rag mamoul volume # 9 issue # 79

RAG MAMOUL an ADLP PUBLICATION

Official Organ of the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party

Article of the Day

My 24 April 1915 JOUMANA HADDAD recounts her family's

trauma from the Armenian Genocide

Thursday, 1 May 2014 Volume # 9, Issue # 79

RAG MAMOUL receives material from around the world and in many languages. Our Liberal principles advocate ‘Freedom of

speech’ as a mainstay of our beliefs; consequently the subjects and ideas presented will not necessarily reflect our point of view.

All published material is reviewed, however, we rely on the kind understanding of our audience when grammatical and spelling

mistakes are missed. And in some rare cases, correction of submitted material is purposely not addressed, if it changes the implied

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“I love your sorrow, which is mine as well/My grief of grieves, all other woes above; I love your shattered breast, where still your love/sings on and on – a skylark wild with love.” – Daniel Varoujian

My grandmother survived the Armenian Genocide. Well, almost. She was born in 1912 in Antep (also known as Aintab or Gaziantep), situated in southeastern Turkey, the fifth child of the Markarian family, one of many families forming the city’s large Armenian community back then. On that ominous day of April 1915, Ottoman soldiers killed her father in front of her eyes. They forced her family and thousands of other Armenians to abandon their homes and go to Aleppo. They all marched through the deserts, without food or water, and were harassed, tortured, and massacred. Millions died. On the road, my grandmother also lost her own mother and three brothers.

www.facebook.com/RAGmamoul

ADLP News

Vancouver, Canada The Unveiling of the 3rd Armenian Genocide Monument in Canada (See on page 4)

News from Armenia Building with Integrity: How Armenia Fund Gets the Job Done

(See on page 6)

Armenian Diaspora News

Tbilisi, Georgia Genocide Memorial Unveiled in Tbilisi

(See on page 9)

http://www.yerakouyn.com/?p=55848




Grandma never spoke to us about any of this. I understand why. So I often close my eyes and try to imagine what she went through on that gloomy day when the genocide started, when she was merely a three-year-old child. I put myself in her shoes, and start talking: “I am afraid. I am afraid and hungry and thirsty. Why did we leave dad behind? Why is my mom not answering me and not moving? Is she asleep? Why are my brothers not teasing me or picking flowers for me like they used to? I am walking on people, and I hate it. But they are everywhere; the road is made of motionless bodies. Is this a game they are playing? But if it’s a game, why is everybody else crying? Walking on people is not a fun game. Come on, stand up, all of you. Enough playing already. I see soldiers with rifles. Everywhere. They are angry. They hate us. Why do they hate us? What did we do to them? Why are they shooting at us? Why are they ripping women’s clothes and asking them to lie down on the ground? The women are screaming, but the soldiers don’t seem to mind. Is this a game too? When are we going back home?

She, her older sister Lucine, and a younger brother, born in 1913, were the only survivors, thanks to the help of a family who took them along, watched over them, shared with them whatever food they were managing to find, and carried the two babies most of the way. They all grew up in an orphanage in Aleppo, where my grandmother later met my grandfather Efraim, who was a Syriac Catholic from Mardin. Efraim’s family had also been driven out of their hometown by the Turks during the massacres, which included Christian minorities alongside the Armenians. A few years after their marriage, they moved to Beirut.


Today I ate grass. It’s not good. It was covered with dust and I think there was a dead insect too. I miss mom’s food. I miss mom’s kisses, mom’s lap, mom’s smile. Why did we leave her behind? Is it because of me? Did I do something bad? Is she with dad now? It is so hot. I am tired. I am tired and afraid. I am hungry and thirsty. I think I will sleep a little. Lucine, wake me up when mom comes back.”

*** My grandmother committed suicide in Beirut in 1978. She was sixty-six; I was seven. She drank rat poison. I saw her lying on the kitchen floor, white foam coming out of her mouth. Every time I think about her, that is how I see her: not holding me in her arms; not telling me a story; not stroking my hair or giving me a thousand kisses, the way a grandparent should be remembered. No, I just see her lying on the ground, dead, and screaming all her unsaid, painful words in my head. So, you see, my grandmother did not really survive the Armenian Genocide. Like many other sufferers, she was killed, only with a bit of delay: a time bomb was planted in her heart and soul on that sinister day of April 1915, and it exploded decades afterwards. Here I am, here we are – the innumerable children and grandchildren of the victims – 99 years later, still waiting for justice; still waiting for the murderer to say, “I am sorry”. Let it be known we won’t quit waiting anytime soon. Whether we will forgive him or not when he apologizes is another story.

*JOUMANA HADDAD is a columnist at NOW, the cultural editor of An Nahar newspaper, university instructor and the author of many books, including “I Killed Scheherazade.” Her latest work is “Superman is an Arab – On God, marriage, macho men and other disastrous inventions.”.

Source

www. now.mmedia.me


Vancouver, Canada

The Unveiling of the 3rd Armenian Genocide Monument in Canada

The 99th Armenian Genocide Commemoration in Vancouver was held with great success with over 300 people present. The unveiling of the 3rd Canadian Genocide Monument was blessed by both Archbishops. Members of Parliament and MLA’s were also present. The Armenian ambassador to Canada, Mr. Armen Yeganian was also present for this special occasion.

Well known Canadian Armenian director, Mr. Atom Egoyan was a special guest. After the unveiling, the procession entered the building and the ceremony continued indoors. Varto Papasian (ADL Rep.) and Jack Der Hagopian (ARF) were Master of Ceremonies in Armenian and English respectively. Varto Papasian opened the programme in Armenian and had a few opening remarks: “Today is a day of prayer Today is a day of mourning Today is a day of demanding justice on behalf of our innocent genocide victims 99 years ago. The responsibility to achieve that justice is on every single Armenian’s shoulder. And justice will prevail with our unified efforts. Today we have our Armenia…. Today we have our Karabagh… Tomorrow we will have our historical Armenia with Mount Ararat.”

ADLP News

Government officials read proclamations. Mr. Yeganian said a few words. Mr. Atom Egoyan read the open letter that he wrote to the Turkish people which was published in the “AGOS” newspaper. A cultural programme followed with music and songs. Plaques were handed to Matilda, the artist who designed the monument, Hasso Essmailian, responsible for the construction of the monument, and Mr. Glen Hodges, the manger of the site. The programme concluded with prayers from both Archbishops.

Varto Papasian Vancouver, B.C., Canada


Plaques were handed to Matilda, the artist who designed the monument, Hasso Essmailian, responsible for the construction of the monument, and Mr. Glen Hodges, the manger of the site. The programme concluded with prayers from both Archbishops.


Plaques were handed to Matilda, the artist who designed the monument, Hasso Essmailian, responsible for the construction of the monument, and Mr. Glen Hodges, the manger of the site. The programme concluded with prayers from both Archbishops.



Building with Integrity: How Armenia Fund Gets the Job Done

News from Armenia


Seeing the work that Armenia Fund has done in the past twenty-two years – building important infrastructure

like highways, hospitals, schools, and waterways – one might think there are hundreds of people working for

the pan-Armenian organization headquartered in Yerevan, Armenia, that has 25 affiliates in 22 countries

throughout the world.

It’s true that thousands of people have been employed by the indispensable construction projects, but the

crew of people managing the process is surprisingly small.

Although Armenia Fund provides assistance in myriad ways, including scholarships to exceptional students

and aid to veterans of the Artsakh War, the bulk of its work focuses on construction projects with an eye to

the future.

Like most things associated with Tony Soprano, the construction business doesn’t have a good reputation.

But there is good among the bad – you just have to find it – and Armenia Fund has been refining its process

over the past two decades to do precisely that.

Considering the millions of dollars that is donated by Armenians throughout the world for humanitarian

projects in Armenia, including Artsakh, the office with the most important job is probably the one that awards

construction contracts.

A complex process, the lengthy and demanding steps required of all bidders is not for the faint of heart.

Financial records, including a company’s outstanding loans and tax payment history; disclosure of legal

issues; work experience in similar construction; and, as would be expected, a realistic bid, must be submitted

by any company interested in working on an Armenia Fund project.

There are no exceptions to the standards of excellence demanded by Armenia Fund.

Because almost all construction projects – schools, hospitals, roads -impact the daily lives of people,

Armenia Fund takes no shortcuts, prioritizing quality over the bottom line.

Awarding the project is only one part; making sure the work is done according to Armenia Fund’s standards

is another.

Several quality control mechanisms are in place to check the construction. Armenia Fund’s construction

department is composed of experienced professionals whose expertise in their field allows them to verify

if standards are being met and, if they’re not, to halt construction and withhold payment.

An independent firm to check construction quality is also hired, this in addition to the government

agencies that conduct their own checks.

To round out the extensive measures taken by Armenia Fund, international tax, consulting, and auditing

firm Grant Thornton brings in its own construction auditor, the results of which are made available in


are in place to check the construction. Armenia Fund’s construction department is composed of experienced

professionals whose expertise in their field allows them to verify if standards are being met and, if they’re not,

to halt construction and withhold payment.

An independent firm to check construction quality is also hired, this in addition to the government agencies

that conduct their own checks.

To round out the extensive measures taken by Armenia Fund, international tax, consulting, and auditing firm

Grant Thornton brings in its own construction auditor, the results of which are made available in regular audit

reports.

Payment to the construction companies is done monthly – not in a lump sum – and they are approved only

after monthly construction update reports are sent to the Armenia Fund headquarters from the field. And

because construction must be guaranteed for a certain period, Armenia Fund keeps a portion of the final

payment until that period has elapsed and no construction flaws have been detected.

Armenia Fund’s long bidding, awarding, and auditing processes might seem excessive. In fact, they are the

product of twenty-two years of cumulative experience, trial and error, and fine tuning that have made

Armenia Fund the most efficient, streamlined, and transparent construction management organization in

Armenia. It’s a system Tony Soprano would hate – and it’s continuously getting better.

If you’re wondering how Armenia Fund arrived at such a complicated process, the simple answer is integrity.

It would be much easier to announce a project, award it to the lowest bidder – despite any other criteria, –

and not bother with the tedium of constant monitoring and post-construction auditing.

But who would ensure there weren’t back-door deals among the bidders or substandard firms placing bids

they could never fulfill? Who would monitor every step of the process at an extra cost to guarantee that the

schools being built for children, the roads being driven on by farmers, and the hospitals being used by

veterans were built with the care and attention they deserved? Armenia Fund does.

It is with the knowledge that they have been tasked with building a nation, by a nation, that the people in

Armenia Fund come to work every day.

Ara Vardanyan, the executive director of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, sums it up: “Armenia Fund is an

investment by Armenians all over the world in the future of their country, their homeland. The responsibility

we feel to these benefactors as well as to our past, to our present, and to our future, is what guides our work

and our insistence on the standards of excellence we promote.”

Source: www.yerakouyn.com


Tbilisi, Georgia

Genocide Memorial Unveiled in Tbilisi A memorial to the Armenian genocide was unveiled in Tbilisi on Monday preceeding April 24th. The memorial

is made of stone and stands in the yard of one of the Armenian churches in the capital.

Levon Isakhanian, a representative of the Armenian community in Georgia, explained to Georgian news

agency DF Watch that a khachkar is a stone with a cross and ornaments engraved in it. This is a memorial

statue and it is an Armenian tradition to place such stones on graves.

There are only a few khachkars left in Georgia, dating from different time periods.

This is the second Armenian stone memorial in Georgia. The first one was placed in front of another

Armenian church in Tbilisi a few years ago in order to pay tribute to people who died in Tbilisi on April 9,

1989, during a pro-independence rally which was dispersed by Soviet soldiers.

journalists and politicians use the word “genocide.”

The unveiling of the new memorial was held in connection with the April 24 commemoration and was

attended by representatives of different churches.

“It is a very important day for the history of the Armenian community in Georgia. This is a day when

a khachkar, dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, was erected for the first time

in Tbilisi,” Vazgen Mirzakhaniani, head of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, said at the unveiling ceremony.

Armenian Diaspora News


The new khachkar is dedicated to the memory of approximately 1.5 million people who were massacred by

the Ottoman government during the Armenian Genocide at the turn of the 20th century.

Historians and many politicians consider the mass killings, torture, deportations, and ultimately displacement

of the Armenian population from its native homeland in 1915-1918 as genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman

Empire.

Every year on April 24, the Armenian community in Georgia holds rallies outside the Turkish embassy in

Tbilisi. They pay tribute to those who were killed and demand that the Georgian government recognize the

genocide.

The Turkish government categorically denies that the Ottoman Empire carried out a campaign of ethnic

cleansing against Armenians. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan said in an interview with the German magazine

Der Spiegel that there cannot be any conversation about any kind of genocide. He said he thinks that

assessing these events is a subject for historians and lawyers, not politicians. Erdoğan said Turkey is ready to

publish historical material and calls on Armenia to take the same step. He said he thinks it is a mistake when



The unveiling of the new memorial was held in connection with the April 24 commemoration and was

attended by representatives of different churches.

“It is a very important day for the history of the Armenian community in Georgia. This is a day when

a khachkar, dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, was erected for the first time

in Tbilisi,” Vazgen Mirzakhaniani, head of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, said at the unveiling ceremony.

“We appreciate the attitude of Georgians to this day and we want this khachkar to also become a symbol for

Armenian-Georgian relations, which go back centuries.”

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rag mamoul volume # 9 issue # 79

Documents

armenian genocide monument

armenian diaspora news

fun game

georgia genocide memorial

citys large armenian

adlp news vancouver

rag mamoul

ominous day