THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE: AN EVENT, AND A MOVEMENT
New California Media, CA
April 25 2006
New America Media, Q&A, Peter Micek, Apr 24, 2006
Editor’s Note: Armenians across the world march on April 24, 2006,
in remembrance of the Armenian Genocide, the systematic slaughter of
1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1917 in Turkey. Hayg Oshagan,
an Armenian born in Lebanon who came to the United States in 1975,
is the director of the Graduate Program of the Dept. of Communication
at Wayne State University in Detroit. Oshagan is behind the effort to
have the genocide taught in U.S. curriculum. He talked to NAM staff
writer Pete Micek.
NAM: Why is the Armenian Genocide remembered at this time of year?
Hayg Oshagan: Traditionally, the 24th of April is the day and the
month we commemorate this genocide in history. It’s the day in
1915 when Turkey rounded up the intellectual leadership of Armenia
and took them to their death. The roundup of politicians, priests,
writers and community leaders left the community leaderless afterward
for the genocide to unfold. It’s one day among many, but we pick that
day to do it.
Q: Is there more momentum for the cause now or in the last couple
of years?
A: Last year was the 90th anniversary, so we did a special effort
last year. We commemorate this every year. Since the 50th year,
it’s been one of the key days on the Armenian calendar.
[Without the genocide] there would be no Armenians in the United States
practically speaking, and none outside Armenia. The genocide creates
the diaspora, so the diaspora remembers and confirms its existence,
its present and affirms its future as well. We are not going anywhere
and we are not going to forget what happened to us.
Q: Has the movement or struggle been going on for a while?
A: Just after the genocide, the community had no energy. The struggle
really took off in earnest at the 50th commemoration. Since then every
Armenian community commemorates the genocide not purely as a moment
of sorrow and sadness at lost relatives, but also a political moment,
as a demand for justice.
I know there will be demonstrations in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, the
United States, France, Greece, Lebanon, Russia, Germany, Iceland —
demonstrators will be everywhere Armenians are. This is the moment
it’s recognized, and commemorated.
In Armenia, a hundred thousand or so will march to a symbolic gravesite
to commemorate Armenians’ deaths.
Q: You are involved in many Armenian organizations in the United
States?
A: Yes. One issue we are dealing with is having newspapers use the
term genocide. It’s a subtle issue we have. The style books say to
call it a massacre. This is one of the ways the Turkish government
has been changing the terms of debates. A couple of years ago, the New
York Times chose to use the term genocide and later the Boston Globe.
The difference between massacre and genocide is huge. Both involve a
lot of people killed, but genocide is a state killing, state-mandated,
state-structured and carried out. It is very different. Turks are
willing to use the word massacre, but not genocide.
Q: The recent documentary on PBS (“The Armenian Genocide,” directed
by Andrew Goldberg) mentioned the origins of the term genocide.
A: It was created after World War II and has been applied to many of
these [events]. The United Nations has a definition. There have been a
few genocides — Armenia, the Jews, the Rwandans — and unfortunately
it’s probably not a list that will be closed, but added to. It points
a finger at the state. It clearly finds the state to be responsible
for it. It essentially deals with an entire population.
There are hardly any Armenians left in Turkey, whereas all Armenians
were in Turkey before. How does [that] happen?
Q: Was your family caught in the genocide?
A: Both sides were, my mother’s and father’s. Both escaped, my
mother’s side through money, my father’s by running. My grandfather
was one of the people who would have been picked up on April 24,
1915. He was on the list. They told him the night before, “Don’t
sleep in your apartment tonight.” He was one of the leading novelists
of the Armenians of the generation. He didn’t stay. For the next two
years, he would run. He eventually made his way out of Istanbul into
Bulgaria. He married and my father was born.
Q: Do history books mention the genocide?
A: In a number of states, we’ve made an effort to have the board
of education adopt a genocide curriculum to have teachers deal
with it for one day, or one week. We refer to this as the Genocide
Curriculum. San Francisco has it. [Armenians there] talked to the
school district, so they have materials available. Believe me, it’s
not an easy thing to do. States can mandate it, but it means nothing
at a local level. The Turkish state has brought a lawsuit against
our curriculum in Massachusetts. So we have to deal with that as well.
But by and large it’s not taught in schools. Overall, there is no
treatment in history books, at the high school level.
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