Armenia MFA welcomes Brazil Senate resolution acknowledging Armenian Genocide

May 29, 2015 By administrator

Armenia’s FM Edward Nalbandian

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s FM Edward Nalbandian issued a statement regarding the acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide by the Federal Senate of Brazil.

The statement reads:

“The irrevocable process of the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide is in the process.

Armenia welcomes the adoption of the resolution on the acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide by the Federal Senate of the Federative Republic of Brazil.

By the adoption of this resolution, Brazil made a significant contribution to the efforts of the international community in preventing genocides and crimes against humanity.”

The Federal Senate of Brazil unanimously adopted a resolution officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide on Wednesday.

Belgian MP of Turkish origin expelled from party for denying the Armenian Genocide

May 29, 2015 By administrator

News.am – Belgium’s Christian democratic party Humanist Democratic Centre (CDH) expelled Turkish MP Mahinur Özdemir for denying to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, the Belgian newspaper Knack reports.

“Ms Özdemir refused to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, which contravenes CDH values. Tortuous position is impossible here; utmost clarity is what is needed,” CDH committee statement reads.

Earlier, party’s President Benoît Lutgen said that if there was an Armenian Genocide denier in the party, they would be immediately expelled.

Brazil becomes 24th country to recognize Armenian Genocide

May 29, 2015 By administrator

The Federal Senate of Brazil has passed a resolution condemning the Armenian Genocide.
“Brazil has become the 24th country to recognize the Armenian Genocide,” the head of Armenian President’s Chief of Staff, Vigen Sargsyan, said in a Facebook post.
According to the RA Foreign Ministry, the resolution adopted unanimously says that the “Federal Senate recognizes the Armenian Genocide, the centennial of which was marked on April 24, 2015. The Senate honors the memory of Genocide victims and highly appreciates the contribution to the economy and culture by the Genocide survivors and their heirs, who found shelter in Brazil,” the document says.
It also emphasizes that no genocide should be forgotten.
Commenting on the decision, RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said that “the irreversible process of the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide continues. Brazil made its contribution to the prevention of crimes against humanity.”

Source: panarmenian

—————————– Armenian genocide By Turks ——————-

The Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres, and deportations involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, the Italian Chamber of Deputies, majority of U.S. states, parliaments of Greece, Cyprus, Argentina, Belgium and Wales, National Council of Switzerland, Chamber of Commons of Canada, Polish Sejm, Vatican, European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.

Ahmet Abakay Turkish Intellectuals Who Have Recognized The Armenian Genocide

May 29, 2015 By administrator

By: Hambersom Aghbashian

Ahmet Abakay

Ahmet Abakay was born in Sivas Province on April 3, 1950, in the village of Divriği. He received his early education from a high school in Erzincan, then continued his education at Ankara University where he ultimately graduated. He was a correspondent to many Turkish newspapers including İsta Haber, Vatan, Anka, and Özgür Gündem. Ahmet Abakay then became involved in the establishment of the Progressive Journalists’ Association of Turkey. The association was established in 23 February 1978 and whose founding member was Alaatin Orhan. Ahmet Abakay became the chairman in 1982 until 1989. By the end of his chairmanship in 1989, the organization had 1,100 members throughout the country. He then became an advisor to the Minister of the Press in 1992–2002. Abakay became the chairman once again in 2005 and continues to serve the position till today. As a critic of the treatment of journalists in Turkish society, he has stated that “Those who are not close to the government can’t survive in the media. Media members are living in fear.” He is also the author of many other books.

Under the title “How Turkey Marked the 96th Anniversary of the Genocide”, it was mentioned ” … a conference was organized on April 19, 2011, by the Surp Khach School and titled “They were journalists, too,” dedicated to the Armenian journalists who were killed in 1915. The chief editor of Agos newspaper, Rober Koptas, along with journalist Bullent Tellan, publisher Ragip Zarakolu, and Bayramoglu were among the speakers who demanded adding the names of those journalists killed in 1915 to the list of “Killed Journalists” in Turkey. The president of the Modern Journalists Association of Turkey, Ahmet Abakay, said they were very late to organize such an event because they were unaware and ignorant of the facts. He said he hoped this would serve as an example for other professional associations.(1)

According to “Hürriyet Daily News”, March 8, 2011, “Ten journalists of Armenian origin who were killed in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire will be added to a list of slain journalists in Turkey by the Ankara-based Contemporary Journalists Association. The newly added names include Krikor Zohrab, a lawyer, author and three-time deputy in the Ottoman Parliament; Taniel Varujan, a renowned Armenian writer; Rupen Zartaryan, Siamento (Atom Yarjanian) and six others, all also pioneers of western Armenian literature. Association head Ahmet Abakay said: “I wish we had the information before and has taken this radical step earlier. He added ” It is a crime to hide from the people those names that have made contributions to the Turkish press. They are all people of this country.”(2)

This was a good step toward the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and unveiling the victims, specially the first group of intellectuals, but those victims were intellectuals more than being journalist as Hürriyet mentioned and were killed to pave the way for the next step, the whole Genocide. http://asbarez.com/ responded to above and wrote ” To bundle these first victims of the Genocide, along with other journalists who were killed as part of Turkey’s intolerant attitude toward journalists is an affront to their legacy. They were not killed for being “journalists,” but rather were part of the first wave of murders of intellectuals, writers and leaders, which was part of the systematic plan to eliminate the Armenians’ leaders in order to gain easy access to the rest of the Armenian population and carry out Genocide.”

Ahmet Abakay wrote a book in 2013 entitled “The Last Words of Hoşana” (Turkish: Hoşana’nın Son Sözü) which describes the life of his mother who was named Hoşana. In the book, Abakay revealed that his mother had told him of her Armenian identity weeks before her death. She had kept her identity a secret for 82 years, which Abakay believes was because “she lived in fear.” Abakay was told by his mother not to tell the secret to anybody. Abakay states his mother was saved from the Armenian Genocide because she was dropped off in front of a door of an Alevi Turk. Due to his revelations, Abakay received threats from his family and particularly his uncle’s children who said, “how dare you call our aunt Armenian and insult our family’s honor. You will remove the Armenian part from your book, otherwise we will pull it off the shelves.”

On October 12, 2013, “www.panarmenian.net” wrote, ” The head of a journalists’ association in Turkey (Ahmet Abakay), has revealed that his mother was an Armenian, who was left in front of an Alevi family’s door by Armenians during the 1915 Armenian Genocide in his recently published book, Hürriyet Daily News reported.” He added “My mother told me about her story 13 years ago and soon after, she died. I could write this only 10 years later, because I hesitated. My mother made me promise not to tell her story to my wife, daughter or her sisters, as long as she was alive. I told this issue to my inner circle after I lost my mother, to learn whether there are other secrets that we are not told. But my sister told me not to reveal this on the grounds that I am a journalist and she recalled what happened to Hrant Dink [Armenian-Turkish journalist murdered by a gunman in broad daylight in 2007 in Istanbul]. A majority of my relatives could not accept their [new] identity. Some relatives denied the story, while others claimed that she was too old to be aware of what she was saying.”
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1- http://www.armeniapedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Genocide_Commemorations_in_Turkey
2- http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/default.aspx?pageid=438&n=armenian-origin-ottoman-journalists-enter-the-list-of-the-slain-2011-03-08

The VVA (Vietnam Veterans of America) Magazine “Commemorating the Armenian Genocide”

May 27, 2015 By administrator

by Michael Manoog Kaprielian

Times Square Photo Caption: V.V.A. 273 flag bearers Roger DiPierro & Karl Antonevich Begin forwarded message:

Times Square photo Berge Ara Zobian Caption: V.V.A. 273 flag bearers Roger DiPierro & Karl Antonevich Begin forwarded message:

The Rhode Island State Council and its three chapters—James Michael Ray Memorial Chapter 818, Washington County Chapter 325, and Providence Chapter 273—joined hundreds of others from Rhode Island traveling to New York City to commemorate the Armenian Genocide.

Twelve buses left Providence in the early morning of Sunday, April 26. One hundred years earlier one and a half million Armenians were slaughtered by the crumbling government of the Ottoman Empire. The Times Square demonstration also paid tribute to those who perished in subsequent genocides.

National Chaplain Fr. Phil Salois, State Council President John Weiss, and other Rhode Island VVA members joined six hundred demonstrators from the state representing many ethnicities. Armenian Americans were joined by Jews, Guatemalans, Cambodians, Native Americans, African Americans, Greeks, Kurds, and refugees from the Ivory Coast.

We don’t go silently into the night. VVA in Rhode Island sees its role as a leader. Twenty-five years ago VVA rallied three hundred Rhode Islanders to the State Capitol for a candlelight commemoration emceed by Chapter 325 member Tom Suprock, who was shot down nine times in Vietnam. That event paid homage to the victims of the Armenian Genocide and called for the universal recognition of human rights.

Now, a quarter century later, VVA members carrying VVA and Rhode Island flags joined many thousands at Times Square, including many other veterans of the wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. They committed themselves to helping those who had escaped persecution for “Hope”—Rhode Island’s one-word motto and guiding principle.

One 19-year-old refugee from the Ivory Coast was put on VVA’s bus by her mother, who witnessed the killing of her elder daughter in Sierra Leone. The surviving daughter dreams of becoming a lawyer for human rights. Rhode Island VVA members are focused on doing what they can to advance that dream.

M. Manoog Kaprielian is a founding member of Chapter 273 and the former Rhode Island State Council president. He is very active in VVA and Armenian affairs. He can be reached at: aniprov@earthlink.net

Rabbi Shmuley and Centennial Committee depict Obama as ‘liar’ in NY Times ad

May 27, 2015 By administrator

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
TheCaliforiaCourier.com

The Centennial commemorations of the Armenian Genocide were marked with unprecedented, and sometimes, unexpected developments.

One such occasion was the full page ad placed in the New York Times on April 18 by well-known and controversial Rabbi Shmuley Boteach (Founder, The World Values Network) and the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee, Eastern U.S. (AGCC), harshly criticizing Pres. Obama for not keeping his campaign promise on the Armenian Genocide.

A knowledgeable source told The California Courier that the ad had upset some White House officials. The placing of the ad coincided with the efforts of the U.S. National Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide Centennial to convince reluctant administration officials to participate in the commemorative events in Washington, D.C., May 7-9.

Nonetheless, Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power attended the Ecumenical Prayer Service at the National Cathedral on May 7, in Washington, but neither delivered remarks nor was their presence acknowledged. Surprisingly, both officials wore the “forget me not” pin, the official logo of the Armenian Genocide Centennial. Also in attendance were Pres. Serzh Sargsyan, Catholicos Karekin II, and Catholicos Aram I.

The paid ad featured a young boy holding a placard stating, “Pres. Obama why did you lie to us?” This was followed by the title of the ad in large bold letters: “1.5 million Armenian victims cry out from their grave: How long will you deny our genocide just to appease the Turkish tyrant?”

The paid announcement strongly criticized both Pres. Obama, for not keeping his campaign promises, and Ambassador Power, for remaining silent after condemning U.S. indifference to Genocide in a book she wrote before assuming her government post (“A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide”). The ad also targeted Turkish President Erdogan, calling him a “bully” and “quasi-dictator who has dismantled Turkish democracy.”

Furthermore, the ad quoted from a news report by CNN’s Chief Washington Correspondent Jake Tapper: “For the sixth year in a row President Barack Obama has broken his promise to the Armenian community, made when seeking their votes as a senator and a presidential candidate, to use the word ‘genocide’ to describe the massacre of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire a century ago. He did this in deference to the government of Turkey.”

The ad reminded readers that Tapper was referring to Sen. Obama’s 2008 statement: “The Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence. The facts are undeniable. …As President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide.”

The authors of the ad went on to state: “Seldom has an American President misrepresented himself so brazenly on an issue of such profound moral importance. Pres. Obama’s willful moral blindness stands in stark contrast to the courageous statement by Pope Francis last week calling for the world’s recognition of ‘the first genocide of the twentieth century.’”

In the ad, the Rabbi and AGCC posed this question to Ambassador Power: “As a leading voice against genocide, will you stand by your principles or will you become yet another who, after entering office, silences her voice and becomes part of the ‘problem from hell?’”

A second newspaper announcement reminding Pres. Obama of his promise on the Armenian Genocide appeared in the Los Angeles Times on April 24. The three-quarter page ad, placed by Ed Muradliyan, a California businessman from Orange County, asserted: “It’s time for you to be the leader you promised to be. On this 100 year anniversary Mr. President, it’s time to fulfill the promise you made.” Muradliyan’s ad featured a picture of Pres. Obama, copy of Amb. Morgenthau’s cable to the State Dept., dated July 16, 1915, and the headline of a news report from The New York Times, dated December 15, 1915. The announcement ended with: “It’s Time to Recognize the Armenian Genocide.”

If one or both of these ads caused some discomfort to White House officials, it was well worth the money!

The ads should have included Pres. Obama’s own words from his book, “The Audacity of Hope”: “Say one thing during the campaign and do another thing once in office, and you’re a typical, two-faced politician.”

Although the commemorative events in Washington were organized with utmost professionalism, there was one major shortfall. When special honors were being awarded at the May 9 Centennial Banquet to prominent individuals, organizations and representatives of countries that had recognized the Armenian Genocide, it would have been only fitting to pay tribute to John Evans, the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia (2004-2006), whose diplomatic career came to an abrupt end when the Bush Administration recalled him for publicly acknowledging the Armenian Genocide. The organizers of the Banquet assured The California Courier that “no slight was intended,” and that it was simply “an oversight.”

Fortunately, this gross error was somewhat mitigated when the “oversight” was brought to the attention of the master of ceremonies, attorney Mark Geragos, who acknowledged from the podium the presence of Amb. Evans. The 2,000 guests at the Centennial Banquet gave the righteous Ambassador an enthusiastic standing ovation and thunderous applause! Needless to say, Amb. Evans deserves far more than mere applause for having sacrificed his career in defense of the Armenian Cause!

How Greeks’ attempt to send Cilician Armenians weapons failed in 1913

May 27, 2015 By administrator

An interesting episode in the history of Armenian-Greek friendship and military cooperation turned to be fatal on the threshold of the Armenian Genocide.

During that period in 1910-1915 prominent political figure Eleftherios Venizelos (1864 – 1936) was the Greek Prime Minister, who, being one of the best friends of the Armenian people, attached great importance to supporting and cooperating with them against the Turkish rule, armeniangenocide100.org reports.

According to Mshak newspaper, a Greek steamship, loaded with weapons and ammunition (some sources say 7000 rifles) departed for Cilicia in November 1913, to give them to Armenians. Learning about this, the commander of the German naval forces in the Mediterranean Sea left for Cilician coast to prevent the unloading. On the threshold of the World War I, Germany, the ally of the Ottoman Empire, could not allow armament of the Armenians.

But things did not lead to German intervention. According to Mshak, Armenians, “obeying their religious authorities’ warnings and not thinking about rebellion in general,” did not go to accept the weapons. Thus, the steamship approached the shores near Mersin and left as no one came to meet.

Before that, however, the local Turks had already learnt about the steamship’s arrival and its purpose and started to threaten Armenians: the latter were afraid that the 1909 Adana massacres could repeat. Although the German admiral could not stop the Greek steamer, he heard of Turks’ anti-Armenian activities, visited the governor of Adana and reportedly threatened to bombard the province in case Armenians were slaughtered and said “Germany will stop supporting Turkey against Russia.” It is unknown how the German command would really act in case Armenians were slaughtered then. However, in the period when the reforms in the Armenian provinces in Turkey were in the center of diplomatic dispute in European superpowers, Germany, previously passive and mainly supportingTurkey, came to support reforms. It aimed to bereave Russia, Great Britain and France to rule the reform process on the one hand, and to divert the Western Armenians’ sympathy to its side on the other. (The German-Armenian society was established in 1914 in Germany, presided over by prominent social activist and humanist Johannes Lepsius).

Already in 1915, Germany pursued a policy of indifference and permissiveness towards its military ally in the issue concerning the massacres and forced deportation of Armenians.

As Mshak reported, citing Greek sources, the ship conveying the weapons belonged to a private person and no political meaning was attached to it appearing on Mersin shores.

Although the fact of declining the Greek military support refutes one of the widely spread theses of Turkish denialism, i.e. the Armenians’ rebellion, it should be noted that the Armenians had the full moral and legal right to take up arms and fight against the Turkish dictatorship and the policy of extermination after the state anti-Armenian genocidal policy was implemented in the era of Abdul Hamid.

Events, however, took a different course and due to certain reasons the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, including those in Cilicia chose to rely on authorities on the eve of the WWI in order not anger them and solve the Armenian Question through the implementation of reforms. And the incident in Cilicia only proves, unfortunately, that Armenians were not ready to protect themselves against physical extermination and deportations ahead of the impending Genocide.

Spain’s Santa Margarida recognizes Armenian Genocide

May 26, 2015 By administrator

Santa Margarida, municipality in Spain, has joined the Spanish cities that have officially recognized the Armenian Genocide.

The municipality decided to support recognition of the Armenian Genocide as well as restitution demands. The municipality demands recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Spain, taking into account the resolution adopted by the European Parliament.

Book Review: ‘Operation Nemesis: The Assassination Plot That Avenged the Armenian Genocide’

May 25, 2015 By administrator

By Rupen Janbazian

By Eric Bogosian
Little, Brown and Company, New York (April 21, 2015), 384 pages
ISBN 978-0316292085; Hardcover, $28.00

Special for the Armenian Weekly

Cover of Operation Nemesis

Over the years, the story of Operation Nemesis, the clandestine plot to assassinate the chief architects of the Armenian Genocide, had been told with a certain cloud of mystery and ambiguity hanging over it. While the topic had been discussed and written about in parts, authors were generally hesitant to present an all-encompassing understanding of the often-ignored, true story of Nemesis. Moreover, nearly a century after the project was carried out, the topic continues to remain somewhat taboo in the Armenian community.

Fast forward to 2015, the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, which has already seen the publication of several books and volumes that deal with various aspects of the operation. From Marian Mesrobian MacCurdy’s Sacred Justice: The Voices and Legacy of the Armenian Operation Nemesis, which includes narratives, selections from memoirs, and previously unpublished letters, to the graphic novel Operation Nemesis: A Story of Genocide & Revenge by Josh Blaylock (author), Mark Powers (editor), and Hoyt Silva (illustrator), the 100^th anniversary of the genocide seems to have provided the perfect opportunity for authors to shed light on the sometimes-murky details of this historical quest for justice.

Renowned actor, novelist, and playwright Eric Bogosian first heard about the assassination of Talaat Pasha about two decades ago. According to Bogosian, the story struck him as “wishful thinking,” which was far from the truth—an Armenian urban legend, of sorts. After some research and investigation, though, Bogosian quickly realized that not only had the assassination taken place, but that it was part of a much more complicated history of secrecy.

Bogosian thought Tehlirian’s story would make a good film, so he decided to dedicate a few months to writing the screenplay. The few months would snowball into more than seven years of meticulous research and study. The result: Operation Nemesis: The Assassination Plot That Avenged the Armenian Genocide, a 384-page, in-depth history of the conspiracy.

Published in April by Little, Brown and Company, Bogosian’s book aims to go “beyond simply telling the story of this cadre of Armenian assassins by setting the killings in the context of Ottoman and Armenian history.” And it holds true to this promise.

In part one of the three-part book, Bogosian brilliantly paints a thorough picture of Armenian history, with a particular focus on the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire before and during the Armenian Genocide. By drawing on a number of academic and non-academic sources, including several primary sources, such as newspaper articles, memoirs, and letters from the time, Bogosian provides his reader a concise, yet wide-ranging historical context for the operation.

While some may feel that Bogosian dedicates too much of the book to historical background, it seems to be a wise decision on the part of the author, as most readers do not have a sufficient understanding of Armenian history.

In part two of the book, Bogosian details the origins of Nemesis, the story of the assassination of Talaat Pasha, and gives insight into its immediate aftermath. Bogosian does this fiercely, sparing little detail. By employing Tehlirian as his protagonist, he vividly describes the inner-workings of the covert operation, while giving readers an intimate look into a young survivor’s post-traumatic inner world.

Bogosian’s description of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s (ARF) role as the parent organization of Operation Nemesis is refreshing and crucial, considering it is often ignored or discussed in passing in other English-language works examining the operation. Bogosian openly writes about how the ARF aimed to exploit the assassination strategically to bring international attention to the Armenian Genocide, a reality rarely written about in the past.

Finally, Bogosian brings in a completely ignored facet of the Nemesis story: international intelligence in the context of the plot. Bogosian provides much evidence, for example, that British Intelligence at the time knew exactly where Talaat Pasha was, while in hiding in Berlin.

While part two of the book is captivating to read, it is also straightforward and balanced. Bogosian is careful not to follow the traditional typecast of heroizing Tehlirian (and later, his co-conspirators). Instead, he is able to provide a sober description of the operation in an in-depth and well-explained context.

Many critics, especially those from the Armenian community, will be quick to point to Bogosian’s overuse of the term “assassin” to characterize Tehlirian and his fellow collaborators, and may accuse him of trying to downplay their significance in history. However, Bogosian’s choice to characterize them as such can be considered fair, considering the word “assassin” is defined as “a murderer of an important person in a surprise attack for political or religious reasons.” And that’s exactly what Tehlirian and the rest of the gang were.

In his conclusion, Bogosian points out that the members of Operation Nemesis saw themselves as “holy warriors” carrying out more of a spiritual, rather than strictly political, calling to exact “some fraction of justice” for the destruction of a nation.

Bogosian closes off his masterpiece with the hopes that more serious scholarship examines the “memories we are losing” and the “history we’ve lost,” including the story of Operation Nemesis. What he ignores, however, is the fact that he himself has made a substantial and lasting contribution to the history of Operation Nemesis.

Bogosian’s Operation Nemesis is the result of painstaking and thorough investigation and research. Not only does he offer a comprehensive historical account of the plot, but also successfully changes the traditional narrative on one of the most important and most ignored aspects of post-genocide Armenian history.

Armenian genocide, Irish Gothic infuse international arts fest

May 25, 2015 By administrator

By Robert Hurwitt

Photo: Jeremy Abrahams

Sonorous and plaintive, ancient Armenian chants wrap around the explosively physical performances in Teatr Zar’s “Armine, Sister.” Quirky and richly metaphoric, Áine Ryan’s “Kitty in the Lane” twists its way into another notable entry in the classic Irish rural Gothic genre.

The two shows couldn’t be more different, but they have some things in common besides having been performed Sunday at Fort Mason. Both are American premieres. And both are among the higher profile offerings at this year’s much-expanded San Francisco International Arts Festival.

Ryan, a fresh new Irish voice, is making her U.S. debut with “Kitty,” a critic’s choice at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival and currently on international tour. Produced by her Studio Perform, it’s an exceptionally promising first piece for the 22-year-old actor-playwright. But it has some typical first-time-out flaws, particularly in performance.

Ryan is a magnetic and versatile presence, but her vocal patterns — particularly her use of pauses — are repetitive and her diction can get fuzzy, a problem for American audiences when you’re working in a regional Irish accent. Most of this is nothing that a good director couldn’t fix (none is credited). She has the skill to give her writing the acting it deserves. That’s what’s most memorable about “Kitty.” Ryan, as the young woman running a remote family farm, spins an ever-more-grisly tale with seductively easy grace while waiting for her boyfriend to pick her up. Despite the welcome results of its referendum on same-sex marriage, “Kitty” probes how far the country has to go to achieve full gender equality.

“Armine” is even more directly issue-focused — on the Armenian genocide specifically and, more inclusively, the legacy of such conflicts in the Middle East. But also on how such horrors persist or are buried in our cultural memory. You need some context, however, to know that, provided by the program and, on opening night, by the director’s more informative curtain speech. Zar, Poland’s widely influential Grotowski-based experimental company, works extensively with ancient song patterns, exploring them vocally and adding layers of meaning through devised movement. There’s no text.The hauntingly sung Armenian songs, led by a vibrant Aram Kerovpyan, establish the depth and poignancy of the tone, and the subject matter — especially for those, such as the Armenian woman sitting next to me, who know them by heart. A few gorgeously rendered Persian and Kurdish songs broaden the scope. Other elements may be more open to interpretation than the creators intend. The many columns standing on the long set (with the audience seated on both sides) made me think of classical temples, rather than the Armenian church they’re supposed to evoke.

Bur there’s no mistaking the vivid theatricality of the intensely focused physical explorations of cycles of inhumane degradation, violence, shattered psyches and rueful memories, tempered with genuine attempts to comfort or care for each other. The extraordinary Ditte Berkeley and Simona Sala anchor a riveting ensemble of women and men — many at times stripped to the waist — filling Zar’s desert temple installation with images of crashing bodies, cascading sand, men felling columns, imprisonment, imperiled babies and, yes, pomegranates.

“Armine,” the program tells us, represents Zar’s first attempt to add narrative to its work, unlike the more abstract “Gospels of Childhood” it brought to the festival in 2011. It would be hard to suss out an actual story. But as a tone poem, “Armine” has an unmistakably strong message and a richly expressive dramatic arc.

Robert Hurwitt is The San Francisco Chronicle’s theater critic. E-mail: rhurwitt@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @RobertHurwitt

WILD APPLAUSE Armine, Sister: Experimental drama. Created by Teatr Zar. Directed by Jaroslaw Fret. Through May 30. San Francisco International Arts Festival, Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason, S.F. 90 minutes. $30. (800) 838-3006. www.sfiaf.org.

ALERT VIEWER Kitty in the Lane: Solo drama. Written and performed by Áine Ryan. Through June 6. San Francisco International Arts Festival, Southside Theater, Building D, Fort Mason, S.F. 90 minutes. $20-$25. (800) 838-3006. www.sfiaf.org.

Source: SFGATE