Category: 2018

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

It seems most times when I write a piece that I think is of great importance, the response is… crickets. Yet, I feel compelled to keep addressing such issues, even though they tend to be nerdy, wonky, geeky, etc. All the things that many people don’t care to read, but here goes…

This discussion is meant to be internally, that is Armenian-oriented. Great power games, Turko-Azeri foolishness, economics, etc. should be far from the focus of our thinking. It is born of a recent discussion with my two college roommates. It is only the very roughest of outlines, beginnings, in addressing the issues at hand. And even more, it is a series of inquiries, perhaps even probes. But, it may be that this matter is the most important long-term item on the Armenian agenda, our conclusions impacting us well into the future, probably for at least a century or two.

First, for clarity, let me define what I mean in this discussion when I use the terms Armenia, Diaspora, and Armenian (except if it refers to the language). Armenia refers to it all, the whole kit-and-caboodle – Greater and Lesser Armenia plus Cilicia. Diaspora means every Armenian living outside of Armenia as defined. Armenian means every human who says, in one way or another, “I am Armenian”.

Let’s proceed under the assumption that all Armenians want to persist as such, passing on what we have created over thousands of years so each future generation can add to that legacy.

The question becomes: how is that to happen?

One approach is that we must all, in time, reassemble in Armenia. Of course this means liberation from Turkish occupation at least that part of Armenia which has come to be known as Wilsonian Armenia. This has largely been the approach adopted by almost everyone to date.

Yet, because this approach associates nation with land and borders, it is seen as nationalist. The argument is that nationalism as “invented” in Europe through the 19th century is now a passé ideology, in part because it required borders defining a homeland for a nation. An alternative approach to Armenianness in this case is that each of the many diasporas (note the plural usage which seems to be ever more prevalent in scholarly circles) persists and develops in response to its own locale’s particular conditions.

Quick-and-dirty criticism of each of these approaches:
1- Exceedingly few Armenians have any interest in ever moving from their current places of residence to Armenia, so that cannot be an organizing principle. The reality of Armenians living scattered the world over is being disregarded.
2- If multiple diasporas are to evolve, what makes them Armenian? What connects them to one another and Armenia? When do the differences become so large as to make each one no longer Armenian? Why would any human living in country X want to be anything but a member of the local nation unless there is some greater purpose?

In either case, where and how do our irredenta and pursuit of reparations come into play? Who determines how to proceed? How do the Diaspora(s) and Armenia (especially with Artzakh being a separate republic threatened, albeit indirectly, by the occupying power –Turkey) coordinate on these crucial matters? What becomes of our language? Does the current direction and pace of technological development hold out the hope of answers?

I have some pretty well formed opinions about this fundamentally important matter, but it’s going to take a lot more discussion, both by experts and “mere mortals” before we can come to a consensus as to what our multigenerational direction should be.

What’s your thinking on this? Please contribute your thoughts.

Glendale—The Armenian Youth Federation-Western United States (AYF-WUS) has announced that this year’s participants for Youth Corps and Artsakh Internship summer programs have arrived in Armenia. AYF-WUS’s flagship AYF Youth Corps program and the newly launched Artsakh Internship will take place in various regions of Armenia and Artsakh, connecting young diasporan Armenians with the homeland.

The Youth Corps program has served as one of the most prominent programs of the AYF-WUS. Originally sending groups of diasporan Armenians to help rebuild Artsakh houses and structures in 1994, for over a decade the program has transitioned into running day camps in various regions. For 6 weeks, participants are able to continue Youth Corps’ long-standing tradition of giving Armenian youth an opportunity to impact the Republic of Armenia with a hands-on approach.

Through the camp experience, local children learn basic English, patriotic songs, arts and crafts, as well as about the diversity of the diaspora and tolerance for its differences. These skills are critical in helping them grow to become members of a healthy civil society. The camps accept hundreds of children every summer and provide a safe and fun environment for them to build new friendships and acquire new skills.

AYF Youth Corps Committee Co-Chair Alique Cherchian said, “The experiences of counselors in the program are memorable. Seeing Armenia and interacting with locals firsthand is an experience second to none. The success of this program, drawing in dozens of young Armenians from all over the diaspora, lies in the fact that Youth Corps reflects the true ideals of the AYF and serves its ultimate goal of a free, independent and united Armenia.”

This year’s camps will be taking place in Gyumri, Proshyan, Artik, Medz Mantaj, and Stepanakert. Furthermore, 17 participants will also be able to visit Javakhk, historical sites, and meet compatriots in Armenia and Artsakh.

