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New York ASA and Columbia University Armenian Club Screen GenocideDo

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  • New York ASA and Columbia University Armenian Club Screen GenocideDo

    PRESS RELEASE
    New York Armenian Students' Association
    333 Atlantic Avenue
    Warwick, RI 02888
    (401) 461-6114
    Email: [email protected]
    http://www.asainc.org

    New York ASA and Columbia University Armenian Club Screen Genocide Documentary "I Hate Dogs"

    On April 18, 2006, the New York ASA and Columbia University Armenian
    Club screened the genocide documentary "I Hate Dogs." Produced and
    directed by husband and wife filmmakers PeA Holmquist and Suzanne
    Khardalian of Sweden, "I Hate Dogs" chronicles the life of 99-year
    old Garbis Hagopian, one of the last genocide survivors living in
    France. In 1988, Holmquist and Khardalian produced "Back to Ararat,"
    the first Armenian genocide documentary. Their inspiration for "I
    Hate Dogs" stemmed from an article they read about the last genocide
    survivor in Britain who passed away. They realized that few genocide
    survivors remained and the resultant importance of documenting their
    experiences.

    The documentary starts off with Mr. Hagopian in the present day going
    about his life. As he is walking through a park and sees a dog, he
    mentions that he doesn't like dogs, a seemingly odd utterance until
    one discovers the underlying reason for his dislike. Mr. Hagopian
    explained that his family was forced onto the death march, unable
    to take their belongings with them, and described some of what he
    witnessed, from mass slaughters to young girls being forced into
    harems. Upon recalling how his mother embraced him for the last time
    before she left him, Mr. Hagopian burst into tears, a 9 year-old
    child once again lost in a sea of misery and grief. His father died
    shortly thereafter and when he went back to see his father's body the
    following day, he saw dogs eating away at it. He tried to scare them
    away to no avail, and that horrific image was seared in the mind of
    young Garbis, hence his lifelong dislike of dogs.

    Mr. Hagopian remained silent about his experience during the genocide
    until his son turned 40. When his son realized the depth of his
    father's suffering, he became enraged against Turks due to the lack
    of emotional closure from their denial of the genocide.

    Throughout the documentary, one also sees clips of old home movies
    that illustrate how Mr. Hagopian persevered, moving to France after
    the genocide and becoming a successful businessman. He is also shown
    surrounded by his family at joyful gatherings, from picking almonds
    with his son from his vacation home, to dining with his granddaughter
    who remembers how she would sneak into her grandparents' bed and have
    breakfast with them.

    The juxtaposition of grief and happiness, anger and joy is true of
    many Armenian families whose loved ones survived the genocide. The
    furor of Mr. Hagopian's son is similar to that of many children and
    grandchildren of genocide survivors struggling to make sense of their
    identity that is shaped in part by the inhumanity of the genocide. One
    also sees that the childhood memories of genocide survivors are as
    vivid as they were 91 years ago. They are easily transported back to
    unspeakable horrors, yet somehow, they return to their present lives,
    grateful always to have survived.

    Following the film, Dr. Anie Kalayjian, renowned traumatologist,
    Professor of Psychology at Fordham University, explained the myriad
    of feelings experienced by genocide survivors and, in particular,
    those of succeeding generations. She noted that healing comes from
    non-violent communication through empathy and forgiveness and not
    from waiting for the perpetrators to acknowledge their mistakes. Dr.
    Kalayjian is the Founder and President of the Armenian American
    Society for Studies on Stress & Genocide and spearheads a research
    team on this particular topic. Her research findings indicate clear
    generational transmission of trauma of the Genocide which include:
    sadness, grief, anger, hatred, fear of the other (racism), despair,
    helplessness, identity confusion, feeling abandoned and uprooted,
    guilt, defensive functioning, and inability to engage in meaningful
    relationships. Fortunately, it is possible to process these feelings
    and transform the anger into empowerment, and the hatred into empathy
    and compassion through post trauma healing workshops, or individual
    therapy. A spirited question and answer session ensued.

    ASA wishes to thank Dr. Kalayjian for her participation as well as
    to Lisa Kebejian and the Columbia University Armenian Club for their
    co-sponsorship and assistance. Most of all, thanks to PeA Holmquist
    and Suzanne Khardalian for presenting Garbis Hagopian's story to the
    world. Sadly, Mr. Hagopian passed away a few months ago at the age
    of 100, but his spirit will surely live on.

    The Armenian Students' Association of America is a nationwide
    membership organization that promotes Armenian culture and education
    by sustaining strong links with Armenia through various projects and
    by providing Armenian communities with social, cultural, academic,
    and educational events. All funds raised by the regional branches
    contribute to the ASA scholarship fund for Armenian students studying
    in the United States. In addition, ASA often co-sponsors events held
    by local college clubs, working closely with and encouraging young
    leaders in the Armenian student community.

    For more information about the NY ASA, please visit
    http://www.asainc.org For more information about
    the Columbia University Armenian Club, please visit
    www.columbia.edu/cu/armenian. For more information about
    Dr. Kalayjian's research, please visit www.meaningfulworld.com.
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