AZTAG DAILY: AN IMPORTANT COMMUNICATION BRIDGE WITH THE ARMENIAN WORLD
By Appo Jabarian, [email protected]
USA Armenian Life Magazine
July 31 2008
CA
During the many decades that I have lived as an Armenian-Lebanese
in the Diaspora, also known as "al-mahjar" in Arabic, never have I
broken my ties with my birthplace and especially the Armenian-Lebanese
community.
Lebanon, and many countries of the Middle East — and especially those
in the vicinity of the genocidal killing fields in Turkish-occupied
Western Armenia — Syria, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine (Israel did
not exist back then) and Egypt, have a special place in the hearts
of Armenians worldwide. It is with deep sense of gratitude that I,
along with succeeding Armenian generations, remember that these noble
states sheltered our orphaned grandparents escaping from the genocide
of 1915-1923.
For me as an Armenian-Lebanese, one of the ways to keep in touch with
Lebanon has been the Armenian-Lebanese media mainly consisting of ARF
Dashanktsutiune’s Aztag daily, Hunchakian party’s Ararad weekly, and
Ramgavar party’s Zartonk bi-weekly. In recent years, I have visited
the editorial offices of the party organs and others and had very
interesting and educating conversations with their respective editors.
During my and my siblings’ (Ani, Vatche and Sako) formative years in
the 1960’s and the ’70’s, our household in Nor Sis (New Sis, named
after the capital of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia), in the Armenian
municipality of Bourj Hamoud, was continuously enriched by various
Armenian publications and Aztag was certainly one of them. To me,
Armenian publications and equally respectable Lebanese dailies such
as the Arabic-language Al-Nahar and Al-Anwar, and the French-language
L’Orient-Le Jour and Le Soir, and monthly La Revue Du Liban were a
home within a home.
Each publication has a unique history; some of them spanning over
several decades. Recently Aztag daily turned 80 years old. Each of the
passing 80 years brought technological and publishing challenges that
were successfully overcome by the staff of Aztag under the watchful
eyes of thousands of avid readers in Lebanon and around the world.
Despite navigating through eight continuous and sometimes arduous
decades, this Armenian daily does not show any signs of weakening. It’s
the opposite. It has become very relevant for Armenians in the
Diaspora.
In order to present our readers with a glimpse of day-to-day life at
Aztag, I conducted an interview with Shahan Kandaharian, a young and
creative Editor.
The following is the text of the conversation:
JABARIAN: How do you explain the eighty year-long existence and
prosperity of Aztag despite the crises experienced by Lebanon and
the Armenian-Lebanese community?
KANDAHARIAN: Talking about Aztag Daily’s noticeable progress requires
subjective narration, which I would like to avoid. Nevertheless it
would be fair to make notes in an objective fashion or to discuss
the achieved plans. I’m convinced that one should not be satisfied;
there is still more to be accomplished; and follow-up efforts still
need to be carried out. The founders and the succeeding directors all
have made invaluable contributions. It is thanks to them that the daily
continues to breathe and to thrive since its inception 80 years ago.
I think, working in synch with contemporary demands, in terms of both
content and style, is the main prerequisite for ensuring the daily’s
continuity. You know firsthand, as to how extensive an effort must
be made on a daily basis in order to carry out uninterrupted daily
publishing throughout the past decades. And in the case of Armenian
media, one can envision the level of devotion and commitment by
my predecessors.
I’d like to add that it is impossible to imagine the daily’s survival
without the ideological power which backs the daily: The Armenian
Revolutionary Federation. The Dashaktsutiune’s multi-faceted
contributions are the principle source of the daily’s vibrant
performance.
We should also recognize the decades-long beautiful tradition of
group cooperation that has been the prevailing modus operandi among
all the departments – editorial, management, technical, printing
and distribution.
It is the entirety of all these elements that in the face of
crises, difficulties and tribulations experienced by Lebanon and
the Armenian-Lebanese community enabled the daily to be in a leading
position in the Armenian media.
JABARIAN: How do you rate the level of effectiveness of the
Armenian-Lebanese media in general and Aztag specifically?
