ABOUT HOW SADDAM HUSSEIN INVITED AGHASI SHABOYAN AND THE HEAD OF GYUMRI CULTURAL DEPARTMENT TO DINNER (VIDEO)
October 17 2014
Advisor to the Governor of Shirak Marz, Hasmik Kirakosyan, who for
many years was the head of the Culture in Gyumri, then in the Marz,
ahead to Gyumri Day told an exciting episode from the cultural life
of this city to Aravot.am. According to Hasmik Kirakosyan, in 1993,
when she was the head of the Department of Culture in Gyumri, Aghasi
Shaboyan traveled to Iraq with the dance ensemble to take part in
the dance festival. “It was the sequential dance ensemble festival
in Babylon, Iraq. Interestingly, the festival was to take place in
the old amphitheater, which had a historical value, a bit far from
this place, Nineveh, Semiramis residence with its 7 royal doors was
located. It’s a very interesting area, a historical one. I had gone
with my very dear master Aghasi Shaboyan. Do you know that Shaboyan’s
spirit was as such that if he was present, the Armenian dance should
stamp so that the world could hear. The festival was to be attended
by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein with his two children. One of them was
disabled and had mobility disorder, and the other one was quite young
and undersized man. By the way, I must say that their nurse was an
Armenian and the boys knew pretty much Armenian songs and Armenian
words, mostly positive and expressing good meaning, “you’re pretty,
you’re good, Armenia is good”, such words. This was the result of
the nurse’s education. Dance ensembles were walking in the streets in
rows, afterwards accompanied with their flags and mentors, they were
moving to the music hall, to amphitheater. The festival was attended
by quite many Eastern countries, and I was thinking, “What should we
do to have no one prevailing us?” I heard that Turkey was to be on the
stage ahead of us. I was interested to know whether they had come with
a big ensemble, the administrator told us that they had watched the
rehearsal of the Turkish ensemble and they had several instruments and
no singer. That was Turkey’s presentation. When I learned about this,
I began looking for a big Armenian flag, the one we took with us, the
tri-color, was small. True, you can make great deeds with a small flag,
because it’s the Armenian flag, but in all cases, the flag should also
be big. And inquired that there is a big flag in the ARF local office,
I went there at night and brought it by car, gave it to Shaboyan’s
girls to iron, they stretched it out on the floor to iron it and
took it to a technical worker to attach an appropriate metal rod,
folded it and said, “when the Armenian zurna sounds, let this flag
slowly go down from above. I must say that Turkey was on the stage
prior to us with a simple, gray presentation. But as soon as the sound
zurna sounded, there was no delegation staging, only the commentators
were talking, so I went and told that I wanted to make a speech and
I came out to the stage with an interpreter. I came out on the stage
and outstretching my two arm up high and said, “Hello, Armenians”,
you cannot imagine what happened, all the torches and fires were lit
from various seats of the amphitheater and such a shout went up. They
were chanting Ar-me-ni-a, as if the entire nation was chanting. All of
them were Armenians’, weren’t they? Armenians’ shouts were so many that
included all into it, and it left the impression that only Armenia was
present. I said warm words to Saddam Hussein, I said that he brings the
age-old enemy peoples and nations together and make them be friends,
and friendship should rule in the world, no generation is born to
die soon, to die artificially, let the muses sound, let the cannons
be silent.” tells the lady. According to her, during her speech,
Saddam Hussein stood up and started to applaud, later all attendees
stood up and applauded. And when after Hasmik Kirakosyan’s speech the
zurna sounded and Shaboyan dance band came to the stage, amphitheater
stood still. “After my words, Shaboyan’s imposing, this wonderful
dance ensemble went on the stage, and danced Kochari under the beats
of several dhols. You should have seen what happened… We were very
tired when we got to the hotel that we had enjoyed the pleasure of the
day. We had not yet reached the destination when people came and told
that Saddam Hussein invites the lady and Aghasi Shaboyan to dine for
this wonderful presentation. We kindly accepted the invitation, and
on that day, I received earrings from Saddam Hussein as a gift. This
is Gyumri with its culture,” says Hasmik Kirakosyan.
Details in the video
Nune AREVSHATYAN
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