PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Chris Zakian
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: chrisz@armeniandiocese.org
Web: http://www.armenianchurch-ed.net
July 6, 2015
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Armenian Survival and Creativity in Bourj Hammoud
By Florence Avakian
Bourj Hammoud-the region in northeast Beirut, Lebanon, which Armenian
survivors from the Armenian Genocide built into a dynamic center for
shopkeepers, craftsmen and artists-came alive on Tuesday evening, June 9,
during a talk by photographer Ariane Ateshian Delacampagne.
Close to a hundred attended the event at the Diocese of the Armenian Church
of America (Eastern) which was sponsored by the Krikor and Clara Zohrab
Information Center, the Department of Armenian Studies of the Armenian
Diocese, and AGBU Ararat magazine.
In her introduction of the speaker, Gilda Buchakjian-Kupelian, of the
Diocesan Armenian Studies Department, related that Ariane Delacampagne
studied photography at New York City's International Center of Photography
(ICP), and has worked as an anchorwoman on Lebanese TV. Her recently
published book, Portraits of Survival: The Armenians of Bourj Hammoud, has
received wide coverage in Beirut and Paris.
Born and raised in Lebanon, the speaker complemented her talk with extensive
photographs she had taken since 2006 of this vibrant community which rose
from the ashes of the 1915 Genocide. Following a brief history of Armenians
living in the Ottoman Empire, the Armenian Genocide, and the competition by
France and England for a presence in the Middle East following World War I,
she explained that starting in 1921, thousands of Armenians poured into
Syria and Lebanon, mostly by boat.
These survivors "were looking for ports that were not under Turkish control,
and Beirut, in particular, remained the only port that was unconditionally
open to the refugees." Thousands more went to the Lebanese cities of
Tripoli, Zghorta, Chekka, Tyre, Saida, Anjar and Zahle. Meanwhile, with the
establishment of the State of Greater Lebanon by France in 1920, and with
territories taken from Syria, the size of the country more than doubled in
size. Through French help, the Armenians were able to obtain Lebanese
nationality starting in 1926, when the Lebanese constitution was drafted.
Bourj Hammoud Created
Completely destitute, the Armenians had to start from scratch, and several
international organizations assisted, including the League of Nations' High
Commissioner for Refugees, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the
Near East Relief, as well as the Lebanese government. The AGBU and other
Armenian organizations were active in gathering funds to finance the
building of residential areas, and the transfer of the refugees to more
permanent structures. They also assisted in the construction of schools, and
churches, and gave the refugees food, clothes, and medical care in the
camps.
>From 1922 to 1924, four Armenian refugee camps existed in Beirut, after
which all the residents were transferred to the Greater Beirut camp. Here
the Armenians regrouped in quarters "according to their geographical
origin"-Adanatzis in the Adana quarter, Marashtzis in the Marash quarter,
etc.
In 1930, a special Office for the League of Nations Office for Refugees (the
Nansen Office) focused its efforts in a swampy and marshy area northeast of
Beirut called Bourj Hammoud. The aim was to build an Armenian city of 20,000
with its own municipality, and transfer the Armenians from the Beirut camps.
A new electoral district next to Beirut would be created where the Armenians
would be the majority. The Armenians were allowed to build wooden shacks
which were followed by concrete buildings that exist until today. Still in
their geographical quarters, they created compatriotic associations.
"These associations played a remarkable role in organizing activities in the
refugee camps," the speaker continued. "The refugees would gather a certain
sum that the Nansen Office would provide in advance, and the refugees would
build hundreds of houses and then reimburse the sum within a few years."
Most of these homes were built from the 1930s to the 1970s.
Because there were few industries in Lebanon in the 1930s, "the only option
left for the Armenians was to acquire a craft which did not require a large
financial investment, and allowed them to work as independents," she noted.
These first workshops were in the fields of shoemaking, ironwork, and
clothing manufacturing-dirty work that was not highly regarded. "The labor
division was vertical with shoemakers getting leather from tanners, and
shoeboxes to pack the goods, and traders selling the products, etc."
These trades passed from father to son, from master to apprentice, or within
orphanages. "Through the hard work of the refugees, what was first just a
tent camp gradually became an urban center, and also one of the most densely
populated districts in the Middle East. It was also one of the main centers
of economic activity," she related.
Strong Sense of Armenian Identity
The speaker revealed that she discovered Bourj Hammoud "long after" she had
left Lebanon for America. Visiting the area in 2000, she said she found in
Bourj Hammoud "a human scale and authenticity that was lacking elsewhere. I
was struck by the strong sense of identity, the persistence of everything
that was authentically Armenian, from the food and spices to the very warmth
of the residents."
She reported that she started by visiting the Cahl organization, initially
an institute for the blind which became a home for the elderly. There she
met Rosa Tcholakian born in Dyarbekir in 1914, Zvart Zournadjian born in
Kharpert in the1920s, and Ossana Soulian born in Kessab, Syria in 1922, "all
of whom spoke very little." The speaker related that she also accompanied
Armenian Red Cross Lokh social workers who helped young students with
learning disabilities, and went with church ladies to visit destitute
Armenians.
Because she was chastised during her Beirut exhibition for showing such sad
pictures, and not focusing instead on successful Armenians whom she was told
"rode BMW's and wore Rolex watches," the speaker reported that she decided
to concentrate on presenting subjects that she "felt had a personal
connection" to her.
Among the 21 successful individuals she profiled was Boghos Svadjian with
the nickname of Boghos Kalashnikov for using the Russian-made rifle to
defend his neighborhood during the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war. An actor,
and a fisherman, he sells his catch and prepares sushi for clients and
restaurants. Sculptor Ashod Terzian teaches art, plays the accordion, and
has a shop "like a museum" where he has made sculptures of Lebanese
politicians.
Then there is 84-year-old Abraham Baklayan who had a men's clothing shop
that was plundered and burnt down during the 1975 civil war. He now sells
lace napkins and tablecloths out of a makeshift sheet metal shop. And
40-year-old Jacques Ghazarian whose family hailed from Marash, Turkey, is
following the family tradition of baking Armenian specialties. He has turned
his family bakery into a flourishing business.
Jeanne Kitsinian, an 80-year-old woman, along with Krikor Kabakian in the
U.S., makes religious vestments, capes, and mitres, and sells them on the
internet to Armenian congregations worldwide. Hagop "Jackson" Keshesian,
almost 70, follows in his father's shoe business, making orthopedic, and
dancing shoes, as well as horseback riding boots to customers who live as
far away as Los Angeles. And 29-year-old Krikor Jabotian is a fashion
designer who employs 20 people. His award-winning designs are worn by
celebrities and brides. A fan of legendary filmmaker Parajanov, he also
designs stage costumes and jewelry.
During the Q-and-A session, the speaker revealed that though Bourj Hammoud
today is still an area of thriving businesses, many of the Armenian youth
are leaving, and the area is now mainly inhabited by elderly Armenians.
Also, Armenians from Aleppo, Syria, are coming in due to the devastating
civil war. But, she declared, as in decades past, with their lives disrupted
several times, Armenians, as shown by these portraits "are always able to
bounce back, and revitalize."
The director of the Zohrab Center, the Very Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan,
expressed appreciation to Ms. Ateshian Delacampagne for her intriguing
presentation. Fr. Findikyan, who planned and organized this season's
successful Zohrab Center programs, announced that starting in the fall, the
Zohrab Center will present a new series of interesting lectures, poetry, and
films.