KANDAHARIAN: I can only venture to talk about Aztag. The size of
the readership of our electronic medium/website or the number of the
visitors surpasses the number of the readers of the print version. To
be fair, the Armenian-Lebanese expatriates’ existence outside of
Lebanon plays an important role in making Aztag Daily’s website
so popular.
In a very short period after the website was launched that we realized
that the longing by Armenian Lebanese is an integral factor. In other
words, Aztag Daily’s website () has become a bridge
of communication for the Armenian-Lebanese and for that matter all
Armenians who are interested in closely following developments in
the community in Lebanon.
Our website has a multi-media section. An increasing number of
readers visit the website in order to watch certain interviews or
to read a particular news item, written in a concise style, about an
event organized by a certain organization. Now we’re in the planning
stages for facilitating direct web casting of events, interviews,
press conferences and round table discussions.
The website also facilitates the flow of news. The website’s stability
in timely dissemination of the news about the Lebanese political and
security tribulations has become indispensable especially for those
circles that continue to be deeply concerned about the welfare of
their compatriots.
JABARIAN: For many, Aztag daily has become "a second school." Can
you please elaborate?
KANDAHARIAN: Today, I wouldn’t go that far in qualifying Aztag
daily as being "a second school." For the preceding generations, I
think a similar statement would have been appropriate based on their
testimonies. But today, I don’t come across similar testimony made
by members of middle or younger generations. In terms of the crowded
field of international media, Aztag Daily’s primary function for the
Armenian reader is to first and foremost be a means to follow Armenian
community life and to evaluate the role played by the Armenian factor
in the general political landscape of Lebanon.
JABARIAN: Is the electronic media a threat to the existence of the
print media?
KANDAHARIAN: The World Wide Web and its facilitation of electronic
media naturally is a revolution in the field of journalism. The
print media’s ability to disseminate news is slow. Today, the speed
of dissemination by concerned parties of news regarding any event,
taking place in any corner of the world, is enhanced by the technology
of satellite transmission via websites.
When TV became popular, people started saying that the print media’s
role has become meaningless. When TV entered into peoples’ homes
some started questioning the importance of radio. When the web became
popular and the electronic media proliferated, the question of the day
became: "Has the print media become endangered?" The fact remains that
today, the radio, print media with its varying formats, and TV are all
working. I’m convinced that all the mass media – although different
in format and style – will continue to function. The issue remains
to be the challenge of adaptation to new conditions of speedy accuracy.
JABARIAN: Can you talk about the activities organized by Aztag Daily?
KANDAHARIAN: In addition to the ten-page daily, there is the task of
maintaining the website in English language format and the flow of
news. We also have the publication of the weekly supplement of Yerkir
weekly in Mesrobian (classical) Armenian orthography; the children’s
"Bzdig M’uzdig" ("Little Mittle") publication that has been widely
acclaimed and that serves the purpose of establishing a tie between
the child and the print media from a very young age. The young children
not only read the publication but also contribute to it. They present
drawings in its pages. The editorial team and the auxiliary committee
annually organize two competitions: the first in composition and the
second in orthography. Around three hundred fifty Armenian students,
representing all the schools in various parts of Lebanon, participate
in these competitions.
The Aztag monthly mirrors the essential events and developments
related to the Armenian life.
We also have the Aztag Literary and Aztag Arts periodicals that are
devoted to narrating the artistic life in their respective fields in
Armenia and the Diaspora.
It’s been almost one and a half years since the Aztag Press Club
has been established. The discussions gather the representatives
of Lebanon’s twenty-seven Armenian news organizations. The group
consists of representatives of Armenian political parties’ and various
denominations’ official organs, as well as the representatives of
literary and cultural publications. The gathering of this group
fosters the harmonization and healthy formation of the media and
information field.
Presently, the editorial board is holding consultative meetings
with editorial teams of Armenian schools for the specific purpose of
creating a medium where youth-related issues can be further explored.
All these efforts pursue the goal of tapping into the collective
intellectual potential. I think that’s one of the functions of
contemporary Armenian media.