The year 2011 in photos

New Year is the time to look back on the achievements of the past 12 months. For me, the year 2011 has been a period of great intensity; at times hard, at times emotional, but always exciting and rewarding. Thanks to everyone for being with me in 2011. I am looking forward to having happy and colourful 2012!

In 2011 I continue my work at the British Council Armenia enjoying doing it every single day

 

This year I was honoured to be the PR manager of the events for the 20th Anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Armenia

 

Considering that education is the core of the development it is essential to participate in trainings and master classes

 

This year I was lucky to meet with great people. Baskin Oran, the human rights defender and good friends of Armenians

 

Traveling....One of the best things in the world

 

Looking forward to having colurful 2012, full with new projects, traveling and of course great people

The Best Photo of 2011

Reuters published 100 best photos of the year.  The photo below is my favourite one. The photo was taken in Egypt. The photographer is Goran Tomasevic.

“I was in south Sudan covering the referendum when I found out that there were going to be protests in Egypt. I felt that there could be big troubles, so I returned to Egypt. I arrived at 8am and dropped my bags at home and then went to the office. Later in the afternoon clashes began in Cairo. People were shouting and the police came out on the streets. There were protesters, riot police and also plainclothes police. The plainclothes police started chasing people around: kicking them, beating them. I had to shoot quickly. I saw a lot of plainclothes police standing in a line like soldiers. There were some street battles with civilians. The next day we knew it was going to be a big protest so I took my camera downtown to look for possible trouble. We went to a couple of neighborhoods but people were walking through the small streets heading towards the city center. One moment we witnessed some clashes. Police started to fight and the protesters fought back,” said Goran Tomasevic.

A protester stands in front of a burning barricade during a demonstration in Cairo January 28, 2011. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

If you want to watch all the photos, please visit the Reuters website.

First Barbie Commercial, 1959

“Each child brings their own needs and happiness”

ERVANDASHAT, Armenia – In front of the one-storey house a young man is cutting wood and three girls are playing a bit away from him. Later on their two brothers will come to the house from the field and the whole family will have dinner.

The Vardanyan family

Everyone knows the Vardanyan family in the village of Ervandashat in the Armavir region. They have the largest family in the village. Vram Vardanyan, the father of the family, has 7 children: 4 sons and 3 daughters. The eldest one is 25 years old; the youngest one is in the first grade at school. Two of his sons have served in the army and now the third one is serving.

Ervandashat village is near the Armenian-Turkish border. You can walk from the centre of the village to the border in 10 minutes. The Vardanyan family has been living here for more than 20 years. They used to live in one of the villages in the Shirak region, but their house was destroyed by the earthquake. They came to Ervandashat at that time with their only two children and decided to stay in this village.

The power of smile

Gender equality is not a hot topic for media

NELIJARVE, Estonia – Merike Vilup, a journalist and media expert from Estonia, shows an advertisement of the tree cutting machine.  A half-naked woman with a sexy look who carries the cutting machine in the forest is presented in the advertisement.  This ad is from the local newspaper which she reads every day. She decided to keep this one as a bright example of what she would like to change in the issue of gender equality perception.

Merike Vilup shows the advertisement. Photo by Alex Smulski

“Unfortunately, this ad is not an exception. It is a widely accepted point of view that a woman should be presented in a sexy way, with bright make-up and nice clothes”, said Merike Vilup.

Several NGO-s and centres in Estonia are founded to fight for the gender equality. They organise trainings and projects, print books and publications with one aim: to educate and change the perception of gender equality in Estonia.

“There is only one woman minister in Estonia out of twelve. Women are paid 30% less than men. These facts clearly present the situation of gender inequality in Estonia. I have to mention that media is not interested in covering and discussing gender equality issue “, she said.

Ruta Pels, a journalist and the president of  Eesti People to people NGO, organised Gender and Media training course funded by EU Youth in Action programme from 7 to 13 August 2011. 22 participants from 14 countries gathered in Estonia to find the ways how to change the gender equality perception in media.

Back to history

MUSH, Turkey - Ayret was born in Sasun but lives in Mush, Turkey. When Ayret visited Yerevan a few years ago he introduced himself as Serob. He is originally called Serob while in Turkey his official name is Ayret.

