The Hamazkayin Nicosia Chapter held a cultural evening on June 9, 2023.
Chapter Executive Board chairperson Arto Tavitian made brief opening remarks and invited to the platform the keynote speaker, Hrayr Jebejian, General Secretary of the Bible Society in the Gulf.
The topic was “Diaspora, Maintaining Armenianness, and Total Culture.”
Dr. Jebejian started by presenting a conception of culture and its components, praising the notion of the development and embrace of a total culture for the life of a society. He said the Armenian Genocide and the loss patrimony resulted in the loss of the total culture of Armenians.
The speaker reflected on the formation of Armenian diaspora communities—he called them diasporas—from the earliest days to the present. Drawing on his travels, he drew a complex picture of the Armenian diaspora. “Armenian diasporas are different but they are not non-Armenians,” he said.
Dr. Jebejian spoke about the state of the world today and reflected on maintaining Armenianness. “We are in a great battle for maintaining Armenianness in the diaspora. Each community wages this battle in this situation,” he said. The speaker said the education of the new generation must sow the seeds of pride in Armenian identity and consciousness of the great legacy of Armenian culture. He encouraged audience members to renew themselves with “positive energy” and optimism.
At the end of the event, Nara Sardaryan and the young singer Garik Malkhasyan performed selections from Gomidas.
In closing, Tavitian thanked participants and the speaker, praising his accessible language, which was well received by the audience.