the children who innocently pick up deadly explosives left over from the fighting, or the farmers who run the risk of triggering anti-tank mines just to plough their fields. The problem is urgent and massive, with an estimated 75,000 mines out there waiting to claim unsuspecting victims. It is a problem that cannot be wished away - land mines have no shelf life, they are a real and present danger until dealt with either accidentally or by experts. The price tag for solving the problem is $15 million over flve years, considerably les than was spent on the road that linls Stepanakert with Armenia. Like the road,landmines are a securityissue-they go to the heart of whether the people of Artsakh have a right to live on their land in peace. And just as with the road, the Diaspora must decide whether this is an issue worth throwing its weight behind. Bar a fresh outbreak of
flghting, the job will get done. But commitment from wealthy Diaspora individuals and organizations will set the timescale. Without their help - 20 years. With their help - five years.
Is another generation going to grow up living in the shadow of a con-
flict they never experienced? A ceasefire may have been in place for eight yean, but war remains ever?resent in the lives of the population in large areas of Karabakh because of the danger posed by mines. As President Arkady Ghoukasian points out in our cover story agriculture remains an important element in the development of Artsakh's economy. Tourism is another potential bright spot, catering particularly to Diaspora visitors eager to see the land about which they have read so much. Neither can be developed fully until the mines issue is defused. So in a very real sense, the persistence of the land mine problem plays into the hands of Azerbaijan. If Karabakh cannot grow its economy to provide jobs and decent living standards, then the government will find it harder to persuade people to remain as Armenians on their land. A strong economy only strengthens the position of Nagorno Karabakh in negotiations on its status, disproving the argument that it cannot stand alone and needs formal ties with Baku. Armenians won the war in Karabakh and a political solution will be found when Azerbaijan's leadership accommodates itself to that reality. In the meantime, Armenians everywhere must win the peace - and the solution to that lies solely in their hands. The experts are in place. Spending money on removing land mines very directly beneflts the economy in Karabakh since those employed to do the work are entirely local. All that remains is the will to find the money and to decide that war must no longer have any influence on the lives of the people who have struggled so hard and sacrificed so much for the right to live in peace. r
The Power of Film Celluloid Brings a Message to Millions Making a movie that makes a statement while also making money, must be the most imposing challenge faced by the film industry. Few manage. The triple aims were achieved in the 1970s with The China Syndrome, a movie about the potential danger of nuclear power. In the '90s, Philadelphia hit the marks with a movie about AIDs and general prejudice against homosexuality. Whether or not the new movie Ararat will raise the Genocide debate to the level some hope, Canadian-Armenian Atom Egoyan has brought honor to Diaspora for his dignified response to criticism generated by those, signiflcantly, who haven't yet seen the movie. The feature fllm was screened at the Cannes Film Festival last month and will be released worldwide this summer. Typical of Egoyan films, it is a multi-layered drama. And in Ararat, the directorb talent for telling stories within stories takes the viewer into an
exploration of human relations. But in this film (starring Charles Aznavour, Christopher Plummer, Eric Bogossian and Arsineh Khanjian), Egoyan has used the Genocide as a motif for story telling, thus delighting Armenia and Diaspora, while alarming the Tirrks. Soon we will know if the movie stirs socio-political dialogue. Already, though, Egoyan's refusal to be drawn into controversy sends a message that voices on both sides of the Genocide debate could leam t2
from: Let the artist's work stand or fall on the merit of its ability to convey a message, and leave interpretation of the message to the viewer. The Turkish Government has threatened lawsuits, claiming Ararat, like the 1970s movie Midnight Express defames Turks as barbaric and portrays their culture from an uninformed bias. A Turkish film critic wrote that Ararat is beneath Egoyan. Like pre-release controversy over movies such as The Last Temptation of Christ, it is reasonable to believe that the talk stirred over Ararat could only boost ticket sales. But, while not avoiding prerelease criticism and threats, Egoyan, to his credit, has resisted using the controversy as sure capital for promotion. By deciding against entering Ararat in competition in Cannes (saying that he was not concerned with winning awards, but with telling a story), Egoyan expressed a level of sophistication and respectability rarely demonstrated in any such impassioned controversy. The director's mild but firm response is indicative of an artist certain of himself and his work, and, in this case, of a Diaspora with a platform who gracefully stays out of the way of his message. Cinema box offices will say whether Ararat falls or flies. Its director, however, has already brightened his star among those who hold
in his work hope for advancing the cause of
AIM JUNE
2OO2
recognition.
r
Building the Bridge Brick by Brick... Mount Ararat put on a qpecial show for those uoiving at the opening of the Second Armenia Diaspora Conference, soaring in brilliant sunshine as if to remind those present of what united rather than divided them. And asthe rhetoricand the romance fades, itbecomes possibleto see the ouflines of a healthy future relationship between the two pafis of the modem Armenian world. The Republic of Armenia approached the event with all the apparatus of a state, clear in its viewpoint on issues under discussion and presenting certain key projects for endonement by the conference.
The Diaspora representatives from communities scattered across the globe could not hope to achieve the same sort of discipline. The imbalance in resources and decision-making structures is obvious. The State, whether some like it or not, must take the lead role because it is the only one equipped to do so. That does not make the conference a "show" as some present complained - it merely underlines that this is not a relationship of equals. The key reason for the conference, after all, is to strengthen the Republic and to seek the contribution of the Diaspora to that end.
But if the State has the right to call on the loyalty of all Armenians, it must also demonstrate the will to make the Republic truly a homeland for all Armenians. It is therefore essential that the commitment given in the conference's Final Declaration to end the ban on dual citizenship be carried out as swiftly as possible. There is and will be resistance within the Republic to this reform. But Armenians in Armenia cannot continue to call upon their Diaspora
brethren to help build the homeland while offering them no stake in its future. Dual citizenship is part of that partnership for progress - indeed, it recognizes the reality of the Armenian experience over the past century on which the conference now seeks to capitalize. So the future will be one where an increasingly self-confident State takes the lead in establishing proposals and priorities, seeking all the while to gather Diaspora community support. It will be for individual Diaspora communities to decide how they will respond to this agenda - and how they might gain fiom it to raise their standing in their host countries. And in opening the door to citizenship, the State takes the first step down the road of bluning the distinctions between Republic and Diaspora. As the conference declaration stated: "Armenians are Armenian everywhere and there is no difference as to where they are."
In future. it will be for individual Armenians to decide how best to express that Armenianness - be it as a hyphenated Diaspora member working hard in their own country so that they may provide financial resources for their ancestral home, or as someone who chooses to adopt the identity of the Republic of Armenia and to commit their future to its success. Or as something in-between on a sliding scale of personal commitment. There will no longer be this artiflcial divide between Armenia and Diaspora, them and us. There will only be Armenians, everywhere Armenian.
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NOTEBOOK
lrThis is a process with
a beginning but never an end.
((They're trying to lobby in Washington. They're getting all upset. They're saying the whole movie is a PR thing. lt never happened. What are they talking
r,
-Bobert Kocharian President oi the Republic of Armenia at the openlng of the Second Armenia Diaspora
;1f;,rU;
about? They're denying history. T0 me, the denial of the
t(Armenians are Armenian everywhere and there is no dillerenoe as to where they are. They cannot be 'odars' in their homeland and the Republic undertakes to overcome the Gonstitutional exclusion ol dual citizenship, and to allow each and every Armenian to establish a full presence in his or her homeland.ll -Final Declaration adopted by the Second Armenia Diaspora
,rilile;;:
Armenian holocaust reminded me ol the denial ol our own Jewish Holocaust. ! leel strongly about that. t I
"flI:LY3',ilifll on
Tu
rkish
-",, rlr:r,
}ilI
(aWe have no reason to auoid cooperation of any kind with Turkey.ll -Serge Sargsian Defense Minister of Republic of Armenia
on retations berween the
rrThis is not a lilm that is trying to, in any way, demonize present day Turks. In fact, it is the opposite. What I am trying to do is ask the viewer to consider what it means to pass iudgment on somebody who is alive today lor things that were done, for good or lor evil, by people who are no longer around.
l#J; ^]:f
r(l
am a human being with his own perception of
the world and I have to say that those events can be considered genocide. lt is ditlicult to lind such a massive display of violence, destruction and
ll
killing in our history.ll
-Atom Egoyan atthe premiere in Cannes, n,r
.r
-RafaelEstrella Chairman of the NAT0 Parliamentary Assembly, on the
,rJ:i13;}
-rr,ir:l,rllr,
The Magazine Subsription inquiries can be made by phone, fax or email. lnclude your complete address, phone/fax and email information. Letterc to the Editor must include writer's name, address and daytime phone number, and should be sent via mail, fax or email. Letters may be edited for space and clarity. 0ther People's Mail Have you written or received mai[, traditional or otherwise, that is interesting, cap-
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AIM JUNE
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NOTEBOOK
$na[shot that G[an$Gd Medical Uieuus f,quarter of a century ago this summer the HwortO witnessed th'e d-iscovery of one of the greatest diagnostic breakthroughs in medical history: the MRI, short for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. The discovery in t977 was so significant that it has since saved the lives of millions of people worldwide through the early detection of cancer and other illnesses. All thanks
to the determination of a New York-born physician named Raymond Damadian.
Damadian, a violin student who left the Juilliard School of Music to pursue a medical education, first became interested in medicine at the age of 10, after witnessing his grandmother's battle with cancer. He chose research over clinical practice because he believed it would allow him to help far more people than if he pursued regular medicine. Damadian did not discover Nuclear Magretic Resonance (NMR), the foundation uponwhich MRI is based, but rather applied it to medical use. NMR had been dismvered by a Columbia Univenity professor in 1937, when Damadian was only a year old. Before it piqued Damadian's interest, NMR was widely used by scientists to analpe substances, but none considered scanning the human body with it. NMR is a phenomenon of matter where atomic nudei atnotr and emit radio waves when expmed to a stong magnetic field. The sigriflcanoe is in the faC that the NMR signal varies according to the concentation of hydrogen
H2O. Damadian asked the crucial question; do cancerous cells contain more hydrogen atoms (ie water) than healthy cells? To his amazement, the answer was yes - tumorous cells did indeed contain more water. Anned with ttris oucial piece of informatiorl atoms, one of the two components of water,
DamadiantesteclNMRsignals fromcancerousrat oells
aginst healthy
ones.
What he saw changed
medical history the NMR sigral penisted much longer in cancerous oells than in healthy ones. He published these findings in L97t a
n
paper entitled "TUmor Detection by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance", but was laughed at by many of his academic colleagues. This did not deter the determined Damadian. He applied for a patent on his concept the following year and forged ahead, resolving to make history. Over the following flve years, he built a homemade 1.5-ton contraption containing a superconducting magnet made from 30 miles
Dr. Raymond Damadian with the lndomitable,lhe world's lirst whole-body MR Scanner, on permanenl exhibit in the Hall ol Medical Science at the Smithsonian. Photo courtesy of F01{AR Gorp/Itr. Damadian.
of wire wrapped around a cylinder. After several failed attempts, he finally managed to achieve the first human scan in 1.977, a crude two-dimensional image of one of his stu-
dents' chest, heart and lungs. With that, Damadian had single-handedly changed the course of medical diagnostics. A year later, he formed FONAR Corporation, which produced the first commercial scanner in 1980. Othen immediately jumped on the bandwagon, among them industry giants like General Electric, Toshiba and Siemens. It took Damadian yean of legal wrangling to defend his patent. But in 1997 , a ctwt awarded him a $128-million judgment against General Elecffic for patent infringement.
AIM JUNE 2OO2
Damadian received the National Medal of Technology in 1988 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame a year later. He was also award-
Irmelson-MlT Lifetime Achievement Award for invention and innovation in 2001. Today, FONAR is the leading innovator ed the
of MRI
technology. Some
of its
recent
developments include a full-sized operating room that allows 360-degree access to the patient and ample space for an entire surgical team, as well as the Stand-Up MRI, the only scanner that allows patients to simply walk in and be scanned while watching their favorite programs on a TV mounted on the scanner. r -Asbed Pogharian
NOTEBOOK
A llneam GomB$ Inue Kilikia Rules the Waves Armenian ship in more than 600 years.
It
was witnesed by a large oowd who cheered
as the vessel was christened with champagne in the traditional manner. The "sea" trials on Sevan are the culmination of work begun in 1990 to con-
struct the ship, using methods copied from medieval times. But the vessel itself is only part of Balayan's grand vision. Provided the trials go well, he intends to move Kilikia overland to the Black Sea port of Batumi in Georgia later this year before setting off for the Mediterranean next spring. The ship and 13 crew members will
travel the historic trading routes of ancient Cilicia, stopping off at countries along the Mediterranean coast before
travelling up through the Atlantic to Amsterdam. In drawing attention to the nation's history they also aim to publicize modern Armenia wherever they go. Despite all the difficulties facing the country in the immediate years after inde-
pendence, the Ayas team (the club is named after the medieval port of Ayas in Cilicia) never gave up on the project. They worked on it whenever they could get materials or funds, determined to com-
plete the ship. When AIM last reported on their efforts in July 2001, Balayan had been hoping to get ready in time to mark the 1,700 anniversary of Armenia's adoption of Christianity - but they could not raise funds in time to finish the ship. About $100,000 has been spent on the construction, all of it raised a little at a time by the amateur enthusiasts. They researched the methods of their medieval ancestors in minute detail. More than L0,000 copper nails were used
in
the
ship, for example, each one hand made by club msmbers. Kilikia is 20 meters long, flve meters
[erhaps only one man really believed that this day
f
After nearly
12 years
would come.
of dreaming and scheming, Karen Balayan
stood on the deck of his wooden ship as it slipped gracefully into the waters of Lake Sevan. It was a moment of triumph for Balayan and his fellow enthusiasts of the Ayas Sea Investigations Club. Their vessel, named Kilikia, is an exact replica of the 13th Century trading ships of the Cilician Kingdom.
In all likelihood, the launch on May 26 was the first by 16
an
wide, 4.5 meters high and weighs
20
tons. Its mast extends 13 meters into the air and its largest sail is 140 meters long.
Below deck, a small captain's cabin contains a bunk bed and a map table, from where Balayan will plot the route of his fantastic adventure. The long mess table in the crew quarters next to the captain's cabin is made of specially imported Cilician oak to signify the ship's historic ties to the former Armenian kingdom. I
AIM JUNE
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NOTEBOOK
Opposite page, above: Members ol lhe Ayas Sea lnvestigations GIub on board their ship, an authentic copy ot vessels used in the Gilician Kingdom. Below: Karen Balayan is the founder olAyas. Photos by Karen Minasian. This page: The "Kilikia" ship on lake Sevan. Photos by Ruben Mangasarian.
