Category: 2019

BY SEVANA PANOSIAN

I begin my Advanced Placement English Literature class with this formula. The students are often confused and even check their schedules to make sure they aren’t in some weird Common Core curriculum math course that they didn’t sign up for. No, you’re in the right room— English Lit with Panosian. I even reassure them that I would be a horrible math teacher, and if it wasn’t for the hours of homework help from my engineer math wiz of a father, I wouldn’t have passed the GRE and I surely wouldn’t be standing before them as a teacher. Miracles happen.

So, back to this formula. I begin the class with this simple explanation of the idea of metaphors and attempt to tie it into pop culture to sell the idea that I am more interesting than Instagram (not) but I give it a shot— Monsters Inc is a metaphorical representation of xenophobia (and an allegorical version of To Kill a Mockingbird, Boo = Boo Radley), that the Pixar film Ratatouille is a metaphor for how immigrants do thankless amounts of work in our country’s workplaces and get no credit for it, and how The Great Gatsby is a metaphor for the breakdown of the American dream, and also how Olaf’s song “In Summer” from the film Frozen is a metaphor and Biblical allusion to the trinity and hope.

After these statements, the kids are sold on the idea that maybe my class is worth it— that the countless essays and discussions on metaphors and symbols isn’t just for passing a test— there’s a bigger lesson to be learned here— that the metaphors we are presented within art, literature, and music are blueprints and archetypes to help us meander the sometimes confusing paths of our lives.

This summer, my daughters and their paragon of Armenian friends attended their second year of Armenian Youth Camp in the boreal forests outlying Yosemite National Park. For millennia, forests have not only symbolized the unknown but also the peaceful escape towards a more ideal existence— like Henry David Thoreau in his transcendental “Walden,” “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

The “essential facts of life” that these youth were able to learn were their own— free of social media, free of pressure—we parents prod and poke to get the stories and they divulge some but not all— those are the memories they will keep in their new Armenia. The first thing my younger one told me when she got in the car was that someone named Unger Armen gave an educational that changed her understanding of everything…that her job as a Diasporan Armenian was bigger than anything she could imagine. She then stared out the window and said, “and Unger Moushig instilled such a spirit in all of them that she couldn’t put it into words—only action.”

From the mouths of babes— my thirteen-year-old was having her transcendental moment. Thoreau states in Walden again, “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary…and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings.”

This higher order of beings can only be shared among those who attend camp, and might only be shown in a video which I am posting here—the campers sang the song “Akhpers ou Yes”—a song which details the emotional yearnings of a soldier going off to war against the Turks. They are guided by Unger Arick and his accordion, and Unger Moushig and his passion and love for guiding Armenian youth.

We cannot simplify the lyrics of this song—I think it goes back to the formula for a metaphor—A=B. The soldier’s voice is A but the transfer, the metaphorical lesson for our youth, is this—being Armenian is one thing, staying Armenian is the true battle. Whether you speak the language, go to Armenian school or not, (Armenian school really helps), live in a diverse city where you can befriend Armenians (or not), or whether you simply have that one week of Armenianness that the AYC (and many Armenian camps) offers, the battle cannot be won alone—our youth will be able to build communities through the bonds created under the canopy of trees and stars—a canopy which cannot be replicated

Being in cities like San Francisco, Houston, Portland, Boston, Racine, or any city outside of Los Angeles, Armenian families have to be mindful and strategic in their attempt to stay Armenian. It takes work—it takes dedication—it takes cancelling a trip or planning a summer around that one week of camp. I am a product of camp—if it wasn’t for AYF Camp, I wouldn’t have the network of friends who are all active members of their respective Armenian communities. Camp does that—it provides another outlet and another ojakh (hearth) for your children to develop their understanding of “purpose” and the connection to a community who understands them without explanations.

Fortunately, we parents have a way to teleport ourselves into the world of these kids through social media. A friend of mine who was a volunteer at AYC posted this video—the video shows Director Moushig Andonian lovingly surrounded, arm in arm, with each and every camper as they sang Sevag Amroyan’s “Akhpers u yes.”

