Events Archives

Armenia: Conan O’Brien appears at ArmComedy show

October 15, 2015 By administrator

Conan O’Brien appeared at ArmComedy Armenian show on Wednesday evening.

In his 14-minute appearance at ArmComedy O’Brien goes through essential Armenian experiences, finds Armenian roots in family, exposes connections with Kim Kardashian and invites the hosts to appear on his Late Night Show in L.A.

On Armenia’s only political satire show ArmComedy Conan goes on to discuss his discoveries in Armenia about how “beautiful Armenian women are and how very angry Armenian men are”, as well tackles hottest US politics – the Donald Trump campaign and Kanye West’s pledge to run for president in 2016.

Speaking of cultural experiences Conan joked about some behaviour habits of Armenian men and the “overwhelming urge of all people to offer walnuts wrapped in dried apricots”. Humoring into the ArmComedy routine, Conan explained his potential Armenian roots and actually signed a “release form” authorizing ArmComedy to “spread rumors on his Armenian ancestry”.

In addition to the classic interview format, Conan also played in a skit on “Armenian experience in 2 minutes” where he posed as barbeque expert, Yerevan taxi driver and called himself “an expert on all things Armenian”.

The program ended in an enchanted invite by Conan for ArmComedy to be guests on his TBS show “Conan”.

source: news.am

Bernie Sanders Won the Debate, and Perhaps the Election, When He Defended Hillary Clinton

October 14, 2015 By administrator

It was, without question, the climax of the debate. Hillary Clinton was defending herself against email allegations, when Bernie Sanders came to her rescue. In doing so, he not only demonstrated the decency that is the hallmark of his campaign, but also proved that he’s no ordinary politician.

Bernie Sanders doesn’t want to win the White House if it means losing his integrity. He’s willing to protect even his political rival if it’s in the name of justice.

This campaign cannot be about emails, but only Bernie Sanders was big enough to say that, on his competitor’s behalf.

Bernie Sanders: “What the Secretary said is right. And that is the American people are tired of hearing about your damn emails.”

Iveta Mukuchyan to represent Armenia at Eurovision 2016

October 14, 2015 By administrator

Iveta Mukuchyan will represent Armenia at Eurovision 2016 that will be held in Sweden this May.

The decision was announced by Armenia’s Public Television on Tuesday.

The semi-finals of the contest will be held on 10 and 12 of May, while the final – on May 14.

Turkish author’s play to be staged in Armenia

October 13, 2015 By administrator

By Aida Avetisyan

“Vladimir Kocharyan” theatre group from New York will stage “You Rejoice my Heart” drama in Armenia from October 14 to 17. The play is based on German-Turkish writer Kemal Yalcin’s book. On this occasion the writer has arrived in Armenia.

After earning degrees in education and philosophy, Mr. Yalcin went on to become a journalist and was the editor of the Halkin Yolu (The way of the people) newspaper in Turkey until he was forced to flee to Germany in 1981 for political reasons.

Speaking to reporters in Yerevan Mr. Yalcin said he had never heard about the Armenian Cause during the years of his study in Turkey. It was only in 1990 that he learnt about the Armenian history from an Armenian teacher in Germany.

The writer has already published 5,000 pages about the Armenian-Turkish issue. “This is a drop in the sea of sufferings of the Armenian people. The pain of Armenians is mine. This is the reason why I called my book “You Rejoice my Heart.”

The book was translated into Western Armenian by Archbishop Garegin Bekchyan, leader of the German Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church and was later translated into Eastern Armenian by Larisa Gevorgyan.

Kemal Yalcin said it’s an honor to see his play staged in Armenia. “I’m looking forward to reactions,” he said.

The play is expected to be taken to Turkey in 2016. The writer has one wish – to contribute to the establishment of friendship between the Armenian and Turkish peoples.

Source: armradio.am

Retracing a grandmother’s steps in Armenian Genocide

October 13, 2015 By administrator

Sunday services at St. Hripsime in Etchmiadzin, Armenia, built in 618.(Photo: Michelle Andonian)

By Michael H. Hodges, Detroit News

Photographer Michelle Andonian traveled to Turkey last year to retrace her grandmother’s steps after she was driven from her village during the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

The Turkish government, however, has always denied the genocide, maintaining that the deaths were just an unfortunate consequence of wartime chaos.

The visit to Turkey was a profoundly affecting experience for Andonian. Out of it came a photo exhibition at the College for Creative Studies Center Galleries, up through Oct. 24, and a book — “This Picture I Gift” — just published by Wayne State University Press.

On Sunday, Andonian will participate in “Hope Dies Last” at the Detroit Film Theatre, a multimedia performance with violinist Ida Kavafia commemorating the Armenian Genocide.

Where did the title for the book and exhibition come from?

Andonian (Photo: Michelle Andonian)

I came across a picture postcard of my grandmother and aunt while going through my grandmother’s things, and it said that on the back. It’s a literal translation of the Armenian.

She sent it to a relative in Detroit they were coming to live with. I felt it was saying, “Here we are. We’re coming. We’re leaving everything we know behind, but this picture I gift to you.”

What did you take on this project?

My nephew saw that picture in my loft one day, and he asked who it was. I said, “My goodness, that’s your great-grandmother. You don’t know who that is? You don’t know what she went through?”

I realized all that would get lost in the next generation. Fear of losing that history was really the inspiration. And I learned so much about my people I didn’t know. I’m still learning.

When did you go?

July 2014. I was in Turkey and Armenia about a month, though I’d been in Armenia a number of times before.

Did your grandmother die in the genocide?

No, she died in 1987 when I was 28. Her name was Sara. She raised us. We lived next door to her in southwest Detroit. Both my parents worked, so my grandmother took care of us. But she was also the grandmother to the entire neighborhood.

Why did your grandmother and family leave their village?

In 1915, my grandmother’s father —a shepherd — was killed. Murdered. The course of the atrocity went like this: Ottoman Turks would go into the villages, take away all the men, and for the most part, kill them. They deported the women, children and older people who couldn’t fend for themselves.

They said, “It’s a war, you’re going to leave. Pack your stuff on a donkey.” But it was a death march, marching through the desert toward Syria.

How old was your grandmother?

Seven or eight. The family basically walked for three years with no food, no water. You know the migrants today, from Syria to Turkey to Greece to Hungary? It’s basically the same thing. My grandmother remembered stepping over dead bodies. She remembered the smell. Her baby brother died in her mother’s arms. But those who did survive did so because of the kindness of some Turkish and Kurdish families.

Where did they go?

They walked from their village of Iskhan to Homs and Salamiyah, in present-day Syria (over 400 miles). From there they got to Somalia, and finally back to Aleppo in Syria. But I couldn’t go there because of the civil war. Eventually she went back to Turkey in the early 1920s.

How did your grandmother get to America?

She came to the U.S. in 1922 from Istanbul. She came over with her aunt and uncle to Ellis Island, and was promised as a bride to my great-aunt’s cousin.

Did you tell people in Turkey what you were doing?

Not in Turkey. I played it low, with small cameras. I didn’t want to carry a big camera with a long lens and look like a professional photographer.

Are there still Armenians in Turkey?

Yes. There’s a fairly large community, though nothing like it used to be. I stayed with relatives of friends while there. But Armenians are definitely looked down upon.

What particularly affected you?

The ancient city of Ani. It’s this haunting heartbreak, a ruined, medieval Armenian town once known as the Land of 1001 Churches. The earliest inscriptions on the walls are from 1031. It’s literally a stone’s throw from the border of (present-day, independent) Armenia. That’s where I kind of lost it, I have to say. To see something so incredibly beautiful in such a state of ruin, so close to Armenia — the Turks could give it back to us without even a thought. It’d be an easy gift. For the 100th anniversary of the genocide, why not give us Ani?

Did you do all this alone?

No. I traveled with my friend Ani Boghikian Kasparian from Detroit, who’s an Armenian scholar. She teaches the language at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Dearborn. We’d been talking about this for years. She did so much for me. She arranged the guides, she arranged the connections.

What’s takeaway from all this?

Had the Armenian Genocide been validated, and Ottoman Turkey forced to recognize and do something about what happened, maybe it wouldn’t have given a permission slip to other atrocities.

You know what Hitler said when planning the holocaust? “Who today remembers the Armenians?”

The Syrian refugees today are just like the Armenian refugees, forced to leave their monuments and homes and history. It’s the same story. The timeliness of all this is horrifying to me.

mhodges@detroitnews.com

twitter.com/mhodgesartguy

‘Hope Dies Last’

3 p.m. Sunday

Detroit Film Theatre, Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward, Detroit

Tickets: $19.50 – general; $15, DIA members and Wayne, Oakland and Macomb county residents

(313) 833-7900

dia.org

‘This Picture I Gift’

Through Oct. 24

Center Galleries, College for Creative Studies, 301 Frederick, Detroit

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday

Free

(313) 664-7800

France: Afternoon Armenian-Greek dancing for successful Ucfaf Valence (Drôme)

October 12, 2015 By administrator

Sunday, October 11, the Ucfaf (French Cultural Union of Armenians of France) Valencia proposed to the room of La Valentine (Bourg-Les-Valence) an Armenian-Greek dancing afternoon with the delivery of a Greek dance troupe coming from Grenoble monitoring Armenian dances. Vartkes Vartanian the president of the Valencia-Ucfaf first thanked the audience -more than 200 people- come to this appointment which was a first. He was accompanied by many members of which Ucfaf Sonia Sarkissian, Zarmig Nourissian, Bédig or Hermine Ohanian Kéchichian. In the audience, many personalities, among them the father Andranik Maldjian, Khosrof Iliozer (President of the Association of Malatia), Krikor Amirzayan (President of “Arménia”). Greek dancing troupe performed several traditional dances from various regions of Greece (Peloponnese, Thrace, Macedonia) as well as Anatolia and Armenia … with the dance “Tanzara” popular dance Kharpert region. Then the troupe led the public to perform some sirtakis and Greek dances that look elsewhere lot “Kotchari” Armenian traditional dance. Chaining kotcharis and some Greek dancing on the dance floor the atmosphere was at most. Bédig Ohanian has even performed in a Greek dance around a glass placed on the ground …

The public, at the tables of Armenian specialties, appreciated this friendly event. The singer Koko Bardakjian synthesizer accompanied by Sonia Vartanian Vasken Alachian and then animated the Armenian dances. Vartkes Vartanian has to his credit two discs of Armenian pop songs also sang for the greatest pleasure of the public. Koko Bardakjian then held the audience on the dance floor late into the evening. A beautiful afternoon of Ucfaf that continued late into the evening.

Krikor Amirzayan in Valence (Drôme) text and photo-reportage

Conan O’Brien Travels To Armenia In Latest Road-Trip Adventure

October 12, 2015 By administrator

Conan O’Brien Travels To Armenia

By Brian Steinberg

Conan O’Brien is on the road again, this time journeying to Armenia in the latest of a series of ongoing efforts to mix up his TV routine.

The results of O’Brien’s sojourn to the country, believed to have commenced on Sunday, are slated for broadcast on Time Warner’s TBS on Tuesday, November 10, at 11 p.m. and will be available a day later across digital and mobile venues operated by the network and O’Brien’s Team Coco outlets. Sona Movsesian, O’Brien’s longtime assistant who is of Armenian descent, has joined him. The visit is a first to the country for both and O’Brien’s broadcast will be the first by a host of an American late-night show from the nation.

“I think it’s every boss’s responsibility to take their assistant back to their ancestral land,” said O’Brien, in a statement provided by a spokesperson. “That’s why I’m going to make sure my next assistant was born in a five-star resort in Tuscany.” At an “upfront” presentation last May, executives from Turner Broadcasting, parent of TBS, said O’Brien was planning to do a series of road-trip specials, meaning this Armenia excursion is likely to offer a taste of things to come.

O’Brien trades in laughs, but his trips – this will be the third he has made this year – are not always something to joke about. O’Brien in February traveled to Cuba in an effort that was known to only a handful of people outside of his staff, and almost ran into a problem when his team tried to navigate through security on the island nation, which at the time was working to re-establish diplomatic ties with the United States.

The expedition also comes as TV’s late-night has become exponentially more competitive, prompting a bevy of well-known hosts to shake up their routines. Over the last two years, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Jon Stewart, Chelsea Handler, and Craig Ferguson have all stepped down from their desks, while Stephen Colbert, James Corden, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers have stepped into new jobs. Samantha Bee is expected to launch a program in January on TBS that will be paired with “Conan.” That shuffle has left O’Brien, who has hosted a late-night program with only one interruption since 1993, as a sort of elder statesman for the genre – and he has expressed a desire to experiment with the boundaries of the format.

“I still love the form, but in a world where there are more and more and more and more shows, there actually is an impetus to — all right, I want to keep changing,” he told a group of reporters last March. “I want to do something radically different than I would have done 10 years ago.”

His trips to Comic-Con in San Diego and Cuba were unscripted. O’Brien said in his March remarks that he thinks viewers get laughs out of seeing him play the “fish out of water” and trying to understand a new locale and the people who inhabit it.

An average of around 1.81 million people watched an original broadcast of the Cuba special, “Conan in Cuba,” and a rebroadcast that immediately followed, according to data from Nielsen. A night earlier, an average of 642,000 viewers tuned into O’Brien’s regular late-night program.

Source: variety.com

Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan’s congratulation on Yerevan’s Day “2797 years birthday”

October 11, 2015 By administrator

Dear residents of Yerevan,

I want to congratulate you, all of us and generally all Armenians worldwide on the 2797 birthday of our dear capital. Today we can gladly state that our ancient capital which has thousand-year history has become a modern city taking the way of sustainable development which makes progress almost in every sphere of economy.

The changes and development taking place in our capital every day are obvious. They are new ideas and new flights of professional thoughts which are reflected in the implemented programs and measures. Many of them are liked by Yerevanians and later become traditional and annual.

This year “Erebuni-Yerevan” again unites our compatriots in homeland and worldwide becoming a wonderful occasion to strengthen our ties and to feel proud of our capital.

“Erebuni-Yerevan” is the opportunity to fill ourselves with kindness, love and respect for each other, and to convey all this to our beloved capital feeling sure that with loving and caring attitude we will go on making our warm and kind city more prosperous.

Congratulating each other once again, let’s share our warmth and love with one another and say-Happy birthday, my warm and kind city! Happy birthday to you, Yerevan!

Karabakh: ARS Kicks Off ‘Sosseh’ Kindergarten Building Project in Artsakh

October 11, 2015 By administrator

ARS “Sosseh” Kindergarten students at We are Our Mountain monument in Artsakh

YEREVAN—The Armenian Relief Society, Inc. (ARS) embarked on a fundraising kickoff campaign to erect a new building for the ARS “Sosseh” Kindergarten in the Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic during the ARS 71st International Convention being held on October 7, 2015, at the DoubleTree By Hilton in Yerevan, Armenia.

The kindergarten needed extensive repairs and the ARS Central Executive Board (CEB) had deemed completely replacing the building as the better option. Hence, the original kindergarten, which opened in April 1998 to serve the children of the Nagorno-Karabakh liberation struggle martyrs, was demolished to make room for the new building.

The new building, with a footprint of almost 6 thousand square feet, was designed to be on three levels, and accommodate up to 130 students ages 3 to 6. The upper level will include space for after-school programs for older children. The facility will be equipped with modern technology.

During the Convention, a presentation was made by the fundraising committee to share the progress of the building construction. “This kindergarten building will be a showcase facility to accommodate our new generation, living freely in Artsakh and receiving the best pre-school education possible,” said Angel Manoogian, the chairperson of the fundraising committee.

Kindergarten students in class

The fundraising committee has raised more than $500,000 of the needed $850,000 to build and furnish the facility through donations made by ARS chapters and members, as well as benefactors. The benefactors include Mr. and Mrs. Jacky & Seta Guevrekian ($100,000 back in 2009), an anonymous donor from Western USA ($100,000) and Mr. & Mrs. Aurelian and Anahit Mardiros ($50,000).

During the presentation, the committee members provided information about the progress of the fundraising efforts, which will continue until the building is put to use in Spring of 2017.

Houri Najarian, co-chairperson of the Convention, praised the efforts of the CEB and the committee members, and added, “I encourage all ARS regions, chapters and members throughout the 27 countries to reach out and support the committee’s fundraising efforts.”

The groundbreaking ceremony will take place on October 11, 2015, with the participation of CEB, fundraising committee and ARS members.

To support this important project, please mail your donations to ARS Inc., 80 Bigelow Ave., #300, Watertown, MA 02472, USA. On line donations can be submitted at ars1910.org. For further information, please contact the ARS Inc.’s office at (617) 926-5892 or ceb@ars1910.org.

LOS ANGELES: World Renowned Experts to Discuss the Occupied Ancestral Armenian Homeland at ANCA-WR Grassroots

October 8, 2015 By administrator

The “Western Armenia and the Hidden Armenians” panel will be on Saturday, October 24

LOS ANGELES—The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA-WR) has confirmed the attendance of three highly-respected international experts on free speech, human rights, and minority rights, Aris Nalci, Baris Allen, and George Aghjayan, at the 2015 ANCA-WR Grassroots Conference. The guest speakers will join hundreds of attendees from around the world to participate in the “Western Armenia and Hidden Armenians” panel, which will take place on October 24at 9 a.m at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. Matthew Karanian, Esq. author of the best-selling English language books Armenia and Karabakh: The Stone Guardian Travel Guide and Historic Armenia: 100 Years Later, will moderate the panel.