AIM JI]NE
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17
Ananat $oan$ ln Ganne$ Egoyan's Much-Anticipated Film Makes its Debut BY NOURITZA MATOSSIAN
I CANNES
have tried to bring the Genocide story to a mainsieam movie audiene. Rouben Mamoulian oould have. HenriVemeuil tied Elia Kazanwas denied. This year, at the Cannes FilmFestival, the world's most prestigious gathering of screen entertainers and industry notables, Canadian
f,lotable filmmakers
llen
"ri*
writer/director Atom Egoyan has achieved what others could not. For almost a century Armenians have
been waiting for a film that would raze then ghosts and pay homage to 1.5 million dead. Egoyan's Ararat has taken up that toughest of challenges (against political resistance and threat of lawsuits). With the help of a staunch ally, producer
Robert Lantos and a cast that includes French-Armenian legend Charles Aznavour and Canadian-Armenian actress Arsinee Khanjian, Egoyan's $17.5 million film promises to follow in the tradition of other work that has eamed him critical acclaim and two
Academy Award nominations (in 1998 for The Sweet Hereafter). As the 55th Cannes Festival opened, the name Ararat was being spread with eager anticipation in conversations that also includ-
ed news of Egoyan's refusal to enter his film in Cannes competition.
Before the festival opened, Egoyan explained that he wasnt looking for awards forhis film, but onlywanted to tell its story. He said: "Having sat on juries myseH I know that there are enough pressures without adding the political pressure which is on this fiIm." After somuch debate, speculation and elpectatiorl the film itself finally reached the Cannes
- fi$t at an early-moming inthe eveningwhen it made
audience on May 20 press screening, then
its debut to those lucky enough to be invited.
At 11 am, during an occasionally tense press conference, Aznavour, Egoyan, Lantos, Khanjian, and co-stars Simon Abkarian, Elias Koteas, David Alpay and others, batted political questions smoothly. All the artists stressed the seriousness with which they undertook the script. They all underlined that the Armenian Genocide has a universal dimension applyrng to others. Aznavour remarked urbanely: "I am
100 per cent French and 100 per cent Armenian." adding, "You mustnt show hate on either side. I admire the Tirkish people." A juror from the Istanbul Film Festival panel suggested that the Armenian Diaspora
AIM JUNE
2OO2
was indifferent to this movie, which would not
foster good relations between Armenia and Tirkey. However he would persuade his fellow juron to include it with certain provisos. During the conference, Lantos, former CEO of Alliance (now Alliance Atlantis), Canada's largest production distribution company and presently owner of Serendipity,
was asked if Ararat were only a fllm for Armenians. Lantos replied that the film
would be distributed worldwide. "I penuaded Atom to make this film because Atom was the only penon who could make it as the greatest living Armenian director with the passion and craft equal to it," Iantos said. By early afternoon, around the legendary red carpet steps outside the Palais, fans and
photographers rammed against fences
as
starlets in wisps of see-through fabric minced
up the stairs, and celebrities and
movie
heavl"weights flashed coveted blue tickets. A group of youngsters played Armenian music and waved Armenian flags. Egoyan, Amavour, Khanjian, Koteas, MarieAbkarian, wrapped their arms around each others' shoulders and went up the red carpet and into the theater as a team.
Jos6e Croze and
Inside, the anticipated first glimpse of Ararat opened with a shot of the portrait, The Artist and His Mother and the artist Anhile Gorky (Abkarian) seen from the back, to the music of Groung. This ascendant image of the artist painting his dead mother contains the many branches of the plots like a matrix. A veteran Armenian film director Edward Saroyan played with terse poignancy by Aznavour arrives in Canadabut is refused entry
by a customs officer (Christopher Plummer) unless he throws away the pomegranate he has
brought with him to bring him luck. It reminds
himof
motherwho survived massacre by eatasheistomake afilm about the 1915 Siege of Van. He hears art histo rianAni (Khanjian), reading from herbook on Anhile Gorky, and decides to weave the boy his
ing one seedadayand just
Gorky's story into his production. Rouben (Eric Bogosian), his producer engages Ani as movie consultant.
Ani's son Raffl (David Aplay), is erotically involved with his stepsister, Celia, (MarieJos6e Croze), to his mother's dismay. He goes on a journey to film Mount Ararat. The customs officer now suspicious ofthe contents of Raffi's sealed film canisters is held at bay as the boy passionately narrates his journey to the Armenian sites in present
day Turkey and the Armenian Genocide. The officer's son Philip (Brent Carver) lives
with Ali, his Tirkish homosexual lover (Elias Koteas). It is a complex storywith a threefold time frame. But at the very heart is the set of Van with a somewhat old-fashioned epic being shot about the heroic siege and centred on the
missionary doctor Reverend Ussher (Bruce
Greenwood) battling to save the lives of Armenians as they are raped, hacked and burned to death by Jevdet Bey and his troops. Many actors play two roles - Koteas' second role is as Jevdet Bey in the Van story. Like a peqplexing ptuzzle the parts slide elliptically. One word or double-entendre leads to a flashback or forward to one of the subplots. Are we supposed to compare Ani and her son with Gorky and his longing for his dead mother? Saroyan's homage to his Armenian mother involves a rather ham historical movie in which he sets up battle scenes between Tiukish soldiers and Armenian freedom flghters, even sffiing Ararat to the edge of Lake Van. Is there a symmetry between this dutiftrl son and Gorky spending years on his double portrait with the mother's hands unfinished? Now cut to the end of the film. Applause, more applause. A tough audience ofseasoned
film-makers, technicians, VIPs, actors, actresses, leap to their feet to give a standing ovation. A long embrace for Atom from his mother. Khanjian, who is also Egoyan's wife, clung to Aznavour, her make up washed by floods of tears. The actors dazed, staring in disbelief. Abkarian standing tall and proud, dark eyes flashing, a smile from ear to ear that embraced the whole theater. The reaction from TUrkey has been shrill. One TUrkish critic called it "not worthy of
Egoyan." Turkey's Minister of Culture, Istemihan Thlay, disparaged it as an "aggres-
sive" film and as "propaganda" which distorted history. Civic groups have threatened to boycott Miramax, the film's distributor, and Walt Disney Co., which produced the fiIm. AIM JUNE
2OO2
Throughout the film, viewers are invited to question and look behind each image. The structure itself is a series of loops or as Henri Behar said 'peeling an onion'. It will make many weep with rage. An obsession with reconstructing a frag-
mented identity through a work of art (as Gorky did), is a theme of Ararat. "As long as Raffi is telling his story he can maintain his innocence to the customs offlcer and in the telling empowers himseH, " Egoyan said. "Two strangers meet in a darkened room and tacitly acknowledge their own history and attempt to make that transflguration." The director could also be talking about his own ambition in bringing audiences, Armenian,
Turkish or other into the dark auditorium to watch "an image which is a construct of someone else's imagination. And I ask the viewer to assess what that means and then examine the evidence for
themselves".
r
-Nouritza Matossian is author of the biography Ange[ The Lile of Arshile Gorky (1uerlook Press), part-optioned as the book written by Ani in the film Ararat. ttvww.arshile-gorky.com Black
After Ararat Wotld Plemiere in Gannes 20 May 2002. Front row: Elias Koleas, Aninee Khaniian, Atom Egoyan, Marie-Jose6 Groze, Gharles Aznavour, Robert Lantos, Simon Abkailan. Back rowcentre: Leon Sayan, Opposile page, left:
Nouritra Matossian. Right Anine Khanjian plays lhe role ol Ani, an ail historian. This page left, right to left: Bruce Greenwood
(Mailin/Glarence Ussher), Charles Aznavour (Edward Saroyan) and Eric Bogosian (Rouben). Right Atom Egoyan on the set.
I[e $eanch lon Eommon Gnounil Armenia and Diaspora Meet and Make Progress BY TONY HALPII{
I YEREVAN
he gathering of so many Armenians from so many countries under one roof
over new rules on imposing Value Added Tax on humanitarian aid by admitting: "Our authorities failed to identify effective administrative and legislative solutions. Sometimes red tape results in justifled complaints. We should review these procedures."
in the Republic of Armenia was impresslve and rich in symbolism. After fears of a sluggish response - only 800 had registered by the May 1 deadline the Second Armenia Diaspora Conference had attracted 3,000 from 46 countries by the time of the opening session onMay 27. In contrast with the emotion of the first conference in 1999, the mood was businesslike and focused. This was a source both of satisfaction and discontent - from those who felt that much had been achieved in the two days of talks and others who came away believing that it was more show than substance.
Kocharian declared that Armenia was
that we can converge around issues of national signifi cance. "
strengthen the security of the Republic in a volatile region - the Diaspora's influence as a lobbying force in the power centers of the world was therefore of "utmost importance".
"responsible for the safety of the population of Nagorno Karabakh". Any solution to the dispute had to involve Karabakh's representatives directly. "It has never been a part of independent Azerbaijan. That is why we can not speak about territorial integrity or a breach of that in any country with the exception of the Soviet Union and its territory" he said. President Arkady Ghoukasian of Nagomo Karabakh Republic drew the loudest applause when he told his audience: "The only alternative to independence for Artsakh would be its reunification with Mother Armenia." After the opening speeches - 19 in all the conference moved to the Government Reception House and broke up into sessions focusing on four broad areas: political relations/Armenia-Diaspora organizational issues; information and media; economic and social de-
President Robert Kocharian set the meet-
He gave a clear nod towards the outcry
velopment; and education, culture, and science.
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, who chaired the conference, sought to set the tone in the opening plenary session in the Karen Demirchian complex. He told the gathering: "We don't have inflated expectations that this
will resolve overnight all the
issues
that chal-
lenge the Armenian Nation. "But we have great expectations that this will strengthen our mutual understanding so
ing within the need for Armenia to respond to
the challenges of the new global reality after of September 11. Integrating the
the events
potential
of Armenia and Diaspora
AIM JUNE
2OO2
would
Whereas the first conference had been held entirely in plenary session, with everyone listening to every speech, these sessions were desigrred to focus the participants' attention
on speffic questions of interest. Panels of experts were set up to lead the discussions, but
there were complaints from some participants later that sessions were too crowded and that too often speakers from the floor used the occasion to make long, rambling speeches of little relevance to the subject. It was clear from the reporting back by
moderators of the sessions that many ideas were discussed, although it was- difflcult to formulate concrete proposals.
for use in high schools and colleges and con-
conference how they would be developed,
On political issues, Harut Sassounianreported the need for an all-Armenian institution to disseminate information and coordinate ideas between Armenia and Diaspora. There was a need too, he sai4 for the Govemment to present the Daspora with its foreign poliry priorities. TigranNaghdalian, moderator on the information and media group, stressed the need for a "national Intemet development master plan" to promote information exchange and distance learning. A pan-Armenian TV service covering
nect teachers, scholars, and students with
beyond being placed on the internet for
each other in a "shared intellectual space". A C-ommittee on Curriculum was also set forward to allow educators to "meet and discuss various approaches for teaching Armenian language, culture, and history". Aqpects of the curriculum muld be adopted in schools both in Armenia and the Diaspora.
wider discussion. President Kocharian closed the gathering by declaring Armenia "the homeland of all Armenians". He added: "I would like this slogan to conclude the conference for us to build together such a country as to make
Greater efforts to support Armenian university students in Armenia, Artsakh, and
Armenia and throughout the
the Diaspora were called for. The project
The conference's closing declaration, agreed by consensus with the heads of participating delegations, contained one further concrete commitment that many saw as going a long way to
events
in
proposal to stengthen the Armenian Development Agenry through greater involvement of the Diasporaemerged from discussions on economic issues, as did the idea for a "panArmenian trade network" to promote infonna-
a committee "of university students and professors will devise a program to identify, track, and support college students", and come up with ways to secure assistance for them. A database of students would also be developed as a "launching pad for finding
tion exchange about investnent opportunities. The education session discussed funding for
scholarship sources" and promoting networking opportunities.
suggested
Diaspora was also raised.
A
development of Information Technology in Thislater emerged as one of seven spe-
schools.
ciflc projects drawn up by the Government and presented by Oskanian at the end ofthe second
dayb plenary session for endorsement by the conference.
It
called for the computerization of 1,500
schools in Armenia and 200 in Nagorno Karabakh by 2005. Some 300 schools are due to be connected to the internet through existing programs by next year. There was a need for "a plan for acquisition and implementa-
tion, equipment, training, instruction,
and
internal management" to achieve the target for the rest of the schools. A Center for Genocide Studies "staffed
and developed by joint Armenia-Diaspora effort" and located in Armenia was the second project. It aims to "systematize" research into the Genocide worldwide and to "encourage a new generation of scholan".
Use of the Intemet to create a "vktual Armenian Studies University" offering online courses and resources was the third project. It would include a model curriculum
Perhaps the most ambitious undertaking
is the proposal for the development of a regional health center in Yerevan, offering world-class facilities and treatment to patients both in Armenia and from neighboring countries. The project, for which the Government has pledged to provide land and a building, aims "to bring together all appropriate resources from the Diaspora and
within Armenia and Artsakh". "Besides being a revenue generator and a source of employment, this project will make it possible to raise the level of health care in
Armenia and to provide opportunities for Diaspora medical professionals and trainees
to come and participate in the delivery of health care in Armenia." The final proposal was for the creation of a Diaspora Museum in Armenia "to create a repository of artefacts, icons, material, archival evidence, a narrative of the life of communities" from wherever Amrenians have settled abroad.
every Armenian proud."
making good on Kocharian's statement.
It
committed the Republic "with all its
capacity" to end the ban on dual citizenship, so that Diaspora Armenians can "participate fully in the process of state-building".
The statement declared: "Armenians cannot be viewed as "aliens" in their motherland, and the Republic of Armenia has set out to overcome the constitutional barrier to dual citizenship, thus enabling every Armenian to establish a full-fledged presence in his/her motherland." ln return for this commitment, however, *link its identity the Diaspora was urged to and dignity not only to national belonging and to the past, but also to the existence of the State, to its advantages, to a responsibility towards it, and by participating directly in
Armenia's overall advancement". The Semnd Armenia Diaqpora Conference had made a start.on resohing the relationship between the State and Diaqpora mmmunities. As Kocharian told those present "This is a prooess
withabeginningbutneveranend." r
schools, no dates
Opposite page, top: The opening plenary ol the Second Armenia Diaspora Conlerence at the Karen Demirchian Genter in Yerevan. Bottom: President Robeil Kochailan addresses lhe conlerence at the opening plenary. This page, top: Delegates lrom various diasporan comm[nities were drawn to the conletence.
these projects were set. Nor was it clear in the
Photos by
Apart from the plan to computerize for the achievement of
AIM JUNE
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Photolure.
Attaclted
h thc Land
Anjar Recalls its Roots and Fights to Retain Them TEXTAIID PHOTOS BY ARMINEH JOHANNES
n 1939. when the Kemalist Army occupied Moussa Ler in the district of Sanjak. under French mandate, the 23,000 Armenians in the region had to leave their lands and settle in Syria and lrbanon.
I I I
"It was in the middle of the night, the church bells rang and we were told to leave the village by dawn. We could not take much with us, so we left our yogurt and other winter provisions to our Turkish neighbors, but we managed to sell our wheat and our dear
goats" recalls 86-year-old Dzaghik Janbazian. The 5,000 inhabitants of the six villages of Moussa Ler, these heroes of Frantz Werfel's
book, The 40 days of Moussa Dagh, were flrst transferred to Bassit on the Syrian shore, where they spent 40 days in shacks;45 people
I LOSANGELES
perished in the hard living conditions.
"They were totally drenched under the torrential rain, so in order to warm up and keep their spirits high, they decided to dance to the music of Zouma and Dohol till dawn", the writer Boghos Anebeian recorded. Finally in September 1939, with the help of the French Navy, they relocated to the
rugged and
dry land of Anjar, in
the
Lebanese Bekaa Valley. While awaiting the
construction of 1,000 'French Houses' on land purchased by the French govemment with the financial contribution of the Gulbenkian Foundation, they lived for two years under tents in precarious conditions. During those flrst months of exile, malnutrition and diseases such as Malaria caused the AIM JUNE
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death of 500 of Anjar's inhabitants. "It was tenibly cold - we used to put the quilts on charcoal burning heaters, to warm them up a little, before covering our children with them", recalls Maria Ibradjian.
Anjar, known also as Haoush Moussa (the region of Moussa), means springs and was constructed on L8 square kilometers of land according to a plan set out by the French government. It was divided into six parts, which the inhabitants named after their villages in Moussa Ler: Khodr Bey, Yogoun Olouk, Bitias, Kaboussieh, Hadj Habibi, and Vakif. They named their streets Sayat Nova, Aghaj anian, Janbazian. Besides their single room'French House' with small outdoor toilet, each family was
allotted 6,500 square meters of agricultural land. Despite Anjar's rugged climate, the inhabitants engaged in agriculture, as they always had back in Moussa kr. "The men in the village were employed in construction of the houses and paid a few cents a day by the French. Once the lands were distributed amongst the inhabitants, each family received 50 kilos of wheat to plant," recalls 94-year-old Movses Janbazian. Boghos Taslakian, 77, says: "Today, I am unable to earn a living - I sell my cabbages for a meager 20 cents a kilo on the market. The reality is that agriculture has reached a dead end in Lebanon. My children are no longer interested in agriculture, and in fact they dont even know the exact location of the family farm any longer - the majority of youngsters are attracted by jewelry making." To make ends meet, farmen are usually obliged to supplement agriculture with another activity. Having worked as a farmer for over 60 years, Assadour Makhoulian opened a small supermarket in the village, which is run by his son today.
To provide Armenian instruction to the village children, the Aghajanian Catholic Foyer and the Evangelical school of Anjar were established in 1940. In 1941, with the help of Shavash Missakian, founder of the Haratch daily newspaper in Paris, a third school was established by the Apostolic Armenians, which has 2L9 students today. The Catholic orphanage at Aghajanian Foyer takes care of 60 boys aged three to 15. "We have 15 orphans, 15 others who come from troubled families, and the rest are
from poor families" affirms Sister Makrouhi, the Foyer's director. With their municipality, schools, churches and clubs, sports associations, and choirs, these proud 'Moussalertsis', who talk even
now in their original dialect, continue to develop and modernize their village. Since L960, when water became available in households, the old water fountains built in each village quarter have served as mere decorative monuments. The single room houses are now replaced by modern villas and often by comfortable two story houses. Anjartsi's speak proudly about their restaurants, many of which have trout basins in their large gardens. However, Anjar, warnrly cherished by its inhabitants, like other parts of
Irbanon,
faces a
serious immigration problem. Today, Anjar has 2,500 inhabitant s: n l9a6l 47,hdf.the population of Anjar, acc.ounting for 530 families, emigrated
to Armenia. During the kbanese civilwar othen left for the United States and Australia. "Our major problem today is the emigra-
TH
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tion of young people: we do not have local universities, so our youth goes to Beirut for further education, and then because of unemployment here, the majority does not return to Aojar," says Sebouh Saghian, Mayor of Anjar. "However, thanks to the construction of a new freeway, called 'Araby', connecting the Gulf countries to lrbanon, which is to be completed in 2ffi5, the 58 kilometers between Beirut and Anjar can be completed in 30 minutes, so we think people will prefer to make retum trips rather than go and settle in Beirut."
But emigration has resumed in the past two years due to Anjar's economic difflculties. Yessai Havatian, an engineer and teacher at the Gulbenkian College, says: "We have to do our best in order to prevent the departure of the younger generation: for example, we have over 50 apple orchards here and can consider starting an apple juice factory. "Due to inflation and economic difficulties in the country, local employment prospects are small. Thanks to aid from the Canadian Embassy, a small factory producing tomato juice, tomato sauce, and chili paste has opened in Anjar. It employs eight women and its prod-
AIM JUNE
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ucts are sold in Beirut; this is a start." Besides emigration, Anjar has another serious and more problematic issue to resolve. In
1%9, the French govemment joined Galouste Gulbenkian and paid $70,000 for the purchase of land belonging to the Majdaken and Rejdi Beg Fahmi families. Part of the lands bought against $1,000 belonged to the Religious Foundation (Oughaf in Arabic) which sigred a release document ffirming it would no longer have claims on the property. But today the Sunnite neighbors of Anjar are claiming these lands as well as 225 lots of unregistered lands, belonging to locals who emigrated to Armenia n1946-47. The lands in question are located at the
entrance
to Anjar, on the Thlel Nabi hill
(Prophet's hill) where a small mosque is built. Considered as aplace ofpilgrimage, every year, on the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed, between 5,000 and 10,0m pilgrirns go to the hill top, from where "they shout out slogans against the inhabitants of Anjar", says Havatian. I asked an Anjarian taxi driver to take me there but he refused, saying: "There is blood between us." Tirday, Sunnites have filed a suit against the Cityof Anjarfor the e4propriation of these lands. "We are the only Christian village in the region, so we appear like a thorn in the foot.
Jealousy and political factors motivate the inhabitants of Mejdel Anjar to bother their Anjarian neighbors," says Havatian. "They incite nomads who camp near here to come and cut up our frees, or to clme our irrigationcanals. Theyhope to foroe usoutofhere. Ow people have lived inpeace and harmonywithoru
neighbors for over 60 years, but today, Mohammed Mace, the Mufti of the Bekaa Valley, stages negative propaganda against us, and pro vokes people by telling them that 'Armenians have taken our lands and our water." Havatiansays effortswere made to cakn the situation in 1999 by inviting the mayors of neighboring villages
to join celebrations of
Anjar's 60th annivenary. Most refused to come. Syria became involved in an effort to find a compromise to the dispute. Officials decided to give the Talel Nabi hill to the Sunnites, but they rejected the offer, saying they were
also entitled to the unregistered lands of Anjar - a total of 250,ff)0 square meters. The lawsuit initiated by the Religious Foundation was postponed several times and the issue is
in limbo. However, the controversy remains potentially explosive. Confronted with problems of emigration, unemployrnent, and lawsuits threatening the expropriation of their lands, the descendants of the "heroes of Moussa Ler" continue desperately to seek solutions for their survival. !
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Deailly Haruc$t The Legacy of War in Karabakh a Decade after Deliverance BY TONY HATPIN ANO ].IARA MARKOSSIAN
rtsakh in May is in celebratory mood. On May 9, its people marked the day a decade ago when Armenian fighters stormed the town of Shushi and ended the siege of Stepanakert, during which the Azerbaijani army had daily rained Grad missiles upon defenseless civilians. On May 16, President Arkady Ghoukasian led celebrations marking the tenth annivenary of
the taking of the former Azeri toum of Iachin, clearing thewayforthe opening of ttrevital umbilical cord to Armenia that was the Lachin corridor. It is 30 kilometen from Shushi to Lachin and the suocesion of annivenaries recalls the svifoiess of the Armenian advanoe once the Azeri stranglehold on Stepanakertwas broken. Winding down the mountain road from the Armenian border and across the plain towards Lachin, there is nothing to indicate that this is occupied territory. Indeed, it is hard to find the points indicating where Armenia stops and Artsakh begins only a traffic police post marks the formal beginning of the Republic of
Bil"*"
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fr;
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Nagorno Karabakh, but no-one there seems much interested in the formalities of border crossings. The map may say differently, but the reality on the ground after an eight-year cease-
fire is that Armenia and Karabakh are one, linked now not by a corridor but by a great swathe of territory partly settled by Armenians who have no intention of leaving. The status may be different but it is as easy to drive to
t',.=*#**:,n
# "
AIM JUNE
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, rlg,i *E
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Stepanakert as it is to reach Gumri or Kapan. Lachin today is Berdzor, its hilly landscape a patchwork of houses renovated by relocated Armenian families and the still-destroyed shells of properties that used to belong to Azeris. A church stands apart on a rocky outcrop as you approach the entrance to the town, a statement in stone of Armenian intent for the future. A banner strung high across the road to mark the anniversary of Lachin's capture reads: "Mctory Freedom, Work". Its slightly clunky Soviet style nevertheless captures the mood - the population knows what their freedom cost and also how much must be done still to establish viable lives for themselves. Exactly a decade ago, AIM accompanied the first road convoy of humanitarian aid and
Goven $tony
military support from Yerevan to Stepanakert in the wake of the opening of the Lachin corridor. The atmosphere was understandably tri-
umphal, delight at linking up with their besieged brethren mixing with disbelief that it had happened so suddenly. As the convoy stretching to nearly 100 vehicles drew up on a mountain road outside Goris to pause for the night - Azerbaijani snipen in Karabakh were still considered a threat to the security of the mission - Armenia's Defense Minister Vazgen Sargsian rode along the line like a modern-day gladiator, occasionally greeting fellow war-
riors with powerful bear hugs.
It was a
moment of supreme joy for him, of vindication even for his efforts to forge a fighting
force capable of winning the waq and he
it in the gathering darkness. They were right to be cautious. Shots were fued at the convoy at one point during the following moming as the vehicles made their way slowly along the treacherous rutted mud path that passed for the road to Stepanakert. The intruder was chased away and the convoy continued its tortuous joumey past burned-out tanks and deserted houses. All of this is hard to conjure up today as we glide along the best road in the Caucasus that now links Lachin and Stepanakert, constructed with $25 million in donations raised savored
by the All-Armenia Fund from Armenians around the world. The tanks are long gone, while the mountains are dotted with patches of cultivated land in the middle of which stand restored farmhouses. Tiucks negotiate the hairpin bends to bring goods in and out of the fledgling republic, and bus stops indicate the times of services linking remote communities with the larger Karabakh towns and Armenia itself. It is all distinctly normal and has an air of permanence. Ten years ago, the convoy arrived to find a population literally shell-shocked after years of siege and bombing. They were pale, thin, nervous, even a Iittle out of place in the bright summer light after spending so much time in the basement bomb shelters that protected them from Azeri attacks. Many gathered in the large central square close to the Government House to watch the trucks roll in, a bewilder0pposite page: Young girl in Shushi. This page, top left:Archbishop Pa*ev blesses a
memodal in oashatagh al ceremonies marking the tenth anniuercay ol lhe opening of the
Lachin coridor.
lalher and son al urork on Shushi. Zhora Ghazarian. Right Memberc ol lhe Halo Trusl prepailng to destroy unexpected ordinance in Karabakh. Pholo by Nara Ma*ossian. Top, right: A Photos by
AIM JUNE
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Goven $tony
ing novelty for a people that had almost forgotten that the road led anyrrhere. They were deeply grateful, as much for what the convoy syrnbolized as a connection at last with the rest of the Armenian people as for the physical aid it brought. To see so many trucks gathered in a humanitarian jam was confirmation for them that they had not been fonaken or forgotten in their long years of isolation.
Tiavel around Stepanakert's streets now and the transformation is stunning. Elegant buildings line the road where once shell and fire-damaged remains had been. There are pleasant pavements - with curbstones - onto which stalls are set out from the many small shops that have opened. Families, teenage friends, schoolmates, or pensioners stroll past in the pleasant spring weather, apparently without a care in the world even if the psychological reality for many still remains very dif-
ferent. Cars bustle along the main streets, politely obeying the traffic signals, which all work. In short, Stepanakert looks like any normal place, a busy, attractive little city whose appearance betrays no hint of the horrors that have been endured. Its population has put the past behind them, certain that it is the past because convinced that
they will never again permit their freedom as Armenians to be compromised by Azerbaijan, militarily or diplomatically. Their famous Karabakh stubbornness seems to blend with a conviction bom of victory. They oeated their present at high and bloody cost and are determined to let noone else shape their future. It is this factor, above all, with which those seeking
the formula for a diplomatic solution must come to terms if any agreement is to be reached and thus far, Karabakh has no seat ofits own
-
at the negotiating table. Stepanakert is seductive. It convinces you that everything is all right, even as you know
that it depends almost entirely on money from Yerevan to survive. Even as you know that you can stop anyone on these streets and hear stories of how they lost a father, a brother, a mother, a child to the war. Tlavel back up the mountain road ten kilometers to Shushi, however, and it is a very different story. As soon as you leave the modern Diaspora-built highway to turn into Shushi you understand immediately that you are going back in time. The road is heavily Above: Halo Trust training advisor Pete
Williams
checks shells brought to the charity's central
explosive site lor destruction. The memodal stalue to Vazgen Sargsian in Shushi's central square. Photos by Nara Markossian
Below:
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Silver Necklace A simple design reminiscent of the cave paintings in Armenia. This 1/4" high-polished pendant comes with a wire necklace for a more formal/contemporary look and an adjustable leather strap for a more casual feel.
$20.00
Cross Pendant (above)
Pomegranate Pill Box This wooden pomegranate box is masterfully hand made. Perfect for storing small articles, A novel gift idea. Approximately 2" x2"
$10.00
Hung from an 18" suede cord, this stylish 2314" bronze cross is made in Armenia, Embellished with beautiful, varying colored stones. Each cross comes in its own hand made wooden box. $29.00
Now limited quantities available
Authentic Team Armenia Soccer Jersey
Ancient Sriep Replica
Price does not include shipping and sales tax.
Meticulously handcrafted of clay in traditional Armenian style. Will give your coffee a velvety old world flavor. $20.00
Available in adult large & X-large sizes only.
$74.99. Now reduced $55.00
Soorjee Kavat This original pair of clay demitasse cup & saucer, with a unique handle is handmade in Armenia. Artful and useful these cups will enhance the coffee drinking experience
$20.00 pair Now Reduced $25.00 set (2 cups and srjep)
Mouse Rugs
Out ol Stone
Ihe finest and most
Armenia
comfortable computer mouse surface available. Modeled on real hand-woven oriental carpets,
Armenia
Photography and Text by
Photography by
Robeil Kurkjian
Antoine Agoudiian
and
150 vivid fullcolor images made during the years 1995
this mousepad
through 1999 capturing
in the lives ol Armenians after the earthquake.
workstation. Dimensions
The Cycle ol Life: Songs for the Soul Performed by Parik Nazarian Each ol these songs is a
page of life, a mirror of
a link to history, sung with the occa-
a time,
sional accompaniment of duduk, dhol and shvi.
$15.00 Now Reduced $12.00
More than 150 black and white photos from 1989 to 1 998 depict various moments of joy and pain
Matthew Karanian
adds elegance to any 7 125 x 10.25" $22.00 Now Reduced $15.00
Fragile Dreams
- Artsakh
landscapes. Deluxe Hard Cover Edition
-
1
84 pages
Paperback
-
80 pages.
$50.00 Now Reduced $40.00
$28.00 l{ow Reduced $12.00
1999, Stone Garden Productions, Washington DC ISBN 0-9672120-0-6
1999, Actes Sud, France, ISBN 2-7427-2316-1
The Challenge ol Statehood
Armenian language book avail-
Armenian Political Thinking Since
able in both Western and Eastern
lndependence
Armenian.
By
Gerard J. Libaildian
The author challenges the ideologized views of war and diplomacy, of the Genocide and the politics of its recognition, and of national unlty and political legim-
Pokrig Trchooneh (The Little Bird) Written by Aida Pogharaian lllustrated by
Vatche Mavlian
pages. itization. Paperback, Blue Crane Books, Cambridge, MA tsBN 1-886434-10-7
This book tells the story of a little girl named Lori who saves a bird from the claws of a cat, and therefore gets her wish of having a pet bird. 24 pages (For ages 4-9),
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2 Mayrer (2 Mommies) Childrens songs in Armenian with international rhythms. This wonderful collection of songs and poetry offers basics such as the Armenian alphabet, counting, days of the week, and parts of the body. Though targeted for preschool age children, this CD offers a variety ol fun for the whole family. $15.00
Parev Areu Educationa! Placemats These placemats teach children, as well as adults, the spelling and pronunciation ol Armenian words. The set of four place-mats consists ol the Armenian to English translation of words teaching, Colors, Animals, Fruits, and Vegetables. Set of four $25.00
Ghildren's Dominoes Encourage matching, counting and coordination, while stimulating the
imagination. These charming 1.5" x 3" wooden pieces are hand painted with animals in a traditional Armenian style. As children learn to recognize the shapes, they also acquire an appreciation for the traditional Armenian
illumination style. 10 pieces in a colorful, custom made bag.
$30.00
Armenian Alphabet Puzle Assemble these random shapes by following the chart and learn how to
form letters from the Armenian Alphaht. This collection of stained wooden pieces come in its own sack. Made in Armenia comes with 20
ilffi ffiffi$il
pieces and chart.
Naregeen Yerazuh Naregeen Baladuh Lofiguh oo Dtzeeleeguh
lngeniously written and illustrated these childrens books will keep your childs attention while expanding their Armenian vocabulary. Written by Aline Bezdikian, Price $30.00 set ol three
Grag oo choor Mugneeguh ev asdgheeguh
$12.50
ruIilTfI,t.Iili5r,li,'r]:' Taline Pailamian Bessos
has delighted children with her children's songs lor almost 10 years. All the songs in both these delightful collections were selected for their educational as well as musical content. Now offered as a set. $25.00
ln Armenian, these artisticly illustrated books make reading both fun and interesting. Written by Alidz Agbabian lllustrated by Anahit Sarkissian Price $40.00 set of four
Gycle of
Armenia: A Historical Atlas By Robert H. Hewsen
LiIe
DVD This extraordinary musical
The University of Chicago Press 0-226-33228-4 This 340-page , 17"x11" 10 lb. atlas covers every aspect of Armenian ancient and modern history. With a 25 page bibliography, a 20 page map index, and278 full-color maps, this one-ofa-kind work covers all of Armenian and Caucasian history and geography from prehistoric times to the present day, with detailed economic, social, religious, linguistic and political maps of Armenia, the Caucasus and the Armenian Diaspora. This extensively detailed and informative piece of work took Hewsen, a professor ol Russian and Byzantine history at Rowan University in New Jersey, 19 years to complete. This valuable gem ol a gift
,
event was taped live at the Alex Theater in Glendale, California on March 19, 2000. The Los Angeles lrmes says "Utterly gripping, generating a hushed, captivated reaction
from the crowd."
$24.00
will be appreciated lor decades. $150.00
Shipping within the US: $15.00 Additional
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for Canada and lnternational orders still apply.
The Philatelic History ol Armenia
Wall ol Silence
Dr. Zareh Hovanesian
the Armenians
This 357-page hardcover book is a true philatelic study, with
Produced and directed by
Ihe Unspoken
Karo Ghalikian Armenian Folk Songs
Fate of
A collection of folkloric songs
Dorothee Forma An unprecedented documentary on the Armenian Genocide. The film presents
detailed information on everything from postmarks to postcards. Examples of each stamp in the history of Armenia are given in full color photographs. This is a work of lasting importance.
that might have been forgotten if it weren't lor the great lengths that Mr. Chalikian has gone through for the collecting and studying of Armenian musical folklore... Some of which are presented in this collection.
the lives and scholarship of Turkish Scholar Taner Akqam and Armenian professor Vahakn Dadrian. Video Documentary - 54 Minutes. Please specify (VHS NTSC or PAL).
two historians
$80.00
$15.00
Available exclusively through AlM. $25.00
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pot-holed and rutted, makeshift repairs with bits of rock only adding to the diff,culty of
negotiating entry. The town high in the mountains is often enveloped in fog, intensi-
fying its isolation from Stepanakert and
the
rest of the world. Little prepares you for the starkness of the contrast between the two urban centers whose fate was so intimately linked. Shushi remains haunted by the conflict, whose scars are everywhere evident on its destroyed and decaying buildings. At first glance, it even appears to be deserted. The streets are eerily quiet, the silence broken only by the songs of birds overhead or nesting rn the abandoned apaftment blocks. A mosque and several dilapidated bath houses bear witness to the former Azeri population of Shushi, long gone. Then at last you see the small lines of smoke rising from metal pipes in the rooflng and balconies of ramshackle homes - the first hard evidence that anvone remains in the town. Shushi had a population of about 17,000 before the war, but now it is down to just 3,000. Sheep and cows are more common sights on the streets than cars - the whole place seems to have been thrown back into a pre-industrial era, with those who remain scratching a living from subsistence farming. Many former inhabitants chose not to return after the liberation, regarding living conditions as too difficult -
some bide their time in other parts of Karabakh, hoping for improvement, while
others have moved to Armenia or Russia.
Those who remain
in Shushi have no
option to move any,where else and must struggle to survive against huge difficulties. One inhabitant, Artak Aghaganian, said: "No one wants to live here, this town is comfortable only for officials. Lots of aid came in to Shushi, but they shared it among themselves and did not think about us. Even to be given a tumbledown home is a huge problem here." A statue of Vazgen Sargsian relaxing on a bench in the center ofShushi is one ofthree new elements in the town. Behind him is the bumt out shell of the town's former theater. itself hidden behind a faqade covered with a mural that reads: "Armenians your future is in unity." Another is St Ghazanchesots Church standing literally in the heart of Shushi, its Top: 0ashalagh Region Administration Head Aleksan Hakobian is awarded lhe Mkhitar Gosh medal by President Arkady Ghukasian lor the implementation ol economic development programs. Photo by Zhora Ghazarian. Middle
(Photo by Nara Markossian) and bottom (Photo by Zhora Ghazarian). the war damage remains very visible in Shushi, and less so in Stepanakert.
AIM.II]NE
2OO2
Gouen
$tony
in the mornings and evenings. A decade ago it was a blackened shell, used by the Azeris to store Grad missiles because they knew the Armenians would never attack the church. Today the clean white stones of this magnif,cent temple, now thoroughly restored, shine out amid the ruins of Shushi as if symbolizing the eternal hope and faith of the Armenians who fought so hard to stay in their ancestral home. At Sunday Mass, one of the girls in the choir sings a solo of such moving purity as to convert the skeptical. The third development in the town is also its most prestigious employment possibility, the Shoushi Hotel built by eight American and one Lebanese Armenian at a cost of around $160,000 and opened last year. The 12-room hotel faces the church, next to a park, part of whose gardens are outlined in shell casings. Colorful, comfortable, and efficient, the hotel is everything the rest of Shushi is not - the one successful example of foreign bells calling the faithful to prayer
investment eight years after the end of the war. Staff earn anywhere between 15,fi)0 and
40,000 Drams
per month ($28 -.$70),
a
respectable salary in Karabakh. One employee noted: "If you have a job in this town, you can already be considered wealthy." Three factories began working several years ago in Shushi. A branch ofthe Yerevan Gold Factory opened in the town and created 30 jobs - but it soon ran into problems with local bureaucracy and closed. The same fate struck a factory making
herbal teas, which operated when it received
orders. The owners quickly realized there was no demand for such products among the local population, and dreams of selling to tourists and foreign markets proved illusory. A third business, a carpet factory continues to operate but at less than half capacity and, again, only when it receives orders, which are few and far between. If Shushi bears the all too visible scars of war, there is a deadlier, hidden problem across large swathes of Nagorno Karabakh. Mines and other unexploded ordinance. It is a problem that consumes every working hour of the experts at the headquarters of the Halo Tiust in Stepanakert. The British charity works on humanitarian mine clearance in many of the world's most difficult hotspots. In Karabakh, prograrnme manager Shane Pritchard leads a team of 130 local staff, dedicated to the difficult, dangerous, and painfully slow task of locating and neutralizing the threat posed by the debris of war. "Karabakh had a very impressive war with tanks, artillery and rockets," said Pritchard, a former captain in the commandos for the Australian army. "A lot of wars around the world were pretty mediocre when it comes to that sort of stuff but Karabakh had a lot of it." The trust concentrated its efforts flrst on "battle area clearance" - the unexploded shells, rockets, anti-tank munitions and other bits of hardware hurled around in the fighting. Eighteen men divided into three teams dealt with just over 5,000 items of "UXO" AIM JUNE
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unexploded ordinance -between September 2000 and October 2001, spread out over a total of more than 20 million square meters
of land. "That's indicative of the good work of
it also shows you how affected Karabakh is," said Pritchard, who arrived to take charge in August last year. To date, 15,759 dangerous items have been removed these guys but
and destroyed
-
blown up
in
controlled
explosions at specially prepared sites.
Late last year, the Tiust commenced a program dedicated specifically to mine clearance, following the award of a grant from the
United States Agency for International Development. Inevitably, this work is more time-consuming and tricky because those who laid the mines intended for them not to be found. There are three teams of sappers, work-
ing currently in Martuni and Martakert regions and around Stepanakert. The capital, Askeran, and Shushi regions have received most attention so far because of the concentration of population, but other areas need
just as much work before they can
be
declared safe.
"We have already cleared hundreds but we know there are thousands out there. Our
priority is to clear the immediate threat, program manager Shane Prilchard. Right:The Halo Trust's Guy Summerlield with members ol the Gyulaplu de-mining team. Photos by Nara Markossian.
Above left: Halo Trust
Gouen $tony
which is surface munitions and sub-munitionq. Children can often pick them up," said Pritchard,30. Some of the Soviet anti-personnel mines laid in Karabakh pack vicious amounts of force.
A OZNI-lz type, for
example, is loaded with trip wire to spring up from the ground to waist height before exploding. When one of these devices was set off by a flock of sheep, it killed 30. Other smaller mines are intended to blow a leg off, leaving the victim to bleed to death 700 ball bearings and triggered by a
in agony. Pritchard runs the unit with military precision and everything is documented in minute detail. In the operations room, a wall map of Karabakh is dotted with red squares, each one representing one square kilometer of ground in which he knows there are mines and other ordinance that must be dealt with before the Halo Tiust can declare it safe. The responsibility is huge - missing even one that later goes off and injures or kills people after the Halo Tiust has declared the land safe would shatter the charity's credibility with the local population. Its reputation depends on perfection. Next door, in his office, Pritchard opens a cabinet of flles containing detailed informa-
tion about each of those red
squares.
Individual flles contain hand-drawn maps of the terrain, the areas of known or suspected ordinance clearly marked, and a list of what type of explosive devices the three-man reconnaissance teams that assess the area
believe the land contains. Sometimes, the original military records of where land mines were laid are provided by the Karabakh government - they are a help but, drawn up in the heat of battle, by no means a conclusive guide to what's out there. The assessment team awards a priority for the sappers to carry out clearance work,
according to the perceived threat to human life - whether the ordinance is located near to an inhabited village, for instance, or if accidents have already been reported, or if people want to cultivate the land. Since November, the Tiust has found and blown up nearly 1,000 mines in an area of land totalling close to 70,000 square meters. But there could be as many as 75,000 out there, all of them needing to be found. Guy Summerfield, a former infantry capwork at Hotel Karabakh in central Stepanakert, once used solely lo house refugees lrom the fighting. Middle: A lamily slrolls takes a stroll by a park in Gentral Stepanakert. Photos by Zhora Ghazarian. Bottom: Shousi. Photo by llara Ma*ossian. Top: Renovation
AIM JUNE
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Gouen Stony
tain in the British army, has responsibility for the mines program. He arrived at the Halo Tiust in Stepanakert from Cambodia and, with Pritchard. has trained 70 men so far in mine detection and clearance. Only ten people, who have been trained to the requisite level, carry out the actual disposal of each mine. Tiaining is rigorous but there is no shortage of volunteers eager to get jobs with the trust. Pritchard estimates as many as 20 people apply each day for places as de-miners, eager to earn $175 a month - an extremely good salary in Stepanakert. Ninety per cent of the local employees say they fought in the war - some have even laid the mines that the trust is now trying to find and destroy. But this experience can be more of a hindrance than a help.
Pritchard explained: "You can imagine if eight years ago you put a coffee cup in a piece of dirt you would not be willing to say exactly where it is today. It can be more dangerous if you think you know and you turn out to be wrong. "They are all trained by us to do the work
and they all come with no experience as far as we are concerned. None of them has done humanitarian mine clearance before." We travel with Summerfleld through the shattered remnants of the former Azeri citv
of Agdam - once home to 70,000 people and now deserted - out towards the village of Gyulaplu on the road to Martuni. A team of sappers is working here to clear an area around a cemetery of mines - the village has recently been resettled with 33 families as part of the Karabakh government's policy of repopulating different districts. None of the families are from the area and none knew anything about mines before they anived. The head of the sapper unit, Flrair Danielian,
points to areas on the local map where accidents occurred before the Halo Tiust arrived. He explains the meaning of different colorcoded sticks indicating where it is safe to walk in the minefield - and where it is not.
Then he asks us for our blood groups,
explaining that should anything happen the team is equipped with first aid facilities but that the nearest hospital is some 30 minutes drive away. We are given armored flak jackets to cover the chest and visors that protect the head and throat. None of this is for show * safety is rule number one for the Halo Tiust and staff must follow precise procedures while in the field.
Summerfield explains that the jackets will
protect the vital organs in an explosion, ensuring that the wearer survives even if his arms and legs suffer shrapnel wounds.
$ll[$[ilpililr$ I IrillllRY I RIllttllfil I ]t{0ur]rI
M[MIIHIII il[,| 207 South Brand Blvd, Suite 203 Glendale, California 91204 USA, Phone 818,246,7979
1.0ffi
I Fu: 818,246.0088
,$[]lLll[| ol ilintilUililnu@
ilol.runt
Gouen
$hny
Their own staff have never had an accident.
But Summerfield recalled one man working
for another mine-clearing operation who was left blind when a device went offafter he had removed his visor on a hot day. An hour before our anival, Danielian's teamhaddiscovered an anti-tank mine, aTM57 containing 6.42 kilograms of explosive. The mine detonates at a pressure of 150 to 200kg so people wont set it off, but vehicles will. "Unfortunately, pregnant cows also tend to set them off or a person on a horse," said nearby
Summerfield.
This particular mine formed part of
a
cluster laid in a small valley next to the road.
