Since I remember myself, I know what the day – 24 April – means for my people. The day is marked as the day of Armenian Genocide, also known as the Armenian Holocaust (in Armenian Medz Yeghern) made by Ottoman Turkey.
In 1915, during the First War World, on 24th of April were brutally murdered 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople. That wasn’t going to be the end, nor to be the start. 1.500.000 people’s fates were already decide beforehand – kill because they were from other nation, kill because they were Armenians, kill because they were Christians. Women, children were marched to the Syrian desert, left without food and water, left to die in starvation, thirsty.
Today – 24 April 2015 – 100 years has passed since the devilish page of Armenian nation history. 100 anniversary, people marching to the Tsitsernakaberd – The Armenian Genocide Memorial – quiet, flowers in the hands, heads tilted. Air pressing over that place as if God himself is mourning with Armenian people’s lost. Low music playing, conveying the voice of the Armenian Genocide victims.
Today a lot of people from other countries have arrived to hear those voices, to offer their condolence to Armenians. Today Armenia is silent, remembering.
The Armenian Genocide has touched to every Armenian family. People running away from their homes, leaving their houses to the Turk murderers, Kurds thieves, and finding their new home in other countries. Nowadays there are more Armenians all over the world than in Armenia.
I’m myself have losses in the Armenian Genocide, my family is a victim of it. My homeland still remains in Turkey – Sassoun now in the Batman Province of Turkey. My great grandfather had to run from his homeland when he was only seven. He was the only one to survive, the rest of the family was murdered. He found his new home in Eastern Armenia.
I don’t ask you to recognize it, I don’t ask you to run to and fro and cry or demand anything, I say this for you to know what really happened. For you to get to know then something will change.
Today you know.
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