Cloned: Armenia goes Arabic over wildly popular soap opera
By Marianna Grigoryan ArmeniaNow reporter
armenianow.com
June 18, 2004
Questions of whether Armenia is ” Middle East”, “Central Asian”,
“EurAsian” , etc. might find an answer every day at noon and 6:30 p.m.
If the popularity of the Arabic-centered television serial “Clone”
is an indication, Armenia is crazy for the East.
In Yerevan, the soap opera is having an influence on fashion, on music,
and, probably, on household dinner times.
“Clone” is a Brazilian-produced serial set in 1980s Morocco, about
a love affair between a Brazilian man and an Arabic girl, about a
cloned boy, about the differences between Eastern and Western morals
and manners, about the bright life of the East, followed by bright
Arabic dances and stories of the Koran. Essentially, the ingredients
for 45 minutes, five times a week (10 if you count rebroadcast), of
distracting Armenian viewers from anything except what will happen
to Lucas, Jade, Said, Uncle Ali, Latifa and others.
The program, which is shown in 20 countries, first appeared in Armenia
in February of this year. Now, according to the chief translator
(“Clone” is taped in Portuguese) for the Armenian version, 80 percent
of the republic’s soap opera fans tune in.
“When watching it one has to be stable mentally in order not to
be carried away by Islam and not to become attracted by eastern
customs,” translator Vahe Mkhitaryan says, joking. “However, not
everyone manages to do that. We, too, have become half Islamic.”
Which is okay with sellers in Armenia’s bazaars, where Arabic “slave
rings” and other jewelry have become a fad, and Arabic music is
in demand.
In some yards in Yerevan, children greet each other with ” Salam
Aleikum,” and the reply of “Aleikum Salam,” just like in the show. Some
are “learning” belly dancing, mimicking the moves from characters in
the soap opera.
Dressmakers are feeling the impact of “Clone” madness.
“During each series we always receive orders of clothes like the ones
its characters wear,” says dressmaker Nektar Bagratunyan . “Thank God,
I haven’t yet received an order of a yashmak, but at markets there
already are dresses with yashmaks on mannequins. We receive orders of
long eastern style dresses which are made from falling and sometimes
sparkling fabric.”
So are Armenian girls going Arabic?
“If during the previous series girls tried to look like Brazilian
characters with their curly hair, then after this series people are
trying to copy everything beginning with clothes and decorations up
to dances and words,” says Manushak Soghomonyan, 16, who is wearing
Arabic jewelry. “I want to be like them, too.”
Among popular items is a “slave” ring, a piece of jewelry that
connects the finger with the wrist by a chain and typically decorated
with stone.
For from 1,500 to 3,000 drams (about $3 to $6), merchants assure
customers the buyers can look just like the TV characters.
And with the image goes the music . . .
Clone jewelry “We don’t even manage to place the cassettes with
the music from ‘Clone’ on the displays and every tradesman sells at
least 50 tapes per day which could seem something impossible for us
before,” says
Armen, a tapes seller at Malatia-Sebastia market.
“We’re very pleased with those who show the series, since thanks to
it we have had an opportunity to make some good money,” he says. “I
don’t remember something like this happening before. It seems like
people are hypnotized and it doesn’t have an age limit.”
Shake Galstyan, 23, says the soap opera is a cultural education.
“Everything is presented in such a nice and interesting way that you
always want to listen to stories of the Koran and get to know the
customs of the Islamic world,” she says.
“Proaganda,” says Father Shahe Hyrapetyan, of St. Sargis Church. “This
series is directly against our religion and faith.”
Maybe. But it is religiously being observed 10 times a week on
television and in the markets of Armenia.