Author: Vatche Chakhmakhchian

LOS ANGELES, YEREVAN—Armenia Fund and Adventist Health Glendale successfully completed their third joint medical mission to Armenia. With more than 50 volunteer medical professionals from Los Angeles, the week-long mission to the Noyemberyan Hospital in Armenia’s northeastern Tavush Region, near the border with Georgia and Azerbaijan, was unprecedented in its scale and scope.

Prior to the start of the mission, an advance team of specialists was sent to the Noyemberyan Hospital to help prepare and optimize its medical infrastructure, ahead of the entire medical team’s arrival. The Noyemberyan Hospital staff assisted the advance team in unpacking and organizing close to four tons of medical and surgical supplies, pharmaceuticals, and equipment for the hospital.

On Saturday, September 16, the entire medical team arrived at the Noyemberyan Hospital, and quickly joined the advance team in putting the final touches to preparations leading to the kickoff of the mission. By the end of Sunday, September 17, the first full day of the mission, the medical team had already operated on 12 patients, back to back — a record number of procedures performed in a single day at a rural hospital in Armenia.

The medical-mission team was joined by six surgery residents in their final year of residency from Yerevan — three general-surgery and three anesthesiology residents. Throughout the mission, the residents assisted, observed, and learned from the AHGL surgery team. For them, it was a truly unique opportunity to work with a highly skilled and experienced team of medical professionals.

“Though I couldn’t participate in the Armenia mission trip this year, I’m extremely proud of our team’s results,” said Kevin Roberts, President and CEO of AHGL. “Every year, this healing ministry gets better and touches more lives in Armenia. God blessed us in 2017 as He has the previous two years. And once again, Armenia Fund was our extraordinary partner, as it seamlessly organized logistics, shipped supplies, and hosted our missionaries. Our local mission to ‘live God’s love’ is fulfilled and enlivened through these projects.”

“For the past 26 years, as the premier development organization working in Armenia and Artsakh, Armenia Fund has been implementing large-scale infrastructure development projects and delivering humanitarian aid,” said Maria Mehranian, President of Armenia Fund. “The medical mission to Noyemberyan, unprecedented in both scale and scope, marks yet another milestone for Armenia Fund, in terms of having successfully implemented the mission for the third year in a row, through its far-reaching partnership with Adventist Health Glendale.”

“In addition to providing critical medical care, we help develop the foundations of healthcare through education, training, and resources to increase life expectancies,” said Arby Nahapetian, MD, SVP, and Chief Medical Officer of the Adventist Health Southern California Network. “To create sustainability and long-term effects, we are establishing a training program for physicians in Armenia to learn in the U.S. under the auspices of AHGL physicians. This is critical for Armenia’s development and future security.”

Ever since the medical mission’s launch in 2015, thousands of patients in Tavush without access to advanced healthcare have been blessed to receive high-quality medical services. This year, as in the past, many farmers and agricultural workers suffering from conditions such as hernia have been able to return to work, thanks to surgeries performed by AHGL surgeons.

“It is a humbling privilege to be in a group of such extraordinary professionals,” said Vahan Cepkinian, an orthopedic surgeon. “We’re talking about individuals who brought their unique talents and skills halfway around the world, extended themselves by taking on roles and tasks they were not used to, and took time away from their families who missed them dearly… All this to take care of thousands of people they did not know, to bring hope and calm to a group of people who desperately needed to be soothed and healed. These medical professionals fulfilled their mission driven by an innate desire to ease the suffering of their fellow men and women — to let them know that their troubles matter and can be fixed — and asking for nothing in return, except for the opportunity to do it again!” Dr. Cepkinian ran a very busy orthopedic clinic as part of the medical mission to the Noyemberyan Hospital, performing a total of more than 215 orthopedic interventions as well as surgeries.

During the medical mission, 78 patients were operated on in a matter of five days. The procedures included gallbladder removals, advanced hernia repairs, and removal of lumps, bumps, and tumors.

The primary-care clinic saw 2,015 patients and provided high-quality medications to those with chronic health problems. The clinic team included specialists in cardiology, pulmonology, pediatrics, neurology, pathology, and cytology.