As I watch the video, it takes me to the idea of the metaphor, A=B—these camps, AYC, AYF, Camp Haiastan…they take the abstraction of “Armenian- ness” and transfer it to the concrete connection of a brotherhood (and sisterhood) of Armenian youth who share the universal bond of cultural, social, and ethnic self-preservation. Like the lyrics of the song “Ինչքան պետք լինի կկռվենք այսպես, հայ ազգի համար ախպեր ու ես…” the struggle has been softened by the growth of these camps, and the dedication of individuals like Unger Moushig to connect the youth under yet another canopy of stars. Whether it’s Pinecrest or Valyrmo Calfiornia or as far as Franklin, Massachusetts, these camps are the embodiment of that concrete image, the brotherhood, children who choose to “live with the license of a higher order of beings.” And for that, we can be assured that the lyrics of the song, though mournful as they expand on the spiritual life of our dear soldiers, these campers will keep the spirit of the Armenian people alive and well on foreign lands. As long as it is necessary, we will fight like this, brother and I for the Armenian nation…

YEREVAN—Last month, Armenia Tree Project and the American University of Armenia Acopian Center for the Environment announced that a first-ever forestry conference will bring global leaders in forest conservation and restoration to Yerevan in October.

Forest Summit: Global Action and Armenia will be held from October 20 to 23 at the American University of Armenia and will feature three days of discussion and collaborative dialogue on conservation and reforestation efforts much needed in countries across the world. With decades of regrowth and success throughout Armenia, the small country is bringing together the world’s best in reforestation to help other countries mount their forestry comebacks.

The conference will facilitate open and thorough discussion on the state of forests worldwide and in Armenia, and the practices, policies, and resources needed to ensure that conservation and restoration continues. Attending media will participate in plenary sessions, panels, breakout discussions, and field visits to forestry sites in Armenia. Sightseeing and social gatherings will round out the three-day schedule. During the conference, Armenia Tree Project will plant its six millionth tree in Armenian soil.

While success stories like the one in Armenia are gradually becoming more universal, efforts must be sustained to combat deforestation that continues to plague so many areas globally. The conference will offer sightseeing tours to Dilijan National Forest and ATP’s Mirak Family Reforestation Nursery in Margahovit Village, where attendees can observe reforestation work in action.

For more information, visit the website.

“The Christian Architecture of the Levant,” a new website dedicated to the churches, monasteries, fortifications and other architecture of the Armenian, Greek, Georgian, Syriac, Crusader and Arab people of the Near East is now available online.

A generous and anonymous grant has allowed the creation of this website as a forum for serious scholars to post their carefully documented photographs, plans, and assessments of the Christian architecture in the Levant. The initial 3,300 photographs, plans and maps of 118 sites presented on the Website are composed of secular, ecclesiastical and military construction within Turkey, from the Byzantine, Cilician Armenian and late Medieval periods. By exposing this material to the widest possible audience, the donors hope to encourage dialogue, provide documentation for publications, and facilitate efforts for the preservation of these endangered monuments.

The rate at which these sites have become damaged and, in some cases, completely obliterated, has accelerated in the last decades. The loss of this world heritage is irreversible and not to be underestimated. “I am thrilled to be bringing this website online,” said Jirair Christianian, General Editor of the website. “It is my hope that others will contribute additional images and plans of these or of other sites, on a non-exclusive basis, in order to make it as comprehensive as possible and a true resource for future researchers,” he added. It is anticipated that the website will eventually cover sites throughout Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

Anyone interested in contributing images and plans of the late antique and medieval Christian settlements in the Levant is invited to contact the General Editor via the Contact link in the website header. There is no minimum limit on the number of photographs and plans that can be submitted, and a contributing author is free to deposit any of his/her images contained in this website into any other archive without restrictions.

Volume One of the website is comprised of the archive of Robert W. Edwards, the author, among other publications, of “The Fortifications of Armenian Cilicia” and articles on the ecclesiastical architecture of the Armenians, Georgians and Byzantine Greeks in Cilicia, the Pontus, the Marchlands of northeastern Turkey, and Historical Armenia. His detailed photographs, plans, and extensive documentation of these sites represent an invaluable documentation of this architectural heritage in Turkey, much of which is under threat of permanent destruction.

It is the hope of the project directors that other archives of photographs and plans will be added to the Website, in order to develop it into a truly comprehensive archive. Any efforts to promote the Website, whether in talks and lectures, communications of organizations focused on related topics in architecture, art history, or history, or in publications are encouraged and appreciated. Any online links to the Website would be especially appreciated. Links to the website could be either to the home page or to individual sites, e.g., to Sis, Anavarza, Vahka, Aghtamar, etc., as appropriate.

Any questions or comments about the Website can be directed to the editor from the contact links found online.

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

This is great stuff! I’m referring to the lawsuit by Barkev and Garo Ghazarian reported just a few days ago. It is a new, incremental, portion of our struggle for justice. They are suing Turkey on what can simply be described as religious freedom grounds.

It seems to me we have to view this suit in the broader context of the legal front in our struggle with Turkey for justice. So a quick review of what has happened on the legal front over the past two decades will probably be helpful.

First, life insurance companies were sued because they had never paid out on the policies bought by Armenians who were subsequently killed in the Genocide. This was enabled by legislation enacted by the State of California. Next, German,and later Turkish, banks were sued to make them disgorge the funds deposited with them by victims of the Genocide which were never disbursed to the heirs of these people. These approaches stalled in the U.S. legal system when the Supreme Court found that they supposedly stepped on the federal government’s toes by intruding into the realm of foreign policy. The idea was that since the U.S. government had not recognized the Genocide, it could not be used as a basis for legal action. This is the “preemption” doctrine at work. Who would have imagined that trying to reclaim monies owed to someone but never paid had to have Genocide recognition to proceed? It’s ridiculous, but… that’s the realm and “logic” of law.

Now, there are direct claims proceeding to regain ownership of land. There is the Bakalian case in which the owners of the property where a U.S. air base is located in İncirlik, Turkey were trying to regain ownership of the land. But, just a couple of days ago, it was dismissed by the courts because the statute of limitations (i.e. time limits) had passed, not on substantive grounds. Wending its way through the Turkish legal system is the suit brought by the Catholicosate of Cilicia to regain the property of its seat in Sis. In this type of case involving real property, especially the church/institutional one, the return of a some churches to the Armenian Patriarchate of Bolis(Constantinople, Istanbul) a few years go might serve as a precedent. A slightly older example, with a negative outcome, I have cited before is that of Victor Bedoian who was screwed out of his property in Van by the Turkish courts after years of trying to operate a hotel there.

But the Ghazarian case looks different. It addresses a fundamental human right, the freedom of conscience, specifically of religious practice. Based on the news release, it seems Turkey interfered and violated this right by preventing Garo from learning about his family’s traditions from his fatheron the native soil where those traditions were established.

Because the lawsuit is not based on property, but rights, universal human rights, it will be interesting to see how the U.S. courts process the case. (Non)Recognition of the Genocide by Washington is immaterial to the basic rights of person. So the silliness imposed by the preemption doctrine cannot come into play. It will be fascinating to watch this case proceed. The next step is to hear how the government of Turkey responds to the lawsuit.

This case is also interesting because it touches on our right to go to our ancestral lands AS ARMENIANS, not as citizens of a third country. It is about our identity not being violated, suppressed, or ignored. It is a very creative and justice-based step.

The case is also probably very sensitive since anything said about it could be twisted and misconstrued by the Government of a Turkey.

Let’s watch and learn. We must proceed organizedly, not haphazardly, with everyone making claims in the courts, since negative outcomes can become precedents used against us.

Saying that Moscow is concerned with what is being termed as accusations being hurled by Yerevan and Baku, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Friday that the rhetoric does not contribute to the development of favorable conditions for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution negotiations.

“This kind of rhetoric does not help to the development of favorable conditions for the negotiations process, and accordingly, to the interests of finding a compromise options for the resolution of the [Karabakh] conflict,” Zakharova said at a briefing Friday.

“We, as one of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, take into consideration Moscow’s close relations with Baku and Yerevan, remain inclined to provide support with the purpose of a comprehensive advancement of the peace process,” she added.

Zakharova added that Russia’s position on deciding the final status of Nagorno Karabakh and resolving the conflict through negotiations remains unchanged.

“Russia proceeds from the point that the final status of Nagorno Karabakh must be decided through negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. You know our stance. It hasn’t changed,” she said, pledging that Russia will continue assisting the peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of Russia on Friday said that relations between his country and Armenia were on an upward trajectory. He met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during the Eurasian Economic Union Inter-governmental Council session in Cholpon Ata, Kyrgyzstan.

The two leaders discussed a broad range of issues concerning the strategic Armenian-Russian partnership and specifically discussed the further development of trade-economic ties, increase of trade turnover volumes and implementation of joint programs.

The two prime ministers said that relations between the two countries have seen dynamic growth, adding that efforts must actively continue to strengthen and develop the ties.

Medvedev commended Armenia’s successful presidency in the EEU and noted that an upward development exists in bilateral relations, which can be seen in the frequency of meetings and discussions between high ranking official from both countries, as well inter-governmental and inter-parliamentary cooperation.

Pashinyan particularly specified the growth in Russian tourism to Armenia, saying the number of Russian tourists visiting Armenia had surged by 19 percent in the first half of 2019 compared to the same period in the previous year when the overall number of visiting tourists in Armenia grew 12.8 percent.

Pashinyan attached importance to the complete utilization of the entire potential of the EEU in the context of further developing bilateral relations.

The sides also touched on cooperation in the areas of natural gas, the nuclear power station and air transportation, as well as a number of other issues.