Comments on: My First Dead Bomzh http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/12/20/my-first-dead-bomzh/ Journalism and Photography from Armenia and the Surrounding Region Sun, 12 Feb 2012 05:10:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1-alpha by: Knarik O. Meneshian http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/12/20/my-first-dead-bomzh/#comment-2927 Fri, 22 Dec 2006 21:44:31 +0000 http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/12/20/my-first-dead-bomzh/#comment-2927 For Armenia, this is a terrible, shameful picture—the indigent, homeless, hopeless lady wearing a cross. When Armenia was in need, help was sent from just about everywhere. But, this poor lady and others like her are ignored by the country that has and still receives help. Amot! Hazar amot!!! For Armenia, this is a terrible, shameful picture—the indigent, homeless, hopeless lady wearing a cross. When Armenia was in need, help was sent from just about everywhere. But, this poor lady and others like her are ignored by the country that has and still receives help. Amot! Hazar amot!!!

]]> by: Onnik http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/12/20/my-first-dead-bomzh/#comment-2915 Wed, 20 Dec 2006 22:11:58 +0000 http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/12/20/my-first-dead-bomzh/#comment-2915 You know, when we first met Gor and Edik interviewed and I photographed him (the same time I took the photo above) I felt the same. He seemed so together and content with his life of being free. However, less than a month later when we returned he was in a terrible state and I realized I was wrong. He didn't die as a free man. He died as a free individual perhaps, but one that was different from the society around him and left to die a horrible death by the State. He died 2 or 3 days after Edik and I accompanied a film crew from Yerkir Media TV to see him and we weren't expecting him to have fallen so low and to be living without even a fire he was so weak. Edik and I literally carried him to try to find a taxi to take him to his mum in their village, and that was enough of a problem. Most taxi drivers refused to take him he was so dirty, but eventually we found one. Anyway, he died soon after so we failed in our attempts to try to keep him alive. Yerkir Media captured the state Gor was in for the documentary they made with Edik on homelessness in Yerevan. I stuck a short excerpt from the documentary online here. It's small and so low quality, but it shows the conditions bomzh live in as the winter drags on, and also includes Gor reading some of his poetry. It's linked to along with another excerpt at the following URL (scroll to the bottom): http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/01/16/hetq-homeless-special/ Still don't know who the dead guy was I stumbled upon this morning, and I probably never will. Wonder if he was a poet, an artist, or just a good guy? Who knows? Nobody in the local administration seems to care. Like I said, Komitas is full of bomzh and has been for the past 2.5 years and I have seen no attempt by anyone to address the problem or their situation. You know, when we first met Gor and Edik interviewed and I photographed him (the same time I took the photo above) I felt the same. He seemed so together and content with his life of being free.

However, less than a month later when we returned he was in a terrible state and I realized I was wrong. He didn’t die as a free man. He died as a free individual perhaps, but one that was different from the society around him and left to die a horrible death by the State.

He died 2 or 3 days after Edik and I accompanied a film crew from Yerkir Media TV to see him and we weren’t expecting him to have fallen so low and to be living without even a fire he was so weak. Edik and I literally carried him to try to find a taxi to take him to his mum in their village, and that was enough of a problem.

Most taxi drivers refused to take him he was so dirty, but eventually we found one. Anyway, he died soon after so we failed in our attempts to try to keep him alive. Yerkir Media captured the state Gor was in for the documentary they made with Edik on homelessness in Yerevan.

I stuck a short excerpt from the documentary online here. It’s small and so low quality, but it shows the conditions bomzh live in as the winter drags on, and also includes Gor reading some of his poetry. It’s linked to along with another excerpt at the following URL (scroll to the bottom):

http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/01/16/hetq-homeless-special/

Still don’t know who the dead guy was I stumbled upon this morning, and I probably never will. Wonder if he was a poet, an artist, or just a good guy? Who knows? Nobody in the local administration seems to care. Like I said, Komitas is full of bomzh and has been for the past 2.5 years and I have seen no attempt by anyone to address the problem or their situation.

]]> by: Haik http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/12/20/my-first-dead-bomzh/#comment-2914 Wed, 20 Dec 2006 21:27:54 +0000 http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/12/20/my-first-dead-bomzh/#comment-2914 I read the article in Hetq. Gor was a great philosopher he was not a bomj. He was a freedom fighter and died as one. I think most of the bomjs are people of freedom. They dont go to shelters because they will lose their freedom. They are used to live free- free of materia, free of ambitions. I wish I knew Gor. He seems to be a great man. I liked his following poem ( karyak). My back is itching, My hand can't reach, I am rubbing it against the wall, The wall says - animal! Onnik do you have his writtings? I would really like to read them. I read the article in Hetq. Gor was a great philosopher he was not a bomj. He was a freedom fighter and died as one. I think most of the bomjs are people of freedom. They dont go to shelters because they will lose their freedom. They are used to live free- free of materia, free of ambitions. I wish I knew Gor. He seems to be a great man. I liked his following poem ( karyak).

My back is itching,
My hand can’t reach,
I am rubbing it against the wall,
The wall says - animal!

Onnik do you have his writtings? I would really like to read them.

]]> by: Zarchka http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/12/20/my-first-dead-bomzh/#comment-2913 Wed, 20 Dec 2006 17:55:46 +0000 http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/12/20/my-first-dead-bomzh/#comment-2913 It's sad, so sad... It’s sad, so sad…

]]> by: Darwin Jamgochian http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/12/20/my-first-dead-bomzh/#comment-2912 Wed, 20 Dec 2006 17:49:15 +0000 http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/12/20/my-first-dead-bomzh/#comment-2912 What really bothers me is the fact that the supposedly moral leadership of Armenia (Etchmiadzin) marches in lock step with the government. It's beyond the time for our church leaders to be pro-active andivert their attention from turf wars. Are they afraid that the government authorities will shut them down too? I for one am tired of throwing up my hands waiting for someone to point out the complete disregard for human values in Armenia. Are Armenians really that self centered? What really bothers me is the fact that the supposedly moral leadership of Armenia (Etchmiadzin) marches in lock step with the government. It’s beyond the time for our church leaders to be pro-active andivert their attention from turf wars. Are they afraid that the government authorities will shut them down too? I for one am tired of throwing up my hands waiting for someone to point out the complete disregard for human values in Armenia. Are Armenians really that self centered?

]]> by: Esoteric http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/12/20/my-first-dead-bomzh/#comment-2911 Wed, 20 Dec 2006 14:42:05 +0000 http://oneworld.blogsome.com/2006/12/20/my-first-dead-bomzh/#comment-2911 The expression on that woman's face drives a bolt of pain straight through my heart, and a bolt of fire through the depths of my anger. The expression on that woman’s face drives a bolt of pain straight through my heart, and a bolt of fire through the depths of my anger.

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