Over to the east, the front line with
The Halo team had already dealt with antipersonnel mines scattered in front of the anti-tank mines by Armenian forces to ward
Azerbujan is clearly visible. This is the future location of Halo Trust's work - lined with mines that one day, after a conclusive peace has been reached, will have to be safely removed. Back at base, Pritchard explains the dffi-
offthe enemy. Mines are detected by individual sappers who sweep the ground in front of them with metal detectors, advancing 20cm at a time and marking each signal they encounter for investigation. Their work is checked by their supervisor
- if a sapper misses a signal, he is
fined $5 for surface material and $10 for subsurface material. "It seems harsh," said Summerfield. "But we are saving their lives by doing that. Discipline is everything here. It is far more strict than in the army here and probably more strict in some respects than I experienced in the British army." A signal is investigated by diggng carefully into the soil 15cm away from it and slowly removing the earth in the direction of the suspectedmine. Oncethe sideof the minebecomes visible, the sappen prepare to pull it out.
They do this from a distance of
300
meters using a rope that they attach to the mine. The reason is to avoid booby traps this type of mine has a side fuse well which can be attached to a trigger wire and detonated if the mine is pulled from the ground. Summerfield joins team members in tensing the rope, then Sving it a sharp pull. Nothing - there is no explosion as the mine is
yanked from the soil, no booby trap. We approach and Summerfield lifts the circular mine from the earth and wipes off the dirt. Then Danielian takes it over to the teamb diqpoal point, a sunken patch of land a safe distance from both the village and the road. He retreats to the fuing point then detonates the mine - a small cloud of black smoke rises followed bya bang so loudthatthe soundwave can be felt phpically. And ttrat was just one device. 0pposite page: An oldsrly in Shoushi. This page:
Lile ln Stepanakeil.
Photos
byZhom Ghazarian.
culties of working
in a country that
is
unrecognised by the rest of the world. Despite the humanitarian nature of their work, they are caught up in a fiercely political environment. The Russians kicked the Halo Trust out of Chechnya when they regained control of the breakaway region, accusing staff of being "spies" because they had continued to clear
away mines in the unrecognised state after the Russian army withdrew. "Azerbaijan has also declared Halo Tiust enemies of the state because we 'support' Karabakh," said Pritchard. There are more serious practical problems involving money. Because Karabakh remains disputed territory governments and
international organizations that ordinarily might support mine clearance work are unwilling to provide funds. "There are plenty of people in embassies in Armenia who would like to give us money but they say they can't because they are in Armenia and we are in Azerbaijan. They tell
us to go to Azerbaijan but nobody in Azerbaijan wants to give you money because we are in occupied territory as far as they are concerned," said Pritchard. Only two countries have gone against this consensus over Karabakh. The Dutch government broke ranks with the rest of the European Union to fund the Halo Tiustb work
on humanitarian grounds and the United for mine clearance last year to USAID after much Armenian-American lobbying on Capitol Hill. The trust has an annual budget of around States Congress allocated the money
$900,000 to support its operations in Karabakh. Pritchard estimates that if they muld get enough support to triple their budgAIM JUNE
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et the country could be free of mines within four or five years - an investment of $12 to $15 million to employ as many as 500 local people on the work. "The difference between Karabakh having mines and no mines is money. If we had more money we would hire more people and get more mines out of the ground," said Pritchard. "In some other countries, lots of money doesn't necessarily equate to clearing lots of mines. But there is a stable environment here, the people are willing to work and they want to clear mines." As with so muchelse in Karabakh, the commitment of the Diaspora will be crucial. Until 18 months ago, the scale of the mines threat here was little undentood -now it is a question of how quickly it can be tackled and how seriously those with the funds to make a difference can be persuaded to take the problem.
As the diplomatic search for a political solution to the Karabakh question grinds on in different capitals of the world, the people who live here must continue to cope with the consequences of the war. Mined farmland cannot safely be cultivated, villagen and their children run the constant risk of injury or death from undiscovered ordinance, and the country's ffiastructure cannot be restored while the threat of explosions remains. As much as road-building or any other project to
reinforce the independence
of
Karabakh,
mines are an urgent security issue. "The only way to get rid of mines is to clear them or step on them. They are there forever," said Pritchard. "People say when peace comes they will give us lots of money to clear mines. But then it wi[ be too late - many of those mines will already have killed
people."
.
-For further information about the work of Halo Traust in Karabakh, email David Frederick, Caucasus Desk 0fficer, at
halocaucasusdesk@ha Iotrust. org or go to
www.halotrust.org.
"Every five seconds an individual goes blind and every six seconds it's a child."
The Mohile EyeGare Hospital will travel to the villages across the countryside of Armenia providing care for thousands of Armenians. lAVe would like to make a donation in the amount of $
O
Send a check by
mail O Credit card
_
to help eliminate blindness in Armenia
Telephone: 1.866.GIV.AECP Online at www.eyecareproiect.com
Signature authorizing credit card use
O O O
Uafe checks payable to: The Amenian EyeCare Proiect Send to: 514 South Bayfront Newport Beach, CA 9il66il The AECP ls a California Nonprof it Corporation Tax lD Number: 47-0850159 Please send information on: The EyeCare Project AECP Planned Giving Programs
Gouen $tony
"WG Gant Wait toneuen" Ghoukasian on the Push for Acceptance TEXT BY TONY HALPIN I PHOTOS BY KAREN MINASIAN
I YEREVAN
A rkadv Ghoukasian, 45, is President of Nrgo*o Karabakh Republic, succeedin'g
A
Robert Kocharian in September 1997, when the latter became Prime Minister and later Presi-dent of Armenin. Bom in Stepanakert, Ghoukasian graduated in Russian and literanue fromYerevan State University in 1979 then embarked on a career in joumalism. In 1991, he was elected a deputy in the Kqrabakh Parliament then led the territoryb
Defense Committee in 1992. In luly 19p3, Ghoukasian was named as the first Foreign Minister of Nagomo Karabakh Republic. Ghoukasian,who
drm,is numingfor electbns
&u
f,rkady
is
married and has two chil-
a secondterm as
Presidentin
to nke pkce inAugust.
Ghoukasian
is sitting in
the
HP.rrnun"n, Representation in Yerevan of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, nursing the lingering pain of a leg wound, suffered not in war with Azerbaijan but in an assassination attempt by fellow Armenians two years ago. He is in town from Artsakh to attend the Second Armenia Diaspora Conference, and taking the opportunity to take some rehabilitative therapy at the local Red Cross facility. He cuts a modest figure, unassuming and
reflective, putting the case with quiet dignity
for the independence of his unrecognised republic. He does not look like a man too concerned about his prospects for re-election in August - a reflection, perhaps, of a feeling that he will face no really serious challenge in pursuit of a second and flnal term. Right now, economic development is on his mind and he is keen to stress the impor-
tance
of
attracting foreign, particularly
Diaspora, investment in hiswould-be country. Some investors have come in, lured by tax breaks and a streamlined system of registration for businesses, but Ghoukasian is anxious to find more particularly in the spheres of agriculture and energy production. "Of course jobs are the basic problem for us. We need toworkseriouslywiththe Diaspora on this because our situation as an unacknowledged muntry creates serious dfficulties for
us," he said. "No post-Soviet country
can
develop today without serious investment but we are denied that by our situation.
AIM JUNE
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Goven Stony
lation to be around 1,1G150,000 people. But fundamentally the main problem facing Karabakh is the same as it has been in the eight years since a ceasefire brought respite from years of war, if no delivery to peace. Ghoukasian must convince world opinion with the active assistance of the Republic of Armenia - that Azerbaijan must be made to accept the reality of the facts on the gound, not persist with attempts to secure by diplomacy that which it failed to achieve on the battlefield. "We donl think this is a problem that can be solved easily but the main task is to do it in a way so that war is excluded. There must be a political solution to this," Ghoukasian says. "We are readyto walk thatroad if Aze6aijan ls ready to walk that road too. But we dont see any constructive steps from Aze$aijan and we can't waitfordecades urtil Azerbaijan is readyto take such step. That is why we have to find ways to develop Karabakh." He adds: "We realize too that there is no altemative to democrary for us and I think the intemational community should help us to create a democratic country If we choose the right road - and this is one of the most important questions for us then other countries should not be indifferent towards Karabakh."
-
Given that the situation had remained pretty stable for the past eight years, was time on his side? "If we dont create favorable conditions for people then I dont think we will gain from time. "Azerbaijan takes comfort from the fact that Karabakh is an unacknowledged country and thinks it cant develop because other countries won't help Karabakh. So time will pass and we will beg Azerbaijan on our knees to make use autonomous - this is what Azerbaijan bets on, they think time works in their favor. "In any case, I think everyone should be
interested in solving this dispute because we are not living in a state ofpeace, but only of a ceasefire."
"We are trying to create conditions that are favorable for business, for example we
work in Karabakh today." Despite the evident fficulties, Ghoukasian
are working to make our business field corre-
insists that the population of Karabakh is gowing and that "two to three times more people come back to Karabakh than leave". There are no hard and fast figures - the last census was carried out in 1989 - but he estimates the popu-
spond
to international
standards.
And we
have already had the first results - businessmen from the United States, France, Russia, Australia, Switzerland, Italy, and Armenia all
AIM.II]NE
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So does he pray for the continued good health of Azeri President Haidar Aliev as a man with whom a deal can be cut, particularly when life in post-Aliev Azerbaijan seems so unclear? "I think the fact that Aliev is peaceJoving has become something of a myth. It is not like that," responded Ghoukasian. "Aliev has the situation in Azerbaijan under control and could take a risk to try to solve this problem. I am sure he is smart enough not to start another war because he did it once and saw the outcome, but the only road towards peace is a risky one and solutions will have to be found around the negotiating table. "Naturally, he will try to pass power to his son but it is still in doubt whether this will
Goven $tony
work or not. In any case, I think Aliev is no longer able to solve this problem - he had his chance and lost it. Today he is a fading politi-
cian and each day the political potential of
Aliev decreases." So is Ghoukasian looking to Aliev's successor, whoever he may be, as the man with whom he could sign a peace agreement?
role," says Ghoukasian. "But we can't wait forever until Azerbaijan
an obstacle to the development ofthese negotiations we won't have any other way out.
takes constructive steps.
"And in that case, Armenia must recognize the independence of Karabakh. This issue is always on the agenda - we have to pick
"Some day the time may come when it will be necessary that Armenia remgrizes Karabakh's
independence.
If Azerbaijan
continues to be
"It could be more dfficult because experience shows that any new leader of Azerbaijan starts the first step very aggressively. When Aliev came to power in 1993, he launched an attack on Karabakh that was without precedent and lost thousands ofpeople. Only then did he start thinking about peace.
"I
can't exclude the fact that any new
leader will try to take such steps again, but it wont give any result to Azerbaijan.Anyway, a new leader will take time - each one thinks that not everything has been tried before he came and so he tries everything until he realizes
that there is no alternative to the politi-
cal process."
Ghoukasian adds: "We should also not exclude the fact that there could be some dif-
ficulties within Azerbaijan itself after Aliev, because today Azerbaijan has no leader except Aliev who is accepted by everybody." He remains frustrated that Azerbaijan refuses to accept Karabakh as a participant in its own right in international negotiations on its future. The non-negotiable baseline for Artaskh, he says, is independence - something its people have earned according to all the established legal, geographical, and historical criteria. "The Azerbaijani leaders think that by negotiating with Karabakh they are accepting this independence and that's why they avoid it. But that's absurd - we are not so nale as to think that after this Karabakh will be accepted de jure.
"What con@ms de facto independence, we have a lot more attributes than just negotiating with Azerbaijan. We have our State, our Parliament, our army and many other things. "Sooner or later Azerbaijan will be and should be sitting at the table with Karabakh because it is not possible to solve this problem without the participation of Karabakh. By avoiding negotiations, Azerbaijan makes the process longer."
But the failure of any country after eight years, to recognize Karabakh must be frus-
trating. What about the argument, often advanced, that Armenia should take the lead and thereby encowage others to follow? "While the process of negotiations is going on, Armenia's recogrition of the independence of Karabakh may play a non-constructive
AIM MARCH
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the right
moment."
r
Gonnections
Eyeulitness to Wan One Man's Document of the Struggle for Karabakh BY GAYANEABRAHAMIAN
I PHOTOS BY
GAYANEABRAHAMIAN
I YEREVAN
E
= =
lc
i new book by French/Armenian photolljournalist Max Sivaslian is a realistically unsettling account of the Karabakh war, brought to the page as could only be witnessed by a participant in the meanness and madness of battle.
Le Jardin Noir (The Black Garden), released by UGAB/Editions Cape, contains 62 photographs shot over a two-year period when Sivaslian aimed his camera where guns were being aimed, sometimes even as they were being pointed at the weapon-less ttshooter", Sivaslian, who divides his time between France and Armenia/I(arabakh, said: "Fedayeh didn't like to have their pictures taken, moreover
they
didnt like it when they had been defeated,
their hopes or been wounded. "Once they aimed their weapons right at me and shouted at me not to take a picture but I managed to take one shot (printed on pages 80-81)." The 47-year old photographer has taken pictures in the Middle East, South and North Americas, and Europe. He has shot the gtven up
peaks of Nepal and the poorest of India's streets. But the grandson of Genocide sur-
vivors, born in Marseilles, had not been to Armenia until1992. "I only heard about the war in Karabakh. However, I saw the real face of that war only after I saw TSvetana Paskaleva's movie about AIM JUNE
2OO2
Karabakh for the first time," Sivaslian said. "To see the war and to hear about the war these are two completely different feelings and I felt that I had things to do there." Sivaslian arrived in Karabakh on April3 that "I lived like Fedayeh. I slept in forests and trenches. I ate whatever they ate." year. He recalled:
And he was shot, like they were, twice: Once in the lung, requiring immediate surgery in a house commandeered as a fleld hospital a month after his arrival. And again less than a year later, though this wound was thankfully less serious. A photo on page 86 of
the book was taken about flve minutes before the second injury. k Jardin Noir is like a movie, with images
Gonnections
that tell the grief of a nation and the horrors of war. As the Karabakh liberation struggle
started from Freedom Square, Sivaslian's book also starts with photos of countless somber faces gathered en masse in a snow storm at the famous gathering place. But the face of war is found in all that happens between that cover photograph - in Stepanakert, Shushi, Kubatlu, Agdam, Mardakert... A text in French by Sivaslian accompanies the photos and is the everyday account of the photographer's days on and behind battle lines.
An excerpt:
Agdam, beginning August 1!D3 It is August. The road sometimes overlooks fields of ripe wheat. They make yellow patches in the middle of green forests. The air is hot, perfumed. The sky is blue. In this reassuring scenery I am on my way to cover fights, and yet...my thoughts wander : Monte Melkonian, nicknamed Avo, whom we all thought to be invulnerable, is dead, killed by a piece of shrapnel he received straight in the forehead. Yotra,26, also died, stepped on a
mine, like Karine and many more that I have known and are no more... Sivaslian said: "I've changed nothing. Everything I saw and thought is in the book."
r
AIM JUNE
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Le Jardin
Nait
UGAB/Editions Cape 132 pages, 37 Euros (about $33).
