Photo Credit: Seda Grigoryan

Armenia Rising

From the killing fields in the Ottoman Empire at the turn of the 20th Century to the pogroms in Baku and Sumgait at the end of the same century, Armenia and Armenians have been rising.

From Genocide to dispersion and marginalization to the victory in Karabakh to the establishment of the third Armenian Republic, Armenia and Armenians have been rising.

From the glorious kingdoms of Armenia to foreign invasions and occupations, to the writers who inspired a national reawakening to the young activists today in the Diaspora and the homeland who are trying to carve out a future where they see themselves as the game changers, Armenia and Armenians have been rising.

And yet...

And yet we fail to see our power.
Power of our survival.
Power of reconstructing lives, family histories and communities.
Power of overcoming calamity and heartbreak.
Power of victory.

Why Armenia Rising?

Because it's time we change the narrative. Because the complaining and infighting isn't contributing to any constructive national discourse. Because it's time that we accept that we, and only we can shape our future. Because we do have the potential. Because we deserve better.

This blog is a space where I hope to liberate my thoughts and opinions from the constraints of my own personal, cultural and political baggage; baggage that also carries a hundred years of sorrow; baggage that has been drowning my personal truth.

I will write from the most mundane goings on to those events that promise to inspire in Armenia. From taxi drivers who recite Charents while taking you to work, to ceasefire violations and attacks on peaceful residents in border villages, to street musicians to constitutional changes to foreign policy....no limits, no constraints, just thoughts, impressions and feelings of a repatriate trying to figure out this country called Armenia. Armenia that is rising.

Join me on this unpredictable journey and let's see where we end up.