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The Armenian Weekly On-Line: AWOL
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AWOL (Armenian Weekly On-Line) Volume 73, No. 6, February 10, 2007
Commentary:
1. Why Would Turkey Acknowledge the Armenian Genocide?
Michael G. Menoian
2. The Sound of Blood
By Bekir Coskun
Translated by Armenian Weekly staff
3. Deranged Dating
By Garen Yegparian
4. Storm Troopers, Zombies and How Kids Will Perceive the 'Other'
By Andy Turpin
Book Review:
5. A Gift in the Sunlight: An Armenian Story
By Tamara C. Gureghian
Letter to the Editor:
6. The Turkish Government Cannot be Exonerated
By Thea Halo
Events:
7. Garapedian and Power Speak at 'Screamers' Harvard Screening
8. Armenian Artists Exhibit in Valentine's Day Show to Benefit Heart Disease
Research
9. Tuncboyaciyan to Play at Harvard in Memory of Dink
Poetry:
10. NO . DON'T!
By Varand
Translated by Tatul Sonentz
11. Three Early Pieces by Vahan Terian
Translated by Tatul Sonentz
----------------------------------------- --------------------------------
1. Why Would Turkey Acknowledge the Armenian Genocide?
Michael G. Menoian
With the demise of the Soviet Union and the United States' renewed interest
in the Caucasus and Central Asia, Turkey's need to recognize the Armenian
Genocide has become muted. Turkey, a long time Cold War ally, Azerbaijan and
Georgia have all become beneficiaries of a United States policy that
challenges Russia's attempt to reestablish hegemony over these energy rich
republics. Turkey has the principal role, given its strategic location, with
respect to moving the oil and natural gas of Central Asia and Azerbaijan to
global and West European markets. A concomitant benefit to Turkey which
complements the United States' effort, has been its ability to implement a
dormant Pan Turkic policy to extend its influences into Central Asia.
The recently opened Baku-Ceyhan pipeline to the Mediterranean Sea represents
the opening phase of this initiative. Turkey and the United States
anticipate that this pipeline will eventually extend under the Caspian Sea
or by surface carrier to tap the extensive oil and natural gas deposits in
Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. The terminal at Ceyhan not only has the
advantage of handling larger tankers than the terminals on the Black Sea but
lessens Central Asian dependence on existing Russian pipelines. If oil from
Northern Iraq is included at a is included at some future date, Turkey will
easily be the world's largest re-exporter of crude oil; able to earn vast
sums in transit royalties. It would also provide the European Union an
alternative to its dependence on Russian sources of energy fuels. This could
well be a key factor in Turkey's ultimate acceptance by the European Union.
Reciprocally, Europe would use Turkey as a conduit to the Pan Turkic world
and possibly beyond to western China.
During Vice President Cheney's visit to Kazakhstan in 2005, discussions were
held concerning several proposed Trans-Caspian pipelines to connect
Kazakhstan,including Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, to Europe by way of
Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey. Unfortunately, Armenia was again left out of this
United States initiative. In April 2005, Azerbaijan's President Illham
Aliyev met with President Bush in the White House and this past December,
his wife Mehriban Aliyeva was feted at a Washington, D.C. gala dinner and
was rewarded with a visit to the White House and Laura Bush on the following
day. Mr. Aliyev has quickly learned that being a dictator is acceptable as
long as he delivers oil to the west and cooperates with the United States.
Armenia has become the sacrificial lamb to the machinations of United States
foreign policy that has had the cumulative effect of favoring her neighbors.
The United States attempt at parity in doling out military aid and economic
assistance completely misses its mark when the geographic location and the
limited resource base of Armenian are ignored. United States foreign policy
has not only failed Armenia, but facilitates the multifaceted pressure the
country faces from her neighbors.
A few examples will be sufficient. The tepid response the United States
offered to the proposed Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railroad by withholding financial
backing will not prevent its construction; China has already indicated its
intension to finance the project. Once built, the new railroad will
permanently destroy the utility of the unused and aging Armenian connection
through Gyumri and effectively reduce Armenia's participation in the
economic development of the Caucasus region. Azerbaijan's intent to replace
Russia as a supplier of energy fuels to Georgia, at some future date, to
hold Armenia hostage to its interests by disrupting the delivery of energy
fuels from Russia via the pipeline transmitting its territory. Another area
of concern is the xenophobic attitude of the Georgian politicians and public
coupled with Turkey's specious concern that the Armenian majority in Javakhk
poses a threat to the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, which passes through their
district. Given this attitude, Georgia has done little to improve the
condition of the Javakhk Armenians while it has succeeded in diluting their
majority by redrawing district boundaries. Turkey would like to see this
border area resettled by Meskhetian Turks forced out of the region some
fifty years ago by Moscow.
Fortunately for Armenia, Russia cannot sit idly by and allow Turkey, aided
and abetted by the United States, to challenge its economic, political and
strategic interests within the Caucasus. Russia's actions in Chechnya and
its support of the separatist movements in South Ossetia and Abkhazia in
Georgia are part of a larger objective to regain hegemony over its Near
Abroad not only in the Caucasus, but the former soviet republics of Central
Asia, Ukraine and Belarus. Presently, it has the advantage of geographic
proximity and the fact that transportation routes and trade channels still
remain oriented to the Russian core area. Gazprom, with its vast network of
pipelines to move oil and gas supplies, has become an effective political
instrument in support of Russian foreign policy objectives.
Armenia is Russia's anchor in the Caucasus. It is an asymmetric, but
symbiotic relationship. Without Russian assistance, the economic situation
in Armenia would deteriorate and the ability of Artsakh to maintain its
political independence threatened. For its contribution, Armenia represents
the principal base for the Russian military, especially after 2008 when the
last of its forces will be required to leave Georgia. Mutually beneficial as
it might appear, Armenia is faced with the unenviable task of trying to
maintain a precarious balance between its military and economic dependence
on Russia and its obvious need to develop a meaningful working relationship
with western nations and institutions.
With this as a brief background, how might these developments influence
Turkey's response to the unresolved issue of the Armenian Genocide? Growing
up Pro-Armenian, world opinion and the moral revulsion against on-going
genocides or ethnic cleansing would seem to make Turkey's position
increasingly untenable. However, with the United States agreeably dependent
on Turkey vis-a-vis Russian expansionism and Europe's vacillation with
respect to Turkey's preadmission requirements, there seems to be no
imperative for Turkey to accept responsibility. As it is, the Turkish
military and certain religious political parties claim that the European
Union's preadmission requirements disparage Turkish sovereignty. Turkish
political leaders are fully cognizant of this internal opposition as well as
the serious domestic repercussions their acknowledgement of Ottoman-Turkish
responsibility for the Genocide will have. Not only would their admission
make a mockery of Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, adopted in June of
2005, against the public denigration of Turkishness; it would beg for a coup
d'etat by some clique of ultra nationalist military officers. This is an
institutionalized procedure by the military in its self-assigned role as
protector of the nation from the "mistakes" of its civilian leaders. It has
happened several times in the recent past and there is no reason to believe
that it would not occur again. The recent assassination of the Armenian
writer and journalist Hrant Dink in Istanbul attests to the potential ultra
nationalist response that acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide would
elicit within Turkey. Would Armenia's political benefactors continue to
support her interests if such a coup contributed to a further
destabilization of political conditions in the Middle East or enhanced the
agenda of terrorists or made them, once again, dependant to varying degrees
upon Russian controlled energy sources?
