Old and new ways
Parev, parev ! many stimulating events happening about armenians these last weeks, so i’m hurrying to write about them before being totally carried out by next waves of life !
Report on the Conciergerie’s exhibition on the 12 capitals of Armenia throught the long history of our ancient people : correct !
Mostly to show the architectural side of Armenia’s culture, there were also nice texts and explanations (with the help of the very sympathic Claude Mutafian, a franco-French celebrity amongst French-armenians who has done great works about our complex history). Some capitals were more documented than others but still it was a nice glance on us for visitors of the Conciergerie Monument.
I was a little scratched by the price of the entry ticket (8,50 €) that seemed way too expensive for what it was, mostly after having attended an excellent rich conference about Armenia's history, Christianism, the genocide and how all this explains today’s situation, 2 days before.
About this conference, Jean-Pierre Mahé talked for the 1st part, a french historian that get specialised in Caucasic questions, and Ara Krikorian, president of the FRA Dashnaksutioun (sorry i made a mistake while writing these post originally) developped the 2nd part explaining today's situation.
This conference was the 2nd one organised in Versailles by the organisation of Armenian veterans and resistants of France. The 1st conference had so much apoplexied Turkey that the Government gave up to labellise it under the Official Year of Armenia.
Why so much opposition ? simply because of the exceptional fact that for the fist time, it united representatives of all the oppressed minorities of Turkey (Greeks, Assyro-Chaldeans, Kurds). The informations given by all these squashed peoples showed another size of the ethnic purification followed by Turkey after the Armenian genocide, Ataturk and today’s Turkey. 100% racist idea engraved in Ataturk’s preamble of today’s Turkey Constitution : no other language, no other culture in Turkey than Turkish ones.
Here most of people hear about “democratic” Turkey, although Turkey’s in the hand of militars,
about “secular” (European laïcité) Turkey although the 80000 muftees of Turkish mosques are paid by the Government, their Friday sermon entirely dictated by the same Gvt, and when other religion are forbidden to be organised (you are free to believe and go in your church yes, but your church can’t buy lands, pay servants for maintaining the building, so if you disappear, nothing will remain),
about “tolerant” Turkey (!) that allows 30 min of Kurdish program on TV once a week in ordinary times like 4 or 5 early in the morning
ETC ... !!!
Mamma mia, so much to be said and learnt to open the narrow eyes of the World !
I know the big ones already perfectly know about all this, but if their people knew it too, this would be more efficient for the big ones “democratically” (not to say mystifically) elected to change their attitude.
Anyway Antoine Bagdikian, the president of the Armenian veterans of France, is a remarkable active person about finding those enlighting points that destroy one by one all the lies spread about this Turkey that show the microscopic window-shopping of Istanbul to prove the modern aspect of this strange country. A big file is to be documented about all this…
He also discovered that 2 statues of Château de Versailles gardens represent 2 of the ancient armenian Kings Drtad and Tigran. Something is being prepared to explain all this (the statues are in an alley of King’s statues, realised by Louis XIV), funny isn’t it ?
Ok I won’t squeeze your head more longer than to tell you how much I laughed, hearing the funny stories of the exams for getting the driving license in Turkey. Stories of my father and one of his friend who were passing their driving license "exam" in the 70’s (you pay it means you get it, even if you don’t even know writing the answers to the written exam, or start up the car). A real comic sketches on the comedy played by police, that I have been told the same day I had to spoke about all the previous points with Bagdikian and other colleagues of France Arménie. LOL
Sigh…
OK now i go to dodo (sleep)
CIAO !
Report on the Conciergerie’s exhibition on the 12 capitals of Armenia throught the long history of our ancient people : correct !
Mostly to show the architectural side of Armenia’s culture, there were also nice texts and explanations (with the help of the very sympathic Claude Mutafian, a franco-French celebrity amongst French-armenians who has done great works about our complex history). Some capitals were more documented than others but still it was a nice glance on us for visitors of the Conciergerie Monument.
I was a little scratched by the price of the entry ticket (8,50 €) that seemed way too expensive for what it was, mostly after having attended an excellent rich conference about Armenia's history, Christianism, the genocide and how all this explains today’s situation, 2 days before.
About this conference, Jean-Pierre Mahé talked for the 1st part, a french historian that get specialised in Caucasic questions, and Ara Krikorian, president of the FRA Dashnaksutioun (sorry i made a mistake while writing these post originally) developped the 2nd part explaining today's situation.
This conference was the 2nd one organised in Versailles by the organisation of Armenian veterans and resistants of France. The 1st conference had so much apoplexied Turkey that the Government gave up to labellise it under the Official Year of Armenia.
Why so much opposition ? simply because of the exceptional fact that for the fist time, it united representatives of all the oppressed minorities of Turkey (Greeks, Assyro-Chaldeans, Kurds). The informations given by all these squashed peoples showed another size of the ethnic purification followed by Turkey after the Armenian genocide, Ataturk and today’s Turkey. 100% racist idea engraved in Ataturk’s preamble of today’s Turkey Constitution : no other language, no other culture in Turkey than Turkish ones.
Here most of people hear about “democratic” Turkey, although Turkey’s in the hand of militars,
about “secular” (European laïcité) Turkey although the 80000 muftees of Turkish mosques are paid by the Government, their Friday sermon entirely dictated by the same Gvt, and when other religion are forbidden to be organised (you are free to believe and go in your church yes, but your church can’t buy lands, pay servants for maintaining the building, so if you disappear, nothing will remain),
about “tolerant” Turkey (!) that allows 30 min of Kurdish program on TV once a week in ordinary times like 4 or 5 early in the morning
ETC ... !!!
Mamma mia, so much to be said and learnt to open the narrow eyes of the World !
I know the big ones already perfectly know about all this, but if their people knew it too, this would be more efficient for the big ones “democratically” (not to say mystifically) elected to change their attitude.
Anyway Antoine Bagdikian, the president of the Armenian veterans of France, is a remarkable active person about finding those enlighting points that destroy one by one all the lies spread about this Turkey that show the microscopic window-shopping of Istanbul to prove the modern aspect of this strange country. A big file is to be documented about all this…
He also discovered that 2 statues of Château de Versailles gardens represent 2 of the ancient armenian Kings Drtad and Tigran. Something is being prepared to explain all this (the statues are in an alley of King’s statues, realised by Louis XIV), funny isn’t it ?
Ok I won’t squeeze your head more longer than to tell you how much I laughed, hearing the funny stories of the exams for getting the driving license in Turkey. Stories of my father and one of his friend who were passing their driving license "exam" in the 70’s (you pay it means you get it, even if you don’t even know writing the answers to the written exam, or start up the car). A real comic sketches on the comedy played by police, that I have been told the same day I had to spoke about all the previous points with Bagdikian and other colleagues of France Arménie. LOL
Sigh…
OK now i go to dodo (sleep)
CIAO !
posted by Jilda at 12:38 AM
2 Comments:
Turkey, as any other country, is full of contrasts, combining really bad stuff with rather hopeful developments, especially in the minds of a new and educated generation. But then a part of that generation is devoutedly religious, which cannot but be worrisome. But then there are courageous Turkish historians who risk their freedom for the chance to rectify their own history (as was done memorably by one of them - sitting next to Peter Balakian - in the debate with deniers on the American Public Television last year). The fact is that there is NO monolithic Turkey nowadays, and it's becoming more and more intellectually diverse.
And so, anybody who pictures modern Turkey in one color - BLACK, is dishonest and does the Armenian cause disservice, because you cannot promote any cause based on a lie (that much we should know quite well from the currently embattled Turkish government).
True, just would like to also remember that in the same logic, anybody who is describing Turkey as WHITE is dishonest and suspicious.
In France, it can easily be saw that 95% of the time Turkey is describe as only white. Mainly because Turkey has the means of a state negationism to entertain this illusion and because of a certain coward passivity.
So Armenian's and other victims of Turkey's acts have to work on putting those serious problems under the limelights, in an objective debate, and in peace of course.
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