YouthLinks, the Hamazkayin College Student Gathering in Europe, took place on November 3, 4, and 5, 2023, at the Hamazkayin Marseille Lyceum (Djemaran). Ten students from Artsakh, Istanbul, Paris, and Marseille took advantage of this year’s offering: they got to know each other, spend a few days in a warm and intimate atmosphere, and participate in workshops in various aspects of Armenian culture.
On the first day, participants learned about the history of Hamazkayin and toured the Marseille Lyceum, including the athletic facilities, with director Chaké Jamgotchian. They visited the Beaumont Saint Grégoire l'Illuminateur Armenian Church, where they were greeted by Rev. Fr. Arshen Movsisian, who spoke to them about the history of the Marseille Armenian community. With the priest, they visited the Avenue du 24 Avril 1915 and the Armenian Genocide memorial, where they paid their respects to the memory of the martyrs.
In the afternoon, they visited ARAM (Association pour la Recherche et l’Archivage de la Mémoire Arménienne) archival center and learned of the activities of the center. They then went to Editions Parenthèses, the publishing house, and learned of its activities and publications from Houri Varjabedian.
The second day of the gathering began with a workshop on the history of Armenian music. The facilitator, invited from Paris for the occasion, was Marine Gyulumyan. Participants learned the song “Abrelu enk” (We shall live) (lyrics by Karen Khurshudyan, arranged by Ms. Gyulumyan).
A workshop on Armenian dance followed. The facilitator, invited from London, was Shake Tchilinguirian. After talking about Armenian dance, the Ms. Tchilinguirian led a ritual to remember the loss of Artsakh and the participants paid their respects to the martyrs, listening to “Artsakhi Oror” (Artsakh lullaby), performed by Hasmik Harutyunyan and to “Der Voghormia” (Lord have mercy), performed by participant Rima Martirosyan, who is from Artsakh. They then danced “Shoror” (Gomidas), the children’s song-dance “Akh, karun e” (Sigh, it’s spring), “Dzanr Govnd Koghtn,” and “Koghtn Mangdi.”
After lunch, the group began a tour of Marseille, visiting Notre Dame, the port, the palace, and the market. In the evening, at the Phoenicia Restaurant, the Armenian language faculty of the Lyceum joined the group for dinner, and they wrapped up the day with national and patriotic songs and dancing.
The third day started with a workshop on “Languages, Words, Letters,” led by Garin Geokdjian, invited from Belgium. The facilitator discussed the letters of the Armenian alphabet and participants designed and made a book binding together.
After lunch, Anahid Agopian, chairperson of the Armenian National Committee of France, invited from Paris, led a workshop on “Artsakh and Us.”
Participants then attended a public event hosted by Marseille Hamazkayin Courant d'Art. Here, again, Ms. Agopian spoke about “Artsakh and Us.” She was joined remotely by Gev Iskajyan, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of Artsakh. At the conclusion of the event, YouthLinks participants, led by Ms. Tchilinguirian, invited the rest of the audience to dance and move from despair to struggle and faith. They danced Gomidas’s Shoror together.
The last supper, at the Lyceum, concluded the program on a warm and friendly note.
