Let Us Make a New Beginning: Speech for the Armenian Genocide Centennial Commemoration in Istanbul

[Commemoration ceremony in Istanbul, 24 April 2014. Photo by Heghnar Watenpaugh.] [Commemoration ceremony in Istanbul, 24 April 2014. Photo by Heghnar Watenpaugh.]

Let Us Make a New Beginning: Speech for the Armenian Genocide Centennial Commemoration in Istanbul

By : Jadaliyya Reports

[The following is a speech delivered by Heghnar Watenpaugh in Armenian and Turkish on behalf of Project 2015 at a ceremony commemorating the centenary of the Armenian Genocide. The ceremony was held in Taksim Square in Istanbul on 24 April 2015. Project 2015 has been a two-year-long effort to organize members of the Armenian diaspora and others committed to human rights and genocide prevention in the US, Europe, and the Middle East to travel to Turkey to join this centennial commemoration.]

Let Us Make a New Beginning: Speech for the Armenian Genocide Centennial Commemoration in Istanbul

Heghnar Watenpaugh

24 April 2015

We are here today to mark the one hundredth anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, one of humanity’s darkest events. But for Armenians all over the world, it is also a time when we celebrate our survival, and our enormous resilience.

I am here today because one hundred years ago my great-grandmother climbed a mountain. She was living in Khidir Beg village, on Musa Dagi, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The Ottoman army had forcefully conscripted her husband, never to return. Soon after, when the state issued a deportation order for the village, the people of Khidir Beg held a meeting to decide how to respond. Some of the villagers chose to obey the order and went on what turned out to be a death march that few survived.

But my great-grandmother Varter, a young mother of three, and a few other stubborn villagers defied the order. They scaled their mountain, and for forty days the Armenians of Musa Dagi fought off the Ottoman Army until their supplies ran out and a passing allied battleship miraculously rescued them.

Wherever the Armenian survivors like my ancestors went, in each refugee camp, in every town, from Beirut to California, they recreated their village. They planted mulberry trees, pomegranate trees, and grape vines, gathering in their shade.

And that is why I am here today: to honor those who were killed, those who resisted, and those who survived. I stand proudly with you here today to speak my great-grandparents’ names, Sarkis Zeitlian and Varter Kojanian, in Armenian, our beautiful language that survives against all odds. I speak their names in the heart of this great city: a city where Armenians thought, wrote, created, and lived for centuries before the Genocide; a city where now a small but dignified and vibrant Armenian community continues to teach its children our language and our traditions.

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[Istanbul, 24 April 2015. Photo by Raffi Wartanian.]

As I speak Armenian in the heart of Istanbul on this hallowed day, I can hear the sounds of the past. If you listen carefully, the past is not silent. It is as clear as the ringing of a church bell on a Sunday morning.

There are Armenian churches all over this beautiful country. Some of them are now in ruins, some of them are mosques, sports clubs, stables, and barns. Yet they maintain their dignity, and they astonish us with their beauty. They, too, are survivors. They could never be museum exhibitions.

For if you listen carefully you can hear the distant echo of their bells. When the bells ring at the 1001 Churches of Ani, the capital of our ancient kings, all the other churches respond: from my ancestors’ little village church, to the Church of the Holy Cross on Aghtamar, to Surp Giragos reborn in Diyarbekir. And the voices of our ancestors can be heard from the mountains of Sasun, to the plains of Mush, amidst the pine trees of Zeytun, and even above the burning sands of Der Zor.

They are calling for justice. We are calling for justice. We are here today with Armenians from around the world and citizens of many nationalities who have traveled to stand against denial. We are here today with citizens of Turkey who are standing with us in our quest for redress and restitution.

I am here today with my children, Arda Zabel and Aram David, because I want them to embrace the land of their ancestors. I want for them a world in which we can stand together with dignity, equality, and justice for all the people of this land, and for all people around the world.

Friends, let’s begin again, and like my great-grandmother, let’s climb our mountain together. Let us hear the bells ringing, urging us on. Let us work together for justice.

***

Sizi yeni bir başlangıca davet ediyorum: Ermeni Soykırımı`nın 100. Yılını Anma Etkinlikleri Konuşması

Heghnar Watenpaugh

İstanbul, 24 Nisan 2015

Bugün, burada, insanlığın en karanlık olaylarından biri olan Ermeni Soykırımı`nın 100. yılını anmak üzere bulunuyoruz. Ancak bugün, aynı zamanda, biz dünyanın dört bir yanına dağılmış Ermeniler için, hayatta kalmamızı ve müthiş direncimizi de kutladığımız bir gün.

Ben bugün burada bulunmamı, büyükannemin annesinin bundan yüz yıl önce bir dağa çıkmış olmasına borçluyum. Kendisi, 1915’te Akdeniz`e açılan Musa Dağı`nda, Hıdır Bey Köyü`nde yaşıyormuş. Kocası Osmanlı devleti tarafından zorla askere alınmış ve bir daha da geri dönmemiş. Kısa bir süre sonra da devlet köyün boşaltılmasını buyurmuş. Hıdır Bey`in ahalisi bu emre nasıl karşılık vereceklerini kararlaştırmak için toplanmışlar. Bazı köylüler emre itaat ederek yola koyulmuşlar. Ancak kısa bir süre sonra bunların, aralarından pek azının hayatta kalacağı bir ölüm yürüyüşüne çıktıkları anlaşılmış. 

O zaman üç çocuk sahibi genç bir anne olan büyük annemin annesi Varter ve onun gibi inatçı birkaç köylü daha emre itaat etmeyi reddederek dağa çıkmış ve Musa dağını kuşatan Osmanlı ordusuna direnmişler. 40 gün direndikten sonra erzakları tükendiğinde, mucizevi bir şekilde oradan geçmekte olan ittifak devletlerine ait bir savaş gemisi tarafından kurtarılmışlar.

İşte bu ve buna benzer bir şekilde hayatta kalabilen Ermeniler, benim atalarım gibi, gittikleri her yerde, mülteci kamplarında, Beyrut`tan Marsilya’ya oradan Kaliforniya`ya kadar uzanan bütün şehirlerde hayata tekrar sıfırdan başlayıp, daima özlemini duydukları köylerini yeniden kurmuşlar. Dut ağaçları, nar ağaçları, üzüm asmaları dikip, onların gölgesinde toplaşıp yitirdikleri geçmiş hayatlarını anıp durmuşlar.

İşte ben de bugün, bu yüzden, öldürülen, direnen ve hayatta kalan bütün Ermenilere saygımı sunmak için burada bulunuyorum. Bugün burada, sizinle birlikte, gururla, dimdik ayakta durarak büyükbabamın ve büyükannemin adlarını, her şeye rağmen hayatta kalabilen güzel dilimizde, Ermenice anıyorum: Sarkis Zeitlian ve Varter Kojanian. Onların adlarını, Ermenilerin soykırımdan önce yüzyıllar boyunca düşündükleri, yazdıkları, yarattıkları ve yaşadıklarıyla canlandırdıkları bu harika şehrin tam kalbinde anıyorum; bu şehir ki burada hala yaşamaya devam eden onurlu ve canlı bir Ermeni cemaati, çocuklarına, çocuklarımıza dilimizi ve geleneklerimizi öğretmeye azimle devam ediyor.

Bu kutsal günde, İstanbul`un kalbinde Ermenice konuşurken, geçmişin sesleri kulaklarımda çınlıyor. Zira dikkatle dinlediğinizde geçmişin sessiz olmadığını fark eder, sesini bir Pazar sabahı çalan kilise çanı kadar açık ve net duymaya başlarsınız.

Bu güzel ülkenin her köşesinde Ermeni kiliseleri var. Ancak bunlar çoğunlukla harabeye dönüşmüş durumda; bazıları cami, okul diğerleri de ahır veya ağıl olmuş. Bu kiliseler her şeye rağmen onurlarını muhafaza edip güzellikleriyle bizi hayrete düşürmeye devam ediyorlar. Biz Ermeniler gibi onlar da mucizevi olarak hayatta kalanlardan; bizim için daima kutsal olmaya devam edecek, hiçbir zaman ruhsuz müze sergilerine dönüşmeyecekler.

Dikkatle kulak verirseniz onların çanlarının da uzaktan gelen yankısını duyabilirsiniz. Bizim kadim krallıklarımızın başkenti olan Ani`nin 1001 kilisesinde çanlar çaldığında, atalarımın köyündeki küçük kiliseden, Ahtamar`daki Surp Haç Kilisesi`ne ve Diyarbakır`da yeniden doğan Surp Giragos`a kadar diğer bütün kiliseler onlara yanıt verirler. Atalarımızın sesleri hala, Sasun dağlarından Muş ovasına, Zeytun`un çam ağaçlarından Der Zor`un yanan kumlarına kadar yankılanır durur.

