Author: Maral Takmazian

Conan O’Brien made history on November 17 as the first American late-night host to broadcast a show from Armenia.

O’Brien announced last month that he’d be traveling to the country with his longtime assistant Sona Movsesian, who is of Armenian descent. The two went to a market in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, where the talk show host explored local delicacies and practiced his Armenian with lines like “I want to eat your liver” and “I die on your body.”

The host herds sheep, learns a new language and lands a role on an Armenian talk show. He also visitsthe Armenian Genocide memorial with his assistant, Sona Movsesian.

“Our mission in the Middle East is to be servants and not masters. Christians and Muslims in the region must work for peace “, was the focus of the message that Ignatius Ephrem II, new Syrian Orthodox patriarch, launched on his first official visit to Lebanon,  reports.

He concluded his visit with a solemn Mass in the Church of St. Ephrem in Beirut in the presence of Lebanese authorities and figures.

“The region of the Middle East – he said – is dear to our hearts. Here is where we have taken root and where we grew, and we will stay until the end of time. ”

Praying that ” human rights and dignity are respected”, he added. “How can we live without seeing the presence of God in every human face? Why are we working to eliminate each other, instead of educating and helping each other to grow to maturity? “.

The patriarch celebrated Mass in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Pauland and blessed one of the two stelae erected to commemorate the genocide of 1915, whose victims are Armenians, but also Syrians, Chaldeans and Assyrians. The other pillar was erected in the church of St. Ephrem.

Asbarez – The construction of the Armenian Genocide Memorial Monument at Sunset Park is coming to conclusion and the unveiling is scheduled for 10:00am on Saturday, November 14, 2015.

Sunset Park is the largest park in the City of Las Vegas, centrally located and close to the McCarran international airport. The park has over 4 million annual visitors.

The monument project is the initiative of the Armenian-American Cultural Society (AACS) of Las Vegas, with the participation of all Las Vegas Armenian churches and organizations.

The memorial monument will be a gift to the people of southern Nevada from the Armenian-American community.

H.E. Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of Western Diocese and H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of Western Prelacy, officials from Republic of Armenia and Republic of Lebanon as well as local city officials and State of Nevada Congressional Representatives, and the Nevada Consular Corps will participate in the unveiling.

Asbarez – AsbArtist/activist Serj Tankian and actor David Alpay will join forces on Saturday, November 7, to celebrate Armenia Tree Project (ATP) and its mission to make sustainability for Armenia possible and to inspire environmental awareness.

The event, “Glamping with ATP,” will feature an outdoor Farm Table Dinner under majestic trees atop Coldwater Canyon, at TreePeople in Beverly Hills. The event will include a musical performance by Armenian Public Radio. Glamping with ATP—glamorous camping—will satisfy the craving for the outdoors and penchant for good food and wine, in a rustic yet elegant setting.

Over the past two decades, ATP has made tremendous strides in greening Armenia by planting more than 4.7 million trees and, in the process, has created hundreds of jobs. The organization’s current campaign is the Living Century Initiative, launched to commemorate the centennial of the Armenian Genocide.

“We not only plant trees in Armenia, but also work with the youngest of children to raise environmental awareness. In the same vein, we’re looking to bring together environmental stewards here in order to more effectively impact our work in Armenia,” explains Maral Habeshian, ATP’s West Coast Development Director.

Longtime friends of ATP, Tankian and Alpay are strong supporters of ATP’s initiatives. Tankian is a singer, poet, songwriter and activist, and the frontman of the Grammy Award-winning rock band System of a Down that most recently conducted the cross-continental Wake Up the Souls tour to bring awareness to the Armenian Genocide.

David Alpay is an actor, musician and producer, best known for playing Mark Smeaton in The Tudors and Professor Atticus Shane in the TV drama The Vampire Diaries. His debut into the world of Hollywood started with his role in “Ararat,” directed by Atom Egoyan.

Teesri Duniya Theatre, in collaboration with the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Canada (AGCCC), will present Rahul Varma’s State of Denial from October 8-25 at Segal Centre Studio, reports.

This moving and unsettling play, directed by Liz Valdez, highlights the urgent need to counter denials of gendered violence, ethnic cleansing and racial rivalry. Continuing their mandate to encourage dialogue, the company will hold a talkback with invited guests after each matinee performance.

Set in contemporary Canada and Turkey of 1915, State of Denial links the Turkish-denied Armenian genocide of 1915 with the 1995 genocide in Rwanda, connecting them through the Canadian diaspora experience. When Odette, a Rwandan-born Canadian filmmaker, travels to Turkey to investigate stories of genocide and hidden identity, she interviews Sahana, an elderly and respected Muslim woman who has devoted her life to assisting Armenian survivors. On her deathbed, Sahana confesses a chilling secret that challenges a long-standing state of denial that Odette promises to make public at any personal cost.

Director Liz Valdez finds the work incredibly important in this era when we believe we are so aware and well-informed, yet there are devastating historical events that most people don’t know anything about.

For Mher Karakachian, Chairman of AGCCC, denial has been rightly considered as the last phase of the crime of genocide, “Survivors and scholars alike have repeatedly reminded us that that forgetting or denying such a monstrous crime kills the victims twice. State of Denial vividly portrays this tragic fact and in the most creative ways, brings the ongoing ploys of denialism under the spotlight. On the somber occasion of the centennial of the Armenian genocide, Varma’s play lights a beacon to confront the darkness that still looms in many corners of the globe.”

Liana Bdéwi is an Armenian actor who plays Sinam. She grew up learning about the genocide, “It’s been ingrained in me since I was a kid and is a topic that is still so sensitive, despite the 100 year anniversary this year. I’m excited to have the opportunity to represent my heritage and community in an impactful and artistic way.”

The midfielder says BVB’s new coach convinced him to stay at Signal Iduna Park this summer

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has revealed that he opted to stay at Borussia Dortmund so that he could learn fromThomas Tuchel, insisting the coach has “great potential,” Goal.com reports.

The 26-year-old insists he is staying put this summer and is looking forward to working with the new boss.

“I don’t want to talk about all these rumours,” he told Bild. “I just want to look forward. I like being here and that is what counts.

“It is true that Tuchel has influenced me positively. But in the end it was my decision to stay at Dortmund. I have many goals and I want to give everything to prove to everyone that I am a good player. I want to make the BVB fans and myself happy.

“It was important that Tuchel and I had an intense talk. I immediately felt that he has great potential as a coach. He understands and lives football.

“He knows how to build up a game and how to defend. Afterwards I thought to myself: ‘Maybe it is the best to stay and learn from him.’”

The Armenia international is hopeful of improving on last season’s seventh-placed finish because the club have not lost too many players.

“Tuchel was not the only reason for me to stay. It was important to me that other players decided to stay. The team did not break apart despite difficult season.

“I never felt that it was a mistake to come here. This is a great club with a team in harmony. But of course there were difficult times. I tried everything to get out of this situation as quickly as possible.”

What may be the world’s oldest fragments of the Koran have been found by the University of Birmingham, the BBC reports.

Radiocarbon dating found the manuscript to be at least 1,370 years old, making it among the earliest in existence.

The pages of the Muslim holy text had remained unrecognised in the university library for almost a century.

The British Library’s expert on such manuscripts, Dr Muhammad Isa Waley, said this “exciting discovery” would make Muslims “rejoice”.

The manuscript had been kept with a collection of other Middle Eastern books and documents, without being identified as one of the oldest fragments of the Koran in the world.

– Haigazian University is celebrating its 60th Anniversary on October 3rd with a black-tie Gala fundraiser and a performance by Grammy award-winning tenor and conductor Plácido Domingo in the title role of Woody Allen’s production of Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi.” The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles will play host to the evening’s celebration which will be co-chaired by Harry Nadjarian and Tina Segel.

Speaking of the upcoming celebration, Mr. Domingo expressed words of welcome and nostalgia.   “My mother, who was a wonderful singer, studied with an Armenian vocal teacher, so I have had a lifelong admiration for the Armenian Community’s rich tradition of music and performing arts. I am proud to welcome you to [the] LA Opera and I look forward to a wonderful celebration with you in our home.”

The evening will begin with a champagne and Lebanese mezze pre-reception for Haigazian guests, followed by two stunning performances by the incomparable Domingo—first, on stage, to sing the title role in Woody Allen’s production of the near-century old opera, “Gianni Schicchi” after which he will take to the podium and conduct Franco Zeffirelli’s production of Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci.”

Following the performances, the evening will continue in the prestigious Grand Hall where guests of the Anniversary Celebration will dine and mingle during the Gala Supper.

Honorary Committee members include Governor George Deukmejian, Baroness Caroline Cox, Vartan Grigorian, and Joyce Philibosian Stein.  More special guests to be announced.

Haigazian University may be half a world away in Beirut, Lebanon, but its influence and purpose is felt globally.  With many of its founding roots planted in the United States, the University has been preserving Armenian culture and preparing future educators in the Diaspora for nearly 60 years.  This upcoming Anniversary is a celebration of both the School and all for which it stands.

 

 

 

The Golden Apricot International Film Festival has been traditionally cooperating with foreign Embassies accredited to Armenia. The tradition will not be abandoned this year.

Within the framework of this cooperation the 12th edition of the Golden Apricot will hold days of French, German and Polish films. Russian films are included in almost all competitive programs.

French Ambassador extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Jean-Francois Charpentier told a press conference today “this is a brilliant opportunity to introduce the Armenian audience to the creative expressions of international cinema. The Ambassador said the “New French Cinema” program will include the best French film if the regent period.

The film Caprice is the opening film of the New French cinema program. The film’s producer Frédéric Niedermayer will be present at the Yerevan premiere.

French-Armenian film director Robert Guédiguian will arrive in Yerevan to be the Main Jury president of Golden Apricot IFF. His film Don’t Tell Me the Boy Was Mad, which was presented in the Special Screenings section at the 2015 Cannes, is the Opening film of the festival.

Patrick Chesnais, the prominent French actor, will be an honorable guest of the festival. He is the lead actor in Not Here to be Loved by Stefan Brize and will attend the Yerevan premier of the film.

In different programs of 12th Golden Apricot there are more than 14 French co-productions and French films including Stéphane Brizé’s The Measure of a Man (Cannes Film Festival’s official selection).

The Festival will also host a New German Cinema program in cooperation with the Embassy of Germany and Goethe Institute-Tbilisi. The program will feature the selection of the best of recent German films. There is also a large selection of German films in the four main competition programs.

The Embassy of Poland in Armenia supports the Polish Film Day event.Małgorzata Szumowska’s Berlinale Silver Bear winning film for Best Director Body will be screened.

A number of Polish films are presented in the competition sections, mainly in the “Apricot Stone” Short Film Competition.

The renowned Polish film director Krzysztof Zanussi will also arrive in Yerevan.

The Russian Federation Embassy in Armenia and the Russian Center of Science and Culture are supporting the representation of Russian films within the frames of the festival. Russian films are included in almost every program.

On July 8, in accordance with an agreement reached with the authorities of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the OSCE Mission conducted a planned monitoring of the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan in the Martuni direction.

From the positions of the NKR Defense Army, the monitoring was conducted by Field Assistants of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Khristo Khristov (Bulgaria) and Jiri Aberle (Czech Republic).

From the opposite side of the Line of Contact, the monitoring was conducted by Field Assistant of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Yevgeny Sharov (Ukraine) and staff member of the Office Peter Svedberg (Sweden).

The monitoring passed in accordance with the agreed schedule. No violation of the cease-fire regime was registered.

From the Karabakh side, the monitoring mission was accompanied by representatives of the NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense.