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In Georgian Village, Armenians And Azeris Find Common Ground
Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty
Published 24 July 2013
The Georgian village of Tsopi, located just a few kilometers from the
Armenian border, is home to both ethnic Azeris and ethnic Armenians.
Although tensions linger between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the
Nagorno-Karabakh war of the 1990s, the two groups coexist peacefully in
this remote Georgian setting. British journalist and photographer Onnik
James Krikorian, based in the Caucasus region since 1998, has been
documenting instances of peaceful cohabitation between the two sides in an
effort to create a new narrative of reconciliation at a grassroots level.
He also uses his work to train journalists and engage young activists in
discussing the unresolved conflict. For more photos by Krikorian, see his
website. (14 PHOTOS)
1. Ethnic Armenian residents of the Georgian village of Tsopi, where some
80 percent of the population is ethnic Azeri.
2. Economic conditions are poor in the village, but life here is peaceful.
3. The ethnic distinctions in the village are not immediately obvious, and
members of both communities speak one another's language.
4. With the local quarry no longer in operation, many men are unemployed
and often seek temporary work elsewhere. Ethnic Armenians look to Yerevan
while ethnic Azeris find work in Baku.
5. Ethnic Armenian and Azeri children attend a friend's sixth birthday
party, where everyone shares a table with regional dishes.
6. An ethnic Armenian teacher, fluent in Azeri, teaches the Georgian
language to a class of Azeri first-graders.
7. Ethnic Armenians and Azeris study in separate classrooms, but often help
each other with homework after school hours.
8. An ethnic Armenian pupil in a dilapidated classroom. Students and
teachers are waiting for the Georgian government to fulfill its promises to
help repair the school.
9. Children play together after school.
10. Although most inhabitants claim one ethnicity, some residents have a
mixed background, like this woman, who is half Armenian and half Greek.
11. Preparations for an ethnic Azeri wedding. Neighbors help out regardless
of ethnicity.
12. Ethnic Azeri relatives of the bride wait for her to arrive.
13. Although most of the wedding guests are ethnic Azeris from the
surrounding Kvemo Kartli region of Georgia, some are ethnic Armenians from
Tsopi.
14. An ethnic Azeri in the village of Khodjurni, neighboring Tsopi. There,
the numbers are reversed, with ethnic Armenians making up 80 percent of the
population, and ethnic Azeris in the minority.
---
http://www.rferl.org/media/photogallery/25046864.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty
Published 24 July 2013
The Georgian village of Tsopi, located just a few kilometers from the
Armenian border, is home to both ethnic Azeris and ethnic Armenians.
Although tensions linger between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the
Nagorno-Karabakh war of the 1990s, the two groups coexist peacefully in
this remote Georgian setting. British journalist and photographer Onnik
James Krikorian, based in the Caucasus region since 1998, has been
documenting instances of peaceful cohabitation between the two sides in an
effort to create a new narrative of reconciliation at a grassroots level.
He also uses his work to train journalists and engage young activists in
discussing the unresolved conflict. For more photos by Krikorian, see his
website. (14 PHOTOS)
1. Ethnic Armenian residents of the Georgian village of Tsopi, where some
80 percent of the population is ethnic Azeri.
2. Economic conditions are poor in the village, but life here is peaceful.
3. The ethnic distinctions in the village are not immediately obvious, and
members of both communities speak one another's language.
4. With the local quarry no longer in operation, many men are unemployed
and often seek temporary work elsewhere. Ethnic Armenians look to Yerevan
while ethnic Azeris find work in Baku.
5. Ethnic Armenian and Azeri children attend a friend's sixth birthday
party, where everyone shares a table with regional dishes.
6. An ethnic Armenian teacher, fluent in Azeri, teaches the Georgian
language to a class of Azeri first-graders.
7. Ethnic Armenians and Azeris study in separate classrooms, but often help
each other with homework after school hours.
8. An ethnic Armenian pupil in a dilapidated classroom. Students and
teachers are waiting for the Georgian government to fulfill its promises to
help repair the school.
9. Children play together after school.
10. Although most inhabitants claim one ethnicity, some residents have a
mixed background, like this woman, who is half Armenian and half Greek.
11. Preparations for an ethnic Azeri wedding. Neighbors help out regardless
of ethnicity.
12. Ethnic Azeri relatives of the bride wait for her to arrive.
13. Although most of the wedding guests are ethnic Azeris from the
surrounding Kvemo Kartli region of Georgia, some are ethnic Armenians from
Tsopi.
14. An ethnic Azeri in the village of Khodjurni, neighboring Tsopi. There,
the numbers are reversed, with ethnic Armenians making up 80 percent of the
population, and ethnic Azeris in the minority.
---
http://www.rferl.org/media/photogallery/25046864.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress