The March 28 solemn pan-Armenian awards held by the RA Ministry of Diaspora was a big event for all Armenians around the world. Those devoted to preservation of the Armenian identity abroad and their efforts to fight against the danger of assimilation facing the Armenian generation were highly appreciated in the Mother Homeland. The Armenian community of Sochi (Russian Federation) always shows active participation in the annual pan-Armenian words held by the Union of Armenians of Russia, the World Armenian Congress and the RA Ministry of Diaspora, as well as festivals and other events. During the 2013 Awards, the Armenian community of Sochi won the grand prize in the Best Armenian Community of CIS Countries category. Upon his return from Armenia, leader of the community organization Hrach Makeyan had a meeting with members of his organization to share his impression of the awards ceremony. At the same time, Mr. Makeyan gave an interview to SAR SOCHI Armenian newspaper’s correspondent.

SAR SOCHI: Mr. Makeyan, what do you think is the guarantee for the success of the Armenian community of Sochi outside of the Russian Federation?

Hrach Makeyan: I’m deeply convinced that the community’s success is due to my supporters’ unity and consolidation. Since its establishment, the Armenian community of Sochi has stayed true to supporting Armenians abroad, extending a helping hand to them, as well as preserving the centuries-old Armenian national customs and traditions. The goal of the Armenian communities abroad is to preserve the gene of Armenians, instill in the generations feelings of self-awareness and dignity, as well as love and respect for the mother language, literature, the culture and history of the Armenian people. To achieve all this, the Armenians of Sochi have established the Supreme Council of the Community Organization, each of the members of which sets the course for the non-governmental organization. The Council holds monthly sessions during which the participants discuss important issues on the agenda. The community’s leaders take every member’s opinion into consideration and discuss all the recommendations. One of the major guarantees for our success is the sincerity of our goals, our actions without any interests and our assistance to the poor and needy.

SAR SOCHI: How do you fight against the danger of the Armenians of assimilating? After all, Sochi is home to more than 100 nations and ethnicities, and the Armenians have been living on these coasts of the Black Sea since the 18^th century.

H. M. I would say the Armenians of Sochi have been able to preserve the Armenian gene among foreigners even in the course of centuries. The unique dialect of Hamshen-Armenians has been preserved in all Armenian families. No matter how well Armenian children and youth speak Russian, they understand Armenian in their dialect and communicate with each other in that dialect. Accepting and respecting the cultures of other nations, we place importance on Armenian culture, advocate and disseminate Armenian songs and music, dances, sculpting and landscaping. Our efforts aimed at preserving the Armenian identity in such an environment can’t be in vain. The only thing left to do is to combine these efforts and use them prospectively. In this sense our community organization is a cornerstone for the inseparable link with Mother Armenia. The visits of Armenian folk song and dance ensembles and singers and composers from Armenia have already turned into a tradition, and the Armenians of Sochi wait for them impatiently and with joy. We have organized several meetings with the creators and directors of documentaries devoted to the heroic episodes of the Artsakh national liberation struggle. We also hold events dedicated to the birthdays of national heroes and hold commemoration events dedicated to notable Armenians.

Many young Armenians aspire to continue their studies at Armenia’s top universities, and we encourage and support them. The Armenian community has Armenian folk song and dance ensembles in all four territorial divisions of Sochi, Armenian Sunday schools adjunct to the Armenian Apostolic Churches and has kept the Armenian language lessons at more than ten middle schools and auxiliary training centers. Armenian choirs successfully perform Armenian songs in different genres at all concert halls in the Greater Sochi region. Our ensembles are invited to perform on the national holidays of other nations by the communities and non-governmental organizations of other nations and ethnicities of Sochi. When the names of typical Armenian toponemes, pure Armenian words and music are heard on stage, Armenians are filled with pride and feel dignity. We hear the following: “The Van Armenian Vocal Studio is performing”, “Sevan Armenian Folk Dance Group is on stage”, “Hamshen Dance Ensemble is a guest at the Georgian national celebration” or “Urartu Folk Dance Group is performing”. The Armenians in Armenia no longer give their newborns Armenian names like the Armenians of Sochi do today, including Karapet, Yeprem, Galust, Hmayak, Nahapet, Saribek, Margar, etc. The meals brought from hamshen and several skills characteristic of Armenian cuisine have been preserved and disseminated.

SAR SOCHI: Where do the Armenians of Sochi mainly gather? What historic events bring the representatives of the Armenian community of Greater Sochi together?

H. M.: In this regard the Armenians of Sochi have many opportunities. First, our main places to gather are the Armenian Apostolic Churches, including the Saint Sargis Church in Adler, the Holy Cross Church in central Sochi and the Saint Narek Church in New Light village of Lazarevsk. The municipality has provided another piece of land for the construction of a new Armenian church in one of the Armenian-populated areas of Sochi. Thanks to its priests, the Armenian Apostolic Church plays an important role in educating Armenians living far away from the homeland, forming their world view and instilling in them ideas of patriotism. All church holidays are celebrated, all rituals are performed, and adults and youth alike attend the events with pleasure. Monuments, cross-stones and plaques in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide have been built in different regions. We organize meetings and peaceful demonstrations, as well as torch-lit marches to those monuments, drawing the attention of neighboring nations and ethnicities to the consequences of the first genocide of the 20^th century and the unforgettable crimes.

The events held near the monuments include speeches about the Armenian Genocide with guests from the municipality. The students of the Armenian schools organize commemoration ceremonies. Other important places to gather are the Armenian Sunday schools or schools that teach Armenological subjects during the events dedicated to Armenian national holidays. In addition, the Sochi territorial division of the Union of Armenians of Russia has its offices in all four districts (Central, Adler, Khosta and Lazarevsk) where the UAR holds its sessions, extraordinary sessions, as well as assemblies and meetings. The Center for National Cultures after Hamshen-Armenian poet Grigor Mazlumyan is located in Lazarevsk, and construction of the building of the Armenian Cultural Center in Adler is drawing to an end. We organize large-scale events on the occasion of the First Republic of Armenia (May 28^th), Independence Day of the Republic of Armenia (September 21^st), Mother Language Day (February 21^st), Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day (April 24^th), birthdays of National Heroes, Day of Creation of the Armenian Alphabet, as well as May 9^th, March 8^th and other holidays. Members of the Armenian community and our creative crews are the guests and direct participants of all events organized in the cities or regions.

SAR SOCHI: Alongside all this, the Armenian community of Sochi also organizes charity events. The Armenians are the biggest donators in the Greater Sochi. What do the Armenians of Sochi and Armenians get out of these charity events?

H. M.: Armenians in Sochi hold high posts in all fields and spheres of life. We can’t be indifferent to the events taking place around us. As a leading non-governmental organization, we participate in all types of charity events held in Sochi, the region or the Federation, make our contributions and reach out to the victims of fires and natural disasters, the sick and others. We sponsor schools and kindergartens, make donations and help talented children show their talent. All these events are held to help our compatriots live a good life, to preserve the Armenian identity and maintain friendly ties with other nations, as well as based on humanitarian considerations.

SAR SOCHI: Mr. Makeyan, what plans does the Armenian community of Sochi have for the years to come?

H. M.: We have a lot of plans and programs. Currently, our organization is in the most important stage of its development. We have wider opportunities since we have become a successful organization in the region. The local authorities and all major departments accept us as an organization. We’re mainly working on organizing and properly holding events dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide. The Armenians of Sochi are part of the generations of Armenians who survived the Armenian Genocide. Every family has a story to tell, and those stories have been passed on from one generation to the next and have reached us. As part of the events dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, we’re visiting villages, homes and recording the stories not from the elderly eyewitnesses, but their children. Every detail, memoir and photo that reminds one of the most painful episodes of the history of the Armenian people is important for us. The greatest crime committed against the humanity in the 20^th century needs to be condemned in order for it not to happen again.

Interview by Anahit Antonyan

Sochi, Russian Federation