INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR GENOCIDE AND HUMAN RIGHTS STUDIES
(A Division of the Zoryan Institute)
255 Duncan Mill Rd., Suite 310
Toronto, ON, Canada M3B 3H9
Tel: 416-250-9807 Fax: 416-512-1736 E-mail:
[email protected]
www.genocidestud ies.org
PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT: Torrey Swan
DATE: June 8, 2007 Tel:
416-250-9807
Genocide, Memory, Understanding and Prevention: An Interview with the
Zoryan Institute on the Genocide and Human Rights University Program
Toronto, Canada– As the subject of genocide continues to grip young
Armenians, Nor Hai Horizon’s Armenian Youth Television recently
interviewed two staff from the International Institute for Genocide and
Human Rights Studies (A Division of the Zoryan Institute) about their
renowned Genocide and Human Rights University (GHRUP) Program. The following is
a transcript of the interview, which aired on Saturday June 3, 2007.
Armenian Youth Television (AYTV): We have with us today Torrey Swan and
Aren Sarikyan from the International Institute for Genocide and Human
Rights Studies which is a Division of the Zoryan Institute, an Institute
engaged in running a university program that deals with the gross
violation of human rights and genocide.
Welcome gentlemen, now first off, what is the idea behind the Genocide
and Human Rights University Program?
Torrey: Well, the program confronts the reality of genocide, so
important today, as it is still with us, in Darfur, as we speak.
Surprisingly, there was no program addressing the gross violation of
human rights and genocide from an interdisciplinary perspective and
comparative approach, so the Institute sought to fill this gap.
Basically, the idea is that we can learn many lessons from the past and
put them towards preventing genocide.
Aren: For me, as an Armenian, the Genocide is a living, burning issue.
It has shaped our current reality, become an integral part of our
identity and still impacts current events.
Consider, for example, Turkey’s bid to join the European Union, or
countries like Germany and France passing laws recognizing the Armenian
Genocide and drafting laws that punish its denial. The Genocide is still
dividing Turkish society, as the assassination of Hrant Dink has shown,
and the border between Turkey and Armenia is closed. These events show
us that the Genocide is not just part of our memory, but that of our
present, and so we developed a program to study it.
AYTV: Very Interesting. Torrey, what is this program and what are its
main features?
Torrey: Well it’s a two-week graduate-level course, directed by Prof.
Emeritus Roger W. Smith and accredited through a partnership with the
University of Minnesota. It provides a comparative analysis of several
genocides with the Armenian case, as the point of reference. The
professors not only teach the how, what, where and why of genocide, but
also the impact it has on women, children, and victim groups.
Aren: Furthermore, it addresses gripping issues in international law,
about third parties, bystanders, denial, as well as the possibilities of
reconciliation and prevention.
AYTV: I see. So why would students be willing to give up two weeks of
their summer to study this gruesome subject?
Torrey: Where else in one class could students find Rwandan Hutus and
Tutsis, Germans and Jews, Armenians and Turks, amongst others, sitting
side by side? Imagine the dynamics that take place as these students
learn and debate with a dozen of the world’s foremost experts in the
field: such as Taner Akçam, Vahakn Dadrian, and Yair Auron, to name a
few. In two weeks, they cover 65 hours of instruction, which cannot be
taught during a whole semester.
Aren: This program appeals to a wide variety of students from the
humanities, social sciences, law, etc. Most graduates have continued on
in the field as scholars, educators, and activists. Over the past five
years 150 students of 19 nationalities have attended the program from
five continents.
AYTV: What was involved in creating the program?
Torrey: Initially, it took a Development Committee of scholars from many
disciplines to conceive of the syllabus. Annually, it takes tremendous
planning and organization at great cost, about $4,000-5,000 per student.
However, in order to make such a program affordable to students, the
Institute subsidizes tuition by eighty percent and provides scholarships
to deserving students in need.
AYTV: I didn’t realize it could be so expensive. How do you find
financing for all this?
Torrey: We rely on the public, including a small grant from the Canadian
Government and through various groups and individuals, but all this
covers only a quarter of the expense. Moral and financial support from
the community is fundamental to the life of this program.
Aren: Yes, indeed, we do need the community’s help, both from
individuals and organizations, in order to help students with tuition
and travel costs, especially students from countries like Rwanda,
Armenia, Turkey, or the Balkans.
Fifty percent of the students are Armenian, and the government of
Armenia annually sponsors two of its citizens, either young scholars of
members the foreign ministry, to be trained at the program. This support
is crucial and we think of it as an investment in our youth – as an
investment in our future.
AYTV: That is a very nice sentiment. What do the students take away from
this course?
Torrey: Well, I actually took the course last year and it was amazing
how much I learned. I still feel empowered with the knowledge I gained.
I now understand how genocide works, why it happens, that it is
happening today, and what can be done to fight against it.
There is also a special bond that forms between the students, from all
over the world, who go through the challenge of the course together. The
energy and interests have been so great that we often continued the
discussions outside the classroom, throughout dinner, and far into the
night!
Aren: See, as Armenians, we all think we are well informed about the
Genocide, but we operate on a popular mythology of what we are told
happened, rather than reading seriously about what really happened, how
and why.
Furthermore, by looking at genocide as a universal, social phenomenon,
tracking its history and causes around the world, the students come to
see this ultimate crime as a crime against humanity, as a crime against
each of us.
It is through sharing and understanding experiences and traumas of
groups affected by genocide, that we are able to convert our powerful
emotional energy into creative intellectual energy: energy that can be
directed towards the prevention of suffering in this world and to our
own future as a people.
AYTV: Very positive. I understand we have a quote of what one program
graduate thought about the course?
I had expected another monument to the dead. They proved me completely
and utterly wrong. The seminar was a forum for the living, a place for
discussion and debate. In the midst of this forward-looking spirit of
exchange between Armenians and non-Armenians, there is no way for anyone
not to fit in.
AYTV: That does sound inviting. You can see now at the bottom of the
screen how to contact the institute and more information is available in
this brochure and on their website.
The Genocide and Human Rights University Program
admin@genocidest udies.org
416-250-9807
Learning about the Institute’s fantastic work and seeing your enthusiasm
and commitment, I am sure that our youth will take full advantage of the
program and that the community at large will give support by providing
scholarships.
Remember, students, that the application deadline is June 22, 2007.
Thank you Mr. Swan and Mr. Sarikyan.
Aren: Thank you.
Torrey: Thank you