In Dod we trust... hzor' er'! :-D Megalol! :-D

(Ответить) (Thread)

kasem iran -))))

(Ответить) (Parent) (Thread)

Ում, Դոդին?

(Ответить) (Parent) (Thread)

Emilin -)

(Ответить) (Parent) (Thread)

I've had some brief email exchanges with Vahe Avetyan some years ago. As I recall he's Hayastantsi now living in Sweden and is very much a dissident voice when it comes to Armenia. He once tried to set up an online TV service to try to fight against the closure of A1 Plus, for example, but I guess it didn't succeed or at least, I haven't heard anything since.

He does come back to Armenia now and again, though, coz I swear I saw him on a video excerpt of a Bnagir reading at The Club 1-2 years ago. He never got in touch with me in person, though. Like many other youngish intellectuals and dissidents now living outside Armenia I got the impression he was involved with establishing the third republic after independence but then fell foul of those in power when it became obvious they cared only about themselves and their pockets.

Unfortunately, that tendency in government continues to this day. Maybe it's the same in the West as well, but at least we can vote the buggers out of office and there are enough checks and balances in place to restrict their influence and stop them breaking the law. Still, you know what I mean.

Anyway, another one of these guys was Martin Jermakyan who is based in NY now. He tried to establish an "Armenian Freedom Network" online, but now it's frozen (http://armfreenet.org/) because, I guess, Armenians seem not to like freedom, especially in the Diasora where the idea of "benevolent" dictators still holds sway, despite the fact that history hasn't given us any examples of such.



---
Oneworld Multimedia
http://www.oneworld.am
http://oneworld.blogsome.com

(Ответить) (Thread)

BTW: When I say "youngish" I mean in his 40s and not another pseudo intellectual like Armenia has left over from the Soviet era. For example, I suspect Vahe would never join any grouping that used the word "intellectual" in the title and the fact that "intellectuals" in Armenia today says a lot about their actual intellect.

Then again, compared to Dodi Gago, I suppose it's all relative.

---
Oneworld Multimedia
http://www.oneworld.am
http://oneworld.blogsome.com

(Ответить) (Parent) (Thread)

I've got some information abou him from here: http://www.vernatun.org/ and also there sould be a video here:http://www.armtv.info (but no "signal" at least on my computer)
Well, it seems interesting anyway..just pretty depressing as well..

(Ответить) (Parent) (Thread)

That's him, and the video works for me. It's a short clip of him standing in front of some Diasporans and trying to give his opinion of the situation in Armenia only to find that the audience react against it.

168 Zham have the story on that as well. Apparently, the police were called (as the video shows) and Avetyan was arrested. Interesting to see 168.am say Avertyan smokes cocaine in LA so perhaps they want him arrested too. The way the media works he depresses me most of all. Anyway:

http://www.168.am/en/articles/3504

Still, on a brighter note, whenever I've spoken quite openly to audiences in London they've always been receptive. The guys from the Armenian Embassy who were sent along were even well behaved. They put their case at the end although never disputed anything I said.

Still, the U.S. Armenian Community is probably something very different.

---
Oneworld Multimedia
http://www.oneworld.am
http://oneworld.blogsome.com

(Ответить) (Parent) (Thread)

btw, have you heard a "gossip" they want to abolish voting polls in Diaspora, and the "justification" for that is that armenians in US are always voting against ruling elites ?
don't know much about US Diaspora either, but according to my facebook observations there are many young people who are quite well educated and aware of the situation in armenia (to the extent it is possible to be aware of it being out of armenia).
Concerning London and diaspoa there, i am rather disappointed. I know just few armenians living in London (as Silvie and our "late" sanandreassa as well as few academics and journalists) who REALLY knows and REALLY care what's going on here. Probably it is unfair to judge so, but in my opinion almost all (except greece and cyprus) european armenian diasporas are doomed to assimilation.

(Ответить) (Parent) (Thread)

Incidently, what on earth is assimilation? Actually, many Diasporans think that Hayastantsi are too "assimilated" with the adoption of Russian as a defining factor in language and local culture, while on the other hand, many Hayastantsi say that about Diaspora because they've either assimilated a) Turkish, b) Arab, or c) European / American values, culture, lifestyle and language.

At the end of the day let everybody be who they want to be. I'm half-Armenian and half-English and value both sides of my background. Ultimately, however, I am a British citizen and a person. That's the most important thing for me. And looking at the U.S. or Europe, can you name me one country that has this absurd idea of non-assimilated citizens?

What's England? A collection of all races and mixes who believe in their citizenship, their protection under the law, and their right to hold an ethnic identity of their choosing. Look at the Diaspora and what's different between youth there or here? Most DON'T want to live in Armenia, most appreciate western culture more than what is here, and so on.

Personally, I believe that citizenship and everything that this entails is the most important thing. Then let everyone decide who or what they are. Assimilation? Everybody is assimilated to some extent and it's their choice based on who they want to be. Perhaps the question is why do MOST ethnic Armenians abroad not want to be part of some utopian ethnic homeland?

Indeed, why would most citizens here get the hell out given the opportunity? Doomed to assimilation? Nah, it's just a natural reaction to people being fed up with being told what to think, how to act, what they can do, who they must hate, what ethnicity they must marry and so on. It's why "assimilation" occurs more among each younger generation wherever they are, and arguments against personal choice are usually used by those in power to cling onto it.

Besides, the defining factor in Armenian identity seems to be the family and that's strong wherever it may be.

Language, the Church, and so on? Armenians are divided in these areas so who's to say what is assimilation or not anyway? Western Armenian or Eastern? Living in Soviet style (Armenia and CIS), Arab (Middle East) or Western (US and Europe)? Is there a solution to this? Probably -- delight in our differences as a way of giving something more to each other and the world.

But just my personal opinion. ;-)

Anyway, the long and the short of it is that the Diaspora as a real entity linked to Armenia is a fraction of what many here think it is. Within that minority are even less who do anything other than be part of their community separated from Armenia, and the smallest minority of all speak out about anything in Armenia. Most, in fact, don't know, coz that's why we had Armenian International Magazine, that's why Cafesjian has bought The Armenian Reporter and that's why we have H1 and Armenia TV broadcast via satellite.

It's all about control and especially access to information -- just like it is here -- so on that, Avetyan has a point, crazy or not.

---
Oneworld Multimedia
http://www.oneworld.am
http://oneworld.blogsome.com

(Ответить) (Parent) (Thread)

He`s really crazy, not a dissident

(Ответить) (Parent) (Thread)

he looks like he is a bit..:)

(Ответить) (Parent) (Thread)

Not a bit :) He is just obijhnik, and dissident is a kind of profession for him. Nothing positive, just a pose

(Ответить) (Parent) (Thread)

Well, let's face it, who does care about the future of this country? Not even its citizens who'll gladly take their pitiful bribes and vote for anyone only to complain later until the next round of bribes comes along. Not sure what "sane" is in this country anymore.

It defies logic and can't be described as "anarchic" because there's some kind of corrupt method behind the madness.

As for Diaspora, well, first you have to qualify what you mean by "Diaspora." If you're talking about voting in elections, they're another type of Diaspora i.e. Armenian citizens currently living and working abroad.

The Diaspora I'm referring to are ethnic Armenians who have been living outside Armenia and in fact, have never lived here ever and will never do although they might comes as "extended" tourists. Actually, even that is a minority in the Diaspora as well. Anyone with any sense steers clear of Diasporan communities.

It might number a few million, but in reality it's probably not even 5-10 percent of that in "active" terms. They've had enough of their "community leaders" and the traditional political parties that tell them what they think. Of late I know only one thing. It's better just to be human.

(Ответить) (Parent) (Thread)

I don`t think that the way of Vahe is kind of thinking about future of the country. It`s thinking about himself.

I don`t speak about elections - it`s just one of the options only.

BTW - with whom I`m speaking?

(Ответить) (Parent) (Thread)

Kornelij, you're speaking to me ;-)

As for speaking about himself, yeah, you're probabl right. Most people engaged in politics do which is why you should never trust them and change them as frequently as possible. ;-)

---
Oneworld Multimedia
http://www.oneworld.am
http://oneworld.blogsome.com

(Ответить) (Parent) (Thread)

Hi, Onnik :) It`s Samvel Martirosyan

(Ответить) (Parent) (Thread)

I didn't have time to read all that goes below (or rather above this message) but all I can add, I read some of the guys work (if you can call it) on bnagir.am , utterly profane ;)

(Ответить) (Thread)

in my opinion almost everyone in this bnagir "tussovka" sounds odd -))
in postmodern pseudo-bukovski style and quite rum, but time to time it's possible to face interesting people and works as well.

(Ответить) (Parent) (Thread)

I'm kind of tired of the way armenians try to mimic the west/russia and get themselves out by falling into one extreme after another. When I hear of people writing erotic literature in armenian, I'd rather stay content with the little normal stuff we have.

(Ответить) (Parent) (Thread)

Cant say I know him, but he did stay at my place for couple of days and I did have some interesting encounters with him. At the end of it, trying not to get into political discussions, all I can say is that he did leave me with a feeling of being on a personal quest and trying to give it a noble character.

(Ответить) (Thread)

"being on a personal quest and trying to give it a noble character" sounds funny..:)
I do appreciate the fact he made his statement (doesn't matter if i agree with word and spirit of it or not ) and some people signed it (again i don't think it's that important who they are).

(Ответить) (Parent) (Thread)

Oh yes, I do agree with you on that one. Even though I thought he behaved like a goofy rooster back then, I still admired his ability to believe in something and the courage to fight for it. I rarely encountered such fire in people.

(Ответить) (Parent) (Thread)