Of even greater significance would be the political-economic burden that the
expected reparations and indemnification would place on Turkey. Is this a
price the Turkish government is willing to pay or that the military/minority
political parties willing to accept? Conversely, would an official Turkish
mea culpa satisfy Armenia and Armenians' demand for recognition of the
Genocide? Would our supporters claim this to be sufficient for closure, with
the attitude that we should now look to the future? Might Armenia be viewed
as being uncooperative if it refused Turkey's offer to open the border and
normalize diplomatic relations? Or are we as a nation committed to the full
panoply of redresses necessary to right a wrong that has seared the soul of
a nation for close to a century? A mea culpa without appropriate redresses
will yield a Pyrrhic victory. The resolve and good faith of the European
governments is essential, especially since Armenia does not have the support
of the United States. Should Europe waiver; we would witness a textbook
example of diplomatic duplicity and the perfidiousness spawned by national
self-interests. International politics is Machiavellian at best.
At this eleventh hour we should not be led into a false sense of
accomplishment. Our political leaders here and abroad are in a much better
position than this writer to ascertain the scope of the problem that
remains. The year 2015 will not only mark the one-hundredth anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide but the acceptance or rejection of Turkey into the
European Union as well. There is no guarantee that recognition of the
Armenian Genocide by Turkey is sine qua non for their acceptance or that it
will ever be an objective of the United States foreign policy. Given
realpolitik, why would Turkey fee the need to accept responsibility for the
Armenian Genocide?
Michael G. Menoian is Professor Emeritus of Geography at the University of
Massachusetts/Boston, Department of Earth, Environment and Ocean Studies.
----------------------------------------- ------------------------
2. The Sound of Blood
By Bekir Coskun
Editor's note: The article below appeared in the Feb. 7 issue of the Turkish
daily Hurriyet, the newspaper with the largest circulation in Turkey. It
comes as yet another potent reminder-to all those who thought Turkey has
spontaneously become "All Hrant" and "All Armenians"-that little has changed
in the general atmosphere of the country. The article is translated by the
Armenian Weekly staff.
They have never been as enthusiastic as they are now.
They are so enthusiastic for "being Ogun Samast." During football games,
they are shouting by the thousands, "We are all Ogün Samasts."
They did not like the fight for democracy.
They did not like the fight against reactionary attitudes.
They did not like the idea of wanting a clean society.
They did not like to fight against robbery and theft.
They never said anything on poverty or starvation... Never wanted to talk on
behalf of the weak poor...
But they loved "being Ogün Samast."
On weekends they yell at the top of their lungs at the bleachers: "We are
all Ogün Samasts."
Ogun Samast, the murderer...
They say, "We are all Ogun Samasts."
There are so many of them...
A thousand, two thousand, three thousand, ten thousand, a hundred
thousand...
***
We, the naive, discuss the Deep State, the identity of the murderer, the
role of foreign powers, secret organizations, secrets behind the murder...
Yet, the truth yells at us: "We are all Ogun Samasts"...
Some of them even find white berets and wear it to resemble him more, to be
more like him...
Look around you, they are everywhere...
Sometimes when I meet them, I expect them to shout the motto soon. And I see
them looking around, trying to decide whether to shout or not.
The ones who are in the bleachers, they are the ones who are lucky to find
the occasion to shout.
They scream that they all are Ogün Samasts.
Ogun Samast, the murderer
Being sophisticated, cultivated, smart, conscious and good citizens... They
have never wanted to be honorable people for their country and for their
families.
They have never shouted once to be human...
They never cared about being human...
They want to be Ogun Samast.
And shout together: "We are all Ogun Samasts..."
Listen to their deep voice, telling us that peace and love will never come
to this country...
It is the sound of blood.
------------------------------------------- ---------------------------
3. Deranged Dating
By Garen Yegparian
Three years ago, I had a Valentine's Day themed piece. It seems it's time
once again to strike some of those chords.
I was having lunch with a non-Armenian friend a few weeks ago and he related
this love story.
He was seeing an Armenian woman who was somewhat distant, grouchy, and
wanted their relationship kept secret because she was worried about messing
with her "family's honor."
How ridiculous! What has the nationality of who you're dating to do with
you family's honor? This sounds ridiculous enough to be in the same league
as the "honor killings" rampant in Turkey!
If you want to be the word starting with "b" that sounds like witch, or the
male cur version thereof-obviously this foolishness is not bound by
gender-that's your business. But please, don't blame your family or
Armenians for it.
If you're feeling guilty for doing what you know is the wrong thing in the
Diaspora, please, don't take it out on your significant other. S/he has
done nothing wrong. They're simply following a very natural human path.
If you're dating an odar puts your "family's honor" at stake-and only for
the briefest of moments let's accept this ridiculous notion-then what are
you doing in that relationship? If this "family honor" is so important as
to ultimately terminate the relationship, why are you wasting your time and
the other person's?
If pairing with a non-Armenian is the path you choose, do so confidently,
consciously and without lame excuses.
All this reeks of thinly disguised racism and poor appreciation of our
Armenian national plight and conditions. The point is not that you must
"marry your own kind" because it's wrong to do otherwise. In Armenia, who
cares what nationality one or even both parents are. Odds are the children
will grow up Armenian.
The point is that we have a national purpose. We have a struggle. We have
unresolved issues with Turkey. Who's going to pursue these? The Tamil
Tigers? Or perhaps Fidel Castro? How about Tony Blair? No, no, it must be
Abdullah Gul! In the Diaspora, when entering relationships that might lead
to families, if an Armenian is sincere in his/her concern for our issues,
the nationality of the other is relevant in the long term. Why? Because
there's that small matter of raising children as Armenians who in turn will
care enough to achieve our goals.
Putting someone else in the middle of this, then telling him/her some bogus
story about "family honor" and being far from the best partner, does a
disservice to everyone concerned. So please, this Valentine's season (and
beyond), be true to yourself, be decent to others, and do the right thing by
not using our nation and your family as an excuse for poor behavior.
---------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
4. Storm Troopers, Zombies and How Kids Will Perceive the 'Other'
By Andy Turpin
Media and politics are constantly linked to one another. Marshal McLuhan,
Frank Capra and Joseph Goebbels will all posthumously have my back when I
say that.
Allow me to draw your attention to three media trends worth following. The
first is the international resurgence of politically minded and anti-fascist
based films-like Del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth," Cuaron's "Children of Men,"
the Wachowski Brothers' "V for Vendetta" and documentaries like Jarecki's
"Why We Fight" that analyze in depth the intricacies of the U.S. military
industrial complex and how some companies that "support the troops" actually
have done more damage to the reputation, safety and benefits of the common
G.I. than most people realize.
This represents the ground gained in the media battle for true American
ideals and freedoms.
But I see two shortcomings that make me think twice. One is a resurgence of
interest in the Zombie movie genre since 9/11. The importance of this is
twofold, because in media analysis terms a flesh-eating hell beast never
represents merely a flesh eating hell beast to the public.
Zombies and their apocalyptic invasion are the epitome of "the other" to the
average moviegoer. They're cookie cutter molds of something it is deemed by
society as ok to hate. Similarly, the same is true in politics of using the
word and image "Nazi." On both the U.S. Liberal and Conservative political
divides, the words "Hitler" and "Nazi" are synonymous with the concept of
"justifiable conflict." In movies and life, when do most people consider it
evil to combat Nazis and Zombies? (In fact, this logic and the exact
combination of the two is the reason for the popularity of the "Wolfenstein"
games series since 1991.)
To those with a greater moral compass, Zombie movies pontificate at best the
perception of the Libertarian world order of Social Darwinism in which the
strongest survive. To others, the righteous extermination of Zombies
manifests an internal human predilection towards violence that, in excess,
becomes genocide. (In Boyle's 2003 film "28 Days Later" the Zombie invasion
was caused by humanity's primal genocidal tendencies in the first place.)
But if you go to social network demographic websites, like Facebook or
MySpace, the amount of Zombie Preparation groups are growing. This appears
to be indicative of a belief-at least among the younger demographic-that an
unsightly future is inevitable. An easy face and name to that sense of doom
and gloom is Zombie.
Another zany phenomenon is that of grown men, boys and girls taking
increased attraction to the Storm Troopers of the Star Wars franchise.
