ARMENIA: SOCIALISM IN ONE VILLAGE
Marianna Grigoryan

EurasiaNet, NY
Nov 8 2006

"Long Live Communism!," "Long Live Socialism!," "Long Live the Great
October Revolution!" In the Armenian village of Lernamerdz, about 40
kilometers from Yerevan, communism and its triumphant proclamations
are not a dim recollection. They are a way of life.

In Soviet times, there were reportedly only seven communists in
Lernamerdz, a hamlet of over 500 residents. But the situation changed
after Armenia gained independence in 1991, and began to dismantle
monuments to communist leaders, villagers say.

Amidst the economic hardships and political uncertainties of
independence, Lernamerdz Communist Party Secretary Samvel Mirzoyan
says, the village began to see socialism as their sole support.

"They say the country has become independent, but from what?"

commented villager Azat Barseghyan. "Once we were dependent on
Russia, and lived well… [T]oday we depend on the whole world and
are struggling to survive."

"The example of Lernamerdz is a good illustration of what great
results people’s unity and rallying around a common idea can bring,"
said Armenian Communist Party First Secretary Ruben Tovmasyan. "The
powerful ideology of socialism cannot die. It can retreat for a while,
but it is certain to come back and triumph." Communist Party membership
in Armenia currently stands at about 18,000 members; the party has
no seats in parliament.

The lack of political muscle does little to dissuade these villagers,
though. Nearly 15 years after the fall of the Soviet Union, the first
toast at birthday and wedding parties here is in honor of Vladimir
Lenin. Unlike elsewhere in Armenia, schoolchildren are familiar with
communist holidays, and can recite by heart poetry dedicated to the
now much-maligned leader of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.

And as in Soviet times, November 7, the anniversary of that
revolution, remains cause for official celebration, with Communist
Party representatives from nearby towns and the party’s national
leadership on hand to congratulate villagers.

"Our leader is with us, hurrah!" ring out the cries of villagers
applauding a silvery two-ton statue of Lenin that stands in the center
of the village. The monument, adorned with a red banner that proclaims
"Proletarians of All Countries, Unite!," arrived only in 1997. It is
repaired every year to maintain its appearance.

The central government’s enthusiasm for the festivities runs thin,
however. Villagers told EurasiaNet that the government had changed
the principal of the Lernamerdz school and forbidden children to
come to school in red scarves, or to take part in the November 7
celebration. But some still attended.

"The spirit of communism is in this village," commented Sofik
Manukyan, second secretary of the Echmiadzin city branch of the
Armenian Communist Party.

Even so, that "spirit" has so far done little to improve living
conditions for village inhabitants. Unemployment still looms large.

Some 150 people have left Lernamerdz in the past few years, said
villager Barseghyan. Twenty-three houses have had their doors locked
for years, he added.

Nonetheless, optimism for a better life persists. It is all just a
matter of time, villagers say.

"When communism returns to Armenia, people will lead a happy life,"
concluded 41-year-old Rostam Avdalyan. "Everyone will be happy then
and the sun will shine brightly."

Editor’s Note: Marianna Grigoryan is a reporter for the Armenianow.com
weekly in Yerevan. Onnik Krikorian is a freelance journalist and
photographer from the United Kingdom based in the Republic of
Armenia. He works for a variety of publications and international
organizations.