Armenian businessmen to meet Çalık chairman
Monday, October 24, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
DİYARBAKIR - Hürriyet Daily News
Twenty-six Armenian businesspeople from the United States are scheduled to meet today with Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş and Ahmet Çalık, chairman of Turkey’s Çalık Holding, to discuss business opportunities.
Archbishop Viken Ayvazian and Archbishop Khadjak Barsamyan, two Armenian-American religious leaders, are to lead the group during the Istanbul visit. The businessmen were joining a larger group that attended the recent reopening ceremony of an Armenian church in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır.
“Most of these businessmen are visiting Turkey for the first time,” said Oscar Tatosian, who spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News on behalf of the group.
Commenting on the upcoming meeting with the Çalık Holding head, Tatosian said it was very important in terms of dialogue. “Our people should come together and enjoy a cup of tea,” he said. “The dialogue starts with arts, culture, academic cooperation and trade. The rest will follow.”
Tatosian owns the New York-based Oscar Isbenan Rug Company, a business started by Tatosian’s grandfather in the Central Anatolian province of Sivas that continues to produce rugs with Anatolian patterns.
“My grandmother used to tell me a lot about the importance of neighborhood,” he said. “Aren’t Armenia and Turkey two neighboring countries?”
The Armenian community abroad is wrongly considered a homogenous one by Turkish people, Tatosian said, adding that many wanted a good relationship with the Turks.
25 Ekim 2011 Salı
24 Ekim 2011 Pazartesi
Armenians claim roots in Diyarbakır
Sunday, October 23, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
DİYARBAKIR – Hürriyet Daily News
A group of Armenians, raised as Sunni Muslims, will be baptized today as Armenian Orthodox christians at the historic St. Giragos (Surp Giragos) Armenian Church in Turkey’s southeastern province of Diyarbakır.
The church, which was reopened on Oct. 22 following two years of restoration work, will host the baptism ceremony for dozens of Sunni Muslims of Armenian origin, whose ancestors converted to Islam after the 1915 killings in the Ottoman era.
Among those to be baptized is Gaffur Türkay, who also contributed to the restoration of the church. Türkay was going through emotional fluctuations, he told the Hürriyet Daily News.
“I wish this church had always been open,” he said. “It is unbelievable to be together here with people from all around the world with whom I share the same origins.”
“We have been ostracized by both Sunni Muslims and Armenians,” said Behçet Avcı, also known as Garod Sasunyan, who will also be baptized. “It is a very emotional moment for me and I’m a bit upset, because unfortunately we do not belong to either side.”
The baptism ceremony, which will be closed to the press and outside visitors, will be held today at the St. Giragos Armenian Church and will be led by Deputy Patriarch Archbishop Aram Ateşyan. The names of those to be baptized will not be revealed for security reasons.
A religious service was held yesterday at the church, one day after it was re-opened following the completion of the restoration work.
Among the participants in yesterday’s service were guests from Armenia and the United States, including former foreign minister of Armenia and the leader of Armenia’s Heritage Party, Raffi Hovhannesian, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardione and Archbishop Vicken Ayvazian, diocese of the Armenian Orthodox Church of America.
Other participants at the ceremony included Dositheos Anagnostopulos, spokesperson for the Istanbul-based Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, Yusuf Çetin, patriarchal vicar of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Istanbul, Diyarbakır Mayor Osman Baydemir and Sur Mayor Abdullah Demirbaş.
The St. Giragos Church was blessed on Oct. 22 in accordance with the traditions of the Apostolic Armenian Church.
The restoration work was funded by donations from Armenians in Istanbul and abroad through an initiative spearheaded by Vartkes Ergün Ayık, a businessman of Armenian origin whose roots lie in Diyarbakır, and Raffi Bedrosyan, an ex-resident of Istanbul who now lives in Canada.
The Sur District Governor’s Office in Diyarbakır lent its support to the project as well.
“We used to have over 2,600 churches and monasteries across Anatolia in the past. Unfortunately, only a handful of sanctuaries remain. My request from Turkey as a spiritual leader is for churches to be returned to the [Armenian] community, rather than reopening them for religious service as museums,” Archbishop Ayvazian told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Ayvazian said he was born in Turkey’s southeastern Şırnak province and speaks very fluent Turkish. “As with many Armenian-Americans, we also spoke Turkish at home,” he said, adding that his parents could not speak Armenian.
Responding to a question about why Armenian-Americans keep Turkey at an arm’s length, he said: “The reason is blatantly obvious. There was a genocide. An apology, a heart-felt step forward, could entirely banish this dispute.”
“It is exceedingly important for the two peoples to engage in dialogue, but without forgetting that great, dark disaster of history, like genocide,” Raffi Hovhannesiyan, leader of Armenia’s Heritage (Jarankutyun) Party, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
“I feel utterly alone among thousands of people now. Why were my people dispersed to all corners of the world?” said Yervant, a virtuoso who plays the oud, a traditional stringed musical instrument, speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News.
Used as a command center for German officers during the First World War, the church was then used as an apparel depot by the state-owned Sümerbank until 1950. The church was then handed back to the Armenian community, following a long legal battle.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
DİYARBAKIR – Hürriyet Daily News
A group of Armenians, raised as Sunni Muslims, will be baptized today as Armenian Orthodox christians at the historic St. Giragos (Surp Giragos) Armenian Church in Turkey’s southeastern province of Diyarbakır.
The church, which was reopened on Oct. 22 following two years of restoration work, will host the baptism ceremony for dozens of Sunni Muslims of Armenian origin, whose ancestors converted to Islam after the 1915 killings in the Ottoman era.
Among those to be baptized is Gaffur Türkay, who also contributed to the restoration of the church. Türkay was going through emotional fluctuations, he told the Hürriyet Daily News.
“I wish this church had always been open,” he said. “It is unbelievable to be together here with people from all around the world with whom I share the same origins.”
“We have been ostracized by both Sunni Muslims and Armenians,” said Behçet Avcı, also known as Garod Sasunyan, who will also be baptized. “It is a very emotional moment for me and I’m a bit upset, because unfortunately we do not belong to either side.”
The baptism ceremony, which will be closed to the press and outside visitors, will be held today at the St. Giragos Armenian Church and will be led by Deputy Patriarch Archbishop Aram Ateşyan. The names of those to be baptized will not be revealed for security reasons.
A religious service was held yesterday at the church, one day after it was re-opened following the completion of the restoration work.
Among the participants in yesterday’s service were guests from Armenia and the United States, including former foreign minister of Armenia and the leader of Armenia’s Heritage Party, Raffi Hovhannesian, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardione and Archbishop Vicken Ayvazian, diocese of the Armenian Orthodox Church of America.
Other participants at the ceremony included Dositheos Anagnostopulos, spokesperson for the Istanbul-based Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, Yusuf Çetin, patriarchal vicar of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Istanbul, Diyarbakır Mayor Osman Baydemir and Sur Mayor Abdullah Demirbaş.
The St. Giragos Church was blessed on Oct. 22 in accordance with the traditions of the Apostolic Armenian Church.
The restoration work was funded by donations from Armenians in Istanbul and abroad through an initiative spearheaded by Vartkes Ergün Ayık, a businessman of Armenian origin whose roots lie in Diyarbakır, and Raffi Bedrosyan, an ex-resident of Istanbul who now lives in Canada.
The Sur District Governor’s Office in Diyarbakır lent its support to the project as well.
“We used to have over 2,600 churches and monasteries across Anatolia in the past. Unfortunately, only a handful of sanctuaries remain. My request from Turkey as a spiritual leader is for churches to be returned to the [Armenian] community, rather than reopening them for religious service as museums,” Archbishop Ayvazian told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Ayvazian said he was born in Turkey’s southeastern Şırnak province and speaks very fluent Turkish. “As with many Armenian-Americans, we also spoke Turkish at home,” he said, adding that his parents could not speak Armenian.
Responding to a question about why Armenian-Americans keep Turkey at an arm’s length, he said: “The reason is blatantly obvious. There was a genocide. An apology, a heart-felt step forward, could entirely banish this dispute.”
“It is exceedingly important for the two peoples to engage in dialogue, but without forgetting that great, dark disaster of history, like genocide,” Raffi Hovhannesiyan, leader of Armenia’s Heritage (Jarankutyun) Party, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
“I feel utterly alone among thousands of people now. Why were my people dispersed to all corners of the world?” said Yervant, a virtuoso who plays the oud, a traditional stringed musical instrument, speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News.
Used as a command center for German officers during the First World War, the church was then used as an apparel depot by the state-owned Sümerbank until 1950. The church was then handed back to the Armenian community, following a long legal battle.
21 Ekim 2011 Cuma
Historical Armenian church opens for service
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
The historical Armenian Surp Giragos Church in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır will open its doors for a Divine Liturgy on Sunday Oct. 23 for the first time in decades following the completion of two years of restorations.
The church will be blessed toward evening on Oct. 22 in accordance with the traditions of the Apostolic Armenian Church; the Divine Liturgy is set to take place the day after.
The restoration of the church was funded by donations from Armenians in Istanbul and abroad through an initiative spearheaded by Vartkes Ergün Ayık, a businessman of Armenian origin whose roots lie in Diyarbakır, and Raffi Bedrosyan, an ex-resident of Istanbul who now lives in Canada.
The Sur District Governor’s Office in Diyarbakır lent its support to the project as well, while the Bakırköy District Governor’s Office in Istanbul allocated two buses free of charge for Bakırköy residents who would like to attend the event, as it did during the opening of the Surp Krikor Lusavorich Church (Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator) in the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri a few years ago.
Some 1,500 people from Istanbul, Armenia and the United States, as well as from countries across Europe and the Middle East, are expected to attend the historic mass.
No vacancies are reported to be left in hotels across Diyarbakır, as rooms were reserved months in advance. The people of Diyarbakır are therefore readying to host visitors in their own homes, as they did two years ago when the historical Surp Haç Church (Church of the Holy Cross) on Akdamar Island in the eastern province of Van was opened for mass.
Regarded by art historians as the biggest church in the Middle East, the Surp Giragos Church covers 3,200 square meters and has a capacity of 3,000 people. Used as a command center for German officers during World War I, the church was then used as an apparel depot by state-owned Sümerbank until 1950.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
The historical Armenian Surp Giragos Church in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır will open its doors for a Divine Liturgy on Sunday Oct. 23 for the first time in decades following the completion of two years of restorations.
The church will be blessed toward evening on Oct. 22 in accordance with the traditions of the Apostolic Armenian Church; the Divine Liturgy is set to take place the day after.
The restoration of the church was funded by donations from Armenians in Istanbul and abroad through an initiative spearheaded by Vartkes Ergün Ayık, a businessman of Armenian origin whose roots lie in Diyarbakır, and Raffi Bedrosyan, an ex-resident of Istanbul who now lives in Canada.
The Sur District Governor’s Office in Diyarbakır lent its support to the project as well, while the Bakırköy District Governor’s Office in Istanbul allocated two buses free of charge for Bakırköy residents who would like to attend the event, as it did during the opening of the Surp Krikor Lusavorich Church (Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator) in the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri a few years ago.
Some 1,500 people from Istanbul, Armenia and the United States, as well as from countries across Europe and the Middle East, are expected to attend the historic mass.
No vacancies are reported to be left in hotels across Diyarbakır, as rooms were reserved months in advance. The people of Diyarbakır are therefore readying to host visitors in their own homes, as they did two years ago when the historical Surp Haç Church (Church of the Holy Cross) on Akdamar Island in the eastern province of Van was opened for mass.
Regarded by art historians as the biggest church in the Middle East, the Surp Giragos Church covers 3,200 square meters and has a capacity of 3,000 people. Used as a command center for German officers during World War I, the church was then used as an apparel depot by state-owned Sümerbank until 1950.
Rocker discovers his origins
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Turkish Rock and alternative musician Yaşar Kurt is a highly symbolic figure for conscientious objectors; his dissident song, ‘Korku’ (Fear), which was released in the late 1990s, virtually amounted to a political march and resulted in his trial for ‘treason.’ Kurt recently spoke to the Daily News about the release of his latest album, ‘Güneş Kokusu’ (Smell of the Sun), as well as his Armenian origins. ‘I am trying to discover myself. Every individual ought to be free in this decision,’ he says
Prominent Turkish rock and alternative musician, Yaşar Kurt, has embraced his spiritual identity, faced trial forhis music’s content and seeks to honor his hero on stage. Now, after eight years, he has also released a new album, “Güneş Kokusu” (Smell of the Sun).
“Despite everything, my fans have continued to embrace me. This goes to show that I have addressed a righteous and solid following,” he said.
