CULTURE ALSO POLITICS
Vardan Grigoryan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
23 Sep 2008
Armenia

Septembers 21 marked not only the 17th anniversary of Armenia’s
independence but also the launch of a TV channel with new and rather
interesting principles.

Following the example of the Russian Channel "Kultura" (culture)
that enjoys great popularity in Russia our public TV has launched
the cultural channel "Ararat" by the same frequency of the previous
boring and tedious "Nor Alik" (new channel). The fact that our
President and famous cultural figures are the initiators of this
idea gives special importance to the creation of this new channel,
mostly because neither the Public nor all the other TV stations have
ever given any importance to the cultural sphere.

The episodic programs they used to make about Armenian and world art,
literature and architecture were mainly linked with concrete events
such as anniversaries. So not only our stages but also the TV stations
have been engaged in producing cheep "masterpieces", as a result of
the swift "investment" of the market relations.

The state and the cultural select society can’t remain indifferent
towards the formation of our taste, which is not only the matter of
the art, or literature or architecture but also the maintenance of our
national values, that is to say the issue of our national security.=0 D

Armenian art has never been confined to narrow national circles. It has
always realized its functions of syntheses in the European and Russian
fields. In this regard the newly established "Ararat" TV Channel has
a huge job. At the moment our society has very little possibility
to get in touch with real masterpieces, which is the most important
condition for the creation of good taste.

It is evident that during the recent 1,5 decade there is an uproar
regarding the best creations of Russian and western music and film
production. The "investment" of the TV channels has been great in
this issue. Almost all the action movies of Hollywood, and partially
those of Russia and Europe have been shown by Armenian TV Channels,
let alone the silly soap operas that make people zombies.

For the people that gave Parajanov to the world, it is really
shameful that we feel nostalgia towards the movies by Feliny,
Tarkovsky, Matsroyani Mikhalkov, Kavalerovich and other high quality
film-producers shown even during the soviet times.

It is quite understandable that in the conditions of the vulgarity
in music and movies it is senseless to speak about the education of
the new generation of music and movie critics, because there is no
need for their knowledge.

The same sad situation exists in the spheres of literary criticism,
historiography and other subjects related to Armenian study. Our TV
channels never show any programs regarding the rare serious specialists
of these spheres. Sometimes during the campaign certain political
figures remember those outstanding artists, as if the investment of
the latter is far not the possession of Armenian people, but rather
aimed at supporting the interests of today’s political figures.

In this respect TV Channel "Ararat", which has though announced about
its cultural bias has lots of work. The problem is, in recent times
it is impossible to formulate cultural ideology away from the field
of state ideology. It is evident that the commentators of the newly
established TV channel mix the word "politics" with the "scuffle" that
exists in our political field. Culture is also a sphere for politics,
especially in terms of the maintenance of the historical and modern
values of the nation.

Thus – to be confined to academic perceptions means to yield to
another exaggeration, because the maintenance and development of
Armenian culture is also a national-political issue.

In this regard "Ararat" TV channel has a great job of a political
character, especially in terms of the revelation of the policy of
our neighbors against Armenian history and the demonstration of our
treasures to the world.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress