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ETHNIC ISSUE: ARMENIA'S LARGEST MINORITY LACKS CIVIL SOCIETY REPRESENTATION
By Siranuysh Gevorgyan
ArmeniaNow
11.07.12 | 15:53
The young chairman of 'Sinjar' Yezidis National Union believes that
one of the important problems of the Yezidi community is the absence
of representatives of civil society among Yezidi residents.
Head of the union Boris Tamoyan in an interview with ArmeniaNow on
Wednesday voiced his concerns that especially those Yezidi children
who are residents of Yerevan, do not study their language and history.
Yezidis, of Kurdish origin, are the largest ethnic minority in Armenia,
and according to the recent census their population reaches 40,000 Most
live in villages. According to the Human Rights Defender of Armenia
(Ombudsman) Ad-hoc Public Report 2011, the national minorities
in Armenia have all the favorable conditions for preserving their
national identity. The Yezidi community publishes three newspapers;
the Public Radio of Armenia broadcast programs in Yezidi every day.
"If a person understands where he or she comes from, if they study
their history and know their language, then they will be interested in
defense of their rights, and this way civil society will be formed. I
tried to teach the Yezidi language at School # 101 in Yerevan; the
headmaster of the school told me that their Yezidi schoolchildren
consider themselves to be Christian. That is to say, these children
identify themselves with Armenians, and they are not aware that they
belong to a different religion; and this is the consequence of lack
of knowledge," Tamoyan says.
Tamoyan claims that he does not complain about the level of state
support or the opportunities provided by the government, simply there
are few educated Yezidis who are consistent in teaching and spreading
the national language and the history.
Twenty-one-year Tamoyan, who studies journalism at the Academy of
Television and Radio, said that the union has recently staged a
performance in Yezidi as well as an exhibition of paintings drawn
by Yezidi children. Tamoyan has also initiated creation of an
Armenian-Yezidi dictionary.
However, Aziz Tamoyan (no relation to Boris), Chairman of the World
Union of Yezidis at a recent press conference stated that Yezidis have
no problem with getting education and preserving their culture. His
only concern was that Yezidis do not have a representation at the
National Assembly of Armenia.
From: A. Papazian
By Siranuysh Gevorgyan
ArmeniaNow
11.07.12 | 15:53
The young chairman of 'Sinjar' Yezidis National Union believes that
one of the important problems of the Yezidi community is the absence
of representatives of civil society among Yezidi residents.
Head of the union Boris Tamoyan in an interview with ArmeniaNow on
Wednesday voiced his concerns that especially those Yezidi children
who are residents of Yerevan, do not study their language and history.
Yezidis, of Kurdish origin, are the largest ethnic minority in Armenia,
and according to the recent census their population reaches 40,000 Most
live in villages. According to the Human Rights Defender of Armenia
(Ombudsman) Ad-hoc Public Report 2011, the national minorities
in Armenia have all the favorable conditions for preserving their
national identity. The Yezidi community publishes three newspapers;
the Public Radio of Armenia broadcast programs in Yezidi every day.
"If a person understands where he or she comes from, if they study
their history and know their language, then they will be interested in
defense of their rights, and this way civil society will be formed. I
tried to teach the Yezidi language at School # 101 in Yerevan; the
headmaster of the school told me that their Yezidi schoolchildren
consider themselves to be Christian. That is to say, these children
identify themselves with Armenians, and they are not aware that they
belong to a different religion; and this is the consequence of lack
of knowledge," Tamoyan says.
Tamoyan claims that he does not complain about the level of state
support or the opportunities provided by the government, simply there
are few educated Yezidis who are consistent in teaching and spreading
the national language and the history.
Twenty-one-year Tamoyan, who studies journalism at the Academy of
Television and Radio, said that the union has recently staged a
performance in Yezidi as well as an exhibition of paintings drawn
by Yezidi children. Tamoyan has also initiated creation of an
Armenian-Yezidi dictionary.
However, Aziz Tamoyan (no relation to Boris), Chairman of the World
Union of Yezidis at a recent press conference stated that Yezidis have
no problem with getting education and preserving their culture. His
only concern was that Yezidis do not have a representation at the
National Assembly of Armenia.
From: A. Papazian