Behind Closed Doors - March 2002 by Armenian International Magazine

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Bella Kocharian Itl.D. The First lady of Armenia and Honorary Chairperson of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Re$stry Charitable Trust was the first bone marrow donor to reElister.

It's a simple process. Anyone between the ages of 18 and 60 and in good health can give a small blood sample for tissue type

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Join 1,500 Armenians in Los Angeles and in Yerevan who have registered to donate bone marrow to a patient with the same tissue type who is suffering from leukemia or other blood-related disease. 10,000 volunteer bone marrow donors must be recruited by the year 2004 in order to achieve the rate ofone match per2A0 donors.

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From the Editor

Cover Story 24 Behind Closed Doors

Letters

Vrolence in the Home

AIM View

Notebook

14 0uote Unquote 15 Where Are They 16 Did You Know? 17 Bytes on File

Now? | Believe it or Not

Focus

A Tax on Charity? Armenian Governementto Control Aid Programs

Dateline Henri Verneuil's Long Journey lo Mayig

Community

Lake Michigan is Always to the East Racine, Wisconsin

Gonnections

39 Elvis in Armenia 40 Perlorming Without

A Safety Net

The Show Struggles to Go 0n atthe Circus

42 lnternship lnspirations Make the Most

olthat Summer Break

Books

Connections

A Taste ol Terror Viken Berberians Debut Novel, The Cyclist

36 Children ol the Street

52 Fashion 54 Sports 56 Underexposed 59 How I Got This Shot 60 Essay 61 0n the Shell

Doctors Work to Rescue the Youngsters Who Beg to Survive

Arts

Photo Essay Forgotten Stones: By Armineh Johannes

Armenian lnternational Magazine Volume

Cover design/photography by Patrick Azadian

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1\INI Publisher

Eetting to You

Michael l{ahabet Editor

Tony Halpin [4anaging Edilor

Hlair Sarkis Salkissian

lournalists are expected to observe certain rules, key among them the obligation to put the

Senior Editor

John Hughes

Ureader first. As well

as all the usual stuff about thorough research and seeking ouidiff..ent points of view, this means making the reader the flrst judge of a story's worth. In other words, the journalist has to do his or her job properly and then the reader should

Art Direclor

Palrick Azadian, PADA Edilor at Large

Palik llazarian

decide how well they've done. It follows from this that the subjects of an article should enjoy no more rights than the reader, on whose behalf the journalist is working.

Associate Editors

A. H. Alexandrian, Laurence Ritter

Which is why we don't show articles to people we interview prior to publication in AIM. It is not from a desire to be difficult or because we have something to hide. Rather, it is because the reader has to know that what he or she is reading has not been "corrected", watered down, or otherwise doctored as a result of lobbying by people featured in the articles. An article may not be 100 per ctnt accurate - however much we try - and may lack details that, in an ideal world, one would wish to see included. But it is the joumalist's own work, put through a process of editing within the magazine and sent into the public arena to stand on its merits. It's a matter of trust. When mistakes occur, they are corrected, since the onus is on the reporter to get things right. But trust is a two-way street - those who are sought out for interview should not assume, at the outset, that they best know how to do the reporter's job for them. They don't - and they would rightly be offended if the same assumptions were made about their professional capabilities. Drumming home this message has been difficult in Armenia, where respect for the flow of information and the abilities of journalists is not well developed. People constantly demand to see lists of proposed questions or flnished articles prior to publication. Staff in our Yerevan bureau have become well practised at refusing. It's rather more depressing to encounter similar attitudes in the United States, where freedom of information and the rights of journalists are far better understood. Maybe it's something to do with assumptions about ethnic media, but it's a certainty that, however well-intentioned, interviewees and organizations would not consider directing the same requests towards the Wall Street Journal or the Washington Post.

Like them, AIM's answer is a simple one

- no.

many inquiries about the fate of the mother and child, Ruzana and Gevorg, since staff writer Lusine Zeytunian highlighted their plight in the October issue. We wbh we could bring you more news - but we can't. Soon after the article appeared, the pair dbPS: We have had

from the centralYerevan park where they had spent their days. Despite repeated and prolonged inquiries, includin g seeking info rmation about them through other Yerevan media, we have yet to find out what's happened to them. We hope it's good news and that they have found shelter from the bitter winter with friends or relatives. We're still looking and when we appeared

find them,you'll be the first to know. And we'll let them know about all the offers of help that have come in from generous readers. AIM MARCH

2OO2

Yerevan

Conlribuling Editors

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C0fkibutors: Armenia - 0ayanc A[nhamian, Zianna Alennian, Zara Chatinian, Sur8n Deherian, Asiot Gatsginian, Laun Gononian, ltlarianna Grigorian, Julia Halobyan, Micnacl Harutiunian, Shushan Xud(chian, llam MartNian, Lusine Zeylulian; Calilornia -AIa Anumanian, Paul Chaderiian, Eliza Gallayan, Sona Gallatin, (rislsn l(idd, Asbed Pogharian, Janel Samu8lian; London - FelL Corley, Susan Patie; New Yori - Chlisiopher Ahmian, Ge0rge Boum0ulian: Rhode lsland - Ma* ilaltasian; Paris - Myriam Gaumo; Uruouay - Diego Kanmano[kian; Washington, DC - illooEd Mo0mdian.

- iidlibr l(lladlatial, ZaEn Xhadikian, Rober ilangerian, Vahnm Mitibrian, l(ann Minasian; - Anbim AgMiian, Annimh Joham; Califomia - S6i ltih&lonhn, Eric Narian, Ara &hagan; l\4Nchustb - Gam Lad|inian; New York - Harry l(oundakiian; Rhode lsland - Eeqe An Zobian. Photographers: Amenia

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protection of the poor and the weak. After all, the Catholicos of Armenia was and is the

true Patriarch of Armenians. Armenia has seen numerous royal dynasties, kingdoms, capitals, states and republics. The Church has been ever-present. We, especially Diaspora, which serves as a major source of monetary support for the Church, should make our opinion clear: the Armenian Church must step up to protect its subjects and compatriots from current social inequities present in Armenia. It should strongly voice against government mmrption, protectionism and all forms of social injustice. After all it is and alwaphasbeenthe strongestArmenian institution with the widest support base.

^frtr;E;:;i:iiffi Hoop-LA Church and State The October issue sparked a great deal of discussion in many Armenian living rooms. Many of us would rather see immediate social issues addressed prior to building grand structures, including a Church. We all would like to see both done. More often than not, however, we have to make painful choices. The Armenian Church and the Government had a choice and the St. Gregory the Illuminator's Cathedral construction prevailed. In response to my concerned fellow readers, I would like to suggest that not all $15 million was a waste. After all, several important socio-economic issues beneflted from the Church construction. A large track of unused and unattended land in the center of Yerevan was utilized, turning it into a major tourist attendance cen-

ter; several hundred Armenian

architects,

engineers, designers, construction workers were granted temporary but stable jobs; several Armenian dormant stone quarries were revitalized; the construction process acted as a convergence point of many Armenian governmental, Church and Diaspora agencies; the completed Church served as a focal point of the I 700th Anniversary's activities. The new Church was a symbol for many

Armenians worldwide and in Armenia for their perseverance and dedication in rebuilding Armenia as a sovereign state. A visitor to Armenia, ordinary person or state leader, is made aware of this dedication. In my opinion, the choice was made for the sustainable and long-term benefit of Armenia. Saying all this, we should not neglect neg-

ative social issues towering in Armenia. I agree, the Church should be concerned with

As a Diasporan Armenian I am often surprised at the high and mighty attitude of fellow Diasporans towards Armenia and Armenians.

The letter by Karineh Aftandilians

(JanlFeb

where she boasts about her basketball team's walkout at a semifinal game against Yerevan in protest at unfair officiating reels of this attitude. A walkout in an event that is sup posed to bring the Daspora and Armenia closer only hurts the fans and the participating teams. It does not teach anyone anything. The Diasporans were there to participate

20O2,)

and engage, not to teach and boycott. Perhaps this is the flrst time the participants from Los

Angeles were faced with real competition. Granted, the atmosphere was probably not as hospitable as playing some private high school teams in California. In the most serious professional competitions, however, athletes don't walk out because they have respect for the competition and its goals, regardless of poor officiating, unfriendly atmosphere, or a bad pitch. The Italian professional soccer league (the wealthiest in the

world) has been plagued for years by favoritism for the northem teams. Ye| no southern team boycotts the competition. Last year a team from what the northerners consider the south (Roma) won the league. Until recently, black players in the English premier soccer league were taunted by fans of the opposing teams with jungle noises and

banana skins. No English black players walked out and are now among the best and most respected on the English national team. Soviet Armenian teams were often victimized by Russian officials during competitions, but they never boycotted any event. They won the Soviet soccer league in1973. In sum, a boycott of a game in Armenia is AIM MARCH

2OO2

nothing to boast about. It is not a political act against comrption or favoritism. Mrs. Aftandilians needs to stop thinking ofherselfas the Malcolm X of basketball, and if she insists on teaching values, she should teach empathy and understanding to her own players. Patrick Azadinn Glendale, Califomin, U SA

Editofs note: The author is Art Director of AIM, but writes in a personal capacity. Abortion in Annenia I read with great concern your article on abortion in Armenia (November 2001). I was surprised to learn of the lax, Westemized abortion regime in Armenia, where abortion is used as the "principal" means of birth control. I was saddened to learn that any woman, especially an Armenian one, would subject herself to more than 40 abortions. I was, however, also troubled by the views expressed in the accompanying AIM editorial ("An Avoidable Risk"). The underlying logic of your editorial is flawed. It aff,rms an Armenian women's right to have an abortion on demand, characterizing abortion as primarily a health issue. YeL at the same time, it laments the "tremendous" phpical risls and pychological ramifications of abortion to women, describing the mnsequences as "tragic". Citing our homeland's falling birthrate, your editorial even refers to the current use of abortion services in Armenia as a "national crisis". Why? Because it is leaving an inordinate number of women infertile and impeding the birth of a new generation of Armenian children. But, so does abortion, which you do not hesitate to affirm at the outset. Therein lies the logical inconsistenry of your editorial.

The solution to the abortion crisis in Armenia is not more information about contraceptives. Rather, it is the fostering of respect for life, which is created in the image of God. And lest we materially blessed Armenians in the West be implicated in the decision to terminate the life of an unborn child due to economic conditions, we, too, need to demonstrate respect for human life by continually pouring out our love and aid to the people of our homeland, including the generation yet to be bom. Hovsep Afarinn M ar kham, O ntario, C anada Connected

It is true that the internet is rich with Armenian websites, but AIM and only AIM satisfies my desire in feeling that strong connection to our homeland and the Diaspora. Impatiently, I wait for each issue and I wish

if they were 12 issues per year and not 10. I always tell Armenians I meet about AIM,

The Fourth Millennium Society is an independently funded and administered public charity committd to the disssnination ol information for the purpose ol developing an inlorrned public. Underpinning all our w0rk is the firm c0nviction that the vitality of an independsnt press is fundanEnbl to a &mocratic society

its diverse and

informative articles. Sometimes, I scan some articles and e-mail them to Armenian and non-Armenian friends. A

in Armenia and democratic institutions in the Diaspora, The Fourth Millennium Society publishes Armenian lnternational Maguine in its eflort to contribute to the national dialogue. The directors are grateful to the Benefactors, Trustees, Patrons and Friends ol the Fourth Millennium Society who are committed to the well-being, growth and development of Armenians and Arrnnia through the promotion

thank to John Hughes who impresses me alwap with his essays. They say "save the specral

o[ open discussion and the lree llow of rnformation among individuals and organiations. Their financial contributions support the w0rk ol the Fourth Millennium Society and ensure the independence of AlM.

best for lasf'. You know, he is Armenian.

Keep up the good, yet challenging work as it is always difficult to please all tastes simultaneously. More success to AIM. Maral Kojaian Amman, Jordan Only Connect

Your editorial (The Medium and the Mesage, December 2ffi1), though very interesting and "suggestive" in some ways, is not compatible with the Armenian Diaspora's, as well as the Republic of Armenia's, present stance. Al-lazeera was created to fill a vacuum, as go between, if you wish between the Arab world and the West. At least, that is the impression it has left and it has indeed succeeded. However, things change dramatically when analyzing our needs. The Republic of Armenia has a few TV stations, whose broadcasts I understand that you in Los Angeles are able to receive, as well as people in Western Europe. With one or two such TV stations now operative in LA, one, albeit not so active, in New York, and hopefullyone in Europe,whynottie these up by means of relay stations for at least a couple of hours a day? And enhance the progralnmes on both sides of the Atlantic, firstly to have them spoken both in Eastem and Westem dialects, as well as providing broadcasts in French, Spanish and English. Most of all, we need to have the best of our acton, directon and producen cooperate to create programmes to the best of their abilities. It is sad, not to say hopelessly "a la Armenienne", to have such able personalities in all the related fields andnotbe able to bring suchtalentedpeo ple together to accomplish much more. As to your reference to the Press, we do have quite a few good weeklies in Armenian, Spanish, French and English, not to mention those in the Middle East. They could co-operate with those in Yerevan to make the latter more receptive of the All Armenia scenario. Guytzag Palandjian South Florida, USA For the Record The ArmeniaTree Project places plaques at pl.ant sites in retum for donations of at least $5,000 for 500 trees, and not $500 as stated in the article Growing Optimism (November, 2001). AIM regrets the error.

-Vahe Aghabegians, Salpi Haroutinian Ghazarian, Shahen Hairapetian, Michael Nahabet, Raffi Zinzalian, Directors

Benelaclors Sarkis Acopian, Albert & Tove Boyajian, The Cafesjian Family Foundation, lnc. Hirair and Anna Hovnanian, Vahakn and Hasmig Hovnanian, Ihe Lincy Foundation, Louise Manoogian Simone

Senior Trustees AUSTRALIA Heros & Kate Dilanchian CANADA Razmig Hakimian, Kourken Sarkissian HONG K0NG Jack Maxian USA CA Armand & Nancy Arabian, Khachig Babayan, George & Flora Dunaians, Armen & Gloriaf Hampar,

Araxie M. Haroutinian, NH Jeannette John, George & Grace Kay, Joe & Joyce Stein NY James Tufenkian Rl Papken Janjigian

Founding Truslees AUSTRALIA Varoojan Iskenderian USA CA Garen Avedikian, Mardo Kaprielian, Edward Misserlian, Bob Movelt Varoujan Nahabet, Norair 0skanian, Emmy Papazian, Zareh Sarkissian, Raffi Zinzalian FL Hagop Koushakjian PA Zarouhi Mardikian

Tenth Anniversary Gorporaie Sponsors Aesthetic & Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, Garo Kassabian; Armenian Jewelers'Association; Commerce Casino, Hasmik Mgrdichian; George Tumanjan; Grand Tobacco, Hrand & Mikayel Vardanian; ISB Group, Armen

& Ketty Kazandjian; Law 0ffice of Aris Artounians, Aris & Karine Artounians:

Law Offices of 0urfalian & 0urfalian, Rafi & Sarkis 0urfalian; NASA Services lnc., Sam & Elizabeth Sarkisian,

Nick & Kamelia Sarkisian, Arsen Sarkisian; Pacific Sales, Jerry Turpanjian; Remax of Glendale, Vahe & Aida Yeghiazarian; Yerevan Hotel

Associale Trustees ARlllENIA Khachatur & Rouzanna Soukiassian AUSTRALIA Arman & Nairi Derderyan USA CA Vartkes & Jean Barsam, Walter & Laurel Karabian, Gary & Sossi Kevorkian Nazar & Artemis Nazarian, Ralph & Savey Tulenkian

K. George & Carolann Najarian

Patrons AUSTRALIA

Artin Elmekjian Georoe & Vartouhi Tavoukjian Mack Vahanian Anonymous

Ardash & l\4arian Derderian

Sun Plastics. lnc.

