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By Appo Jabarian
Executive Publisher / Managing Editor
USA Armenian Life Magazine
Friday, April 10, 2009
Last week, this writer reported about the widespread misrepresentations made by Turkey, the main organizer of the so-called “Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival” which took place in Costa Mesa, California, April 2-5.
Soon after the publication in USA Armenian Life Magazine and the electronic dissemination of the article titled “An Orgy of Turkish Soup with Armenian Bones in Southern California,” the editorial offices were inundated with several phone calls, and letters via e-mail, fax and regular mail by angry readers. They were speaking out against Turkey’s lies about its history, culture and cuisine.
Several Southern California Armenian and non-Armenian activists rallied their resources and, in less then 24 hours, successfully produced life-size, full color giant posters of a live art presentation of the “Turkish Soup Made with Armenian Bones.” The “Turkish Soup” is created by well-known artist Zareh of Los Angeles (To see a live art presentation on Turkish Soup, please click on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urWCGtI7XXc). The “Turkish Soup” along with life-size posters of Pres. Ronald Reagan and Amb. John Evans (both acknowledging the genocide) and “Mustafa Kemal Ataturk” (Founder of modern Turkey strongly condemning Young Turk government’s crime against the Armenians) were carried by a contingent of Armenian activists to Orange County’s fairgrounds to post them at the entrance of the misleading Turkish festival. Even the Consul General of the Republic of Armenia in Los Angeles declined to accept the official invitation extended by the Consul General of Turkey in Los Angeles. According to various reliable reports, the Turkish Consul General had sent invitations to a number of consuls general, including Armenia’s top diplomatic representative in Los Angeles, Honorable Grigor Hovanessian. USA Armenian Life learned that Mr. Hovanessian declined to participate in the opening ceremonies of the Turkish festival. Responding to a question presented by USA Armenian Life as to why the Armenian Consul General refused to accept the Turkish invitation, he responded: “The reasons for Consul General’s non-participation in the festival: 1) The agenda throughout April is intense, as the Consulate General along with the entire Armenian community prepares for the Genocide commemorative events. The Consul General considered the timing for this festive event highly inappropriate from the Armenian point of view; 2) Members of the Armenian community across the widest spectrum were consulted on this matter and their positions were factored in while making the decision. In addition, the Consul General fully shares the disagreements voiced in the local Armenian media and professionals as to the distortion of historic facts by the organizers of the festival.” French-Armenian journalist Gilbert Béguian, a regular contributor to France’s Nouvelles d’Armenie Magazine, wrote: “I prefer to think that the Armenians of Turkey undergo direct pressures that lead them to act as they do. … The case of Diaspora Armenians is different.” Beguian added: “I have just completed the translation (into French-Ed.) of your article and truly I’d like to compliment you for the force and the spirit that it emanates. … The video and the idea of Zareh’s ‘Turkish Soup’ is genius. They transmit the message in a blink of an eye, in matter of few seconds. Let’s hope that many Turks see it.” Janine A. Soukiasian, a well-known criminal defense attorney in Southern California wrote: “I was moved by your article on ‘An Orgy of ‘Turkish Soup with Armenian Bones’ in Southern California.’ …I strongly agree that the denialist Turks are trying to shove down our throat, literally, in a month of commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, their so-called Turkish culture and food. This is a definite slap in the face. I am not sure I can blame some Armenians if they truly feel the need to participate ‘under duress and fear of being subjected to all kinds of blackmail in Turkey,’ if this event was taking place in TURKEY. However, we live in America and we don’t face duress and should not make any excuses for supporting the denialists in our home turf of Southern California.” She concluded: “The OIA [Organization of Istanbul Armenians] must be very careful in who they trust and the company they keep. I think all Armenians should ban future misleading Turkish Festivals altogether. It is a shame if a single Armenian attends the event, particularly in the month of April.” Gary Bedian, an international entrepreneur-developer, and Southland activist, wrote: “While at first glance one may wonder what the whole fuss is about Turks holding an ‘Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival’ in the City of Costa Mesa, one must dig deeper to understand its true significance. The Turkish Ministry of Culture, along with the government of Turkey, denies the Armenian Genocide. The City of Costa Mesa, as part of The State of California that officially recognizes the Armenian Genocide, should not have issued a permit for a misleading event of this nature to take place on its soil.” Bedian continued: “Adding insult to injury, the City of Costa Mesa has hosted this event in the month of April which is a sacred month for Armenians who have suffered genocide at the hands of Turkey.” He concluded: “It remains to be seen if Turkey will now do the right thing and take up President Obama’s challenge to recognize the genocide and normalize relations with Armenia. After all, one must act European before he can become European.” Reiterating Armenian demands for justice, Jean Eckian, a Paris-based French Armenian independent journalist, wrote: “Our ancestors sacrificed their lives for the soil of Turkish-occupied Western Armenia. They have built a treasure, a civilization of which we, the descendants, are the inheritors. In this context, it doesn’t matter as to how far and to which foreign ports we have navigated. Till the end of time, we will reclaim in their memory, and for our sake, the right to return so that the Armenian spirit continues to live.” Southern California Armenian and non-Armenian activists who made timely contribution of valuable time, energy and material included Kalayjian Enterprises’ Krikor “Cigar Koko” Kalayjian and his sons Minas and Hagop, along with their assistant Raul Vizcaino, a Mexican-American activist opposing all genocides. When Vizcaino was approached to pose like a genocidal Turk for the photography of life-size “Turkish Soup,” he adamantly refused saying that he strongly dislikes the Turks. He said: “Those Turks are bad. They are responsible for what they did to Armenians. Their genocidal act of 1915 has affected the rest of the world. Had the world punished those ‘Los Turcos’ and Turkey for their genocide against the Armenians, no other genocides would have been committed, such as the one in Darfur.” Later Vizcaino agreed to dress up like a Turk to help the Armenian Cause, and in solemn respect to the memory of the innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide. The additional contributors to the 11th hour Armenian efforts for protest actions also included United Shipping Group’s Gagik Tamrazyan and his assistants; Calprod giant size poster printing company’s Harout Hovsepyan; fellow activists Vasgen Zargarian, Ardavast M., Emelda M. and Diana Aslan, who have valiantly carried the life size and somewhat heavy pressedwood-enforced posters to the main entrance of the infamous festival; Karine Mkrtumyan who assisted in graphics, and Hagop Yedalian and his son Razmik along with their assistants who volunteered their time and energy in helping Hagop perform woodcarving to create life-size wood sculptured posters of the “Turkish Soup.” Yedalian’s assistants –Rigoberto, Reyes, David, Manuel, and Oswaldo, coming from various Latino-American backgrounds, explained the widespread Latino disdain of the genocidal Turks. Several of them explained that fellow Latinos when intending to insult a man they would label him as “Turco!” All felt both a moral duty to help the cause of the one and a half million Armenian martyrs by joining the efforts and were also touched by the spiritual blessings that they were receiving as a result of their service to keeping the memory of the 1.5 million martyred saints alive. Their spirit of solidarity and their determination now may serve as a forewarning of what’s to come in the form of future tsunami of Armenian-led protests against denialist Turkey and its Southland lackeys. Several Armenian American community leaders representing various organizations privately expressed exasperation at the Organization of Istanbul Armenians Los Angeles chapter’s participation. They have vowed to react vociferously if they continue to side with the denialist Turkish government in the free world of the Armenian Diaspora. The few fast-acting Armenian activists’ reactions should send a clear signal to Turkey, that as long as Ankara refuses to make amends to the Armenians, its public relations ploys on the world stage are doomed not only to fail but to be counter-productive. (To see a live art presentation on Turkish Soup, please click on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urWCGtI7XXc). |
Turkish Lies at “Anatolian Festival” Greeted by Worldwide Condemnation
