From Konya Ereğli to Istanbul: My Grandmother’s Story
Dença Değirmenci
Her story in Ereğli ended when she got married at the age of 17 and moved to Istanbul with my grandfather. At that time, Armenian families would marry off their daughters at a young age to Armenian men to protect them. That’s how my grandmother got married and came to Istanbul for the first time—for her own wedding.
A Violin, A Marriage, and a Century-Long Life
Tamar Gürciyan
For me, this violin is a memory of lives trapped between two worlds, of a woman who struggled to adapt to a new life while carrying the weight of the past, and of my elders, who, despite everything, survived, lived, and loved life. With this exhibition, as I bring to light photographs and the violin hidden under the bed, I hope to uncover the pains, losses, and forgotten stories of the past—while moving closer to hope.
Reflections on Wasafiri’s Armenia(n)s: Elevation Issue II: Realizing We Have a Living Literature
Meri Tek Demir
Of course, in modern Armenian literature, it is impossible to overlook the traumas experienced by writers and poets, their sense of displacement, or the traces of their personal histories within their works. And yet, the fact that classical and modern Western Armenian works are still examined primarily through the lens of author biographies, whether in Istanbul or elsewhere, prevents the literature itself from receiving the recognition it deserves. In this way, a deep-rooted and rich literary tradition is reduced, in the Western gaze, to a mere struggle for visibility. What’s more troubling is that this perspective is not only held in the West but is also increasingly internalized within today’s Istanbul Armenian community.
Reflecting upon Wasafiri's 'Armenia(n)s: Elevation' - Language and Culture
Araz Kojayan
Wasafiri approached this as one of the central themes of its issue. One of the most striking texts was the lead feature titled “Two Armenians Conversing in Two Armenians” by Tamar Marie Boyadjian and Hrach Martirosyan, translated into English by Maral Aktokmakyan. The conversation opens with an editorial note acknowledging the division of the Armenian language into two variants—close enough to be mutually intelligible, yet distant enough to create alienation. In this dialogue, Boyadjian and Martirosyan, each speaking one of the two variants, find common ground in their shared love for the language and its literary heritage.
A Webinar with Lara Aharonian - Roots and Resilience
Parrhesia
Parrhesia Collective held a webinar with Lara Aharonian, a feminist activist and co-founder and director of the Women's Resource Center in Armenia, (Կանանց ռեսուրսային կենտրոն) and co-director of Finding Zabel Yesayan.