There is a “salmon syndrome” concerning cultural
inheritance. At some stage of life, many of us seek that inner river to go back
to. Because through our lives we have pursued a path to where we were going but
never forgot where we came from.
I came across a book of ethnophotography by Scout
Tufenkjian, an Armenian photographer who traveled many of the 85 countries
where 8 million Armenians constitute the Armenian Diaspora. The book was
published in 2015 on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
Her photographs are about the spirit of
survival and the dignity of an ancient people who never forgot where they came
from (https://www.amazon.com/There-Is-Only-Earth-Armenian/dp/1595910832)
I have traveled the globe for more than four decades
and sometimes explicitly, other times by accident, I have looked for that inner
river to go back to. Reading Tufenkjian’s book brought back the joys of the “salmon
syndrome” – not as the last stop in that river of identity but as a
responsibility to swim in it.
Here are a few of my moments in that river.
Singapore.
I have worked as a health care professional in Singapore for a decade. When I
first visited this one-city country, I was asked about my cultural inheritance.
The next day, I was escorted to the Armenian cemetery and chapel which are amazingly
well preserved for almost two centuries.
I have written about my first visit here: https://liveingray.blogspot.com/2013/04/singapore.html
One of the statues in the cemetery remains my
favorite. Time has not erased the pain depicted in sandstone.
I was also told that the national flower of
Singapore, an orchid hybrid, was the world’s first cultivated orchid by a
Singaporean woman of Armenian descent Ashkhen Hovakimian (Agnes Joaquim) (b. 7
April 1854, Singapore - d. 2 July 1899, Singapore). It is called Vanda 'Miss
Joaquim'.
São
Paulo, Brazil. Another big center for the Armenian
Diaspora. There are many Armenian churches in Brazil, and the one on Santos
Dumont Avenue is my favorite. It has the classic lines of Armenian churches one
sees in the mother land and stands in stark contrast to the surrounding modern
building. I wanted to capture its silhouette while driving by.
Buenos
Aires, Argentina. This is another city I have visited
many times. At every visit I take a few hours to walk around the Recoleta
Cemetery. While Evita Perón’s humble resting place is what attracts many visitors,
I looked for Armenian names…
Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia. The first time I was there was in 1979
and it was a city in construction. Today, it is one of the most architecturally
impressive cities in the region. The famous Bedouin silhouetted 992 foot tower was designed by Richard
Tenguerian, an Armenian from Syria. That was the first piece of information I
was given by my host when visiting the tower! My view of the tower is shown
here: https://liveingray.blogspot.com/2014/05/riyadh-new-york-and-architectural-musing.html
Armenopolis,
Romania. This is probably my most memorable swim in that
inner river. I wrote extensively about that experience here: https://vahezen.blogspot.com/2016/03/armenopolis-romania.html
In short, I was lecturing in Budapest when a woman
from the audience approached me to ask if I had visited the Armenian church in
Armenopolis (Gherla). When I said no, she convinced me that should. So the next
day I drove 12 hours to see the church. I never regretted that long drive but hoped to have taken pictures of the empty church..
There are many other memories of moments when the “salmon
syndrome” had expressed itself, often uninvited. Among them is the surprise celebration
of my 50th birthday in Vienna that my Austrian friend had organized.
More than a dozen Armenians came to the church with homemade Armenian food. I
did not know a single one of them! Details here: https://vahezen.blogspot.com/2014/02/birthday-in-vienna.html
So, Tufenkjian’s book may contain frozen-in-the
moment photographs of the Armenian Diaspora, but it helped me leaf through the
pages of my past decades with sounds, faces and feelings that are still very
active and alive.
November 26, 2017
© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2017
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