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Claremont Colleges Commemorate The Armenian Genocide Comments

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  • Claremont Colleges Commemorate The Armenian Genocide Comments

    CLAREMONT COLLEGES COMMEMORATE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMENTS

    The Student Life: Pomona College
    April 25, 2014 Friday

    by Natalie Honan

    The Claremont Colleges hosted a public screening of the documentary
    A Wall of Silence, a live violin performance by Maya Martirossyan HM
    '17, and a play entitled Found at the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum on
    April 24 to commemorate the 99th anniversary of theArmenian genocide,
    in which approximately 1.5 million Armenian people and otherminorities
    were systematically killed in present-day Turkey.

    The Armenian genocide is not as well-known as otherlarge-scale
    tragedies such as the Holocaust. Most survivors have passed away,
    but there are descendants across the world, including at the 5Cs.

    Harvey Mudd College physics professor Vatche Sahakian's grandparents
    were victims of the genocide. He said that events on campus serve
    as an important outlet and memorial for those personally affected by
    the Armenian genocide within the Claremont community.

    "It's really become a struggle of raising awareness," Sahakian said.

    "We want to not only commemorate and remember the deaths. We want to
    speak of it because we know that when something like this is ignored
    and not discussed in society, then there's a very real danger of
    history repeating itself."

    Anoush Baghdassarian CM '17, who wrote, directed, and acted in
    Found (see Life & Style, page 6), is Armenian, and her parents are
    descendants of survivors, which she said makes the Armenian genocide
    especially significant to her.

    "It's always had this connection to me," she said. "It's been a part
    of who I am since I've grown up."

    She said that in addition to commemorating the victims of the Armenian
    genocide, she wants to raise student awareness of similar atrocities
    around the world.

    "One thing I'm really hoping is that students don't only look at this
    as an opportunity to learn about the Armenian genocide, but also look
    at it as an opportunity to realize that we need to be aware of all
    the genocides that happen," Baghdassarian said.

    Both Baghdassarian and Sahakian mentioned thatmany of the tactics of
    the Armenian genocide were reused by the Nazis duringthe Holocaust.

    "When you have a traumatic event that is left to fester ... there's
    an element of closure which is crucial, which is why it's essential
    for the perpetrator to make an apology," Sahakian said.

    While Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a statement
    April 23 offering condolences to Armenians in Turkey and in the
    diaspora, the Turkish government refuses to describe the event as
    genocide.

    Sahakian said he hopes the events raise awareness of the Armenian
    genocide, as the tragedy has received very little attention compared
    to other events involving mass violence. Furthermore, he said, when
    genocides are overlooked, there is a higher likelihood of recurrence.

    "The only way you can act is if you have knowledge about something,"
    Baghdassarian said. "If you don't have knowledge, there's no way for
    you to take any action. With this knowledge, people can come more
    empowered to then have a voice about issues like this."




    From: A. Papazian
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