Home and Homeland: The Journey to Armenia
Features — By Avo John Kambourian on August 13, 2010 11:21 amThis is a first in the series called “Home and Homeland,” an exploration into the Armenian Diaspora’s connection (or sometimes lack thereof) with Armenia, repatriation, identity, culture and more.
The author on his journey in Armenia/ © Avo John Kambourian
What makes someone leave home, walk away from his or her life, friends, family, work, school and become a traveler? Seven months ago, fresh out of quitting art school and returning to community college, I saw my future ahead of me: dark, bleak and distant. This future entailed a transfer to a decent university and becoming what I believed to be a normal person. Since I only needed one semester, endless months lay ahead of me, with nothing to do except work and be bored of the same thing; I knew I would never have to opportunity to take a chance as I did then.
I chose to go to Armenia for four months, not just for fun, but to finally see and taste the motherland from her roots. I remember one of the big things going on before I left was the Armenia-Turkey Protocol situation. I personally don’t side with anything unless I know its true purpose, so I decided that I would keep my eyes open while I was in Armenia.
After being there for a few weeks, living with a host family, making new friends, and mingling with a lot of the everyman, I decided to ask around. Of course I did run into much bias, as is relevant with every Armenian cause, and a lot of opinions on Turkey rather than what trading openly with Turkey can do for Armenia. I realized that there is a huge difference between these thoughts and what could really happen. We can really speculate all we want, but really what could we predict? Absolutely nothing.
I suppose this argument is dead. The protocols subsided around the big remembrance day of April 24th when the recently apathetic masses in Armenia picked up the torches and started burning Turkish flags on the march to the genocide memorial in Yerevan. As soon as I saw these acts, I was immediately disgusted, enough to not even take part in the march. Not to put myself on a high horse here, but what the hell are we doing? What are these types of people in Armenia and around the world thinking as they desecrate the flag of not just another country, but Armenia’s neighbor! I’m sure this doesn’t sit well with anyone, not only the Turks, hell, this even aggravates me.
Armenia through Avo's lens/ © Avo John Kambourian
What is home? What is Homeland? Does home mean where your parents live? Does homeland mean where your ancestors are from? If that’s the case my home is in Turkey. Am I Turkish? Armenian? Ottoman? American? What am I? I sat through countless arguments in Armenia about the rightful return of our lands from the Turkish government. To these people names are everything, aren’t they? For generations and generations, people have moved around the world, from place to place, from land mass to land mass, but a lot of that movement has been forgotten. At one point we all settled, put our bags down, and called a place home. Don’t get me wrong, I love being Armenian, I love my heritage, the food, the music, the dancing, the weddings, the language, and oh yes it would be so sweet to have a place to call our homeland, but it’s much bigger than that.
Our homeland is in our hearts and our minds, but we have a place to reference too: Armenia. If you really want to make a difference I strongly urge you to look at that piece of land and shed some light on it, because it needs you. Don’t make excuses and whine about the pain and suffering our people went through, those pains have long subsided and passed.
Let’s be realistic. Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) needs us; Gyumri, Spitak, and Javakhk need us. You can export and import all the goods and supplies to and from Armenia you want, but the greatest source of import for Armenia is its Diaspora’s influence.
"Tatik yev Papik" or "We Are Our Mountains" in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic./© Avo John Kambourian
Armenia herself also has a lot to give, a lot more than anyone could possibly imagine.
Different people are inspired in different ways- the artist might bring back techniques, the businessman could bring home income from his ventures, and the traveler such as myself brought back mental development and concentration on my efforts back home.
Armenia helped me focus on what I wanted for my life. I met new people, built new habits, and eliminated a few rotten ones. But I learned, most of all, that life doesn’t begin at any certain point, it continues constantly, and it is indeed what you make of it.
Armenia will always be with me in my dreams. Whether I realize it or not, it’s a part of me.
Tags: Armenia, armenian culture, armenian diaspora, armenian ethnicity, armenian homeland, traveling to armenia
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15 Comments
Avo dgha! you are so naive about Turkey. Most of the Turks, despite their fake hospitality, fake smiles, fake handshakes and fake sweet-talks are basically sadists by nature even though they try to deny and hide their sadism and show you a sweet face, just pull out that sweetly mask from their faces and underneath is all ugliness and bestiality. Why now they have been blockading Armenia for years? because of Azerbaijan? No, that is only a pretext; they are blockading because causing sufferings to Armenians give them sadistic pleasure, they enjoy seeing Armenians in despair and pain although they would try to hide their peculiar perversity and show a human face to the world but we Armenians should know better! What are the plans of the Turks for Armenia? They do not want any Armenia or Armenians in Caucasus, even if they have to commit another genocide to make their plans real, they are just waiting for the right opportunity to be presented to them.
“What are these types of people in Armenia and around the world thinking as they desecrate the flag of not just another country, but Armenia’s neighbor!”
Excuse me, but if you feel “disgusted” at looking just how we burn a simple flag…I don’t want to see your face when you see what children in Turkey and Azerbaijan read and see about Armenians…it is enough to make you puke.
Didn’t like the romantic part with you kissing the turkish butt, so unpatriotic. While we realize that the normalization of the relations with turkey would be good for the economy, it’s not that simple, there are other grave issues that have to be solved first..
Avo, I understand your article is mostly directed at Diaspora Armenians, but it was definitely interesting for me to read as someone from Turkey. I think it is commendable how you managed to not romanticize the homeland to the extent where you start excusing its actions that detriment values you normally hold, which would have been a very normal thing to do. I have lived abroad for a long time and this was a constant issue for me.
Regarding the flag-burning Turkish nationalists, let me put it this way: Turkey has a dark past of oppressing history and minorities, which it is currently in the process of facing, but we if speak of today -and I say this as someone who follows the media of Turkey, Armenia and the Diaspora via US media organs- there is more room in Turkey for anti-nationalist criticism. In other words, flag-burning here will get more *public* negative reaction/criticism then it will get in Armenia. There is more criticism here of “what children read and see about Armenians” than there is in Armenia about what children read and see about Turks/Azeris. There are academic articles, novels, op-eds published, TV commentators etc etc criticizing this enemy rhetoric everytime it publicly rears its head.
That might be natural because Turkey is a bigger, older (in the sense of the regime) and wealthier country. After all, Swedes have a more tolerant society not thanks to being *better* people, but other factors such as wealth, stability and education. So while it has a long long way to go, Turkey is on that way.
and lastly, Vartan, your comments are extremely offensive to me, but thankfully not enough to stop looking for/engaging with our neighbors who want to improve our collective situation for the betterment of everyone living in this region.
Nigar I used the word ‘most’ not the word ‘all’ and apparently you are excluded and if you search your genealogy probably you may find in them Armenian or Greek roots.
I have more to say. If you don’t like our brothers rightously burning the turkish flag. I suggest you to kiss it and stick it where I think.
Maybe you will feel better then and maybe that will help you forget the g thing. Plus, may I remind you that there is no question of any neighbourly relations, borders closed no diplopatic ties. I don’t think we are too tough on our good old neighbours by burning their flag.
Bravo Avo,
I loved reading about your experience and agree with your sentiments. It’s the kind of people who leave negative comments such as the ones above that are holding Armenia back from ever progressing past a third-world poverty ridden country. Don’t mind the critics, they (and their hateful ignorance) will fade away soon enough.
I think everyone is getting a bit too hung up on the flag, which wasn’t even nearly the focus of this article. I interpret the flag comment as saying that burning ANY nation’s flag is not only a political act against that government, but also a social act against the people. I know it’s hard to accept, but our issues lie with the Turkish government, and I believe that the author is saying that it is detrimental to partake in acts that enrage the general Turkish population.
Aside from that, let’s not forget that the article was more about a personal journey that brought focus to the author’s life. Let’s not forget to commend that part, and to encourage other Diasporan Armenians to do the same at some point in their live.
Personally I hate flag displays of all sorts and for whatever reasons. At a football match or above in an official capacity I can understand them, but waving the flag too makes me cringe a little. However, worth pointing out that the burning of the Turkish flag is actually an annual ritual for the Dashnaks on 23 April (see a photo I took of it 2 or 3 years ago at http://frontlineclub.com/blogs/onnikkrikorian/April%2023%20Demonstration%20032.jpg).
Basically, it’s not a reflection of the masses, really, but those aligned with a political party. Regardless, great post, and even if you don’t agree with it, at least applaud Liana for allowing this to be made so as to encourage real discussion and debate rather than live with the same old ideas which people are told to accept. Until now we’ve pretty much had polarized views coming from those who have decided they will represent the views of the masses without asking them first.
Now, we have room for independent and individual opinion. Bravo.
Maybe instead of wasting time burning a piece of cloth, those people would find a more constructive way of getting Turkey grilled on the genocide issue. But you would need brain cells for that.
Aren’t we supposed to outsmart the enemy, not act like them?
What has been accomplished by all these years of burning a piece of cloth? Oh, thats right, NOTHING.
Considering that Turkey continues take to an enemy approach to Armenia by blockading the border, militarily/economically/politically supporting Azerbaijan against Armenia and continuing to deny and evade genocide accountability, then burning Turkey’s flag seems like a normal act of expression for any active youth who cares about Armenia. I commend any diasporan that moves to Armenia to live there short or long term, but it’s silly of this kid to make negative judgments against active and patriotic youth of Armenia. I would rather have many more Turkish flag burning youth in Armenia as opposed to the vast majority of apathetic youth in Armenia who’s mission in life is to drive a black Mercedes with tinted black windows or move to America.
The burning of flags is childish and counter-productive but boycotting the April 24 commemoration because of the actions of a few is equally childish. Furthermore the Turkish-Armenian protocols fell apart the moment the Turkish government linked them to Karabagh and not as a result of any flag burning.
Avo, thanks for your thoughtful post. There is no substitute for first-hand observation, especially when those living in Armenia have very different concerns than those in the Diaspora, and the decisions made directly impact their lives and well-being. Regarding the flag-burning, as shocking as it is to you and those who see it for the first time, it is an annual “rite” sponsored by the ARF-Dashnak political party, which is much more popular and numerous in the Diaspora than it is in today’s Armenia, and could well have died out without the generous international funding it receives. This flag-burning is no more spontaneous than the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and to Turkey it would be only noteworthy if somehow it had NOT taken place. The protocols pretty much arrived stillborn, since immediately after their signing Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan linked them with the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, which was deliberately not mentioned in the protocol statement. So there was no cause-and-effect at all with the flag-burning you saw.
As to your own reaction, some self-reflection is in order. Did you truly wish to attend the Genocide Remembrance on April 24? If so, you should not have been deterred by the actions of these ultranationalists, but guided by your own feelings, and you should have talked to other more moderate voices, of which there are many, about the context of the situation.
And regarding what can be done, a lot of us have criticized the Diaspora, especially the ARF-Dashnaks, for perpetuating these nationalist feelings and focusing all their attention on Turkey and Azerbaijan, while studiously ignoring the dearth in Armenia of civil and human rights, the piggish and destructive oligarchy, the “unsolved” killings of 10 Armenians by other Armenians in the post-election crisis of 2008, and the wholesale selling off and long-term leasing of Armenia’s assets to Russian interests. If well-wishing Diasporans started to focus on these issues and demand improvements, fewer Armenians would need to emigrate, the investment climate would improve, and Armenia could begin to become a country that matched the imaginary one of the Diaspora’s dreams.
True, the Armenia-Turkey protocols fell apart because of Turkey (and actually Azerbaijan pushing them not to normalize relations) and not Armenia or any internal sentiment.
borders iran and turkey. what a lovely neighborhood
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