Commenting on this trend is no more vital than analyzing Zombie movies, but
again it's the subtleties that matter. The devil is in the details.
When the Star Wars movies rocked the world in the 70's, there was no
question that the story was a retelling of WWII with spaceships and muppets.
Likewise, there was no question that the Storm Trooper characters were white
clad, unthinking minions of oppression.
These days however, if you go to YouTube and type in "storm trooper," or
play a game on your console of "Star Wars Battlefront" or visit
www.501st.com, you would get a very different impression.
In all these venues, the Storm Troopers, not the rebel partisans, have been
idealized. In the case of www.501st.com, groups of costumed re-enactors
perform at public and charity functions doing cheesy stunts that poke fun at
the traditional movie villain by break dancing, philosophically bantering,
etc. It's dorky and funny without fail.
Most people would agree that when you humanize villains you take away their
perception as evil. Good thing, right? The problem is that humanization and
banality don't make images and acts of evil better; they just trivialize
them to a degree that society forgets why they were evil in the first place.
Journalist Hannah Arendt would agree in her famed 1963 article series-made
book, "Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil," recounting
the trial of S.S. death camp officer Adolf Eichmann in Israel, as would
author Gavriel D. Rosenfeld in his 2005 media and genocide study, "The World
Hitler Never Made: Alternate History and the Memory of Nazism."
When it comes to Wookies and Zombies, "It's all fun and games, until someone
gets hurt." But ask Chairman Mao or any warlord in Africa and they'll agree:
"Children Are Our Future." And in this day of IEDs (improvised explosive
devices), sometimes a cigar isn't always a cigar.
------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
5. A Gift in the Sunlight: An Armenian Story
By Tamara C. Gureghian
Special to the Armenian Weekly
"A Gift in the Sunlight" is the story of Kay Mouradian's mother, genocide
survivor Flora Munushian. When she was born, her grandmother had a vision:
"I see many gifts coming to this child, some in the sunlight and some in the
shadow, all showering down from heaven." Flora attended a Protestant
missionary school in Hadjin. This education is her gift in the sunlight. She
dreams of going to America to study. These dreams are replaced with a
nightmare. Flora is forced to join her fellow Armenians on a forced march.
After witnessing the horrors of genocide, Flora has a vision of her own. Her
gift in the shadow is her ability to help a group of young orphans survive
the genocide. After doing what she can to ensure the safety and survival of
these children, Flora is given a chance to survive. A sacrifice on the part
of her uncle and her father's quick thinking spare Flora and her sister the
fate endured by the rest of her family.
The bond between the sisters grows during this tragic time serving as
another gift in the shadows. Flora finds refuge in many homes-some welcoming
and others horrid. She manages to escape many near tragedies. Finally, one
of her uncles finds her.
Unfortunately, Flora's suffering does not miraculously end when she is
reunited with family. I cringe when I think of the pain and suffering Flora
experienced not at the hands of the Turks, but at the hands of her "family."
This poor orphaned girl was further humiliated at her time of need by the
only caregivers she had left.
Books about survivors often reveal more than the story of the individual;
they expose the sociology of the time. You learn the mentality and thought
process of the people. Flora reminded me once again how deep man's
inhumanity to man delves. To a young Armenian girl in 1915, the thought of
being raped carried with it consequences I never before imagined. A raped
woman was considered impure. In other words, Flora, who was not raped, but
was thought by the community to have been raped, was considered unsuitable
for marriage. She was deemed "someone's leftover." I struggle with the
thought of Armenian men and women shaming these poor girls by considering
them worth less. Why are so few people in this world compassionate? For an
Armenian to punish another Armenian at a time like 1915 for being the victim
of rape is beyond my comprehension.
When a woman who hasn't heard the rumors seeks Flora's hand in marriage for
her son, Flora finally touches American soil. The book ends here.
Nonetheless, there must be more to Flora's story. What was her life like
with a husband she had never met before her wedding day? Did she find joy
raising a family? Did she ever see her brother who lived in America? Did she
ever see her sister again? Did her sister find happiness? Did Flora finally
receive the education she had dreamt of?
The book opens with a great deal of promise. The title and Flora's
grandmother's vision enticed me to find out what Flora's gifts were. The
"Author's Note" before the story indicated that late in life Flora had
several near death experiences that altered her perspectives on her past. We
are told that Flora released her anger and self-pity and replaced these
emotions with pure love. I looked forward to seeing this change unfold.
Unfortunately, only six pages out of this 205-page book are devoted to this
miraculous metamorphosis.
We are told that "love poured out of her heart," but this love is not
detailed. This love is not felt. I had felt the suffering of Flora, and now
I wanted to feel the love. I wanted to feel the joy.
Questions are posed, but not answered. The author herself is unsure why the
changes occurred and what they meant. I wish the author had written an
alternate ending-An ending that, although fictional, provided us with
answers. I had hoped for more. I had hoped for something different. I had
hoped for the key to unlock the pathway to peace for my grandmother and
others like her.
A Gift in the Sunlight is a good read for those looking for the story of a
young Armenian girl's experience during the Genocide. The book accurately
depicts the life of a Genocide survivor. The book is available on Amazon.com
and is published by Taderon Press.
------------------------------------------- ------------------------------
6. Letter to the Editor
The Turkish Government Cannot be Exonerated
By Thea Halo
Dear Editor,
Turkey's Government should be held accountable for Hrant Dink's murder under
its Article 216 law.
While the arrest and confession of 17-year-old Ogun Samast affirms that a
disturbed boy and his friend, who apparently had committed other acts of
violence in Trabzon in the past, carried out the assassination of Hrant
Dink, one cannot exonerate the government of Turkey for this crime. In this
age of government lies, that have the power to send tens of thousands of
young men and women willingly off to war, is it any wonder that a deluded
boy might feel it his patriotic duty to protect the lie Turkey has told
about the Armenian Genocide for the last 90 years? Can we expect more when
the Turkish government itself arrests and sentences men and women of
conscience for speaking the truth? Turkey's Article 216 applies to those
'inciting enmity or hatred among the population'? So isn't the Turkish
government guilty of inciting this murder by labeling the truth of the
Armenian Genocide, as "insulting Turkishness"?
At least the Turkish government should spell out its real objections to
admitting the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians when it passes laws, i.e.
that it's afraid of reparations, since it's the denial of this genocide that
hurts the reputation of Turkey far more than an admission ever could.
Germany survived the admission of its heinous crimes and has gained the
respect of the world. And while Turkey is at it, it can admit to the
genocide of its other victims between 1914-1923 by the Ottoman, then
Kemalist regimes: 353,000 Pontic Greeks of the Black Sea region, 750,000
Greeks of Asia Minor and Thrace, and up to 750,000 Assyrians, more than
three million of Turkey's Christian nationals. At least then the healing can
begin, and a real dialogue take place.
Thea Halo
Author of Not Even My Name
--------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
7. Garapedian and Power Speak at 'Screamers' Harvard Screening
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (A.W.)-Director Carla Garapedian and 2003's A Problem From
Hell: America and the Age of Genocide author Samantha Power were at the
screening of Garapedian's soon to be released documentary "Screamers" at
Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
The film analyzes genocide as a governmentally ignored phenomenon in the
world.At the event, Power told how she became involved in the research of A
Problem From Hell. "It started out as a very innocent labor, simply asking
the question, 'How does the U.S. respond to genocide?'" With dismay she
added, "Only after the fact does genocide have political clout."
A "screamer" is the term given to those that feel an obligation to act
against genocide and prevent the denial of past and present genocides. Power
gave Rafael Lemkin, the Nuremberg Trials attorney and activist who coined
the word "genocide," as an example of a "screamer" who tried to warn the
public about the genocidal threat Hitler posed. "Screamers take it on
contemporaneously and retrospectively. They're annoying. They get in your
way. They're still in this never-land of what the world should be." She said
that a new resource, "The Enough Campaign," was emerging for those that felt
powerless in their efforts to combat genocide in the world.
"The Armenian Genocide has been forgotten as other genocides have," Power
said. "We haven't really given any meaning to the phrase, 'Never Again.' .
But what Carla has done is a real contribution that can maybe establish a
link with a younger generation"
"Getting a film like this made is very hard," added Garapedian, "because
everyone tells you 'It's too dark.'" She began researching the film while at
the BBC in England, and soon found that "We [the U.S. and U.K.] are
essentially appeasing Turkey in its active denial."
Garapedian was asked about the Hrant Dink murder, his contribution to the
film, and her impressions of how Turks in Turkey regard Genocide
recognition. She referred to purveyance of Turkish radicals, extremists and
ultra nationalists as a cultural phenomenon in Turkish society.
She recalled a recent conversation with Dink, who had become distracted from
his writings, and often looked over his shoulder. "It's been awhile since
they've killed somebody," he had told her. She was concise in her
description of Dink's murderer: "He was killed by a kid who believed he was
following the sentiments of the government." She continued, "There's been an
increase in the sale of white berets," which are a symbol of Turkish
ultra-nationalist groups.
Power emphasized the role of public outcry in forcing politicians to take
action. "They have to feel that constituency. They have to feel that 'If you
don't do something about this now, I won't vote for you.'"
Asked how many academics in the West denied the Armenian Genocide, Power
said that a number of academics faced issues of personal job security
because of their Turkish-affiliated "endowed chairs."
Power joked that she transfers her visceral desire to scream when confronted
with genocide and genocide denial by writing 600-page books on the subject
to inform the public. "I know what the response to a real scream would
be-flight."
-------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
8. Armenian Artists Exhibit in Valentine's Day Show to Benefit Heart Disease
Research
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (A.W.)-The Gallery Z will begin an exhibition on Thurs.,
Feb. 15, titled "Listen to Your Heart" with a gala reception for the artists
and their work.
The exhibition will be on display from Jan. 30 through March 3 and is in
honor of those who have suffered from heart disease and ten percent of the
net proceeds from the exhibition will be donated to the Cleveland Clinic
Heart Center, a cardiovascular center based in Cleveland, Ohio.
Three of the 10 exhibited artists are of Armenian descent: Kevork Mourad,
Lidya Tchakerian and Marsha Odabashian.
Kevork Mourad was born in 1970 in Aleppo, Syria. He received his MFA in 1996
from the Yerevan Institute of Fine Arts in Armenia. His paintings are the
products of his unique style of "spontaneous painting," in which he shares
the stage with musicians, his art created in counterpoint to their music.
Such a style brings together what may be described as a mosaic blend
reminiscent of an Oriental-esque lithographer, calligrapher, improvisational
performer and human ampligraph.
Mourad has performed at Juilliard in the "Machine and Beyond" Festival with
Kinan Azmeh, in a project based on the Epic of Gilgamesh.
In the spring of 2005, he joined Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble performing at
the Rhode Island School of Design, Harvard University, and most recently,
the Nara Museum, in Nara, Japan.
"My childhood in Aleppo, with its ancient houses and winding streets, its
bright sunlight and dark shade, left an imprint on my imagination that finds
expression in these paintings," said Mourad. "Though happily settled in my
new home in New York, part of me longs for the crooked stairways and worn
stone upon which I grew up."
"But the theme of humanity's struggle is never far from my mind, and in
these paintings, though the colors are often vivid, and the forms friendly
in their unevenness, human figures are either absent or extremely styled.
The buildings, in their imaginary constructs, narrate the story of those who
are absent," he added. Mourad moved to the U.S. from Armenia in 1998.
Lidya Tchakerian is an Armenian artist born in Lebanon. She obtained her
Masters of Fine Arts degree from the Academie Libanaise des Beaux-Art
(ALBA), where she has been lecturing since 1989. She describes her work as
"creating a work in which life and painting blend in a perfect existential
poem."
Tchakerian has showcased her work in such venues as the Hamazkayin Armenian
Cultural Center (2001) and The Cultural Movement Center (1989) in Beirut.
Marsha Nouritza Odabashian received her Masters from the Tufts School of the
Museum of Fine Arts and her B.A. from the University of New Orleans. Her art
"explores the similarities and parallels between human and fruit/vegetable
forms and the conceptual and emotive continuities between humanity and the
natural/botanical works that these organic parallels suggest."
Her works have been exhibited at the Armenian Library and Museum of America
in Watertown (2005), and the Massachusetts College of Art (2006) and Gallery
401 (2005).
For more information on the exhibition visit www.GalleryZProv.com.
---------------------------- ----------------------------------------------
9. Tuncboyaciyan to Play at Harvard in Memory of Dink
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (A.W.)-Arto Tuncboyaciyan will play a concert in memory of
Hrant Dink on Fri., Feb. 16, at Harvard University's Paine Hall.
Tuncboyaciyan was born in Galataria, Turkey, and has lived in the United
States since 1981. Currently the leader of the Armenian Navy Band, winner of
the BBC World Music Award, Tuncboyaciyan is a percussionist, composer and
vocalist. During a long and varied career, Arto has recorded with the likes
of jazz guitarist Al DiMeola, System of a Down, Joe Zawunal, Paul Winters,
Ara Dinkjian, Eleftheria Arvanitaki, Serj Tankian and Night Ark.
Tuncboyaciyan has coined the phrase "avant garde folk" to describe his
music, and at last count, has been featured on over 200 albums. He lives in
New Jersey and tours extensively when not performing in Armenia.
The tribute to Hrant Dink is being organized by Harvard University's Center
for Middle Eastern Studies. It begins at 8 p.m., and is free and open to the
public. Paine Hall is located at 61 Kirkland Street in Cambridge.
For more information, e-mail goshgar@ fas.harvard.edu or call Rachel
Goshgarian at (617) 480-5657. To learn more about Arto Tuncboyaciyan, visit
www.albakultur.de.
------------------------------ ------------------------------------------
10. NO . DON'T!
By Varand
Translated by Tatul Sonentz
Winter is already in deep freeze
-As you said, dear soothsayer-
At this bitter moment of farewell,
I utter a last whimper.no.don't!
The scorpion of life has stung deep,
No peaceful hour, no moment to grasp,
The scarf of illusion, threadbare,
May now unravel.no, do not gasp.
Dark looks have seared us too often,
We are now shackled in rigid cuffs,
Often attempting to discard our skin
Shaking split tendons-no.don't!
Pain has so badly torn its mask,
That darkness now despises blood
And as we seek solitude's embrace
You shudder, shiver, spell, no.don't!
Sometimes I wish to end this game,
I say it's a shame, a wanton deed,
To sever all ties with one fell swoop,
As my mad soul screams, no.don't!
***
3 Early Pieces by Vahan Terian
Translated by Tatul Sonentz
Street Song
It wails again beneath my window
The sad song of the roving minstrel-
I've heard that song a long time ago,
It almost seems I wrote that song,
And those are my sobs in its notes,
Moaning in sorrow at your absence.
Sad Song
The icy drizzle sobs in the mist-
sadness sings in my soul.
Past, present, future, no longer apart,
obscure the sunshine days of lore.
Beneath the daily burden of doom,
I roam around in deep silence.
No reminiscence-no echo of words-
in your presence I'm blind, mute, missing.
The icy drizzle sobs in the mist-
sadness sings in my soul.
Self-soothing
Night has fallen, all evil noises,
False words have fallen silent
The waters are softly humming
A lullaby - be still my heart.
The lone, wandering exile
Now rests, homeless, astray,
In unison, the stars are humming
A lullaby-be still, my heart.
Cry your last sob, my lonely heart,
Moan and shed your final tears-
Dreams, songs and love, lull them
All to sleep-be still, my heart.
(c) 2007 Armenian Weekly On-Line. All Rights Reserved.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
80 Bigelow Avenue
Watertown MA 02472 USA
(617) 926-3974
[email protected]
http://www.ar menianweekly.com
* * *
AWOL (Armenian Weekly On-Line) Volume 73, No. 6, February 10, 2007
Commentary:
1. Why Would Turkey Acknowledge the Armenian Genocide?
Michael G. Menoian
2. The Sound of Blood
By Bekir Coskun
Translated by Armenian Weekly staff
3. Deranged Dating
By Garen Yegparian
4. Storm Troopers, Zombies and How Kids Will Perceive the 'Other'
By Andy Turpin
Book Review:
5. A Gift in the Sunlight: An Armenian Story
By Tamara C. Gureghian
Letter to the Editor:
6. The Turkish Government Cannot be Exonerated
By Thea Halo
Events:
7. Garapedian and Power Speak at 'Screamers' Harvard Screening
8. Armenian Artists Exhibit in Valentine's Day Show to Benefit Heart Disease
Research
9. Tuncboyaciyan to Play at Harvard in Memory of Dink
Poetry:
10. NO . DON'T!
By Varand
Translated by Tatul Sonentz
11. Three Early Pieces by Vahan Terian
Translated by Tatul Sonentz
----------------------------------------- --------------------------------
1. Why Would Turkey Acknowledge the Armenian Genocide?
Michael G. Menoian
With the demise of the Soviet Union and the United States' renewed interest
in the Caucasus and Central Asia, Turkey's need to recognize the Armenian
Genocide has become muted. Turkey, a long time Cold War ally, Azerbaijan and
Georgia have all become beneficiaries of a United States policy that
challenges Russia's attempt to reestablish hegemony over these energy rich
republics. Turkey has the principal role, given its strategic location, with
respect to moving the oil and natural gas of Central Asia and Azerbaijan to
global and West European markets. A concomitant benefit to Turkey which
complements the United States' effort, has been its ability to implement a
dormant Pan Turkic policy to extend its influences into Central Asia.
The recently opened Baku-Ceyhan pipeline to the Mediterranean Sea represents
the opening phase of this initiative. Turkey and the United States
anticipate that this pipeline will eventually extend under the Caspian Sea
or by surface carrier to tap the extensive oil and natural gas deposits in
Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. The terminal at Ceyhan not only has the
advantage of handling larger tankers than the terminals on the Black Sea but
lessens Central Asian dependence on existing Russian pipelines. If oil from
Northern Iraq is included at a is included at some future date, Turkey will
easily be the world's largest re-exporter of crude oil; able to earn vast
sums in transit royalties. It would also provide the European Union an
alternative to its dependence on Russian sources of energy fuels. This could
well be a key factor in Turkey's ultimate acceptance by the European Union.
Reciprocally, Europe would use Turkey as a conduit to the Pan Turkic world
and possibly beyond to western China.
During Vice President Cheney's visit to Kazakhstan in 2005, discussions were
held concerning several proposed Trans-Caspian pipelines to connect
Kazakhstan,including Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, to Europe by way of
Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey. Unfortunately, Armenia was again left out of this
United States initiative. In April 2005, Azerbaijan's President Illham
Aliyev met with President Bush in the White House and this past December,
his wife Mehriban Aliyeva was feted at a Washington, D.C. gala dinner and
was rewarded with a visit to the White House and Laura Bush on the following
day. Mr. Aliyev has quickly learned that being a dictator is acceptable as
long as he delivers oil to the west and cooperates with the United States.
Armenia has become the sacrificial lamb to the machinations of United States
foreign policy that has had the cumulative effect of favoring her neighbors.
The United States attempt at parity in doling out military aid and economic
assistance completely misses its mark when the geographic location and the
limited resource base of Armenian are ignored. United States foreign policy
has not only failed Armenia, but facilitates the multifaceted pressure the
country faces from her neighbors.
A few examples will be sufficient. The tepid response the United States
offered to the proposed Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railroad by withholding financial
backing will not prevent its construction; China has already indicated its
intension to finance the project. Once built, the new railroad will
permanently destroy the utility of the unused and aging Armenian connection
through Gyumri and effectively reduce Armenia's participation in the
economic development of the Caucasus region. Azerbaijan's intent to replace
Russia as a supplier of energy fuels to Georgia, at some future date, to
hold Armenia hostage to its interests by disrupting the delivery of energy
fuels from Russia via the pipeline transmitting its territory. Another area
of concern is the xenophobic attitude of the Georgian politicians and public
coupled with Turkey's specious concern that the Armenian majority in Javakhk
poses a threat to the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, which passes through their
district. Given this attitude, Georgia has done little to improve the
condition of the Javakhk Armenians while it has succeeded in diluting their
majority by redrawing district boundaries. Turkey would like to see this
border area resettled by Meskhetian Turks forced out of the region some
fifty years ago by Moscow.
Fortunately for Armenia, Russia cannot sit idly by and allow Turkey, aided
and abetted by the United States, to challenge its economic, political and
strategic interests within the Caucasus. Russia's actions in Chechnya and
its support of the separatist movements in South Ossetia and Abkhazia in
Georgia are part of a larger objective to regain hegemony over its Near
Abroad not only in the Caucasus, but the former soviet republics of Central
Asia, Ukraine and Belarus. Presently, it has the advantage of geographic
proximity and the fact that transportation routes and trade channels still
remain oriented to the Russian core area. Gazprom, with its vast network of
pipelines to move oil and gas supplies, has become an effective political
instrument in support of Russian foreign policy objectives.
Armenia is Russia's anchor in the Caucasus. It is an asymmetric, but
symbiotic relationship. Without Russian assistance, the economic situation
in Armenia would deteriorate and the ability of Artsakh to maintain its
political independence threatened. For its contribution, Armenia represents
the principal base for the Russian military, especially after 2008 when the
last of its forces will be required to leave Georgia. Mutually beneficial as
it might appear, Armenia is faced with the unenviable task of trying to
maintain a precarious balance between its military and economic dependence
on Russia and its obvious need to develop a meaningful working relationship
with western nations and institutions.
With this as a brief background, how might these developments influence
Turkey's response to the unresolved issue of the Armenian Genocide? Growing
up Pro-Armenian, world opinion and the moral revulsion against on-going
genocides or ethnic cleansing would seem to make Turkey's position
increasingly untenable. However, with the United States agreeably dependent
on Turkey vis-a-vis Russian expansionism and Europe's vacillation with
respect to Turkey's preadmission requirements, there seems to be no
imperative for Turkey to accept responsibility. As it is, the Turkish
military and certain religious political parties claim that the European
Union's preadmission requirements disparage Turkish sovereignty. Turkish
political leaders are fully cognizant of this internal opposition as well as
the serious domestic repercussions their acknowledgement of Ottoman-Turkish
responsibility for the Genocide will have. Not only would their admission
make a mockery of Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, adopted in June of
2005, against the public denigration of Turkishness; it would beg for a coup
d'etat by some clique of ultra nationalist military officers. This is an
institutionalized procedure by the military in its self-assigned role as
protector of the nation from the "mistakes" of its civilian leaders. It has
happened several times in the recent past and there is no reason to believe
that it would not occur again. The recent assassination of the Armenian
writer and journalist Hrant Dink in Istanbul attests to the potential ultra
nationalist response that acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide would
elicit within Turkey. Would Armenia's political benefactors continue to
support her interests if such a coup contributed to a further
destabilization of political conditions in the Middle East or enhanced the
agenda of terrorists or made them, once again, dependant to varying degrees
upon Russian controlled energy sources?
