Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
Ruzan Orkusyan
Staff Writer
One of the greatest responsibilities of an Armenian is to educate the non-Armenian community that they are a part of, about Armenian history, culture, and traditions. On Tuesday, March 20, 2012, Marine Vardanyan, Hagop Ohanessian and myself, Ruzan Orkusyan, introduced Armenia to a captivated audience during the International Coffee Hour, sponsored by Fresno State’s International Student Services and Programs.
Held in the Henry Madden Library on campus, the International Coffee Hour’s mission is to “bring people from different cultural backgrounds in the world to share the history, customs, economy, culture, and current situations of their countries.” Since 1993, countless students have showcased their experiences abroad, exposing students, faculty, staff and community members to countries and cultures they otherwise would have had little experience with.
To orient audience members, general information about Armenia was presented through a power-point program. It was a daunting task to portray Armenia’s vast cultural heritage, but various important events in Armenian history were highlighted.
The importance of Christianity to Armenian culture was emphasized, focusing on the more than 2,800 churches and monasteries that have been constructed throughout historic and present-day Armenia.
Discussing traditional Armenian holidays, food, dances, music, film, clothing, and places to visit brought a new perspective to the audience.
Each student had recently traveled to Armenia, and they shared their our own memorable experiences. Marine Vardanyan talked about her travels to the monastery of Amberd and the Salim Caravansaray, while Hagop Ohanessian focused on Lake Sevan and the Khor Virap Monastery. Meanwhile, I expressed my fascination with the southern region of Armenia, most notably Uxtasar and the Monastery of Tatev. All of us expressed a great love for our beautiful homeland, emphasizing the natural beauty and power of the Armenian landscape.
Audience members also enjoyed hearing about the Armenian school system, which is quite different from what one might encounter in America. Also discussed was the Armenian Diaspora, emphasizing the prominence of the Fresno Armenian community.
The program concluded with highlights of the many cultural, scientific and societal improvements occurring in Armenia, as well as with a few quirky facts, such as Armenia’s love of soccer and chess. Undoubtedly, a presentation about Armenia would be incomplete without Mt. Ararat; accordingly, the students expressed their love of the holy mountain and echoed the hopes of the Armenian people, by articulating the desire to someday again visit the lands of their ancestors.
After the presentation, an eager audience composed of many students, interested and curious about Armenian customs and traditions, asked questions. In addition to the presentation, books, pictures, musical instruments, and traditional clothes were displayed for the audience members, who observed the objects with great fascination.
The presenters were very pleased by their ability to reach such a large and varied audience.
“I felt proud to be able to present about my homeland,” recalls Hagop Ohanessian. “The best part was the reaction of the audience; they were very interested in learning about Armenia.”
Our nation and culture will only be forgotten if we neglect to preserve it, therefore, the presenters felt proud to represent their culture and raise awareness about Armenia’s past, present, and future.
We were honored to have an opportunity to do our part to preserve our culture.