Kurt became baptized at the age of 40 after learning that he was actually of Armenian origin. “I am trying to discover myself. Every individual ought to be free in this decision and live the way they feel. One ought not to carry their identity around as if it were his or her fate. I am a proselyte for both sides, neither side accepts me. The sense of not belonging sticks to you like your destiny. Is being human not the most important thing?” Kurt told the Hürriyet Daily News in a recent interview.
He had been asking his family about his identity since the age of 13 but never received a reply, Kurt said, adding that he felt extremely angry when he learned the truth after 40 years. “Still, I want to hear the language of peace.” he added.
Artist wants to honor his hero
“I lived unaware of my true identity in this land, which was visited by indescribable pain, but I want peace and dialogue. The peace that I am describing is a peace where one does not prevail over the other,” he said, adding that his relatives were unnerved and reacted negatively when he revealed his true identity.
Kurt’s greatest wish is to stage a screen play about the life of Gomidas Vartabed, who represents a milestone in the development of Armenian music.
“Besides our physical resemblance, Gomidas is also a significant figure for humanity, and for Turkish-Armenian relations,” Kurt said, adding that everyone who saw him was struck by their likeness.
Gomidas, an ethno-musicologist whose real name was Soğomon Soğomonyan, is known for his extensive research, studies and compilations of Turkish, Azeri, Kurdish and Iranian music in addition to his crucial contributions to Armenian music.
Gomidas was arrested alongside with 250 other Armenian intellectuals on the evening of April 24, 1915, the date which is commemorated as the beginning of the events of 1915, just as he was on the brink of deciphering the coded notes of Baba Hamparzsum, a prominent figure in Turkish Classical Music. Having personally witnessed the deaths of many of his friends, Gomidas lost his mental balance and spent the rest of his life in a Paris mental asylum.
A symbol of conscientious objection
Kurt also stands as a highly symbolic figure for conscientious objectors; his dissident song “Korku” (“Fear”), which was released in the late 1990s on the album “Göndermeler” (Allusions), amounts to a political march against military service. Kurt was sued and tried for treason because of the album.
“I was going to be sentenced to 12 years in prison, had I not been acquitted,” he said, adding that the ban on the album was still in effect.
“My album is banned. I cannot re-introduce it to the market, but I can add the songs to my new albums one by one and sing them in my concerts – it’s truly a contradiction. Because the album was banned by the Culture Ministry I must file a lawsuit against the state to lift the ban [and] I was tried at a military court,” Kurt said.
He lived as a fugitive for years to avoid military service, Kurt said, adding that he finally served 28 days in the military in the early 2000s through draft regulations that allowed him to conduct partially exempted and paid service.
“Militarism is the fundamental cause behind all the world’s problems. I cannot lay my hands on a weapon. Bearing arms is not the only way to serve the country. I can look after the elderly in a nursing home, or do cleaning work, but I did not want my hands to touch a weapon, and I still do not want to do so,” he said.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Turkish Rock and alternative musician Yaşar Kurt is a highly symbolic figure for conscientious objectors; his dissident song, ‘Korku’ (Fear), which was released in the late 1990s, virtually amounted to a political march and resulted in his trial for ‘treason.’ Kurt recently spoke to the Daily News about the release of his latest album, ‘Güneş Kokusu’ (Smell of the Sun), as well as his Armenian origins. ‘I am trying to discover myself. Every individual ought to be free in this decision,’ he says
Prominent Turkish rock and alternative musician, Yaşar Kurt, has embraced his spiritual identity, faced trial forhis music’s content and seeks to honor his hero on stage. Now, after eight years, he has also released a new album, “Güneş Kokusu” (Smell of the Sun).
“Despite everything, my fans have continued to embrace me. This goes to show that I have addressed a righteous and solid following,” he said.
Kurt became baptized at the age of 40 after learning that he was actually of Armenian origin. “I am trying to discover myself. Every individual ought to be free in this decision and live the way they feel. One ought not to carry their identity around as if it were his or her fate. I am a proselyte for both sides, neither side accepts me. The sense of not belonging sticks to you like your destiny. Is being human not the most important thing?” Kurt told the Hürriyet Daily News in a recent interview.
He had been asking his family about his identity since the age of 13 but never received a reply, Kurt said, adding that he felt extremely angry when he learned the truth after 40 years. “Still, I want to hear the language of peace.” he added.
Artist wants to honor his hero
“I lived unaware of my true identity in this land, which was visited by indescribable pain, but I want peace and dialogue. The peace that I am describing is a peace where one does not prevail over the other,” he said, adding that his relatives were unnerved and reacted negatively when he revealed his true identity.
Kurt’s greatest wish is to stage a screen play about the life of Gomidas Vartabed, who represents a milestone in the development of Armenian music.
“Besides our physical resemblance, Gomidas is also a significant figure for humanity, and for Turkish-Armenian relations,” Kurt said, adding that everyone who saw him was struck by their likeness.
Gomidas, an ethno-musicologist whose real name was Soğomon Soğomonyan, is known for his extensive research, studies and compilations of Turkish, Azeri, Kurdish and Iranian music in addition to his crucial contributions to Armenian music.
Gomidas was arrested alongside with 250 other Armenian intellectuals on the evening of April 24, 1915, the date which is commemorated as the beginning of the events of 1915, just as he was on the brink of deciphering the coded notes of Baba Hamparzsum, a prominent figure in Turkish Classical Music. Having personally witnessed the deaths of many of his friends, Gomidas lost his mental balance and spent the rest of his life in a Paris mental asylum.
A symbol of conscientious objection
Kurt also stands as a highly symbolic figure for conscientious objectors; his dissident song “Korku” (“Fear”), which was released in the late 1990s on the album “Göndermeler” (Allusions), amounts to a political march against military service. Kurt was sued and tried for treason because of the album.
“I was going to be sentenced to 12 years in prison, had I not been acquitted,” he said, adding that the ban on the album was still in effect.
“My album is banned. I cannot re-introduce it to the market, but I can add the songs to my new albums one by one and sing them in my concerts – it’s truly a contradiction. Because the album was banned by the Culture Ministry I must file a lawsuit against the state to lift the ban [and] I was tried at a military court,” Kurt said.
He lived as a fugitive for years to avoid military service, Kurt said, adding that he finally served 28 days in the military in the early 2000s through draft regulations that allowed him to conduct partially exempted and paid service.
“Militarism is the fundamental cause behind all the world’s problems. I cannot lay my hands on a weapon. Bearing arms is not the only way to serve the country. I can look after the elderly in a nursing home, or do cleaning work, but I did not want my hands to touch a weapon, and I still do not want to do so,” he said.
19 Ekim 2011 Çarşamba
Armenian journalists added in murder list
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The Turkish Journalists Association (TGC) has decided to include the names of Armenian journalists killed during the events of 1915 in its list of “murdered journalists,” mimicking recent actions of the Contemporary Journalists’ Association (ÇGD.) A special section of the Press Museum will be dedicated to the murdered Armenian journalists.
“What is important for us is that they are our colleagues; their religion, language and race are irrelevant,” Ahmet Özdemir, TGC’s deputy secretary-general, told the Hürriyet Daily News in a phone interview.
ÇGD added the names of 10 murdered Armenian journalists to its list in recent months. The TGC, however, plans to add only two names: Diran Kelekyan, an editor of the daily Sabah and Cihan journals, as well as a writer and an academic; and Krikor Zohrab, a legal expert, writer, journalist and three-time deputy in the Ottoman Parliament.
“We took journalism as the criterion. Persons who published poems and discursions on newspapers do not carry significance for us in terms of journalistic criteria,” Özdemir said, adding that Zohrab and Kelekyan were murdered for their professional journalistic activities.
Zohrab and Kelekyan were sent into exile from Istanbul alongside 250 other Armenian intellectuals on the eve of April 24, 1915, the date regarded as the anniversary of the tragic events of 1915. The two journalists never returned from their forced exile.
The names of Zohrab and Kelekyan will be added to the TGC’s list and the Press Museum during the coming week following a public announcement.
“The persons we included in our list may have published discursions or poems, as they are also prominent representatives of western Armenian literature, but at the same time they [were] also journalists in every sense of the word,” ÇGD’s Ahmet Abakay told the Hürriyet Daily News in a phone interview.
TGC’s move is significant, although the organization still needs to push on with such efforts, Abakay said, adding that reviewing the criteria for journalism was necessary.
“I would prefer not to get involved in the [internal affairs] of another organization, but I would especially like to underscore this point that in our country, left-wing journals were once not counted as newspapers,” Abakay said.
“We would like to make space for more Armenian journalists as the ÇGD. We also came in very late, but we had neither any documents nor any information. Official history concealed the truth from us. It constitutes a crime to conceal from society the names of these individuals who labored for the Turkish press. We are going to continue waging this struggle.”
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The Turkish Journalists Association (TGC) has decided to include the names of Armenian journalists killed during the events of 1915 in its list of “murdered journalists,” mimicking recent actions of the Contemporary Journalists’ Association (ÇGD.) A special section of the Press Museum will be dedicated to the murdered Armenian journalists.
“What is important for us is that they are our colleagues; their religion, language and race are irrelevant,” Ahmet Özdemir, TGC’s deputy secretary-general, told the Hürriyet Daily News in a phone interview.
ÇGD added the names of 10 murdered Armenian journalists to its list in recent months. The TGC, however, plans to add only two names: Diran Kelekyan, an editor of the daily Sabah and Cihan journals, as well as a writer and an academic; and Krikor Zohrab, a legal expert, writer, journalist and three-time deputy in the Ottoman Parliament.
“We took journalism as the criterion. Persons who published poems and discursions on newspapers do not carry significance for us in terms of journalistic criteria,” Özdemir said, adding that Zohrab and Kelekyan were murdered for their professional journalistic activities.
Zohrab and Kelekyan were sent into exile from Istanbul alongside 250 other Armenian intellectuals on the eve of April 24, 1915, the date regarded as the anniversary of the tragic events of 1915. The two journalists never returned from their forced exile.
The names of Zohrab and Kelekyan will be added to the TGC’s list and the Press Museum during the coming week following a public announcement.
“The persons we included in our list may have published discursions or poems, as they are also prominent representatives of western Armenian literature, but at the same time they [were] also journalists in every sense of the word,” ÇGD’s Ahmet Abakay told the Hürriyet Daily News in a phone interview.
TGC’s move is significant, although the organization still needs to push on with such efforts, Abakay said, adding that reviewing the criteria for journalism was necessary.
“I would prefer not to get involved in the [internal affairs] of another organization, but I would especially like to underscore this point that in our country, left-wing journals were once not counted as newspapers,” Abakay said.
“We would like to make space for more Armenian journalists as the ÇGD. We also came in very late, but we had neither any documents nor any information. Official history concealed the truth from us. It constitutes a crime to conceal from society the names of these individuals who labored for the Turkish press. We are going to continue waging this struggle.”
13 Ekim 2011 Perşembe
Municipal Theater plays Armenian writer’s work
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Istanbul Municipal Theater is getting ready to stage famous Armenian writer Hagop Baronyan’s The Eastern Dentist in its new season. “Armenians are the foundations of Turkish theater,” says art director Şamlıoğlu.
The Istanbul Municipal Theater will stage Hagop Baronyan’s “The Eastern Dentist” (Adamnapuyjn Arevelyan) as a musical in the new season, marking the first time an Armenian play will be staged at a state theater in Turkey.
“Armenians are the foundation of Turkish theater. Artists bred in this area are the DNA of this land. We need to claim our past if we want to modernize. Unfortunately, we are a society without a memory,” said Ayşenil Şamlıoğlu, Istanbul Municipal Theater’s general art director.
The theater would be greatly pleased to bring the play to Armenia with its huge cast as well, Şamlıoğlu added.
“We also marginalize our people. We ignored people who had been living on this soil for thousands of years due to ideological reasons. It is impossible for us to eradicate Armenian artists from Turkish theater,” Engin Algan, who adapted Baronyan’s work for the stage, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Algan encountered Baronyan’s name by chance in a theater magazine called “Mimesis.” He then found out about the work on the Internet.
“[It is] a very important and unique work in literary terms as much as in theatrical terms despite having been written in 1860,” Algan said.
Regarded as a landmark persona in western Armenian literature, which developed primarily in Istanbul during the 19th century, Baronyan was marginalized in his own time due to his biting language. A comedy writer and journalist, Baronyan posthumously became part of the classical cannon with his work.
‘There would have been outrage’
“We would not have been able to stage this play in previous years even if we had wanted to. We went through difficult times. There would certainly have been major outrage if we had said that we were going to stage such a play in a public theater,” Algan said.
It is highly important to perform such a play at a time when enmity is used as a political tool and the winds of nationalism have taken hold of the new generation, he said.
“We shared a common life 100 years ago. It is this common past that carried us into the present. We are used to burying our heads in the sand, but we can no longer continue on like this,” Algan said.
The play tackles the issue of gender relations in a comical way, according to Şamlıoğlu, while the costumes and music is quite colorful.
“We did some restoration work on the original text. We composed new songs and brought together the influence of westernization, the culture of the Armenian community, Orientalism and canto with a different concept while preserving the spirit of the era,” Algan said.
Foreign audiences would also derive great pleasure from Baronyan’s play, Şamlıoğlu said.
“You will find the wealth of
this land and a different color scale in this musical play,” Şamlıoğlu said.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Istanbul Municipal Theater is getting ready to stage famous Armenian writer Hagop Baronyan’s The Eastern Dentist in its new season. “Armenians are the foundations of Turkish theater,” says art director Şamlıoğlu.
The Istanbul Municipal Theater will stage Hagop Baronyan’s “The Eastern Dentist” (Adamnapuyjn Arevelyan) as a musical in the new season, marking the first time an Armenian play will be staged at a state theater in Turkey.
“Armenians are the foundation of Turkish theater. Artists bred in this area are the DNA of this land. We need to claim our past if we want to modernize. Unfortunately, we are a society without a memory,” said Ayşenil Şamlıoğlu, Istanbul Municipal Theater’s general art director.
The theater would be greatly pleased to bring the play to Armenia with its huge cast as well, Şamlıoğlu added.
“We also marginalize our people. We ignored people who had been living on this soil for thousands of years due to ideological reasons. It is impossible for us to eradicate Armenian artists from Turkish theater,” Engin Algan, who adapted Baronyan’s work for the stage, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Algan encountered Baronyan’s name by chance in a theater magazine called “Mimesis.” He then found out about the work on the Internet.
“[It is] a very important and unique work in literary terms as much as in theatrical terms despite having been written in 1860,” Algan said.
Regarded as a landmark persona in western Armenian literature, which developed primarily in Istanbul during the 19th century, Baronyan was marginalized in his own time due to his biting language. A comedy writer and journalist, Baronyan posthumously became part of the classical cannon with his work.
‘There would have been outrage’
“We would not have been able to stage this play in previous years even if we had wanted to. We went through difficult times. There would certainly have been major outrage if we had said that we were going to stage such a play in a public theater,” Algan said.
It is highly important to perform such a play at a time when enmity is used as a political tool and the winds of nationalism have taken hold of the new generation, he said.
“We shared a common life 100 years ago. It is this common past that carried us into the present. We are used to burying our heads in the sand, but we can no longer continue on like this,” Algan said.
The play tackles the issue of gender relations in a comical way, according to Şamlıoğlu, while the costumes and music is quite colorful.
“We did some restoration work on the original text. We composed new songs and brought together the influence of westernization, the culture of the Armenian community, Orientalism and canto with a different concept while preserving the spirit of the era,” Algan said.
Foreign audiences would also derive great pleasure from Baronyan’s play, Şamlıoğlu said.
“You will find the wealth of
this land and a different color scale in this musical play,” Şamlıoğlu said.
11 Ekim 2011 Salı
Armenian community receives official support
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Armenian community members in Istanbul came together in a cordial meeting with Interior Minister İdris Naim Şahin and Bakırköy Mayor Ateş Ünal Erzen and gave messages of peace, fraternity and dialogue
Bakırköy Mayor Ateş Ünal Erzen said that the municipality will cover all expenses incurred by the Yeşilköy Armenian School Graduates Association. DAILY NEWS photo.
Interior Minister İdris Naim Şahin is taking a close interest in the problems of Turkey’s Armenians, community members have said in the wake of a recent meeting with Cabinet minister in Istanbul’s Bakırköy district.
“[Şahin] has always showed close attention to every sort of problem [that we have had.] He did not turn us down,” Arev Cebeci, an Armenian community representative who had applied to run for the Republican People’s Party (CHP) but was ultimately not selected as a candidate for the opposition party, told the Hürriyet Daily News on Oct. 9.
“What we want to explain is very important. We [express] our problems more clearly in this manner,” he said in relation to the recent contact between minority communities and Ankara on the ministerial level.
Şahin came together with members of the community on Oct. 9 for the commencement ceremony of the Yeşilköy Armenian School Graduates Association for the new season. CHP deputies Mevlüt Aslanoğlu and Süleyman Çelebi, as well as Bakırköy Mayor Ateş Ünal Erzen also attended the cordial meeting in the district’s Yeşilköy neighborhood.
Municipality aids
Erzen said during the meeting that all expenses incurred by the graduate association throughout the season would be covered by the municipality. The municipality will meet over 40,000 Turkish Liras in expenses, Erzen told the Daily News.
Şahin, meanwhile, highlighted the dialogue between Turks and Armenians, who have been living together for centuries, and issued messages of fraternity and friendship.
During the meeting, Cebeci also highlighted Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç’s statement admitting that the state had seized property from minorities but was now “giving it back” through a recent decision. “When will our rights be restored? When will we assume official posts and achieve the status of equal citizens? When will we be able to become civil servants? I don’t want to tell stories to my children anymore, [I want to tell] the truth,” Cebeci said.
“These are the truths and realities. Mr. Arınç has issued a very courageous and appropriate statement,” Şahin said but avoided addressing Cebeci’s comments.
The selection of a new patriarch and the new draft constitution were also brought up during the meeting.
Patriarch Mesrop II of Turkey’s Armenians has not been able to perform his duties since 2007, as he has been afflicted with frontal dementia. For that reason, the Interior Ministry appointed Archbishop Aram Ateşyan, the head of the Spiritual Council, as the deputy patriarch in an unprecedented move. The entrepreneurial delegation, an Armenian organization independent of church authorities, filed a lawsuit against the ministry on the grounds that it intervened in the process. The trial is still underway.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Armenian community members in Istanbul came together in a cordial meeting with Interior Minister İdris Naim Şahin and Bakırköy Mayor Ateş Ünal Erzen and gave messages of peace, fraternity and dialogue
Bakırköy Mayor Ateş Ünal Erzen said that the municipality will cover all expenses incurred by the Yeşilköy Armenian School Graduates Association. DAILY NEWS photo.
Interior Minister İdris Naim Şahin is taking a close interest in the problems of Turkey’s Armenians, community members have said in the wake of a recent meeting with Cabinet minister in Istanbul’s Bakırköy district.
“[Şahin] has always showed close attention to every sort of problem [that we have had.] He did not turn us down,” Arev Cebeci, an Armenian community representative who had applied to run for the Republican People’s Party (CHP) but was ultimately not selected as a candidate for the opposition party, told the Hürriyet Daily News on Oct. 9.
“What we want to explain is very important. We [express] our problems more clearly in this manner,” he said in relation to the recent contact between minority communities and Ankara on the ministerial level.
Şahin came together with members of the community on Oct. 9 for the commencement ceremony of the Yeşilköy Armenian School Graduates Association for the new season. CHP deputies Mevlüt Aslanoğlu and Süleyman Çelebi, as well as Bakırköy Mayor Ateş Ünal Erzen also attended the cordial meeting in the district’s Yeşilköy neighborhood.
Municipality aids
Erzen said during the meeting that all expenses incurred by the graduate association throughout the season would be covered by the municipality. The municipality will meet over 40,000 Turkish Liras in expenses, Erzen told the Daily News.
Şahin, meanwhile, highlighted the dialogue between Turks and Armenians, who have been living together for centuries, and issued messages of fraternity and friendship.
During the meeting, Cebeci also highlighted Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç’s statement admitting that the state had seized property from minorities but was now “giving it back” through a recent decision. “When will our rights be restored? When will we assume official posts and achieve the status of equal citizens? When will we be able to become civil servants? I don’t want to tell stories to my children anymore, [I want to tell] the truth,” Cebeci said.
“These are the truths and realities. Mr. Arınç has issued a very courageous and appropriate statement,” Şahin said but avoided addressing Cebeci’s comments.
The selection of a new patriarch and the new draft constitution were also brought up during the meeting.
Patriarch Mesrop II of Turkey’s Armenians has not been able to perform his duties since 2007, as he has been afflicted with frontal dementia. For that reason, the Interior Ministry appointed Archbishop Aram Ateşyan, the head of the Spiritual Council, as the deputy patriarch in an unprecedented move. The entrepreneurial delegation, an Armenian organization independent of church authorities, filed a lawsuit against the ministry on the grounds that it intervened in the process. The trial is still underway.
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