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Remember The Armenians

@rememberthearmenians

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Ցաւդ տանեմ 🇦🇲
Dignity, recognition and justice for Armenians in Aotearoa

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From our corner of the world in Aotearoa New Zealand, we stand in solidarity with the Armenians who were diplaced from Artsakh in 2023. Today we gathered together for a vigil, 3 years after Azerbaijan invaded Artsakh and led to the ethnic cleansing of over 100,000 Armenians. We marched with Armenian and Artsakh flags on Parliament grounds, through the streets of Wellington, and to the Turkish Embassy. Together we made a clear statement: we remember the genocidal actions of Azerbaijan, we remember New Zealand's silence and complicity, we remember the people and the land of Artsakh, and we demand their right to return to their ancestral homeland.

Thank you to Geoff for compiling and sharing history with us, to Sevan for teaching us so much about Armenian resilience and joy, to Anahid and Zabel for bringing your Armenian wairua to this event, to Demetri for standing in solidarity as a member of the Greek community, and to Ben for helping us see the possibilities of generational reconciliation and healing between Turkish and Armenian people. We are also so grateful for our allies who showed up today in support, particularly our Māori and Pasifika friends who deeply understand the harms of colonisation and displacement.

Special thank you to @mary8black for bravely documenting your experience of blockade and displacement from Artsakh - today, your voice traveled across the world as we played your videos over the speaker at New Zealand Parliament. We have not forgotten you and your people, and we will continue to fight for your right to return to your land.

#artsakh #artsakhstrong #armeniandiaspora #armeniangenocide #wellingtonnz by @rememberthearmenians

Introducing: Remember the Armenians, a new Pōneke-based rōpū conceived and spearheaded by @lo_aleen and @teirangi.klever

We are excited to launch our organisation with a celebratory night of Armenian poetry and music, on 25 July at 7pm - follow our page for updates!

Ko wai tātou? Who are we?

Remember the Armenians works for dignity, recognition, and justice for Armenians in Aotearoa New Zealand. Rooted in community and solidarity, we stand for Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek Genocide recognition and the right to return to Artsakh.

Our kaupapa is grounded in three values: memory is political, honour our tūpuna and the land, and liberation is collective.

Ko wai ngā tangata o Āmenia? Who are the Armenians?

The Armenian people are indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia, having inhabited the region now known as Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Georgia for thousands of years. By the beginning of the 20th century, approximately 1.5-2 million Armenians lived as minorities on their own ancestral land in Western Armenia (now known as Turkey). On 24 April 1915, the Ottoman Empire arrested and deported hundreds of Armenian leaders from Constantinople, an action that is now seen as the beginning of the Armenian Genocide. Over the next few years, the Ottoman Empire slaughtered, converted, and deported over 90% of the Western Armenian population, sending them on death marches to concentration camps in the Syrian desert. The Ottoman Empire also targeted other indigenous minorities at the same time, killing up to 500,000 Assyrians and 350,000 Greeks and displacing 100,000’s more. This ethnic cleansing paved the way for the creation of the ethno-nationalist Republic of Turkey in 1919. Meanwhile, Eastern Armenia fought for independence from the Russian Empire, became incorporated into the Soviet Union, and has existed since 1991 as the Republic of Armenia.

Ko wai ka maumahara ki ngā Āmenia? Who remembers the Armenians?

Our name is both a question and an answer. After the Armenian Genocide, the Republic of Turkey built its identity on genocide denial while much of the world turned a blind eye. In 1939, as a justification for invading Poland, Adolf Hitler ask by @rememberthearmenians

Who will be our 500th signature? 🇦🇲

We are calling on the New Zealand government to recognise the Armenian Genocide - sign the petition today and join the movement!

(And check the boxes to get updates and volunteer!)

Link in bio 🔗
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#newzealand #armeniangenocide #armenia #wellington #wellingtonnz by @rememberthearmenians

REMEMBER THE ARMENIANS NEEDS MEMBERS!

We’re building a movement for Armenian dignity, recognition and justice in Aotearoa and abroad, and we want you to be part of it! Our current campaigns focus on securing New Zealand’s recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides, and supporting Armenian refugees displaced from Artsakh.

