Rev. Dr. Donald E. Wagner, director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, welcomed the group. He iterated his department’s especial interest in the Christians of the Middle East.

Amy Hoogasian of the Armenian Network then introduced the first speaker, Vincent Lima. Lima is the director of the Gomidas Institute and, with Ara Sarafian, editor of Armenian Forum. Hoogasian noted that after some delays in publishing, Armenian Forum is back on track as a quarterly journal.

In-Depth Analysis

"Armenia and Armenian communities face a host of unfamiliar challenges in a fast-changing world," Lima said, "and to address these challenges, we need reliable information, in-depth analysis, and constructive debate. That’s where Armenian Forum comes in."

Vincent Lima, editor of Armenian Forum: A Journal of Contemporary Affairs. He spoke at North Park University in Chicago.

At the first Armenia-Diaspora conference in Yerevan in 1999, Lima recalled, each of over fifty country delegations got three minutes to address the two-day gathering. That was just enough time for each to praise the organizers for convening the conference and make some pronouncements. Most asserted (1) that there should be no concessions in Nagorno-Karabakh, (2) that Armenia should permit dual nationality, and (3) that Armenia should reinstate the classical Armenian orthography. There was not enough time to discuss these issues in any meaningful way.

"So we went to a leading authority on one of these issues, the law of dual nationality," Lima said. "Attorney Aida Avanessian had litigated the matter in The Hague and it was the topic of her doctorate at King’s College London. We asked her to weigh in on the question. Her article appeared in Armenian Forum. The journal thus served as a true Armenia-Diaspora conference." [For Avanessian's article and a full report on the conference, see vol. 2, no. 2.]

Similarly, Armenians have made enormous efforts to bring about the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by various governments. But there has been little serious consideration of what such recognition might entail. Armenian Forum broke important new ground by having three political scientists debate the matter in a recent issue. [For details, click here.]

Many people are concerned about the war in Iraq, its possible consequences, and the doctrine of international relations it represents. Armenian Forum editors turned to Gérard Chaliand, perhaps the world’s foremost expert on geopolitics, and asked him some questions. The conversation appears in the new issue of the journal, now in press. [For details, click here.]

Lima also referred to a recent study assessing the effectiveness of the internship programs organized each summer by the AGBU and the Armenian Assembly. The authors, Anny Bakalian and Aghop Der-Karabetian, carried out annual surveys of interns for six years, as well as a survey of alumni. They note that Armenian organizations invest millions of dollars and thousands of hours of volunteer labor in various programs; the organizations rarely, if ever, commission formal outcome evaluations of these programs, however. An outcome evaluation is what the authors offer in their study, which appeared in Armenian Forum. [See vol. 2, no. 4.]

Only a handful of books, CDs, films, and plays on Armenian topics are reviewed in the mainstream press in the United States, Lima noted. The Armenian weeklies seldom solicit critical reviews, relying instead on publicity provided by publishers. So people don’t know which books to invest in, and authors get little critical feedback. In the new issue of Armenian Forum, a "brilliant" fourteen-page review, "Armenia In Pictures," considers five recent books of photographs. Before spending up to $90 for one of these books, people would be well advised to read the review. The review, he added, also helps readers appreciate and understand the books. [See vol. 3, no. 1.]

A similar review in an earlier issue looked at Armenian language textbooks: many readers who want to learn the language don’t know which book or books to chose. The review helps. [See vol. 2, no. 3.]

The Armenian Forum editor concluded his presentation with reference to an exchange in the new issue of the journal: western donors, including the U.S. government, are investing millions of dollars to reshape society in Armenia. Who determines the new shape Armenian society should take? How effective are the interventions? The issue is explored in six thoughtful and informative articles sure to generate further vigorous debate in Armenian communities. [See vol. 3, no. 1.]

Subscriptions and back issues are available by calling toll-free 1-888-927-6369 or writing <forum@gomidas.org>.

Armenian Habitat

Lisa G. Esayian of the Armenian Network introduced the next speaker, Michael Candan. She noted that Candan serves as a volunteer crew leader with Habitat for Humanity, in addition to a variety of other volunteer efforts.

Members of a Habitat for Humanity "Global Village" giving a "hand up" in Armenia. Michael Candan (second from right) spoke in Chicago to promote the missionary organization.

Candan gave an inspiring slide presentation about Habitat’s efforts in Armenia. Noting that Habitat is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian organization, he sought to dispel the notion that it seeks to convert Armenians. Its mission, he said, is to give people a hand up in providing themselves with simple, decent housing. People have built at least forty homes for themselves with the help of Armenian Habitat.

Bank mortgages are prohibitively expensive in Armenia. "People save maybe a hundred bucks, buy some construction material, and build one wall of their house," Candan said. "Then, after a few more months, they are able to save enough to build another wall. The project drags on for years." Candan referred to one family that built a barn for their livestock first, and lived with the livestock for years while they tried to build a house.

Habitat provides interest-free loans to selected families, based on need, ability to repay, and willingness to participate in the construction. The families build their own homes, assisted by volunteers who pay their own way. The mortgage payments go into a revolving pool to help other families with materials and logistics.

Volunteers from outside Armenia go there for two-week stints as part of "Global Village" teams. Three such teams will go to Armenia in 2003: in July, August, and October.

During a typical trip, participants stay in a Yerevan hotel and go to the building site perhaps three days a week. The rest of their time they spend sightseeing. They work on four or more different houses during their stay. Participants in the July trip, however, will be staying with families near the building sites, up to ninety minutes outside Yerevan.

Candan said that their "bucket brigades" were, at first, spectacles for local residents who sat and gawked. After a while, the children joined in. Soon women were also participating. Eventually, after a couple of days, the men joined in too. Some of the people who were thus inspired to participate in building their neighbors’ homes are now regular volunteers for Armenian Habitat. The organization boasts ninety local volunteers.

Candan emphasized the warm hospitality his team received and the camaraderie that develops in the course of a trip.

People unable to join a Global Village group were urged to donate to Armenian Habitat. They can do so through Armenian Habitat’s Web site, www.hfharmenia.org

Celebrating Chicago

Concluding the evening’s program, Hoogasian presented each speaker with a book about Chicago. Participants lingered to discuss Armenian Forum and Armenian Habitat. Middle Eastern food was served, helping to create a jovial and companionable atmosphere.

--Correspondent

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Last modified on 13 November 2007.