He is one of those Armenian Genocide descendants who accepted Islam. Serob is married to a Kurdish woman. He gave his children Armenian names: Tigran, Azat and Mariam. Armenians are always welcome to his house which he built by himself on the mountain surrounding Mush. He sits in the balcony and shows several pieces of the papers on which he has written all the phone numbers of his Armenian guests.

Mush, Turkey

Before the 1915 Mush was a city populated with mainly Armenians. Now its main population are Kurdish people.

At the city entrance there is the Sulukh Bridge. If you are an Armenian, then people from Mush will tell you. “This is the bridge where Gevorg Chaush was killed”.

Gevorg Chaush was an Armenian fedayee (soldier) in the Ottoman Empire who fought for the rights of Armenians. This was the only thing mentioned about Armenians in Mush during my 4-day trip.

The next stop was the village Chengulay. The village is 35 km far from Mush and is located on the mountain. This underdeveloped Kurdish village is very special for every Armenian. The Saint Karapet Monastery was built here. It was founded in the 4th century by the Saint Gregory the Illuminator. Yet it was destroyed by the Turkish army after the Armenian Genocide.

There are nearly 20 houses in the village. And if you are not guided by the locals you can hardly find the ruins of the monastery. Only a small wall is preserved from the Armenian monastic complex which is completely abandoned.

All the khachkars (carved stones or cross stones) which were preserved during the distortions were being used by the

Ruins of the monastery

villagers to construct their houses. I myself happened to see five Armenian cross stones on the walls of the local homes.

The villagers are already used to that; the Armenians are coming to their place to look at the shapeless ruins. The kids walked next to me and looked surprisingly when I stopped and watched at the khachkars on their wall. This was just a stone for them yet a whole history for me.

In one of the cattle shed I found a beautiful ornament left from the monastery. People keep their horses next to it.

Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross on the Ahktamar Island is unique church which was restored by the Turkish Government. It is far from Mush for almost 200km. This church is masterpiece of Armenian architecture which became a place of pilgrimage. After the restoration Turkish government opened the church yet only as a touristic sight, a museum with an entrance fee of 3 Turkish liras.

Khachkar on the wall of the house

On my ship to the Akhtamar Island there were Kurds, Turks and even Azerbaijanis who wanted to visit the church. Armenians enter the church silently and they pray with whisper. Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross is the noisiest Armenian Church I have ever visited. For the tourists this is just a museum and they took dozens of pictures standing even on the altar.

I can do nothing to preserve Armenian culture in that part of the world. I can only keep the history in mind and never forget about it.

By Arevik Badalyan

ԿՈՂՊԱԾ ԴՌՆԵՐՆ ՈՒ ՓԱՄՓՈՒՇՏԻ ՀԵՏՔԵՐՆ ԱՅՍՏԵՂ ԱՄԵՆՈՒՐ ԵՆ

Մովսես, Հայաստան – Տավուշի մարզի սահմանամերձ Մովսես գյուղ հասնելու համար հարկավոր է անցնել թունել կոչվող ճանապարհով: Գյուղի բնակիչներն են այդպես անվանել: Սարերի ոլորաններում կառուցված ճանապարհի ասֆալտը վաղուց էր մաշվել, հաճախակի դարձած կրակոցներն էլ ստիպում էին օգտվել գյուղը շրջանցող մեկ այլ ճանապարհից:

Մովսես տանող ճանապարհը

Այն մի քանի անգամ ավելի երկար էր, բայց ոչ երբեք ավելի բարեկարգ: Մի քանի ամիս առաջ գյուղի բնակիչները հողապատեցին ճանապարհի բաց հատվածը: Այժմ ճանապարհի մեկ կողմում սարն է, մյուսում մեքենաներից մի քանի անգամ բարձր հողի բլուրները: Թունելը բացելու համար զինծառայողները ստիպված էին օր ու գիշեր հսկել այդ հատվածը, որպեսզի ադրբեջանցիները կրակահերթ չարձակեն ու չխանգարեն աշխատանքը: Մինչ օրս էլ ճանապարհն ասֆալտապատված չէ, գյուղացիները խիճ են լցրել: Այս հատվածն անցնելու համար վարորդից բացառիկ ուշադրություն է պահանջվում, փոխարենը վստահ են. անվտանգ է, մեքենաներն ադրբեջանցիների համար տեսանելի չեն:

Երբեմնի բարեկարգ եւ բազմամարդ գյուղում մինչ օրս էլ տեսանելի են պատերազմի հետքերը: Տներից մեծ մասի վրա դեռեւս նկատելի են փամփուշտների հետքերը, ընդ որում շատերը նոր են: Մովսեսում այսօր 2740 բնակիչ է հաշվառված, իրական թիվը, սակայն, շատ ավելի քիչ է: Արտագաղթի արդյունքներն այստեղ առավել տեսանելի են: Մարդիկ հեռացել են ընտանիքներով` պարզապես կողպելով դռները: Ամենահամեստ հաշվարկներով գյուղից հեռացել է 300 ընտանիք: Նրանց գերակշիռ մասն այսօր ապրում է Մոսկվայում: Մովսեսում կյանքն ամռանն է աշխուժանում: Մոսկվաբնակ մովսեսցիներն արձակուրդներն այստեղ են անցկացնում: Նրանցից շատերը սեփական ֆինանսավորմամբ ծրագրեր են իրականացնում գյուղում: «Այժմ վերանորոգում ենք գյուղի մանկապարտեզը, գումարի 40 տոկոսը նրանք են տրամադրել: Վերջին տարիներին վերականգնեցին գյուղի լուսավորությունը, այժմ եկեղեցին է կառուցվում, կրկին նրանց ֆինանսավորմամբ եւ աջակցությամբ», ասում է գյուղապետ Լյուդվիգ Ապերյանը:

Chocolate website! A new website entirely made out of chocolate.

Sagres is Portugal’s leading beer brand. This year, Sagres brewed a new product: Sagres Preta Chocolate, a chocolate flavoured stout beer.

Without a TV campaign and very few print materials, Sagres challenged their digital agency to create an online activation for their new product. Using the website as the main promotional tool, Sagres needed to generate a lot of buzz with a new approach.

Given this challenge, the agency’s creative team believed that if Sagres made a chocolate beer, the perfect way to launch it was also to create a website made of chocolate.

This said, the first step was to find and hire the best Maître Chocolatier in Portugal. Mr. Victor Nunes, artistic director of Óbidos International Chocolate Festival, started sculpting the website live at this year’s venue. Later on, his artisan sculptor team finished it at their chocolate factory. The artists sculpted the entire website in chocolate pieces, moulding it according to the design provided by the agency.

Afterwards, at the agency’s studio, the chocolate frame and all the website components were shot in the different positions and stages.

These images became the raw materials for the website.

To invite consumers to try the new product, Sagres offered a piece of the chocolate website and a 6Pack of Sagres Preta Chocolate. Every day, during a specific hour, users can ask for a bite of the website.

Here you can find the source of information.

They very rarely have guests

YEREVAN, Armenia – Long corridors connect the buildings of Yerevan’s first nursing home. The rooms are next to each other along the whole corridor. The rooms contain only necessities, such as a bed, TV and table. The residents of the nursing home try to decorate their rooms. They hang saints’ pictures on the walls; very rarely, they also hang photos of their relatives.

248 senior citizens live in Yerevan’s first nursing home. They are admitted here after retirement age. The state spends 2350 dram for each resident of the nursing home every day. The managers provide food and pay for communal expenses with this money.

Tamara Shahnazaryan

“We can admit up to 260 people. Sometimes we admit abandoned seniors but usually they don’t have relatives”, said Davit Shahbazyan, the director of the nursing home.

The nursing home was built in 1953 and it hasn’t been renovated since 1979. In the last few years have some rooms have been renovated. “Only 35-40 percent of the building is renovated. Last year we built the boiler house. Unfortunately, for 2010 we don’t have any state or charity fund for renovation”, said Davit Shahbazyan.

82-year-old Tamara Shahnazaryan, who always ties a handkerchief on her head, has lived here for 15 years already. She is sharing a room with another woman. She said that she used to live with her family in the village of Khrkhi but during the war in 1992-1994 they had to leave their house and become refugees. Her children left for Russia. Tamara and her husband found themselves in the nursing home. ‘My husband died in this home. I don’t have any news from my children”, said Tamara.