Due to a general lack of specialized medical resources, women’s health in rural Armenia has yet to be addressed adequately. With this in mind, the Armenia Fund-AHGL medical mission also provided on-site Pap smears and breast biopsies to almost 100 women from Noyemberyan and surrounding villages. Pathologists from AHGL worked in the Noyemberyan Hospital’s laboratory, preparing and reading samples, and then having clinicians interpret the results and counsel patients. Each individual series of these steps was completed within only a few hours — something which would have normally taken at least 20-30 days, given the limited resources of local medical facilities.

“I was honored and privileged to once again be a part of the mission team from Adventist Health Glendale,” said Suzanne Axt, Director of Perioperative Services at AHGL. “Working in the surgical area, we were able to see our patients go from being anxious and curious before surgery to beaming and appreciative after surgery. Some of the procedures may seem minor to us, but to be able to help our patients feel better, heal, and be able to return to work to support their families is truly rewarding. I was called an ‘angel’ more than once. Those smiles and hugs made the entire trip worthwhile.” Axt was leading the surgical operations during the medical mission — overseeing two operating rooms as well as the pre-operation and post-operation units.

The medical mission was once again an opportunity to not only help boost the Noyemberyan Hospital’s technical infrastructure and capabilities, but also provide training and create a long-term and sustainable legacy of medical excellence at the hospital. Thanks to the mission, not only were patients treated, but also local physicians and surgeons were given the opportunity to be part of a major undertaking for the benefit of their communities.

“It was very difficult to say goodbye to Noyemberyan, but I’m happy to share that our mission was accomplished!” said Ramella Markarian, Vice President of Business Development at AHGL. “Two thousand and fifteen patients were seen by our physicians and over 6,000 medical services were provided. These included ancillary-care services such as EKGs, blood-pressure and cholesterol checks, ultrasounds, X-rays, orthopedic injections, and biopsies; and specialty consultation, treatments, and surgeries encompassing pediatry, neurology, pulmonology, cardiology, oncology, gynecology, orthopedics, and other fields. Most importantly, however, the people of Noyemberyan appreciated the kind, loving care as well as the new hope which our team brings them every year.”

YEREVAN – The My Armenia Program has launched a project with CyArk, a California-based non-profit organization that uses new technologies to capture, archive and share the world’s cultural heritage with the global community. In Armenia, CyArk will be scanning the historical Noravank monastery and the Areni-1 cave complex in Vayots Dzor province, as well as design products that promote and share Armenia’s cultural heritage in and beyond the country. These two iconic sites are, respectfully, of historical and archaeological significance.

Thanks to new virtual reality (VR) headsets, visitors are now able to virtually experience the magnitude and beauty of a heritage site, captured in every detail by CyArk’s scanning devices. Through motion tracking tools, users not only see the site but are also able to move virtually through the site and explore the surrounding area. These kind of virtual experiences are great for presentations during public events such as travel trade fairs, museums and educational institutions in order to interest and engage tour operators, researchers and other interested parties in the opportunities and experiences Armenia can offer.  The My Armenia Program and CyArk will collaborate to design virtual and visual products that will be showcased at museum exhibits, including the 2018 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., as well as trade shows, marketing and investment events. CyArk will also process the acquired data to develop photorealistic virtual reality experiences to allow visitors appreciate Armenia’s unique cultural heritage, thus increasing global awareness of Armenia as a cultural tourism destination.

As part of My Armenia’s partnership with CyArk, a four-day workshop was also held at the Tumo Center for Creative Technologies for students and cultural heritage and architecture specialists. The training provided an overview of the three technological tools – photogrammetry, aerial imagery, and 3D scanning – CyArk will employ to document the Areni-1 cave complex and the Norovank monastery. Workshop activities included hands-on training with the equipment, scanning of sample sites in Yerevan, and data processing. Participants reviewed the captured data and learned about software applications for development of tourism materials such as virtual tours and videos. Workshop participants were also invited to follow CyArk’s field activities in Vayots Dzor to help promote the sustainability of such activities in the future.

The My Armenia program is funded by USAID and implemented by the Smithsonian Institution. My Armenia supports the sustainability of Armenian cultural heritage through the development of an inclusive and dynamic tourism sector that engages and benefits Armenian communities across the country.

For more information, please contact: Nune Hayrapetyan, My Armenia Program Communications Specialist at +37455050168 and [email protected];

Please also check out facebook.com/MyArmeniaProgram/ and    folklife.si.edu/cultural-sustainability/my-armenia/Smithsonian.

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN

Looks like the Kurds are about to get screwed again, once again affirming their own adage, “The Kurds have no friends.”

Two major developments, and likely lots of other smaller ones, are contributing to this worrisome potentiality.

The September 25 referendum on independence for “Iraqi” Kurdistan turned out 73% of registered voters and they voted in favor to the tune of 93%.

Already on edge because of the very occurrence of the referendum, the four countries which hold sway over Kurdistan have energetically moved to squelch Kurdish hopes. Syria has been, for obvious reasons, the most quiet.

Turkey has come forth with an anti-Kurdish independence and referendum position, hardly a surprise. Yet despite some initial indications to the contrary, Ankara is still allowing Kurdish oil to flow into and through its territory, again no surprise, it is known as “black gold” after all. Erdogan is of course lecturing Erbil about its “mistake” in proceeding with the referendum despite international opposition, and another “no surprise” situation where he is pompously explaining that the Kurds expected to make gains because of the referendum, and instead lost ground.

And literally, they did. Iranian backed Iraqi irregular forces marched into Kirkuk and the Kurdish Peshmerga retreated with only one significant clash. This indicates both Iran’s level of influence in Iraq, since those Shiite forces would not have moved with Tehran’s blessing, and Baghdad’s level of ire and the government’s (PM Haidar Abadi) desperate political need to reassert control, evident in its silence over unofficial forces doing what the government probably lacked the wherewithal to do. There’s an election coming next year in Iraq.

The other major development is the winding down of the ISIS/Daesh campaign. As those religious fanatics are more thoroughly beaten, the relevance of the Kurds in Iraq and Syria decreases. The interest in the Kurds of the major involved, non-proximate powers – U.S., Russia, & some European states – will wane and soon the gentle axes of Ankara, Baghdad, and Damascus may once again swing towards Kurdish necks.

Two interesting positions regarding the Kurds in general and the referendum in particular have emanated from Israel and Russia. Israel is alone among significant powers to opine that it may be time for the Kurds to progress on their long road to statehood. This may simply be a case of the enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend-ism. Israel is certainly at odds with Iran, Iraq, and Syria. But even Turkey, its erstwhile “friend”, now has a very tense relationship. Note the complete concurrence with the states the Kurds are ruled by. It is also especially interesting since Israel and Iran were the agents of U.S. pressure on Iraq in the mid-1970s and armed/supported the Kurdish uprising led by the father, Mustafa Barzani, of the current Kurdish Regional Government’s president, Massoud Barzani. Once each of those three powers got what they wanted, the Kurds were hung out to dry, and Barzani along with his family and closest supporters ended up in the U.S.S.R. (in Baku of all places), plotting, unsuccessfully, to establish Kurdish independence.

Which brings us to Russia. I can not believe the connections established in Mustafa’s day have been allowed to wither. He was known as “the Red Mullah” because of the Soviet connection. It seems to me that it would be in Russia’s interests to support the Kurds. But then once we consider that Syria is a Russian-allied state, Iraq is unstable and subject to Iran, and Iran has been generally friendly with Russia of late, the picture starts to change. Things come into full focus when we consider the Turkey and Russia are in the midst of what can only be described as a rather hot-and-heavy “romantic” (or “extra-marital”) affair while relations between the U.S, and Turkey are probably at their lowest ebb since the establishment of Ataturk’s so-called republic. Why would Russia want to rock that boat?

And where does all this leave Armenians? Artzakh has spoken supportively of the Kurdish referendum. Armenians are generally well treated under Kurdish governance in Iraq and Syria. Instability in the region that helps Kurdish aspirations may also lead to opportunities for restitution from Turkey.

But it can also backfire. The occupation of Kirkuk, the issuance of an arrest warrant by Baghdad for the KRG’s vice-president, and the turmoil created among the Kurds themselves have led to general elections, scheduled for November 1 in Iraqi Kurdistan, being postponed.

I wish I had diplomatic training/experience so I could invent some devious way to turn this mess to Armenians’ advantage. Does anyone have any ideas as to how to proceed? Such initiative could come either from the Diaspora or Yerevan, perhaps both. Let’s get on it.

BY MEGHEDI MELODY NAZARIAN

The narrative of the Armenian Genocide has been on repeat—both in media and in the minds of Armenians all over the world—for over 100 years now. There are countless chilling facts about the atrocities carried out by the Ottoman Empire of 1915, but one in particular has stuck with Los Angeles-born filmmaker Avo John Kambourian since youth.

On eve of April 24, 1915, hundreds of notable Armenian artists and intellectuals living in Istanbul were taken by force from their homes in the middle of the night, placed under arrest, and eventually executed. That image has been playing like a movie reel in Kambourian’s head since the day he heard it. “I was always aware that art can be a very dangerous thing, but also a beautiful thing that many see as a threat to their political agenda,” the 27-year-old says, reflecting on the poignant killings of intellectual leading up to the systematic massacre of 1.5 million Armenians from 1915 to 1918.

Even decades later—and in an attempt to portray how the culture has survived through the work of Armenian artists—Kambourian was inspired to a create a film, a proverbial mixed tape of Armenian artists that aren’t conventionally known in Armenian communities around the world.

“Echoes of Survival,” which debuted during the centennial of the genocide in 2015, follows a group of creative Armenians as they share their unique story of being Armenians raised in the diaspora, specifically the United States.

The talented subjects include NYC photojournalist Scout Tufankjian, abstract painter from Chicago Jackie Kazarian, LA-based documentary photographer Ara Oshagan, oud player from New Jersey Ara Dinkjian, and New England musicians John Berberian and Mal Barsamian.

Each story in this documentary is meant to inspire in its own way: Scout’s sharing of her experience photographing former President Obama and what it means to be a good Armenian today; Ara Dinkjian’s conversation about his musical influences and showing his extensive record collection; Jackie’s talking about being raised with only two other Armenian families in her community and revealing the giant painting she made in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide; the New England musicians’ performing together in Massachusetts; and Oshagan’s discussion about his family legacy and how he went from being a writer to a documentary photographer…

For the filmmaker himself, each creative character excited him for different reasons: “Jackie inspires me with her resilience and dedication to her craft, which can take weeks or months to do; Ara Dinkjian inspires me with his selfless pursuit of finding ways to keep Western Armenian music alive and changing; Ara Oshagan brings a unique perspective on trauma and how it has affected our communities; Scout is the anthropologist we all wish we could be; and the New England musicians are the last of a sadly dying lineage of musical tradition.” Kambourian recounts the scene with all the New England musicians jamming as one of the best nights of his life.

The full piece—67 minutes total—shows the various shapes the Armenian spirit can take. “I want people to feel happy about diversity and about what these artists are making,” Kambourian says about his passion project. “I love being able to preserve moments and tell stories that I find captivating to me, and then have someone else see that and be inspired.”

One of Kambourian’s personal motivations for creating this film was to better understand who he is as an Armenian American today. “For me it means that I get to have a double life. We’re pretty blessed to be living in a country like the United States. We have it pretty okay compared to a lot of the world.” But, still, Armenia is always on the back of Kambourian’s mind. “I think we as Armenians are obligated to always look backwards and reflect, but for the sake of humanity we must also be forward-thinking and be able to embrace change and diversity.” What’s more, “As persecuted people, we also have an obligation to stand up to fascism when we see it.”

After completing the film, Kambourian understands the importance of artists’ in general sharing their own unique story. “We can’t really force people to be interested in our story without some sort of emotional investment. The best films I’ve seen, whether in French, Spanish, Portuguese, or Japanese, they all aim to tell a universal story at their core. The cultural stuff is always just window dressing.”

One of Kambourian’s personal motivations for creating this film was to better understand who he is as an Armenian American today.

Currently, Kambourian is working on a documentary about the famous rocker Joan Jett called “Bad Reputation,” which will debut in 2018.

“Echoes of Survival” will screen at the 20th Annual Arpa Film Festival at the Egyptian Theatre, in Los Angeles, on Nov. 4; at AGBU Films at Lincoln Center in New York City on Nov. 16; and at the Pomegranate Film Festival in Toronto on Nov. 18. Visit avojohn.com for more information on Avo John Kambourian and his work