Youth and Democracy in Armenia

I just sent a bunch of young adult novels to Armenia the other day. I took the liberty of sending the items Fed Ex, so I hope they get there. I have been praying and at the office daily tracking the package. As of yesterday, the package was in Paris! I did not know anyone going to Armenia right now and I desperately needed to get the books over there because I am starting an on-line novel study with a group of eighth grade students in Chicago and a group of eighth grade students at school # 43 in Erebouni. One of the teachers at that school and I planned the project over the summer and I am so anxious to get it going. We are planning on having on-line discussions about three different novels between the two groups.

The premise of the project is to introduce to students three different perspectives on ideas associated with freedom. A cross-cultural perspective of this topic is necessary since I did not want to limit the study solely to the United State's perspective on this subject. There are many other countries or ideas associated with this topic.

The three books are: 1. The Giver-which is a story about a utopian society where one's life status in assigned. The main character catches on to this ploy and realizes that choice is not apparent but yet essential. 2. My Brother Sam Is Dead- not as dark as the title represents. This story has to do with the American Revolution and how two brothers are involved with the struggle of war and freedom. 3. This last book is about an Indian princess who is confronted with respecting her religion and father's wishes or making decisions according to her own feelings.

I hope this project takes off because I was amazed this summer when I was talking to some of my students and they still were not aware of what living in a democracy means. I was talking to one of the students after a field trip to the zoo. We all know the conditions of the zoo, so I asked the student what he would do to make changes at the zoo. His reply was, " we can't make changes here, the government does everything." I was in awe because apparently, educational reform on this topic is existent, but weak. The literature discusses how all these NGO's are creating re-training programs in the schools, but obviously these ideas are only at the surface. These ideas are important for Armenia's youth; especially if the society is going to progress politically, economically, and socially. The Nov. 27th Referendum is a good test for this cause- will corruption or democracy prevail?

The long-awaited Hypnotize

Ah, November 22nd, the anticipated date for the release of Hypnotize - part II of System of a Down's Dual CD Release this year. I picked it up today and the packaging truly made sense in the end. It actually was a really cool approach to the entire concept of the dual CD. The way they were release, and the albums came together was artful. The actual art all over it completed the theme.

Anyway, do I even need to say it? The album is GREAT! The music is masterful and non-compromising as promised. Though as the billboard review of the CD states, it lost it's shock value. Well, if you listen to System for shock, you are missing the genius of it all. The genius is in the crafted music. If you went to a show and wondered why there was no encore, you should have been focusing on the music. If you were waiting for them to talk about their personal lives, should have focused on the music. If you expected anything unrelated to the music, you should have focused. That's what it's all about.

Having said that, Hypnotize comes with a DVD special feature that includes behind the scenes of recording the dual CD. It seemed an unnecessary poor quality addition to a CD that needs nothing else. Some of the discussions they had while making the albums were interesting to hear in that it explains what they were thinking on some of this stuff, but otherwise nothing special. Two videos were also included which is nice, but again, just a distraction from the musical experience.

So I checked into iTunes only to see Hypnotize listed as the #1 selling album of the day. Good for them. Hope you all go out and BUY the album and appreciate it as much as I do.

LAV ELI- Notes from Vanadzor:Urban Armenian Rock

About LAV ELI-
Liner Notes by Raffi Meneshian

I remember the day fairly well. It was the end of May 2001 at Ashot Margarian’s Blues Bar somewhere around the outskirts of Yerevan, Armenia when I witnessed the last chapter of the great Vanazor, Armenia rock scene unfolding before me. And, it was all by accident.

A tall lanky local Armenian kid with an electric guitar in his hand walked up to the stage followed by a Peace Corp volunteer from Hartwick, NY. They played a few numbers and promptly delved into some English pop music to the tune of “Down Under” by Men at Work. I wasn’t really impressed by the music, instead focusing on the commotion going on in the audience. A healthy mix of locals and American Peace Corp volunteers were hitting the dance floor hard with plenty of drinks to go around. Suddenly the door opened and a small, compact, distinguished looking fellow came into bar and took a seat in the back of the room. The crowd of about 100 inside the bar erupted into spontaneous applause and suddenly the chants began. LAV ELI, LAV ELI, LAV ELI!

Since the term “Lav Eli” has many meanings in Armenia, I had no clue what was going on around me. After the band onstage finished playing their set, they hopped off the stage and the tall, lanky, kid walked over to the table where the commotion was aimed at and shook the hand of the man who just walked through the door. At that moment, the place went nuts and again the chanting began. LAV ELI, LAV ELI, LAV ELI. The pair walked toward the front of the room, picked up their guitars, and went onstage joining the house band. The two friends and former band members from the earthquake devastated city of Vanazor, Armenia were finally back together after a 2 year hiatus from their legendary rock creation, LAV ELI. They played a few numbers and then left the stage to a thunderous applause.

LAV ELI is a rock band from Vanazor, Armenia that was formed in 1996 by Mher Manoukyan and Gor Mkhitarian. Previously from the band SNACK, they picked up two members from the group ALQ in David Grigoryan and Vahe Terteryan and formed their classic lineup for a demo recording in 1997 entitled “The First Lav Album”. This limited edition cassette of two hundred units was printed in Armenia and had twenty-one songs- ten in English and eleven in Armenian. It became a local underground classic in the hands of kids and adults alike who craved an original Western rock sound that was homegrown and Armenian. In 1999, another LAV ELI recording was made in the name of “Essays”, this time with the help of a local Armenian rock champion named Artyom Ayvazyan who gave it heavy radio airplay on the influential Yerevan based Radio Burg program on 107.1 FM. Although the recording was never released in any format, burned copies of the “Essay” sessions passed hands within a dedicated rock music listening mass throughout Armenia. Suddenly, the rock quartet was playing in medium sized venues throughout Yerevan in addition to appearances on TV on shows such as the popular “Rubicon” and “Barev”. Their frequent radio play yielded hits such as “The Traveler’s Song” and “I Found You In Heaven”. Even though there still was no widespread commercial outlet to purchase their music, their popularity grew via the live shows, TV appearances, and general media exposure. Suddenly, in December of 1999, it all ended with a difference of opinion between band members on how the group should parlay their success going forward.

The history of this album you have in your hands stems from that one night in May 2001. The compact, distinguished looking man who walked through the door was Mher Manoukyan, the chief lyricist and a creative force behind the group. The tall, lanky kid onstage was Gor Mkhitarian who would go on to achieve modest fame as an Armenian world music solo artist who debuted on my own Pomegranate Music label through two albums, “Yeraz” and “Godfather Tom: Music from the Armenian Underground”. The Peace Corp volunteer on stage with Gor was Aaron Stayman, who would end up being Gor’s main collaborator during his Armenia recording sessions.

“Notes from Vanazor: Urban Armenian Rock” has its own unique history. After the Gor “Yeraz” sessions, and right before the “Godfather Tom” sessions in Armenia, Gor proposed a new project. He wanted to capture a piece of his own past while reconnecting with Mher, David, and Vahe, the original LAV ELI lineup. I went ahead and greenlit the project and in December of 2001, the project was started. They recorded music on and off over a period of fourteen months picking their very best material for a tight ten track album. The master was delivered to me in Boston, USA during February of 2003 ready to print. Everything was ready to go. However, as is the case with many independent world music labels after the digital revolution, we didn’t have the funds to release the CD and the project was shelved indefinitely.

In the two years that have passed since I received the master CD, Gor Mkhitarian and Vahe Terteryan have since relocated to the Los Angeles area. Mher Manoukyan lives and works in Yerevan, Armenia with David Grigoryan commuting between Vanazor and Yerevan working and playing in various bands. While the musicians have gone their separate ways, the LAV ELI sessions represented a second chance for a unique part of Armenian rock history to be recorded with the benefit of hindsight from all of its members. Although it may be hard to believe, “Notes from Vanazor: Urban Armenian Rock” is the first commercially released CD from the band that music enthusiasts can finally purchase and enjoy. Four years after the first note was recorded, and nearly ten years after the band was formed, here we are.

A Pomegranate Music Production
FEATURING THE SONG: SPRING HAS COME
Produced by Lav Eli
Executive Producer: RM
Street Date: December 20, 2005
Pre Order and Online Listening Samples at CD Baby: December 1, 2005
Copyrights and Publishing Rights: Lav Eli 2005
Exclusively Manufactured, Marketed, and Distributed by Pomegranate Music
Design Team: Gayaneh Alexanyan- Armenia; Arsineh Khachikian- USA
Cover Design: Arsineh Khachikian
Photos: Winslow Martin
Special Consultant: Aramazd Ghalamkharyan
Recording Engineer: Mika Margarian
Recorded in Yerevan, Armenia December 2001-January 2003

Adventures of MySpace

I have finally gotten around to discovering the wonders of myspace.com and created my own space. What I quickly realized is that it is still a very LA-centric concept. I looked for friends and only found friends from LA. Where are my East Coast peeps? I'm not usually interested in this kind of stuff... especially because I'm not interested in searching for a husband online. But it serves a better purpose I guess: keeping in touch with friends... especially Armenians across the world, that is if they create a myspace.

So please visit me at www.myspace.com/arskhach

Otherwise, I have withdrawn quite a bit from the community events and have focused my energy back on myself lately. This explains the lack of logs lately. I'm working on my "Buy Armenian for Xmas" list right now and hope to get that out this week. But there just isn't much going on worth writing about, so I'll spare you all and cut myself off here.

Three Turks... and 2015

Yesterday I attended a conference called "Three Turkish Voices on the Ottoman Armenians", organized by the UCLA Armenian Educational Foundation Chair. Three professors -- Taner Akcam (Univ. of Minnesota) who spoke about his new assessment of Ottoman documents, Elif Shafak (Univ. of Arizona) who spoke about Memory and Literature, and Fatma Muge Gocek (Univ. of Michigan) who spoke about the recent Istanbul conference on Ottoman Armenians.

My friend and I got there somewhat early (well-for Armenians...hahaha), and as it neared 2pm, the hall was PACKED! The first speaker began his presentation, as people sat all over the hall (a large science classroom), sitting on the stairs, behind the speaker on the podium, and even blocking all the doors. (And apparently, there were still a few hundred people outside). --Later they opened the hall next door and people were able to sit there and listen to the speakers.

Each presenter spoke about their research and their ideas. (As a disclaimer - they all said WAY more than I will be writing about - but I'm just putting down SOME of the stuff that stuck out in my head).

Taner Akcam presented his assessment of Ottoman documents which "prove" that a systematic Genocide did indeed take place, and that Armenian deportees were treated quite differently. He presented a part of the Young Turks' plan to re-shuffle the entire empire.... giving priority to Muslims. He spoke about how FAST the Armenian villages were repopulated after the Armenians were deported (often times in about a week or so), by bringing in Kurds who had to have already been well on their way. He pointed out how detailed and specific these plans were, and how carefully they were carried out. For example, he mentioned that each repopulated area should not have more than 5-10% of the same ethnic group (i.e. kurds, Armenians, etc.) - and the main idea behind that was so that assimilation could take place much faster. He spoke of documents which prove the plans of taking Armenian girls, marrying them to muslim men, and what the last speaker said as a sociologist proved this - because she said recently, many turks have found out that their grandmothers were in fact Armenian.

Elif Shafak spoke about memory and the important of oral tradition - as well as literature. She said that she focused on Armenian female writer, Zabel Yesayan. She pointed out the transition of Zabel's writing. Zabel belonged to an upper class family in Istanbul, and had studied in Europe and had all these independent ideas. After the 1909 Adana massacres, she was sent by the Patriarch to report what was left in Adana. Prof. Shafak points out the change in Zabel, after she goes to Adana and sees the horrific sights, but stresses that even then Zabel believed that Armenians and Turks could live together. Later, after escaping the Genocide and living in Baku, Zabel realizes that what she believed earlier was not possible. She changes from this liberal, independent woman, to someone who identifies and belongs with the collective - Armenians. Prof. Shafak also talks about oral history, and how an 18 year old Armenian today has a CLEAR connection with history, but for an 18 year old Turk, history is abstract... it is not as REAL as it is for the Armenian. She spoke about how literature shapes the identities of people - and brought the example of a famous Turkish writer (didn't catch his name) who would write stories about these fictional nationalistic characters - and the basis of the stories are to promote nationalistic ideals in readers. The professor also asks herself about the reactions (or non-actions) of the Turkish intellectuals living in Turkey, during the time that all the Armenian intellectuals were taken away and killed.

Fatma Muge Gocek spoke about the recent Istanbul Conference on Ottoman Armenians. She told the story of how the conference was to take place on another occasion, but was canceled. She spoke of her personal experience as a Turkish scholar, being attacked by journalists in her own country. Also, how her parents' friends reacted to her speak on "behalf" of Armenians. She had even been approached by Turkish journalists, asking her how much she gets paid from Armenian diasporans for telling all these lies. (and she was laughing - saying, please we should let her know which account we are putting all this money in.. :)

All the speakers were very interesting, and it was encouraging to hear Turkish scholars speaking openly and frankly about the Armenian Genocide. I did notice a few things and have a few thoughts...

a) The second speaker, Elif Shafak, didn't say the word "genocide" once! I'm not saying she meant to do that, but it's just something little that I noticed.
b) Both Taner Akcam and Fatma Muge Gocek spoke about how they believe the Genocide will be recognized by the Turkish government by 2015 (coincidence that it's 100 years after the Genocide, or the year they expect to enter the EU??).
c) Even though I'm ---well there are no words to the feeling -- that I got to see (and will see) an independent Armenia AND the recognition of the Armenian Genocide in my lifetime... I can't help to think about what recognition will bring for our people - not only in the diaspora but in Armenia as well. How will the government of Armenia lead the nation and its people abroad, during this VERY critical time??? I also wonder about the next Armenian elections. Those are going to be the leaders who will rule at the time of recognition....what will be their opinions? what will be their actions?
d) Also, a question was asked to the speakers about reparations and our lands.... but there was no time for them to answer. It made ME think about it. Will we be given what is rightfully ours? Will other Armenians demand reparations and lands?
e) Fatma Muge Gocek, said at the end of her presentation that she could only wish that in the future... in 2015, when the Genocide is recognized, Armenians and Turks could finally live together in a democratic Turkish nation. Is that REALLY possible? And regardless of whether it's possible or not... are we willing to do that?

There are sooooo many questions and thoughts. But, somehow I think the steps are being taken in the right direction. I believe it is up to us, and especially the ruling Armenian government to decide where those steps should be headed. So much more to say.... not enough time to blog them all :)

For now...
TSUH! :)
p.s. - since the comments are turned off, if you'd like to comment, you can email me at shooshigavakian@hotmail.com :)