I first heard the music of Deti Picasso two years ago and liked what I heard. Too often, most contemporary Armenian music falls into one of three categories — traditional, rabiz, very mediocre pop, or a combination of all three. Add to that the unfortunate tendency for most rock bands here in Armenia to content themselves with playing covers of rock classics, there are too few bands that represent anything original.

Certainly, there is little that appeals to a number of listeners that want something original that they can listen to because it’s good music rather than anything sung by an Armenian regardless of quality. I suppose we can consider System of a Down as something exceptional here, but after them, what? Well, we do have Bambir and MDP in Armenia, but they appeal to the same audience of young Armenian rockers. There is little, if nothing, else.

Which is why I love Deti Picasso from what I’ve heard so far. Raffi Meneshian, founder of Pomegranate Music and Executive Director of Yeraz Art, now offers a review of a CD by the band over at Cilicia.com’s Life in the Armenian Diaspora.

The band Deti Picasso is from Russia. Two of the members are Armenian in lead singer Gaya Harutyunyan and brother/guitar player Garen Harutyunyan. The 2004 CD “Ethnic Experiments” is sandwiched in between two other releases, 2002’s “Mesjac Ulybok” (CD Land Records), and their new 2006 release “Glubina” (Deep Movement). They are not considered “Armenian artists” in the sense that they cater to the Moscow rock/punk/experimental music scene and sing mainly in Russian. That’s their bread and butter. Like many ethnic Armenians in Europe and North America, they presumably decided to dabble into their roots and as the CD title states, create “Ethnic Experiments”. They have a cult following in Armenia and have given several very successful club concerts there, despite the general indifference toward rock music in the Homeland.

Whether I simply casually listen, review, or produce artistic risk-takers, there is a high degree of respect that is accorded to them right off the bat from me. I first heard an MP3 song (Im Gala) that was somehow sent to me via email in 2004 via Christina Sarkissian (the person who gave me a copy of Bambir- Quake while in the US) via Gor Mkhitarian. I had never heard Armenian music performed like this before. Yet, I was confused on whether I actually liked the music and needed more of a sample set. So, finally, after 2 years of looking around, I finally bought an authentic CD of “Ethnic Experiments” at the Avant Garde Folk Club on Pushkin this summer and have had time to ponder and absorb the music.

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While most observers are not expecting any breakthough in continuing negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve the conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, RFE/RL carries what some might consider to be surprising news. That is, progress has been made after Kocharian and Aliyev yesterday met in Minsk on the sidelines of a CIS summit.

“I can say that we are already approaching the final phase of negotiations,” Aliev told Azerbaijani state television, commenting on his face-to-face talks with Kocharian held in Minsk late Tuesday.

[…]

Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, who accompanied Kocharian on the Minsk trip, echoed Aliev’s positive mood as he spoke to journalists on his return to Yerevan on Tuesday night. “They [the presidents] mainly concentrated on the issues in the document [put forward by international mediators] on which no agreement has been reached,” he said. “I cannot say concretely whether progress was made or not, but both presidents assessed the meeting as positive in terms of atmosphere and constructive approaches.”

[…]

Kocharian’s most influential associate and potential successor, Serzh Sarkisian, also failed to shed more light on the Armenian-Azerbaijani summit, claiming that he is not yet informed about its results. Sarkisian reiterated instead that he is committed to achieving a “dignified peace” with Azerbaijan based on “mutual compromise,” even if that means liberating most of the Armenian-controlled Azerbaijani territories around Karabakh.

Well, I still doubt that any ground breaking agreement will be reached before parliamentary elections in Armenia next year and even before presidential elections in both republics the following year. Indeed, while there are signs that some moves are being made by both sides, the whole negotiation process seems as much of a pretense as it always has.

Still, who knows? Aliyev’s statement is certainly interesting.

What is it about Armenians? Doesn’t matter if something is worth supporting or not? As long as there’s an Armenian connection it must be pushed even if it isn’t right. One case in point is Silva, a new pop star in Armenia who somehow made it into the selection of songs for the BBC World Service’s The Next Big Thing.

Now, we’re all called upon to support her as if it’s our duty and talent shouldn’t enter into it. We’re called on to vote for her not because the song is any good, but really only because she’s Armenian.

Guys only a few hours left, but go to this site and vote! Silva is on the list of the remaining 20 in the BBC’s competition The Next Best Thing. If you don’t know anything about her, she’s a new artist from Armenia, and currently has a very popular ballad on the charts in Armenia. If you want to support an Armenian artist then DO IT NOW!!!!

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Kanayq Hayots, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2006

As I recently posted, an albeit small action to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, as well as raise awareness of the arguably regressing role of women in peace-building and society in general in the South Caucasus, was staged yesterday. The demonstration, largely attended by female university students as well as several ethnic Armenians from the Diaspora, was organized by the Kanayq Hayots NGO.

Kanayq Hayots Women’s Center was established on July 1, 2003 by a group of undergraduate women from the Sociology Department of Yerevan State University (YSU), Armenia. The idea was also strongly supported by graduate assistant and Ph.D. candidate, Gohar Shahnazaryan, as well as master’s students Anna Malkhassyan and Gohar Hovhanisyan. The Center’s concept was initiated by Lara Aharonian from the “Centre des Femmes d’ici et d’ailleurs de Montreal Quebec”, Canada, and Shushan Avagyan, a graduate student at Illinois State University, USA. Having made a commitment to YSU’s Sociology department, Kanayq Hayots is located at the University’s Conflict Resolution Information Center, but acts as an independent entity.

The Center adopted its name from the existing socio-literary feminist journal that started publishing in 2000 through YSU’s Sociology Department. One of main reasons of Kanayq Hayots’ establishment was to preserve and revive the publication of this journal, which had ceased circulating in 2002 due to a lack of steady financial support. The Center reunites the journal’s editorial and volunteer staff, and now opens its doors to a larger network of women from other institutions and disciplines.

[…] Our objective is to eliminate all types of discrimination against women whatever their age, race, class, nationality, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation. More specifically, our goal is to create a safe environment for every woman on the campuses of YSU.

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Simon over at Blogian has posted a link to a video he’s made and put online about deforestation in Armenia. He says that viewers should not expect something highly professional as it’s the first video he’s made, but head on over and take a look anyway. The video’s content also makes use of many sources including my article written last year for Oneworld.net.

The photographs and the videos are from the Internet. Many photographs are by Onnik Krikorian and Hetq newpaper – they have given permission to use their materials. Other photographs are from Hayastan.com’s gallery and other sources. Some photographs had been already reproduced too many times without the original credit. I was not able to identify the photographer and contact them for permission. I will credit them if they contact me upon seeing the video.

In addition to the above mentioned sources, I would like to thank Armenian Forests NGO for letting me use their content; Lilit Tsaturyan from Russia for sharing the music that plays in the beginning and at the end of the music (although the music is recent, the author is unknown to me); www.armenica.org (for providing the clip about Armenia’s independence) and Mariam Nersisyan from Armenia (for sending the clip of children in Yerevan). Lilit and Mariam sent me the material long time ago, so they are not aware of the video yet.

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Lola Koundakjian of the Armenian Poetry Project and Life in Travel forwarded me a link to a new blog on Armenia this morning. Not so unexpected perhaps, but always interesting to take a look, this time the blog is from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — otherwise more commonly known as the Mormons.

The main page, however, indicates that it is not an official blog. Still, it’s an interesting precedent for organized religion with a focus on Armenia.

I want this site to be a resource for newly called missionaries and their families. When I was called during the summer of ‘99, there was no one to give us any information about this new mission. I wanted to build a website that could be informative and inspiring to those missionaries who will go and continue the work my companions and I started.

This site is in no way affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and does not speak for it. Also, it is not an official mission website. It is just information about the mission, the country, the people and a reflection of our experiences there as missionaries.

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Armenia Now has an interesting if perhaps overly optimistic article ahead of the next scheduled meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents to resolve the conflict over Nagorno Karabakh for Tuesday. According to the article, a largely credible newspaper reports that gradual moves to implement a final peace plan are currently underway.

[…] the Russian newspaper “Nezavisimaya Gazeta” has reported that by the end of this year Armenia will begin a handover to Azerbaijan of territories now controlled by Karabakh forces, and Karabakh will remain joined to Armenia with a 40-kilometer corridor. According to this plan, the corridor will be controlled by peacekeeping forces.

The paper (http://www.ng.ru/cis/2006-11-22/6_meeting.html) cites diplomatic sources to report that: “The project under discussion envisages that Armenia withdraws troops from Azeri territories it controls, refugees return to their places of residence, diplomatic and economic relations will be settled between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh will benefit from international economic cooperation and a referendum will be held on its status.”

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The BBC reports that former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko died last night in a London hospital after apparently being poisoned at the beginning of November. According to the report, Litvinenko was investigating last month’s murder of Anna Politkovskaya and dictated a letter in his final hours accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of being behind his imminent death.

Protest from around the world “will reverberate, Mr Putin, in your ears for the rest of your life,” he said.

The Kremlin has dismissed allegations it was involved as “sheer nonsense”.

Scotland Yard said officers were now investigating “an unexplained death”.

Friends say the former KGB agent was poisoned because of his criticism of Russia.

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Blogrel says that the damn awful giant LCD screen in Republic Square will soon be finally gone. It was erected a few years ago, as Armenia Now reported way back then, and was meant to be “temporary,” although I think we all knew that it would stay as long as whoever owned it made money and remained in favour with the local authorites who should never allowed it there in the first place.

Where once Vladimir I. Lenin stood bronzed and pointing the way to socialism, an electronic billboard now stands in Yerevan’s Republic Square, broadcasting capitalism and the best of Hollywood action movies, and video clips from the former dictator’s nemesis, the evil west.

[…]

While authorities are looking for a worthy replacement for Lenin they gave permission to AD Technology advertising company to put the 15-meter high billboard where the 18-meter-tall former leader stood until 1991.

[…]

Vahram Gharibjanyan, manager of AD Technology and in charge of technical and program support of the billboard, says he chooses clips of movies that are interesting to spectators: such as “Taxi” and “Terminator”.

The manager himself thinks Lenin’s monument should have stayed, for its historical value. But since the place is vacant, why not fill it with advertisement?

[…]

Ads on the board cost $2 to $8 per minute, depending on the number of times it appears.

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Opposition Protest, Matenadaran, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2003

RFE/RL reports that the Economist Intelligence Unit has ranked Armenia 110th out of 167 countries worldwide in terms of democracy. Given flawed elections in 2003 that failed to meet international standards and parliamentary elections scheduled for next May, the ranking comes at a particularly poignant time.

In particular, Armenia is graded low in terms of its electoral process and pluralism — only 4.33 — the same index as for Uzbekistan, Kenya or Singapore. Armenia also has a low score in terms of functioning of government — 3.13 out of possible 10. It has nearly the same score in terms of political culture. The only index where Armenia is graded relatively high is the level of civil liberties. It turns out that by this index Armenia’s situation is much better than that in neighboring Turkey or, for example, in Russia.

Although Armenia did far better than Azerbaijan and Iran, which are already considered authoritarian regimes, the EIU somewhat ominously highlights concerns that many of us are well aware of on the ground. That is, next year’s vote will determine the future of this country, and whether it succeeds or fails as a State.

The Economist Intelligence Unit decided to come up with a 2007 watch list. In the negative watch where Armenia is included along with seven other nations, the Economist’s estimation on Armenia is: “parliamentary elections in May 2007 could be highly flawed, tipping the country into an outright authoritarian regime.”

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For those of you that don’t know, Microsoft have released Internet Explorer 7. Although I prefer Firefox to IE, I do have to admit that there are some nice features in it. Of course, one of those — tabbed browsing — has been available to users of Firefox and most other browsers for some time now. However, for reading pages and making web sites look nicer there’s no doubt that IE 7’s anti-aliased text comes into its own. Hope Firefox has this in the next update.

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