Tweet
TANKIAN TO TURKS: TRULY FIND YOURSELF
21:53 22.04.2014
Armenian Genocide, Serj Tankian
Armenian-American musician Serj Tankian, in an open letter published in
the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, urged the people of Turkey to face
history and "truly find yourself," enlightening the Turkish public
to their government's rabid efforts to deny the Armenian Genocide.
The text of the letter is presented below:
"Dear People Of Turkey,
My name is Serj Tankian. I'm a Lebanese born Armenian American New
Zealander. All four of my grandparents come from the area known as
modern day Turkey. My grandfather Stepan hailed from Efkere in Kayseri,
while my grandmother Varsenig came from Tokat.
My other grandparents were from Dortiol and Ourfa. None of them left
on their own free will.
They were all survivors of the horrible Genocide committed by the
Ittihad government during the last days of the Ottoman Empire.
They were all small children at the time. My grandfather Stepan was
saved and spent time in an American orphanage as well as a Greek
one before arriving in Lebanon as a refugee. My grandmother Varsenig
and her grandmother were saved from slaughter by a Turkish mayor who
risked his own life to do the right thing.
These are not some stories in the archives of Turkey or other nations.
These are the true stories of my family.
Over 600 years ago the areas where my grandparents came from were known
as historic Armenia. When anthropologists dig in Turkey, they find
the remains of our civilization along with Helenic/Greek and others.
Turkey is very important to me not just because my grandparents came
from there but because my whole race came from those lands that were
forcefully taken from them, not by war, or in the changing of borders
but by the brutal orders of the Ittihad Government. What does this all
mean to us today? It's quite simple. Armenians don't want to hassle
Turkey, or create racial divisions, we just want justice so we can all
move on from this historical pain that strains our relationship. This
is not just about Armenian history but also the history of Turkey.
Will Erdogan's government do the right thing by coming to terms with
all of this? I don't think so. Neither will the military juntas that
have ruled Turkey throughout modern history.
Do you know that your government spends millions of dollars every
year to deny this truth in foreign capitals by hiring all sorts of
lobbying firms and setting up chairs at universities to re-create the
truth to its liking? Do you know how that feels as an Armenian? What
a painful experience this is? Is it not enough that I am the grandson
of survivors of a horrible tragedy of history? Must I fight propaganda
and corruption internationally to regain justice?
Turkey's modern turmoil to find itself has a lot to do with us
Armenians. Our histories, geographies, and blood are too close not
to resolve these issues.
Both Armenians and Turks deserve leaders and governments that are truly
egalitarian, democratic, and non-corrupt to start with. In closing, I
just want to say thank you to all of the amazing people I've met from
Turkey who have shared their stories with me while on tour and online
and have given me hope of a rapprochement based on truth and justice.
My wish, Dear People of Turkey, is for you to truly find yourself".
http://www.armradio.am/en/2014/04/22/tankian-to-turks-truly-find-yourself/
From: Baghdasarian
21:53 22.04.2014
Armenian Genocide, Serj Tankian
Armenian-American musician Serj Tankian, in an open letter published in
the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, urged the people of Turkey to face
history and "truly find yourself," enlightening the Turkish public
to their government's rabid efforts to deny the Armenian Genocide.
The text of the letter is presented below:
"Dear People Of Turkey,
My name is Serj Tankian. I'm a Lebanese born Armenian American New
Zealander. All four of my grandparents come from the area known as
modern day Turkey. My grandfather Stepan hailed from Efkere in Kayseri,
while my grandmother Varsenig came from Tokat.
My other grandparents were from Dortiol and Ourfa. None of them left
on their own free will.
They were all survivors of the horrible Genocide committed by the
Ittihad government during the last days of the Ottoman Empire.
They were all small children at the time. My grandfather Stepan was
saved and spent time in an American orphanage as well as a Greek
one before arriving in Lebanon as a refugee. My grandmother Varsenig
and her grandmother were saved from slaughter by a Turkish mayor who
risked his own life to do the right thing.
These are not some stories in the archives of Turkey or other nations.
These are the true stories of my family.
Over 600 years ago the areas where my grandparents came from were known
as historic Armenia. When anthropologists dig in Turkey, they find
the remains of our civilization along with Helenic/Greek and others.
Turkey is very important to me not just because my grandparents came
from there but because my whole race came from those lands that were
forcefully taken from them, not by war, or in the changing of borders
but by the brutal orders of the Ittihad Government. What does this all
mean to us today? It's quite simple. Armenians don't want to hassle
Turkey, or create racial divisions, we just want justice so we can all
move on from this historical pain that strains our relationship. This
is not just about Armenian history but also the history of Turkey.
Will Erdogan's government do the right thing by coming to terms with
all of this? I don't think so. Neither will the military juntas that
have ruled Turkey throughout modern history.
Do you know that your government spends millions of dollars every
year to deny this truth in foreign capitals by hiring all sorts of
lobbying firms and setting up chairs at universities to re-create the
truth to its liking? Do you know how that feels as an Armenian? What
a painful experience this is? Is it not enough that I am the grandson
of survivors of a horrible tragedy of history? Must I fight propaganda
and corruption internationally to regain justice?
Turkey's modern turmoil to find itself has a lot to do with us
Armenians. Our histories, geographies, and blood are too close not
to resolve these issues.
Both Armenians and Turks deserve leaders and governments that are truly
egalitarian, democratic, and non-corrupt to start with. In closing, I
just want to say thank you to all of the amazing people I've met from
Turkey who have shared their stories with me while on tour and online
and have given me hope of a rapprochement based on truth and justice.
My wish, Dear People of Turkey, is for you to truly find yourself".
http://www.armradio.am/en/2014/04/22/tankian-to-turks-truly-find-yourself/
From: Baghdasarian