Gonnections
Manching Unitcil Students Raise Their Voice for Justice TEXT BY ELIZA GATFAYAN I PHOTOS BY SEVAN MASEHIAI{ I LOS ANGELES
including UCLA, Ioyola Merrymount and Glendale Community College are memben of the UAS, as well as youth organizations such as the Armenian Church Youth Organization, the Armenian Youth Federation, Gaidz Youth
Organization, and Usanogh Periodical of Armenian Students. The goal of the UAS is simply to continue organizing a march where all Armenians can come together in support of the demand for recognition of the wrongs of the Ottoman
Tiukish regime. "The UAS has no political affiliation, no political agenda. They simply represent the concerns and wishes of Armenian-American students" says Armen Orujian, the march coordinator. "We want to help our people unite. We want to get away from the different partisan groups and organizations and want to turn our focus on one issue - the Genocide." The community heard their rallying cries and paid attention. "Bravo children. May God gnnt
ffn April 24th the United
Armenian
llstudents (UAS) organized their annual march
in
second
Hollywood, California's
Little Armenia district where an estimated 20,000 attended in support
ofthe recognition
you all long lives," said Varsenik Ohaness, holding an old photograph of family members who were hlled during the Genocide. Archbishop Vatche Hovanesian spoke for the crowd when he said: "We want justice". Students Anna Arabian and Mary Nazarian
of the Armenian Genocide.
of Sherman Oaks Center for
Despite the overcastweather, Armenians of all ages tumed out to carry flags and raise their voices in chanting "1915 Never Again". Litfle Armenia became the focus of media attention where news vans lined the streets and helimpters scoped the landscape. Non-Armenians gawked with curiosity at the people dressed in black chanting sfiange words and causing traf-
Studies took an unofficial day off to be a part of the demonstrations, because "we just want to show our support". "The idea of the march goes back several yean. A couple of us got together and then the numbers kept growing and soon we had about forty people who wanted to do something different. We were tired of seeing the same thing, people not participating, who had taken themselves away from the cause, who simply dont understand what April 24th is." Said Orujian: "It's not just a march anymore. It's also a way for us to educate our youth on how to respect this event, this day,
fic jams between
Sunset and Holl)'wood
Boulevards in the middle of a Wednesday. The event took months of meticulous and careful planning by members of the UAS who in a very short year have grabbed the attention and gained the support of local politicians. They included Councilman Eric Garcefti of the
13th District who greeted the crowd with a "Barev" and vowed to support the Armenian struggle for recognition for as long as it takes. "The world weeps today in remembering one of the blackest day of human history" he said.
Nearly 20 local univenities and colleges AIM JUNE
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how to moum
it
Educational
properly and our youth
responds to that sort of education.
"On this day we need to make a statement for others to notice and recognize and bring it to the attention of the media. And what better place is there to do this then in
Hollywood?"
r
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A lanlinU $ucce$$ Armenia Pursues the GlitteringPnzes in Gold and Diamonds BY HAYKM BAGHIAN AND NARINE KHACHATBIAN
"Goldsmirh-2}U jewelry exposition in
The 50-year-old company has been exten-
I Yerevan was a bright example that Armenian
chosen," said Ashot Shahnazarian, the
sively refurbished and now employs 2,000 people as its market expands. In addition to neighboring countries of Georgia and Tirkey,
Deputy Minister of Industry and Tiade. The founders of Arpeg jewehy company are an example of the new breed working in
other participants included Russia and Ukraine, France, Italy, Spain, Uzbekistan and Japan. The most varied collections were presented
the industry. Aram Petrosian and Armen Hoveyan were two jobless engineers until
Jhe
jewelers survived the market crises of last fall's economic downturn. "The global changes and intensiffig pressure of competition forced all the producers to get rid of the habitual stereotypes and organize more effective production," said Fkatch Kaspar, coordinator of the Armenian Jewelry Association. "Simultaneously they managed to diversify the product range, update marketing strategies, as well as approaches to advertising policy and promotion." In the first quarter of this year, Armenia has exported $40 million worth of diamonds and $5 million worth of gold, up 30 percent over the first quarter of last year. The number of contracts concluded during the five-day exposition from May 10 to 14 were worth $12 million, up 12 percent from last year.
by Armenian jewelers, including YJP, which exports widely to the US, Middle East and in the Commonwealth of Independent States. The 50-year old company has been refurbished and has tripled its output in the past three years and now employs 2000 people as its market expands.
Emil Grigorian, president
deciding seven yean ago to apply their skills to designing tools and exquisite individual items.
A gold Violoncello, a broken string hanging from its tired body, or Grand Piano, proportional and perfect, were among work that attracted
the attention of a
Canadian-
Armenian investor who helped to find new markets in the West. Today, Arpeg provides
of YJP and chairman of the Association of
20 well-paid jobs.
Goldsmiths and Jewelers, was awarded the Anania Shirakatsi medal for his great contribution in the development of the industry. "The exhibition showed that Armenian jewelers can be sure of the direction they've
were jobless. To repair that injustice we started our own business instead of quitting the country," said Hoveyan. Not only Arpeg, but also an army of 10,000
AIM JUNE
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"We considered ourselves talented but
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jewelers in Armenia are busy repairing this
among those active in Armenia's market.
"injustice". The Ministry of Industry esti-
In just a few years, Armenia has developed an advanced diamond cutting industry and become an active player in the world market. Among 50 countries involved in this industry Armenia already holds l2thposition by output of cut diamonds. During the past four years Armenia's overall production of cut diamonds grew2.3 times from $47 million in 1998 to $102 million in 2001. How did tiny Armenia attract such major industry players? Along with the ancient
mates that the output of jewelry production has doubled annually in the past three years. In 2000, production was worth some $8 milIion, but last year the $20 million barrier was crossed. Armenia has exported $5 million dollars worth of gold articles so far in 2002. There are about 1,000 licensed enterprises and individual entrepreneurs, creating an industry that employs, 10,000, a quarter of them in YJP and its 16 branches in different regions of Armenia. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and during the energy crisis ofthe early independence years, the output of YJP reduced, but the plant managed to keep its personnel. Now, former markets have been regained, and new management and marketing tech-
niques introduced
in
cooperation with
American, Italian and Swiss partners. The plant has tripled its output in the last three years, partly as a result of a $2 million investment in modernization of the plant.
In all, 97 percent of YJP's output
is
exported to places such as the United States the Middle East and CIS countries. While formerly the plant manufactured only 1fi) different designs, today it produces thousands of original products. Diaspora businessmen such as Haik Anlanian, Vafikes Ifuadjian, Vartan Sirmakes, Sarkis Kisinian, Toros Sagherian, Haroutiun Ajarian, Varoojan Iskenderian, Pierre Akkelian, and Vahe Isnar, aswell as the ArmenianJewelry Association, established in 1998 in Basel, have
greatly contributed
in the development of
Armenia's jewelry industry.
Sirmakes, vice president of the Swiss Franck Muller Company, a recognized leader in the watch industry opened a factory late last year manufacturing watches in Armenia. More than $2 million has been invested and over 50 jobs created. Sagherian, another big Swis businessman, well known in jewelry manufacturing, has decided to move his business from Switzerland to Armenia. In partnership with the Diamond Company of Armenia he established a modem jewelryplantlast year, the Jewelry Company of Armenia, whose 400 employees have been trained in new techniques. Experts are sure that the level of investments still does not match the potential of
At present Armenia supplies only one per cent of a $1 billion jewelry market in the countries of the former Soviet Union - Russia's market alone is estimated to be worth $600-650 million. Ten years ago, Armenia had a 15 per cent share of that marthe market.
Armenian traditions of jewelry making,
ket but now must compete with
cheap
imports from China, India, and Turkey. Australian Amenian Varoojan kkenderian,
who has won the De Been Diamond Desigr Award, intends to found in the near future the fint dasigr school for jewelen in Armenia and to pass his knowledge and experience to the country. "Armenia's jewelers' magnificent sense of proportion and weight, tempered in the course of history is a very good precondition
to be in tune with the modern trends of design," said Iskandarian.
When the Duke
of
Gloucester, flrst
cousin to Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, visited Armenia last year, he was taken to see a plant owned by the Diamond Company of Armenia. Its activities proved so interesting that he stayed for two hours instead of the one that was scheduled. Established with British and Armenian investments, DCA set up seven enterprises in Armenia's different regions and provides about 1,000jobs, producing brilliants of 12-15 thousands carats per month. Gagik Abrahamian, CEO of DCA, is certain the success of the company is based on the confidence that its partners have in its work. He added: "Besides having trust in businessmen, potential partners also need to have a firm belief in the stability and safety of the country. Otherwise no one will ever cross the border. All our partners are fully confident of Armenia's stabitty." The belief in stability and success has been the main reason why Armenia became an attractive proposition for potential investors in jewelry and diamond processing. In addition to the world diamond cartel "De Beers", well-known companies such as Israeli Thshe, Belgian Rosy Blue, and the Arslanians are AIM JUNE
2OO2
a
highly skilled and comparatively inexpensive labor force, Armenia has the most liberal legislative environment among CIS and Eastern European countries. "Neither customs duty nor Value Added Thx are collected from both imported rough diamonds and exported products. To encourage cooperation within the country, the internal circulation of diamonds is exempted from VAT as well," says Gagik Mkrtchian, who heads the Department of Diamond Processing, Jewelry and Decorative Products at the Ministry of lndustry and Tiade. According to the foreign investment law, an entelprise pays no profit tax for two years and benefits from a 50 per cent proflt tax reduction from the third to the eighth year if foreign investment in a company exceeds $1 million. Armenia's diamond cutting tradition goes back to the early 1960s. The Soviet Union had been exporting rough diamonds lrom Russia's rich reserves of raw materials, but it was then decided to begin its own processing. Armenia's long tradition of jewelry making made it a natural location and the Sapphire manufacturing plant was constructed in the town of Nor Achin, quickly becoming one of the leading centers. Even so, output peaked (in 1986) at just $50 million and the number of cutters never exceeded 300. Moscow controlled the sale of all products. When the economic transition period started in the early 1990s, following the Soviet collapse, Sapphire was confronted by delayed and interrupted deliveries, causing output to shrink to $20 million. At the same time, it had no experience of marketing its products. Liberalization of the economy deprived the state of its monopoly role in jewelry and diamond processing. This sparked a new upsurge of the industry as new plants opened. Sapphire was restructured and its facilities put to use by the DCA, LLD and
Imperial companies. Currently some 100 businesses have licenses to manufacture cut diamonds and 45 of them are actively operat-
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ing, employin g 2,500 cutters.
Armenian diamond manufacturers. Mkrtchian said: "We have very strong management. They have to be because a manager in our industry is like a tightrope walker: a misstep to the right or left - and a million dollars of losses." The industry is growing fast as an eco-
It is almost impossible now to
imagine Armenia's economy without diamond cutting, since it accounts for one-third of the
country's exports. Between 95 and 98 per cent offinished diamonds are exported to the USA, Belgium, Japan and other countries. Many Armenian companies produce diamonds classified as "excellent 3", the highest industry standard. Other companies produce the high-ranking Emerald, Princess and Fantasy diamonds. Nevertheless some of the smaller businesses are very sensitive to the shortage of highquality raw material. To solve the rough diamonds problem, the Armenian Government signed an agreement with Russia in April this year to secure a quota of rough diamonds. Russia will supply 2.1 million carats of diamonds between 2C02 and 2ffi6 and 400450 thousands carats per year. Mkrtchian said the first batch of raw diamonds shipped in October helped Armenia's diamond plocessing companies to overcome the impacf of the global economic recession following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US. Russia covers only one third of the supply of Armenia's enterprises on average, with the remainder coming from purchases through De Beers, in Antwerp biddings, and Romatgan in Israel. There is a whole town of diamond manufacturers, Nor Achin, where the traditions of
nomic engine. Expansion will create new
demand for a new generation of qualified
jobs at Dimo Tech, which will grow from 400 to 1,000 staff by the end of 2N\ with investment rising from $400,000 to $1 million, making Dimo Tech the largest diamond plant in the republic. Shoghakn expects to double its monthly processing from 10,500 carats of diamond to as much as 20,000 carats by the end of this year. The cost of labor is high in countries traditionally involved in diamond cutting, such as Belgium, the US, and Israel. Experts forecast an inevitable transfer of capital to countries with comparatively lower-paid workers. In Armenia, the cutting of one-carat raw diamonds costs $25-30, while in the US it is $100 and $60-80 in Belgium or Israel. The Ministry of Industry and Tiade forecasts that output of cut diamond will grow to
appraisers, cutters and managers to establish commodity exchanges. The establishment of a professional school is a pressing current concern and the first step in that direction has already been taken. The "Zang" enterprise has opened a gemological school in the region and produced 60 alumni already. Management is another strong point of
conditions for foreign investments and joint ventures give occasion for optimism. "When we said this in 1998, we were characteraed as dreamers. Now, when we have passed $105 million last year, the half billion boundary doesn't seem such a flight of fancy," said Mkrtchian.
diamond cutting are strong and mastership is passed from generation to generation.
About
15 enterprises are based there. Still, there is
$500 million
in Armenia by 2C[r6. Optimal
From the man who brought you "Yevaylen"
55cI.
T
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A brand new even more hilarious monologue written and performed in Armenian by
Vahe Berberian May 14 thru luly 2,2OO2 Tuesday Nights . 8:5O pm Rococo: 64 West Union Street Old Pasadena . CA .91103 Tickets: $20.00
Information/Reservations 8189gl.67 25 Arrive early and enjoy a pre-theater dinner upstairs at Cafe Santorini . Dinner Reservations:626.564.4200
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Byte-$iIeil Boolts Centuries of Cultural Gems Stored on a Single CD TEXT BY ZARA GHATINIAN I PHOTOS BY MKHITAR KHAGHATRIAN
f,new "digital library"
is helping to preserve
llgreat works of Armenian literature
and make them available to the general public. More than 150 books, poems, and transla-
tions dating from the Fifth to the 18th Centuries are collected on a single CD-rom. It also contains biographical details of the authors and a sophisticated search system for examining the texts. The use of information technology not only safeguards priceless works for future generations to enjoy but also makes them available to anyone with a computer. As a result, it
will greatly facilitate the study of and research into Armenian language and literature. The project
is
the culmination of three years'
work by Hovhannes Kizoghian and Meruzhan Karapetian, executives of the Digital Library of Classical Armenian Literature. They brought together a team of 30 profes-
sionals in history literature, linguistics and computing to compile the disc. Karapetian, a history professor. selected the most significant pieces from 1.3 centuries of Armenian classical literature for inclusion in the digital library. The undertaking was made possible thanks by a $250,000 donation from 95-year-old Alice Ohanasian,wholivesinlvlassadusettr Flaroutune Armenian, president of the AmericanUnivenity of Armenia, contacted Ohanasian and presented the proposal to her. Kizoghian, a physicist, says: "It is amazing that a 95-year-old woman understood the IT (Information Technology) issue and the sig-
nificance of the IT product development in preserving the culture of the nation. "By doing this, we are moving Armenian literature to the next step of development, its digital existence. Even if we stop operating today, our product still will be used and people will continue to benefit from it." He adds: "We have basicallyimmortalized the existence of Armenian language and literatue." The task of preservation was long and labo-
of the data having to be entered in computer memory manually- scan-
rious, with most
ning software for Armenian fonts did not appear until the end of 1999. Another difEculty was that automated spell checkers could not be used because the team was anxious to retain the original language of
AIM JUNE
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Gonnections
the writing. So linguists had to proof each piece manually.
