1994_11 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper November 1994

              6—A&E
Hye Sharzhoom
November 1994
■
Armen Babakhanian performed
before a standing room only audience at the inaugural concert
of the Philip Lorenz Memorial
Keyboard Concerts series on
September 22 at the Wahlberg
Concert Hall on the CSUF campus. Babakhanian'sconcertwas
co-sponsored by the Armenian
Studies      Program     and
Hamazkayin Armenian Educational
and Cultural Organization of Fresno.
A native of Yerevan, Babakhanian
has been a recent prize winner in
several of the world's prestigious
international piano competitions,
including the Van Cliburn, the
Dublin, the Gina Bachauer, and the
William Kappell.
Babakhanian studied at the
Tchaikovsky Special Music
School and Yerevan Conservatory of Music, where he studied
with Anahlt Bogdanian for a decade. Babakhanian wasfeatured
in the award winning documentary of the Ninth Van Cliburn
Competition, A Life in Music,
which aired nationwide on PBS
stations.
Karabagh's legacy
explored in new book
By Barlow Der Mugrdechian
AHISTORYOFQARABAGH:
An Annotated Translation of
Mirza Jamal Javanshir
Qarabaghi's Tarikh-e Qarabagh
by George A. Boumoutian.
Costa Mesa, CA: Mazda Publishers, 1994. 157 pp. 5 maps.
This handsomely bound
and produced book sheds new
light on an issue, the Armenian-
Azerbaijani dispute over the historical claim to Karabagh, which
is much in the news.
Since the dissolution ofthe
former Soviet Union in 1991
and even earlier, beginning in
1988, the question as to the eventual political fate of Karabagh
has turned into a full scale war
of aggression waged by
Azerbaijan against the Armenians of Karabagh. Six years of
warfare, including the targeting
of civilian populations by aircraft have not been able to suppress the spirit of the Armenians.
The academic debate, while
waged with weapons different
than guns and planes, has become increasingly contentious
in the past few years. The
Azerbaijani government attempt
to distort the history of the
Karabagh region has reached
new heights under the leadership of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences. That is why
the work by George Boumoutian
is so valuable, not only to scholars but also to the general public.
George A. Boumoutian, a
scholar and teacher with a firm
grasp of Armenian, Persian,
Russian, and Turkish, has previously focused his attention on Armenia under Persian rule, especially
in the eighteenth to nineteenth centuries (cf. The Khanate of Erevan
under Qajar Rule, 1795-1828).
The volume under review examines a primary source for the
history of Karabagh during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Most ofthe primary sources on the
history of Karabagh for the period
are in Persian. The earliest work is
one'by Mirza Jamal Javanshir
Qarabaghi, which Boumoutian has
translated, and added material to,
to make the current volume.
Mirza Jamal (1774-1853) was
the scion of the well-known
Javanshir family, hereditary rulers
in an area which encompasses
today's Karabagh. During his lifetime, Mirza Jamal was an eye-witness to most of the major political
changes which occurred in the region of Karabagh. He spent most of
his life in official service, as a provincial secretary whereby he had
access to most of the correspondence between neighboring empires.
Mirza Jamal's history is undated, but internal evidence suggests it was written between 1840-
1844. Boumoutian uses the 1877/
1878 version of the manuscript,
(there are perhaps three variant
manuscript versions), and details
the authenticity of the manuscript.
In his introduction,
Boumoutian carefully details the
three other Persian primary sources
for the period in question, and discusses their relationship and usefulness compared with Mirza
Jamal's history. Chronicles of the
history ofthe shahs of Iran from the
seventeenth to the nineteenth cen
turies are also adequately discussed to give a fuller picture of
the available resources for study.
Arab and Persian geographers
are also cited as sources for the
study of the region.
Boumoutian also outlines
the Armenian presence in
Karabagh from the second century to the present, in a clear and
convincing manner.
The body of the text, divided into seven chapters, is
Mirza Jamal's account of the
history of the region. It is followed by a bibliography, index,
and then a facsimile copy ofthe
text (in Persian) used in the
translation.
The five maps at the beginning of the text are extremely
useful in situating and familiarizing the reader to the general
area. Specific area maps of
Karabagh in the late eighteenth
century are particularly useful.
In the continuing academic
debate, this volume is a welcome objective addition. Since
it comes from an eyewitness
source, the history speaks for
itself in demonstrating the ancient Armenian presence on the
land. Boumoutian's careful attention to detail in the introduction adds necessary explanatory
material.
For the general reader, the
work answers many questions
about the history of Karabagh.
For specialists, the book provides meaningful material. For
all those who care to enter the
waters muddied by official
Azerbaijani distortion and falsification, this work is essential
reading.
TEACH, from p. 3
ference in perception and orientation," Bedirian said. "Armenians simply had attitudes and ways
of doing things that were different
from those of Americans."
Der Mugrdechian also helped
to break down the barriers of the
past. In teaching English at Yerevan
State University, DerMugrdechian
worked with students who were
accustomed to classroom dictation
drills and textbooks that depicted
life in Britain during the 1940s.
Along with incorporating recent articles from newspapers and
magazines into her curriculum, Der
Mugrdechian involved her students
in real-world role play settings and
introduced new techniques to
broaden their vocabulary.
"They were very pleased that
they could talk freely without being constantly corrected," Der
Mugrdechian explained, "and that
they could write in their journals
without having their books returned
all marked up."
Toomajanian's contributions
were more at a personal level.
Teaching a psychology class to
teenagers, Toomajanian became a
sounding board for the feelings and
aspirations of her students. "I think
they appreciated feeling free to
question, to express their feelings,
and hearing my fresh point of view
as an American," Toomajanian
said.
Hope for the future
The people also implanted, almost inexplicably, a sense of hope
among the TFA participants. Der
Mugrdechian sees a light at the end
ofthe tunnel for Armenia, even if it
is not yet apparent to the people of
the republic. In the meantime, those
beyond Armenia's borders have a
role to play in guiding the country
forward.
"When Armenians see people
from abroad working there for $2 a
month, it's very uplifting for their
morale. They see that there are
people who care about them. Anyone who comes is very, very important," emphasized Der
Mugrdechian.
"I saw many things," Bedirian
later reflected, "that led me to believe that whatever is decent and
worthy in Armenia will be preserved — an incorrigible sense of
humor and generosity among the
people for one — and for another a
cultural heritage that refuses to die."
For more information
Tihose interested in participating in the TFA program should
contact Barlow Der Mugrdechian
of the Armenian Studies Program,
California State University, Fresno,
Fresno, California, 93740-0004.
Applications for the Fall 1995 and
Spring 1996 semesters are now
being accepted. Call 209-278-2669
for an information packet.
COX, from p.1
every other month, was especially destructive. Beginning in
January of 1992, the Azeris announced that GRAD missies would
be used against the civilian population. Up to 400 missiles a day rained
upon Stepanakert, with each missile capable of destroying an apartment building.
Supplies had been totally cut
off to the city. Armenians waited
up to five hours a day in the freezing cold to get two buckets of water. Though living in dark and cold
cellars they kept up their spirits by
performing plays.
Where was the United Nations
and the world community when
40% of Artsakh was overrun?
Where was the condemnation of
Azeri aggression? Asked the defiant speaker who admits that three
and half years ago she would not
have known where to find
Karabagh.
Lady Cox outlined five major
themes concerning her humanitarian and human rights work:
1) Azerbaijan as the primary
aggressor in the war,
2) challenges involved in providing humanitarian aid to
Karabagh,
3) brief chronology of events
in the area,
4) the way ahead,
5) tribute to the people of
Karabagh.
Her frequent visits to Karabagh
have moved her and Christian Solidarity International from complete
impartiality to advocacy on the part
of the Armenians of Karabagh.
The evidence points to an
asymmetry of aggression in the
conflict. There is incontrovertible
proof that Azerbaijan is a primary
aggressor for five reasons.
a) The brutal deportation efforts attempting to force out Armenians out of Karabagh.
b) An asymmetry of violence
of human rights. Azerbaijan has
blockaded both Armenia and
Karabagh, assisted by Turkey. Armenia and Karabagh are for the
most part cut off from the rest of
the world.
c) The Azeris were the first to
use weapons of indiscriminate terror against a civilian population.
d) Only Azerbaijan has utilized aerial bombing, with cluster
bombs that cause multiple injuries
to civilians.
e) Only Azeris uses ground to
air missiles designed to detonate at
a height calculated to cause maximum damage, and to which children and civilians are especially
vulnerable.
These five points caused Christian Solidarity International (CSI)
to consider Armenians as primary
victims. CSI tries to assist and to be
a voice for people who are victims
of aggression.
Many of the major aid organizations will not and cannot for political reasons enter Karabagh due
to the fact the region is not recognized as an independent country
and the government of Azerbaijan
refuses to allow assistance to reach
Karabagh. The civilians of
Karabagh have suffered terribly
through bombing.
Faced with the challenge of
not being able to turn to an established organization Lady Cox contacted CSI to help. Within two
weeks of her initial visit to Karabagh
she found and acquired many tons
See COX, Page 8