Dimitri & Tamara Dimitri Steve & Lucille Estephanian

Petros & Garine Taglyan Ara & Avedis Tavitian Gaidzag & Dzovig Zeillian

CANAOA

Manoushag Fermanian Gagik & Knar Galstian

usA c0ltt{EcTtcuT

Vahan & Audrey Gregor

Louis T. Hagopian

Louise funavour

Pierre & Alice Haig

Kevork & Pamela Toroyan

Gerair & Elisâ&#x201A;Ź Dervishian

Shahen & Martha Haroutunian

USA iIASSACHUSETTS

Migirdic & Ani tu!igirdicyan

Arpiar & Hermine Janoyan

Kevork Alinizian

Soghomon & Arpiar Sakarya & Families

Z. Greg Kahwajian

Nishan & l\4argarel Atinizian

CYPRUS

Jack & Maro Kalaydiian

Richard K. Eabayan & Sonya Nersessian

Garo Keheyan

Kevork & Satenio Karajeriian

Charles & Donna Kouyoumjian

ISRAEL

Nishant & Sona

Richard Simonian

Kaza2ian

Adrine Karakashlan

Kirk & Ann Kesapyan

usa iilclllcAlr

ITATY

John & Bose Ketchoyan

George Chamchikian

Krikor & Harout lstanbulian

Zaven & Sona Khanjian

tEBlI0il Kevork Eouladian

Krikor Krikorian Julie (ulhanjian & Roger Strauch

Edgar

Sarah Hagopian

Alex Manoogiant Kirakos Vapurciyan

UIE

Louis & Grace Kurkjian

USA ilEVADT

Razmik A. Tatevossian

Dora Serviarian Kuhn

Larry & Seda Barnes

uItTEo t(lltcD0tt Diran & Suzi Chakelian usA cALtfoRiltA Mihran & Elizabeth Aqbabian

Avik Mahdesiant

USA IIEYT JEBSEY

Stepan & Erdjanik Markarian Harout & Rita l\4esrobian Tony & Ria Moroyan

Margarel Chanlikiant

Garabed Akpolal

Edward & Alice Navasargian

Hany & Aida Koundakjian

us xEwYoRx M. Michael Ansour

Harry & Alvarl Barseghian

Armand 0. Norehad

Nancy Kricorian

Aram & Terez Bassenian

Kenneth & Cindy Norian

Vahe Nishaniant

Daniel Behesnilian

Rafi 0urfalian

Eerl & Hera BoFlian

iilichael & Hermine Piranian Hratch & Helga Sarkis

Bouben

Tania Chakalian

Hagop & Violet Dakessian Caro & Diyana Danielian

Alex Sarkissian Robert & Helen Shamlian

John & Lucille G. Sarkissian Harout Topsacalian

ust w sHItGToil

8arry & l\4argarel Zorlhian

Friends ol AIM The Fourth Millennium Society is grateful lo the lollowing lor contributing during the last month t0 ensure AlMs financial independence. USA CA Haroutioun Artine, Bill Balian, Walter Barsamian, Rouben V & Tania Chakalian, Florence Harutunian, Elmer F. Kaprielian, Elise & Ralph Kazanjian, Mark Markarian, Nora Sahagian, Arthur Seredian, Leo & Arminee Shishmanian, osep Tokat, l\,laurice Yotnegparian C0 Vahan Kavafyan Ft Mt & l/rs. E. Asadoorian, Henry Gasparian l[ Avedis Yazicioglu ilA Sirarpie S. Aflandilian, Van M. & Mary B. Aroian, Armen & Ara Arslanian, Jeny P & Annie Balikian, John Baronian, Paul C. & Joyce L. Barsam, Lucy A. Bedkian, John H. & Hasmiq J. Chaglassian, Keran & Kathleen Chobanian, Joann Janjiqian, Harold M. (eshishian, Vasken & Tina Kroshian, Slephen A. Kurkjian, Jack & Eva Medzorian, Judith Norsigian, Peter & Charleen onanian, Herman & Laura Purutyan, Robert A. Semonian, Helen Shushan, Stephen & Esther Stepanian ill Jack Kosaian llJ Vahe & Liz Amlrian, Sosie Kachikian [Y Elizabeth Anoomanian, Anna Sagtelian, Mr & Mrs. Zaven Saralian 0H Ralph Chakerian PA Harry A. Andonian

AIM MARCH

2OO2

Beating Your Wrfe A Family Affair? Ith hard to understand. Why would a man marry a woman only to submit her to persistent and intensifying intimidation and violence? Why hurt the one you say you love? And why would a woman tolerate the intolerable, often for years? Domestic violence bears no easy explanation. And it's too glib to say it shouldn't happen, since it plainly does. But accepting that it happens, in Armenian families just as in those of any other community, is the first step towards creating an environment in which it becomes simply unacceptable to abuse and assault your wife. There are many disturbing elements in this month's cover story not the least of which is the apparent reluctance to acknowledge that domestic violence is more than a marital tiff. When a woman is punched and kicked and brutalized by her husband, it ceases to be a family matter. To take the view that others outside the family have no business interfering is to take the side of the one handing out the beating. Domestic violence in the Armenian context is complicated by the sense of shame felt by the woman at the idea of breaking up the family to save herself. That the victim should feel guilt in seeking to escape persecution is bad enough. That she should be made to feel shame as a result of familypressure not to bring embarrassment upon their home suggests a very warped sense of priorities. The willingness of some mothers-in-law to tolerate, even connive in, the persecution of other women out of some misguided devotion to their sons also needs closer examination. They should take a long

hard look at themselves in the mirror. If there is silence in the Diaspora, there is indifference to the whole issue of domestic violence in Armenia. When police officers think a man is entitled to hit his wife from time to time, there is little she can hope for in the way of protection. Again, concem for the good name of a family, or the nation, appears to take priority over the welfare of the individual woman. In such a macho culture, the man is king in his own home and his wife merely one of his possesions, like the furniture. Here, a lead has to come from the top, from political leaders and the Church, in asserting that all in the republic have a right to live without fear - women as much as men. Armenia constantly extols its record as a counhy where it is safe to walk the streets at night - precious little comfort if violent crimes go unpunished behind the closed doors of family homes. There is nothing to suggest that the incidence of domestic violence in Armenian families, whether in the republic or Diaspora, is more or less than that in any other social group. And nobody enjoys exposing their dirty laundry for the neighbors to see. But it is necessary to break the silence that surrounds domestic violence, to confront it and expose it to the harsh light ofsocial disapproval. Every victim is someone's daughter, someone's sister, just like youn. Sadly, it may neverbe eliminated. Butbylaying the blame firnrlywhere it should be, and at the earliest opportunity, we create an environment that puts the victim's needs fint andchallengesthe abuserto change his ways.

Aiding Armenia A Bad Law Threatens Goodwill As of January 1, a law making humanitarian aid tax exempt was abolished and in its place new legislation implemented that gives the Armenian Government power to choose which charities will be taxed at 20 percent and which will be exempt. The new law is a flawed and ill-conceived notion that never should have reached debate much less ratification. Under new orders, the Government, through the State Crnfral Committee on Humanitarian Aid, will accredit some charities and exclude others. Those deemed legitimate will have their 20 percent Value Added Tax paid for by the Goverffnent. Others will be charged the VAT However much it might be wished otherwise, Armenia is dependent on humanitarian aid. Its schools, its hospitals and numerous other institutions are propped up by the goodwill of foreigners. The new tax law is an insult to countless well-meaning agencies and individuals who now are likely to reconsider their commitment. An example: Englishman David Dowell has made 39 trips to Armenia - primarily to Gumri and Karabakh - since 1988. During that time he has shipped, via Poti, Georgia, more than $7 million in goods including nearly everything from shoes, to computers, to hospital beds and even a fire engine. Dowell's work is not commissioned by any agency. In fact, he has shunned

ffiiation,

figuring, maybe rightly, that bureaucracy is a strange

bedfellow for altruism.

Having learned of the new legislation, Dowell is now questioning whether he'll make a 40th trip. And why should he? Why should anyone or any agency that simply wants to do good be strapped with the burden of proving their intentions, the hindrance of tedious paperwork and the likelihood of having to pay handsomely for the right to do something worthwhile? Equally questionable is the Government's intentions to impose itseH on charities. To explain: The new law states that the Government of Armenia will, itself, pay the 20 percent VAI for acceptable charities. In exchange, the Govemment will become a partner of the charity. Just as it is true that Armenia is sustained by humanitarian aid, so is it an unfortunate fact that administration of policy in the republic is rife with shady deal-making and doctored bookkeeping. Where is the guarantee that administration of this law will be an exception to that condition? Another question: How is it that a govemment that can't afford to pay its doctors and teachers, that can't even afford a $L million repair job on the flagship aircraft of the State airline, can propose to pay what will surely be a monumental tax bill? And pay it to itself? The mind boggles at the absurdity. And for what good? Lawmakers claim it is a means of controlling

AIM MARCH

2OO2

misuse of charity and a way to stop an apparent flood of donated goods finding their way into Armenian markets. Are we to believe

that the abuse is so widespread to be worth the cost of combating it in such a contrived manner?

If misuse of goods is so rampant, the better course of reform would be for the Government to direct the police away from roadside bnbe collecting and onto monitoring the movement of aid This law serves no one except possibly those who made it. r

Summer Time And the Living is Exciting One of the most envied aspects of American life is its highly developed system of internships and volunteer programs, giving young people the opportunify to gain valuable experience in a particular area of interest while learning the importance of community involvement.

The Armenian-American experience adds another dimension, offering the chance to contribute to the development of an ancestral homeland while at the same time discovering an enriched sense of self. The programs for work and study in Armenia can truly be lifechanging experiences, making three-dimensional what might previously have seemed only a hyphenated add-on to growing up. If a summer stint in Armenia is good for the soul, it should also result in a clearer sense of what is too often clouded in rose-colored mist or a dark fog of despair. The republic has many problems - some of which are documented in this issue of AIM - but it is a real and functioning society. Wishing it were more like America or agonizing that so many people endure a hard life is to miss the energy and enthusiasm of those in Armenia trying to build a better country for themselves and their children. Should you decide to spend time in Armenia, the people you meet there will be the ones who have chosen to stay, for good or ill, through thick and thin. In doing so, they have committed their futures - the only thing they really own - to creating what so many in the Diaspora

have dreamed of for generations. A prosperous, free Armenia. Nobody said it would be easy. But just as modern Califomians are the beneficiaries of the blood and sweat of those who made the first perilous journey West, so today's pioneers in country-building hope

that future generations of Armenians will gain from the investment they are making now.

They have survived earthquake, economic collapse, and war. Chances are, they may have a trick or two to teach those from more comfortable upbringings about making things work. And who knows how many of those future citizens will be present-day Diasporans. attracted by the sense of doing something with their lives greater than accumulating material goods? There is a small but growing number already - making a contribution by creating jobs that reward the faith of those who chose not to leave their homeland. Summer programs are one way of planting those seeds and seeing what bears fruit in the years to come. It may be a clearer sense of identity, or a strengthened sense of purpose in supporting political lobbying efforts for Armenia back home in America. Or it may be an altogether more fundamental change in where you see your place in the world. Quite a dividend from a few weeks invested between college semesters. Oh, and did we mention that it's likely to be a lot of

$ll[$[Rtptl0il$ I ililIlrfly I flriltt{tfir I lI[llil0

[ffi[nllllHill il[,| 207 South Brand Blvd, Suite 203 Glendale, California 91204 USA, Phone 818.246.7979

Fax 818.240,0088

l.[88,$[]l[.ill[| ff aintilffi littg@ilu!.cnnt AIM MARCH

2OO2

fun?

NOTEBOOK

(IThe people could Iay on the road and block the Russian troops and military hardware lrom leaving,

il we decide to withdraw the troops.

-Georgias President Edward Shevardnadze speaki

n0 abour,the

X[:: ffil] I,l i,tfil

X?flH

1]i[1fi,*

December 2001

rln'll

be two generations belore the environment s{arb to

change. Society believes hommexuals are

economy. My children make lriends with their own age children of ditlerent nationalities and speak in the same language of modern technologies, money and economy. We need to think about luture generations, we need to open bordes, which willalso provide Armenia with new chances to reinforce its positions and get hold of new linancial and economic leverc in the region.

-Journalist Ferai Tinc

criminals.ll

,r*o#l[3fi.??ili?ll1l

chairman or rhe Armenian Hetsinki Associalior, ,n on Armenia decriminalizing homosexuality to satisfy the

,.JJr*ojr:yj33i

satot many years, Armenians and Turks of good will have been advocating the wisdom of cooperation. What has been achieved so lar gives us hope and strength lor the future. We believe that there is still a pressing need to cultivate direct ties and that there is much room tor collaboration. From our live years ol experience, we have learned that there is no obstacle lor Turls and Armenians to stail talking and collaborating. The closed border is the only barrier preventing us lrom intensilying our business and human relations. A closed border that separates us makes n0 sense.

Press release signed jointly by the Turkish and Armenian co-chairmen ol the

nlhe lurkbh

HurrUet DaiU

(tWe will have an independent, developing and prospering country in the international family ol peoples. Our latherc and grandfatherc dreamed about it, and this high mission has been laid on us and our sons. r,

*,**Tfi:,[l1',i,fl'l3ll December 2001

rtPeople think way too much. They use their hearts less than their minds. That's this society's problem, period. Anytime you use your mind to identily things rather than just allow them to sink in emotionally, you're making the mistake ol putting something in a particular file or class or a box, thereby limiting its peripherals. That's how people go to sleep at

night.ll

Turkish Armenian Business Development Council.

tnr rr*o!uX(!,ryo[,

Lead si nser

;3fi ll#: [11]

o'f,iiL,[i,73f,

(IWe don't want Nagorno-Karabakh to become a new example ol a frozen conflict. The resolution will come - it is inevitable - but the question is when and how much ol a price you are going to pay lor this resolution. lthink both sides are being hurt a lot. r, -Ambassador Rudolf Perina US Special Negotiator lor Eurasian Conllicts

January 2002

IlThe process has started and Armenia is lully ready lor it. We will delend the legal aspect ol the Karabakh problem, the main gi$ ol which is that Nagorno Karabakh has never been pail of independent Azerbaiian.r, -Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Armen Martirosian

Mediamax News Agency

I(l cannot do anything by mysell. With me are my tellow artists and people who shape the intellectual ground in Armenia. I strongly believe in the bright future ol Armenia, and culture is a very important part ol our etlort to create that future. I am not one of those people who only speak well ol Armenia however. I do see much of an improvement in our lives, even though many bad things still remain. Dostoyevsky said that beauty will save the world. Let us discover that beauty in lile so we will disregard hate. Let us live harmoniously. Pure, kind, honest art can create that harmony among us, and believe me there have been, there are, and there will always be artists in Armenia that will provide such arl for our lives.ll

I!By going

back to history each time Armenia is lagging behind and losing new chances to boost its 14

AIM MARCH

2OO2

-Vigen Chaldranian o, tt * "!{"{^:/;ff,

recto r/Prod ucer

NOTEBOOK

Docton on a $uiciile Mission Ilr.

Jack Kevorkian. the assisted-suiactivist serving a prison sentence of 10 to 25 years, suffered a legal

In a letter sent from jail to Supreme Court Chief Justice Mliam Renquist, Kevorkian stated: "As a secular profes-

Ilcide

setback

November 2001

the

sion medicine is relevant to the full spectrum of human existence from conception through death. "There is a constitutional right to

Michigan Court of Appeals.

Kevorkian,73, had his appeal denied against his murder conviction for the videotaped assisted suicide of Thomas Youk, a terminally ill Michigan man suf-

choose to request such a medical service

[euthanasia], and a constitutional right for physicians to choose to comply." Writing n The New York Review of

fering from the degenerative Lou Gehrig's Disease. Kevorkian, who claims

to have helped more than 130 people to end their lives, had been acquitted of

Books last July, Mike Wallace,

reporter with 60 Minutes, compared the cases of Oklahoma City bomber

murder charges in three previous cases. But in the Youk case he filmed himself

Trmothy McVeigh and Kevorkian. "McVeigh killed 168 people," wrote

administering a lethal injection and sent the tape to CBS TV's investigative pro-

Wallace, "Kevorkian just one, one who

gram 60 Minutes.

along with his wife and brother had for Kevorkian to help him

The tape was

broadcast in November 1998. Kevorkian made it to

pleaded

challenge the legal system to deal with the reality of assisted suicide, which is backed by supporters of euthanasia as a means for people suffering the pain and

for so long from the Lou Gehrig's

escape the unceasing pain he'd endured

humiliation of a terminal disease to end their lives with dignity. In the recording, Kevorkian dared the authorities to prosecute him, hoping to challenge the law in court. He quickly got his wish and trial in March 1999. He defended himself for most of the case, telling the court his actions were "a medical service for an agonized human being". The jury was unconvinced, howeveq and convicted him of seconddegree murder. The clinching issue was that, unlike in previous assisted suicides when he had simply arranged for patients to kill themselves, Kevorkian had administered the fatal injection to Youk upon was brought to

disease that invaded and wasted his muscles, his lungs, then his entire body. "Why do I raise all this again now? Because of the apparent irony: McVeigh and Youk, both of them wanting to die, and by the same means [same chemicals of the lethal injection]. But

Thomas Youk's killer did what he did out of compassion, unlike McVeigh who killed out of bitterness." Wallace continued: "As I've come to know more about Jack Kevorkian over the past two years, I've leamed that the conventiondl wisdom about him was wrong. Fanatic? No. Zealot? Yes." AIM has come to know Kevorkian too, as a subscriber. In a handwritten note sent to the magazine shortly before Christmas, he wrote: "I really love your magazine!" I

Youk's consent.

-Asbed Pogharian

lmrcnial lnhenitaroe tll I

f Turkey views itself as the descendent of the Ottoman regime, in that case it must take responsibility for all dirty deeds perpetrated

by the Ottomans, among them ... the Armenian Genocide." This view was advanced by a representative of UNESCO follow-

ing Turkey's complaint to the United Nations cultural organization about the Saudi Arabian government's proposed 'demolition' of an Ottoman fortress near the holy city of Mecca.

Tirkey has likened the move to the destruction of

Buddha statues by the Thliban regime in Afghanistan, infuriating Saudi otficials. Saudi Arabia insists the fortress is not being destroyed, merely dismantled in order to be rebuilt elsewhere. The government wants to move it to make way for a massive new development of 11 highrise residential towers and a five-star hotel to serve Muslim pilgrims to Mecca, I

the giant

AIM MARCH 2OO2

-Asbed Pogharian

NOTEBOOK

Atatunk At A Ginema Nean You? lllans

l'the

lowing an intervention by the US Ambassador

to oroduce a film based on the life of

oI the

modern Turkish

toTirkey, the stalled Ataturk project got a green

Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, appear to

light for production. The Tiirkish leg of the project is being undertaken by Alinur Velidedeoglu, a well-known

Iounder

have been revived thanks tcl an unlikely source:

September

Ataturk,

11.

advertising executive.

In an interview

with

million-plus US-Turkish coproduction, is scheduled to begin shooting in

Sabah. he said: "There is a view since the attacks

April.

So far. the identity of the actor cast in the lead role is being kept secret - all that has been said is that he is reputed to be among Hollywood's

of September

top 20 stars.

of Tirkey in a very diftbrent light. "The American Ambasador has called the Turkish Parliamentarian, Mr. Bulent Akarcali, to expres his thoughts about the Ataturk movie prqect. He has said the movie will be very helpfirl." Tarqurn Olivier, son of the legendary actor Lawrence Olivier. and his Tirrkish wrte Znlda are said to be producing the movie and to have

a $30

example

11 that Tirrkey can become an

to other Muslim countries. The

President has mentioned this fact in his speeches, placing the imporlance

The project has been on the table for almost ten years. The last attempt to make was abandoned two years ago when

Antonio

Banderas. the renowned Spanish actor lined up to portray Ataturk, pulled out under pressure from Greek and Armenian groups. Banderas admitted to Ihe Daily Variety that he had been interested "until I received so many letters about how many Ataturk had killed, kids he had sodomized - so I decided agarnst it".

Efforts to make a fllm about Ataturk

have a long history - Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Kirk Douglas and Omar Sharif have all been involved in previous failed attempts. But September 1 t has proved the catalyst for a new bid. The spotlight fell on Turkey as a

Muslim country joining forces with the US in the war against terrorism in Afghanistan. President Bush has repeatedly praised Tirrkey as a model democracy that other Muslim states should emulate. Additionally, his administration is recruiting the film industry as the most

powerful medium

influence hearts and

minds. Tfte Sabaft newspaper reported that, fol-

top Hollywood director Bruce Beresford. Beresford was lined up to direct Banderas in the previous movie and his screen recruited

credits include such notable pictures as Breaker Morant, Tender Mercies, and the 1990 Oscar

wtrner Diving Miss Daisy. An American witer,Timothy Pragel

Fund ra isi ng Opportun

ity!

ls your non-profit organization, church group or youth program

looking for new and different fundraising avenues?

lf so, sell Ali,l subscriptions! AIM will develop a fund raising plan that is sensitive to your organization's needs. We will work with your group, provide the tools and information, and help you achieve your fund raising goals. For more information call

888.SEND.A!M o' email AlMagazine@aol.com ATM MARCH

2OO2

is pen-

ning the script, which is based on the 1964 biog-

NOTEBOOK

il,lli

:,rr

ii, il

[r1r*r,11;i

rtli,ru

raphy

Atamk

The Rebirth of a Nation by British historian

tnrd

Kinross.

The fact that Velidedeoglu and the Olivien have had meetings with Ttrkey's Defense, Culture and Tourism Ministen underlines the importance being attached to this film. Almost all its budget is coming from the US, although no mention has been made of which film studio is involved. Wl/th Araru, Atom Egoyan's long-awaited film about the Genocide, due for release this year, it appears that Tirkey is eager to respond on screen. Velidedeoglu said: "Instead of protesting Ararat,weshould be sup porting the making of the Ataturk movie. The Great lrader will be por-

frayed by a very famous actor."

-Asbed Pogharian

Opposite page:

Ataturk.

This page, top: Two yeals ago, Antonio Banderas, who was to

poilray

Ataturk, pulled out undel pressute lrom Greek and Atmenian groups. Above: Tarquin 0livier, son ol the legendary actor Lawrence 0livier, and his Tutltish wile Zelda are said to be producing the mouie.

AIM MARCH

2OO2

Alax on GhanlU? Government Scraps Exemption and Thkes New Powers to Control Programs BY T0NY HAtPIl,l AND I{ARA MABKOSSIA],| IYEREVAN

change to the law on taxation of humanitarian aid has sparked anger and confusion among charitable organizations working in Armenia. The National Assembly voted on December

28 to abolish the law exempting charitable and humanitarian bodies from paying 20percent Value Added Tax (VAT) on materials brought into Armenia. The change took effect on January 1.

Aid organizations have suddenly found themselves paying VAT on everything they

do - and some are threatening to end their involvement with Armenia as a result. The Government decided only on February 7 to introduce an alternative system of approving aid projects as tax-exempt, which effectively gives it much greater control over the way prograrns are implemented. Under the new rules, they must pay VAT on all goods and services unless the State Central Committee on Humanitarian Aid flrst declares the project to be charitable and t8

agrees to waive the charge. The Govemment then insists that, since it is "pafng" the charity's VAT bill, it has a20 per-

Medecins Sans Frontieres, Oxfam, and World Vision, have written to President Kocharian calling on him to find "an urgent solution" to

cent stake in the project. This will give it oversight powers throughout the life of a project. In effect, the State is nationalizing all aid programs by giving itself a seat on the board - groups wishing to work in Armenia without paying VAT have no altemative but to accept. The reform places foreign aid organizations and Diaspora goups in a dilemma, particularly those implementing one-offor smallscale projects. It can take months for a program to win government approval as a chari-

the issue and pointing out that taxing aid flies in the face of accepted intemational practice. They warned: "A VAT requirement on humanitarian projects would represent a sigfficant deterioration in the working environment for intemational organizations that could force some of the organizations to re-evaluate their commitment to stay in Armenia."

table enterprise - organizations must either delay until they have permission or pay VAI

housing refugee families in Armenia, is already facing VAldemands as a result of the new law.

in the hope of winning a refund later. The prospect of becoming embroiled in a complex bureaucracy where officials secondguess every stage of a project's implementa-

Director Tim Straight said: "I have more or less frozen all of our activities until this is cleared up. I find it completely unacceptable that we should pay 20 percent tax to give

tion may also deter humanitarian

Armeniafree houses, free schools, and free help." The NRC has had an application in for exemption from VAI since December - the

groups

from working in Armenia. Seven major aid organizations, including

AIM MARCH

2OO2

The Nonregian Refugee Council (NRC),

which has received thousands of dollars in donations from AIM readers for its work in

In a 1991 interview with AIM, Vemeuil called Mayrig "the most personal film I ever

Jobs in radio and with a magazine followed, before he made his first film in 1947, a documentary featuring the comedian Femandel. Vemeuil quickly moved to Paris to continue his career. He made his first full-length fihn in 1951, following it four years later with Les Amants

made". The two films span the period of Verneuil's early life, from his arrival in France, to the age of45. But the director was reluctant to describe

Mayig ashshfe story saying: "I

Tage, starring the English actor Tievor Howard. He directed Gabin for the first time a year later in Des Gens Sans Importance, then shot one of his most charming films, La Vache and Le Prisonnier in 1959, about a man's adventures with a stubborn cow. It was his second collaboration with Gabin that really propelled Vemeuil to prominence. His 1962 film Un Singe m Hivu,which also staned Jean-Paul Belrnondo, is widely viewed as one of his best a comedy about the relationship between two alcoholics of different generations and the demon drink.

wished to pay

tribute to my family and, through them, to all Armenian families. I had promised my mother that I would talk about our past, what we had been and not what we are today as a Diaspora. "In a sense, we can say that it is a histori-

cal fllm because it relates all the phases of Armenian immigration since the Genocide, starting with the death of Talaat and the trial

of Tehlirian, and continued by the anival of Armenians in Marseilles, amongst whom

were the Zakarian family."

A father-of-four, Verneuil retired after completing 588 Rue de Paradis. In 1996, he was awarded an honorary Cdsar - France's equivalent of an Oscar for his lifetime's

Regarded as the most "American" of French film directors, Vemeuil gained a reputation for tuming out stylish and exciting action

film.

thrillers. Weelcend d Zuydcoolq one of two films he released in 1964., starred Belmondo in a grip-

achievement in

ping account of the landings at Dunkirk in

0pposite page: Verneuil stands behind the

World War Two. Delon and Gabin staned in 1%9's Le Ckn des Siciliern, another of Vemeuil's best-known

films, while Behnondo starred tn Le

Casse

(1W6), a hold-up crime thriller set in Athens.

The American director Stanley Kubrick

work with him on fiil Menl lacka, his examination of the Metnam chose Vemeuil in 1987 to

War. Vemeuil's own careerwas drawing to a close

but he saved his most personal subject for last.

His 1991 film Mayrig (mother) was

his

Gamela, early in his career. 0n March 2, 1996, in Paris, Uerneuil poses allfi being awarded with a special Cesar lor his works.

35th and, with its sequel588 Rue de Paradis, was among the most expensive of European productions at that time at 140 million Francs

This page, middle:

($25 million).

Top, left:

Based on his 1985 autobiography of the same name, Mayrig traces the relationships of an Armenian family, the Zakarians, after

the Genocide. Claudia Cardinale portrayed the title character while Omar Sharif played Hagop, representing Verneuil's father.

AIM MARCH

2OO2

Verneuil (center) shows his Gesar

as he poses with ltalian actress Claudia Gardinale and French actor Alain Delon Top, center: Primate 0l Paris, Archbishop Kud ilakashian leads the procession alter Verneuilb

luneral mass. He was buried in Marceilles. lhe church aller Verneuil's luneral mass.

Top, right: Charles Aznavour leaves

[a[e MiclriUan is Alulays t0 t[c

East

The Roots of a Very Particular Community TEXT AND PHOTOS BY ELIZA GALFAYAN I LOS ANGELES

*{*fT

_;!i

[acine. Wisconsin is not the sort of place one I lexpects to find an Armenian flag flying alongside Old Glory.

The flag of Denmark seems more fitting given its large Danish population. Yet there it was, the Armenian flag, right on State Street, deep in the heart of America.

As unlikely

as it seems today,

given the major

settlements in Southem Califomia, Racine once boasted one of the biggest Armenian communi-

ties in the country.The Armenians who came were mostly from Kharpet and Tomarza - for-

mer Anatolian cities no one seers to know unles they are descendants of the people who

The drive down I-94 from Chicago to Racine to attend the annual Armenian Fest

were originally from there.

picnic sponsored by St. Mesrob Armenian

selves, it's that we are Tomazatsi. It's just a

Church gave only a glimpse of what was to be expected. The lush Midwestern landscape, abundant with agriculture on one side and industrial parks with countless outlet stores on the other, showed middle America struggling with urban sprawl, but provided no clue

of fact of life in Racine, like being Armenian," says Jason Mikaelian a former resident who now lives and works in [.os Angeles. The fint Armenian to settle in Racine was

to a community of virtually unknown people who have been in Racine since the turn of the last century.

"If

there's one thing we know about our-

kind

Hovaness Kherdian from Kharpet, in 1890. He made his way across the ocean to seek his fortune in the small Midwestern town on the shores of Lake Michigan. Then in the early 1900s the Tomarzatsies began arriving. AIM MARCH

2OO2

Young men in their teens and early twenties came to the "Land of Opportunity" to eam enough money to carry home to their native Kharpet or Tomarza for Armenian brides. They came to Racine for its booming industrial economy, for the jobs at the

foundries, factories and machine

shops.

Companies such as Belle City Malleable Iron, J I Case and Walker Manufacturing employed many Armenians, who were considered to be hardworking and dependable. Some returned to Kharpet and Tomarza before World War One as they had received news of trouble brewing in their homeland. Others continued in the factories and

foundries, eventually marrying and opening businesses of their own. They were the attor-

neys, physicians, bakers, grocers and coffee shop owners. They became part of the local

State Committee has refused to process it so far, saying mechanisms linked to the change in the law have not yet been prepared. Organizations in the same position are fearful that, when the new procedures are introduced, applications for VAT refunds will be only partially met at best. The strong suspicion is that the Government sees aid organizations as an easy target for revenue collection.

For some groups, lengthy delays in obtaining VAT exemption, or a failure to be approved at all, could mean tax bills of hundreds of thousands of dollars - money intended to assist the needy. The Govemment's desire for closer control over aid programs appears to be motivated by concern over perceived abuses of the

It is claimed by some officials that taxexempt material brought into the country has ended up in the markets of Armenia for sale. To what extent this has been happening and to what degree the Government has documentary proof of the claims is unclear. There has been little or no debate about the issue, or the proposed remedy, in Armenia. system.

But the NRC's Straight pointed out: if two percent of people are using

"Even

humanitarian charities in an improper way, the Government has decided to punish the 98 percent in order to punish this two percent. "I will not sign any construction contracts until this is sorted out. I will not pay 20 percent tax to house refugees."

Every $6,000 taken in tax would be one less refugee family housed in new accommodation by the charity, he said.

Prior to the reform, the State Committee

simply approved applications from aid groups to work in Armenia and they automatically gained exemption from VAT. Chairman Madimir Movsisian (right) insisted legitimate organizations have nothing to fear from the new regime.

"The Government itself is going to pay

the 20 percent VAT and automatically become a member of any humanitarian program. It means that this becomes a mutual

entelprise

so all the organizations which

were exempted from VATwon't have to start

paying taxes," he said. "The most important mistake we made in the past was that we didnl control the

process

of a

program's implementation,

whether it was carried out completely or not. Now this new project will let us control programs completely, we are responsible, we

have a right and a stake in following the whole program through."

He continued: "If during a program's implementation, we decide that it doesn't cor-

respond to humanitarian or charitable purposthen we have the ability to change the status of a program and not pay our share."

This last point has some organizations worried. If the Government decides an activity is unnecessary the charity concerned will then become liable to pay VAT if it wants to continue working in Armenia. Movsisian said his committee would continue to have full authority to negotiate with charities on behalf of the Government and he ruled out any suggestion of high-handed decisions. But some organizations complain that Department of Finance representatives on the committee already seek every opportunity to deny tax-exempt status to projects submitted for approval. Ministerial sources have also told AIM that flnal approval for a program will in fact be made at meetings of the full Government, based on the committee's recommendations. This raises the specter of decisions being taken for political reasons rather than purely AIM MARCH

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on the basis of need. Movsisian said the Government intended to organize seminars to explain the new tax arrangements to charitable, public, and human-

itarian bodies in Armenia. Information would also be translated into English and placed on the internet. Local charities are as confused as international organizations about the effects of the reform. Arpine Abrahamian, president of the Salvation charitable union, which works with mentally disabled children, said: "This is the

first I've heard about this. When was that amendment made? We haven't started any program since January which means we have had no contactwith the tax authorities. But up to now we've had an exemption from VAT." The only bodies that are clearly unaffected by the change are those operating in Armenia under govemment-to-government agreements, such as the United Nations, the Intemational Red Cross, and USAID. Their activities will continue to be exempt from tax.

A Llle ln Moules Verneuil's Long Journey to Mayrig BY TONY HALPIN

e started

life

as a

refugee child of Genocide

survivon and ended it in the pantheon of France's most esteemed film directors. Henri Verneuil, who died in Paris on January both exemplified and chronicled the joumey from survival to success that characterized so many Armenians of his generation. Along the way, he was a prolific filmmaker who directed many giants of the cinema. Jean Gabin, Yves Montand, Jean-Paul Belrnondo, 11 aged 81,

Alain Delon, Omar Sharif, and Claudia

Cardinale allstarred in films made byVemeuil during a 45-year career behind the lense. Bom Ashod Malakian in Rodosto, Turkey, on October 15, Verneuil recounted in his autobiography how he arrived in France with those members of his family who had

ln\,

escaped the Genocide. They arrived in Marseilles in December 1924 on a leaky boat packed with fellow survivors of the atrocities. "I was four years old, with what remained of my family, who had by good luck managed

AIM MARCH

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to survive the assassinations. Standing on tiptoe,I gazed. over the bulwarks at a phantom city lost in the thick fog of a wintry dawn, and my father told me: 'That is France, my son'." Verneuil grew up in the Armenian district of Rue de Paradis - later made famous as the title of his final film - and graduated from the local Ecole des Arts et des M6tiers. While a student, he became fascinated by film and began writing reviews for Le Petit Marseillais after graduating.

establishment, the local landscape in no time.

David Kherdian, in his book I Called it Home, recalled: "It was an odd place to be born into. What were we doing here and how did it happen that we, the Armenians had found this place? Or had it found us?" Armenian Fest is organized annually by St. Mesrob's, known jokingly by locals as the less than gess (half) church. Of course every

Armenian community has churches

at least two

St. Hagop is the other in Racine,

the Prelacy Church which holds its own Armenian picnic earlier in the summer in a little park just outside of town. Though the community isnt divided over the churches, their congregations look quite dif-

ferent. St. Mesrob has the larger congregation and more Americanabout 320 members Armenians. St. Hagop is smaller and has more recent arrivals from the Middle East. Armenians from the adjacent cities Kenosha and Mlwaukee travel to both for services.

Tomarzatsi andcame to the festivalwittthis greatnieoe Karin Paragamian, who lives in Idaho.

Catherine Madaghjian Sahakian is also the daughter of a Tomarzatsi - she was a member and officer of the United Association of Tomarza for years but it no longer exists because "the younger generations just werent interested".

where the center of all thinp is a lake.

Madaghjian, whose father founded the first Armenian Apostolic Sunday School in America, explained: "So many have moved away or they dont have time to attend the meetings and be involved. We had to let go. "We are striving to maintain our identity the church, this festival, our organizations are all ways for us to do that."

for those who leave for better jobs in metropolitan cities, for men like Chuck Torosian. "My mother and father came here in 1925. I was bom here and grew up here but I

In French, "Racine" means root. And there

at the mouth of Root River is this nostalgic,

St. Mesrob's annual festival is a typical Armenian gathering, which attracts nearly 2,000 people every year including many odars (non-Armenians) who love coming for the food and dancing.

Festival Hall downtown is crowded with people looking perhaps for some mavish (a pastry made of egg dough, deep fried and dressed in a zesty synrp), a favorite ofthe locals who brag ttrat it's a spedalty of ttre Armenians of Racine.

The ladies of the church have made everything themselves, including delights such as choreg (sveet bread) and katah (flaky, buttery swees).

cory town that was once a booming industrial haven for Armenians. A place where the locals know that take Michigan is always to the east,

don't know how much longer we'lI be

able to do the festival. Many of the ladies who

know how to make our traditional things like the sarma (stutred grape leaves) or the sari bourmah (filo dough and nuts) are older or have health problems and so many have passed

on. The younger generations don't have as much time to participate, they are busy with their jobs and hectic lives. But for now we are managing, we're still here," says Chuck Hardy, a deacon at St. Mesrob. Hovaness Kherdian was his great uncle.

Though today's community in Racine is made up mostly of third or fourth generation descendants of the original settlers, they are still very proud that they are Armenian and

Kharpetsi or Tomarzatsi to boot. Most don't speak the language, some are only oneeighth Armenian and the only connections to their heritage are the stories passed down, the history of their ciry and what it meant to their parents and grandparents who traveled from the other side of the world with no more than the hope of finding a job. Sam Paragamian is the son of an emigrant

AIM MARCH 2OO2

And where roots remain, even ones replanted from Kharpet or Tomarza in unlikely places west of Lake Michigan. Even

was determined to leave in pursuit of a career

in art," Torosian said.

worked for the three top advertising

agencies in the country in Chicago and Los Angeles. I left for many, many years but now I'm back and it feels good to be home."

$tony

Behlnd Gloscd l|oon$ Vrolence in the Home TEXT BY ETIZA GALFAYAI.I

ILLUSTRATIONS BY NADIiIE TAKVORIAN

7 t is a taboo subject, running contrary to the I comforting traditional images of a happy, L loving family. Domesic violence shatten

day and a half. On herway out the nurse handedZabellea

little pamphlet that read "Domestic Molence Project YWCA of Glendale" (www.glendaley-

assumptions aboa Armenian home lifq making it a difuult problem for many within Diaspora

wca.org) along with her discharge form and a prescription for pain medication. Zabelle hid the pamphlet in her purse, later in a drawer at home where her husband wouldn't think of looking. He was waiting for

communities to conternplnte, la alone confront. In Armmia" vblence in the home is wrapped up in ideas about the relative stafin of mcn and women, and authorityb unwillingness to takethe issue seriowly. In this two-part cover story, AIM witers

her when her neighbors brought her back from the hospital that night. Her little girl

examine the fficts of domestic violence in Armeninn homes and the isolation sffired by

was already sleeping, her son ran away the year before. Her husband saw her as if for the first time as she emerged with her black eye and swollen face. She says he seemed confused when he saw her, always confused afterward, always unsure about who had hurt her. The neighbors left and he put his arm

many of its victims. abelle is a 39-year-old mother of two. The last time she was in the emergency room

Glendale Memorial Hospital in

Glendale, Califomia was in 1999 when she had a broken nose and needed stitches above

around her and helped her

her right eye.

This time she had bruises on her face and body. Several of her fingers were broken. The nune asked her what happened? Zabelle, who is Armenian, said she fell down the concrete stairs of her apartment building. She made Iight of the whole thing. Called henelf stupid in her broken English for being careless. The nurse tried to be more direct, asking: "Are you sure your husband didnt do this?" The police were called but in the end nothing was done because Zabelle would not confirm their suspicions about what truly happened that her husband had beaten her. Domestic violence occurs in many forms, physlcal, emotional, and sexual.

to their

bed.

Then, as usual, he told her how sorry he was, that it wouldnt happen again, that he loved her, that it was her fault he hit her, that she brought it on herself, ilonly she wouldn't nag him, if only she wouldn't talk back, if only she would do as he said. It took Zabelle another year before she called the 24-horx hotline for help. Then she went to the Women's Services Center and sat with a counselor to whom she told her life, unfolded her story of years of abuse. "He could be so good. I really believed him when he said it wouldn't happen again, when he said he would change. I really believed that it was my fault." The women's advocate at the YWCA of Glendale, Nara, a young Armenian woman, listened as if documenting the sordid details of family abuse for the first time, to a story she'd heard many times before from other women just like Zabelle. "On average it takes a woman eight times

is any behav-

ior intended to control and suppres a woman through fear, humiliation, intimidation and php-

ical asaults. Its ultimate goal is always power andconfrol. Every day women like Zabelle are wound-

ed, disflgured, traumatized, crippled, even killed. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) up to six million women are believed to be battered by their husbands or boyfriends in the United States each year. In Los Angeles County alone, on average, a woman is killed

Ieaving, going back, going to a shelter, going to a friend's, getting outpatient help

and so forth before she'll leave for good, until something really major happens like the chil-

dren are being directly affected,"

says

Melineh, the legal advocate at the center,

by a husband or boyfriend at least once every

who is also Armenian.

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Gouen Stony

Why did Zabelle decide to call for help, to flnally leave for good? "My daughter had beautiful long hair. She loved her hair. And one day he sat her down and cut it all off because he said that girls

shouldn't have long hair, only whores and prostitutes had long hair and his daughter would not grow up to be a whore or prostitute. My poor little girl cried for days. And that's when I decided that I could bear anything he did to me but he was really hurting my children. My son ran away because he couldn't take it anymore and I did nothing and soon he was going to chase my little girl away.

I wasn't going to let that happen."

For

while, Zabelle said, things had been

love with, the man I married and not at all Iike the man who was trying to choke me to death the night before," she said. "I was so confused I thought that if he could be that kind and loving than it was my responsibility to make changes about myself to keep him that way, that maybe it was my fault that he got so angry." The honeymoon phase explains a great deal about why women stay in abusive relationships. They want to believe that he is sincere, even the batterer feels he is sincere at that point, which perhaps explains why he is so convincing.

And as the cycle keeps repeating itself denial plays another important role

"good". For a while he didn't drink, for a while he didn't hit her, for a while he was almost kind, for a while he just called her

woman's decision to stay. She really believes that it's the last time and that he will change and things will get better. But things don't get

names and that wasn't so bad, she says. Then the tension would build and his anger would escalate and she would watch her every move

better. The cycle always continues unless there is intervention from outside the home. And unless there is intervention, the abuse almost always worsens over time until death

to avoid exactly the sort of situation that would send her to the emergency room yet again. Where she would have to lie to the nurses and doctors and inquisitive policemen

about what really happened.

What Zabelle was describing is a typical scenario forwomen in violent relationships, a cycle of violence that the counselors and advocates at the center know all too well.

The Cycle of Yiolence

The "Cycle of Violence

Theory"

describes behavior that intensifies in a rela-

tionship over time in both degree and frequency. The Domestic Violence Project pamphlet describes three clear traits: Stage L Tension-Building. She feels as though she is "walking on eggshells" or "waiting for the other shoe to drop". He is edgy, moody, easily agitated, unpredictable. There is an air of heightened anxiety. Eventually this phase will escalate into battering. Stage 2: Acute Battering. This is the most violent stage - concentrated, intense emotional and verbal abuse, actual physical abuse; an explosion or eruption of the tension previously desoibed. Stage 3: Honeymoon. He says, "I'm sorry. I'll never do it again," He may blame her for his actions with "ff you wouldnt... I wouldnt get angry." She experiences many feelings from anger to love to confusion. She believes him and the cycle continues. Anahid was married for less than two years when she finally left her husband with her six-month old baby. "After he beat me, for days afterward he would become loving and attentive, very much like the man I fell in

is sometimes the final result.

Nara remembers that she reached out and held Zabelle\ hand. A small gesture of empathy. She would have liked to cry with her that day but sheh become almost immune to the horrors she hears, and besides she must maintain a professional demeanor of detachment so that she can take care of preparing restraining orders and filling out paper work for the emergency shelter. Zabelle endured 16 years of violence and abuse, was isolated from her family and friends, and kept captive by a jealous, violent husband who missed no opportunity to physically and emotionally abuse her. Who is Affected by Domestic Violence? Itb 4:30pm on a cold December day and the sitting room area of the Womenb Services Center is dressed in colorful, drugstore Chrisrnas tinsel

with

a plastic free and children's handmade decorations. It has the cozy look and smell of somebody's living room - there's a faint scent of food, of Pine Sol.

Children play quietly in a room nearby, their attention divided between hand-medown toys and the low murmur of a television showing cartoons. A little boy no more than four years old plays with a wooden train set, alone. Will he grow up to repeat his father's mistakes? This sweet, innocent little boy, will he outgrow the damage done to him? Each year millions of children witness

their mothers being physically, emotionally or even sexually abused. They hear screams, injuries and constantly live in an atmosphere of tension and terror. What they are see

AIM MARCH

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taught is that violence in the home is a normal fact of life, that it is acceptable to humiliate and beat a woman. "Adults, parents very often dont know of the damage that's done to children who live in

Gouen $tony

homes where domestic violence exists. Even infants, children under four react in very specific ways to their violent environments. They will act out by shaking, crylng, hiding, stuttering, being overly attached to the parent," says Nara, a battered women's advocate. The National Women's Abuse Prevention

in Washington, DC estimates that approximately 90 percent of children in violent homes are aware of abuse directed at their mothers. Most psychologists agree the emotional effect is very similar to the trauma of being a victim of child abuse. "People who abuse their spouses or significant others, if you look at their family history it is very likely that their parents did that. They saw this behavior, learned it and so now the police take a much stronger stand with domestic violence as a whole because we are hoping to break that cycle not only for the people immediately involved but a generation down, so that when they get married or have girlfriends or boyfriends this is not something that goes on in their relationships," says Sergeant Carl Povalitis of the Glendale Police DepartProject

ment's Asault Thsk Force.

Melineh and Nara are counselors in Glendale at the only women's center in all of California that serves the Armenian community directly, among others. They state repeatedly that domestic yiolence is a problem that knows no ethnic, economic or educational boundaries. These young women who work in a community with a large Armenian population prefer to not use their real names. Why? Fear of retribution by angry husbands, or the cousins, sisters, mothers and other family members of the accused batterer. For their safety and that of the center. "This is a very small, close knit community, you never know when you are going to run into the husband of a woman you've helped on the street or in the grocery store. We have to be very careful," says Melineh. Though most cases of domestic violence involve abusive behavior on the part of the husband over his wife there are instances of women who abuse also. And because men do not report abuse for fear of being seen as weak there aren't really any statistics on battered husbands. But the fact remains that male violence does far more damage than female violence. Women are much more likely to get injured and to need medical attention. The NCADV reports that every year, domestic violence causes more injuries to women in the United States than car accidents, muggings and rapes

combined. Women are more likely

killed by a husband or boyfriend than by all other types of perpetrators combined. Gohar's husband hit her over the head with a frying pan one day because she hadnt cleaned the floor the way he liked. She was pregnant at the time. This didn't deter him from kicking her as she lay on the floor bare-

ly conscious. "We flnd in many cases that the abuse in a relationship becomes more heightened when a woman is pregnant. Usually the accusations worsen. ..he'll tell her that it's not his baby, he'll call her a whore, say she's been sleeping around," says Melineh. "At least 25 percent of the time women we see will say that it either started when she got pregnant or it worsened during pregnancy. All women from all backgrounds seem to have this in common."

Anahid's husband tried to choke her on numerous occasions

- usually after her mother in law had something to say. He once

punched her in the mouth, causing her to - the next day her lip was swollen and blue. She didn't go out for days for fear that someone might know what had happened. "The mother in law is sometimes just as abusive as the husband when we are dealing with Armenians. Most often the women will tell us that they think the mother in law is the cause of the abuse - for instance she will watch her when he's not home, listen to her phone conversations, report to him with whom she spoke or who she saw. This is even further damaging to her emotional state and psychological well being," says Nara. "Though they are very much involved in supporting the abuse we ask them to really focus on who is actuallycarrying out the abuse and they will admit that it's the husband." Silva's husband had a habit of throwing bleed

things. Once he threw the baby's stroller at her.

In his violent rages he would also hurt himself, shouting obscenities at her, telling her it was her fault, that she was forcing him to be violent, to hurt her, to hurt himself. Marine's husband killed their son's pets. He threatened to kill her and their son on an almost routine basis. Once when the boy asked for money for a haircut, he became so enraged that he shaved the boy's hair offwith a dull razor. Her nose has been broken at least three times. These are only a few of the Armenian

woman who were willing and courageous enough to share their painful experiences. Ingrained social stereotypes within the Armenian community, which also exist in other communities, support the culture of abuse.

For most Armenians domestic violence AIM MARCH

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is a non-existent concâ&#x201A;Źpt. Many still believe it is so rare or it does not warrant interference by outside forces. Most still regard the issue as a private family matter and feel that outsiders - whether it is the law or the YWCA

minor that

have no right to meddle. Most still believe it isn't an Armenian problem. Tiaditional beliefs dictate that women who nag, get angry speak their minds or provoke violence deserve to be beaten. Most woman hold to values that define the roles of husbands and wives in very specific ways, such as the husband is "the boss" and the wife is the one who obeys and does not challenge. Ideas that perpetuate a master-slave mentality where the masters have the right to beat or even kill their slaves.

Why Battered Women Stay "Contrary to popular myths women who stay are not crazy,they are not masochists and they do not enjoy being abused," says Armin6, a marriage and family therapist who also asked not to have her last name used. Why would anyone tolerate such horrible, dehumanizing behavior? Why would she not speak out? "For those who have never experienced such mistreatment in their relationships it is almost impossible to comprehend that such things even exist among people who have vowed to love and care for one another. But such things do happen and they happen within the Armenian community as frequently as anywhere else," says Armin6. The violent, physical abuse is only a portion of what women in abusive relationships endure. Though the cuts and bruises from the physical battering no doubt leave long lasting scars, it's the emotional abuse that really leaves a woman's psyche damaged.

"There is

a misconception that

domestic violence

means there are broken bones or bruises but unfortunately the emotional, sexual, and financial abuse are even

more damaging. Isolation from family and friends, not being allowed to get an education, or even to leave the house at all," says Armin6. "If she leaves for any reason, say to go grocery shopping, he'll check the odometer every time and accuse her of having an affair because she's ten minutes late or there is more mileage then he calculated. Calling someone fat, lazy, stupid, ugly, worthless. Withholding money, affection

attention. Forbidding someone

to work or

handle

money. It's all considered emotional abuse. He may flaunt

;t".

:"i

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his infidelities and threaten to abandon her and the children," says Armin6. Six years after her divorce, Gohar still can't talk about the past without getting emotional. He still tries to cause problems for her, using the children to manipulate the truth in every way he can. "Women would call our home at all hours of the day and when I would confront him he would openly admit they were his lovers and that I had no right to question him. I would say but I'm your wife, you should be intimate with me. And he would reply'that's right, you are my wife and you should behave like a wife, that means you take care of my children and keep my home clean'," says Gohar. Very often women become financially dependent on

Gouen Stony

getting help, on the self, is considered an act of selfishness," says Nara.

their abusive spouses because he insists on controlling the family finances. If she works he forces her to relinquish her paycheck. Most dont allow their wives to work or have access to bank accounts. They refuse to give their wives money for clothes, haircuts and personal maintenance and then ridicule and criticize their appearance. All five of the women who shared their stories had experienced many

What Makes a Man Abusive The batteren may have dissimilar backgrounds, but they have common characteristics. Many lack basic social skills, are chronically jealous, sometimes heavy drinken,with apoor seHimage. Often, they suffer from depresion.

Almost all abusive men either deny or minimize the abuse or injury they cause and always blame the woman. "A typical thing an abuser will say to the police, prosecutors, his friends, to the judge and even to himseH is that she brought it on herself. They are always looking for a reason to blame someone else," says Armin6. "The first step tg getting better is taking

forms of financial abuse.

Silva's husband never allowed her to drive. She was to remain at home whenever he was away. She never knew where he worked, how much money he made and why he always insisted they were broke when she asked for money to buy diapers or food. She

to their checking account or bankcard - he would tell her she was too stupid to be able to manage them. When she was allowed to take the car he would mark the mileage and tell her where to go and to not stray from his orders "or else". The sexual abuse is harder for women in general to speak about, though it seems even harder for Armenian women. "They arent shocked when we ask them if there has been sexual abuse but they are reluctant to talk about it. They dont necessarily think it is wrong for her husband to demand sex against her will. They dont really regard the sexual part as abuse. They will admit to the flnancial, physical, emotional but when it comes to the sexual, whether they are in denial or just don't see it as such, they are unwilling to talk about it," says Melineh. Forcing a woman to have sex against her will is clearly an act of rape yet most married women would not recognize the same in their relationships even if they are forced against their will to engage in sexual acts they find unpleasant, frightening or violent. "Marital rape is recognized by the law but wasn't allowed access

most Armenian women don't understand this concept. They believe that when a man wants to have sex it is his right. And some women have told me that they were crying and begging him to stop and he wouldn't, and that is very clearly rape," says Armin6. There is no stereotype for the average battered woman. To label her as docile, subservient, weak and passive would be false. According to the NCADV, domestic violence affects women with PhD's or only a high school education, rich women as well as poor. low self-esteem and poor self-image are common reasons. Some are women who

have little education

or work

experience,

who married young, who have children and a limited earning capacity. "Fear plays an important role in a woman's

decision to stay. They are afraid the abuse

will only get worse should they seek help or contact authorities," says Armin6

Marine says her husband continually threatened to kill not only her and her son but other family members as well. "I'm always afraid and not just for myself. He is so capable of killing. I know that look in his eyes and when he says something he means it."

Fortunately for Marine and her son, he is behind bars now, serving a one-year sentence for continually violating his restraining orders and probation. Many give their children as the reason for staying. They do not want to disrupt the children's lives by going through separations and divorces.

Then there's shame. They are afraid of being shunned or disapproved of by family and friends who will see them as failures. Most women are raised to believe that it is the wife's responsibility to hold the family togethet to be strong, to endure. Anahid remembers the first time she left. "I told my mother that I couldn't bear what was happening in that home. I didn't tell her that he had been physically abusive with me, that he tried to choke me. My mother told me 'but we sent you off in a white dress, this will bring shame and dishonor to our family. Isn't there any way you can work this out?"' lot of guilt and shame when an Armenian woman tries to seek help. They have been raised with very traditional values and getting help to them means breaking up the family. They are very focused on the children rather than themselves. Focusing on "There is

responsibility for one's actions. If anyone really wants to get better they have to frst admit that there is a problem." Sgt Pahvolites says: "Glendale PD has counseling pro$ams we offer to batterers. But if it gets to the point where there is actually a criminal charge then there are court ordered programs." In Glendale, the YWCA Women's Services Center offers free help and counseling to all women in need. There is a 24-hour domestic violence hotline. They can place women in danger in shelters for up to 45 days or offer transitional housing. There are community support groups for Armenian women who want to learn about options, who are looking for a way out. "If you are a victim of domestic violence you are not alone, there is help available," says

Armin6.

How do women from a traditionally patriarchal society deal with the changes in their lives as they adapt to Iiving in a country where they have more rights? "Once an Armenianwoman knounthere are laws that can protect her and her children, tlrcre is

rertain stength that takes over," says Melineh "She is really willing to take the bull by the horns and just go for it. It may be a minority of Armenian women but still it exists and this is a big step for our

community."

-Nadine Takvorian (www.nadinetakvorian.com) is a lreelance illustrator based in Foster

Cifi

California.

Her first children'sbook, The Flight of the Sunflowet

will be published in July 2002.

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2Ahour Domestic Violence Hotlines:

- Glendale - Los Angeles 8ffi.799.SAFE - National 818.2A.1106

800.978.3600

$tony

Behind Closed Doors:Vtolence in the Home

Unilen Pnessure Where Beating Your Wrfe is "Nothing Extraordinary" TEXT BY LAUREIIGE RITTER I PHOTOS BY KAREN MINASIAN IYEREVAN

II JI

arsh social conditions and the inferior status of women in Armenia go a long way to

explain how men get away with beating their wives or girlfriends in this country. If Armenia is noexception to theproblemof domestic violence, there are major differences in a woman's experience of violence here in comparison to one in, say, France or the United States. Fintly, the State in these countries is swift to punish domestic violence and secondly, public opinion firmly regards it as wrong. In Armenia, the common belief is that it is still better to tolerate a beating than to leave your husband and trigger the collapse of the family. This deeply rooted view is frequently put forward by the women themselves.

According to the most comprehensive survey on the issue, carried out by the Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, domestic vio-

the next day and withdraw her complaint. "It always amazes me that women can be beaten and also children in this country when

Armenia,

our society is so family oriented," says

though the absence of statistics makes the real

Anahide Tevosian, head of the Tatev 95 psychological support and couseling center. "However, the women who come to Tatev

lence occurs on a large scale

size of the problem hard to estimate.

However, everybody knows about it. Domestic violence gets discussed within the circle of women and between mother and daughter. Everyone hears when their neighbor, a woman with two kids, is beaten every other evening by her husband. The policemen who register complaints from beaten women - when they do come and complain, that is - also know. And they know that most of the time, the women will retum

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to consult our specialist in psychology for their

children's mental health problems soon tum also to this issue of domestic violence." Tevosian says up to 30 percent of women who come to Tatev's counselling center for psychotherapy or the advice of psychologists Anahit Tevosian head ol the Tatev 95 psychological support and counseling center.

Gouen $tony

have to face the problem of violence inside the family. "For me, this problem is mostly linked to the wider social situation. Men have found themselves without jobs, their self-esteem broke down. Then, I guess domestic violence is more likely to arise in the lower classes of society, which are those who suffer the most from poverty." She also blames a lack of education. Armenia remains a traditional society, whatever the influence of Soviet times, and men and women are expected to react differently to things. To some extent, a lot of women consider that being beaten is part of the con-

dition of

a woman.

But step-by-step,

seems women are starting to react against violence in the family.

At the Women's Rights Center in Yerevan,

Suzanna Vardanian and her team try to help women who have had to bear the blows of their husbands. The center's address is kept secret to protect clients from violent husbands. Women seeking help call a hotline, where Armin6, a psychologist, is one of their fint points of contact. "Fint, a woman who has been beaten has to

calm down, she needs to talk, she needs somebody to listen," explairs Armin6. "Most end their call with'they are men after all' and never call again. But for some, calling is the fint step they take towards a situation where they begin to undentand that it is not normal at all." The center does not exist to encourage

women to leave their home and family, but rather to find a solution that meets their needs. Vartanian says: "The stress men are under nowadays brings some non-violent men to use violence as the only means for them to ease their stress. Beating a woman for nothing is directly linked to the economic collapse - which is, however, no excuse at all." Center staff believes an increase in alcohol consumption, itself linked with the hard times, has also had an influence on domestic violence.

"As far as the cultural aspect is concerned. in Armenia, the social pressure is really high. It is somehow considered easier to cope with the violence than to endure the stereotypes of being a divorced woman. A mother of a beaten woman can thus advise

her daughter simply to bear her fate for the sake of the family," says Vardanian. Most women in Armenia are not aware that the notion of rape within marriage even exists. Many do not consider it outrageous that their husbands forbid them to work and insist that their place is in the kitchen. For those who want to reject the role of victim, the possibilities are not numerous. Divorce remains too shameful for most and calling the police is a risky decision. Temporary shelters are not easy to flnd. Women who cannot go back to their parents' home - either from shame or because their family is already living in a bad condition just resign themselves to staying with their violent husbands.

If things have improved, it is because many women now flnd themselves at the head of the family because their husbands have gone abroad to work. They gradually

find a way to escape the violence by leaming to make a living for themselves. But the psychological damage remains. Anna recalls her ten years of abuse with something desperately broken in her eyes. As if the few good days at the beginning simply

bleeding on the floor," recalls Anna. She now suffers from insomnia and fainting as a legacy of the beatings. The violence only stopped when Anna took a job three years ago - at her father's workplace, where it would be hard to hide black eyes. "However, my father has decided not to interfere anynore. He told mewhen I waspregnant with my son that if I retumed to my husband, he would not welcome me back again." Ripsim6 married in 1988 when she was just 18, after meeting her husband during the

mass demonstrations to free Karabakh. Everything went fast and after the wedding she also found herself pregnant very quickty.

managed to graduate from school somehow a few days before my first son was born," she says. "But my husband never let me work or go anywhere." Garen, her husband, was not working, and Ripsimd's family supported them. Before they eventually divorced, he left her a souvenir of a scar on her upper lip. "Once, my sons were playing downstairs. The oldest was eight, but he heard me screaming and managed to beat the door so hard that

he eventually got into the apartment. Some

melted away and with them, her whole life. "I was in love with my husband when I got married. My parents objected, they saw me as

neighbon came with him

very independent woman - and I have been brought up that way. My husband was not the

and the police were called. Ripsim6's jaw was broken. As soon as she could mumble some words, she described what had happened but when a policeman came with a sheet of paper for her to make a statement, she simply wrote: "I fell down the stairs." A policeman at the central police department, covering 180,000 people living in central Yerevan, described his work in regard to domestic violence. "One of our main tasks is to keep records

kind to tolerate that behavior," she says. The beatings started a year after the wed-

ding. Anna's husband became more and more involved in endless evenings of gambling and drinking. When she remarked one night that he was especially late, his reply was to beat her.

"Then

I "I left home

never stopped, even when

became pregnant," Anna says.

once after the birth of my child, and then

another time for two months when I was pregnant with my second child, a boy. As my husband knew it would be a boy, he begged on his knees in front of me to come back." She did. But the beating resumed soon after. He would lock her in a room, leaving the kids crying outside as they heard their mother's screams. "He would never stop until he saw me

AIM MARCH

2OO2

they said

was

unconscious on the floor," recalls Ripsim6.

An ambulance took her to the hospital

of calls and intervention involving family problems. We will go to the home and try to understand what is going on, to discuss with both parties involved and to try to clear up the problem before it grows any more vio-

lent," he says. In the last nine months, he saln, his depart-

ment registered just two proven cases of domestic violence, and a further 25 cases of "general domestic problems". The Minnesota

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to-do and close knit family living in Turkey. When 12-year-old Vahans uncle disappears, his father is taken away and two brothers are shot in the family garden,

Genocide. The film presents the lives and scholarship of Turkish Scholar Taner Akgam two historians and Armenian professor Vahakn Dadrian.

everything from postmarks to postcards.

horrors 011915-1918 in Ottoman

still apply.

AIM

Charge my

Visa

Phone

State

zip

Siate

zip

Ship to

Amex

Expiration Date

South Brand Blvd. Suite 203. Glendale CA 91204 USA. Phone Orderc

City

818.246.7979. Fax 0rderc 818.246.0088

Goven Stony

tl {t }l

-l

f'$-'q \

I l

; 1

+ *.

Aclvocates lbr Huntan Riehts pointecl out in its

the leport saicl.

suncl'that

"Furthermore. she said police rvill not pursue a casc bccause tho,helieve that i1'the

to inrcsticate. N{ost cncl up being classificd onlv as atlntinistralive lnattcrs. punishctl lrv a linc or up t() l5 clavs in cases ArL, harcl

abuscr is a'uvoman'.s husbancl 'hc can bcat hcr

policc slatton. Il the crtsc is consiclcrerl ntorc scriorrs. il can trc punishcrl unrlcr ,\rticle 109 o1 thc

or.tcc lrncl this is rrothing

Arnrcnian Crintinal ('oclc. ri Itich ctrrrics ir rnttxintunt scnlcllcc ol lrro tcars. [:rcn so. this is lhc nriklcst Provision u ithin tltc crirninitl corlc. usetl lirl itr jut-ics dclinccl ls Iigltt ancl clrtrsing rro tltrlrritgc to ltclltlt.

Icsponsc bv thc l'uct that the policc considcr l'reating norntrrl trncl lccl that sincc c\cr\'ollc

.jail at

'l'hc

surrcv liruntl eviticncc thut thc policc

ntrl rrrrlr Ilr.ketl irtt.'r.'rt trr rrtrr,rtiulrtirtt donrestic riolcncc lrut also cvcn stluqht Io sulll)rcss rcporting ol it. '-Accounts b\ *ontcn trIto hlvc contactcd thc policc inclicatc that thc policc attcrlpt to clissuaclc \\,()ntcn lront Prcssing chargcs against abusii e husbancis. Onc ri ontan reportecl that shc telt shc could not go lo the

police

to rcport

abuse b1'her husbancl because it rvould not be kept confidential."

xtlaorclinart''."

'l'hc rcport continuecl: "A stall tucnrtrer of a womcrr'.s N(iO cxplainctl this lack ot'

ir r't|r'tir'ttcittq il. \\(rrllLI) rltottltl lr't.'r'lrlt it. Othcrs suggcstccl tlrtrt policc think thlt il' \\()nrcn urc bciltg lrbuscd. tltcv huve rlonc sorncthing to clcscrrc it.

"A policc

rcprcscntativc statccl that

\\'onre n shoulcl bc asltanrccl to

re polt clscs o1' tlontcstic violcnce l-rccitusc such rcytorting coulcl lcacl to clivorcc. A jucliciul clcrk noted thut u policcnlrn also 'ltcls sharnc tirr his nalion' when rcgisterinq a case ol clontestic violcnce. anothcr reason police na\ prefcr

not [o acccpl complaints from rvomen in such cilcumstances." Becausc domestic violence is at thc crcss-

AIM MARCII

2(X)]

Susana Vardanian, manager ol the Women's Rights Center in Yerevan.

culturc uncl social behaviour. the issuc is harcl to resolve herc. lt firllows thal thcre arc lew possibilitics fbr ti wornan lo rccovcr rvhcn hct' ctignity has suffbrccl ll'om ckrntestic violence pcrhaps evcn morc roacls bctrveen

than

r hoclr,.

[:lislbclh Duban untl Bclincla ('oopcr. lrlto rescitrchccl ancl rvrotc thc rcll()rl, say:

"'['he nrain issuc is it lack ol stalc l'cspoltsc lo the problcnr. so wolt-lclt lccl thcy ltavc nu rcal fccoufsc or wavs to protect thcmsclves. "Ol'course . lhc cxistcncc oI a culturc that placcs less cmphasis orr worr.rcrr'.s rights will irggra\,atc thc prolrlcrr. Otrviously^ law, ancl culture are closelv conr.rcctcd and cach influcnccs the other a great deal." I -Doneslic Vrolence in Arnenia,by lhe Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights is available 0n the internet at www.mnadvOcates,org

Gomections

Gltililren ol the Stneet Doctors Work to Rescue the Youngsters Who Beg to Survive TEXT BY LAURENCE RITTER I PHOTOS BY KAREI{ MIiIASIAN IYEREVAN

Q ince July 2M0, the French

organization

Medecirx Sarc Fronieres (DoctorsWithout Borders) has maintained a special unit in Armenin to help children in critical situatioru. MSF offers childrmfromthe streetan altemative option to the prevailing Soviet-style treafinent being placed in a special

irufinrtbn.

Through direa nll<s wifu f,te children ad rtEir fomilies, MSF worken rssess needs anl offu sohttiorc, eifier from social workus, psycfutbgists

or physiciaw. Children with rrced are welcomed at MSFs Shangavil center three days aweek

But nnst are met onreglar night-time wall<s inYerevan, a AIM's Laurmce Ritter discovered when she joined one of the street teams. there are two people to walk along Abovian Street in the cold humid air rolling over frozen streets. They wear white vests that reflect the glow of light and identiff the worken as being from Medecins Sans Frontieres.

fonighl

AIM MARCH

2OO2

Gonnections

The walk follows a specific route on which both children and their mothen draw near the team as soon as they see it. Avetik Ghazarian,

one of the local social workers from MSE starts a conversation. Pascal L-eguelte, educator for MSF and coordinator of the prevention service department for ten months, goes further with some specific questions. In'the blur of misty breath, the broken lives are described without complaint- ordinary stories of ordinary beggars from Yerevan streets. Armine, on Republic Square, says she had a good day today. She made 1500 Drams (nearly $3). She holds her eldest daughter, just two and a half, in her arms. The girl's smile breaks through the dense Yerevan fog, her curly blond hair peeps out from under her bright red cap.

Two years ago Armine's husband left Armenia and went to Russia to work. It is 9pm and she is on herway home to a two-room apart-

ment without any heating. The fint questions from the MSF worken sound like old friends meeting: "How are the hds? How is \vork'?" Through such simple questions, there is a whole proces of bringing children and families into the mnfidence of these who will offerhelp. Leguelte, while still walking and staring at the street's compact holes of darkness, stresses the fact that in Armenia there are few "street children" but rather "children in the streets".

Unlike othercountries facing the same phenomenon, the young kids who sell flowers or

names by heart.

beg and the older ones who carry heavy boxes at the market places or the suitcases of travellers at the railway station are neither

all of them," Leguelte explains. "Then, any

abandoned nor orphans. Since MSF set up its special agency a year and a half ago, it has established contacts with 256 children. Among those,95 are actu-

ally followed by a referral, that is to say a social worker who is specifically in charge to document the children's case and regularly

monitor their care. A little farther along Abovian Street, in front of the bright lights of the five-star Hotel Yerevan, a boy, Hovig, approaches l,eguelte, shaking his hand and smiling as brightly as the lights around him. Hovig's mother is close

behind with Hovig's five-year old sister, Mariam. The mother is carrying a woodburning heater that she says she bought for 2,500 Drams (about $5).

"This stove is a good bargain, I'm telling you," she says. "However, it's so cold in our apartment that it is even better to spend the night here in the streets."

At every stop they make, Ghazarian writes down on a note-pad the exact time of

"We know all of these children - or aknost time we meet them we have to estimate their most urgent problems in terms of health care, and at the same time, to think about a more long run kind of project." MSF wants to avoid getting these children into the routine of humanitarian help, just as they aim to have them avoid being institutionalized. Most of the time, the mothers wander the sidewalks of Yerevan with their kids. But around Yeritasardakan metro station, Ghazarian and lrguelte see the silhouettes of two young boys, perhaps 12 years old, holding out a plastic cup and asking passersby for money. One of the boys, Aram, flees when the MSF team approaches, but his pal calls him back. They both come from Artashat, some 70 kilometres away from Yerevan. Ghazarian knows Aram very well. Last year he tried to get Aram started in school, but the boy disappeared. Aram's father has been in jail for 18 months, serving a fiveyear sentence. The young boy gives his word

to stop by the MSF center tomorrow. His

the previous meeting with a child and his

eyes stare directly

name. Both men already know the children's

man talk.

into Ghazarian's; man-to-

1 AIM MARCH

2OO2

Gonnections

Ghazarian and Leguelte resume their walk. The arches of the Theater of Chamber Music are reflecting on the blue ice of the pavement. Then. the bright shining lights of a quite empty Paplavok jazz cal'6 look as lrozen as the rest ol the city.

"Most of the time," Leguelte says "the hospitals call and let us know about some dramatic cases. Then. there is also the local

network of the districts. communities and Non-Covernmental Organizations (NGOs). Etrch time, our effbrts are put into making a child understand that he can be part of a dynamic process ol life-building." For some of these children. it will be a matter of getting back to schclol, for others, a place in a trade school. For all of them anyway, fiee access to health care. The children suffer from a range of illnesses directly related to poverty. such as tuberculosis. In Armenia, say both men on this MSF patrol. the path to poverty is easily taken.

When the husband disappears, the whole family structurc collapses. Then both mother and children have little option but to beg in the streets. Humanitarian assistance provided by various NGOs gocs some way to hclp such divided families. but survival on handouts often becomes routine, a way of life. The MSF prevention scrvice never forces the kids of the strccts to break with their situation. Thc idea is to work with them in confidence. until they can reach for themselves a point where the will to escape their circumstances is strong enough.

This process is going to take time for Anton. MSF has been in touch with him for six months. since a team found him sleeping

in an old refrigerator behind a small kiosk near the railway station.

It is a popular place for such kids -

teenagers. mostly, who wait every other day

fbr the train from Tbilisi. Georgia. then rcnt a cart for about $l to hclp food vendors unload goods. Anton, who is 15, does not even have the money to rent a cart. So, he simply works by carrying things in his arms. His father is dead. His mother and two sisters remain, and work as prostitutcs while surryiving in a squat. He takes the MSF team to his own squat. an empty kiosk, ten meters away from the banks of the station. He has been sleeping there, right on the ground, which has turned into mud from the damp. Ghazarian will come tomorrow to help Anton. In this kind of case. the emergency is to find a room for the boy, where he can rest and shower.

Working with children from the streets demands a non-judgemcntal approach, the MSF workers say. Donl be judgmental even when. on Abovian Street. Ghazarian puts his hand on the forehead of l2-year-old Karen and finds the boy burning with fever. but still trying to sell his frozen roses to late passers-by. Don't be judgmental. even when Anna, just five years old, jumps to a young couple to try to sell them some postcards and calendars that

Anna's mother purchases fbr 125 Drtrms and sells in the streets for 200 (about 40 cents). The calendars show photos of the 1700th anniversary of Christianity in Armenia. But Christ was hard to find in the streets of Yerevan on this icy winter evening to warm the little beggars ol'this old Christian country.

GonnecUons

EUt$

ARMEIllIA And It's a Meg for the Money... TEXT BY TUSINE ZEYTUNIAil PHOTO BY VAHRAM MKHITARIAI{

I YEREVAN

llvis is alive and welland living in Armenia. LAt least that's how it seems to passers-by when Narek Magarian walks - or should that be struts? - down the streets of Yerevan. They call out "look who's coming, the King of Rock 'n' RolM thought he was dead" or "hey, Elvis, sing something for us". Magarian, 18, walk on, indifferent. For the past three years he has dressed as Elvis, behaved

Elvis, and lived as Elvis - Armenian style. "It started as fanaticism but now it's more than that. This is the philosophy of my life," he said. "When you get deep into this, Elvis becomes not an idol but a very close person." as

Love of Elvis started for Magarian when he watched a very bad quality video and

#'iiH

H *#'

heard Presley sing. Until then, he had been a

fan of the rock band Queen - but the King quickly won his allegiance instead. Now the Armenian EMs hopes to find other loyal subjects to form an Elvis Presley fan club in Yerevan. Magarian has collected articles, photos, tapes and videos, in fact

everything that has the slightest relation to Elvis. His room resembles a shrine to Presley, who died n ]977 and would have been 67 in January. Everywhere you turn there is something that speaks of his obsession - the desk, the walls, the guitar, even the old cat that perks up its ears when Magarian becomes Elvis. When he and his family lived in Moscow, it was easier to find Elvis memorabilia than

now. Magarian was a member of a big fan club there and could walk the streets with his Elvis quiff and clothes without drawing adverse comment. Things changed completely when he moved to Armenia. "When I entered a mini-bus in Yerevan as Elvis, with my long hair and nobody to count on, for the first time I felt an indescribable pressure," Armenian Elvis said. "Everybody was staring at me and

I became so ashamed

t=...

i1i'1i"':' I

ffi wanted to just disappear." He responded by cutting his hair short. But Elvis wouldnt leave him and little by little Magarian became Elvis again, growing his hair and combing it like the King. loday Magarian doesnt care what people think of him an{ in tum, m6t people who used to laugh and tease have kind ofgot used to seeing the ghmt of Elvis. Indeed, when the Armenian Elvis starB to play the guitar and sing hardly anyone can help smiling and admiring him.

AIM MARCH 2OO2

Magarian dreams of becoming an actor and of earning a living by doing his favorite job - imitating his idol. He has already taken part in some TV programs and shows in Armenia and Russia, and hopes to do more. "I have become Elvis not only with my appearance but also with my soul," Magarian

said. "The most important thing isn't that

stand in front of the minor for hours working

on every move and gesture and making it Elvis's, but that I really feel like

him." !

Irmcnians nostalgic for Sovicl times necd H.,nly visit the Yercvan Circus ro experi-

performcrs have been entertaining Armenian spectators in recent years. Different troupes

still dream of a circus life, the reality lbr

ence tLem again.

come throuehout the scason. staying any-

today'.s stars is different.

tlting up to a month. The harsh condilions and poor levcls of conrpensaticln provide little incentive for them to come - they do it tiom a sense of loyalty to the director and others in Yerevan who once worked with the Russian circus. The Russian troupe that arrived to mark the New Year festivities presented "Phantom Tiopic", a multi-genre program that included trapeze artists, highwire acts, conjurers, and animal-trainers. Dogs, wolves. hears, mon-

During the intermission. even the most tanrous of the artists took off their costumes

Inside the dilapidated building. time appears to stand still. There arc Soviet-era dec-

orations, the sound clf old tv1-rcwriters in offices, hard and uncomfortable seating. and a smell in the air reminiscent of a cantecn.

There is one key clilTerence. 'fhc circus hall used to open its drxrrs to spectators all year round. Nowadays. it can only put on shows lbr a total of about tbur months a year because of a lack of statc lunding.

Torn posters from previous seasons hang

lrom the outside walls. beaten by rain and wind. Inside, the building has not been renovated even slightl.v for 40 years. The recl fabric of the circus ring has laclecl and in several

places is wom out. There is no running water

and 1he drainage svstem does not work "The circus neccls to be completelv renovated. However, the necessarv work has

accumulatcd

to such an exlcnl over

thc

years that you could buitd a new circus with

the money required for renovation,"

said

circus clirector Hmayak Khaskhazian. "But we dont have enough fitr either the first or the second option." The Yc-revan Circus is a shadow of its

former self in the ring too

therc are no

longer any animals or troupe of pertbrming stars. All that remains is a group ol young acrobats, who lack the conditions and lacilities to reach a high standard. This explains why visitinr Russian circus

keys, and ponies were all involved in the show

led around bv an Armenian Santa Claus

and scantilv-clad Snow Maidens.

Khaskhazian said this particular pro-

gram normallv costs $2.,500 to hire. but the Russians agreed to perform it in Armenia lbr onlr, $S-stt. a third of the true price. Circus urlists preler t() trair in lcmperatures of al least 17" Celsius. In Yerevan. the air inside the circus was below freezing because there is no heating despite the harsh winter l,eather * even so, the troupers worked hard to entefiain their audiences. "l've never seen condilittns like this in any other place," said Olea Blinovskaya, a trapeze artist and fire juggler in the circus. "l like Armenia, but I hcpe I wont visit this country again soon. It is very difficult fcrr rure to stand these conditions and work lrere." Once the circus performers wefe regarded as unapproachable stars of the sawdust.

idolized bv the young. Though children may

and turned into salesmen. 'l'hey offered shiny horns, small toys, calendars and other trinkets to eam some extra money. The perfomers onlv agreed to come to Yerevan Circus il' the managemcnt grantecl permission lbr them to sell things in this way "As an old circus worker I consider this impermissible. But on the other hand afiists itre paid so little that we have to allow lhem to do that." Khaskhazian said. The New Year shows were a sell-out at least, partly because of the tradition among local businesses of buying tickets for employ-

ecs as a seasonal

arena

gift. More

r:ften. the circus

is no more than half full, partly

because ticket prices at 500 to 850 Drams (betrveen 90 cents and $1.-50) are beyond the reach of many people in Yerevan now. Thc circus is still considered a good spot by

the lraders who set up their stalls outside.

Artak Grigorian, for example, was doing a thrivins business in "noses, big ears, balloons, and hats" as parents and children passed on their wav to the arena. Grigorian, 19. rvore a bright paper hat on his head. a pair of larsc ears, and a big red nose to attract customers to his colorful toys and balloons. The circus traditions live on, it seems. even if only among those who trade outside

it.

Gonnections

lntenn lns[inations Make the Most of that Summer Break BY ARA ARZUMANIAN

fhere is rcthing like a successful intemship I- experience to irspire young people in their chobe of career, values, wtd even partners. The

varbw swrrner progroms around the world which focus on teaching Armmian

language, cukae andhisnry are based on the premise thnt interaive submersbn is better thanweeks of daily classes or occasional progrilns. Those who have participated in thae pro-

grana (some of whirh hnve been in operation since before Armenia's independence) vouch

for

their ability to forge lasting links between indivifiuls and culmre, and help answer important quatiorc aboul bebnging and identiry. The list bebw b rwt comprehercive. Other progrilts exist at regbnol levels. Schoknhips are available for na<ost participaion in some of these

complete without a recreational aspect. The students here travel throughout Armenia and Karabakh, becoming acquainted with Armenian heritage and history as well as the land and people that spawned the language they are studying so intensely. While this is one of the most costly programs, it is also one of the most extensive and inclusive. The fee includes: travel to and

package but is offered for an additional fee.

Program: Hamazkayin Armenian Cultural

Fonrm Location: Yerevan, Armenia Focus: Social and cultural enrichment http://hamazkayh"com Approximate Cost US $300 - $800

from Armenia, transportation within Armenia and Karabakh, room and board at YSU's Guest House, access to academic facilities and educational materials and tuition. The cost is less for those not wishing to earn credits and even more so for European participants who must pay their own airfare. The program runs from mid-June to mid-August.

progrm$.

There are many choices ovailable for a young percon boking n spend a meaningful sum-

mer intlw Armmianworl.d- So expbre!

Program: Univenity of Michigan Summer

Armenian Language hrstitute Location: Yerevan, Armenia Focus: Intensive linguistic and cultural

Program: University of Venice Intensive Summer Course of Armenian Language and

Culture l,ocation: Venice, Italy Focus: Cultural and linguistic education www.padus-anm6.com Approximate Cosl US $1,100

education www.

umich edul - iinetl aspl summeiwt hnn

Phone:H7@l$25

rmenian university sfudents from every on the $obe come together for two weeks in this program. For the past seven years,

Apoint

the programs have been in lrbanon and Syria. This year, it willbe in Yerevan, Armenia. The program consists of lectures, workshops, theater outinp, visits to Armenian institutions and historic sites. kctures are given in Armenianwith English or French translation provided bythe lecturer. Non-Armenian speaken are provided with personal translators. Past lecturers have

Approximate Cost US $3,500 - $4,500

included Herand Markarian of State Univenity of New York and Richard Hovanissian of UCLA. The focus, however, is not so muchthe seminars as the opportunity the program prG vides for Armenians to feel a deeperconnection

fTlhese

courses offered in association with the Padus-Araxes Cultural Association offer students 18 years or older an opportunity to become better acquainted with Armenian culture and language. The Monday-through-Friday courses run 4 houn a day for the entire month of August and are offered at all levels from absolute beginner to advanced. There are various extracurricular lectures and activities such as a visit to the famous San Lazarro Island, where students can view ancient Armenian religious artifacts and meet the monks living there. Students must pay for tuition as well as transportation. Lodging is not included in the

f,or the serious student of Armenian. This I' eight-week program offers courses in Eastem, Westem and Classical Armenian with the possibility of eaming eight upper division college credits. Working out of Yerevan State University (YSU), the main focus of this program is academic research and education. After daily four-hour classes and two-hour labs, students often have three to four hours of homework, so this is no place for the tourist or casual student. No summer program, however, can be

AIM MARCH

2OO2

to their culture and identity through meeting Armeniansfrom around the worldin aplace where an Armenian way of life is very much alive. Hamazkayin Armenian Cultural Forum's twoweek program begins in mid-July and often involves a group of approximately 60 youths. Program: Amrenian Assembly of America

Internship Program Location: Washin$on, DC and Annenia Focus: Exposure to and participation in civic prooesses and policy-making in the US and

Armenia w ww. aoain c orgl int entl interns. htm Phone: 310 m 0091, 2nW n18

Approximate 66s1; gg $1,400

Gonnecffons

program, sponsored by the AGBU's Thi, I President's places

Club 30 to 40 Armenian students in intemship positions related to their speciflc fleld ofstudy throughout New York Ciry While occasionally students are paid for their work, the majority of participants work eight 4Ghour weeks for the sheer experience and networking value. AGBUS program offers perhaps the most specific direct correlation to participants'future goals. Students have been

Ar. of the most competitive summer pro\-f grams available to Armenian youth. the Armenian Assembly of America's Internship Program offers students the rare opportunity to work in the offices of Washington lawmakers, the Federal Reserve Board, the World Bank, C-SPAN, the Department of Commerce, and the Center for Strategic and Intemational Studies as well as government agencies, think tanks and advocacy groups. This eight-week program has four main aspects: internship, which is a full-time unpaid position; Capitol Ideas - structured dialogues between law-maken and interns; lectures - various speakers mver isues of specific interest

Armenian-Americans; and social activities, including festivals, picnics, open-air concerts and Washington's famed Fouth of July celebration. The deadline has passed for this summer's

program, but applicants may apply for next summer's session. Graduates of the Washington program may apply to intern in similar positions in the Armenian government. This part of the program has been running since 1999 and interns have been placed with the Ministries of: Culture, Youth and Sports, Finance and Economy, and Foreign ffiairs.

placed at hospitals, advertising agencies, financial institutions, theaten, architecture practices, engineering firms and even the United Nations.

As with most of the other programs of this length, there is play in addition to the work. The intems tour New York and take part in social activities such as dances as well as attending lectures on Armenian heritage and on being Armenian in the professional world. The fee covers lodging only and is a bit on the high end, but considering the cost of living in New York it is reasonable.

www. agbu ory/paga/ bonom gmgmms htrnl Phone: 212 319 6383 Approximate Cost: US $1,800

ffi

Program Coordinator Elizabeth Chouldjian says: "Participants get a sense of what priorities

are up on the Flill and how ArmenianAmericans fit within those priorities."

Mid to low-range in terms of cost, the

ANCA program pays for housing and provides a food stipend, while students must provide for their own transportation to and from Washington, DC. Program: Land and Cultue Organization l,ocation: Annenia, Karabqkh, Iran and Syria Focus: Architectural prcservation, land cultivation and community development

www.lcousaorylg.htm Phone:

n29n6lm

Approximate Cost: US $1,500

Program: ANCA Summer Internship Progam

Location: Washin$on, DC Focus: Communications, public relations and

leadenhip haining www. anca org/ an cal ancadcsk asp? adid=2 1 Phone: 617 9231918

Approximate Cost Airfare Only

Th.putsLand and Cultwe Organization (LCO) groups of volunteers from the I N&afra

Program: AGBU New York Surnmer Intern

Program Location: New York, New York Focus: Professional internship in specific fields ofstudy.

of Congress tkough this six-week program which runs from mid-June through July.

Thir competitive program accepts only I between eight and l2 participants each year. Young Armenian-Americans who have demonstrated academic excellence, communi-

ty commitment and leadenhip ability come to Washington, DC to hone their skills and gain hands-on experience in lobbying, working for and with Congress, the media and leadership in general. The idea is that they return to their communities with the knowledge and skills to orgarrue efforts in their comer of the world. The three main aspects of the program are: a team project, which often has some direct relation to students' own fleld of study; an intensive lecture series on Armenian heritage and lobbying issues, working with the media etc; and sight-seeing and social activities. Participants also get to meet Members

AIM MARCH

2OO2

Diaspora to work on a variety of task concemed with architectural preservation, land cultivation and community development at sites in Armenia, Nagomo Karabakh, kan and Syria. The LCO is much like an Armenian Peace Corps in that volunteen engage in strenuous, yet rewarding physical labor. As their volunteer packet proclaims: "You're going to get dirty, sweaty, and be'roughing it."' Current and past campaigns include restoration of churches dating back to the 17th Century repair and refurbishment of a Karabakh hospital badly damaged during the war, and renovation of a village library. In addition to their work, participants get to see a side of Armenia that most tourists never really experience - the counbry'. Volunteers work alongside Armenian villagers for three or fow-week sessions which are offered in July or August. All campaigns technically begin in Paris, where the organization is headquartered, so participants are responsible for their transportation to and from that city. The LCO program is priced quite fairly and the fee covers airfare from Paris to the worksite and back, as well as all Iiving expenses while enrolled on the program.

Gonnections

Program: Byurakan Astronomical Summer School

Location: Byurakan, Armenia

efit to the student, the tuition fee goes towards funding the observatory which is no longer sponsored by the Armenian Govemment. The price for this package is unbelievably low, especially when one considers that in

Focus: Astronomy education h

ttp : / / bao. sci. aml school

Phone: 3741 ?A 32 6l (Armenia) Approximate Cost: US $380 - 7U)

{

astrophysics in Armenia. The school offen two week sesions between the months of July and September. Besides the obnous educational ben-

,,]lrA.r.4Cgxl

addition to room, board, extracurricular excursions, educational materials, and nightly observations, students will be living with and learning from world-renowned scientists in such a beautiful setting.

re.^lW

Program: The Armenian Volunteer Corps Location: Yerevan, Armenia Focus: Community service through volunteer

health care, business development, law education, youth work, environmental work, construction. agriculture. computer training. community development and more. The AVC is a new program, now completing its first year with six volunteers aged from 22 to 72. Participants live with host families for five weeks when they fint arive in Armenia, during which time they receive intensive training in conversational Eastem Armenian and have a chance to adimate before starting work. They then move to worksites in various regions of Armenia and are provided with a monthly stipend; their health insurance is also paid. The work year begins in June, and volunteers have the opporlunity to continue on after their obligation has been fulfilled. r

work o

I un tee n o rg

(Armenia)

Clituated 30km outside o[ Yerevan the

www. armeni anv

Jsyurafun

Tel

Astrophysical Observatory resls on the southem slope of Mount Aragats at a height of 4.300 ft. This institute, directed by the late, famed astrophysicist Mctor Hambartsumian for over 40 years, is the site of the Byurakan Astronomical Summer School. where students of any nationality tiom around the world can leam about the universe. the night sky, and the history of astronomy and

/aT+ 1s,{

374158

Approximate Cost: Airfare Only fhe Armenian Volunteer Corps (AVC) is I not a summer program but rathcr a oneyear commitment that places Diasporan Armenians aged 21 and over in volunteer positions in the Republic of Armenia to help rebuild the homeland. Opportunities exist in areas such as public

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Boolrs

A laste ol lennon Debut Novelist's Bombe Surprise BY HRAIR SARKIS SARKISSIAI'I I LOS ANGELES

lllhen

Viken Berberian was researching a Street Journal flnancial writer Roger Lowenstein, he mentioned that he himself was working on a novel.

UUUoot for Wall

l.owenstein pushed him

complete it,

then referred him to his literary agent, Melanie

Jackson who told 35-year-old Berberian: "What an unusual book you have written." The resnlt is The Cyclist,the story of a foodobsesed young trainee tenoristwhose mission is to deliver a bomb, by bicycle, to a hotel in Beirut. His name is unknown, but clues about his origin, nationality and agenda are revealed through his musings about food and love.

Simon & Schuster, one of the world's major publishing houses, has bought the North America rights to the book and listed

it in its Spring

2002 catalog as one of the less

than 50 titles it will publish.

"It

happened rather quickly," says "I am thrilled that I have this

Berberian.

forum to share my perverse, twisted thoughts and ideas with others and actually people are interested in the work." Already, Esquire Magazine has run an excelpt from the book in its March issue, and Barnes & Noble has selected The Cyclist for its Discovery program. Berberian was bom in Beirut, lrbanon and moved to [,os Angeles with his family aged nine at the outbreak of the lrbanese Civil War. He attended the Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School in Hollywood then completed a bachelor's degree in Comparative European Politics at UCLA in 1989. He moved to New York to take a Master's degree in journalism from Columbia

TFC

c{c

rrr

*tl

ViF**

University, then retumed to Glendale, where he

joined AIM as a staffwriter and freelanc€d for the local Los Angelu Timesbweau. A year in London followed in 1993, where

Berberian studied

for a

Master's in

lnternational Political Economy at the l,ondon School of Economics (lSE). By this time, he has a growing interest in economics and finance.

wanted to tackle the discipline and understand it. It seemed analytical and I had the need to do analytical joumalism," he says.

Upon graduation from LSE

in 1994,

Berberian returned to New York where he has been living since. For the past two years,

he has worked in equity research for a small

investment firm. Berberian started work on The Cyclist in 1997 while trading stocks from home to pay the bills.

AIM MARCH

2OO2

"I always knew I would write a book, but the conditions were not right. I needed to create the space, the right set of conditions to recoil into my thoughts," he recalls. "In L,os Angeles, there were too many

Boolrs

familiar distractions and practical constraints. In New York, I was removed from the rituals of family life and so it was easier to retreat into my thoughts and just write."

The task took on added urgency after a friend suffered a bicycle injury. Berberian started to realize how finite life is. "His bike injury made me think that if I wanted to write, I should do it now, because I may not get to do what I want to do," says Berberian.

He prepared a roadmap of the narrative and knew exactly where to go to carry out research for the book. "I went to the Summerland Hotel in Beirut [where the protagonist is to deliver the bomb] and stayed there one night and took a lot of notes." He also went to Israel. "The protagonist comes from a village in the Upper Galilee,

41 iitu # a, xJi ;". '*J

'r: ilil ii,

*# ,' ,sl {1,

,t:

which is a model of racial harmony. Most of the villagers are Dnne, but there are also Jews, Muslims and Christians who live there." Notes taken during his studies at the LSE on restaurants and street names in London added to the authenticity, and he spent countless hours in the Near Eastern division at the New York Public Library. Political violence is something that has left

its mark on Berberian and his family. His father, Levon, who founded one of the Armenian community's best known businesses, Levon Tiavel, was an active member of

the Armenian Revolutionary Federation until he was shot and killed in a terrorist act in Lebanon in the early 1980s. But Berberian insists the book is in no way autobiographical. "Political violence or terrorism is not specffic to me and my family. It is experienced every day in many cities," he says. "On a personal level, I wanted to understand the psychology and deconstruct the mind of a terrorist. It's more of an intellectual exercise. I am more interested in the motivations of groups than of individuals. "Writing a book is a good way of learning. The research is half the fun, acquiring the knowledge. The investigating aspect of it is a

bit like journalism, having to go to

great lengths to uncover something. I would go to great lengths on research even contributed half a page in the book. It makes the

if it

narrative stronger." Berberian hopes that he has said all he wanted to about political violence. "It's cathartic in some ways and has helped me sort of define my position towards political violence and terrorism as ways to advance political agendas."

The title of the book is a metaphor for the cycle of violence, and of life and death. So is the use of food.

"It

is a metaphorical, allegorical way to

describe how different groups perpetrate violence against each other. The world of cooking is a great way to sort of describe the polir ical alliances on the ground and how political groups are pitted against each other just like different foods are pitted against each other. "The chemical process of eating and the digestive process is a violent one - the way acids break down food, and the way food is

transformed when cooked. Using food allowed me to be more aloof and removed without addressing specific political groups." Berberian - "I like to cook and eat, but

more eat than cook" - also wanted to capture the essence of the Middle East through food, which tums up repeatedly in the literature and lore of the different cultures of the region. He is already taking notes for his next AIM MARCH

2OO2

novel. "Parts

of it are set in

Marseilles,

France, which has a history of drug running and crime. and parts in New York. The world of tenor is only one aspect of humans. There are other aspects I want to explore. "I may be done with the terrorist subject, but I am not done with -The Cyclist will be available in

food."

hard cover for $22 beginning March 6

Book Signing llates > The University Club, March 6, 6:30 pm New York (Speakers: Khachig Tololyan and Eric Bogosian)

> Book Soup, March 21, B:00pm West Los Angeles > Borders, March 27, 7:30 pm Glendale > KGB Bar, April 14, 8:00 pm New York > Barnes & Noble, April22,7:30pm New York (Broadway & Lafayette)

Photo Essay

tonuottcn $tone$ Workshop Becomes a Graveyard for Sculpture BY ARMINEH JOHANNES

"\E

llThere were times when we had over 20 statues I of knin in this workshop - some measuring

four meten in height, othen just busts. There were lrnins standing, sitting, serious, studious or

of statues" at what was once the State Worlshop in Yerevan. The sight was indeed a heart breaking one - there were dozens of large and small stratues covered with pigeon excrement - some

smiling - the place looked like a real Presidium in those days, but all of those statues were bro. ken after the independence of Armenia." Roubik, an elderly sculptor, is reminiscing while taking me around a gigantic "cemetery

completed, othen only partially sculpted. Many had been shaftered and scattered on the ground. A sack of clay was placed thoughtlessly on top of a bust of Karekin Nejdeh; a number of Lenins lay around on the floor - statues made

AIM MARCH

2OO2

by Alik Avedissian, Sergey Mehrabian and many others were carelessly abandoned in this huge workshop. Only the pigeons and other birds enjoyed the privilege of viewing the forsaken statues as they flew freely in and out of the glassles windows of the workshop, apparently having found an ideal place for nesting. From an adjacent building, however, some signs of life emerged. A couple of sculptors

were hammering away - Youra Petrossian working on a statue of Aivazovsky, which is to be placed in front of the Association of Artists in Abovian Street. Petrossian also sculpted the statue of Aram Khachatourian that stands in front of the Opera House. A statue of Catholicos Karekin I sculpted by Ara Shiraz (pictured above), son of Hovanes Shiraz, is also in the process of creation. Four identical busts of the Catholicos by Shiraz were going to be placed at the Ejmiatsin computertraining center, the Karekin I school in Yerevan, Karekin I's birthplace in Syria, and in the United States. But no one seemed to know where in the US the statue was to have been sent.

was recently commissioned by Catholicos

Karekin II to sculpt a large statue of Vazken I to be placed in Sevan Seminary. I am currently working on a statue representing the history of our people - the Motherland, fighten,liberty - symbolized by an eagle, a cross, and people. Apart from the occasional order, though, we have very little work to do these days," Shiraz observed.

dozen statues stand in Shiraz's person-

al workshop, across from St. Sarkis Church in

Yerevan, among them one of- Zoravar Andranik with two horses symbolizing Eastern and Western Armenia. "In art, horses symbolize people and this AIM MARCH

2OO2

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Photo Essay

sculpture was meant to represent the union of Eastern and Western Armenia," he said. The statue was supposed to have been placed in the city of Hrazdan ten years ago but the project was never completed. A statue of the

actor Meher Mekertichian, commissioned and paid for by one of his fans, is to be placed

in Gumri's central park. At Yerevan's Pantheon, Shiraz counts statues of William Saroyan, Parajanov and his father Hovanes among his masterpieces, dating back to days when the State provided sufficient funds to commission sculpture.

"When

am sculpting,

do not think

about whether the public is going to appreciate my work or not - I work according to my personal style, like any other artist who respects himself," he said. "To make a living, we depend on our work and that is extremely hard these days. We are constantly struggling - some colleagues were obliged to abandon sculpting and take up jobs as building painten. You have to feed your body before you ann feed your soul."

AIM MARCH

2OO2

tashion

HomanGinu

with Manal

TEXT BY S01{A GATLATN I PHoToS BY SoN!A KESHTSHTAN I LoS ANGELES

lhis month's inspiration comes from a small I boutique in the middle of California where the Maral label was discovered. Beautifully put together, this line of women's wear might as well be wearable art. The clothes have a distinct feminine look to them - a little nostalgic, a little romantic, very tasteful. An immigrant to the United States from Beirut, [rbanon, Maral Chatoyan studied at Los Angeles Tiade Tech then went to work in the fashion industry right away. Having had the courage to launch her own line in a very volatile industry Maral's creations were soon seen in specialty boutiques in the United States. Now a fashion design veteran for more than ten years, she has built quite

reputation with the higher end retailers. The Spring 2002 collection will be in boutiques and in Nordstroms stores across the United States in March. These are some of our favorite pieces: Lori Arslanian is wearing the French tuille dress (above, left), trimmed in double-faced satin ribbon over a chiffon lining that reaches mid-calf length. With a triangle hemline, this dress will be great with all the new lace up shoes a

coming out in Spring. Megan is wearing a fitted slip dres (above, center), trimmed in double-faced satin ribbon with a French lace panel in the front. The sleeves fall slightly offthe shoulderand have an embroidered trim at the cuff.

AIM MARCH

2OO2

The chiffon Maral uses has a stretch and is so soft that it flows delicately with each step. Deanne is wearing an adorable embroidered top (above, right) in soft neutral tones highlighted with a soft peach embroidered edge. The lace is lined in the stretch chiffon and is slightly smocked at the waist, making it perfect with jeans or as Deanne is wearing it, with the matching burgundy chiffon skirt lined with peach colored cffion. The skirt has a small ruffle at the hem and an embroidered edge.

The bright colors from Maral's line really stand out with all the details of hand painting, beading and embroidery. Deanne is wearing a lace dress that has been embroidered in the center (opposite page, top), and a double-faced

satin ribbon closes the small slit at the top.

L.ori is wearing a peach stretch chiffon top (bottom, left), lined in ivory stretch chiffon and trimmed with a French lace panel in the front, a double-faced satin ribbon bow and embroidered edge all around. It's a perfect match for the amazing hand painted tulip skirt that has been lightly sequined. The skirt has a side slit along the leg with an accent chiffon mlor showing through with the embroidered edge all around. Megan is wearing a hot pink slip dress (bottom, right) that has been embroidered with soutache

ribbon.

s!s

Maral is available at Janice Mc0arty in Pasadena; prices range lrom $70-$400. For additional information, call the showrooms in Los Angeles 213.622.9884, or New York 212.921 .9556, or the factory 81 8.541 .7657

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llo tasy Road to PontuUal

has been drawn in a tough group for qualifying rounds of the 2004 European Championships. It will face Spain, regarded as sfong contenden for this year's World Cup, [Jkraine, Greece, and Northem heland Many of Ukraine's stan play for club sides in the top European

Pyunic finished third in its group, while Spartak continued through to the final of the

f,rmenia

Ilthe

leagues, while Greeoe

competition

marked its tenth anniversary this year with a total tournament prize fund of $100,0fi).

$unic, which was taking part

pshedEngland alltheway

nents are included in its pool of 23 playen.

qualifying group will be involved in playoffs for five further places in the competition. Armenia is cunently managerless after a disappointing World Cup campaigr in which the team won none of its ten matches. There has been

speculation that the national

fmtball federation

will appoint a foreigr coach to boost the team's chances

for the European competition, particu-

larly with the expectation of sharing lucrative revenues from the matches against Spain.

Meanwhile, national league champions Pyunic was Armenia's representative in the CIS Cup in Moscow. The cup brings together the champions of all 15 republics of the former Soviet Union, as well as the Under2l Russian

in the compe-

tition for the fourth time, is unusual in Armenia in having a large "foreign legion" offootballen in its squad. Nine footballen from three conti-

reoent World Cup qualiffing march. Only the top team will qualify automatically for the Championships, to be held in Portugal. The sides finishing second in each of the ten

on January 27, losing to

Dynamo Kiev of Ukraine. The CIS Cup

national side. Pyunic's quest to become champion of champions got off to a bad start when it lost 3-0 to Serif, of Moldova. The team bounced back the next day with a 3-0 triumph over Neftchi of Uzbekistan. This left Pyunic needing a victory over Spartak Moscow, one of the strongest teams in Europe, to have a chance of claiming one of the two qualification spots in its group. Despite scoring first, the Armenian champions proved no match for the Russians, eventually going down 6-2.

AIM MARCH

2OO2

The latest recruits are Russian goalkeeper Ruslan Lyashuk, Argentinian defender Hose Bitbio, who played for Ararat in the 1999 season, and 20-year-old Brazilian forward Bruno Batista de Silva. Two footballers from the African state of

Mali were the first foreignen to sigr with last year. Fonrard Ndiaye Malal, 30, and midflelder Mamadu Diavara, L9, have since been joined by two more of their countrymen, defender AluTiaore,27, and midfielder Aruna Makalu,26.

$unic in September

Pyunic also recruited two players from Yugoslavia in October - defenden Alexander Stevanovich,2T, and Dragan

Ilich,28. r

-By Michael Harutiunian

$ponts

0lym[ic Spiniteil atched by a capacity 52,000 crowd, Arsen Harutiunian carried Armenia's flag at the opening ceremony of the 200 Winter Olympics on February 8.

Harutiunian, a 33-year-old veteran taking part in his third Winter Olympics, led out his team-mates for the XIX Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. The original seven-strong group was boosted to mne by the last-minute qualification of figure skaters Maria

Krasiltseva and Artem Zhachkov after French pair Sarah Abitbol and St6phane Bernadis were forced to withdraw through inju.y.The Armenian skaters arrived at the Games just a day before their competition started. They struggled from the beginning, finishing last in 2fth place in both the Short Program on February 9 and the Free Skating round on February 11. Margarit Nikolian, 27,was the only one among 60 skiers in the Women's 15 km Free Mass Start cross

country race to be disqualified on February 9. She took 58th place among 61 skiers in the 10 km Classical race on February 12 in a time of 38:16.4. Aram Hajian, in the Men's cross-country finished 64th of 78 skiers in the 30km Free Mass Start race on February 9. Hajian, 22, from Gumri, covered the course at Soldier Hollow in a time of.l:24,.07.5. On February 12, Hajian finished 66th out of 67 entrants in the Men's 15 km Classical in a time of 46:42.9. He came in74th among 83 racers in the 10km Free Pursuit two days later, finishing in 37:52.7 . The fwo-man bobsled team of Dan Janjigian and Yorgo Alexandrou, from San Jose, California, were due to compete on February 16 and 17. French-born Vanessa Rakedjian, 25, was representing Armenia in the slalom on February 20 and the giant slalom three days later. Harutiunian was competing in the slalom on February 23. Russian skater Julia Lebedeva, 23, represented

Armenia February

in the women's figure skating

19and2l.

conteston

Far right: Arcen

Harutiunian carried Armenia's llag at the opening ceremony ol the 2002 Winter

0lympics on February 8. Right Julia Lebedeva ol

Armenia.

AIM MARCH

2OO2

Undenexposed

tilms on Beconil i new directorv. the Armenian Cinema Hcatalogue, h^ br.n published that. for the fint time, offers film fans a thorough listing of movie making in Armenia.

Compiled and edited by the Armenian Association of Film Critics and Cinema Journalists, the large volume gives information on more than 2,000 films and 300 actors, producers and directors in Armenia between 1924 and 1999, the year the association began

compiling the catalogue.

Funded by the Open Society Institute, editions of the book have been printed in English, Armenian and Russian. It is being made available as a research resource to libraries and other institutions.

Details of almost all the feature, documentary short and animated films created in Armenia in the 20th Century can be found in the catalogue. It includes the following on each film: title, studio, where the film was pro-

duced, type of fllm, genre (for feature films only), duration in minutes, meters and other technical data, last names of the actors, roles performed and a short description of the flkn. The films are grouped alphabetically and in chronological order as features, shorts, documentaries and animation. The catalogue

also contains an alphabetical index of films and personnel involved in their production.

Founded

1996,

the Armenian

Association of Film Critics and Cinema Journalists is a branch of the International Federation of Cinematography. Its aim,

according

to its

president

Susanna

Harutiunian, is to promote Armenian film and to find support for revitalizing cinematography since its virtual extinction with the collapse ofState-run studios. r -Gayane Abrahamian

lnfornation about Armenian film can also be found on the Association| website: www.arn-cinema.am

Stamp ol llistony f,

little late perhap, but Greece isued a commemorative stamp in

llDecember

2001 marking the 1700ttr anniversary of Christianity in Armenia. It was the fifth muntry to oeate a special stamp for the oocasion. The stamp called "The Annunciation" depicts a miniature from a

13th Century Gospel from the school of Toros Roslin. The Greek authorities have issued 100,000 numbered stamps, which will remain on sale until December this year unless supplies run out sooner. The stamp has a value of 850 Drachma (2.40 Euros) and is available from the Central Philatelic Office of Athens and on the website

www.ArmenStamp.com. 56

AIM MARCH

2OO2

Undenexposed

Maples and $UUGG$ in Memonialn

memorial park in Malatia-Sepastia. a Yerevan has been dedicated to lamous and

flsuburb.

influential Armenian figures through the centuries. Three hundred maple trees were planted throughout the park in memory of writers, musi-

cians, scientists, academics and artists from Armenia and the Diaspora. The idea suggested by well-known musician Ara Gevorgian quickly won widespread

support in the republic. Eric Antaranian, popular host of the Rubicon P/us TV program, presented the project to the Armenian TV station KAYM, which promoted it on air.

The project won the backing of the Mayor Yerevan, Robert Nazarian, and Agvan

Grigorian, the local official

Malatia

Sebastia, undertook planning and flnancing. This relatively new suburb in Yerevan, popularly know as Bangladesh for being so far from

the rest of the capital, is flourishing and gradually becoming a city within the city. The first tree was planted at the opening of the park in April, 2001 (above and right, top) by the grandson of

the well know composer

Alexander

Spendarian. Among names memorialised with a maple tree are the Seventh Century philoso-

pher, astronomer Anania Shirakatsi.

1Sth

Century troubadour Sayat Nova, 20th Century poet Paruyr Sevak and Diaspora literary figure

Hacop Oshakan.

Antaranian says the planting will continue both as a way to honor those who left their

mark on Armenian history enriching the nation's heritage by their achievements, and also as a way to keep their memory alive for future generations.

lsewhere in Yerevan another kind of tree planttras become a tradition. Spruces (right.

Ling

middle andbottom) have been planted byvisiting

foreip dignitaries

ur the grounds of the Genocide Museum at the Genocide Memorial Park. Tiees marking the visits of American politicians Senator Bob Dole, and Congressmen

George Radanovich, James Rogan, Patrick Kennedy, and Frank Pallone have been planted. President Putin of Russia, President Lahoud of Lebanon, and Georgia's President Eduard Shevardnadze have also left a living commemoration of the 1.5 million killed in the Genocide. The most recent addition was from Pope John Paul II, who planted a tree during his historic visit to Armenia last September. It was accompanied by a plaque that reads: "Oh Lord, look how the sons and daughters of this land have suffered and grant Armenia your

blessing."

-Text and photos by Parik Nazarian

AIM MARCH

2OO2

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" tJI&

BY HARRY

KOU!*DAIUIAN I NEW YORK

lhe highlight of the party on June 28 1966, held in a nightclub in a I plush hotel in Beirut, Lebanon was the turtle race. organized by

Armenian owner over LL6,m0 that night (nearly $2,500 at the day's rate, but only $4.00 at today's rate) after he overtook the other two

Pepe Abed, the son of the hotel owner. The guests enjoyed the

lazy bones. But Zaim's ownerhad not shown upfor the betting that late evening. He was busy betting on a mare - another q?e of betting that Armenians in the Middle East and around the world are still famous

party

so much that they didnt get around to the race until lam. By that time most of the turtles were asleep. The insomniac on the left, Zaim, (Arabic for I-eader), won his

AIM MARCH 2M2

for.

Bsry

first I was haoov when I heard lhe water

H.o*".

is Wednesday. and there has been

no water in my flat since Saturday. Frozen pipes, I'm told by a neighbor who says the solution is to hope for warmer weather. Normally here, in the place made famous by Noah's flood, water comes three hours a day. In my flat the flow begins at 6 am. Except on days when the pipes are frozen. So when I awoke to hear the sound of watel it was a lullaby for additional sleep. Then I realized that it was not simply the sound of water that awoke me. but the sound of water in very wrong places. While there is never a good time to hear

water pouring from your bathroom ceiling, six o'clock on an Armenian winter morning is particularly undesirable.

Hearing water pour from your ceiling, however, is far preferable to having the water spill on your pajamaed self while you look for a way to stop the gush from an open pipe eight feet above the floor. And did I mention that the temperature at this hour is less than zero outside and not a lot more inside? And while there is never a good place to have arctic water spill on your pajamaed self at six on a dark, fiozen moming, having the event

occur in a place where you don't know the word for "help" is emphatically undesirable. I called Sona. She knows words in several languages and I suspect her family has a few new ones for describing the American who disturbed their sleep on the aforementioned dark, frozen, morning.

I called Sona to ask her to call Anen. but fint I had to call Nara to get Anahit's number so that Sona could call Anahit and get the number for Arsen. Meanwhile the water is rising. Waiting for the alarm to Arsen to be dispatched, it becomes woefully apparent that the

drain in the bathroom floor is insufficient for the volume of water needing to be digested. am barefoot with pants hiked to the knees under an indoor waterfall of liquid ice

trying to pull the faceplate off the drain, in pitch dark because there are loose wires going to the overhead light, which I've turned off for fear of shorting out the power. And I am wondering at what point did the

of Genesis start counting animals. (Two crippled dogs and two scabby cats are the best I can come up with, but I'm not sure of either's gender.) Water is now inching into the kitchen, so I employ an old plumber's trick: I close the bathroom door and start stuffing the outside with Noah

towels, hoping the sandbagging willoutlast the length of time the water would come. It didn't. I am waiting for Arsen. Towels are getting wetter behind the closed door of a room I'm now imagining to be like the hatch on one of

those cruise-ship disaster movies where Shelley Winters gets swept down a hallway on a cascade of water with cushions from expensive settees and a child's doll floating alongside. Sona is on the phone again to suggest that

wake my neighbors and ask

if they know

where the main water switch for the building is. I knock. They don't know. But would I like a cup of tea? By the time Arsen arrives at around 7:15, I've used all three of my towels, two rugs, a bedspread and a tablecloth and the water is

still seeping. Stunned by the sight, Arsen starts speaking in excited Armenian, having

apparently forgotten that I, a monolinguist, cannot understand a word he is saying. I watch in horror as he reaches for the bathroom door and opens it and out comes all I was trying to avoid (though thankfully absent a fat actress and couch cushions).

AIM MARCH

2OO2

Now the water is near-ankle deep in the kitchen and is threatening the living/bed room (it's a good time to live in a two-room flat). While I am trying to save another rug, I hear the water stop. I'm expecting to see Arsen come victoriously from the bathroom. He doesn't. I go in to find Arsen atop the commode, stretching to reach the offending pipe into which he - little-

Dutchboy-like

has poked his thumb. An

effective solution, but with short-term value. With his un-plugged hand Arsen is pointing to a valve behind the commode and

motioning for me to turn it. I wade through the subsiding water and, touching the valve, discover that Arsen, having not shared my concerns about the integrity of the electrical wiring, has turned on the light. While there is never a good time to touch a metal object that has been electrically charged, doingsowhile wet and barefoot standing in water on a tile floor, is an especially ill-advised moment.

I felt the current enough that I wish I hadless than I might, had I been thawed. I twisted. The water stopped. Back in the kitchen, I found my neighbor, still overcoming a bout of flu, sopping up

nt, but

it into a bucket she'd fetched from her apartment. And it occurred to me that if frozen, then broken, plumbing is

water and squeezing

a condition of life in Armenia, so is having a neighbor like Eve. The three of us cleaned for the better part of an hour (like I said, it's a small place). I took the wet towels, rugs, bedspread, tablecloth and laid them to freeze on my balcony, from which I could see Mount Ararat. I made a gesture. Then I went inside and made myself a cup of tea from a bottle of Armenian water called "Noah". One more thing: the word is ognutyun. r

0n the

Shell

Reading, Uiewing and Listening Buggestions

BY ARA ARZUMANIAN

This Month's Feature: ,83

.PUlrh rlbn qUU... 'l sn Still Alioe...'

l(ani llen Kam/l Am $till Aliue Michael Dovlatian Film lnternational and Sharm Productions

tfle first-person tille of Kani Der Kam suggests, the main part of this work is a monologue actually by Yerevan. the city itself. Michael Dovlatian's cieative documentary sits bac( as the viewer does, and listens to the autobiography delivered in Armenian as it flows through icenes of many parts of

[delivered Yerevan.

The city's past is reflected in still pictures before it became the modern-day metropolis with all its bustle and commotion. Yerevan's deep voice (Hrant Tokhatian) recalls at first its birth, and its birth certificate the cuneiform inscription at Erebuni. Solemnly, the city remembers Argishti, the Mongols, the darkness of the harsh winters of 1993 and 1994, the humble beginnings of the famed Opera Houseihe inception of the Soviet era, and the final dash for independence. Yerevan's serious and heavy monologue is funny in the Armenian way. It is the coherent yet loosely strung together recollections of an aged, not old, man. It doesn't set out to be funny; funny ii just a part of life. The city carries itself seriously, happily, lightly, anciently, in a young way and does it ail aionce.' At one point the wise metropolis says: "I am even older than Jesus. And if I too am crucified, it will be you [the Armenians] who crucify me. No one has been able to do it: the Romans, the persians, the Arabs, the Mongols, the Tirrks - no one." The most obvious flaw of this otherwise excellent work is perhaps a philosophical one. At one point, Yerevan comments that it has no one to talk to - no conversational partners. This seems to cast a blind eye to any other Armenianiity living or dead, especially considering the fact that Armenia has had at least 12 capitals in its history.

The film is a first class, innovative documentary and, more importantly, it is in every way an Armenian work. From its words to its people to its humor and its composition, the film is considered and performed in-an Armenian way.

New Age Anmcnia Albina Hambartsumian and Artur Sedrakian Hollywood Music Center HMC 1214

The mvriad of

instruments featured on this release come together harmoniously to create one of the most subtly original Armenian albums of this year. New Age Armeniais a contemporary and an Armenian work. Its ancient and modern elements come together in most cases with perfect harmony. Sometimes the synthesized elements feel too overtly synthesized and ill-placed; however, in general, the work is an excellent example of cross-cultural fusion. Tiaditional Armenian works such as Na Mi Naz Ouni and Yerginkn Ambel e are integrated into modern Western instrumentation. They make for an album that is both relaxing and

invigorating. The only real comparison for this release would be with the work of Ara Gevorkian, but it is neither a fair nor accurate one. The synthesizer plays a role in the rhythm section, but hides itself as much as it can although it does surface sometimes in odd and disagreeable places. For the most part the marriage befween electronic and organic

is blissful. The element of rhythmic repeti-

tion transplanted into Armenian sound is extremely pleasing to an ear tuned to hiphopJike or dance style music. Hambartsumian and Sedrakian showcase their myriad talents in this short provocative work. While Sedrakian acts as mastering engineer in addition to his upbeat performance on the shvi, and Hambartsumian covers background vocals on a few tracks, it is their collaboration on the musical arrangements that make this album so innovative, lively, traditional and new.

1700 Yeans ol Ghnistian Anchitectune Murad Hasratyan and Zaven Sargsyan MoughniPublishers 96976-20062

handsome book of vibrant, communicaimages. this work sometimes fails to

Iltive

communicate in words what it says so expressively in pictures. Tfue to its title, 1700 Years of Christian Architecture is an exploration of the many variations in Armenian religious architecture - from the well known singularities of Zvartnots and Geghard to the little known wonders such as the Convent of Ani and the Grigorashen Church of Aragats. This volume is the result of collaboration between Murad Hasratyan (ext) andZaven AIM MARCH

2OO2

Sargsyan (photos) and published in Yerevan by

Moughni Publishers, which is presided over by

Archbishop Mersrob Ashjian. The opening essay, though somewhat dry is

very informative. An extensive exposition of the varying methods and examples of Armenian Christian architecture, it would have been better served by referential page numbers to the pictures of the churches it discusses. The essays - both the opening article and the short pieces that accompany the photos of individual churches - do appear in both Armenian and English, and in most cases side-by-side, making the sturdy paperback more accessible. Better definition of some architectural terms would have made the work easier for the layman to digest, however. So this work places itself in an odd conundrum. It is more easily accessible to the architect or engineer, who will recognize many of the technical terms it contains, than to the casual reader. Yet its extensive photography and quick descriptions of each church, historically and architecturally, make it appealing as a great coffee table

book. r

The Story of a Place in Essays and

Text by

OHN HUGHES Photos by

BRUCE C. STRONG In 16 poignant photographs, 12 essays, and

seven poems,

two American journalists reveal a place that neither can claim as his own, but to which both were drawn for unexpected discovery. In a work of passion that combines iournalism and art, is the story of contemporary Armenia, unclouded by preconceived percepcions. Sometimes

takes an outside

ey t0 see the inside

144 pages -1 3"x1 1 Price: $50 Shipping within the US: $10

Hardcover

Additional $5 for Canada ordes Additional $10 for International orders

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