But the team's dedication won public recognition in 2001 when President Robert Kocharian presented the project with the Presidential Prize for Information Technologies,
worth $5,000. The President presents prizes each year for the most outstanding contributions in different fields. The team is currently working with aid organizations and embassies in Yerevan in a bid to ensure that schools, libraries, and universities are provided with copies of the CD. "Many organizations donate computers and we are suggesting that they also consider
obtaining software that will go with them," says Kizoghian. The group is now planning to extend its work to cover Armenian literature and culture in the 19th and 20th Centuries. But first it must find the money to continue the project. Karapetian and Kizoghian say they probably need a further $250,000 to complete their work because the literature of the 19th and 20th Centuries is far more extensive perhaps ten times more. Karapetian says, for example, that there were about 20 daily Armenian newspapers at the beginning of the last century in Izmir and Polis, Turkey. There is a collection of each issue of all these newspapers in Vienna at the Mkhitarian Congregation. "Can you imagine how tragic it would be if something happened to this? Without these sourcâ&#x201A;Źs we cannot judge the history and devel-
opment of the Armenian mmmunity, therewill be no information on the people, their lives, traditions and problems," saln Karapetian. The same can be said about newspapers published in southern Iran that served the Armenian population during the early part of the 20th Century.
Future editions of the CD
will
also
include information on philosophy, medicine and other specialized flelds. The same team of experts was responsible
for producing the digital library on
the
Internet. The site (www.digilib.am), which has the fint search tool for Armenian sites, contains much of the same information as the CD - both the site and software are in Armenian. The CD is on sale for $150 and can be
obtained via the website
or through
the
American University of Armenia in Yerevan and the AUAs headquarters in Oakland,
California.
r
SAVE 40o/o'70o/o EVERYDAY www.svic.com
Ant$
Inea$une$ lnom tltc Anlt The Evolution of an Original BY HRAIR SARKIS SARKISSIAN
I
NEW YORK
ln
1987.
lu
young boy in Yerevan asking for an auto-
Ara Dinkiian received a letter from
graph. Pleasantly surprised at this unlikely request, Dinkjian sent a large package full of
photos and CDs of his band Night Ark, A few years later, when Night Ark was performing in Yerevan, Dinkjian met the boy and found out that he had put the record cover on the wall to look at since they didn't have electricity for years. Such is Dinkjian's influence on listeners and singers around the world - in 35 countries, to be exact. Born in New Jersey to
Armenian parents, themselves born in France, Dinkjian found himself fascinated at an early age "with the sound that came out of a box". He would listen over and over to the one 45rpm record he had, wondering how he could become a part of this phenomenon. At age flve, Dinkjian played the dumbek at the New York World Fair for a dance group. Later, he discovered an oud his father, folk singer Onnig Dinkjian, had in his bedroom and which the young Dinkjian was told he could not touch, since it was such a delicate instrument. After several yean of secretly practising while
his father was at work, one day the elder Dinkjian found his son playing the instrument so beautifullythathe did not know how to react. Dinkjian went on to become the first and only oud major in the country when he was accepted with scholarship at Hartt College of
Music
in Connecticut. "I
was their little
experiment. They put me in music education flrst, but I didn't want to be a teacher, so they allowed me to write my own four-year program where I invented my major in oud and wrote my own music." After graduation, Dinkjian played at the Montreal Jazz Festival and other venues with a small group for whom he composed music combining Middle Eastern, jazz, classical and Indian music. When the group's guitarist died in an accident at the age of 30, Dinkjian lost interest in the field. It was several yean before he felt the creative spark again, after meeting musician Arto Tuncboyaciyan in New York. "I wanted to record something with Arto in a nice studio before I die," said Dinkjian at
the time. But he only had $2,000, which afforded him just two hours of recording
time - enough for two songs. The engineer at the session sent the demo tape to RCA producer Steve Backer and within two weeks they had a contract. At the time, Dinkjian didn't even have a name for his group. This was 1986 and Night Ark was formed. With RCA/BMG, Night Ark recorded two albums, Picture and Moments.
The albums were released around the world. Singers felt they identified with the songs, and in 11 languages wrote songs to Dinkjianh music, which became huge hits. The most successful of them is Eleftheria Arvanitaki, a Greek singer whose own versions of two of Dinkjian's songs shot her to the top of the Greek charts and made her one of the country's top artists. In 1990, Dinkjian
received an invitation from Eleftheria to write a couple of more songs for her. "I had brought over 15 songs for her to choose from, but after listening to them she wanted to record her whole album with my songs," he said.
The Bodies and The Knives, recorded by Polydor Records, went double platinum. Two of Dinkjian's songs are feain1991
tured on her latest album. "I see my collaboration with Eleftheria as a continuation of a historical collaboration between Armenians and Greeks. Just a modem version of it," Dinkjian said. Dinkjian has also composed and performed the soundtracks for the feature documentary It's All Good, the six-part PBS documentary Making Sense of the Sixties, and the film Sources. Still, he does not consider himseH a composer.
"I am more of a finder of songs, as if they are already out there and if I am a little more quiet, I will be able to hear them. It's usually at night when the children are asleep. There is no formula. I hear a melody in my dream, in the shower. come out of the shower whistling a melody, looking for paper to write it on," he explained. "Suddenly it comes to me, literally I feel like am being directed. Those are the
I
I
moments that
I
really live for. That is why
sometimes I can't take too much credit for it. I found it, not created it." Dinkjian is his own sternest musical critic,
AIM JUNE 2OO2
but finds the process of making an album extremely exciting. "I don't feel any pressure.
I
have a backlog of 75 songs and whenever
the idea of an album comes, the songs are there. My pattern is that when a song is complete I think it is the greatest thing that I have heard and I listen to it 50 times, Then I get sick of it and put it aside. Then I come back to it in a couple of years and have a clearer
Ints
understanding of what the song is." After recording with Eleftheria, Dinkjian re-assembled Night Ark and signed with PolyGram Records (Univenal) to record In Wonderland in 1996 and Petals on Your Path in 199. There is also a compilation CD Night fuk Tieasures on the Thaditional CrossRoads label.
Night Ark is a diverse combination of
bassist Marc Johnson, who has played with
Since I can't be with you, during the journey
the likes of Bill Evans, Pat Metheny, and
of your life, I hope your feet only touch the petals of a rose."
Stan Getz.
Night Ark's music is considered New Age or World Beat in the United States. Dinkjian said: "In Europe they call it music. I understand the need for these categories, but they are never invented by musicians."
At the time, Dinkjian's daughter was going off to college. "I remembered this song, and was wishing her a good life."
Night Ark's music seems to unite not only styles, cultures and musicians, but also audiences. "What always shocks me is when we go to countries where I think culturally they don't have much in common with Armenians or Americans, like Germany, people still go
I understand it when it is Istanbul, Yerevan or Jerusalem, but the way they listen when we play in Italy or Germany, it is as if we're home again." One of Dinkjian's two most memorable crazy.
concerts was
in
Jerusalem, where 4,000
Christians, Muslims and Jews filled the audience, each responding to different portions of the program. "This is the way it should be," thought Dinkjian at the time, "in the sense that everyone is shoulder to shoulder concentrating on what they have in common rather than what separates them." The other was in Armenia. He said: "We went to Geghard and did a concert where we brought allthe kids and we played. It is hard to put into words. They were touching us and thanking us for not forgetting about them."
Dinkjian and Night Ark are not well known in the US. "Most Armenians who do know me, know me as Onnig's son or the church organist or the guy who plays at the weddings," said Dinkjian. "I am so fortunate that I was able to make music that reached so many parts of the world, but I have not found a comfortable place in the music business. My choices are to educate myself and dive into it, or to have an agent or manager that does all that." Dinkjian has not yet found that person,
"and I am not yet ready to dive into that filthy pool". He added: "You've got to have a certain heart for the business. I've got the heart for
four talents. Thncboyaciyan, born in Turkey, with such luminaries as Joe Zawinul and Al DiMeola. In addition to his own projects and recordings, has performed and recorded
Tuncboyaciyan contributes percussion, voice,
and compositions to Night Ark. Pianist Armen Donelian combines his knowledge and passion for jazz muslg lvith his Armenian heritage. The group's newest member is
Petals on Your Path features elements of Middle Eastern folk, jazz, pop, and classical
music, with string instruments such as the oud, cumbus, saz, and kanun, in addition to the piano, contrabass, percussion, and some vocals. The album's title was inspired by the imagery Dinkjian found in an Armenian folk song Du gnoumes (you are leaving). "It's a beautiful song and the lyrics say:
AIM JUNE 2OO2
the music, but not the business. I try to move myself with the music, which is the only thing that I can trust. People relate to my music, and the music acts as a unifying force. I am real proud of that." But for Dinkjian, at 43, having his songs sung in 11. languages in 35 countries is not the ultimate. His family - schoolteacher wife Margo, and children Simone, Kyle, and Arev - is what makes his life complete. "I am doing music and I am a father, that is exactly what I wanted to do. I really don't know anybody who is more fortunate than
me." I 53
Fashion
$culflinU in ta[nic Maia Leaves Her Mark BY SONA GALTATIN I PHOTOS BY SONIA KESHISHIAN I LOS ANGELES
lor decades. the fashion industry has I behaved like the Emperor in the children s story "The Emperor's New Clothes". Someone decrees "This..Is..In..Stylel" and the rest of the village follows. One thing we can count on is fashion's repet-
itive pattern. Every 15 years or so, a style seems to reappeal a little different and with a bit of flair, but nonetheless a reflection of a style from the past. Currently, it's the 70's and 80's,
better known as Retro.
When a creative and talented designer takes a chance and finds a way to re-create a look with absolute perfection, clothing design becomes an art. Maia Sarmanian is one of those designen. She starts with a garment and
it
it into what should have been. She is inspired by the fabric itself, in the
then transforms *qr i
same way a sculptor
AIM JUNE
2OO2
look for that perfect rock
Fashion
to shape into a masterpiece. Sarmanian currently has her work in highend boutiques and has sold her pieces to many celebrities, including film star Heather Graham. This fall, her line of mostly one-of-a-kind pieces will also be available at Bendels of New York. Sarmanian's grandmother fled to America in the early 1900s to escape Tl.rrkish persecution, and settled in Massachusetts. Sarmanian's parents moved to Southern California where Maia grew up as the youngest of five children. Her interest in fashion began when she
was very young. Did she make clothes for her dolls? "Yes!" she said, "and I made the dolls too." Samarian's advice to budding designers? "Follow your heart and never give up." Our models, Elaina and Thmara came to us from the Warning Modeling Agency in Beverly Hills, Califomia. Nicole Bergman from Bella Me Salon in Valencia, Califomia
provided them with manicures and pedicures, while Sonia Keshishian set up her photo gear. Alrna Angiuamo applied make-up. In our fint shot (opposite page, left), Elaina is wearing a re-created floral vintage dress in fuscia and white with ecru lace inset. She is also pictured wearing a black rayon low-back dress with windowpane detail (opposite page,
top right), and on the steps (opposite page, bottom righQin a cranberry marino wool top
with whip*titch detail around the cutouts. The skirt is black cotton button-down, with shell buttons and whip-stitch detail.
A tropical
camisole wrap-around top that ties on both sides, has a delicate tuille trim (above, right). Tlamara is picturedwearing a slate blue dress with eyelet detail around the scalloped edge (below, right), and in a black cotton gauze dress withflowerappliques. We used the matchingbelt as a choker (above).
The gnnd finale is my two favorite
dresses
(below, riglrt to left). Tamara wean a vintage sage
colored dres with teardrop cut outs with tuille insets andtuilte onthe bustier. Elaina iswearinga lightrneight chiffon dres with feather appliquesr -For lnformation on Maia Sarmanian' line, visit her website at Maiasarmanian.com.
Sponts
$coning lon lficlts
Alc,gllr;o
Eskandarian
GAiOiADE
t{/lnol{Al. HlGl{ SCt{OOl,
Alecko on the lield fobl llecro, age 2, with his parents Antranik and Anahid at the Giants Stadium in l'lew Jersey. Photo by Harry L. Koundakiian Above: Alecko, pictured with his parents, was named the 2000 Gatorade National High Schoot Boys Soccer Player of lhe Year, scoring over 150 goals in his lour yearc. Photo courtesy of the Eskandarian Family Top, left:
for Alecko Eskandarian, 1.9, life is really I ruming out to be "like father, like son." The only difference is his father never scored a goal while Alecko keeps on scoring.
It was this month in 1W8 at the World Cup in Argentina when his father, Andranik, was a part of the national team of Iran as a
defender. Eskandarian was not even born back then. Now, 24 years later, as a starter on the
United States Under 23 National
Team,
Eskandarian attributes all the success he is getting on the soccer fleld to his father. "He has taught me everything I know," says the rising star. "He is the biggest part of my success."
Eskandarian had shown interest in soccer from the very beginning. "He was almost a year old and just beginning to walk," remembers Andranik. "My wife Anahid was on one side of the room and the soccerball was on the
other. Instead of runningto hismother,Alecko ran to the ball, kicked it and fell down." Right there, Andranik knew his son would one day become a fine soccer player. While at
Bergen Catholic High School in his native New Jersey, Eskandarian was named the 2000 Gatorade National High School Boys Soccer Player ofthe Year, scoring over 150 goals in his four yean there. Now on a soccer scholarship at the University of Vrginia, Eskandarian is continuing on the same streak, scoring over25 goals in 35 games so far.
At
19, Eskandarian was too young to
have a real chance of making the US national squad for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea this month. But he will no doubt be aiming for an appearance in the 2006 tourna-
ment
in
Germany, emulating his father's
achievement.
At a recent tournament in
Portugal, involving some of the top Olympic soccer teams, Eskandarian emerged as the AIM JUNE
2OO2
highest scorer in the US team. AII that goal scoring has caught the attention of the soccer world and he currently has several offers on the table to turn professional. "I will be looking at my options as soon as I get home for the summer," says Eskandarian. "Tuming pro is a definite possibility." Just as his father changed course after the 1978 World Cup and joined the New York Cosmos soccer club to play alongside soccer legends Pele and Franz Beckenbauer, the
younger Eskandarian is at the threshold of launching into a career where he will have the opportunity to play alongside the soccer stars oftoday, andperhaps become one. r -Asbed Pogharian
$ponts
Tltil $infting
LeapinU into llistony
Feeling
flrmenia's Davis Cup team lost any chance qualifying for next year's first group in
Ilof
the Euro/Africazone after suffering a whitewash against Ireland. Ireland's players came away with a 3-0 victory in Yerevan in a match that had to be postponed for three days because of healy rain. The contest eventually was played on May 6.
is Robert Emmiyan in his prime as a champion long jumper in international
This
I
competitions in the 1980s. Emmiyan, from Giumri, Armenia, became European champion in the 1987 European Cup in Prague, Czechoslovakia, with a jump of 8.38 meters. It is a mmpetition remrd that remains until today, with the exception of a wind-assisted jump recorded by a Greek athleteatthe1994 championships in Valencia, Spain. The year 1987 was clearly Emmiyan's peak. OnMay22,he set a European long jump record of 8.86 meten in Tsakhadzor, Armenia, which still stands 15 yean later. He also took a silver medal in the World Championships that year. Emmiyan also won the long jump contest
at the
1986 Goodwill Games and was a record holder and repeated winner of Soviet
Union championships.
