On June 21, 2024, the London chapter of Hamazkayin hosted Dr. Hrayr Jebejian to present and discuss his new book, “Haygagan azadakragan badgerner. Desilk, gamk, yev huys” (Armenian Liberation Images: Vision, Will, and Hope), at the Navasartian Centre.
The Prelate of the Armenian Church of Great Britain and Ireland, Bishop Hovagim Manougian, the Rev. Fr. Shnorhk Baghdasarian, and many representatives of Armenian organizations were in attendance. Chapter chairperson Hrach Boghosian offered welcoming remarks and introduced the author.
Dr. Jebejian, who is General Secretary of the Bible Society in the Gulf, presented his work in some detail. He spoke about his visits to diaspora Armenian communities, documented in the book. He highlighted similarities and differences in the communities.
“Alongside our Armenian identity and culture, we have absorbed the local identity and culture in each country,” Dr. Jebejian said. “We can make these differences a source of strength and potential if we coordinate them well. The diaspora is full of human potential, people with specialized knowledge and experience, who can contribute to all-Armenian and all-diaspora agendas if well coordinated.”
The author then elaborated on Armenia-diaspora relations and argued for reinforcing them.
Dr. Arda Jebejian, a sociolinguist and the editor of the volume, spoke next. She elaborated on the value of the book and the feasibility of keeping national identity and the mother tongue alive. She discouraged her audience from sacrificing the mother tongue in the hope of mastering the local language.
