Month: February 2020

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

A number of items in recent weeks have made me go “Hmmmm”, so I thought I’d share them.

Let’s start with the news about former President Serzh Sarkisian’s trial commencing. It seems he and his cohorts are claiming that the trial is “politically motivated”. I have no doubt that’s absolutely true. But, regardless of the motivation, if investigations have turned up evidence of the corruption asserted, then what relevance does the “motivation” have? Let the trial proceed and if he’s found guilty, then punish him appropriately. This is the kind of approach I recommended last week regarding the judges of the Republic of Armenia’s Constitutional Court – investigate, charge, prosecute, try, and punish if found guilty. Don’t subvert the country’s constitution for “political motivations” regardless of the validity of the desired goal.

While we’re on presidents, let’s look at Donald Trump, too. In a recent op-ed piece, Cong. Adam Schiff described him as a threat to democracy and advocated enacting new legislation to prevent future abuses of power such as the ones manifested by Trump. One of the examples cited in the piece is his abuse of the presidential pardon power. It really was disgusting to see a bunch of crooks rendered “innocent”. And, if you think this is all “OK”, consider an Armenian perspective. It seems that the former General Michael Flynn may be getting reviewed and he may also get a pardon. You might recall he had become a paid hack for Turkey and in the process of lobbying for that country, broke U.S. laws,

And since we are deeply in the world of politics now, please remember to vote if you live in a jurisdiction that is holding presidential primary election on March 3 (Alabama, American Samoa, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Democrats Abroad, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia). If you aren’t registered to vote, in some of these locations, you can go to a polling station, register on the spot, and cast a ballot. California is one of those. Or, if you don’t have that option, please, while it’s on your mind, register to vote now so you can vote in the November General Election. I’ve already written about who I suggest voting for in “Primary Time: Parts One and Two.” The most general recommendation is in the Democratic Primary Election – vote for Tulsi Gabbard. Regardless of who you vote for, though, please DO VOTE, VOTE, VOTE.

Ending on a lighter, but VERY interesting note, let’s talk about the microbes (bacteria, fungi, and protozoa) I was reading about in January’s “National Geographic” issue. The piece was about the emerging study and science of the “gut biome” – that’s all the microbes in poop to you and me – along with bacteria in/on other parts of our body. It turns out that some 38,000,000,000,000 (that’s 38 trillion) bacteria live in the average human’s large intestine, more than 90% of the bacteria found on us. These teeny-tiny critters, it turns out, have a huge influence on us. To a certain degree, they seem to function like a “second brain” and influence all kinds of bodily functions and emotions. All this reminded of the old joke about all the parts of the human body arguing about which one of them was most important. The humble anus asserted its preeminence and all the other body parts snickered. So the anus closed up, and in short order all the body parts started apologizing and begging it to loosen up so all the waste could be emptied. It turns out our least pleasant body parts do, in reality, have a tremendous, to date unappreciated, level of importance!

Remember to vote and keep up your advocacy of our cause.

BY ALEEN ARSLANIAN

Fabio Lenzi and Nina Hovnanian were recently in Los Angeles to promote the inaugural 2020 Yerevan Biennial, Armenia’s first contemporary art biennial. An initiative of the newly established Yerevan Biennial Art Foundation, the Yerevan Biennial will run from September 24 to December 31, and will take place across Yerevan.

Co-founded by Fabio Lenzi and the Hovnanian International founding family, the Yerevan Biennial Art Foundation aims to ignite hope, enthusiasm, and initiative in the youth of Armenia through art, culture, and education. The Foundation currently has a number of international experts with biennial experience on staff, and Board Members from Yerevan, New York, Italy, and Los Angeles. By the end of the hiring process, the YBAF will have 12 to 15 staff members. A series of teams will also be hired per project.

The aim of the Biennial is to engage as many art and cultural centers in Yerevan as possible. The Foundation will select several locations in the center of Yerevan, where participants and attendees will have the opportunity to absorb Armenian culture through various means of art. International Curator Lorenzo Fusi will curate an exhibition where local and international artists will be invited to participate. The biennial will also feature a number of self-initiatives, from theatre, opera, concerts, and more, that the Foundation will collaborate with.

Lenzi and the Hovnanian International founding family are currently promoting the Yerevan Biennial across the globe, with the first announcement taking place at the Consulate General of Armenia in Los Angeles. The 2020 Yerevan Biennial team has plans to announce the Biennial in Paris, London, New York, and South Africa in the coming months.

Before heading back to Armenia, co-founder of YBAF Fabio Lenzi, an Italian native, met with Asbarez to further discuss the Foundation’s mission to create bridges through art, culture, and education.

