Armenia’s Heartfelt Song for Citizens in Diaspora
Armenia’s endurance as a culture is testimony to the spirit of perseverance of its people, who have faced many oppressors over the centuries, the most horrific being the Genocide by the Turks from 1915 – 1917. As a result, since antiquity, Armenians have left their Motherland to create communities around the world. Today there are 7 million Armenians in diaspora, and 3 million living in their native land.
Music is an essential part of everyday life in Armenia and widely used to convey the spectrum of human emotion. In Sasounik, I met Srbuhi Martirosyan, a dance teacher at the village’s cultural center, who surprised me by spontaneously sharing a heartfelt folk song. Srbuhi’s talents extend beyond dance. This song’s name is “Tatrakik,” written by Hayrik Ghazaryan. It’s a plea to the Armenian diaspora to come home.
Publisher and editor of www.PeopleAreCulture.com (PAC), which profiles people engaged in creating & preserving culture, and celebrates our unique differences and shared human condition.
