100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide
The 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide (Armenian: Հայոց ցեղասպանության 100-րդ տարելից) was commemorated on April 24, 2015. April 24, 1915 is considered the beginning of the Armenian genocide, and is commonly known as Red Sunday, which saw the deportation and execution of many Armenian intellectuals.
Date
April 24, 2015
Centenary (also, incorrectly, 'Centennial') of the Armenian genocide
Armenians worldwide and supporters
Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day was first observed on April 24, 1919 in Constantinople, Ottoman Empire, (now Istanbul, Turkey), as a commemoration of the victims of the genocide.
The event occurred in light of continued Armenian genocide denial by Turkey.
Lead up[edit]
Armenia[edit]
On April 23, 2011, a state commission coordinating of the events dedicated to the 100th commemoration of the Armenian genocide was founded by a presidential decree. It was headed by the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute director Hayk Demoyan.[1] The first meeting of the commission was held on May 30, 2011, and chaired by President Serzh Sargsyan.[2]
Shavarsh Kocharyan, the Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister, stated in June 2012 that "the efforts that have been initiated are important not only for our country and the Diaspora, but for the entire world. The unpunished crimes against humanity and their denial create fertile ground for recurrence of similar events." He claimed that "by denying the Genocide, the leadership of modern Turkey resembles the Ottoman Turkish government which perpetrated the Genocide."[3]
On July 5, 2013,[4] during a forum of Armenian lawyers in Yerevan about the anniversary of the genocide organized by the Ministry of Diaspora, Armenia's Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan made a "sensational statement".[5][6] He stated:
Reaction[edit]
Armenian Church[edit]
On April 23, 2015, the Armenian Apostolic Church held a ceremony outside of the Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Vagharshapat to canonize the victims of the Armenian genocide. The ceremony was held to coincide with the start of the killings, ending at the symbolic time of 19:15 with a bell ringing 100 times. Armenian churches around the world likewise rang a bell 100 times at 19:15 local time. The ceremony, which created around 1.5 million new saints, was the first canonization by the church in 400 years. Catholicos Karekin II remarked, "The canonization of the martyrs of the genocide brings life-giving new breath, grace and blessing to our national and ecclesiastical life. The blood of the Armenian martyred for Christ has placed the seal of unshakeable faith and patriotism on the sands of the desert".[20] Among those in attendance of what is believed to be the largest canonization service in history was President Serzh Sargsyan.[21]
Cultural impact[edit]
Films[edit]
In January 2011, the Armenian National Cinema Centre announced that it was holding talks with world-known film director Steven Spielberg and Armenian American screenwriter Steven Zaillian to produce a full-length feature film about the Armenian genocide. The cinema centre director Gevorg Gevorgyan stated that "On the 100th anniversary of the Genocide, we must have a film to demonstrate to the world. We want more than the films Mayrig or Ararat."[51] Over a year later, in February 2012 the center declined the claims that Spielberg was involved in producing such on the 100th anniversary of the genocide. Vardan Abovian, the deputy director of the Armenian National Film Academy, said that they "indeed have plans on a movie on the Armenian genocide, however, this is still in the 'idea' phase and nothing has been decided yet. We are trying to find the budget."[52] Ruzanna Bagratunyan, spokesperson for the center, stated that the movie "is a huge load of work, and we are trying to do it in time; all of us understand what this date [2015] means for the whole Armenian nation."[53]
In February 2013 a new film project was launched by Armenian American director Artak "Sevada" Grigorian. Sevada plans to shoot a film, The Genex, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the genocide. It was expected to appear on the big screen on April 24, 2015.[54] It was reported that Natalie Portman and Armand Assante will be involved in the film with an expected budget of $30 million. Al Pacino and Leonardo DiCaprio are featured in the trailer.[55][56]
Armenian American film director Eric Nazarian stated in 2013 that "it's time for the stories of the genocide to be told, and the more good movies out there, the merrier. On the eve of the 100th [anniversary of the Armenian genocide] we need a catharsis."[57]
Books[edit]
The National Archives of Armenia published a three-volume book entitled Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Turkey: Testimonies of the Survivors including eyewitness accounts of the genocide, archive documents, maps and photos.[58]
Concerts[edit]
In 2011, Los Angeles-based Armenian singer Flora Martirosian started a series of concerts Never Again dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the genocide. The first concert took place in Los Angeles on November 1, 2011, featuring Stevie Wonder, Arto Tunçboyacıyan, Eric Benét and Alexia Vassiliou.[59][60]
Since 2011, the Armenian Ministry of Culture and Pyunik human resources development foundation and the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute present 100 concerts throughout the world dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the genocide.[61]
In March 2015, composer Joseph Bohigian organized concerts of music by living Armenian composers in Fresno and Glendale, California to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. The concerts featured music by Bohigian, Tigran Mansurian, Eve Beglarian, Charles Amirkhanian, and others performed by the Fresno State New Music Ensemble.[62]
On 22 April 2015, an Armenian Requiem, composed by Ian Krouse, was first performed in Royce Hall at UCLA.[63] Krouse wrote his requiem with selections from the Requiem Service of the Armenian Church and poems from Saint Gregory of Narek, Paruyr Sevak, Siamanto and Daniel Varoujan.[64]