Beirut: In the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide

In the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide film depicts a fragile history after tragedy

Information Minister Samaha said more such documentaries should be made on the history of Lebanon's various communities

By Nada Raad
Daily Star staff

A documentary on the Armenian community in Lebanon that airs this Friday evening on the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) will shed light on the history of their presence here, which, according to the producer Carmen Labaki, began well before the 1915 Genocide.

The documentary, “Armenians in Lebanon” was filmed in Armenia, Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon in an attempt to illustrate the Armenian history and show their “dispersal” following the 1915 Genocide, which left more than a million dead.

Co-produced by the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI), the 85-minute documentary will be broadcast on LBC on Friday after the 8 p.m. news report, and one day ahead of the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day on April 24.

Labaki, who spent one year working on the film, said that she decided to shoot the documentary after realizing that Armenian history is unknown by many here, including some Armenians. Labaki, who previously produced two documentaries – “Brazil in Lebanon,” released in 1997, and “France in Lebanon,” released in 2001 – said that the scene which most touched her concerns the shooting of the Bedouin Armenians living in the Syrian Desert.

“Every Bedouin Armenian living in Syria has a story to tell about his parents' plight,” Labaki said during the documentary's release on Monday at the Haigazian University in Beirut. “But the story told by this second generation does not have the same impact as if it were told by the generation who lived the genocide,” she added.

The documentary presents Armenian nationals who were uprooted from their country, their culture and their families and friends, but who can still list the names of family members. In Syria, many Armenians are now Muslim Bedouins and have Arab names because they were adopted by Syrian families.

The documentary shows locations where Armenians were killed and tortured by the Turks. During the Genocide some were killed in Armenia while others were killed during a march from Turkey to Syria. On April 24, 1915, after the Armenians in the army were disarmed and then killed, the political and intellectual leaders meet the same fate.

After this event, the remaining Armenians were told they would be relocated by marching them to concentration camps in the desert between Jerablus and Deir ez-Zor where they were left without food and water to starve under the sun.

In a technique common to many documentaries, the producer used contrasting footage, with scenes of real footage in black and white abutting contemporary shots of the genocide march.

We went to Marqadeh in Deir ez-Zor to shoot the documentary. When I dug in the sand I found bones … from the genocide,” Labaki said.

The documentary was also shot in Shadadeh, an area located in Deir ez-Zor, where around 300,000 Armenians were put in a cave and burned.

In Syria, many Armenians live in Aleppo, while others left to come to Lebanon. According to the documentary, the Armenian presence in Lebanon dates from 1741, when the Armenian Patriarchy was established in Bzemmar. Following the Genocide, Armenians arrived from Syria and Turkey in Anjar where some died from cold and illness.

Currently, the Armenian community is concentrated in Bourj Hammoud and they are well-known for their professionalism in commerce, jewelry design, carpet making, and crafts.

In 1934, the Armenian community was allowed to?vote, and in 1966 some members assumed ministerial posts.

Currently, the Armenian community is active through three political parties: the Tashnak Party, the Ramgavar Party, and the Hentchak Party. In Beirut, four MPs out of the 18 elected members are from the Armenian community.

The documentary shows that before 1975, members of the Armenian community here considered themselves as “Armenians living in Lebanon,” while today they say, “We are Lebanese from an Armenian origin.” Nonetheless, many members of the Armenian community are currently returning to their homeland. “Mount Ararat is waiting for them,” the documentary said.

“We need memory in this country,” Information Minister Michel Samaha said at the opening. He added that such a documentary should be done
on all the ethnic groups in the country to allow the Lebanese to learn more about each other.

Source: “The Daily Star”, Beirut, 20 April 2004

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Armenians of Lebanon: Best documentary film

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أرمن لبنان: أفضل فيلم وثائقي في العالم

الجمعة 4 نوفمبر 2005

سعيد حريري من بيروت

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نال الفيلم الوثائقي اللبنانيّ “أرمن لبنان” أرفع جائزة عالمية تُمنح لفيلم وثائقي في مهرجانٍ دوليّ هو “Apra International Film Festival” في هوليوود.

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شاركت في المهرجان مئات الأفلام من أكثر من عشرين دولة، وقد ساهمت المؤسّسة اللبنانية للإرسال في إنتاج هذا الفيلم الذي أخرجته كارمن لبكي، وأعدّت وكتبت نصوصه نضال أيوب.

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تقول كارمن لبكي: “إنّ تجربة تصوير فيلم وثائقيّ هي بحدّ ذاتها تحدٍّ بما أنّ الفيلم الوثائقي يُعتبر من الإنتاجات التلفزيونية الصعبة، فكيف إذا كان موضوعه عن الأرمن، هذا الشعب الذي لا يزال يرفع لواء استرجاع حقوقه… أنا ونضال عملنا بمنطق إنتاج وثيقة للتاريخ لا تموت، فما يحمله هذا الفيلم من عنوان لا يوجز إلاّ جزئياً، مضموناً تاريخياً صاخباً، وإرثاً حضارياً حافلاً، ولا يرفع النقاب عن المخاطر الكثيرة التي تعرّض لها فريق العمل في أماكن التصوير”.

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في تركيا، أو ما يُعرف تاريخياً بمنطقة كيليكيا، حيث تحدّر آباء الأرمن اللبنانيين، انتقلت الكاميرا ما بين مواقع عسكريّة خاضعة لحراسة مشدّدة ومحظورة على السيّاح إلاّ في نطاق ضيّق ومُراقب، كمنطقة آني التي احتلّت في أزمنة غابرة مكانة العاصمة الأرمنية، أو أماكن دينيّة كانت في ما مضى كنائس تحوّلت إلى أبنية متداعية ممنوع ترميمها أو حتّى حمل تسميتها الأرمنية الأصليّة.

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كاثوليكوسية الأرمن الأرثوذكس في مدينة سيس، أعلى المقامات الروحية الأرمنية، مثلاً لا حصراً، تحوّلت إلى مكان مهمَل يتناسى سكّانه الحاليون هويّته الأرمنية.

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وفي سوريا، خاض فريق العمل مغامرة البحث عن المغارة التي أُحرق فيها آلاف الأرمن الأحياء، رجالاً ونساءً وأطفالاً، وتمّ التنقيب عن العظام التي حفظتها رمال الصحراء كبقايا جثث مَن قتلتهم قوافل “السوقيات”، فالناجون قلّة أنقذتهم قبائل البدو، فكبروا غرباء، جاهلين لجذورهم وإرثهم الحضاريّ العريق.

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أمّا في لبنان، فالحضور الأرمنيّ الفاعل والمتداخل في النسيج الإجتماعي العام شكّل الركيزة الثالثة للفيلم الوثائقيّ فيما الرابعة عادت لأرمينيا، الحلم العائد من بعيد العذابات والمآسي.

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البريد الإلكتروني لسعيد حريري: [email protected]

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رابط الخبر في الموقع الإلكتروني لإيلاف (أول جريدة الكترونية عربية يومية):

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http://www.elaph.com/ElaphWeb/Entertainment/2005/11/102965.htm

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