Atalarımız adalet istiyorlar. Biz adalet istiyoruz. Bugün, burada, dünyanın dört bir köşesinden gelmiş olan Ermenilerle bir aradayız. Bizimle beraber inkarcılığa karşı durmak için İstanbul`da gelmiş bir çok farklı ülkenin yurttaşlarıyla bir aradayız. Bugün, burada, tazmin ve telafi arayışımızda bizimle birlikte duran Türkiye yurttaşlarıyla da bir aradayız.

Ben bugün, burada, çocuklarım Arda Zabel ve Aram David ile birlikteyim çünkü onların atalarının topraklarını kucaklamasını istiyorum. Onların, bu toprakların ve dünyanın tüm halklarıyla birlikte, onurlu, eşit ve adil bir şekilde ayakta durabildikleri bir dünyada yaşamasını istiyorum.

Sevgili dostlar, sizi yeni bir başlangıca davet ediyorum. Büyükannemin annesini anarak, bizler de dağımıza birlikte tırmanalım; duyduğumuz çan sesleri bizi yüreklendirsin. Adalet için hep birlikte çalışalım!

***

Այսօր հաւաքուած ենք մարդկութեան ամենասեւ դէպքերէն մէկուն՝ Հայոց Ցեղասպանութեան 100ամեակը նշելու համար։ Ասիկա նաեւ պահ մըն է, երբ աշխարհասփիւռ հայերս կը հռչակենք մեր վերապրումը եւ վերականգնումի մեր կարողութիւնը։

Այսօր այստեղ եմ, որովհետեւ մեծ հօրս մայրը լեռ մը մագլցած է հարիւր տարի առաջ։ Ան կ՚ապրէր Խտըրպէկ գիւղը՝ Մուսա լերան շրջանը, Միջերկրական ծովուն դիմաց։ Օսմանեան բանակը բռնի զինուորագրած էր անոր ամուսինը, որ երբեք պիտի չվերադառնար։ Այնուհետեւ, երբ պետութիւնը գիւղի տեղահանութեան հրահանգը հրապակեց, Խտըրպէկի ժողովուրդը ժողով մը գումարեց՝ իր ընելիքը որոշելու։ Գիւղացիներուն մէկ մասը որոշեց ենթարկուիլ հրամանին։ Անոնք ճամբայ ելան մահուան քայլարշաւի մը, որմէ քիչեր պիտի վերապրէին։

Բայց հօրենական մեծ մայրս՝ Վարդերը, որ երեք զաւակներու մայր էր, եւ ուրիշ յամառ գիւղացիներ հրահանգին դէմ կանգնեցան։ Բարձրանալով իրենց լեռը, Մուսա լերան հայերը կռուեցան քառասուն օր շարունակ ընդդէմ օսմանեան բանակին, մինչեւ որ, իրենց պաշարը վերջացած ըլլալով, անցնող դաշնակից ռազմանաւ մը հրաշքով զիրենք ազատագրեց։

Նախնիներուս նման, հայ վերապրողները իրենց գիւղը վերստեղծեցին ամէնուրեք՝ իւրաքանչիւր գաղթակայանի, իւրաքանչիւր քաղաքի մէջ, Պէյրութէն մինչեւ Գալիֆորնիա։ Անոնք տնկեցին թթենիներ, նռնենիներ եւ որթատունկեր եւ հաւաքուեցան անոնց շուքին տակ։

Ահա թէ ինչո՛ւ այսօր այստեղ եմ. բոլոր սպաննուողները, բոլոր դիմադրողները եւ բոլոր վերապրողները մեծարելու համար։ Այսօր հպարտութեամբ կանգնած եմ ձեր կողքին, մեծ հօրս ծնողներուն՝ Սարգիս Զէյթլեանի եւ Վարդեր Գոճանեանի անունները արտասանելու համար հայերէնով՝ բոլոր խոչընդոտներուն դէմ գոյատեւող մեր գեղեցիկ լեզուով։ Անոնց անունները կ՚արտասանեմ այս մեծ քաղաքին սրտին մէջ։ Քաղաք, ուր հայերը մտածած, գրած, ստեղծագործած ու ապրած են դարերով՝ ցեղասպանութենէն առաջ. քաղաք, ուր փոքր, բայց արժանաւոր եւ թրթռուն հայ համայնք մը ներկայիս կը շարունակէ մեր լեզուն ու մեր աւանդութիւնները սորվեցնել իր զաւակներուն։

Մինչդեռ հայերէն կը խօսիմ այս սրբազան օրը Իսթանպուլի սրտին մէջ, կրնամ լսել անցեալի ձայները։ Եթէ ուշադրութեամբ մտիկ ընէք, անցեալը անձայն չէ։ Նոյնքան վճիտ կը հնչէ, որքան եկեղեցիի մը զանգին ղօղանջը Կիրակի առաւօտեան։

Այս գեղեցիկ երկրին ամբողջ տարածքին հայկական եկեղեցիներ կան։ Այսօր մէկ մասը աւերակ է, իսկ ուրիշներ մզկիթներ դարձած են, մարզական ակումբներ, գոմեր եւ ախոռներ։ Այսուհանդերձ, անոնք կը պահեն իրենց արժանաւորութիւնը եւ մեզ կը զմայլեն իրենց գեղեցկութեամբ։ Անոնք ալ վերապրող են։ Երբեք թանգարանային ցուցադրութիւններ պիտի չկարենային ըլլալ։

Որովհետեւ եթէ դուք ուշադրութեամբ մտիկ ընէք, պիտի կարենաք լսել անոնց զանգերուն հեռակայ արձագանգը։ Երբ զանգերը կը հնչեն Անիի՝ մեր հին թագաւորներուն մայրաքաղաքին հազար ու մէկ եկեղեցիներուն մէջ, միւս բոլոր եկեղեցիները կ՚արձագանգեն՝ նախնիներուս փոքրիկ գիւղական եկեղեցիէն մինչեւ Աղթամարի կղզիի Սուրբ Խաչ եկեղեցին եւ մինչեւ վերածնեալ Սուրբ Կիրակոսը Տիարպեքիրի մէջ։ Իսկ մեր նախնիներուն ձայները կրնան լսուիլ Սասնայ լեռներէն մինչեւ Մշոյ դաշտերը, Զէյթունի սոճիներուն ընդմէջէն եւ նոյնիսկ Տէր Զորի կիզիչ աւազներուն վրայէն։

Անոնք կը կանչեն արդարութեան համար։ Մե՛նք կը կանչենք արդարութեան համար։ Այսօր այստեղ ենք՝ աշխարհի չորս կողմերէն եկած հայեր եւ բազմազգ քաղաքացիներ, ժխտումի դէմ կանգնելու։ Այսօր այստեղ ենք Թուրքիոյ քաղաքացիներու հետ, որոնք մեր կողքին են՝ սրբագրման եւ հատուցման մեր փնտռտուքին մէջ։

Այսօր այստեղ եմ զաւակներուս՝ Արտա Զապէլի եւ Արամ Դաւիթի հետ, որովհետեւ կ՚ուզեմ, որ անոնք իրենց պապերուն երկիրը գրկեն։ Աշխարհ մը կ՚ուզեմ անոնց համար, ուր կարենանք արժանապատուութեամբ, հաւասարութեամբ եւ արդարութեամբ կողք-կողքի կանգնիլ՝ այս երկրի ամբողջ ժողովուրդին եւ աշխարհի բոլոր մարդոց համար։

Բարեկամներ, սկսինք նորէն եւ, հօրենական մեծ մօրս նման, բարձրանանք մեր լեռը։ Լսենք ղօղանջող զանգերը որոնք մեզ յառաջ կը մղեն։ Աշխատինք միասին՝ արդարութեան համար։ 

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Past is Present: Settler Colonialism Matters!

On 5-6 March 2011, the Palestine Society at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London will hold its seventh annual conference, "Past is Present: Settler Colonialism in Palestine." This year`s conference aims to understand Zionism as a settler colonial project which has, for more than a century, subjected Palestine and Palestinians to a structural and violent form of destruction, dispossession, land appropriation and erasure in the pursuit of a new Jewish Israeli society. By organizing this conference, we hope to reclaim and revive the settler colonial paradigm and to outline its potential to inform and guide political strategy and mobilization.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is often described as unique and exceptional with little resemblance to other historical or ongoing colonial conflicts. Yet, for Zionism, like other settler colonial projects such as the British colonization of Ireland or European settlement of North America, South Africa or Australia, the imperative is to control the land and its resources -- and to displace the original inhabitants. Indeed, as conference keynote speaker Patrick Wolfe, one of the foremost scholars on settler colonialism and professor at La Trobe University in Victoria, Australia, argues, "the logic of this project, a sustained institutional tendency to eliminate the Indigenous population, informs a range of historical practices that might otherwise appear distinct--invasion is a structure not an event."[i]

