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ffices of
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CoverStory
Genelating Heat
After awinter of daily power cuts,Armenia is preparing to revive the Medzamor nuclear plant.ls the station a cure for the republic's energy crisis or a catastrophe waiting to hnppen? Plus, an exclusive interview with Armenia' s new energy
minister.
12
SpecialReport
ln the Firing Line
While the Karabakh issue slowly rises up the international agendn, the people of Stepanakert struSsle to survive dnily bombings andprimitive living conditions.
8
Medicine
A Mysterious lllness Thousands of Arme nians around the w orld suffer from a rare and painful disease that torments their lives and has left doctors
puzzled
Ig
Technology
Shrinking the Library Whole collections of great writings can now be stored on a single compact disc and read on personal comput' ers. NM looks at how laser beams and CDs could
transformArmenianlibraries.
24
Heritage
The Past in Pieces Library and Museum of America be gan life inthebasement of achurchand grew into the largest collection of Armenian historical artifacts in the United States. N ow it must overcome a cash crunch to realize its The Armenian
ambitions.
2Z
Page 38
Film
Reel Roots A yearning for home lies at the heart of a controversial film which is helping to revive the credibility of Armenian
cinema.
Page 40 Cover Design:
Page
Vahe Fattal
27
4 5 30
Publisher's Note
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42
From the Publishers
I
h|bllh.dbyAlm, hc. EDIIOB.tXCI{lCF!
Vartan Oskanian
EXECUTIYE EDITOBi Salpi Haroutinian Ghazarian
I
XAOIIIO IDITOF! Rat i Shoubookian (English) IIXAOIXO lDlTORr lshkhan Jinbashian (Armenian) EDITOiIAL cOIltULrAilT3 Minas Koiaian
IDlrOn EIEBITUt:
Charles Nazarian
DInCCTOB OF OPEFITIOIIE: Mtchaet Nahabet
COXIiIEUTIIO EDllOnt: Kevork tmirzian; Ara Kalaydjlan; Haig Keropian; O. Keshishian; H. Sassounian lf,ll. SECflol{ EDIIOB! Josoph Kechichian ABttEDl?OBt
Neory Mslkonian (Santa Fe)
IEDICAL EDIIOB: Vicksn Babikian (Boston) OOlltULf lXO EDITOBT Levon Marashtian
SflFF Un!TEBS:
Tony Halpin, Viken Berborian
A3$sfAf,T EDtfOn: Katherino Chilan OOfafRllUfOB3! Gerard Libaridian, Florenca
Avakian, Moorad Mooradian, Armsn Aroyan, Gilda Kupelian, Linda Kirishjian, Christopher Atamian, YvettsHarpootian, Gerry S. Graber, Micfiasl Mastarciyan, Lola Koundakjian, Susan pdfiie, Taline Vosksritchian CORBESPOI{DEXI8: Washington: Zanku Armenian, Chlcago: Sonia Derman Harlan Detrolt: Simon Payaslian Boston: Arto Payaslian San Franclsco: Janet Samuelian montrcal: Gulizar J. Mardirossian London: Ani Manoukian Paris: Armineh Johannes, Khalchik Kechian Bru$els: Kevork Oskanian Vienna: Sebouh Baghdoyan Amsterdam: Arsâ‚Źn NazarianTokyo: Sonia Katchian Amman:AraVoskian Sydney: Haig Lepedjian Euenos Aires: Sam Sarkissian
lloscow: Tigran Xmalian
YEnEYAII BUBEAU:
rmenia is a nation-state with
distinct identity in a geopolitical neighborhood that is undergoing significant transformation. For a full understanding of Armenia's present experiences and potential future reality, it is imperative that we examine what is happening to and in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran. Armenia's destiny is inextricably intertwined with that of the caucasus and the Middle East. Furthermore, an understanding of events in that part of the world is crucial for a complete picture of changes in the commonwealth of Independent States as well a
Fl
as the
Middle East.
we have always been aware that AIM, as amagazine of information and analysis on Armenia and Armenians, cannot ignore the larger world in which we live. Indeed, we have chosen to articulate this commitment by focusing AIM's intemational section on this geopolitical concem. Staffer Tony Halpin's trip to Armenia and the Caucasus for five weeks at the beginning of this year was a start in that direction. Intemational experts Ronald Suny and Nikola Schahgaldian have and will continue to contribute on Georgia and Azerbaijan. Future reports from Turkey and Iran will reflect on intemal developments as well as intemational relations with implications for the region. Armenia and Armenians are definite players in the global political theater. AIM is committed to actively observing and analyzing the scenarios and actors.
Papken Gadachik (Chiet); Mark
Dadian, Gayane Hambartzoumian, Souren Keghamian,
Gourgsn Khajagian
PIIOTOOnAPIIY: Los Angeles: Michaot Agyan, Kevork Jansezian, Ssn Franclgco: Armen Petrossian, Nsw yotk: Tony Savino, Harry Koundakjian NewJersey: Ardem Aslanian Boston: Lona Sanents, Ari Stamatiou Provldenco: BergeAra Zobian Pafls: Armineh Johannes, Aline ManoukianAmman: Karekin Kefelian Yorevan: Zaven Hachikian, Roupen Mangassarian, Mkhitar Khachatrian Vahe Fattal
AnT DIREC'OR:
CIEAIIYE SEnY!CES: Oicran Kassouny PBODUGTIOII DInECIOB: Vartan Karaoghlantan
DIB_EICTO,R,
CInCULAIIOL DIBECTOB:
Thomas Yerarian K. Sinanian lDIlXlSTBAllVE DIRECTOB! Seta Kouzouian IDYERTISII{G DEP RTTEllfr Ani Stepanian, Victoria Manjikian, Tsoghig Elmastian, Hratch Yerknabetian lYE ASSlSf AIlf r Karine Djenahian COLOB SEPAnATIOil: A & A Graphics, Cariada
IAnfEflllo [A]|ICER! Armenia
lDIltlSTnlf
SUBSCnrPrtOr & ADVEBTISIaO BEPBETETTATIVES!
London Misak Ohanian Room 4, Capital House Market Place, Acton LondonW36OS, England Telephone 01-992-{621
Pada Edik Balaian 5, Bue d'Alembert 92130 lSSYles-MLX, France Telephone rO 95 00 49
Monlreal Gulizar Jonian Mardirossian 2350 Manella Street, #1 15 Montreal, Quebec, H4P 2P4 Telephone 51+735 7301
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ltR.)rptFAt^N
So, that meeting saved us the costs of a computerized matchmaking service. In addition, I found a real Armenian without even
AMERICAN BISTRO
looking for one which, according to your articles, is almost a miracle! Above all, we had a very romantic honeymoon even before getting married. After knowing each other for about 12 years, we got married when our frst child was on his way (so the virginity subject didn't have to be discussed, no operation
V/OPLD HIALTII CUI6INI A
vide
varieLy
of international
health menuo from freoh fish, pn6ta Lc vesetarian disheo.
costs, nothing!).
We got married in the Netherlands (I am Dutch) on the "free day" in my local town hall. We were there with ourtwo witnessesmy best friend and my former landlady. The
I was disturbed to read Mr. Ashot Khachatrian's lower outlook on the enemy, saying "They don't know how to fight, we do." ("The Armenians Fight Back," Cover, January). Saddam Hussein made the same mistake thinking that American soldiers didn't know how to fight. Let us be realis-
tic-yes, it was an injustice to put Karabakh under Azeri rule, but Armenians are not in a position to correct that injustice. According to intemational rules and regulations, the Karabakh issue is considered Azerbaijan's internal problem. In this case, 140,000 Armenians in Karabakh cannot resist much longer against 7 million Azerbaijanis. They have done it so far and I congratulate them for their bravery, but the future is not bright. In case of a massive and bloody Azeri
flowers were picked from her garden. Afterwards, we drankcoffee and cakes atthe most expensive local hotel (total $la). As a wedding present, my best friend gave me the pictures taken on the occasion. A few days later we gave a party for relatives and friends at the home where I used to rent a room. The homemade food and drinks cost $ I 00. Music was provided by friends. The handwritten invitation postcards cost about $25. We had no wedding rings. So, the whole wedding cost about $140. And look at the picturesdon't we look happy for that price? We have been married for hve years. I consider wedding videos to be decadent. I would say, remember your wedding day in your heart where it belongs. Be "present" at
Another idea... In the Netherlands, it is not unusual to ask your wedding guests to donate money to a relief fund, hospital, etc., in lieu of wedding gifts. Wouldn't that be an idea for Armenians in the Diaspora? Would it not be great to donate money to Armenia instead of going to Hawaii for your honeymoon?
conscious
genemtion of today Chef
&rky
Der6houdian
oflero: Drivale 6 Soup clasees in HealtlCookiqg
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Job Opportunity Ttn Armenian Depatment of
"Rdio
fu
Europe"is seeking
Annenianreporters who are willing torelocate to Munich, Gernany, for a
jqb raining period. Cedidales are rEuir€dto be fluent in bottr English and Armenim (eastem di*lec$, and preferahly haveprior expe{une as mdio rcportffs. Women arEsncoumged to apply. We guarantee good working condi-
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of losing our newfound homeland? Let us avoid all kinds of conflicts and get on with economic development kinGoncu N orthridge , California
a
rcsume anda}-3 minute cassette tape of ffreir own recorded voice to:
RFE/RLsINC7
A simple wedding I was amused and shocked by your informative articles on Armenian marriage in the '90s. I met my Armenian husband about
I am looking forward to your promised article onmixed marriages. However, Ican't say the same thing about your upcoming
seven years ago on
article on Armenian divorce. Elize Gregorian Gouda,The Netherlands
a night train from
health
the sacrament itself.
assault, it will be very difficult for Armenia to sit back and watch our brothers and sisters get butchered. But if Armenia gets directly involved, the consequences would be even worse. First,I don'tthinkArmeniacan win a war against Azerbaijan. Second, I don't think Turkey would stay outof this conflict. Since Armenia is ready to accept "half of the loaf if it can't get the whole" C'Karabakh Fever," also Cover), is a 2,000 sq.km. land worth the lives of our brothers and sisters in Karabakh and Armenia? Is it worth the risk
Copenhagen to Stockholm (when we met, I had no idea who or what Armenians were).
flor t]re
AIM, March
1992
Staffing & Training Otfice (RLAR) OettingenstrT6T D68000 Munich 22
Germany
5
Athletes in Albertville?
sure that
I would like to commend you on the
well-
written article, "Springboard to Spain," by Ann Maurer and Katherine Chiljan (Sports, January). I was impressed with the thorough information. It was a delight to find out about Armenian athletes striving for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. However,I would appreciate it if you can provide more coverage onthe 1992 Winter Olympics in your next issue. Are there any
Armenians competing in Albertville, and if there are, will they be represented as part of the Unified Team?
HripsimeTaglyan Glendale
,
California
Notes on "Notes"
What amagnificent revelation it is to discover Rouben Hakhvertian, whose powerful songs,
Nichanian writes, are perhaps "the most beautiful ever written in Armenian."
WhileothershavefollowedBobDylanor Jacques Brel, for years I have been mesmerizedby the songs of British singer/songwriter
extraordinaire Morrissey. His hauntingly moving voice and his passionate, brave and witty lyrics have graced works of enduring beauty. I have always searched for an Armenian songwriterwhocould similarly comment on the human condition and the realities we face with creativity, depth and honesty.
search has always ended in disap-
pointment-until now.
I
am sure many Armenians have been waiting for years, like myself, for someone like Rouben to emerge. Kudos to AIM for innoducing us to the singer. But the only problem in an otherwise excellent article was
that we weren't told how we could buy or orderRouben's recordings. Could you please provide your readers with a source we could contact to do so. We must provide strong support to our creative artists-it is they who nourish and strengthen our sense ofhumanity and dignity.
NazarethJqnsezian San Diego,
is
Roupe
n
H akhv e rtian'
available
s
Caltfurnia
double -cas se tte
knowledge, in time it is possible to achieve all that is needed of him." Raffi Hovanissian undertook his education at UCLA, the Fletcher School of Law
SHMRSON V MHIVINT
and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and
BROTHERS
Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. I believe that Raffi, who is multilingual, is well-prepared. His disadvantage is being young. However, I would like to quote the French saying: "He is young, it is true, but for souls well-bom, the value does not await the numberof years." Levon K. Topouzian, M.D. As st. P rof., N orthwe ste rn U niv e r sity
Armenia couerage ln general, I am very content of
Jeunesse oblige... In your December interview column, ex-prime minister
of
Armenia Vazgen
Manoukian speaks about the new foreign minister, Raffi Hovanissian, and states that "he understands whatdiplomacy is but is not
ONE COMMERCIAL PLAZA 25TII FLOOR HARTFORD, CTO6IOS
2032402400 800 842 8450CT 800 243 3154 USA
v
pleased with the AIM and I always wait eagerly for
the next magazine. However,
I was very
disappointed recently with the short coverage of the Armenian national referendum, the historic independence and the presidential election. I would like to read more about who and how many countries recognized our tiny nation as an independent and free country and whatimmediate assistance was given to our people. This will certainly enlighten and inform the readers.
Thank you for your good work. Maher Chatoyan St-Laurent, Quebec
Political parties I would gladly buy two gift subscriptions as soon as you feature the remaining diasporan
political organizations. I still have faith that you will succeed in yourquestto remain an independentvoice in our community. I do not want to see that prejudiced by your providing greater coverage for groups who, for their own unsound and vacuous reasons, attempt to
fiRA BUN I I s.v.e.a.
I
ARA RUN, a diamond dealer in ANTWERPEN, member of
"Beurse voor Diamanthandel" and "Diamant Club", takes his customers to the bourse, provides exDert advice and guidenbe on seleciing dramonds.
Customers buy most advanta-
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tilt the bal-
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Since you have chosen to expose their fallacies, preferential treatrnent is unnecessary. Avoid the temptation.
in the United States at
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Chicago,lllinois
ofexcitement I felt after reading Marc Nichanian's "Notes From the Underground" (Music, January). I cannot overstate the sense
My
Raffi knows all that." He knows that
"Raffi is an intelligent and honest man and that even though one may have limited
,f;;?"i,:y::;ffi The series on the political parties
will re-
sume in afew months.
o..li'
clLCleofic I Gdlt'8006t&t3cr
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1992
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Fill up utitb ARCO's new EC-Premium UnleadedP
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SPECIAL REPORT
Life During Wartime People pass the time nervously smoking cigarettes made of newspaper and dried mulberry leaves. The schools and factories are
By TOIIY HALPlll Râ‚Źporllng lrom Slâ‚Źpamked, KaEb.kh
ometimes at night the only sounds come from the missiles crashing into darkened buildings. They ar-
rive without waming-a
Every pregnant woman must bring water,
lrewood and food to the hospital when she goes into labor. Often the staff deliver the
sudden
whooshing noise, then a loud bang as they hit a target, any target. Apartments, schools, banks, a hospitalall have been damaged or destroyed in the indiscriminate terror of the Alazar, rockets, fred daily on Stepanakert from the Azerbaijani stronghold of Shusha, six miles away.
empty and silent, the shops all closed; Stepanakert is a society without use for money, except to buy black-market fuel at 200rubles a tanlfiil fromRussian soldiers in the local army camp.
"Children have really forgotten what chocolate is," said Svetlana Grigorian, a 40year-old mother of four. "Not only choco-
babies by candlelight. "We are really tired and we need help," said Dr. Melora Markarialr, the senior physician. Bandages, drugs, even clean sheets are in critically short supply. A primitive birthing chair stands in anothercomer of the ward-but this one is used forabortions, which have increased dramatically since the outbreak ofhostilities.
"In 1988, we were doing four or five abortions a day; now it is 20 a day," said Dr. Markarian. "They don't want to give birth in such a situation."
At the main Mikhail Asyrian Hospital, conditions are equally dire. All but the ground floor has been abandoned for patients be-
Some days just a few are launched, on others they rain
down constantly. On a single weekend last month, more than
300 missiles and shells hit the capital city, killing seven people and wounding 16, in the worst bombardment of the conflict so far.
People in Stepanakert joke grimly that the Alazans keep the snow away. A milder winter is about the only relief from the growing hardships they endure. Stepanakert has been without electricity since November, there is no fuel for cars, and food supplies are running low. Flour, which arrives by helicopter from
Armenia, is rationed by .the Karabakh authorities at one kilo peradult a month. "The situation is nearing ca-
tastrophe," said
Arthur
Mkrtchian, chairman of the Supreme Council of the republic of Nagomo-Karabakh, proclaimed after the recent elections in December. "Thecity itself, the whole republic of Nagomo-Karabakh
were cut off from the outside
Anahid, 20, holds her son, born a month belore she lost part of her arm when a misslle crashed lnto her home. She is plctured in a basament bomb shelter, where many ol her neighbors saw in the New Year.
world and are actually under military siege. "We may face the real prospect of the world being unaware of what is happening in Karabakh when the worst occurs." Homes have gas for cooking but no runiring water; so, early each moming, women and children line up forhours at stand pipes in the street, just to collect enough for their needs that day. Apartrnents are without light or heating, and families sleep huddled together at night in basements, in fear of mis-
talwasbombed. A makeshift delivery room occupies one comer of the basement, and seven newbom infants lie in cots at the other end. Nextdoor, their mothers rest in an unheated room with
sile attacks.
the windows blacked out against air attack.
late. They don't see butter and we have had no milk since October." Babies in Stepanakert arrive into the world
cause
in the former basement canteen of the Supreme Council building, where the maternity wards were moved afterthe main hospi-
and without electricity. "The hospital has been hit many times," said Movsesian. "We feel we are operating in
AIM, March 1992
of the missiles, and surgeons Sergei Movsesian, 31, and Vladimir Moussaelian, 35, often perform operations underoil lamps
a war zone. The operating
room is upstairs, but it is dangerous to work there. We have been conducting operations when the rockets have attacked."
Almost all the patients trcated at the hospital have been injured in the fighting or by
AIM, March
1992
the bombs. But there is another, quieterthreat.
enclave is fighting for its own independence.
On street corners all over
Evidence on the ground in Stepanakert suggests they are right-among those interviewed for this article, nobody pretended
Stepanakert, mounds of rotting trash are building up because there is no fuel for trucks to carry them out of the city. The water supply and unsanitary living conditions also provoke concems. "People live in their basements, so there is a fear of disease in the city," said
that Karabakh Armenians wanted to do anything but rejoin Armenia. lndependence from Azerbaijan was seen as an interim step towards that union.
"To join Armenia is the final aim of
"But it doesn't mean we will break our relations with Azerbaijan. We will try to develop economic and political relations
with
them." "Our only aim is to remain Armenians," added filmmaker Suren Aserian. "That was ouraim for70 years in the Soviet Union. Our parents gave us this land and we should keep it to give to our children." Militarily, a sort of deadly equi-
librium has been achieved in the region. Armenian fighters, their numbers clearly swelled by volunteers from Armenia, have had successes in retaking Azeri-occupied villages, and at present appear ca-
pable of defending them against attacks. Russian troops are selling guns
to both sides, with Kalashnikov rifles costing 15,000 rubles each. Weapons are also arriving by helicopter from Armenia, though their origin is obscure. Yazgen Sargsian, Armenia's defense minister, makes little effort tohide his support forthe Karabakh struggle. "We have to defend the
safety of Karabakh's borders and the population by all means-this is my mission," he said. Asked if there are troops under his control in the region, he replied: "Yes. The
soldiers who are now fighting in Karabakh are natives of Karabakh who have been relocated to the re-
gion.
"If the world community does not protect the population of
Moussaelian. It is a concern shared by Mkrtchian, who worries about an epidemic when the weather becomes
Karabakh, Armenia and its govemment are it," he added. "I think there is no needtohide it, sincethe Karabakh struggle is a struggle for self-determination and surready to do
warmer_
Yet, despite the apparent hopelesstheirposition, a general mood of defiant cheerfulness permeates daily
vival." Politically, there are signs of a rift between the new leadership in Karabakh and
ness of
life. "We have no choice but to
be
optimistic," said Nelly Orbelian, 35, who worked at the electricity station when it was working. "We are cheerful because the world now knows about Karabakh, and it has come to the attention of the democratic countries." Certainly, the profile of the crisis is increasing in intemational circles. The visit last month of United States Secretary of State James Baker to Armenia and Azerbaijan, and his call for a peaceful solution, Iran's recent offer to mediate between the two sides, and Armenia's request
to the United Nations Security Council to consider the issue, all suggest that Karabakh is rising in world attention. The Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe also sent an observer mission last month. The concentration on the two republics,
and not Karabakh, also indicates that few intemational diplomats take seriously the claim of Armenia and Karabakh that the
l0
Armenian President lrvon Ter-Petrosyan's administration. Officials in Karabakh maintain a discreet silence when asked if they have good relations with Yerevan, and it is
generally known that Mkrtchian was not
Doctors Sergei Movsesian and Vladimir Mousaelian, and operating sister Gulnara Yaramishian perlorm surgery in the operating room at the main hospital, despite the threat of missale attacks, which destroyed a nearby patients wing (top)
Karabakh," acknowledged Maksim Danielian, a former mayor of Stepanakert. "But it should be achieved in stages. Ifdemocracy wins in the republics of the former Soviet Union, the joining of Karabakh to Armeniawillnotbe abig problem. These are the rights of self-determination of nations.
AIM, March
1992
Ter-Pefiosyan's favored candidate. Whether these differences become more apparent in the future partly depends on what diplomatic possibilities emerge if international pressure for a solution grows. For now, the people on the ground seem determined to carry on with their lives. But there is a sense, too, that in this instance, time may really be running out. "We are dying here," said Aserian. "We
will never leave Karabakh, but does
the
world know what conditions we are living under?" Dr. Markarian put their choice in starker terms. "This is our land. We want to live on our land, but if we cannot, then we will die on
it."
I
ous concems about safety, not only in the public mind but among those responsible for operating the plant.
A promised referendum on the future of Medzamor has been canceled once, andthere arepopularsuspicions thatit will notbe held at all, though govemment officials deny this. Meanwhile, work has begun on refitting the plant to begin operation again in November, with full capacity in both reactors by 1994. AIM was the first foreign publication ever permitted to enter the Medzamor complex. The battered and rusting perimeter gates bear testarnent to the years of neglect. At the entrance hall of the main building, two policemen sit by radiation detectors and security devices which appearbroken and obsolete. Inside, the plant's vice-director, Edwin Sargisian, and the state atomic inspector, Vilem Arzoumanian, greet us in a freezing office without power. Nearby, in the main reactor building, staff were
monitoring the cooled nuclear core and reluctantly preparing to revive the station. Nobody interviewed at the plant was happy at the prospect of reopening Medzamor, though they believedArmeniahas little choice if it is to overcome the energy shortages.
Sargisian explained that the reactor had been condemned as unsafe even before the 1988 earthquake prompted officials to shut it down. The station not only did not meet seismic safety requirements but also failed to satisfy Soviet rules introduce d n 197 4, afterthe plant was built. "The earthquake was thecatalyst," said Sargisian. Thefirstreactor was closed on February 25,1989, and the second a month later, on
March 18. Arzoumanian, who supervised the construction of the plant in the
early 1970s and was Medzamor's lrst chief engineer, said he and his colleagues had demanded that the station be upgraded in accordance with the new regulations. "Later, it was discovered that reconstruction would cost approximately 450 million rubles and take eight to l0 years," he said. "After
that, the station would only have a working capacity of four or five years." "Since 1974 and the introduction of the new standards, I have been stnrggling for shutdown. tn principle, I am against the reopening of the station, but Armenia is now forced to use this source." The Yerevanparliament has allocated 800million rubles this year to bring the station back to working order. But neither Sargisian nor Arzoumanian are under any illusions that this sum is sufficient to achieve adequate safety standards. The specter of Chemobyl stalks
theirthoughts.
"Of course, in these three years the station's safety level has greatly decreased-it could not increase," observed Arzoumanian. "The personnel and management don't aspire to reach an absolute level of safety, which is probably unattainable. "But they will try to do their best. Everything depends on the personnel and their assistants to prevent a global catastrophe." The money would help to improve standards, "but it will by no means reach the standards of safety,"he said. Arzoumanian estimates that $15 million will be needed to buy the necessary equipment to achieve Westem safety standards-a huge sum for today's wrecked economy. Sargisian hopes safety levels can be improved gradually during
the plant's operation. "The atomic plant is not the last word in technology. But there are certain safety parameters which must be attained and we will do our utmost to attain them." Butdo they fearan accident? "No one can give guarantees against global disaster," wamed Sargisian. "But, realizing that, the personnel should do everything to prevent it. "After the Chemobyl disaster, it is everyone's duty to prevent
anothercalamity." French nuclear experts had visited Medzamor and were satisfied with the training and abilities of the personnel, he said. Lord Marshall, former chairman of Britain's electricity industry and president of the lntemational Association of Atomic Engineers, had also visited the plant in December and expressed a willingness to help.
