“Oh, the tongue, the language, when there’s no language, what is a man like? The keeper of one nation, the glue is language and faith. . . . I tell you, you, emerging Armenian youth, for whose name I’d die, for your sun, learn ten languages, firmly keep your language, your faith.” This is Khachatur Abovian in his 1841 novel, Verk Hayastani (The wounds of Armenia). He is talking about our pain today and he asks that we keep the millennial treasure, the language, crystal clear and hand it to the next generation. Over the centuries, the language has often been in danger and that is still the case.
The Hamazkayin Qamishli “Avedis Aharonian” Chapter, aware of these facts, on May 22, 2022, held a conference at the Gulbenkian Hall titled, “The Armenian Language and the Challenges of the 21st Century.”
Presiding over the conference was the Diocesan Vicar of Jezireh, V. Rev. Fr. Levon Yeghiayan. Also present were the parish priest, Rev. Fr. Bsag Berberian, a representative of the relevant body, delegates to the National Representative Assembly for the Armenian Diocese of Syria, representatives of Armenian organizations, the administrators, trustees, and faculty of the Armenian schools, and representatives from the Derik region, along with representatives of the Hamazkayin Regional Executive Board and the chapter executive board.
