August 20 2013 “The Armenian Journey A Story of an Armenian Genocide: From Despair to Hope in Rhode Island” a film by The Genocide Education Project (GenEd) tells the story of Armenian Genocide survivor Margaret Garabedian Der Manuelian... told through the narrative voice of her great-granddaughter... 21 year old Dalita Getzoyan... the film was funded by a grant from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities... designed to support educators in the region/ beyond... “three apples fell from heaven... one for the storyteller... one for he who listens... one for he who understands...” Providence Rhode Island Saints Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church Dalita Getzoyan great-granddaughter of Armenian Genocide survivor I want to share with you my telling of the life of my great-grandmother... Margaret Der Manuelian... there was a historic Armenian civilization... that at one time extended across Anatolia... in 1915 genocide virtually ended this ancient civilization... my great-grandmother was one of the few to survive.. genocide is the deliberate/ systematic destruction in whole or in part... of an ethnic/ racial/ religious or national group... the Armenian Genocide was the 1st modern genocide... it set the standard for manipulating new technologies from mass murder... trains/ telegraphs were new/ innovative advances... that much of the world celebrated... for the Ottoman Turks such inventions made it possible... for them to send orders across the Anatolian plains... to round up/ execute or deport Armenians... mass murder made easy... the Armenian Genocide began under the cover of WW I... on April 24 1915 over 200 Armenia leaders were arrested in Constantinople... hundreds more were detained in the following weeks... they were sent to prison in the interior of Anatolia where most were executed... the remaining men were placed in work battalions... this marked the beginning of the genocide... Wholesale Massacres of Armenians by Turks Lord Crewe Denounces Influence of the Germans as “an Unmitigated Curse” July 28 1915 London... the Earl of Crewe/ Lord President of the Council... replying in the House of Lords today to a question by Viacount Bryce... concerning the killing of Christians in Armenia by the Turks... said the information received at the Foreign Office... showed that such crimes had recently increased... both in number/ in degree of atrocity... they include Lord Crewe declared both wholesale massacre... wholesale deportations which were carried out... under the guise of enforced evacuation... similar crimes he added had been committed by the Turks against Christians... on the Persian border... the presence of the Germans... the influence they exercised had been- - - in the months to come women/ children/ the elderly... were forced from their homes across Anatolia... they were murdered/ abducted/ deported... most were forced to walk through the desert with no food... clean drinking water/ proper clothing... the majority of Armenians perished in the desert... with only a few surviving the extreme conditions forced upon them... even today the desert Diyarbakir is littered... with the bones of Armenians who perished between 1915-1918... Armenians Are Sent to Perish in the Desert Turks Accused of Plan to Exterminate Whole Population People of Kerehissar Massacred August 18 1915 Report Turks Shot Women/ Children 9,000 Armenians Massacred/ Thrown Into Tigris - Socialist Committee Hears August 04 1915 Paris... B. Varazdate/ a member of the Executive Committee... of the Armenian Social Democratic Party writing to L’Humanite... the Socialist Daily says that the committee has received word to the effect... that Turks after massacring all the males of the population in the region of Bittis... Turkish Armenia assembled 9,000 women/ children... drove them to the banks of the Tigris where they shot them... threw the bodies into the river... these advices have not been substantiated from any other source... those left in Anatolia were forced to leave... after the Republic of Turkey was established... the new Turkish leader known as Atta Turk demanded... that Anatolia be rid of all Armenians Turks Depopulate Towns of Armenia Traveler Reports Christians of Great Territory Have Been Driven from Homes 600,00 Starving on Road Adds That More Than 100,000 Greeks Have Been Deported from the Mediterranean Coast August 27 1915 Tale of Armenian Horrors Confirmed Committee on Atrocities Says 500,000 Victims Have Suffered Already National Protest Urged Suggestion that Germany/ Austria Be Held Responsible... for the Outrages on Amenians 800,000 Armenians Counted Destroyed Viscount Bryce Tells House of Lords... That Is the Probable Number of Victims of the Turks 10,000 Drowned at Once October 07 1915 “The New York Times” Million Armenians Killed or In Exile American Committee on Relief Says Victims of Turks... Are Steadily Increasing December 15 1915 by 1923 a 3,000-year-old civilization virtually ceased to exist... 1.5 million Armenians... more than half of the Armenian population in its historic homeland... were dead... almost all Armenian homes/ villages/ schools/ churches/ businesses... were stolen or destroyed... the few survivors fled to countries all over the world... despite the affirmation of the Armenian Genocide... by historians/ governments around the world... the Turkish government still actively denies the Armenian Genocide... among a series of actions enacted to counter genocide recognition... the government passed a law in 2004 which makes it a criminal offense... to discuss the genocide... most of the survivors have now passed... their families still continue to demand recognition... for the suffering inflicted upon their beloved ancestors more than 95 years ago... in 1915 my family became the victims at the Armenian Genocide... my great-grandmother was eight years old... when the genocide began in Ottoman Turkey... why did this happen to my people/ to my family/ to millions others... across the globe/ over the course of human history during other genocides?... how can we as humans commit such an unspeakable crime?... how can we as humans witness such outrages against our brothers/ sisters?... these are questions we must try to answer... if we want to stop future genocides from occurring... before I was born Margaret agreed to have her story recorded... I want to share with you some of her recollections... she lived with her family in the small village of Uzunova... in the province of Diyarbakir... in 1915 her entire life changed... “we got back to Uzunova... oh boy they had taken all the women/ children... ut them in a big hall... at this time they took the women... put them in the hall because they had already taken all the men... killed them... so they had all the women in this big hall... all night long that night... all night until the light came in the morning... whoever was a big girl they would come... take them outside... the men would use them [rape them]... bring them back... until the morning light they took those girls [the young brides]... brought them back... the Turks... “as they were lined up against the wall the Turks came in... took however many they wanted from the children lined up... some took four... some took five... some took six... however many they wanted they took... left with them... my Agha [master] took four or five of us...” her parents/ three sisters/ her extended family were murdered... she was abducted into slavery/ tortured for years... “so for ten years I have been with the Turks as I am with no shoes on my feet... summer/ winter no shoes on my feet... I used to walk barefoot in the snow... my feet would freeze... the skin would peel off my feet... all the skin used to peel off of my feet... it used to just peel/ fall off... “I am crying... I will not go... I am crying... my Agha did not come this time... he went to his own house... the other Agha came/ said... ‘my girl you go back... [the child] goes crazy for you... cries... you are not there...’ “I said... ‘Agha my sister has gone... if you hit me I am going to go... if you try to kill me I am going to go... I am going to be with my sister...’” in 1922 her older sister... the only other survivor from her family... found Margaret... helped her escape... after a long journey Margaret found her way to Rhode Island... with her new husband/ child... it was only when she reached Rhode Island... that she could slowly begin to build a real life for herself/ her family... “what do I know?... there were so many things that happened... when my father came back... was with us... next to my mother the baby was in the lap of my mother... he said... ‘what a beautiful baby she is!... what kind of beauty is that?... “then he said to my mother... ‘if I die you stay alive... this is going to be a big story... whether you tell it or not it will never end...’ “then they took all the men... killed them...” Armenian folk tales end with the phrase... three apples fell from heaven... one for the storyteller... one for he who listens... one for he who understands...” Margaret told the story... my family/ I have listened... now you have heard the story... understanding history is our collective responsibility... remembering the victims of past genocides... by taking action to prevent future genocides from occurring... will best measure our commitment... my grandmother/ my mother/ I are deeply affected... by the experiences of Margaret... the destruction of our culture... we speak Armenian/ go to Armenian Church... try to educate those around us about the Armenian Genocide... we want Margaret/ all the victims to be remembered... we want our culture to survive... most importantly... we hope for the day when no one ever has to suffer what our people endured... with the Armenian Americans of Providence my family joined together... unveiled a monument to the victims of the Armenian Genocide... the dedication on the memorial reads... “we Armenians dedicate this monument... to the immortal memory of the 1,500 Armenian martyrs... massacred by the Turkish government during the 1915 genocide... from this faith no one can shake us... neither angels nor men... neither sword nor fire... nor water... nor any blows... however bitter they be... Battle of Avarair 451 AD... this candelabra is dedicated to the loving memory of Margaret Der Manuelian by Haig/ Shooshig Aghjayan Ara/ Pauline Getzoyan George/ Joyce Aghjayan https://youtube/watch?v=gE-XI6blXB0
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 22:55:16 +0000
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