✊ Become one of our founding members!
For just $5 a year, you’ll be able to vote on our leadership, participate in organising hui, and help shape our campaigns. Whether you’re Armenian or an ally, we welcome your skills, your ideas and your energy!

📋 Join through the Google Form linked in our bio.

Not ready for full membership? You can also subscribe to our newsletter for FREE and stay involved in our mahi. Memory is political. Liberation is collective. There’s lots of work to be done. ❤️💙🧡
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#RememberTheArmenians #ArmenianJustice #Artsakh #ArmenianDiaspora #Aotearoa by @rememberthearmenians

Remember the Armenians stands in firm solidarity with Palestinians. There is a phrase in Armenian, ցաւդ տանեմ - literally "let me take your pain" - an expression of affection that says, "I see you and I will carry your burden with you." For the last 3 years, we have been witnessing and carrying the pain with Palestinians as Israel commits genocide, and we love and protect each other in the face of oppression.

Armenian and Palestinian communities have been deeply entwined for millenia, including 10,000 Armenian Genocide refugees finding safety in Palestine during WWI. For decades, Armenians and Palestinians have shared kai, dances, poetry, resistance strategies, and struggles for self-determination from both of our cultures. We honour this deep historical solidarity today by joining our voices with Palestinians' to amplify the call for global liberation.

We will be marching in the hīkoi for Palestine, hosted by @just4pal on 10 October at 11am on Parliament Lawn. Together, we demand action from our government to sanction Israel, divest public money from companies upholding Israeli occupation, and recognise the Palestinian state.

Our liberation is entwined, and we will continue to remember the Armenians and Palestinians.
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#freepalestine #armeniansforpalestine #armeniangenocide #aotearoa #solidaritywithpalestine by @rememberthearmenians

This Saturday, join us to stand in solidarity with the victims of ethnic cleansing in Artsakh and amplify the calls for displaced Artsakhis' right to return to their land.

Saturday marks 3 years since Azerbaijan invaded Artsakh, leading to the ethnic cleansing of over 100,000 Armenians from their ancestral land. After enforcing a 10-month blockade, Azerbaijan violated the 2020 ceasefire agreement and launched a military offensive, with Israeli weapons.

In the 3 years since, Azerbaijan has held 19 Artsakhi leaders as hostages and continues to desecrate Armenian cultural heritage by destroying churches, cemeteries, and villages.

These acts are a continuation of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, enabled by the government of New Zealand and other countries that refuse to take action. Despite demands from thousands of New Zealanders to condemn Azerbaijan's escalating violence over the last decade, New Zealand's only response was to sign a joint statement in the UN on 11 October 2023 expressing "deep concern" about Azerbaijan's ethnic cleansing, with no apparent follow-up or consequences. Further, New Zealand continually refuses to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide of 1915, instead erecting monuments to Atatürk, the orchestrator of Armenian Genocide denial.

We will meet at Parliament Lawn at 12pm on the 19th and share more information and experiences about Artsakh, followed by a short hīkoi to the Turkish Embassy.

Note: the weather forecast for Saturday is overcast and potentially rainy - this event will still go on unless it is raining heavily! We will post on Instagram on Saturday morning if we decide to postpone. by @rememberthearmenians

We’re absolutely blown away by the talent, curiosity, and generosity of our participants at the Armenian needlelace workshop yesterday! We went on a journey together through culture and craft, reflecting on the resilience of the Armenian women who have passed down this ancient practice through generations and genocide. In this beautiful space, we used our hands and some yarn to connect in a way that words sometimes fall short of.

Thank you so much to @micro_mill_ for giving us the platform to share this piece of Armenian culture, and thank you to all the workshop participants for engaging with warmth and respect. We can’t wait to see what we continue to create together!
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#armenia #armenianneedlelace #janyak by @rememberthearmenians

On 19 September 2023, Azerbaijan invaded the territory of Artsakh after 10 months of blockade, ethnically cleansing over 100,000 Armenians from their ancestral land. 3 years later, Azerbaijan still holds at least 20 Armenian political prisoners from Artsakh, condemned by the European Parliament and Amnesty International as human rights violations. Join us for a vigil to remember and honour these Armenians who were killed, displaced, and imprisoned.

We will gather on Parliament lawn at 12pm to hear about the history of Artsakh and the impact of this ethnic cleansing, then hold a solemn, peaceful hīkoi to the Turkish Embassy.

We remember the victims and demand their right to return to their ancestral homeland.

Artwork by @somanyseastars 🇦🇲✨
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#artsakh #artsakhstrong #artsakhisarmenia #rememberthearmenians #wellingtonnz by @rememberthearmenians

We invite you to a special screening of Ravished Armenia (1919), one of the earliest films to depict genocide and an early example of cinema being used to bear witness, preserve memory, and carry history forward.

The film is based on the testimony of Aurora Mardiganian, an Armenian survivor of the Armenian Genocide, who appears on screen as herself. Made in the immediate aftermath of the atrocities it depicts, Ravished Armenia was an early attempt to bear witness to what Armenian people had endured and to bring their testimony before the world. The original film was approximately two hours long. Today, only around 20 minutes of footage are known to survive, which we will screen in full.

Following the film, we will show a documentary providing historical context about the Armenian Genocide. We offer this screening as an act of remembrance: to honour the generations of Armenian people who have carried their memory forward.

Screening length: approximately 2 hours total - 20 mins of Ravished Armenia, followed by a documentary.

Content warning: This film addresses the Armenian Genocide and includes historical depictions of violence, persecution, and sexual violence. Some material may be distressing to viewers.

Accessibility: two/fiftyseven is located on the 2nd floor of 57 Willis St, above Unity Books. It is wheelchair accessible. There will be someone stationed on Willis St to help you up and a phone number to call if you arrive late and need help.

#armeniangenocide #armenia #armeniandiaspora #armenianfilm #aotearoa by @rememberthearmenians

It has been an incredible weekend of learning, laughing, eating, dancing, and organising with @just4pal ! It was so powerful to witness the magic of community coming together in the diaspora - Palestinians and Armenians both organise for justice in our homelands across the globe, but our relationships on and with this whenua give us the power to transform the entire world.

Ngā mihi nui to the organisers of J4P, SJP, and the mana whenua who facilitated this incredibly special space. Your wisdom, expertise, and deep love is an inspiration and guide as we at Remember the Armenians work towards the dignity of our own people and a free Palestine.
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#wellingtonnz #freepalestine #justiceforpalestine #armeniandiaspora #rememberthearmenians by @rememberthearmenians

Our next guest artist workshop is coming up in September! Join Lo for an exploration of Armenian craft and culture through needlelace. An ancient craft that is as intricate and resilient as the Armenian women who have passed the process down through generations.

You’ll learn the basic techniques of needlelace, with time to complete 2-3 small pieces. Lo will take us through stories of Armenian history and symbols that can be looped and knotted into lace designs. This workshop is open to all regardless of cultural background or crafting experience.

This workshop is part of a larger series of celebrations of Armenian culture hosted by @rememberthearmenians

Saturday 12th September, 4 - 6pm
11 Hopper st
Sign up on via the link in bio, come see us in store, or on micromill.org by @rememberthearmenians

Today - and all days - we stand in solidarity with our Assyrian whānau. Starting in 1915, the Ottoman Empire murdered and deported hundreds of thousands of indigenous Assyrians, alongside Armenians and Greeks. Then on 7 August 1933, the Kingdom of Iraq massacred ~5,000 Assyrians, leading us to now observe Assyrian Martyrs Day each year.

We were honoured to participate in the Assyrian Martyrs Day commemoration today in Pōneke Wellington. We attended an Assyrian church service and visited the Assyrian Martyrs Memorial in Mākara Cemetery - a grave for those whose bodies were never recovered and put to rest. We remember the dead so that their memories, sacrifice, and culture can live on in our hearts and minds.

Through shared suffering, survival, and advocacy over more than 100 years, Armenians and Assyrians have become close allies and friends. Together, we will continue to advocate for Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek Genocide recognition in Aotearoa New Zealand, so that one day this beautiful memorial may be amended to reflect the uncensored truth: that the Ottoman Empire's actions were not simply "atrocities" but a genocide.
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#assyriangenocide #seyfo #assyrianmartyrsday #armeniangenocide #aotearoa by @rememberthearmenians