Hayern Aysor’s correspondent sat down for an interview with member of the Armenian Culture Club of Brazil Luis Alberto Kedikian. Every year, he and his wife, Marcía Kodjoklamian-Kedikian visit Armenia to not only tour their homeland and go sightseeing, but also carry out charity programs.

The couple and its supporters provide multilateral support to the Aregnadem village of Shirak Province.

Hayern Aysor: Mr. Kedikian, when was the Armenian Culture Club of Brazil established?

Luis Kedikian: The Armenian Culture Club of Brazil has been around for 75 years now. The Club has sport and cultural clubs. The members of the soccer, tennis, volleyball and other sport clubs actively participate in the Pan-Armenian Games held in Armenia once every four years.

We organize events devoted to church, state and national holidays. These events serve as a wonderful opportunity to introduce young Armenians to national traditions.

Hayern Aysor: You visit Armenia often. Do you miss Armenia, or do you visit with another purpose?

Luis Kedikian: My wife and I have visited Armenia three times. Our first visit was in 2013, and the main purpose of our visit was to carry out more charity programs. We visited again in 2016, and this visit became a visit to remember since we acquired Armenian citizenship.

We had initially selected the Aregnadem village of Shirak Province to carry out a charity act, and we started organizing activities upon our arrival. First, we lit the streets, after which we renovated the road, which was almost impassable for cars and pedestrians. We also renovated secondary roads. Currently, we are focused on the creation of jobs and the construction of greenhouses for the villagers.

Hayern Aysor: Why did you choose the Aregnadem village?

Luis Kedikian: I had read an article about the Aregnadem village and then head of the village Aghunik Hazryan on www.diarioarmenia.org.ar. It interested and concerned me at the same time. From what I understood, Aregnadem stands out from the other villages of the province with not only the fact that it is a bordering village and that there are not many jobs, but also with the fact that it is the only village in the province that doesn’t have a school or church. The children learn at home or in shacks. Thus, my wife and I decided to provide assistance to this village.

When we visited Armenia in 2013, we contacted Aghunik Hazryan and started collaborating. Aghunik Hazryan is currently in charge of coordinating the charity programs in the village. We have already established friendly ties with the villagers. They always greet us with smiles, even though they face hardships.

Currently, we are only carrying out this initiative in Aregnadem. Of course, we know that there are several other villages that need help. In general, our goal is to make sure Armenian villages are emptied and to make sure villagers stay and build their communities. We hope we can provide relevant assistance to the other villages in the future.

In Gyumri, we had a meeting with the leader of the Shirak Diocese, His Grace, Fr. Bishop Mikayel Ajapahyan to consider the need for the construction of a church or chapel in the village. His Holiness told us what we could do. Upon our return to Sao Paulo, we will immediately raise funds to build a church and a school in the village.

Hayern Aysor: Do you organize the charity programs with help from the Armenian community of Brazil, or through your family’s contributions?

Luis Kedikian: We are doing this with our heart and soul. Living far away from Armenia, we want to do something to help our country and nation. Our 80 friends and relatives have joined us. Seeing the work that is being done, they do whatever they can to donate money. We raise funds and make trips to Armenia.

It would be nice, if the Armenian community of Brazil joined us so that we could carry out more large-scale programs. For that purpose, we have created the Friends of Aregnadem page on Facebook.

I am aware that the RA Ministry of Diaspora has launched the “What are YOU doing for Artsakh?” pan-Armenian movement, which is a good way to provide solutions to the issues facing Artsakh. We sent assistance to Artsakh when we were visiting Armenia during the Four-Day Artsakh War. Seeing the situation in Artsakh, we immediately purchased food and clothes and sent them to Artsakh. We had also decided to visit Artsakh, but due to safety concerns, we didn’t. One of our main programs is to visit Artsakh.

Hayern Aysor: Mr. Kedikian, when was the Armenian community of Brazil established? How has it grown?

Luis Kedikian: First of all, the Armenians settled in Brazil in the mid-19^th century. Based on the statistics of last year, there are about 50,000 Armenians living in Brazil, of which 20,000 are based in Sao Paulo. Among the organizations carrying out activities for preservation of the Armenian identity are the Armenian National Committee, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun and the Armenian Democratic-Liberal Party (Ramgavar), the ARF-D “Dro” Committee (the Committee has established the Armenia Cultural Society, the Vahagn Minasyan Choir and the Cilicia Armenian Dance Group), the chapters of AGBU Brazil (established in 1932), the chapters of the Armenian Relief Society and the chapters of Homenmen in Sao Paulo, as well as the chapter of the Armenian Red Cross. The ARS has an Armenian convalescent home, the “Masis” Chapter (in Osasco) and “Arpi” Chapter (in Sao Paulo) of the ARS, and there is also the Youth Union of the Armenian Church. Currently, the major institution in charge of organizing community life is the Central Board.

We have four Armenian churches, including the St. George Armenian Apostolic Church (in Sao Paulo) and the St. John the Baptist Church (in Osasco). The Armenian Evangelical Brothers Church and the St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Catholic School are based in Sao Paulo. The community also has the Duryan Armenian Daily Seminary, which is the only Armenian school and is adjunct to the St. George Armenian Church, as well as the Mavyan Kindergarten. The school has nearly 80 pupils.

Unfortunately, the community is at risk of assimilation. There are more and more mixed marriages, and the number of Armenian-speaking Armenians is declining. In these conditions, it is hard to preserve the Armenian identity and organize community activities, but we are not backing down, and as Armenians of the fourth or fifth generation, we manage to create an Armenian environment in a foreign environment. The AGBU Brazil actively carries out its activities with a new board and particularly organizes cultural events. Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Brazil, His Grace, Fr. Bishop Nareg Berberian works hard to consolidate the Armenians of Brazil around the Armenian Church.

Hayern Aysor: What do the Armenians of Brazil mainly do? Which spheres are they mainly involved in?

Luis Kedikian: Let me mention the fact that the first Armenian migrants were mainly shoemakers. Over time, the new generation of Brazilian-Armenians began to stand out in industry, construction, trade, finance and banking, science, education, medicine, the arts and politics.

Even today, there are well-known Brazilian-Armenians who make their great contributions to Brazil’s advancement with their activities, including jeweler and designer Ara Vartanian; famous actors Stepan Nersesian and Arasii Balabanian; Deputy of the Parliament of Sao Paulo Carlos Khrlagian; historian Hagop Keshishian; economist Robert Kouchkourian, as well as soccer players Fabio Masherejian, Marcelo Kiremitjian and many others.

Interview by Gevorg Chichyan