Armenia

I first heard the music of Deti Picasso two years ago and liked what I heard. Too often, most contemporary Armenian music falls into one of three categories — traditional, rabiz, very mediocre pop, or a combination of all three. Add to that the unfortunate tendency for most rock bands here in Armenia to content […]

Blogrel says that the damn awful giant LCD screen in Republic Square will soon be finally gone. It was erected a few years ago, as Armenia Now reported way back then, and was meant to be “temporary,” although I think we all knew that it would stay as long as whoever owned it made […]

Scatology, Stop Club, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Hetq Online 2006
While the opening of the One Nation — One Culture festival was underway, members of Armenia’s albeit small alternative scene instead had the opportunity to enjoy a rare musical occasion — a German electronic band performing in Yerevan. Initially, I wasn’t going […]

Yellow Bird Indian Dancers, Cascade, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Hetq Online 2006

I’ve just returned from a night out in Yerevan and quite a spectacle by the Casdade — Native American Indian dancers. Unfortunately, whenever I’m behind a camera I generally forget to fully immerse myself in any show that I’m photographing, but what I did take in was impressive as well as refreshing. Of course, the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia was in attendance along with other foreign diplomats and a few hundred Armenians sitting on the steps of the Cascade.

Yellow Bird Indian Dancers

Saturday, May 27, 20:00

The Cascade, Yerevan

The US Embassy is organizing and sponsoring a Native American Indian cultural performance tour. The “Yellow Bird Indian Dancers” hail from Arizona and will tour Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In Armenia the group will travel and perform in Yerevan, Gyumri and Ararat. You are invited to attend the Yerevan concert with your family and friends. This will be an outdoor concert, open to the public, free of charge, and appropriate for all ages. No tickets are necessary; seating is on a first-come, first-served basis on the Cascade steps.

The Yellow Bird Indian Dancers are respected in America and around the world for continuing the traditions of ancient cultures through their family. In their dance, in the sharing of eternal wisdom through storytelling, and in their preservation of traditional Apache craftworks, they sustain ageless Native American art forms so that they may be shared with the people of today and tomorrow. The U.S. Embassy is proud to bring the Yellow Bird Indian Dancers to Armenia so that they may mingle the ancient and beautiful traditions of the first peoples of America with the equally ancient and beautiful traditions of Armenia.

For more information about the group go to: http://www.yellowbirdindiandancers.com/

Yellow Bird Indian Dancers, Cascade, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Hetq Online 2006

I’ll try to get more photographs together for tomorrow’s Hetq Online.

As a few of the Armenian blogs becomes active in support of Armenia’s first entry to the Eurovision Song Contest, more and more cultural and political disagreements are beginning to emerge in the Diaspora, and also in Greece. Over at Cilicia.com, much of the reason for this is because some ethnic Armenians consider that the entry by local singer Andre sounds too “Turkish” rather than Armenian, and I have to admit that he does sound like a Tarkan wannabe.

It is hardly possible to associate Armenia with Europe with that song contrary, it is easier to associate Armenian with Turkey or Azerbaijan as many people currently do. I tried to do my best (unsuccessfully) to listen to that song from start to end . Not only it has nothing to do with Armenian or Armenia ( lyrics are in English, music 99% Turkish) but it is also out of date i.e. it is a copycat of past Turkish Eurovision songs.

Still, in the comments section of the post in question, Raffi Kojian makes the valid point that both Armenian and Turkish culture have borrowed heavily from each other as well as other cultures. Indeed, with the exception of Komitas, is there any such thing as pure Armenian music anyway? Morever, has any country really developed a musical tradition that is pure and free from other influences?

Is it possible to say ANYTHING without being subjected to scorn? Turkey’s milked the European/Asian thing forever now, is it ok if we do too? Is it ok if Europeans realize we’re right here in their backyard and decide to come by and check out our country in person? Is it ok if Andre - whos song I have never even commented on - sings something that actually borrows from neighboring countries who influence the music here, just as we influence theirs?

At the same time, Harmick over at Blogrel has created a site to support Andre and is urging Diasporans in Europe to vote for Armenia’s entry in order to wave the flag. The argument is that a victory for Andre will publicize Armenia and push the country closer to Europe even though some commentators over at Cilicia.com argue that it would instead create the impression of close cultural ties with Turkey and the Middle East.

