Launched in 2001, Wikipedia is a free content, multilingual Internet encyclopedia with more than 30 million articles  (including nearly 122,086 articles in the Armenian Wikipedia) written by volunteers and edited by anyone who has access to the Internet.

The Armenian Wikipedia is the Armenian version of Wikipedia. To promote the dissemination and advancement of Wiki projects in Armenia, the Wikimedia Armenia scientific, educational and non-governmental organization was founded on May 14, 2013.

“Hayern Aysor”’s correspondent sat down for an interview with Zabel Vasilyan, who is one of the volunteers working on the Western Armenian section of Wikipedia. Mrs. Vasilyan hosted our correspondent at her house in Yerevan. Although the topic was Wikipedia, we simply had to talk about how Zabel moved to Armenia. First, let’s discuss that.

 “Hayern Aysor”: Mrs. Vasilyan, what made you decide to move to Armenia?

Zabel Vasilyan: When my daughter, Anahit graduated from the 8^th grade, we noticed that she was slowly starting to speak less Armenian, even though she was attending a Saturday Armenian school. We lived in the south of New Jersey where there weren’t many Armenians. There aren’t even many Armenians in the north of New Jersey, and the children spoke English with each other.

My husband and I started thinking of what we were going to do. We decided to move to a place where there would be opportunities to communicate in Armenian. We were thinking of Lebanon, Montreal, Los Angeles or Armenia.

First, we traveled to Los Angeles. We toured the city and noticed that most of the children there speak English as well. The children spoke a little more in Armenian in Montreal, but it was a little cold for me. We didn’t know how long peace would last in Lebanon, and so we finally decided to move to Armenia.

We came to Armenia with the belief that we would stay for two years and return. Two years later, Anahit asked her father to stay another year. We stayed another year and…and in the fourth year, we returned to America.

Anahit registered at the local university. It was early September, and Anahit was supposed to attend classes. She invited her father to have ice cream. When they came home, my husband told me that Anahit had asked him to return to Armenia so that she could continue her studies, and we did just that.

When she graduated from the university, we were thinking of returning, but Anahit told us that she had decided to start a business in Armenia.

“Hayern Aysor”: So, Anahit brought you to Armenia. She is a representative of the young generation that faces the danger of losing the Armenian identity abroad.

Z. V.: Yes, (smiling-ed.)…Here is where an Armenian feels Armenian.

I regret to say that only the fourth generation of Armenians lives abroad. The Armenians of the second generation say their fathers were Armenian. The Armenians of the third generation are 1/8Armenian, and the Armenians of the fourth generation think one of their ancestors was Armenian. Anahit was raised in America. It’s not that she doesn’t like it there, doesn’t feel at ease and doesn’t have any friends. She simply sees more values in Armenia.

I would like to share a story. Anahit was 5, and I would drive her to Armenian school every Saturday. It was a one-hour drive. She would sit in the back of the car and would often think out loud. One day, she asked me, ��?Mother, why do siblings in Armenia love each other, but not the siblings in America?’ This is what she asked me at the age of five. I told her, ��?Who says sisters and brothers don’t like each other here?’ She replied: “No, they don’t.” It was a very interesting observation coming from a 5-year old.

One time she asked, ��?Mom, why are we poor in Armenia and rich here?’ She wasn’t referring to the people. She was simply comparing our apartment in Armenia with our apartment in America (especially since we’re talking about the years between 1995 and 1997). I asked her, ��?Anahit, where do you feel happier?’ And she said, ��?In Armenia’. I asked her, ��?Is it more important to be poor or happy?’, to which she said, ��?happy’.

You know, it’s very important that she has been visiting Armenia since her childhood and has seen the good and bad conditions in Armenia. That’s why it was more familiar to her.

I often tell her that we should go and buy an apartment in a new building, but she rejects, saying she won’t leave her neighbors behind. Communicating with people and many other things are more important for her.

“Hayern Aysor”: Mrs. Vasilyan, what did you start doing in Armenia?

Z. V.: Since we thought we would only stay for one or two years, I would always decide to stay for short periods of time. If I had known that we would stay this long, I would have made another decision. One of the first important steps that I took after the move to Armenia was to establish an Information Center in Gyumri along with five others. I would travel from Yerevan to Gyumri every day for two years. I was lucky my mother was with us. Later, I started working for several American companies and undertook other initiatives.

“Hayern Aysor”: How did you start working with Wikimedia Armenia?

Z. V.: Mrs. Susanna Mkrtchyan (President of Wikimedia Armenia Scientific-Educational NGO-ed.) asked for my help, and I agreed with pleasure. I, and not only me, must start working on the Western Armenian section in Wikipedia. Currently, we’re trying to find people who have the time, have the ability and are interested in entering texts in Western Armenian.

We need a minimum of 1,200 articles so that we can have the language be included as an accepted Wiki language.

Our main goal is to enter 1,200 articles and then start using Wiki to make Western Armenian more accessible.

There’s a lot of work to do. We have to encourage others to work as well. The idea of Wiki is to have people do their best to transmit information to others.

“Hayern Aysor”: Is support voluntary?

Z. V.: Everything is voluntary in Wiki. The idea of Wiki is to have everyone do things voluntarily.

“Hayern Aysor”: Anyone can post and edit information on Wikipedia. Having said that, how reliable are the materials posted on Wikimedia?

Z. V.: That’s the philosophy of Wiki. You can post an article, but anyone can make corrections.

I would like to share a story. Armenia used to have a law hinged on a Soviet law according to which the picture of a structure belongs to the architect a while after his or her death. Taking advantage of that law, the Turks deleted all the pictures of Armenia from Wiki, saying it was against the law of the Republic of Armenia.

Susanna Mkrtchyan undertook the initiative and changed the law, and our pictures were restored immediately. After that, Russia changed it law, meaning out of all the former Soviet countries, Armenia became the first country to change the given law.

What I would like to say is that there is great interest in Wikipedia. If you write something absurd, people will respond and correct it.

“Hayern Aysor”: Mrs. Vasilyan, is any sphere important for using the Western Armenian section?

Z. V.: No, it’s not important. The more different the fields are the better. We simply want to encourage people to express themselves, participate and share their knowledge so that the space for articles in Western Armenian is filled. Anyone or any Armenian organization of the Diaspora enters a story and posts materials related to Western Armenian and Diaspora Armenian writers, the section will be filled.

Wikipedia can play a huge role in the preservation of the Western Armenian language. That’s why I say the field isn’t important. If anyone can explain a word in Western Armenian, the language will already be accessible to the person who is interested in the material.

We’re just starting, and any support is very important. I can’t say it will be very fast, but I’m certain that it will happen, taking into consideration Mrs. Mkrtchyan’s dedication.

I’m not saying this because I’m modest, but this is not my job. It has to do with Mrs. Mkrtchyan and the Western Armenian language.

Anyone who is interested can visit our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/WikimediaArmenia/info) and contact us. We’ll contact them and start working.

Those who would like to join can visit our office (1/30 Aygestan, Yerevan, intersection of Sayat Nova-Alex Manoogian) and work at the office where there is always a nice atmosphere.

It seems as though creating the Western Armenian is our small contribution. We have to make sure we don’t lose the language. It’s a beautiful language and, after all, it’s part of our heritage.

“Hayern Aysor”: Thank you, Mrs. Susanna. I hope we meet again soon and talk about the achievements of the Western Armenian section.

P.S.:  As Zabel Vasilyan mentioned, “it seems as though creating the Western Armenian section is our small contribution”. I would like to address all Diaspora Armenian organizations and individuals who are also concerned about the fate of Western Armenian. Every one of you can enrich the Western Armenian section of Wikipedia with at least one article. You will not only make your small contribution, but will also promote the dissemination of the Western Armenian language.

Interview by Lusine Abrahamyan