Therefore, the classification of the Zionist movement as a settler colonial project, and the Israeli state as its manifestation, is not merely intended as a statement on the historical origins of Israel, nor as a rhetorical or polemical device. Rather, the aim is to highlight Zionism`s structural continuities and the ideology which informs Israeli policies and practices in Palestine and toward Palestinians everywhere. Thus, the Nakba -- whether viewed as a spontaneous, violent episode in war, or the implementation of a preconceived master plan -- should be understood as both the precondition for the creation of Israel and the logical outcome of Zionist settlement in Palestine.

Moreover, it is this same logic that sustains the continuation of the Nakba today. As remarked by Benny Morris, “had he [David Ben Gurion] carried out full expulsion--rather than partial--he would have stabilised the State of Israel for generations.”[ii] Yet, plagued by an “instability”--defined by the very existence of the Palestinian nation--Israel continues its daily state practices in its quest to fulfill Zionism’s logic to maximize the amount of land under its control with the minimum number of Palestinians on it. These practices take a painful array of manifestations: aerial and maritime bombardment, massacre and invasion, house demolitions, land theft, identity card confiscation, racist laws and loyalty tests, the wall, the siege on Gaza, cultural appropriation, and the dependence on willing (or unwilling) native collaboration and security arrangements, all with the continued support and backing of imperial power. 

Despite these enduring practices however, the settler colonial paradigm has largely fallen into disuse. As a paradigm, it once served as a primary ideological and political framework for all Palestinian political factions and trends, and informed the intellectual work of committed academics and revolutionary scholars, both Palestinians and Jews.

The conference thus asks where and why the settler colonial paradigm was lost, both in scholarship on Palestine and in politics; how do current analyses and theoretical trends that have arisen in its place address present and historical realities? While acknowledging the creativity of these new interpretations, we must nonetheless ask: when exactly did Palestinian natives find themselves in a "post-colonial" condition? When did the ongoing struggle over land become a "post-conflict" situation? When did Israel become a "post-Zionist" society? And when did the fortification of Palestinian ghettos and reservations become "state-building"?

In outlining settler colonialism as a central paradigm from which to understand Palestine, this conference re-invigorates it as a tool by which to analyze the present situation. In doing so, it contests solutions which accommodate Zionism, and more significantly, builds settler colonialism as a political analysis that can embolden and inform a strategy of active, mutual, and principled Palestinian alignment with the Arab struggle for self-determination, and indigenous struggles in the US, Latin America, Oceania, and elsewhere.

Such an alignment would expand the tools available to Palestinians and their solidarity movement, and reconnect the struggle to its own history of anti-colonial internationalism. At its core, this internationalism asserts that the Palestinian struggle against Zionist settler colonialism can only be won when it is embedded within, and empowered by, the broader Arab movement for emancipation and the indigenous, anti-racist and anti-colonial movement--from Arizona to Auckland.

SOAS Palestine Society invites everyone to join us at what promises to be a significant intervention in Palestine activism and scholarship.

For over 30 years, SOAS Palestine Society has heightened awareness and understanding of the Palestinian people, their rights, culture, and struggle for self-determination, amongst students, faculty, staff, and the broader public. SOAS Palestine society aims to continuously push the frontiers of discourse in an effort to make provocative arguments and to stimulate debate and organizing for justice in Palestine through relevant conferences, and events ranging from the intellectual and political impact of Edward Said`s life and work (2004), international law and the Palestine question (2005), the economy of Palestine and its occupation (2006), the one state (2007), 60 Years of Nakba, 60 Years of Resistance (2009), and most recently, the Left in Palestine (2010).

For more information on the SOAS Palestine Society 7th annual conference, Past is Present: Settler Colonialism in Palestine: www.soaspalsoc.org

SOAS Palestine Society Organizing Collective is a group of committed students that has undertaken to organize annual academic conferences on Palestine since 2003.

 


[i] Patrick Wolfe, Settler Colonialism and the Transformation of Anthropology: The Politics and Poetics of an Ethnographic Event, Cassell, London, p. 163

[ii] Interview with Benny Morris, Survival of the Fittest, Haaretz, 9. January 2004, http://cosmos.ucc.ie/cs1064/jabowen/IPSC/php/art.php?aid=5412