Aleen Arslanian: Can you tell us a bit about yourself – how you ended up in Armenia, and what prompted the creation of the YBAF?

Fabio Lenzi: I studied economics and ended up in Armenia in 2013 for a report for “Foreign Affairs Magazine.” After that, I left the country and came back several times. In January 2016, I opened a consulting firm in Armenia. In early 2018, through the business consulting company, we decided to start this endeavor in the cultural and artistic fields, which led us to organize the largest contemporary art exhibition ever done in the region. We learned a lot about the gaps in the market, the gaps in the infrastructure, and what was needed in order to raise the standards in this field in Armenia. That was our trial, with the vision to one day organize the Biennial.

The YBAF was incorporated in December 2019, after a full year of trying to figure out if I would want to continue this journey. I approached the Hovnanian International founding family and they liked the idea – we share the same vision. Ultimately, our vision is to have Armenia become a strong hub in the region for art and culture. We want to have people look at Armenia as a tourist destination; not only for religious tourism, but to actually enjoy Armenia as country in its fullest – the food, religion, art, culture, and music.

A.A.: Will the YBAF be collaborating with any organizations?

F.L.: As a foundation, we are trying to create ties with all the major, currently existing cultural centers and creative institutions in Armenia. We have spoken to TUMO center, we have already cooperated with Children of Armenia Fund, and we have a standing agreement with the American University of Armenia. We plan on taking part in the Art Fair in Yerevan this summer, and, to go even a bit further, taking part in the Tibilisi Art Fair. The idea is to work with whoever is willing to collaborate with us, as cooperation is the most important aspect.

A.A.: Are Yerevan-based artists currently involved in the Foundation?

F.L.: We have an Art Advisory Board, which is comprised of five local, Armenia-based art experts. These Board members are local experts in the fields of art and culture. They will help steer the foundation in the right direction when certain decisions need to be made – in terms of what is necessary for Armenia – and to make sure that the decisions made are not something I myself, as a foreigner, or the other international experts, want to mandate. Instead, it’s something that we need to decide together, understanding what it is that the country actually needs, and our advisory board, better than anybody else, can support us in that.

A.A.: What activities will the Foundation be involved in throughout the year?

F.L.: As of now, we are creating our strategic plan. We have a pretty clear idea of what will be the main focus of the Foundation. One main focus is education and the other main focus is art and culture. But, as our Head of Exhibitions & Production Raj Sandu loves to say, “We are looking at education through the lens of creativity.” So, everything that we are getting involved in, in education, will be within the art and cultural fields. Although the Biennial will be a big chunk of the Foundation’s activities – which will take place every two years.

A.A.: Whose art will the Biennial feature?

F.L.: The biennial will feature up to 40 artists. It’s an international exhibition, so the artists will be coming from a variety of countries. Among these participants there will also be Armenians from the Diaspora, and there will be a percentage of local Armenian artists, as well. Although our curated exhibition will probably have about 10 to 15 percent of Armenia-based artists, the whole Biennial will be full of Armenian art, because all of these other self-organized initiatives are initiated by the local cultural artists and institutes. That’s where we need them to begin their own initiatives.

A.A.: Can you tell me a bit about Latitude?

F.L.: Latitude is an art space that was opened in November 2019. It’s an asset of the Foundation. Latitude is 400 sqm art space which we have envisioned as a nonprofit space, which means that everything that is done inside Latitude will directly and indirectly benefit the Foundation. If we decide to do an exhibition at Latitude and there’s something for sale, the profits from that sale will be donated to the Foundation. If we organize a paid workshop, we will use the money to organize a second workshop, but for kids from a school that cannot afford that workshop. We always try to use the space thinking about a secondary social program. This space will also be used for all the educational programs that we organize. There are some aspects of the educational programs that might need a physical space where you want to, for example, learn how to handle artwork. These portions of the workshop will be held at Latitude. It’s a very flexible space. We are now working on organizing evening classes for meditation, art therapy, yoga, English lessons, and more. It’s a self-sustainable space that we welcome everyone to join and share their ideas and creativity with.

A.A.: Will the Foundation create job opportunities for local Armenians?

F.L.: Yes. We have a part of the team that is international, because we’re trying to bring in as much expertise as possible. The purpose of bringing these experts in is to train – to shift this know-how to –local Armenians, to eventually have more local Armenians on the team. In several educational programs that we are organizing, we are already envisioning of hiring a number of the students that will be participating in these programs. It will also create opportunities in the regions outside of Yerevan, because the aim of our programs is to reach out to students and young professionals from the regions, work with them, and send them back with a higher level of knowledge. We hope to create exchange programs for local Armenians to travel outside of the country and partner with international galleries, artists, museums, and various international cultural centers. The foundation absolutely aims at creating opportunities for Armenian natives.

To learn more about the Yerevan Biennial Art Foundation and the 2020 Yerevan Biennial, visit the Foundation’s website, or Twitter and Instagram pages. To donate to the Foundation, please email [email protected].

The Armenian Educational Foundation’s fourth annual Oratorical Contest drew in over 100 supporters. This year, the contest was held on February 22 at the Chevy Chase Country in Glendale, California. The hall was generously donated for the event by the country club owners, Nick Agakanian, Vatche Kouyoumdjian, and Esteban Nazarian.

Representatives from all five local Armenian high schools attended and participated in the Armenian and English language speech competition. The participating schools included:

• A.G.B.U. Manoogian-Demirdjian High School
• Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School
• Armenian Mesrobian High School
• Rose & Alex Pilibos Armenian High School
• A.G.B.U. Vatche & Tamar Manoukian High School

The topic for the Armenian segment related to the impact of social media on our society and the English competition topic addressed issues associated with emigration from Armenia. The judging criteria were based on the American Legion National Oratorical Contest guidelines.

The professional experience of the panel of judges encompassed a variety of backgrounds, including, education, linguistics, law, broadcast journalism, and performing arts. The distinguished judges included:

• Ellina Abovian (News Reporter, KTLA 5)
• Mher Baghdasaryan (TV Host and Journalist, PanArmenian TV)
• Dr. Peter Cowe (Professor, Dept. of Near Eastern Languages & Cultures, UCLA)
• Armen Hovannisian, Esq. (Founding Executive and Three-Term Chairman of the Armenian Bar Association)
• Dr. Hrach Martirosyan (Armenian Linguist and Lecturer, Dept. of Near Eastern Languages & Cultures, UCLA)
• Lory Tatoulian (Writer and Actor)
• Teni Karapetian, Director of Publicity for Film at Netflix and Oratorical Contest committee member, also took part as Mistress of Ceremonies.

The winners of the 2020 AEF Oratorical Contest were Alik Artinian (10th grade) representing Armenian Mesrobian School for the Armenian language competition, and Nareh Aghakhanian (12th grade) from Rose & Alex Pilibos Armenian School for the English contest. Each winner was awarded with a $1,000 prize.

“I am so happy to see that the Armenian Educational Foundation created a competition, which emboldens students to take the art of communication seriously,” remarked Lory Tatoulian. “I was completely impressed by the oratorical prowess of these young high school students. They displayed such confidence in their presentations, replete with intelligent opinions and animated delivery, articulating thoughts and forward-thinking ideas,” she added.

AEF’s purpose in hosting the Oratorical Contest is to promote public speaking in Armenian youth, with the hope of encouraging and shaping a future generation of leaders, motivators, and influencers who can become a positive force and promote progress within their community.

For more information on the Armenian Educational Foundation or to donate online, please visit the AEF website.

U.S. House Members Demand Justice for Victims of Azerbaijani Aggression as World Marks Anniversary of Sumgait Attacks

WASHINGTON—Over a dozen U.S. House members condemned the brutal massacres of Armenians in the Azerbaijani cities of Baku, Sumgait, and Kirovabad from 1988 to 1990, urging the Aliyev regime to end its ongoing aggression against Artsakh and Armenia in a series of statements for Congressional Record shared throughout the month of February, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

The calls for justice echoed moving remarks offered during the Capitol Hill commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the Baku pogroms held earlier this month.

“We join with friends of Armenia and advocates of human rights across America in thanking House leaders for marking the 30th Anniversary of the Baku pogroms and the related attacks in Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Maragha,” said ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan. “In pausing to remember these atrocities, we commemorate the lives of those who were lost, while also helping to protect those who survived by both condemning Azerbaijan’s ongoing aggression and supporting Artsakh freedom.”

Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) was the first this year to honor the memory of the Baku and Sumgait victims, stating “It is critical for the United States government to recognize and denounce violent assaults against any civilians. I continue to stand with the Armenian people in condemning this horrific massacre. Tragically, the Azerbaijani government’s approach toward the Armenian people has changed little since the pogroms were initiated. We still hear the same violent rhetoric and witness intimidation tactics aimed at the people of the Republic of Artsakh.”

Fellow Caucus Co-Chair Jackie Speier (D-CA), who along with Rep. Pallone visited Artsakh last year, offered powerful remarks on the House floor condemning the attacks, noting, “If the [U.S.] Administration won’t help those who stand for peace and democracy, Congress must. The legacy of Baku, Sumgait, and Kirovobad remind me why. We must fight for the memories of those we lost, for their dreams of safety and security, and for the promise of a free Artsakh.”

Armenian Caucus Vice-Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA) stated, “The pogroms accomplished their purpose in displacing the entire Armenian community from their homes in Azerbaijan, but in the decades since, Azerbaijani authorities have continued to fan the flames of ethnic hatred, using it as a tool to distract their populace from the corrupt and repressive regime in Baku. The anniversary of Sumgait is a reminder of the consequences when aggression and hatred grow unchecked.”

Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) marked the anniversary of Azerbaijani attacks by also calling for expanded aid to the Republic of Artsakh. “On this anniversary, it is vital that we recommit ourselves and United States policy to healing the pain caused by anti-Armenian aggression,” stated Rep. Sanchez. “I urge the Trump Administration to support life-saving programs like demining assistance in Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as officially recognize the Republic of Artsakh. It is past time to implement carefully crafted, bipartisan proposals to cement peace in the region.”

“These were crimes against humanity that have still gone unrecognized by Azerbaijan,” stated Massachusetts Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA), who went on to “call upon [the Azerbaijani] government to acknowledge and condemn these acts of violence, actively prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes, and take all appropriate action so that these atrocities never happen again.”

Texas Republican Pete Olson (R-TX) noted, “We have a solemn duty to remember the devastation the Armenian people suffered—and demand a world where freedom can be found for all people, and where events like the Baku and Sumgait Pogroms are relegated to a dark and distant past.”

Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) called on the “Azerbaijani government to acknowledge that these atrocities occurred, and that it seeks justice for the victims by prosecuting those who committed these horrific acts of violence. I also call upon the government of Azerbaijan to take all appropriate action to prevent further tragedies of this nature, and to do whatever is necessary to begin the healing process for the families of the victims. I call on the Azerbaijani government to respect the rights of all minorities living within its borders.”

Fellow Illinois Congresswoman Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), concurred, stating, “For over 30 years, Azerbaijan has attempted to cover up these crimes against humanity and has propped up the perpetrators of the Baku and Sumgait Pogroms as national heroes. It is critical that the United States government recognize and denounce this ethnically motivated violence and attacks on innocent children, women, and men in Armenian communities. We must all be aware of the history of violence targeting the Armenian people.”

House Rules Committee Chairman James McGovern (D-MA) explained, “It is clear that the pogrom of Armenians in Baku was not a spontaneous and one-time event, but the culmination of a series of ethnic violence waged against Armenians.”

Central Valley Congressman TJ Cox (D-CA) concurred, stating, “The Azerbaijani leadership has yet to be held accountable for this violence against its Armenian civilians. Instead of condemning these atrocities of decades ago, the Aliyev government continues holding a militant policy against Armenians, especially within the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. I call upon my colleagues to join me in condemning this atrocity, strengthening our ties to the Republic of Artsakh, and holding Azerbaijan accountable for its actions.”

Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) explained, “When human beings are denied their universal freedoms, and when governments put in place dehumanizing rhetoric, policies, and laws; then hatred, violence, and suffering follow. I urge my colleagues to stand with me in recognition of the plight suffered by ethnic Armenians thirty years ago and to stand vigilant against the use of ethnic and religious hatred to stir violence against minorities here in the United States and around the world.”

Michigan Congressman Andy Levin (D-MI) stated, “During these tragic events 30 years ago, Armenians faced unthinkable horrors. Press reports describe Armenians tossed out of their homes, their possessions thrown into bonfires. Others were killed by mobs. As we condemn this violence and remember those who were lost, we must also look forward and reaffirm our commitment to the Armenian people.”

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Baku pogroms, one of the most violent anti-Armenian massacres orchestrated by Azerbaijan during the early years of Artsakh’s ultimately successful democratic movement for independence. Over the course of seven days, Azerbaijani mobs killed dozens and forced hundreds of thousands among the centuries old Armenian population in Azerbaijan to find safe haven in Armenia and countries around the world.

The Baku attacks were the culmination of earlier anti-Armenian violence aimed at killing and driving Armenians from their homes which began on the evening of February 27, 1988 in Sumgait, Soviet Azerbaijan. Within hours, these attacks turned into a series of well-documented pogroms during which Sumgait’s Christian Armenian residents were indiscriminately murdered, raped, and maimed by Azerbaijanis.

Despite Sumgait’s 30-minute proximity to Baku, police allowed the pogroms to go on for three days, during which Armenians were burned alive and thrown from windows. Credible sources report that hundreds of Armenians were murdered. Soviet authorities, who blocked journalists from the area, estimated that over 30 were killed and 200 injured. Other similarly violent pogroms took place in Kirovabad and Maragha.