After the 1988 earthquake that ruined his home city, Emmiyan left for France. He represented Armenia in the 1996 Olympics and
in the
1997 World Championships, but age
was catching up on him and he flnished well
down the rankings. Today,36-year-old Emmiyan can be found
in Doha, the capital of the Gulf Emirate of Qatar, where he has been coaching the long jump national team for the past two years. His prot6g6s won fint and second prizes in the Pan-Arabic Games and another took silver in the World Youth Championships. "I am glad to be known as a qualified coach. I have to be very responsible as I am representing Armenia
and the Armenian nation," Emmiyan told AIM. "In this way I have a chance to help also my relatives and friends in Armenia." Students at the Robert Emmiyan School in
Gumri are among those he tries to help as a result of his coaching work in Qatar. He retumed to Armenia on May 30 to Tzakhkadzor, scene of his rcord leap, to present the Emmiyan Prize in an athletics toumament organized for Giumri schools.r -Ara Martirossian AIM JUNE
2OO2
John Doran beat Tsolak Gevorkian (pictured above) 6-4,6-1,7-5 in the flrst singles while Peter Clark also won his singles match in straight sets triumphing 6-0,7-5, 6-2 over Hayk Hakopian in the second match. Doran then teamed up with Owen Casey to defeat Gevorkian and Harutiun Sophian in the doubles 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 to complete the clean sweep. However, the Davis Cup tournament is not over yet for the Armenian side -they still have to play Ghana, which lost to Slovenia 41. The match is scheduled for July l2-l4:r;, Ghana. If Armenia loses that match it will be relegated from the second to the third group of countries in the Euro/Africa zone. Armenia's top-ranked player, Sargis Sargsian was unable to compete in the match against Ireland because he was recovering from a knee injury. The result against Ireland was a disap-
to the International Tennis Federation rankings for the Davis Cup, Ireland is 58th and Armenia 62nd out of 143 countri"t'-N/irhrrr pointment for Armenia, According
Harutiuni#
Undenexposed
llneamUiil found herself on a stage attracting the approval
of judges with her well-conceived smile. In 1999 Yerevan's Best Studio became Suzy's first school, where the aspiring child learned the value of a beauty queen persona.
"In a small room surrounded by numerous lights mother and I became exhausted but Suzy had tirelessly been posing for seven hours," her mother, Lilit, says. "It was midnight already but she wasn't tired at all and was choosing poses herself and running around the room. That day we realized that Suzy had been born for the stage." Very soon, the little girl's career was crowned with numerous titles. In 1999 she became "Queen of Stage" in the competition organized by Best Studio. At the same time
she also became "Miss Barbie", "Miss Aznavour" and "Photomodel 99".
!n childhood girls with dreams rummage
their I mothen' wardrobes. try to walk in high-heeled shoes and, of course, put on lipstick.
"I dreamt to become a famous model. dancer and actress," says Suzy Hakobian, from her new home in California, half a world away from her mother, but perhaps closer to her dream. When she was only five years old, Suzy
[neeilom Riden$?
At the Global American Pageant Suzy was named "Little Global Princess 2001", "The Most Photogenic 2001" and "The Best Smile 2001". Next, her smile will be on display in the Global Princess Pageant later this month. "I feelverygood in the USA. The onlything is that I miss my Ma very much," Suzy says. "I haven't seen her for one and a half yean." The mother says she also misses her little model very much, however she work inYerevan and all herfree time she spends onherdaughter's
caree! searching for sponson and choosing for her daughter's performances. "After every performance I talk to her a lot and explain to her that it's not good to dresses
lln a sunnv Sunday morning. llRlexande. Geonian straddl-es
32-year-old his freshlywashed, yellow custom made motorcycle and races toward the Kanaker district of Yerevan to open territory and free riding. In just a few minutes he is among other biker pals (all men) who get away from the
bumpy streets of Yerevan to ride their motorcycles and release themselves into the anificial wind their iron horses stir. By mid-day each (weather suitable) Sunday, the noise of severalmotorrycles
roarin different
pans of the city carrying riden on their way to a meeting place of like-minded free spirits. On a normal Sunday about 30 biken meet. They esti-
mate there are about 90 throughout Yerevan, including doctors, teachers, architects. "We are the people who like speed, " says
Norair Mnatsakanian, a 43-year-old architect. "The motorcycle is a means that gives us
AIM JUNE
2OO2
think that you are better than the others and to grow proud. I tell her'that she must be a good friend," says Lilit. "Most of all I want my daughter to become a good person, a good friend. It is her own business what she wants to become. I allow her to choose whatever she wants to
become." r
-Text by Gayane Abrahamian -Photos Courtesy of Lilit Hakoblan
that possibility." Bikers may still conjure up images of Hell's Angels in some minds. But here, beginning each spring, riders meet for rides to the nearby mountains to see the first wildflowers. "Society is skeptical about motorcyclists. They think that we are criminals and dangerous," Mnatsakanian says. "We have recently realized that motorcyclists must be united here in Armema like in other parts of the world. The real pleasure is when a group of motorryclists drive together, as driving alone becomes uninteresting very soon." But driving in groups can cause problems in Armenia, where there is a 5,000 Dram fine (about $8.60) for group riding, which is considered
dangerous.
r
-Text by Suren Deherian -Photo by Vahram Mkhitarian
Undenexposed
'Reality'IU Anniues ln Allned'$ Room On May 7 Poghos Eghiazar (pictured left) a2Z-year oldphilology student from Istanbul, Turkey, was named winner of the contest, and received 1 million Drams (about $1,750 pretax). "The show has practically been what we
have planned from the beginning till the end", says Arsen Abrahamian, the director of Individum Research. "This show didn't have a precedent before in Armenia and we are glad to have done this flrst." The producers are already in production for the next series, expected to begin in a few weeks.
"One thing is true: even we didnt know who was going to be the winner and were as surprised as anyone else," Abrahamian said. Cast memben - even those expelled from the show - have become minor celebrities in Yerevan where, until "In Altred's Room", they were part of an anonymous mass, but now are stopped on the street by their voyeuristic fans. The show became so popular that young peG ple huried home at lpm,4pm,8pmandmidnight
to watch the latest installrnent and
flfter
days of great tension and expectations
Ilpeople in Yerevan found out at last the winner of In Alfred's Room, a TV show that combines Survivor and The Real World and has been a topic ofcuriosity and outright obsession since broadcast began in March.
The program, produced by Individum
Research and shown four times a day on Channel 5, showed live broadcasts of nine young people locked in a house together for 35 days. Viewers could call in and vote for their favorite cast member, and other members of the cast voted on who should be kicked off the show once every three or five days.
discuss the show participants' behavior among themselves.
The playen were videotaped 24 houn
- participants took showers
only on its history but also in traces of their culture, art and architecture and heritage. Mosques, tombs, and habitats baring foreign inscriptions are scattered throughout the land and increasing efforts are made to renovate and preserve them. One such site is the Tiukmen mausoleumbelong-
ing to the leaders, khans and emirs of KaraKoyunlu tribes, which was built in 1413 in Argavand, south of Yerevan. In January of this year a memorial stone was unveiled during the mausoleums reopening ceremony. This historic site opened its doors to
the curious public after undergoing several months of renovation sponsored by the embassy of the Republic of Turkmenistan in Yerevan.
r
-Text & Photo By Parik Nazarian
in their swimming
suits or undressed only under
blankets. r
-Text by Lusine Zeytunian -Photo courtesy lndividum Research
Iunkmen Mau$olculn in Yeneuar fhe foreigr invaders who have mled Armenia I one after another have left their mark not
a
day, even in the bathroom, which created lots of controversy. But voyeurs were disappointed
Essay
AII llnessed
U lon a $unshine Futune
BY JOHN HUGHES sugary, dyed liquid.
God lives in that sweet face studying her sweet drink that has lost its ability to refresh in an afternoon air that, in May, is already an unwelcomed additional skin. She has eyes that deflne a people she doesn't even know yet, among whom she will grow, smooth skinned and gorgeous, to share an Armenia better than this one, and coming as surely as a smile when ice cream follows the Fanta. She, rosy cheeked and guileless enjoys her drink as [, scarred and reproachable, enjoy mine. Caf6 season is without prejudice. That little girl is Armenia's blessed generation, harvesters of a sweet fruit surely germinating in today's bitter soil. And I envy the inheritance of the five-year old. Her innocently timed birth has put her in this place at this time when she has only to play her days away into a decade or two from now when faded photos in family albums wont begin to tell the history of all she'll take for granted. In her world, stories of the energy crisis of 1992-93 will be tolerated as the exaggerated mythology of old folks. who always confuse suffering with valor. When she is old enough to notice, Ndry Hunanian will still be on trial for the Octob er 27 , 1999 Parliament assassinations, but few will find any link to that historic trauma and the subsequent prosperity that survived his madness.
There will still be corruption in her Armenia, but it will cower in corners of clandestine thug clubs, rather
*
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fhe little one in her pink sun shirt that says, for whatever reason, I "titctr", is investigating the insides of an orange Fanta through the scope of an articulated straw she also uses a bubble machine. It is caf6 season in Yerevan. This is the best time of year and the best place on the planet for being a voyeur - a perversion in many cir-
job requirement in mine. I like to sit here and watch stern-faced men looking about eight months pregnant, follow their bellies to a table, the sip - pinkies out - from dainty demitasse. Or watch girls dressed purely to attract attention, act as if they dont want to be looked at. But this day I am watching Miss Pretty in Pink flnd happiness in a cles. a
than parade as bastardized Democracy in full transparency of an inconsiderate elected. This one, now swinging and singing a child's song with herself as suitable audience, will not be exempt from hardship in the New Armenia. But she will, at least, have choices that might influence destiny, unlike her parents who now have little hope but to submit to fate. Her Armenia is coming. It will not arrive with a CNN clamor of revolution, but, silently, like sunrise. Hers is an Armenia now being shaped by men and women her parents' age and older whose reaction to the present has been to resist escape, to find revenge in hard-earned success. They are starting to merge themselves into the infrastructure of a society they will one day lead. They are bankers and economists and
low-level (but rising) diplomats who are patiently tolerating the unearned reign of their fathers, and all the while establishing credentials that will justify leadership. And when caf6 season comes to that Armenia, I want to be there watching Pink Shirt's children make Fanta bubbles and hear them laugh at the old foreign man talking nonsense about a time they can't possibly imagine...
AIM JUNE
2OO2
0n the
$hell
Reading, Uiewing and Listeniru $uggestions
BY ARA ARZUMANIAN
This Month's Feature:
IrJp#Bln#,H,?}fi I
ffi ltp,,$p,rp0liticsolrheGaspianResion
B. Tauris
0-7432-2283-0
fhe Caspian region has become a major area of study in international affairs and political I science. The authors, University of Southern California professor, R. Hrair Dekmejian and Hovann H. Simonian, a research scholar at the same institution, make clear why: "The Caspian has in the last ten years emerged as the epicenter of conflicting interests in a region where massive geopolitical issues converge with enormous energy resources and dramatic
latent instability." Troubled Waters is an invaluable exposition of the current life and recent history of the Caspian. This region was, until recently, entirely dominated by he Soviet Union. Following the dissolution of that union the region has gone through a great deal of instability and uncertainty marked by mad dashes for oil riches, environmental abuse, ethnic conflicts and geopolitical posturing for strategic advancement. This complex study comes in the form of academic narratives running through the internal and external affairs of five coastal states (whose natural resource the sea is), flve more states comprising an inner circle of interested parlies, nine "outer circle" regional states and a great number of external states as well as non-state interests including NGO's, oil companies and criminal organizations. The annotation of this volume should have done more to explain certain obscure points. Instead manv of the notes are simple references and citations, which sometimes make the narrative hard to follow for the non-academic reader. The $65 cost is likely to restrict further the general consumption of this book.
Uoices ol Anmenian Women Edited by Barbara Mergeurian and Joy Renjilian-Burgy Armen ian lnternational Women s Association
0-8648787-1-2 This is a unioue
I
volume presenting
female voices from the Homeland as well as
the Diaspora. It is mainly a product of the 1997 Second
International Conference of
the Armenian International Women's Association (AIWA); more accurately, howeveq it is a product of the hard and tireless work by Armenian women to maintain Armenian cultural identity, protect Armenian families and advance the
Armenian people. This selection begins with a description of Yerevan's famed monolith, Mayr
Hayrenik (Mother Armenia) - the same statue graces its cover. As the text discusses the various roles of Armenian women throughout the ages it shows how Mayr Hayrenik represents one ideal of the Armenian woman: "She is strong, but feminine; she is muscular, but sensual; with her
head held high, she is proud and determined. She appears purposeful, but one can't help wondering what is going on in her mind. What is she thinking about? What are her dreams? What are her desires?" It seems, in fact, that she is thinking about a great many things; from interracial marriage, to the impact of the Genocide. from how she has been represented in literature to gender roles and coniemporary life. The subject matter varies greatly here and one can learn about a number of things: for example. Armenian women newspaper and magazine editors and publishers in preGenocide Westem Armenia; the role of the Deaconess in the Armenian church; intermarriage; womenh contributions to the
preservation of national identity. It would have been nice to see some more annotation in some of the essays, which seem to make points with little or no support. A further appreciated addition would have been short biographies on the authors.
Ellusion Mystery Abet Music
AM 1001
fhe two young men behind Effusion are I Avo Nersoyan and Rafik Oganyan. who with their third release cultivate a sound as AIM JUNE
2OO2
innovative as it is easy to listen to. It's not a "feel good" album, but it is an album to feel good to. Effusion is pop music, but not necessarily today's pop.
Somehow it seems unaffected by todayb generally oversexed and musically bankrupt industry commodities. This synth and guitar duo (which never really sounds like only two men) is the inevitable resurfacing of musical contributions from 80's pop mainstays such as Depeche Mode and The Pet Shop Boys. Pink Floyd seems to creep in there too but the general feeling is of love and anguish, with strands from today's drum and bass as well. The grainy feel given to the guitar and the synthesizer mixes in the company of intense piano and flavorful bass to which the deep, distant, echoing vocals of the duo add a unifying pall. Though the lyrics leave a bit to be desired, they are true to their pop roots in subject matter. Being promoted by the Armenians in Music and Film Association (AMFA Entertainment), Effusion is musically ready for the world stage. This may even be the beginning of a new pop-music
movement.
r 6t
The Story of a Place in Essays and
I
Text by
JOHN HUGHES Photos by
BRUCE C. STRONG In 56 poignant photographs, 12 essays, and
it
seven poems,
two American journalists rcveal a place that neither can claim as his own, but to which both were drawn for unexpected discovery' In a work of passion that combines journalism and art, is the story of contempofary Armenia, unclouded by preconceived perceptions. Sometimes
it
takes
an outside eye t0 see tbe inside
Hardcover
-144
pages
-13"x11"
Price: $50 Shipping within the US: $10
Additional $5 for Gnada orders Additional $10 for International orders
TO PLACE YOURORDER
story,
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With British Airways, it's never been easier to get to Yerevan. Our service operates three times every week and with all the connections from North America to London Heathrow, there's never been more choice either. For full details, contact your local travel agent, visit our website at www.britishainvays.com or call us on 1-800-AIRWAYS. Services operated by the independenr carrier Brirish Mediterranean Airways Ltd.
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