Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Local Armenians Mark Centenary Of Their Darkest Moment

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Local Armenians Mark Centenary Of Their Darkest Moment

    LOCAL ARMENIANS MARK CENTENARY OF THEIR DARKEST MOMENT

    Waterloo Record, Canada
    April 20 2015

    Waterloo Region Record
    By Anam Latif

    CAMBRIDGE -- Levon Sarmazian may be young, but there is one story
    his family always tells.

    "There were 78 people in my family, with my last name, in Armenia,"
    Sarmazian said.

    "After 1915, there were only 18 of us left."

    Sarmazian, along with about 150 other local members of the Armenian
    community, gathered at the Armenian Community Centre in Cambridge
    Sunday to commemorate the coming centenary of the Armenian genocide.

    Friday will mark the event that claimed 1.5 million lives at the turn
    of the century.

    What is described as the darkest moment in Armenian history has tied
    together one of the largest diasporas in the world.

    Many historians estimate 1.5 million Armenians were killed by the
    Ottoman Empire during the First World War. The Turkish government
    denies the genocide, claiming the deaths were a consequence of war
    and unrest and not systematic ethnic cleansing.

    Only a handful of survivors are still alive, but Vahe Poladian said
    he thinks every single living Armenian is a survivor.

    "Because we are still here, Turkey failed," he said.

    They gather every year with only one demand: recognition from their
    perpetrators.

    Last week, Pope Francis took a bold stand and condemned the Armenian
    genocide, an action which drew ire from Turkish officials.

    Poladian was relieved when he heard the news. "It's a step in the
    right direction," he said.

    Those who survived the genocide were forced to leave their homeland and
    marched across the Syrian Desert where many more died of starvation.

    Most of the Armenian diaspora settled in Lebanon and Syria. But
    they take pride in preserving their culture, language, food, values,
    religion and way of life.

    After a wreath was placed at the memorial outside the community centre,
    there was a ceremony inside where poetry and speeches were recited. In
    the backdrop a large purple forget-me-not was displayed as the chosen
    symbol for the 100th anniversary.

    It represents the past, present and future of Armenia and almost
    every person in the room wore a purple forget-me-not pin or sticker.

    "We will not forget," Poladian said.

    http://www.therecord.com/news-story/5565910-local-armenians-mark-centenary-of-their-darkest-moment/

Working...
X