Arzoumanian pointed out Chemobyl was of a different design than Medzamor, and an explosion there ought to have been very
difficult. "Certainly, it is much easier to explode this one," he said with a wave ofhis hand. "It has lots ofpipes; ifeven one ofthem explodes, the reactor
will collapse."
choice, would they open the plant? Sargisian shakes his head and Arzoumanian answers "no" with another forceful swipe of his hand. "Since Armenia doesn't have an altemative, we are just forced to use it," said Sargisian. "It is notjust a question ofhouses and heating
Given
a
but of the factories that have stopped. The objective reality of the situation has made us work for its reopening. "But when our contacts and ties with abroad strengthen and there is a possibility of importing organic fuel from Iran, Iraq or Turkey, then there should be a complete shutdown of the atomic power station." Arzoumanian said they believed "in principle" that Armenia ought to possess atomic power, "but it should be maintained and correspond to world standards." He gave a guided tour of the station, pointing to the flat iron-andzinc roof of the reactor hall and describing it "like a cardboard box." While the reactor itself has a concrete bed around its lower hali the concrete dome so familiar in Westem models is absent here. "This is a Russian design of the 1960s and for Russia, which has lots of land, this open style has been alright. If a power station explodes, it is not a problem for Russia to move one million people," he said.
"The same is not true in Armenia. I have always been against this type ofdesign being used here." In the cenfal control room, duty officer Azat Hambardzoumian oil bumer for warmth. In the background, a slow, regular clicking noise indicated that the reactor and his staff were huddling around an
core remained cool and normal. With its banks of dials and lights, the control room looks like the set of some '50s sci-fi series. But it is here that the nuclear fuel is kept under control, and here where the power station will be resurrected.
Even though Medzamor provides employment
for
Hambardzoumian and 1,500 other people, the duty officer cannot hide his anxiety over the work in which he is now engaged.
"I personally feel fear waiting for the reopening of the station," he admits. "I can't say with certainty whether I will work here if it is reopened, but in principle I am against reopening." Yet, like an iresist-
ible force pulling the republic into its grip, Medzamor is slowly being reopened. No one
admits to liking it, but they ask grimly what choice the country has.
Itiseasytocondemn
the activation
of
Medzamor when your
light works and your home is warm and your
factory is not idle. But
when civilization is breaking down around you, what appears first as a monstercan come to look like a savior. Is this a rash judgment or one rooted in reality? If a referendum finally takes place, the people of Armenia will have their chance to decide. They may still preferthe possibility of anotherharsh winterto the deadlier risk of nuclear disaster. But unless a stable altemative emerges soon, they may choose to sell their souls toMedzamor-and hope they do not lose the gamble.
AIM, March
I
1992
AQuestion of Power
The aim is to get through the winter-until the middle of March, frankly it is a system that is fed hand to mouth. There is no way we can plan. Our fuel input comes from mainly two avenues, one is the pipeline through Azerbaijan and the other is a pipeline through and
Georgia. The situation in Azerbaijan is clear-they shut the gas pipeline at will. Recently we began having difficulties with Georgia because of the unrest there, and our pipeline has been hampered in terms of the full flow of oil.
What will you do to avoid the same situation next winter? By TONY HALPTN Roporllng lrom Yerevan
ebouh Tashjian is the newly appointedMinister
of Energy in Armenia. Bom in
Jerusalem in lived in the United States since I 95 6 and is a graduate of the University of Southem California. He has worked as an engineer and specialist in business management forthe Southem Califomia Edison power company for 20 years, and took a year's leave of absence from Edison to become energy minister. I 936, he has
Alt: Whyweret/ou
appointed energy ministet?
TASH.llAl{: I have
been coming here for two years to firy to help them with a long-term energy plan for Armenia. I was dealing with a lot of govemment people and they have been asking me for a yearif I would become minister. I was frankly hesitant for a long time, but when Armenia became independent I accepted the
There are three fronts. The first is political: to be able to deal with other republics and neighboring countries, including Iran, Iraq and Turkey, to find political dialogue with these people, either to help us increase the volume of fuel that comes in or in some cases to import elecricity. We don't have pipelines with Iraq and Iran, so those are long-term projects-frst we have to have an understanding, then create a pipeline.
However, with Turkey we have built an electricity transmission line, which was completed in 1988 and which is ready to transport elecnicity. If we find a way to convince Turkey that we are in need of electricity, and they go along wittr it, the technology and structure is there to fiansport energy. The second front is technological. We have to pay more aftention to altemative energy sources. We have to find ways and means to
introduce inameaningful way whd and solarenergy andmake useof underground thermal energy. We have to balance the possibility of opening the nuclear power plant with the risks associated with it. Once we have cut the risks, we should really put the reactors back on line. Each is 400 megawatts. If we open one of them, it would take 50 percent of our problem
away.
challenge. The real way I came across this whole thing was in April 1989. Thethen-vicepresident
of the Soviet republic, Rafael Ghazarian, came over [to the United States] and he was interested in energy. showed him altemative energy [sources] in the United States. We created an energy committee in tos Angeles completely
I
dedicated to find ways and means to help Armenia, and I became chairman of that committee. I think this is now my eighth visit here.
Describe the scale of the problem
We are producing 50 percent of what the country needs today. The country needs about 2,000 megawatts of electricity and we are able to generate I ,000 to 1,200 mw. The reason we are not able to generate full capacity is that we don't have fuel to bum. The basic fuel for generation of elecricity is gas and oil. Right now we'rereceiving 50percentof the gas thatwe need and wereceive alittle over 60 percent of the oil that we bum. The result is that people have no heat because there is no gas, and we have to ration electricity very carefully. Those that get hrst call are bakeries, hospitals, and govemment and defense concems. Whatever is left is rationed on a rotating basis through the households.
isthat done?
We have compartrnentalized the country into eight regions. Yerevan has four of them and one sector goes down at a time. Sometimes morethan one goes down. We have createdan emergency committee that meets every night at 7 p.m. and decides who needs what in terms of energy. The committee is mostly chaired by the Prime Minister himself--the situation is so drastic that it requires the attention of the Prime Minister. The 15 people on the committee are from the ministries of energy, transport, agriculture and railroads. All of the ministers are there; it is a highJevel session.
l4
we activate both of them, it would
a par with the world economy-the price of energy may jump by, say, 100-fold for the consumer. Today, therublehas lost itsmeaning in terms of world financial commodities.
you face.
How
If
completely eliminate our problem. The third front is economic. We have to find ways toconvinceforeigncompanies and people with economic interests to come and find opportunities here to invest their resources in energy generation. We have to find ways whereby they can make a profit out of it, to get someone to come here and build a power plant and sell the energy to the government. We still have a problem because the revenues are noton
You talked about roopening the nuelear power plant
at fedzamor. But there
ane many, including those there, who say tedzamor is too dangetous to reopen. lrt's separatethree factors in therealm of atomic energy. First, the
who
wot
emotional issue. People have resistance toanythingthathas todo with nuclear energy and there are good reasons for that. That has to do with education and people believing what they are told. The second is technology-producing energy from nuclear fuel. The power station has the technology because it has generated energy for l0years. The thirdaspectis safety. With the way theybuilt itatthe time, the power station met the safety requirements of the time. For whatever reasons, ,ls you go west, safety requirements become more prominent. In Germany and France they have safety requirements significantly more stringent than the Soviets. In America they are more stringent still. Safety is also a relative issue, but there are minimum safety requirements that we must meet, particularly on the issue of seismology, so that in theeventof anearthquakethe plant will not fall apart. Second, in the event of a significant incident, we must ensure that the plant can absorb the energy that is released. We have been working for 18 months to make sure we can understand seismic
AIM, March
1992
activity and the highest level that has registered in this region, so that the plantmeets safety standards foran incident that would be likely to happen. In any discussion of safety there is an issue of probability. There are no l(X}'percent safeguards, but the probability becomes beyond the realm of reality-ttris is what we have to educate the people about. On the questionof containing emissions, everything is designedfora given pressure and temperature. The Soviet type [of plant] is a lowpressure reactor, the ones in the United States and France are high-
prcssure rcactors. The philosophy is that if you have a low-pressure reactor, it will not cause damage to the building because the prcssure is low. If it is higher, you need a sfronger building to contain it. The reason Soviet technology does not have a concrete containment dome as we know it is because
right now; to sit down and do any planning is a liule premature. I expectthis emergency mode tobe in operation at leastuntil Marchthe emergency situation will not go away but people will be a little warmer because the weather will help them. My personal goal is to make sure that this situation does not repeat itself next winter. If I achieve that, then I will have achieved what I would like to achieve for my country. If I can provide useful senrrice, then I will stay here as long as ittakes. Butifthings areestablished, itis timetogive it to a local person. Another objective I have is to groom a couple of
they operate at low pressure.
There is some doubt wlrether the prcmised relerondum on reopcn. ing the nuelear plant will take place. What's your view? There was supposed to be areferendum in the October elections, but for whatever reason they put it back. The purpose of the referendum was for people to say whether they wanted an atomic station ornot.I have a little dfficulty with ttrat. What if they say they want it but il is not safe? What if they don't want it but it is safe? It is a little hard for people uneducated on nuclear energy to pass a vote on it. It is more encumbent on us as members
of
the govemment to find out what is right or wrong and then educate the people on a factual basis, ratherthan letthepeopledecide on emotional grounds. It appears to me that it wouldbemoremeaningful ifthe govemment looked into it, then tookadecision toprovide thepublic with informationon it.Ifthey then want to hold a referendum on an informed basis, that's fine.
What eractly are your responsi. bilities as onergy ministef There has never been a minister of energy for Armenia. I would include in it [the ministryl the generation of electricity, the supply and distribution of gas, and a department of
technology and science which would be mostly interested in renewable technologies, the environment, and engineering design. It would have as a separate entity the atomic power station, because it deserves special
attention. Also, a construction arm, and a planning and economic section whose purpose would be to look five, 10, 20 years from now and say whetherwe need anotherpower plant, and do long-term planning, working with outside entities. The bottom line is that Sebouh Tashjian, Armenla,s Ministerol Energy the Ministry of Energy's existence is to provide electricity and heating to homes, businesses and production people to a Westem mentality. establishments to make sure that the economy and the productivity of There are two things we have to do immediately for next year: the country is preserved and the quality of life is comparable to Either convince our present sources that we need more fuel, or go to civilized countries. neighboring countries which have transmission lines and come to an agreement with them. If we can find a deal with Turkey to get How areyoufinding tTour new post? electricity for December, January and February [every year], then we It was much more severe than I expected. We me in reaction mode
will
be in good shape.
AIM, March 1992
Potential and Solutions By IIARK
SpecialtoAlM
CllElllAN
he Republic of Armenia relies on water as its only energy resource. It has an estimated potential of 21 .8 billion kilowatt-hours, of which 6
billion kwh can be used efficiently. Energy consumption, three quarters of which is nonresidential, has grown steadily along with the republic's economy. The organization of the energy industry is complex, with conflicting or overlapping jurisdictions. Over 35,000 people, almost I percent of the total population of the republic work for the industry, which was organized primarily under branches of eight Moscow-based agencies, specialized according to fuel type.
which started in 1965, grew from 400 mw to 1900 mw in 1980. Nuclear capacity installed in the late '70s stood at 815 mw in 1990. Non-hydro-renewable energy capacity (from wind, solar orbiomass) is less than a fraction ofone percent. The electricity supply industry in the Soviet Union was managed by the Ministry of Power and Electricity. The power systems of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan were a component part of the interconnected power system of the Transcaucasus--one of over 100 regional power systems. The Armenian power system consists primarily of three types of powerstations-hydroelectric, thermal andnuclear. The system with a 35 million kw capacity generated 10.9 billion kwh of electricity in 1980, l2 billion kwh in 1985 and 11.3 billion kwh in 1990. Priorto 1960, alarge numberof small hydroelectric stations were built, taking advantage of Armenia's water potential. However, intenseuseof the waters of Lake Sevanresultedin a l9-meterdropin its water level. A 48.6-km-long tunnel was built from the Arpa River to Sevan to replenish the lake's water. The drop and its adverse affect on the ecology triggered a shift to thermal powerstations. This new conceptcreated strong dependency on imponed fuel (oil and gas) from other republics.
Environment and safety Historically, the energy sector has been a major conffibutor to environmental and safety problems, most notably poor air qualiry, extensive waterpollution, the spoiling of useful lands, and acid rain. The failure to achieve even relatively low-cost efficiency improvements, not only in electricity generation but more importantly in electricity end-uses, has exacerbated the already severe environmental problems related to electricity generation. Fossil-fueled electricity generation accounts for l5 percent ofall air pollutants or about twothirds of those from the fuel-energy complex.
Solutions and opportunities
Armenia's power system The electric power system of Armenia has played an important role in the development of industry and agriculture in the republic. The installed electric generation capacity is 3500 megawatts, unchanged since 1980. Hydroelectric capacity grew from 200 mw in 1940 to 750 mw in 1960 to ll00 mw in 1980. Thermal capacity,
Energy is such a crucial factor ofindustrial production that any measure short of immediate and complete liberalization of utility prices would detract and frustrate the more general price and industrial reforms. For the energy sector, complete privatization and demonopolization need not be prerequisites for reform. Privatization could follow a period ofrelatively independent operation under state
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AIM, March 1992
ownership, during which reliable valuation of their concems and assets-accordingly, effi cient resource allocations---could be made. Foreign capital investment and managerial efficiency are, thus, both vital benefits and could be expected from joint ventures and agreements. Changes in energy-related industries must come at several levels in order to achieve gradual decentralization and to inffoduce some measure of competition, efficient pricing and proper incentives. These reforms can only be affected in an environment that presupposes reforms in other sectors, including the legal infrastrucfure and ownership of resources.
