Society 15:08 23/04/2014

Serj Tankian and Atom Egoyan send open letter to Turkish people

System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian and film director Atom Egoyan sent an open letter to the people of Turkey. In the letters, published in the Turkish-Armenian Agos weekly, they call on the Turkish people to confront their history. 

The text of Serj Tankian’s letter reads:

“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,”

Atom Egoyan, in his letter, asked the people of Turkey to “do their work”:

“I’m exhausted by my anger.

I have always thought that if you understood all the things I know, you’d feel the same way. You would think that it’s enough, that it’s time to move on.

Yet it’s impossible to move on.

I have made a promise – like so many other Armenians - and it would haunt me to break this vow.

I’ve kept this vow as I’ve seen populations exterminated in Cambodia, in the former Yugoslavia, in Rwanda…in too many places after we said we would learn, where we swore we would never see Genocide happen again.

I’ve also seen members of your civil society stand up bravely to speak the truth. I have seen Hrant Dink murdered for remembering a legacy that every Armenian has a duty to guard.

Without some acknowledgment of the monstrous nature of the crime that continues to be perpetrated through denial and apathy we shall not rest.

We have committed ourselves to remember, and yet the crime remains a raw wound on the very land it was committed upon.

I’m exhausted by your government’s vehement denial, exhausted by my inability to move on. Yet there is little choice but to accept this exhaustion in the face of its alternative.

Your government has imposed the denial of this crime upon your shoulders for a century. There will never be a commission to ‘reveal the truth’ and we are not interested in seeing your open archives. We have the truth from too many witnesses, seen the archives of your closest wartime collaborators and heard the wise counsel of Genocide and Holocaust scholars from around the world.

Today, I simply ask you to do your work, to question your government’s motivations, and to rise to this extraordinary challenge.” 



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:13
Expert: Iran doesn't oppose closer Armenia-West relations
Last week, the European Parliament passed a resolution proposing the EU executive power to consider the possibility of granting Armenia the...
16:27
Record heat wave hits Brazil
A heat wave stifling Brazil set new records on Sunday, with Rio de Janeiro's heat index hitting 62.3 degrees Celsius, the highest in a...
16:13
Opposition MP: Armenian authorities share Azeri stance on repatriation of Artsakh Armenians
Opposition Pativ Unem faction MP Tigran Abrahamyan has criticized the Armenian leadership for failure to push for the repatriation of the...
15:36
Pashinyan meets with Armenian border residents
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday visited the border village of Voskepar in Tavush Province. He met with residents of...
15:06
Armenia makes every effort towards normalization with Azerbaijan, FM says
Armenia and Kazakhstan seek to expand bilateral ties, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said following talks with his Kazakh...
14:30
Aliyev lights Nowruz fire in occupied Stepanakert
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday marked the Nowruz holiday by lighting a ceremonial fire in Stepanakert, the capital of...
14:05
Azerbaijani vandals destroy memorial to war heroes in Artsakh village
Azerbaijani vandals continue to destroy memorials and monuments to fallen heroes in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) which was ethnically cleansed of...
13:35
'We'll turn it around', Mkhitaryan says after draw with Napoli
Inter Milan drew 1-1 with visitors Napoli in Serie A on Sunday. The result ended Inter's run of 10 consecutive Serie A victories and...
13:15
Ex-Armenian envoy slams EU's Michel for double standards
Armenia’s former Ambassador-at-Large Edmon Marukyan has strongly criticized European Council President Charles Michel for double standards...
12:45
NATO encourages Armenia and Azerbaijan to 'seize the opportunity' for enduring peace
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan as part of his regional tour on Sunday....
12:33
Powerful cyclone to bring heavy snow to Armenia
A powerful southern cyclone will strike Armenia on Tuesday, the Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center warns. It is bringing heavy snow to...
11:55
Khachanov and Rublev play exhibition match to raise $100,000 for Artsakh refugees
On Saturday March 16, the Los Angeles Tennis Center at UCLA held an exhibition match featuring world-renowned tennis stars Karen Khachanov and...
11:35
Ex-ombudsmen warn against withdrawal of Armenia's lawsuits against Azerbaijan from int'l courts
Former Armenian and Artsakh ombudspersons Arman Tatoyan, Artak Beglaryan and Gegham Stepanyan, as well as lawyers representing the interests of...
11:15
NATO chief: Armenia and Azerbaijan have an opportunity to achieve enduring peace
Armenia and Azerbaijan have an opportunity to achieve a lasting peace after years of conflict, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said...
11:00
Putin wins Russian election in landslide
President Vladimir Putin won a record post-Soviet landslide in Russia's election on Sunday, cementing his already tight grip on...
17:00
Rain, strong winds in the forecast
Rain and fog are expected in some parts of Armenia on the weekend to grip most regions next week. Wet snow is forecast for the...
16:45
Monument Watch exposes false Azeri narrative about Artsakh churches
Azerbaijani media not only called the Armenian church in the Krkzhan district of occupied Stepanakert "Albanian", but also falsely...
16:30
Hundreds in Mexico City stretch out for a 'mass nap' to mark World Sleep Day
In one of Mexico City's busiest neighborhoods on Friday, about 200 people took a collective nap in the middle of the street to celebrate...
16:05
From Earth to Mars or from Vienna to Armash: AMADEE-24 has launched
Mount Ararat, azure blue sky, a rocky plateau reminiscent of Mars, red soil and… analog astronauts in spacesuits: the explorations for...
15:34
Biden reaffirms U.S. commitment to peace between Armenia, Azerbaijan
The United States reaffirms its commitment to a durable and dignified peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, U.S. President Joe Biden...
15:10
Armenia's Artur Aleksanyan tops UWW rankings
Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler Artur Aleksanyan tops the United World Wrestling (UWW) rankings in the 97kg weight class. Aleksanyan, an...
14:36
Netanyahu approves Rafah ground operation plan
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday he had approved the military's plan for an operation in Rafah, where...
14:06
Five wounded, including minors, in car crash in Armenia
Five people, including two minors, were injured in a road traffic accident in Armenia on Saturday morning. The crash occurred on the...
13:31
Canada's PM says he thinks daily about leaving 'crazy job'
Canada's prime minister says he frequently thinks about leaving his "crazy job" but plans to stay on through another election....
13:15
Opposition MP lambasts Armenian FM for Artsakh remarks
Opposition MP Tigran Abrahamyan hit out at Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan for his “cheap” comments on Artsakh...
12:34
Armenian Church commemorates St. Gregory the Illuminator's torments
The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates St. Gregory the Illuminator’s torments and commitment to the pit on Saturday 16 March,...
12:15
Putin votes online in Russian presidential election
The incumbent Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, who is vying for the country’s top office as an independent candidate, has cast his...
12:00
Moscow warns Yerevan about consequences of anti-Russian policy
Moscow has warned Yerevan of the consequences of its involvement in the anti-Russian course by the West, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria...
11:31
Armenian parliament speaker's advisor sacked
Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan has signed an order to dismiss Hovhannes Nalbandyan as his advisor at his own request. The...
11:15
Azeri oil firm which took Russian funds reportedly redeems US bank loans early
Azeri oil firm Socar has redeemed a $1.3 billion syndicated loan led by U.S. banks Citi and JP Morgan two years ahead of schedule, around the...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}