Returning
Snow yesterday, and sun today, lightening all of us ! :o)))
The festivities of the Year of Armenia has begun this week in my town Clamart. So for once, I only had to take my shoes and walk 3 minuts, to go to the projection of a moving new documentary-film specifically programmed for the “Year of Armenia” : “Retourner” de Serge Avédikian (French Armenian actor & film maker), followed by a debate with Avédikian who was there to present the film.
By the way, let me tell you that the Year of Armenia is a HUGE success in France : more than 700 events or official programms organised like the one of Clamart. Even the Government is surprised with this excellent performance of the little country Armenia, just as big as Belgium or a French Region like Bretagne. To make you clearly understand this success : imagine that the previous years, the giant countries China and Brasil didn’t record any equivalent affluence of events and public !
Of course, all this is helping Armenia and Armenians. Just like me last tuesday evening, simple everyday life people can go in their own town with minimun efforts to discover Armenia and Armenians . Getsé Us !
So, about Avédikian’s new documentary : it’s a precious new step on the path of dialogue with Turkey, and more specifically with Turks individuals. It’s a documentary based on Avédikian’s story, about the 3 travels he made in 1987, 2003 and 2005 to see the village where his grand-father was born and was deplaced from by the genocide, and which is now in Turkey, Sölöz (now named Yeni Sölöz – meaning new Sölöz) near Bursa.
He met the present inhabitants of the village, muslims whose grand parents had been themselves deplaced from Chypria for being installed there in Sölöz after Armenians “leaving”. He found traces of Armenian works, Armenian graved stones recovered by dust, ground, vegetation, or cement (deeply moving moments, I remembered my own obsession of stones when I discovered Armenia last year).
He asked the people what they knew about the story of the Armenians living there before, what happened to them. Various reactions of more or less strong hostility amongst authorities (that had to be swindled sometimes).
But amongst simple people who accepted the dialogue - and there has been some - most of the time incredulity about the fact that it has been a genocide. As Avédikian told after that, all the explanation begin with the same “There was War…”. It’s sometimes aggravating to hear the same hesitations and truth-erasing explanations. But Avédikian surely put some doubt in the mind of those people, who also see what’s happening outside the country, and what is said about the Armenians.
The film left a strange feeling of frustration “is that all?”. For the moment yes, cause it’s not so easy to do much more, but it’s the way things begin.
The explanations also given by Avédikian on Sölöz and the film making : how the 3 different turkish translators who accompanied him reacted when they had to do that job for him, how the mayor of Sölöz has been swindled the first time in 1987, and then accepted them in 2005 but finally tried to stop the day after, and how there had been swindling again. All this was eloquent about how Turks are manipulated and controlled in the use of their freedom.
Without objectivity.And how much work is to be done for the progress of Turkey’s recognition : before the State, it’s certainly more easily by the people that the recognition will have to do its way. This was also the aim of Fethiye Cetin who managed to publish the great book of her Armenian grandmother, and of Hrant Dink’s work of education toward Turkish society.
+ A nice book launched about Armenia today, in its polymorphic diaspora and in Armenia itself, still thanks to the Year of Armenia
+ Satisfying news about Gül’s vexation with Pelosi in US, hehe…
Ciao, ciao !
The festivities of the Year of Armenia has begun this week in my town Clamart. So for once, I only had to take my shoes and walk 3 minuts, to go to the projection of a moving new documentary-film specifically programmed for the “Year of Armenia” : “Retourner” de Serge Avédikian (French Armenian actor & film maker), followed by a debate with Avédikian who was there to present the film.
By the way, let me tell you that the Year of Armenia is a HUGE success in France : more than 700 events or official programms organised like the one of Clamart. Even the Government is surprised with this excellent performance of the little country Armenia, just as big as Belgium or a French Region like Bretagne. To make you clearly understand this success : imagine that the previous years, the giant countries China and Brasil didn’t record any equivalent affluence of events and public !
Of course, all this is helping Armenia and Armenians. Just like me last tuesday evening, simple everyday life people can go in their own town with minimun efforts to discover Armenia and Armenians . Getsé Us !
So, about Avédikian’s new documentary : it’s a precious new step on the path of dialogue with Turkey, and more specifically with Turks individuals. It’s a documentary based on Avédikian’s story, about the 3 travels he made in 1987, 2003 and 2005 to see the village where his grand-father was born and was deplaced from by the genocide, and which is now in Turkey, Sölöz (now named Yeni Sölöz – meaning new Sölöz) near Bursa.
He met the present inhabitants of the village, muslims whose grand parents had been themselves deplaced from Chypria for being installed there in Sölöz after Armenians “leaving”. He found traces of Armenian works, Armenian graved stones recovered by dust, ground, vegetation, or cement (deeply moving moments, I remembered my own obsession of stones when I discovered Armenia last year).
He asked the people what they knew about the story of the Armenians living there before, what happened to them. Various reactions of more or less strong hostility amongst authorities (that had to be swindled sometimes).
But amongst simple people who accepted the dialogue - and there has been some - most of the time incredulity about the fact that it has been a genocide. As Avédikian told after that, all the explanation begin with the same “There was War…”. It’s sometimes aggravating to hear the same hesitations and truth-erasing explanations. But Avédikian surely put some doubt in the mind of those people, who also see what’s happening outside the country, and what is said about the Armenians.
The film left a strange feeling of frustration “is that all?”. For the moment yes, cause it’s not so easy to do much more, but it’s the way things begin.
The explanations also given by Avédikian on Sölöz and the film making : how the 3 different turkish translators who accompanied him reacted when they had to do that job for him, how the mayor of Sölöz has been swindled the first time in 1987, and then accepted them in 2005 but finally tried to stop the day after, and how there had been swindling again. All this was eloquent about how Turks are manipulated and controlled in the use of their freedom.
Without objectivity.And how much work is to be done for the progress of Turkey’s recognition : before the State, it’s certainly more easily by the people that the recognition will have to do its way. This was also the aim of Fethiye Cetin who managed to publish the great book of her Armenian grandmother, and of Hrant Dink’s work of education toward Turkish society.
+ A nice book launched about Armenia today, in its polymorphic diaspora and in Armenia itself, still thanks to the Year of Armenia
+ Satisfying news about Gül’s vexation with Pelosi in US, hehe…
Ciao, ciao !
posted by Jilda at 5:23 PM
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