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March 17, 2007 — From the community section
All of the articles that appear below are special to the ARMENIAN REPORTER
1. Before a New York audience, journalist Robert Fisk relives three
decades of world crises (by Florence Avakian)
2. Community and local leaders pay tribute to Hrant Dink (by Tamar Salibian)
3. Facing the mountain: Berkeley workshop brings Armenians, Turks
together (by Tania Ketenjian)
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1. Before a New York audience, journalist Robert Fisk relives three
decades of world crises
by Florence Avakian
NEW YORK – Award-winning journalist Robert Fisk faced a sold-out
friendly audience on Sunday, March 4, at New York’s Town Hall, voicing
his thoughts and opinions on the crises he has covered for more than
three decades. Fisk spoke as part of his acceptance of the 2006
"Lannan Lifetime Achievement Prize for Cultural Freedom," sponsored by
the Nation Institute.
Fisk, who writes for the widely read English newspaper, The
Independent, centered his remarks on the Middle East where he has
lived for more than 30 years, and where he is known for courageous
reporting: for going to the streets and talking to the people instead
of sitting in a fortified hotel room.
Reading from his book, The Great War for Civilisation, Fisk reminded
the audience of some several chilling events he has witnessed and
covered, including massacres, suicide bombings, the Iraqi Kurdish
resistance, the first and second Iraqi invasions, as well as the
intervening period of sanctions during which more than a million
Iraqis may have died.
In the second half of the program, Laura Flanders, host of "Radio
Nation" and a writer in The Nation magazine, joined Fisk onstage to
ask several questions. In his 31 years of living in the Middle East,
Fisk said the region "has never been as dangerous as it is today. The
West has never understood the depth of humiliation it has caused in
the Middle East. The current occupation of Iraq has caused
approximately 500,000 or 600,000 deaths," he said. He added: "But it’s
silly and degrading to talk of numbers."
He related a personal story about his father, "a right wing
cantankerous man who alienated people with his anger." A soldier in
World War II, he was ordered to kill an Australian soldier who
reportedly had killed another Allied soldier. "My brave father
refused. It was the greatest thing he did. He challenged authority,"
said Fisk who appears to have inherited this quality.
Pointing out the repetition of history, he spoke about the 1917
occupation of Baghdad by the British, and the following insurgency
against the British three years later in Falluja and Najaf. "At the
time, the British leader Lloyd George said, ‘If we leave Iraq, there
will be civil war.’ How history repeats itself," Fisk stated.
After World War II, the Middle East did not attack the West, he
continued. "But things are different now. If we don’t leave the
region, the West will be violently attacked," he predicted, singling
out the United States as being in "great danger."
Fisk called the coverage of the Middle East in the U.S. press –
specifically in the New York Times – as "incomprehensible with so many
clichés. There is an unhealthy, close relationship between the
government and the media in America."
Islam, he said, is a political institution which is "deeply flawed,
but the encroachment by the West has led to a pyramid of dictators,
most of them our friends." He listed a few of the admirable qualities
of the Middle East, especially its love of families, their culture,
and the many courageous Muslim intellectuals.
As an example of Muslim courage, he cited the fact that for the
Western journalists who are ensconced in fortress-like enclosures with
watchtowers, the Iraqis are their "footsoldiers, getting killed every
day."
Fisk emphasized that the West "will have to talk with the insurgents"
– as was subsequently advocated by the top American general in Iraq on
March 8. Fisk revealed that the largest insurgent group had sent a
number of demands to The Independent, among which were the opening of
talks with the United States; the U.S. disowning the current Iraqi
government (which he predicted would not happen); the control of the
oil reserves; and compensation for damages and destruction.
"The Iraqi insurgents are deciding our history. Not Bush. Not Clinton."
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2. Community and local leaders pay tribute to Hrant Dink
by Tamar Salibian
LOS ANGELES, March 11 – Hundreds were in attendance at Glendale’s
Civic Auditorium to honor slain journalist Hrant Dink. The event was
sponsored by a broad range of community organizations, which included
the Western Diocese and Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic
Church, the Armenian Missionary Association of America, ANC, Armenian
Assembly, Armenian Council of America, Armenian Rights Council of
America, AGBU, ARS, Armenian Students’ Associations, Organization of
Istanbul Armenians, Kessab Educational Association, and Friends of
Armenia.
Central to the evening’s event was a presentation of images of Hrant
Dink, which was accompanied by statements that the journalist made in
response to his prosecution under Turkey’s Article 301 for "insulting
Turkishness." Armen K. Hovannisian, founding member and former chair
of the Armenian Bar Association hosted the event. In his opening
remarks, Hovannisian said, "We are here to cry, we are here to
remember, we are here to give strength to one another and to release
the anguish and anger in our hearts… and to embrace an almost
impossible dialogue with those who say we are liars. Dink stood taller
than any of us ever will."
The evening’s speeches were interspersed with images and quotes from
Dink himself, who spoke boldly about contemporary issues such as
intermarriage, life as an Armenian of Turkish citizenship, and the
importance of dialogue between Turks and Armenians. Criticizing hatred
and fanaticism of all kinds, Dink urged Armenians to "bring our future
to the forefront." Dink affirmed that if Armenians remained focused on
the past, "our past becomes a prison."
Praising Dink’s bravery, California and Armenian Bar Association
member Edvin Minassian recalled a lunch with him at a local Mexican
restaurant where Dink noticed a poignant quotation by Pancho Villa
framed on the wall: "I would rather die standing on my feet than live
on my knees." Minassian pointed out that these same words perfectly
applied to his slain friend. Frank Zerunyan recalled that the Armenian
Bar Association was the first to honor Dink with a Freedom of Speech
award. "Hrant Dink was a purist when it came to freedom of speech,"
said Zerunyan. "He did not need to suppress speech to defend his true
history."
One of the most moving moments the evening was a touching speech by
Organization of Istanbul Armenians member Simon Acilac. Acilac
recounted the details on the day of Hrant Dink’s burial and the
subsequent demonstrations on the streets of Istanbul. He reiterated
Dink’s now-famous reference to himself as a dove, tearfully adding
that he was killed by "a brainwashed child of 17 years old." As Acilac
spoke, video footage from CNN showed Dink’s family releasing doves
into the air at the funeral as masses of individuals united in
solidarity holding signs stating "We are all Armenian, We are all
Hrant Dink," Acilac noted, "Hrant Dink’s biggest wish was to be able
to say ‘Yes Hai em’ out loud."
Closing the evening’s speeches, host Armen Hovannisian urged the
audience to rise up and continue where the slain journalist had left
off. "Turkey’s salvation is not only up to Turks, it is up to us. We
will never be able to rest until Turks come to us with the blood
dripping on their hands to admit the truth. How can you ever, ever
forgive them for what they did?"
Throughout the evening, audience members were treated to various
traditional musical selections by the Winds of Passion duo with
vocalist Arax and a performance of the Khatchaturian dance by
Zvartnots Dance Group. The evening ended with a group prayer led by
His Eminence, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian. As the audience exited the
Glendale Civic Auditorium and passed a large photo of Hrant Dink near
the entrance, they were handed postcards with "Boycott Products of
Turkey" slogans on behalf of the Americans for Human Rights group.
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3. Facing the mountain
Berkeley workshop brings Armenians, Turks together
by Tania Ketenjian
BERKELEY, Calif. – "For the first time today, I was able to speak
about being Armenian." These were the words of just one of the 16
people who participated in an all-day workshop here last weekend. This
unprecedented gathering of young Armenians and Turks manifested in a
sharing of stories and an attempt to understand each other’s struggles
in the hopes of arriving at some sort of common ground.
It was an unseasonably warm night in Berkeley. The usual melee of
students, dressed up and roaming the streets, were moving from one
raucous party to the next while at the top of campus, a more serious
event was taking place. The auditorium at UC Berkeley’s International
House was filled with people from all different cultural descents –
Armenian, Turkish, Irish, Russian, Azerbaijani, Mexican, Italian – who
had gathered to witness Facing the Mountain: Armenians and Turks Share
Their Stories. Facing the Mountain was an event presented by the
Playback Theatre, an improvisational theatre group that transforms
stories told by the audience into pieces with spoken improvisation,
movement and music. The evening’s presentation was an epilogue to the
groundbreaking all-day workshop and under the dimmed lights of the
auditorium, Armenian and Turkish members from the workshop spoke about
their experiences in the context of their heritage. When the director
Armand Volkas asked audience members how many were unsure of the
conflict between Armenians and Turks, nearly half the room raised
their hands. These were educated and enthused audience members and the
mystery of the event offered a sense of excitement and curiosity in
the room, a feeling that the attendees were privileged to hear these
personal and often untold stories.
One by one, Armenians and Turks stepped up to the front of the room
and under a bright, solitary light answered questions about a story
they were ready to share – about education, identity, anger, sadness,
confusion, hope. With each story, a deep sigh of expectation would
rise from the audience as performers would move and cry out and speak
and hold still.
"I remember the sadness I saw in my Grandfather’s eyes and today I
felt intense gratitude for everyone that was present to allow that
sadness." So began the story of one Armenian woman who was referring
to a story very few people seem to be aware of – the fact that after
the Genocide, many survivors lost their minds and were placed in
insane asylums. In this case, her grandfather was placed in an asylum
in Istanbul. She learned of the story from her grandmother who, like
many Armenian elders, had made her the "keeper of the stories". To
illustrate this, the actors used colored scarves and passed them to
each other, much like the passing of tales and generations. "We will
not forget" seemed to be a reoccurring phrase, both on behalf of the
Armenians and the Turks.
A Turkish woman had a less tangible but just as potent story to share.
Hers was one of "essence", a story based in feeling rather than
experience. She explained that as an archeologist she likes to dig.
"My story begins with myself and my own sense of never really knowing
where my past was." Many of the Turkish story tellers explained how
the education in Turkey prevented them from knowing their history. In
fact, whenever they would attempt to ask about things they might have
read or heard about, they would be silenced and their teachers would
"impose a specific sense of identity."
"As a child, you believe everything that you hear in school. But as
you grow up, you see ruptures, you see cracks." It was these cracks
that were explored, these ruptures that were on the path to healing
through the workshop and Facing the Mountain.
After the event, people rose and started speaking with each other. The
intimacy of the event invited a connection amongst all those in the
room. Although from such disparate backgrounds, many could relate to
the issues raised in the performance. When the director of the
program, Armand Volkas, invited audience members to call out words or
emotions that they experienced that evening, many spoke out – courage,
hope, forgiveness, unity, acceptance, harmony.
Thea Farhadian, a sound artist based in San Francisco, said that it
was the first time she had heard Turks and Armenians speak together.
"It completely connects everything, it’s very powerful." Laurie
Grossman, who grew up hearing the story of the genocide of Jews,
mentioned how this was a history nobody knows about. Based on her own
personal experience, it was, "important for me to watch forgiveness
and watch acknowledgment." And Almer Wood said, "I really felt like I
could relate. We all live through some kind of conflict."
In the end, Ojig Yeretsian who was the impetus for the workshop and
the event, had this reflection: "I always wanted to bring together
Armenians and Turks. I had faith that we could build bridges. If we
did that, we could reach a place of connection and commonality and if
we did that, we could be neighbors again."
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