With more than 7 million Armenians living outside of Armenia and Artsakh, in addition to the estimated 2 million forcibly Islamized or “Hidden Armenians” living in present-day Eastern Turkey as a result of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, the dynamic panel will engage audiences in identity politics and issues interfering with cultural preservation for Armenians everywhere. There will be a question and answer session at the end of the panel.

Aris Nalci, an author and filmmaker noted for his coverage of Armenian and minority issues, as well as freedom of speech, will join geographical and demographic researcher of Western Armenia (present-day Eastern Turkey), George Aghjayan, and Kurdish human rights activist Baris Alen.

Aris Nalci graduated from Feriköy Merametçian Primary Armenian School, Getronagan Armenian High School in Istanbul and the Yildiz Technical University, where he served on the Mechanical Engineering Faculty. Between 1997 and 2011, Nalci worked as a writer and editor for the Istanbul-Armenian newspaper, Agos. He has also written for the daily newspaper Birgun and Radikal, the weekly newspaper Beyoğlu, and several Armenian and Turkish journals. He is currently a producer and editor at IMC TV in Turkey.

In 2011, Nalci created the first TV show about minorities in Turkey called Gamurç (Bridge), which is still on air. He has also filmed documentaries on Armenian issues, minority rights, and free speech, including Avtobus (2012), 23-and-a-Half (2013), January Nineteen (2013), Grandma’s Receipt (2013), and Turkish Presidents’ Exam with Armenians (2014). In 2014, he co-wrote “1965-50 years after Armenian Genocide, 50 years before 100″ with Serdar Korucu. Nalci also contributes weekly blogs to T24.com.tr.

Baris Alen, born in Diyarbakir, Turkey, studied International Relations at Istanbul Dogus University. He received an M.A. of Global Studies at Lund University in Sweden and launched his professional career in the NGO sector, working for the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey in Ankara and the Federation of Southeast Anatolian Businessman Association in Diyarbakir. More recently, Alen worked for the Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality as the Mayor’s Foreign Relations advisor until the 2014 elections. Since then, he has been working for the International Humanitarian organization on the Syrian border to provide basic hygiene, food, and other essentials to refugees out of official camps.

George Aghjayan graduated from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute with honors in 1988, acquiring his bachelor’s of science degree in Actuarial Mathematics. He achieved his Fellowship in the Society of Actuaries in 1996. After a career in both insurance and structured finance, Aghjayan retired in 2014 to focus his efforts on Armenian related research and projects. His primary area of interest is the demographic and geography of Western Armenia, but he also researches hidden Armenians living there today.

Aghjayan has also written and lectured on a wide array of topics, including Armenian genealogy and genocide denial. He has served on the Central Committee of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Eastern United States and the National Board of the Armenian National Committee of America.

“Our featured panelists provide invaluable insight into the occupied ancestral homeland of Armenians. The panel will serve as a mini-course in issues faced by Armenians and non-Armenians living in modern Western Armenia,” said ANCA-WR Grassroots committee co-chairman Ayk Dikijian, Esq.

The moderator of the panel, Matthew Karanian, Esq. is a second-generation Armenian American lawyer who wrote the first self-published guidebook on Armenia. Karanian served as the Associate Dean of the American University of Armenia’s law program and as the Director of the University’ Legal Research Center. Karanian also founded the Armenian Law Review in 2003 with his students.

Since 1995, Karanian has embarked on journeys to Eastern and Western Armenia, Artsakh, Javakhk, Ani, and Cilicia. His book, “Armenia and Karabakh” is based on over a dozen visits to Armenia. His writings about Armenia have been published in numerous periodicals in the United States and Canada, and his recent book “Historic Armenia: 100 Years Later” is an impressive encyclopedia and pictorial record of the present-day status of Western Armenia, its monuments, churches, villages, and people.

“We are so proud to present this esteemed panel to our community and the hundreds of Grassroots participants who are sure to gain a new and unique knowledge about how past and current events in Turkey directly affect the pursuit of our Cause,” remarked ANCA-WR Chair Nora Hovsepian, Esq.

The ANCA-WR Grassroots conference will take place on October 23 and 24 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel. General admission to the conference is $85 and $50 for students. Visit www.ANCAWRGrassroots.org to register online or to learn about sponsorship and booth display opportunities.

This year’s ANCA-WR Gala Banquet will be one of the largest the organization has hosted. The event, which has become one of the most anticipated events of the calendar year, will be held on Sunday, October 25 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel. For information about purchasing tickets, and corporate and tribute message sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.ANCAWRGala.org or call 818.839.1918.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.