OUR HUMOR IS JUST LIKE OUR COUNTRY, HRANT TOKHATIAN SAYS

Noyan Tapan
April 1, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 1, NOYAN TAPAN. "The April 1 holiday of 2008 is not
marked festively, as there is March 1 in this April 1," Aramayis
Sahakian, the Chairman of the Union of Armenian Humorists, the
editor-in-chief of the Vozni newspaper, said at the April 1 press
conference meaning the March 1 events when eight demonstrants and one
policemen died. He expressed the hope that next year April 1 will be
marked solemnly and will give a smile to the Armenian people that has
experienced many sufferings. Meanwhile A. Sahakian said that there
are few "joyful" holidays on the Armenian calendar: and April 1 was
officially proclaimed as a holiday of humor thanks to the former
Prime Minister, late Andranik Margarian.

According to Sukias Torosian, the Head of the Union of Cartoonists,
at present "everything is in a satirical condition" and we do not
have the cultural ideas we had formed formerly. "Our cartoonists,
for instance, return with a victory from all international contests,"
he said. According to S. Torosian, one of Armenian cartoonists has
gained at once six medals in a contest held in China lately. However
their talent and success, as S. Torosian added, do not contribute
to increase of attention to caricature in Armenia. For instance,
that branch of art is appreciated so highly in England that there is
a museum of cartoons there.

Actor Hrant Tokhatian said that after the collapse of the Soviet Union
the Armenians renounced high-quality Soviet humor, but have failed
to create their own humor so far. "Our humor or satire is just like
our country," he concluded.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress