CITY GEARS UP FOR GENOCIDE COMMEMORATIONS
By Jason Wells
Glendale News Press
April 18 2008
CA
Glendale’s Week of Remembrance schedule addresses worldwide crimes
against humanity.
GLENDALE — The proliferation of Armenian flags hanging off car windows
and apartment balconies as the weekend wears on can only mean one thing
— the annual hearkening of Glendale’s Week of Remembrance, culminating
in the citywide commemoration of the Armenian Genocide on Thursday.
In a city that is home to the largest Armenian community outside of
Armenia, the event at the Alex Theatre Thursday commemorating the
93rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide is expected to be the week’s
biggest draw, city officials said.
"It will be sold out and we’re going to have a standby line," said
Councilman Ara Najarian, who is chairman of the events committee.
Attendees snatched up all 1,381 seats last year, and are expected to
do the same, theater officials said.
The city-sponsored event schedule kicks off Sunday with a blood
drive at St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church and continues with
public events addressing worldwide crimes against humanity throughout
the week.
This year’s genocide commemoration comes at time when the Armenian
community is working overtime to have the U.S. Congress recognize
the killings of 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1918 in the
former Ottoman Empire, as it has the Holocaust.
A genocide resolution introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff, whose district
includes Glendale, received an unprecedented amount of Congressional
support last year when 235 House members signed on as co-sponsors. But
lobbying from opponents, who say such a bill would soil crucial
U.S. military relations with Turkey, whittled that down to 211,
pushing it to the back burner.
Turkey’s government has refused to acknowledge the mass killings
as genocide, instead arguing they were the result of an internal
civil war, and has threatened to pull back from the United States
diplomatically if the resolution is passed.
Still, the political strength of the resolution is sure to lift spirits
of those attending commemorative events this year, said Andrew Kzirian,
executive director of Armenian National Committee Western Region.
"Overall I think the mood is very positive, there’s no shortage of
energy," he said. "I think they’re willing to channel that energy
into the commemorations."
While the Armenian Genocide certainly gets the lion’s share of
attention in a city in which Armenians make up 40% of the population,
other crimes against humanity will also be recognized during the
week’s events.
Speakers at the Central Library Auditorium on Monday evening will
discuss other issues related to massive human suffering, past and
present in a forum called "Man’s Inhumanity to Man."
The Rev. Berdj Djambazian will discuss the trips he’s made to the
Darfur region of Sudan, where the United Nations estimates 200,000
people have died, mostly due to hunger and disease.
Dennis Doyle, professor of English at Glendale Community College,
will discuss the political and environmental underpinnings of The
Great Famine in Ireland, which occurred between 1845 and 1852 and is
estimated to have reduced the country’s population between 20% to 25%.
The mass killings of Native Americans, in which thousands of indigenous
people died in the 1800s with the migration of settlers West across
the plains, will be the topic of discussion for Roger Bowerman,
professor of history at Glendale Community College.
And Ramela Grigorian Abbamontian, assistant professor art history
at Los Angeles Pierce College, will discuss how genocide affects the
psyche of survivors and its manifestation in art.
Admittance to all of the week’s events are free, but the Armenian
Genocide Commemoration event on Thursday, which will feature
award-winning director and producer Carla Garapedian and several live
performances, will require a ticket.
Garapedian, who will deliver the keynote address, was the director and
producer of the critically-acclaimed 2006 documentary "Screamers" of
the band "System of a Down" that won the AFI Film Festival’s Audience
Award. She has worked to raise awareness about the current genocide
in Darfur and on genocide prevention.
Classical operatic singer Gegam Grigorian, together with the
Mikael Avetisyan Chamber Orchestra, are among those scheduled to
perform live. Jivan Gasparian Junior — grandson and apprentice of
the world-renowned Djivan Gasparian, a master of the traditional
woodwind instrument used in traditional Armenian folk music — will
also perform.
Those who want to attend that event can pick up their free tickets —
four per person — at the Alex Theatre box office in advance.
UPCOMING EVENTS
SUNDAY
Commemorative Blood Drive takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church, 500 S. Central Ave. For more
information, call (818) 243-3444.
MONDAY
"Man’s Inhumanity to Humanity" starts at 6 p.m., Central Library
Auditorium, 222 E. Harvard. For more information, call (818) 548-4844.
TUESDAY
Glendale High School hosts a genocide remembrance program in its
auditorium, 1440 Broadway, at 6:30 p.m. The program will feature guest
singers, poetry readings, video presentations and traditional dances
by students from the four Glendale Unified high schools.
WEDNESDAY
A joint genocide commemoration among Armenian and Episcopal churches
takes place at St. Peter Armenian Church, 632 W. Stocker Ave., at
7 p.m.
THURSDAY
Armenian Genocide Commemoration, starts at 6 p.m., Alex Theatre, 216
N. Brand Blvd. Free Parking at Orange Street parking garage. Doors
to theater open at 5 p.m. Tickets available at the box office.
The Armenian Genocide United Commemorative Committee will host guest
speakers and cultural performances at the Glendale Civic Auditorium,
1401 N. Verdugo Road, at 8 p.m.