UCLA STUDENTS TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ON ART AND CULTURE

PanArmenian
April 21 2009
Armenia

Students and community members from across the greater Los Angeles
area will have a unique opportunity on April 22 to explore the impact
of the Armenian Genocide on art and culture in the Armenian reality.

The issue is seldom given attention during annual genocide
commemorations in the community and promises to be a welcomed break
with established norms, according to its organizers.

The event, dubbed Rebirth: A Cultural Response to the Armenian
Genocide, will begin at 6pm at UCLA’s (The University of California)
Ackerman Grand Ballroom. It is being organized by the Armenian
Students’ Association at UCLA in association with the Armenian Youth
Federation, the Unified Young Armenians and the All-ASA confederation.

"We have commemorated the Armenian Genocide for almost a century. But
do we all know and understand the horrific extent of the consequences
wrought by that crime?" asked Mariam Tsaturyan, one of the event’s
organizers. "The Genocide affected more than just the population
figures and geographic area of the Armenian nation. It also drastically
transformed our culture, literature and art."

"Our goal is to use art and culture to show how the Armenian
Genocide changed not just our demographics but also our way of life,"
Tsaturyan said.

Wednesday’s program will showcase a combination of visual displays
and presentations to illustrate the transformation of literature and
art that followed the Armenian Genocide. Speakers will include Vahe
Berberian and Lilly Thomassian, who will also be performing her play
"Let the Rocks Speak."

The event will also include an art show and a rare collection from
the Armenian Philatelic Society featuring stamps from the First
Republic of Armenia, as well as Genocide commemorative stamps from
across the world.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress