Dr. Hayk Demoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide
Museum Institute (AGMI) in Yerevan, was interviewed by Deborah Hay, Program
Coordinator of the International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights
Studies (A Division of the Zoryan Institute) on Nov. 11, 2013, during his
recent trip to Canada.
Dr. Demoyan has produced 13 publications, the most recent
of which appeared in Russian, entitled “Turkey’s Foreign Policy and the Karabakh
Conflict,” which is based on his doctoral thesis. He is also Secretary of the
State Commission on the Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide
Q1. Dr. Demoyan, welcome to Canada. Is this your first
visit to our country? Please tell us about your activities here.
HD - This is my first visit to Canada, and it is very
important for me, as Director of the AGMI, to be here for the purpose of
signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the Canadian Museum for Human
Rights and the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute of the National Academy of
Sciences. In addition, I took the opportunity to also meet with local
centennial committees formed for the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide in
2015, as well as Armenian communities at large, to update them on the work
being done at the AGMI and plans for centennial commemoration activities.
In this respect, I must say that the Zoryan Institute has
already made an important contribution towards the 2015 Centennial by
facilitating the relationship between the two museums. It took the initiative
using its good offices to bring an official of the CMHR, Dr. Clint Curle, to
visit the AGMI earlier this year, to acquaint himself with Armenia’s culture
and history, and especially the Armenian Genocide. This was very important
because the CMHR will be one of the most significant places in the world to
have a permanent exhibition on the Armenian Genocide. During the visit, we
confirmed that the AGMI and CMHR have so many interests in common that it made
sense for us to establish an official working agreement. The Zoryan Institute
has been instrumental as a facilitator and liaison between the two museums and
will maintain an ongoing role in that capacity. I am sure this cooperation will
facilitate the development of joint projects between the AGMI and the CMHR.
Q2. How far back do your relations with the Zoryan
Institute go?
HD - I first encountered the Zoryan Institute when I met
its Executive Director, George Shirinian, in Yerevan in 2005. When I was
appointed Director of the AGMI, it seemed natural that the two organizations
should explore areas of mutual interest and cooperation. Zoryan has always been
generous in providing the museum copies of its publications and has
participated in our conferences. In 2012, we established an agreement to
cooperate in the areas of research, publication, and student exchanges. That
year, Zoryan provided scholarships for two student-staff members of the AGMI to
travel to Canada and attend its renowned Genocide and Human Rights University
Program run at the University of Toronto. This year, another three of our
student-staff were sponsored to attend. They all reported that the experience
was excellent for them, both academically, and personally. Zoryan staff continues
to provide materials, assistance and advice to AGMI’s researchers. In its turn
AGMI is very supportive of Zoryan’s researchers with necessary materials and
consultation.
Q3. Dr. Demoyan, you have been in charge of the Armenian
Genocide Museum Institute for seven years now. Can you give us a brief overview
of the developments of the museum during this time, especially in preparation
for the Centennial?
HD - During my time at the AGMI, I have especially
stressed three aspects: the educational role of the museum, representing the
Armenian Genocide in a broader human rights context, and international
cooperation with other museums and academic organizations. Parallel to this, a
great effort has been made to enrich the museum’s collection with important and
interesting documents and items, in order to include them in conceptually new
exhibitions we are working on. As the collection grows, and the museum has more
and more visitors, the current construction of new blocks for the museum will
enable us to double our exhibition and storage spaces. These activities are an
important part of the events dedicated to the centenary of the Armenian
Genocide. Parallel to this, publishing activities and the development of
numerous traveling exhibitions are planned to show in museum halls and other
places worldwide. This is not a full list of our activities which, for sure,
will continue after 2015 with new energy and vision.
Q4. As the Secretary of the State Commission on the
Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, you are
involved in coordinating activities both in Armenia and the Diaspora. How does
your visit to Canada fit into those overall activities?
HD - Among the many duties and responsibilities of
Secretary, I try to establish contact with local committees and develop
cooperation on a common agenda. My visit to Canada is an excellent example of
the positive results that can be achieved when Armenian and Diaspora-based
organizations, both academic and otherwise, cooperate.
I’d like to emphasize here that the Centennial
Commission’s role is not to tell the local committees what to do or what
projects to undertake. Rather, it is to support them, coordinate their efforts,
and ensure that all activities are done under the umbrella of the local
centennial commemorating committees, represented by all community organizations
equally. Effective and cordial cooperation among all community organizations
will be crucial for the success of the 2015 commemorations.
I’d like to make clear that my activities as Secretary of
the State Commission and those as Director of the AGMI do differ. This is
particularly critical in Canada, where a Canadian crown corporation, the
Canadian Museum for Human Rights, is involved in promoting human rights and
awareness about five recognized genocides, based on strict academic standards.
We at the AGMI, being also an academic institution, will contribute to the
CMHR’s permanent exhibition from that perspective, providing extensive
materials and information about the Armenian Genocide.
The AGMI has been dealing with broad range of topics and
activities on the Armenian Genocide for over 18 years, both conducting
scientific research and representing its many aspects in educational displays.
Together, the AGMI and the CMHR will work on developing new projects, among
them new permanent exhibitions, as a new effort to preserve national memory and
to raise awareness of the importance of human rights and genocide prevention.
For this reason, I consider my visit to Canada as one of the high points of the
AGMI’s activities for 2013.
Q5. You have visited Armenian communities around the
world. Do you observe anything different about Canada?
HD - One of the significant differences in Canada is that
the government here had the moral fortitude to officially recognize the
Armenian Genocide, despite political pressure to deny it.
Canada is one of the world’s greatest proponents of
multiculturalism, whereby each of the many ethnic groups in this country can
preserve their particular heritage and lifestyle while still being good
Canadians. Canada enables and encourages all ethnic groups to share their own
history, memory, and values with one another. Canada has a significant Armenian
community, with churches, political, cultural and social organizations. You
have here an established, international, academic institute dealing with issues
relating to the Armenian Genocide, Diaspora, and Armenia for the past thirty
years. My research shows that despite many challenges of assimilation, the Armenian
community here is a strong, contributing component of the Canadian mosaic.
We were very pleased to see CMHR officials from Canada
visit Armenia in order to strengthen their understanding of the Armenian
Genocide. During the visit, we found we had a meeting of minds in our goal of
combating the violation of human rights, and we have now made official the
cooperation between our two museums. I
am sure the exhibits in the CMHR will help Canadians learn more about the
Armenian Genocide and understand why their government officially recognizes it.
Q6. What is the objective of the Memorandum of
Understanding between the two museums?
HD - The agreement will trigger the exchange of ideas,
experiences, information and materials, exhibitions, sharing of research and
advice, cooperation to advance the academic study of human rights, the Armenian
Genocide and its effects, and processes seeking justice and reconciliation. It
can serve as a model for other museums around the world for how to approach the
Armenian Genocide through the lens of universal human rights.
Because of the enormity of the subject, I am sure that
synergies with the CMHR will benefit us in Armenia in conceptualizing new
approaches and new permanent and travelling exhibits, particularly the emphasis
on human rights. At the same time, we hope to be helpful to the CMHR in
developing the Armenian section of their exhibits, where the Zoryan institute
will also be involved in an ongoing role as liaison and facilitator.
This agreement can be seen as a new starting point for
education of the Armenian Genocide and for fighting against denial of the
Genocide in world history. I hope it may also serve as the starting point for
the establishment of a network of museums that deal with genocide and human
rights. This is especially critical for 2014, a year when many countries will
commemorate the centennial of the WWI, under cover of which Ottoman Turkey
committed the Armenian Genocide.
Q7. Is there anything you would like to add in closing?
HD - Yes. My wish is that I come back to Canada as soon
as possible to realize joint initiatives and programs, both in the academic
field and also regarding community activities related to the centennial. I have
no doubt our joint efforts will produce successful results in pursuit of our
mission.
Copyright © 2013 The Zoryan Institute, All rights
reserved.
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder
Not: Yalnızca bu blogun üyesi yorum gönderebilir.