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CAMPUS ARMENIAN STUDENT GROUP PRESENTS HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY
Vinay Prabhu
CMU The Tartan Online (Carnegie Mellon's Student Newspaper)
http://thetartan.org/2011/2/28/news/dinner_documentary
Feb 28 2011
Celebrating their ancestry and culture, students of the Armenian
Students Association of Pittsburgh organized an Armenian-themed event
last Wednesday evening in the Dowd Room of the University Center.
The event began with a detailed presentation on Armenian history
by Movses Musaelian, a sophomore statistics major. Musaelian's
presentation aimed to narrate an abridged version of the Armenian
nation's full history, spanning nearly five millennia.
Musaelian began his presentation by describing Armenia as a country
that is often caught in the midst of conflicts among its neighbors.
The nation has survived a long history of bloodshed and unrest and
yet has thrived as a cultural melting pot.
The presentation also covered some aspects of the pre-Christian
kingdom of Tigranes the Great - when Armenia saw its borders stretch
from the Caspian Sea in the east to the Mediterranean in the west
- and the medieval kingdom of Cilicia, which was a bastion of the
Christian crusaders and which, as the presenter pointed out, was to
be pronounced idiosyncratically in Armenian as "Kili-Kia."
An important feature of the presentation was that Musaelian
did not shirk from touching upon several controversial issues,
such as the topics of Stalin's divide-and-conquer tactics in
Nakhchivan, the Armenian genocide of the early 1900s, the status
of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, and the deep-rooted rivalry with
neighboring Azerbaijan.
When asked by a member of the audience about the Russian designs
in the South Ossetia region of Georgia, one of Armenia's strongest
allies, Musaelian replied, "Well, we cannot afford to apply the same
[strategy] uniformly everywhere. We need to make compromises as we
treasure our alliance with Russia deeply." The presentation switched
its focus from past history to the current political and cultural
issues plaguing Armenia.
"The neo-liberal economic policies adopted by the main political
parties [have] led to the mere creation of a few hyper-wealthy
Russian-styled oligarchs in Armenia," said Musaelian, commenting on
the socio-economic beliefs and predisposition against neo-liberal
economics that currently pervade Armenian politics. The concluding
section of the presentation focused on the current geo-political game
being played in the oil-rich Eurasian Caucasus, which represents the
most coveted piece of strategic real estate in the world, according to
global strategists. Musaelian addressed the complex and overlapping
interests of the regional powers - namely Turkey, Iran, and Russia -
which, along with the United States and Europe, have resulted in an
extremely volatile atmosphere pervading the region.
The historical presentation was followed by traditional Armenian
cuisine, hand-cooked by one of the event organizers, Alana Yoel,
a senior mechanical engineering major. The most popular dish was the
cheese boerag, which Yoel described as "basically an Armenian version
of the Greek dish spanikopita. The filling is a blend of cheeses -
many different versions, but I used a blend of ricotta, mozzarella,
cheddar, and muenster - [as well as] parsley, egg, salt, and pepper."
There were also Armenian string cheese and Armenian squash patties to
accompany the Ararat sour cherry and apricot jams, which are typical
dishes of the region.
After the presentation, conversations were hosted by the other event
organizers, Keghani Kristelle Kouzoujian, a fifth year senior computer
science major, and Sandra Kalanyan, a sophomore architecture major.
They gave students firsthand accounts of their experiences of being
part of an Armenian diaspora. When quizzed about their desire to visit
Armenia in the near future, the organizers nodded in unison, commenting
how excited they were at the very thought of revisiting their homeland.
All of the organizers could read the Armenian script and still spoke
the language fluently, portraying how they have remained in touch
with their ethnic roots and culture.
As the curtains came down and the event ended, the attendees seemed
to have learned a lot about Armenian culture and society.
The documentary and dinner was an enriching event for both those of
Armenian heritage and other students alike; according to the Armenian
Students Association's website, "the club is for any student who is
interested in learning about and experiencing the rich culture and
history of Armenia."
From: A. Papazian
Vinay Prabhu
CMU The Tartan Online (Carnegie Mellon's Student Newspaper)
http://thetartan.org/2011/2/28/news/dinner_documentary
Feb 28 2011
Celebrating their ancestry and culture, students of the Armenian
Students Association of Pittsburgh organized an Armenian-themed event
last Wednesday evening in the Dowd Room of the University Center.
The event began with a detailed presentation on Armenian history
by Movses Musaelian, a sophomore statistics major. Musaelian's
presentation aimed to narrate an abridged version of the Armenian
nation's full history, spanning nearly five millennia.
Musaelian began his presentation by describing Armenia as a country
that is often caught in the midst of conflicts among its neighbors.
The nation has survived a long history of bloodshed and unrest and
yet has thrived as a cultural melting pot.
The presentation also covered some aspects of the pre-Christian
kingdom of Tigranes the Great - when Armenia saw its borders stretch
from the Caspian Sea in the east to the Mediterranean in the west
- and the medieval kingdom of Cilicia, which was a bastion of the
Christian crusaders and which, as the presenter pointed out, was to
be pronounced idiosyncratically in Armenian as "Kili-Kia."
An important feature of the presentation was that Musaelian
did not shirk from touching upon several controversial issues,
such as the topics of Stalin's divide-and-conquer tactics in
Nakhchivan, the Armenian genocide of the early 1900s, the status
of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, and the deep-rooted rivalry with
neighboring Azerbaijan.
When asked by a member of the audience about the Russian designs
in the South Ossetia region of Georgia, one of Armenia's strongest
allies, Musaelian replied, "Well, we cannot afford to apply the same
[strategy] uniformly everywhere. We need to make compromises as we
treasure our alliance with Russia deeply." The presentation switched
its focus from past history to the current political and cultural
issues plaguing Armenia.
"The neo-liberal economic policies adopted by the main political
parties [have] led to the mere creation of a few hyper-wealthy
Russian-styled oligarchs in Armenia," said Musaelian, commenting on
the socio-economic beliefs and predisposition against neo-liberal
economics that currently pervade Armenian politics. The concluding
section of the presentation focused on the current geo-political game
being played in the oil-rich Eurasian Caucasus, which represents the
most coveted piece of strategic real estate in the world, according to
global strategists. Musaelian addressed the complex and overlapping
interests of the regional powers - namely Turkey, Iran, and Russia -
which, along with the United States and Europe, have resulted in an
extremely volatile atmosphere pervading the region.
The historical presentation was followed by traditional Armenian
cuisine, hand-cooked by one of the event organizers, Alana Yoel,
a senior mechanical engineering major. The most popular dish was the
cheese boerag, which Yoel described as "basically an Armenian version
of the Greek dish spanikopita. The filling is a blend of cheeses -
many different versions, but I used a blend of ricotta, mozzarella,
cheddar, and muenster - [as well as] parsley, egg, salt, and pepper."
There were also Armenian string cheese and Armenian squash patties to
accompany the Ararat sour cherry and apricot jams, which are typical
dishes of the region.
After the presentation, conversations were hosted by the other event
organizers, Keghani Kristelle Kouzoujian, a fifth year senior computer
science major, and Sandra Kalanyan, a sophomore architecture major.
They gave students firsthand accounts of their experiences of being
part of an Armenian diaspora. When quizzed about their desire to visit
Armenia in the near future, the organizers nodded in unison, commenting
how excited they were at the very thought of revisiting their homeland.
All of the organizers could read the Armenian script and still spoke
the language fluently, portraying how they have remained in touch
with their ethnic roots and culture.
As the curtains came down and the event ended, the attendees seemed
to have learned a lot about Armenian culture and society.
The documentary and dinner was an enriching event for both those of
Armenian heritage and other students alike; according to the Armenian
Students Association's website, "the club is for any student who is
interested in learning about and experiencing the rich culture and
history of Armenia."
From: A. Papazian