Ha-ha, can’t agree more with Anna! Who gives a damn about this Eurovision contest, anyway? When Raffi described it as some kind of Super European Cup, my jaw dropped. Come on, neither critics of the song (ya, I heard a clip and was not impressed) nor the supporters should make it an ARMENIAN question, almost an IDENTITY question: it is exactly “just a cheesy song competition”! One day a good song will be presented, another day - a not so good one, not a big deal…

We’ll grow out of it, of course, but it is so amusing to watch this “national battle” now and recall it in, say, 10 years!

Personally, I also don’t care. If people think the song is good then let them vote for it regardless of who the singer is and where he comes from. However, given that Georgia pulled out of Eurovision because it would require a financial commitment of over $500,000, I would still like to know how much Armenia’s entry has cost the country and where the money came from.

Georgia will not participate in musical contest “Eurovision-2006″. This was declared by general director of “Eurovision-Georgia” company Vano Tarhishvilli.” Georgia can not take part in contest because organizers couldn-t gather a sum of 500 thousand euro necessary for preparation of Georgia participation in “Eurovision” contest”, - announced Tarhinshvilli.

“A sum of 500 thousand euro for preparation expenses was determined by the necessity to order a song appropriate for “Eurovision” standards”, to make a video and to record mini-album, to demonstrate hit during concert tours and then perform it on a contest with dignity”, - pointed out Tranhishvilli.

On the other hand, that’s also because in the UK we generally take the competition as a joke and certainly not representative of real contemporary musical culture in Europe. Don’t think I’ve been able to stand more than 15 minutes of watching it, to be honest.

The credibility of the show has been called in to question in some countries - (UK for example sees it as a comedy show but nonetheless keeps good viewing figures, Italy has declined to enter since 1997); conversely “new Europe” nations see it as a chance to showcase their nation and culture. This may or may not have a bearing on “Political and Regional Voting Patterns” as described above.

Meanwhile, some other more serious concerns are emerging now that Andre is in Greece. According to A1 Plus, after Azerbaijan protested his inclusion in the competition, some unexpected political concerns have been raised by members of the Greek-Armenian community.

“A1+” received a letter from the Greek information agency “Hayastan” which on behalf of part of the Armenian community living in Greece complains of the activity of Vahram Kazhoyan, RA Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Greece. According to the agency, “because of him the Armenians in Greece live in a tense atmosphere.”

The letter explains that the reason of the tense atmosphere is that with the support of Ambassador Kazhoyan Andre participates only in events held for the members of the Dashnaktsutyun (Armenian Revolutionary Federation) party.

“The singer is practically isolated from the local Armenian community and all its cultural and educational centers with the exception of those which operate under the sponsorship of the Dashnaktsutyun,” the letter says. “The two cases which caused much indignation were the following. On May 14 the Armenian Embassy organized a concert for the Armenian community with the participation of Andre and a number of singers from Armenia at which only the members of the Dashnaktsutyun party were allowed to be present. The second case was that Andre did not visit the ‘Galpaqyan’ college of the AGBU, whereas he visited the schools operating under the sponsorship of the Dashnaktsutyun party.”

According to several sources the staff of the Armenian Embassy in Greece is also displeased with the attitude of Ambassador Kazhoyan which causes problems in the Armenian community.

Well, culture can often be political, and this seems particularly true in the case of Armenia. So, while I don’t particularly care about this competition, I do see it representative of the chaos and politically-linked sponsorship of contemporary culture in the Republic. Whatever. Soon this contest will be over, and I don’t particularly care what the outcome is.

Bambir Midnight Bash, The Club, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Hetq Online 2006

It was meant to start at 23.43, but this being Armenia where timekeeping is lacking to say the least, the premiere of Gyumri rock band Bambir’s new programme of music at Yerevan’s The Club started at well past midnight. Not that it mattered, perhaps. It was late, and the concert was always going to run into the early hours anyway. No wonder the band performed in their pyjamas — typical of these guys from Armenia’s second largest city, as I recently wrote for Hetq Online.

The band’s charismatic madcap antics always prove a huge success with a young, progressive audience.

“Gyumri is a city of humor,” says Barseghyan, “and our outlook is shaped by that. We’re clowns, and I’ve always wanted to make people laugh because for me, that’s a great art. In Armenia, we need that now, and especially among youth. We need to see more people smiling.”

And the new material and programme is good. Very good, in fact, although some of it had been included in their previous set that seemed to keep Yerevan alive and rocking during most of last autumn and winter. Billed as The Diary, Narek Barseghyan said it was a conceptialized programme of mainly new music that Bambir have been rehearsing for the past few months.

Regardless, the albeit small audience appeared to like the new show, and it has to be said that despite its smaller size, The Club was a nicer venue for the band to perform in than Yerevan’s Stop Club. Sound was significantly better and the illumination, mostly by candlelight, was a huge improvement on the lighting that has made concert photography somewhat of a chore in other venues.

Also interesting to note the makeup of the audience. In addition to a mainly twenty-something local crowd, there were two Diasporans from Gerard Cafesjian’s CS Media, Aram Hajian, Sam from Square One, and Arsineh Khachikian who has just arrived in Armenia from the U.S. and blogs over at Cilicia.com’s Life in Armenia page.

Anyway, if you’re in town during the summer and you get the chance to catch Bambir performing, don’t miss it. Thankfully, after a long and depressing winter, Yerevan just came alive again.

Bambir Midnight Bash, The Club, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Hetq Online 2006

Now that the winter has long since gone in Armenia, more and more events are taking place in Yerevan. Anyway, I received two announcements about events to be held tomorrow, so if you’re in town it’s worth posting them here.

Yellow Bird Indian Dancers

Saturday, May 27, 20:00

The Cascade, Yerevan

The US Embassy is organizing and sponsoring a Native American Indian cultural performance tour. The “Yellow Bird Indian Dancers” hail from Arizona and will tour Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In Armenia the group will travel and perform in Yerevan, Gyumri and Ararat. You are invited to attend the Yerevan concert with your family and friends. This will be an outdoor concert, open to the public, free of charge, and appropriate for all ages. No tickets are necessary; seating is on a first-come, first-served basis on the Cascade steps

The Yellow Bird Indian Dancers are respected in America and around the world for continuing the traditions of ancient cultures through their family. In their dance, in the sharing of eternal wisdom through storytelling, and in their preservation of traditional Apache craftworks, they sustain ageless Native American art forms so that they may be shared with the people of today and tomorrow. The U.S. Embassy is proud to bring the Yellow Bird Indian Dancers to Armenia so that they may mingle the ancient and beautiful traditions of the first peoples of America with the equally ancient and beautiful traditions of Armenia.

For more information about the group go to: http://www.yellowbirdindiandancers.com/

Later in the evening, at 23.43 of all times, Gyumri rock band Bambir are scheduled to perform a premiere of “The Diary” at The Club.

For some reason I always wanted to work as a waitress. While the roots of such a desire are yet to be explored, I was happy to finally find a waitressing job in Yerevan last summer. Of course, I did not last more than seven working days with their crazy schedule and the pressure to quit the job.

Now, there is something very wrong about Armenian perceptions of the service industry in general, and waitressing in particular. Apparently, it is not half as shameful to waste your daddy’s money as it is to work as a waitress.

In fact, one of my friends tried to convince me to give it up, because it is beyond pride “to serve.”

Others were more supportive, but they still never liked the idea because there is this image of a waitress being somewhat “easy.” This was used as an argument by the same friend to keep me away from the job. There are men for whom waitresses are not much different from prostitutes.

And if you ever wondered why Armenian waiters and waitresses do not smile, maybe I can shed some light on the issue. First, it is virtually impossible to find a part-time waitress job here in Yerevan. As a rule, the job starts in the morning and ends late at night. Thus, on the average the working day lasts for 13 hours. With a work schedule like that by the end of the day you are anything but smiling.

Of course, there is a reason for this — namely that during the daytime there are not as many customers, and since waiting staff mainly rely on tips, nobody would prefer a slow daytime to busy evenings. Of course, there is solution as well, and perhaps a few restaurants do hire part-time workers after all, but from what I can judge, it is not a common practice.

Secondly, nobody was really happy with their jobs where I worked . It is hard to be happy waiting on people for 13 hours a day, and it seemed that I was the only one enjoying what I did. The only reason and motivation for the work for everybody else was the good pay — as on a average day you can make around 4,500 thousand drams — and the acute need for money.

They could not grasp the idea of being able to find another job and yet wanting to work as a waitress. However, and while it might sound strange, there’s something about serving food to people. It’s hard to explain, I guess.

It was educational certainly. For example, the owner of the restaurant used to dine out with his friends quite often, and whenever he would order we had to tell the cook it was his order to make sure that it was madeboth fast and of a higher quality. This came as a complete surprise to me. I would think that the owner of a restaurant shoud care about their customer, and therefore his own profit, more than anything else.

Guess not. A customer can wait for his food, and why not compromise on the quality of the food for a customer? And this is a privately owned business, mind you, so it kind of gives you a picture about how bad the situation is at the governmental level. Anyway, looking back at my time spent as a waitress there is a couple of things that I have learnt.

First, I now tip more generously than before, but more importantly, what it feels like to be a waitress in Armenia. Even now, I envy every waitresses when I go out.