There could be additional opportunity for the development of economically exploitable hydropower. A reservoir below Sevan could collect water used to generate electricity and pump it back into the lake during low electricity demand hours. This would help preserve both the water level and the ambient ecology. Hydroelectric and other renewable energy sources offer substan-
cently built pipelines entering Armenia from the north transport Russian gas through Georgia. This gas is distributed to the Kirovakan area and other parts ofthe earthquake-devastated region . The pipeline from the east has fallen victim to an Azerbaijani blockade. Facing this chaotic situation, Armenia has no choice but to look
west and south for other sources of energy. The only option immediately available is to receive electricity from Turkey, transmitting power through existing lines, reversing the flow of the 1980s when Armenia's excess electricity was being sold to Turkey. Today, Armenia is not in a position to buy needed electricity with hard currency. Therefore, it needs help from the world community to persuade Turkey toprovide energy ashumanitarian aidduring winter months. [n return, the republic may be able to repay in kind, at discount, during the warmer months when the need for electricity is substantially decreased and Armenia's capacity for production, increased.
tial possibilities for generating electricity, according
to Kenell Touryan, who
represents
Armenia's
Ministry of Energy in the United States. A series of
minihydro stations ranging in size from 200kW to 26.5 MW could produce up to 300MW of power, while wind turbines and solarenergy could add another 300 MW. Together, these three resources have the potential toproduce the equivalent of 75Vo of the
power generated by the Medzamor nuclear plant, he said.
The
ARUENIA'*
last phase of
Armenia's power system
XXTXRNAT QSUReXS
began with the consftuc-
tion of
a nuclear power
station. But following the Chemobyl accident and the earthquake, use of nuclear power as an energy source underwent intensive scrutiny. The Soviet-designed reactor's safety has been the subject of much controversy. There is considerable urgency in resolving public concerns about the safety of operating nuclear plants. Regulatory approaches employed in the West and the development of legal guidelines to underpin safety will help fosterpublic confidence. Armenia's Medzamor nuclear plant can be saved with some backfitting, according to Jacques Panossian, senior vice president and technical advisor for Intemational Nuclear Operations of Framatome, headquartered in Paris, France. Costly backfits can be avoided by changing the plant's operational parameters such as temperature, pressure or power, he says. The cost could reach $100 million with $25 million for local labor, $25 million for Western involvement in technical missions, inspection and training, $15 million for equipment, $20 millionforfuel, andthe balance forcontingencies. Medzamor can begin operation in 18 months, according to Panossian.
EF FSS'TN Exlatlngoilplpeilna
-------$
PosaibleoilPlpellne Exlsrlng gas plpallnet Posolblegaspipetlnes
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AIM Map / D.K
The Armenian government is studying long{erm options to transport fuel from the well-known supplies in the Middle East, initially perhaps by rail-an expensive medium, eventually by pipelines, at an average cost of $l million per mile. To achieve any of these options, Armenia needs to engage in international negotiations with its neighbors Turkey and Iran, as well as other suppliers. The United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank can play a vital role in feasibility studies, project development, financing and atftacting major corporate involvement.
"Armenia's landlocked position has become an obsession for many Armenians. The hardest thing will be to get through the next two orthree years," commented Pierre Terzian, president of the Parisbased consulting firm Petrostrategies. ' But, with a little imagination
The Middle East Within a radius of
and an active diplomatic corps, Armenia should be able to find solutions to its energy problems."
Arabia, to Kuwait, Iraq and Iran, to neighboring Azerbaijan and nearby Turkmenia and Russia, one finds significant reserves. Re-
Ma* Chenian is director of the Los Angeles-based Mach Capitet lntemetional and an economlc consultant to Armenia's Minlstry of Energy
1,000 kms around Armenia lie some of the world's richest reserves of oil and gas. From as far south as Saudi
AIM, March
1992
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MEDICINE
A Matterof Gene F amilial M editerranean F ever Affiicts Thousands World,vide; Most Moy Not Even Know It
Speclal to
disorderfor l0yeanwithoutaclueastowhat
avoid three conditions: getting angry or stressed, catching a cold, and eating fried
By LISETTE B. POOLE Alll
foods. If I am careful on all counts, I may get
by having only one or two attacks a year. housands of Armenians worldwide
suffer from a painful, rare, genetic disorderthatcan throw theirlife into chaos. Physicians in five countries are tying to leam more about it. Other ethnic groups originating from the eastern Mediterranean are also affected: Sephardic Jews, Italians, Greeks, Arabs and Turks.
Armenian-American physicians who have visited hospitals in Armeniareport there are at least 4,000 recorded cases and up to
10,000 possible ones there. In ttre United States, 3,000 Armenians are estimated to suffer from this disorder, according to officials at the National Institute of Health (NIH)
Across the country, in Staten Island, New a tâ‚Źenager is the only member of her immediate family to sufferfrom FMF. Jenniferl. Asbedian, I 8, has struggled with this
York,
When I was not aware of these factors,I was sick almost every two weeks,"he says. The attacks bring havoc to a patient's daily life. Explains Karaoghlanian: "When you must keep business appointments, it is very frustrafing to be sick. My whole schedule is thrown off. I must reorganize myself constantly," he complains. "The problem is compounded by the lack of knowledge and understanding on the part of employers. I know people whohave been laidoffbecause they missed too many work days, not by
caused the atrocious pains. She consulted numerous specialists who recommended treafrnents-with no results. "Once, when we rushed her to the emergency room in the middle of the night, doctors wanted to perform exploratory surgery to possibly remove her appendix," says her father, Kegham Asbedian. "Since they did not know what exactly was wrong, my wife and I preferred to wait and be sure of the problem before consenting to let her be cut
open." Because there is no test diagnostic ofthe disorder and because FMF symptoms can be similarto those of appendicitis orpancrcatitis, physicians not suspecting this uncommon disease are led to recommend unnecessary
abdominal surgery, as it happened in Jennifer's case. The diagnosis of FMF re-
in Bethesda, Maryland.
The disorder is known as the Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF), but Armenians, who number most among its victims, also refer to it as "Armenian Disease." Medical circles more prosaically call it periodic malaise or familial paroxysmal polyserositis. It usually has its onset in the frst two decades of life, and is characterized by recurrent attacks of incapacitating pain of the abdomen, chest or joints lasting 24 to 48 hours. Fever, nausea and rash are frequently present as well. Patients usually feel well between attacks. Although these symptoms are seldom fatal, chronic FMFhas been associated with amyloidosis, a serious condition that can damage the heart and kidneys and lead to renal failure.
Vartan Karaoghlanian, 37, of Glendale, Califomia, has suffered from FMF since childhood. A native of Amman, Jordan, he had chest pains from age three to seven. For 12 years the symptoms disappeared; then, at 19, he suffered abdominal pains, which continue to plague him periodically. His four-year-old son Armen is showing some symptoms, but daughterArmin6e seems fine so far, says Karaoghlanian, an electrical engineer by profession. "[n my case, the attacks start in a form
of
nausea. I am hungry, but don't feel like eating. This lasts about I 0 to I 2 hours. I feel I need to go to bed. Then pain starts in the lower part of my stomach. I feel my innards are tearing apart. The searing pain comes in spasms, and creeps up my back and shoulders. My temperature peaks at 39 degrees C (102.29;24 hours later it gradually diminishes. "Because I have had it for so long, I have studiedmyself.I have foundthatl must
The Asbedian family: Kenneth and Andrea with daughters Katherine, 1s, and FMF victim Jennifer, 18
choice, but because they were sick."
Fear of next
attack
Even on Karaoghlanian's wedding day, FMF was a serious concem, he says humorously. "When I made arrangements for my wedding a month in advance, I prayed hard during all that time that I would not shame myself by leaving my bride atthe alteralone! It worked!" he recalls. "I and many like me always live in the fear ofthe next attack. It comes so unexpect-
edly!"
AIM, March
lD2
mains clinical, and is based on the patient's symptoms at the time of presentation, the family history and ethnic background. The treatrnent is medical supervision, because it can have significant side effects.
"Nobody could make sense
of
our
daughter's problem," recalls Mr. Asbedian, a psychologist. "For weeks she was fine, then suddenly she was sick for a few days. Whatever it was, it disappeared again. There was even a time we thought she was making this up in order to miss school!" At the behest of a physician, they went to
t9
toidattack. Medical literature indicates that during an arack, white blood cells release an enzyme that nestles in abdominal, chest or joint linings, causing an inflammation. Sharp pain in ttre affected arca, a fever that ranges from 38 degrees C (100.4 F) to 40 degrees C ( I M F), penpiration and chills set in. Some 48 to 72
houn
later, the symptoms diminish and disappear. The white blood cell count, which rises to 12,000/cu. mm andsometimesevento
I
8,000, drops
toitsnormal 10,000. This is perplexing to physicians and researchers, because normally white bloodcells increase when the body believes it is being infected, they say. tn FMF patients, it seems like a false alarm. Dr. Haroutune Annenian, the Johns
Dr. Vazken D,er Kaloustian, Montreal
Hopkins University
Chlldren's Hospital
a gastroenterologist, who happened to be of Jewish origin. He was familiar with FMF, having seenitinlsrael, whereresearch isalso being conducted. He recommended contacting the National tnstitute of Health. After several examinations and tests, Jennifer was diagnosed as having FMF. "She was given a medication, is taking it when necessary, and is much better now," her father says. "It is a big relief to us, indeed, a blessing. No more mad dashes to the emergency room. No more excruciating pain and frustration at being unable to help her. If only we had known about this sooner!" Neither Mr. Asbedian nor his wife suffer from FMF. Nor does their younger daughter. Both parents are of Armenian descent, one bom in Cuba the other in Virginia. They can not trace their medical heredity because many of their ancestors perished in the 19 l5 mas-
sacres in eastern
Turkey.
and skin disease, Dr. Kastner says FMF piqued his curiosity six years ago when he saw a young Armenian woman suffering from arthritis in one or two joints at a time. By chance, he mentioned the case to a colleague of Israeli origin, who recognized a similarity in ttrc symptoms tothose affecting a Sephardic Jewish patient. They both had FMF, Kastnernotes. The cause ofthe disease is yet unknown. It is suspected ttrat FMF is hereditary. Although a gene responsible for FMF has not been identifred, independent studies by sev-
nizes its victim against malaria. But what does FMF immunize against? That, too, is
500 trbanese-Armenians. It has also been observed that the mani-
Familial Meditenanean Fever was first diagnosed among Armenians in Anjar,
Possibleodgins
festations of FMF may vary among different ethnic groups. For instance, amyloidosis may have a lower preva-
In an attempt to leam more about the disorder andto share the little information that is available, dreNlHestablished
20
Some medical researchers suggest FMF may be aform of immunity develo@ against a disease, much as sickle cell anemia immu-
notknown.
tormented for years at the sight of our daughter suffering from an ailment no one could diagrose. Often, in ttre middle of the night, she woke up in tears of pain. A parent feels powerless and anguished when nothing can make theirchild better,"he says. Jennifer is an active teenager who pafticipates in sports. Before they found a remedy, she and herfamily lived in the uncertainty of the next attack, her father says. At the NIH, an Armenian woman in her 50s was recently diagnosed as having FMF and is now being treated, says Daniel L.
tormenting attacks continued. A specialist in artlritis, musculoskeletal
status quo, or diminishing? As Armenians marry into other races, will the disorder be diluted? FMF appears to be inherited as an autosomal recessive gene. But at least one genetic expert argues it may be dominant in certain cases. Exactlyhow many Armenians and members ofotherraces are affected, and why?
eral Armenian and American physicians in and North America indicate that its prevalence could possibly be up to I among
kbanon
lence among Armenians thanJews and
Kastner, M.D., Ph.D., senior staff fellow there. Sadly, he notes, the patient had suffered severe aMominal pain and artlritis since childhood. She underwent surgery to remove her spleen and appendix, but the
laboratory test be devised to dragnose FMF? Is it on the rise, holding
"FMF is an affliction that modem medicine should look into," he says. "My wife and I have been
What friggers those attacks? How does the process start? When will a
Arabs.
a special hotline three years ago. It encourages patients diagnosed as having FMFtocallcollect(301) 496-337 4. Some l0 to 15 new cases have been
reported annually since then, Kastner says.
hrzzles and quertaonr Among the most pruzlng aspects
of FMF is the way it mimics
other disorders. Doctors say this is one reason why the very first diagnosis is hard to reach. AMominal pains seem like an appendicitis attack or like acute
pancreatitis. FMF in the chest may simulate a viral or bacterial infection. Pain inthejoints appears likearheuma-
AIM. March
1992
Dr. Krlkor Krikorian, a Los Angeles-based
lntemlst
kbanon, in the late 1940s by Drs. Hobart Reiman and Samuel Semerjian. It was called periodic or Armenian disease, says Vazken Der Kaloustian, M.D., professor of Genetics and Pediatrics at McGill University in
Montreal, Canada. In tracing the origin of the disease for a possible explanation, Dr. Der Kaloustian says most of the original Anjar population were descendants of some 5.000 Armenians
determines the severity of an attack." He explains that some patients become so overwhelmed by the pain and uncertainty of an attack that they constantly worry about the next one. This creates a stress than can trigger a new episode. To those patients he says, "Do
not let FMF run your life. Try to make your life as normal as possible. If you suffer one, two or even three attacks a year, do not
worry."
tients from the clinics of two Califomia hospitals. "Many patients also regard psychic stress as responsible for the precipitation ofattacks," he adds. Dr. Schwabe has also addressed growth retardation as another complication for young FMF patients: "Children with frequent attacks of FMF may exhibit retarded growth and development. They are often underweight, apprehensive, and less vigorous than
I
I m ru
v ItA VI AlMCnaruox
Dastribution ol Familial Mediterranean Fever in 20-memberc in live generations ol an Armenian family. patient l1-2 has grandchifdren, none o, whom is aftllctg{ as yet. Reprltecl with pimission from Journal of Ameicai Mdicine, ,A.iA, pp. l2*9, 1954 by Beimann et al. @1954, Americah Mdical Aisociation. who fled the l915 massacres in their village of Mousa lrr in eastem Turkey. "The group went through several epidemics during its long joumeys and travails in the swampy
of
Lebanon," says Dr. Der Kaloustian, himself originally from Anjar. "Their isolation encouraged marriages within the clan, causing the suspected prevalence of mountains
the genetic disorder there."