The success of Youth Corps has motivated the launch of a new program to further develop ties between the homeland and diasporan youth. With the goal of professional development, the AYF Internship in Artsakh matches young Armenians with prospective internships and volunteer opportunities in fields that they choose for themselves. Sectors of work include the government, non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGO), health and medicine, education, information technologies, agriculture and multimedia development.

This summer will be the inaugural launch of the six-week internship program. Committee Chair Emilia Der Sarkissian said, “We are very excited for the pilot program of the AYF internship in Artsakh. The program is the first of its kind. It invites diasporans to live and work in Artsakh for a summer. This summer, there will be three adventurous interns; one will work at the Ombudsman’s (Human Rights Defenders) office, one will learn about mining and the third will work in the field of sustainable development.”

Interns will be living together, and outside their internship will be provided educationals, excursions in Armenia and Artsakh, participate in forums and more. The ability for Armenian youth to simultaneously see and experience Artsakh, while also contribute to its and their own professional development is one of the many reasons the AYF-WUS has created this opportunity.

The Armenian Youth Federation’s Youth Corps program and Artsakh Internship are a testament to the fact that the youth of today are not only able but also very willing to engage with their homeland in a meaningful and substantive way. The AYF-WUS is humbled to be an integral part of nation-building for Armenian youth.

Founded in 1933, the Armenian Youth Federation is the largest and the most influential Armenian-American youth organization in the United States, working to advance social, political, educational and cultural awareness among Armenian-American youth.

BY ARAM KOUYOUMDJIAN

Of late, the Armenian Theatre Company has been unstoppable in its output of new productions. It’s mainly been focusing on shorter works: in April, a trio of one-acts by Harold Pinter; in May, a pair of “sentimental” Armenian plays. This month, it has revived Kariné Khodikian’s “Oruh Ter Sharnagvum E” (The Day Continues Still), an hour-long piece about the turbulent and fiery relationship of Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, performed in its original Armenian and in an English translation. The translation is by Aramazd Stepanian, who also directs both versions and portrays Diego in all English performances and in one of four Armenian performances – the one I caught on Saturday, June 16.

As I had mentioned in a previous review, this aggressive pace by the company and Stepanian’s tendency to overextend himself have been yielding productions that lack polish. “The Day Continues Still” suffers similar shortcomings (line struggles among them) but has much to commend it – chiefly, a smart script by Khodikian and a sensational performance by Inga Stamboltsyan as Frida.

The play depicts Frida in her various incarnations: wife, artist, revolutionary. It opens in a cantina, where Frida gets into a heated discussion with the proprietress (Lyudmila Grigoryan) about love, marriage, and art. It becomes immediately clear that the play is not altogether naturalistic, since the proprietress, while conversing with Frida, references events that occurred after the artist’s death.

It’s a compelling scene, not least for the fact that such a prolonged exchange between two women is a rarity in Armenian theater. The dialogue Khodikian has scripted for them is saucy, yet substantial.

Eventually, the cantina proprietress transforms into Frida’s sister, Cristina, who was a nude model for Diego and one of his paramours. Diego makes his appearance well into the play, at which point the conversation turns to the topic of rampant marital infidelity – engaged in callously by both spouses and used as fuel for art. “Monsters!” yells Cristina at them for making each other suffer yet refusing (or being unable) to let each other go. Suffering is sublimated into the artists’ paintings; in Frida’s case, pain is not just emotional but, due to a crippling accident, physical as well. The accident has left her bedbound, forcing her to paint her way out of the pain.

Khodikian’s edgy script brims with attitude and is modern in its structure and sensibility. It is a feminist tract that provides a rich role for a lead actress, and Stamboltsyan is superb in the role, balancing brashness and sarcasm with heartache and disappointment – the consummate portrayal of a tortured free spirit. Her winning performance alone makes the production worthwhile.

Grigoryan is a worthy sparring partner for Stamboltsyan, but Stepanian seems out of his element in this particular role. Typical for the company, production values are wanting, but projections of Frida’s paintings go a long way in adding visual texture and even operating as a character of their own.

Up next for the company is a piece by Rabindranath Tagore, to be followed by George Bernard Shaw’s “The Millionairess,” two Japanese plays, and Levon Shant’s “Ancient Gods”; whether such expansive choices will yield an ever-intriguing body of work or just a mish-mash of confused programming remains to be seen.

Aram Kouyoumdjian is the winner of Elly Awards for both playwriting (“The Farewells”) and directing (“Three Hotels”). His next production, “William Saroyan’s Theater of Diaspora: The Unpublished Plays in Performance,” is slated to have its world premiere this fall.