Of even greater significance would be the political-economic burden that the
expected reparations and indemnification would place on Turkey. Is this a
price the Turkish government is willing to pay or that the military/minority
political parties willing to accept? Conversely, would an official Turkish
mea culpa satisfy Armenia and Armenians' demand for recognition of the
Genocide? Would our supporters claim this to be sufficient for closure, with
the attitude that we should now look to the future? Might Armenia be viewed
as being uncooperative if it refused Turkey's offer to open the border and
normalize diplomatic relations? Or are we as a nation committed to the full
panoply of redresses necessary to right a wrong that has seared the soul of
a nation for close to a century? A mea culpa without appropriate redresses
will yield a Pyrrhic victory. The resolve and good faith of the European
governments is essential, especially since Armenia does not have the support
of the United States. Should Europe waiver; we would witness a textbook
example of diplomatic duplicity and the perfidiousness spawned by national
self-interests. International politics is Machiavellian at best.
At this eleventh hour we should not be led into a false sense of
accomplishment. Our political leaders here and abroad are in a much better
position than this writer to ascertain the scope of the problem that
remains. The year 2015 will not only mark the one-hundredth anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide but the acceptance or rejection of Turkey into the
European Union as well. There is no guarantee that recognition of the
Armenian Genocide by Turkey is sine qua non for their acceptance or that it
will ever be an objective of the United States foreign policy. Given
realpolitik, why would Turkey fee the need to accept responsibility for the
Armenian Genocide?
Michael G. Menoian is Professor Emeritus of Geography at the University of
Massachusetts/Boston, Department of Earth, Environment and Ocean Studies.
----------------------------------------- ------------------------
2. The Sound of Blood
By Bekir Coskun
Editor's note: The article below appeared in the Feb. 7 issue of the Turkish
daily Hurriyet, the newspaper with the largest circulation in Turkey. It
comes as yet another potent reminder-to all those who thought Turkey has
spontaneously become "All Hrant" and "All Armenians"-that little has changed
in the general atmosphere of the country. The article is translated by the
Armenian Weekly staff.
They have never been as enthusiastic as they are now.
They are so enthusiastic for "being Ogun Samast." During football games,
they are shouting by the thousands, "We are all Ogün Samasts."
They did not like the fight for democracy.
They did not like the fight against reactionary attitudes.
They did not like the idea of wanting a clean society.
They did not like to fight against robbery and theft.
They never said anything on poverty or starvation... Never wanted to talk on
behalf of the weak poor...
But they loved "being Ogün Samast."
On weekends they yell at the top of their lungs at the bleachers: "We are
all Ogün Samasts."
Ogun Samast, the murderer...
They say, "We are all Ogun Samasts."
There are so many of them...
A thousand, two thousand, three thousand, ten thousand, a hundred
thousand...
***
We, the naive, discuss the Deep State, the identity of the murderer, the
role of foreign powers, secret organizations, secrets behind the murder...
Yet, the truth yells at us: "We are all Ogun Samasts"...
Some of them even find white berets and wear it to resemble him more, to be
more like him...
Look around you, they are everywhere...
Sometimes when I meet them, I expect them to shout the motto soon. And I see
them looking around, trying to decide whether to shout or not.
The ones who are in the bleachers, they are the ones who are lucky to find
the occasion to shout.
They scream that they all are Ogün Samasts.
Ogun Samast, the murderer
Being sophisticated, cultivated, smart, conscious and good citizens... They
have never wanted to be honorable people for their country and for their
families.
They have never shouted once to be human...
They never cared about being human...
They want to be Ogun Samast.
And shout together: "We are all Ogun Samasts..."
Listen to their deep voice, telling us that peace and love will never come
to this country...
It is the sound of blood.
------------------------------------------- ---------------------------
3. Deranged Dating
By Garen Yegparian
Three years ago, I had a Valentine's Day themed piece. It seems it's time
once again to strike some of those chords.
I was having lunch with a non-Armenian friend a few weeks ago and he related
this love story.
He was seeing an Armenian woman who was somewhat distant, grouchy, and
wanted their relationship kept secret because she was worried about messing
with her "family's honor."
How ridiculous! What has the nationality of who you're dating to do with
you family's honor? This sounds ridiculous enough to be in the same league
as the "honor killings" rampant in Turkey!
If you want to be the word starting with "b" that sounds like witch, or the
male cur version thereof-obviously this foolishness is not bound by
gender-that's your business. But please, don't blame your family or
Armenians for it.
If you're feeling guilty for doing what you know is the wrong thing in the
Diaspora, please, don't take it out on your significant other. S/he has
done nothing wrong. They're simply following a very natural human path.
If you're dating an odar puts your "family's honor" at stake-and only for
the briefest of moments let's accept this ridiculous notion-then what are
you doing in that relationship? If this "family honor" is so important as
to ultimately terminate the relationship, why are you wasting your time and
the other person's?
If pairing with a non-Armenian is the path you choose, do so confidently,
consciously and without lame excuses.
All this reeks of thinly disguised racism and poor appreciation of our
Armenian national plight and conditions. The point is not that you must
"marry your own kind" because it's wrong to do otherwise. In Armenia, who
cares what nationality one or even both parents are. Odds are the children
will grow up Armenian.
The point is that we have a national purpose. We have a struggle. We have
unresolved issues with Turkey. Who's going to pursue these? The Tamil
Tigers? Or perhaps Fidel Castro? How about Tony Blair? No, no, it must be
Abdullah Gul! In the Diaspora, when entering relationships that might lead
to families, if an Armenian is sincere in his/her concern for our issues,
the nationality of the other is relevant in the long term. Why? Because
there's that small matter of raising children as Armenians who in turn will
care enough to achieve our goals.
Putting someone else in the middle of this, then telling him/her some bogus
story about "family honor" and being far from the best partner, does a
disservice to everyone concerned. So please, this Valentine's season (and
beyond), be true to yourself, be decent to others, and do the right thing by
not using our nation and your family as an excuse for poor behavior.
---------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
4. Storm Troopers, Zombies and How Kids Will Perceive the 'Other'
By Andy Turpin
Media and politics are constantly linked to one another. Marshal McLuhan,
Frank Capra and Joseph Goebbels will all posthumously have my back when I
say that.
Allow me to draw your attention to three media trends worth following. The
first is the international resurgence of politically minded and anti-fascist
based films-like Del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth," Cuaron's "Children of Men,"
the Wachowski Brothers' "V for Vendetta" and documentaries like Jarecki's
"Why We Fight" that analyze in depth the intricacies of the U.S. military
industrial complex and how some companies that "support the troops" actually
have done more damage to the reputation, safety and benefits of the common
G.I. than most people realize.
This represents the ground gained in the media battle for true American
ideals and freedoms.
But I see two shortcomings that make me think twice. One is a resurgence of
interest in the Zombie movie genre since 9/11. The importance of this is
twofold, because in media analysis terms a flesh-eating hell beast never
represents merely a flesh eating hell beast to the public.
Zombies and their apocalyptic invasion are the epitome of "the other" to the
average moviegoer. They're cookie cutter molds of something it is deemed by
society as ok to hate. Similarly, the same is true in politics of using the
word and image "Nazi." On both the U.S. Liberal and Conservative political
divides, the words "Hitler" and "Nazi" are synonymous with the concept of
"justifiable conflict." In movies and life, when do most people consider it
evil to combat Nazis and Zombies? (In fact, this logic and the exact
combination of the two is the reason for the popularity of the "Wolfenstein"
games series since 1991.)
To those with a greater moral compass, Zombie movies pontificate at best the
perception of the Libertarian world order of Social Darwinism in which the
strongest survive. To others, the righteous extermination of Zombies
manifests an internal human predilection towards violence that, in excess,
becomes genocide. (In Boyle's 2003 film "28 Days Later" the Zombie invasion
was caused by humanity's primal genocidal tendencies in the first place.)
But if you go to social network demographic websites, like Facebook or
MySpace, the amount of Zombie Preparation groups are growing. This appears
to be indicative of a belief-at least among the younger demographic-that an
unsightly future is inevitable. An easy face and name to that sense of doom
and gloom is Zombie.
Another zany phenomenon is that of grown men, boys and girls taking
increased attraction to the Storm Troopers of the Star Wars franchise.
Commenting on this trend is no more vital than analyzing Zombie movies, but
again it's the subtleties that matter. The devil is in the details.
When the Star Wars movies rocked the world in the 70's, there was no
question that the story was a retelling of WWII with spaceships and muppets.
Likewise, there was no question that the Storm Trooper characters were white
clad, unthinking minions of oppression.
These days however, if you go to YouTube and type in "storm trooper," or
play a game on your console of "Star Wars Battlefront" or visit
www.501st.com, you would get a very different impression.
In all these venues, the Storm Troopers, not the rebel partisans, have been
idealized. In the case of www.501st.com, groups of costumed re-enactors
perform at public and charity functions doing cheesy stunts that poke fun at
the traditional movie villain by break dancing, philosophically bantering,
etc. It's dorky and funny without fail.
Most people would agree that when you humanize villains you take away their
perception as evil. Good thing, right? The problem is that humanization and
banality don't make images and acts of evil better; they just trivialize
them to a degree that society forgets why they were evil in the first place.
Journalist Hannah Arendt would agree in her famed 1963 article series-made
book, "Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil," recounting
the trial of S.S. death camp officer Adolf Eichmann in Israel, as would
author Gavriel D. Rosenfeld in his 2005 media and genocide study, "The World
Hitler Never Made: Alternate History and the Memory of Nazism."
When it comes to Wookies and Zombies, "It's all fun and games, until someone
gets hurt." But ask Chairman Mao or any warlord in Africa and they'll agree:
"Children Are Our Future." And in this day of IEDs (improvised explosive
devices), sometimes a cigar isn't always a cigar.
------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
5. A Gift in the Sunlight: An Armenian Story
By Tamara C. Gureghian
Special to the Armenian Weekly
"A Gift in the Sunlight" is the story of Kay Mouradian's mother, genocide
survivor Flora Munushian. When she was born, her grandmother had a vision:
"I see many gifts coming to this child, some in the sunlight and some in the
shadow, all showering down from heaven." Flora attended a Protestant
missionary school in Hadjin. This education is her gift in the sunlight. She
dreams of going to America to study. These dreams are replaced with a
nightmare. Flora is forced to join her fellow Armenians on a forced march.
After witnessing the horrors of genocide, Flora has a vision of her own. Her
gift in the shadow is her ability to help a group of young orphans survive
the genocide. After doing what she can to ensure the safety and survival of
these children, Flora is given a chance to survive. A sacrifice on the part
of her uncle and her father's quick thinking spare Flora and her sister the
fate endured by the rest of her family.
The bond between the sisters grows during this tragic time serving as
another gift in the shadows. Flora finds refuge in many homes-some welcoming
and others horrid. She manages to escape many near tragedies. Finally, one
of her uncles finds her.
Unfortunately, Flora's suffering does not miraculously end when she is
reunited with family. I cringe when I think of the pain and suffering Flora
experienced not at the hands of the Turks, but at the hands of her "family."
This poor orphaned girl was further humiliated at her time of need by the
only caregivers she had left.
Books about survivors often reveal more than the story of the individual;
they expose the sociology of the time. You learn the mentality and thought
process of the people. Flora reminded me once again how deep man's
inhumanity to man delves. To a young Armenian girl in 1915, the thought of
being raped carried with it consequences I never before imagined. A raped
woman was considered impure. In other words, Flora, who was not raped, but
was thought by the community to have been raped, was considered unsuitable
for marriage. She was deemed "someone's leftover." I struggle with the
thought of Armenian men and women shaming these poor girls by considering
them worth less. Why are so few people in this world compassionate? For an
Armenian to punish another Armenian at a time like 1915 for being the victim
of rape is beyond my comprehension.
When a woman who hasn't heard the rumors seeks Flora's hand in marriage for
her son, Flora finally touches American soil. The book ends here.
Nonetheless, there must be more to Flora's story. What was her life like
with a husband she had never met before her wedding day? Did she find joy
raising a family? Did she ever see her brother who lived in America? Did she
ever see her sister again? Did her sister find happiness? Did Flora finally
receive the education she had dreamt of?
The book opens with a great deal of promise. The title and Flora's
grandmother's vision enticed me to find out what Flora's gifts were. The
"Author's Note" before the story indicated that late in life Flora had
several near death experiences that altered her perspectives on her past. We
are told that Flora released her anger and self-pity and replaced these
emotions with pure love. I looked forward to seeing this change unfold.
Unfortunately, only six pages out of this 205-page book are devoted to this
miraculous metamorphosis.
We are told that "love poured out of her heart," but this love is not
detailed. This love is not felt. I had felt the suffering of Flora, and now
I wanted to feel the love. I wanted to feel the joy.
Questions are posed, but not answered. The author herself is unsure why the
changes occurred and what they meant. I wish the author had written an
alternate ending-An ending that, although fictional, provided us with
answers. I had hoped for more. I had hoped for something different. I had
hoped for the key to unlock the pathway to peace for my grandmother and
others like her.
A Gift in the Sunlight is a good read for those looking for the story of a
young Armenian girl's experience during the Genocide. The book accurately
depicts the life of a Genocide survivor. The book is available on Amazon.com
and is published by Taderon Press.
------------------------------------------- ------------------------------
6. Letter to the Editor
The Turkish Government Cannot be Exonerated
By Thea Halo
Dear Editor,
Turkey's Government should be held accountable for Hrant Dink's murder under
its Article 216 law.
While the arrest and confession of 17-year-old Ogun Samast affirms that a
disturbed boy and his friend, who apparently had committed other acts of
violence in Trabzon in the past, carried out the assassination of Hrant
Dink, one cannot exonerate the government of Turkey for this crime. In this
age of government lies, that have the power to send tens of thousands of
young men and women willingly off to war, is it any wonder that a deluded
boy might feel it his patriotic duty to protect the lie Turkey has told
about the Armenian Genocide for the last 90 years? Can we expect more when
the Turkish government itself arrests and sentences men and women of
conscience for speaking the truth? Turkey's Article 216 applies to those
'inciting enmity or hatred among the population'? So isn't the Turkish
government guilty of inciting this murder by labeling the truth of the
Armenian Genocide, as "insulting Turkishness"?
At least the Turkish government should spell out its real objections to
admitting the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians when it passes laws, i.e.
that it's afraid of reparations, since it's the denial of this genocide that
hurts the reputation of Turkey far more than an admission ever could.
Germany survived the admission of its heinous crimes and has gained the
respect of the world. And while Turkey is at it, it can admit to the
genocide of its other victims between 1914-1923 by the Ottoman, then
Kemalist regimes: 353,000 Pontic Greeks of the Black Sea region, 750,000
Greeks of Asia Minor and Thrace, and up to 750,000 Assyrians, more than
three million of Turkey's Christian nationals. At least then the healing can
begin, and a real dialogue take place.
Thea Halo
Author of Not Even My Name
--------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
7. Garapedian and Power Speak at 'Screamers' Harvard Screening
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (A.W.)-Director Carla Garapedian and 2003's A Problem From
Hell: America and the Age of Genocide author Samantha Power were at the
screening of Garapedian's soon to be released documentary "Screamers" at
Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
The film analyzes genocide as a governmentally ignored phenomenon in the
world.At the event, Power told how she became involved in the research of A
Problem From Hell. "It started out as a very innocent labor, simply asking
the question, 'How does the U.S. respond to genocide?'" With dismay she
added, "Only after the fact does genocide have political clout."
A "screamer" is the term given to those that feel an obligation to act
against genocide and prevent the denial of past and present genocides. Power
gave Rafael Lemkin, the Nuremberg Trials attorney and activist who coined
the word "genocide," as an example of a "screamer" who tried to warn the
public about the genocidal threat Hitler posed. "Screamers take it on
contemporaneously and retrospectively. They're annoying. They get in your
way. They're still in this never-land of what the world should be." She said
that a new resource, "The Enough Campaign," was emerging for those that felt
powerless in their efforts to combat genocide in the world.