Stress, diet and FllF In Baltimore, Maryland, a professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health is making inroads in clinical research on FMF. He says he has established a connection between stress, high-fat foods and FMF. "Yes, some individuals have a genetic predisposition to be affected by FMF, but the degree in which they react depends on stress and diet factors," says Haroutune Armenian, M.D., Dr. P.H. "Stress is the element that
But to patients who suffer one attack a month, he advises medical attention and
medication. "At all times avoid stress and high-fat foods." he emphasizes. Dr. Armenian has gleaned this and other knowledge about FMF through case studies he has performed in the United States and Lebanon, his country of origin. Five years ago, he participated in a study of Armenian families in Anjar and says the 80 cases researched show that in that community no specific type of FMF is more prevalent than others. Amyloidosis was rare. Along the same theme, a physician in Los Angeles wams of emotional problems caused by the disorder. "The disability and frustration associated
with the repeated attacks are probably responsible for a variety of emotional disturbances, particularly chronic anxiety and depression," writes Arthur D. Schwabe, M.D., who conducted a research on 99 FMF pa-
AIM. March
1992
other children of the same age. Suppression ofattacks by appropriate therapy will usually result in normal growth, weight gain, restoration of confidence, and normal sexual
maturation."
Largest FllF research facility Dr. Schwabe recently retired as chief of the Division of Gastroenterology at the
Uni-
versity of Califomia, Los Angeles (UCLA), School of Medicine. But he continues to consult at the FMF clinic he helped start there in the 1950s when cases surfaced in the Armenian community. Terry Getzug, M.D., who succeeded him, says the clinic now has 350 patients, mostly from Southem California and a few from Las Vegas, Nevada. It is considered the largest FMF facility outside Armenia. The presence of patients encourages medical students and residents to leam more about FMF, says Dr. Getzug. "I have hopes
2t
will isolate the gene responsible for this disorder and find how itisfiansmittedin specifrcethnic groups, and why it perpetuates itself," she says. "In my opinion, the secret is in the DNA-the genetic codes." ln Fresno, about 2fi) miles north of l,os Angeles, a smallerFMFcliniccares forsome 75 regular patients, under the leadership of Robert S. Peters, M.D., professor of clinical
that one day ateam from here
medicineatUCLA. FMF made medical textbooks in the late 1950s and was "lumped with other ethnic disorders,"explains Dr. Peters, whohas been involved with FMF as a student, physician
level, with the recent visitto Yerevanby two professors from the University of Califomia at San Francisco. Invited by Armenia's Minisry of Healttt, the two Americans met with professors of the School of Medicine in Yerevan to help upgrade its curriculum. "We suggested modifying the syllabus to add more handsonexperience," says KrikorSoghikian, M.D., associate professor of clinical medicine at *IntheUnited States we arepracticeCSUF. oriented; so, we offered suggestions along those lines," he adds. They also identified two possible areas of
cooperation---training family practitioners
severity of attacks when the dosage is regulated to individual cases.
According to Dr. Krikorian, the most pressing need in Armenia is a factory to produce Colchicine and educational material to teach patients the need to "program their life on a low-fat diet and less sEess." He attributes the high prevalence of FMF in Armenia to the mistnrst patients have in
doctors. "Consequently," he notes, "persons who suffer attacks of FMF neglect seeing a physician until their situation is so dismal that they absolutely must go to the emergency room." This, he adds, may also ex-
plain why FMF-related kidney failures are more frequent in Armenia than reported elsewhere among Armenian populations.
Acouple on a massion Dr. Vartkes Najarian, an ortho. pedic surgeon fr om Glendale, agrees ttrat medical conditions are outrageous. He and his wife Mary, a
registered nurse, visited Armenia for the first time in 1988 to treat victims of the earthquake. They have raveled back and forth several times since then on a self-assigned mission. "We must get a small Colchicine plant in operation back there," Dr. Najarian vows. Four years and many phone calls later, and some $35,000 dollars short, he now believes his dream will come true soon. "We
have been offered a three-story
Dr. Terri Getzug, UCLA Schoo! of Medicine
building,"he says. He estimates there are at least 10,000 possible FMF patients in
Dr. Robert S. Peters, protessor ol clinical
Armenia, even though officially
medicine, Fresno
"Now we have more specific details. We still have many questions. But given the interest in genetics and the technology at hand, I think we shall hear of some discoveries in the near future." Although Ore probability of a physician encountering this disorder remains rarethere are about 4O0,000 doctors in the United States and roughly 5,000 FMF cases ,rmong Armenians and other ethnic groups--ttre interest in genetics is more popular than it and teacher for over 30 years.
was 25 years ago, he observes. Other physicians share his hopes. Some point out that as awareness of the disease
of collaboration among physicians of various nationalities
increases, the possibility
and specialization looks better. The sophisti-
cated technology
of the
1990s gives re-
and public health administrators, says Dr. Soghikian, who is also a practicing intemist in the San Francisco Bay Area. Treating FMF patients is expected to feature in future contacts between the two groups. Physicians who have visited medical facilities in Yerevan say doctors treating FMF patients follow the Soviet school ofpractice: operate on the appendix when patients com-
plainof aMominalpain. "It is not unusual for three or four parts of the body to be removed before the colrect diagnosis is reached," says KrikorKrikorian, M.D., a general practitioner from Glendale, Califomia who has graduared from Yerevan's Medical School. "Soviet physicians do not think the drug used in the United States-
Colchicine-is useful. Therefore, it is not
searchers an advantage, they all agree.
available in Armenia. Meanwhile, thousands are affected by FMF and hundreds die each
FtF in Armenia
year."
Medical technology advances by leaps and bounds in the United States, but in the
Dr. Krikorian and other physicians treating FMF patients are aware that a high dosage of Colchicine can produce diarrhea in certain cases. Butthey agreethatthe medication significantly reduces the frequency and
former Soviet Union and Armenia, it may be more traditional. An effort to improve these circumstances has started on the academic 22
AIM, March
1992
there are 4,000recordedcases. Other physicians who have visited Armenia also speak of thousands of umeported cases. "I challenge the official figure because the incidence of amyloidosis that I have seen there is phenomenal," he argues. "Since the destruction ofthe kidneys and the need fordialysis and ransplants are the final stage of the disease, it is safe to assume that thousands of persons who suffer from only mild symp-
of an unnecessary operation. " Dr. Najarian setupaprivate organization,
toms have not come forth for fear
Medical Outreach for Armenia, to channel help from the United States to Armenia. Some donations came through and were used to purchase the machinery to produce
Colchicine tablets. But he soon discovered he could not operate through medical channels, because no autonomous organization
existed inArmenia.
"Now the machine is in Armenia," reports. "We are one stepcloserto
ln
he
ourgoal."
Lisette Poole, a lrelance writer ba*d San Franclsco, was staff writer lor
California Physlcian
OneOu
''
Every day millions of drivers dart through America's highways, freeways and rugged roads. Face it, America is the car mecca of the world, something UNOCAL understands well. ln fact, we have paved our success
through products that make driving dependableandeasy.lf you are usrng UNOCAL,
chances are you'll never take a walk.
Florence Auto Parts 7118 South Main Street Los Angeles, CA 90003 213rT786106,
ffiUNOCAL@M
When CD-ROM was inroduced, its first advocates were publishers awed by the immense storage capacity and FC-compatibil-
Optic Options CD-ROM Technology and the Future of Armenian Libraries By LOLA KOUNDAKJIAN SD.clal lo
AII
I f Greek and Roman classics, ! Sirui"rp"r." masterpieces, omar xr,uyvd,r's Rubayiat,ihe King James f giuh, the Egyptian Book of thi Dead, -
the Bhagavad Gira, Buddha's Life and Teachings, the Koran and the Book of Mormon and many more can fit on a single
compact computer disc, why not have one with Khorenatsi's historical treatises, Naregatsi's prayers, Raffr's epic novels, Ar-
menian medieval miniatures and illuminations, photos of khatchkars and Armenian churches, Matenadaran's manuscripts, Ayvazovsky's seascapes, an Armenian dictionary, encyclopedia and songbook, and Gomidas'Mass? This is now possible by a recent technology, CD-ROM, amultimediastorage system which incorpor;ates the audio compact disc
format with the latest technologies in digitized information, video and stereo.
CDROM stands for Compact Disc-Read Only Memory. It is a storage medium for digital text, video images and stereo sound,
na4.72" (12 cm) disc format. Accessed via an electronic device-a disc drive-which
is connected to a desktop computer, CD-ROMs invite the human mindto browse, to search by association, and select data discriminately. They are ideal for leaming and research because of their ease in handling complex information, long texts and cross-referenced materials. Already there are several ongoing projects
at major universities, hcluding Brown in
ity. Originally seen as an altemativepublishing medium, it has now spawned other uses. Currently there are more than 2,00Optoducts and applications available on CD-ROM, and the number is doubling each year. CD-ROMs store data in a series of 0s and ls (binary), the latter represented by the ransition on its surface from a pit to a land and vice versa. A scanning laser beam "reads" the CD-ROM without contact. A single CD-ROM may contain 1,800 the equivalent
of
double-density floppy disks (5 U4"),'74mnutesofaudio, 12,0fi)
at 3fi)
images dots per
inch
Rhode Island, Harvard in Massachusetts and I*iden in Holland, forthe digital conversion of ancient Armenian texts.
-
-
" --..'
"
-,,.:'
Thenew cpapyrur' Several technological developments converged in the advent of the CD-ROM: the mass market entertainment industry, the pro
liferation of personal computers (PCs) in business and home environments, and the creation of the myths of the "information" and "paperless" sociery. Perhaps one of the more exciting breakthroughs in information stonge, CD-ROM was created by Philips and Sony in 1983 as an extension of the CD-Audio, which they pioneered in the late '70s for digitally recorded sound.
, (dpi), 50,fi)0 computerpagesof data
at
& ,':,:r'
.
,
132 columns/
page, or 250 Computer Output Microfiches (COM). In 1987, 98 percent of the CD-ROM readers were installed
Armenian CDROII Wish List COTTERGIAL' EDUCATIOII TABGETS . A multimedia encyclopedia (Hanrakfularan), incorporating text sound and images. . Polyglot dictionaries, with pronunciation of Armenian words; synonym and antonyn browsing capability.
. Language-RoM in Armenian, with Eastern and Westem pronunciation. . Music CD-ROMS: operas with score and libretto. . History of theDiaspor4 regularlyupdated. . A multimedia database about ttre anthropology and history of the provinces, including dialects. Historical description of the provinces, costumes, customs, etc. . Pictures of the past: Armenia in the First Century of photography, an anthropological study using historical pictures.
. Complete text of primary sources/manuscripts in Armenian and modem-language ranslation(s), possibly to be scrolled in a double-window setup; scanned versions of ttrc original texts; closeups of illuminations; cross-references by date, collection, subject matter, etc. . Index of Armenian manuscripts in various institutions and private collections, transferred from the print media with updated notes. Cross-refenenced colophons. . Allhistory texts found in differentlanguages and/or versions, for comparative research, e.g. Agathangelos, History of Armenia. . Transfer of Armenian architecture pictures from microfiche, with a database containing relevant descriptions. .Tran{er of the Armenian database of Lriden .
Lingu\c
databases
. Electronic reprints of: Historical and Armenological periodi-
FOB SGIIOLARS Al{D AFIGIOI{ADOS . Matenadaran (digital) catalog
. lndex of Armenian historical archeological digs; details of
research done in each ofthe excavations, pictures ofthe area, maps and plans; all epigraphic text whether deciphered or not. . Guide to Armenian antiques and art in museums around the
world
. Catalogue of Armenian inscriptions, with detailed lists containing cross-references of site, subject matter, names, with map of area and pictures ofthe inscriptions.
cals, e.g. Buzantion, Pazrnoveb)Aictionaries written by distinguished scholari5-h(storicalrofumes such asHisrory of thc Armenians,by Chamchianl index of manuscripts at Etchmiadzin, St. James (Jerusalem), Vienna, Venice and Antelias... Out-of-print books, fragile and/or large-format manuscripts are perfect for CD-ROM or optical publishing, because they should not be handled or are out of reach. Projects involving art works formerly photographed for print publishing, or works that are akeady two-dimensional, can be easily Eansferred to digital format via scanner.
AIM, March
1992
I
sharing
of knowledge across worldwide
electronic networks, increased productivity by using information where, when and how it is needed.
CD-ROMs are pnrduced in the same plants as CD Audio, with the addition of computers. These factories cost $10 million to build and over $l million to maintain annually. Since CD-ROMs had the fortune
of being introduced when
PCs
were already competitively priced, they allowed an affordable entry-level system to serve zts support for high-end applica-
on
IBM
but the number quickly dropped to 95percentin l988,and
continues to decline since the introduction of Apple and DEC drives. CD-ROMs are the most inexpensive way to disseminate large volumes of information to personal computer users. [,ong-term advantages include lower information distribution costs, shorter information retrieval time, less duplication of efforts, improved leaming rate,
ancy of CD-ROMs is currently estimated from a minimum of I 0 yean (those having an aluminum base) to 100 yean (those made of glass layered with gold).
Since CD-ROMs contain structured data-including information from computer databases, bibliographies, directories, catalogs and numerical data-its indexing must include each and every field. Queries containing Boolean operators (and, or, not) are used. Some may contain "word" or "phrase" searches, but these emulations will take much
longer than an indexed flreld. Hypertext
tions. Prices of CD-ROMs are higher than CD-Audio, primarily due to lower volume and sales, although in the first four years after its
searches also permit "related" material to be found, to enhance browsing capabilities.
introduction, prices dropped by 50 per-
A few Armenian texts are available onthe librarian's CD-ROM shelf. The Center for Computer Analysis of Texts at the University of Pennsylvania has
cent.
PC+ornpatibles,
and on-line media, and thecross-reference is superior in access for research. Life expect-
Some Armenian texts digitized
CD-ROMs may be a librarian's dream come true, but it is not perfect. Among the disadvantages: they are "read-only," therefore can never be changed or updated by the end-user, and a CD-ROM reader is required to access the information. But the advantages of CD-ROMs are many.
chapters of the Armenian text of the Book of Deuteronomy available in CD-ROMformat. The Armenian database at [riden Uni-
First and foremost is its interactivity:
multivolume CD-ROM entitled "Abstract of
retrieval is possible into word processors; it paperless-in fact, it bypasses the need to print on paper altogether, diminishing the need for warehouse storage and bulky mailings; it is much easier for publishers to update than other publications; it is cheaper to is
duplicate-thereal expense is the masterand the first 100 copies; CD-ROM search is superior in speed to paper, COM, microfilm
versity contains Armenian texts ready for
transfer
into any digital format. A
Dissertations"has many references toArme-
nia and Armenians, deposited in major Westem universities since the mid-l9th Century.
Gia Ayvazian, UCLA's Armenian librarian and cataloger, says she still prefers books to other print media. "If faced by a situation of not having a codex, I have to chose a medium that best maintains the in-
CD.ROM in Education For the past six years, Dr. Arto Demirjian, a dentist and lecturer at the University of Montreal, has worked on a method to share his research,lata with his students without creating chaos in 25 years' worth of hles. His system is one elample otthe implementation of CDROM technology in the educational field. Using the computer-authoring program Supercard, Dr. Demidian desigrred a bilingual French-English teaching tool on a Macintosh computer donated by the Apple Canadi Education Foundation. Having scanned several of his 150 articles and morc than 2,000X-rays of hand/wrist and dental radiographs, Dr. Demirjian ttren proceeded to create a database and a tutorial in a CD-ROM formar. Called BioAge, the course is primarily designed for students, teachers and researchers in the health sciences fields. The efforts have payed off: Dr. Demirjian last month received a grant of over $3 million from the R&D program of the Quebec govemment to develop a program-foi X-ray diagnosis and medical multimedia software. F_I!! Dr. fui Demirjian, a resident in Dermatology at _McGill University, has used Supercard to authoramultime-
*,
diaeducational tool focusing onttretypesand stages of skincancer.
His wort was recently received and will be disfibuted by the American Academy of Dermatology. Both fatherand son have published extensively about the use of
computers and CD-ROMs in the health sciences. Theyencour4ge all Armenians in thehealth professions toget invotveOlnttrisfqm of publishing in order to inEoduce tris technology to Armeniaone
day.
AIM, March
1992
r
tegnty of the original book," she explains.
Ms. Ayvazian finds that CD-ROMs have advantages overother media, especially with fast-changing information that must stay "alive." However, in the case of preserving old books of Armenian literature, she finds the decision to use such a costly technology versus that of the microfiche a hard one to
ByteffGi SURCTI GffiEHT[tIAil Ey SUnGil{
AilY.r.u.h Erf,t(l,
make.
"I am fascinated by the [CD-ROM] technology and use it on a daily basis," says Dr. Levon Avdoyan, a classicist and byzantinist at a major library in Washington, D.C. The reading room there recently reopened with eight terminals to research the library indexes, and has met with geat success. "But I am worried that the serendipity of looking through the card catalog is lost," he adds. CD-ROMs are excellent archival tools.
Angela Giral, of Columbia University's Avery Architecture and Fine Arts Library,
heads a team that since 1985 has worked on
digital catatoging of archival art and architectural drawings on videodisks. Using the AVIADOR system, the user may view digitally recorded pictures on a large television screen, but the system does not allow an easy
and cost-effective method of long-distance transferring of images. The transfer of text from one patt of the globe to the other has become more or less routine, but that of the digital picture is not. Habib Torbey, a doctoral student at Columbia,has inventedIMEX, asystem whichuses
electronic impulses rather than television waves to reproduce images on the screen. He hopes his invention will resolve the problem of the worldwide storage and distribution of
images. The
IMEX system, supported by
CTE, was used in January during a
test
eomputgr
transfer of an image from New York to the Library ofCongress and back. Another important ongoing project is the
replacement of ASCII, a 7-bit universal character code, with a l6-bit intemational Unicode, an effort to "encode all characters used for wriffen communication, both modern and historic, in a simple and consistent manner." The Unicode project is the collected effort of Xerox and a consortium of multilingual information professionals. A Draft International Standard has been proposed and the final code will be released by mid-1992. The Armenian alphabet is represented in Unicode, including all punctuation marks uniquetothe Armenian language.It does not include ligatures, however. Unicode also includes all "dead" languages and language fossils-ideal for linguists. In the near future, as a new Rosetta is "discovered," and text and images are transferred digitally using all known languages, digital technology may break barriers and
ruly
bring humanity closer together.
Lola Koundakiian is a deshop publisher t*hnology writer based in New York
and 26
AIM, March
1992
e
black cape, delicate laces and a "dog collar." These are some of the relics on display at the Arme-
nian Library and Museum of
America (ALMA), a rarâ‚Ź repository of books andartifacts ftomttre scattered communities of the Diaspora.
ALMA's aim is "to cover all of Armenian history," says Dr. Lucy Der Manuelian, professor of art history at Tufls University and a memberof the museum's board of uustees. "The sweep of history is here." Here is Watertown, Massachusetts, where ALMA has tumed into a cultural oasis. What started as a 'library with a small museum evolved into a museum that dominates the library," says acting director Gary Lind-Sinanian, ALMA's only full-time employee. Founded
n
1971, the museum grew
through purchases and donations by people who wanted to preserve heirlooms, artifacts and private collections. Today, more than 6,000 items and I1,000 librarSr titles compose the largest collection of Armenian artifacts in North America ALMA's artifacts include coins minted by Armenian kings, a lTth-Century BiblefromAmsterdam, a lgth -Centurypriest's robe wom inan ArmenianIndonesian church and rare relics. Some of them are 3,(X)0 years old.
The importance of preserving
history-
its relics and lore-was recognized by Boston attorney Haig Der Manuelian, one of the
catalysts behind ALMA. Der Manuelian Armenlan lnscrlbed Kazak rug, 1935
The
Sweepof History
ALtIA's exterior, Watertown and a group ofprofessionals started collect-
By JUDITH BUSWICK All pholos by Kcnneth
ing what they thought were valuable artifacts nearly two decades ago. As theirholdings multiplied, the group rcnted a space in the basement of Belmont's First Armenian
ller0n
AIM, March
1992
27
Church, where the first ALMA exhibits were held. The pastor of that church, Rev. Vartan Hartunian, ALMA board chairman Arthur Gregorian andhis late daughterJoyce tumed the fledgling basement-museum into a giant, says Bethel Charkoudian, who directed the project that amassed 6fi)hours of audiotaped
material with 200 genocide survivors for ALMA's Oral History Project. From their basement location, the trust-
five years to find a permanent home. They purchased a bank in 1988 in Watertown Square, Mass., with features specific to ALMA's needs. The $2.3 million building, with built-in storage vaults and an expansive main floor, opened in 1990 folees searched
lowing design modifications. A climate-controlled vault in the basement houses items not on display. The artifact registration area is alsoclimatecontrolledto protect newlY acquired material.
ALMA's
100 volunteers work behind-the-scenes recording,
photographing and tagging
these materials. Other basement rooms are used
for
textile restoration,
cataloging and storage.
The museum's 1,000 textile items include fancy wear, folk costumes, tapestries, religious vestments
Main flrst
floor gallery at
and hats. Susan Lind-
ALilA
Sinanian, ALMA's parttime textile curatorrconservator, brings these relics back to life as she tells theirhistory to school children and visitors. "When our mortgage goes down and our endowment fund goes up, we will be able to do more than we can currently do relying solely on memberships and donations," explains Dr. Barbara Merguerian, amemberof the museum Board. But, without alarge staff to mount more exhibits and launch an organized procurement effort, ALMA runs the risk of resembling a "small town museum" with intemational aspirations. While it has exchange and cooperative programs with other institutions, all ofthem are local. Still, the collections they have acquired reinforce its greater potential. The archives kept by Stanley Kerr, an American missionary in Marash during the genocide are here, as are similar documents kept by the Ely sisters who were missionaries in Bitlis. One vault door was removed to create a secluded alcove for displaying religious art, including a lTth century Gospel manuscript and a five-foot diameter copper tray made for the Catholicos of Sis in 1735. The Gregorians' inscribed rug collection is of particular interest and value. So are the intricate needleJaces loaned by Alice Odian Kasparian. Dr. Paul Z. Bedoukian, scholar
18th Century altar panel of Salnt Varvara
18th Century printed altar curtain
AIM, March
1992
and collector, has donated antique metalwork, ceramics, woven art and early Armenian printed books. The coin collection includes 70 silver and 43 copper coins dating from the first century B.C. though the l3th. These items are just a few from the museum's eclectic collection. ALMA received 30 pieces of Kutahya pottery, tiles, brasses, vases and dishes from Walter and Laurel Karabian of Califomia. "We're not art collectors," says Karabian, who pur-
Kutahya oeramlcs ln
storage
chasedtherelics three years agoataSotheby's auction in london. "When I see a piece of Armenian history, I feel compelled to ny to preserve it. So, I call myselfa preserver." Karabian studied various sites as possible homes for the collection. "We were not interested in giving them to an American
Early printed books in archive (left) Armenian altar curtain detail
lrom Mardin, 1766
First printed Armenlan Bible Amsterdam, 1666 (below)
university where they would sit on dusty shelves, nortoan Armenian institution where
they might not receive the visibility they deserve." The tiles and other pieces in the collec-
tion belonged to Haroutioun Hazarian,
a
prominent American-Armenian collector, some of whose illuminated manuscripts are also on display at ALMA. "While praise him for collecting and preserving relics of ourpast during atime when ourpeople lived in dispersion, I'm very critical ofHazarian for not providing an appropriate home for them," says Karabian. "Consequently, his daughter began to sell them." ALMA can serve as an altemative to that fate if itcan build on its financial and administrative resources. In the meantime, "What we need," says Charkoudian "is a door-todoorcanvassing of people's houses, explaining to them the importance of saving all those things which we consider unimportant and which mightend up inthe trash bin when our children come to clean up our houses after we're gone."
I
Judith Buswick is
Chelmsford,llass.
a
fielane
:-==-:i.'r,i
'
.'
5"
r a$Sflifl
.en
{r{rt-
-:. tnf;iq crl:3 lrl .
writer from
AIM, March
1992
ART
tr--.-
r.r
-
'-f** \'--;-
Photos Courtesy of Prisunic Gallery
View ol the installation: large piece Love in the Ruins, approx. 20'x50'
Love on the Beat Reviewed lor AIM
By JOE LEWIS
I f vou missed the exhibit "Love on the I glut." you can be excused lbr thinling tras Ueen nothing exciting and nei ! rnere in the art world this season. This collaborative photo-installation by model Christine Mingo, photo-alchemist printer Ivan Dalla Tana, photographer Paul Steinitz and sculptor Zadik Zadikian Iin alphabetical order] was on view at the Prisunic Gallery in New York City through February l. These huge blacVwhite photographs, in some cases as large as 20'x 49', set into cast stone stone, resonate from an intricate mixture of class classical figurative formula and nontr nontraditional photography and sculpture.
30
cals with
a
variety of utensils, introducing the
Zadikian, an Armenian sculptor, is awellknown figure in the American art scene. His work blends visual themes and motifs found
idea of the "artist's hand" into the photograph, transmogrifying the final print from a representation of one specific visual reality into a mingling of realities past and present. The verisimilitude of Zadikian's work combined with Dalla Tana's provocative
in Eastem and Westem ;rt. Usually very
alchemical fusion-images provide us with an
refined-as were his Hellenistic-inspired figures once exhibited at the Newport Harbor Museum, Long Beach, California-he can also be bold and spirited
opportunity
sensual and
like the huge cast Dikrane coinage/medalIion pieces shown by the Shafrazi Gallery, or the solid-gold entrance hallway he installed at P.S. l, an altemative gallery in New York
City. Dalla Tana has printed Steinitz's negatives of Mingo using a process he invented called "photo-alchemy." This process chemically extracts metallic hues, especially gold andothercolors, from black/white photo papers during the development procedure. Moreover, he applies the developing chemi-
AIM, March
1992
to be overwhelmed by our imagination. There is no way to pass over one of these pieces without leaving a little bit of yourself attached to one of the surfaces. The ultimate efl'ect of his transliterating the shared qualities and interlocking forms is supernatural. Zadik's understanding of Christine Mingo, the model, takes us far
beyond her indigo lushness. The best way to describe "Love on the Beat" is rugged opulence. The exhibition is replete with historical references-El Greco's use of light emanating from the figure of Christ instead of onto the cruciform from a hidden source; Goya's Maja, whose sublime glance in X-ray fashion peers into the soul of
presence even more irresistible and fascinating.
While being dwarfed by the iridescent crucifixion of
the fair-haired Christine, I wonder why it has made me assess who and what I think I am, in a manner quite different from the way I did before I saw her bound to the cross. Is
it my instinctual gravitation toward scandal and heresies? But is it really heresy? Or is it a miracle? Or does her replacement of the male Jesus remind me of the inability of men and women to find parity with each other? Just to carry this line of thought a bit further, a main by-product of gender discord is great difficulty in trying to foster racial harmony. Or is itamore basic query like: What is she like? All of the above. "Love on the Beat" embodies many of the important issues being addressed by artists in the '90s: the rediscovery of the hand and its rela-
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The idea of artistic col-
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the viewer while simultaneously massaging
their Eros; Daumier's realistically idealized Pygmalion or Cabanel's etching, The Birth ofVenus, and the carefree wickedness that innocence can imply under the proper circumstances...in those secret spaces where the power of amour and expectation suggest an interlude of intense psychological and physical experience. There are contemporary precedents for this work, but they, too, trace their origins to some of the areas I have just enumerated. Yet, this does not begin to unravel the
mysterious aura surrounding the model Christine Mingo. Even in this monumental scale, her sheer mass and obvious strength
belies the feminine construct most would immediately identify her with. This body/ shape issue has much to do with the constant "think thin" indoctrination of commercial mediaas itdoes withthe fact thatChristine is a transsexual. And, the ongoing submission of the masculine portion of her psyche to its feminine counterpart makes her sharacans
laboration is nothing new. But unlike most projects produced during the '70s and '80s that were of a patchwork nature, the collaborations of ttre '90s are about making something
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Tana, Steiniz and Zadikian belong to this trend. One of the reasons this kind of work has become attractive is that more and more artists are finding the individual "garreteer" artistic experience out of touch with contemporary reality. I don't mean to imply individual artistic expression irrelevant or obsolete. Each of these artists maintains a private and substantial practice. Rather, some artists have begun to realize that over and above their contribution of a work of art to society, the act of collaboration itself may symbolize something more beneficial to our multifarious cultures at this point in history. Namely,
a healthy model of how people can work together toward a common goal and still retain their individuality. I view "Love on the Beat" as acritique of the past 20 years of the art world's material decadence, and its subsequent abandonment of beauty and perceptual experience.
Joe Lewis, an artist and writer, currcnily is a visiting art laculty menbr at Calitornia lnstitute of the Arts in Valencia.
AIM, March
1992
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for both present and
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generations. It has become the largest, independent Armenian museum in North America, housing over 6,000 artifacts and 11,000 book titles. collection includes textiles, ceramics, coins, stamps, rugs, household items, religious art and other art objects. The Armenian Library
l-J;;;,.;;;.--;..; helping the museum continue to preserve and perpetuate more than 3,000 years of Armenian history.
E I would like to become a member. Membership benefits include free admission to ALMA, free subscription to AIMA newsletter, a
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Its diverse
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Working at the White House By WETTE HARPOOTIAI{ Spocial to
Alil
ou probably don't realize that those
photos ofPresident George Bush you see in newspapers and the evening news, or the making of presidential chronicles might involve Armenians- glamorous yes, but a lot of work. Photographer Joyce Naltchayan is still recovering from two weeks of Christmas parties, where she shot hundreds of guests wittr the hesident as they shuffled through the receiving line. She has assisted President Bush's personal photographer, David Valdez,
Joyce Naltchayan with President and First Lady Bush sincethe beginning ofhis administration. Be it dinner party orofficial function, Naltchayan photographs everything the President does and whoever he meets, documenting the
presidency for the National Archives and the President Bush Library. Trailing the president necessitates exten-
sive-albeit privileged-travel.
She has
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tions. Bom into her craft, sheisthedaughterofHarry Naltchayan, a nationally recognizedphotographer who worked 35 years for TheWashingtonPost. Naltchayan's job has also involved a sprinkling ofdiplomacy.Justbeforea
humdrum," he explains, "there is a travel
she informed Bush
Thanks
to
it
was
Christmas.
Naltchayan,
Bush managed a "Parev," and later she relayed in Ar-
den in presidential motorcades and has
flown
on Air Force l. "It's beyond first-class. Everything is taken care of, everyone respects you." The drawbacks: "You wake up some-
times as early as 4:30 a.m., travel out of state and are back for dinner. But it's all worth it. The adrenaline and theexcitementkeeps you
going." When not shooting, Naltchayan is at the White House Photo Office, editing, researching and finding photos for publica-
tion.
"Youcan't haveatem-
the vice mayor of Yerevan,
Cameraman Bargamian with the President
scholars," he explains. Even closeddoor conferences were notoutof Kapegian's realm, which invoked resenEnent from reporters for being privy to so much confidential informa-
menian "Merry Ctristnas" from the Vice President to the vice mayor.
Vice hesident Bush and
t !n.
secret analyses. What he writes will not be out for many yeius; they are "for future
"I'm not a joumalist, more like a notetaker,"he says. "Itcanbe frustrating walking aroundknowing all this stuffyou can't share." Since January, Kapegianhas been atwork in the National Archives, cataloging new presidential material as it comes in, and rcadying it for publication. Because CBS cameraman Al Bargamian has covered the White House since ttre Ford Administration, presidential happenings are not as novel to him. "But just when it gets
meeting between then-
Armenian
i
and daily White House press briefings, received briefings on visitors and in-depttr
per," says archivist Albert Kapegian, w ho served four years in the White House, documenting the presidency for the Natior nl Archives. Kapegian had top-secretclea rance, which took nine months to obtain, and "close proximity to the hesident" clearanc e, ensuring he would not be a threatto the Pr esident. Kapegian wrote summaries of ever ything President Bush did and said, includin6 , all telephone calls and presidential docun Lents. He aftended all events
opportunity which
is
exciting." Like
Naltchayan and Kapegian, he is constantly on the go, covering the President. Some of his footage is stored and documented on computer for future use, while the rest tums up on various news programs. "Sometimes there are long hours, but if you love what you are doing, it's all worth it." Yvette
llarwtian
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BOOKS
Toppling
arrive, as I did, at the conclusion that Mr. Iglatius wouldliketobeconsideredascholar as well as a novelist. He is author of a previous spy novel, Agents of Influence, and currently serves as foreign ediar of The
AHouse
Was hington P osr. He tells us (p. I 52) ttrat
"in
of Gards
author is refreshingly familiar with the locales he has written about. Nobody could have stuck a pin in a map of london, for example, and come up with a"safehouse" in Stoke Newington, in a street where "milkmen and minicab drivers lived...a block from Clissold Park." I know this area and the author has captured its essence in a very few words. Mr. Ignatius, son of former Secretary of
SIRO By David Ignatius Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, New York 1991,467pp, $19.95 Reviewed lor
old empires." This is clearly offered as background for the present novel, but occasionally I rather resented the fact thu interesting historical themes were jettisoned in favor of slick dialogue between the characters. One positive element in the novel is its choice of location. It is quite clear that the
Alll
By GERRY S. GRABER
the Navy Paul Ignatius and of Armenian here
is a timeliness about
descent, has a very good tum ofphrase, and through his main characters is always trying
this
splendid book which the author couldnothave anticipated. Hecould not have known, for example, that Robert Gates, director of the U.S. Central
to tell us something. Take his main Armenian character, Dr. fuam Antoyan, who is doing his best to change the persona of Armenians. "Everybody becomes interested in Armenians," he has Antoyan say (p. 346), "we are such perfect victims." And "our
lntelligence Agency, wouldrecentlybe cross-
examined by a Senate Committee on the issue of whether he had been a party to providing ex-President Ronald Reagan with "weighted" intelligence. Srio, named after the code word for the American consulate building in Istanbul, carries this theme further along the same road. Here we are faced withanunauthorized attempt by certain higher-ups in the CIA to provoke chaos in Moscow by creating on their own initiative the illusion that various minorities in the Soviet Asianrepublics were in a state of incipient revolt against their Sovietmasters. Edward Stone,
a
leading bureaucrat at the
CIA, announces to the heroine Anna Bames at their frst meeting that the Soviet Union is "a vast house of cards waiting for a strong breeze." This is not noticeable at the center, but"attheedges it's falling apart. All anyone has to do is blow hard and the entire country is going to fall over." It is Stone's contention that all the dedicated intelligence agent has to do to is assist the process ofdisintegration. I will not preempt your enjoyment of the book by explaining the byzantine plot in which
I 905 the Young Turks were part of anetwork that stretched throughout the Caucasus and Central Asia. There were Young Georgians in Tbilisi, Young Bukharans in Bukhara,
Young Turkestanis in Tashkent, Young in Baku, Young Armenians in
Azeris
Yerevan.
All working
together to topple the
in the Late Ottoman Empire, with Special Emphasis on the Management of Ethnic Conflict." Well, we all know what thatmeans. Having whetted our appetite, the author leaves this information in the subsoil of ttre novel, yet because of this choice of thesis and because of occasional tidbits of historical evaluation throughout the book, you may
Gnbr b a British historian
and
Santa filonica, Calilornia
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in the CIA. What will intrigue the
reader who is still trying to come to grips with the era of the Young Turks is the title of the thesis she gaveup: "AdminisfativePractices
Gerry S.
authorbasd in
If you want to learn W6sterrr Anmenian (or just bnrsh up)
new recruitAnnaBames becomes enmeshed. Anna Bames deserves some study in her ownright, as do manyofthe characters inthis spy-thriller, because she has abandoned her work as a doctoral candidate in favor of a
career
great national failing" (p. 352) is that "we are in love with victimhood. We love it the way an amputee loves his stump. It is our excuse, our reason for being."
!
Westerrr Armenian: 8 cassettes (T hr.) and 819-p. textbook, $115. (CT residents please add sales tax.) order phong by call toll-free 1-800-249-1284. To order by mail, send this ad .To with your name and address, and a check or money order in U.s. funds. or charge t9 any major credit card by enclosing card number, expiration date, and yoir sigaature. Audio-Fo^rum's 36-p. whole world conlog has 215 courses in 76 languages. ^Request a free copy.
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provide sufhcient reasons for such an exag-
GivingAHoot
gerated judgment. "There is nothing worse than leadership
by those who have been deprived in past," Peffossian said, responding to
Rabelais Is Alive andWell inArmenia ByARIIINEH JOIIANNES AIM Paris Corrcspondent
he Vozni Theater Group may be young, but during their seven years of working together, the 13 members have managed to offend everybody-Soviet Armenian officials and the present leadership alike.
Founded
However, theater houses there are always
full." Vozni's second appearance in Paris last November also generated some criticism from the audience. Unlike the first visit to the a year earlier, when audiences welcomed it with enthusiastic applause and thundering laughter, this time around Parisian spectators did not respond as warmly.
French capital
the the comments. In addition to the burlesque show on Ter-Pefiosyan's ascension to power, the Karabagh conflict, the false puritanism and sexual mores and other issues, the performances featured a musical parody on key members of the parliament, and sketches on social ills--comrption on campuses, the mafia, the distressing situation of medical care.
In addition to fielding criticism for their ofthe current political
exaggerated derision
in 1985, Vozni's to bring to the
purpose was
Yerevan stage provocative satirical shows through sketches, songs and slapstick. Its target was the entire spectrum
ofpublic
life----comrption, censorship, the KGB, the pseudo-intellectuals, and the diaspora tourists. The Voznis were summoned a num-
ber of times by the KGB for interrogation, but they man-
aged
to defy
the
censors and continue with their shows.
Nowadays, the Voznis direct their satke and criticism at the present Armenian leadership. "In April 1991 , we
staged
a show in Yerevan callrd
Bravo, Bravo, but people attacked us because we were teasing Levon TerPetrosyan," said founding member Vartan Pefiossian, 32, n a recent interview during performances in Paris. Petrossian attributed the negative response
to the fact that Armenians do not appreciate theater. "This cannot be explained by the pretext that the country is actually unstable. The siruation in Russia is just as grave.
38
Many felt that even though there were parts of the show which corresponded to reality, in general it was premature to criticize the new leadership in Armenia. The present political
context in Armenia, they added, did not
AIM, March
1992
climate in Armenia, the Voznis have to work in the context of perceived dangers facing Armenian culture in general. "The Armenian Ministry of Culture does not encourage theater and does not promote art," said Vahram Sahakian, another founding member. "We do not have a performance space and are obliged to rent a theaterhall for every show we want to stage; we have not been paid salaries for seven months. "Today in Armenia there is a negative perception toward art," Sahakian continued with a trace of anger in his voice. "Instead of going to see a play, people prefer to watch sensational and pornographic videos." Working under such conditions is difficult and can fosterbittemess. Said Sahakian: "They always criticize us, saying that we only show the negative aspects of Armenia, but what we put on stage is the actual state of
thecountry."
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OpeningOld Wounds
Armenia's Entry to the 1992 Academy Awards Recounts
AnUntoldStory
By ZAREH AREVSHATIAN Spâ‚Źclal to
Alil
hen veteran Armenian filmmaker Frunze Dovlatian saw
Terminator2: Judgment Day n Los Angeles last October, he could hardly control his amazement. "I couldn't believe what I was witnessing," he says. "Wouldn't it be nice, I kept telling myself, ifwe inArmeniacouldhaveonlyone of the 40 different machines and computers they used to produce a single effect?" Dovlatian was explicit about the countless difficulties facing Armenian filmmakers today. "Most of the time, lack of production material poses certain limits on how we tell our stories," he says. "We are working with old equipment; film stock is very difficult to find; we cannot trust the film labs anymore; prices are rising; it is becoming harder to start a project, let alone to finish it. "We do not have the capability to shoot synchronous sound [simultaneous sound recordingl. We shoot the film and then ask the
wiwringBarev,Yes Em (Hello,It's Me) literally reshaped the Armenian film industry. Departing from the traditional operatic and historic films of the past, Dovlatian introduced a more realistic and contemporary approach tostorytelling. Hello, It' s Me,hisonlyblackand-white film, was also the flrst collaboration between Dovlatian and the legendary cinematographer Albert Yavurian. The two have since continued to work together.
Dovlatian's Yerevanian Oreri Khronik (Chronicle of Yerevan Days) told the tale of a bureaucrat victimizedby his own system; the 197 I fi lm was subjected to harsh criticism by censors, and an alternate ending was tacked on. "The film was very dearto me," Dovlatian commented. "If they had not destroyed the negative, I would have done the movie over again." Part of the furor surrounding Chronicle subsided in I 97 6 withY e rkunk(Birth Pangs). The film was based on the life of Alexander
Miasnikyan, friend of Lenin and the frst prime minister of Soviet Armenia. Dovlatian paid his dues to the Soviet film industry with this film, providing them with a story to
which they could relate. To relieve his frustrations, though, Dovlatian retumed in 1979 to his favorite themes withApretsekYerkar (Live Long), a story of comrption in government. When it was submitted to the censors for approval, the content was transformed into a philosophical melodrama. Menavor Unkoozenee (The Lone Hazel Tree, I 987) is Dovlatian's boldest statement to date. The village of [rmasar has only a few families left. Houses are vacant, the children have settled in other parts of the country, and the old folk are living out their
days. But those who have remained in lrmasar have not resigned themselves to the
visit to Los Angeles actors to repeat their dialogues in a dubbing session in the post-production phase." Despite these difficulties, Dovlatian has managed to make some of Armenia's most acclaimed and most controversial films. His directorial debut in 1966 with the award-
extinction of their village. Teacher Kamsarian discovers an ancient tablet that indicates that the place was inhabited by Armenians 1,000
the final five Academy nominations. Based on a story by l-lrachia Kochar, G arod probes
years ago. He decides to celebrate thejubilee and invites all the former villagers. Nobody comes.
menian homeland.
Dovlatian's latest work, Garod (Yearn' ing), which received its U.S. premiere in Los Angeles last October, was the Armenian entry in this year's Academy Aw uds. Garod was among 84 foreign films considered for the category of Best Foreign Film and survived the first elimination round-narrowing the field to 25 entries. It was not selected for
AIM, March
1992
a previously unspeakable subject-the Ar-
It
chronicles Arakel
Eloyan's return to his birthplace across the border. Compelled by a yearning to see his native village again and pay his respect to dead relatives, the determined Eloyan, played by one of Armenia's foremostpainters, Rafael
Atoyan, leaves his village and family in Armenia and walks into TurkeY. The l5O-minute film shows how much things have recently changed in Armenian cinema. "A film lke Garod could not have
A scene lrom Garod, Armenia's entry in this year's Academy Awards
been made under the old system," says Dovlatian in a Los Angeles interview. "The old system wanted to keep the status quo of socialist ideology. Today's decline in the number of moviegoers in the republic is the direct result of the govemment's control of
was busy withThe Lone Hazel Tree. After finishing it, I felt that the climate was right to
ideas and means oIexpression.
tell Kochar's story the way he had really
"Nowadays, people prefer to see an Indian musical instead of an Armenian fiIm," he adds, "because they do not want to be treated to a prefabricated story that they have been watching for decades."
The original screenplay of Garod was written by veteran fi lmmaker Henrik Malian,
who made another Kochar story-the highly acclaimed Nahapet, based on his own
screenplay. "Unfortunately, Malian passed away before
m
akingGarod , af,d
at the time
I
meant it when he wrote it in 1964." By Soviet standards, the film's $60,000 budget is very high. "It was a large undertaking," says Dovlatian, "but I am happy with the final product." Reflecting on the current state of Armenian life and culture, Dovlatian is optimistic
AIM, March
1992
of Armenia, despite his anxiety about emigration out of Armenia. "I realize that conditions are not the best, but with all these changes in our country, the situation will not stay the same," he says. "Coming out of a system that has been with us for decades is not an easy process," he says. "We just have to be patient so that we about the future
can celebrate ourjubilees together."
Zareh Arevshatian is a lilm librarian at Film lnstitute and is cunenily writing a dissertation on the history of Aimeniancinema. the American
MoreQuestions ThanAnswers By TONY HALPII{ of the most appropriate phrases for present-day life in Armenia is also one of the most appealing to the ear-{/ri Kidem(ldon'tknow). This remark is heard everywhere in Yerevan, usually accompanied by a lighthearted shrug of the shoulders or a spirited flourish ofthe hand. It has almost mythical powers as a comforting, universal solution to every mystery arising in the chaotic nowhereJand between Communism and Capitalism. After a while you stop worrying, you feel better, things even begin to seem alittle morenormal. It's an answer at a time when there are really only questions. Try it for yourself; see if it doesn'thelp. How come people are buying meat at 50 rubles a kilo when supposedly they eam only 100 rubles a week? Where do all those apples come from in January? Why are the lights still going out every day when Azerbaijan lifted its blockade on January 4? Why does yourhotel have heating in the stairwells and not in your room when it's -l0outside? Who lives in stairwells anyway? Just how do you stay wann in this country? And why does the I-Irazdan Hotel still pretend that a dollar is worth 1.6 rubles? Why isn' t there any hot water? How ne
Who makes all those candles? How come only tourists fall over on the ice? Does everyone have those funny fur hats? Then why can't buy one? How come fur coats are so cheap? Why is everyone so happy here when life is so hard? What are you smiling at?
I
ChiKidem.
Why doesn't anyMy stop at red lights any more and how come it doesn't seem to matter? Anybody got insurance for those cars? Who buys a Mercedes to drive on fftese roads? Doesn't anybody wear seat belts? Where'd all these potholes come from? Why do pedesrians stand in the middle of the road? How come nobody hits them? And who ore all those guys with the fuel trucks? How come the telephones don't work? How come my phone always rings at 2:30 a.m.? Why is nobody ttrere when I answer? Why can't I dial any number beginning with 6? Where are all the AT&T lines? Do you speak English? How come you can hear them but they can never hear you? Why do I get so many wrong numbers? Where can I get change for the payphone?
WHOTI{EHELLaTeYOU?! ChiKidem. Where did all these Americans in the govemment come from?
Why aren't any of them elected? Anybody know where the constitution
dopeoplemanageto stayclean? Where did dl the bathplugs go? Why does the water stop running at four in the moming? Who removed the overflow pipe from my bath? Doesn't anybody have
went? Where have all the women gone?
Got any idea what the Commonwealth means? Why does everybody tell you they are a personal friend of lrvon Ter-Petrosyan? Just how many fedayin are there? Why do people think you're crazy if you go to Karabagh, then swear blind they'll do anything for the place? Is
soft toilet paper?
ChiKidem. Why do the caf6s always seem to have either tea or coffee but never both? Where does the Mafiarestaurant
get all its food from? Why isn't any other restaurant that smart? And who cre all those guys in sheepskin coats? Why are there no bodes to supply the counfiry's delicious mineral water when vodka is available in unlimited quantities? Who wants to drink mineral water when there's so much vodka? How come everyMy gets drunk but no one has a hangover? What makes people go to work every day when they all know the factories areclosed? Ifnothing's beingmade, where does all that stuff in the commercial shops come from? Just how do you import things with acurrency nobody wants? Whathappenedtothe Benenon shop? Where do they get all those video recorders?
ChiKidem. Why is the airport the most unwelcoming place in the country? How come the passport control is still staffed by Russians? Why do the flights always arrive and depart in the early hours of the moming? Whose idea is it to fly to Kiev to get fuel for the trip to Paris? And why does the date of the flight to Paris keep changing from Thursday to Wednesday toTuesday andback again? Why dothe seats collapse on Aeroflot planes? Where's the inflight movie? What's that smell of kerosene? Who's in charge here anyway?
Why do aircraft run on Yerevan time but the trains leave on Moscow time? Why don't any of the clocks work properly? Why is everyone late formeetings? Why doesn'tanybody care? Whattime is the power cut today?
42
this a govemment helicopter? Who buys all those guns? Who sells them? How many people have you killed? Is this a war or a conflict? What's the
difference? What did you say your name was? Am I safe?
ChiKidem. How come you can buy Snickers chocolate bars but notbatteries? Where do the flower sellers get all those camations in the middle of winter? Why does thefruittaste so delicious? Why are thevegetables always pickled into oblivion? Isn't anyone worried about cholesterol? And who are all those guys selling cigarettes fromthe backs of vans? Is everyone an artist here? Why do people always tell you they're "in business" but never what business? If there's so much business
how come there's nothing to buy? Why don't the banks have any money? Wheredoes yourmoney go if you give ittoabank? Who does have all the money? Is it worth anything? Does anybody know what's going on here? Do you? Should I be worried? Will it always be this way or is this just a difficult moment? Why doesn't anybody seem as confused as I am? Do other people ask questions too? Is itmore interesting tolive in acountry wherethere are always more questions than answers?
ChiKidem. Stafl writer Tony Halpin was on asslgnment in the Caucasus in Januaryand Februaty.
AIM, March
1992
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