Peace Through Education: How Armenian Teenagers in Nagorno-Karabagh Can Help

By Seta Iskandarian

WATERTOWN, Mass.—When the Soviet Union was in the cusp of collapsing between 1988 until its formal end in 1991, the international community did not pay attention to what was going on in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Nagorno-Karabagh War, which took place between 1988 and 1992, was just another religious conflict that went unnoticed by the international media. While the rest of the world was rejoicing over the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Armenians who had lived for centuries, in what was known as the Mountainous Region of Nagorno-Karabagh, within the Republic of Azerbaijan, were scrambling to survive yet another atrocity due to their Christian faith.

Today, after countless failed peace-talks between Armenia & Azerbaijan, the large Armenian diaspora in the United States, along with Armenians all over the world, anxiously await what the future holds for the disputed region, known as the Nagorno-Karabagh Republic, a country not recognized by the international community.

Approximately 80,000 Armenians live in the disputed region today despite an estimated 30,000 who died during the war. Shushi, the former capital of the region during the 19th century, is a symbolic and mystical place that was the key to regaining power. With its strategic location, approximately 2,000 meters above sea level, and protected by a 200 year old fortress, once Shushi was liberated by the Armenians on May 9, 1992, they were able to regain power in the surrounding areas.

Peace through education is a concept that is fundamental for the survival of Shushi and the Nagorno-Karabagh Republic. Educating the diaspora and the international community about the importance of peace in the Nagorno-Karabagh Republic is essential for finding a long-term solution for peace. Shushi has been known for centuries as a center for the arts and education. In 1828 the first book, The History of Scripture was published. Between 1878 and 1920 Shushi had 21 newspapers and magazines and many publishing houses. Today, Shushi is experiencing a cultural and artistic revival with the help of many Armenians from the Diaspora.

The Naregatsi Art Institute will present a Celebration of Peace, Education, and the Arts in Shushi, Nagorno-Karabagh Republic on Sunday, May 21, at 4 p.m. at the Armenian Library & Museum of America (ALMA), which is located at 65 Main Street, in Watertown. The celebration intends to educate the public about the importance of peace through cultural preservation and the arts. The afternoon will feature the YYSisters, a jazz trio from New Jersey, Nareg Hartounian, Founder of the Naregatsi Art Institute, Levon Chorbajian, Professor of Sociology at University of Massachusetts Lowell, along with a presentation of photographs taken by Shushi’s Teens With Cameras, eight teenagers born during the war and currently living in Shushi, Nagorno-Karabagh.

Shushi’s Teens With Cameras is a Naregatsi Art Institute project created by Seta Iskandarian, a Belmont, Massachusetts resident, and an Armenian-Venezuelan by birth. She taught photography for the Naregatsi Art Institute in Shushi in the Spring and Summer of 2005.

The teenagers had never had the opportunity to take photographs prior to their classes, as the cost of a camera is approximately equivalent to their Father’s monthly salary. They used 35 mm cameras Iskandarian had purchased in Boston prior to her departure.

The photographs taken by the teenagers express the hardships of their daily lives in a way that words can’t. Their physical isolation from the modern world along with their love of nature creates a collage of photographs that enables the rest of the world to see life through the lens of these teenagers born during the Nagorno-Karabagh War.

All event proceeds will benefit college scholarships for the eight teenagers. College tuition in the local Shushi Technical College and the Hanrabedutian University in Stepanakert is approximately $100-200 per year.

Giving the future leaders of Nagorno-Karabagh, the children, the opportunity for a better education and free expression through the arts will enable the sustainability of peace in the region.

The Naregatsi Art Institute was created by the visionary spirit of Nareg Hartounian, a life-time supporter of Armenian art and cultural preservation and through the inspiration of his namesake, Krikor Naregatsi, the 11th century mystical poet, writer, musician, and philosopher. Hartounian seeks to promote the future of Armenian art by honoring the rich historic ancestry it stems from.

The Naretgatsi Art Institute is a non-profit organization with offices in New Jersey, and an institute in Yerevan, Armenia, and one soon to be completed in Shushi, Nagorno-Karabagh Republic.

It is dedicated to serving Armenia’s existing cultural heritage through supporting Armenian contemporary artists and creating an open space in which the spirit of art and the common voice can freely thrive. By nurturing the expression of human creativity and documenting artistic accomplishments, the Naregatsi Art Institute seeks to enrich the understanding and the exposure of Armenian art today not only in Armenia but throughout the world.

By honoring the rich history from which Armenian art has stemmed from, it seeks to create a space where artists today can grow through creativity, social consciousness, and collaborative energy.