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PRESS RELEASE

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Sports and Culture Dominate AGBU Iraq’s Activities

During the current war in Iraq, AGBU Iraq has been working to ensure
that the local Armenian community continues to enjoy high-quality
activities that keep them connected to their heritage.

The AGBU chapter held Boy Scouts Day on September 22, 2009 under the
patronage of Archbishop Avak Asadourian, Primate of the Diocese of Iraq,
and with the participation of 90 scouts. Besides many scouting
activities, there were group songs and parades. At the end of the summer
season, 32 teenagers got together around the pool of the AGBU Center,
during which "funny games" – the kind usually seen on television, such
as "Tele Match" – were played. On the cultural scene, the 25th
anniversary of the death of the poet Hovhannes Shiraz was marked on
December 12 in a program that consisted of the reading of his biography,
as well as selected poems by individuals of various ages, the singing of
songs with Shiraz’s lyrics, and a live show of a day in the writer’s
life, which was performed on stage according to a text written by the
poetess Medaksia. There was also a display of Shiraz’s books of poetry,
personal and group pictures.

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU
preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian program, annually touching the
lives of some 400,000 Armenians around the world.

For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please visit