Your Namak for Friday, August 19
Yerevan shopping center explosion leaves 16 dead, residents rush to evacuate from Aghavno and Berdzor, and Lemkin Institute issues genocide alert for Armenians.
Hi there, here’s your weekly briefing of Armenian news in English, curated, reported and fact-checked by journalists Astrig Agopian and Maral Tavitian.
Explosion at Yerevan Shopping Center Leaves 16 Dead, Scores Injured
On August 14, a large explosion at the Surmalu shopping center in Yerevan left 16 people dead and 62 injured. The blast and accompanying fire destroyed large portions of the popular shopping strip and led to the partial collapse of a nearby three-story building. Armenian officials identified a fireworks storage warehouse inside the facility as the source of the explosion. Citing possible breaches of safety regulations, Armenia’s Prosecutor General has opened a criminal investigation into the cause of the blast. In honor of the victims and their families, the Armenian and Nagorno-Karabakh authorities declared August 17 and 18 national days of mourning.
Residents Rush to Leave Aghavno and Berdzor Ahead of Evacuation Deadline
Armenian residents of Aghavno and Berdzor have packed up their belongings and fled the Nagorno-Karabakh villages ahead of the August 25 evacuation deadline. In defiance of government orders, some Aghavno residents have burned down their own homes, while a small number of men have vowed to defend the village until the end. The upcoming territorial handover to Azerbaijan includes the main road connecting Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Gnel Sanosyan said that the Armenian authorities plan to complete an alternative road by May of next year, although details on the construction process remain slim.
Lemkin Institute Issues Genocide Alert Against Azerbaijan
The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention has issued a “Red Flag Alert” against Azerbaijan for its “genocidal ideology and practices” toward the Armenian people. The Institute condemned Azerbaijan and Turkey’s “genocidal threats” and called on international institutions “to reinforce the security of Armenians and the Armenian identity in the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Artsakh, and in diaspora communities worldwide.” The statement referenced a recent video circulated on social media, in which an Azerbaijani serviceman ties an Armenian skull removed from a cemetery to the back of a military truck while fellow soldiers cheer. The Institute, named after the scholar who coined the term “genocide,” warned that the risk of genocidal atrocity is especially significant in light of recent territorial handovers and ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Hayk Karoyi Karapetyan: Meet a composer and musician shaking up the Armenian music scene
“l would like all of us to create new Armenian music, not just to repeat what Komitas and others have created, but to build on it, to expand, to create new, original Armenian music.”
Hayk Karoyi Karapetyan does not just make or play music. He smells notes, breathes rhythms and even remarks the change in the noise one’s shoes make when walking on a wooden floor or carpet. He tastes and enjoys all the sounds around him from the wind’s blow to the metro or people’s voices.
Born in Yerevan in 1992, the composer and musician has always been surrounded by art. “I was born in a family of art lovers, we had some musicians on both sides, playing traditional Armenian instruments,” Hayk says. “I loved listening to Avet Terterian on the television. And my older sister is a ballerina and I was always very inspired when I watched her practice.”
At 11 years old, the young composer began attending piano lessons. Young Hayk was already gifted, but easily annoyed by partitions and rules. “Early on, I wanted to try other things, freestyle. I also happened to learn the piano right next to a room where they taught traditional Armenian instruments, and I really liked it,” he says.
A year later, he dropped the piano lessons to start learning traditional Armenian instruments, including duduk, which he prefers to call “ծիրանափող,” Armenian bagpipe (պարկապզուկ), flute (շվի), zurna (զուռնա), panpipe (սրինգ), kaval (բլուլ) and others. Hayk then studied classical Armenian woodwind instruments at the Kanakeravan School of Arts and graduated from the Komitas State Conservatory in Yerevan in 2012.
“I started playing folk, traditional Armenian music in restaurants and at weddings and funerals, during my studies, just to make money. I also enjoyed it because it allowed me to play music everyday, get better and better, and make a living thanks to my passion,” Hayk says. “At the same time, I went to underground clubs, discovered techno, electro. I loved it, and I started fusing all of those styles to create and compose my own work.”
The tall artist has a very serene presence, he seems to be aware of everything going on around him. When a sudden spark appears in his eyes, it’s inspiration knocking on the door. If a sound or image holds his attention, he records it on his phone.
“In 2017, my instruments were stolen from my car. So I did not have them for a few months, and in the meantime, I used my phone and my computer to make music,” Hayk says. “I already listened to electro, and I started making some. I consider myself a hybrid musician, because I do classical and electro and have other influences too.”
Hayk likes to compose in the Armenian mountains, close to nature, or in a little room he rents at the Composer’s Union of Armenia in Yerevan, which has become his studio. A traditional red carpet is on the floor, a grand piano on one side, and other instruments and plants are lined alongside a mixing deck.
“I feel each instrument has a mood, an atmosphere, a personality even. So sometimes it fits my current state of mind or it does not. When I play an instrument, I fuse with it. We become one ensemble, so we have to be in phase,” Hayk says. He also works with voices and recordings of everyday sounds, and makes sound effects with stones or sand he keeps in a corner of his studio.
He describes notes as colors and says he is painting when he composes music. And the musician likes to look at all the paintings: “I do not veto any type of music. I listen to everything, including rabiz. The only thing I am looking for is sincerity,” Hayk says, referencing the Armenian “street music” genre. “In my playlists, I have experimental music, Shade, Barry White, Miles Davis, Christian Scott, Ibrahim Maalouf, Persian songs, African, Latin American, Turkish or Kazakh music… I am curious and I want to listen to everything.”
Hayk has already composed several albums, hundreds of tracks and collaborated with many artists and labels including Establishment Records, Pipe & Pochet, Deep House LA and Villahangar. A fixture of Yerevan’s contemporary music scene, he has also played in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and is currently working on a new album.
As if mastering numerous instruments was not enough, Hayk wants to learn more, and is also working on inventing new ones. “I have this idea of a large wind instrument that four people can play at the same time sitting around it,” he says smiling. “It will be beautiful. Music is also about sharing.”
Hayk is eager to share his passion and knowledge. He is working on an educational project, “Nvagaran,” which will be a music school for children. With adults in mind, he is developing a space for art therapy through music and an accompanying mobile app.
“I would like all of us to create new Armenian music, not just to repeat what Komitas and others have created, but to build on it, to expand, to create new, original Armenian music,” he says. “Music should be everywhere and accessible to everyone.”
To view: When the House Burns Down, a powerful project by the Armenian documentary photography center 4Plus. The series records in harrowing detail the physical burns that soldiers received during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. Warning: graphic content.
To read: How an Armenian startup plans to use a new innovation to tackle the billion-dollar phishing industry, a TechCrunch article diving into how the Armenian startup EasyDMARC seeks to make email communication a lot more secure.
To listen: Արարատ, a groovy playlist of Armenian funk, jazz and soul tunes to set the mood at your next gathering.
That’s it for today, see you next week!
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