"The Armenian Genocide has been forgotten as other genocides have," Power
said. "We haven't really given any meaning to the phrase, 'Never Again.' .
But what Carla has done is a real contribution that can maybe establish a
link with a younger generation"
"Getting a film like this made is very hard," added Garapedian, "because
everyone tells you 'It's too dark.'" She began researching the film while at
the BBC in England, and soon found that "We [the U.S. and U.K.] are
essentially appeasing Turkey in its active denial."
Garapedian was asked about the Hrant Dink murder, his contribution to the
film, and her impressions of how Turks in Turkey regard Genocide
recognition. She referred to purveyance of Turkish radicals, extremists and
ultra nationalists as a cultural phenomenon in Turkish society.
She recalled a recent conversation with Dink, who had become distracted from
his writings, and often looked over his shoulder. "It's been awhile since
they've killed somebody," he had told her. She was concise in her
description of Dink's murderer: "He was killed by a kid who believed he was
following the sentiments of the government." She continued, "There's been an
increase in the sale of white berets," which are a symbol of Turkish
ultra-nationalist groups.
Power emphasized the role of public outcry in forcing politicians to take
action. "They have to feel that constituency. They have to feel that 'If you
don't do something about this now, I won't vote for you.'"
Asked how many academics in the West denied the Armenian Genocide, Power
said that a number of academics faced issues of personal job security
because of their Turkish-affiliated "endowed chairs."
Power joked that she transfers her visceral desire to scream when confronted
with genocide and genocide denial by writing 600-page books on the subject
to inform the public. "I know what the response to a real scream would
be-flight."
-------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
8. Armenian Artists Exhibit in Valentine's Day Show to Benefit Heart Disease
Research
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (A.W.)-The Gallery Z will begin an exhibition on Thurs.,
Feb. 15, titled "Listen to Your Heart" with a gala reception for the artists
and their work.
The exhibition will be on display from Jan. 30 through March 3 and is in
honor of those who have suffered from heart disease and ten percent of the
net proceeds from the exhibition will be donated to the Cleveland Clinic
Heart Center, a cardiovascular center based in Cleveland, Ohio.
Three of the 10 exhibited artists are of Armenian descent: Kevork Mourad,
Lidya Tchakerian and Marsha Odabashian.
Kevork Mourad was born in 1970 in Aleppo, Syria. He received his MFA in 1996
from the Yerevan Institute of Fine Arts in Armenia. His paintings are the
products of his unique style of "spontaneous painting," in which he shares
the stage with musicians, his art created in counterpoint to their music.
Such a style brings together what may be described as a mosaic blend
reminiscent of an Oriental-esque lithographer, calligrapher, improvisational
performer and human ampligraph.
Mourad has performed at Juilliard in the "Machine and Beyond" Festival with
Kinan Azmeh, in a project based on the Epic of Gilgamesh.
In the spring of 2005, he joined Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble performing at
the Rhode Island School of Design, Harvard University, and most recently,
the Nara Museum, in Nara, Japan.
"My childhood in Aleppo, with its ancient houses and winding streets, its
bright sunlight and dark shade, left an imprint on my imagination that finds
expression in these paintings," said Mourad. "Though happily settled in my
new home in New York, part of me longs for the crooked stairways and worn
stone upon which I grew up."
"But the theme of humanity's struggle is never far from my mind, and in
these paintings, though the colors are often vivid, and the forms friendly
in their unevenness, human figures are either absent or extremely styled.
The buildings, in their imaginary constructs, narrate the story of those who
are absent," he added. Mourad moved to the U.S. from Armenia in 1998.
Lidya Tchakerian is an Armenian artist born in Lebanon. She obtained her
Masters of Fine Arts degree from the Academie Libanaise des Beaux-Art
(ALBA), where she has been lecturing since 1989. She describes her work as
"creating a work in which life and painting blend in a perfect existential
poem."
Tchakerian has showcased her work in such venues as the Hamazkayin Armenian
Cultural Center (2001) and The Cultural Movement Center (1989) in Beirut.
Marsha Nouritza Odabashian received her Masters from the Tufts School of the
Museum of Fine Arts and her B.A. from the University of New Orleans. Her art
"explores the similarities and parallels between human and fruit/vegetable
forms and the conceptual and emotive continuities between humanity and the
natural/botanical works that these organic parallels suggest."
Her works have been exhibited at the Armenian Library and Museum of America
in Watertown (2005), and the Massachusetts College of Art (2006) and Gallery
401 (2005).
For more information on the exhibition visit www.GalleryZProv.com.
---------------------------- ----------------------------------------------
9. Tuncboyaciyan to Play at Harvard in Memory of Dink
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (A.W.)-Arto Tuncboyaciyan will play a concert in memory of
Hrant Dink on Fri., Feb. 16, at Harvard University's Paine Hall.
Tuncboyaciyan was born in Galataria, Turkey, and has lived in the United
States since 1981. Currently the leader of the Armenian Navy Band, winner of
the BBC World Music Award, Tuncboyaciyan is a percussionist, composer and
vocalist. During a long and varied career, Arto has recorded with the likes
of jazz guitarist Al DiMeola, System of a Down, Joe Zawunal, Paul Winters,
Ara Dinkjian, Eleftheria Arvanitaki, Serj Tankian and Night Ark.
Tuncboyaciyan has coined the phrase "avant garde folk" to describe his
music, and at last count, has been featured on over 200 albums. He lives in
New Jersey and tours extensively when not performing in Armenia.
The tribute to Hrant Dink is being organized by Harvard University's Center
for Middle Eastern Studies. It begins at 8 p.m., and is free and open to the
public. Paine Hall is located at 61 Kirkland Street in Cambridge.
For more information, e-mail goshgar@ fas.harvard.edu or call Rachel
Goshgarian at (617) 480-5657. To learn more about Arto Tuncboyaciyan, visit
www.albakultur.de.
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10. NO . DON'T!
By Varand
Translated by Tatul Sonentz
Winter is already in deep freeze
-As you said, dear soothsayer-
At this bitter moment of farewell,
I utter a last whimper.no.don't!
The scorpion of life has stung deep,
No peaceful hour, no moment to grasp,
The scarf of illusion, threadbare,
May now unravel.no, do not gasp.
Dark looks have seared us too often,
We are now shackled in rigid cuffs,
Often attempting to discard our skin
Shaking split tendons-no.don't!
Pain has so badly torn its mask,
That darkness now despises blood
And as we seek solitude's embrace
You shudder, shiver, spell, no.don't!
Sometimes I wish to end this game,
I say it's a shame, a wanton deed,
To sever all ties with one fell swoop,
As my mad soul screams, no.don't!
***
3 Early Pieces by Vahan Terian
Translated by Tatul Sonentz
Street Song
It wails again beneath my window
The sad song of the roving minstrel-
I've heard that song a long time ago,
It almost seems I wrote that song,
And those are my sobs in its notes,
Moaning in sorrow at your absence.
Sad Song
The icy drizzle sobs in the mist-
sadness sings in my soul.
Past, present, future, no longer apart,
obscure the sunshine days of lore.
Beneath the daily burden of doom,
I roam around in deep silence.
No reminiscence-no echo of words-
in your presence I'm blind, mute, missing.
The icy drizzle sobs in the mist-
sadness sings in my soul.
Self-soothing
Night has fallen, all evil noises,
False words have fallen silent
The waters are softly humming
A lullaby - be still my heart.
The lone, wandering exile
Now rests, homeless, astray,
In unison, the stars are humming
A lullaby-be still, my heart.
Cry your last sob, my lonely heart,
Moan and shed your final tears-
Dreams, songs and love, lull them
All to sleep-be still, my heart.
(c) 2007 Armenian Weekly On-Line. All Rights Reserved.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress