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03/11/2004
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1) Uruguay Parliament Recognizes Armenian Genocide
2) Tuncboyaciyan’s Armenian Navy Band Performs in Yerevan
3) Iraq Interim Constitution Guarantees Armenian Instruction
4) Rwanda Invites Aram I to Commemorate 10th Anniversary of its Genocide
5) MKR Parliament Turns Down State Property Privatization Program
6) Sako, Joseph Krikorian to Perform at Hye Hopes Event for Ghapan
7) Assemblymember Carol Liu and ANC Pasadena Chapter Announce Human Rights
Teacher Training Workshop for Pasadena Public Schools
1) Uruguay Parliament Recognizes Armenian Genocide
YEREVAN (Yerkir)–The lower chamber of Uruguay’s parliament approved a bill on
March 10, which indirectly recognizes the Armenian Genocide. The bill calls
for
April 24 to be “the commemoration day of Armenians martyred in 1915,” and
obligates the state owned media to “cover those events” on that day.
There is no reference to “genocide” in the wording of the bill, though
parliament speeches in favor of the bill did not avoid calling the
genocide, a
“genocide.” The resolution will become a law with the president’s signature.
In 2000, Uruguay’s Senate unanimously passed a resolution marking “April 24 a
national day of remembrance for the Armenian Genocide.”
In 1965, the Armenian National Committee of Uruguay advanced the passage
of an
Armenian Genocide resolution in Uruguay’s parliament–to mark the first time a
country officially recognized the genocide of Armenians.
At the time, the author of that resolution Senator Dr. Alberto Sid, said that
the bill aimed to register Uruguay’s official position on the Armenian
Genocide
as a crime against humanity.
Interestingly, the world’s first April 24 demonstration also took place in
Uruguay, in 1964.
2) Tuncboyaciyan’s Armenian Navy Band Performs in Yerevan
YEREVAN (Combined Sources)–The Armenian Navy Band, founded by the
percussionist and vocalist Arto Tuncboyaciyan, is in Armenia to perform at the
March 13 opening of Avant-garde Folk Music Club, and to present their latest
CD, The Voice of Our Life.
The Armenian Navy Band’s compositions are all original and written by
Tuncboyaciyan, who insists the pieces “have the sound of my life.” This music
is founded on Armenian and Anatolian musical traditions and infused with jazz
and contemporary culture. Arto’s compositions embrace sounds from generations
past as well as present; he calls it “avant-garde folk.” As such, the Armenian
Navy Band represents the synthesis of Arto’s musical journey and life
experiences. “When people accept me as who I am, I feel like the World is my
country,” says Tuncboyaciyan.
Born to an Armenian family, Arto’s life began in Turkey, where at a very
early
age he became a well-known studio musician. He was the youngest in his family
which lived near Istanbul, and was exposed to diverse cultures from an early
age. Growing up as a member of Turkey’s beleaguered Armenian community meant
that Arto and others like him were unable to explore their own cultural
heritage. Although Arto’s father was a shoemaker, his brother, Onno, became a
bass player and composer, and Arto soon followed in his footsteps.
He immigrated to the United States in 1981, and has since performed and
recorded with an array of outstanding jazz and world music artists, including
popular Greek artists such as Eleftheria Arvanitaki, as well as the Spanish
guitarist Gerardo Nuñez, and Joe Zawinul, Al Di Meola, Oregon, Joe Lovano,
Wayne Shorter, Don Cherry, Arthur Blythe, Omar Faruk Tekbliek, Naná
Vasconcelos
and many others. The sudden loss of Arto’s brother Onno in a plane accident in
1996 gave birth to two albums created by Arto with Ara Dinkjian, recorded in
Greece. Arto has also recorded with Dinkjian as a member of Night Ark.
The Armenian Navy Band is composed of twelve of Armenia’s finest contemporary
musicians, ranging in age from 20 to 45. The instruments include the
traditionalduduk, zurna, kemanche, kanunand the contemporarytrombone, alto
sax,
tenor, soprano sax, trumpet, bass, drums, keyboard, and piano. Together with
the unique vocals and percussion and sazabo of Arto, the band’s sound is a
sort
of aural journey from the past to the future. Arto himself says: “The project
was born in 1998 after the meeting in Yerevan with young Armenian musicians
coming from different music experiences (ethnic and contemporary Armenian
music).”
The band’s first European tour in February/March 2000 was successfully
received in Italy, Germany, Austria, and Spain. Their next tour, later that
year, included Sardinia, France, Brussels, and Holland, ending with a stop in
Istanbul for the recording of the album “New Apricot” under the Turkish label
“Imaj Muzik,” followed by another brief tour in March 2001 and an extended
European Summer/Fall tour through to November 2001.
3) Iraq Interim Constitution Guarantees Armenian Instruction
ARTICLE 9 OF THE RECENTLY SIGNED IRAQI INTERIM CONSTITUTION, RECOGNIZING
ARABIC
AND KURDISH AS THE TWO OFFICIAL LANGUAGES OF IRAQ, NEVERTHELESS GUARANTEES THE
RIGHT TO IRAQI CITIZENS OF ETHNIC ORIGINS, INCLUDING ARMENIANS, TO TEACH
CHILDREN THEIR ANCESTRAL LANGUAGES IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS. THE FULL TEXT OF
ARTICLE 9:
Article 9
Official Languages
The Arabic language and the Kurdish language are the two official
languages of
Iraq. The right of Iraqis to educate their children in their mother tongue,
such as Turcoman, Syriac, or Armenian, in government educational institutions
in accordance with educational guidelines, or in any other language in private
educational institutions, shall be guaranteed. The scope of the term “official
language” and the means of applying the provisions of this Article shall be
defined by law and shall include:
1. Publication of the official gazette, in the two languages;
2. Speech and expression in official settings, such as the National Assembly,
the Council of Ministers, courts, and official conferences, in either of the
two languages;
3. Recognition and publication of official documents and correspondence in
the
two languages;
4. Opening schools that teach in the two languages, in accordance with
educational guidelines;
5. Use of both languages in any other settings enjoined by the principle of
equality (such as bank notes, passports, and stamps);
6. Use of both languages in the federal institutions and agencies in the
Kurdistan region.
4) Rwanda Invites Aram I to Commemorate 10th Anniversary of its Genocide
ANTELIAS–The government of Rwanda has invited His Holiness Catholicos Aram I
to participate in the 10th anniversary commemoration of the Rwandan genocide.
The event, which will take place in the capital city Kigali, will be held
April18-2.
In a letter inviting Catholicos Aram I, foreign minister of Rwanda Dr.
Charles
Murigande writes, “You stood by the people of Rwanda as they struggled to deal
with the terrible consequences of genocide. Join us to reflect on how to
prevent and banish genocide for ever through active universal solidarity.”
Catholicos Aram I will address an international conference on “Genocides in
the 20th century and lessons to humanity,” as well as an ecumenical worship to
be held at the Kigali stadium, and will meet the president of Rwanda and
church
leaders.
According to the Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia, His Holiness will
present the issue of genocide, referring to the Armenian Genocide as the first
Genocide of the 20th century, and the Rwandan genocide as the last.
A high ranking delegation will accompany the Armenian Catholicos, including
the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Dr. Sam Kobia,
the
director of the Department on Africa affairs Dr. Andre Karamagali, the General
Secretary of All Africa Council of Churches Bishop Dandala, WCC Church
Relations Director Teny Pirri-Simoniana, and the Director of the
Catholicosate’s Information and communication Department Rev. Krikor
Chiftjian.
His Holiness will also travel to Nairobi, Kenya to present a public
lecture on
“The challenges facing the ecumenical movement and Africa,” and to meet with
the president and church leaders, visit the headquarters of all Africa Council
of Churches, and present an ecumenical workshop.
5) MKR Parliament Turns Down State Property Privatization Program
YEREVAN (Yerkir)–The parliament of Mountainous Karabagh Republic rejected a
proposed national privatization program, despite the backing of parliament’s
majority Democratic Liberal Party.
It was stricken down when parliament’s Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(ARF)
faction member Artur Mosiyan demanded a detailed report be submitted on the
implementation of the current privatization program during the past years,
including data on the number of new jobs created as a result of the
program, as
well as information on reprimands of officials not fulfilling their
obligations. Another ARF faction member Levon Hayriyan, said that Stepanakert
residents–unlike all others from former Soviet countries–have not received
any benefits from the privatization.
Since the proposed program was rejected, the law already in place adopted a
few years ago, will continue to be in force.
6) Sako, Joseph Krikorian to Perform at Hye Hopes Event for Ghapan
GLENDALEGlendale public high schools’ Armenian students have organized an
evening of music and dance to support Glendale’s sister city of Ghapan in
Armenia. The event, “Hye Hopes,” will take place on Friday evening, March 12,
at the Glendale Civic Auditorium, and will feature entertainment by popular
artists Sako, Joseph Krikorian, and DJ Alfred Nazarian. Appetizers and
refreshments will be served.
Becoming aware of the dire needs of the schools in Ghapan, and because
Glendale and Ghapan recently became sister cities, the Glendale students
decided to host a fundraising event to provide much needed funds to fellow
Armenians.
When members of an official Glendale city delegation returned from Ghapan in
October 2003, the students heard first hand accounts about the difficulties of
Ghapan students, and the debilitated state of their learning environments.
Following the event, the students will work with the Glendale Ghapan Sister
City Association (GGSCA), a “Hye Hopes” sponsor, to determine a specific
school
improvement project to fund.
The Glendale Ghapan Sister City Association, a 501(c)3 non-profit
organization, was created to foster a mutually beneficial sister city
relationship between Glendale and Ghapan. GGSCA works closely with the city of
Glendale to collect equipment and resources that would benefit the city of
Ghapan and to create opportunities that would benefit the city of Glendale.
The
organization also raises money from private contributors in order to fund
improvement projects in Ghapan’s k-12 schools, post-graduate schools, parks,
hospitals, community centers, and other public infrastructure.
“Hye Hopes” will be held from 7 pm to 11 pm at 1401 North Verdugo Road in
Glendale. Tickets ($10) may be purchased at Paradise Pastry, Pizza Man, and at
the door. For further information about “Hye Hopes,” visit
<; For further information about the
Glendale Ghapan Sister City Association, email [email protected].
7) Assemblymember Carol Liu and ANC Pasadena Chapter Announce Human Rights
Teacher Training Workshop for Pasadena Public Schools
Pasadena–The first Teacher Training Workshop on the State’s approved Human
Rights and Genocide Curriculum will be held Friday, March 12, at the Pasadena
Tournament of Roses House. Sponsored by Assemblymember Carol Liu (D-La Cañada
Flintridge), and the Pasadena Armenian National Committee (ANC), the workshop
will provide history teachers with lesson plans and materials concerning human
and civil rights violations. Teachers will also receive training on how to
incorporate these lessons into the classroom curricula.
“In this era of increasing violence and intolerance, young people need to
understand what atrocities arise from hate and prejudice,” Liu said.
Participants will be invited to join an informal seminar to discuss and
analyze the California State Department of Education’s model curriculum for
teaching about human rights and genocide, including the Armenian Genocide.
State law requires schools to provide a learning framework that includes
material concerning civil rights, human rights violations, genocide, slavery,
and the Holocaust.
“Despite the severe budget cuts our schools are facing, this project is
evidence that we can provide our students with quality education through a
collaborative effort between the community and Pasadena Unified School
District”, said Shahan Stepanian, Chairman of the Pasadena Chapter of the
ANC.
“We appreciate Assemblymember Liu’s leadership and support in this joint
effort.”
The workshop will cover topics including the histories of the Native
Americans, European Jews, Cambodians, Rwandan Tutsis, and Bosnian Muslims. In
addition, participants will hear about the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the
Great
Famine of the Ukraine, the Rape of Nanking, and the Chinese agricultural
disaster that occurred under Mao Tse-Tung’s “Cultural Revolution.”
Keynote speaker Dr. Richard Hovannisian, Armenian Education Foundation
Chairholder in Modern Armenian History at UCLA, will provide the historical
context of the 1915 Armenian Genocide. Other participants include Facing
History and Ourselves, a non-profit organization that works with teachers and
students to understand the past and recognize the need for participation and
responsible decision making. Samuel Kadorian, a Genocide survivor born in
1907,
will share his experience and thoughts. In addition, the workshop will include
the Exhibit of Armenian Genocide Survivor Portraits and their Stories by The
Genocide Project. Portraits will be placed throughout the room for
participants
to view.
“I would also like to recognize The Southern California Gas Company, and
Southern Bell Communications, who has graciously agreed to serve as the main
corporate sponsor for the workshop,” said Assemblymember Liu.
The workshop begins at 8:30 am and will run until 3:30 pm. People interested
in learning more about the Teacher Training Workshop or in supporting the
event
should contact Diana Mangioglu at Assemblymember Liu’s District
Office–(626)577-9944.
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