April 24: Ritual Or Remembrance?

Savada Simounian-Khygani
savadask@ucla.edu

For the last five years, I have witnessed and observed a phenomenon in the Armenian community that can only be described as a ritual – the 24 of April. This day, the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, is widely held as a day of mourning for the tremendous and horrific fates of our ancestors. For most of us, we wake up on this day with a ritualistic mindset. We have a certain script to follow; certain things must be done or it will seem odd. The activities we participate in, the clothes that we wear, the ceremonies that we attend become an annual routine. We equip ourselves with an Armenian flag, sit through a church service, march through Little Armenia, attend a ceremony or two, and call it a day. Some will gather in Montebello along with our community leaders for yet another ceremony, while others will protest at the Turkish Embassy. There are still others who will simply stay at home.

This routine, and almost perfunctory nature of treating April 24, is a serious problem. Many of us are ignorant of what actually transpired on this day. The reasons, the agents, the victims, the consequences, and the end of the Genocide are simple facts to which many in our community are oblivious. It scares me that the majority of these ignorant people are parents who, then, perpetuate the ignorance by passing it down to their offspring. I interned at the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) for the Genocide Education Project based in San Francisco. I created, along with my partner, a pamphlet intended to inform community members that a California state law stipulates that the Armenian Genocide be taught in schools. Interested in assessing students’ prior knowledge of the Genocide, I administered a test consisting of 10 questions and was shocked to find out that as many as 80% of the children did not know basic facts such as when the Genocide ended. When the format of the test was changed to that of a multiple-choice, a still-shocking 50% of the children did not know the answer. This is enough to understand how thoroughly this law is being followed. The shameful performance of these high school children on this assessment is a testament to the fact that April 24 is considered a mere ritual; it does not improve or impart any real or meaningful knowledge.

From the church-goers to the participants in the marches, this day is filled with events and activities. The church encompasses 1700 years of rituals that are practiced by our communities. Church services on the 24th are held in ancient and modern Armenian which consists of fast chanting that most of us cannot understand. If the majority of us are unable to comprehend these sermons, we will continue to remain ignorant of the true essence of the Genocide. After the church, next on our agenda are the marches and protests. Most of these are held in Little Armenia, but I want to bring to your attention what happened last year. UCLA’s Armenian Student Association (ASA) brought several children from local Armenian private schools who participated in a silent march around campus. However, these kids would joke around, pretend to fight with each other, and be loud. Even though these children, who were between the ages of 8 and 12, cannot be looked at as mature or responsible, this is still an example of how childish things can belittle the serious nature of the issue at hand. This type of behavior can also be seen at the Genocide Monument in Montebello. Over the last few years, there have been instances of Armenians fighting other Armenians on the type of flag that should be displayed and also of Armenians calling the police to get fellow Armenians arrested. It seems to be a pretentious contest over how many flags a single individual can hoist. It is sickeningly embarrassing when protesters are asked by passerby, "Did you guys win a soccer game or something?" A display of the mourning for the horrendous tragedy of our ancestors is interpreted as a celebration of something so trivial by outsiders. Further callous acts consist of some Armenians who burn Turkish flags in front of the Turkish Embassy. The marches and the protests are covered by local television crews and newspapers, and every act is photographed. The inconsiderate burning of Turkish flags seems grossly ignorant and demeans the cause that we are fighting towards. Burning flags casts a negative light on us and only serves to delay recognition and support for our cause.

To those of you that stay home during this day, I commend you. I understand that it is an emotional day and staying home to reconcile your feelings is a good alternative to participating in mind-numbing rituals. There are those of you, though, that treat this day as a holiday. This is extremely degrading and condescending to the memories of our ancestors.

I, once again, come back to those who perform automatic acts on this day simply because it is what they have always done. If this pattern continues, the darkest day in our people’s history will become nothing more than a symbolic mockery. I urge you to educate your friends and family members about the significance of this day. Use this day to mourn our ancestors, to honor them, and to make them proud of their future generations. There can be no more petty altercations, belligerent arguments in front of the Genocide Monument, and no ritualistic mindsets